Five things a father can bring to his children

The Lord put it on my heart this morning to talk about 5 things that a father can bring to his children. And with each of these thoughts I'm going to choose a passage of scripture. 5 things that a father can contribute to the lives of his children, and one of the passages that I want to use is found in Isaiah 49 that tells us about the character of God. I am going to tell you quickly so that you have it there and then I am going to develop it one by one.

Number 1, one thing that a father can provide to his children is to model the love of God, the father, to be a model, an example and an embodiment of the love of Heavenly Father. Model the love of the father.

Number 2, modeling a balanced masculinity, which we've already talked about a little bit.

Number 3, provide instruction and advice through the moments of life, and obviously we are not going to have time to develop all these things. Each one of them could be a sermon, but provide instruction and advice.

I forgot one before that, after modeling father's love, providing security and confidence, stability, a sense of personal security.

I talked about a balanced masculinity, instruction and advice, and finally number 5, model passion for God and his word, model, embody, exemplify passion for God, his word, his kingdom, for the things of God.

Let's look at the first, modeling the love of the Heavenly Father, there in Isaiah, chapter 49, God tells his people, Israel, an unfaithful people, an ungrateful people, who had not treated the Father as the Father deserved. However, in a context of God expressing his pain towards them and that he was going to spread them to all parts of the world as punishment for their bad behavior, in ver 14 he says:

“…But Zion said, – in other words, the Jews are saying this about God, – the Lord left me and the Lord forgot me… – because of the punishment that has come to the life of the nation, because of their idolatry and they think they, God has already forgotten me, he has left me, and look how God speaks to those children, he says to them: – … Will the woman forget what she gave birth to stop feeling sorry for the son of her womb? Even if I forget her, I will never forget you."

Wow! how difficult it is for a mother, a woman to forget, ignore, detach from the fruit of her womb. God says, look, even if a mother violates her most powerful biological instinct, even if that happens, I will never forget you. It says, "Behold, in the palms of my hands I have carved you."

That is to say, like a tattoo, it is more than a tattoo, I have you engraved on the palms of my hands as if to say, I see you every day. How many times do you see the palm of your hand? I have you carved in the palm of my hands. Your walls are always before me, that is, in my memory, in my memory, in my spiritual vision I always see the walls of your city, Jerusalem. And the walls represented the very essence of the town. Then he says, look, your walls are always in my memory, they never go away from my memory. That is, God promises his people that he will always remember him, no matter what happens in the life of his people, no matter what they do, he will never disengage from them.

And I want you to always remember that this is what we have to exemplify with our children, that constancy. I believe that one of the things about the Father's love is that, that it is a constant, unconditional love, and our children need to know that, they need to know that their father, specifically in the case of parents, can trust in love. his father's. Father and I say this to myself, may our children always be confident that no matter what happens this father is always going to love them and remember them and walk with them and we have to provide our children with that sense of continuous security.

In Deuteronomy chapter 31, verses 6 and 7, the Lord says to the Hebrew people and He says to Joshua, specifically, but He also says it to all the people, “Be strong and take courage, do not fear or be afraid of them – in a context of a battle – because Jehovah your God is the one who goes with you. He will not leave you or forsake you. It then says that Moses called Joshua and told him in the presence of all Israel, "Be strong and courageous because you will enter with this people into the land that Jehovah swore to their fathers that he would give them, and you will make them inherit it, and Jehovah will in front of you. he will be with you, he will not leave you or forsake you. Do not fear or be intimidated…”

There is a connection in this sense that they can trust that the Lord is going with them. God tells his people many times, I will not leave you nor forsake you. The psalmist in one of the precious psalms that gives us the word says, "even though my father and my mother left me, yet the Lord will take me..."

That is the love of Heavenly Father. And that is the love that we know is there. We have a Father who never abandons us, never leaves us, never disregards us and we have to exemplify that with our children as well, because that gives children a sense of security and stability. That is why the Lord tells him, "Do not fear or be intimidated." A son who knows that he has his father's love almost as a commitment to a contract, can be confident. That gives children a sense of security.

In this world in which we currently live, where there is so much divorce, for example, children feel insecure and there are many children who are in pain and their sense of trust in the world... children identify the world with their home and home with the world. If your home is unstable, if mom and dad don't know if they're going to stay together or not, if there's insecurity about the stability of the home, that damages a child's emotional outlook.

But if the son knows that his father is committed to them… and I think that fathers specifically – evidently many of these things apply to mothers as well, of course they do – but the father God has given him a very special role. That manly figure that implies in the heart of a child, I definitely believe, physical protection, security, a refuge. And I believe that the fact that our children know that they can count on our love at all times is a tremendous source of security.

And I encourage our parents to remember that, about the love of God that is an unconditional love, a constant love, that inspires trust in children. And much of what I say here in these thoughts also has to do today with divorce, let's say. I think there are many fathers who think that, well, I am a father but that does not take away my privileges as a man or as an individual and if I ever fall out of love with my husband and if I find something else that interests me more then I can leave her. because no one sends the heart, and there are plenty of cheap romantic ideas out there that teach us that if you don't love emotionally anymore, then you no longer have an obligation. That is a devilish lie and that has sown so much damage in the world.

I believe that when one becomes a father or becomes a husband, when one enters married or paternal life, one loses many rights and gains other rights. One of the things that one no longer owes to oneself, one makes a commitment to that creature that one brings into the world, for example. And one already has an obligation that conditions the decisions one makes. I think that this is one of the terrible things of our time, and that is that people believe, well, no, that's fine, we find an arrangement, I visit him on weekends or I bring him with me, and they already believe that with that we have fixed No. that is a skirt cover up to a certain point, but I believe that the ideal in the formation of the children is that awareness that my father knows that he has acquired a commitment of principles and that he is going to be faithful to my mother, he will to be true to us, it's going to be true to home, I can trust that and I can be sure.

So, brothers, men, men of God, let us know that by becoming parents we contract an obligation that does condition and limit our independence, limits the decisions we make, limits the freedom we have, limits our freedom of movement and that there is a commitment to those creatures that will be hurt if we let them. And that should be a stimulus for marriages, if there is conflict in your home, if there is disagreement in your home, do everything possible to heal anything in your home so that your home can be maintained. This is very important.

Now, I also say so, I do not want to blame my brothers with this, I know that there have been in every home, in every evangelical, Christian family, there are divorces and it has happened, do everything you can, however, to be a presence. If that has happened in your life, do everything you can to be a very important presence in the lives of your children and to heal that situation as much as possible and be a present father, so that your children know that they have your love unconditionally and that even though there is a physical separation, they can count on you one hundred percent in all things. Amen.

That is very important. So, a constant, unconditional love. Another very important thing is that it is a love that always looks forward and sees the value of children at the moment, but also sees what they can become in the future. Always see everything your children can do. If right now your children do not serve the Lord or are not everything you want them to be, God always looks ahead, he was already planning the restoration of Israel, he was planning to bring them back to his nation. God has all this written in his book and we also see that our love is also conditioned by seeing what our children can become and not only what they are at this moment.

Always invest in your children, in a future vision of greatness and treat them as what they will become, treat them as what you want them to become, treat them as what you prophetically see, and speak that into their life. and push them to be as great as you think and know they can be. And don't limit them and don't sell them little, push them to be more and better with care, because they can become more and value them and speak to that greatness that is in them. So model the father's love.

Second, provide security and confidence. This has practically been said in the first place, but the father figure does have an incredible capacity to provide that sense of protection, stability and physical security. I believe that a man does the same with his wife too, that he can make her feel safe, that is the figure... and the man should be a protector in that sense. Never physically, emotionally, or verbally abuse your children, but your children are a blessing that God has given you, you have to be a good steward, a good caregiver of those children and make them feel safe. That if dad came home security does not end there, but quite the opposite, that that sense of security, trust, stability begins because you are with them and you are a source of stability.

Psalm 61, verses 3 and 4. The psalmist says, "Because you have been my refuge and strong tower before the enemy I will dwell in your tabernacle forever, I will make safe under the cover of your wings..."

The Lord wants us to be like this, sources of security and stability for our children and that we be figures of love, advice, consolation, comfort, for our children, because that is the behavior that we have towards them. Providing security, trust, stability, in the midst of a culture where there is so much divorce, so much separation, so much lack of definition, that is very important.

Model the love of the father, provide security and confidence. Thirdly, that Juan de Jesús already spoke very eloquently about that, about modeling a balanced masculinity. First Thessalonians, chapter 2 tells us about that through the person of the Apostle Paul. Look how Paul addresses the Thessalonians when he writes to them, he says:

“…Because I never love you with a flattering word… – he is talking about himself and his style of leadership – … as you know, we do not hide greed, God is a witness, nor do we seek glory from men or from you, or from others although we could be a burden to you as Apostles of Christ.”

He is talking about a masculinity here, it can be manipulative, or it can also be dictatorial, or selfish. He says, no, no, we don't behave like that, he says, “before we were tender among you, like a nurse – look, he compares himself to a nurse, a woman who cares, who nurtures, who watches over the welfare of her children. "Before we were tender among you, like a nurse who tenderly cares for her own children, so great is our affection for you that we would have wanted to give you not only the Gospel of God but also our own lives, because you have become very dear to us... ”

Look there at the expression of tenderness and the comparison of the Apostle as with a woman and he says, "I believe that this is how we have conducted ourselves before you." Look at the expression of endearment, of affection that Pablo uses and compares himself like that. Sometimes the word of God will compare the father with an eagle, with a woman who also loves her children, with a mother, all these are expressions that the Bible uses to talk about the love of the Father. I definitely believe that being parents also entails a dimension of also recognizing our feminine side. I know that many of us find this difficult, but it is important that our children also see that tender and loving side of their parents, of the boys. And Pablo here expresses that affection, that affection that he has for his children.

I think another thing about modeling balanced masculinity as well is that in this society that we live in, today masculinity and the definitions of male or female are in total flux. There is no certainty anymore about what constitutes a man or a woman. Let me tell you that it is no longer just about whether a man should marry a woman or with another man or a woman with another woman, and for us... the society in which we live has gone from that, to questioning all kinds of elements that It has to do with masculinity or femininity.

If a man doesn't feel like a man, he can also change his sex or at least physically change, have an operation, today here in Massachusetts there is a continuous fight over whether a man can enter a women's bathroom if he feels that he is a woman. woman, you can enter a women's bathroom and no one can forbid you. In schools, if a child feels that they are female from a very young age, the school and the teachers assume that they begin to affirm their identity. We are in a world of incredible fluctuations regarding values, so where can a boy assert his masculinity? At home, that's where a child can learn and I believe that both mothers and fathers should cooperate in that effort.

Masculinity, there is an element of nature, it is inherited biologically through the genes, but there is also a part of masculinity that I believe is strengthened and learned to develop through the modeling of the father. The child learns a type of behavior and learns a type of preferences and learns like a tonality that the father teaches him and that the mother can also strengthen. So, father, I believe that in this time of history that we live in, Christian parents have to understand that we live on the defensive, it is no longer enough to simply come home at any time and watch television and that your child it's just there and he's going to learn to be male and retain his masculine sexuality, simply by osmosis or because he was biologically born that way. There are many threats today against a healthy masculinity and so parents today have to be doubly insistent and very conscious of promoting balanced masculinity in our boys.

We have to talk to them about what it is to be a man and not only in sexual terms but in other terms as well. And also what it is to be a man in terms of being courteous to women, protecting women, treating women well, not exploiting women, being good husbands, being courteous to girls, learning also how to court, I don't know if that word is universal, how to fall in love, how to treat a woman, conquer a woman. I believe that many young people today do not know how to treat a young woman in whom you are interested and how to win her over, how to conquer her and how to establish a man-woman relationship.

So I believe that we as fathers can help in all of this, modeling a balanced masculinity. And I think it is for both the females and the males. You know that a man, a father, influences both the sexual formation of the boy and his daughters because if our daughters, for example, today it is known that in the formation of lesbianism and homosexuality there are many factors that can influence a damage to sexuality is an abusive father, an intolerant father, a dictatorial father, masculinity out of order where the father becomes an oppressive figure and the child then, sometimes not knowing how to deal with it, begins to reject the figure of the father, but also begins to reject the masculinity that he sees reflected in the father. Boys do not make these differentiations and many times then, by rejecting the father, they also reject the masculinity that goes with the father and then they begin to have problems within themselves about their identity and may also end up having sexual identity problems.

Now if you see the father as a healthy figure who is manly, but who is also generous and kind and giving and nurturing, that goes a long way toward promoting healthy sexuality in the child. The same thing happens with the girl, many times there are many women who have opted for lesbianism and one of the reasons that happens is an abusive father at home with respect to the mother, for example, or also to the children in general. That girl then begins to reject the figure of the man as well. Again, doing that weird transference that the mind does and then begins to give up the idea of having a relationship with a man and begins to identify with lesbian behavior because she sees the man, she sees the masculine as something threatening and rejectable and that there is than avoid it.

And then it's easier to relate to a girl, with a woman, because she doesn't have those masculine elements that she has recently, aggressive and all that kind of thing. And all it takes at this time is one insecurity, one crack in a child's psychology to find someone out there, another equally confused or sexually experienced youngster, a teacher, an abusive authority figure, in the university in an early and formative time of the youngster, also begins to manipulate evil teachings that are found today in every educational institution in this country that can plant a germ in that creature that is already weak. The columns of your femininity or your masculinity are weak and then comes the collapse.

That is why it is so important that our children see in us… sons to daughters, a father who reflects a masculinity that is both masculine, but not oppressive and who maintains a balance and also obviously the importance that there is a man and woman in the home, as much as possible. Sure, a single mom or dad can do wonders too, and can make up for any lack but it takes a lot more work. How nice it is when there is a man or a woman modeling both in the home. That's ideal. That was what God wanted to do when creating the family. That is very important.

Many other things but I think there are some things there, a balanced masculinity. Security and confidence and stability. Show the love of Heavenly Father.

Fourth thing, provide ongoing instruction and advice. Father, it is not only mom who must teach, instruct, advise, you are a wonderful source of good teaching. I think about what Proverbs 4 says, verse 1 to 4, it says – look how this man speaks to the children, he says:

“…Listen, children, to the teaching of a father and be attentive so that you know sanity, because I give you good teaching. Do not forsake my law because I was also my father's son, delicate and unique before my mother, and he taught me and told me hold your heart my reasons, keep my commandments and you will live..."

You know what I like about that? It's that this father, I could see him sitting there with his son in his study or in the living room, just the two of them, and he is giving his son advice, they are talking. And I love what he does of how to open his heart and become fragile and be very personal in the instruction that he gives him and win him over in the instruction. And he says, look, I was also my father's son. I like that thing that says, 'delicate and unique in front of my mother.' it was like i was the only one. But at that moment the father alludes to his own personal experience.

Many times we are afraid to share our own experience with our children, and I believe that one of the things that disarms our children is when we share our own experience with them, when we abandon the idea that we are invulnerable and present... when we stop to pretend that we are not afraid, that we do not know everything, that we are confused, that we are sad and that we are going through a difficult period of depression and insecurity in something, at work, and our children also need to know about our experience and learn from our mistakes. We must not hide our mistakes from them as well. We must share these aspects of our life with them and that means that if we are going to advise our children, if we are going to help in their personal formation, we have to spend time with them.

Many times the advice comes through moments in which we do things together, play the ball together, or cook something together, or go to a park together and in the course of that experience opportunities arise to share a... Very different from when you pontificate and preaches to children like a preacher from a pulpit far away. When we are together and we can share more opportunities arise. How did the Lord Jesus Christ teach his disciples? In the course of walking with them, living with them, sharing with them. At that moment and when they saw him heal a sick person, have mercy on a rejected person, he took the opportunity to instruct them and they saw him.

So, I think it is very important to provide advice, instruction. I have some notes here, I am not going to develop them, but 1, we need to seek wisdom and ask the Lord to give us understanding and value the wisdom of the father. I also already said it, investing time with the children, and the last thing is that in this process, if we are going to advise, we have to embody, we have to show integrity, we have to preach a healthy morality by living it ourselves.

How am I going to tell my children, look, love God, study the Bible, attend church regularly, if not I don't live what I am preaching? That is the terrible thing about being a father, that one has to… the responsibility, like being a pastor too, one has to incarnate as much as possible. We are not perfect, of course not, but I don't think our children expect us to be perfect, but they do expect to see a man, a woman, doing everything possible to live what you preach and what you advise. If you are going to give advice to your children live in integrity and try as much as possible to embody and model what you are teaching them.

The last, model passion for God, his word and his Kingdom. The key word there is passion. Joshua 24, powerful passage, verses 14 and 15. Towards the end of Joshua's life he calls all the people, he has led them through many great moments throughout the history of Israel, and already towards the end of his life he gives some advice to the people and says:

“…Now therefore, fear Jehovah and serve him in sincerity and in truth. Put away from yourselves the gods that your fathers served on the other side of the river and in Egypt, and serve the Lord…”

Do you see that passion, that commitment? That idea of the honor of Jehovah. I see that the great men of God like David and others, showed terrible passion towards God and a zeal... in a passage the psalmist says, "I hate, O Jehovah, those who hate you and I am enraged against your enemies..."

It is not that you are going to hate in that sense but David was a man of war and he knew what it was to hate and he was a man of very strong emotions. He says, Lord, I get inflamed, I rise up in my inner being against those who... love you so much... That's why he attacked Goliath, the giant, because Goliath came to insult the glory of God and he said, "I can't resist this." He was a little boy, while the others were hiding, scared, his brothers very strong and brave, this young man said, "How can we be every day this giant comes to insult the glory of the Lord? I am ready to give my life.” And God seeing that honored him and blessed him greatly.

I have discovered that he knows who God blesses and how God blesses our homes and sometimes right our wrongs in wonderful ways with our children. At the end of everything is that passion for God. It is not enough to simply have respect for the things of God, to do something once in a while for the Lord, to be good citizens of the church, I believe that God requires a fierce passion for him. He is not content with less than total love. That is why one of the most important commandments is to love the Lord your God with everything, mind, strength, intellect, spirit, soul, everything. God does not deserve nor is content with less than a passionate, constant and fierce and preferential love, above all things for him. And we have to exemplify that red hot love for God.

At the end in verse 15 he says, "And if it seems bad to you to serve the Lord - he tells them, look, if they don't like what I am saying and if my advice to them is wrong to serve the Lord and not idols – then choose who you serve today. If the gods, whom your fathers served when they were on the other side of the river, or the gods of the Amorites in whose land you live, that is your business, I already gave you my advice, do what you want. Immortal Word: "But I and my house will serve the Lord..." Hallelujah!

Your children have to see that decision. There he even violates grammar, instead of saying my house and I, no, me and my house, because the first thing is you, the love that you exemplify for the Lord, his Kingdom, his word.

Beneath that call to model passion for your children, let them see that unconditional commitment, 1, honor the Lord above all things; 2, have a constant devotional life, it is very important, that your children see you tampering with the word, underlining your Bible, reading the Bible. A constant devotional life is very important; 3, service to the Lord, to his church and to his Kingdom. Serve and give.

That is why I put the Lord here, the church, yes, there is something that if you love God, you are going to love his church too. You are going to love the columns of your church, you are going to love the seats of your church, you are going to love the program of your church, you are going to love the needs of your church, you are going to love the ministries of your church, when Your church calls you, you go because many times, oh, yes, I love God but we kind of love him in theory. Look, if you love God, you love the things of God too, you love the people of God, you love your congregation. And when your children see that, I promise you that they will be imprinted with that sensitivity in their hearts.

It may be that when they are younger and are in that formative stage and are in their young years, they may not be so fond of the things of God, but I promise you in the name of the Lord that one day you will see him serving God. because you are going to be inside them, even when you die, the image of that father who loved the courts of Jehovah, they are going to persecute him, that virus is going to be inside them.

Another thing, not to go with the crowd but to show loyalty to the Lord, me and my house, do what you want, but I... independent love, constant fidelity.

My brothers, I leave you with those simple tips. Model fatherly love as God loves, model safety and trust with your children, model loving and balanced masculinity, provide instruction and advice, and model passion for God, his word, his Kingdom, his church.

Father, may the Lord bless you. May the grace of God settle in your hearts and may we all become parents like our Heavenly Father. I bless you in the name of Jesus. Amen.

Stand up for a moment, men, and all the church too. I think it is important, I was going to leave it there but receive that word in the name of Jesus. Lower your head. If you want to close your eyes, do something, jump in place but do something that tells me and that tells the Lord and you and your spirit, I receive this word for my life. Tell him in there. I put my signature at the end of this teaching. Young people who are going to be parents one day, young parents who are just beginning their career, sign that to me right now in your spirit. I will exemplify these values in my parenting.

And if you have not achieved everything, you have not been able to reach that height yet, do not be discouraged, there is time, today, now, may be the moment for you to start a new chapter of your life as a father. Commit right now, I am going to improve, I am going to change, I am going to incorporate these things into my life, I am going to be a father of principles and not of emotions, I am going to live by the book, not by what I feel or what don't feel, I'm going to live because my Father tells me that's how I should behave. And from now on I will serve the Lord in this way and I will be a new, different father. Receive the call of God in your life.

Father, I bless and install grace, grace upon grace, upon us who have a very difficult task to accomplish. I bless the men in general of this church and the fatherhood of this congregation. In the in the name of Jesus and the people of God say, amen. I bless you my brothers. The grace of the Lord with you. Amen.