Father: It Is Later Than You Think

John 8:14-19; Psalm 78:1-8

Fiddler On The Roof

Is this the little girl that I carried,

Is this the little boy at play,

I don't remember growing older, When did they?

When did she get to be a beauty?

When did he grow so tall?

Wasn't it yesterday,

When they were so small?

Sunrise, sunset; sunrise sunset,

Swiftly fly the days.

Prophecy of Malachi - Malachi. 4:6

" He will turn the hearts of the fathers to their children and the hearts

of their children to their parents, so that I will not come and strike the

land with a curse. "

Luke expresses this prophecy as fulfilled in John the Baptist and states

this additional thought, " and the disobedient to an attitude of the

righteous; so as to make ready a people prepared for the Lord. " Luke.

1:17

Our text suggests that the primary responsibility of parents is to share

the relationship that they have with God with their children.

We have such little time to share this precious truth with our children.

Children need someone:

To lean on

to learn from

to laugh with

to cry with

to talk to

to walk beside

who will understand

and will give them room to grow.

Their favorite gesture is arms held open wide;

Their favorite question, What do you want to do?

Their favorite words, I love you, baby ... small person ... honey bear.

A godly parent does not overlook their children's mistakes or failures but

doesn't dwell on them either. They extend grace and forgiveness to them

just like God did for us.

A godly parent doesn't tell his children how stupid they are for spending

your last penny on something frivolous but remembers his own childish

irresponsibility and forgets it.

A good dad doesn't skip pages when reading their child's favorite book.

A good parent doesn't say " hurry up " when his child lingers to throw

rocks into the river or searches among the rocks on the shore for a good

one to skip.

A godly dad does not place more value in anything more than his family.

A godly child responds and demonstrates their love to their parent by

becoming godly themselves.

I. The Responsibility of Children To A Godly Father

" Children obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right " Ephesians

6:1

The book of Proverbs is full of advice of the responsibility of children

to their father and to their mother.

Three basic thoughts are to permeate our consciousness and reflect our

attitude towards those who brought us life if they know the Lord.

Listen to what God says in Proverbs & give these gifts to your dad this

Father's Day.

Listen To His Words

Hear my son, your father's instruction, and do not forsake your mother's

teaching. 1:8

Listen to your father who begat you, and do not despise your mother when

she is old, buy truth and do not sell it. 23:22

Learn From His Discipline

For whom the Lord loves He reproves, even as a father, the son in whom he

delights. 3:12

Lift Up His Spirit

A wise son makes a father glad, but a foolish son is a grief for his

mother. 10:1

A wise son makes a father glad, but a foolish man despises his mother.

15:20

Let your father and your mother be glad; he who keeps the law is a

discerning son but he who is a companion of gluttons humiliates his

father. 28:7

A man who loves wisdom makes his father glad. 29:3

Leave Foolishness Behind

A foolish son is a grief to his father and a bitterness to her who bore

him. 17:25

A foolish son is a destruction to his father, 19:13

He who curses his father or mother, his lamp will go out in time of

darkness. 20:20

He who robs his father or his mother and says, It is not sin is the

companion of one who destroys. 28:24

A Final Admonition: The eye that mocks a father and scorns a mother, the

ravens of the valley will pick it out and the young eagles will eat it.

30:17

II. The Responsibility of a Father To His Children

Grandchildren are the crown of old men and the glory of sons is their

father. Prov. 17:6

This acrostic points out a father's godly responsibility. The first

responsibility is for every person as we give ourselves to our heavenly

Father.

Faithful To God

Faithful To His Wife ( forsaking all others )

Faithful to His Children

Adores His God - Greatest Commandment " Love the Lord your God with "

Adores His Wife - Husbands, love your wives, just like Christ loved the

Church

Husbands love your wives and don't get embittered to them.

Ephesians 5:25; Colossians 3:20

Adores His Children - " In the last days ... men will become lovers of

self without natural affection... " 2 Timothy 3:1-3

True to His God

True To His Wife - when is the last time you courted your wife?

True To His Children - when is the last time you gave the gift of time to

your kids?

True To His Convictions ( Truths you will die for )

Holy Before His God - " Fathers, i write to you because you know Him who

is from the Holy before His Wife beginning. " 1 John 2:13,14

Holy before His children " Pursue peace with all men and their holiness

without Holy before others. which no one shall see God. " Hebrews 12:14

" Be ye holy as I am Holy " 1 Peter 1:16

Enthusiastic about God

Enthusiastic about His Household

Enthusiastic about Life - Sometimes in the mundane affairs of day to day

life, we forget the beauty around us.

Reverent ( god-fearing) Toward Your God

Righteous Before Others

Do right by your wife

Do right by your children

Do right by others

Right To Your Self

" For the grace of god has appeared, bringing salvation to all people

instructing us deny ungodliness and worldly desires and to live soberly,

righteously, and godly in this present age. Titus 2:11:12

Conclusion:

Every person has a responsibility to set a good example and teach little

children the right way to live. Matthew 18:1-11

They are here today and gone tomorrow. " Work while it is still day "

" And so they were asking Him, Where is your Father? "

Jesus answered, " You neither me nor the My Father; if you knew me, you

would also know My Father. John 8:19

Give yourself and your children eternity.

No Jesus - No eternity - I am the Way, The Truth and The Life; no one

comes to the Father, but through Me. John 14:6

Know Jesus - Know Life - And the witness is this, that God has given us

eternal life, I John 5:11,12 and this life is in His Son. He who has the

Son has the life; he who does not have the Son of God does not have life.

Are you building memories that will last a lifetime or producing

nightmares that will last an eternity?

Is this the little girl that I carried,

Is this the little boy at play,

I don't remember growing older, When did they?

When did she get her beauty?

When did he grow so tall?

Wasn't it just yesterday, when they were small?

Sunrise, sunset; Sunrise sunset,

Swiftly fly the years'

One season following another,

Ladened with happiness and tears.