You Matter: Dad Talks | Sunday Service 6-21-26

The call to fatherhood comes with a real question: when is the last time a man actually contemplated his influence? The king’s chair picture puts a man on a hillside, looking out over the people God has placed around him, starting with wife and children, then family, friends, coworkers, and people farther out. Influence becomes heavier when faces come into view, because people may not look happy, at peace, or well under a man’s care. God may show that some influence is smaller than assumed, and God may also show that a man has more influence than he thought.

The priestly vocation makes influence more than personality or position. The whole Bible carries that theme, from the covenants to salt and light to Peter calling God’s people priests. A man’s main job is not only electrician, plumber, accountant, lawyer, or whatever pays the bills. God gives a deeper vocation: steward the influence that has been given, even if that looks like a random text from a truck because God brought somebody to mind.

The encouragement to fathers begins plainly: fathers who are present, bringing a family or themselves under the word of God, are doing a good job. Fatherhood is hard in ways that nobody really tells a man until he is already in the trenches, tired at three in the morning, holding a crying baby until mom is ready. Still, attention matters deeply. A night building Legos, a pool session after a long week, or an imperfect memory from Disney may become the place where a child feels loved.

Joshua’s words, “as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord,” place the burden first on the parent’s own walk with God. The home cannot be led from behind. Regular time with God, keeping the Sabbath holy, tithing, and modeling Bible study set a direction the family can actually see.

The charge to “love your children enough” includes prayer, discipline, and humility. Prayer names children before God and listens for what God wants said and done. Discipline teaches children to clean up messes, apologize when wrong, and learn that love has structure. Parental repentance matters too, because a father or mother who apologizes models the very humility being required.

Christ becomes the perfect example when earthly fathers are absent, far away, imperfect, or still maturing. The church is called to receive father figures who represent Christ through thick and thin, and to remember that every second of life is a gift and every step can be an act of worship to the perfect heavenly Father.

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Key Takeaways

• 1. Influence carries holy weight. The king’s chair image makes influence visible, not vague. A man may discover that the people closest to him are watching his face, his peace, his anger, his steadiness, and his absence. God does not reveal influence so a man can feel important, but so he can steward what has been placed in his hands with sober joy. [30:52]
• 2. Presence becomes remembered love. A child may not remember every detail of the Lego set, the pool game, or the late night conversation, but the child often remembers that attention was given freely. Love becomes concrete when tiredness does not get the final word. A father’s small yes can become a child’s stored-up proof that he mattered. [37:12]
• 3. God must lead the home. Joshua’s line begins with “me” before it gets to “my house,” because spiritual leadership starts with personal surrender. A parent cannot lead from behind by only reacting to a child’s questions or crises. A home ordered toward the Lord needs visible habits, regular worship, and a parent willing to listen to the Spirit over the flesh. [42:14]
• 4. Discipline is love with backbone. Discipline is not the opposite of tenderness, and Hebrews says the Lord disciplines the ones he loves. Children need to learn that messes get cleaned up, wrongs get named, and apologies get made. Parental humility gives discipline credibility, because authority that can repent is far more Christlike than authority that only demands. [48:07]
• 5. Christ fathers what earth cannot. Earthly fathers may be absent, distant, broken, or still learning, but Christ remains the perfect example of the Father’s heart. The church can become a place where faithful men reflect that fatherly care without pretending to replace God. The broken roads still matter, but they do not get the last word when the perfect heavenly Father is the one holding the family.
  
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Youtube Chapters

• [00:00] - Welcome
• [21:22] - Father's Day Introduction
• [26:12] - Jonathan Hammond on Influence
• [27:12] - The King's Chair Exercise
• [30:52] - Looking Influence in the Face
• [32:36] - Stewarding Priestly Influence
• [34:08] - Fathers Are Doing a Good Job
• [36:58] - Making Time for Children
• [39:33] - Leading the Home Toward God
• [41:30] - Love Your Children Enough
• [42:14] - Serve the Lord at Home
• [44:21] - Pray Over Them by Name
• [44:45] - Discipline, Apology, and Training
• [48:55] - Turning to the Perfect Father
• [51:16] - Closing Prayer and Worship

Bible Reading

Joshua 24:15
“And if it is evil in your eyes to serve the LORD, choose this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your fathers served in the region beyond the River, or the gods of the Amorites in whose land you dwell. But as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD.” [42:14]

Hebrews 12:5-7
“And have you forgotten the exhortation that addresses you as sons? ‘My son, do not regard lightly the discipline of the Lord, nor be weary when reproved by him. For the Lord disciplines the one he loves, and chastises every son whom he receives.’ It is for discipline that you have to endure. God is treating you as sons. For what son is there whom his father does not discipline?” [48:07]

1 Peter 2:9
“But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light.”

Observation questions

1. In Joshua 24:15, what comes first in Joshua’s statement: his own choice to serve the Lord, or his household’s choice? Why does that order stand out? [42:14]
2. In the king’s chair picture, who were the first people placed close by, and what other groups of people were placed farther out in the landscape? [27:12]
3. What were some simple moments that were given as examples of meaningful presence with children? [37:12]
4. According to Hebrews 12:5-7, what reasons are given for why the Lord disciplines his children? [48:07]

Interpretation questions

1. 1 Peter 2:9 calls God’s people a royal priesthood. How does that deepen the idea of influence so that it becomes more than personality, confidence, or job title? [32:36]
2. Joshua says, “as for me and my house.” What does that suggest about how spiritual leadership works in a home? Why is it hard to lead a household toward God while personally staying distant from him? [39:33]
3. Looking at people’s faces in the king’s chair picture brought a sense of weight and honesty. Why might seeing whether people look peaceful, burdened, or neglected be an important way to understand influence? [30:52]
4. Hebrews 12 connects discipline with love. How can discipline be firm and still be clearly loving, especially when apology and humility are also part of family life? [44:45]

Application questions

1. If life were pictured from that hillside chair, who would likely be closest in the circle of influence right now? Whose face comes to mind first, and what might that person’s expression say about the kind of influence being felt? [30:52]
2. Where is presence most needed right now at home or in close relationships? Would it look like a conversation, shared play, a phone call, putting the phone away, or simply giving unhurried attention for a little while? [38:35]
3. “As for me and my house” begins with “me.” What is one visible step that could help make personal devotion to God more consistent this week: time in Scripture, prayer, Sabbath rest, gathered worship, or another habit that has been neglected? [43:06]
4. Praying for family by name can be simple and direct. Who needs to be named before God this week, and what would it look like not only to speak to God about that person, but also to listen for what should be said or done? [44:21]
5. Love has structure. Is there a place where correction has been avoided because it felt easier to let something slide? What would gentle, clear discipline look like in that situation? [45:15]
6. Authority becomes more trustworthy when it can repent. Is there a child, spouse, parent, or friend who may need to hear a clear apology soon? What makes that difficult, and what good might come from saying it plainly? [46:01]
7. Some carry gratitude for earthly fathers, and others carry grief, distance, or disappointment. In that part of the story, what would it look like to receive Christ as the perfect Father and also welcome healthy fatherly care from the church? [50:55]