Three Godly Traits of a D.A.D.
Eph 6:4
INTRODUCTION
Today is Father’s Day…Happy to all!
Today is the day we celebrate our Dad…and we should because we have some great Dads out there
And since it is Dad’s day…I just want to talk about this morning “Three Godly Traits of a D.A.D.
Read Eph 6:4 / Pray
TRANS: The first “D” in DAD to me stands for the Godly trait of being…
1.. Devoted – Websters “selfless affection and dedication; eager inclination; addiction
a. God – Why would it be important for Dads to be devoted to God?
Titus 2:12 & 15 And we are instructed to turn from godless living and sinful pleasures. We should live in this evil world with self-control, right conduct, and devotion to God,…You must teach these things and encourage your people to do them, correcting them when necessary.
Dad, your children don’t belong to you…they belong to God…
Psa 127:3 (KJV) Lo, children are a heritage of the LORD: and the fruit of the womb is his reward.
NLT - Children are a gift from the LORD;they are a reward from him.
They are watching you…
- How you interact with your faith in God
- Time spent with Him…praying…reading Bible
Eph 4:1 “Therefore I, a prisoner for serving the Lord, beg you to lead a life worthy of your calling, for you have been called by God.
Psa 101:2 “I will be careful to live a blameless life-- when will you come to my aid? I will lead a life of integrity in my own home.
Your devotion to God will affect how devoted your children are to Him
TRANS: Not only devoted to God, but devoted to your…
b. Family – selfless affection and dedication for my family
God has called me to be devoted to my family…family should be second most important priority after God
Devoted to establishing and keeping right relationships
How I relate to and treat my wife…my devotion to her (turn to Eph 5:21-25)
How I relate to and treat my children…my devotion to them. (II Cor 12:14-15)
Building Unity through all circumstances…bonding with one another
(Kev and me – hometeam)
Examples of notes from my children over the years
Being patient with one another…forgiving each other’s faults
Eph 4:2-3, “Be humble and gentle. Be patient with each other, making allowance for each other’s faults because of your love. 3Always keep yourselves united in the Holy Spirit, and bind yourselves together with peace.
Keeping myself pure for my family’s sake
Matt 12:29 "Or again, how can anyone enter a strong man’s house and carry off his possessions unless he first ties up the strong man? Then he can rob his house.
Prov 11:29, “Those who bring trouble on their families inherit only the wind.
Many Dads are so bound up in SIN (porno, work, lust, filthe, anger, bitterness) that they have no power and families are being devoured by the devil
We need to get ourselves clean and pure…allow God to clean us up…so that we have authority and power in our homes over the devourer
TRANS: Dads must be devoted to God and their family and they must also be…
2. Approachable
Matt 13:15 – 17. “One day some parents brought their little children to Jesus so he could touch them and bless them, but the disciples told them not to bother him. 16Then Jesus called for the children and said to the disciples, "Let the children come to me. Don’t stop them! For the Kingdom of God belongs to such as these. 17I assure you, anyone who doesn’t have their kind of faith will never get into the Kingdom of God.
Basically, Jesus was saying let the little children come to me…he enjoyed them
He wanted them to be able to approach Him…and know that he cared for them too
To many, they were a bother…but not to Jesus…and He is our role model Dads
Dads we sometimes get so busy with things…we forget to take time for our children
Sitting on lap…playing horsie…wrestling…embracing and hugging
I loved my children to sit in my lap…hold them…fall asleep together
It brings security in their lives…feel safe in Daddy’s arms…important later to God
Dads should be approachable…talk about dating, sex, life, etc…
My love should not be contingent upon what they do…unconditional love
Even when I may be disappointed…my love is unconditional
How they relate to Dad, how approachable he is with his children…is how they will relate to God
TRANS: The last Godly trait of a Dad is the last “D” which stands for…
3. Dependable
Dictionary – worthy of reliance or trust
John 14:1, “"Don’t be troubled. You trust God, now trust in me.
This starts from a very young age…being able to rely on or trust in Dad
Trust is hard to earn…it also easy to loose…once lost…hard to get back
Example of jumping in pool…Daddy will catch you (if you always trick them…never trust you)
Once I have their trust…it is sacred…I won’t to remain worthy to keep their trust.
They know they can trust you in the small things…they will grow to trust for the bigger things…even as they grow into adults
Matt 25:21, “The master was full of praise. `Well done, my good and faithful servant. You have been faithful in handling this small amount, so now I will give you many more responsibilities. Let’s celebrate together!’
Children need a Daddy they can rely on...one who is dependable
Look up in the stands at the ball game…Dad is there
Birthday party…Dad is there
Special activities or events…Dad is there
Not just to mouth the words but follow up with deeds
Famous words of unreliable Dads “I promise I will be there NEXT TIME”
In my life growing up…I felt everyone else was important to my Dad but me
He was very reliable in everything else…except being a Dad
When a Dad can’t be relied upon or dependable…it tends to cause resentment in children, anger, bitterness, frustration
Eph 6:4, “4Fathers, do not exasperate your children; instead, bring them up in the training and instruction of the Lord
KJV - And, ye fathers, provoke not your children to wrath: but bring them up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord.
Children need Dads they can depend on…for their entire life
CONCLUSION
It’s a day to celebrate Dad…if your Dad is still here…you should let him know how much you appreciate him and love him
If he’s gone to be with the Lord…get alone and tell him anyways
Now the traits I covered are not all inclusive but I thought they were three of the ones that are significant to me as a Dad
1. Devotion to God and Family
2. Approachable
3. Dependable (pray- Lord Sup)
