Daniel Lyons' Notes

2025-06-15 Sermon Notes

Series Location Subjects Takeaways Sermon Link
- Emmaus Orthodox Presbyterian Church - -

💡Big Idea

  • fathers must nurture there children

Takeaways and Next Steps

📖Bible Passage

You fathers, don't provoke your children to wrath, but nurture them in the discipline and instruction of the Lord.

Points

  • The Church, made up of Godly families is the salt and light in this world
  • Every man should seek to be a father
    • Leading a family is a great privilege and an act of stewardship
  • If you are a woman, what kind of man are you looking for?

The Identity of a Father

  • What is your identity as a father?
    • We do not want our concept of fatherhood to be mere human constructs, cultural traditions, personal preferences.
    • We want fathers to be what God made fathers to be.

The authorized governor of a family

  • ⭐ A father is God's authorized governor of a family responsible to raise up his family.
    • Notice that the fourth commandment, like so many of God's laws, is addressed primarily to the father. This is because it is the father who is responsible for administering God's laws in the family.
    • And the fifth commandment teaches that parents ought to rule over their children and children ought to obey

Disobedience to parents is aggravated depravity

  • To disobey and dishonor parents is wrong.
  • God expects a godly father to impose the rules and teachings of God upon his children and household.
    • Joshua 24.15 If it seems evil to you to serve Yahweh, choose today whom you will serve; whether the gods which your fathers served that were beyond the River, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you dwell; but as for me and my house, we will serve Yahweh."
  • rebellion against mom and dad is not a state of innocent childhood. It is aggravated depravity.
    • Children, like us all, need the blood of Jesus.

The Task of a Christian Father

  • What is God's description of your job as father.
    • Ephesians 6.4 You fathers, don't provoke your children to wrath, but nurture them in the discipline and instruction of the Lord.
      • Paul specifically mentions fathers in Ephesians 6:4.
      • Paul has already described the kind of fathers he is talking about in this letter as those who
        • are dead to their sins
        • who are alive in Christ
        • love their wives as Christ loves the church
    • Colossians 3.21 Fathers, don't provoke your children, so that they won't be discouraged.

The Father is responsible to nurture children

  • Who is addressed concerning the nurture of children? It is fathers primarily.
    • Mothers are called to help fathers, and they take this task together.
    • But it is fathers primarily whom this responsibility lies upon.
  • Fathers do not provoke your children
    • Fathers are instructed not to govern their children in a loveless way that cripples them to unnecessary anger and discouragement.
    • Notice it does not say never make your child angry.
      • If you are doing your job as a parent, your child will inevitably disagree with you at times and throw tantrums.
      • But parents and fathers in particular should not provoke their children unnecessarily
        • should not ridicule, or deride

The heart or essence of a father's task

  • What does it mean to nurture?
    • Ephesians 5.29 For no man ever hated his own flesh; but nourishes and cherishes it, even as the Lord also does the assembly;
    • Just as you care for your own body, you ought to nurture and care for your children.
      • care for their wellbeing.
      • be concerned for the totality of what the child is.
      • equip them for all that they need in order to serve the Lord as adults
  • Jesus is our example:
    • Luke 2.52 And Jesus increased in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and men.
    • In His human nature, Jesus grew. With each new stage of development, the Father was glad as He saw the Son grow in maturation
  • As we think of our children, we must think in terms of our ability to help our children grow in wisdom and stature and in favor with God and men

the means god gives to accomplish the task

  • Ephesians 6:4 says there are two means for nurturing children
    • discipline:
      • chastening and admonition of the Lord
      • Proverbs 29.15 The rod of correction gives wisdom, but a child left to himself causes shame to his mother.
    • instruction:
      • This word means to point out fault and to verbally urge someone to move in the right way

the context of carrying out this task

  • "instruction of the Lord": this is the context.

Your resources as a Christian father

  • What has God provided to enable you to fulfill this task?
    • We are not sufficient for these things but God is sufficient. He is our sufficiency.
    1. You have a completely sufficient Bible.
    • 2 Timothy 3:16-17 Every Scripture is God-breathed and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for instruction in righteousness, that each person who belongs to God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work.
    • Your bible has the answers of how you are to administer your home in service to God.
      • Particularly in the book of proverbs.
    1. You have a promised Holy Spirit
    • If you are His you are in-dwelt with the Holy Spirit.
    • You can ask the Holy Spirit to give you the wisdom you need.
    1. You have an inviting throne of grace.
    • Hebrews 4.16 Let's therefore draw near with boldness to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and may find grace for help in time of need.
    • There will be times of need. All children cause heart ache and heartbreak. But the throne of grace is open to us.
    1. we have a caring loving community of God's people who can care for one another.
    1. we have the exceedingly precious promises of God
    • Do you lack wisdom? Ask of God. Do you lack strength? Ask God.
    • 2 Corinthians 12.9 He has said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness." Most gladly therefore I will rather glory in my weaknesses, that the power of Christ may rest on me.
    1. we have the great give of pastoral nurture.
  • ⭐: You will never be a good father unless you are redeemed by your Father in Heaven.

Application


Further Study


💬Discussion Questions

2025-06-15 Sermon Notes
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On this page
💡Big Idea
Takeaways and Next Steps
📖Bible Passage
Points
The Identity of a Father
The authorized governor of a family
Disobedience to parents is aggravated depravity
The Task of a Christian Father
The Father is responsible to nurture children
The heart or essence of a father's task
the means god gives to accomplish the task
the context of carrying out this task
Your resources as a Christian father
Application
Further Study
💬Discussion Questions