Was Joseph A Good Dad?

Kenny Song at Harvest Revival Centre

http://harvestrevivalcentre.com/

How many here are fathers, may I see your hands? Grandfathers? My hands are also raised, both hands, because I have two grandsons. That's my daughter Pam with my two grandsons while on holiday. I learned a long time ago becoming a father is much easier than being one. I became a father at 24 so you can imagine the responsibilities that came with it when I was just getting my footing on my business and married life.

Fathers, tell me if these words sound familiar.

- This is going to hurt me more than it hurts you.

- How should I know? Go ask your mother.

- Just wait till you have kids of your own.

- Who’s paying the bills around here, anyway?

- When you make your own money, you buy what you want!

- Stop playing with your food.

- Quiet! Can’t you see I’m trying to think!

- Why? Because I said so!

- My pocket money was only 20 cents.

- Buy what toys? I make my own toys when growing up.

And my favourite:

- When I was your age…

Fathers…do these sound familiar? We fathers may be very different and comes from all walks of life but there are some things only fathers can relate to. Like I said, being a father is no easy task. We have to provide, protect, instruct and discipline our children on a practical level and love and guide them spiritually.

Today, I want to look at one particular father mentioned in the bible. He is responsible for the upbringing of the Son of God. Who's that?

I titled my message, "Was Joseph a good dad?"

We have don’t have much Biblical material to work with, but I believe that Joseph like us, struggled with being a “dad” as well. In many ways, I feel for Joseph. While Mary is lifted up as the one who sacrificed, Joseph is peripheral where even in the Biblical accounts, only a few passages tell his story. Joseph was the earthly father of Jesus, the man entrusted to raise the Son of God.

Matthew 1:19-20

Because Joseph her husband was a righteous man and did not want to expose her to public disgrace, he had in mind to divorce her quietly. But after he had considered this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, "Joseph son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary home as your wife, because what is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit.

Joseph was a righteous, merciful, discrete, obedient and intelligent man, who followed God’s direction in the midst of other options.

And we know that Jesus of Nazareth came directly from his Joseph’s lineage. Jesus spent thirty years with his family before his ministry. And I have to believe that Jesus picked up his personality traits not only from His heavenly Father to whom he gives much of the credit, but also from his earthly father, who was there at least in those beginning years.

Skilled as a carpenter in the small town of Nazareth, Joseph spent time teaching his son the trade as well as providing spiritual training. Jesus is very often described as working and being taught by Joseph in his carpenter’s shop. This was an inherited occupation Jesus performed before going into His ministry. We see this today as well, as businessmen hand the mantle over to their sons or daughters. What the father does, often influences the career choices of their children.

When Jesus spoke of God as being like a loving Father, he could draw from his youth the kind of love he had from Joseph. Joseph stands as a testimony to the value of integrity, obedience, faithfulness, and especially to honouring the entrusted role of "fatherhood.” 

So, this morning let's look at Joseph and see how he was a good father.

1. First and foremost, Joseph loved his wife

Ephesians 5:28 says, “So husbands ought also to love their own wives as their own bodies. He who loves his own wife loves himself.”

There is no doubt that children watch their parents…

I strongly believe that to be a good father, you must first and foremost be a good husband (not just because my wife is here ya).

If they see disrespect, statistics show that it will carry into the children’s marriage. If they see verbal, mental, or physical abuse, children will think that to be normal. If there is little value given to wives and to the opposite spouse, children will use that model in their future homes, families, and marriages.

Words between husbands and wives, like please, sorry and thank you will be picked up by your children. During their formative years, they are like a sponge and pick up everything.

That is why when children swear, or behave rudely, it often reflects on their parents, carbon copies of the original.

Often, we use the term wreaked marriages that ends up in divorce. Have we considered the wreaked lives of their children because of the divorce? Their insecurities, their pain, and the helplessness of seeing their parents split apart.

But…

If they visibly see love and respect, it will be modelled in their marriage and family. If the father honours the mother (and vice versa), that is exactly what the children will look for in their marriage.

If the parents cherish one another, love each other, then that will carry into the children’s lives as they grow older.

That familiar Proverb rings true, “Train up a child in the way they should go: and when they are old, they will not depart from it.” (22:6)

The earthly Jesus treated women with respect. Probably more respect than any other religious leader of his day…

He loved his mom. Even to the point of making sure that she would be cared for as he died on the cross.

He valued each and every person. Whether the thief on the cross or the solider or the blind or the sick...he saw value in each person.

When Joseph had the decision before him to either leave Mary quietly or make a big fuss, even in the midst of his own pain, he wanted to do what was best for Mary, sacrificing himself, his reputation.

Jesus did the same as he gave himself up because of his love for the church. I believe he first saw that all-giving love in his father’s love for his mother. If we want to be good fathers, we need to love our wives, just as Joseph did.

2. Second, Joseph didn’t expect perfect children

I remember when my daughter came into this world, and I carried our baby for the first time, I just whispered to myself…perfect. We were very specific when we prayed for our daughter before she was born. We named her Pam after Pamela Ewing, that TV series playing at that time, because the actress was the kindest person in the TV series. Anyone knows what TV series is that?

We prayed that she would have dimples, my skin, my wife's chin, my nose, my wife's ears…and you know what? God answered every one of our heart's desire for her. She even has four dimples, though we never prayed specifically for that. Perfect. Babies are such angels. Then they grow up and how often we hear parents scream at those "little devils". We quickly learn they are not perfect.

The story in Luke of Jesus in the temple is one example. The parents take off expecting Jesus to be playing with his friends only to find out that they’ve lost their kid. (Anybody ever been there?). Have you ever suddenly lost your child for a moment, like maybe at the malls?

I remembered when I was an 8 year old, my mother took me shopping along Penang Road. We were from Alor Star. She was busy looking at clothes with my auntie, when a bald man suddenly grabbed me and ran towards Chowrasta Market. Other pedestrians shouted at him and he dropped me after about 50 meters. My mother ran and grabbed me and just held on to me crying. That feeling where you think you have lost your child. After she calmed down, I remember vividly what she told me next. "Don't tell your father". :)

Mary asked Jesus, “Why have you done this to us?” and Jesus’ response, “Did you not know that I must be about my father’s business?”

We know now what Jesus was talking about, and today we don’t fault him for this, because we understand that Jesus had a different agenda than mom or dad.

But I’d be willing to admit that Joseph had a long talk with his son on the way back home just as I would have done if that happened to my daughter.

But the point is that just as there are no perfect fathers, there was only one perfect child in Jesus Christ.

As fathers, we cannot expect children to meet all our expectations, to fulfill all our goals for them, to be what we want them to be. They are not perfect.

I was not perfect growing up. I was lazy, played a lot and exam results were never stellar. I was an average student. So when I got my results for Form 6, HSC, I failed. But I love to draw, so I told my father I want to join an Art College. Those days, Art was very different from Design Schools today. My relatives discouraged my father, saying I can never make good money and job options are few. They say artists only make money after they die.

But my dad sat me down and asked me this. Are you sure that's what you want to do? I said yes! And he took me out to Penang to register at an Art College and because of his encouragement and support, I have loved my work and I praise God I didn’t do too badly either. My dad didn’t ask for a perfect son, he just loved me, imperfect as I was.

Spilled milk, broken things here and there, a poorly written test, a dent in the family car… children make mistakes and they are far from perfect. Things can always be replaced but a broken heart is hard to mend.

But it’s the good father, like Joseph, who, even when he doesn’t understand his child, like that time in the temple, says “that’s okay, let’s go home.”

Fathers, our children may be clumsy or athletic, scatter-brained or organised, shy or cakap banyak, crude or sophisticated… love them for who they are, they are your children.

Colossians 3:21 says – “Fathers, don’t make your children resentful, or they will become discouraged.”

If we want to be good fathers, we need to understand that our children are far from perfect. Just love and encourage them.

3. For our last point this morning, Joseph did all that he could do for his child

If you turn in your Bibles to Matthew 2:13-23, we see the familiar story of Joseph taking his family to Egypt and then to Nazareth by direction of angels.

Can you imagine leaving house and home, job and career, family homestead and family ties, to pick up and move to a foreign land, just because an angel told you so?

I have to believe that Joseph was a man of prayer. And no one can contest the fact the Joseph wasn’t in direct communication with God.

For his child, for his family, and for himself, I am sure that Joseph was in prayer. Even when he and Mary couldn’t be with Jesus, they knew that where they couldn’t be, God could be.

As fathers, we need to pray for our children and our families and to God for our strength. Why? Because our Heavenly Father loves our children and our families as much as we do…even more…Amen?

I also believe that Joseph did all that he could do for his family, he prepared his children.

Joseph not only prepared his child to leave home, he prepared Jesus for a lifetime, and beyond.

Proverbs 23:24 says, “The father of the righteous will greatly rejoice, and he who begets a wise son will be glad in him.”

Preparing our children for that day when they finally leave our home is only part of the picture. Preparing them to live a productive lifetime in this world experiencing success and coping with failure, is another integral part, but it’s just that…a part.

As fathers, mothers, grandfathers, and grandmothers, we need to be preparing our children for eternity. God didn’t give us our children just to be doctors, teachers, engineers, lawyers, or preachers. He gave them to us to prepare them for everlasting life through Jesus Christ.

While we can’t choose for them, we CAN choose to show them the Way, the Truth, and the Life that leads to salvation, and their spiritual destiny. As parents, we need to be giving our children every opportunity to accept Christ for themselves.

We can’t choose for them, we can’t decide which path they are going to take, but we can set the example. I believe this is what Joseph did. Jesus knew about his spiritual heritage because of his parent’s devotion.

We, as parents, can have a Godly influence on our children. Let us never forget that their physical presence in this world is only a shadow of what eternity will be.

If we want to be good fathers, we need to do all that we can do for our families, just as Joseph did.

I do not have to tell you that Fatherhood is not doing well in our society…

Some sad and tragic incidents have happened right at our doorsteps. A group of young children riding their bicycles dangerously in the wee hours of the morning was mowed down. Where were their fathers?

Just this week a young 18 year old teenager, Nhaveen was physically and sexually attacked, because he was different and was declared brain dead before he succumbed to his injuries. Why? He knew those boys. Somebody wrote an article titled: Bullies are not born. They are raised. Where were their fathers in their upbringing?

It's not just here but it is happening everywhere. Children hardly see their fathers. I call them "Disappearing dads". Who do these children turn to for advice and guidance. Mr Google has replaced many fathers. It's sad. Google can give you information, but not Godly guidance.

My daughter Pam loves talking to my wife. They can spend hours talking. I also don't know WHAT they talk about? So much to say meh? She gives her emotional support, shares her hurts and joys, and tell each other what's happening in their lives.

Then when advice is needed, my wife will often tell her, go ask your father. Every time I get a call from her, it's for advice, opinions and decisions. That's what I'm there for. She runs to me in her time of need.

When she was just about 7 years old, she was crossing the road and the person watching her lost sight of her for 2 seconds and a motorcyclist rammed into her and she was flung meters away. I carried her in my arms and we rushed her to Gleneagles. Her waist area was turning blue black. Thank God it was only bruises because the doctor said she was so light she didn’t take the full impact.

But during that time at the hospital, she refused to let me go. Just wanting daddy to be beside. Fathers, we give our child assurance and security. It makes a world of a difference for them. A feeling only fathers can give.

Studies of young criminals have found that more than 70% of juveniles in state reform institutions come from fatherless homes. Children from broken families are nearly twice as likely as those in two-parent families to drop out of high school.

Now, more than ever, I believe that as fathers, we need to be positive role models. The most precious commodity we can give to our children are our prayers and our time. Not things.

Let us fathers learn from Joseph.

• We have to love our wives.
• We have to understand that our children are not perfect.
• We have to do all that we can do for our families.

Will you join me in prayer this morning for all fathers, grandfathers and spiritual fathers….

God, our Father, in your wisdom and love you made all things, including each and everyone of us. We give you thanks in that you are not absent, but present with us.

Bless our fathers, may they be strengthened by their faith, may they become an example of your love, and may they honour you always.

For those fathers, who have given us life and love, we show them our respect and love.

For those fathers who have lost a child through death, we pray that their faith will bring them hope and comfort.

For men, though without children, who have nurtured and cared for us as spiritual fathers, we give you thanks.

And for those fathers who are struggling, we pray for strength and wisdom that comes from you, our Abba Father.

Amen.

Wonderful worship. Love that song Good, Good Father.

Senior Pastor Rev Dr Benard Augustine

Sermon titled: "Was Joseph a Good Dad?"

A L.I.F.E.-Giving Dad

Sis Melinda Song

Traditional Jewish men at the beginning of the daily morning prayers recite: “Blessed are you, Lord, our God, ruler of the universe who has not created me a woman.” 

Being a woman, even in today’s progressive 21st century is difficult. Despite the many disadvantages to be a woman, I’m so glad that God has not created me a man.

We live in a day in which it is very difficult to be a good man.  It is even more difficult to be a good husband.  But it is most difficult to be a good dad.

There are so many demands on you men especially when you start a family.

ILLUSTRATION: Three fathers are sitting the hospital waiting room waiting on word about the birth of their children. A nurse comes out and says to the first father, “Sir, I am happy to tell you that your wife just gave birth to TWIN DAUGHTERS.”

The father replied, “Well isn't that something; I work for the DOUBLE COLA bottling company and now I have TWIN DAUGHTERS.

Pretty soon the nurse returns and says to the second father, “Sir, I am happy to tell you that your wife just gave birth to TRIPLETS. The father replied, “Well isn't that something! I work for the 3-M Corporation and I now have THREE CHILDREN all born on the same day.

As the nurse turns to go back to the delivery room she hears a loud thud. She turns and sees the third father sprawled out on the floor. She asks the other two fathers, “What's wrong with him?” One of the fathers said, “I don't know. He was telling us he works for SEVEN UP and the next thing we knew he was passed out on the floor.”

Definition of father

• A male person whose sperm unites with an egg, resulting in the conception of a child.
• A man who adopts a child.
• A man who raises a child.

Today is a day to celebrate and honour all fathers, adopted father, step-fathers, grandfathers, spiritual fathers. Fatherhood is the greatest delight but also the biggest challenge to a man.

The concept of fatherhood is very important in the Bible because God has a specific design for how the family is to operate, and at the center of it is the father. The world has discounted the importance of fathers, but the Bible defines family in the context of fatherhood.

In Ephesians 3:14-15, Paul wrote: “For this reason I kneel before the Father, from whom his whole family in heaven and on earth derives its name.” The Greek word “family” is patria and it is derived from the root pater. In Greek or Latin, this word means “father.” The definition of a family in the biblical sense is to call it “fatherhood.” Without a father, there is no family. The proof of this is that the family gets their name from the father.

Single mothers, please do not get offended. We accept single mothers with children as families. This biblical definition of a family is to show the importance of fathers. Also, the biblical definition of an orphan is to be “fatherless.” It’s not to be without both parents, but to simply be without a father.

The father is the God-ordained leader in the family (Ephesians 5:23). In 1 Timothy 3:12 the qualification for a deacon is that he must manage his children and his household well. He manages well by leading well.

When fathers lead their families well they are LIFE-givers.

L - A Father’s LOVE

1. To love is to PROVIDE

Matthew 7:9-11, NIV

9 “Which of you, if your son asks for bread, will give him a stone? 10 Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a snake? 11 If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him!

John 3:16, NIV

16 For God so loved the world that he gave…

1 Timothy 5:8, NIV

8 Anyone who does not provide for their relatives, and especially for their own household, has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever.

A good father provides for his family. At the same time a good dad does not let his children treat him like an ATM machine and take what they have for granted. Children should have realistic expectations. They should not expect to be sent overseas just because everyone is sending their children overseas.

Fathers work hard to provide for their family – food, clothing and shelter. We appreciate you.

2. To love is to PROTECT

God has given men greater physical strength than women and has also given men a need or desire to be protectors. Fathers, you are your child’s first super hero! They look to you to be their helper, defender.

Dads have to be vigilant, constantly aware, constantly on guard against danger their families may encounter. Nowadays they have to be proactive in ensuring that their children are using the internet wisely. There are predators like Richard Huckle online or offline. They have to make sure their children are not encountering things on television that their minds and hearts are not yet equipped to understand.

3. To love is to PRIORITISE

Men are prone to find their identity through work rather than family and so they tend to focus on things like work achievements, high salary, and job title. Love is more than provision for material things. Don’t miss your children’s childhood; there is no second chance at childhood.

Children interpret time spent with them as love. Forget “quality time” vs. “quantity time”. "Quality time" is a myth that the world made up to pacify their consciences, for spending too much time at work and not enough time with their families.

You cannot substitute 'presents' for 'presence’ when you are building a relationship.

ILLUSTRATION: Charles Francis Adams, a 19th century politician and diplomat, kept a daily diary. One day Adams wrote in his diary:.

“Went fishing with my son today–-a day wasted.”

His son, Brook Adams, also kept a diary, which is still in existence today. Ironically on that same day, Brook Adams wrote in his diary:

 “Went fishing with my dad today–the most wonderful day of my life.”

He never forgot that day. There were repeated references to that great experience over the next forty years in his journal. 

No matter what great things you do in life, if your children see you constantly giving your best to everyone but them, they will interpret that to mean that they are unimportant to you.

ILLUSTRATION: David Elkind, a psychologist, tells the story of visiting his middle son’s nursery school class, at the request of his teacher. She wanted him to observe a “problem child” in the class. 

While he was there, he caught a conversation between his son and some other boys. The conversation went like this.

Child A: “My daddy is a doctor and he makes lots of money and we have a swimming pool.” 

Child B: “My daddy is a lawyer and he flies to Washington and talks to the president.” 

Child C: “My daddy owns a company and we have our own airplane.” 

Then David Elkind’s boy said, “My daddy is here!” And he proudly looked in his father’s direction. (James S. Hewett, Illustrations Unlimited, p.197)

It is important to love your children, but fathers should not forget that it is as vital, if not more so, for you to love the mother of your children. There are times when a child’s immediate needs might come first momentarily, but ultimately the marriage bond has to be paramount (Eph. 5:25; Col. 3:19).

A child's security is rooted in knowing that the love from which he came is still going strong. A child who knows that his mom and dad are keeping their marriage commitments to one another, who really love each other will be far more stable and have greater emotional health than one who is torn by an unstable family situation.

PERSONAL TESTIMONY: My daughter’s friends were troubled when their parents quarrel and fight. They felt insecure thinking that their parents were going to divorce.

L - A Father’s LOVE

I – A Father’s INSTRUCTION

God has placed that primary responsibility of teaching and training squarely upon the shoulders of fathers.

Ephesians 6:4, NIV

4 Fathers, do not exasperate your children; instead, bring them up in the training and instruction of the Lord.

Just before entering the Promised Land, Moses reminds the people of Israel: "Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God is one Lord; and you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your might. And these words which I command you this day shall be upon your heart; and you shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, and when you walk by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise. And you shall bind them as a sign upon your hand, and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes. And you shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates" (Deuteronomy 6:4-9, NKJV).

The word here for “teach” is not a passive impartation of knowledge. The root meaning of this word means “to sharpen.” The idea is an active piercing of your son’s heart and mind with these truths. You have to actively look for opportunities in which to teach both the information and stress the practical application of the lesson as well as the consequences of failing to apply the lesson.

Dads, take advantage of those “TEACHING MOMENTS” in in everyday situations. Teach them THINK, to rightly divide between right and wrong. Train them how to make wise choices, how to pray about tough decisions, how to treat others with dignity and respect and to be caring and compassionate toward those who are hurting or in need.  Train them to value spiritual things more than material things, to tell the truth and to be honest in business dealing

Pro. 22:6 says, “Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it.” This does not mean that your children will be perfect if you take them to church and try to do right by them but it does mean that they will have a moral guide for their lives and actions. 

Blessed is the child who has a wise dad who is able to give good counsel and guidance in life.

ILLUSTRATION: I can always offer a shoulder to cry on but my daughter knows her Dad will always be the one to give her the best counsel.

Discipline is essential. Moses incorporates these words into his address. "Know then in your heart that, as a man disciplines his son, the Lord your God disciplines you" (Deuteronomy 8:5, NIV).

A father knows that "folly is bound up in the heart of a child" (Prov. 22:15), so he rebukes, restrains, punishes, and chastens. He knows, "He who spares the rod hates his son, but he who loves him is careful to discipline him" (Prov. 13:24). The Bible picture of a father is that of a man that, whatever the cost, is not going to let his children grow up without discipline and direction in their lives. He will not be the one responsible for their "destruction" (Prov. 19:18).

ILLUSTRATION: On 2 June 2016, former Stanford student Brock Turner was sentenced to six months in prison for sexually assaulting an unconscious woman on campus. The light sentence raised a public outcry. His dad received the most attention, claiming that his son should not go to prison for “twenty minutes of action.”

Do not be afraid to discipline. Fathers play an important role in teaching their children proper behaviour by setting and enforcing healthy limits. Very often one word from the father works faster than a thousand from the mother.

Ephesians 6:4, NIV

4 Fathers, do not exasperate your children

On the negative side, fathers are not to exasperate our children – driving them to the point of resentment with demands that are trivial or unreasonable or humiliating or abusive; nor by showing favouritism or indifference to any of them. In other words, our discipline cannot crush their spirit or demean them.

Colossians 3:21, NIV

20 Children, obey your parents in everything, for this pleases the Lord.

21 Fathers, do not embitter your children, or they will become discouraged.

Father, you are to build up and not tear down.

L - A Father’s LOVE

I –A Father’s INSTRUCTION

F –A Father’s FAITH

1. A father’s faith in GOD

1 Thessalonians 2:11, NIV

 11 For you know that we dealt with each of you as a father deals with his own children,12 encouraging, comforting and urging you to live lives worthy of God, who calls you into his kingdom and glory.

There is a tendency to pass the responsibility of spiritual training off on the Christian mothers, or a youth minister, or our children’s Sunday School teachers. But spiritual guidance cannot be delegated to others. Godly fathers are men of faith who desire to raise their children in the fear of the Lord. They pray and teach their kids to pray, and not leave it up to the church to do it. They pray for their children’s salvation.

Every husband and father is called to be the priest of his home. Great is the joy of a father like Joshua who can say:

Joshua 24:15, NIV

15 …choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your ancestors served beyond the Euphrates, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you are living. But as for me and my household, we will serve the Lord.”

God is looking for men in the home who will bless their children.

ILLUSTRATION: One report in Florida showed that while there is a high population of Jewish people in the state, the population of Jewish men in prison is very low.

Sociologists began to study this phenomenon and came to the conclusion that the reason was that Jewish fathers are more likely than other fathers to remain married to the mother of their children, and Jewish fathers traditionally bless their children.

A Jewish blessing is when the father lays his hand on the head of his child and tells that child how good he or she is and how good that child is going to do in life. They say things like, “God has given me a wonderful son. You are a blessing to me, and you will be a great man of God someday. You will be a great student, a great provider for your family, and you will be a great father to your children.” And that paternal presence and blessing is the difference between a 5 percent prison population of Jewish men and a 95 percent prison population of non-Jewish men.

Fathers, be a man of God in your home. Be a husband who is a blessing to his wife, be a father who gives a blessing to his children, and be a man of God who knows how to bless the Lord with all your soul.

2. A father’s faith in HIS CHILD

Acceptance and approval of a father through words and actions are important. A Dad builds up his children, develops their gifts and abilities, and encourages them to excel.

Commendation enriches a child’s character. A father who looks for opportunities to give commendation will help to build confidence in his children and motivate them not to give up trying to do what is right.

Dads are also called to faithfulness, the same faithfulness that is modelled by the father in the story of the prodigal son. Just imagine how the story would have ended if the father took the attitude of washing his hands off his unfilial son.

"But while he was yet at a distance, his father saw him and had compassion and ran and embraced him and kissed him" (Luke 15:20). The father, as he worked his field, was constantly scanning the horizon. His was a love that refused to give up.

Sometimes fathers may have caused some of the rebellion. If so, we need to make our overtures. Perhaps a phone call or a letter that says, "I'm sorry. Forgive me for what I said. I love you. I want a restored relationship with you."

ILLUSTRATION: In “The Water Diviner”, father and water diviner Joshua Connor (Russell Crowe) spends his days locating water and digging wells in Australia near the end of World War I. His three sons who have gone off to fight in the war are presumed dead. This is too much for his wife, Eliza, to handle and she takes her own life. To help heal his wounds, Joshua sets off for Gallipoli to find his sons bodies and return them home to bury alongside his wife.

When Joshua arrives in Turkey, he works with the local ANZACs, including Major Hasan  and Lt-Col Cyril Hughes to attempt to find his sons. He was not allowed to enter the former battle-field but he managed to get in.

Major Hasan: What are you doing with your farmer?

Lt-Col Cyril Hughes: There's a supply ship back to Constantinople in two days. 

Major Hasan: Maybe we can help him until then.

Lt-Col Cyril Hughes: You know what the chances of finding his boys are.

Major Hasan: We have the day they were killed. I know the area. 

Lt-Col Cyril Hughes: We both know it but why change everything for one father who can't stay put? 

Major Hasan: Because he is the only father who came looking.

Turkish officer Major Hasan is clearly moved by Joshua arriving looking for his sons, so much so that he instructs Hughes to help him in this mission. Hasan has never seen a parent come looking for a child lost in war and wants to give Joshua all the help he can.

Fathers, don’t give up on their children. Continue to pray for them.

L - A Father’s LOVE

I – A Father’s INSTRUCTION

F –A Father’s FAITH

E - A Father’s EXAMPLE

We have a saying - "Like father, like son." In some significant way, your children will probably turn out just like you. You are the leader model for character, integrity, values. To “train” in Ephesians 6:4 means to “teach by example.” The most important training we will ever give our children and our grandchildren is to “MODEL” for them what it means to live for JESUS CHRIST.

Our families would rather "see" a sermon than "hear" one. Your children will copy what they see. Children are the greatest video recorders ever invented. What they see and hear, they will play back perfectly. At the same time, children can't copy what they can't see. So don't expect them to love the Lord if they can't see you loving Him.

If you teach them one mode of conduct and live under a different mode yourself, they will see the hypocrisy of it all. Integrity should permeate every area of our lives. In the workplace, in church and at home

Great parenting isn't always about having a great education, great wealth to give your children, great power. It is about consistency of character. Great men and women have been raised by uneducated people, by poor people, by commoners. It is our character that counts more than our cash!

One of the most important role of a Dad is to promote a healthy gender identity in your child. Until children reach the age of from seven to ten years, they are usually more under the influence of the mother; but after that the boy needs a male model in order to develop a healthy sense of what it means to be male. Much is gained if his father commands his respect.

Research shows that dads being involved can help teenage boys stay out of trouble. Children, especially boys, learn a lot from their dads about being in relationships that will influence how they act in relationships later in their lives.

Do not underestimate the importance of fathers in their daughters’ lives. The dad is really the daughter’s first love. He is the most important man in her life. Particularly girls between the ages of 10 and 17 have a strong need for male attention, affirmation, affection and touch. If dad backs out, she’ll get what she needs from male friendships or from romantic sexual relationships. The No. 1 influence on a girl's self-esteem is affection from her dad. His interactions with her set her up for how she’s going to relate to all other men and to God.

Fathers, you are very important. You are life-givers.

Blessed is the child who has experienced…

L - A Father’s LOVE

I – A Father’s INSTRUCTION

F –A Father’s FAITH

E - A Father’s EXAMPLE

Fatherhood remains one of the highest ideals among men because it is a creation and reflection of God. Fathers are to be commended and honoured for this and for the pressures they face, whether it is the pressures of past failures, providing for families, or being a positive influence. 

Malachi 4:5-6, NIV

5 "See, I will send you the prophet Elijah before that great and dreadful day of the Lord comes. 6 He will turn the hearts of the fathers to their children, and the hearts of the children to their fathers; or else I will come and strike the land with a curse." 

In the New Testament, Jesus revealed the most important title that God enjoys is “Father”.  Jesus called God Father more than any other title. In fact, He almost exclusively used the name Father in reference to God.

Since Father is the greatest title we can ascribe to God, then it stands to reason that every man should be proud to be called father. Even a single man is called to be a father to the fatherless. Fatherhood should be exalted as the greatest job for man.

Godly fathers not only makes all the difference in the family but also in the world and, most important of all, in eternity too!

Today on Father’s Day would be a good moment all men to re-commit to being a hero for their daughters and role models for their sons but not just to them, but where they can, to invest in other young lives too.