Fathers Serving God

Introduction

Do you have a good father? Did you have a good father? While you were growing up, many of you know that I did not grow up with my biological father. I’ve never seen him before in person. I’ve never even seen a picture of him before. I could walk by him on the street today and not know that he was my father. I cannot answer that question as it relates to my biological father, but let me ask you this way now. What about the Bible? Well, what about the word of God? If someone were to put you on a spot today and I asked you to take out a sheet of paper and provide a list of ten good fathers in the Bible, who would you put?

Who would you list? I gotta tell you, brothers and sisters, that I really struggle answering that question because the fact of the matter is there are not a lot of good fathers in the Bible. There are not a lot of good fathers in the old testament or in the New Testament. Take for example, David.

He was a bad father. He didn’t discipline his children. He didn’t rebuke them whenever they committed sin. He had a son and raped his sister. And another son who tried to usurp his throne, his throne by force, and then he had another son who tried to kill Solomon. But Solomon was an heir to the throne. David was a bad father. And so was Samuel. While Samuel was a prophet and a priest and a judge, his two sons, Joel and Abijah, were known in Israel to be wicked and corrupt men who actually were appointed to be judges in Israel by their father. Samuel was a bad father, and maybe he learned that from Eli. Remember, Eli was the high priest and the mentor of Samuel, and God rebuked Eli.

And he pronounced judgment on him and his whole household because Eli essentially was a hypocrite. Because Eli knew that his sons, Hophni and Phineas, were doing some evil and corrupt things at the tabernacle of God, and he didn’t do anything about it. He didn’t try to stop them. In fact, the Bible says he actually participated in some of their and some of their evil. Eli was a bad father. And let’s not forget about Jacob and his father Isaac. Both of them committed a big no no when it comes to being a parent. And that is they picked a favorite kid. Big no no. Remember, both Isaac and Jacob picked favorite sons. And that led to all kinds of hostility and grudges and hatred between their children.

There’s so many other examples we could put on this slide, but the point remains the same. The point is there are not a lot of good fathers in the Bible. There are not a lot of good fathers for us as men today to look at and imitate and model our lives after. And I don’t know about you, but that can be discouraging. That can be very, very discouraging, especially when you consider how important the Bible says a father is to his family. Going back to Ephesians chapter 6 and verse 4. Remember what the apostle Paul says to fathers in that verse. In Ephesians chapter 6 and verse 4, the apostle Paul says, Fathers, do not provoke your children to anger, but bring them up in the discipline and the instruction of the Lord.

Notice how Paul says here that being a father is serious business. It’s not a game. It’s serious business. It’s a huge responsibility that should never be taken lightly because God made fathers to be the leaders. He made fathers to be the teachers, to be an example to their children, to be a role model of faith, to be someone who lives a life that is worthy of honor and respect. Being a father is a huge responsibility.

That’s not easy. It’s not easy for any father to lead his family to serve God because I don’t know if you’ve noticed or not, but we’re living in troubled times. We’re living in evil days. We’re living in days when many young people claim to be confused about their gender. And a rising number of them are buying into and accepting things like atheism and agnosticism and postmodernism and the mentality that suggests that I want Jesus, but I don’t want his church. And let’s not forget about all the dangers lurking on social media, right? Let’s not forget about all the evils that are lurking on platforms like TikTok and Instagram and Twitter and a whole host of other things that I’m just having a hard time keeping up with.

And let’s not forget about the constant racial tension in our culture and all this political division and the influence of godless celebrities and athletes, and the reality that a lot of young people today are just not really interested in the Bible. A lot of young people are not interested in reading the Bible, studying the Bible, or learning the Bible. Recent polling suggests that only 25% of young people claim to read the Bible once a month. Only 3% claim to read it every single day, and then 40% claim to never read the Bible at all. All of that tells us that doing what Paul says in this verse is not easy. It’s not easy being a father trying to lead his family to serve God. It’s not easy being a father trying to raise children to be servants of God and servants of Jesus Christ.

1. Noah: A Model of Obedience

And the question is, fathers, who can help us? Who can we look to? Are there any good fathers in the Bible that can encourage us and inspire us and show us exactly how a man is to head and lead his family to serve God? Well, this morning I want to submit to you that while there are not a lot of good fathers in the Bible, there are a few who are. There are a few who raise children in tough times, and they are worthy of our invitation and respect today. And let’s start with this father right here. How about we start with Noah? Let’s put Noah on the list. Let’s start with Noah because the reality is without Noah and the godly leadership he provided for his family, we wouldn’t be here today.

We won’t even exist today because of what we read in Genesis chapter 6. Go on your Bible, please to Genesis chapter 6. If you remember, in Genesis chapter 6, we learned that during a time when the wickedness of man was great on the earth, and that every intent of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually, there was one man, a man named Noah, who found favor in the eyes of God. He found grace in the eyes of God. God commanded him to get up and build an ark, and through that process, God was going to preserve both he and his family when he sent a global flood. God told Noah, you build this ark. You do it the way I tell you to do it.

And if you do that, you and your family will be saved. And look at what the Bible says in the last verse. Look at the last verse of Genesis chapter 6. Because this verse sums up perfectly what Noah was all about. If I could be in the Bible, have my name in the Bible, this is what I would want to say about me. In Genesis 6 and verse 22, God told Noah to build the ark, and the Bible says, thus Noah did. He did according to all, not some. All that God had commanded him, so he did. Notice how despite living in a world that was full of wickedness and all kinds of sin and evil. Despite living in a world where people probably mocked him and laughed at him and ridiculed him and even called him crazy as they saw him building that ark, Noah still obeyed God.

He still did exactly what God told him to do. The Bible says Noah did all God commanded. He was obedient to God. And do you think that had an impact on his family? Do you think his obedience had an impact on his children? I ask you that because the Bible never says that God spoke to them. The Bible never says that God spoke to his three sons. Oh, the Bible says is God spoke to Noah. God told Noah to get busy building that ark, and Noah didn’t argue with God like Moses did when God initially came to Moses. He didn’t complain. He didn’t gripe. He didn’t whine. He didn’t come up with excuses. He didn’t say to God, Well, you know what, God? I don’t have any boat building experience.

You might have the wrong guy here. No, Noah just did what God said.

He obeyed God. And let’s not be naive. His son certainly watched him. They watched him. They watched him build that ark. Day after day after day, and after 10 years, it didn’t rain. And after 20 years, it didn’t rain. And after 30, 40, 50, 60 years, it didn’t rain. And if they were helping him with that project, they probably got frustrated. They probably got angry. They probably began to think to themselves, Dad is crazy. He’s lost it. God didn’t speak to him at all. But one day, when that rain finally came, they were thankful. They were thankful to God. They were relieved. They were grateful that their father obeyed God and they got in that ark with him. And they were saved. Noah was a model of obedience when he built that ark.

And look at what Peter says about that in 2 Peter chapter 2, please. Look in your Bible with 2 Peter 2, because Peter gives us some more insight into Noah and his character and what he was doing at that time. Because Peter says in 2 Peter chapter 2 and in verse number 5 and verse number 5, it says that God did not spare the ancient world. That’s the world of Noah’s day. But preserved Noah, a preacher of righteousness with seven others when he brought a flood upon the world of the ungodly. So notice how, in addition to building that ark for 75 to 100 years. The Bible also says Noah was preaching. How often do you think of Noah in that way? He’s a preacher. He’s building the ark and he’s preaching the word of God.

He’s preaching to ungodly people at that time. In fact, the probably the greatest sermon he ever preached during that time was the sermon of his life. It was a sermon of his obedience to God and his devotion to God. It was the sermon that proclaimed his faith in God. Noah was a man. He was a father who showed his children how to obey God. And I don’t know about you, but that encourages me. That encourages me as a father. And 2026, because you know what? I can do that. I can’t build an ark. I don’t have, I’ve never done anything like that before, but I but I can do this. I can be like Noah. Like Noah, I can be a model of obedience to my children.

I can be a model of obedience as I live in a sinful and corrupt world today. I can model obedience when it comes to controlling my tongue and my temper. I can model obedience when it comes to how I treat other people. When it comes to how I treat my neighbor, my enemy, my brethren, when it comes to how I treat their mama every single day, I can do that. I can model obedience when it comes to serving others and being unselfish and putting the needs of others even before my own needs, and when I mess up in my life, because a father, as a man, I mess up all the time. I can model obedience and repent. I can get it right. I can say things like, I’m sorry.

I can ask my children to forgive me. I can ask their mother to forgive me. I certainly need to ask God to forgive me. Like Noah, I can show my children every single day how to obey God. And that’s very important. That’s important. That’s important that I do that every day as a father because the fact of the matter is, it is not enough for me just to teach them the Bible. It’s not enough for me just to bring them here to worship assemblies and to bring them the youth devotionals and teen weekends. No, I also have to live it every single day in front of them. I got to practice it. I gotta be a model of obedience and show them by my actions what it means to be a real Christian.

2. Abraham Taught His Son How to Worship

That’s the kind of man Noah was. Noah was a father who served the Lord. But let’s add to the list somebody else. What about Abraham? What about Abraham going on the list? Do you remember who Abraham was? Remember in the Bible we learned that Abraham was a great man of faith, great man of faith. He’s one of those Mount Rushmore Bible characters. He is the one that God made three important promises to that are directly tied to the coming of Jesus. Why would God make those kind of promises to a man like Abraham? Well, go in your Bible, please to Genesis the 18th chapter. Look at Genesis the 18th chapter and in verse number 19. Because in Genesis chapter 18 and in verse number 19, this is what God has to say about Abraham.

In verse 19, God says, For I have chosen him, so that he may command his children and his household after him to keep the way of the Lord by doing righteousness and justice, so that the Lord may bring upon Abraham what he has spoken about him. Notice how God says, I’m choosing this man to make important promises to, because he’s going to raise his kids right. He’s going to raise his children to serve me, to worship me, to know me. That’s the kind of man, that’s the kind of father he was. And we see that in a very practical way when we get to Genesis chapter 22. Genesis chapter 22. Here in Genesis 22. We read about God telling Abraham to do something that would have been hard.

So hard for any parent to do.

This is a son of promise. This is the only son that he has with his wife Sarah, the son that God was going to fulfill all these promises through. God says, You take him on Mount Moriah and you kill him. And like Noah, Abraham obeys God. He doesn’t argue with God. But then in verse number 6, look at what the Bible says in Genesis 22 and verse 6. Abraham took the wood of the burnt offering and laid it on Isaac, his son. And he took his knife, he took in his hand, the fire and the knife. So the two of them walked on together. Isaac spoke to Abraham, his father, and said, My father. And he said, Here I am, son. And he said, Behold the fire in the wood, but where is the lamb for the burnt offering?

Abraham said, God will sh will provide for for himself the lamb for the burnt offering, my son. So the two of them walked on together. Now there are a couple important observations to notice from this text. First, I want you to notice how by this time, by this time in Abraham’s life, by this time in the story of Genesis, Isaac is not like most of us imagined him to be when we were little kids growing up in Bible classes.

If he was at South Bumby this morning worshiping with us, his feet would not be dangling from the pew. No, he’s probably about 12 or 13. He probably, if he was here a member here, he would be in one of the middle school classes, maybe the high school class. He’s certainly old enough to carry wood up a mountain. What five or six-year-old can do that? Now I don’t know about y’all. Maybe I’m a different kind of parent, but when my kids were five or six years old, I didn’t trust them to bring me a glass of water, let alone carry some wood up a mountain.

And he’s also old enough to have a pretty deep spiritual conversation with his father. Did you notice that? Look back at verse 7 again, because in verse 7, he asked a question. He asked his father, Behold, the fire in the wood, but where is the lamb for the burnt offering? Think about that question. How in the world did he know that? How in the world does he know to ask that? How in the world does he know to ask for a lamb that is needed for the burnt offering? How in the world does he know that a key item is missing at that moment for their worship to God? I submit to you that he knows that because of his father. His father taught him. You see, while the Bible doesn’t give us a whole lot of details concerning the parenting style of Abraham, one thing we can see very clearly is Abraham taught his son how to worship.

He taught his son who worship was to and how to do it and what it’s supposed to look like. And I don’t know about you, but this reality about Abraham, that encourages me. That encourages me as a father in 2026 because I can do that. As a father today, I can teach my children how to worship God. I can teach them how to worship Jesus. I can explain to them why we do the things we do here in South Bumbi and see what questions they have about that. I can at home tell my children, teach my children what the Lord’s Supper is all about. I can teach them what that bread represents and what that fruit of the vine represents. I can teach them why it’s important to assemble with the saints on the first day of the week and not settle for watching a worship service online.

I can help them find the scriptures in the Bible while the gospel’s being preached. I can show them how to sing out and sing loud, explain to them why we don’t use instruments in our worship to God. If I have small children, I can give them some money every single Sunday and allow them to participate in the worship by putting that money in one of those collection boxes so they can learn right now the value of giving to God. I can be like Abraham. Like Abraham did with Isaac, I can teach my children how to worship God. In fact, teaching my children how to worship God is one of the most important things I could ever teach them. It is more important than teaching them how to shoot a basketball or throw a football.

3. Job Prioritized Spiritual Things

It’s more important than teaching them how to cut the grass or how to change a flat tire. Well, there’s nothing wrong with teaching our kids to do those kinds of things. Teaching them how the worship of God is more important because through worship is how they develop a relationship with God. Through worship is how they come to know God. Through worship is how they come to learn to revere and exalt the name of Jesus. Noah and Abraham were fathers who served God. But let’s ask somebody else to the list. What about Job? Did you think about Job? Go in your Bible, please to Job chapter one. Look at Job chapter one. Because usually when we think about Job, the first thing that comes to our minds is this was a man who suffered, right?

Job suffered immensely in his life. He lost so much at the hands of the devil, but he never quit. He never gave up on God. Now there were times when he was frustrated. There were times when he was scratching his head and wondering what’s going on. But he never cursed God. He never blasphemed the name of God. He was a faithful man. But look at what the Bible says in Job chapter 1 and verse number 1. In Job 1 and verse 1, it says, There was a man in the land of us whose name was Job. And that man was blameless upright, fearing God and turning away from evil. Seven sons and three daughters were born to him, born to him. His possessions also were 7,000 sheep, 3,000 camels, 500 yoke of oxen, 500 female donkeys, and very many servants.

And that man was the greatest of all the men of the east. His sons used to go and hold a feast in the house of each one of his days on his day. And they would send and invite their three sisters to eat and drink with them. When the days of feasting had completed their cycle, Job would send and consecrate them, rising up early in the morning and offering burnt offerings according to the number of them all. For Job said, Perhaps my sons have sinned and cursed God in their hearts. Thus Job did continually.

Notice what he’s telling us about Job. Notice how here we see that in addition to being someone who served God and he was blameless and he had great wealth.

You see that? He had a big family. I mean, he had ten children. Anybody here got ten kids? He’s got ten children. He’s got seven sons and three daughters, and like all the parents in this room, he loved his children. As parents, we love our kids. Job loved his children. He loved them so much that the Bible says he did some incredible things for them. He actually would get up early in the morning and do spiritual things for them. He would pray for them. He would offer burnt offerings for them as the patriarch of the family at this time. He seemed to function as some sort of priest and he would make intercessions for them. In fact, it is interesting why he does that. Did you see again, verse 5?

Verse 5, he does these things for his children because he says, in the last couple of sentences, perhaps my sons have sinned and cursed God in their hearts. Does that remind you of anything it should? Curse God? That’s exactly what Job’s wife wants him to do later on in the story. Later on when he starts suffering. She says, Why don’t you just curse God and die? Job. Job doesn’t want his kids to do that. Job doesn’t want his kids to lose their souls. Even though he’s got a busy schedule.

We all do. Job had one. Even though Job’s got a lot of stuff to do every single day. He’s got a ton of animals, he’s got land, he’s got flocks, he’s got herds. Even though there’s so much on his schedule on a daily basis, he still gets up early in the morning and he does spiritual things for his family. He does spiritual things for his kids. In fact, the Bible says he did that continually. The idea of continually means that he did this all the time. It means this was his habit. This is something that he did for his children all the days of their lives. Job was a father who served God because he prioritized spiritual things. And that encourages me. That encourages me because I can do that.

I can do that. As a father in 2026, I can lead my family to serve God by prioritizing spiritual things. I can prioritize spiritual things with my children. I can prioritize their souls. I can pray for their souls. I can rise up early in the morning and make supplications on their behalf. I can pray to God. God, please be with my children today. Be with them as they go out and face a dark and sinful and dangerous world. Be with them as they face all kinds of challenges. Give them wisdom and good judgment. Help them remember the things that I’ve taught them from the Bible. Protect them from the evil one who is the devil, or at least give them the courage to do what’s right.

Because he prioritized spiritual things.

4. Jonadab Set a High Standard

And this may be one we don’t think about too often. And it’s this man named Jonadab.

Do you remember who Jonadab was? Jonadab is probably one of the greatest fathers that we can read about in the Bible. And his story can be traced back to the time of Ahab and Jezebel. Remember, Ahab and Jezebel were responsible. They were a king and queen in Israel, and they were responsible for some wicked things being promoted throughout the land of Israel. They were responsible for promoting idolatry and for even killing many of God’s prophets. And later on, King Jehu, he’s going to come along and he’s going to help clean up this mess. He’s going to begin to purge Israel of all the idolatry that was promoted by Ahab and Jezebel. And along the way, in 2 Kings chapter 10, we read about him meeting Jonadab.

Now go in your Bible to Jeremiah 35. Because after the time of Ahab and Jezebel, and after the time of King Jehu, and even Jonadab’s life, here in Jeremiah 35, Jonadab comes up again in the Bible, in the book of Jeremiah. And I’m going to read a lengthy text here, but I’m going to make a brief point once I’m finished. Just bear with me, please. And Jeremiah 35 and verse 12. This is what the Bible says. Verse 12 Then the word of the Lord came to Jeremiah, saying, Thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel, go and say to the men of Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem, will you not receive instruction by listening to my words? declares the Lord. The words of Jonadab, the son of Rechob, which he commanded his sons not to drink wine, are observed.

So they do not drink wine to this day. For they have obeyed their father’s command. But I have spoken to you again and again, yet you have not listened to me. Also I have sent to you all my servants, the prophets, sending them again and again, saying, Turn now every man from his evil way and amend your deeds, and do not go after other gods to worship them. Then you will dwell in the land which I’ve given to you and to your forefathers, but you have not inclined your ear or listened to me. Indeed, the sons of Jonadav, the son of Rechav, have observed the command of their father, which he commanded them. But this people have not listened to me. Therefore, thus says the Lord, the God of hosts, the God of Israel, behold, I’m bringing on Judah and all the inhabitants of Jerusalem, all the disaster that I have pronounced against them, because I have spoken to them, but they did not listen, and I have called them, but they did not answer.

Then Jeremiah said to the house of the Rechabites, thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel, because you’ve obeyed the commandment of Jonadab, your father, kept all his commands, and done according to all that he has commanded you. Therefore, thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel, Jonadab, the son of Rechab, should not lack a man to stand before me always. Those are some powerful verses. Powerful verses found in the Word of God, because they take place about 240 years after the life of Jonadab. Jonadab has been dead for a long time by this point in the Old Testament, but notice how the text tells us that his descendants are still serving God. They’re still being faithful to the teachings of their father.

They’re doing that over a period of time when God’s people in Israel are not being very faithful. While the vast majority of people in Israel and Judah are involved in things that are displeasing to God, going back to the time of Ahab, Jonadab, Jonadab was a father who set a high standard for his family. He set a high standard. He taught his family how to love God and how to serve God and how to worship God. He taught them how to rise above the evil and corrupt world in which they lived. In fact, in 70 in 722 BC, when the northern kingdom of Israel was taken into captivity, the Bible tells us that Jonadab’s descendants actually survived that. They actually moved south to the land of Judah and they kept obeying the standard that had been set for them by Jonadab.

Jonadab is not mentioned a lot in the Bible. But what little information we do have about him tells us that he was a great father. He was a father who served God, and that encourages me. That encourages me because I can be like him. I can do that. As a father in 2026, like Jonadab, as I live in a wicked and depraved world, I can set a high standard for my family. I can inspire my family to passionately love God and to take serving the Lord seriously. I can make sure that every time they open up that fridge, they’re not going to see any alcohol. I can make sure they’re not just going to stream anything they want on our television. I can make sure that everybody in our household is going to dress modestly.

Conclusion

I can make sure that none of our children are ever going to be alone in their bedrooms with internet access. No, sir and no ma’am. I can make sure that no matter where we are on vacation, we’re going to make a way to go and worship God. I can do that. John Adab taught and he lived a righteous life before his children, and that inspired them. That inspired them to continue serving God, and as a result, he left a godly legacy. Abraham, Job, Jonadab. These are four fathers who serve God. These are four fathers, men that we need to remember. We need to imitate these guys. We need to be inspired by their example. We especially need to be encouraged by them whenever there are moments when we find being a father is tough.

We’ve got to remember these guys. And for all the wives and mothers here, don’t you worry, your sermon’s coming. It’s coming. Don’t sit there and go, well, he’s just thinking about the guys. No, your sermon’s coming. But for now, we just need you to pray for us. Pray for us. Pray for every father and husband in this room that we can have the same impact on our families that these men had with theirs. And for the children here, obey. Respect. Submit and honor your father, especially if you have one that’s serving God. In fact, speaking of serving God, are you serving God this morning? Are you serving God? You listened to so well this morning, and I appreciate it so much. And at this time, we’re going to get ready to sing a song of invitation.

And we want to invite anyone who needs to begin serving God, we want to give you the opportunity to do just that. Whether that means you need to respond to the gospel for the first time through faith and repentance and baptism, or if you need to come back to the Lord because you’ve wandered away. If there’s anyone here who is subject to the gospel invitation, come to the front as we stand and we sing together.