Introduction
Praise the Lord! Blessed be God, our Savior, who loved us. God loved us so much—God the Father—that He sent Jesus into the world. What a Father we have!
Today is Father's Day. I bless all fathers. I bless every father with the blessing of heaven. Fathers, we are thankful to God. I am very, very, very thankful to God because I used to be a wild bear, and He made me a father. (Is there such a thing as a domesticated bear? God turned the wild bear into a lamb.) I thank Him for giving me ten children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren.
I said, “Brother Gago, when a grandfather has a great-grandchild, what do they call that grandfather?” He said, “They do not call him Grandpa anymore; they call him an old man.” I thank God that He is making me an old man.
Abraham: The Father of Faith
We fathers must take an example from the fathers in Holy Scripture. There are many holy fathers in Scripture. Let us learn from them. Amen! Let us learn from Abraham, the father of faith.
Father Abraham is the father of the multitude—of the circumcised and the uncircumcised, of Christians and Muslims. And God Himself testified concerning Abraham. I want to read that verse, beloved people of God.
Genesis 26:5
God says the following in Genesis, chapter 26, verse 5:
“Because Abraham obeyed My voice and kept My charge, My commandments, My statutes, and My laws.”
Blessed be God—what a son He had! God blessed Abraham, and because of Abraham, He blessed Isaac. Therefore, beloved people of God, beloved fathers, we must live as Abraham lived. We have children, and our children should be blessed because of us. Because of Abraham, God blessed Isaac.
Being Present in God's Presence
We just sang that God is present among us—God is here. But are all of us present in God's presence, or have your thoughts gone somewhere else?
Gather your thoughts. Bring them into focus so that you may be present in the worship service and hear the living words of God. It is by listening that you gain understanding, beloved people of God. Walk together with the preachers, so that God's Word may enter your heart.
Genesis 26:23–24
And what does verse 23 say?
“Then he went up from there to Beersheba. And the Lord appeared to him that same night and said, ‘I am the God of your father Abraham. Do not be afraid, for I am with you. For the sake of My servant Abraham, I will bless you and multiply your descendants.’”
Why did God bless Isaac? Because of Abraham.
Abrahams, do you want our children to be blessed? Then we must live the life of Abraham. We must keep and obey God's laws and commandments, and we must teach them to our children, our grandchildren, and our great-grandchildren.
We who have become Christian believers must teach our children from childhood until they are grown. We are responsible for teaching our children the Word of God.
Teaching God's Word to Our Children
I am very happy that I had a believing parent—a father—who taught me the Bible from childhood. He told me about God when I was four or five years old. My father would speak, and I remember all the things he told me when I was a child.
The words my father planted in me produced fruit. We must sow the Word of God into our children. Amen!
Fathers and mothers, we must teach God's Word to our children from childhood, so that when they grow up, they will bring us joy. Let them grow in such a way that we will not be filled with sorrow, beloved people of God.
Parents rejoice when their children are virtuous and obedient to their father and mother. Those fathers and mothers will rejoice. Is that true or not?
Beloved people of God, we must ask the Lord to bless us so that we may live as Abraham lived and become a blessing to our children.
Eli the Priest: A Warning to Fathers
There is also a kind of father who brings a curse upon his children through the way he lives. One example is Eli the priest.
1 Samuel 2: Eli and His Sons
The heading in the second chapter says, “Eli and His Sons”:
“Now Eli was very old, and he heard everything his sons were doing to all Israel, and how they lay with the women who gathered at the entrance of the tabernacle of meeting.”
Eli heard all of this. He said to his sons:
“Why do you do such things? For I hear evil reports about you from all these people. No, my sons! The report I hear is not good. You are causing the Lord's people to go astray.”
Did Eli rebuke his children or not? He said, “Do not do this, my sons. Why are you doing these things? What is this that I am hearing?”
But what does the Word of the Lord say here through Samuel, in chapter 3, beginning with verse 11?
1 Samuel 3:11–13
“Then the Lord said to Samuel, ‘Behold, I will do something in Israel at which both ears of everyone who hears it will tingle. In that day I will perform against Eli everything I have spoken concerning his house, from beginning to end. For I have told him that I will judge his house forever for the iniquity which he knew, because his sons brought a curse upon themselves, and he did not restrain them.’”
Eli brought a curse upon his sons. He did not properly rebuke their wrongdoing, and a curse came upon his household.
Look at this, fathers. May God bless us so that we live according to His Word and raise our children according to His Word, so that we do not bring a curse upon ourselves or upon our children. May we be blessed with the blessing of Abraham.
Verse 14 says:
“Therefore I have sworn to the house of Eli that the iniquity of Eli's house shall not be atoned for by sacrifice or offering forever.”
What a terrible and grievous thing, people of God! He was a priest. He was a man of the law, yet he did not keep the law. He did not raise his children according to the Word of God. He did not properly rebuke their wrongdoing, and he brought that curse upon his children.
May the Lord help us, beloved people of God.
Job: A Father Who Prayed for His Children
There are many examples of fathers who became a blessing to their children. I also want us to remember Job.
Do you know how wealthy Job was? God testified concerning him:
Job 1:1–5
“There was a man in the land of Uz whose name was Job. That man was blameless and upright, one who feared God and turned away from evil. Seven sons and three daughters were born to him. His possessions were seven thousand sheep, three thousand camels, five hundred yoke of oxen, five hundred female donkeys, and a very large household, so that this man was the greatest of all the people of the East.
His sons would go and hold a feast in the house of each one on his appointed day, and they would send and invite their three sisters to eat and drink with them. When the days of feasting had run their course, Job would send for them and sanctify them. He would rise early in the morning and offer burnt offerings according to the number of them all. For Job said, ‘It may be that my sons have sinned and cursed God in their hearts.’ Job did this continually.”
That was Job.
We must pray for our children just as Job prayed for his children. We must pray for our children, forgive them, and help them understand that they must walk according to the Word of God, so that they do not bring sin or a curse upon themselves.
Amen! Shall we be like Job or not? May God help us, beloved people of God.
The Father of the Prodigal Son
I do not want to make this too long, but there is another example in Luke, chapter 15: the story of the prodigal son.
You all know the story of the prodigal son. While he was living in his father's house, he was not yet living as a prodigal.
Luke 15:11–24
“A certain man had two sons. The younger of them said to his father, ‘Father, give me the portion of the estate that falls to me.’ So he divided his property between them.
Not many days later, the younger son gathered everything together, traveled to a distant country, and there wasted his possessions through prodigal living. When he had spent everything, a severe famine arose in that land, and he began to be in need.
Then he came to himself and said, ‘How many of my father's hired servants have more than enough bread, while I am dying here with hunger! I will arise, go to my father, and say to him: Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son. Make me like one of your hired servants.’
And he arose and went to his father. But while he was still a great distance away, his father saw him and was moved with compassion. He ran, fell on his neck, and kissed him.”
What a father!
Before the son had even made his confession, he had only said within himself, “I will go and speak to my father.” Yet before the son confessed anything, the father ran to him and embraced him.
What a blessed father! May God make us fathers like that. Amen, beloved people of God!
May we have forgiving hearts—fatherly hearts. We often talk too much and wear people down with our words. Let our lives speak. Let our conduct speak.
The Father's Response to the Older Son
But the older brother did not truly share his father's heart. Apart from his father, he had other friends, and he wanted to celebrate with them.
Luke 15:25–32
“Now his older son was in the field. As he came and drew near to the house, he heard music and dancing. He called one of the servants and asked what these things meant.
The servant said to him, ‘Your brother has come, and your father has killed the fattened calf because he has received him back safe and sound.’
But he became angry and would not go in. Therefore his father came out and pleaded with him.
He answered his father and said, ‘Look, all these years I have served you, and I never disobeyed your commandment. Yet you never gave me even a young goat so that I might celebrate with my friends. But as soon as this son of yours came—the one who devoured your property with prostitutes—you killed the fattened calf for him.’
And the father said to him, ‘Son, you are always with me, and everything I have is yours. But it was right that we should celebrate and be glad, because this brother of yours was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.’”
Hallelujah, amen!
The older brother did not share his father's heart. Apart from our heavenly Father, we have no true friend like Him. In our distress, in our silence, and in our suffering, who comes to us?
Only Almighty God—the One who delivers us from every affliction.
The younger son came to himself and said:
“How many of my father's hired servants have more than enough bread, while I am dying here with hunger! I will arise and go to my father, and I will say to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son.’”
The Wisdom of Sirach: Honoring Father and Mother
Remember the wisdom of Sirach, chapter 3, which is found in the Deuterocanonical books:
“Listen to me, your father, O children, and act accordingly, so that you may be saved. For the Lord honors a father above his children and confirms a mother's authority over her sons. Whoever honors his father atones for his sins, and whoever respects his mother is like one who stores up treasure.”
Before the prodigal son had made his confession, his father went out to meet him. The son had come to himself and said, “I have sinned against heaven and before you,” but the father embraced him.
The Greatest Lesson from the Father
Let us look once more at this example.
The brothers saw what happened, yet the older brother did not rejoice. But the father said:
“Bring out the best robe and put it on him. Put a ring on his hand and sandals on his feet. Bring the fattened calf and kill it, and let us eat and celebrate; for this son of mine was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.”
And they began to celebrate.
The older son was in the field. When he came near the house and heard the sounds of celebration, he became angry. The father went outside and pleaded with him.
Look at the heart of the father: he goes out and pleads with his son.
But the son says, “All these years I have served you, and you never even gave me a young goat.”
What coldness the son had toward his father!
Many young people and many sons bring worry and distress to their parents. Remember how the shepherd left the ninety-nine sheep and went after the one that was lost. In the same way, our heavenly Father comes out to rescue us.
Fathers and mothers—our parents are like mountains of support. Love your fathers.
Do not dishonor them. Whoever cares for his father will not be forgotten by God. In return, your sins will be forgiven. On the day of your trouble, the Lord will remember you, and just as ice melts in the warmth, so your sins will melt away.
Whoever abandons his father is like one who dishonors God, and whoever provokes his mother is cursed by the Lord.
Hallelujah, amen!
Final Exhortation
Is this acceptable to you, young people? Say amen! Are you afraid to say “Amen”? Give glory to God!
That man gave you life and cared for you. Our great Father heard prayer, and God sent His Son into the world to save us, so that we might become worthy of the Kingdom of Heaven and so that our names might be written in the Book of Life.
Hallelujah, amen!
Closing Prayer
You are our King and our God.
We thank You for sending us Your Word, so that we may learn from the fathers of Scripture and become true fathers ourselves. Father, bless our children because of the lives we live. Glory to You!
We thank You, our Father, for making us fathers and for giving us children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren. Glory to You, O Blessed One!
Bless our sons so that they will listen to their fathers. Let children listen to their fathers so that they may enjoy Your blessing. Glory to You!
Bless fathers so that we may treat our children rightly and not bring a curse upon our families. Glory belongs to You, O Blessed One!
We bless all fathers, and we bless all mothers. God of heaven, bless every father and every mother. Strengthen our sons as well, Lord, so that together we may glorify You—our Lord: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.
Hallelujah! Amen!
May the Lord bless you.
