“The Perfect Father”
June 21, 2015
On this day we honor our fathers. It is good we do this because God said we are to honor them. The Bible says,
“Honor your father and your mother, so that you may live long in the land the LORD your God is giving you.” Exodus 20:12
“Honor your father and mother”—which is the first commandment with a promise” Ephesians 6:2
For some it is a hard thing to honor your father. You may not have even known him. He may be an absentee father. Others may have had abusive fathers. All of us had fathers that were less than perfect. They made mistakes. And some have a hard time honoring their fathers. The Bible says,
“There are those who curse their fathers…” Proverb 30:11
We are all human. But God says to honor them anyways. I think it may be more for our benefit than theirs; more for our needs than theirs; more to bless us than them.
This morning I want to talk to you about the perfect Father. We fathers have a perfect example to emulate. God has given Himself as a pattern for us to follow. And maybe we can all learn something to apply to our own lives. Jesus taught us to begin our prayers with, “Our Father in Heaven…” (Matthew 6:9) He taught us to live and forgive and do things the way our Heavenly Father would do them. Let’s take a look at qualities of a perfect Father.
First of all, I think it is significant that our Father is always there. He will never leave us or forsake us. One thing you can depend on – God will always be there for you. Maybe not in the way you want to expect or hope. But He has promised.
“God has said, “Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you.”
Hebrews 13:5
“the LORD your God goes with you; he will never leave you or forsake you.”
Deuteronomy 31:6
“For the LORD will not reject his people; he will never forsake his inheritance.” Psalm 94:14
“For this God is our God for ever and ever; he will be our guide even to the end.” Psalm 48:14
Earthly fathers may desert us; neglect us; and forsake us – but our Heavenly Father won’t. You can depend on Him being with you all the way. Jesus said He would be with us to the very end of the age. There are many times when it may seem like we are on our own, that we are alone and deserted by all – even our Heavenly Father. But we aren’t. Joseph must have felt terribly alone when his brothers threw him into a pit and sold him into slavery. He must have felt all alone when he was falsely accused of a sex crime and thrown into prison. But he wasn’t. God was with him all the time. God was always in control and because Joseph trusted God – God was able to take him from that dirty, smelly prison and overnight place him in the highest position in the land – second only to pharaoh himself.
I want you to understand that as a child of the King – you are never alone. God will never leave you or forsake you.
Secondly, I want you to understand that your Heavenly Father has wonderful plans for you. The Bible says,
“For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.”
Jeremiah 29:11
God has awesome plans for His children. He loves you so much. He wants what is best for you. He is an awesome God. He is the Creator God. He is the source of all that is good. And He loves you. He delights in blessing His Children. Listen to some of my favorite promises.
“For the LORD God is a sun and shield; the LORD bestows favor and honor;
no good thing does he withhold from those whose walk is blameless.”
Psalm 84:11
“In his days may the righteous flourish and prosperity abound till the moon is no more.” Psalm 72:7
“How priceless is your unfailing love, O God! People take refuge in the shadow of your wings. They feast on the abundance of your house; You give them drink from your river of delights.” Psalm36:7-8
Do you see how God loves to bless you and prosper you? He wants you to drink from a river of delights! How awesome is that! But there is more. It only gets better. Jesus said,
“Do not let your hearts be troubled. You believe in God; believe also in me. My Father’s house has many rooms; if that were not so, would I have told you that I am going there to prepare a place for you?” John 14:1-2
Jesus is preparing a place for you. Right now, I believe He is creating something so awesome, so wonderful that it is beyond our imagination. It is unconceivable to human mind. I believe it will be unlike anything we have ever experienced. If you take that moment in your life that you were happiest, most joyful, most exhilarated and stretched that moment on forever – it would pale in comparison with what God is preparing for you. Isn’t that awesome to even think about?
A father is always there, and a father has great plans for his children. Earthly fathers need to share their dreams with their children of them becoming great men and women. They need to be encouraging and share their dreams. Absentee fathers can’t do that. And some of you have missed an important element in your upbringing. Most of our fathers didn’t know we needed this and found it hard to express. But your Heavenly Father has made it very clear. Get into His Word and learn about His wonderful plans for you.
Well, I’ve given you the cream of a Father’s responsibilities. This next thing you may not like so much. But it is an expression of love. The Perfect Father, thirdly, disciplines those He loves. Listen to the Word.
“5 And have you completely forgotten this word of encouragement that addresses you as a father addresses his son? It says,
“My son, do not make light of the Lord’s discipline, and do not lose heart when he rebukes you, 6 because the Lord disciplines the one he loves, and he chastens everyone he accepts as his son.”
7 Endure hardship as discipline; God is treating you as his children. For what children are not disciplined by their father? 8 If you are not disciplined—and everyone undergoes discipline—then you are not legitimate, not true sons and daughters at all. 9 Moreover, we have all had human fathers who disciplined us and we respected them for it. How much more should we submit to the Father of spirits and live! 10 They disciplined us for a little while as they thought best; but God disciplines us for our good, in order that we may share in his holiness.11 No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it.”
Hebrews 12:5-11
“Stern discipline awaits anyone who leaves the path; the one who hates correction will die.” Psalm 15:10
We don’t like to think about that aspect of love. But is the unloving, selfish, parent who refuses to discipline their child. Disciplining is hard. Those cries, those pleads, that child manipulation works on most of us. But real love has a hard side of it. Dr. James Dobson wrote a book on ‘tough love’. It is so lacking in our society today. But listen to what God’s Word has to say about it.
“A rod and a reprimand impart wisdom, but a child left undisciplined disgraces its mother.” Proverbs 29:15
“Do not withhold discipline from a child; if you punish them with the rod, they will not die. Punish them with the rod and save them from death.”
Psalm 23:13-14
“…correction and instruction are the way to life. “ Psalm 6:23b
I don’t know about you but disciplining was hard for me to do. I am such a softie. But if you love your child it has to be done. It doesn’t always have to be a spanking. Sometimes time out or restriction or something else may be more effective – but you can’t just let a child do his own thing.
And God won’t. God loves us – so He must discipline us. He may withhold blessings from us because of our actions. Sometimes it is not rebellion we are disciplined for. Sometimes it is neglect. If we just forget to honor him by going to church or neglect to tithe – He will discipline us. If we neglect to use our gifts and talents that He has so generously and lovingly given us – we will be disciplined. Those the Lord loves – He disciplines. But the outcome is good. We are better for it.
Consequently, it is important we discipline. Whether we want to or not. The Bible says,
“Chasten thy son while there is hope, and let not thy soul spare for his crying.” Proverbs 19:18
We have become a society of enablers. Few people are willing to go through the pain of correcting someone. But it has to be done – as unpleasant as it may be. It is, after all, an expression of true love. It is the hard side of love. It is tough love. May we love enough to be tough.
Lastly, I want to remind you that the Perfect Father loves. The most beloved verse in the Bible just blows my mind when I meditate on it. Listen to it.
“For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.” John 3:16
Think of that! God loved you so much He gave His only Son – for you! That is love. Talk about ‘tough love’! That is ‘sacrificial love’. I can’t even comprehend how much the Father gave up to save us. But a father loves his kids so much he sacrifices for them – or a least he should. Financially, emotionally, time commitment. Fathers need to give up their wants and wishes sometimes for the good of their children. Let’s be more sacrificial. Spend more time praying for the kids, playing with them, enjoying them. You will never regret it.
The Perfect Father, 1. Is always there for his children. 2. He has great plans for his children. 3. He disciplines his children. And 4. He loves his children.
We will often fall down and fail in our jobs. But let’s strive to emulate the perfect Father. Our kids, our families, our mates will thank us for it.
