A Father's Advice

Sean Crow

Sermon • Submitted 3 years ago

Proverbs 4:1–27

Wisdom

Father’s Day

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Fatherhood has been devalued in the past 20-30 years

Just look at Hollywood movies & TV shows.

Current undertones in the Sociological influence circles have not been kind either.

Dr. Dobson wrote in an article in June last year:

In August 2018, the American Psychological Association (APA) published an outrageous and widely read report, entitled, "APA Guidelines for Psychological Practice with Boys and Men."

The APA writers were asserting that traditional fathers pose grave danger to their boys and must be stopped. You, Dad, are in their crosshairs.

Psychologist Jordan Peterson wrote this about the APA: "The 'Boys and Men' document is propagandistic to a degree that is almost incomprehensible." He continued, "The authors are claiming that men who socialize their boys in a traditional manner [that is, teaching them to be strong, competitive, self-reliant, and God fearing] destroy their mental health." It is nonsense masquerading as science.”

reference: https://www.drjamesdobson.org/newsletters/june-newsletter-2020

Dr. Keith Scott in his book “Being Dad: Father as a Picture of God’s Grace” wrote:

“A masculine man is not what our society seems to want. Rather, it clamors for a passive man, and that is exactly what it gets.

...So we are told by our culture that these burdens are to be avoided until the very last minute. Young adults are told to delay true, meaningful relationships in favor of casual hookups. They are advised to avoid marriage—especially young marriage—as long as possible. They are told to avoid being a dad until forced into it. “

Keith, Scott. Being Dad: Father as a Picture of God’s Grace (p. 28). New Reformation Publications. Kindle Edition.

Fatherhood and Motherhood both are designed by God for the benefit of the family.

Evangelical Dictionary of Biblical Theology Fatherhood of God

Fatherhood of God. Throughout the Bible we find God portrayed as a Father. This portrayal, however, is surprisingly rare in the Old Testament. There God is specifically called the Father of the nation of Israel (Deut. 32:6; Isa. 63:16 [twice]; 64:8; Jer. 3:4, 19; 31:9; Mal. 1:6; 2:10) or the Father of certain individuals (2 Sam. 7:14; 1 Chron. 17:13; 22:10; 28:6; Pss. 68:5; 89:26) only fifteen times

Evangelical Dictionary of Biblical Theology (Fatherhood of God)

Because of Jesus’ use of this metaphor, it is not surprising that the rest of the New Testament also emphasizes the Fatherhood of God. In the Pauline letters God is described as “Father” over forty times. It occurs in blessings (Rom. 1:7; 1 Cor. 1:3), doxologies (Rom. 15:6), thanksgivings (2 Cor. 1:3; 1 Thess. 1:2–3), prayers (Col. 1:12), exhortations (Eph. 5:20), and creeds (1 Cor. 8:6; Eph. 4:6). For Paul this fatherhood is based not so much on God’s role in creation but rather on the redemption and reconciliation he has made available in Jesus Christ. This is why Paul refers to “the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ” (Rom. 15:6; 2 Cor. 1:3; 11:31). It is through the work of Christ that God invites us to call him “Abba, Father.” It is through Christ that grace and peace have resulted and we have become God’s children (Rom. 8:12–16; 1 Peter 1:3–4; 1 John 3:1).The description of God as “father” is under attack today in certain circles. It is charged by some that this leads to a false view that God is a male. This criticism should be taken seriously in that God is not a “man” (Num. 23:19). He is a Spirit (John 4:24) without sexual parts. When God is referred as a father, this is simply the use of a metaphor in which he is likened to a kind and loving father. Elsewhere God’s love and care can be compared to that of a concerned and caring mother (Isa. 49:14–16; Luke 13:34).

Yet to avoid the metaphor of father as a description and designation for God is to lose sight of the fact that Jesus chose this as his metaphor to address God and that he taught this as the metaphor by which his disciples should address God. It also loses sight of the continuity established by the use of this metaphor with those who have called God “Father” over the centuries. These include the disciples; the earliest congregations (Rom. 8:15; Gal. 4:6); the earliest church councils (“I believe in God the Father Almighty, Maker of heaven and earth …”); and Christian churches all over the globe who over the centuries have prayed together “Our Father who art in heaven, Hallowed by thy name.”

Read Proverbs 4:1-27

A Critical and Exegetical Commentary on the Book of Proverbs Chapter 4

4. Three exhortations (v. 1–9, v. 10–19, v. 20–27), the theme of all three being the excellence and beneficent power of wisdom.—They are like those of chs. 2; 3 in that the advice is of a general nature, while in chs. 5; 6; 7 it is directed against a particular sin.

(1)

A Critical and Exegetical Commentary on the Book of Proverbs 1–9

1–9. The sage cites the instruction given him by his father.

(2)

A Critical and Exegetical Commentary on the Book of Proverbs 10–19

10–19. A separate discourse, consisting of exhortation to obey the sage’s instruction (v. 10–13), and to avoid the way of the wicked in view of their character

(3)

A Critical and Exegetical Commentary on the Book of Proverbs 20–27

20–27. A paragraph similar to the three preceding, containing injunctions to give heed to the teacher’s instructions (v. 20–23) and to practise rectitude (v. 24–27)

English Standard Version Chapter 7

11 If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask him!

Kind epithets :

Dad you have given me two things, one is roots…and the other is wings.

A truly rich man is one whose children run into his arms when his hands are empty.

Thanks Dad....for killing all those spiders.

Dads hold our hands for a little while, and hold our hearts forever.

General Douglas MacArthur:

He was instrumental in leading our allied armed forces to victory over the Imperial Japanese army in World War II, and then, MacArthur commanded our United Nations forces in Korea. His surprise landing at Inchon was a brilliant maneuver. These accomplishments on the battlefield explain why MacArthur is revered today, many decades after his death. But there is another reason for my admiration of this man.

It can be traced to a speech he gave in 1942 after he had been given an award for being a good father. This is what he said on that day:

"Nothing has touched me more deeply than [this honor given to me] by the National Father's Day Committee. By profession, I am a soldier and take great pride in that fact. But I am prouder, infinitely prouder, to be a father. A soldier destroys in order to build. The father only builds, never destroys. The one has the potentialities of death, the other embodies creation and life. And while the hordes of death are mighty, the battalions of life are mightier still. It is my hope that my son, when I am gone, will remember me not from the battle, but in the home."