MOTIVATE

µ       Personal blessing not only bc of Father’s day but daughter’s 4^th bday!

µ       Today is Father’s Day and the name “Father” is a sacred title.

–          In Genesis, father’s are the patriarch’s – one’s whom lead, protect, serve and love their family; they are respected and honored for leaving a godly legacy. They include: Adam, Noah, Abraham, Isaac, Jacob and Joseph.

–          In Exodus, when God gave 10 Commandments, one was “honor [give significance, weight; respect] your father and mother, that your days may be long in the land”

–          In the second giving of the Law (Deuteronomy), fathers are commanded to instruct children to love and worship God (chapter 6).

–          Joshua challenged the Israelites entering the promised land, “choose this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your fathers served in the region beyond the river, or the gods of the Amorites in whose land you dwell. But as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord” (24:15)

–          King David is viewed as a godly father and from his seed would come an eternal King and kingdom (1Kings 3:14)

–          Later when the promised Seed arrives, Jesus, teaches the disciples to pray to our Heavenly Father (Matthew 6)

–          And Jesus is the One from the Father and fully surrendered to the Father’s will (John’s Gospel)

–          God is a “Father of the fatherless” (Psalm 68:15) “as a father showing compassion to those who fear him” (Psalm 103:13)

–          God adopts us into His family and we can cry out to him, “Abba! [Daddy], Father!” (Romans 8:15)

 

EXAMINE          Genesis 9         Beautiful Fatherhood

In today’s passage we conclude the story of Noah.  Genesis is like a movie camera zooming out to the big picture and then zooming in to various individuals and their encounters with God. So, we end the journey of Noah’s ark and see a new creation of humanity. God blesses Noah and family as He did the first humanity (Adam & Eve). If you remember from the opening message of this series, the word blessing and its derivatives appear over 80x in Genesis, which is more than any other book in all the Bible.[1] God’s blessing is a primary theme in the book of Genesis. In Genesis 9 we can see 2 reasons why God blesses the new creation; and specifically with fathers.

 

God blesses Fathers to multiply believers (9:1-7).

After Noah and his family leave the ark, they build an altar to worship and God responds. He blesses them and gives them a familiar command. “Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth.” This is the same command God gave to Adam & Eve at the original creation in Genesis 1:27-28. Noah, his wife along with his sons and their wives are to produce new children who will be raised up to walk with God and be righteous with God.

Again, humanity is given charge over all creation. However, there is specific instruction for them to not murder – eating flesh with its blood (live animals) or the taking of another human life. There is to be respect for life, especially mankind for they are made in God’s image. The command to be fruitful is repeated, emphasizing the multiplication of future generations to worship God.

 

Pastor John Piper says,

Marriage is for making children—that is, procreation. Having babies. This is not the main meaning of marriage. But is an important one and a biblical one. This purpose of marriage is not merely to add more bodies to the planet. The point is to increase the number of followers of Jesus on the planet… Couples who cannot make children because of issues of infertility can still aim to make children followers of Jesus. God’s purpose in making marriage the place to have children was never merely to fill the earth with people, but to fill the earth with worshipers of the true God. One way for a marriage to fill the earth with worshipers of the true God is to procreate and bring the children up in the Lord. But that’s not the only way. When the focus of marriage becomes, “Make children disciples of Jesus,” the meaning of marriage in relation to children is not mainly, “Make them,” but, “Make them disciples.” And the latter can happen, even where the former doesn’t.[2]

 

Psalm 127

“Behold, children are a heritage from the Lord, the fruit of the womb a reward. Like arrows in the hand of a warrior are the children of one’s youth. Blessed is the man who fills his quiver with them! He shall not be put to shame”

 

Is your marriage a disciple-making factory; raising up believers and generations to worship God?

• SPBC values Leading Generations: Nursery, SS, TeamKid… Small Groups to care/equip parents
• Just as God started over with a new creation – so you can too! Genesis is about beginnings, start anew!

 

 

 

God blesses Fathers to multiply blessings (9:8-17).

After the commands and instruction to multiply believers, God continues His blessings and expects humanity to share the same. He establishes a covenant with all the earth to never again destroy entirely the earth. The sign of this covenant was the rainbow. His covenant blessing extended to at least two areas:

 

Blessing over creation (vv.8-17)

The rainbow was a promise of protection. It is a reflection and refraction of sunlight through water, displayed in various colors of red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo and violet. The bow was not only a sign of the covenant to protect the earth but also a symbol of God’s glory (Ezekiel 1:28; Revelation 10:1, 21:19-20).

ð      Redeem culture’s use of the rainbow. It points to God’s deliverance from sin and not mankind’s promotion of sinful lifestyle.

• Worship and live for the Creator’s design and not our own.

 

Blessing of children honoring God (vv.18-28).

After a while, Noah and his family began to multiply and fill the earth. Noah became a man of the soil. He was wise according to God’s design of creation (planting a vineyard) but he was unwise in its use (becoming drunk and exposing himself).

ð      Be wise to God but foolish to the world. Our knowledge of evil should not be based on experience. This is the same sin of Adam & Eve – knowing good and evil.
Jesus said, “Behold, I am sending you out as sheep in the midst of wolves, so be wise as serpents and innocent as doves” (Matthew 10:16).

 

Noah’s children responded to his sin in contrasting ways. Ham saw his father’s nakedness and told the other brothers. Some commentators say a sexual sin took place here. There is no need for speculation, a son seeing his father shamefully naked and then gossiping about it to others is enough sin on its own. Shem and Japeth’s response was to cover their father’s nakedness.

 

Remember in the garden when Adam & Eve sinned? Their guilt and shame recognized their nakedness and God had to cover them. Here is a repeating situation where the good sons cover the sin, the bad son spreads indecency. Rather than honor his father – the man who taught him about God and saved his life in the ark – Ham makes a mockery of his father.

 

ð      Children, you are not responsible for parental sin. However, you are responsible for how you respect them and reflect God’s image to them.

• Obey them, unless there is sin involved (Ephesians 6:1-3).
• Forgive them of their mistakes/sin, as God has forgiven you.

“For if you forgive others their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you, but if you do not forgive others their trespass, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.” Matt 6:14-15

 

When Noah discovered the contrasting reactions of his children he dispensed both discipline and reward. He cursedCanaan(Ham’s children) and he blessed Shem & Japeth. Everyone questions why Noah disciplined his grandson and not his son. The idea is that Ham’s children will follow in his ungodly example. This is Noah speaking, not God. So, Noah’s discipline is in anger and perhaps not perfect. However, indeed Noah’s words would be prophetic in that the Canaanites would be ungodly and Shem’s offspring would be blessed.

○        FollowCanaan’s offspring in Genesis 10:15-20 with their Joshua 3:10. They would be thorns inIsrael’s side.

○        Follow Shem’s offspring Genesis 11:10-26 with Genesis 12:7 & Galatians 3:7-9

 

ð      Children, follow godly examples in your family. If you have none, look in the church or better – look to your Heavenly Father!

Psalm 27:10 “For my father and mother have forsaken me, but the Lord will take me in.”

ð      Fathers/Parents, discipline your children in love not anger.

Proverbs 3:11-12 “My son, do not despise the Lord’s discipline or be weary of his reproof, for the Lord reproves him who he loves, as a father the son in whom he delights.”

Ephesians 6:4 “Fathers, do not provoke your children to anger, but bring them up in the discipline and instruction of the Lord.”

ð      Fathers/Parents, bless your children for God’s greatness.

Psalm 128 “Blessed is everyone who fears the Lord, who walks in his ways! You shall eat the fruit of the labor of your hands; you shall be blessed, and it shall be well with you. Your wife will be like a fruitful vine within your house; your children will be like olive shoots around your table. Behold, thus shall the man be blessed who fears the Lord. The Lord bless you from Zion! May you see the prosperity of Jerusalem all the days of your life! May you see your children’s children! Peace be upon Israel!”

 

APPLY/THINK

µ      Honor Dads & Men who leave a godly legacy. If you cannot honor your dad, honor his label not his legacy. You are an example to other children to honor parents and likewise you will one day be a man and perhaps dad whom you will be responsible to leave a legacy. 

µ      Noah was a fallen father… BUT God is a faithful Father

• God gives both love and disciplined judgment to His Son.

µ      Ham was a fallen son…BUT Jesus is a faithful Son

• Jesus honors His Father and covers our sin.