Honor Thy Father
Honor your father and your mother. On that particular day, the sermon focused on how to Honor your mothers. Many of you were here on that day and remember how we went through a variety of things that would lead us to Honor our mothers. Today, for obvious reasons, I'd like to preach the second half of that lesson and share with you how one is to Honor his or her father. And last time I mentioned that the overall way to honor parents in general is to live in such a way that your life, and your work, and your conduct reflect honor to your parents.
That's how to honor parents. Your life and how you live it reflects Honor to your parents. In other words, people see your life and they automatically praise and honor your parents for the good things that they see in you. That's how to honor parents. Regardless of your parents' life or what they did or what they didn't do, whether or not they deserve to be honored or not, I said was not the issue.
God is pleased when we live our lives in such a way that our life honors our parents. Because when our life honors our parents, then our life automatically honors God as well. Well, within this general context, there are some specific things that seem to affect one parent or another. And so today, on Father's Day Father's Day is not necessarily a religious holiday, but it's celebrated in our country. And because it is Father's Day, I'd like to take a look at a few ways that things that we might do to honor our fathers.
We've had Mother's Day and then we're going to do Father's Day. Most who have the privilege of being with your fathers today, and I noticed some came in with their fathers who are visiting. I think most of you want to make your fathers feel special. This is what honor means. To honor someone is basically to give that person credit or give them some reward for service or to treat that person in a special way.
A person who has a special position or a person who has rendered special service, we want to honor those people. Now usually on Father's Day, this involves, you know, the joy of being with dad and perhaps a gift or card or some kind. And I believe these are great ways of honoring fathers and I'm not discouraging them. But I would like to add, however, some of the things that the Bible says will honor fathers. Because the Bible doesn't talk about Father's Day or giving presents, but it does talk about fathers.
And it does talk about ways that children can honor those, their, their fathers. So I encourage you to add to your presence, and your cards, and your well wishes this morning, The following spiritual gifts that will bless your father all the life through all his life through and all year through. First of all, give your father the gift of obedience. Give your father the gift of obedience. Proverbs chapter 6, verse 20 and 22 says, my son, observe the commandments of your father, bind them continually on your heart.
When you walk about, they will guide you. You know, my prayer, I'm a father. My prayer as a father has always been, Lord, please give me a child that does not have to learn everything the hard way like I did. Wouldn't it be wonderful if children simply obeyed the instructions and the guidance of their fathers? Wouldn't that be great?
Oh, I'm sure there are some fathers who may not be fit to be parents. You know, there are fathers that are like that. But I believe that the majority of fathers want only the very best, want only what's good for their children. Wouldn't it be wonderful if children simply believe their fathers when their fathers warned them about the various dangers that surround them? When their fathers told them how they should handle certain things?
Why must children try what they've been warned to get? Why must children go where they have been cautioned not to go? Why must they do what their fathers have already tried and suffered for and are trying to protect their children from? Why do they do that? You know, the number one gift for dad and for yourself for that matter, would be to let him know that you are committing yourself to obeying Him.
Now this doesn't mean you're guaranteeing your father that you're going to be perfect. Your father's not perfect, so he can't expect you to be perfect too. But it does mean that you're going to put as much effort into obeying Him and following His instructions as you have in fighting Him and disobeying His instructions in the past. See this first gift that you can offer your fathers. This is mainly for those young people, those children who may still be under their father's control.
In other words, they're still living with their fathers. To give your father a commitment that you will try to obey him with all your heart. It's the very best gift a child can give his father. The next gift I want to mention is one that grown children, because many of you here are grown up away from your fathers. But there is a gift that you can give your fathers as well.
And that is the gift of fidelity. In other words, be faithful to your own spouses. In Proverbs chapter 7 verse 1 to 5, a father says, My son, keep my words and treasure my commandments within you. Keep my commandments, and live, and my teaching as the apple of your eye. Bind them on your fingers, and write them on the tablet of your heart.
Say to wisdom, you are my sister, and call understanding your intimate friend, that they may keep you from an adulteress, from the foreigner who flatters with her words. Of course, as Christian fathers, we want our children to marry other Christians and to establish Christian homes themselves. That is a desire that is near and dear to the heart of all Christian parents. You know, statistics show that Christians who marry other devoted Christians have the very best chance of a successful and a happy marriage. Paul, the apostle, warns us as Christians not to be unequally yoked.
In other words, not to be tied to unbelievers in order to avoid conflict and potential breakup because of the difference of religious faith and devotion. And he talks about this in 1 Corinthians chapter 7 and in 2 Corinthians chapter 6. But regardless of who our children marry, the child who is unfaithful to his or her spouse is a sorrow to his father or her, his or her father and mother. And a dishonor, especially to his or her father. So many children today are irresponsible.
So many children today think that they can just pass over the burden of their own family to their parents, to their fathers and seek to enjoy their own freedom at their parents' expense. This is unfair. It's unkind and it's unhealthy for fathers who have already devoted a lifetime to raising their own families. Everyone knows that adultery is a sin. Exodus 20:14, But divorce without a proper reason is also a very serious sin as well.
Matthew 19:9, And it affects not only the spouses and the children, but it also injures the hearts of parents who expected better from their children. When a father gives away his daughter, I've seen that. All the weddings that I've done, I stand right there, right behind the groom. And I see, you know, the music starts, the wedding march. And of course, all the eyes are focused on the bride.
And as it should be focused on the bride. She's lovely and she's beautiful on that day. And all the preparation, all the happiness that goes into making that moment a special moment. But you know what, I look at the bride but I also sneak a glance at the father. And every father, I've seen him in all shapes and sizes, big, strong, husky guys, tough guys.
I like Jell O walking down this aisle right here. I don't know who's ready to cry more, the father or the bride. The very special thing, the very special thing to give away your daughter to another man. It's a very special thing to send your son off, to begin his own family with his new bride. Whenever a father gives away his daughter or releases his son into marriage, that young person carries the name of his or her family into that new relationship.
That person also carries with him or her the values and the reputation, as well as the hopes and the dreams of the fathers and the mothers as well. If you want to honor your father, show the world that you are a mature and faithful adult, capable of taking on and maintaining your responsibilities, especially to your mate and your family. And by extension, that you are a mature and responsible adult and that you are able, able to be faithful and responsible to your work, to your career, to your church, to your friends, to your community, even when the times are tough. Fathers are honored by sons and daughters that show themselves to be faithful, and who will not cut and run at the first sign of trouble and the first sign of effort. You want to give dad a special gift?
Be faithful to your partner, be faithful to your career, be faithful to your studies, Be faithful to your community and your friends. That'll honor your father. The final gift I want to talk to you about this morning can be offered to dads, not just by children who are living at home or adults who have moved away, but can be offered by both, young and old. And that is the gift of gladness. The gift of gladness.
Solomon talks about that in Proverbs chapter 10. He says, A wise son makes a father glad. A wise son makes a father glad. Good children at any age want to please their fathers. They want to make them happy.
And you know, at this time of year, power tools, gift certificates, these things are fun. They're exciting. I'll tell you what, a child who seeks wisdom makes his father feel, not just excited, makes his father feel joyful, lighthearted. Now the wisdom that Solomon talks about here is referred to in another proverb. Proverbs 1 verse 7, where he says, The beginning of wisdom is the fear of the Lord.
When an earthly father sees that his child is beginning to seek the Lord on his own. You know what joy it is for a father to walk into his child's room and to see the child reading his or her bible? You know the kind of joy you experience when your child, whether it's a young child or perhaps a more mature child, comes to dad and says, I need to ask you something. What does the bible say about such and such? You know the kind of joy that fathers experience when they see their children becoming involved in the service to the Lord and the church on their own.
When they volunteer, when they give, when they serve, and they're not being pushed by mom or by dad. What a happy day it is when you see your child teaching a class, leading a devotional, bringing someone to Christ in the waters of baptism. What an exceptionally joyful day that is, when you see your child serving your Lord. What a happy day it is when you see your child beginning to strive to do what is right because they want to do what's right, not because you want them to do what's right. When they begin to search out the right thing to do because it becomes important for them.
Not because they want to do it because if they don't do it, they're going to get in trouble with you. But because they begin to hunger and thirst for righteousness themselves. Oh, what a glorious day that is for dad. Oh, what joy this causes fathers. Because this kind of wisdom in the heart of a child is the reflection of a job well done.
And it becomes an assurance that this child now has a meaningful relationship with the heavenly father, separate from his or her relationship with you. Make your father glad by showing him that you want to meet him in heaven one day. That'll make him happy. Well, I guess I can speak on behalf of all of those who do not have their fathers with them for one reason or other today. In my case, it's because my father is deceased.
He died when I was 15. Many of you also have lost your fathers in this way. Some of you don't have your fathers because they're ill or they're far away. We share a similar experience today on Father's Day. And I think I can say on behalf of all of us who do not have our fathers, that we envy you who have yours.
What I would give to have my Father sitting in this pew this morning. What I would give for him to hear me preach just one time. One day, you won't have them anymore. So I encourage you to take advantage of the time now to love them and to know them and to honor them. And if for some reason you are separated from them, make every effort to be reconciled to them before you have them no more.
What better day to begin that process than today? And what better day to be reconciled to your heavenly father, if you've been separated from him by disbelief or by disobedience. If you need to come to your heavenly Father, to finally confess the name of Jesus and to repent of your sins to be baptized, or if you need to come back to your heavenly Father because you've been unfaithful and disobedient, What a wonderful day to offer to your heavenly Father, the gift of your faith and your obedience as we stand and as we sing our song of encouragement this morning. Encouragement this morning. Encouragement.