A Father Teaches His Child – Father's Day
Pastor Tan Thai · Jun 17, 2018
This Father's Day sermon, based on Ephesians 6:4 and Proverbs 22:6, guides fathers through three principles: good intentions are not enough, children must be raised according to God's Word, and only God can truly change a child's heart. The sermon emphasizes the balance between firm discipline and compassionate love in parenting.
The sermon opens by establishing that God is called Father throughout Scripture, and all believers are adopted as His children through faith in Christ Jesus (Romans 8:15-16; Galatians 3:26; 4:6-7). This truth brings great comfort to those who lack a close or healthy relationship with their earthly father. The story of Michael Jackson's Oxford lecture is used to illustrate the deep wounds left when a father never expresses love or affirms his children.
The first main section focuses on Paul's instruction in Ephesians 6:4 and Colossians 3:21: fathers must not provoke their children to anger or discouragement. The pastor explains that misplaced anger — especially anger rooted in a child not measuring up to other children rather than anger over genuine wrongdoing — sows lasting bitterness and resentment in a child's heart. Fathers must first learn to control their own anger before they can effectively discipline their children, and they must distinguish righteous anger from self-centered anger.
The second main section teaches that fathers must raise their children in the discipline and instruction of the Lord (Ephesians 6:4), balancing firmness in discipline with tenderness in counsel. Proverbs 22:6 emphasizes training a child from the earliest years and guiding them on the right path — not merely teaching theory, but walking alongside the child on that path. Fathers must also model the faith they teach, since they cannot tell their children to live differently from how they themselves live.
The third section reminds listeners that even after parents have done everything within their power, true change comes from the child's own decisions and from the grace and mercy of God. Paul's words in 1 Corinthians 3:6 — 'I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the growth' — summarize this truth. Parents are urged to pray consistently for their children, entrust them to God, and trust in His sovereign care.
The sermon concludes with the story of General Douglas MacArthur, who said he was far more proud of being a father than of being a military commander. This serves as a powerful call for fathers to set the right priorities: building their children's lives in love, discipline, and the fear of God.