Dr. Ron Sumners
June 21, 2009
The usual pattern from most pulpits is to exalt and praise mothers on Mother’s Day, and beat up on fathers on Father’s Day! It seems that all we ever do is blast fathers for their shortcomings. It is amazing that we are surprised when dads don’t come back to church after we have chewed them out for being spiritual deadbeats.
I am sorry men. I am a preacher, so let’s get this over with. Fathers, spend more time with your children and don’t be a spiritual wimp. Be the head of your home and bring your family to church – don’t just send them. I feel better now, how about you?
Now, if you don’t mind, I’m going to attempt to preach one of those uplifting Mother’s Day sermons for our fathers.
I believe that being a Christian Father is one of the highest callings any man can ever achieve in his life. The legacy you leave will have little to do with your career or your material possessions. Your legacy is the character of the children you bring into the world.
I want to go on record this morning to say that a Christian father is one of the most unsung, unpraised, unnoticed, and unappreciated heroes of all time.
In fact, one little boy defined Father’s Day best when he said that Father’s Day was just like Mother’s Day, the only difference is that you don’t spend as much money on the gift! I read a statistic that the greatest numbers of long distance phone calls are made on Mother’s Day; the greatest numbers of collect calls are made on Father’s Day.
Someone wrote these humorous words entitled “The World According to Dad.”
These are words that most dads have said at some time or another to their children:
This is going to hurt me more than it does you.
Be quiet, I’m trying to watch the game.
Bring back my change!
Ask your mother.
What do you think I’m made of – money?
When I was your age, I walked to school.
Turn off the lights – you don’t pay the bills here.
Why? – Because I said so!
Just wait until you have kids of your own.
Hush, before I give you something to cry about!
I am sure you all remember the TV commercial that told us that “Choosy mothers choose Jif.” Since it is Father’s Day, I would like to talk to you this morning about “Choosy fathers choosing Jesus.”
We could search the scriptures to find an example of a Godly father. One of the best examples would be that of Joshua.
In our scripture passage, Joshua is the ripe, old age of 110. He has called the leaders of Israel together to Shechem for a farewell address. He is charging Israel to obey the Lord. He says, “Choose you this day whom you will serve…as for me and my family, we will serve the Lord.”
I thank God for Christian fathers who follow the example of Joshua. They are not seduced by the allure of the materialistic world. They set their priorities and lifestyle to follow the Lord. They defy the ethic of their peers and lead their family to follow the Lord.
Joshua’s farewell address is an excellent example of a father/child relationship. Thank God for fathers like Joshua who teach their children how to live. It is nice to have a job with a Fortune 500 company. It is important to get that promotion to management with the increase in salary. It is nice to get your dream house, in your dream neighborhood. And Lord knows it is nice to drive to church in that new Mercedes or BMW. All those things are nice and nor bad in and of themselves. The choosy father has values bigger and better than these “nice” things.
God uses the father/child example as a way to explain our relationships with Him. Our relationship to God is our highest calling. When we pray to Him, we pray as Jesus taught us, “Our Father, who art in heaven…” Why father? Perhaps it is because of the importance of the father/child relationship. There are a lot of things that we could say about Joshua, but for our purposes today, I will mention just two.
#1 – He was the Priest of his home.
We see this in our text. Joshua acknowledged his responsibility for the spiritual life of his family. He did the speaking for his family and declared their intent. We need more fathers who are willing to be the spiritual leader and speak for their family in matters of faith!
Before you can be the Priest of your family you must first possess certain qualities.
In order to be a priest, you must be in close contact with God. The Bible tells us that the family is the basic unit of society. Deuteronomy 6:6-9 instructs the mother and especially the father the task of passing the truth to their children. You cannot instruct if you do not know. I am not fit to instruct on the subject of Physics. I am not sure I even know what Physics is. Joel Bloom is majoring in Physics. I majored in “graduating from this place!” I can, however, instruct in righteousness. I can do this because I know the Lord.
The scripture tells me that Joshua was not out of order in speaking for his family. He was fulfilling his fatherly obligation as the spiritual leader of his family.
I read somewhere, “A boy loves his mother, but he will follow his father.” So, the question to you and me is; “where are we leading our children?”
I read the story of a humble, dedicated pastor whose young son had become very ill. After the boy had undergone extensive tests, the father was told the devastating news that the boy had a terminal illness. The boy had accepted Jesus as Savior, so the father had no fear for the boy’s soul, but how was he to tell his son that he would die?
He went in to his son and read a passage of scripture and said a prayer with the child. Then he gently told the boy that the doctors said that he had only days to live. He asked his son, “Are you afraid to meet Jesus, my boy?” The boy said, “No sir, not if he is anything like you, dad.”
Choosy fathers choose Jesus and live close enough to Him to share it with his children!
#2 – He had a plan for his family.
This means that being a Priest for your family is not enough. The loving, Christian father will also have a plan for the spiritual life of his loved ones. Joshua said, “We will serve the Lord!”
When Joshua spoke, his voice rang with the sound of unity: “me and my house!” We have here a sense of togetherness. The reason for that, I believe, was Joshua’s Godly character and example. His faith was genuine, authentic and as a result his family said, in essence, “Whatever you say dad, we will agree.” Is that the attitude of your family? If not, it could be that you have never established yourself as the spiritual leader of your home. For those who have, thank you and God bless you.
My questions to you are – can the family get along without fathers in the home? Are dads disposable, like Pampers? Are they needed for a healthy family?
We have mothers who are here today without husbands. Some were left behind and discarded by the father of their children. That husband and father is a shadowy figure that shows up at birthdays and Christmas with gifts he hopes will appease for his lack of being Daddy. Some women are here without husbands because he will not come. He has abdicated his role as spiritual leader of the family. He can have no plan for you; he is either not with you at all or not a positive factor in your family’s spiritual life!
We have all heard the modern phrase: “it takes a village to raise a child.” That is a nice sentiment and reminds us of our responsibility as a church to care for all of our children. But when raising a child is “everybody’s” responsibility – it ultimately becomes nobody’s responsibility! The people of the village are not ultimately responsible for your child – you are Mom and Dad! Especially you Dad! The village will not step up to the plate and accept another man’s responsibility.
A child needs a mother and a father. We need more men like Joshua, who are willing to take up the banner of Jesus Christ, not just for our own salvation, but also for the salvation of our children.
Fathers are responsible for the physical welfare of their children. Jairus in Mark 5:23 came to Jesus and said, “My little daughter is at the point of death; please come and lay your hands on her, that she may get well and live.” In John 4:49 another man comes to Jesus and said, “Sir, come before my child dies.”
These are examples of men who were directly involved in the lives of their children. Not only did they provide for them financially, but they also pleaded for help to save their lives when they were dying.
This says to me that fathers are needed for more than financial support. A child raised without a father is more likely to live in poverty. The fastest group of homeless people in our nation is mothers with children. The father is long gone. A child without a father is more likely to have emotional or behavioral problems, commit suicide, and be sexually active as a teen-ager. A child raised with a father who refuses to take a lead in spiritual matters even if he is still in the home, is more likely to engage in harmful behavior, prone to rebellion, and have a higher divorce rate as adults!
Spiritual fathers are needed to take responsibility for the spiritual welfare of their children, like Job 1:5 says, “And it came about, when the days of feasting had completed their cycle, that Job would send and consecrate them, rising up early in the morning and offering burnt offerings according to the number of them all; for Job said, ‘Perhaps my sons have sinned and cursed God in their hearts.’ Thus, did Job continuously.”
Unfortunately, not every child has a father like Job. Eli the priest disgraced his calling because he did not correct his evil sons and take responsibility for their welfare. Scripture says, “For I have told them that I am about to judge his house forever for the iniquity which he knew, because his sons brought a curse upon themselves and he did not rebuke them. And therefore, I have sworn to the house of Eli that the iniquity of Eli’s house shall not be atoned for by sacrifice or offering forever.” (1 Samuel 3:13-24)
Christian fathers are to be responsible for the emotional development of their children. They need to love them unconditionally. David, King of Israel, was not a perfect father by any means, but as his rebellious son Absalom’s death was reported to him, he wept and wished that he could die in Absalom’s place. That was exactly what Absalom had in mind concerning his father! David loved his son – simply because he was his son.
Dad, do your children know that they are loved and respected for who they are? The fact that they are talented in any way should have nothing to do with their feelings of acceptance and love from you.
Christian fathers, have you blessed your children? Do they know by your actions toward them that they are special in your eyes? Have you told that you are proud of them? They will have others who will be their friends, their mentors, and their coaches. But no one else will be their father. Only you can fulfill that role.
Christian father – it is not just your duty…it is your joy.
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