…Maybe they aren’t the greatest fathers. This is going to be a little heavier than usual so I wanted to start off on a light-hearted note. We’re talking about father wounds. Some people call them daddy issues or father complexes, but the truth is, that our fathers affected all of us on a deep level. Most of this message is for people who have very deep wounds, but I think there’s something here for everyone for two reasons:

Ultimately this is a message about forgiveness. That’s what I’m going to ask you to do at the end.

None of us had perfect dads. So you’re going to have to contextualize this.

Romans‬ ‭12‬:‭17‬-‭21‬

17 Never pay back evil with more evil. Do things in such a way that everyone can see you are honorable. 18 Do all that you can to live in peace with everyone.

19 Dear friends, never take revenge. Leave that to the righteous anger of God. For the Scriptures say,

“I will take revenge;
I will pay them back,”[a]
says the Lord.

20 Instead,

“If your enemies are hungry, feed them.
If they are thirsty, give them something to drink.
In doing this, you will heap
burning coals of shame on their heads.”

21 Don’t let evil conquer you, but conquer evil by doing good.

Did you like this message, Good Good Father – Week 4? Check out more of our Sunday teachings here.

The other day, I asked my dad for advice about parenting, and this is what he said:

To parent you gotta be a Father like God, a judge like Judy, a psychologist like Dobson, a teacher and tent maker like Paul, a coach like Andy Reid, a provider like Joseph, a healer like Jesus, a comforter like the Holy Spirit, an entertainer like Petra.

In other words, parenting is hard. The good news is we have the perfect example to follow. God is the perfect father. So I think we can learn a lot about parenting by looking at the way He parents. So using God’s character, I want to give you

6 Attributes of A Good Father

1. Present
2. Kind
3. Strong
4. Generous
5. Just
6. Consistent

Be Present

If he’s not present, it doesn’t matter if he’s good. If you’re always on your phone, if the news or ESPN is more important than your kids, the rest of the list doesn’t matter. You might not always know what to do, but do something.

Does this mean you can’t go to work to provide for your kids? Or that you can’t go off to war? No. You don’t have to always be physically present. You’re not God and I’m not saying you should be a helicopter parent. In fact,

Sometimes, being present means being intentionally distant, letting them learn hard lessons through experience.

Be Kind

Does your anger and frustration ever come between you and your kids? The Bible says that God gets angry, but His anger is pointed at people who hurt His kids. To His kids, God is kind & merciful.

Be Strong

Dads, we do have a responsibility to be strong for our families. When they are weak, when they are fearful, we are courageous even when we don’t feel courageous. Why? Because our strength comes from God.

Be Generous

generosity is evidence of love. If you love someone, you will sacrifice for them. Here’s a crazy verse for you:

But those who won’t care for their relatives, especially those in their own household, have denied the true faith. Such people are worse than unbelievers.

I Timothy 5:8

Why? It proves there’s no love in your heart. If you don’t provide for your family, you don’t love them. – What is the foundational act of Christianity? ‘For God so loved the world that He GAVE!” Generosity is foundational to Christianity.

Be Just

We stand against injustice. Whenever possible we eradicate evil, & protect the innocent. We do what is right even when it’s not popular.

The Lord loves justice, and he will never abandon the godly. He will keep them safe forever, but the children of the wicked will die

Psalm 37:28

You can’t pretend at home. So if you call yourself a Christian, don’t be a hypocrite. Don’t say you’re good. Be good. Get caught being good.

Be Consistent

Hebrews tells us that Jesus is the same yesterday, today, and forever. If you make a rule, enforce it. If you set a schedule, stick to it. Consistency helps to build a kid’s confidence and security. So be consistent, especially in discipline.

“Consistency is the most difficult, yet most important part of parenting.”

– Andrew Linder

Did you like this message, Good Good Father – Week 2? Check out more of our Sunday teachings here.

This week Pastor Mike used movie clips from News of the World.

Teaching Text

Ephesians 4:11-16

¹¹ Now these are the gifts Christ gave to the church: the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, and the pastors and teachers. ¹² Their responsibility is to equip God’s people to do his work and build up the church, the body of Christ. ¹³ This will continue until we all come to such unity in our faith and knowledge of God’s Son that we will be mature in the Lord, measuring up to the full and complete standard of Christ.

¹⁴ Then we will no longer be immature like children. We won’t be tossed and blown about by every wind of new teaching. We will not be influenced when people try to trick us with lies so clever they sound like the truth. ¹⁵ Instead, we will speak the truth in love, growing in every way more and more like Christ, who is the head of his body, the church. ¹⁶ He makes the whole body fit together perfectly. As each part does its own special work, it helps the other parts grow, so that the whole body is healthy and growing and full of love.

Learn more about At The Movies 2021 teaching series HERE.

Be sure to drop your kids off at New Life Kids so they can experience a kid-friendly At The Movies 2021 where Pastor Darci will base her teachings on a theme from famous kid-friendly movies.

Did you know you can see what your child will be learning each week during New Life Kid’s At The Movies 2021 by going here?

Handing a Christian worldview to our sons and daughters isn’t going to happen without intentionality. In this short but fun series, we’ll talk about some of the ways we can help our children find the path that God created for them.