OBEY YOUR FATHER'S INSTRUCTION PART 2

OBEY YOUR FATHER’S INSTRUCTION Part 2

Scripture: Ephesians 6:1-3

Topic: Obey Your Father’s Instruction

“Children, OBEY YOUR PARENTS in the Lord: for this is right. Honour thy father and mother; which is the first commandment with promise; That it may be well with thee, and thou mayest live long on the earth.” 

                                                                                                                                              Ephesians 6:1-3 

Different Types of Fathers 

God gives every human being a few fathers. You can have a father after the flesh, which is your biological father. You can also have a father-in-law, your spouse's father. Your father-in-law can be a blessing to you if he is a good person. Moses was blessed tremendously by Jethro, his father-in-law. 

 

You can have a spiritual father; someone who brought you to Christ and established you in the Lord. Another important type of father is a father-in-ministry. That is someone who brings you up and helps you to be established in the ministry. All these types of fathers are important to us. It is important to understand the principle of honouring fathers and mothers. Many church leaders have walked out into a spiritual abyss by violating these simple principles. Some ministers disappear into oblivion by dishonouring fathers that have been set in the land. 

Before King David died, he called his son Solomon to his bedside and gave him some instructions. As Solomon looked upon his dying father, perhaps some thoughts ran through his mind. The man lying on the bed was someone who had made many mistakes in his life. He had committed adultery with Bathsheba and had disgraced the nation. He had murdered one of his own soldiers. David's children had been involved in the rape and murder of each other. 

In his latter days, David had not been able to keep his family together. It was this same ailing father, who was giving instructions to Solomon. Solomon obeyed his father! Because of that obedience, Solomon prospered to the point where silver became like stones to him. 

A Father's Instructions 

The first instruction that was given to Solomon was to be strong and to behave like a man. 

“I go the way of all the earth: be thou strong therefore, and shew thyself a man;” 

                                                                                                                                                     1 Kings 2:2 

Because I am a leader, I understand the importance of that instruction. Without strength, you cannot be a good leader. A church needs a strong leader to move it forward. Democracy and committees are not helpful when you need strong leadership. 

Solomon went ahead and eliminated his brother Adonijah, who had earlier tried to take the throne from him. The first act of strength that Solomon performed was to eliminate all possible traitors and wicked elements in his midst. Some of you are too weak to get rid of that bad man in your life. You must get rid of that bad girl. She shouldn't be there. As long as certain people are a part of your life, you will not prosper. Temptations come through people. They do not fly in a vacuum. If you do not get rid of certain people in your life, you will have countless problems. 

You need strength to obey the voice of the Lord. When God told me to be a pastor, it took a lot of strength to forge ahead into God's will. No one supported or helped me. When I started out in ministry, I found myself surrounded by people who didn't believe in me. I had to get rid of the scoffers in my life and I did just that! I remember telling one gentleman, "From today, you are no longer part of this church." I continued, "Do not come to the church anymore. Your services are not needed!" This brother was taken aback; he wanted to stay on in the church. He wanted to continue betraying me. I knew he was disloyal to me so I decided to get rid of him. It was not an easy decision to tell a friend, "Go away and stay away!" But it was a very necessary step for my own survival. No one can prosper if disloyal scorners surround him. You need an environment of encouragement and peace. 

Credit: Excerpt From

Solomonic Success

Bishop Dag Heward-Mills