Dad’s Role In The Family

Ephesians 6:1-4 Father’s Day - 2004 June 20, 2004

*Intro: I read something this week entitled 50 Reasons Why It’s Good To Be a Man.

-I won’t read all of them but I did put together my own top-10 list:

10. You know stuff about tanks.

9. You can go to the bathroom without a support group.

8. If someone forgets to invite you to something he can still be your friend.

7. You can drop by to see a friend without bringing a little gift.

6. If another guy shows up at the same party in the same outfit, you might become lifelong buddies.

5. One wallet, one pair of shoes, one color, all seasons.

4. There is always a game on somewhere.

3. Your pals can be trusted never to trap you with, “So…notice anything different?”

2. If something mechanical doesn’t work, you can bash it with a hammer and throw it across the room.

1. You can do your nails with a pocketknife.

ILL.- Someone wrote these humorous word entitled, "The World According to Dad." These are words that most dads have said at some time or another to their children.

- This is going to hurt me more than it hurts you.

- Quiet. I’m watching the ball game.

- Don’t forget to check the oil.

- Bring back all the change.

- How should I know? Ask your mother.

- I’m not made out of money!

- When I was your age I walked 5 miles to and from school each day and it was uphill both ways.

- You are going and you will have fun!

- Who’s paying the bills around here, anyway?

- If you break your leg don’t come running to me.

- Don’t put your feet on the furniture. Your mother will kill you.

- Get down before you kill yourself. On second thought, go ahead.

- Quit playing with your food.

- Be quiet! Can’t you see I’m trying to think!

- Why? Because I said so!

- If you don’t quit that I’m going to call your mother.

- You better get that junk picked up before your mother comes in here.

- Just wait till you have kids of your own.

- I was not asleep. I was just resting my eyes.

Well, happy Father’s Day, Dad’s! I hope you are glad you’re a father - I certainly am!

-Being a Dad is one of the greatest privileges and blessings of my life - I really mean that.

-But it hasn’t always been fun. In fact, I wouldn’t describe any job that is so filled with the potential dangers of fathering, as fun.

-But when you learn the rules, and do your best at following them, it is the most rewarding assignment you can be given.

-I want to talk about a few of those rules this morning, from Eph. 6:1-4

I. Children: obey your parent’s v.1-3 (read)

I want us to notice two observations about these verses:

1. Your responsibility is to teach them this concept - especially as they are growing up.

-If you don’t teach them quick obedience to your commands, who will?

-If you don’t teach them obedience to their God-given authorities, how will they survive?

-Obedience is not a natural response, it is a learned habit! Where is it learned?

-It is learned at the knees of Dad and Mom.

-You may have the good fortune of having a child who is basically compliant and easy to train to follow your directions, but that is not typically what happens.

Every child needs instruction and guidance, some children need constant discipline enforced to get them to obey, but nearly all children need to have their will broken.

-I say that because Scripture says that!

Prov. 22:15 - Foolishness is bound up in the heart of a child;

The rod of discipline will remove it far from him.

-Please notice here what is ’bound up” in the heart of a child - it is ’foolishness.’

-That does not mean that children are silly, or childish, or absent-minded.

-It means that children are sinners; they are selfish; they are convicts and perverts in miniature form. Basically, it means people are not good by nature, they’re evil!

-I say that because of the way Proverbs defines the fool and the wise.

Prov. 1:7 The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge;

Fools despise wisdom and instruction.

-The very first place to discover any true knowledge is in fearing God.

-Fearing God keeps you in line with what He says is right and wrong.

-Fearing God is to be afraid of what He might do to you if you don’t follow Him.

-To fear God is to revere and respect Him and hate what disobedience can do to you.