Daddy Issues Part 6: Children to the Fathers (Cont’d)
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Rich father left only his bible to his son in will key to safety deposit box

Daddy Issues Review
• Prodigal Son
• Hearts of the Fathers to the Children
• Hearts of the Children to the Fathers

Main Point: When we reject God as Father, our selfishness makes it difficult to be good parents, which results in broken children that find it almost impossible to believe in God and to receive His love.

Series Main Text:
Malachi 4:5-6 See, I will send the prophet Elijah to you before that great and dreadful day of the LORD comes. He will turn the hearts of the parents to their children, and the hearts of the children to their parents; or else I will come and strike the land with total destruction.

Luke 1:13-17 But the angel said to him: “Do not be afraid, Zechariah; your prayer has been heard. Your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you are to call him John. 14 He will be a joy and delight to you, and many will rejoice because of his birth, 15 for he will be great in the sight of the Lord. He is never to take wine or other fermented drink, and he will be filled with the Holy Spirit even before he is born. 16 He will bring back many of the people of Israel to the Lord their God. 17 And he will go on before the Lord, in the spirit and power of Elijah, to turn the hearts of the parents to their children and the disobedient to the wisdom of the righteous—to make ready a people prepared for the Lord.”

1) Disobedient

Matthew 24:12 because lawlessness will abound, the love of many will grow cold.

2 Timothy 3:1-5 But mark this: There will be terrible times in the last days. People will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boastful, proud, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, without love, unforgiving, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not lovers of the good, treacherous, rash, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God— having a form of godliness but denying its power.

This certainly describes our generation. We have been hurt and used the pain as an excuse to rebel and run further from God. As a result, every aspect of our society is breaking down.

This is why “Repent” was the first word in both John the Baptist’s and Jesus’s ministry.

Repentance is a change in mind that results in a change of direction.
BUT it is not enough to turn from sin, we must also turn toward God and to those who know Him.

Luke 1:17 And he will … turn the hearts of the parents to their children and the disobedient to the wisdom of the righteous—to make ready a people prepared for the Lord.”

Holy Spirit convicted me of my sin, but then invited me to learn from Him in His word and then called me to walk with others that were more mature in the faith.

I have had mentors, mothers and fathers in the faith, that have been instrumental in my growth. None of them have been perfect, but all of them had wisdom that I needed, and have been used by God to speak into my life.

2) Wisdom (Greek – phronesis):
Understanding, prudence, discernment, knowledge and love of the will of God.

Proverbs 1:7-8 The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge, but fools despise wisdom and instruction. My son, hear the instruction of your father, and do not forsake the law of your mother.

Proverbs 3:5-6 Trust in the LORD with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your paths.

*Pastor Timothy Keller - idiot video*

It is having the humility to know that we don’t know everything and that we need God, every day and in every situation.

It’s not just wisdom for wisdom’s sake, but so we can live lives aligned with and pleasing to God.

Romans 12:2 Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.

This is not an individual undertaking. We need each other and the enemy has gone to great lengths to isolate us through offense, division, wounding, and selfishness. I need the Holy Spirit, I need the Word of God, and I need community to grow properly and to get where God is calling me to go.

3) Just Doing what is right – righteous
To be in right standing: with God, with all authorities, with others, & with your purpose.
Righteous: Performing the purpose for which something was designed.

Genesis 4:7 If you do what is right, will you not be accepted? But if you do not do what is right, sin is crouching at your door; it desires to have you, but you must rule over it.

Romans 1:17 The just shall live by faith.

To do right is to live by faith. Faith isn’t belief. It’s not metal agreement.

James 2:19 You believe that there is one God. You do well. Even the demons believe—and tremble!

Faith is trusting God with your life. It means seeing how He sees and doing what He says, and trusting Him even when its hard or painful, or scary or you don’t like what He says.

James 1:22 But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves.

Faith is trusting God enough to actually do He says.

I trusted God enough for Him to confront sin in my life by His word, but my faith was really tested when He told me to go to church. It required faith to trust Him when I didn’t trust other people. I had to learn to serve, submit, receive correction, and direction

God is saying that in order to turn back the curse of fatherlessness, He will send His Spirit to work through those who will humble themselves, repent of their rebellion, who will seek wisdom, in order to do better, to be better, so their children can do better and be better by the word of the Lord – so instead of a curse, they can live under His blessing.

1 Corinthians 4:15 For though you might have ten thousand instructors in Christ, yet you do not have many fathers

Two-way street

1 Corinthians 11:1 Follow my example, as I follow the example of Christ.

I have had several mentors in my life. None of them were perfect, but I learned something from all of them, and without them I would not be where I am today.

How do the hearts of the children turn back to the fathers?

Repent of our lawlessness, selfishness, and pride
Follow Christ
Follow others who are following Christ

To be a father is to love, guide, and grow others into the will of God.
To be a son or daughter is to submit to the process.

Hebrews 12:5-6 My son, do not despise the Lord’s discipline, and do not lose heart when He rebukes you, because the Lord disciplines the one He loves, and He chastens everyone he accepts as His son.

We must forgive:
Our parents & those that have hurt us
Ourselves for our failures and mistakes

We must trust God. It stops with us. No more, for the sake of our children.