INTRO.- ILL.- An eight-year-old boy is walking down the road one day when a car pulls over next to him. "If you get in the car," the driver says, "I’ll give you $10 and a piece of candy."
The boy refuses and keeps on walking. A few moments later, not to take no for an answer, the man driving the car pulls over again. "How about $20 and two pieces of candy?"
The boy tells the man to leave him alone and keeps on walking. Still further down the road the man pulls over to the side road.
"OK," he says, "this is my final offer. I’ll give you $50 and all the candy you can eat." The little boy stops, goes to the car and leans in.
"Look," he says to the driver. "You bought the Ford, Dad. You’ll have to live with it!"
What can I say? I don’t think I ever had to pay my kids or bribe my kids to ride with me, Ford or otherwise. Although I do think that some parents or fathers tend to bribe their kids perhaps just to get them out of their hair so they can go do whatever they want.
“Here, son, here’s a twenty. Go have fun while I go have my fun.”
ILL.- Someone said, “We’ve given our children too much, too soon and in some cases, it’s too late.”
I do think that most parents’ concern for their children is more material than spiritual. If they are doing all right materially, making a living, then we don’t worry about them. BUT WHAT IF THEY DON’T KNOW THE LORD AND/OR DON’T GO TO CHURCH, WHAT THEN? How do we feel about that? Or do we even care?
ILL.- A young boy came to Sunday School late. His teacher knew that he was usually very prompt and asked him if anything was wrong. The boy replied “no,” that he was going fishing but his dad told him that he needed to go to church.
The teacher was very impressed and asked the boy if his dad had explained to him why it was more important to go to church than to go fishing, to which the boy replied, yes he did, “dad said he didn’t have enough bait for both of us.” That sounds like some fathers.
ILL.- One day shortly after the birth of their new baby, the mother had to go out to do some errands. So the proud papa stayed home to watch his wonderful new son.
Soon after the mother left, the baby started to cry. The father did everything he could think of to do but the baby wouldn’t stop crying. Finally, the dad got so worried he decided to take the baby to the doctor.
After the doctor listened to the father all that he had done to get the baby to stop crying, the doctor began to examine the baby’s ears, chest and then down to the diaper area. When he undid the diaper, he found that the diaper is indeed full.
"Here’s the problem", the Dr. said, "He needs a change." The father was very perplexed, "But the diaper package says it is good for up to 10 lbs.!"
Eph. 6:2 "Honor your father and your mother, which is the first commandment with a promise."
We are commanded by our Heavenly Father to honor our earthly fathers and mothers. Not only are we commanded to do this, we should want to do this.
My father, Leo Shepherd, was not a perfect father, but he was a good father who loved me, provided for me, protected me, and tried to guide me as best he could. The thing that bothers me the most about my father is that as far as I know, he never accepted Christ. I think he believed in Christ, but he never surrendered to Christ.
I’ll never forget one time when I was back home, visiting with mom and dad. I was preaching at the First Christian Church of Iberia, MO, about 180 miles from Webb City, MO. Mom suddenly said, “I need to bring daddy up there and get him baptized.” I was shocked and speechless. Immediately my dad said, “You gotta get the head right first.” And he was right about that. That was his way of saying that he wasn’t ready yet.
A person must accept Christ in their mind in order to receive Him into their heart. My greatest wish for all fathers is for them to accept Christ, be baptized into Him and live the Christian life. THIS IS PERHAPS THE GREATEST THING THAT ANY FATHER COULD DO FOR HIS FAMILY, FOR HIS CHILDREN.
FATHERS, WE BLESS YOU! We ask God to bless you!
PROP.- I want to honor our fathers today by considering different aspects of a father’s life from Scripture.
1- A father’s instruction
2- A father’s discipline
3- A father’s love
I. A FATHER’S INSTRUCTION
Prov. 1:8 "Listen, my son, to your father’s instruction and do not forsake your mother’s teaching." A father instructs and a mother teaches.
Could it be that a father tells and a mother teaches? Could I make something of this? Instruction should include both telling and teaching from life.
Prov. 4:1 "Listen, my sons, to a father’s instruction; pay attention and gain understanding."
Why are these Scriptures always pointed to sons? Why not to daughters? Do we sons have more to learn that daughters? Do we go astray more? Are we more aggressive?
Pay attention and gain understanding. PAY ATTENTION. Those are the very words my dad used to say to me, “Steven, pay attention to what you are doing.” Good instruction.
ILL.- Will Rogers, who died in a plane crash with Wylie Post in 1935, was probably the greatest political brain or wit this country has ever known. He had four children.
Will Rogers Jr., 1911-1993, starred as his Father in two feature movies and was a war hero, a successful actor and a Congressman. Mary Rogers, 1913-1989, was a Broadway actress. Jim Rogers, 1915-2000, after starring in some cowboy movies as a young man, spent his life as a horse and cattle rancher. Betty and Will Rogers’s youngest son, Fred, died of diphtheria when he was two.
Here is some of his advice, which he, no doubt, gave to his children.
1. Never slap a man who’s chewing tobacco.
2. Never kick a cow chip on a hot day.
3. There are 2 theories to arguing with a woman...neither works.
4. Never miss a good chance to shut up.
5. Always drink upstream from the herd.
6. If you find yourself in a hole, stop digging.
7. The quickest way to double your money is to fold it and put it back in your pocket.
8. Good judgment comes from experience, and a lot of that comes from bad judgment.
9. If you’re riding’ ahead of the herd, take a look back every now and then to make sure it’s still there.
10. Lettin’ the cat outta the bag is a whole lot easier’n puttin’it back.
11. After eating an entire bull, a mountain lion felt so good he started roaring. He kept it up until a hunter came along and shot him. The moral: When you’re full of bull, keep your mouth shut.
What kind of instruction did your father give you? I’m sure he instructed you about some things, either secular things or sacred things.
ILL.- My dad used to instruct my older brother Larry and me on how to change oil in our cars. He also showed us or instructed us about changing spark plugs, ignition points, etc.
That instruction was very practical and useful. Dad was teaching us certain skills. And he was teaching us that we could do some things for ourselves and that we didn’t always have to depend on someone else for something.
Many of you men are able to do things today because your father taught you how. You need to be thankful for the skills your father taught you.
Fathers also instruct us in the realm of the sacred, that is, going to church, reading the Bible, prayer, Christian service, etc. Do you go to church today because of your Father? How about reading the Bible? How about treating people right because your father gave you that good example?
ILL.- I remember one time when I lived in the small town of Iberia, MO. We had only one grocery store in town. My son Shane was small, about three years old at the time, and we pulled into a parking space at that grocery store. A man in the car next to us was smoking a cigarette. It was summer and the car windows were down. Shane piped up and said to that man, "We don’t smoke cigarettes and drink beer."
ILL.- One mother said "While I was driving with my 7-year-old daughter, Katie, kept encouraging me to go faster. I explained to her that I was already going the speed limit and could not legally drive any faster. Not satisfied with my reasoning, Katie replied, ‘You need to get a car like Dad’s. It has a faster speed limit!’"
We parents do teach or instruct our children in one way or another. If you have learned any good Christian things from your father, then thank God and thank Him if he’s still alive!
II. A FATHER’S DISCIPLINE
Prov. 15:5 "A fool spurns his father’s discipline, but whoever heeds correction shows prudence."
ILL.-Ann from Florida said, "While listening to the song ‘Train Up a Child,’ my daughter asked me what ‘train up’ means. I explained that it means to teach children about God and the difference between right and wrong. ‘Are you and Daddy training me up?’ she asked. ‘We’re trying to,’ I said. Emily turned back to the stereo and muttered, ‘We’ll see about that.’"
It takes discipline to train up a child and fathers and mothers use various methods to discipline their children.
ILL.- Jennifer from California wrote, "Our 3-year-old son, Jerrod, spends hours playing in his sandbox. He was told that the sand stays inside the sandbox.
“One afternoon things were particularly quiet in the backyard, so I went outside to check on Jerrod only to find him throwing sand outside the sandbox. Deciding this would be a good teaching opportunity, I walked toward the sandbox with a broom and dustpan and asked Jerrod to sweep up the mess he’d made. After he was done sweeping, I asked him what he had learned from this situation. He thought for a moment and then replied, ‘Mmm…. that I like to sweep!’"
ILL.- A father of a teenage son said to his neighbor, "Junior’s at that awkward age. He’s too old for spanking and too young for analysis." I wonder what that age is?
As long as children are at home, they are not too old to be disciplined in some form or another.
Prov. 13:24 "He who spares the rod hates his son, but he who loves him is careful to discipline him."
Prov. 22:15 "Folly (or foolishness) is bound up in a heart of a child, but the rod of discipline will drive it far from him."
How did your father discipline you? The method is not so important as just doing the job.
ILL.- One man who attained a high position in life attributed his success to two factors. He said, "I was brought up at the knees of a devoted mother and across the knees of a determined father."
ILL.- Someone said that a child’s character can be improved by a pat on the back provided that pat is administered often enough, hard enough and low enough.
You need to thank God today if you had a father who loved you enough to take the time to discipline you.
III. A FATHER’S LOVE
Prov. 3:1-3 "My son, do not forget my teaching, but keep my commands in your heart, for they will prolong your life many years and bring you prosperity. Let love and faithfulness never leave you...." These words sound like a father talking to his son, but in reality, it’s the wisdom of God speaking. Let love never leave you.
ILL.- A Father’s Love
We hear about a mother’s love
In story and in song,
How staunch it is through trial and storm,
How tender and strong,
How sweet and pure and beautiful;
And every word is true.
But what about a father’s love?
That claims some notice, too.
A father delves the darksome mine
And climbs the girders high
And swings upon the scaffolding
Between the earth and sky.
It’s father who bends his aching back
And bows his graying head
To bear the burdens of the day
And earn the children’s bread.
For both must work and both must plant
And do an equal share
To rear the little ones the Lord
Has trusted to their care.
All honor to the mother’s love;
The universe it fills.
But when you praise it, don’t forget
That father pays the bills.
How do fathers demonstrate their love? One way is by going to work! By providing for their family.
I Tim. 5:8 "If anyone does not provide for his relatives, and especially for his immediate family, he has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever."
Anyway you look at it, a father should provide for his family as best he can. That’s a part of loving them. But there is more to loving our children than just providing for them.
ILL.- In the Diary of Brooks Adams is a note about a special day when he was eight-years-old. He wrote, "went fishing with my father; the most glorious day of my life," and through the next forty years there were constant references to that day and the influence it had on his life.
His dad took him fishing. His dad spent time with him. I think that is called an act of love. The action of love. WHAT DID YOUR FATHER DO WITH YOU OR FOR YOU?
ILL.- In the summer of 1957 my parents took the three of us Shepherd kids to Anaheim, CA, to visit Disneyland. Disneyland had only opened two years before in 1955. I was not yet 13 years old at the time. I’m sure it was great, but I don’t remember a thing about it! I know that sounds terrible, but as I look back I now realize what a great sacrifice of time and money that was to drive all the way out there. It had to be a tremendous act of love! And it wouldn’t have happened had it not been for my dad earning the money, taking the time off from work, and driving all that distance from Joplin, MO.
There are many ways that fathers show love to their children and for their children.
ILL.- Michael W. Smith is a very popular contemporary Christian soloist. Here is what he said about his father. "WHEN MY DAD COMES UP missing at a dinner party, I always know where to find him: in the kitchen. He’ll be in there, apron around his waist, washing dishes. That’s just one example of his servant’s heart. Serving seems to come naturally and effortlessly for my father. I remember one time he was working in the garage and he saw an elderly lady carrying a bag of groceries by our house. He immediately went out to help her. Time and again, I’ve watched him drop whatever he was doing to help someone carry a bag of groceries, fix a car or repair a broken appliance. I hope someday I’ll be as good at serving others as he is. If that happens, I’ll have to say, ‘I learned it from my dad.’"
Michael W. Smith is a blessed man to have such a loving father. Brothers and sisters, if you have or had a loving father, then thank God and imitate that love!
CONCLUSION-------------------------------------
ILL.- One winter day a man found it necessary to go see a neighbor who lived beyond a steep and rugged mountain. He had climbed the dangerous trail for some time through the drifted snow when suddenly he heard a voice behind him call out, "BE CAREFUL, DADDY, I’M WALKING IN YOUR STEPS."
God bless you, Fathers! Bless you in your fathering. Bless you in your walk through life.
