A Lasting Legacy

The Godly Father

Text:

Joshua 24:14–18 NIV

“Now fear the Lord and serve him with all faithfulness. Throw away the gods your ancestors worshiped beyond the Euphrates River and in Egypt, and serve the Lord. But if serving the Lord seems undesirable to you, then choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your ancestors served beyond the Euphrates, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you are living. But as for me and my household, we will serve the Lord.” Then the people answered, “Far be it from us to forsake the Lord to serve other gods! It was the Lord our God himself who brought us and our parents up out of Egypt, from that land of slavery, and performed those great signs before our eyes. He protected us on our entire journey and among all the nations through which we traveled. And the Lord drove out before us all the nations, including the Amorites, who lived in the land. We too will serve the Lord, because he is our God.”

Introduction:

14 “Now fear the Lord and serve him with all faithfulness. Throw away the gods your ancestors worshiped beyond the Euphrates River and in Egypt, and serve the Lord. 15 But if serving the Lord seems undesirable to you, then choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your ancestors served beyond the Euphrates, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you are living. But as for me and my household, we will serve the Lord.”

16 Then the people answered, “Far be it from us to forsake the Lord to serve other gods! 17 It was the Lord our God himself who brought us and our parents up out of Egypt, from that land of slavery, and performed those great signs before our eyes. He protected us on our entire journey and among all the nations through which we traveled. 18 And the Lord drove out before us all the nations, including the Amorites, who lived in the land. We too will serve the Lord, because he is our God.”

Introduction:

The idea for  creating a day for children to honor their fathers began in Spokane, Washington. A woman by the name of Sonora Smart Dodd thought of the idea for Father’s Day while listening to a Mother’s Day sermon in 1909.

Having been raised by her father, after her mother died, Sonora wanted her father to know how special he was to her. It was her father that made all the parental sacrifices and was, in the eyes of his daughter, a courageous, selfless, and loving man. Her father was born in June, so she chose to hold the first Father’s Day celebration in Spokane, Washington on the 19th of June, 1910.

In 1924 President Calvin Coolidge proclaimed the third Sunday in June as Father’s Day. Roses are the Father’s Day flowers: red to be worn for a living father and white if the father has died.

A GOOD FATHER IS ONE OF THE MOST UNSUNG, UNPRAISED, UNNOTICED, AND UNAPPRECIATED HEROES IN ALL HUMANITY.

One time a little boy was asked to define Father’s Day and he said, “Its just like Mother’s Day, only you don’t spend as much on the present.”

The greatest number of long distance phone calls are made on Mother’s Day; the largest number of collect calls are made on Father’s Day!

WE COULD GO TO MANY PLACES IN THE BIBLE for an example of a godly father. One such is without a doubt, JOSHUA.

At the age of 110, he summoned the leaders of Israel to Shechem for a farewell address. He charged them to obey the Lord who had fought for them and given them an inheritance. He warned them of the danger of apostasy, saying, “Choose you this day whom you will serve….”

He chose the perfect setting, because Shechem was alive with sacred memories: Abraham’s altar, Jacob’s well, 25 years earlier, a tremendous dedication service had taken place here.

As Joshua spoke, he did so with authority of experience, for he had walked with Moses for 40 years and led Israel into the conquest of Canaan for another 25 years.

He reinforced his appeal with the POWER of a GOOD EXAMPLE. “As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.”

There are a lot of things we could say about Joshua, but for the sake of time I want to mention just two—two qualities that he possessed that all fathers would do well to emulate.

I. Priest of the Home

A. He acknowledged his responsibility for the spiritual life of his family. He spoke for his family; he declared their intent.

(1) A priest cannot function unless he is in close contact with God.

(2) According to the Bible, the family was designed to be the basic educational unit (; ; ).

It is the father’s duty, then, to make sure his children know how to be saved and how to walk in the ways of the Lord.

(3) The greatest thing a father can pass on to his children is the love of God. We all know that love brings about love. In chapter 3, verse 11, Joshua urges Israel to make love of God their special aim.

love of God. We all know that love begets love. In chapter 3, verse 11, Joshua urges Israel to make love of God their special aim.

B. The family will usually follow the parent, especially the father.

Someone has said, “A boy loves his mother, but will follow his father."

Some months ago I heard a touching story about a humble, consecrated pastor whose young son had become very ill. After the boy had undergone an exhaustive series of tests, the father was told the shocking news that his son had a terminal illness. The boy had accepted Christ as his Savior, so the minister knew that death would usher him into Glory; but he wondered how to tell his son that he soon would die.

After earnestly seeking the direction of the Holy Spirit, he went with a heavy heart through the hospital ward to the boy’s bedside. First he read a passage of Scripture and had a time of prayer with his dear child. Then he gently told him that the doctors could promise him only a few more days to live. "Are you afraid to meet Jesus, my son?" asked his father. Blinking away a few tears, the little fellow said bravely, "No, not if He’s like you, Dad!"

C. As priest of the home, the godly father is also a man of prayer. He goes to God often on behalf of his family, asking for wisdom and courage for himself, and protection for his wife and children.

Job is an example:

Job 1:5 NIV

When a period of feasting had run its course, Job would make arrangements for them to be purified. Early in the morning he would sacrifice a burnt offering for each of them, thinking, “Perhaps my children have sinned and cursed God in their hearts.” This was Job’s regular custom.

‘Perhaps my children have sinned and cursed God in their hearts.’ This was Job’s regular custom” ().

Another example is Joshua:

Joshua knew that many families in Israel had begun to worship other gods. The gods of Ur, Egypt, the Ammonites and Canaanites were popular in the land. It was the fashionable and acceptable thing for a person to accept the worship of these gods into the home. Joshua spoke in no uncertain terms concerning his position on this issue. He called on the people to put away these idols. But notice what he went on to say. He told them that no matter what they did, he was going to worship the Lord. He was going to separate himself from the popular culture of his day. I don’t mean to say that he was going off to live in a cave somewhere, I mean that he was not going to give in to the politically correct ideas being espoused by society. Even if he looked foolish and was spoken of in negative terms, he was going to serve the Lord.

Joshua knew that many families in Israel had begun to worship other gods. The gods of Ur, Egypt, the Ammonites and Canaanites were popular in the land. It was the fashionable and acceptable thing for a person to accept the worship of these gods into the home. Joshua spoke in no uncertain terms concerning his position on this issue. He called on the people to put away these idols. But notice what he went on to say. He told them that no matter what they did, he was going to worship the Lord. He was going to separate himself from the popular culture of his day. I don’t mean to say that he was going off to live in a cave somewhere, I mean that he was not going to give in to the politically correct ideas being espoused by society. Even if he looked foolish and was spoken of in negative terms, he was going to serve the Lord.

Joshua had a choice on who to serve and his choice was made quite clear.

This is a choice we all have. You can seek to blend in with the crowd or you can stand for the Lord no matter the cause and cost. This choice is very important for fathers. We must not allow culture to swirl us down into the vortex of macho image of our time.

Joshua had the courage to do what was right. Look back at Joshua, chapter 1. From the beginning, Joshua was told by the Lord to be of good courage. That is the heart cry today. Fathers, be of good courage! Have the fortitude to stand faithfully for God in a godless world!

The second quality that Joshua possessed is that he had a….

II. Plan for the Family

Being priest of the family is not enough. The godly father must also have a plan for the spiritual life of his loved ones. Joshua said, “…we will serve the Lord.”

He led the home with a plan. That plan honors and serves God. The father of the home’s duty is to bring the family together. To unify the household.

It takes dedication to be the kind of father that our children need and deserve. It calls for a deep and total commitment to God's ideal for fatherhood. Certainly this is something missing in most homes in our day. Every man in this fellowship, every father in this church, ought to desire to have the level of dedication necessary to be the father God desires for us to be.

A. We must strive with God’s help for family unity.

When Joshua spoke his voice rang with the sound of unity: “me and my house.” There was togetherness. And I believe that the reason that unity was there was due to his godly character, his example. His faith was genuine, authentic and as a result his family said, in essence, “Whatever you say, dad, we will agree.”

When marriage vows are kept, and the couple is devoted both to the Lord and to each other, there is no more powerful statement of family unity.

B. When the family is united, it will endure the trials that come its way. Joshua pressed a godly determination to persevere with his family. He was prepared to stand alone with his family if necessary.

When Israel was about to enter her third generation of leadership, Joshua set the example for every home in the nation. Not only that, he also set the tone for every father who would follow after him. When we leave this world our greatest legacy is the one which shows the direction we left. The most important thing we can do in our death is to is to let those we leave know where we are going - where you stand with the Lord.

How many funerals have you attended and had someone come to you with these words, "I believe he made his peace with the Lord." and you can tell by the way they say it they are hoping for a confirmation from you? They don’t know, they’re just hoping the departed loved one in question made peace with God in his final moments. What a sad way to leave those you love - wondering where you will spend eternity.

When Joshua laid down the baton of leadership, he made clear the direction he wanted the nation to pursue. I realize we cannot impose our faith and standard of conduct on the next generation once we are gone, but we can let them know our dreams and faith while we are here. Joshua as much as told Israel, "I don’t know what you will do when I’m not here. But this is what hope you will do." (GB)

What made Joshua a great father to follow was his determination that he and his family would follow the Lord.

Our children must know where we stand. They will know our stand when we take it, when we speak it, when we pray it and when we lead it!

This morning where does your household stand?

What is your legacy?

What would your children say of you as a Dad?

This morning as we take time to honour Father’s here at Faith, may all families present here revere these men as Godly Priests of their home. May we prayerfully support and love them and hear them when they speak and give their voice the attention it need.

This morning as we take time to honour Father’s here at Faith, may all families present here revere these men as Godly Priests of their home. May we prayerfully support and love them and hear them when they speak and give their voice the attention it need.

This morning as we take time to honour Father’s here at Faith, may all families present here revere these men as Godly Priests of their home. May we prayerfully support and love them and hear them when they speak and give their voice the attention it need.

Men, you need to continue to strive towards Godliness and ask for His guidance and direction. We need men of honour, who walk closely with the Lord as a reflection of Him and the example that families need presented in this day.

This morning I ask every man to come forward to the altar. We need to to stand out because we know you are men of courage and faith. We will stand with you and pray over you as you lead as Godly men, strong role models, and men with a lasting legacy.

Today, let us remember how good God has been to us. Let us renew our commitment to Him.

Close in prayer