The Father of Fathers

“there is an increasing number of women — who for various reasons cannot or do not want to raise their children with a boyfriend or husband — who intentionally choose to become single mothers. It seems like more and more folks feel that dads are optional and that single moms can do just fine raising children on their own. Just over half of births among Millennials are to unwed mothers, significantly more than past generations, including Gen X. And only about half of Millennials believe a child needs a home with both a father and a mother present to grow up happily.”

But as this article points out, many studies have shown that fathers are crucial to the wellbeing and development of their children. Here are some of the things this article points out:

Children With Fathers Are Less Likely to Live in Poverty

Children With Fathers Do Better in School

Children Without Fathers Are More Likely to Do Jail Time

Children With Fathers Are Less Likely to Abuse Drugs and Alcohol

Children Without Fathers Are More Likely to Be Sexually Active as Teenagers

Children Without Fathers Are More Likely to Be Obese

Children With Fathers Get More Roughhousing (And Roughhousing Makes Kids Awesome)

Children With Fathers Are More Likely to Have a Larger Vocabulary

Children With Fathers Are More Likely to Be Encouraged to Take Healthy Risks

Children With Fathers Gain Many Additional Benefits to Health and Happiness

The Grant Study, the longest longitudal study ever done on the lives of men, found that a man’s father influenced his life in many ways exclusive to his relationship with his mother. Loving fathers imparted to their sons:

enhanced capacity to play, more enjoyment of vacations, greater likelihood of being able to use humor as a healthy coping mechanism, better adjustment to, and contentment with, life after retirement, less anxiety and fewer physical and mental symptoms under stress in young adulthood

In the negative column, it “was not the men with poor mothering but the ones with poor fathering who were significantly more likely to have poor marriages over their lifetimes.” Men who lacked a positive relationship with their fathers were also “much more likely to call themselves pessimists and to report having trouble letting others get close.”

If there was ever any doubt, fathers matter, a lot: When all is said and done, a man’s relationship with his father very significantly predicted his overall life satisfaction at age 75 — “a variable not even suggestively associated with the maternal relationship.”

But there’s an even more important reason why dads are important. While fathers are crucial for imparting self-confidence, better performance in school, morality, and other such things, there is perhaps no single greater factor in which a father exerts more influence than in the area of faith. Listen carefully to this study from Promise Keepers and the Baptist Press:

The importance of Fathers for their children’s Faith

According to data collected by Promise Keepers and Baptist Press, if a father does not go to church, even if his wife does, only 1 child in 50 will become a regular worshiper. If a father does go regularly, regardless of what the mother does, between two-thirds and three-quarters of their children will attend church as adults. If a father attends church irregularly, between half and two-thirds of their kids will attend church with some regularity as adults.

If a mother does not go to church, but a father does, a minimum of two-thirds of their children will end up attending church. In contrast, if a father does not go to church, but the mother does, on average two-thirds of their children will not attend church.

Another survey found that if a child is the first person in a household to become a Christian, there is a 3.5% probability everyone else in the household will follow. If the mother is the first to become a Christian, there is a 17% probability everyone else in the household will follow. However, when the father is first, there is a 93% probability everyone else in the household will follow.

93%! Fathers, we have an incredible responsibility. So, this morning we’re going to take a look at what the Bible has to say about fatherhood.

Turn with me in your Bibles to Psalm 103

Psalm 103 ESV

Of David. 1 Bless the Lord, O my soul, and all that is within me, bless his holy name! 2 Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits, 3 who forgives all your iniquity, who heals all your diseases, 4 who redeems your life from the pit, who crowns you with steadfast love and mercy, 5 who satisfies you with good so that your youth is renewed like the eagle’s. 6 The Lord works righteousness and justice for all who are oppressed. 7 He made known his ways to Moses, his acts to the people of Israel. 8 The Lord is merciful and gracious, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love. 9 He will not always chide, nor will he keep his anger forever. 10 He does not deal with us according to our sins, nor repay us according to our iniquities. 11 For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is his steadfast love toward those who fear him; 12 as far as the east is from the west, so far does he remove our transgressions from us. 13 As a father shows compassion to his children, so the Lord shows compassion to those who fear him. 14 For he knows our frame; he remembers that we are dust. 15 As for man, his days are like grass; he flourishes like a flower of the field; 16 for the wind passes over it, and it is gone, and its place knows it no more. 17 But the steadfast love of the Lord is from everlasting to everlasting on those who fear him, and his righteousness to children’s children, 18 to those who keep his covenant and remember to do his commandments. 19 The Lord has established his throne in the heavens, and his kingdom rules over all. 20 Bless the Lord, O you his angels, you mighty ones who do his word, obeying the voice of his word! 21 Bless the Lord, all his hosts, his ministers, who do his will! 22 Bless the Lord, all his works, in all places of his dominion. Bless the Lord, O my soul!

FCF: In our world, fatherhood is under attack. Many people say that fathers aren’t necessary to have a family. Fathers themselves have often bought into this lie and we have abdicated our roles and given it over to the world. And we see the result in the world around us.

Main Idea: But we can redeem fatherhood by regaining a biblical perspective on it and looking to the example provided by our heavenly Father in Psalm 103.

Our heavenly Father always seeks the good of his children, and so should we. (vv. 1-5)

He forgives us (v. 3)

He lifts us up when we have fallen into sin (v. 4)

He dotes on us and treats us like princes and princesses. (v. 4b)

He encourages us and restores our confidence (v. 5)

Our heavenly Father is compassionate and merciful, and so should we be. (vv. 6-14)

He is patient—slow to get angry and quick to forgive (vv. 8-9)

He understands our weakness and he doesn’t hold our sins over our heads (vv. 10-14)

Our heavenly Father extends the grace, power, and forgiveness to us as heavenly fathers when we fail.

Living up to the model of our heavenly Father’s example can be a crushing weight, if we do not do it through his power.

Conclusion

To those whose earthly fathers have failed them: Your heavenly Father never will fail you. He is ready and willing to “redeem your life from the pit…crown you with steadfast love and mercy, and satisfy [your soul] with good”

To those who are struggling to live up to the standard of our heavenly Father: Find your grace, strength, and forgiveness in your Heavenly Father. You can’t do this alone.

To those whose earthly father wasn’t perfect, but did point you to your heavenly Father and led you in right paths: “Bless the Lord, O my soul!”

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