[1] #387, Becoming an Incredible Dad, Pastor David McIntosh, Sunday, 06-20-2010

Text: Deuteronomy 6:4-7

• Introduction: The year was 2003. This one dad was getting ready for a long trip that he would take because of his work. He was going to be away from home, his wife and kids for awhile.
• This man was the leader of his team at work and before they left he stopped and prayed for everyone on his crew. Someone on his team noted that in all their years working they never saw the leader pray for the crew.
• Well, this dad did not want his two children to miss daily devotions while he would be away for the 17 days. What he did was he recorded a daily devotion video for each of his children. Although this took a great deal of time out of his busy schedule he felt it a top priority. He never realized just how valuable they would become.
• Prov.27:1 – you do not know what a day may bring forth.
• On February 1, 2003, this dad whose name was Rick Husband, Commander Rick Husband was leading his crew on the space shuttle Columbia back into earth’s atmosphere when it just disintegrated. Rick Husband never made it back home he and the rest of the crew from Columbia were ushered into eternity.
• Commander Rick Husband, or should I say, dad Rick Husband had no idea how important those devotion video’s would be. They would be part of his legacy.
• If you were ushered into eternity today, I mean without a moment’s notice, what kind of legacy would you be leaving behind?

TRANSITION: How do we even begin to build a godly legacy? Well God has written out just what He expects from us in His Word, take a look.

Deuteronomy 6:5-7 – You must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your strength. And you must commit yourselves wholeheartedly to these commands I am giving you today. Repeat them again and again to your children. Talk about them when you are at home.

This passage reveals a threefold responsibility that the Lord gives to us:
* We must love God above and beyond anything else
* Treasure His Word in our hearts
* Pass on the faith diligently to our children

How can we begin to do this in our families? Here’s how we can begin: (thank P. John Barnett)
A. BY TALKING ABOUT GOD

1. God commands us to fill our homes with His Word.
2. Deuteronomy 6:7 – Talk about them when you are at home and when you are away on a journey, when you are lying down and when you are getting up again.
3. God is telling us to talk about Him and what He has said. God says talk; not preach, scold, or pound into them, but talk about God, talk about what God says.
4. If we see God in everything so will they. But if God stays strictly at church, kids will departmentalize him right out of their lives.
5. Talk about God in all of life, social life, sports life, private life, recreation life everything, God is in everything!
6. John 1:2-3 – He created everything there is. Nothing exists that he didn’t make.
7. Talk about God to your kids, no matter what age they are. Talk about Jesus, talk about who He is, what He has done, what He means to your life and theirs.
8. Talk at the breakfast table or dinner table, talk at bed time, talk while driving in the car, take “walk talks,” get a plan to talk about God with your kids.
9. Take them out to eat and talk about God. Talking about God will eventually lead to reading the Bible to find out what God really says and thinks.
10. Talk about God inside of family traditions or activities (Christmas tree balls)

B. PRAY: WITH & for YOUR KIDS

1. Matthew 26:41 – Keep alert and pray. Otherwise temptation will overpower you. For though the spirit is willing enough, the body is weak. (temptation is kept at bay by prayer)
2. Many dads’s have a good heart but are overcome by temptation.
3. Philippians 4:6 – Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need and thank him for all he has done.
4. We need to pray, about everything. With your kids, tell God what you need and thank him for all he has done. (What do you need Jesus to do for you today?)
5. 1 Thessalonians 5:17 – Keep on praying. Prayer is not an event, but something you want to develop has a lifestyle with your kids.
6. Pray for, with, and in agreement with your kids. Pray for, you crying out for them, with; pray out loud with your kids there, in agreement with, listen to what is on their hearts and as they pray you agree in prayer.
7. If you really begin to talk about God, and pray you are well on your way. But there is one more thing a dad needs to do to grow into an incredible dad.

C. DON’T PROVOKE THEM TO ANGER (WRATH)

1. So far we have looked at two things to do. Our last one is something to avoid.
2. Ephesians 6:4 – And now a word to you fathers. Don’t make your children angry by the way you treat them. Rather, bring them up with the discipline and instruction approved by the Lord.  (do not provoke to wrath)
3. H. Norman Wright, in his book Winning Over Your Emotions, writes: “When we’re angry we might ridicule, get even with, laugh at, humiliate, shame, criticize, fight, crush, offend, or bully another person. All of these do very little to build relationships.”
4. Think of the damaged relationships that can occur when these actions are experienced with our children.
5. Our kids really have no way to defend themselves, they usually just absorb it all until they become angry and act on their anger.
6. Psalm 106:32-33 – At Meribah, too, they angered the Lord, causing Moses serious trouble. They made Moses angry, and he spoke foolishly.
7. Moses was suppose to speak to the rock to bring forth water, but instead he called the people rebels and raised his hand and struck the rock twice (Numbers 20)
8. Moses got angry and fueled by the anger, he spoke and acted.
9. Deuteronomy 32:51-52 – You broke faith with me…at the waters of Meribah. You failed to demonstrate my holiness to the people of Israel. So you will see the land from a distance, but you may not enter the land I am giving to the people…
10. Moses had good reason for his anger. He was angry because of FEAR, last time they were without water they wanted to stone him. FRUSTRATION, his sister Miriam had just died and he was frustrated with the people, and he was HURT, he had saved the people’s lives when God was ready to destroy them he interceded for them and they didn’t care about him.
11. Fear, Frustration & Hurt are times when anger can really show up and damage.
12. Colossians 3:21 – Fathers, don’t aggravate (provoke) your children. If you do, they will become discouraged and quit trying.
13. We can help relieve aggravation by: marital harmony (best we can given the circumstance we are in), taking time to talk with them, listen to them, praise them and spend time with them.

CONCLUSION

* We need to leave a legacy to the next generation. That generation needs to have relationships with men of this generation that will inspire them to want God in their lives.
* It begins with dads. A dad that will talk about God to his kids, a dad that will pray for and with his kids, and a dad that is careful not to aggravate his kids to wrath and anger is what I would call an incredible dad!
* A dad that is making an impact that will matter now and in the future.
* We want our children to live godly lives and love people.
* 2 Peter 1:5-8 in the New Living Translation gives a great road map to this destination.
* 2 Peter 1:5-8 (NLT) – Then your faith will produce a life of moral excellence. A life of moral excellence leads to knowing God better. Knowing God leads to self-control. Self-control leads to patient endurance, and patient endurances leads to godliness. Godliness leads to love for other Christians, and finally you will grow to have genuine love for everyone.
* A dad that can lead his kids to grow to be godly and love people is an incredible dad.
* We need to talk about God, pray, and be careful not to provoke our kids to anger.

PRAY: A call for all men to come forward for a group prayer & blessing on the men of our church.