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THE LEGACY OF A GODLY FATHER
COLOSSIANS 3:18-20
Introduction
It’s good to be a man, isn’t it, men? You women may be asking “What’s so good about it”?
I went to Mark Lowry’s website and found these reasons why it's good to be a man!:
1. Your last name stays put.
2. The garage is all yours. (If you happen to have one)
3. Wedding plans take care of themselves.
4. Car mechanics tell you the truth.
5. You couldn't care less if someone notices your new haircut.
6. Wrinkles and gray hair add character.
7. Wedding Dress $5,000; Tux rental $100.
8. The occasional well-rendered belch is practically expected.
9. Most phone conversations are over in 30 seconds flat.
10. A five-day vacation requires only one suitcase.
11. You can open all your own jars.
12. You can kill your own food.
13. You get extra credit for the slightest act of thoughtfulness.
14. You don't have to stop and think of which way to turn a nut on a bolt.
15. You are unable to see wrinkles in your clothes.
16. One wallet and one pair of shoes, one color, all seasons.
17. You can 'do' your nails with a pocketknife.
18. The same hairstyle lasts for years, maybe decades.
19. If another guy shows up at a function in the same outfit, you just might become lifelong buddies.
20. You can do Christmas shopping for 25 relatives on December 24th, in 45 minutes.
How many know what day of the year that the most phone calls are made on? Mother’s Day.
On mothers day everyone wants to call home and talk to mom.
Guess what happens on Father’s Day? The most collect calls.
That’s ok though. Dads like to be needed. It’s all good. What goes around comes around.
Just let our kids wait till we’re in the retirement home–we’ll be calling them collect then!
Father’s Day just doesn’t seem to have a very high priority compared to other holidays, does it?
In contrast, Mother’s Day is a huge deal. Forget Mother’s Day and you’ll be in the dog house until at least Father’s Day if not longer.
It just seems to me that Mothers are more highly esteemed on Mother’s Day than Fathers are on Father’s Day. Does it to you?
As a young boy growing up in church, I remember every Mother’s Day was a salute to Mothers.
And there was all kinds of special recognition of Mothers.
However, normally Father’s Day barely got mentioned other than to recognize the fathers who were in attendance.
So I wanted to change that today. Dads, we wanted to do something special for you today!
Not just with the gift, but also with the message today:
I. FATHER’S HOLD A VERY SPECIAL PLACE IN SOCIETY!
They deserve a much higher place than they are given credit for today. How many of you have seen any commercials that actually makes dads look intelligent lately?
Most commercials today cast fathers as the family idiot who can’t do anything without help from his wife or kids or someone else.
American society seems to see fathers as expendable parts of the family unit. They are seen as nothing more than sperm donors and dead beats.
In courtrooms, divorced dads hardly have a fighting chance of obtaining custody of their kids, or even being allowed to be a significant part of their kid’s lives, much less have the opportunity to be the spiritual leader of their household. That is why it is so important to keep the family unit together!
Sadly, many men today neglect to see the importance of their role as fathers, which is why we have the term “dead-beat dad.”
Because of “dead-beat dads,” many kids are growing up in unbalanced and dysfunctional households. Almost 40% of the children in America are growing up without their biological father in the home.
II. FATHERS NEED TO BE REINSTATED TO THE LEVEL OF IMPORTANCE THAT GOD INTENDED FOR THEM!
There is some very strong evidence that points to the fact that the reason American morality and spiritual integrity is at such an all time low is because of the declining value placed on the role of the father in today’s society.
Could I tell you that when dad is undervalued, so is a right relationship with our Father in Heaven. That’s right!
Today, my goal is not just to remind our dads of their duties and responsibilities, but also to encourage and remind us all of their importance. That is, the respect and the dignity of the role of a father. I believe that we all need to see that Fathers play an extremely important and vital role in our families and in our nation today.
Here in Colossians chapter 3, the Bible introduces the family as God intended it to be.
A. In Terms Of Authority The Bible Says That The Father Is To Be The Head Of His Household.
1. With that authority comes some responsibility!
2. It is the father who is charged with the responsibility of looking after the best interests of his family: financially, spiritually and socially.
B. When A Man Becomes A Father, It Is Important That He Learn How To Conduct Himself.
1. He learns from the way his own father treated him: how he grew up as a child and interacted with his dad.
I thank God for the good and godly example I had growing up!
I can remember my father was always looking out after our family.
I learned a lot by watching him.
People so often have the perception that fathers don’t love their kids as much as mothers, because men aren’t as emotional or endearing.
But, fathers have the capacity to love just as much as any other spiritual being. It’s just oftentimes expressed in different ways.
Fathers express their love when they guard their family and provide good things to their wife and kids.
So, men can learn how to be good dads from father-son relationships.
Unfortunately, with 40% of children now growing up without a dad in the home, we know that many men are not providing a proper example of how to be the right kind of dad.
Given that fact, where else can a man turn to for a proper example of how to be a Father?
2. He can turn to the Word of God and learns from his relationship with God.
The best dads take their example from the Heavenly Father and pass on the legacy of the Lord to their family.
The legacy of God is the greatest gift a father can give.
To be like God in the way we manage our household is the greatest expression of love a dad can give to his family.
What does the Bible teach us about our Heavenly Father?:
a. The Bible teaches us that our Heavenly Father shows us His love by His provision for us.
Over and over we see from the Bible our Heavenly Father’s provision for His Children!
Dads we also have the awesome responsibility of providing for our families!
1 Timothy 5:8–“But if any provide not for his own, and specially for those of his own house, he hath denied the faith, and is worse than an infidel.”
The Bible shows us that the brunt of the responsibility to provide for the welfare of the family rests on the shoulders of the man.
Dads are always striving to maintain a balance of providing for their family and spending quality time with the family.
Scripture teaches us that there has to be balance in our lives.
Because men are hard wired with the desire to provide for their family and make a good home for their children, there’s a constant struggle to maintain a balance between the giving of our time and the giving of things.
As fathers, we must constantly look to God for direction and example on how to manage our households.
God’s great example to us is that He always provides for our needs needs. But, more importantly, our Heavenly Father always places the greater emphasis on the time we spend together with Him.
In the same way, a father’s duty to provide for his family shouldn’t overshadow the importance of spending quality time with them either.
So, The Bible teaches us that our Heavenly Father expresses His love by His provision for His children.
b. The Bible teaches us that our Heavenly Father expresses His love by His discipline of His children.
Proverbs 3:11-12, “My son, despise not the chastening of the LORD; neither be weary of his correction: 12For whom the LORD loveth he correcteth; even as a father the son in whom he delighteth.”
1) A Father Must Discipline Because He Wants The Best For His Children.
Children raised in the discipline of a strong and loving father have greater discipline as adults, and disciplined adults make greater contributors to society.
My father disciplined me! Many times! More times than I care to tell you! But, it was for my benefit that he did it!
He did it to develop character in my life! And, it worked!
2) Discipline Is The Act Of A Father Urging His Kids To Live The Right Way For Their Proper Development.
In the movie, “Remember the Titans,” the coach pushed those students to the brink of their abilities. Some accused him of trying to ruin them and break their spirits. But by pushing them - he made them stronger. It prepared them for a difficult season of football - and in the end they went undefeated and won the championship because of their discipline.
If he hadn’t pushed them, they never would have pushed themselves. In the same way, a family is made by a father’s discipline.
And so, like a coach that pushes his players – the father disciplines and urges his children, to make them stronger.
So, The Bible teaches us that our Heavenly Father expresses His love by His provision for His children.
The Bible teaches us that our Heavenly Father expresses His love by His discipline of His children.
c. The Bible teaches us that our Heavenly Father expresses his love by His protection of His children.
A dad places himself in the way of trouble to protect his family.
Jesus applied the example of the greatest love possible when He laid down His life to save us!
In the same way, a father is charged with the duty of laying down his life, his desires, his personal interests for the sake of his family.
I know my own father didn’t work as a painter all his life because he necessarily wanted to, but he did it because it provided for his family. I’m sure there were a lot of things he would have rather done!However, He put the interests of our family before his own.
Did you know that Dads are the first line of defense for their family, and are often the first area where Satan attacks, because the enemy knows if he can take the leader out, then those who are under him are soon to follow.
But the primary expression of love from a father is the legacy of salvation.
The greatest legacy that a dad can leave behind to his children is the gift of salvation through Jesus Christ.
When a parent dies, those left behind often receive an inheritance.
Sometimes that inheritance involves material riches and sometimes it doesn’t.
But there is no greater inheritance than the legacy a father leaves concerning eternal salvation.
Ephesians 6:4–“And, ye fathers, provoke not your children to wrath: but bring them up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord.”
A dad who loves his family will do his best to lead them in the way of the Lord.
1 Thessalonians 2:11-13, “. . .ye know how we exhorted and comforted and charged every one of you, as a father doth his children, 12That ye would walk worthy of God, who hath called you unto his kingdom and glory.”
Mark 8:36, “For what shall it profit a man, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul?”
Conclusion
(Read: “Are Dad’s Expendable?” by Chuck Colson–next page)
So we see how that fathers are extremely important people in the lives of their chidlren.
Dad’s we’ve been charged with the duties of providing for, disciplining, protecting, and interceding for our family’s sakes.
We have the power to shape our families and thereby society by the way we live every day.
Are Dad’s Expendable?
By Chuck Colson
June 18, 2000
“Sociologists and feminists have said that fathers are obsolete: scientists, after all, can start life in a petri dish. And single moms are doing just fine, thank you–no man needed. But can society do without fathers? Are dads really expendable? It’s a good question as we celebrate Father’s Day this Sunday.
There is something comforting and secure for a child who knows that Daddy’s around. Dad provides a solid foundation for their lives. Even Dad’s snoring can be reassuring, because all’s well in the house–Dad’s home.
But Dad’s not home in the 40 percent of American homes where children live without their biological fathers. And two and a half million kids will become fatherless this year.
Does it matter? Pediatricians are seeing huge increases in the number of emotional problems, learning disabilities, and depression among America’s kids.
New research has linked such problems with the increases in single-parenting (meaning “no father”) and the resulting poverty.
The absentee-father problem is fraying our social fabric. If you’re one of them, pick up the phone today and call your kids. Write them a note, and tell them you love them and want to be a part of their lives. Let your children know it wasn’t their fault you left.
If you’re still at home, great. Put down that remote, turn off that computer, and honor your children with your full attention. Listen to them, enjoy them, and take them on errands with you.
Your son can learn manly things, and your daughter needs your interest and approval, as well, so she won’t have to search for it in less worthy men.
And don’t forget, as we celebrate this weekend, your role as the spiritual leader of the family.
Teach your kids about God and prayer and morals, and let them see your example.
Be the kind of father you always wanted.
God could have had any role He wanted, but He chose to be our Heavenly Father. Fatherhood was once a n honored position, and we need to make it so again today.
Are dads expendable? No way!”
Home Page Contact Us Service Times Sermons Are You Going To Heaven?
NOTICE: THESE SERMONS ARE FREE TO BE USED BUT ARE NOT TO BE SOLD!