In the name of Christ Jesus, dear fellow redeemed people of God,

The first Father's Day was celebrated in 1910, but long before that God's Word taught the value of fathers. God wants fathers to be men of God who lead their families saying, with Joshua, "as for me and my household, we will serve the Lord" (Jos 24:15). Christian fathers are very important. But, this Father's Day, let's not forget about our heavenly Father. Today...

1. FOR BEING OUR HEAVENLY FATHER.

When the disciples asked Jesus to teach them to pray, he taught them the Lord's Prayer which begins with the words, "Our Father who art in heaven." When we pray this prayer, we are saying that he is our Father and we are God's children. Yet, not everyone can rightfully call God, "Father." Only believers are God's adopted children. Only believers have a direct-line access to almighty God. If you would try to call President Bush on the phone, would you get through to talk to him? I doubt it. You might get a recording or a secretary who would politely tell that not everyone can speak with the President. But if the President's daughters would call, they would get right through, because he's their dad! The same is true with God. This might come as a surprise to some people, but not just anyone has access to God in prayer.

Isaiah chapter 59 says, "Your iniquities have separated you from your God; your sins have hidden His face from you, so that He will not hear." Sin forms a barrier between sinners and God, who is holy. Since we were all born in sin, since we are all sinners, none of us had the right to call God, "our Father." But God brought us to faith and adopted us in Baptism. Galatians chapter 3 is talking about believers when it says, "You are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus, for all of you who were baptized into Christ have been clothed with Christ." God adopted us in Baptism. He made us members of His family. By faith in Christ, God is our Father, and we believers are His children.

The only reason we have this status before God is because the real Son of God, Jesus Christ, earned it for us. Galatians 4 puts it this way, "when the time had fully come, God sent His Son, born of a woman, born under law, to redeem those under law, that we might receive the full rights of sons." Jesus had to be born under the law to live a perfect life in our place. Jesus had to die on the cross to redeem us from sin. He did all of that to redeem us and give us "the full rights of sons." Now, everyone who believes in Jesus is a child of God. And God listens to our prayers, for Jesus' sake.

Luther describes this so well when he says that "God tenderly invites us to believe that he is our true Father and we are his true children, so that we may pray to him as boldly and confidently as dear children ask their dear father." We don't need to be afraid of God. He's our heavenly Father. He always treats us well. He created us and the world we live in. He still preserves us each day by helping us to breathe and giving us our health and putting food on our tables. He redeemed us with His perfect plan of salvation. He has sent the Holy Spirit into our hearts to give us faith through Word and Sacrament. Finally, he will take us and all of his children home to heaven. What a wonderful Father we have! On this Father's Day, ... LET US PRAISE GOD, FOR BEING OUR HEAVENLY FATHER, and...

2. FOR PROVIDING CHRISTIAN FATHERS.

God has given us our dads, and our dads can be great blessings. They can listen when we have problems. They can give us godly advice. They can discipline children when needed. They can teach children right from wrong. God's Word lays a pretty big load of responsibility on fathers.

God wants each father to be a good PATTERN, a godly example, for his children. God's Word simply assumes that children will imitate their fathers. In John 8, Jesus told the Jews, "If you were Abraham's children, you would do what Abraham did." Children do what their fathers do. Maybe some of you still remember that commercial from the American Lung Association many years ago. A father and his son were washing the car. The father sprayed the car with the hose. The son sprayed the car with his squirt gun. The father washed the tires. The son washed the tires. The father sat down under a tree. The son sat down under the same tree. Then the father took out a cigarette, and the commercial asked what the son would do. The obvious implication was that the little boy would want to smoke a cigarette just like his dad. For better or for worse, fathers are patterns and role models to their children. Statistics on worship attendance support this. When dads go to church regularly, 75% of the time, the children go to church regularly for the rest of their lives. On the other hand, when dads don't attend worship regularly, 75% of the time, their children will leave the church and not attend worship. So, dads, when you attend worship and Bible study, you strongly influence your children in that direction. The pattern is in the home too. If the father uses filthy language, so will the children. If the father loses his temper often, so will the children. If the father shows daily love to his wife, his children will likely remain faithful in their marriages. If the father treats his wife like dirt, most likely so will the children. Kids tend to do what dad did about 75% of the time. So, consider what message you are sending, dads. God wants fathers to be good Christian role models.

God wants each father to be a good PROVIDER. Our Father in heaven provides us with clothing and shoes, food and drink, house and home, and all that we need. Earthly fathers are to work to provide for their families. Meanwhile, a whole generation of children is growing up today without a dad in the home. Too many fathers are running away from their God-given responsibilities. There are dead-beat dads. This is wrong. But it is not enough to just give the kids some money. Do you spend time with your children and show love to them? Sometimes, it is better Christian stewardship to take a day or two off to spend time with the family, rather than to work more overtime.

The ideal father is a PROTECTOR. Our heavenly Father defends us from every evil of body and soul. Earthly fathers will use common sense to protect their families from dangers of body and soul. It is the father's responsibility to talk about right and wrong. It is the dad's role to know what kids are watching or playing. It is your responsibility, dads, to determine with Christian wisdom if these are appropriate for your children. Both moms and dads have this responsibility.

A Christian father is a PRIEST, who prays for his family. It was Job's custom to offer prayers and sacrifices to God in behalf of his children, in case they had fallen from faith. A Christian father will pray for his children. Every day we will want to pray that God would keep our children in saving faith. We pray that God will bless our families and homes.

The ideal father is a PREACHER in the home. He is entrusted with the responsibility of seeing to it that his children learn God's Word. Scripture says right here, "Fathers, do not make your children angry, but bring them up in the training and instruction of the Lord." Don't abuse your children. Don't fall short of what God expects of you. Don't let them decide for themselves. Bring them up in the training and instruction of the Lord! Bring them to Sunday School and Christian day school. And then, lead by example. In the light of the statistics I just mentioned, what example are you setting if you just dump them off and skip out on Bible study? There is a 75% chance that they will not value God's Word when they are older. No, fathers don't have to do it all, but fathers do have to make sure that it gets done. This is not optional. This is a direct command from God! Maybe mom teaches the children and dad encourages this. But God commands Christian education! And look who God's Word mentions by name, "Fathers, ... bring them up in the training and instruction of the Lord!" Christian teachers assist in this important work, but the father must see to it that his children learn right from wrong, repentance and forgiveness, sin and grace, Law and Gospel. If you are going to do this, you must have a sharp and clear grasp of God's Word. And, to have that, you have got to be in Bible study yourself.

The Bible says that "those who have been given a trust must prove faithful" (1 Cor 4:2). Children have been entrusted to their parents. May we be faithful in taking care of our children. We hope and pray that children will turn out to be believers, but then remember that Judas fell away, even though he had Jesus Christ himself for his teacher. Our best attempts may not be enough, but may it never be said that we led them astray. May it never be said that we let them go astray because we were too nonchalant, too lazy, too indifferent. May God give us the strength of faith and the godly character to be faithful fathers, faithful parents, and faithful Christians. And may children honor their parents.

As we examine our own lives, we see our sins. We might feel some heavy guilt. I want to assure all of you of Christ's forgiveness. Jesus died on the cross to pay for all of our sins, whether we sinned as children or as parents, as married couples or single persons. Because of what Jesus did on Calvary's cross, you are forgiven.

Now, may that forgiveness give us the strength to go now and sin no more. May we be moved by God's fatherly love to be faithful in our station in live. May we give glory to God by serving faithfully in the role in life he has given us. LET US PRAISE GOD, by the way that we live. And when we fail in our important duties, let us never forget that we have a dear Father in heaven who forgives all of our sins for Jesus' sake. LET US PRAISE GOD today,
1. FOR BEING OUR HEAVENLY FATHER, and
2. FOR PROVIDING CHRISTIAN FATHERS. Amen.