Portrait Of A Godly Man

Portrait of a Godly man

Selective Scriptures

Introduction-

This morning we celebrate Fathers Day.

It is just like Mothers Day except that it doesn’t cost as much- that is what retail stores are saying.

Father’s Day is the day most people have a BBQ instead of taking Mom’s to a fancy restaurant-that is what the restaurants are saying.

Less cards given

Less expense of gifts.

Don’t talk as long on the phone.

Families don’t travel as much on Father’s Day.

I feel ripped off. The more I talk about it.

Society has put less importance on Dad’s and men in general and society is paying a price for it.

We have put so much importance on men being tough, macho, working all the time to make a living that when it comes to family and showing people that we love them, it is becoming irrelevant.

Dads, what do you think about that?

Men, what do you think about a society that believes you are out of touch to make any contributions? It ought to make you mad.

What does God say about that?

What do you think He thinks about that?

Ephesians 6:1-4

“Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right. Honor your father and your mother-which is the first commandment with a promise, that it may go well with you and that you may enjoy long life on earth. Fathers, do not exasperate your children, instead bring them up in the training and instruction of the Lord.”

Men, listen-

We may not be getting the biggest and most expensive gifts, less cards, less phone calls, but in God’s eyes, we are precious and we have a job to do.

Last week I shared some statistics with you.

Women 3 to 1 in the church- unacceptable.

Women doing the work of a man and being the spiritual father to their children- unacceptable.

Women going to church and the husbands and boyfriends waiting at home for the family to return-unacceptable.

“Let your light shine before men…..”

The men have to rise up and be the men that God wants them to be.

Ephesians puts it out there-

Children, honor your parents. It does not say honor them only if they are perfect and you agree with them all the time. It says to honor them so that you have a life that is not always in chaos- that it may go well for you!

Fathers, do not exasperate your children, bring them up in the training and instruction of the Lord. NLT- “Do not provoke your children to anger by the way you treat them, but bring them up with discipline and instruction that comes from the Lord.

We are living in a culture that doesn’t know the role of men.

Unless men, take up their responsibility in the family and the church we will lose a generation of kids. (repeat )

Kids are raising themselves without a father.

divorce

lack of being involved in their lives.

Father’s putting so much emphasis on making a living that they are losing their kids emotionally and physically.

We have two choices, weather they have kids or not.

We can live defeated and hopeless and think that the problem will go away on its own.

We can model what God intended for us to be and make a difference in our kids and the kids we have contact with.

I am gullible enough to believe a few good men filled with the Holy Spirit of God can impact people lives in a positive and spiritual way.

We can be good husbands, good fathers, we can be positive role models.

The culture today may not know what responsibility men play, but Godly men should not only know but live it daily for the world to see.

You don’t think we can make a difference? Listen to a few quotes about fathers.

Jim Valvano-

“My father gave me the greatest gift anyone could give another person. He believed in me.

Dan Pierce

The greatest mark of a father is how he treats his children when no one is looking.

Harmon Killebrew (HOF player for the Twins)

“My father use to play with my brother and me in the yard, mother would come out and say, your tearing up the grass. Were not raising grass, Dad would reply, we are raising boys.”

It is getting involved, rolling up your sleeves, making mistakes, making adjustments, and showing your family that they are important to you.

Reed Marham

“Being a great father is like shaving. No matter how good you shaved today, you will have to do it again tomorrow.”

So how do we do that? Raise our kids with the instruction of the Lord in a culture that has no problem turning its back on the things of God?