Mark 9:14-27 – Dad’s Duties – Bible study

Mark 9:14-27 Dads Duties There are several texts that I find myself during to regularly. When I think of fathers, I turn to this text because it so clearly illustrates the role of a father. A father, like everyone else, has many hats. As we celebrate Fathers Day today, lets consider that topic. I. The father is the provider. A. I believe this is probably the most universally accepted role of the father. B. However, by using the term "provider," I do not mean just of money. 1. Wisdom a. Of all the things the father provides to his family, this is the one the Bible emphasizes the most. b. The whole Book of Proverbs was written to help get this truth across Proverbs 1:8 My son, hear the instruction of thy father, and forsake not the law of thy mother: c. Wisdom is not just advice. (1) Wisdom is perspective. It is seeing things as God sees things. (2) While nothing gives wisdom like the Bible, it does every young person good to see wisdom acted out in life. (3) The best people to do that are a childs mother and father. 2. Truth a. Truth and wisdom are different. b. Truth is the honest facts. c. Our society proves the adage – "If you tell a lie often enough, people will believe it." d. Our world is filled with liars today. (1) Politicians, educational leaders, news reporters, news anchors, and preachers overall are a dishonest lot. (2) They have spoken their lies so often, many believe them. (a) They have told us there is no God and man is an evolved animal. (b) Spanking is abuse and homosexuality is in the genes. (c) Recreational sex, recreation drugs, and recreational drinking are all all right. (d) There are multiple ways to heaven. e. Dads, we must (1) Do the research and second (2) Give our children the guidance they need. 3. Counsel a. Counsel is the application of truth. b. Life is made up of the decisions. c. A life of bad decisions will produce a bad life. (1) Fathers, our children need to know more than Hunting, football, and sports. (2) Mothers, they need more than chores and studies. (3) Parents, they need more than education and making a living. (4) They need to know how to make a life. d. Being able to give someone the counsel to make the right decisions is important. e. It will come out of the overflow of your own wisdom and knowledge. 4. Correction a. This is our least favorite role, but it is important. Proverbs 23:13 Withhold not correction from the child b. Within our means of correction is spanking. (1) Spanking is not the first tool for correcting, but it is necessary. (2) Verse: Proverbs 13:24 He that spareth his rod hateth his son: but he that loveth him chasteneth him betimes. 5. Kindness Psalm 103:13 Like as a father pitieth his children, so the LORD pitieth them that fear him. a. Strong defines the word "pity" as MERCY, COMPASSION, LOVE. b. I continue to preach that men and women are different and have different roles. (1) Even the way men and women love is different. (2) Women have a gentler love, a more lenient love, a more forgiving love. (3) Men have a tougher love, a more accountable love, a more responsible love. (4) Together, a mother and father can teach their children the whole spectrum of love. c. Sadly, some men never catch the importance of tender love. (1) They only learn and teach their children the toughness, the accountability, the responsibility of love. (2) These kind of lessons learned without tender love can make some good workers, employers, and citizens but they also make some hard-hearted adults. 6. Protection Matthew 24:43 But know this, that if the goodman of the house had known in what watch the thief would come, he would have watched, and would not have suffered his house to be broken up. a. One of the roles men take the most serious is that of protector, and it becomes increasingly evident that protection is needed in todays world. b. But the greatest danger is not from vandals or marauders. c. The greater threat is from the spiritual thief, Satan, who desires to steal the soul of your loved ones while he ruins their life. John 10:10 The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. d. Have you safe guarded your childrens soul? e. Have you safe guarded your childrens life? (1) Have your children been robbed by drugs, gangs, sex, violence, alcohol, tobacco, vice, greed. lust, anger? (2) Have they lost their purpose, purity, reasoning, innocence, health, will? (3) Fathers, it makes no sense to pat ourselves on the back about being armed and ready to protect our children from some puny man while we are letting the devil pillage our home at will. f. Fathers, we need to get our children to Jesus for the preservation of both their soul and their lives. 7. Needs a. There is no doubt that a father is to supply the material needs of the family. 1Timothy 5:8 But if any provide not for his own, and specially for those of his own house, he hath denied the faith, and is worse than an infidel. b. Because of sin, doing so takes up most of our time. Genesis 3:17 And unto Adam he said, Because thou hast hearkened unto the voice of thy wife, and hast eaten of the tree, of which I commanded thee, saying, Thou shalt not eat of it: cursed is the ground for thy sake; in sorrow shalt thou eat of it all the days of thy life; 18 Thorns also and thistles shall it bring forth to thee; and thou shalt eat the herb of the field; 19 In the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat bread, till thou return unto the ground; for out of it wast thou taken: for dust thou art, and unto dust shalt thou return. c. Just dont let it take all of your time. (1) A full belly and an empty heart is a bad combination. (2) Youll end up with an x-wife who has custody of your children and your riches. 8. A father provides help. a. This is a big hat to wear. Dads are supposed to be able to fix anything. b. Moms kiss the bruises, but dads fixes the things that are broken. c. Dads, be careful that we are the ones who fix the lifes broken things not the ones who break lifes things. II. But every father has limits. A. The text demonstrated that. 1. This mans son was sick and the father wanted to fix it. 2. But he could not. B. Every father has limits. 1. Even if he is good at several of the fathers responsibilities, he is likely to fall short in some of the others. 2. Then there are those things, like this father, in which a father simply has no control. C. Even though this father was limited, he was not useless. D. He knew God. III. A father who knows God is the best father a child will ever have. A. I am still speaking of what this text demonstrates as the role of the father. 1. Fathers should provide wisdom. 2. Fathers should provide truth. 3. Fathers should provide counsel. 4. Fathers should provide correction. 5. Fathers should provide kindness. 6. Fathers should provide protection. 7. Fathers should provide the needs. 8. Fathers should provide help. B. If a father knows God, he can get the help that other cannot. Hebrews 4:16 Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need. C. To get this kind of help means a man must have three things. 1. He must have the knowledge of who God is. There are many doors with herolds who claim their door is the right door. a. There is one doors whose herold claims there is not God. b. There are many doors each with their own herolds who claim their doors are the right doors. c. There are even some herolds who claim they are the right door. d. I stand as one in an army of decreasing herolds to say that Jesus is the only Door. e. Do you research, Dad. I have no fear that you will ccme to the same conclusions as I. But hurry. Your children will grow up quickly and you will lose the opportunity to guide them. 2. He must have the key to knowing God. a. It is not just a matter of finding the right door. There is also the matter of opening the Door. b. There is one key with two sides: faith and repentance. 3. He must have some experience in opening that door. When we need help, we wont have time to find the right door, let alone the key to open the door and the time to figure out how the key works. We need that right now. Dads, dont take my word for it. Do your own research. I have not fear that you will come to the same conclusions that I have. There is a God. Jesus is the Door. Faith and obedience is the key. And you and I need to get into His presence today and take our children with us.