Title – A Fathers Place

Please read (Josh. 24:15). The Old Testament records, in the Book of Joshua, where Joshua MAKES A DECISION, then he MAKES AN ANNOUNCEMENT.First, he decides that he is going to serve the Lord. He makes the decision for everybody in his family – his wife and children. I would like to think that it reached further than his immediate family. Second, HE MADE AN ANNOUNCEMENT. He said, “As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.” THAT IS A BIG STATEMENT.

In our home I have an office and on the door I have a plaque that has this same scripture written. Our son left home for several years and lived for the world. He walked away from God and against the way he was raised. With broken hearts, my wife and I never gave up, never stopped praying and never stopped loving him. He now is living for God and back in Church. What a blessing this has been for both me and my wife. NEVER GIVE UP.

GOD EXPECTS FATHERS TO LEAD. I don’t want to be too hard on Fathers, but God expects YOU TO LEAD. Nowhere in the Bible does God INDICATEthat women are to lead. It wasn’t Mrs. Joshua who said WE SHALL SERVE THE LORD. She didn’t say I’ll make old Joshua WALK THE CHALK LINE and he will do right. No, it was Joshua who said, Me and My house would serve the Lord.

IT IS VERY IMPORTANT THAT THE HOME BE RIGHT. As goes the Home, so goes the Church; and as goes the Church, so goes the Nation. If the Home is to be right, then FATHERS [Men] MUST BE ITS CENTER. I have read plaques on  the walls of Homes that have read: What is a Home WITHOUT A MOTHER? But I have never read a plaque that said WHAT IS A HOME WITHOUT A FATHER. Yet he is the most important MEMBER OF THE FAMILY, BECAUSE HE IS THE HEAD OF THE HOME.

Mothers are wonderful AND HAVE A VERY IMPORTANT PLACE IN THE HOME, but if the home IS TO BE RIGHT, THEN THE FATHER [Men] MUST BE THE LEADER.

The first message about a CHRISTIAN FAMILY then has to be to FATHERS [Men], because God DEPENDS ON MEN to lead the Church. God DEPENDS on men to lead the state. God DEPENDS on men to LEAD THE HOME. We need in America some born-again, blood-washed Men with a strong spiritual backbone who will begin again TO LEAD IN THIS COUNTRY.

THE MAN IS TO REPRESENT CHRIST, and the WOMAN IS TO REPRESENT THE CHURCH in the Home. That is our proper place every day of our lives until we die. If my wife doesn’t represent the Church in her role, it still DOESN’T EXCUSE ME from my place to represent Christ. I identify my responsibility, MAKING SURE I DO WHAT I AM SUPPOSED TO DO.

In the husband and wife relationship, if my wife and I have a falling out then it is MY PLACE to initiate the making up. It wasn’t the CHURCH THAT SOUGHT CHRIST, but CHRIST WHO CAME TO US.

It was Jesus who took the blame and shame and WAS WILLING TO DO THE SUFFERING so that sinners could be reconciled to Him. A man ought to be willing to say, LET’S GET THINGS STRAIGHTENED OUT HERE. He should make the first move in RESTORING HARMONY in the Home. A man’s relationship to his wife is the same as that of Christ to the Church.

IT IS ALSO THE FATHER’S [Man’s] PLACE TO LEAD IN SETTING A MORAL EXAMPLE IN THE HOME. I have heard it said that there is no man good enough to marry a good Christian girl. THAT IS NOT TRUE. There are some young men who are just as virtuous and pure as some young girls are. Some young men don’t go around with a filthy mouth telling dirty jokes. Some men don’t get drunk, curse and carouse. There are some GOOD, CLEAN MEN. These are the kind of boys we want to raise. This is the kind we want to TURN OUT from our Christian Schools and Churches.

There is a silly idea going around that we ought to expect more of girls than we do of boys. Sin is sin and wrong is wrong no matter who is doing it. But do you know what? I think IT IS WORSE FOR MEN to smoke, drink or tell dirty jokes-because Man WAS MADE IN THE IMAGE OF GOD. Woman was taken from Man’s Side, made from his rib. It is worse for Men to live like that because the Man IS GOD TO HIS CHILDREN, not the wife. HE IS CHRIST TO HIS WIFE; His wife is not Christ to him. Men are to set THE MORAL EXAMPLE IN THE HOME. Men, be and act like you would want your Children to be and act.

Also, MEN [and Fathers] SHOULD TAKE THE SPIRITUAL LEAD IN THE HOME. Not only should Men [and Fathers] set the moral example, but YOU ARE ALSO TO LEAD SPIRITUALLY IN THE HOME. I know some men who say, “Well, I let my wife do the Bible reading, Prayer time and Church going. I have too much to do.” Men the message you are sending your Children is that God is only for women, girls and boys.  BUT THAT IS NOT WHAT GOD WANTS. GOD WANTS YOU [Fathers and Men] TO TAKE THE LEAD. Please read (1Cor. 14:34, 35). It talks about women remaining silent in Church. The implication is that the husbandOUGHT TO HAVE THE ANSWER. He ought to be the SPIRITUAL TEACHER and he ought to teach the Bible TO HIS WIFE. There are times when the wife goes to a Bible Class and learns more than the husband. She becomes more spiritual in a sense. He then feels INFERIOR because of her Bible knowledge and doesn’t want to read the Bible, DOESN’T WANT TO TAKE THE SPIRITUAL LEAD. She may feel a little Superior and may want to tell him all she knows about the Bible, when she does, SHE IS OUT OF HER PLACE. You may have a happier marriage if you just change some diapers and have cornbread and beans cooked when he gets home at night.

One fellow said, “I don’t know what my wife does all day long, but I sure wish the oven was as hot as the television set when I get home every evening.”

But MEN [Fathers] OUGHT TO TAKE THE SPIRITUAL LEAD IN THE HOME. You ought to be the one who says, “We’re going to Sunday School this morning,” instead of getting up and saying, “DOES ANYBODY WANT TO GO TO SUNDAY SCHOOL?” You don’t say WHO WANTS TO TAKE A SHOWER? You make your Children bathe and brush their teeth.

My son came in from cutting the grass and working in the yard one day and he had dirt all over him and was sweating as well. I didn’t say son WOULD YOU LIKE TO TAKE A SHOWER? I said make sure you take a shower and be sure and clean your ears good. He didn’t say, “DADDY I FEEL LEAD TO TAKE A SHOWER.” I don’t say, “I’m going to LET YOU MAKE YOUR CHOICE about whether you ought to take a shower. I don’t want to warp your personality.” No I said,“IF YOU DON’T TAKE A SHOWER, I’m going to warp something.”

Now taking a shower IS NOT NEARLY AS IMPORTANT as his Eternal Salvation, his Home in Heaven, his Character or his Moral Purity. These things are much MORE IMPORTANT than getting the dirt off his ears and cleaning the sweat off his body. We ought to be that much MORE staunch about spiritual things!

A Man [Father] ought to take the lead in the Home Spiritually. IT OUGHT TO BE DADDY who says, LET’S PRAY, LET’S GO TO CHURCH. IT OUGHT TO BE DADDY, who says, LETS READ THE BIBLE. Every FATHER on Wednesday Evening ought to call home and say, WIFE, have supper ready at 6:00 becauseWE’RE GOING TO PRAYER MEETING TONIGHT. MEN [Fathers] SHOULD LEAD IN THE DISCIPLINE OF THEIR CHILDREN. Men not only should lead the Home Spiritually, But DADDY SHOULD DISCIPLINE THE CHILDREN. Mr. Spock’s teaching on how to rear Children HAS NOT PRODUCED what he thought it would. Instead it HAS PRODUCED a bunch of rebellious hippies and dope addicts WHO HAVE NO RESPECT FOR AUTHORITY. You say YOU CAN’T RAISE THEM RIGHT TODAY. Don’t tell me that, YOU JUST WAITED TOO LATE.

I had a strict Daddy. When he said to sit down or be quite he meant it. We didn’t have any sit-ins; in fact we had a few stand-ups because we couldn’t sit down. I had an old fashioned Daddy. He was very Patriotic, he furnished the stripes and I saw the stars. I’ll never forget the last whipping he gave me. I said you’ll never whip me again. He said, “What’d you say?” I said wait a minute! Let me explain. I mean I’m never going to do anything else that will merit a whipping.

The last time I saw him he laughed and shook my hand and said, YOU REMEMBER THAT? I said I remember. He said You know you never did anything else to get a whipping. THAT WAS THE LAST TIME I ever whipped you. YOU MUST BREAK A CHILD’S WILL WITHOUT BREAKING HIS SPIRIT.

Some of you 250 pound men can’t do anything with a 100 pound boy. You say I wish I could make my boy LIVE RIGHT. YOU CAN. But you must do it like the Bible teaches. For every dope addict and draft dodger in this country, you have a delinquent parent WHO PRODUCED HIM. There are no more dropouts in the Country THAN THE MOMS AND DADDY’S WHO PRODUCED THEM.

DISCIPLINE YOUR CHILDREN.  When they are little, they step on your toes, somebody said, but when they are older, THEY STEP ON YOUR HEART. That doesn’t have to happen. They don’t have to step on your toes or your heart. If my son ever stepped on my toes, he backed away and said, I DIDN’T MEAN TO DADDY. But I have seen little kids stand on their Daddy’s feet and stomp on his toes. Honey, don’t step on Daddy’s shoes. You’re going to skin Daddy’s shoes up.Waaaaah! Well, go ahead, if it makes you feel better, step on Daddy’s shoes. I’m not bragging but I never told my son to do something 3 times.

Isn’t it strange! A Man can raise a prize dog, but HE CAN’T REAR A CHILD! I have been in homes where the Children tore the house down but the Parents could say to the dog, Skip, sit up, Skip, roll over, Skip, go get the paper, AND SKIP WOULD OBEY. If they had used on Bobby what they used on Skip, they could have made Bobby sit up and go get the paper.

But the world’s foolosophy ABOUT REARING KIDS IS WRONG. DADDY SHOULD TAKE THE SPIRITUAL LEAD IN THE HOME. He should set the moral example. Daddy should discipline his Children. Make them obey. Kids should learn early in life TO HAVE RESPECT for authority. If they don’t, THEY WILL HAVE NO RESPECT FOR AUTHORITY when they leave home.

If God doesn’t give us a generation of Men, MEN [FATHERS] I don’t know what is going to happen to this world. I like a MAN, I’M TIRED OF THESE POODLE-DOG MEN. I’D LIKE TO RUN INTO a Bulldog every once in a while who can grit his teeth and growl AND RUN THINGS RIGHT.

God give us MEN WHO WILL TAKE THE LEAD; MEN who will say on prayer meeting night, LET’S GO TO PRAYER MEETING; MEN who will say on Sunday Morning, LET’S GO TO SUNDAY SCHOOL; MEN who will say on Sunday Night, LET’S GO TO CHURCH TONIGHT…God give us MEN WHO EARN AND DESERVE THE RESPECT OF THEIR WIVES AND CHILDREN.

You only have one shot at being a Father. This Father’s Day let’s make a decision, MEN that we’re going to do better and lead our Families God’s Way.

May God Bless you and your ministries is my prayer…and please pray for us as we do you.

In Christ;

Bro. Randy Davis