“choices of the father”
Intro: When you begin to read the scriptures about the description of the father, you understand that he has quite an order or position to fill, quite the responsibility placed upon him, to be the voice of God to our families, to be the glory of our children? Men can have greater impact on the lives of those around them than most imagine! Men sometimes feel they don’t need it as much as the “weaker” woman does.
But there is a big difference between having religion in your life and having Christ in your life. No matter how much a man can “lift”, never lift his own weight with God!
Text: Ephesians 6:1-4 Luke 15:20,21
The word of God talks about the need of the father and all that it implies is responsibility, not rulership. Means to provide; To make Biblical decisions. One of the greatest problems in our society today is the lack of father figures in the home. A study was recently conducted on the effects on American society because of the physical or emotional absence of fathers and the results are shocking. God made the home to stand not to fall!
The sad fact is that we have underestimated the important role that fathers play in the lives of their families, in the life of our nation and ultimately in the life of the church. Our nation doesn’t need more men to be the head of the household; we desperately need men to be real fathers.
ILLUSTRATION: Lady went to get a divorce—
Lawyer: “Do you have grounds?”
Lady: “About 2 acres”
Lawyer: “Do you have a grudge?”
Lady: “No we have a carport”
Lawyer: “Does your husband beat you up?”
Lady: “No I beat him out of bed everyday”
Lawyer: Screamed- “Lady what is your problem!”
Lady: “ Oh that is easy- We just can’t communicate.”
There is an element of our society that feels a Father is opitional, this may be an unhealthy idea. HEALTHY FATHER --- HEALTHY CHILDREN. The enemy knows: WEAK FAMILIES - WEAK CHURCHES -WEAK SOCIETY. Fathers must have VISION. They need to be an example of maturity, integrity, honesty, and character. Fathers must realize they set the standard. God has called the Father to be the Priest of His home.
UNDERSTANDING THE CHOICES THAT A FATHER IS GOING TO TAKE:
I. THE PATH YOUR GOING TO TAKE
A. We must understand that the path we take will be followed by those who are near to us. Don’t ever think that your children aren’t watching the path you are taking, the things you are doing, the words you are saying. Because they see our life as Fathers more than anyone.
Psalms 37:23 “The steps of a good man are ordered by the Lord, and he delights in his way.”
ILLUSTRATION: Right Behind Father
A man and his young son were climbing a mountain. They came to a place where the climbing was difficult and even dangerous. The father stopped to consider which way he should go. He heard his boy behind him say, “Choose the good path, Dad: I’m coming right behind you.”
B. We see in the story of the Prodigal Son that his father was a loving man. We believe that He was a man that showed his son the right path, but the son decided on his own to go another way. But the beauty of this story is that the young man come running back to the father because he knew the path of the father was the right direction for his son.
Luke 15:20 “And he arose and came to his father. But when he was still a great way off, his father saw him and had compassion, and ran and fell on his neck and kissed him.”
II. THE PROTECTION YOUR GOING TO GIVE
A. Every man desires to give his children natural protection by giving them a house to live in and home to come out of the storms. Well just as concerned as we are about the natural protection, we should give our children a spiritual protection. Noah made sure that his family was in the boat when the flood came and destruction fell upon earth.
Genesis 6:18 “I have established My covenant with you; and you shall go into the ark, you, your sons, your wife and your sons wives.”
B. All of us long to feel safe. We want to know that we are protected from danger. We want policemen protecting our streets so we will feel protected at home. The restaurants we attend have safety inspections so we will feel protected when we eat. The cars we drive have to meet safety standards so we will feel protected in case we are in an accident.
Psalms 34:7 “The angel of the Lord encampeth round about them that fear him, and delivereth them.”
C. If God has promised to protect His children, then we need not fear the dangers this life presents. God’s protective work in our lives will flow from our relationship with Christ.
Psalms 18:2 “The Lord is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer; My God, my strength, in who I will trust; My shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold.”
III. THE PROMISES YOU ARE ABLE TO FULFILL
A. When it comes to people who make promises, it seems there are no GUARANTEES. But with God, a promise made is a promise KEPT. Politicians make campaign promises in order to gain our votes. Sales representatives make all kinds of pledges to win our business. In relationships, men and women pledge each other all kinds of things just to get what they want.
Titus 1:2 “in hope of eternal life which God, who cannot lie, promised before time began.”
B. We find that fathers were made to keep their promises. A lot of times as a father we do and say things in making a promise just to get our children off our backs. But we must understand that children hold on to promises and we need to be men of our word and hang on to the promise that we make because our heavenly Father hangs on to His.
Matthew 7:11 “If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how must more will your Father in heaven give good things to those who ask Him.”
C. Never in our life did we want anyone to promise us something and not fulfill his promise. Neither does God want us to make promises and not keep them. Word of God is the greatest promise that we can hang on to and know that it will never forsake or depart from you and I.
Romans 4:21 “and being fully convinced that what He had promised He was also able to perform.”
