Ten Thousand Instructors, Not Many Fathers: 9 Types of Fathers

Sermon outline

God uses many kinds of fathers to bring us to where we are, so honour them all, beware of fathers in sin, and run to the Heavenly Father who loves you and is never against you.

1. 1. Your father in Christ

   This is the person God used to bring you to the Lord when you gave your heart to Jesus. They may not be close to you now or may be with the Lord, but we must never forget them and must always honour them.

   “We must always have in our heart our honor for those men and women of God that led us to Christ.”

2. 2. A father in ministry

   This is the person who birthed you into the work of the gospel. Together with fathers in Christ, we call them spiritual fathers, and today's church has largely lost them: people come to church and leave without a spiritual dad.

   “So each one of us should have spiritual fathers.”

3. 3. Your biological father

   God used your biological father to bring you into the world. Some grew up without dads, and a fatherless generation struggles to function in society. When Jesus said to call no man on earth your father, it shows that no one person can raise you alone: God also uses grandparents, uncles and other men in the family, and we must honour what they invested in us.

   “You have not come to this part of your life because it was a mistake.”

   • Matthew 23:9

4. 4. A substitute father

   When a biological father is absent through death, divorce or abandonment, someone may step into that role and bring you up. Don't hold back from giving a child a chance, whether by adopting or by supporting an organisation that brings up children.

   “There's nothing wrong by adopting a child.”

5. 5. Your father-in-law

   If you are married, your father-in-law can be another kind of father. Moses kept the flock of Jethro, his father-in-law, and was greatly blessed by him.

   Illustration: Jethro told Moses he was wearing himself out doing all the work alone and should appoint men and delegate his power, advice that prolonged Moses' leadership.

   “Your father-in-law can be another kind of biological father.”

   • Exodus 3:1
   • Exodus 18:17-23

6. 6. The father of a church

   The founder of a church is its father, because through his or her ministry the church came into existence. Churches exist all over the world because men and women obeyed the call of God, and we honour them, big, medium or small.

   “If I didn't answer the call of God today, this church would not be existing.”

7. 7. The father of a movement

   Those who are of faith are children of Abraham, the father of faith, so we walk by faith and not by sight, and God is lifting His people higher year by year. John Wesley was the father of the Methodist movement, and Elisha, who followed Elijah without distraction, received a double portion. Young people must not forget their parents once they succeed: God set up memorials and gave us communion because people forget, and the commandment to honour father and mother includes spiritual parents too.

   Illustration: Elisha left his father's house, burned the yokes and slaughtered the oxen, and followed the man of God until he got the double portion he desired. On the Mount of Transfiguration it was the fathers who appeared with Jesus.

   “We may not agree on everything, but we must show honor.”

   • Galatians 3:7
   • 2 Corinthians 5:7
   • 1 Kings 19:19-21
   • 2 Kings 2:9-12
   • Matthew 17:1-3
   • 1 Corinthians 11:24
   • Exodus 20:12

8. 8. A father in sin

   A father in sin teaches people to do wrong, introducing them to bad habits that progressively get worse.

   Illustration: 'Come on, take a shot, it won't harm you. Take a puff, it won't harm you.' That, he says, is a father of sin.

   “A father in sin teaches you how to do wrong things.”

9. 9. Our Heavenly Father

   Whatever our circumstances, we all have a Heavenly Father. Like the father of the prodigal son, who ran, embraced him and called for the best robe, God is not against the sinner; He paid a high price for the whole world. If you make a wrong turn, don't run away from Him but run to Him, because His love overwhelms us and condemnation comes from the devil.

   Illustration: The son 'was dead' not physically but through a departure in which he spent everything until he had nothing, and when he came to his senses he went back to his father.

   “If you make a wrong turn, don't run away from Him, run to Him.”

   • Luke 15:20-24
   • 1 John 4:8
   • Romans 8:1