In this sermon, the preacher addresses fathers and their responsibilities in the family. He emphasizes the importance of fathers being actively involved in their children's lives and not neglecting their role. The preacher highlights the negative consequences of fathers being distracted by other interests, such as work, materialism, and technology. He urges fathers to prioritize their families and repent if they have been neglectful. The sermon also mentions the story of Eli in the Bible as an example of a passive father who failed to discipline his sons.

Grace, peace from our Lord Jesus to each one of you. I appreciated the devotional this morning very much. I was thinking about who I might ask to give us a lesson on Father's Day and I didn't ask Kevin to do that and the Lord just put that on his heart to do that this morning. Wasn't that a blessing? Yes, praise God. The Scriptures teach us that children's children are the crown of old men and the glory of the children are their fathers. Isn't that amazing? You know, I'm old enough now that I have a crown. In fact, I have 22 crowns. Children's children, 22 grandchildren. So I'm very blessed. You know, when I think of children, how they are so admiring their fathers, how they're so looking up to their fathers with such pride, if I may say it that way. My dad, my dad's smarter than anyone else. My dad's stronger than anyone else. My dad can do anything. The glory of children are their fathers. What an awesome blessing that our children come to us that way. They come with delight in their eyes as they look up to their daddies. Isn't that right? You know, just a joy at seeing daddy. Hearts wide open as our brother encouraged us so well. Turn with me to Psalm 128. Psalm 128, beginning in verse one. Blessed is everyone that feareth the Lord, that walketh in his ways. For thou shalt eat the labor of thine hands. Happy shalt thou be and it shall be well with thee. Thy wife shall be as a fruitful vine by the sides of thine house. Thy children like olive plants round about thy table. Behold, that thus shall the man be blessed that feareth the Lord. The Lord shall bless thee out of Zion and thou shalt see the good of Jerusalem all the days of thy life. Yea, thou shalt see thy children's children and peace upon Israel. Kevin already asked the question, but I was one of those sitting on the bench. How many fathers do we have here this morning? Raise your hands high. Elbow above the ears. Yes, praise the Lord. Psalm 127, verse three. Lo, children are an heritage of the Lord and the fruit of the womb is his reward. As arrows are in the hand of a mighty man, so are the children of the youth. Happy is the man that has his quiver full of them. They shall not be ashamed, but shall speak with the enemies in the gate. Lo, children are an heritage of the Lord and the fruit of the womb is his reward. You don't need to answer me out loud, but how many children do you have? Children are an heritage of the Lord. They're a gift from the Lord given to us, lent to us for a short time. Every child created in the image of God. Every child uniquely created and formed by God for a purpose. How many children do you have? How many sons and daughters do you have? What a heritage has God given you? Fathers, mothers, what value! What a gift from God! What a treasure! Children, hearts wide open. What kind of father am I? As they look up at me, what do they see? The just man walketh in his integrity. His children are blessed after him. Proverbs 20, verse 7. In the fear of the Lord is strong confidence and his children shall have a place of refuge. Proverbs 14, 26. Oh, what a blessed family and home where daddy walks in integrity, where daddy is just. He's a just man. Where daddy is righteous. Oh, the blessing of the children. His children are blessed after him. In the fear of the Lord is a strong confidence. What a blessing where daddy fears the Lord. Daddy walks with the Lord. Daddy is strong in confidence in the Lord. The fear of the Lord is a strong confidence and his children shall have a place of refuge. Go to Malachi. Malachi chapter 4. Very familiar words. Behold, I will send, verse 5. Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the Lord. And he shall turn the heart of the fathers to the children and the heart of the children to their fathers, lest I come and smite the earth with a curse. Let's pray together. Father in heaven, we come in Jesus' name. Lord, we ask in the name of Jesus, grant us seeing, grant us hearing. And Father, do speak to us by your word, by the Holy Spirit of God. Father, may this be a day of blessing to this entire congregation, but a day of blessing to the dads. A day of encouragement. A day of victory. Oh Father, I pray, bless the daddies. In Jesus' name, Amen. Where is your daddy heart this morning? As I was pondering, praying about the possibility of an opportunity to share a word today, the Lord just really laid it strongly on my heart all week long to bring a message of examination of our hearts before the Lord to us fathers. Where is your daddy heart this morning? What is the state of your flock, your little flock, that God has entrusted to you? You're the only daddy they have. The love you show is the love they know. The care you give is the care they receive. The heart that you have for your sons and your daughters, you know there isn't anyone else that can replace you. There isn't anyone else that can take your place. Where is your heart, daddy? Is your heart turned toward your children? What are you captivated by? What are you living for? The enemy seeks to destroy and to steal. Daddy, where is your affection? Where is your love? Where is your passion? Where is your heart? What would your children say? Do your children know that they are the delight of their daddy? That you delight in them? That your heart beats for them? Or are your children hurting this morning because daddy is so often absent? Again, he's working late again. Your children would love if you just give them wholehearted attention. Play with them depending on their age. Listen to their heart as they go through the adolescent years. Questions. But daddy is busy about other things. Daddy, where is your heart? Is there a curse in your home? Because daddy's heart is wrapped up in other things. Daddy's absent even when he's present because his mind is in his other loves and other interests. There's a blindness over the heart by the pursuit of money, the love of money, materialism, a love for pleasure and entertainment captivated by technology. Junior would love to play with daddy. But daddy's on his device learning all kinds of interesting things, googling this, googling that. And the evening is frittering away and Junior tugs at his pant leg one more. Daddy, daddy, daddy, please. But daddy's asleep, drunk with other things. Go ask your mom. Put it on your wife, fathers, daddies. Where's your heart? Are you asleep? Are you refusing to pick up your responsibility, your call, the charge? Put it on your wife. Blind it to reality. And the moments are swiftly flying. We have this moment to hold in our hand and to touch as it flows through our fingers like sand. Yesterday's gone. Tomorrow may never come. But we have this moment today. Daddy, where's your heart? Are you bound in besetting sin, in addiction? And as your young people look at daddy, it's discouraging. Because if daddy can't walk in victory, how shall I? Passive Father Eli. Passive Father Eli. Oh, it's a great need. There's Eli. And the Lord speaks to the little Samuel and says, I will perform against Eli all the things that I have spoken concerning his house. This is found in 1 Samuel 3, verse 12 and following. For I have told him that I will judge his house forever for the iniquity which he knoweth because his sons made themselves vile and he restrained them not. His sons made themselves vile. The offerings that the people brought for sacrifice, Finnehas and Hophni said, give us of that raw meat. And if you will not give it, I will take it by force. Wherefore, the sin of the young men was very great before the Lord, for the men abhorred the offering of the Lord. The passivity of Eli. His sons made themselves vile. They made themselves vile in that they laid with the women that assembled at the door of the congregation. Samuel told Eli everything that the Lord showed him. And Eli said, it is the Lord. Let him do what seemeth good. He acknowledged that the word that came to him specifically is the word of the Lord. It's the Lord, but no repentance of heart. Well, let God do what seemeth Him good. No repentance from Eli. Oh, God, have mercy upon me and my sons. Passive father Eli. Do we have any passive fathers here today? Disconnected, disinterested, taken up with other things. When Eli heard that his two sons, Hophni and Finnehas, were dead and the ark of God was taken, he fell from off his seat backward by the side of the gate and his neck break and he died. For he was an old man and heavy. He was very fat and overweight. Passive father Eli. He restrained not his sons. Father, where are you at today? Daddy? What would your wife say? Would your wife wish you would take a hold more and give more direction? Be more involved with the children? Has she ever asked you? Has she ever begged you, would you be more involved with the children? But daddy is blinded by other loves and other lusts. It's very sad. It's very grievous. Where's your heart, daddy? Is it in that shiny 18-wheeler? Is it in that farm? Is it in that lust? It should not be necessary to say this here. But are you rendered powerless by the addiction to porn? Those images awe you and deceive you and bind you and blind you. You know, today is the first day of the rest of your parenting. Today is the first day of the rest of your parenting. Today you can repent. Today you can turn to God with all your heart. I believe for some here today, this is a call to repentance and to waking up. Awake, you who are asleep. Awake to righteousness and sin not. Awake! Your sons and your daughters will go to hell if you do not awake. Brother, sister, I believe it's that serious. I believe it's that important. God broke my heart over this. This is not just another Father's Day message. This is a call to repentance. This is a call to turn to God with all your heart and to get right with God. Daddy, daddy, daddy, please! Yeah, I was only six then, but now I'm 16. Daddy. I want to say to any daddies here who are hurting and they're burdened for their children and they know they messed up in days past, but they're burdened and God is opening their eyes and they're seeing something. I want to say to those daddies, press into God with all your heart. Turn your heart with all of its energies and its affections and ambitions upon the Lord and be right with God. Be rightly related to Jesus Christ, your head, and then rightly related with your wife. This is very important. The two shall be one. If you are angry at your wife, if you are disgusted with your wife, if you are disappointed with your wife and you are not in one with your wife, you are sinning against God and you're sinning against your wife and your prayers are hindered. You need a united home. You need a united husband and wife. In the headship order that God has given us, God the head of Christ, Christ the head of man and man the head of woman. We need all of heaven on our side. We need God to build the house. For except the Lord build the house, they labor in vain that build it. Daddy, daddy, how many children do you have? What is the state of your flock? Are your children well secured in the love of a faithful daddy? In the love of a faithful mommy? A daddy who loves mommy and mommy loves daddy and there is joy and peace in our home. Oh brothers, today is the first day of the rest of your life in parenting. Today you can awake. Today you can cry out to God. Today you can be saved. Today you can be healed. Today you can be delivered from your sin. Those addictions in your life, whether it be smoking, whether it be snuff, whether it be porn, whether it be just selfishness and self-centeredness, today you can repent and call on the Lord and be delivered. You can be delivered and set free. You can awake to righteousness, but it only comes to those who humble themselves and repent. Repentance. Well, there is another Father in the Bible. There are many, but there is Father Abraham. Faithful Father Abraham. Thank You Elijah, our inheritance, that the blessing of Abraham would come down upon the Gentiles. Hallelujah! Praise the Lord! You can be a partner, a partaker in the graces of God and the faithfulness of Father Abraham. For I know Him, said the Lord, Genesis 18, 16. I know Him that He will command His children and His household after Him and they shall keep the way of the Lord to do justice and judgment that the Lord may bring upon Abraham that which He has spoken of Him. Abraham. Abraham by faith. He went out not knowing where he went, but he obeyed God and he followed God. Oh, Abraham. Maybe you say, I can't see very far this morning. But I want to tell you, obey that which God speaks to your heart, that which you see which is right in front of you, and God will bless you and lead you and then He'll give light upon your path for the next step. Oh, faithful Abraham. Hebrews 11 tells us so much about Abraham. Yes. By faith he sojourned. By faith he went out. By faith he obeyed. By faith he offered up Isaac, accounting that God was able to raise him from the dead. And He received him back as it were, from the dead. By faith. By faith. Fathers, I call you this morning to believe God. You who are burdened for your children, you who know my children, their hearts are trembling or they're in danger. Pray. Believe God. Join together to agreeing in prayer with your wife. But if your relationship with your wife isn't right, you can't do it. You have to first repent and get right with God. And wives, you know your part. Today we're talking to the daddies. Daddy, fathers, where's your heart? Someday you will weep and lament if you allowed this thing or the computer or work or anything else to blind you from the fact that I'm a daddy and my son needs me now. Because if you don't have time for him now, maybe, God forbid, but maybe he won't have time for you. So today, today is the first day. Today is a beautiful day of opportunity. It's a beautiful day of grace. It's a beautiful day to turn my heart to God. Say, God, I know my heart is not where it needs to be. I know I can spend way too much time here and my children want to play with me and they want to talk with me and they want a relationship with me, but the moments are swiftly passing by. How many children do you have look into their eyes, look into their heart, say, God, I'm not going to be satisfied until You give me a heart like Yours. God, for my family, for my children. God, don't stop working in my own heart. Break my heart over my knees. I'm not just going to go, and walk out these doors as if nothing happened. So, God, help me. Because God is the rewarder of those who diligently seek Him. When you seek for God with all your heart, you will find Him. But the God of this world has blinded the eyes of so many daddies and sons and daughters are growing up with an absentee daddy. I've asked Brother Dwight to share a testimony. So, Brother Dwight, you come at this time and God bless you, Brother. The older one is, the further back he can see, look back and see his failures. I'll tell you about my failures this morning. I'm going to tell you something that I've learned. But before I begin that, Brother Aaron spoke and thank you Brother Aaron for speaking for God today. We heard God. God's heart. The Lord has been showing me my neglect for my adult children and my grandchildren. I take time with other people. My children come first. I look at you fathers and I see my failure. I see the way you relate to your children, the connection, your heart. I see my failure when I was in your place. I'm glad for you fathers and I speak here today without any criticism or judgment for anybody. You know there is no criticism or judgment in Jesus' love. There is no criticism or judgment in Jesus' humility. I esteem every father here. And there is substance to that esteem. My children cannot make me a failed dad. They simply do not have that power. My wife cannot make me a failed husband. She does not have that power. And I would like to tell you how you can be a successful husband in just a bit. But first, a story. It's about this time of the year. Susie and I, before we were married, were on that Red Cedar Bridge on Dad's farm and she said, Do you have a father's heart? I'm sure I didn't say yes because I didn't know. But I discovered in the following years that I had a deficiency in Dad's heart. About ten years after we were married it became apparent that we lost the heart of our third born Karma Linda. We learned things she was doing by God's mercy. She was sneaking out of the house at night. She was with girls her age who were rebellious. She was with a young fellow who was rebellious. As we learned that one September day soon after we learned that we were with her under the Douglas Fir Trees by our house and we said to her we'll do anything to win your heart. Now I had failed her. I didn't know her needs. I didn't protect her. I wasn't connected. I had failed her. Whatever it takes we will win your heart. Whatever it takes remember that phrase whatever it takes and that December we sent Karma Linda and her older brother to be with her uncle for a month. After that I fasted. By the way I'm going to tell you a story here in a few sentences that's eight years long. It won't take very long. We fasted. I fasted for a week. I'd never fasted for a week before. I'd fast for two or three days and it was a lot of times morale disciplined and out of desperation. In the middle of that week we got a message in the mail that gave us encouragement and direction. It showed that what God was saying to us was what we were to do and gave us hope and some direction. That night we said we will leave everything for Karma Linda. That's what we did. She never came back to Montana until she did with her husband on their honeymoon. Her brother came home we got everything ready as fast as we could to move. That was one of the things that we heard in this message. If you need to move move. Quit your job. Whatever it takes do it. She had friends. She couldn't be there with her friends. They weren't the problem. Dad was the problem. So in January we went to Missouri. About three months later the Lord did something that blew us out of the water my wife and I. It was a surprise it was a shock but it was God's amazing wisdom to win Karma's heart. About a year later we moved to Florida for a short time because we couldn't find a place there to live. Maybe we will just stop there a little bit. So in the eight years that between Montana and Pennsylvania we lived in six houses. And a lot of ways we were vagabonds in the earth. A lot of uncertainty. A lot of crying out to God. So we we moved to Florida and I remember getting up at 2, 3 and 4 in the morning walking the street and saying Jesus I love you God I trust you Jesus I love you God I trust you Is that a prayer? It is. God hears it. And we were only in Florida about three weeks until some young adults connected with Karma Linda. God used them in a massive way to begin to open her heart. We were there for a while one night I came home from a work and I said I'd like to talk to you. So we drove and talked and she told me that that day Karma Linda wanted to tell her something. She was beginning to open her heart. She was untouchable closed angry bitter rebellious no way to get in that heart. And my wife told me how she struggled for maybe several hours and couldn't tell her. She told her a story about Dad. Dad did something that had become as big as the universe to her. I had forgotten it. I hurt her. I wronged her. She's beginning to open her heart. And by the way in this journey our purpose was to plant everything to win our daughter's heart. Part of that was every day looking for ways to say I was wrong I missed you I did that I should I sinned in doing that every day. That was the mode that we wanted to be in. But you know by a succession of miracles and mercies God opened Carmen Linda's heart. And today she is a godly mother of five children. She's a great mother. And I'm convicted here even as I speak about my lack of connection with her today. When we get to heaven God is not going to ask us on judgment day are all your children saved? He's not going to look at us and say did you have a godly home? God is simply going to look at our lives to see if we were faithful. My children cannot make me a failed dad because I can be faithful. Well done good servant. Well done faithful servant. By the way although God cares about a godly home we need to get away from that focus. That is deceptive and destructive. God simply asks us to be faithful. Do you know what I'm saying about that? It's not God's focus. God cares. He cares more about our children than we do. He cares about a godly home. But it is not our focus. Our focus is simply to be faithful. God has given every one of us a capacity to love because we're made in his image. God is relational in every way. That is who he is. God is love. So think of a love jar. God says love your heart with all your soul with all your mind and with all your strength. So for every one of us our love jar is filled to some extent with that kind of love for God. What fills the rest of that love jar? Brother Aaron talked about that this morning. There are many things that can fill that jar. It could even be a desire for a godly home. Taking away from my love for God. It could be a good image. You know? I remember out here Brother Zach Poonen saying even our spouse may not know if we love money. And our children may pick up on what we love better than we do. And there's a reason for that because they sense we're loving something that's taking away our love for them. So there's a practical aspect to this. But it's first of all our relationship with God. Brother Aaron talked about rival loves about addictions. I have no way to describe Jesus to you today the way that He is. I didn't even think to try to do this when I got up here. I wish brothers and sisters we could see Jesus the way He is. I wish we could see how totally adequate He is to save us. How He is everything. How much He loves us. My wife talked to her sister who has been quite seriously sick yesterday. They talked about a dream my sister had earlier. A dream that she was in heaven with her older sister who now is in heaven. And they talked about the kind of love that spouses had when they met each other. We're not going to be married in heaven but we walk together here. We're connected. We'll be connected in heaven too with memories and everything that connected us here and the spirit level. And her sister described the love in heaven with these words. Love that's beyond love. That's Jesus. Love that's beyond love. He said a new commandment that God has given to you that you love one another as I have loved you. I am convinced that the gospel is very simple. If we take one thing, if we take just that commandment love God with all your heart and we give ourselves to that commandment it will totally transform us. We can begin with any commandment it will totally transform us. It will set us free. We struggle finding the freedom that's in Christ as fathers. And I've been thinking more and more that you know I wonder if most of the time when we're struggling to find freedom if it isn't really an issue of receiving forgiveness and forgiving those who have wronged us. See the Bible is very simple. You've sinned. Your needs total. God's wrath is on you. Receive His forgiveness. You've sinned against others. Release them. And let God so fill you with love like Jesus you will suffer for their healing. See that's love beyond love. Even natural love. For sharing from your own life and heart experience. Thank you. Thank you for sharing. I was thinking how we might close here today. And I wonder if there's anyone who would desire to just come forward for prayer. And in that coming forward for prayer acknowledging I am repenting of something that the Lord has showed me in my life. I'm repenting. Any daddies here that need to repent this morning and you're willing to humble yourself and acknowledge that and just come forward and daddies kneel together here and pray one for another. Any daddies that need to come you can come now. Come daddies. The cross is a beautiful place. Jesus wants to deliver you and save you and bless you. Just as dear Jesus from spouses say. You see your husband is here. You're also convicted. Can we sing another verse. Spirit led prayers here. Father we ask in the name of Jesus. Oh God come in your delivering saving power. Oh God in your holiness and your righteousness shine your light into our hearts. Oh God wherever we've given place to darkness wherever we've given place to the enemy to selfishness and pride and lust and sin. Oh God shine your light your healing light your revealing light deep into our hearts. Oh God that we can see the sin for the ugliness that it is and we can flee from it and repent. Oh God a repentance that will last farther than next week. It will carry us forth continually walking in that repentance before God taking us deeper with the Lord Jesus Christ the anointing of the Holy Spirit upon our lives in a fresh outpouring. God quickening and enabling these dear daddies. Oh God I pray for faith I pray for hope to arise I pray for victory in Jesus I pray for inspiration of the Lord upon the hearts of every repentant daddy. Oh God I pray for restoration Oh God I pray for the divine anointing and unction of the Holy Ghost Oh God I pray that daddy's hearts will be captivated with the beauty of Jesus the love of Christ Jesus and they will be rightly related to Jesus Christ rightly related to their spouse and rightly related to their precious children Oh God bless the homes save us from the hand of the enemy the destroyer bless our children and our grandchildren Oh God Lord that we may walk in faithfulness with faithful Abraham Oh God deliver us from the passivity of the spirit of this age deliver us from the pleasure madness of this age deliver us from the money craziness of this age the materialism of this age Oh God the immorality of this age Oh God deliver us Lord and make us a holy pure bride of Christ in Jesus name Yes Lord Yes Lord Break down every idol cast out every foe now wash me and I shall be whiter than snow Hallelujah Hallelujah Oh God let the repentance be thorough let it be deep Lord Oh let it be a repentance not to be repented of let it be a repentance that brings a clearing and brings open heaven over our lives Oh God in every way precious Jesus precious Jesus blessed be your name Lord Jesus I want to just encourage us so that the enemy doesn't snatch away what God sowed in our hearts today make yourself accountable to another brother I I encourage that I think it will help us to overcoming victory yes pressing on the upward way God bless you Thank you for listening We hope this message has blessed you If you would like additional messages please visit our website at ccfsermons.org Call us at 855 55 charity or write to us at Charity Christian Fellowship 59 South Groffdale Road Leola PA 17540 This ministry is supported by your donations May Jesus Christ be Lord of all