Four Qualities Our Heavenly Father Seeks In A Dad

MEN BEHAVING GODLY: FOUR QUALITIES OUR HEAVENLY FATHER SEEKS IN A DAD*

Matthew 1:18-25

Big idea: There were particular qualities in Joseph that made him a good dad for Jesus and these qualities are transferrable to all dads.

INTRO

I ran across a small resource this week called “The Men’s Translator.” It implies that men don’t always say what they mean so it helps others interpret their words.

He are a few excerpts.

When a man says: "IT’S A GUY THING"

He means: "There is no rational thought pattern connected with this, and you have no chance at all of making it logical"

When a man says ’OH, DON’T FUSS, I JUST CUT MYSELF. IT’S NO BIG DEAL"

He means: "I have actually severed a limb, but I will bleed to death before I admit I’m hurt"

When a man says ’I CAN’T FIND IT.’’

He means: "It didn’t fall into my outstretched hand, so I’m completely clueless"

When a man says "I’M NOT LOST. I KNOW EXACTLY WHERE WE ARE.’’

He means: "No one will ever see us alive again."

Now those might not be the greatest qualities in a husband or dad I admit but sadly, they still ring true.

Dads & Husbands do have some good qualities though. There are some that I would say are down right awesome and essential. You can find these qualities illustrated in many men’s lives but I think they may be best illustrated in Jesus’ earthly dad.

You see, there are some qualities that God saw in Joseph that qualified him to be the father of Jesus and those qualities might just be transferrable to all dads; let’s take a look.

MATTHEW 1:18-25

18 This is how the birth of Jesus Christ came about: His mother Mary was pledged to be married to Joseph, but before they came together, she was found to be with child through the Holy Spirit. 19 Because Joseph her husband was a righteous man and did not want to expose her to public disgrace, he had in mind to divorce her quietly.

20 But after he had considered this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, “Joseph son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary home as your wife, because what is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. 21 She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins.”

22 All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had said through the prophet: 23 “The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel” —which means, “God with us.”

24 When Joseph woke up, he did what the angel of the Lord had commanded him and took Mary home as his wife. 25 But he had no union with her until she gave birth to a son. And he gave him the name Jesus.

May I give you four qualities that God desires for every dad? They are all illustrated in Joseph’s life.

But first, here’s another entry from called “The Men’s Translator.”

When a man says "UH HUH, SURE HONEY,” or “YES, DEAR"

It means: Absolutely nothing – It’s a conditioned response.

1. JOSEPH WAS DEPENDABLE

Joseph’s faithful obedience is clearly illustrated in Scripture. I find it particularly refreshing because his struggle to understand and see the bigger picture is also evident. I see faithfulness in the midst of humanness. As a whole I see in Joseph a model of a man who has a surrendered heart; a yielded spirit.

I once heard a preacher talk about “Three kinds of ‘yes Lord’ statements.”

1. There are those who say “Yes, Lord” but then never do what they say they will do.

2. There are those who say “No, Lord” but then recant and do obey the Spirit’s prompting.

3. There are those who say “Yes Lord” and God knows He can count on them to do it.

The Bible is full of men who model the latter. Joseph is one of those men. He was a man God could count on to be obedient and faithful. Joseph’s character can embody every father here today. There is no better way to lead your children to be men and women of character than by modeling it yourself.

My dad was (is) a good dad but there was one flaw that really came home to roost. Dad was a smoker and I will never forget the “talk” we had when I entered adolescence about smoking. Dad told me he better never catch me with cigarettes – while there was a pack of cigarettes in his front pocket. When I pointed out the glaring inconsistency to him his response was “Do as I say not as I do.”