“As A
Father”
Steve W. Reeves
INTRODUCTION:
A. Here
is an excerpt from an article by Erma Bombeck entitled, “What Does A Father
Do?” In the article Bombeck described how
her own father had died when she was a
child. She wrote, “It wasn’t until my
husband and I had children that I was able to
observe firsthand what a father contributed
to a child’s life. What did he do to deserve
his children’s respect? He rarely fed them,
did anything about their sagging diapers,
wiped their noses or fannies, played ball,
or bonded with them under the hoods of
their cars. What did he do? He threw them
higher than his head until they were weak
from laughter. He cast the deciding vote on
the puppy debate. He listened more than
he talked. He let them make mistakes. He
allowed them to fall from their first two-
wheeler without having a heart attack. He
read a newspaper while they were trying to
parallel park a car for the first time in
preparation for their driving test. If I had to tell
someone’s son what a father really does
that is important, it would be that he shows
up for the job in good times and bad times.
He’s a man who is constantly being
observed by his children. They learn from
him how to handle adversity, anger,
disappointment and success. He won’t laugh
at their dreams no matter how
impossible they might seem. He will dig out
at 1 a.m. when one of his children runs
out of gas. He will make unpopular
decisions and stand by them. When he is wrong
and makes a mistake, he will admit it. He
sets the tone for how family members treat
one another, members of the opposite sex,
and people who are different than they
are. By example, he can instill a desire to
give something back to the community
when its needs are greater than theirs. But
mostly, a good father involves himself in
his kids’ lives. The more responsibility he
has for a child, the harder it is to walk out of
his life. A father has the potential to be
a powerful force in the life of a child.”
B.
When the apostle Paul was traveling on his second missionary journey he came to
the country of Greece. In Acts 16 he and
Silas arrived in Philippi. After this they
traveled on to Amphipolis and Apollonia
before coming to Thessalonica. For three
weeks Paul taught and reasoned with people
from the Scriptures resulting in several
conversions among Jews and Greeks. Some of
the Jews began to threaten Paul and
he was forced to move on to Athens and
finally to Corinth (Acts 17 – 18).While in
Corinth he wrote two letters to the
Christians in Thessalonica. In 2 Thessalonians 2
he wrote about the deep love and concern he
had for these people. How did he
describe this concern?
1. He used the analogy of parenthood.
2. In verse 7 he wrote, “But we proved to
be gentle among you, as a nursing mother
tenderly cares for her own children.” Early
church writers, Origen and Augustine
said Paul used, “baby language.”
3. In verses 10-12 he used the term,
“father.” “You are witnesses, and so is God, how
devoutly and uprightly and blamelessly
we behaved toward you believers; 11 just
as you know how we were exhorting and
encouraging and imploring each one of
you as a father would his own children, 12
so that you would walk in a manner
worthy of the God who calls you into His
own kingdom and glory.”
C.
Paul used three verbs in verse 11 that describe the role of fathers.
I. EXHORTING
A. The word, “exhortation” (“paraklesis”)
comes from the same word that is translated
in various passages as “comforter,”
“advocate,” or “helper.” (See John 14:16, 26;
15:26 and 16:7; 1 John 2:1).
1. Paul did not take advantage of these
people. He walked side by side with them
and helped them.
2. In 1 Thessalonians 2:3 he wrote, “For
our exhortation does not come from error
or impurity or by way of deceit.”
Paul exhorted them with the integrity of his life.
B. There are many ways in which a father
may exhort a child but none are more
important than walking alongside them
with a life of integrity.
1. Abraham Lincoln said, “For a man to
train up a child in the way he/she should go,
he must walk that way himself.”
2.
The luxurious Ocean-liner, “Titanic” sank in the icy waters of the north
Atlantic on
April 14, 1912. Over fifteen hundred
people died. For years it was thought that
the Titanic sank because of a huge
gash caused by an iceberg. After it was
discovered, two and a half miles
deep in the Atlantic, investigators concluded it
was not a huge gash that sank the
ship. Instead, there were a series of small
cuts along the side that compromised
the six water-tight compartments. None of
them would have brought down the
ship by itself but all of them resulted in
catastrophe.
3. As a father it is the little things
that make a big difference. It is the little acts of
exhortation, not the expensive gift. It
is the private blemishes of character not the
public moral failure that often make
the biggest impression on our children.
C. The writer of Hebrews wrote, “But exhort
(encourage) one another day after day,
as long as it is still called “Today,”
so that none of you will be hardened by the
deceitfulness of sin” (Hebrews 3:13).
1. In the 1992 Olympic games Derek
Redmond of Great Britain was competing in
the 400 meter race when he suffered
an injury and fell to the track. He got up,
racked with pain, and tried to hop
on one leg toward the finish line. At that
moment his father, jumped out of the
stands, brushed off the security guards and
ran to his son. Holding him upright
the two of them finished the race together.
2. Fathers, remember the importance of
exhortation!
II. ENCOURAGING
A. All three of these words in Greek begin
with the prefix, “para’ meaning,
“alongside.”
1. This word carries the idea of consolation
and encouragement to those who are
experiencing difficulty.
2. The only other time this word is
found in the New Testament is in John 11:19
when Lazarus had died and many
people had come to “console” his sisters Mary
and Martha.
B. Fathers have a unique opportunity to
console the emotional and spiritual hurts of
their children.
1. When a little child falls down and
scratches their knee they often run to their
mother.
2. When a boy has struck out at bat he
needs the consolation of his father.
3. When a daughter fails to make the
cheerleading squad she needs the
reassurance of a daddy.
4. Even after our children have grown
and left our homes they still need the
encouragement that comes from their
father when they encounter difficulties in
life.
C. Carey Casey, the CEO of the National
Center for Fathering, says that many
children, especially daughters, do not
feel comfortable with their dads. He writes,
“They don’t feel comfortable talking to
their dads about their problems because they
are afraid of what their dads will say
or do. They do not sense unconditional
acceptance from their dads. If they make
a mistake, daughters feel their dads will
judge them and be disappointed. Many
times comforting a daughter is more
important than driving home a point … or
proving that you’re right.”
III. IMPLORING
A. Though the New American Standard Version
translates this word, “implored,”
several other versions translate it
differently. The King James Version uses the
word, “charged.” The New International
Version says “urging.”
1. Paul had implored and challenged each
of these individuals to have faith in
Christ.
2. His interest in them was not
superficial. He took a personal interest in them.
B. Can you imagine the difference it would
make in our community, state and nation if
fathers took personal interest in their
children and charged them with doing right?
1. An article in the February 1989
edition of “Homemade,” reads as follows:
A young man was to be sentenced to
the penitentiary. The judge had known him
from childhood, for he was well
acquainted with his father--a famous legal
scholar and the author of an
exhaustive study entitled, "The Law of Trusts." "Do
you remember your father?"
asked the magistrate. "I remember him well, your
honor," came the reply. Then
trying to probe the offender's conscience, the judge
said, "As you are about to be
sentenced and as you think of your wonderful dad,
what do you remember most clearly
about him?" There was a pause. Then the
judge received an answer he had not
expected. "I remember when I went to him
for advice. He looked up at me from
the book he was writing and said, 'Run
along, boy; I'm busy!' When I went
to him for companionship, he turned me
away, saying "Run along, son;
this book must be finished!' Your honor, you
remember him as a great lawyer. I
remember him as a lost friend." The
magistrate muttered to himself, “Alas!
Finished the book, but lost the boy!"
2. In Ephesians 6:4 Paul did his own
“imploring” when he wrote, “Fathers, do not
provoke your children to anger, but
bring them up in the discipline and instruction
of the Lord.”
CONCLUSION:
A. For
what purpose had Paul exhorted, encouraged and implored these people as a
father would his children? The answer is in
verse 12, “So that you would walk in a
manner worthy of the God who calls you into
His own kingdom and glory.”
1. Fathers, there are many areas of life in
which you need to encourage, exhort and
implore. None are more important than your
child’s relationship with God.
2. Yes, it is important to teach them how
to make a living. It is more important to
teach them how to live – here and for
eternity.
B. If
you are a husband, father or grandfather today I ask you to put first things
first in
your life. Remember, as Steven R. Covey
used to say, “The main thing is to keep the
main thing the main thing.” Give your life
to Christ. Trust in Him. Repent of your sins
and be baptized into Christ (See Romans
10:9-10; Romans 6:3-5). If you need to
come back to Him may we exhort, encourage
and implore you to do so today.
