Infinite Fellowship Ministries

The Precept & Principles Of Fatherhood – Part 1: Sermon By Apostle Gobanga

Remember the law of my servant Moses, the statutes and rules that I commanded him at Horeb for all Israel. Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the great and awesome day of the LORD comes. And he will turn the hearts of fathers to their children and the hearts of children to their fathers, lest I come and strike the land with a decree of utter destruction.  

Malachi 4:4-6 (ESV)

And he will go before him in the spirit and power of Elijah, to turn the hearts of the fathers to the children, and the disobedient to the wisdom of the just, to make ready for the Lord a people prepared. 

Luke 1:17 (ESV)

Unconsciousness of self is the greatest nemesis of mankind. Having something and not making use of it is the other greatest misfortune of humanity.

Many people have ownership but no conception of it. Others have control but no discernment. Others have custody of stuff with no perception of what they have. Others may have an appointment or be promoted and have no mandate.

You may have ingenuity but lack wisdom to transact in life. A commission yet lack direction. Others yet have a mission but no grounding due to lack of a vision – the foundation.

It is not enough to have things and lack wisdom to make them function.

We need divine wisdom to discern what God has given us. Be it academic gifts and other talents that we have. Wisdom is the rudimentary thing to access function and relevance to serve our generation. Wisdom allows you apply knowledge in life.

Most of the problems we face in life are a result of lack of direction and understanding of God.

My son, if you receive my words, and treasure my commands within you, so that you incline your ear to wisdom, and apply your heart to understanding. Yes, if you cry out for discernment, and lift up your voice for understanding, if you seek her as silver, and search for her as for hidden treasures, then you will understand the fear of the Lord, and find the knowledge of God.

Proverbs 2:1-5 (NKJV)

The fear of the Lord is to hate evil. Pride and arrogance and the evil way and the perverse mouth I hate.

Proverbs 8:13 (NKJV)

“The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, and the knowledge of the Holy One is understanding.

Proverbs 9:10 (NKJV)

The fear of the Lord is the instruction of wisdom, and before honor is humility.

Proverbs 15:33 (NKJV)

All things are fashioned to function. What is the precedent object for what God has given us? Why do you have what God has given you?

Precepts (principles) have been set by God to simplify life and preserves us from moral corruption. Principles go beyond the culture, race, tribe and do not conform to our belief systems.

The question we should all ask ourselves is: what are the principles that I should embrace in life for the preservation of purpose? You cannot annul purpose and the principles that underguard it.

When we do not understand why something is made we will abuse it. When you ignore purpose in life, anything you have will be subject to abuse. If you do not understand why you have education, you will use your education to harm others. You will abuse and misuse people, the talents and resources that you have instead of channeling it to towards purpose

If you are not solving anything in life, you are the problem in life. When God created the world it had no problems, man came and cause problems. Kenya and the world over had no problems until mankind showed up.

When a man is oblivious of the precepts and principles of life, it becomes hard and penible.

We need to go back to the original precepts and in particular, the precept of fatherhood.

Who is a father as per the word of God? Father in Hebrew is – Abba – Daddy and in Greek – Pater.

Fathers are:

1. A source
2. Nourisher
3. Supporter
4. Upholder
5. Founder
6. Protector
7. Caring one
8. Leader

He initiates a new lineage and gives identity to a generation. He not only initiates a new lineage but provides for it.

It is also authorship. The Triune God is the author of salvation.

A fathers is a source as well as a progenitor (the genesis). He is the genesis of everything – of all substance and life. He supports and upholds them, not just for the near future but even for the next generation.

God the Father created the earth and the people in it. The Father created all things by virtue of His word. God had everything in Him before all existed and therefore had the capacity to give all that there is life.

Looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.

Hebrews 12:2 (NKJV)

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made. In Him was life, and the life was the light of men. And the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it.

There was a man sent from God, whose name was John. This man came for a witness, to bear witness of the Light, that all through him might believe. He was not that Light, but was sent to bear witness of that Light. That was the true Light which gives light to every man coming into the world.

John 1:1-9 (NKJV)

A father is a founder. The foundation of family and society and institution. Some women have started institutions and they are considered fathers of those institutions. The quality of the foundation will determine what is built on it. The foundation here talks of fatherhood.

Fatherhood is a function. Fatherhood is about function and not about gender. It is not just a name but a function and nature.

The sex identity is determined by the male sperm. The principle that cannot be annulled is that identity is determined by the male carrier. A lineage only has one father.

The next generation is given identity by the seed of the father. 

And he received the sign of circumcision, a seal of the righteousness of the faith which he had while still uncircumcised, that he might be the father of all those who believe, though they are uncircumcised, that righteousness might be imputed to them also.

Romans 4:11 (NKJV)

As humankind, we carry the seed of Adam and that is why we carry the Adamic nature (the nature of sin). The only way we can separate ourselves from the Adamic nature is through Christ. 

And He is the head of the body, the church, who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in all things He may have the preeminence.

Colossians 1:18 (NKJV)

Christ provided the gene of the new lineage in God. Christ grew into good measure to save humanity that was his purpose on Earth.

You were not saved to just be saved but to attain purpose. Perfection is attained once you get to the place of God’s purpose.

Manhood is understanding your source, capacity and generation and when to sustain it. Only man can impart manhood and identity to another man.

Anyone that did not relate well with a father-figure will have stronghold and will reject being held accountable and are prone to excuses blame games and will disregard authority.

It was not by Eve that sin entered the world, she was deceived. Adam sinned by willingly eating the fruit. Adam gave consent. The reason he fell was because he took instruction from his resource not his Source.

Eve was the resource for Adam. The reason that we have problems in the world and even in the Body of Christ is because we are getting instruction from voice of the resources that we have such as money, jobs and the people around us. The love of money is the root of all evil. We are to choose between Mammon (the god of money) and God since you cannot serve two masters.

No one can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or else he will be loyal to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and mammon.

Matthew 6:24 (NKJV)

The life of a Christian ought to be modulated by the Spirit of God and not money.

The fall of man is a result of the father receiving instruction from his offspring. The first offspring of Adam is not Cain but Eve. One cannot get Cain without Eve. The union of Adam and Eve is Cain.

Fathers have the power to transfer sin. Women do not have the power to transmit sin.

You shall not bow down to them or serve them, for I the LORD your God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children to the third and the fourth generation of those who hate me. 

Exodus 20:5 (ESV)

We must appreciate our earthly fathers. Christ always glorified the Father in heaven. We ought to do the same.

In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven. 

Matthew 5:16 (ESV)

Satan is a stepfather. We must renounce the devil as a stepfather and his generation of sin. The Second Adam (Jesus) is the only one that is able to regenerate us into life and salvation.

Sin is an issue of fatherhood.

Every child wants to be affirmed by a father. Only a father can call out divine ordinations from eternity in your life. A true father perceives the future of the child. They call forth what is in you to manifest.

God sets up a father to align you to inheritance. If there is no fatherhood there is neither inheritance nor purpose. God wants to reconcile fathers to the children because of inheritance. If not there will be a curse. The curse is a result of defiling the principle of fatherhood.

The only way the curse can be released is by upholding the principle of God not the person of God. Fatherhood is a principle which the human race has defied. We need to go back to the principle of fatherhood.

Life is a result of the precepts that you defy or observe in your life. It is the principles of God that we defy that cause a curse/judgment on us. The word that you refuse to obey is what will be used to judge you.

He who rejects Me, and does not receive My words, has that which judges him—the word that I have spoken will judge him in the last day. For I have not spoken on My own authority; but the Father who sent Me gave Me a command, what I should say and what I should speak. And I know that His command is everlasting life. Therefore, whatever I speak, just as the Father has told Me, so I speak.”

John 12:48-50 (NKJV)

We must take responsibility for our destiny and build order in our lives by putting in place principles for life to be successful. 

This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate in it day and night, that you may observe to do according to all that is written in it. For then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success. Have I not commanded you? Be strong and of good courage; do not be afraid, nor be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.”

Joshua 1:8-9 (NKJV)

Being wealthy is not a function of stuff but of wisdom. Jews understand fatherhood and so do Indians. These two examples show why they command wealth. 

Get wisdom! Get understanding! Do not forget, nor turn away from the words of my mouth.

Wisdom is the principal thing.Therefore get wisdom. And in all your getting, get understanding.

Proverbs 4:5&7 (NKJV)

God has the blue print for all things. 

Unless the Lord builds the house, they labor in vain who build it. Unless the Lord guards the city, the watchman stays awake in vain.

Psalms 127:1 (NKJV)