The Father and the Home

  1. The Position of the Father in the Home
    1. Ruler of the house
      1. 1 Timothy 3:5
      2. Ephesians 5:23-33
      3. His authority should be exercised with love and judgment.
    2. A responsible position
      1. Children think “all the world” of their father. Ask any child who is the best man in the world, and his reply is, “My daddy.”
      2. Every boy wants to be like his daddy. Story of little boy following his father in the snow and saying, “Don’t worry, daddy, I’m following in your steps.” Isn’t it a tragedy when these steps are not going in the right direction?
  2. Responsibilities of the Father in the Home
    1. Support his family
      1. 1 Timothy 5:8
      2. 2 Corinthians 12:14
    2. Give to his family a “Christian” father
      1. Not in name only
      2. Every home is entitled to this; otherwise, it is robbed.
      3. Patrick Henry said toward the end of his life: “I have now disposed of all my property to my family. There is one thing now I wish I could give them and that is the Christian religion. If they had that, and I had not given them one shilling, they would have been rich, and if they had not that, and I had given them all the world, they would be poor.”
      4. Joshua 24:15
    3. Not to provoke his children to anger
      1. Ephesians 6:4
      2. Colossians 3:21
      3. How can this be done?
        1. Expecting the unreasonable. Expecting a man’s head on a child’s shoulders.
        2. Being unduly severe and unreasonable in punishment.
          1. This is not to say the children are not to be disciplined (Proverbs 23:13-14; 29:15; 12:24).
          2. Ask for wisdom in measuring out chastisement (James 1:2-5).
        3. By manifesting anger when administering reproof, losing control and command of one’s self.
        4. By uneven punishment; being severe at one time and allowing them to go unpunished for the same offense at another time.
        5. Being partial. Study the stories of Isaac and Rebecca, and Jacob, and their being partial among their children.
        6. By being too strict and not allowing innocent, childish pleasures enjoyed by other children.
        7. By being negative in discipline, refusing to allow them to do things they suggest and never furnishing them something to do for pleasure and recreation.
    4. Bring up children in the nurture and admonition of the Lord
      1. Ephesians 6:4
      2. This was required under the Old Law (Deuteronomy 6:4-6).
      3. Study carefully Proverbs 22:6.
      4. How can this be done?
        1. Reading the Bible with them.
        2. Praying with and for them.
        3. Talk more about God, Christ, and the Bible and less about the world and business in their presence.
        4. Set the proper example before them.
    5. Be close to his children
      1. We have read of a little boy who, when he wanted a new suit, begged his mother to ask his father if he might have it. The mother suggested that the boy might ask for himself. “I would,” said the boy, “but I do not feel well enough acquainted with him.”
      2. Fathers should open their hearts and their arms, being free with their children in asking for their wants and trials, playing with them and being a father to them in every way.
      3. Fathers should give their children some time!
    6. Live so children can see Christ in him
      1. Galatians 2:20
      2. A devoted father came into the room where his eight-year-old was dying of an incurable disease. The child, sensing that he was not going to get well, asked his father, “Daddy, am I going to die?” “Why, son, are you afraid to die?” asked the Father. The child looked up into the eyes of his father and replied, “Not if God is like you, daddy.”
  3. Kind of Fathers We Need
    1. Fathers like Abraham who will command their children after the Lord (Genesis 18:19)
    2. Fathers like Joshua who will take the lead in serving God with their families (Joshua 24:15)
    3. Fathers like Zacharias who will walk in all the commandments of the Lord blameless (Luke 1:5-6)
  4. The Kind of Fathers We Do Not Need
    1. Fathers like Eli who will not restrain their children (1 Samuel 1-4)
    2. Fathers like Lot who will sell their families for material gain (Genesis 13-19)
  5. The Tragedy of Being a Neglectful Father
    1. A modern father said to the judge before whom his son stood to receive the sentence for the crime he had committed. “I have been so busy all my life making money, going through the chairs in my lodge, serving on boards and committees, I have failed to concern myself with my boy. I, alone, am to blame.” Undoubtedly many a youth serving a sentence in prison or in a reformatory could point an accusing finger at his father who spent all his time on secondary matters to the neglect of his responsibilities of fatherhood.
  6. The Aim of Every Father Should Be To Be a Successful Father
    1. Poem: “A Successful Dad”

I may never be as clever as my neighbor down the street;
I may never be as wealthy as some other men I meet;

I may never have the glory that some other men have had;
But I’ve got to be successful as a little fellow’s dad.

There are certain dreams I cherish that I’d like to see come true;
There are things I would accomplish ere my working time is through;

But the task my heart is set on is to guide a little lad,
And to make myself successful as that little fellow’s dad.

I may never come to glory; I may never gather gold;
Men may count me as a failure when my business life is told;

But if he who follows after shall be manly, I’ll be glad,
For I’ll know I’ve been successful as a little fellow’s dad.

It’s the one job I dream of; it’s the task I think of most;
If I’d fail that growing youngster, I’d have nothing else to boast;

For though wealth and fame I’d gather, all my future would be sad,
If I failed to be successful as that little fellow’s dad.