David [00:00:00 – 00:00:37]
Happy Father’s Day. It’s good to be here with you today, celebrating fathers and our legacy together. In fact, that’s what we want to look at today, is a father’s legacy. We come to celebrate our fathers and we’re going to look at three ways we can do that.
David [00:00:38 – 00:01:34]
Number one is honoring our fathers. Number two is understanding the gift of fatherhood. And number three is seeing the legacy of fatherhood. Now, while Father’s Day is a day we focus on the father’s in our lives, what we discuss today should be an ongoing, daily part of our lives, not just something we look at today. So the first way that we can come to celebrate our fathers is given to us in Exodus 20, verse 12. And it says this. Honor your father and your mother, that your days may be long upon the land which the Lord your God is giving you. Now, Paul quotes that verse 2 in Ephesians 6:2:3.
David [00:01:34 – 00:02:38]
Paul says it this way. He says, honor your father and your mother, which is the first commandment, with a promise that it may be well with you and you may live long on the earth. And so what we see here is this is the fifth commandment of the ten Commandments. And Paul tells us that this is the first commandment with a promise. And so what’s the promise? God promises us if we honor our Father and our mother, it will be well with us and we will live long on the earth. So at its core, this command is calling for us to respect, obey, be grateful, and care for one’s parents. So look at these. Let’s look at these five ways to honor our Father.
David [00:02:39 – 00:03:37]
Number one, we said, was respect. Respect is a course of action which proceeds from esteeming regarding and paying attention to someone, giving due attention to them. We do this through our words that we speak and our actions. So treating your father with respect is summed up in how you speak to them, what you say about them, and what you do for them. And this honors them. Even if you disagree with them about something or as you grow older, know this honor brings blessing and benefits. So continue to honor your father. Let’s look at a few key benefits from showing respect.
David [00:03:37 – 00:04:24]
Now there’s many we could look at, but I want to look at a just a few key things here. Respect strengthens relationships. So when we show respect, honor our Father. By showing respect to him, we are strengthening that relationship. It reduces conflict and encourages cooperation. Respect for fosters trust and mutual understanding. Promoting active listening and thoughtful dialogue. We all like respect, and when we receive respect, we tend to respond in a respectful way.
David [00:04:25 – 00:05:05]
Respect acknowledges the inherent worth of the individual and helps create connection. And that’s really what we want, is connection. So honor your father. See, if you desire respect, then give respect. And we all desire respect in some way or another. So a great way to get respect is to give respect. When you sow seeds of respect, it will come back to you. And Jesus talks about this and Luke the sixth chapter.
David [00:05:05 – 00:05:56]
There’s a couple verses here that talk about this. The first verse is Luke 6:31, and I’m reading this from the Amplified classic, Luke 6:31. And Jesus said this as you would like and desire that men would do to you, do exactly so to them. So, so the thing you would like to receive, give it to others. And then he goes on in Luke 6:38 and declares this. This is Luke 6:38 in the Amplified classic. It says, give and gifts will be given to you, so it will come back to you good measure. Pressed down, shaken together, and running over will they pour into the pouch formed by the bosom of your robe and used as a bag.
David [00:05:57 – 00:06:35]
For with the measure you deal out, with the measure you use. When you confer benefits on others, it will be measured back to you. So give to others what you want, and you will receive that back. And Jesus said, it will come back to you abundantly. People will give it back to you. So if you desire respect, give respect. And this is a great way to honor your Father. The second way we honor our Father is through obedience.
David [00:06:36 – 00:07:22]
Obedience is simply submitting to the direction of your Father. Listening and Submitting for children, honoring their Father often includes obeying them. As long as what they ask you to do doesn’t go against God’s command. This is a very blessed way to honor them. And this is emphasized in Ephesians 6:1, where Paul says, children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right. And another way to say that is, for this is righteous. It’s God’s right way. So obey your parents and the Lord.
David [00:07:23 – 00:08:40]
The third way we honor our Father is through gratitude. Anytime we can recognize and appreciate the sacrifices, the guidance, the love your Father has given and continues to give is a great way to honor them. And we can do this in our words, our actions, and our attitudes. The fourth way we can honor our Father is through care. As parents age, honoring them can mean supporting them emotionally, physically, or even financially if needed. First Timothy 5:4 gives us some insight into this. It says, but if any widow has children or grandchildren, let them first learn to show piety at home and to repay their parents, for this is good and acceptable before God. So what Paul was addressing here was widows, but it was also true for fathers.
David [00:08:40 – 00:09:32]
Not only for mothers, but also for fathers. And so we show piety. We honor our father at home by helping them in the way they need to be helped and repaying them. Number five thing the way we honor our father. And this is a lifelong principle. This command to honor isn’t just for children. While the way we honor our fathers may change over time, the principle remains throughout life. You know, even though my father has transitioned to heaven, my brothers and I still seek to find ways to continue to honor him before our children and grandchildren.
David [00:09:34 – 00:10:49]
We want them to know the legacy our Father has left them. Now, the thing we need to realize as fathers is that fatherhood is a gift. A gift. The Gift of Fatherhood the gift of fatherhood refers to the unique and sacred role that fathers are given. It can be biologically, it can be adoptively or spiritually, but we’re given a sacred role to lead, to nurture, to protect and reflect God’s heart to our children and to the world around us. There are four characteristics we see here as a part of the gift of fatherhood. Number one, it is a calling, not just a role. Fatherhood is more than just having children.
David [00:10:51 – 00:11:43]
It’s a divine calling to shape lives. It involves being present, intentional and faithful in guiding and loving those entrusted to you. And we shape the lives around us by our influence and our input into them. Wow. Wow. What a powerful, powerful opportunity. The second way we characteristic of the gift of fatherhood that we see is we become a reflection of God the Father to our children and those around us. In scripture, God is often portrayed as as a father himself.
David [00:11:43 – 00:12:17]
In Psalm 103:13 in the NIV it says this. As the Father has compassion on his children, so the Lord has compassion on those who fear him. So our God, our Father, God has compassion on us. Matthew 6:9. It says this in this manner. Therefore pray. Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name. He is our heavenly Father.
David [00:12:19 – 00:13:18]
Earthly fathers are meant to reflect his character, his compassion, his discipline, his faithfulness, his love. The gift of fatherhood is an invitation to model God’s nature to our children and all of those around us. Proverbs 20, verse 7. And I’m reading this from the amplified classic. The righteous man walks in his integrity. Blessed, happy, fortunate, enviable are his children after him. Blessed, happy, Fortune and enviable are his children after him. Because as a righteous father, we reflect the character of our heavenly Father.
David [00:13:19 – 00:14:26]
Hallelujah. The third characteristic we see here is we have a responsibility to lead and serve as fathers. Biblical fatherhood involves servant leadership. It means leading a family in humility, teaching children God’s ways, and providing spiritual, emotional, and practical care. Wow. Deuteronomy 6, verses 6 and 7 says, this and these words which I command you today shall be in your heart. You shall teach them diligently to your children and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, when you walk by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise up. You’re to teach them to your children to be an example in this, to lead and serve a godly father.
David [00:14:28 – 00:15:43]
The fourth characteristic we see as the gift of fatherhood is it’s a path of growth and grace. Fatherhood also transforms the father. It challenges selfishness. It builds patience and draws a man closer to God as he leans on divine wisdom to raise his children. And what we find here is it’s a lifelong journey of learning and grace. Being a father is not just a family role, but a spiritual calling. A godly father teaches his children to know the Lord not only by words, but by consistent example. He does this by demonstrating it in how he prays, how he forgives others, how he repents, how he works, and how he expresses love.
David [00:15:45 – 00:16:31]
Ephesians 6:4, and this is from the new King James Version. Ephesians 6:4 says, and you, fathers, do not provoke your children to wrath, but bring them up in the training and the admonition of the Lord. Teach them to walk in God’s way. Wow. And that’s where we see this final aspect of fatherhood I want to talk about today. Begin. It begins right there. Our legacy begins in the way we influence our children and those around us on this Father’s Day.
David [00:16:31 – 00:17:54]
We’re not here just to honor fathers for what they do, but we’re here to honor them for who they are in the lives of their families. The true legacy of a father is not measured by possessions or status or achievements, but by the lives he has shaped, the values he instills, and the love he gives. It’s a legacy written not just in what he leaves behind, but in who he raises up. A godly father blesses not just his children, but the generations that come after him. We see this in several qualities I want to share with you right now. A legacy is built when faith is passed down. Like I said, a father’s greatest legacy is often spiritual. It’s showing his children what it means to trust God, follow Christ and live with integrity.
David [00:17:55 – 00:18:42]
Proverbs 20, verse 7 says, the righteous man walks in his integrity and his children are blessed after him. Hallelujah. Hallelujah. The second way we build legacy as a father is through character and values our life. A father’s life teaches far more than his words. Honesty, humility, perseverance, kindness, courage. These are the moral fingerprints that we leave on our children’s hearts and lives and on our grandchildren’s hearts and lives. Know this.
David [00:18:42 – 00:20:06]
Somebody is always watching you and what you do is more important than what you say. Many times. Hallelujah. The third way we build legacy as a father is by demonstrating love that grounds and grows. Unconditional love gives children security and identity. When a father listens, encourages, disciplines fairly and shows affection, he plants seeds of confidence and self worth that shape a child’s view of themselves and of God. How we engage with and love our children, our families and those around us shapes them and the generations to come in ways we can’t imagine. The fourth way we build legacy is understanding this presence over provision.
David [00:20:09 – 00:21:13]
While providing materially is important, a father’s consistent presence, his time, his attention and emotional availability is more lasting than any wealth you could provide. Children remember the memories made, not just the financial provision. Many times I’ve heard this Mr. Tom or Zig Ziglar used to say this. Children spell love, T I, M E. Time, time and attention matter. The fifth way we build a legacy is through generational impact. A father’s influence doesn’t stop with his children.
David [00:21:14 – 00:22:18]
It ripples down through grandchildren, great grandchildren and even the communities that they live in. Teaching forgiveness, integrity and faith creates a legacy that outlives our father. And as a father, that’s what you want. You want to create a legacy that outlives you, that lives beyond you. Like Abraham, who was called to instruct his children in God’s ways, a father’s faith can echo for generations to come. Genesis 18:18 and 19. And I’m reading this from the amplified classic. Since Abraham shall surely become a great and mighty nation, and all the nations of the earth shall be blessed through him, and shall bless themselves by him.
David [00:22:19 – 00:23:56]
For I have known, chosen, acknowledged him as my own, so that he may teach and command his children and the sons of his house after him, to keep the way of the Lord and to do what is just and righteous, so that the Lord may bring Abraham what he has promised him and God promised him he would be the Father of nations true legacy. The true legacy of a father is a life well lived before his family and those around him, his community. It is a testimony of faith, love, strength and wisdom that shapes the generations to come. Proverbs 23:24 says, the Father of the righteous will greatly rejoice and he who begets a wise child will delight in him. Hallelujah. Hallelujah. I can remember sitting and when we had family get togethers, we’d all come home and my dad would be sitting back in his chair. I would walk over and go, dad, what are you thinking? He’d just be smiling.
David [00:23:56 – 00:24:42]
I’m so blessed. I’m so blessed. And he would just sit there and watch all the great grandkids, the grandkids, his sons, his daughters in law, he called them his daughters in love. He would watch his family and sit there and thank God. He would greatly rejoice. He left quite a legacy and we’re blessed beyond measure because of it. Let’s bow our heads in prayer today. Heavenly Father, thank you for the gift of fathers.
David [00:24:42 – 00:25:54]
Thank you for the gift of fatherhood. God, we are grateful for those who have modeled your love, your strength and compassion before us. And Father, I pray today that you bless every father with wisdom, patience, joy. Strengthen them to lead with humility and grace. And for those who are missing their fathers today or who carry wounds from maybe a relationship that wasn’t so good, may you bring comfort and healing to them. I pray that you help all of us, whether we’re fathers or children, to look to you, our perfect father, for you are our ultimate unlimited source of love. We thank you for your guidance and we thank you for instilling hope in us as we go forward. Lord, in Jesus name, amen.
David [00:25:55 – 00:26:05]
Hallelujah again. Happy Father’s Day. Pastor Conia is coming now with a closing thought and prayer. God bless you. Have a great week celebrating.
