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The Importance of Fathers
Today we are going to deal with three areas in which fathers are extremely important, as we wage war for our children against an ungodly society.
The father of five children had won a toy at a raffle.
He called his kids together to ask which of them should have the present.
"Who is the most obedient?" he asked.
"Who never talks back to mother?
Who does everything she says?"
Five small voices answered in unison.
"Okay, dad, you get the toy."
Today is the day that we honor fathers.
We are to honor our fathers, and our mothers, and this day in June is set aside for us to honor the fathers in this country.
But we are to honor our fathers, not because it’s a holiday, not because it’s a tradition, not because there are sales going on all over the country, but because God said so.
In fact, he said so very specifically.
The Bible tells us in ,
Ephesians 6:1-3
Notice that it doesn’t say, honor only good moms and dads.
It doesn’t say, honor them if you like them.
It doesn’t say, honor only the right ones.
It says, “honor your father and mother.”
And so, today, we ought to honor all fathers.
But I want to speak directly to the dads here today.
And if you’re not a dad, don’t check out, because we all need to hear this.
You see, we are involved in a war today, and the battleground is not in Iraq or Afghanistan.
The battleground is in our homes.
And what’s at stake is not our land, our property, our freedoms.
It’s more important that than.
What’s at stake are our children.
And believe me—it’s a war, it’s an important war, and in this country, we are losing the battle.
Children are turning from the faith in record numbers.
It’s as if as soon as they leave home and go to college they leave the church.
Children in record numbers are turning from God.
But it’s nothing new.
It’s the same as been happening over the course of time.
I want to tell you a brief Biblical story this morning that’s going to be our guide for the remaining time we have today—and I’ll be brief.
It’s found in the book of Judges in the Old Testament.
Genesis, exodus, Leviticus, numbers, Deuteronomy, Joshua, Judges.
Let me give you a little background here today.
The nation of Israel had just marched into the promised land, and they were settling into the land.
Now, it wasn’t a complete victory, because when they went in, they didn’t always follow what God desired, and instead of conquering all of it, they instead settled into some of it.
And just before what we’re going to look at, they were instructed that they didn’t do what God desired, and they repented of it.
With that in mind, let’s read this important passage this morning.
Once Joshua and his generation passed away, the next generation turned their back on God and worshiped the gods of the peoples around them.
Today, in 2017, they don’t wait for mom and dad to pass on.
They turn away immediately, and worship the god of television.
They worship the god of fashion.
They worship the god of convenience.
They worship the god of this world.
They worship the world.
What is the world, tells us.
16 For all that is in the world—the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life—is not of the Father but is of the world.
closely parallels what is going on today in America.
Let’s look at that together.
Do you realize we live in a culture that approves of turning its back on God? From court cases to tv to popular movies, it’s okay to make fun of religion, because it’s not important, it’s not relevant.
It worked for mom and dad, but it’s not for me.
Well, can I tell you this morning, moms and dads, you are at the front lines.
This is a war, and we are called to be a part.
This morning, I want to give you your marching orders to tackle this important task of saving the children, and we are going to look briefly at a few steps that will help us to do so.
How can we win the war?
Three suggestions this morning.
1.
With our Words
Let’s look to Deuteronomy
Deuteronomy 6:6-7
You need to talk to your children.
Be involved in their lives.
Tell them about God, and tell them about the Bible.
Remember last week we talked about your story.
What God has done for you, so that you can share it with others.
Are you sharing it with your children, what God has done for you?
You need to, you ought to.
A study was done some time back to determine the amount of interaction between fathers and their small children.
First, the fathers were asked to estimate the amount of time they spent each day communicating with their child.
The average answer was about fifteen to twenty minutes.
Next, microphones were attached to the father so that each interaction could be recorded.
The results of this study were shocking: The average amount of time spent by these middle-class fathers with their small children was thirty-seven seconds per day.
Their direct interaction was limited to 2.7 encounters daily, lasting ten to fifteen seconds each!
Look back at again with me.
Can that be accomplished in 37 seconds a day?
Do you want to know how much time the culture has with your children? 37 seconds does not come close to meeting the job.
Communicate with your children; tell them about God and about the Bible.
: Listen, my son, to your father’s instruction and do not forsake your mother’s teaching.
Don’t let the schools be the only thing that instruct the children.
Don’t even let this church be the only thing that instructs your children.
And that’s not an indictment on the teaching ministry of this church, but mom and dad, we are not responsible for raising your kids.
We will help you, but when the bible tells us to Train up a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not turn from it—that’s not to the church, that’s to parents.
Dad’s, how are you doing with your words?
Are you fighting the battle?
2. With our Time
Robert Schuller, pastor of the Crystal Cathedral, once said that he chose to fail so he could succeed.
He said, "I chose to fail at golf, because I wanted to succeed as a father."
Though he loved golf immensely, he knew that he could never devote adequate time to his job, his hobby, and his family . . .
so he gave up his hobby.
How are you doing with your time?
We looked at , but let’s look again at verses 7 and following:
Dad’s, do you want to know what is important in your life today?
Look at your calendar, your schedule, and where your time is devoted, that’s what is important.
Unfortunately, many dads say that by their time they love their jobs.
They love their hobbies.
They love their entertainment, their comfort.
If you asked them if they loved their children, they would swear to you that they do.
But their time doesn’t match up.
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