The Father's Solution for Fathers
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Introduction
Top 10 Dad Jokes
Why couldn’t the bicycle stand up on its own? It was two tired.
When is a door not a door? When it’s ajar.
Why can’t your nose be 12 inches long? Because then it would be a foot.
What do you call a thousand rabbits walking backwards? A receding hairline.
What do you call a fake noodle? An impasta.
Want to hear a joke about paper? Never mind, it’s tearable.
How does a penguin build a house? Igloos it together.
Why do you never see elephants hiding in trees? Because they’re so good at it.
What do you call a man with no body and no nose? Nobody nose.
What did the daddy spider say to the baby spider? You spend too much time on the web.
I do not remember my dad telling many dad jokes. I do share this joy with my daughters, but it seems that they are telling me more “dad jokes” than I tell them. In fact, one of them gave me a dad joke book not too long ago. We have for sure have a punny good time when it comes to those jokes.
Although I firmly believe that God has a sense of humor, what He intended for fathers is absolutely not a joke. God was forthright with His design, direction and discipline for earthly fathers. However, we have come up short.
Statistics show:
7 million American dads were absent from the life of all their minor children.
Father absence statistics show that adolescent women from fatherless homes have a higher chance of getting pregnant.
17.4 million children lived in fatherless homes.
Fatherlessness stats may be linked to higher rates of suicide in high school students.
Now granted, there are some phenomenal fathers even in this room today and thank you for being who you are and all you are! How do we bridge the gap between the fathers that come up short and the ones that are phenomenal? The church must stand in the gap on the authority of God’s Word and lead by example. I have already stated that God was forthright with His design, direction and discipline for earthly fathers. I want to expound on that and help all of us, not just those of us that are Father’s, but all of us as we celebrate dad’s today.
Our text is simply one verse:
4 Fathers, do not exasperate your children; instead, bring them up in the training and instruction of the Lord.
The Heavenly Father’s Design
The Heavenly Father’s Design
God’s designed us to be made in His image. Dad if you want to learn how to be a good father, you can learn from the Heavenly Father and His great love He has shown over the years. Mom, if you want to be a great mom, you too can learn the same. In fact, all of us can learn how to love anybody by looking at the example of our Heavenly Father.
27 So God created man in his own image,
in the image of God he created him;
male and female he created them.
We must first understand that we are made in the image of God. As a result, we are made to be intelligent. I know that is questionable, but the human design is to be intelligent.
28 Even a fool is thought wise if he keeps silent,
and discerning if he holds his tongue.
We see our a text today that the Heavenly Father’s Design is to be instructional. Paul, the writer of Ephesians, calls out Fathers. He says, “Fathers, do not exasperate your children.” Other translations say, “Do not provoke to anger” or “rouse to wrath.” Let me explain that by giving you an example from my life. Now, my dad and I had a very good relationship. However, I remember distinctly as a very young boy one night I was already in bed and wanted a drink of water. I do not remember how many times I had asked for that drink of water, but I do remember that I had probably exceeded my dad’s limit of asking. I guess I was too young to get up and get it myself or I was not allowed. After persisting and asking, I heard dad say, “Okay I will bring you a glass of water.” He brought me a cup of water. I was so thirsty. I said thank you and took one sip and it was lukewarm. He had intentionally made it so it would not be refreshing to me and I would go to bed. He exasperated me. My dad and I had great relationship, but that event is one that stuck with me all of my life. I was provoked as a young boy to anger. Imagine what I would have felt had my dad continued to do this throughout my life? I would dare say that there are many instances of this that has happened to boys and girls and men and women throughout the years. The Heavenly Father’s design was that we are made in His image and we are to love the way He does. The Heavenly Father’s design also includes that we are intelligent beings. We ought know better!
He gives instruction and direction how to be men and women of God. He shows us all how we should live. Let’s look more at the Heavenly Father’s direction.
The Heavenly Father’s Direction
The Heavenly Father’s Direction
After the command to not exasperate our children, the Heavenly Father shows us His way. Ephesians 6:4 gives us the command, then gives us this word “instead.” That one word initiates for us all a new direction. The opposite of exasperate is bringing them up. Instead of tearing down, the Heavenly Father’s direction is to build up. His way is always the best way. Proverbs 10:29
29 The way of the Lord is a refuge for the righteous,
but it is the ruin of those who do evil.
So how do you learn more about His way? Well, it says in our text that we “bring them up in the training and instruction of the Lord. The only way we can fully understand the training and instruction of the Lord is through His word. If God were to give you a declaration through a burning bush, He still would use His Word to help you understand. In other words, God’s Word is like Him, it is never changing and He gives us His instructions in it. Do you want to be a better Father, become a better student of God’s Word! We should strive to study His Word and thank Him for it!
4 For everything God created is good, and nothing is to be rejected if it is received with thanksgiving, 5 because it is consecrated by the word of God and prayer.
God’s Word also gives us insight into His Wonder. Have you ever noticed that God’s greatness confirms His Word and His Word confirms His greatness?
17 Because God wanted to make the unchanging nature of his purpose very clear to the heirs of what was promised, he confirmed it with an oath.
When God’s Word tells us that the better way is to build up in the training and instruction of the Lord, we can be assured that it is! This reminds me of the Heavenly Father’s discipline.
The Heavenly Father’s Discipline
The Heavenly Father’s Discipline
There is not much tougher than having to discipline that child you love. I used to laugh and parents saying “This will hurt me more than it will hurt you.” I would say, “Yea, right!” Until I became a parent. I am sure that God would rather not have to discipline us either, but He does so for our own good.
4 In your struggle against sin, you have not yet resisted to the point of shedding your blood. 5 And you have forgotten that word of encouragement that addresses you as sons:
“My son, do not make light of the Lord’s discipline,
and do not lose heart when he rebukes you,
6 because the Lord disciplines those he loves,
and he punishes everyone he accepts as a son.”
7 Endure hardship as discipline; God is treating you as sons. For what son is not disciplined by his father? 8 If you are not disciplined (and everyone undergoes discipline), then you are illegitimate children and not true sons. 9 Moreover, we have all had human fathers who disciplined us and we respected them for it. How much more should we submit to the Father of our spirits and live! 10 Our fathers disciplined us for a little while as they thought best; but God disciplines us for our good, that we may share in his holiness. 11 No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it.
12 Therefore, strengthen your feeble arms and weak knees. 13 “Make level paths for your feet,” so that the lame may not be disabled, but rather healed.
It is for our own good so it can be for His own good! Can you imagine what God would be like if He just allowed anything? We have to make His ways our ways and conform our ways to His ways. God shows us now be better dads and moms. He wants us to be the best because we are His best! His desire for all children is that they would be loved and valued. Shame on any Christian that provokes children to anger!
God says in Colossians 3:21
21 Fathers, do not embitter your children, or they will become discouraged.
Growing up in a Christian home should be a very positive experience for both the parent and the child! This tells me that for the sake of the Kingdom of God and for the sake of His children, we can choose to be better as parents and as the children of God ourselves! We have the Heavenly Father’s design, the Heavenly Father’s direction, and the Heavenly Father’s discipline, but we have the earthly father’s decision.
The Earthly Father’s Decision
The Earthly Father’s Decision
We dads and as well as moms, have a decision to make in our parenting. We can do like the Romans to which our passage for the day was written. See, the Roman father had absolute power of his family. He could sell them as slaves, he for make them work in the fields wearing chains. He could take the law in his own hands and punish as he desired. He could drive them like a cowboy drives cattle with a whip. He could even inflict the death penalty on his own child. Now I have to admit, there were times in my life that I thought death by my dad was inevitable as a result of my behavior. But I don’t ever remember my dad driving me as described like a Roman father. I do remember him leading by example. You already know he was not perfect and neither am I. There were many times that Dad tried his best to lead us in family devotions and prayer time. We kids always had better things to do and we may have rebelled more than we should have. I can’t help but thing as good as I turned out now, how much better I would have been had I submitted to my dad’s training and instruction in the Lord. That reminds me as a father that if God is leading me to bring up kids I need to do so! We need more godly parents that will no matter what, train their children in the way God has designed. We can not depend on these saints that do children’s church and lead our Bible school. We cannot depend on the great teachers we have in our schools. It is the parent’s job first and foremost!
Hebert Block was a renown editorial cartoon artist. In 1963, he drew a cartoon of a family seated at the dinner table. The dad, in raging anger is holding a newspaper that the headline says, “Supreme Court Ruling!” The caption reads, “What do they expect us to do- listen to the kids pray at home?!?”
59 years ago the Supreme Court ruled that schools could be a place of prayer. That means we have had a couple of generations where parents should have been listening to their kids pray at home. How’s that going? It is time we strive as a church and a people of God to parent kids God’s way!
If we do not, this is the result:
2 People will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boastful, proud, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy,
Wait, we are already there. But we still can make a difference. It starts with us saying, God forgive me. God forgive us as a church. God forgive us as a nation. Help us to do things your way. He gives us everything we need, the decision is left to us. What will you do?