Use Your Hands to Bless Them: 10 Functions of a Godly Father

Sermon outline

A father is the foundation of his family, called to uphold, nourish, protect, teach and develop the next generation by leaning on God the Father, and every child is blessed by honouring their father and mother.

1. Ten thousand instructors, but not many fathers

   You can listen to many instructors through the media without knowing them, but a pastor in your local church carries you in his heart with a parent's feelings and becomes your spiritual father, feeding, nourishing, encouraging and blessing you. Our heavenly Father is even more loving than earthly fathers who give good gifts: He does not keep score of our mistakes, has washed us by the blood and given us a righteous nature, so we stand before Him boldly through our High Priest, Jesus.

   “He does not keep score on all the mistakes you make.”

   • 1 Corinthians 4:15
   • Luke 11:11-13
   • Hebrews 4:14-16

2. Honour your father and your mother

   The command has no conditions: it does not depend on whether your parents are right or whether you like them. Young people must always honour their parents, because they do not know the sacrifices their parents and grandparents made to bring them where they are. Honour brings blessing, open doors and long life, not only for you but for your children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren, because the curse has been broken at the cross.

   Illustration: Speaking as one who knows what it is to be in darkness and what it is to be in the light, he describes how, in darkness, children's questions about why their parents did things went unanswered, but in Christ we have a manual for life called the Bible.

   “By honoring your father and your mother, you bring a blessing in your life.”

   • Deuteronomy 5:16
   • Psalm 91:16
   • Malachi 3:10
   • 2 Corinthians 5:21

3. Four things a woman wants from a man

   Before his main subject he gives the ladies four things a woman wants from a man: maturity, consistency, strength and decisiveness. Decisiveness means not changing a decision from one day to the next and moving the goalposts, but setting how the family will live, because every man is the priest of his own home.

   “Decisiveness is when you make a decision, this is the rule, this is how we live.”

4. Three things that cause problems in life

   Problems come from a lack of understanding, from misunderstanding or a misconception of life, and from a lack of spiritual insight. When you become a Christian, God imparts understanding and godly wisdom, and as His children we function in His strength, led by the Holy Spirit.

   Illustration: Everyone in the congregation hears the same message through their own filtration system and receives it differently.

   “Each one of you have your own filtration system.”

5. 1. The father is a progenitor

   A progenitor is one who upholds and supports the coming generations. The father is the mainstay, the anchor and the rock that holds the family together. A man can father a child biologically and walk away, but the child needs him: fathers are called to train, guide, counsel and pray for their children.

   Illustration: The higher the building, the deeper the foundation: builders dig down to rock and pour in concrete so a tall building can stand.

   “Fatherhood is a heavy honor and a tremendous responsibility.”

6. 2. The father is a source

   People come to church carrying baggage, hurt and pain, and pastors do not have every answer. It starts at home: parents bring up the child, teach the child and impart the Word of God.

   “The church cannot fix society's problems if the foundations are not in place.”

7. 3. The father is a sustainer and a nourisher

   A father nourishes his family by blessing his children and speaking words of life over them, never calling them failures. Men must become fathers who reflect the heavenly Father, because God does not just give love, He is love. Children are gems in a father's hands, and when their self-esteem is low, we talk with them and build them up.

   Illustration: When a child comes home from school crying because of what someone said, you put your loving arms around them and tell them you stand with them, believe in them and see a great future for them.

   “Never use your hands to spank your children. Always use your hands to bless them.”

   • 1 John 4:8

8. 4. The father is a protector

   Many fathers would gladly lay down their lives for their children. A father is faithful to his offspring and teaches his children about God, about the enemy and how his attacks come, and how to use the Word of God to ward off the fiery darts of the enemy.

   Illustration: He did not grow up with a dad, but with an older brother, and when anyone bullied him at school he would tell them he was going to bring his brother.

   “You would gladly lay your life down for your child.”

   • Ephesians 6:16

9. 5. The father is a teacher

   God the Father teaches each father to teach his children, and a father who teaches his wife and children the things of God produces godly lives for generations. Take time, even when your children are young adults, to tell them your story: how you came up, how you and your forefathers worked hard and what they sacrificed, so they grow up grateful.

   “Take the time to tell them about your stories, about their history, how you came up.”

   • Deuteronomy 28:2

10. 6. The father is a disciplinarian

    As priests of their homes, fathers teach their children how to behave, how to have manners and how to speak, knowing their children are watching and will mimic them. A father takes his instructions from the Word, not the world, and passes them down so that the third and fourth generations are not lost.

    “A father gets his instruction and information from where? Not from the world, but from the word.”

11. 7. The father is a leader

    Instruction brings power and authority. Every child wants a father and a mother. In the past, children could hardly talk to their parents and grandparents, who only wanted to see the school report, but today he appeals to parents to keep an open line of communication so that children are not afraid to talk to them and parents can pray for and advise them.

    Illustration: Back in the day, the school report decided whether your goose was cooked.

    “Don't cut off the line of communication.”

12. 8. The father is the head

    He explains that the word he gives for father, fundus, means the base or bottom. Like the foundation of a building, the father is the base on which the family is built and nurtured.

    “Like a foundation of a building, a father is the base and the bottom of building and nurturing his family.”

13. 9. A father is one who cares

    A father anticipates his family's needs and lovingly provides for them, sets a good example, and puts his wife and children before his job. Pastors carry a father's heart too. Not everyone will celebrate you when God raises you up, so learn to celebrate others when they buy a new house or car, and God will see your heart and give you your own, and more.

    Illustration: Over the years, through the church, television and media, he estimates more than 20,000 people have come through their hands. Some send letters and emails of gratitude, and some become critics.

    “A father thinks of his wife and children before his job.”

    • Mark 10:29-30

14. 10. A father as a developer

    God told Adam to dress and keep the garden, so a father is called to develop and cultivate order, starting at home. He encourages, gives positive feedback, lets his children try and fail, and stretches his wife and children to achieve their utmost. Husbands are not in competition with their wives but are a team, and a man learns to father by leaning on God the Father.

    Illustration: He always encouraged his wife to drive, get her licence and study, and celebrated every level she reached, because he saw them as a team rather than two people in separate compartments. He adds that some, like him, did not grow up with dads, but learned from uncles, aunts and relatives how to father.

    “A father grows in fatherhood by leaning on God the father.”

    • Genesis 2:15
    • Genesis 2:19-20