Principles of a Godly Father

Introduction

Last Sunday night bro. Jason Perlack was so kind as to fill in for me in my absence due to sickness. He preached a message using the same Passage of Scripture that we are focusing on today - the story of Abraham taking his son Isaac upon the hill to Sacrifice him unto the LORD. I’ve always loved this Scripture, the illustrations it provides and the depth of faithfulness that we see demonstrated by God’s servant Abraham. But as I called upon the LORD as to what to preach unto you today, He directed me to this same passage. My initial reaction was reluctance, given the situation, however, I submitted the LORD and I believe He gave me what amounts to simple truths, but life altering if they are put into practice.

So today in honor of Father’s Day, we’re going to examine this passage and preach this message titled ‘Principles of a Godly Father’.

Save our Father in Heaven, I can think of no better example in Scripture that would show us what a Godly Father should look like. Most would say “that is kind of either ironic or idiocy to say that the best example of a Godly Father is the one who actually was going to kill their son”. I will admit, on the surface that doesn’t seem logical, however it most certainly is true - as we will see here today.

I. He Made God Priority

God and his relationship with him was the preeminent thing in his life. NOTHING was more important to him than his God.

Let me just say - this is the way it should be.

Before His Family

This is the most obvious. Abraham put God before his family.

He did not consult his wife about the matter.

He did not care what his son thought about the matter.

Because frankly, none of that mattered. Because God had commanded it, Abraham did it. It’s that simple! God said ‘this is the way it’s going to be’, and Abraham obeyed.

One problem I see in many Christian parents is that they dote on their children.

They love them so much that they don’t want them to miss out on anything.

They don’t want them to ever feel bad.

They want them to be loved and accepted by everyone.

And they give them stuff. Anything they’re little hearts desire.

In the process of all this time and attention, what happens is that their children become idols unto them.

But church, might I remind you: Ex. 20:4-5 “Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image, or any likeness of any thing that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth: Thou shalt not bow down thyself to them, nor serve them: for I the Lord thy God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation of them that hate me;”

A Godly Father DOES NOT place their children before God.

Before His Fleshly Desires

Put yourself in Abraham’s shoes for a moment.

Abraham was 75 years old when God called him and told him that He was going to give him not only a family, but a nation through him. Then the years drag on. Abraham laments that he has no heir (Gen. 15:2) then in v4, God tells him again he’s going to give him his own child - and in Gen. 15:6 “And he believed in the Lord; and he counted it to him for righteousness.”

Then we see next that Abraham is 99 years old and is told that God is getting ready to fulfill his promise and give him a son through Sarah, and when Abraham turns a ripe age of 100, God fulfills that promise and Isaac is born unto them. The child is then weened & grows.

I will say this: I appreciate my children more now than I have in the past. Not because of any reason in them, but because I’ve grown older and wiser. How much do you think Abraham adores his son?

Now how do you think he feels when God tells him it’s time to kill him? Do you think there was anything within Abraham that said ‘Oh, that’s a great idea LORD!’ Absolutely not! Nothing within Abraham wanted to do what God told him to do!

All too often, Christians are more concerned about doing what they want instead of what God commands! But that’s the difference between those who Love God and those that only love themselves!

Before the Focus of Others

What I mean by this is, is that he cared more about what God wanted, than what others thought about it.

All too often we’re so consumed with what other people think that we fail to honor God with or lives: We’re so worried about ‘fitting in’ that we end up pushing God out!

‘If I don’t laugh at that perverted joke, then they’ll think I’m weird’

‘If I don’t wear the skinny jeans with rips all through them, they won’t think I’m cool’

‘If I say that sodomy is wrong, I’ll be called a homophobe’

‘If I say that boys should dress like girls, I’ll be called transphobic’

‘If I say that Jesus is the only way to Heaven, I’ll be called narrow-minded’

‘If they see me reading or quoting the Bible, they’ll call me a Jesus freak’

Abraham was going to kill his son! How many people do you think would have applauded him for that? That was the most ‘outsider’ thing that he could have done!

This is (I think) a problem that is greater in a community such as this. This small town, everybody knows everybody stuff going on & it’s more personal - therefore there’s more pressure to ‘fit in’.

Abraham made God Priority in his life. Secondly, Abraham Promoted the LORD

II. He Promoted the LORD (v5;8;11;14)

In this account, Abraham opens his mouth to speak 4 times. And every time, he is honoring God in some way, shape or fashion. He’s promoting ‘making much’ of God. In the minds of those around him, his son, even us today - Abraham Promoted the LORD.

God’s Worthiness (v5)

He told the young men that were with him that they were going to ‘worship’ the LORD.

This tells us that Abraham believed God to be worthy of worship.

If you believe someone is worthy to be questioned, you ask questions

If you believe someone is worthy to be praised, you praise them

If you believe someone is worthy to be criticized, you criticize them.

Abraham obviously believed that God was worthy of worship - therefore He went to worship Him… AND HE WASN’T ASHAMED TO SAY SO!

Abraham promoted God’s Worthiness to Worship - Next we see that Abraham spoke of God’s Providence

God’s Providence (v8)

Notice he didn’t say ‘God could provide, or God might provide’ - he said ‘God WILL provide himself a lamb…’

Abraham was committed to the providence of God - even if the lamb provided was his very son.

You see Abraham knew that Isaac was given through the providence of God! He understood that if God was able to open the womb of a 90 year old woman and the loins of an hundred year old man, God was able to provide for Himself whatever He desired! In this respect, we see that attitude of Job - Job 1:21 “And said, Naked came I out of my mother’s womb, And naked shall I return thither: The Lord gave, and the Lord hath taken away; Blessed be the name of the Lord.”

Hey daddy’s, we need to make sure that our children know that whatever their need is, God is able to provide! They don’t need to look to the things of this world to provide what they need - we must teach them to seek the LORD and trust in HIS Providence!

Abraham promoted God’s Providence

God’s Authority (v11)

We see the next time Abraham speaks is in v11 - God calls out to him, right in the midst of Abraham getting ready to strike the blow - and Abraham stops to respond to God. What this demonstrates unto us is that Abraham is promoting God’s Authority.

Two things to notice here:

Abraham was busy when God called - yet Abraham stopped what he was doing to respond.

All too often, we are busy about out lives - too busy for God. Church let me give you some sound advice: If you’re too busy for God and the things of God, you’re too busy. God and your responsibilities unto Him should not be the first thing to go by the wayside when we’re busy - it should be the last.

Abraham did this in the sight of his son

Do you think there was any question in the mind of Isaac how serious Abraham took his relationship with God?

Do you think that Isaac questioned at all if his daddy feared the LORD?

What do you think Isaac thought was #1 in his daddy’s life? His God!

I wonder daddy’s if we polled your children and asked them ‘What is the most important thing in your daddy’s life’ - I wonder what they’d say? Would they say ‘Yes, God is surely the most important thing in my daddy’s life’, or would they say ‘hunting - is the most important thing..’ or ‘his job’ or ‘his family’ or ‘sports’… I wonder what they would say.

It would do us good if we’d at least ponder that question...

Abraham promoted God’s Authority, lastly, he promoted God’s Ability

God’s Ability (v14)

The name that Abraham gives in v14 is often referred to as meaning as ‘The Lord will Provide’, which is what it means, but it’s not what is says. ‘Jireh’ says ‘will see’ or ‘see to it’. So it says ‘The LORD will see to it’, which of course means, ‘The LORD will Provide’.

What Abraham is doing for us, is he’s testifying unto the ability of the LORD.

Hey church, let me just take a moment and do what Abraham did and promote the LORD and say - whatever it is you need, God is Able to provide!

If you need salvation: Heb. 7:25 “Wherefore he is able also to save them to the uttermost that come unto God by him, seeing he ever liveth to make intercession for them.”

If you need rest: Mat. 11:28 “Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.”

If you need joy: Joh. 16:24 “Hitherto have ye asked nothing in my name: ask, and ye shall receive, that your joy may be full.”

If you need direction: Psa. 119:105 “NUN. Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, And a light unto my path.”

If you need healing: He’s the one who makes the lame to walk, deaf to hear & dumb to speak

If you need restoration: Come unto the potter who doesn’t throw the clay away and let him mold you to who you need to be

Go unto God - God will see to it!

We see that Abraham Promoted the LORD. He lifted up the LORD

Abraham made God his Priority; he Promoted the LORD. Next, we see that Abraham Provided a Pattern for Isaac to follow

III. He Provided a Pattern

Abraham Provided a Pattern - a visible, tangible example unto his son.

Abraham was faithful

Abraham was obedient

Abraham placed God first in his life

In doing these things, Abraham gave Isaac a pattern for his life. Abraham didn’t just teach Isaac how to life, he ‘walked the walk’.

Too many parents want their children to live Godly - but continue to live carnally themselves

Too many parents want their children to make Godly decisions - but they themselves continue to make.

Know this: Your children will not grow to be more Spiritual than you are.

If you want them to make Godly decisions - they need to see you making Godly decisions.

If you want them putting God first in their lives, they need to see you putting God first in your life.

If you want them to make excuses for sin in their lives - then carnal Christians, you just keep on doing what your doing. They’re watching.

Abraham provided a pattern for Isaac to live by. It was something tangible. Something real.

Abraham made God his Priority; he Promoted the LORD. He Provided a Pattern for Isaac to follow & lastly, He Enjoyed the Payoff

IV. He Enjoyed the Payoff

We’re talking about what happened in Isaac’s life. What was the fruit of the manner in which Abraham raised his son

First, we see that Isaac trusted Abraham then.

Isaac Trusted Abraham Then (v8)

Look there in v8. Isaac asks his father ‘we have everything but the lamb. What are we gonna do about that?’ And Abraham says ‘the LORD will provide...’ and the Bible says ‘so they went both together’.

In other words - Isaac trusted his Father, and he trusted his Father’s God.

(Ill.) Imagine going out into the desert with no provisions - nothing to eat, just you and your child. Your child says ‘Daddy, what are we going to eat?’, and you say ‘the LORD will provide’. Many children of modern Christians would say ‘Yeah, that’s not going to work for me… we better hit up the Micky D’s on the way.’ Now why do you think that is? It’s most likely because their Father’s haven’t lived by faith as Abraham did! But to Isaac - he just needed told, and therefore he trusted.

He trusted because Abraham walked by faith, and God ALWAYS honored that faith.

We see that Isaac trusted Abraham then, then later on we see that Isaac turned unto his daddy’s ways later as well.

Isaac Turned to Him Later (26:12-19)

After Abraham has gone to the grave, Isaac has grown up and making his own decisions. He’s living his life the way he choses now. And we see something telling in Ch. 26

(Read the text - Gen. 26:12-19)

Isaac is now mimicking his father. Isaac said ‘My daddy dug these wells - there’s water there. Daddy knew what he was doing! We don’t need to move one way or another - we’ll just dig them like daddy did. We’ll even call them the same names as daddy did!’

We see Isaac going back & living & doing as his daddy did! What his daddy had showed him, what he had taught him stuck! Isaac was digging the wells of his father!

There’s a couple things that I’d like to point out:

First is obvious: The bible tells us: Prov. 22:6 “Train up a child in the way he should go: And when he is old, he will not depart from it.” We see this exhibited in Isaac.

Notice this church: It doesn’t say ‘Tell a child the way he should go’ - it says ‘TRAIN up’ (def) ‘dedicate or devote to something’ - and you can’t dedicate your children in the way they should go unless you’re going the same direction.

Secondly: We need the next generation to dig the wells of old.

The rulers of this world are covering up those wells. They’re trying to stamp out the impact of the Abraham’s of the world. We need them to dig them back up.

Listen to me daddy’s. What do you want for your children 20 years from now? Do you have any idea how much worse this world will look in 20 years? Do you want them grounded in the truth, or do you want them tossed by the ridiculous notions of the world? YOU are the example that they will follow.

Conclusion

Daddy’s, there’s no better time to make things right in your walk with the LORD than right now.

The first thing being - ye must be born again

The second being - committing yourself fully unto the LORD

Communion

Warning: 1Cor. 11:27-30 “Wherefore whosoever shall eat this bread, and drink this cup of the Lord, unworthily, shall be guilty of the body and blood of the Lord. But let a man examine himself, and so let him eat of that bread, and drink of that cup. For he that eateth and drinketh unworthily, eateth and drinketh damnation to himself, not discerning the Lord’s body. For this cause many are weak and sickly among you, and many sleep.”

Blessing over the Bread: 1Cor. 11:23-24 “For I have received of the Lord that which also I delivered unto you, That the Lord Jesus the same night in which he was betrayed took bread: And when he had given thanks, he brake it, and said, Take, eat: this is my body, which is broken for you: this do in remembrance of me.”

Blessing over the Juice: 1Cor. 11:25-26 “After the same manner also he took the cup, when he had supped, saying, This cup is the new testament in my blood: this do ye, as oft as ye drink it, in remembrance of me. For as often as ye eat this bread, and drink this cup, ye do shew the Lord’s death till he come.”