The Character Of Fatherhood

Title- The Character Of Fatherhood

Passage- 1 Peter 3:7

Introduction

Top ten list of “Dadisms”

10-Don't make me stop this car.

9-Don't shake your head like there is nothing in it.

8-Shut that door. Do you wanna heat the whole town?

7-'Do you think I'm made of money?'

6-'Were you raised in a barn'

5-Money doesn't grow on trees

4-I'm not sleeping, I'm just resting my eyes

3-They don't make them like they used to

2-Stop crying or I'll give you something to cry about

1-A little hard work never hurt anybody

Attention- Dad’s are know for a lot of sayings…but I want to challenge you this morning that dad’s ought to be known more for who they are than for what they say

Problem- Another “dadism” is…actions speak louder than words and this is true in of fatherhood as well.

Historical Problem-

CPS- Being a husband and father is about your character...

What we say and do is important but what we say and do flow from our character.

Interrogative (CPS in a question) What are some biblical character traits of a father?

Transition

The first biblical characteristic of a father is...

I. Servanthood

Explain

Because of the “LIKEWISE” in verse 1 I connect these 5 verses to the next 7...

In reality everything to do with relationships…family or otherwise MUST begin here!

Peter is giving us the example of Jesus Christ as a precursor to his discussion about family relationships.

Verse 21b…”Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example, that we would follow after his steps”

*Verse 22…Christ had no SIN.... GUILE or DECIET

*He had no reason to die!!!!

-Yet He did

*When he was reviled (slandered, spoken evil of) he what? reviled not

*When he suffered…he WHAT?

-Threatened not …He did not use His position or power to get His own way...

-Let that sink in..

*Verse 24…what is the point here, He did this all not for his gain but ours!!

*We needed a shepherd VERSE 25..a leader and he chose to pay the price to be our redeemer and shepherd

Illustrate

Dictatorship is selfish…biblical leadership is selflessness

Dictatorship is easy…biblical leadership is stretching

Another dadism…no pain, no gain…don’t take the easy way out!

Apply

Transition

The second biblical characteristic of a father is...

II. Modesty

Explain

In our circles modesty is discussed a lot…but I think that too often we focus on the outward fruit of a modest heart.

I’m not sure I have ever heard a preacher preach about modesty to men unless it was about how their wives or daughters dress.

Men, we need to be modest as well…and I’m not talking about your type of dress.

Modesty is not strictly about what I do or do not wear...

Is not immodesty, at it’s root, pride?

The Scriptures, in my opinion, are using a tangible situation for us to understand a heart issue here…and I think for too long we have missed it!

Similarly Paul writes in

Ephesians 5:21 KJV 1900

Submitting yourselves one to another in the fear of God.

Here again we see a heart attitude…we tend to focus on the next verse that tells the wives to submit...

Couldn’t we husbands…in an attitude of modesty respond in submission to our families?

True, the husband is the head of the house, and has a greater level of acocuntability but...

-Couldn’t we as husbands stand to set ourselves aside more often and honestly live like we talk.

-We say our wives are our equal and treat them otherwise…how about if we took a long honest look at ourselves and actually walked the talk…how would you marriage look then....how would that change your family

Don’t tell me that these verses are just for the women...

Verse 1 and verse 7 say what?…LIKEWISE

So the ladies get 6 verses and men get 1 right?

NO! the ladies get 11 and the men get 18...

Don’t get me wrong…I do believe that the Lord cares what we wear and desires that we dress modestly...

-But the dress dress has to do with the external, so what is going on inside…PRIDE

So based on that conclusion....modesty is an inner character quality that displays itself in our dress..and:

-Our attitudes

-Our speech

-Our finances

Illustrate

Warren Buffet has a net worth of close to $61 billion yet lives in the home he purchased in 1958 for $31,500

We would say that he lives in a WHAT kind of home…a modest home

Friends, modesty is not just about clothes...

Friends, modesty is not just about clothes...

Apply

So how do we as fathers live modestly?

-In our attitudes…between our wives and our children

-In our speech

-How we carry ourselves

The third biblical characteristic of a father is...

The third biblical characteristic of a father is...

III. Knowledgable

Explain

This verse is purely practical...

-This verse contains one of those timeless truths that we can apply to every relationship of our lives…the Holy Spirit chose to use the husband wife relationship as our example.

A few things to note..

We are to dwell with them....

-I believe here that we can draw the principle that we ought not to just cohabit a residence together…we are to do life together.

Pay attention to one another…set ourselves aside and take notice of those around us.

Dwell with them how? According to knowledge.

Here the “according to” presupposes a goal…an intent

The goal here is knowledge…learned knowledge

Illustrate- We men will do whatever it takes to learn certain things.

I mentioned fishing a few weeks ago…I would spend whatever it took and take as much time as it took or as much of my attention as it took to catch fish....

I already had a catch…I just needed to put the same attention into learning her as I did my hobbies.

Peter goes on to say we are to treat he as the weaker vessel...

-Here the King James sis the ladies no favors…well, neither do very many of the more modern translations.

-It does not mean what our culture understand as weak…an updated work might be precious

*Women are not weak…I was in the delivery room when each of our three children were born…women are tuff…with a capitol T…but they are equally as precious.

Again, this can apply to all relationships…each relationship you have is a God given opportunity to glorify Him…all relationships are precious.

-In our marriages…

With our children..

With our neighbors

With our coworkers

*When I look at my wife I see a gift from God…in his love and grace he gifted me with my wife.

-It’s my job to treat her that way...

But when I look at any relationship…I ought to see it as precious, because it is a gift from God.

Apply

Conclusion

Review of the Principles and the Sermon Proposition

What does it take biblically to be a father?

Character..what type of character

Be a servant…be modest…be knowledgable...

Final Statement

Closing Hymn

320 Pass Me Not, O Gentle Savior