Being the Right Kind of Father (Parent)

The message was brought by Rev. Eddie Foster on June 18, 2023.

Ephesians 6:4 And, ye fathers, provoke not your children to wrath: but bring them up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord.

Parental discipline is not intended to hurt a child.  Done in the right manner it helps the child to grow.  Some parents cause the child to be discouraged by their manner. Paul tells us to be careful of that.  When I was growing up I didn’t mind spanking near as much as the lecture.  Parents just need to be careful. 

Colossians 3: 18 Wives, submit yourselves unto your own husbands, as it is fit in the Lord. 19 Husbands, love your wives, and be not bitter against them. 20 Children, obey your parents in all things: for this is well pleasing unto the Lord. 21 Fathers, provoke not your children to anger, lest they be discouraged.

These verses begin with the husband/wife relationship.  There is a mutual responsibility to submit to each other and to love and obey the Lord. Then children are told to obey in the Lord. A child is not bound to obey when a parent tells him/her to do something sinful. Parents are not to correct in anger. Cool off a little before discipline. Act in love treating them as Jesus treated others when correcting them.

I want to talk about some kinds of fathers (and parents) we need and don’t need.  First be surrendered to God. Abraham feared God in everything. In Genesis 22 we’re told of one of the greatest acts of obedience in the Bible. He was told to offer his only son of promise to the Lord. He was willing to obey.  How many of us would have done this?  Before that, he was told to get up and move. Without knowing where he was going, Abraham started on the journey.  That’s surrender.  He had fellowship with God. In Genesis 15 we’re told that he built an altar and sacrificed to God. We need more family altars today.

In Genesis 19 we see the story of Lot. He was a sinful father.  We don’t need this. He had no influence with his family. He lacked spirituality. I’m sure he never intended to get so far from God. This led him to a lack of standards, allowing himself to get drunk at the hands of his two daughters and conceiving children with them. These children became two nations who were enemies of Israel. Remember sin takes you farther than you want to go and makes you pay more than you wanted to pay.  This cost him a lot. 

We do need sure fathers (parents).  Look at Joshua.  He told the people to make up their mind who they were going to serve.  He was sure about what he was going to do.  He said but as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.

We don’t need parents who are slack.  Eli was.  He first made a snap judgment without knowing all the facts.  He accused Hanna of being drunk at the altar when she was earnestly praying for a child. He had a lack of discipline with his own sons. This caused a lack of dedication to the Lord.  It resulted in some of the saddest words in the Bible.  Eli was dead. His sons were dead.  His daughter-in-law had a child.  We see this in I Samuel 4: And she named the child Ichabod, saying, The glory is departed from Israel: because the ark of God was taken, and because of her father in law and her husband.  And she said, The glory is departed from Israel: for the ark of God is taken. The glory of God has departed. I’m afraid this is being said by God of some seemingly flourishing churches that are nothing more than social clubs. 

Every person should realize his/her place in society, in the home and in the church.  Who will you be like?  Abraham and be obedient with a life of fellowship surrendered to God?   Or Lot and live a life of sin allowing the world around you to vex your spirit?   Or Eli who was slack in many things?  Or Joshua who had made up his mind that he and his family would serve the Lord.  The choice is yours.