The Necessity For Godly Fathers-2

The NECESSITY For GODLY FATHERS—II—Malachi 3:13—4:6

Attention /Need:

Our society lives under the mistaken belief that there is no realistic need for fathers & that a home is just fine without them.

Generally, men themselves have reached a point where they believe, the world’s view, that they are basically no more than sperm donors...no impact, no responsibility. They can enter & leave a relationship at will & there is no harm done & it is probably for the best. Tentative relationships are rampant, accepted & even sought out. ‘Living together’ before marriage has become so commonplace that it is expected by a great majority of our country & is so commonplace that the Church has come to accept it.

I know of one woman who was single, had always been single & wanted a child. But she did not want to get married, seeing no need for the presence of a father in the home. She was perfectly confident that she could raise a child in a home with no fatherly input or support!

However, just the opposite is true! We are now discovering that a lack of fatherly influence in the home is severely detrimental to families, which in turn is severely detrimental to our society as a whole! We are reaping the ‘benefits‘ of our irresponsibilities. Something the Church has known & proclaimed since the beginning!

The/A Future with Godly Fathers

The prophet Malachi disclosed the importance of godly fathers to every aspect of mankind’s existence.

Godly fathers are vital to our existence.

What makes godly fathers so vital for our existence?

4 validations that godly fathers are vital for our existence.

We celebrated Father’s Day a couple of Sundays ago but were unable to finish sharing God's wisdom thru His prophet Malachi.

We found that Godly Fathers are vital for...

1. OPPOSITION(3:13-15)

2. the CROWD(3:16-18)

3—Godly Fathers are vital for...

CELEBRATION/Joy(4:1-3)

Explanation: (4:1-3)

:1—“For behold, the day is coming, Burning like an oven, And all the proud, yes, all who do wickedly will be stubble. And the day which is coming shall burn them up,” Says the LORD of hosts, “That will leave them neither root nor branch.”

BITTER-SWEET(4:1)

This is frightening in that it hints that such discernment(3:18) will come to the detractors & unbelievers at the time when, with certainty, “the day” “of YaHWeH”(:5) comes upon them. There will then be a clear division of peoples based on their service to YaHWeH.

Unfortunately, in order for them to have such discernment, they must live consciously & eternally separated from YaHWeH.

“The” future “day” is promised. It will occur. Its arrival & purpose will be to make those who live wickedly in their pride as “stubble” in its presence.

It will remove them as does the burning heat of an oven.

The very LORD of Hosts whom they have dismissed as useless(3:14) will be the bringer of their demise. He will ensure that they will have absolutely nothing left. It will be a complete end so that no remnant will be left to them in His presence or the presence of those who love Him.

They will be as a tree which has no life & exists as a dead reminder of its former life. It has no twig with which to cover itself & worse yet, no root with which to recover. There is no hope for those without

“Coming”—awb bow'—1) To go in, enter, come, go, come in. Strong—a primitive root; To go or come (in a wide variety of applications).

“Burning”—reb baw-ar'—1) To burn, consume, kindle, be kindled; 2) To be stupid, brutish, barbarous. Strong—a primitive root; To kindle, i.e. Consume (by fire or by eating); also (as denominative) To be(-come) brutish.

“Oven”—rwnt tan-noor'—1) Furnace, oven, fire-pot, (portable) stove.

“Proud/Arrogant”(See 3:15)—dz zade'—N. m.—1) Arrogant, proud, insolent, presumptuous. Used 13X.

“Wickedly”—(See 3:15)—hevr rish-aw'—N. f.—1) Wickedness, guilt. Strong—Wrong (especially moral):-- fault, wickedly(-ness). Used 15X.

“Stubble”—vq qash—1) Stubble, chaff. Strong—Straw (as dry):-- Stubble.

From—vvq kaw-shash'—to become sapless through drought.

“Burn”—jhl law-hat'—1) To burn, blaze, scorch, kindle, blaze up, flame. Strong—A primitive root; properly, To lick, i.e. (by implication) To blaze.

“Leave”—bze ` aw-zab'—1) To leave, loose, forsake; 2) To restore, repair. Strong—a primitive root; To loosen, i.e. Relinquish, permit, etc.

“Root”—vrv sheh'-resh—1) Root—1a) Root (literal), 1b) Root (of people involving firmness or permanence) (fig), 1c) Root, bottom (as lowest stratum) (fig).

“Branch”—Pne aw-nawf'—1) Bough, branch. Strong—from an unused root meaning to cover; A twig (as covering the limbs):-- Bough, branch.

:2—“But to you who fear My name The Sun of Righteousness shall arise With healing in His wings; And you shall go out And grow fat like stall-fed calves.”

“& you will go forth & skip about like calves from the stall.(NASB)

“And you will go out & leap like calves released from the stall.”(NIV)

EXUBERANT & CELEBRATORY(4:2)