Oakwood Church

For Children

Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right. 2 “Honor your father and mother”— which is the first commandment with a promise — 3 “so that it may go well with you and that you may enjoy long life on the earth.
Ephesians 6:1-3

For Children

• Honor, learn from, respect

• Go well with you

• Enjoy life on the earth

• Does your dad know how you feel about him?

For Fathers

Fathers, do not exasperate your children; instead, bring them up in the training and instruction of the Lord.
Ephesians 6:4

For Fathers

• Overbearing burden on your children

• Goal of parenting:
– Launch children out of the nest
– Point them as arrows toward God’s target
– Leave them an example to follow as they leave home

For Fathers

Train up a child in the way he should go; even when he is old he will not depart from it.
Proverbs 22:6

For Fathers

And these words that I command you today shall be on your heart. 7 You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, and when you walk by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise.
Deuteronomy 6:6-7

For Fathers

I have no greater joy than to hear that my children are walking in the truth.
3 John 1:4

For Fathers

• Bigger influence than you know.

• If they do not receive love from you, they will receive it from the world.

• Do they see you loving your spouse?

For Fathers

• Do they experience love and attention from you?

• Are you actively involved in their life?

• Only 18 summers before college.

• How do you want your children to remember you?

God Our Father

• Adam and Eve - ate forbidden fruit
• Noah - earth was filled with evil
• Moses striking the rock, can’t speak
• Peter denies Christ 3 times
• David - sin with Bathsheba
• Solomon 1000 wives
• Jonah bitterness in his heart

God Our Father

• Not always easy to see the love of a Father as a good thing yet…

• Unfailing Love
– For God so loved the world
– While still sinners Christ died for us

God Our Father

• Children of God
– I John 3:1

• Loves to give
– How much more will you Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask

God Our Father

• Knows what we need
– Father knows what you need before you ask him
– Leaves us with the Holy Spirit for wisdom

For the Church

For Children
– Obey your parents

For Fathers
– Love your children, pray for them

God Our Father
– Regardless of your earthly father, we serve a loving heavenly father

Homework

• Take a moment to reflect, what do you love most about your dad?

• Tell him what you love most if you can, if you cannot, tell your children, spouse, loved ones