The NECESSITY For GODLY FATHERS—II—Malachi 3:13—4:6
Attention /Need:
Our society lives under the mistaken belief that there is no realistic need for fathers & that a home is just fine without them.
Generally, men themselves have reached a point where they believe, the world’s view, that they are basically no more than sperm donors...no impact, no responsibility. They can enter & leave a relationship at will & there is no harm done & it is probably for the best. Tentative relationships are rampant, accepted & even sought out. ‘Living together’ before marriage has become so commonplace that it is expected by a great majority of our country & is so commonplace that the Church has come to accept it.
I know of one woman who was single, had always been single & wanted a child. But she did not want to get married, seeing no need for the presence of a father in the home. She was perfectly confident that she could raise a child in a home with no fatherly input or support!
However, just the opposite is true! We are now discovering that a lack of fatherly influence in the home is severely detrimental to families, which in turn is severely detrimental to our society as a whole! We are reaping the ‘benefits‘ of our irresponsibilities. Something the Church has known & proclaimed since the beginning!
The/A Future with Godly Fathers
The prophet Malachi disclosed the importance of godly fathers to every aspect of mankind’s existence.
Godly fathers are vital to our existence.
What makes godly fathers so vital for our existence?
4 validations that godly fathers are vital for our existence.
We celebrated Father’s Day a couple of Sundays ago but were unable to finish sharing God's wisdom thru His prophet Malachi.
We found that Godly Fathers are vital for...
1. OPPOSITION(3:13-15)
2. the CROWD(3:16-18)
3—Godly Fathers are vital for...
CELEBRATION/Joy(4:1-3)
Explanation: (4:1-3)
:1—“For behold, the day is coming, Burning like an oven, And all the proud, yes, all who do wickedly will be stubble. And the day which is coming shall burn them up,” Says the LORD of hosts, “That will leave them neither root nor branch.”
BITTER-SWEET(4:1)
This is frightening in that it hints that such discernment(3:18) will come to the detractors & unbelievers at the time when, with certainty, “the day” “of YaHWeH”(:5) comes upon them. There will then be a clear division of peoples based on their service to YaHWeH.
Unfortunately, in order for them to have such discernment, they must live consciously & eternally separated from YaHWeH.
“The” future “day” is promised. It will occur. Its arrival & purpose will be to make those who live wickedly in their pride as “stubble” in its presence.
It will remove them as does the burning heat of an oven.
The very LORD of Hosts whom they have dismissed as useless(3:14) will be the bringer of their demise. He will ensure that they will have absolutely nothing left. It will be a complete end so that no remnant will be left to them in His presence or the presence of those who love Him.
They will be as a tree which has no life & exists as a dead reminder of its former life. It has no twig with which to cover itself & worse yet, no root with which to recover. There is no hope for those without
“Coming”—awb bow'—1) To go in, enter, come, go, come in. Strong—a primitive root; To go or come (in a wide variety of applications).
“Burning”—reb baw-ar'—1) To burn, consume, kindle, be kindled; 2) To be stupid, brutish, barbarous. Strong—a primitive root; To kindle, i.e. Consume (by fire or by eating); also (as denominative) To be(-come) brutish.
“Oven”—rwnt tan-noor'—1) Furnace, oven, fire-pot, (portable) stove.
“Proud/Arrogant”(See 3:15)—dz zade'—N. m.—1) Arrogant, proud, insolent, presumptuous. Used 13X.
“Wickedly”—(See 3:15)—hevr rish-aw'—N. f.—1) Wickedness, guilt. Strong—Wrong (especially moral):-- fault, wickedly(-ness). Used 15X.
“Stubble”—vq qash—1) Stubble, chaff. Strong—Straw (as dry):-- Stubble.
From—vvq kaw-shash'—to become sapless through drought.
“Burn”—jhl law-hat'—1) To burn, blaze, scorch, kindle, blaze up, flame. Strong—A primitive root; properly, To lick, i.e. (by implication) To blaze.
“Leave”—bze ` aw-zab'—1) To leave, loose, forsake; 2) To restore, repair. Strong—a primitive root; To loosen, i.e. Relinquish, permit, etc.
“Root”—vrv sheh'-resh—1) Root—1a) Root (literal), 1b) Root (of people involving firmness or permanence) (fig), 1c) Root, bottom (as lowest stratum) (fig).
“Branch”—Pne aw-nawf'—1) Bough, branch. Strong—from an unused root meaning to cover; A twig (as covering the limbs):-- Bough, branch.
:2—“But to you who fear My name The Sun of Righteousness shall arise With healing in His wings; And you shall go out And grow fat like stall-fed calves.”
“& you will go forth & skip about like calves from the stall.(NASB)
“And you will go out & leap like calves released from the stall.”(NIV)
EXUBERANT & CELEBRATORY(4:2)
In contrast to the end of the irreverent toward YaHWeH who are burned as stubble(:1), are those who “fear” His “Name.”
Those who would fear YaHWeH’s very Name are those who respect Him in any context—whether by sight or by faith.
These believers will have the Sun of YaHWeH’s righteousness rise upon them, bringing “healing” to them. The “healing” is specifically an extension of God’s righteousness granted to those who reverence Him. His righteousness will be welcomed as is the sun following a dreadful night(brought on by those who see YaHWeH as useless to them).
As a result of such a Sun the faithful will, in effect, leave their stalls as do young bull calves, skipping about upon having been release from what holds them back.
“Fear”(See 3:16)—ary yaw-ray'—1) Fearing, reverent, afraid. Strong—Fearing; morally, reverent:-- Afraid, fear (-ful).
“Sun”—vmv sheh'-mesh—Strong—from an unused root meaning to be brilliant; The sun; by implication, The east; figuratively, A ray, i.e. (arch.) A notched battlement.
“Righteousness”(See 3:18)—hqdu tsed-aw-kaw'—N. f.—1) Justice, righteousness. Strong—Rightness (abstractly), subjectively (Rectitude), objectively (Justice), morally (Virtue) or figuratively (Prosperity).
“Arise”—xrz zaw-rakh'—1) To rise, come forth, break out, arise, rise up, shine. Strong—properly, To irradiate (or shoot forth beams), i.e. To rise (as the sun); specifically, To appear (as a symptom of leprosy). Used 18X.
“Healing”—aprm mar-pay'—1) Health, healing, cure—1a) Healing, cure, 1b) Health, profit, sound (of mind), 1c) Healing—1c1) Incurable (with negative). Strong—properly, Curative, i.e. literally (concretely) A medicine, or (abstractly) A cure; figuratively (concretely) Deliverance, or (abstractly) Placidity. Used 16X.
“Go out”—auy yaw-tsaw'—1) To go out, come out, exit, go forth. Strong—To go (causatively, bring) out, in a great variety of applications, literally & figuratively, direct & proxim.
“Grow fat”—vwp poosh—1) To spring about—1a) (Qal) To frisk, act proudly (fig.); 2) (Niphal) To be scattered, be spread. Strong—a primitive root; To spread; figuratively, Act proudly. Used 4X.
“Stall-fed”—qbrm marbeq’—1) Stall (of animals). Used 4X.
“Calves”—lge ay-ghel—1) Calf, bull-calf. Strong—A (male) calf (as frisking round), especially one nearly grown (i.e. A steer).
:3—“You shall trample the wicked, For they shall be ashes under the soles of your feet On the day that I do this,” Says the LORD of hosts.”
VICTORIOUS(4:3)
Those who fear the name of “YaHWeH of hosts” will, because of His compassionate favor, ultimately “trample” those who wickedly turn against Israel’s God, who brought them out of Egypt’s bondage.
The word “trample” is an interesting nuance as this is also what the Greek term tribulation signifies! There will be great pressure upon the entirety of mankind in the last days. A pressure which will decisively separate the faithful from the feigned.
Seeing as Israel’s God commands the “hosts” of heaven, it is fitting that arrogant unbelievers are treated as a city/land conquered & thereby devoted/dedicated(banned) to YaHWeH....nothing will remain alive. In fact they will be as harmless as ashes in response to the judgment promised(:1).
Lev. 27:29—“‘No person under the ban, who may become doomed to destruction among men, shall be redeemed, but shall surely be put to death.”
“...the righteous shall be the army attending Christ in His final destruction of the ungodly”—JFB
For the godly & the ungodly proud, God will bring a day that will usher in an everlasting distinction between the two.
“Trample”—ooe aw-sas'—1) To press, crush, press by treading, tread down or out, press (grapes)—1a) (Qal) To press. Strong—To squeeze out juice; figuratively, To trample. Used 1X.
“Wicked”(See 3:15, 18; 4:1)—evr raw-shaw'—Adj.—1) Wicked, criminal—1a) Guilty one, one guilty of crime (subst), 1b) Wicked (hostile to God), 1c) Wicked, guilty of sin (against God or man). Strong—Morally wrong; concretely, An (actively) bad person.
“Ashes”—rpa ay'-fer—from an unused root meaning to bestrew—1) Ashes; 2) (CLBL) worthlessness (fig.).
“Do”—(See 3:15, 17—“Make them”)—hse aw-saw'—1) To do, fashion, accomplish, make.
Argumentation:
1Cor. 3:11-15—“For no other foundation can anyone lay than that which is laid, which is Jesus Christ. Now if anyone builds on this foundation with gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, straw, each one’s work will become clear; for the Day will declare it, because it will be revealed by fire; & the fire will test each one’s work, of what sort it is. If anyone’s work which he has built on it endures, he will receive a reward. If anyone’s work is burned, he will suffer loss; but he himself will be saved, yet so as through fire.”
Nothing to celebrate there!
Acts 5:40-41—“And they agreed with him, & when they had called for the apostles & beaten them, they commanded that they should not speak in the name of Jesus, & let them go. So they departed from the presence of the council, rejoicing that they were counted worthy to suffer shame for His name.”
Rom. 5:1-5, 10-11—“Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom also we have access by faith into this grace in which we stand, & rejoice in hope of the glory of God. And not only that, but we also glory in tribulations, knowing that tribulation produces perseverance; & perseverance, character; & character, hope. Now hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit who was given to us.”.....“For if when we were enemies we were reconciled to God through the death of His Son, much more, having been reconciled, we shall be saved by His life. And not only that, but we also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received the reconciliation.”
*Jn. 4:8, 31-34—“For His disciples had gone away into the city to buy food.”...“In the meantime His disciples urged Him, saying, “Rabbi, eat.” But He said to them, “I have food to eat of which you do not know.” Therefore the disciples said to one another, “Has anyone brought Him anything to eat?” Jesus said to them, “My food is to do the will of Him who sent Me, & to finish His work.”
Illustration:
Building demolition/Most tenants angry at having to temporarily move/But some realize it is so the delapidated & dangerous can be replaced!/CELEBRATION
What is Prosperity to you?—Good Education, Job, Wife, Family, Transportation, Home, etc./ OR—God’s Blessings/CELEBRATION
Application:
?Meet the challenge of CELEBRATION in Christ?
?You commit, from this day forward, to be a Godly Father?
?Will you be a godly example for your family?
4—Godly Fathers are vital for...
HISTORY/Children(4:4-6)
Explanation: (4:4-6)
:4—“Remember the Law of Moses, My servant, Which I commanded him in Horeb for all Israel, With the statutes & judgments.”
The faithful & all who will listen are called upon to “remember” that which was committed to Israel’s charge thru Moses at Mt. Sinai(Mt. Horeb =‘desert’ or ‘desolate’) where they received the Law.
The faithful/reverent were evidently responsible individually for “remembering” the Law so that the entire nation & thus the world would benefit from God’s blessing.
Moses was uniquely YaHWeH’s “servant.”
The Law, with its specific “statutes” & corresponding “judgments” was imposed upon the entirety of the nation of Israel. By Joshua they judicially agreed to the “Law of Moses”(Jos. 24:14-28).
“...they are told, "Remember the law," for in the absence of living prophets, they were likely to forget it.”—JFB
Jn. 20:29—“Jesus said to him, “Thomas, because you have seen Me, you have believed. Blessed are those who have not seen & yet have believed.””
“Remember”—rkz zaw-kar'—1) To remember, recall, call to mind. Strong—properly, To mark (so as to be recognized), i.e. To remember; by implication, To mention; also (as denominative from rkz zaw-kawr') To be male.—Highlights the importance of fathers!
“Servant”—dbe eh'-bed—1) Slave, servant.
“Commanded”—hwu tsaw-vaw'—1) To command, charge, give orders, lay charge, give charge to, order. Strong—a primitive root; (intensively) To constitute, enjoin.
“Statutes”—qx choq—1) Statute, ordinance, limit, something prescribed, due. Strong—An enactment; hence, An appointment (of time, space, quantity, labor or usage).
“Judgments”—jpvm mish-pawt'—1) Judgment, justice, ordinance. Strong—properly, A verdict (favorable or unfavorable) pronounced judicially, especially A sentence or formal decree (human or [participant's] Divine law, individual or collective), including the act, the place, the suit, the crime, & the penalty; abstractly, Justice, including a participant's right or privilege (statutory or customary), or even a style.
:5—“Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet Before the coming of the great & dreadful day of the LORD.”
The prophet—or rather one in the prophetic style & function of Elijah—will be the harbinger of the “day of the LORD.”(See :6)
This is a specific “day” or time which will outshine(“great”) all other days, for in it YaHWeH will bring His design on earth to a close. For the faithless, it will bring the certainty of absolute fear.
This prophecy of Malachi is a sign of the last days. Elijah’s appearance was well known & anticipated by those spiritual heads(scribes & Pharisees) who refused to recognize Jesus as Messiah.
“Send”—xlv shaw-lakh'—1) To send, send away, let go, stretch out. Strong—a primitive root; To send away, for, or out (in a great variety of applications).
“Elijah”—hyla ay-lee-yaw'—Elijah or Eliah = "my God is Jehovah" or "Yah(u) is God."
“Prophet”—aybn naw-bee'—1) Spokesman, speaker, prophet. Strong—A prophet or (generally) Inspired man
“Before”—hnp paw-neh'—Strong—The face (as the part that turns); used in a great variety of applications (literally & figuratively); also (with prepositional prefix) as a preposition (before, etc.).
“Great”—lwdg gaw-dol'—Adj.—1) Great. Strong—Great (in any sense); hence, Older; also insolent.
“Dreadful”(See 3:16— “Feared”; 4:2)—ary yaw-ray'—V.—1) Fearing, reverent, afraid. Strong—Fearing; morally, reverent:-- Afraid, fear (-ful).
“the great & dreadful day of the LORD.”
Joel 2:28-32—““And it shall come to pass afterward That I will pour out My Spirit on all flesh; Your sons & your daughters shall prophesy, Your old men shall dream dreams, Your young men shall see visions. And also on My menservants & on My maidservants I will pour out My Spirit in those days. And I will show wonders in the heavens & in the earth: Blood & fire & pillars of smoke. The sun shall be turned into darkness, And the moon into blood, Before the coming of the great & awesome day of the LORD. And it shall come to pass That whoever calls on the name of the LORD Shall be saved. For in Mount Zion & in Jerusalem there shall be deliverance, As the LORD has said, Among the remnant whom the LORD calls.”
Peter’s sermon of Acts 2 stated at the corporate arrival of the Spirit—in the manifestation of a shared understanding of language—was the initial sign of the fulfillment of the Joel 2 passage.
Rev. 6:15-17—“And the kings of the earth, the great men, the rich men, the commanders, the mighty men, every slave & every free man, hid themselves in the caves & in the rocks of the mountains, & said to the mountains & rocks, “Fall on us & hide us from the face of Him who sits on the throne & from the wrath of the Lamb! For the great day of His wrath has come, & who is able to stand?””
Asking the same question “Who is able to stand”(:17) & “who can endure...& who can stand when He appears?”(Mal. 3:2).
Isa. 13:9—“Behold, the day of the LORD comes, Cruel, with both wrath & fierce anger, To lay the land desolate; And He will destroy its sinners from it.”
Isa. 34:8—“For it is the day of the LORD’S vengeance, The year of recompense for the cause of Zion.”
Ezek. 30:2-3—““Son of man, prophesy & say, ‘Thus says the Lord GOD: “Wail, ‘Woe to the day!’ For the day is near, Even the day of the LORD is near; It will be a day of clouds, the time of the Gentiles.”
Amos 5:18-20—“Woe to you who desire the day of the LORD! For what good is the day of the LORD to you? It will be darkness, & not light. It will be as though a man fled from a lion, And a bear met him! Or as though he went into the house, Leaned his hand on the wall, And a serpent bit him! Is not the day of the LORD darkness, & not light? Is it not very dark, with no brightness in it?”
Zeph. 1:14-2:3 “The great day of the LORD is near; It is near & hastens quickly. The noise of the day of the LORD is bitter; There the mighty men shall cry out. That day is a day of wrath, A day of trouble & distress, A day of devastation & desolation, A day of darkness & gloominess, A day of clouds & thick darkness, A day of trumpet & alarm Against the fortified cities And against the high towers. “I will bring distress upon men, And they shall walk like blind men, Because they have sinned against the LORD; Their blood shall be poured out like dust, And their flesh like refuse.” Neither their silver nor their gold Shall be able to deliver them In the day of the LORD’S wrath; But the whole land shall be devoured By the fire of His jealousy, For He will make speedy riddance Of all those who dwell in the land. Gather yourselves together, yes, gather together, O undesirable nation, Before the decree is issued, Or the day passes like chaff, Before the LORD’S fierce anger comes upon you, Before the day of the LORD’S anger comes upon you! Seek the LORD, all you meek of the earth, Who have upheld His justice. Seek righteousness, seek humility. It may be that you will be hidden In the day of the LORD’S anger.”
1Thes. 5:1-9—“But concerning the times & the seasons, brethren, you have no need that I should write to you. For you yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord so comes as a thief in the night. For when they say, “Peace & safety!” then sudden destruction comes upon them, as labor pains upon a pregnant woman. And they shall not escape. But you, brethren, are not in darkness, so that this Day should overtake you as a thief. You are all sons of light & sons of the day. We are not of the night nor of darkness. Therefore let us not sleep, as others do, but let us watch & be sober. For those who sleep, sleep at night, & those who get drunk are drunk at night. But let us who are of the day be sober, putting on the breastplate of faith & love, & as a helmet the hope of salvation. For God did not appoint us to wrath, but to obtain salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ,”
2Pet. 3:9-13—“The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some count slackness, but is longsuffering toward us, not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance. But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night, in which the heavens will pass away with a great noise, & the elements will melt with fervent heat; both the earth & the works that are in it will be burned up. Therefore, since all these things will be dissolved, what manner of persons ought you to be in holy conduct & godliness, looking for & hastening the coming of the day of God, because of which the heavens will be dissolved, being on fire, & the elements will melt with fervent heat? Nevertheless we, according to His promise, look for new heavens & a new earth in which righteousness dwells.”
:6—“And he will turn The hearts of the fathers to the children, And the hearts of the children to their fathers, Lest I come & strike the earth with a curse.””
The “he” is referring to Elijah.
Jn. 1:23—“He[John] said: “I am ‘The voice of one crying in the wilderness: “Make straight the way of the LORD,”’ as the prophet Isaiah said.””
Jn. 1:19-27—“Now this is the testimony of John, when the Jews sent priests & Levites from Jerusalem to ask him, “Who are you?” He confessed, & did not deny, but confessed, “I am not the Christ.” And they asked him, “What then? Are you Elijah?” He said, “I am not.” “Are you the Prophet?” And he answered, “No.” Then they said to him, “Who are you, that we may give an answer to those who sent us? What do you say about yourself?” He said: “I am ‘The voice of one crying in the wilderness: “Make straight the way of the LORD,”’ as the prophet Isaiah said.” Now those who were sent were from the Pharisees. And they asked him, saying, “Why then do you baptize if you are not the Christ, nor Elijah, nor the Prophet?” John answered them, saying, “I baptize with water, but there stands One among you whom you do not know. “It is He who, coming after me, is preferred before me, whose sandal strap I am not worthy to loose.””
Mat. 11:13-15—““For all the prophets & the law prophesied until John. “And if you are willing to receive it, he is Elijah who is to come. “He who has ears to hear, let him hear!”
Mat. 17:10-13—“And His disciples asked Him, saying, “Why then do the scribes say that Elijah must come first?” Jesus answered & said to them, “Indeed, Elijah is coming first & will restore all things. “But I say to you that Elijah has come already, & they did not know him but did to him whatever they wished. Likewise the Son of Man is also about to suffer at their hands.” Then the disciples understood that He spoke to them of John the Baptist.”
Elijah’s return will initiate the return of the very “hearts of the fathers” of Israel(the faithful), to their “children.”
This implies that the arrogant unbelief of 3:13-15 & the coming of the Day of YaHWeH to rid the earth of such actually hinges upon fathers loving their children enough to share the truth with them. Fathers who would love their children deeply are seeking the well-being of their children & in turn, the children of others. This in turn secures the well-being of their nation & ultimately progresses globally.
A father’s God-ordained design, as head of his own household, is to live before his children in such a way so as to raise them to be his own ‘special treasure’/‘peculiar people’(“jewels”) as God Himself has done for all whom He loves.
These ‘turned hearts’ represent the love reciprocated toward the fathers by their children. There is a mutual respect shared between father & children.
Without the father’s attentions upon their own family’s progenies there can be no abatement of God’s “curse” upon the earth. The entire planet will fall into the destiny of unrepentant sin—destruction that God may reign freely.
1Cor. 7:13-14—“And a woman who has a husband who does not believe, if he is willing to live with her, let her not divorce him. For the unbelieving husband is sanctified by the wife, & the unbelieving wife is sanctified by the husband; otherwise your children would be unclean, but now they are holy.”
Eph. 6:4—“And you, fathers, do not provoke your children to wrath, but bring them up in the training & admonition of the Lord.”
1Jn. 2:28—“And now, little children, abide in Him, that when He appears, we may have confidence & not be ashamed before Him at His coming.
This destiny cannot be had as Islam holds—& will usher in by force & maintain by law, denying the sacrifice of Christ—But can only occur if fathers & children are dedicated inwardly to Christ!
Luke quotes this verse with the middle nuanced in regard to “the disobedient” ones returning to “the wisdom of the just”, as such...
Lk. 1:16-17—““And he[John the Baptist as Elijah] will turn many of the children of Israel to the Lord their God. “He will also go before Him in the spirit & power of Elijah, ‘to turn the hearts of the fathers to the children,’ & the disobedient to the wisdom of the just, to make ready a people prepared for the Lord.””
Thus the “children” & “fathers” turning, very blatantly pictures a lack of compliance toward God being brought back to heartfelt reverence & thereby, service.
“Lest” signifies that this entire verse is a conditional statement. It is an either-or statement. It is an absolutely true statement!
The blessings which all families on “earth” receive is entirely conditional. The same is true regarding the curses which are received.
All people of all generations ultimately either benefit or suffer because of the actions of those who call themselves children of God! They will either benefit or suffer in direct response to a father’s involvement with his own children. ?input? to his home/homelife.
God has an ultimate plan. This plan can be either enacted or frustrated depending upon the desires & thus actions of “the fathers” in relation to their “children.”
“The threat here is that, if this restoration were not effected, Messiah's coming would prove "a curse" to the "earth," not a blessing.”—JFB (CONT...)4—Godly Fathers are vital for...
HISTORY/Children(4:4-6)
As the prophet Amos states:
Amos 5:17-24—“In all vineyards there shall be wailing, For I will pass through you,” Says the LORD. Woe to you who desire the day of the LORD! For what good is the day of the LORD to you? It will be darkness, & not light. It will be as though a man fled from a lion, And a bear met him! Or as though he went into the house, Leaned his hand on the wall, And a serpent bit him! Is not the day of the LORD darkness, & not light? Is it not very dark, with no brightness in it? “I hate, I despise your feast days, And I do not savor your sacred assemblies. Though you offer Me burnt offerings & your grain offerings, I will not accept them, Nor will I regard your fattened peace offerings. Take away from Me the noise of your songs, For I will not hear the melody of your stringed instruments. But let justice run down like water, And righteousness like a mighty stream.”
And the Apostle Peter:
1Pet. 4:17-18—“For the time has come for judgment to begin at the house of God; & if it begins with us first, what will be the end of those who do not obey the gospel of God? Now “If the righteous one is scarcely saved, Where will the ungodly & the sinner appear?””
“Turn”(See 3:18—“Again”)—bwv shoob—1) To return, turn back. Strong—a primitive root; To turn back (hence, away) transitively or intransitively, literally or figuratively (not necessarily with the idea of return to the starting point); generally To retreat; often adverbial, Again.
“Hearts”—bl leb—1) Inner man, mind, will, heart, understanding—1a) Inner part, midst. Strong—The heart; also used (figuratively) very widely for the feelings, the will & even the intellect; likewise for the center of anything.
“Fathers”—ba awb—Strong—a primitive word; Father, in a literal & immediate, or figurative & remote application).
“Children”—Nb ben—1) Son, grandson, child, member of a group. Strong—A son (as a builder of the family name), in the widest sense (of literal & figurative relationship, including Grandson, subject, nation, quality or condition, etc.
“Strike”—hkn naw-kaw'—1) To strike, smite, hit, beat, slay, kill. Strong—a primitive root;To strike (lightly or severely, literally or figuratively).
“Curse”—Mrx khay'-rem—1) A thing devoted, thing dedicated, ban, devotion; 2) A net, thing perforated; 3) Have been utterly destroyed, (appointed to) utter destruction. Strong—physical (as shutting in) A net (either literally or figuratively); usually A doomed object; abstr. extermination.
Argumentation:
Rom. 8:18-25—“For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us. For the earnest expectation of the creation eagerly waits for the revealing of the sons of God. For the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of Him who subjected it in hope; because the creation itself also will be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God. For we know that the whole creation groans & labors with birth pangs together until now. Not only that, but we also who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, eagerly waiting for the adoption, the redemption of our body. For we were saved in this hope, but hope that is seen is not hope; for why does one still hope for what he sees? But if we hope for what we do not see, we eagerly wait for it with perseverance.”
A father’s mission effectively either hinders or releases creation’s bondage.
2Pet. 3:11-13—“Therefore, since all these things will be dissolved, what manner of persons ought you to be in holy conduct & godliness, looking for & hastening the coming of the day of God, because of which the heavens will be dissolved, being on fire, & the elements will melt with fervent heat? Nevertheless we, according to His promise, look for new heavens & a new earth in which righteousness dwells.”
Illustration:
America’s Founding Fathers/Determined to implement the timeless Principles of God’s people in Christ/This has directly effected our country & thereby the world/
Likewise The current disdain for fatherhood in our country will certainly be the undoing of not only our nation but of the world!/Children raised in fatherless homes are many times more likely to live aberrant, hard, frustrating lives as those with fathers/HISTORY/Children
Application:
?Meet the challenge of HISTORY thru your Children/Family?
?You commit, from this day forward, to be a Godly Father?
?Will you be a godly example for your family?
CONCLUSION:
Visualization:
Godly Fathers must GROW Up....MAN Up...& STAND Up for the Lord!
Tomorrow is July 4th—our Independence Day—Separation from the tyranny of England—granting the US’s ability to be self-governing.
Put teeth in your governance by trusting Christ today! Seize this day for your family’s sake & for the sake of all mankind!
?You commit, from this day forward, to be the Godly Father God desires & has given you power in Christ to be?
?Will you be a godly example for your family?
Action:
Godly Fathers are vital for...
3. CELEBRATION/Joy(4:1-3)
4. HISTORY/Children(4:4-6)
1. OPPOSITION(3:13-15)
2. the CROWD(3:16-18)
Presented 07/03/2011am to:
Needmore Baptist Church
1620 Mt. Vernon Rd.
Woodleaf, NC 27054
