The Father’s Role

Outline

I. Bring Up Your Children in the Discipline and Instruction of the Lord

A. Do not infuriate them

“do not provoke your children to anger”

Colossians 3:21 - Fathers, do not exasperate your children, so that they will not lose heart.

B. Nurture

“bring them up”

C. Discipline and instruction of the Lord

“in the discipline and instruction of the Lord”

Hebrews 12:5-11 - …and you have forgotten the exhortation which is addressed to you as sons, “My son, do not regard lightly the discipline of the Lord, nor faint when you are reproved by Him; for those whom the Lord loves He disciplines, and He scourges every son whom He receives.” It is for discipline that you endure; God deals with you as with sons; for what son is there whom his father does not discipline? But if you are without discipline, of which all have become partakers, then you are illegitimate children and not sons. Furthermore, we had earthly fathers to discipline us, and we respected them; shall we not much rather be subject to the Father of spirits, and live? For they disciplined us for a short time as seemed best to them, but He disciplines us for our good, so that we may share His holiness. All discipline for the moment seems not to be joyful, but sorrowful; yet to those who have been trained by it, afterwards it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness.

1. Teach regularly about the glory of God, His ways, and the blessings for obedience

Deuteronomy 6:6-9 - These words, which I am commanding you today, shall be on your heart. You shall teach them diligently to your sons and shall talk of them when you sit in your house and when you walk by the way and when you lie down and when you rise up. You shall bind them as a sign on your hand and they shall be as frontals on your forehead. You shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates.

Ephesians 6:1-3 - Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right. Honor your father and mother (which is the first commandment with a promise), so that it may be well with you, and that you may live long on the earth.

2. Model an example of Christlikeness

Ephesians 5:1 - Follow God’s example, therefore, as dearly loved children and walk in the way of love, just as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God.

3. Instruct about sinful behavior and why its sinful

Exodus 20:2-3 - I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery. You shall have no other gods before Me.

4. Illustrate and explain negative consequences of sin

Proverbs 5:3-6 - For the lips of a forbidden woman drip honey, and her speech is smoother than oil, but in the end she is bitter as wormwood, sharp as a two-edged sword. Her feet go down to death; her steps follow the path to Sheol; she does not ponder the path of life; her ways wander, and she does not know it.

5. Give clear warnings for corrective discipline

Proverbs 4:14-16 - Do not enter the path of the wicked and do not proceed in the way of evil men. Avoid it, do not pass by it; turn away from it and pass on. For they cannot sleep unless they do evil; and they are robbed of sleep unless they make someone stumble.

6. Be diligent to enforce physical discipline and other consequences

Proverbs 13:24 - He who withholds his rod hates his son, but he who loves him disciplines him diligently.

Proverbs 19:18 - Discipline your son while there is hope, and do not desire his death.

Proverbs 22:15 - Foolishness is bound up in the heart of a child; the rod of discipline will remove it far from him.

Proverbs 29:15 - The rod and reproof give wisdom, but a child who gets his own way brings shame to his mother.

II. Trust the Lord and the Resources He Provides So You Can Raise Your Children

A. You are reconciled with God

Ephesians 2:8-9 - For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not as a result of works, so that no one may boast. For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them.

B. You have peace with one another

Ephesians 2:14-18 - For He Himself is our peace, who made both groups into one and broke down the barrier of the dividing wall, by abolishing in His flesh the enmity, which is the Law of commandments contained in ordinances, so that in Himself He might make the two into one new man, thus establishing peace, and might reconcile them both in one body to God through the cross, by it having put to death the enmity. And He came and preached peace to you who were far away, and peace to those who were near; for through Him we both have our access in one Spirit to the Father.

C. You are strengthened by the Lord

1. through your identity

2. through the Spirit’s power

Ephesians 1:18-19 - I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened, so that you will know…what is the surpassing greatness of His power toward us who believe.

Ephesians 3:14-16 - For this reason I bow my knees before the Father, from whom every family in heaven and on earth derives its name, that He would grant you, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with power through His Spirit in the inner man.

D. You have God’s Word for training

2 Timothy 3:15-17 - …and that from childhood you have known the sacred writings which are able to give you the wisdom that leads to salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus. All Scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness; so that the man of God may be adequate, equipped for every good work.

Happy Father’s Day to the Fathers and men of our church family.

We are going to take a break from our series in John this Sunday to give focused attention toward fatherhood and the task of being a Father, so please turn in your bibles to Ephesians 6:4 on page 153 in the back section under the bible of the chair in front of you.

This morning we are talking about “The Father’s Role” and we will consider two actions a Father must take to love and raise his children.

Paul addresses the roles in the household. He already addressed the wife’s role and responsibilities, the husband’s role and responsibilities, children’s role and responsibilities, and now he addresses the responsibility of Fathers.

Please follow along as I read Ephesians 6:4

“Fathers, do not provoke your children to anger, but bring them up in the discipline and instruction of the Lord.”

First, Fathers are commanded…

I. Bring up your children in the disciple and instruction of the Lord.

Fathers, our first response might be that’s what I am already doing…please don’t miss the last part of the phrase.

The command is not just to bring up children…to raise them, feed them, and do your best to keep them alive until adulthood, then release them to the world… fly my children or die.

Even non-Christians can bring up children in the sense they raise them to physical maturity and adulthood.

What sets you Christian Father apart as holy to the Lord is what you are bringing them up in.

• You don’t bring children up in the discipline and instruction of athletics.
  • Praise the Lord you don’t have to be a great athlete to be a faithful father
• You don’t bring children up in the discipline and instruction of STEM fields.
  • Praise God I don’t have to be an expert programmer to be godly father
• You don’t bring children up in the discipline and instruction of our culture.
  • Praise the Lord I don’t have to be on social media, or know the newest songs, or be aware of every cultural shift or idea to be a good father

Of course, as parents we instruct our children in how to be involved and interact with these things, but what is most central is the Lord.

Everything about your parenting is different because it is governed by your knowledge and relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ.

God wants each of us to grow in our role as a parent this morning and there are several parts of this sentence we need to unpack to consider how we can grow.

Sometimes for us to know what we are to do, we need to see the opposite. The contrast helps clarify what we ought to be doing.

Paul begins with a negative…a “don’t do this”…So bringing up your children in the Lord means you…

A. Do not infuriate them

“do not provoke your children to anger”

What! When I first read that I’m like Lord, that seems impossible!…Are you saying make sure your child never gets angry??

This verse is not saying that a child will never be angry if you are a godly father…

The command is for Father’s which means this is an area of responsibility as a Father you can control, and God expects you are able to fulfill this responsibility through a relationship with him because it relates to you and not your child. It is not addressing the child’s response…the focus is your responsibility before God.

So, what does it mean to not provoke your children to anger? Because we must avoid this time of parenting.

I want you to imagine a summer bonfire cookout… first you lite a tiny match…that little fire represents the heart of your child. There is a little sinful anger, bitterness, resentment which was caused let’s say because you did not give your child what they wanted in that moment…The fire is lit…what does the godly father who wants to bring up his children in the Lord do. He seeks to live out his new life in Christ. He is thinking and seeking to parent in Ephesians 4…

• ^“Be angry, and yet do not sin; do not let the sun go down on your anger, and do not give the devil an opportunity.” Ephesians 4:26-27 –

• I see my child is struggling, help me Lord to honor you…in resolving and addressing the problem quickly in a way that pleases God and show my love for you and my child…

• - “Let no unwholesome word proceed from your mouth, but only such a word as is good for edification according to the need of the moment, so that it will give grace to those who hear.”

• Jesus what would you say, how would you say it, what do I know your word says about this and how you have responded to me when I have sinned in this way to edify me, let my words be pleasing to you Jesus.

When you are not provoking your children to anger, that fire “the sinful anger and bitterness is not kindled.” You are not actively contributing by adding your sin to the problem. In many cases, that little fire will be extinguished.

When I am provoking my children to anger…I place some kindling right on type of that fire…This is my doing, my responsibility….Let’s call that kindling…

“Lack of harmony in my marriage, and not modeling Christlikeness as a husband”

Then I had some more sticks…

“showing favoritism to one of my children whose personality is more in line with what I enjoy as a parent.” Remember the story of Joseph and his brothers…?

Then I add some more sticks…those sticks are:

“Repeated criticism, verbally insulting my children, and regularly putting them down, with very little time loving, praising, instructing them”

Then I add a log to the fire…

“Regular reactive physical discipline in sinful anger without self-control and patience, where I do not explain why they are disciplined, what the discipline will be, model what they should do and affirm my desire to forgive and love them.

Then I add some lighter fluid to the fire,

“Overprotective control and micromanaging to make them meet my unreasonable demands and expectations”

I am responsible before God for what I have contributed to the problem. I have provoked, stirred up, given rise to deep seated resentment and anger in my child, that often burns so hot it overflows in regular open rebellion and outward hostility.

Or it can contribute to a crushed spirit that is discouraged. Your child just wants to give up…

Paul says something similar in Colossians 3:21…when he writes…

“Fathers, do not exasperate your children, so that they will not lose heart.” Col. 3:21

If God is convicting you, first confess your sin to God, Fathers, acknowledge your need for forgiveness and the mercy of Christ, and then

1. Confess your sin to your wife and children for specific ways you have provoked anger.

2. Take steps to commit your ways to the Lord and repent…and how you plan to grow and change.

Read – Heart of Anger by Lou Priolo

In that book there is - A Checklist of 25 Ways Parents Provoke Their Children to Anger

Let me give you a few to evaluate personally that you may not normally consider.

- Establishing/maintaining a child-centered home

- Modeling sinful anger

- Not admitting when you are wrong

- Being inconsistent with discipline

This week discuss with your spouse what ways you see that you are most prone to provoking your children to anger. Then focus on one of those over the next month to give special attention toward changing and growing.

So now that we have a clear picture of “don’t do” what provoking to anger looks

It becomes clearer for us to appreciate what we should do as we look at the positive, bringing up children. In other words,

B. Nurture

“bring them up”

The idea is nourishing and nurturing growth for maturity. This is totally opposite than parenting that provokes anger which stifles and extinguishes growth and maturity.

Our family just planted some tomato plants this summer in our garden. God desires for children to be raised up in the discipline and instruction of the Lord. This is the most nourishing environment. Parents not provoking them to anger but nourishing them in discipline and instruction of the Lord. This environment takes work on our part and God gives the growth.

• The plants start small but in time start to grow and branch out and eventually bear fruit.
• But there are so many aspects to our responsibility in cultivation.
• We did the work upfront to take out weeds in the garden before we planted the seeds.
• We put mulch down to prevent some more future weeds from taking root around them.
• We set up those tomato wire round so they have fenced freedom to grow that will allow them to bear the most fruit and not have them go everywhere.
• We enlist the help of others, namely, my children who are experts at spotting bunnies and chasing those destroyers away…
• We water, we wait, we water we wait, do some more weeding. And then we reap the fruit by God’s grace.

So, we have to nourish…and bring them up…God is commanding and expecting we fulfill our responsibility. His responsibility is ultimately the growth.

So, it becomes so important what it means to do this “in the Lord” according to his discipline and instruction.

C. Discipline and instruction of the Lord

“in the discipline and instruction of the Lord”

This is your privilege Fathers bring up children in the discipline and instruction of the Lord so that they may know God and his ways. You are uniquely charged with this role and responsibility.

• It’s not school teachers who are responsible.

• It’s not coaches.

• It’s not friends or the parents of friends.

• It’s not your Pastors primary responsibility.

Discipline implies overall training of the children and includes physical discipline and correction.

Instruction especially has the sense of verbal correction or admonishment.

As parents we can easily be led to think that if something is unpleasant to my child or makes them cry and unhappy, then it can’t be loving. That’s not what God says.

So, that’s why we need to be reminded of God’s word and allow him to instruct us. Like God trains us in Hebrews 12…

“and you have forgotten the exhortation which is addressed to you as sons, “My son, do not regard lightly the discipline of the Lord, Nor faint when you are reproved by Him; For those whom the Lord loves He disciplines, And He scourges every son whom He receives.” It is for discipline that you endure; God deals with you as with sons; for what son is there whom his father does not discipline? But if you are without discipline, of which all have become partakers, then you are illegitimate children and not sons. Furthermore, we had earthly fathers to discipline us, and we respected them; shall we not much rather be subject to the Father of spirits, and live? For they disciplined us for a short time as seemed best to them, but He disciplines us for our good, so that we may share His holiness. All discipline for the moment seems not to be joyful, but sorrowful; yet to those who have been trained by it, afterwards it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness.”

Hebrews 12:5-11

Notice, discipline and instruction shows love…Those whom the Lord loves he disciplines. Yet, all discipline for the moment seems not to be joyful but sorrowful.

So, this is not about feeling good or making my children momentarily happy. I want them to find lasting joy in Christ and living a holy life for God.

Also, notice that discipline and instruction show that you are the Father, the parent, and they are your child and family member.

I don’t discipline and instruct my neighbors kids like this every day;

I don’t discipline and instruct your children.

School teachers will not discipline and instruct your children in this way.

I am responsible to discipline and instruct my children.

If I don’t discipline and instruct my children in the Lord, then I hate them.

Why is discipline and instruction so loving? Consider all that is involved in the process.

• I have to love and care about you enough to take notice of you and what you are saying, doing, wanting.

• I have to value your wellbeing so much that I then give thought about this concern and where it leads and come to the conclusion this is not for your good so I must act to help.

• Then I value our relationship at such a high priority as a Father that I put aside other responsibilities and time the Lord gives me, to have focused intentional time with you. In this moment, nothing matters more to me than glorifying God and disciplining and instructing you in his ways. Work is not as important, sports is not as important, my comfort and ease is not as important…

• I have to take the time to ask questions, understand what happened, and why my child said that or did that it shows even to young children who can’t even speak or talk yet…“I care and I am concerned.”

• Then I have the joy to teach my child the beauty of God’s ways, to teach him what God’s word says about that, what consequences come and correct them for their wellbeing.

• This may be providing a natural consequence or physical discipline as corrective discipline.

• Then I get the opportunity to teach them about the gospel why we need Christ, his forgiveness, and grace in their life to change and help them grow.

• I get to tell the story of how I had to learn the same lesson or share a time where I struggled with a similar sin as they are common.

• Then I get to express my love for them, comfort them, and desire to forgive them.

• Then I get to model for them and with them how much better God’s ways are and the fruit of living for him.

• Then I get to praise and encourage them for listening to my instruction and seeking to obey and show them how much better it goes for them.

• Then I get to pray that God would allow the instruction and discipline I provided to take root in their heart that they would be saved, love God, and desire to obey him from the heart to bring glory to Jesus.

Let me ask you…who is going to do that for your child everyday. There is no one!…That’s our joy and privilege as Fathers and parents…You alone get that privilege everyday to love your children in this way.

Fathers turn to the Lord and trust him as you carry out discipline and instruction in the Lord.

Now, I want to overview some of the ways God says we fulfill this responsibility.

i. Teach regularly about the glory of God, his ways, and the blessings for obedience

^“These words, which I am commanding you today, shall be on your heart. You shall teach them diligently to your sons and shall talk of them when you sit in your house and when you walk by the way and when you lie down and when you rise up. You shall bind them as a sign on your hand and they shall be as frontals on your forehead. You shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates.” Deuteronomy 6:6-9

“Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right. Honor your father and mother (which is the first commandment with a promise), so that it may be well with you, and that you may live long on the earth.” Ephesians 6:1-3

ii. Model an example of Christlikeness

“Follow God’s example, therefore, as dearly loved children and walk in the way of love, just as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God.” Ephesians 5:1

iii. Instruct about sinful behavior and why its sinful

“I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery. “You shall have no other gods before Me.” Exodus 20:2-3

iv. Illustrate and explain negative consequences of sin

“For the lips of a forbidden woman drip honey, and her speech is smoother than oil, but in the end she is bitter as wormwood, sharp as a two-edged sword. Her feet go down to death; her steps follow the path to Sheol; she does not ponder the path of life; her ways wander, and she does not know it.” Proverbs 5:3-6

v. Give clear warnings for corrective discipline

“Do not enter the path of the wicked
And do not proceed in the way of evil men.
Avoid it, do not pass by it;
Turn away from it and pass on.
For they cannot sleep unless they do evil;
And they are robbed of sleep unless they make someone stumble.”

Proverbs 4:14-16

vi. Be diligent to enforce physical discipline and other consequences

“He who withholds his rod hates his son,
But he who loves him disciplines him diligently.”

Proverbs 13:24

“Discipline your son while there is hope,
And do not desire his death.” Proverbs 19:18

“Foolishness is bound up in the heart of a child;
The rod of discipline will remove it far from him.”

Proverbs 22:15

“The rod and reproof give wisdom,
But a child who gets his own way brings shame to his mother.” Proverbs 29:15

We cannot ignore how much emphasis that God places on the importance of loving physical training and discipline for nurturing and raising our children. “The rod” is used often throughout Proverbs and through the history of God’s interaction with his people, physical unpleasantness is often a means that God lovingly uses to discipline his people so that they listen and heed his words.

Now as parents, often as our children mature and grow and obey and do what is right, the physical consequences will decrease…we often use this chart in our counseling training…

• Explain chart and graph.

Father’s there is no formula for parenting, but you have all the clear instructions that God says you need for your role and responsibilities for godly discipline and instruction, and how you go about doing that in a way that is wise and pleases God.

I hope Fathers you are thankful and honored for the privilege and responsibility you have in raising your children up.

I hope you have greater clarity by the Spirit of God working in you for how you can grow and change in fulfilling your calling today.

This is all possible because of Christ as you depend on him and…

II. Trust the Lord and the resources he provides so you can raise your children.

God does not ask us to do something without empowering us with the resources he knows we need to fulfill our responsibility well.

Parenting is tough work at times, sometimes it feels like you are hitting your head on pavement…but it’s not like we are being asked to do something unreasonable without the proper resources like break up concrete with your head…

• When God knows you need a jackhammer for the job, God provides everything we need to do his will.

There is a reason why Paul begins the first half of this letter in prayer and praise for God’s work and reminding us that holy living and living our new life in Christ is only possible by being “in Christ,” united with our Savior, Jesus Christ, by faith. He will work and through us.

First, you have the resources to bring up your children because…

A. You are reconciled with God

Jesus reconciled you by his kindness for a purpose…to do good works and glorify Christ.

^“For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not as a result of works, so that no one may boast. For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them.” Ephesians 2:8-9

Christian Father, you were saved that you might bring glory to Jesus by raising your children in the discipline and instruction of the Lord. This is one of the works he has prepared in advance for you to do, so you can do it!

If you are reconciled by the mercy and work of Jesus Christ through his death and resurrection you have personally experienced the Lord’s discipline and instruction.

For those in Christ…you have a personal relationship with the Father of every human being on earth…you have intimate knowledge and insight into his ways, his will, his character.

• Do you think God knows how to deal with disobedient children?

• Do you think God knows how to bless and reward with good gifts?

• Do you think God knows how to instruct and model what we ought to do?

God gives you direct access to him, his wisdom, his knowledge, his character, his goals, desires and plan in prayer and through his word.

You may say what does forgiving my children look like…”as God in Christ forgives you”

“What does loving my children when they sin look like…”as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us”

What does providing for my children look like…”As Christ who was rich, for your sake became poor, that you might become rich”

Everything you apply in your parenting is shaped by your growing personal relationship with Christ, so as you personally grow in your relationship with Christ being disciplined and instructed personally by his word, you will grow in becoming a better parent and knowing how to discipline and instruct your children in the Lord.

Also, you have the resource that…

B. You have peace with one another

You are not alone in the parenting task, and not everyone is against you either.

In the local church you are surrounded by people committed to loving you and helping you grow in Christ and becoming a more Christlike parent.

Jesus breaks down barriers between sinful people and unites them together so that we can grow and mature together as a church family.

“For He Himself is our peace, who made both groups into one and broke down the barrier of the dividing wall, by abolishing in His flesh the enmity, which is the Law of commandments contained in ordinances, so that in Himself He might make the two into one new man, thus establishing peace, and might reconcile them both in one body to God through the cross, by it having put to death the enmity. And He came and preached peace to you who were far away, and peace to those who were near; for through Him we both have our access in one Spirit to the Father.” Ephesians 2:14-18

So as children grow in their faith and parents grow in their faith, Jesus brings greater unity and peace in your relationships. As I mentioned earlier…you are now surrounded by people who want to speak the truth in love, who are equipped by God such as pastors and leaders, for your maturing and for your children’s maturing.

• Are you making use of the resources in the local church and the relationships in the church to grow and mature as a Father?

• APPLICATOIN: Men of Faith, Point Man Groups, Counseling, Small groups.

So not only are you reconciled with the Lord, having experienced his discipline and instruction…you also have reconciled relationships with others in the church and experience Christians helping mature one another…Also,

C. You are strengthened by the Lord

i. through your identity

Knowing your identity strengthens you as a parent.

Your identity grounds you to know who you are and your purpose as a parent. This informs how you think, desire, and act.

So you are not easily swept away in parenting fads and shifting and changing teachings of our world for what it means to be a “good parent.”

• Losing sight of our identity in Christ can cause us to be conformed as parents to the pressures of our children, so we become the “Cool parent.”

• Or to be conformed to the pressures of work and be the “hard working parent”

• Or to be conformed to the pressures of our spouse and be the “romantic and fit parent”

• If we do not allow God to direct us to understand our identity in Christ as fathers, you will conform to unbiblical views of masculinity and fatherhood.

• For example, men and fathers should not be gentle and patient and having emotions, but drill sergeants.

• Or being a provider implies being uninvolved in the discipline and instruction of your children and the spiritual growth and concerns of your family.

• Or being an understanding, humble, and patient man means you never get righteously angry, and courageously take firm uncompromising stands to glorify God, so you take a passive role in spiritual leadership and parenting and don’t confront sin in your children or wife.

All of these woefully fall short of a biblical view of our identity in Christ and what manhood and fatherhood means.

Remembering your identity “In Christ” also guards against what you tell yourself as a Parent. Parenting makes you desperate and humble. It reveals your sin, weaknesses, and foolishness in so many ways.

It’s easy to be discouraged as fathers from fulfilling your God given responsibility.

• This is spiritual warfare.

Fathers, you are going to feel clueless and not know what to do…” it’s important to remember your identity… As Paul mentions in Ephesians 1,

• “I am blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ” Ephesians 1:3

Men, you may be tempted to compare yourself to other men, or your wives and children may do this as well….

Listen to whatever way you can grow and change that is true based on God’s word, but don’t let comparisons dictate how you perceive yourself and your relationship with the Lord and discourage you from you striving to glorify God with all your heart, soul, mind, and strength to fulfill your God-given responsibility as a Father.

You may need to remember in that moment.

• - “I am chosen in Him before the foundation of the world, that we would be holy and blameless before Him.” Ephesians 1:4

As Father’s we all have regrets, ways we have sinned in the past and things we may do differently as we have grown and matured. Don’t allow sins of the past to deceive you that Christ cannot forgive you and redeem your past for his good purposes.

• - “In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of His grace” Ephesians 1:7

As a Father you may be struggling because you believe that you are a failing to provide what you hope and want for your family. You may need to remember that you are an heir in Christ’s family and he has a wonderful inheritance for you beyond what you can ever provide your family.

You being faithful to instruct and discipline in the Lord best represents this hope in Christ to your family, so that they might believe and share in it with you.

• - “In Him also we have obtained an inheritance” Ephesians 1:10-11

I want to take this moment and pause to speak especially to the women and wives of our church. You may be married to a man who is seeking to live this way and bring up your children in the Lord. I hope you are thankful to the Lord for the man God united you to for your spiritual growth. I hope you are being faithful to support, encourage, and help your husband in this role because you want to honor God. There are lots of poor examples for sure, but it would not honor or glorify God to not thank the Lord for many godly men and fathers that the Lord has raised up in this church by his power and grace.

So, remember the Lord intends to strengthen you through your identity.

It’s important to note in the book of Ephesians that Paul prays twice. The emphasis of both prayers is for God to strengthen us in our inner person by his Spirit…let that encourage you fathers. God will give you the strength you need.

Because you are strengthened to bring up your children in the discipline and instruction of the Lord…

ii. through the Spirit’s power

^“I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened, so that you will know…what is the surpassing greatness of His power toward us who believe.” Ephesians 1:18-19

“For this reason I bow my knees before the Father, from whom every family in heaven and on earth derives its name, that He would grant you, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with power through His Spirit in the inner man” Ephesians 3:14-16

Lastly, fathers you also have the resource of God’s word.

D. You have God’s word for training

Paul would write to Timothy a young pastor and remind him how God’s word was sufficient to train and bring him up from a young age into a mature man.

“and that from childhood you have known the sacred writings which are able to give you the wisdom that leads to salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus. All Scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness; so that the man of God may be adequate, equipped for every good work.” 2 Timothy 3:15-17

Notice all the purposes that God’s word addresses under discipline and instruction of the Lord.” Teaching, reproof, correction, training…for the purpose that children and adults can be “brought up” nurtured into a mature and equipped Christian.

Fathers, we are praying for you. We as Pastors want to equip you for this heavenly calling you have received. As a church family, we want to come alongside of you to grow and mature in your role.

May the Lord strengthen you as you bring up your children in the discipline and instruction of the Lord and encourage you as you trust and depend on him and the resources he provides to equip you for this calling. Let’s pray.