A. In many ways, men are more publicly visible than women.
In employment men are more visible in factories, offices, and armed forces, government and almost every area of life. Women in the recent years have moved into all these areas in great numbers, but men still numerous.

B. In the role of the parent, however, men are less visible than women.
1. The greatest tragedy of our society to the failure of fathers to take their responsibility a parents.

2. We celebrate Father's Day, but in 40 % of the families in American there is no father.

a. The single parent family is the most numerous with a mother and her children.

b. One out of three children born today are born in fatherless homes

c. In many homes in our country the father is not a visible part of the family.

3. Children who grow up without a father grow up in an unstable home. With the mother working to provide for herself and here children she has little time to teach or raise the children. The Day Care center or baby sitter becomes the greater influence in their child's life.

4. God's plan for the training of children is in the two parent, husband and wife, family, both present, both taking the role of an example to the child. Now we live in the new enlightened age where the role of the family is being redefined. Today it is a single parent family, or same sex parents, or children raised by their grand parents while mom and dad go their separate selfish ways.

a. Children are to be taught by their parents, mother and father. They are the role models that children follow when they grow to adulthood.

b. Both the mother and father are equally needed to show the child the proper way for them to live. That is why God says to "train up and child in the way he should go...."

c. Both boys and girls need a father in the home to set the example. Boys learn to be men from their fathers, how to treat their wives, the responsibility to make a living, etc. Girls learn too how to what a man should be and how to choose their husbands. The children watch their parents and learn from them how they should respond to their future husbands and wives.

d. Sadly, where there is no father or relationship between the parents a destructive pattern is set that most children will follow in their marriages and relationships. The roots of epidemic divorce and homosexuality in our society can be traced to this failure of mothers and fathers.

5. God has given the responsibility to the parents and more specifically to the father. Note what the Bible says on the matter:
"Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it." (Proverbs 22:6)

"Foolishness is bound in the heart of a child; but the rod of correction shall drive it far from him." (Proverbs 22:15)

"Correct thy son, and he shall give thee rest; yea, he shall give delight unto thy soul." (Proverbs 29:17)

"Thou shalt keep therefore his statutes, and his commandments, which I command thee this day, that it may go well with thee, and with thy children after thee, and that thou mayest prolong thy days upon the earth, which the LORD thy God giveth thee, for ever." (Deuteronomy 4:40)

" Observe and hear all these words which I command thee, that it may go well with thee, and with thy children after thee for ever, when thou doest that which is good and right in the sight of the LORD thy God." (Deuteronomy 12:28)

"Thou shalt not bow down thyself to them, nor serve them: for I the LORD thy God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation of them that hate me;" (Exodus 20:5)

"And, ye fathers, provoke not your children to wrath: but bring them up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord." (Ephesians 6:4)

Greatest tragedy is parents who by abortion, kill their unborn children, because their unborn child is an inconvenience or embarrassment. Our nation supports the candidates as elective leaders who support and promote abortion.

C. The "invisibility" of fathers is most evident in the area of the spiritual up bringing of the children.
1. That is left to the mother, fathers are not interested. The reason is that many fathers are not spiritual themselves and they feel uncomfortable trying to teach something they are not living.

2. Thus, the responsibility then falls on the mother. Many a faithful church going father has little influence on his children.

3. In contrast to the example of fatherhood in our society it how the Bible presents what God intended fathers to be. The example we have chosen today is Joshua who was a very visible leader in his nation and also spiritual leader in his home. God's plan is that the Father be the visible provider, protector, example, and teacher to his children. The Visible Father is one who takes his God given responsibilities and with God's help carries them out.

A. Joshua in calling the nation of Israel to serve God boldly proclaimed his belief and stand on the matter. "Choose you this day whom you will serve."
1. He did not believe in making up the rules as he went along.

2. He believed a father must make certain basic commitments to God and God's principles He has given us to live by.

3. He recognized the need for far-reaching decisions on the national and home level.

B. Our families need men like Joshua, who will dedicate themselves to the Lord, and be a godly influence in there families and nation.
1. It takes a real man to make such a commitment and to life by it. It is the selfish, weak and wimpy men of today who think they have more important things to do, that lead their families. Many men today spend more time "supporting" their basketball, footfall or some other sport than raising their children. Others think that if they have their children participating in sports in raising their children. More important than any fun activity is imparting spiritual guidance and teaching their children to love the Lord.

2. I personally have known of pastors who neglected their wives and families for the "ministry." Supposing to be "serving the Lord" they gave their time to others neglecting their own families. This is gross sin and should be recognized as such. God has given the father the responsibility to be a loving husband to his wife.

"Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it; That he might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word, That he might present it to himself a glorious church, not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing; but that it should be holy and without blemish. So ought men to love their wives as their own bodies. He that loveth his wife loveth himself" (Eph. 5:25-28).

Note that the importance God places on the husband loving his wife. He says its should be in the same way that Christ loved the local assembly of believers and died for us! Clearly that places a husbands first responsibility to his wife and family. No pastor, school teachers, youth leader, song director, bus captain or anyone involved in a Christian ministry should put that ministry before his first responsibility in his home. To do otherwise is to sin and God will not bless a ministry do at the expense of one's family. We might outwardly do a lot and it look good, but as Matthew 7:21-23 states not all done in the name of Christ is of the Lord.

ILLUS: My father never took me to any sport that I can remember. Rarely, maybe once every year or so he would drive us all to the coast and have a picnic and swim in the ocean. He never took me fishing or hunting though both were things I loved to do. My dad was a hard working man earning a living as a mechanic for five children and my mother. I say with all the sincerity I can....my dad did not neglect the important things in life. He lived a godly life, taught us to pray and took us to church for every service. Months before he died, he and I were talking and he told me how much he regretted that he had not shown us the love he would have liked too. He said he really had a hard time expressing his love for us. I thank God that I was able to tell him that he had in fact shown us the greatest of love. In every thing he did he showed he cared for us and wanted only God's best for us. No, he did not know how to show a touchy freely type of love, but his love was clearly evident to me and I thank the Lord for him. He never neglected us and it had a vital impact on my life.
3. To some parents work is more important. Matt. 6:33, says, "Seek ye first the kingdom of God and His righteousness and all these things shall be added."
a. In pursuing money, houses cars and material things, and failing in fulfilling their spiritual responsibility, fathers are selling out their children.

b. God says, seek Me first, I will take care of the rest. I know that to be true in my own life.

A. Joshua was willing to take an unpopular stand..."choose you this day whom you will serve....as for me..
. 1. He made his choose based on what was right, and not on the decision others had wrongly made. The world has chosen to live for selfish pleasure and material things, that is so clear. But Joshua was a man, he stood for what was right.

2. He took the "road less traveled." He took the road of responsibility. He chose the road of faith, the road of obedience. He thought it better to live in the Grace of God than in the popularity of men.

B. Today's visible Father too may have to stand alone.
1. There are powerful forces at work to make today's man conform to the ways of the world.

2. The father, who proclaims himself to be a Biblical Christian sets himself up for ridicule.

3. The world will mock a man who wants to be saved and have his sins forgiven.

4. The world in scorn proclaims a man who seeks God is weak and afraid. What utter foolishness is the wisdom of the world, who say it is a sign of weakness believe truth and be in fellowship with God who created us.

5. Was Christ weak? Who showed such love for the mankind that He suffered for our sins that we might have forgiveness and eternal life.

6. What a perverted view the world has of what is a real man. They praise the selfish, immoral father who has sold his soul to living the "gusto life," who shirks is responsibility to his wife and children. They then ridicule and make fun of the father who shoulders his responsibility, boldly proclaims his love and devotion to God and to his wife and children. What sick and perverted idea most men have.

A. He unselfishly, lives his life with his family. Every decision he makes includes his family and their spiritual and physical welfare.
1. He assumes the leadership that God has given him as the head of the household.

2. In many families, the man leaves this to the wife. She then must do double duty, which will never be as successful as if the father provided his leadership.

3. In some families today, the children are left to raise themselves.

4. God has delegated responsibility in raising the children to both parents, and each has a role the other cannot perform.

B. The visible father also makes no decision for his family without including himself.
1. He say, "as for me..." So many husbands and fathers put off their responsibility to their wives for the spiritual upbringing of their children.

2. I believe this is the reason for the epidemic spread of homosexuality. When the father is absent the child will pattern its life after the mother.

3. The spiritual upbringing of the children must me done by both parents.

ILLUS: One parent tries to discipline and teach the child what is right. The other parent makes little of doing right, and by their life style and speak show the child it is not important to them, who then does the child follow? The answer is the child has the sinful nature we all do and he will be drawn by this carnal nature to do wrong.

If one parent loves God and the other doesn't. Most times it is the one who doesn't who has the greater influence. Parenting is a team effort. Parents who live contradicting lives will destroy the stable life the child needs. The child will be often confused and grow up with indecision as the pattern of their lives.

C. The Visible Father, who follows God, makes every effort to be at home, to lead, guide, teach and counsel his children.

1. Let us honor fathers who are the "visible" ones, who love and serve God.

2. Let us honor the father who is both the wage earner and the spiritual leader in his family.

3. Let us too, each of us stand in our family, our church, our community and nation for the principles of the Bible and do what is pleasing to God.

4. There is much talk among our politicians about "family values." Family values are values of the home, and can not be legislated by Washington, DC. True family values are Biblical principles given to us by God. They can chance our families for the better...only if men and women will turn to God and commit themselves to God and their families.