Sunday June 13, 2010					                   Phone: 570.829.5216
Pastor David Miklas					     e-mail: pdmikBBM@aol.com
Message Father’s Day						     Text: Psalm 112:1-10


“A Father's Godly Influence”

Introduction: In an article written by the director of a Children's Home, this 
thought- provoking statement caught my attention, "If you feed your children a 
WEAKENED form of Christianity, you may be setting the stage for the rejection of Christianity 
itself." Please listen carefully as I read to you part of the article. 

"Over the years we have received multitudes of troubled youth from Christian homes into 
our ministry who have been students in some of the finest Christian Schools in our land and 
grown up in some of the best churches in our country. Despite their Christian up-bringing and 
Christian education, they remained cold-hearted and worldly. Such students know Christian 
vocabulary, terminology, doctrine and theology. They outwardly conform to long lists of 
rules and expectations, but inwardly they have a hard heart. Polished on the outside, they 
inwardly are carnal and worldly. This reminds me of I Samuel 16:7, "But the Lord said unto 
Samuel, look not on his countenance, or on the height of his stature; because I have refused 
him; for the Lord seethe not as a man seethe, for man looketh on the outward appearance, 
but the Lord looketh on the heart." Where have these youth learned this DUPLICITOUS life 
-style? I believe that they have learned this in their homes.

Many youngsters have learned from their parents how to openly and outwardly espouse 
fundamental Christianity, and yet privately they live as they choose. Such a life-style 
produces a hard heart. 

How can a father, who fits his Christianity into his life only when it is convenient, ever 
expect his son or daughter to choose something other than a religion of convenience? How 
can a home, thoroughly desensitized to the awful wickedness of sin through its TV, music 
and worldly life-style ever expect the children raised within its walls to be holy and separated 
believers?

Pastors and youth workers grieve over these children. They outwardly conform, but don't 
expect them at the altar during the invitation at the next church service. Don't expect them 
to give testimony of how God is changing them from sin-stained to glorifying. What you can 
expect from them is to be thoroughly engrossed in boy-girl relationships, the latest clothing 
and hair styles. They are interested in having fun, seeking pleasures, and making friends 
outside their homes. They are worldly-minded and resist a New Testament Christian life-
style. You see, they have learned from their parents. "I am rich, and increased with goods 
and have need of nothing." A lukewarm heart learns how to accommodate religion and 
resist the Holy Spirit.

Tragically, they do not see their deep spiritual need, of which we read in Revelation 3:17, "... 
and knowest not that thou are wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind and naked." 
Do not expect your Christian school and church to accomplish in the life of your child 
what must first be accomplished by his parents. 

We must be aware of a principle currently working in many homes. Let me explain. 
Scientists in the field of immunology long ago demonstrated the effectiveness of vaccines in 
preventing certain diseases. What did they do? They took actual disease-producing germs 
and weakened them. These were then placed in a vaccine which was given to children by 
injection. The defense mechanisms of the child's system attacked these foreign proteins and 
formed anti-bodies, thus preventing the child from contracting the disease. To put it plainly, 
when children were given a weakened form of the real thing, then they never got the real 
thing! Thus real mumps, measles, diphtheria and tetanus are not contracted when children 
get a weakened form of them. DO you see the parallel of this principle? If you give your 
children a weakened form of New Testament Christianity, they will never get New 
Testament Christianity! Parents, as you see hardness in your children's hearts, a desire for 
the world, wrong friends and wrong goals and a sassy, reluctant obedience to your authority; 
it is because you have allowed it, nurtured it and produced it by your example. Moreover 
you are just beginning to experience the grief and heartbreak that will later come your way 
from your children."

This being FATHERS DAY, please allow me to ask these questions of all the MEN 
and FATHERS of our church:

Do you have the ear to hear what is happening to your family?
Do you have the discernment to see the needs of your family?
Do you see "your seed becoming mighty upon the earth?"

Psalm 112 seems to underscore much of what a man ought to be. 

“Praise ye the LORD. Blessed is the man that feareth the LORD, that delighteth greatly in 
his commandments. (2) His seed shall be mighty upon earth: the generation of the upright 
shall be blessed. (3) Wealth and riches shall be in his house: and his righteousness 
endureth for ever. (4) Unto the upright there ariseth light in the darkness: he is gracious, 
and full of compassion, and righteous. (5) A good man sheweth favour, and lendeth: he will 
guide his affairs with discretion. (6) Surely he shall not be moved for ever: the righteous 
shall be in everlasting remembrance. (7) He shall not be afraid of evil tidings: his heart is 
fixed, trusting in the LORD. (8) His heart is established, he shall not be afraid, until he see 
his desire upon his enemies. (9) He hath dispersed, he hath given to the poor; his 
righteousness endureth for ever; his horn shall be exalted with honour. (10) The wicked 
shall see it, and be grieved; he shall gnash with his teeth, and melt away: the desire of the 
wicked shall perish.” 

I must remind you, that unless we men consistently apply the Word of God to 
our present situation in our homes, then I’m afraid that everything HOLY, 
SACRED and RIGHTEOUS that needs to be passed on to the NEXT 
GENERATION will be gone! That previous statement haunts me. Does it haunt 
you as well? “If you give your children a WEAKENED form of New Testament Christianity, 
they will never get the real New Testament Christianity!”

Using this brief Psalm, let me challenge the men of our church in FIVE areas that 
will enable you and I to pass on to the next generation a “strengthened form of 
Christianity.”

FIRST: We must be men of FAITH, verses 1-2 “Praise ye the LORD. Blessed is the man that 
feareth the LORD, that delighteth greatly in his commandments. (2) His seed shall be mighty upon 
earth: the generation of the upright shall be blessed.” Notice again the phrase, “…Blessed is 
the man that feareth the LORD” If we are going to discern the needs in our homes:

We must be men who are STRONG in their FAITH.
We must be men who are saved, who know it and show it.
We must be men whose priority is Jesus Christ, men who know and practice Matthew 6:33, 
“But seek ye first the kingdom of God…" These men put Christ first in their life.

One day, a father over-heard one of those routine “boys among boys” 
conversations.

One lad said, "My Dad can beat your dad, he knows the mayor."
Another lad, not to be out done said, "That's nothing. My Dad knows the governor."
Then the boy whose father was listening said, "Well my Dad is better than both your dads, 
he knows God!” Perhaps your prayer this morning should be, "O God, may I live so my 
boys can say, "My Dad knows God."

Men of Faith must not only be concerned about the absolute assurance of their 
faith, but they must also be concerned about the salvation of their children. How 
many of you as fathers or grandfathers can say, "I know my children and grandchildren 
are truly born again?" How thankful I am that all five of my children came to know 
Christ at an early age. I beg you don't let the devil have them a day beyond the age 
of accountability, whatever age you consider that to be. Help your children to know 
Christ. Happy is the man who can say, “These are my children, they are saved and 
on their way to heaven.” Happy is the grandfather who can say that their 
grandchildren also know Christ as their Savior.

The only thing any of us can carry to heaven are those who have been won to 
Christ. According to I Thessalonians 2:19-20, “For what is our hope, or joy, or crown of 
rejoicing? Are not even ye in the presence of our Lord Jesus Christ at his coming? (20) For ye are 
our glory and joy.” You will not be able to carry your JOB, FAME, FORTUNE, 
REAL ESTATE OR PLEASURE. The only possession you will be able to take 
to heaven with you will be your children, if they also know Jesus Christ as their 
Savior.

Friends, please listen. If you don't settle this matter of your faith and settle this 
matter of leading your children to Christ to be saved, one day your children's 
children will set the stage for the rejection of your faith. THINK ABOUT THAT, as you 
contemplate the importance of being a MAN OF FAITH.

SECOND: We must have men who know WORD OF GOD. Please notice again the last 
part of verse 1, “"who delighteth greatly in his commandments." Men who have 
discernment regarding circumstances and needs within their homes are men who are 
regular, systematic readers of the Word of God. Now, the word "Blessed" in verse 1 
means "happy." Happy is the man "who delighteth greatly in his commandments." Being 
STAGNANT and COMPLACENT spiritually is a dangerous thing.

Over the years, I have watched Godly, spiritual people who were once on FIRE for 
the LORD, lose their fire. They lost it, because, they no longer gave the WORD of GOD 
priority in their lives. They stopped reading the Word of God and then they 
developed a COLD, STAGNANT, COMPLACENT spiritual outlook.

Just let me say, you can't live as God would have you live, and develop a STAUNCH, 
STABLE FAITH, with oft-repeated hand-me-down phrases or with a few memorized 
scriptures verses. YOU MUST DAILY LIVE IN THE WORD OF GOD. Let me ask you. 
Please be careful how you answer this.

How many Bible verses can you quote from memory?
Can you quote the Books of the Bible in order?
Could you name 5 cardinal doctrines of the faith and defend your belief with scripture?

Any man's faith can become stale. One of the most deadly threats to a man's faith is 
the SECOND and THIRD GENERATION Christian. You may be a man of faith. You 
may be a dynamic motivated Christian. Praise God for that! But your children and 
grandchildren must also be taught to know Jesus personally; to know Him as you 
know Him.

Christianity is something you cannot just hand down. EACH NEW GENERATION 
MUST ACCEPT IT. EACH PERSON MUST PERSONALLY RECEIVE JESUS CHRIST.


John Quincy Adams was a strict Puritan both in faith and morals.
His son retained his father's morals, but dropped his father's faith.
His grandson dropped both faith and morals, so that in the space of two short 
generations, the experience of the gospel was lost to that family.

Gentlemen, if you and I are to live for Christ convincingly, the Word of God must 
maintain its freshness in our heart. If we are to know God, and have a realization of 
what God wants to do in and through us:

We must draw daily from the Bible.
We must stand up and lead the way.
We must live in the Bible.

If not, we are likely to have a SECOND or THIRD GENERATION who knows of our 
Christianity, but does not live their Christianity in a real, personal way.

THIRD: We must be men who serve the Lord. Please notice:

Verse 4 "he is gracious and full of compassion, and righteous."
Verse 5 "A good man showeth favor and lendeth."
Verse 9 "He hath dispensed, he hath given to the poor."

God is looking for men who understand and are committed to God's purpose for 
their lives. 

These men do not drift though life, waiting for things to happen.
These men do not spend their lives in an easy chair with their feet propped up, with one eye 
on the sports page, and one eye on the latest prime-time rage.
These men do not live for retirement, neither do they allow their lives to be lived in a frantic 
rat-race, controlled by activities and busyness.

God is looking for:

Men who have set their wills, minds and affections on one objective - to know, love, obey, 
and serve God with all their heart. 
Men who are more concerned about building God's Kingdom than their own, and one day 
hearing from the Master, "Well done, thou good and faithful servant."

Living for God and serving the Lord takes all the COURAGE, CHARACTER, 
VISION, WISDOM and HEART that a man has. I wonder, which would you 
have your children remember - your bowling scores, your financial portfolio or your 
life and service for Jesus Christ? 

FOURTH: We must be men whose PRIORITIES ARE SPIRITUAL AND WHOSE VALUES 
ARE ETERNAL. Notice this in the last part of verse 5, "…he will guide his affairs with 
discretion." 

These are men who don't leave spiritual matters to their wives, or make excuses about being 
"too busy," but prove the priority of their heart by taking whatever time is necessary to meet 
the spiritual needs of their wife and children. 

These men don't just expect their children to somehow turn out right, and then stand in 
amazement when they don't. They take personal responsibility for the spiritual condition of 
their home, and are always looking for more effective ways to DISCIPLE their children to 
develop spiritual maturity.

This spiritual responsibility belongs to men, not to the Sunday school teachers or to 
the children and youth workers. 


I thank God for a father who was always busy. He was busy accomplishing spiritual 
priorities to provide for my family the opportunity to come to the house of God and 
participate in Christian activities.

Every Sunday morning and evening, as well as every Wednesday evening, every 
father made in the image of God ought to come into church standing tall like 
Joshua of old and say, "As for me and my house (family) we will serve the Lord." Maybe 
even encourage your family by saying, “Honey get ready, and children get ready, 
because it's time for church.” I know there will come a time when a child will say to 
you, "But daddy, my favorite program is on TV." When that happens, I trust you will 
have the courage to proclaim, "Yes, but my favorite program is at the church house, and 
your old dad is going and so are you!"

You might be asking, “Pastor, if we drag the children off to church like that, when 
they get older, won’t they rebel and turn from God? I will answer by saying, “They 
will rebel only if they see a FATHER whose life and testimony is 
HYPOCRITICAL and INCONSISTENT. If we men are inconsistent in our 
priorities, especially with church attendance, we are giving our children a WEAKENED 
form of New Testament Christianity, which in three generations will more than likely result in 
their children forsaking the House of God. Verse 5 says, a good man "will guide his affairs 
with discretion."

FIFTH: We must be men of CONVICTION. Please notice:
 
Verse 6 "He shall not be moved."
Verse 7 "His heart is fixed."
Verse 8 "His heart is established."

These verses tell me this is a man of CONVICTION. Every belief you have, your 
way of life, and your faith is either a preference or a conviction.

A PREFERENCE is a choice or belief you hold on to very, very strongly. But it is 
a belief you could change, you just prefer it. If you might change your belief from 
day to day, what value is it?

A CONVICTION, on the other hand, is a belief you hold with such intensity in 
the fabric of your soul that you will not change, no matter what the cost. It's a 
realization of truth that is there, because God demands it of you.

Convictions give us purpose in life. I know for whom I am living. I have a purpose. That 
purpose is to give glory to God.

Convictions give us direction for making decisions. Every decision you make will be 
guided by your truth, your convictions, your purpose.

Convictions give us protection from sin. You will not have to question whether something 
is right or wrong, moral or immoral. Your conscience is sensitive and able to distinguish 
between right and wrong. You "abhor that which is evil, and cleave to that which is good." 

God is looking for men of principle, whose lives are governed, not by 
PREFERENCE, but by CONVICTION. 

Men of conviction have minds that are disciplined, focused, sensitive, and energized by the 
Word of God.
Men of conviction are more concerned about building God's reputation than their own. They 
are willing to risk their reputation, and what others may think of them, in order to take a 
stand for that which is right. 
Men of conviction are more concerned about building God's kingdom than their own 
financial empire. Their focus is on one day hearing the Master say to them, "Well done, 
thou good and faithful servant."
Men of conviction are committed to building their homes on a Godly foundation, and take 
responsibility for maintaining a climate of holiness in their homes.
Men of conviction know the meaning of a permanent, life-time commitment to God and to 
their wife. They meant it when they said, "for better or worse ...till death do us part."

Men whose lives are not characterized by a foundation of Biblical convictions are 
feeding their children a weakened form of Christianity and thereby setting the stage 
for rejection of Christianity itself. 

Do you know what young people want to see more than anything? It is men with 
convictions:

Men who know what they believe, and
Men who know why they believe what they believe, and
Men who live by what they believe.

For a moment, let me take you back to the ancient Coliseum in Rome. Early 
Christians died there for a faith the world now takes for granted. FLAVIAN 
AMPHITHEATER was and still is a show place in Rome. Two-thousand years 
ago, gladiators and wild beasts fought there for public entertainment.

If we had sat in those grandstands amidst the grandeur that was Rome, we might 
have been deceived. The howling mob in the coliseum DID NOT DETERMINE 
the course of history. Rather, underground in the catacombs, another force was 
working. A little handful of men and women who worshipped another King called 
Jesus, CHANGED THE COURSE OF HISTORY. You might have said of these 
HUNTED, PERSECUTED men and who some considered the SCUM of the 
earth, "they haven't a chance." But the underground Christians eventually upset 
the Caesar’s above ground. The work in the catacombs over-came the destruction in 
the Coliseum, and finally the amphitheater was closed.

These saints had something we so desperately need today: a passion and conviction 
of the soul. A conviction which swords could not kill or water down, nor fire 
destroy. Today, we have plenty of money, houses, cars, liberties and everything that 
we call the American way of life, but we know nothing of the spirit that motivated 
the saints of the catacombs.

Yes, we are a comfortable crowd of Christians. We seem to forget that the gospel is 
not just a message to hear in a church building. The gospel is a message to take out 
of the church to tell others. Too often today, it appears that we have moved from 
the catacombs and re-opened the Coliseum. We seem to be more interested in 
entertaining and being acknowledged than we are in winning men to Christ.

God is looking for men as He sought in Ezekiel's day who; "should make up the hedge and 
stand in the gap before Me..."
God is looking for men who according to Proverbs 22:28 will “Remove not the ancient 
landmarks which thy fathers have set.” 
God is looking for men who will stand with the courage of their convictions.
God is looking for men who are not concerned about what the world thinks, but who are 
interested in pleasing the Lord.

As I bring this message to a close, let me give a word of caution to you ladies. You 
may face the temptation to use this message to further discourage men who are 
attempting to develop the godly principles just stated. Please remember that us men, 
in spite of our many rough edges, desperately need the prayers, encouragement, 
love and sweet spirit of their wives. Your influence in our lives is incalculable, "for 
better or for worse!"

At times, the responsibility that is ours as men seems overwhelming. But God's 
word is clear as we notice again Psalms 112:1-2, “Praise ye the LORD. Blessed is the man 
that feareth the LORD, that delighteth greatly in his commandments. (2) His seed shall be mighty 
upon earth: the generation of the upright shall be blessed.”  I want to be such a man. How 
about you? Let us join hands today, believing that God will raise up a generation of 
HOLY, HUMBLE, PERFECT-HEARTED MEN who will rebuild the foundations of 
righteousness in our Church. 

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*
If God has spoken to your heart, after reading the sermon “A Father's Godly Influence” why not 
right now talk to God about what He has spoken to you.

Do you have the assurance that one day you will go to heaven? If you have no assurance that you 
know Jesus Christ, then I trust you will decide to accept Him as your personal Savior. The Bible tells 
us in 

Acts 16:31, “...Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved...” 
Romans 10:13, “For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.”
This prayer is here for those who need to ask Jesus to be their personal Savior: “I do want to go to 
Heaven. I know I am a sinner, and I do believe Jesus Christ died for me. I realize I cannot buy 
this great salvation, nor can I earn it. Knowing Jesus died on the cross and arose from the grave 
to pay my sin debt and to purchase my salvation, I do now trust Him as my Savior, and from 
this moment on I am completely depending on Him for my salvation.”
If you made the decision to accept Jesus Christ as your personal Savior let me know? Please send 
an e-mail to, pdmikBBM@aol.com and I will send you some literature that will help you in your 
Christian life.
The “Weekly SERMON” was sent as a ministry of Bible Baptist Ministry, 48 Alexie Rd., Hanover 
Township, PA 18706. Privacy policy: your e-mail address will not be sold, or shared with any third 
party.

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