Wise Fathers Needed in Times Like These

June 20, 2021 Wise Fathers Needed in Times Like These Luke 15: 11-24 Then He said: “A certain man had two sons. 12 And the younger of them said to his father, ‘Father, give me the portion of goods that falls to me.’ So he divided to them his livelihood. 13 And not many days after, the younger son gathered all together, journeyed to a far country, and there wasted his possessions with prodigal living. 14 But when he had spent all, there arose a severe famine in that land, and he began to be in want. 11 15 Then he went and joined himself to a citizen of that country, and he sent him into his fields to feed swine. 16 And he would gladly have filled his stomach with the [e]pods that the swine ate, and no one gave him anything. “But when he came to himself, he said, ‘How many of my father’s hired servants have bread enough and to spare, and I perish with hunger! 18 I will arise and go to my father, and will say to him, “Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you, 19 and I am no longer worthy to be called your son. Make me like one of your hired servants.” ’ 17 “And he arose and came to his father. But when he was still a great way off, his father saw him and had compassion, and ran and fell on his neck and kissed him. 21 And the son said to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against heaven and in your sight, and am no longer worthy to be called your son.’ 20 “But the father said to his servants, ‘Bring out the best robe and put it on him, and put a ring on his hand and sandals on his feet. 23 And bring the fatted calf here and kill it, and let us eat 22 1 and be merry; 24 for this my son was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.’ And they began to be merry. START HERE Today, now more than ever, we live in a world where wise fathers are needed. Not just fathers in name or men who wear the title of father because they can make babies or happen to serve in the role of father by default because they are somebody’s husband and happen to have children. But now, in families and in society, real godly fathers are needed. They are needed because God designed His creation with fathers in mind. Of the four institutions God put in place to sustain the world – including Government, the Nation of Israel, and the Church – the institution of Family stands as a major powerhouse of God’s creation. It is through the family that God brings Himself up close and personal to every man, woman, boy and girl. It is through the family that God’s creation is perpetuated, reproduction is guaranteed, and generations of God-fearing servants are called to serve God’s purposes. Leading the family is God’s man. Not just a man or any man, but God’s man – the one created in His image and likeness and placed in position to ultimately represent Him as the crown jewel of creation. Psalms 8 hints at how proud and mindful God is of man: it says . . . What is man that You are mindful of him, And the son of man that You visit[c] him? 5 For You have made him a little lower than [d]the angels, And You have crowned him with glory and honor. 2 Moreover, in the many roles man potentially serves namely – worshiper, husband, provider, protector, procreator, -- his role as father immensely special and significant. Proverbs 17:6 declares . . . Children’s children are the crown of old men, And the glory of children is their father. Isaiah 38:19b says The living, the living man, he shall praise You, As I do this day; The father shall make known Your truth to the children. It’s no wonder fathers are important in God’s design and divine order. After all, God Himself is known as God the Father. Given all that, I want to encourage fathers today to be all the “father” God has called them to be. As usual, Satan would like to destroy true fatherhood and with it, the family. From the beginning he set out to wreck man by enticing him to transgress God’s law. His campaign to degrade and redefine man and the family institution continues till this day. But it is wise fathers that God is calling for to represent His cause in the world. Societies, families, cultures, and every other institution of the world need the gravity and grit God placed with fathers to deposit in their sons and daughters. [Yes, mothers make their significant contribution, but too often, Satan’s plot to erase and demean fathers is embraced without notice]. 3 Today’s message, entitled Wise Fathers Are Needed in Times Like These, can be equally applied to sons and daughters; however, I want to focus on encouraging dads in their direct role of raising of sons. Not just any son, and certainly not the compliant son, but rather the son who might most challenge your wisdom as HIS father. Please turn to the Book of Luke, Chapter 15, beginning at verse 11- 24. Here, we find the familiar story of the Prodigal Son and along with it some pain medicine for fathers who are committed to doing the right thing even though every new way of society’s parenting run counter. I am so moved by the many lessons imbedded in the parable of the Prodigal Son in Luke, Chapter 15: 11-24. Let’s read a portion of it: Then He said: “A certain man had two sons. 12 And the younger of them said to his father, ‘Father, give me the portion of goods that falls to me.’ So he divided to them his livelihood. 13 And not many days after, the younger son gathered all together, journeyed to a far country, and there wasted his possessions with prodigal living. 14 But when he had spent all, there arose a severe famine in that land, and he began to be in want. 11 15 Then he went and joined himself to a citizen of that country, and he sent him into his fields to feed swine. 16 And he would gladly have filled his stomach with the [e]pods that the swine ate, and no one gave him anything. “But when he came to himself, he said, ‘How many of my father’s hired servants have bread enough and to spare, and I perish with hunger! 18 I will arise and go to my father, and will say to him, “Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you, 19 and I am no 17 4 longer worthy to be called your son. Make me like one of your hired servants.” ’ “And he arose and came to his father. But when he was still a great way off, his father saw him and had compassion, and ran and fell on his neck and kissed him. 21 And the son said to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against heaven and in your sight, and am no longer worthy to be called your son.’ 20 “But the father said to his servants, ‘Bring out the best robe and put it on him, and put a ring on his hand and sandals on his feet. 23 And bring the fatted calf here and kill it, and let us eat and be merry; 24 for this my son was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.’ And they began to be merry. 22 From this passage, I want to leave with fathers three principles that fathers struggle with or sometimes administer too harshly. Contrary to that, I believe that most dads have a big heart toward parenting their sons. However, I also believe that dads of color, in particular, in their efforts to be the best they can be are challenged with balancing being a positive parent and a wise parent. Being a wise parent is to parent with balance and sensitivity. To train up a child in the way he should go. And according to Deuteronomy 6:7-9 NKJV – fathers who teach the word of God and the principles of right and wrong . . . “diligently to their children, when sitting at home, and walking by the way, and at bedtime, and when they rise in the morning. And who make the Word of God central in the home and all of life. A positive parent, on the other hand, is one who strives to keep everything positive – sometimes to a fault. This type of parent is out of 5 touch with reality and often conducts themselves on an equal plain as their kids. They are absent of adult reasoning and discipline. Their main objective is to protect their child’s self-esteem. What is the role of a father: with fragility e Because of the emphasis in society is on absentee and deadbeat fathers as it relates to fatherhood, I’m persuaded that many dads are striving to protect their reputation as fathers – and to be found solidly parenting or are overparenting. Today’s message offers three insights to fathers to take courage and to stand in the confidence of God the Father in your godly, principled way as a parent-father. Allow me to correlate the three principles with the Scripture. In the story of the Prodigal Son we see a certain man who had two sons. One of the sons became weary of his father’s house and decided he wanted to leave. He couldn’t wait for his father to die, and so he prematurely asked for his portion of the inheritance – ahead of time. [what an insult to his father]. Listen to Jesus tell it: Then He [Jesus] said: “A certain man had two sons. 12 And the younger of them said to his father, ‘Father, give me the portion of goods that falls to me.’ So he divided to them his livelihood. 13 And not many days after, the younger son gathered all together, journeyed to a far country, and there wasted his possessions with prodigal living. 11 [Prodigal means wasteful; it refers to one who is recklessly extravagant, who spends money wastefully.] 6 14 But when he had spent all, there arose a severe famine in that land, and he began to be in want. 15 Then he went and joined himself to a citizen of that country, and he sent him into his fields to feed swine. 16 And he would gladly have filled his stomach with the pods that the swine ate, and no one gave him anything. [pods were a field pea- string bean looking plant that was often used as animal feed and in times of famine, as "the last source of [human] food in hard times"; undigestible to humans.] “But when he came to himself, he said, ‘How many of my father’s hired servants have bread enough and to spare, and I perish with hunger! 18 I will arise and go to my father, and will say to him, “Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you, 19 and I am no longer worthy to be called your son. Make me like one of your hired servants.” ’ 17 “And he arose and came to his father. But when he was still a great way off, his father saw him and had compassion, and ran and fell on his neck and kissed him. 21 And the son said to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against heaven and in your sight, and am no longer worthy to be called your son.’ 20 “But the father said to his servants, ‘Bring out the best robe and put it on him, and put a ring on his hand and sandals on his feet. 23 And bring the fatted calf here and kill it, and let us eat and be merry; 24 for this my son was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.’ And they began to be merry. 22 By the way, here’s the symbolism in the story: 7 God the Father is here depicted as a certain who had two sons. The younger son, the prodigal, typifies the repentant sinner whereas the older son illustrates the scribes and the Pharisees Here are the three principles demonstrated by the prodigal son’s father, which are the three I want wise, godly fathers to hold to in their parenting practice: 1. He let him go – Of the younger son who defied customs and rules of his father’s house, the father let him go; he graciously stepped aside. This is tough decision to make in our times when a 19, 20, 23, 23-year-old just ups and wants to leave. It is especially hard to let them go when you know they lack the maturity and street smarts to make it on their own – especially in an unforgiving major city. But the father prayerfully let him go. Though tough this principle is, it is intended to strengthen every godly father’s fortitude to lovingly protect right principles of his house, and to never compromise biblical beliefs; but to stand in faith with God and believe that if you “Train up a child in the way he should go, And when he is old he will not depart from it.” Proverbs 22:6 And again in Ephesians 6:4 And you, fathers, do not provoke your children to wrath, but bring them up in the training and admonition of the Lord. 2. He confidently awaited his return – Look at verse 20 8 “And he arose and came to his father. But when he was still a great way off, his father saw him and had compassion, and ran and fell on his neck and kissed him. 20 Clearly every day the father was looking and expecting his son retrun. In fact, the Scripture infers that long before the prodigal reached home, his father ran and fell on his neck and kissed him. [This is probably the only time in the Bible where haste is used of God in a good sense]. Running for elderly men shameful in this culture. Here’s why I’m confident the father was expecting him: There’s No place like home; when sons are home, make home a loving, safe, secure, nurturing and supportive environment. For two reasons: So they’ll always know that “my daddy’s house is always a welcoming place; and that a son should one day make his house a similar place as a father to his children. 3. He received him back – The father didn’t judge the son or scold him for his wayward behavior because he recognized that his son was in state of spiritual death and lostness. Sinned against heaven is a euphemism meaning he had sinned against God. He not only realized the futility of his situation, but he also understood the gravity of his transgressions against his father.] The son made his confession up to the point where he was going to ask for employment. But the father interrupted by ordering the 9 servants to put the best robe on his son, put a ring on his hand, and sandals on his feet. “But the father said to his servants, ‘Bring out the best robe and put it on him, and put a ring on his hand and sandals on his feet. 23 And bring the fatted calf here and kill it, and let us eat and be merry; 24 for this my son was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.’ And they began to be merry. 22 Each of the fathers gifts said something unique about his acceptance of the son. • The Robe: reserved for the guest of honor. • The Ring: a symbol of authority • The Sandals: not usually worn by servants; and therefore, signified his full restoration to sonship. NOW more than ever, we need wise fathers who will partner with God the father in establishing principled fathering for generations to come. Wise Fathers Needed in Times Like These 10