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The Godly Father

Joshua 24:14-18

The idea for creating a day for children to honor their fathers began in Spokane, Washington. A woman by the name of Sonora Smart Dodd thought of the idea for Father’s Day while listening to a Mother’s Day sermon in 1909. Having been raised by her father, after her mother died, Sonora wanted her father to know how special he was to her. It was her father that made all the parental sacrifices and was, in the eyes of his daughter, a courageous, selfless, and loving man. Her father was born in June, so she chose to hold the first Father’s Day celebration in Spokane, Washington on the 19th of June, 1910. In 1924 President Calvin Coolidge proclaimed the third Sunday in June as Father’s Day. Roses are the Father’s Day flowers: red to be worn for a living father and white if the father has died.

A GOOD FATHER IS ONE OF THE MOST UNSUNG, UNPRAISED, UNNOTICED, AND UNAPPRECIATED HEROES IN ALL HUMANITY.

One time a little boy was asked to define Father’s Day and he said, “Its just like Mother’s Day, only you don’t spend as much on the present.”

The greatest number of long distance phone calls are made on Mother’s Day; the largest number of collect calls are made on Father’s Day!

WE COULD GO TO MANY PLACES IN THE BIBLE for an example of a godly father. One such is without a doubt, JOSHUA.

At the age of 110, he summoned the leaders of Israel to Shechem for a farewell address. He charged them to obey the Lord who had fought for them and given them an inheritance. He warned them of the danger of apostasy, saying, “Choose you this day whom you will serve….”

He chose the perfect setting, because Shechem was alive with sacred memories: Abraham’s altar, Jacob’s well, 25 years earlier, a tremendous dedication service had taken place here.

As Joshua spoke, he did so with authority of experience, for he had walked with Moses for 40 years and led Israel into the conquest of Canaan for another 25 years.

He reinforced his appeal with the POWER of a GOOD EXAMPLE. “As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.”

There are alot of things we could say about Joshua, but for the sake of time I want to mention just two—two qualities that he possessed that all fathers would do well to emulate.

I. Priest of the Home

A. He acknowledged his responsibility for the spiritual life of his family. He spoke for his family; he declared their intent.

(1) A priest cannot function unless he is in close contact with God.
(2) According to the Bible, the family was designed to be the basic educational unit (Deut. 6:6-9; 11:18; Eph.6:4).
It is the father’s duty, then, to make sure his children know how to be saved and how to walk in the ways of the Lord.

(3) The greatest thing a father can pass on to his children is the
love of God. We all know that love begets love. In chapter 3, verse 11, Joshua urges Israel to make love of God their special aim.

B. The family will usually follow the parent, especially the father.

Someone has said, “A boy loves his mother, but will follow his father."

Some months ago I heard a touching story about a humble, consecrated pastor whose young son had become very ill. After the boy had undergone an exhaustive series of tests, the father was told the shocking news that his son had a terminal illness. The boy had accepted Christ as his Savior, so the minister knew that death would usher him into Glory; but he wondered how to tell his son that he soon would die. After earnestly seeking the direction of the Holy Spirit, he went with a heavy heart through the hospital ward to the boy’s bedside. First he read a passage of Scripture and had a time of prayer with his dear child. Then he gently told him that the doctors could promise him only a few more days to live. "Are you afraid to meet Jesus, my son?" asked his father. Blinking away a few tears, the little fellow said bravely, "No, not if He’s like you, Dad!"
C. As priest of the home, the godly father is also a man of prayer. He goes to God often on behalf of his family, asking for wisdom and courage for himself, and protection for his wife and children. Job is an example: “Early in the morning he would sacrifice a burnt offering for each of them, thinking, ‘Perhaps my children have sinned and cursed God in their hearts.’ This was Job’s regular custom” (Job 1:5).

The second quality that Joshua possessed is that he had a….

II. Plan for the Family

Being priest of the family is not enough. The godly father must also have a plan for the spiritual life of his loved ones. Joshua said, “…we will serve the Lord.”

A. We must strive with God’s help for family unity.
When Joshua spoke his voice rang with the sound of unity: “me and my house.” There was togetherness. And I believe that the reason that unity was there was due to his godly character, his example. His faith was genuine, authentic and as a result his family said, in essence, “Whatever you say, dad, we will agree.”

When marriage vows are kept, and the couple is devoted both to the Lord and to each other, there is no more powerful statement of family unity.

B. When the family is united, it will endure the trials that come its way. Joshua pressed a godly determination to persevere with his family. He was prepared to stand alone with his family if necessary.

First Baptist Church of Barberville

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GOD'S Word FOR TODAY

Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. Ephesians 6:11 (KJV)

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