Introductory Comments
1. Today is Father's day - a day on which we look at the role of fathers. Our the image of a perfect father is someone we can trust and who can tell us what is right and what is wrong. Someone who can take care of us. Someone to answer our many questions. Someone we can come home to when we feel lost.
2. We all have or had fathers. None of them are or were perfect. How we see our fathers is dependent upon the kind of father they were and yet it is also dependent upon our age.
3. I found an article called Father which shows how we might perceive our father at different stages in our lives - sometimes as perfect and sometimes as very imperfect. This is what we might say about our father at different ages.
at 4 years - "My daddy can do anything"
at 7 years - "My daddy knows a lot, a whole lot"
at 8 years - "My father doesn't quite know everything"
at 12 years - "Oh well, off course Father doesn't know everything"
at 14 years - "Father, oh he is so old-fashioned"
at 21 - "Oh that man is out of date. What did you expect?"
at 25 - "He knows a little bit about it but not much"
at 30 - "I must find out what Dad thinks about it"
at 50 - "What would Dad have thought about it?"
at 60 - "I wish I could talk it over with Dad once more"
4. Our fathers are not perfect although they may not be as imperfect as we think. The truth may lie somewhere between these two extremes.
5. Being a father is an important yet difficult task. The authority and role of fathers is being lost. We may even feel somewhat pushed to the side. We may question our role in a changing world. We need a role model to look to as an example of what a father should be the models before us are far from ideal.
6. Tool Time Tim is an insecure father who is portrayed as a bumbling fool and other television fathers are seen as the one to made the most fun of in their families. We have come a long way from Father Knows Best today we rather say Father Knows Worst.
7. We may laugh at these fathers, but there is a real danger here those who watch these shows, including children, loose respect for the fathers and the role of fatherhood as well.
8. The good news is that we have a perfect model of what a father should be. A model that calls us to respect our fathers and a model that those of us who are fathers can seek to follow.
9. The one perfect father is the one who is the father of us all - our heavenly Father - God Himself. God is perfect and while we are not, we are called to be holy as He is holy. We are to seek to be the type of Father that He is. In fact as earthly fathers we have a role not only bring up our children as God calls us to.
10. And we also are to be the type of father that helps our children understand what kind of a father God is to us all.
11. I have come across many whose view of God is based on the kind of father they had. If there father was legalistic they see God as a God who demands a strict adherence to rules. If their father was gracious they are better able to see God as a gracious God. If their father did not remain faithful, they have trouble trusting God because they fear that He will desert them some day.
Teaching
1. Today we take a look at our perfect father to see how blessed we are to have him as our father and to help fathers see how God calls them to fulfil their role. We could go through the bible and find examples of God's faithfulness and grace but we will focus on one passage - a parable we are all very familiar with. A parable is a earthly story which represents a heavenly truth. The parable of the prodigal son represents a person, a son, a child of God and his relationship with his heavenly Father. In fact, as I had left my heavenly father for five years and came back, I know God very well as the Father in this parable.
2. He is like this Father for all of us, whether we leave Him for 6 years or even for just a week.
3. Two points before we see a few traits of what a perfect father is to be like of whom is God the Father of?
John 1: 12 Yet to all who received him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God
Some see God as the father of all people since he created us all, but in the sense of having a living relationship with us, God is the Father of all who believe.
4. Also, before we look at the parable, we should be aware of the role of a Father in Israelite society a role not followed by many today and yet a role we are still to have
Deu 6:4-12 Hear, 0 Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is one. Love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength. These commandments that I give you today are to be upon your hearts. Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. Tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads. Write them on the doorframes of your houses and on your gates. When the LORD your God brings you into the land he swore to your fathers, to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, to give you--a land with large, flourishing cities you did not build, houses filled with all kinds of good things you did not provide, wells you did not dig, and vineyards and olive groves you did not plant--then when you eat and are satisfied, be careful that you do not forget the LORD, who brought you out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery.
5. The father knew his role was to teach his children the truth of God's word on a daily basis through reading the word, through discipline, through example and through sharing what God has done for him. Do not leave the teaching of your children to Sunday School, the church or the schools this is your responsibility.
6. Lets us now see 4 characteristics of the kind of Father God is and calls us to be. Remember that the father is dealing with a son who is older - old enough to work and live on his own. But to varying degrees these characteristics can apply to all parenting.
7. First, we can see that the father respects or allows some freedom or autonomy for his son. The son comes with a request - the estate is rightfully his but does it is up to the father as to when he release it. He could have said "No, you cannot have it now. He probably knew his son was irresponsible yet he cared more for his son than he did for his own estate - even though he had worked hard to accumulate it.
a. He had to loosen the rope of control son had to learn about life, to mature and it seems children learn so much more from hard mistakes than from our warnings or our controls.
b. God is the same with us he loosens the rope. Even as his children, he lets us make mistakes so we can learn from them. He wants us to follow him by choice not because we have to do so.
c. When we realize our need for him we appreciate him much more and love him more.
8. Second, the father allows his son to face the consequences of his decisions and choices. He could have sent someone to keep an eye on his son. He could have sent him more money when he ran out. He could have made a deal with his son boss to give him more money. But that would not have allowed him to learn from his mistakes. It hurts to see our children suffer because of wrong choices. Sometimes we want to bail them out so they do not have to suffer any pain. Our child breaks window - do they work to pay for it or do we do we? Do we pay for gas when they want to drive places or do they need to realize cost of driving freedom and responsibility go hand in hand?
a. God could rescue us from every mess we get ourselves into. In many cases he does, but not until we realize the consequences so that we come back to him. (eg. Christ dying for us, we must repent). When we walk from him and sin, the consequences is death. Consequences also put restraints on our behaviour. Our children do need just freedom but also the restraints that consequences bring. Don't make life to easy for your children
9. Third, the father was a forgiving father. He did not forget about his son. He hoped he would come back. He waited and watched for him to return. And when he saw his son from a distance, he ran out to him. He was not angry - why did you waste my hard-earned money? His forgiveness was conditional only on his son seeking forgiveness. Not to pay him back, but to admit that he had done wrong and did not deserve to be forgiven. Nnot saying, "Come in my office on your knees and hear my lecture."
a. Often we lecture children for about the things that life has already taught them.
b. There are times when we punish our children for disobedience but that punishment must always be accompanied by forgiveness.
c.That is how our heavenly father is no matter what we have done. When we know we have sinned and truly are sorry and repentant, He is there ready to forgive us. We do not need to be afraid to confess to him.
d. In fact he not only forgives us but throws a party, a celebration. There is rejoicing in heaven over every repentant sinner that comes home.
10. Fourth, as fathers we should care enough about our children to get involved in their lives. We give them freedom but we do not ignore their problems. The father knows that there is a problem between the son who came home and the one who had stayed behind and been faithful. The older son had had to take up the slack and maybe even do his brother's work. He was jealous that his father know welcomed his brother back so easily and even threw a party for him.
a. His father pleaded with him to join in the celebration.
b. We see examples of the opposite in Scripture when Eli refused to deal with his sons' sins and when David did not deal with the problem between Annon and Abasalom. In each case the fathers inaction led to disaster.
11. Fathers, do not forget your primary role to represent God before your children to teach them about Him. To follow the eg. of our heavenly Father. Allow children the freedom to learn from mistakes, be forgiving and be involved - not controlling but involved.
12. And may our children always know that they have a Father in heaven who will always be faithful and true.
