What's a Dad to Do?

 TEXT: 2 CHRONICLES 34:1-3 TOPIC: WHAT'S A DAD TO DO? Pastor Bobby Earls, Northgate Baptist Church, Florence, SC Sunday morning, June 21, 2020 Our Lord Jesus Christ taught us to pray, "Our Father which art in heaven...." So often, our image or perception of God is shaped by our own paternal relationships with our own earthly fathers. If we have a loving, caring, nuturing earthly dad, then we usually are capable of a healthy, and growing relationship with our Heavenly Father. If our earthly relationship with our father is strained, difficult and damaged, then often, our perception of God as a loving, Heavenly Father is misunderstood or never experienced at all. I say all of that to say this today, "Dads, your influence is critical to your child's spiritual development." If a dad is impersonal and uncaring, one who will never intervene on the child's behalf, God is seen in that light. The child grows up feeling God is disinterested in his or her needs and can't be gotten close to. If a father is a drill sergeant, demanding more and more and never showing approval the child feels unaccepted by God. This often results in an adult who is never sure of salvation. Having an authoritative figure in life that can never be pleased is often transferred to God who can never be satisfied. This person keeps praying over and over to be saved without ever having confidence of salvation. They think they can never do enough to please God. If a father is seen as a weakling who can't be looked to for help God is considered to be incapable of helping. NOW THE POSITIVE. If a father is patient God is seen as patient, forbearing, and long suffering. If a father is kind God is thought of as kind and gracious. If a father is giving God is seen as supportive. If a father is protective God is seen as a shield and defender. But hear this, instead of our concept of God being derived from our association with people such as our earthly father, the fathers concept of his role should be derived from the model set by our eternal Father God. The Lord God modeled fatherhood through His relationship with His own Son. When the Father spoke of His Son He did so in terms of endearment, "This is my beloved Son in Whom I am well pleased." Erma Bombeck tells of a little girl who loved her dad but wasn't quite sure what dads do. She tells her own story. "I hadn't thought that much about dad before. He was just someone who left and came home and seemed glad to see everyone at night. He opened jars of pickles no one else could. He was the only one in the house who wasn't afraid to go into the basement by himself. He cut himself shaving, but no one kissed it or got excited about it. It was understood that when it rained, he got the car and brought it around to the door. When anyone was sick, he went out to get the prescription filled. He took lots of pictures ---- but was never in any of them. Whenever I played house, the mother doll had a lot to do. I never knew what to do with the daddy doll, so I had him say, 'I'm going off to work now,' and threw him under the bed. Then one morning daddy didn't get up and go to work. He went to the hospital instead and died. We had never had so much company and food before. I went to my room and felt under the bed for the daddy doll. When I found him, I dusted him off and put him on my bed. He never did anything. I didn't know his leaving would hurt so much..." The little girl didn't know what dads do. Let's examine the life of one and learn some good things for all of us to do, but especially dads. There are far too many children today who grow up in a home without a dad. I heard last week that 75% of African American children grow up in a home without a father. Well, the biblical father we are looking at this morning understood that. His father died when he was eight years old. His name was Josiah son of Amon, the evil King of Israel. His grandfather was Manasseh, also an evil king. Billy Graham once preached a sermon entitled, "The Meanest Man Who Ever Lived." It was Manasseh. To aid in overcoming the liability of not having a living dad and being the product of a home with a corrupt heritage, he chose a role model. II Chronicles 34:2 spoke of "his father David." This meant a descendant of David. The David he modeled his life after was the repentant David who was "a man after God's own heart." 2 Chronicles 34:1-3 (NKJV) 1 Josiah was eight years old when he became king, and he reigned thirty-one years in Jerusalem. 2 And he did what was right in the sight of the LORD, and walked in the ways of his father David; he did not turn aside to the right hand or to the left. 3 For in the eighth year of his reign, while he was still young, he began to seek the God of his father David; and in the twelfth year he began to purge Judah and Jerusalem of the high places, the wooden images, the carved images, and the molded images. At the age of eight he became King of Israel. Don't give up on yourself if you are a fatherless child. Don't give up on yourself if you have a vile and evil dad. Do as Josiah who determined to - - - - I. SEEK THE RIGHT GOD, 2 Chronicles 34:3c, "THE GOD OF HIS FATHER DAVID" David had many weaknesses and numerous failures. Josiah chose the lifestyle of David as a man back in fellowship with the Lord. He chose not to follow the wicked and evil lifestyles of his natural father Amon or his grandfather Manasseh. And it impacted his life greatly. It has been determined that the most influential times in a child's life is between ages 30 months and five years and during early adolescence. Current research shows three things in the lives of parents, especially dads, influence the faith life of children. Those who: * Attend church at least three times a month, * Discuss their faith at home, * Demonstrate commitment to the faith Those who do such things have children with values and behavior like their own. Conversely those who do not do these three things often have children who are inconsistent in their lifestyle. Research shows that the average teen in our churches spends only two minutes a day in meaningful dialogue with dad. Alarming as it is 25% of the teens say they have never had a meaningful conversation with their father. That is, a talk centered on the teen's interest. A study from Cornell University shows fathers of preschool children on the average spend 3.7 seconds per day in real contact with their youngsters. By contrast, kids spend over 60 hours each week watching T.V. or playing video games, or surfing the internet. Previous generations have been mocked for enjoying "Father Knows Best" and "Leave It to Beaver." Today's generation is developing character while laughing at "Bart Simpson" and "Bevis and Butthead" that depict fathers and adults in general as bumbling, befuddled, or buffons. I'm sure you've heard that children spell love ---- "T I M E." American fathers spend less time with their children than fathers in any other countries in the world except Britain. Today's American father spends 40% less time with their children than any previous generation. Charles Francis Adams was a prominent 19th century political figure who kept a diary. One day he entered the following: "Went fishing with my son today--a day wasted." His son Brook Adams also kept a diary and made the following entry on the same day: "Went fishing with my father -- the most wonderful day of my life!" Children value the time spent with their parents. HOW TO TEACH A CHILD I tried to teach my child with books, He only gave me puzzled looks. I tried to teach my child by word. They passed him by, often unheard. Despairingly, I turned aside, 'How shall I teach this child?' I cried. 'Come,' said he, 'And play with me!' T/S-First, seek the right God. Number two, set your house in order. II. SET YOUR HOUSE IN ORDER, 2 Chronicles 34:3c "HE BEGAN TO PURGE" A. THE CAUSE OF CONTRITION, 2 Chronicles 34:19 Without a mirror it is difficult to determine how we look. The Word of God acts like a mirror to help reveal our spiritual condition. "Hilkiah the priest found the Book of the Law of the Lord" (2 Chronicles 34:14) and it was read before the king. When the word was read, Josiah saw himself and his people in light of God's Word. When he did it caused him such grief that he spontaneously engaged in a custom of his day, he "tore his clothes" (2 Chronicles 34:19). This was a sign of grief and remorse. B. THE CONSEQUENCES OF CORRUPTION, 2 Chronicles 34:21 "THE WRATH OF THE LORD" God's wrath is His righteous anger against sin. The bible tells us God is angry everyday against sinners. God will judge sin. He may delay his judgment and wrath for awhile, but rest assured God does not like what He sees in a corrupt culture that has lost its moral direction. C. THE CONDITION OF CORRECTION 2 Chronicles 34:26-27 "YOU HUMBLED YOURSELF BEFORE THE LORD WHEN YOU HEARD HIS WORD..." 2 Chronicles 7:14 (NKJV) If My people who are called by My name will humble themselves, and pray and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin and heal their land. T/S-What's a Day to do today? Seek the right God. Set your house in order. And number three, seek to serve the Lord. III. SEEK TO SERVE THE LORD, 2 Chronicles 34:8c "REPAIR THE TEMPLE" Josiah rediscovered the Torah, which consists of the first five books of our Bible. He restored it to its proper place as God's guide for life for that era. It became the inspiration for reestablishing God's will in the life of the community. 2 Chronicles 34:27 explains why the radical transformation in the life of Josiah and the community was possible: "because your heart was tender." This resulted in a devout spirit of self-humiliation before God (2 Chronicles 34:27). He engaged in a "purge" (Vs. 3c and 8). If being "salt" and "light" means anything it means being a purging and preserving agent in society. Dads take the lead. Purge anything and everything in your life that may not be honoring to the Lord and a positive example for your children. He evidenced devotion in that he determined to "repair the house of the Lord his God." Dads, on this Father's Day, how many of us need to do the same thing? How many need to humble ourselves today for the sake of our families, our children, and begin to seek to serve the Lord again? How many dads here this morning are willing to set your houses in order by purging out everything that doesn't belong in a Godly man's life? What dads today will say with Joshua of old, "Choose you this day whom you will serve...but as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord." Joshua 24:15 What's a Dad to do in this day and time? Choose the right God, dad. For your children's sake, choose the right God. Set your house in order. Seek to serve Christ each and every day. That's what a Dad is to do! 5