Godly Fathers: Leading, Loving, And Raising Right

Given by Sterling C. Franklin

Fathers’ Day: June 20, 2010

Scripture Reading: Psalm 128

Psalm 128:1-6 [ESV]

1 (A SONG OF ASCENTS)

Blessed is everyone who fears the LORD, who walks in his ways!

2 You shall eat the fruit of the labor of your hands; you shall be blessed, and it shall be well with you.

3 Your wife will be like a fruitful vine within your house; your children will be like olive shoots around your table.

4 Behold, thus shall the man be blessed who fears the LORD.

5 The LORD bless you from Zion! May you see the prosperity of Jerusalem all the days of your life!

6 May you see your children’s children! Peace be upon Israel!

Intro

Our Scripture reading was from Psalm 128. Psalm 128 is a Song of Ascents, meaning that people would sing this on the way up to worship at the Temple in Jerusalem. Topographically speaking, the Temple was on a highly elevated mountain, so people would literally ’go up’ to worship in the Temple. In this Psalm, the reflection given is on a man who fears the Lord. This type of man is blessed, though it is in the intensive form (Pual form -- intensive), so with the (binyan) form in mind, the man who fears the LORD is REEEALLY BLESSED.

Today is, as most of you know, Father’s Day. For some of us, our fathers are still alive. Others of us may have seen their passing. Maybe some of us are not on the best of terms with our fathers, while others of us are sitting next to them. Many of the men who raised us fall into the Psalm 128 category -- those who fear God wholeheartedly. On the other side of things, perhaps some of our fathers do not follow the Lord yet. Regardless of our situation today, we are going to reflect on the attributes on a godly father.

Our text today is one describing proper family order for a family of believers -- Ephesians 5:22 through 6:4. In this passage, Paul talks about a few important attributes of a modern man after God’s heart. From the text, it’s worth noting today that godly fathers Lead, Love, and Raise Right.

For those who are fathers, may it be a encouraging challenge. For those who are men and not fathers, may it be profitable in our continuing development of maturity. For all of us who have fathers in whatever stage or situation of life, may it be a blessing. Before we read our main text, let us pray,

Opening Prayer

Organizational Sentence: Godly Fathers Lead, Love, and Raise Right.

Text: Ephesians 5:22-6:4

Ephesians 5:22-6:4 [ESV]

5:22 Wives, submit to your own husbands, as to the Lord.

5:23 For the husband is the head of the wife even as Christ is the head of the church, his body, and is himself its Savior.

5:24 Now as the church submits to Christ, so also wives should submit in everything to their husbands.

5:25 Husbands, love your wives, as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her,

5:26 that he might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word,

5:27 so that he might present the church to himself in splendor, without spot or wrinkle or any such thing, that she might be holy and without blemish.

5:28 In the same way husbands should love their wives as their own bodies. He who loves his wife loves himself.

5:29 For no one ever hated his own flesh, but nourishes and cherishes it, just as Christ does the church,

5:30 because we are members of his body.

5:31 "Therefore a man shall leave his father and mother and hold fast to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh."

5:32 This mystery is profound, and I am saying that it refers to Christ and the church.

5:33 However, let each one of you love his wife as himself, and let the wife see that she respects her husband.

6:1 Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right.

6:2 "Honor your father and mother" (this is the first commandment with a promise),

6:3 "that it may go well with you and that you may live long in the land."

6:4 Fathers, do not provoke your children to anger, but bring them up in the discipline and instruction of the Lord.

Working Outline

Context & Background:

- Ephesians was written by the Apostle Paul in the early 60s AD. He was under house arrest in Rome, and this was likely the time in which he wrote the epistle (letter) of Ephesians.

- Ephesians was written as a "circular letter" to the churches in Asia Minor -- churches would read the letter in an assembly and sometimes record and then pass along to other churches in the region (T. Moritz, New Dictionary of Biblical Theology, 315).