Dad Duty

Intro:

I find father’s day quite a difficult day to preach. There are lots of reasons – first is the great diversity in our various experience of our own fathers. Some here today had wonderful, affectionate, Godly fathers and so today is a day of warmth and celebration and thankfulness, while others had absent, distant, incompetent, or even harmful fathers and so today is a day of sadness and loss.

Second, some of you celebrate the way that your husbands are good to your children, while for others that is also a source of pain.

Some are able to call your dad, maybe even see him or spend some time with him. While others have dad’s that passed away many years ago… maybe some that have passed more recently and this is your first fathers day with out him.

Some of us, myself included, are fathers and desire desperately to be the wonderful, affectionate, Godly fathers that we know our children need, yet it is hard to be that in a culture that pushes us in other directions, offers virtually no good examples or role-models, and we struggle through a culture today, where dads are trying to become moms.

I’ve entitled this morning’s message as “Dad Duty”… Usually, this phrase is used when mom is away for the day or a few days. Whether it be shopping with friends, gone for a women’s retreat, or just relaxing by herself… The kids are left home with Dad and he is officially on “Dad Duty”.

Maybe, your teenage daughter has a friend that is a boy… you’ve never met this boy and he is coming over to meet you and ask if he can take your daughter out… a buddy calls you and asks if you are free to go bowling for the evening, but you are too busy trying to wear as many handguns on the outside of your body as you can, just to answer the door when this boy arrives… and you have to tell your buddy “sorry my friend,... I am on dad duty tonight”

Some of you have been there… I am not to that point yet, but I am preparing for that day!

Meat:

When we think of the word “duty” we think of “responsibility” or “obligation;” something that is a requirement, not merely an option. That which is our duty to do is usually taken very seriously; that is if one is mature enough to realize the value and honor of fulfilling one’s duty.

Just as manhood requires maturity and responsibility, so does being a dad. Just because someone fathers a child, doesn’t automatically make them a dad.

There are so many today that have or had a male figure in their life that is or was more of a dad to them than their own biological father.

From God’s point of view, being a good and godly dad requires being a real man according to the standard found in God’s Word… and this morning I want to show you three...

God Given Duties For Dad’s…

Turn with me to Psalm 128… (Read)

The first God Given Duty for dad’s is…

You must have…

1. A Faithful Walk

v. 1 “Blessed is every one who fears the LORD, Who walks in His ways.”

The principle here is very simple…

We are to…

1.1 Lead by Example

King Solomon, speaking to his son in the book of Proverbs says…

Proverbs 23:26 NKJV

26 My son, give me your heart, And let your eyes observe my ways.

Dad’s are to be the one who sets the spiritual tone in the home. Your wife and kids ought to see you as a man who patterns his life after the ways of God… Don’t misunderstand me… I am not talking about perfection here, because that will never happen this side of Heaven... but the overall direction and determination of your life should be lined up with the principles of Scripture.

We need to lead by example…

It is no secret that there are a lot of fatherless homes in our world today… and the effects are disastrous… an article that was written by Dr. Harold L. White and published in the Times magazine, several years ago, says this...

“Studies of young criminals have found that more than 70% of all juveniles in state reform institutions come from fatherless homes. Children from broken families are nearly twice as likely as those in two-parent families to drop out of high school.”

There was another study that was done and some of you ladies may think that the findings are inconclusive… but this guy has the title of Dr., so who am I to argue…

According to Dr. T. Berry Brazelton, a father’s involvement with a child increases the child’s IQ, the child’s motivation to learn, and the child’s self-confidence. In addition, children with involved dads are more likely to develop a sense of humor as well as an “inner excitement.”

Dad’s… it is important to lead by example in our Faithful Walk… and if that is what we are doing, then we will…

1.2 Be A Picture Of Christ

We are to be a picture of Christ to our families…

1 Corinthians 11:3 ESV

3 But I want you to understand that the head of every man is Christ, the head of a wife is her husband, and the head of Christ is God.

God’s order is as follows: (1) God the Father is the Head of Christ, (2) Christ is the Head of man, and (3) Man is the head of woman… … The head of any organization always bears the most weight of responsibility and the same is true in the home.

God holds the husband responsible for the things that happen within his marriage or within his home… What that means for us dad’s… is that we should never take the attitude that religion and spirituality is something to be left to the wife and kids.

The fact is, God holds you personally responsible for the spiritual leadership in your home. I’m not saying your wife has no responsibility in that area, but simply that you are more responsible than she is, since God has made you the head of the home.

If we say that we believe the Bible is true and we live out what we say we believe, each and every day… then we cannot help but be the picture of Christ that our family needs.

This leads us to our second duty… we need to have a faithful walk, and our faithful walk needs to be…

2. A Fruitful Walk

Remember from Chapter 3 of 2 Thessalonians, “...if anyone is not willing to work, then he is not to eat, either.”

Listen to what the Psalmist says in...

v.2 of Psalm 128… “When you eat the labor of your hands, You shall be happy, and it shall be well with you.”

I am sure that most, if not all, of us enjoy receiving gifts from time to time. Especially if it is something that we need or want and we were not expecting to receive it in the form of a gift.

But there is a totally different level of joy and satisfaction when you spend time working and saving up for something and then you are able to purchase it… this is what the Psalmist is talking about.

You have worked hard in order to have some certain things and now you are able to enjoy the fruits of your labor… and so we need to be fruitful…

2.1 In Our Provisions

As the head of our families, we are responsible to make sure that their needs are provided for. Food on the table, clothes on their back, shoes on their… (if you have a family that wears shoes… most of mine would rather go without)…

The food on the table may be macaroni and cheese and hot dogs, the clothes may come from good will, the shoes may not get worn very often, but they are available if needed...

These things represent the labor of our hands… and it is laborious… it is hard work… but that should come as no surprise to us either…

After Adam and Eve sinned, God told Adam…

Genesis 3:19 NASB95

19 By the sweat of your face You will eat bread, Till you return to the ground, Because from it you were taken; For you are dust, And to dust you shall return.”

“By the sweat of your face, you will eat bread”… Bob, Ed, John and Dick have sweat a lot these past few days. Thursday morning they started working on the parsonage around 8am. It was already 80 degrees 90+ by lunch time… Friday Morning, a little cooler 70 degrees when they started and almost 80 at lunch time.

They have been working hard and my family and I are very thankful…

“By the sweat of your face, you will eat bread”… in there case, on Thursday it was burgers and hot dogs…

But the point is, it takes hard work to provide for your family. It is not only hard work to provide for them, but it is also essential.

1 Timothy 5:8 NKJV

8 But if anyone does not provide for his own, and especially for those of his household, he has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever.

The implication that Paul is making here is that the Pagans work hard to provide for their families, and so if we as believers, who can do all things through Christ who strengthens us, choose to not provide for our families and rely on others to do so… we, as the verse says, are worse than the unbelievers, worse than the pagans...

God takes this very seriously and we need to be fruitful in our provisions...

We also need to be fruitful…

2.2 In Our Parenting

Raising our children in the knowledge of Christ and teaching them the principles of Scripture.

Again, King Solomon said to his son...

Proverbs 3:1-2 “1 My son, do not forget my law, But let your heart keep my commands; 2 For length of days and long life And peace they will add to you.”

Studies show that If both father and mother go to church, 72% of the children will also go to church when they grow up. If only the father goes to church, the percentage drops to 55%. However, if only the mother goes to church, only 15% of those children will go to church when they are grown.

We would be wise to heed the instructions that Moses gave to the Israelites, regarding the Word of God…

Deut. 6:7-8 “7 You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, when you walk by the way, when you lie down, and when you rise up. 8 You shall bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes.”

We are fruitful in our parenting when we teach our children the principles and the truths of Scripture… This is our God Given Duty!

and it is a duty that…

2.3 Takes Time

Psalm 128:3 “3 Your wife shall be like a fruitful vine In the very heart of your house, Your children like olive plants All around your table.”

Let me tell you something interesting about olive plants: they grow very, very slowly, but if cultivated properly, they will yield fruit for up to 800 years! The oldest olive tree that is still alive is said to be in Greece, and it is estimated to be about 1500 years old...

Guys, we’re not raising mushrooms, that pop up overnight… we’re raising olive plants, and that takes time.

We want our children to be strong/stable/well rooted/well grounded.

We need to water them, and shower our children w/ time, and cultivate a relationship w/ them--do some pruning at times—… And we need to introduce them to the light of the Son of God, and protect them from the pests that are around and would like to eat them alive! Most of all... we need to add a lot of spiritual miracle grow…which comes in the form of Prayer!

This is how we can make sure that our walk is fruitful...

Our final duty this morning is that we need to have…

3. A Family That Worships Together

Psalm 128:4-6 “4 Behold, thus shall the man be blessed Who fears the Lord. 5 The Lord bless you out of Zion, And may you see the good of Jerusalem All the days of your life. 6 Yes, may you see your children’s children. Peace be upon Israel!”

The idea of worship is brought out by the phrase “Who fears the Lord” “thus shall the man be blessed Who fears the Lord”…

A man who has a high reverence for God will lead his family to follow and worship God on a regular basis… But it is up to us to declare, just as Joshua did… “As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord”… and according to these verses, we will be blessed for it.

That blessing extends not only to this man’s family, but also to the nation, according to vv. 5-6 “The Lord bless you out of Zion, And may you see the good of Jerusalem All the days of your life. 6 Yes, may you see your children’s children. Peace be upon Israel!”

Someone once said… As the family goes, so goes the Church… and as the Church goes, so goes the nation… We have seen a major decrease of godly men to lead the Churches in America and we’ve also seen a major decrease in Biblical values being held up in America… As the family goes, so goes the Church… and as the Church goes, so goes the nation…

But “As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord”

Closing:

So Men, if you provide your family with the finest things in life and but you don’t cultivate them to know and live for God… In God’s eyes, you will have failed. But if you fulfill your God given duties, with His help, to the best of your abilities, then “May you be blessed all the days of your life… and may you live to see your children’s children”

We need to be on Dad Duty 24/7-365.

We need to have…

I. A FAITHFUL WALK

II. A FRUITFUL WALK

III. A FAMILY THAT WORSHIPS Together

Because, we won’t be able to take any of earth’s riches to heaven. But we can take our wives, our children and our grandchildren to heaven… And that, my beloved, is what it is all about.

Only one life will soon be past… only what’s done for Christ will last!

Prayer: