rec0616-114344<\/a><\/p>\n Introduction\u201d\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n \u00a0<\/em>Dads, we all wish we could reign like this [King on the Throne Slide]<\/strong><\/p>\n BUT\u201d\u00a6<\/p>\n For most of us, this is the only throne we\u201d\u2122ll ever sit on! [Frog on \u201d\u02dcThrone\u201d\u2122 Slide]<\/strong><\/p>\n \u00a0<\/strong>Our world tells us that being a good dad is about providing everything your children could want, having a big house and fancy cars, being able to take amazing vacations, being strong and never showing emotion, being the king of our household!<\/p>\n But God tells us something quite different.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Dave Posey<\/strong><\/p>\n Dads……we have been given permission, even encouraged, in fact, commanded to settle for the greatness of another. Great men fully embrace the greatness of Jesus<\/em>.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n John 1:14\u201d\u201d\u201cSo the Word became human and lived here on earth among us.\u00a0 He was full of<\/strong> unfailing love<\/em><\/strong> and faithfulness<\/em><\/strong>.\u00a0 And we have seen His glory, the glory of the only Son of the Father.\u201d (NLT)<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n We need to be men like Jesus<\/span><\/em>.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n John the Baptist said of his relationship to Jesus:\u00a0 \u201cHe must become greater and greater, and I must become less and less.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Do you want to be the best dad you can be for your kids?\u00a0 Then live out what John said:<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cHe must become greater and greater, and I must become less and less.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n For our children to experience grace and love from us as fathers should be our ultimate goal!<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n <\/p>\n WHY?\u00a0 Why should that be our ultimate goal?<\/p>\n Because that experience of grace and love through Jesus is exactly what our Heavenly Father has as His goal for each of us!<\/p>\n If the Perfect Father says that His grace in Jesus is our highest good, then we would do well to sync up our efforts at being Dads with Him.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Ephesians 6:4 (NIV)<\/strong><\/p>\n Fathers, do not exasperate your children; instead, bring them up in the training and instruction of the Lord<\/em>.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 1. Fathers, we must lead our children in the ways of Jesus both by example and by instruction.<\/strong><\/p>\n \u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n Obviously, Dad\u201d\u201dyou can\u201d\u2122t lead your kids in the ways of Jesus if you don\u201d\u2122t know Him personally. \u00a0(Gospel Appeal)<\/p>\n <\/p>\n NLT:\u00a0 \u201cRather, bring them up with the discipline and instruction that comes from the Lord.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n \u00a0<\/em>This is really about loving Jesus, Who said, \u201cIf you love Me, keep My commandments.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n \u00a0<\/em>Be a man of integrity who does his best to practice what he preaches to his kids!\u00a0 One sure-fire way to make sure that your kids don\u201d\u2122t respect you is to live as a hypocrite, never admitting your inconsistency.\u00a0 Your kids aren\u201d\u2122t stupid\u201d\u201dthey see right through your mask. \u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n The Message:\u00a0 \u201ctake them by the hand and lead them <\/em><\/p>\n in the way of the Lord<\/em>.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n This includes BOTH instruction<\/span> and example<\/span>.\u00a0 Jesus certainly taught His disciples, as their Teacher.\u00a0 But He also modeled what He taught\u201d\u201dHe lived out God\u201d\u2122s ways in front of them.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n And even when we ARE hypocritical in our behavior or words, Dads\u201d\u201dand we will be, we must be humble enough to admit it\u201d\u201dto come clean with our kids.\u00a0 They will respect us all the more for it!<\/em><\/p>\n \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 <\/strong><\/p>\n \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a02.\u00a0<\/strong>Fathers, we must demonstrate the grace of Jesus to our children in how we relate to them.<\/strong><\/p>\n \u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n Ephesians 6:4\u201d\u201d\u201cFathers, do not exasperate your children<\/em>; instead, bring them up in the training and instruction of the Lord.\u201d (NIV)<\/p>\n The Message:\u00a0 \u201cFathers, don\u201d\u2122t exasperate your children by coming down hard on them.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n \u00a0<\/em>NLT:\u00a0 \u201cFathers, do not provoke you children to anger by the way you treat them.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n \u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n Of all the aspects of being a father that Paul could have focused on, WHY does he warn fathers about provoking their children to anger<\/span><\/em>?<\/em><\/p>\n \u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n a)\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Children naturally respond to authority with anger and rebellion.<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n Our kids don\u201d\u2122t want to be told what to do.\u00a0 Every child comes into this world ready to do their own thing and be their own boss.\u00a0 But God has made us fathers to be the authority figure in our child\u201d\u2122s lives.\u00a0 And there will be sufficient anger simply because we are dads and our kids are kids!<\/p>\n <\/p>\n But, Paul also knows that . . .<\/p>\n <\/p>\n b)\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Men naturally love having authority and don\u201d\u2122t naturally use their authority with grace toward those under them.<\/span><\/p>\n \u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n For our children to experience grace and love from us as fathers should be our ultimate goal!<\/em><\/strong>\u00a0 That does NOT mean that we abdicate our authority.\u00a0 It means that we exercise our authority with the love\/grace\/mercy with which God \u201cfathers\u201d us every day<\/em>!<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Colossians3:21\u201d\u201d\u201cFathers, do not embitter your children, or they will become discouraged.\u201d (NIV)<\/p>\n <\/p>\n The Message:\u00a0 \u201cdon\u201d\u2122t come down too hard on your children or you\u201d\u2122ll crush their spirits.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n This doesn\u201d\u2122t mean we don\u201d\u2122t punish our children when they do wrong.\u00a0 In fact, sometimes our children need strong consequences because of the nature of their sin.\u00a0 But HOW we mete out discipline is extremely important.\u00a0 You know, even when God has to \u201ctake us to the woodshed\u201d, He does so as our Father, with grace and gentleness\u201d\u201dyet, firmly and clearly getting His point across!<\/p>\n <\/p>\n For our children to experience grace and love from us as fathers should be our ultimate goal!<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n <\/p>\n Practically<\/span>:<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a01. Work hard to show your children that you care about the details of their lives and want them to talk to you about everything.<\/strong><\/p>\n <\/p>\n 1 Peter 5:7\u201d\u201d\u201cGive all your worries and cares to God, for he cares about what happens to you.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Deuteronomy 32:10-11\u201d\u201d\u201cHe found them in a desert land, in an empty, howling wasteland.\u00a0 He surrounded them and watched over them; he guarded them as his most precious possession.\u00a0 Like an eagle that rouses her chicks and hovers over her young, so he spread his wings to take them in and carried them aloft on his pinions.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a02. Work on HOW you relate to your children\u201d\u201dwhether instruction or correction\/discipline<\/strong>.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Think about the tone of your voice<\/span>, your body language<\/span> and the way you phrase<\/span> your interaction with your children.<\/p>\n Psalm 103:8, 10-14\u201d\u201d\u201cThe Lord is merciful and gracious; he is slow to get angry and full of unfailing love . . . He has not punished us for all our sins, nor does he deal with us as we deserve.\u00a0 For his unfailing love toward those who fear him is as great as the height of the heavens above the earth.\u00a0 He has removed our rebellious acts as far away from us as the east is from the west.\u00a0 The Lord is like a father to his children, tender and compassionate to those who fear him.\u00a0 For he understands how weak we are; he knows we are only dust.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n It is very important to deal with any anger\/aggravation you might have and not let that come out in your relationship with the child.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cThe medicine goes down a lot easier\u201d if I don\u201d\u2122t raise my voice as much and carefully choose my words so as not to \u201cpush my child\u201d\u2122s buttons\u201d.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n For our children to experience grace and love from us as fathers should be our ultimate goal!<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a03.\u00a0<\/strong>Go out of your way to show your children that you love them unconditionally, all the time, no matter what by doing things for them that are particularly meaningful to each child.<\/strong><\/p>\n \u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n \u201cnor does he deal with us as we deserve.\u00a0 For his unfailing love toward those who fear him is as great as the height of the heavens above the earth.\u201d (Psalm 103:10-11)<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cIt is a wise father that knows his own child.\u201d <\/p>\n \u201cA man never stands as tall as when he kneels to help a child.\u201d <\/p>\n For our children to experience grace and love from us as fathers should be our ultimate goal!<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n \u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n Conclusion\u201d\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n \u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n We need to be men like Jesus<\/span><\/em>.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n John <\/strong>1:14<\/strong> (NLT)<\/strong><\/p>\n So the Word became human and lived here on earth among us.\u00a0 He was full of<\/strong> unfailing love<\/em><\/strong> and faithfulness<\/em><\/strong>.\u00a0 And we have seen His glory, the glory of the only Son of the Father.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n John <\/strong>3:30<\/strong> (NLT)<\/strong><\/p>\n He must become greater and greater, and I must become less and less.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Proverbs <\/strong>14:26<\/strong> (NLT)<\/strong><\/p>\n <\/strong>Those who fear the Lord are secure; he will be a refuge for their children.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n For our children to experience grace and love from us as fathers should be our ultimate goal!<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n <\/p>\n Dave Posey<\/strong><\/p>\n <\/strong>Dad\u201d\u00a6God wants to rescue you from all the unfounded shame and lost hope created by false, idealistic notions of greatness that is romanticized in our culture. There are no heroes but Jesus<\/em><\/strong>. And this is no mere concession, it\u201d\u2122s the way it was meant to be all along. Great men are those “rooted and established in love” – a divine love for you that sounds too good to be true!\u00a0 The stories of great men are only those stories that magnify the greatness of God’s love, grace, and mercy!Behind every seemingly great man is an untold story of great and constant failure that turns out to open the heart to this love from God that is infinitely deep, broad, and high – one that “surpasses knowledge”. The stories of great men are only those stories that magnify the greatness of God’s love, grace, and mercy!<\/p>\n Behind every seemingly great man is an untold story of great and constant failure that turns out to open the heart to this love from God that is infinitely deep, broad, and high – one that “surpasses knowledge”. The stories of great men are only those stories that magnify the greatness of God’s love, grace, and mercy!Behind every seemingly great man is an untold story of great and constant failure that turns out to open the heart to this love from God that is infinitely deep, broad, and high – one that “surpasses knowledge”. The stories of great men are only those stories that magnify the greatness of God’s love, grace, and mercy!nds to good to be true. Behind every seemingly great man is an untold story of great and constant failure that turns out to open the heart to this love from God that is infinitely deep, broad, and high – one that “surpasses knowledge”. The stories of great men are only those stories that magnify the greatness of God’s love, grace, and mercy!<\/p>\n Men\u201d\u201dbeing a Godly father is NOT primarily about moral training, though that is a part. <\/em><\/p>\n \u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n Being a Godly father is embracing and resting in God\u201d\u2122s grace and then \u00a0incarnating God\u201d\u2122s grace\u201d\u201dthe Gospel\u201d\u201din your relationships with your children!<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n \u00a0<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n For our children to experience grace and love from us as fathers should be our ultimate goal!<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n Celebration of the Lord\u201d\u2122s Supper<\/strong><\/p>\n <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Message by Chad Kelly rec0616-114344 Introduction\u201d\u201d \u00a0Dads, we all wish we could reign like this [King on the Throne Slide] BUT\u201d\u00a6 For most of us, this is the only throne we\u201d\u2122ll ever sit on! [Frog on \u201d\u02dcThrone\u201d\u2122 Slide] \u00a0Our world … Continue reading A Father\u201d\u2122s True Power:\u00a0 GRACE<\/span><\/em><\/strong><\/em><\/strong><\/h3>\n
\n(William Shakespeare)<\/p>\n
\n(Knights of Pythagoras)<\/p>\n