FATHER’S DAY 2023
Text: Matthew 1:19-25
Good Morning, and Happy Father’s Day!
Before we begin, and go to our text this morning, I just want to do a whirlwind trip through the Book of James… Bear with me and you’ll see why in just a moment…
In James chapter 1, James talks about how we are to remain steadfast in trials, and how we are to count it all joy when we are tested, because testing brings us to maturity in the faith, and he talks about how we are to not only be hearers of the Word, but doers of the Word. In chapter two he talks about how we are not to show favoritism or commit the sin of partiality… we are to love our neighbors and thereby show that we love God… and then he explains how faith without works is dead. In chapter 3 he talks about taming the tongue and how we are to not speak foolishly or be a clown, how we are to not boast, or slander, or lie, and how we are to avoid jealousy and selfish ambition. In chapter 4, James warns us against worldliness, and says that friendship with the world makes us an enemy of God. And then finally in chapter 5, he warns us against chasing after wealth, he warns against false teachers and again encourages us to be patient in suffering.
Now why did we just do that? Well maybe it would be helpful if we remembered who James’ father was… First; remember… the writer of this epistle was not James – the brother of John. That James’ father was named Zebedee… This was a different James, and his father was a guy named Joseph. He was married to a gal named Mary, and James’ older brother was Jesus (½ bro)
So let me ask you – do you think James ever saw his dad Joseph remain steadfast during trials?
Do you think he ever saw his dad count it all joy when he was tested and do you think he saw his dad’s faith mature over time?
Do you think James ever saw his dad work hard to not show favoritism and partiality?
Do you think Joseph was ever able to display his faith through his works?
Do think that James maybe saw his dad tame his tongue a few times? Or avoid worldliness, or be patient in suffering and watchful over his family – making sure they were hearing the Word of God, and not some false teaching?
So we’re going to look at Joseph this morning, and all you fathers, would-be father’s, and grandfathers, I want you listening, because I think we can all learn a lot from his example.
Let’s open our Bibles to Matthew 1:19-25 (READ).
Now we are familiar with this story – we hear it ever Christmas. Joseph and Mary are betrothed. They’re going to be married, but then suddenly Mary is pregnant, and Joseph knows good and well that it isn’t his, but verse 19 tells us that Joseph is a “JUST” man. He’s upright. He’s fair. He’s honest. He’s decent. He’s a “JUST” man.
Now think about this for a second. Joseph has worked hard to get everything ready to provide for his new bride. He’s got a job, he works hard, he’s already probably paid a dowery. He loves Mary, but then he finds out she’s pregnant. And so he has some options. He could’ve publicly shamed her. He could turn her over to the authorities and they would have stoned her to death. And then to hear her tell it, it – had Joseph turned her over to the authorities they wouldn’t have only stoned her on for being pregnant before marriage, but also they probably would have charged her with blasphemy. But Joseph is a “JUST” man, and he doesn’t want to do that… he loves her, even if she didn’t love him… And so he’s just going to put her away quietly. And this is before any angel speaks to Joseph. All he knows is what he sees and Joseph chooses mercy.
So guys, this is the first thing I want you to see here.
The key to being a good father is to be a good man.
And the only way to be truly good is to be born again. The only way to be truly righteous, is to have the righteousness of God imparted to us through Christ.
Every single one of us here today knows someone who is a “good guy”… we all know “good folks”… people who would give you the shirt off their back. People who work hard every day and will open their homes to you, and help you out of a jam… and at the same time, we probably also know some of those “good folks” who have broken marriages, and broken homes, and who struggle with addiction or all kinds of issues. There is sin in this world and just being a “good guy” doesn’t insulate you from that. Just being a “good guy” doesn’t mean you aren’t enslaved by sin, or your sin nature. Those chains have to be broken by Jesus!
And so in order to be truly good, to be truly just, to be truly righteous – we have to be born again, by God’s grace alone, through faith alone, in Jesus Christ alone!
So, Joseph was a just man, but he also loved Mary. He didn’t want to shame her. He didn’t want to harm her, and so he chose mercy.
Turn with me over to Ephesians 5:25-33 (READ). So God’s Word tells us that we as husbands are to love our wives, even as Christ loves His Bride the Church. How does Christ love the Church? Verse 25 – He loved the Church and gave Himself for her. Jesus loves His Bride, sacrificially, to the death.
DADS, ONE OF THE BEST THINGS YOU CAN DO FOR YOUR KIDS IS LOVE THEIR MOTHER! IT’S ALSO ONE OF THE BEST THINGS YOU CAN DO FOR YOURSELF!
So Joseph was a just man, and he loved Mary… he didn’t want her to be killed, and he didn’t want her publicly shamed.
Now let’s go on… look at verses 20-24 (READ).
JOSEPH DID AS THE ANGEL OF THE LORD COMMANDED HIM.
Let me just refer you back to the Book of James – “Faith without works is dead.”
So Joseph had faith, and we know that he had faith, because he acted on that faith. He obeyed God, and did what he was told to do. It’s like the old saying, “Faith alone saves, but the faith that saves is never alone.” So Joseph is not only a “JUST” man… he’s not only a good, upright, fair, and honest guy… and not only does he love his wife, but he’s also a man of faith. He believes God and obeys God, and does what he’s commanded to do.
Did he want to do that? The Bible doesn’t tell us one way or another. It just tells us that he fulfilled his duty and responsibilities out of obedience to the Lord.
Church, look at our world today… in 1960 17% of children had absentee fathers… Today it’s almost 49% of homes where kids aren’t being raised by their biological father. In America today, dads have abandoned ship.
And even if they haven’t physically left the home, a lot of men have abandoned their responsibilities as fathers… They aren’t active in their child’s life. Dad’s we can’t leave the raising of our kids to the TV or the public school system… or YouTube and social media.
IT’S OUR REPONSIBILITY TO TRAIN THEM UP IN THE WAY THEY SHOULD GO!
Ephesians 6:4 “Fathers, do not provoke your children to anger, but bring them up in the discipline and instruction of the Lord.”
Three things are commanded there. The first is – Don’t provoke our kids to wrath. The second is – discipline them… don’t let them grow up to be narcissistic monsters. And third – we are to instruct our children. Teach them, mentor them, tell them about God… show them how to learn about God, show them how to pray, how to be followers of Jesus.
Psalm 78:5-7, “He established a testimony in Jacob and appointed a law in Israel, which He commanded our fathers to teach to their children, that the next generation might know them, the children yet unborn, and arise and tell them to their children, so that they should set their hope in God and not forget the works of God, but keep His commandments.”
Here we are seeing a great reason why our nation is in the shape its in… God has commanded the fathers to teach their children about God… to teach them His Word – why? So that the next generation will know Him and His Word, and they in turn will tell their kids, our grandkids, so that they should set their hope in God and not forget Him. Our nation is a nation that has forgotten God… because we are a nation whose fathers have abdicated their responsibility to teach and instruct, and train up their children in the ways of the Lord.
Pastor and Bible teacher Voddie Baucham says this, “When you send your kids to be instructed by Caesar, don’t be surprised when they come back to you as Romans.”
Proverbs 4:1, “Hear, O sons, a father’s instruction, and be attentive that you may gain insight.”
Proverbs 13:1, “A wise son hears his father’s instruction, but a fool does not listen to rebuke.”
Again, we are to instruct our kids… we are called by God to be the primary educators of our kids
AND IT’S A BLESSING! Don’t ever see that as a burden. Or as just something you’ve got to do… it’s a blessing to do this!
It’s part of our Christian calling – GO AND MAKE DISCIPLES.
If you’re a parent you already have little disciples right there in your home… and you will disciple them. You’ll disciple them to either love and follow God, or to see God as something secondary, or as not relevant.
So guys, as husbands and fathers, we have God given responsibilities to our wives and our children. We have to love and provide for them. We have to be present and involved in their lives. Spend time with them… both our wives and our kids. We are called to be the head of the household, and the priest of the home as well.
Thankfully we have the Holy Spirit residing with in us to help us… and we have the Bible which gives us plenty of examples of good fathers… like Joseph, and also bad fathers. It shows us what TO do and what NOT TO do. And ultimately, we have God as our Father.
And so dad’s, I want to leave you with a word of encouragement. As a father myself, I can tell you from experience we aren’t going to do it perfectly. We are going to make mistakes. We are going stumble from time to time. We don’t have a step by step road map. But if we have become the righteousness of God in Christ, and we are striving to live in accordance with that new nature… if we take our God given responsibilities as husbands and fathers seriously… if we love our wives and love our children… and if we are quick to obey the Lord as His commands, and desires, and will is revealed to us… We’re going to be ok.
And I’ll say this in closing.
Whether you are a father or not… or whether you had a loving father, who was present in your life or not. The Bible tells us that you do have a loving Father, who is in heaven. It tells us that He loves you with an everlasting love.
I pray that you know Him today, and that you are known by Him.
CLOSING
