A FATHER’S RELATIONSHIP TO THE FAMILY

Genesis 18:19

  1. a father and child relationship
    1. this verse in God’s tribute to a good father (spoken as prophecy)
      1. Isaac was born in answer to a father’s prayer
      2. Isaac had complete confidence in his father (as seen in Abraham’s offering of his son)
      3. Abraham saw to it that his son got the right wife
    2. a great deal is said about mothers and motherhood, and rightly so
    3. not enough is said about fathers and fatherhood
      1. great responsibility rest upon the shoulders of a father (providing and protecting)
      2. we often hear of a mother’s love, but father’s love just like mothers do
      3. fathers make great sacrifices for their family (providing for his family)
      4. fathers love more deeply than we often give them credit for
  2. a father is a picture of God’s relationship to the saints - Psalms 103:13, Romans 8:15
    1. the present and final state of the redeemed is that of a family, and God is our Father
    2. a father is a picture of God to his family
      1. when we pray, we are taught to say, "Our Father"
      2. God is our provider and protector
      3. fathers, as the heads of their home, are expected to do the same
    3. a father is to be the teacher in the home - Eph. 6:4
      1. fathers are to be the spiritual leaders of the home
      2. a father is responsible for teaching the Bible to his children, and his wife
      3. the father is responsible for having the answers
    4. a father is to lead in the discipline of his children - Hebrews 12:6-10
      1. for every dope addict and wayward child, there is a delinquent parent who produced him
      2. children need discipline
        1. when they are young they will step on our toes, but when they are older they will step on our hearts
        2. neither of these have to happen
        3. a child become what they are allowed to become
        4. without proper teaching and discipline, they have only their sin nature to guide them
        5. children need to learn early in life to have respect for authority
  3. a father is a picture of what Jesus is to the church
    1. he is the head of his family, like Jesus is the head of the church - Eph. 5:23
      1. this is a God given authority
      2. Abraham commanded his family
    2. he his to love like Jesus loved - Eph. 5:25 (supreme, self-forgetting, self-sacrificing love)
    3. he is to nourish and cherish his family like Jesus does the church - Eph. 5:29-29
      1. "nourisheth" means to develop to maturity
      2. "cherisheth" means tender care, concern, comfort
  4. responsibility of the wife
    1. submit to their husbands - Eph. 5:22
      1. this is the way to happy harmony
      2. this submission is voluntary, and does not show inferiority
      3. submission is a matter of authority and responsibility in the home
      4. wives set the example for the kids
    2. subject to their husbands - Eph. 5:24 (under obedience)
    3. they are to reverence their husbands - Eph. 5:33
  5. responsibility of the children - Eph. 6:1-4
    1. "this is right" - 1
    2. this command has a promise - 2-3