INTRODUCTION
Today we are celebrating the Father’s Day holiday.
This is a day in which we come together to celebrate fatherhood.
Fatherhood is something that in our society we need to celebrate. I have mentioned to you before about how much society has tried to discount the role of the father in the life of a child. TV most usually depicts fathers as men with a spine and without a clue.
There are groups out there today who are telling society that fathers are not important. The government has even tried to replace the father in some segments of our society.
Each year more and more children are raised in homes in which there is no father present.
Why has fatherhood taken such a bad rap? Could it be that today when you speak about how God is our Father, that many people do not get a favorable impression of God from that because they did not have a father or they had an abusive father?
I find it interesting that in the Bible, especially in the New Testament, God is called “Father.”
In the Old Testament God is not referred to as Father very much. That is because in the Old Testament, God’s relationship with people was mostly done through other people like the prophets and priest.
When Jesus came, He brought us into more a Father child relationship with God. Now we do not need a priest to go to God like they did in the Old Testament, we can pray directly to Him. Jesus made this change in relationship possible.
ROMANS 8:15 tells us, “For you have not received a spirit of slavery leading to fear again, but you have received a spirit of adoption as sons by which we cry out, "Abba! Father!"
And GALATIANS 4:6 says, “Because you are sons, God has sent forth the Spirit of His Son into our hearts, crying, "Abba! Father!"
What is it about God that makes it possible for us to call Him Father? Is a person just a father because of their participation in the birth of a child or is there more to being a father than that?
I believe that not every man who sires a child is a father. Today I want us to look at the ultimate father and see what He provides to us to earn the right of being called Father. I want us to also look at the appropriate response that we should have to the ultimate father and to our earthy father’s.
SERMON
THE ULTIMATE FATHER PROVIDES:
I. LOVE
1. One thing that a father provides to his children and family is love.
2. God earns the right to be called father because he has provided love to us. Listen to these passages.
ROM 5:8 But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.
ROM 8:32 He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him over for us all, how will He not also with Him freely give us all things?
EPH 2:4 But God, being rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us,
2THESS 2:16 Now may our Lord Jesus Christ Himself and God our Father, who has loved us and given us eternal comfort and good hope by grace,
1JO 4:10 In this is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins.
JOHN 3:16 "For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life.
3. God loves us with an unconditional love. This is the type of love a real father has for his children and family. A father earns the right to be called father by his love.
1JO 3:1 See how great a love the Father has bestowed on us, that we would be called children of God; and such we are. For this reason the world does not know us, because it did not know Him.
4. A father who loves his children will provide structure and discipline for them.
II. DISCIPLINE
1. A loving father will do one of the toughest things that a father will have to do, discipline his children.
PRO 3:12 For whom the Lord loves He reproves, Even as a father corrects the son in whom he delights.
2. The word discipline means “to train”, “to teach”. It comes from the word in which we get “disciple”. PRO 4:1 Hear, O sons, the instruction of a father, And give attention that you may gain understanding,
3. Society seems to think parents should not discipline their children. People who feel that way do not understand what discipline is. There is a big difference between abuse and discipline. Discipline is meant to teach a lesson to a child.
4. God disciplines us because he loves us as a father. There are times when we need to learn a lesson and because God loves us, He disciplines us.
5. Many times we will attribute illnesses to discipline from God, more times than not, illness is just a part of the course of life.
6. God disciplines us because He loves us and we belong to Him. God wants us to be the best that we can be. This should be what we, as earthly fathers want for our children.
HEBREWS 12:7-8 It is for discipline that you endure; God deals with you as with sons; for what son is there whom his father does not discipline? But if you are without discipline, of which all have become partakers, then you are illegitimate children and not sons.
THE ULTIMATE FATHER NOT ONLY PROVIDES LOVE AND DISCIPLINE BUT ALSO HE PROVIDES FOR THE:
III. PHYSICAL NEEDS
1. This is the need that most of as fathers have a good understanding of. We know that if we do not work, we do not eat.
2. One of the responsibilities that we take on as fathers is taking care of our families’ physical needs, food, clothing and shelter. Sometimes we have to sacrifice our personal desires to do what we have to so that we can provide for our family.
3. God earns the right to be called our father because He takes care of our needs.
READ MATTHEW 6:25-33
JAMES 1:17 Every good thing given and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shifting shadow.
4. God promises us that if we will seek Him, our physical needs will be provided for.
5. The difficulty for fathers is this, we think that we have to work ourselves to the bone to provide for our families’ needs. As good as this economy is supposed to be, we live in a tough area to make a living, fathers, let us not get so hung up on taking care of our families physical needs that we forget the emotional needs.
IV. EMOTIONAL SUPPORT
1. Many times people have the misconception that if you belong to Jesus that nothing bad will happen for you or that you will not have any tough times in life.
2. God promises us that He will be there to help us get through the rough times in life.
1PETER 5:7 casting all your anxiety on Him, because He cares for you.
HEBREWS 13:5 Make sure that your character is free from the love of money, being content with what you have; for He Himself has said, "I will never desert you, nor will I ever forsake you,"
3. God gives us stability in our lives that we so desperately need in life.
HEBREWS 13:8 Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever.
4. Jesus is the one constant thing in our every changing lives. People need something to anchor themselves to.
HEBREWS 6:17-19 In the same way God, desiring even more to show to the heirs of the promise the unchangeableness of His purpose, interposed with an oath, so that by two unchangeable things in which it is impossible for God to lie, we who have taken refuge would have strong encouragement to take hold of the hope set before us. This hope we have as an anchor of the soul, a hope both sure and steadfast and one which enters within the veil,
5. Father’s, our children and spouses need us to be there for them emotionally. I told you that with young girls, it is so important that a father be there to love and support them. A girl who does not have a father to love them the way we should will statistically will be a woman who has trouble in her relationships later in life. Our children need our love as well as our money.
6. Fathers, remember, we do not have our children at home forever. Let’s take the time to be there for them.
As we are doing what we should be doing as fathers, what kind of response should we expect from our children? As we look at this, think about the response that God wants from His children. One other thing I want you to think about. Is God’s love for us conditioned by our response? NO! Our love for our children need not be conditional either.
A CHILD’S RESPONSE SHOULD BE ONE OF:
I. LOVE
1. In Mark 12:30 Jesus tells us in the following. “and you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind, and with all your strength.’”
2. God the father expects us to love Him with all that we have. He has earned the right. Sons and daughters, LOVE your father, tell then that you appreciate what they do for you. Give your father the love they deserve.
II. RESPECT
1. Love is something that we are to have for God and our fathers, but something that needs to go with our love is respect.
2. PROVERBS 9:10 The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, And the knowledge of the Holy One is understanding.
3. When the bible tells us to fear God, it means that we are to respect Him.
4. If we have love for God or for our fathers and we do not have respect, then we will not act, or we will not do what we are told to do.
5. 2CO 5:11 Therefore, knowing the fear of the Lord, we persuade men, but we are made manifest to God; and I hope that we are made manifest also in your consciences.
6. If we have respect without love, then we will do what we are told, but for the wrong reason.
7. Respect is something that is not being taught like is once was. EXPLAIN. WHEN WE BADMOUTH THE TEACHER WHAT HAPPENS?
8. When love is coupled with respect, we will have the next response.
III. OBEDIENCE
1. If we love and respect God, we will do the best that we can to be obedient to Him.
2. If we love and respect our fathers, then we will do the best we can to be obedient to them.
3. Jesus tells us that we will know whom our father is by how we act. READ JOHN 8:38-41
4. 1 JOHN 5:3 For this is the love of God, that we keep His commandments; and His commandments are not burdensome.
5. Children, if you love and respect your fathers, obey them out of love.
CONCLUSION
Fathers, you have a tough job and a great responsibility to take care of the family. It can be a tough job at times, but don’t that keep you from doing your job, the payoff is worth it.
Children, honor your parents, be a blessing to them and not a burden. Make their job a joy.
Fathers, make sure you invest yourself in Jesus and in your children.
The ultimate father is God, He has earned our love, respect and obedience. Give both your earthly and heavenly father the love, respect and obedience they deserve!
