The Thompson Family (Northern Ireland).

"The Kind of Father Who Pleases God" (Part 3).

Rev. Carl Haak

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The future elders, pastors, deacons, mothers, leaders of the people of God are your children. Our calling is to equip them, to equip them mentally, spiritually, in every department of their life.

You see, a father is much more than just getting a card on Father's Day and getting a hug from your kid. You have been entrusted with the nurture of God's children. One day that little boy will be someone's husband. One day that little girl is going to be someone's wife. You must nurture them that they may stand in this world strongly confessing, "God is my God," and living to the glory of God in all that they do.

Whose task is that? That is your task, father. You must do so by chastening them. That word "chasten" is a very comprehensive word. It means here "to instruct." At times that instruction can take the form of chastisement, which is the intelligent and consistent use of the rod to enforce a lesson. Train them by instructing them in the ways of God with consistent punishment.

It means, in a word, discipline them. Seek that all of their life come under the order of God's Word and that they learn the joy of obeying God and the sorrow of disobeying God. That means that you must be a disciplined person yourself, that you, yourself, must be under the Word of God in your life and in your words and in your activity. Joshua, in chapter 24, was able to say, "As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord." I live one way: to serve the Lord. And my house will do the same. I will not impose upon my children a discipline which is foreign to myself. So instruct them. Instruct them about sin and about Christ, about salvation and about hell. Instruct your daughter in what she is to be, as a woman. If she picks up the women's magazine in the house she will get an idea of what the world thinks a woman ought to be: always skinny, looking aphrodisiac, and smelling sweet. That is a true woman, according to the world. How is she going to know that that is not a true woman? How is she going to know that a true woman is one who fears the Lord, is chaste and is modest and has the beauty of God in her? How will she know that? You must instruct her from God's Word.

Instruct your son in what he is to be, as a man. The world is also going to try to teach your son what a man is. The world teaches. Behind the advertising and TV is a philosophy, a teaching. Today the definition of a man is: how many women can he fornicate with? Or his car-he makes all the girls take a second look as he passes by. Fathers, you must instruct him that that is not a man. That is a vain show. You must instruct him that a man of God has integrity and honesty and is virtuous and is faithful.

You must discipline them and you must give them verbal instruction - reproving them when they go wrong and encouraging them in a way of truth. You must bring the Word of God to them.

The book of Proverbs is a beautiful example. It has been given to you specifically as a father to equip you in the rearing of your children. As a father you can do no better thing than make the book of Proverbs a daily meditation. Chapter 2:1 of Proverbs: "My son, if thou wilt receive my words, hide my commandments with thee ... my son, forget not my law ... hear ye children the instruction of a father." You see, the book of Proverbs is given to you as a father to be your guide in bringing up your children. You must admonish your children of the pitfalls of life. You must warn your children about certain things. And, by your words and actions, you must show them the way that they are to go. Bring them up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord.

Of the Lord. That means, only by the grace of the Lord. You must do this in the spirit of dependency upon God. There is no father who can say, "I have done this perfectly." Only the proudest man who is utterly blind to himself can imagine himself to be a perfect father. We see our failures and our weaknesses. Those weaknesses do not excuse us. But, at the same time, we remember that we have a merciful and kind master in heaven. But it means that our strength must be from the Lord. The content of our principles and teachings must be of the Lord. It must not be our own opinion. It must be the Lord's. And it means that we must be upon our knees asking the Lord for grace and strength.

As a father, have you been on your knees to ask the Lord, "Lord, teach me to be a father"? If we do what comes naturally to us, we will be very poor fathers. Then we will train up our children in our own inclinations, according to our own flesh. And the flesh cannot please the Lord. No, our power and our principles must be from the Lord. And we must bring to our children the living Lord in the Scriptures. Then we will live in prayer and we will live in the Bible. We will daily be reading the Word of God. We will read that Word of God not only for ourselves, but we will read that Word of God from the viewpoint of having been made a father. We will spend much time in communion with our Lord and Master.

And, children, are you thankful for the father that the Lord has given to you-a Christian father, if He has given you a Christian father? Do you pray that your father may know the Lord and walk before Him?

Do you hear this Word of God?

Are you the kind of father who pleases God?

May God make us such fathers, fathers according to the Word of God, so that our children may grow up under the nurture and admonition of the Lord. And, by the grace of God, be to His glory.

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