Sunday, June 17, 2018 - The Value and Importance of Fathers
Pastor Roger Marcos
June 17, 2018
A father is one of the most unsung, unnoticed, and unappreciated heroes in all entire humanity. One time a little boy was asked to define Father’s Day and he said, “It’s just like Mothers-day, only you don’t spend as much on the present.”
The late Johnny Carson used to tell the story about the day his son came to him with a piece of paper which read: “To the man who has inspired me with his fatherly wisdom.” With tear-filled eyes, Johnny said, “Son, I didn’t know you felt that way about me.”
Well today is FATHER’S DAY, that one day of the year we GIVE HONOR to and SHOW OUR APPRECIATION for our fathers.
Ephesians 6:4 And you, fathers, do not provoke your children to wrath, but bring them up in the training and admonition of the Lord.
A lot of times on Father’s Day we hear sermons that remind all us dads of our many shortcomings and failures as fathers. Instead, I want to preach a message to ENCOURAGE you and REMIND YOU OF YOUR IMPORTANCE AS A GODLY FATHER.
Consider these Three Points to Remember:
First of all, let’s Consider.....
I. THE IMPORTANCE OF FATHER’S TOUCH.
GENESIS 27.
Before we read our text, let me give you some background.
As you may remember, ISAAC and REBEKAH had twin boys named, ESAU and JACOB. Although these boys were twins, they weren’t anything alike.
ESAU was a tough, rugged outdoorsman who loved to hunt and fish. He was also very hairy!
JACOB on the other hand was a smooth-skinned homebody who would rather spend time in the kitchen with his mom than hunting and fishing with his brother.
Well as we come to Genesis chapter 27, ISAAC, the twin’s father is now old and blind. Knowing he is in the twilight years of his life, ISAAC decides it is time to PASS on his blessing to his older son, ESAU.
But one day while ESAU was out hunting, REBEKAH, his own mother, concocted this scheme to trick her frail, blind husband into giving the BLESSING to JACOB rather than ESAU.
In order to pull off this scheme, Rebekah had Jacob put on some of Esau’s clothes so he would smell like Esau. And she covered his hands and neck with some hairy goat hide to make him feel rugged and hairy like ESAU.
Now let’s pick up the scripture record in VERSE 18.
READ GENESIS 27:18-29 18 So he went to his father and said, “My father.”
And he said, “Here I am. Who are you, my son?”
19 Jacob said to his father, “I am Esau your firstborn; I have done just as you told me; please arise, sit and eat of my game, that your soul may bless me.”
20 But Isaac said to his son, “How is it that you have found it so quickly, my son?”
And he said, “Because the Lord your God brought it to me.”
21 Isaac said to Jacob, “Please come near, that I may feel you, my son, whether you are really my son Esau or not.” 22 So Jacob went near to Isaac his father, and he felt him and said, “The voice is Jacob’s voice, but the hands are the hands of Esau.” 23 And he did not recognize him, because his hands were hairy like his brother Esau’s hands; so he blessed him.
24 Then he said, “Are you really my son Esau?” He said, “I am.”
25 He said, “Bring it near to me, and I will eat of my son’s game, so that my soul may bless you.” So he brought it near to him, and he ate; and he brought him wine, and he drank. 26 Then his father Isaac said to him, “Come near now and kiss me, my son.” 27 And he came near and kissed him; and he smelled the smell of his clothing, and blessed him and said:
“Surely, the smell of my son
Is like the smell of a field
Which the Lord has blessed.
28 Therefore may God give you
Of the dew of heaven,
Of the fatness of the earth,
And plenty of grain and wine.
29 Let peoples serve you,
And nations bow down to you.
Be master over your brethren,
And let your mother’s sons bow down to you.
Cursed be everyone who curses you,
And blessed be those who bless you!
In these verses we see the vital importance of FATHER’S TOUCH.
Every time a family blessing was bestowed in the ancient
Hebrew culture, it involved a meaningful touch from the father....either the laying on of hands..or..a kiss on both cheeks....or a loving embrace.
It was through this meaningful touch the Hebrew father conveyed
HIS LOVE...HIS ACCEPTANCE...and HIS APPROVAL of his children.
By meaningful, appropriate touch, I mean the kind of touch that builds a sense of security and confidence in our children. The kind of touch that builds the child’s sense of self-worth...acceptance...and approval.
Proverbs 1: Listen, my son, to your father’s instruction and do not forsake your mother’s teaching.
Secondly, let’s consider.....
II. THE IMPORTANCE OF FATHER’S TIME.
Robert Schuller, pastor of the Crystal Cathedral, once said that he chose to fail so he could succeed. He said, "I chose to fail at golf, because I wanted to succeed as a father." Though he loved golf immensely, he knew that he could never devote adequate time to his job, his hobby, and his family . . . so he gave up his hobby.
Remember those familiar words in ECCLESIASTES 3:1
“To everything there is a season. A time for every purpose under heaven.”
Dad, do you know one of the greatest gifts you can give your children is THE GIFT OF YOUR TIME? Your PRESENCE in their lives is far more important than ANY PRESENT you could ever buy them in a store.
MATERIAL THINGS can never substitute for our personal involvement as fathers in the life of our children.
Do you know studies have shown that school children whose fathers are actively involved in their lives excel academically, athletically and socially compared to students whose dads spend little or no time at all with them?
Illustration:
There’s a story told of a man asking his daughter if she would want quality time with her dad or quantity time with her dad. She replied, “Quality time, Dad, and lots of it!”
I read about a little girl who drew a pretty picture. She went in her dad’s office. Crawled on his lap. And said, "Daddy, come and see my picture." And the dad said, "Not now, honey. Dad’s busy." About 10 minutes later, she came back again. Crawled on his lap. And said,
"Daddy, will you come see my picture now?" And the dad got frustrated. And said, "Can’t you see I’m busy? Don’t bother me right now. I’ll come and look at your picture later. When I’m ready."
A couple of hours later, the dad came out. And he said to the daughter, "Can I see the picture now?" And the girl said, "Sure." And it was a picture of her and her brother and her mom standing on the lawn. With the family dog.
With big smiles. On a sunny day. But the dad noticed that he wasn’t in the picture. And so the dad said, "That’s a nice picture, sweetheart. But how come I’m not in the picture?"
Time is a gift you give that you can never get back. You can give money, and always make more. You can give gifts, because you can always get new things anyway. But once time is given, it never comes back. Time reveals the priorities in your life. And if you want to win the war with for your children, you’ve got to invest time.
And the girl said, "Because you’re working in your office, daddy."
Fathers, may we never forget that one of the most precious gifts we can give our children, no matter what age they may be, is the gift of our time.
Well we’ve looked at The Importance of A Father’s
Touch and The Importance of A Father’s Time,
Finally let’s Consider.
III. THE IMPORTANCE OF FATHER’S TRAINING. Eph. 6:4
When it comes to the spiritual training of sons and daughters in a Christian home, GOD has placed that primary responsibility squarely upon the shoulders of us Christian fathers.
Your Lives living testimony:
Genesis 18:18-19 is a revealing passage- as our prime text for father’s day. And I want to remind you of what it says to us today. Abraham will surely become a great and powerful nation, and all nations on earth will be blessed through him. 19 For I have chosen him, so that he will direct his children and his household after him to keep the way of the LORD by doing what is right and just.
The way you live your life will be a direct reflection of how your children will grow up. There’s a song, I even sang it last year, called, “I want to be just like you.” It goes like this-I want to be just like you, cause he wants to be just like me. I want to be a holy example for his innocent eyes to see. Help me be a living Bible, Lord, that my little boy can read. I want to be just like you, cause he wants to be like me.”
I can see that now, in my son. 20 years ago and he desires to be like me. He’ll repeat words I say, he’ll repeat things I do-he loves me, and at this point, he wants to be just like me. I’d better be the right kind of dad, because he will mirror me.
2 Kings 14:3 speaks of a king of Israel named Amaziah. “He did what was right in the eyes of the LORD.. In everything he followed the example of his father Joash.”
If you don’t think the father’s role in the spiritual training of his children is important, consider these statistics
Studies have shown that when children grow up in a Christian home where the MOTHER is the primary spiritual influence upon their lives, only 15% of them remain faithful to the Lord and the Church when they became adults.
But that number increased to 75% in homes where the FATHER was the primary spiritual influence on the Children’s lives.
DADS ARE YOU TRAINING YOUR CHILDREN IN THE FEAR AND ADMONITION OF THE LORD?
To “train” means to “teach by example.”
The most important training we will ever give our children and our grandchildren is to “MODEL” for them what it means to live for JESUS CHRIST.
Dad’s take advantage of those “TEACHING MOMENTS” in your child’s life.
Dads, simply take advantage of “every-day situations” to teach your children about GOD.
Conclusion
TODAY WE HAVE BEEN REMINDED OF THE IMPORTANCE OF A GODLY FATHER.
May we never forget THE IMPORTANCE OF A FATHER’S TOUCH.
Those meaningful, appropriate touches that BLESS our children and grandchildren and instills within them a sense of self-worth..acceptance..and approval.
May we never forget THE IMPORTANCE OF A FATHER’S TIME.
Long after you and I are gone, the things our kids will remember most about us is not the PRESENTS we bought them in a store, but the TIMES we spent with them making memories.
And may we never forget THE IMPORTANCE OF A FATHER’S TRAINING. Fathers, by our own example, may we always model for our children and grandchildren what it truly means to live for JESUS CHRIST. And may we always take advantage of those special “TEACHING MOMENTS” in their lives.
Men, as Christian fathers and Christian grandfathers we have a high and noble calling from God! May we live up to our calling! May we always champion the cause of Jesus Christ in the lives of our children and grandchildren!
THANK GOD FOR GODLY FATHERS!