Being a Dad is No Joke

There are a lot of moments in life that are memorable and literally life changing.

For instance, the day I met Jesus literally transformed everything about me. It truly was the greatest day of my life!

The day I saw my bride walk down the aisle and say, “I do” was a day that I will never forget.

And the day… that I became a dad… was a day that the world as I knew it would never again be the same.

I held in my arms my son… who was already a good sized boy and very hungry… but was my responsibility. He was my child… and it was up to Kristy and I to care and take care of him.

Then came 3 more kiddos… three more blessings that the doctors said wouldn’t happen… all gifts from God and each with their own unique personality.

Being a dad meant many sleepless nights, hundreds of diaper changes, bigger grocery bills, and less time to myself.

But it also meant epic wrestling matches, endless games of green bean and woo hoo (it’s a Baker thing), turtle hunts, bike riding lessons, football and baseball catches, and story reading.

Being a dad certainly comes with its fair set of challenges… but the blessings outweigh the challenges ten fold!

I LOVE being a dad!

And dads… I know that part of our job as dad is to take every opportunity to insert a bit of humor or a corny joke whenever we can… but we also know today the being a dad is NO JOKE!

This has been the case since the dawn of creation and remains the case today. What you do dad, is extremely important. And I’m not talking about your job or career.

Our society is in DESPERATE need of dads. No… I am not talking about men who have the ability to father children… I am talking about men who will rise up and be the dad that God has called and instructed us to be.

We are facing a pandemic that no one is talking about. It is not a disease or virus like COVID 19, it is something far worse. We are facing, for the first time in our nations history, the pandemic of the absent father.

And absence comes in various forms. A dad can be in the home and still be absent.

Guys, our God-given role and spiritual duty as dad is not to be absent, distracted, or funny… our God-given role is to be the priest, the protector, and the provider for our homes. And when it comes to our children, the Word gives us this direct charge:

Ephesians 6:4 NIV

4 Fathers, do not exasperate your children; instead, bring them up in the training and instruction of the Lord.

Train them up! The best thing a dad can do is make sure his kids are students in the Word.

The Bible is our guide… it is our instruction on how to do life on this earth. If we as fathers do not give our children the guidance they need… the world will do all that it can to fill in the blanks.

Make no mistake about it… the world is trying to shape your kids… to mold your kids into going the way it believes they should go.

We know today that the Word is the Way and it is our responsibility to train our children in the Word of the Lord!

One of the biggest needs in this generation is for men to step into the lives of their children to train them, equip them, and to cheer them on as they grow and mature.

I’m not talking about just being involved in their lives… I’m talking about being mentors, spiritual guides as our kids are growing up.

We have a generation of kids who are growing up with no male figure in their lives… children who are desperate for the influence of a father in their homes.

And I get it… sometimes we may not know exactly how to do what I am talking about this morning.

So this morning, I want to look at what one Christian author describes as “four building blocks” for raising children. After studying the Bible for over a year with the focus of discovering what it is every child needs from their parents, he and his wife came up with these four fundamentals.

As we go through these four points, keep in mind that ALL FOUR points are to be taught from a biblical point of view. Our children need to realize the difference of what life looks like living for God versus life being lived from a secular stand point. Church… there are DRASTIC differences.

One way will lead them to life more abundantly.

The other way will lead them to destruction.

Biblical Building Block Number One: Character.

What is character?

The author defines true character as:

“Response-ability” - the ability to respond rightly to authority and to the challenges we face in this life.

What this comes down to… is teaching our children how to navigate this world in a Christ-like way.

Go back to the definition again… the ability to respond rightly. A right response is not an emotionally charged or impulsive reaction… it is the ability to respond as God would have us respond.

We know beyond a shadow of a doubt that our children are going to face challenges in this world. In fact, they are going to face challenges we never faced! But as they face these situations… we can arm them with the ability to respond as Christ would have us respond. We can teach them what Godly character looks like.

Proverbs 22:15 gives us a warning or sorts regarding this point.

Proverbs 22:15 NIV

15 Folly is bound up in the heart of a child, but the rod of discipline will drive it far away.

Folly… or foolishness… is something found in the hearts of every child. Part of growing up is leaving that folly behind as girls and boys become men and women. The problem we are seeing today is… everyone starts here… but not everyone leaves here.

The reality is ALL children need godly parents in their lives that will help them at the appropriate ages in life to shift from folly to wisdom and maturity.

All children need parents who will coach them in how to make the right decisions, act responsibly, and be a person of good, godly character.

Jesus modeled for us what godly character looks like in a world that is secular and godless.

God does not expect us to have all the answers… He has given us His Word AND the example of His Son to glean from as we work to invest godly character into the hearts of our children.

If we as dads desire to teach our children what godly character looks like… the we as dads need to know the source of said character AND display this same kind of character in front of our kids.

Dads… let’s not only tell them the difference between wordly character and biblical character… let’s SHOW our kids the difference!

Biblical Building Block Number 2: Relationships

This building block answers the question, “how do I interact with and love others?”

When asked what the greatest command was in all of Scripture, Jesus answered in Matthew 22:37-40

Matthew 22:37–40 NIV

37 Jesus replied: “ ‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ 38 This is the first and greatest commandment. 39 And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ 40 All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.”

Jesus gives two very important commands. Loving God is number one (something we will talk about in a moment) and loving others or loving people is number two.

Our kids need to know what it means to love others in response to this command given by Jesus.

Children today are living in culture that is teaching them to do the opposite. They are being “challenged” to do reckless and irresponsible things through social media outlets such as TikTok and other platforms.

Do what you think is funny and don’t get caught… then post your video online so you can get as many likes as you can!

The world is literally teaching our children to simply love themselves without caring about the people God has placed within their lives.

I say this as lovingly and as compassionately as I can… children are growing up with extreme narcissistic tenancies and entitled attitudes because they are not being taught how to love others...

Jesus never said that we are not to love ourselves… but He did say we are to love others AS we love ourselves.

Jesus showed us what that kind of love looked like in real time.

He demonstrated that love as He washed the feet of His disciples. Think of it… the Son of God washing the dirty, nasty feet of His friends and followers.

Alright kiddos… so you have a couple hundred followers on Facebook and that makes you feel good. Imagine washing the feet of every person who “follows” you on social media.

Jesus washed the feet of His disciples with the instruction to go and do likewise. We are NOT here to be served… we are here to serve others as Christ served us.

And then Jesus took His demonstration to the next level by dying on the cross for us.

Jesus did not deserve to be there… but He was there for our benefit. While we were yet sinners, He died in our place for us.

My point… we need a generation that will rise up and love the world as Christ loved the world! And parents… dads… it is your responsibility to share that love and show that love to your children! Our kids need to know what godly relationships look like.

Biblical Building Block Number Three: Identity

Church… the world has a MAJOR identity crisis on its hands… and I truly believe this crisis began the moment God was taken out of the public arena.

Our society made a major mistake when it took prayer and the Bible out of the public arena. Our culture took God out of the picture… and we wonder why people have no idea who they are supposed to be. Am I a man? Am I a woman? What is my purpose in life? What does any of this mean?

Every person is born with a unique identity that is given to them by God. Genesis 1:27 declares,

Genesis 1:27 NIV

27 So God created mankind in his own image, in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them.

A child will never fully determine who he or she is until they understand what it means to be made in the image of God.

This means we are not here by accident, but all have a purpose… a God-given purpose.

This means that God is the source of your identity… you are not who the world is telling you to be, you are who God created you to be.

A person’s identity involves and revolves around their relationship with God. I would offer this today: The closer we draw to the Lord… the better we know who we are.

This brings us back to Jesus’ answer regarding the greatest commandment. Jesus said to love God with all that we are… our heart, soul, and mind. We need to surrender every part back to God and give Him governance over each area.

People are in conflict with who they are because they have lost sight of who God created them to be.

They base their identity off how they feel or what their body is telling them they are.

I can tell you… there have been days when my mind has tried to play tricks on me.

Maybe I didn’t get something right at the office - my mind would tell me I failed… that I am a failure.

Maybe I get stumped in the middle of a project or task - my mind might tell me I am not smart enough… I don’t have what it takes.

Our emotions and thoughts can take us down paths we don’t want to go. That is why it is so important that we do not find our identity in how we feel, but instead we find our identity in our faith in God!

Dads I implore you: DO NOT LET THE WORLD TELL YOUR KIDS WHO THEY ARE! Lead them to a relationship with God through Jesus. Connect them with the One who placed them together in their mother’s womb.

Dads… get your kids connected to their heavenly Father. Your kids might bear your last name… but they bear the image of God. Help them find their identity in the One who placed the breath of life in their lungs.

Biblical Building Block Number Four: Mission

This building block addresses the question that every person will eventually face - why am I here?

God has created every single one of us one purpose and for a purpose.

Ephesians 2:10 NIV

10 For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.

Probably one of the most frequent questions a child is asked is “what do you want to be when you grow up”

Some of the more common answers we get are

Fireman, soldier, Doctor, nurse, teacher, etc.

Children see what adults do and begin to dream about what they will do when they grow up.

My prayer is that we as dads and parents would expand on that question just a bit and instead ask “What do you feel like God is calling you to do?” My prayer is… we would help our children discover their God-given calling and live out the mission He has for them.

Mission is the point when our God-given identity meets our God-given direction.

God has prepared for us good works… works He had in mind when He made us. Get this: There are certain things in this world that God created YOU specifically to take care of. Out of the 7 billion people on earth… there are truly things you were made to accomplish for His glory!

You are not just another face in the crowd. You are not just a number in the Census. You and your children need to know that God has a purpose for you!

And that purpose is FAR more than what you will do.. it is what you become - a child of the one true king!

John 1:12–13 NIV

12 Yet to all who did receive him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God—13 children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband’s will, but born of God.

As His children… we are to be about the business of the Father… as Jesus was.

We ARE His children. We DO His business. That IS the mission.

And that mission is to be lived out no matter what our occupational title might be.

A child may grow up to be a fireman… but I pray they will be a Christ-like fireman.

A child may grow up to be a soldier… but I pray they will be a Christ-like solider.

A child may grow up to be a doctor… but I pray they will be a Christ-like doctor.

A child may grow up to be a nurse… but I pray they will be a Christ-like nurse.

THE MISSION… IS TO BE LIKE JESUS!

Loving to all, Living the Word, and Honoring God all the time!

Closing

Although one of the thing that dads are known for are the jokes that they tell… being a dad is no joke. It is a HUGE responsibility. It is a blessing to be a father and a role that should be taken very seriously.

Dads, God has given us the task of raising our children according to the teachings of His Word.

We are NOT to teach them according to the world.

We are NOT to teach them according to tradition.

We are NOT to teach them according to our preference.

We ARE to bring them up in the training and instruction of our Lord.

In order to bring them up in this way, we too must be students of the Word. We cannot give our children training we do not have.

Therefore, dads, I charge you… be men of the Word. Be fathers who read and know the Word of God.

And secondly… pass that Word on to your children by teaching it AND living it.

THE GREATEST THING YOU CAN DO FOR YOUR CHILDREN IS GIVE THEM JESUS. Lead them to the Lord. Disciple them in His ways.

Build their character by the standards found in the Word.

Help them build relationships based on the commands of Jesus.

Lead them to find their identity in their relationship with God.

Send them according to the mission that God has for them.

HELP YOUR CHILDREN TO MAKE GOD THE CENTER OF ALL THEY SAY AND DO!

Id that your desire this morning men of God? Is that your desire parents, grandparents, moms and dads?

Dads, we are going to do something as we close that is a bit different. We do this at every Men’s Ministry meeting and I felt led by God to do this today.

Dad, if you are willing to accept the charge I gave a moment ago… the charge to be a man of the Word and to pass that Word on to your kids… I want you to stand.

Wives and family, I want you to stand behind your husband and/or father and to lay hands on him.

Guys, we are going to say a pledge together, a pledge we simply call the Stronger Pledge, and then I am going to pray over you.

Say this with me today:

With God’s help, I will stand firm in my faith. I will love God. I will honor God’s Word. I will love my wife. I will lead my family. I will serve my church. I will share Christ with others. Through Jesus Christ, by the Spirit, I WILL BE STRONG IN THE LORD!

Closing Prayer.