Father’s Day: "A Few Good Men”

Father’s Day Message

“A Few Good Men”

Watch on YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TUjvXFQmkeE

As I was thinking about this Father’s Day message the movie, “A Few Good Men,” came to mind, or more specifically an exchange that happened in the courtroom scene between Jack Nickelson’s character, Colonel Nathan Jessup, and Tom Cruise’s character, Lieutenant Daniel Kaffee.

Kaffee:  Colonel Jessep! Did you order the “code red?”

Judge:   You don’t have to answer that question!

Jessep:  I’ll answer the question. You want answers?

Keffee:  I think I’m entitled to them.

Jessep:  You want answers?

Keffee:  I want the truth!

Jessep: You can’t handle the truth! You don’t want the truth because deep down in places you don’t talk about at parties, you want me on that wall – you need me on that wall. We use words like “honor,” “code,” “loyalty.” We use these words as the backbone of a life spent defending something. You use them as a punch line.

While this is not a recommendation for the show, but this memorable back and forth exchange got me thinking about what it takes to be a good man, a godly man and father. Or for that matter, a good and godly parent, and grandparent.

This morning, I don’t want to talk about the topics of honor, code, and loyalty, as great as they may be, and each one can easily translate into a bible study and message. Rather, what I want to talk about is how a godly person, whether man or woman, father or mother, or grandparent is someone who leans, leads, and loves. And while I’ve tailored this message to men and fathers, it can apply to everyone.

The first thing we need to learn is how to lean.

Lean

But what or who are we to lean upon? Now, the answer isn’t hard, in fact it’s easy! It’s the Lord God, and not our own ability or knowledge.

“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.” (Proverbs 3:5-6 NKJV)

To lean in the Hebrew means to give ourselves support, and figuratively it speaks here of our leaning or trusting in the Lord rather than in our own understanding of whatever situation we may find ourselves in.

To be a godly man and father means that we trust in the Lord for everything in life, and, we are to live this way as an example to others, especially to our children. Do they know beyond a shadow of a doubt that we trust God? Do we show them this trust by the way we live our lives?

The answer, if you’re anything like me, is not all the time, and that’s because of the war that’s going on within our soul and spirit. It’s a war where our flesh and spirit are battling it out as to who is going to be in control, the Holy Spirit, Satan, or our flesh.

And so, if we’re to lean upon God, what should we then be leaning on Him for?

Salvation

Are we trusting in God for our salvation, or are we still trying to work it out in our own understanding and power? The Apostle Paul wants to make sure that we know that our salvation isn’t in what we know or what we do, but in the Lord and in Him only.

“For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast.” (Ephesians 2:8-9 NKJV)

Our problem as men is that we want to work everything out by ourselves. Therefore, it’s hard for us to trust in anyone or anything else. Our problem is that we want to work our way into God’s good graces. But our salvation only comes by God’s grace through our faith in Jesus Christ. So, we need to stop leaning upon our own understanding about how it all works and start trusting in God word, will, and ways.

Strength

This isn’t one of those macho image sorts of thing, like I’m a man I can carry that 100-pound sack. Yes, we probably can, but it isn’t until later that there’s a price to pay as we lather on our backs Ben Gay, while popping some Ibuprofen into our mouths.

The Lord speaks of our need to lean upon Him for our strength in one of the most beautiful passages of how our strength fails, but God’s strength prevails.

“Even the youths shall faint and be weary, and the young men shall utterly fall, but those who wait on the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles, they shall run and not be weary, they shall walk and not faint.” (Isaiah 40:30-31 NKJV)