Responsibilities of a Christian Dad
I. To be a Provider
A. Provide for your wife. - Eph 5:25-33 - Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her 26 to make her holy, cleansing her by the washing with water through the word, and to present her to himself as a radiant church, without stain or wrinkle or any other blemish, but holy and blameless. In this same way, husbands ought to love their wives as their own bodies. He who loves his wife loves himself. After all, no one ever hated his own body, but he feeds and cares for it, just as Christ does the church — for we are members of his body. “For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and the two will become one flesh.” This is a profound mystery — but I am talking about Christ and the church. However, each one of you also must love his wife as he loves himself, and the wife must respect her husband.
1. To love her.
a. Love your wives (αγαπατε τας γυναικας) = giving to satisfy her needs. Appears 3 times.
b. Notice the words that describe this kind of love: “Gave Himself up” (v25); “Make her holy” (v26); “Present her as radiant” (v27); “As their own bodies” (v28) & “feeds & cares for it” (v29).
2. To remain faithful to her.
a. The divorce rate in the US is nearly 50%.
b. The crime rate & maladjusted family life is greater than any other time in human history.
c. The single most important legacy you could give your children is faithfulness to your wife!
B. Provide for your family. - I Tim 5:8 - If anyone does not provide for his relatives, and especially for his immediate family, he has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever.
1. Provide (προνοέω) = to foresee or set your mind towards their needs.
2. The faith is denied because the faith is summed up in love (satisfying needs).
3. You become worse than an unbeliever because Heb 6:6 says a backslider has crucified the Son of God afresh & has exposed Him to an open shame.
II. To be a Professor
A. Deut - 6:5-9 - Love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength. These commandments that I give you today are to be upon your hearts. Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. Tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads. Write them on the doorframes of your houses and on your gates.
1. This passage shows you the ways to teach.
a. v7 - Instruct & demonstrate.
b. v8-9 - Visualize.
2. v7 - This passage shows you when to teach.
a. While sitting in your house - at mealtime with your family.
b. While walking on the road - witnessing in your daily activities.
c. While lying down to sleep at night - evening devotions.
d. While waking in the morning - early morning quiet time.
3. God’s word shows us who to teach.
a. Your children - v7.
b. Your wives. I Cor 14:35 - If they want to inquire about something, they should ask their own husbands at home; for it is disgraceful for a woman to speak in the church.
c. Yourselves. Rom 2:21 - You, then, who teach others, do you not teach yourself?
B. Children’s primary instruction needs to come from dad. This is accomplished by:
1. Eph 6:4 - Fathers, do not exasperate your children; instead, bring them up in the training and instruction of the Lord.
a. Discipline (παιδεία) = train by action.
b. Use the rod if necessary to squelch rebellion.
c. Prov 3:12 - because the LORD disciplines those he loves, as a father the son he delights in.
d. Instruction (admonition) (νουθεσία) = to train with words (Prov 1:8).
2. I Thess 2:11 - For you know that we dealt with each of you as a father deals with his own children.
III. To be a Priest
I Pet 2:9 - But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood
A. You are to be the spiritual leader of your family. I Cor 11:3 - Now I want you to realize that the head of every man is Christ, and the head of the woman is man, and the head of Christ is God.
1. Your wife is to submit to your authority - (Eph 5:22 & 33).
2. Your children are to obey & honor their parents (Eph 6:1-2).
B. You are to offer spiritual sacrifices to God on behalf of your family.
1. You do this by personally surrendering your life to the Lord. How?
a. Renew your mind (Rom 12:1-2).
b. Deny himself & follow Lord Jesus daily (Matt 16:24).
2. You do this by your prayers of intercession & praise. Heb 13:15 - Through Jesus, therefore, let us continually offer to God a sacrifice of praise—the fruit of lips that confess his name.
Dad! Take on the role God has assigned you. He has given you all you need to be successful!