“Is There A Man In the House?”
Text: Genesis 1:26; 2:7-9, 15-17; 3:1-9, 14-15
Ezekiel 22:23-30
Introduction:
The Equal Rights Amendment was first introduced in the political arena in 1914. However, it was not ratified until 1972. This amendment allows for the equal rights of women in the eyes of the law.
I think we would all agree that this is great. We have no problems with women having the same rights under the laws as men do. The problem is that a movement called the feminists jumped on the bandwagon and has pushed their agenda, which promotes the idea that any man who takes charge or is assertive is a chauvinist pig. If you believe that a man is supposed to be the head of the home you are considered a sexist. This message is propagated daily on television and through the media. It has permeated society and sadly I believe it has spread into the church.
I believe there is a trend towards wimpy, unassertive men in the kingdom of God and in our homes. We are scared of being labeled a chauvinist or a sexist. We are scared to take a stand in the kingdom, home, or in society. We see droves of men following the women instead of leading. I am no chauvinist. I believe women have rights and more of a role than just to stay barefoot and pregnant. I also believe that Scripture shows us that God can use women powerfully. My Grandmother is 89 years old and still pastors a church she planted. However, at the same time I believe that God has given men a specific role, job, and calling to fulfill. We have a role and a calling that must be carried out in order for us to be blessed by God. So I ask the question, “Is there a man in the house?”
PRAYER:
I. A MAN NEEDED
Ezekiel calls for a man. The Hebrew word used here for man is “Ish” which means “Male”. He calls for a man to stand in the gap or in the breech on behalf of the nation. I believe there is still a call going out today for a man that is willing to stand in the gap on behalf of our nation, our communities, our church, and our families. GOD NEEDS A FEW GOOD MEN. He is in search of a man who will build up a hedge and hold up His holy standard. A man to hold back the tide of judgment. A man who won’t back down or tuck tail and run during the battle. A man who won’t laugh at sin. A man who has integrity and character. A man like Shamah who stood in his pea patch and defended his inheritance against those that would steal it.
When a man steps into his God-ordained and ordered place there will be revival and deliverance in our nation, communities, church and families.
We need men to stand up, set up, pay up, store up, speak up, pray up, read up, rise up, hold up and look up.
We are being called out men. In fact the word “Male” means “DESIGNATED AND MARKED FOR DISTINCTION.” Men, look at the person next to you and say, “I have been marked for distinction.” We have been designated for a purpose and a specific task. Are you willing to fulfill your role? Are you a wimp or a warrior? Will you fight or will you run? Will you step into the gap? Or will you set on the sidelines?
II. ATTACK ON MEN
You must understand that the enemy also recognizes that we have been marked and designated. Therefore, there is a satanic assault on the male seed. The devil wishes to decapitate men spiritually, physically, and emotionally. “Capitate” means head. The devil wants to remove the head so that there will be no leadership and no covering. The devil is doing his very best to decapitate the head of our families. This attack has been going on since the beginning of time.
Exodus 1:11-12; 22 describes how Pharaoh gives the command to kill all the male children under 2 years of age. In the New Testament, Harod gives a similar command in an attempt to kill Jesus – kill all the male children in Bethlehem.
You may think that was just in the Bible. That isn’t going on today. Did you realize that:
3 out of 4 retarded children are boys
75% of suicide victims are men
Men are 25% more likely to be placed in a mental hospital than women
90% of violent crimes are committed by men
Men have 365% higher arrest rate than women
90%-95% of incest is committed by men
52% of babies born to black women are born out of wedlock
Over 14 million children are living in single mother homes
The males are missing. Any male can make a baby but it takes a man to be a father.
Have you ever stopped to think about the 36 – 53 million babies that have been aborted since 1972? How many men have been lost to that? One Christian program that works in counseling women who had abortions endeavors to get the women to pray and ask God to tell them what kind of child they murdered. They do this so they can name the baby so that the baby has significance to the women so they will realize their wrong. 90% of the women who have prayed and feel like they received a word from God concerning their aborted baby feel impressed that it was a male child. IF THAT IS TRUE WE HAVE LOST AN ENTIRE GENERATION OF MEN.
Why is the devil so actively pursuing and aggressively seeking to devour and destroy the men?
When a child is the first person in the family to come to faith, the rest of the family will follow 31% of the time. When a mother/woman is the first person in the family to come to faith, the rest of the family will follow 17% of the time. WHEN A MAN/FATHER IS THE FIRST PERSON IN THE FAMILY TO COME TO FAITH THE REST OF THE FAMILY WILL FOLLOW 93% of the time.
A child raised in a two parent home where there is a good to excellent relationship with the dad is 94% less likely to get involved in drugs, alcohol, violence, and anti-social behavior.
A group of Yale behavioral scientists studied delinquency in forty-
eight cultures around the world and found that crime rates were highest among adults who as children had been raised solely by women.
John Hopkins University researchers found that young, white
teenage girls living in fatherless families were 60% more likely to
have premarital intercourse than those living in two-parent homes.
The devil knows that when men are in their place he can’t win. He knows that if we are fulfilling our role, doing our job that he will be defeated.
III. OUR ROLES
Two specific roles:
A. In The Kingdom
We must realize that as a male we have been marked and designated as the
ones who will crush the head of the enemy. The Son of Man did it
ultimately but we have been called out to do it on a daily basis. A woman
can defeat the enemy but we are the ones that are to lead the way.
We are the ones in the church who should be on the front lines fighting the brunt of the battle. Yet, so often who does the fighting? Our prayer warriors are almost always little old ladies. Where are the men? One man said, “If a man-eating lion got loose in the church he would starve to death.” We can no longer set back and let the ladies fight all of the battles. We have been marked and designated. Matthew declares that “The kingdom of heaven is forcefully advancing, and forceful men lay hold to it.” Moody said, “The world has yet to see what one sold out man of God could do.” Yet we have churches full of spiritual widows. We have shut down spiritually. Our churches lack leadership by Godly men. Ezekiel 22:23 declares there will be no rain or spiritual blessing because the enemy had devoured the people and there many widows. Until men take their positions we will not see the full blessings of God in our churches. Until men fill their positions there will be widows in the land.
B. In Our Families
We have the responsibility of protecting our families. When the men
abort their role at home women abort their children.
When the man does not fulfill the role of head at home he is out of place, the wife then becomes displaced, the children become misplaced, and ultimately God becomes replaced. Without the protective covering of the man at home the women and the children are open and vulnerable to the attack of the enemy. The door is left open for loneliness, anger, depression, frustration, and physical and spiritual death.
Look at what happened to Adam and Eve. God had given Adam, the man, the instructions concerning the tree. Adam was to instruct his wife. He was to be the head. But he was out of place. Eve had an outright encounter with Satan and Adam stood by and watched. He didn’t do anything. He didn’t step in and rebuke the enemy. He didn’t protect his wife. She acts as the head. She becomes displaced. She gives to the man instead of the man giving to her. Then they give birth Cain and Abel and they become misplaced. Cain rises up and kills Abel. Finally, God is replaced. Cain moves to “Nod” which means “to wander or stray”. He goes out of the presence of God. I John 3:12 says, “he was a child of the devil.” All as result of the man not filling his role.
We are the ones who are responsible. We are the ones who will be held accountable. When God comes to the garden after they had eaten from the tree he didn’t call for Eve. He called for Adam. The man was responsible. We are the ones who should instruct our wife and children about the consequences of sin and disobedience. Yet, so often we see men who set back and let their wife take care of the discipline, devotions, and spiritual instruction. We are called to be the husband or literally the “House-band”. The one who keeps the home together. It is the man who is called to be the priest of the home. You can’t transplant a head. You can transplant a heart, a leg, an arm, but not a head. We are to be the head. There is no substitute.
Who leads your family in devotion? Who makes sure your children are in church? How many of us set idly by and watch our wife and children have satanic encounters through what they listen to on the radio, watch on TV, read, hang out with, or go? It is time for men to stand up and protect their nest!
Protect Your Nest:
Several years ago there was a traveler going into the South American Jungles to hunt when he head the startled cries of a bird fluttering over its nest. In the nest he could see the female bird and several baby birds. The reason for the alarm soon appeared in the form of an extremely poisonous snake. He was slowly moving towards the nest determined to make a meal of this small family. The hunter grabbed his gun and prepared to shoot the snake but decided to watch to see what would happen. What he saw shocked him. The startled male bird suddenly flew away from the nest as though looking for something. A minute or two later it returned with a small leaf-covered twig which it laid carefully over the nest. The male calmer and quieter than before perched on one of the upper branches and watched the snake. The snake got closer and closer to the nest and prepared to strike the deathblow. The snake drew back its head as if a blow had struck him. The snake then quickly retreated from the nest. After the snake was gone the hunter climbed the tree and retrieved the twig and took it to one of the natives and asked them about it. He learned from the natives that the twig was from a bush, which is a deadly poison to snakes. The very sight or odor of the bush causes them to flee.
It is time for men to pull the leaf of God’s Word, presence, and personal relationship over their families. The snake cannot strike the deathblow when the nest is covered with these.
When was the last time you set down with your children and found out how they are doing spiritually?
The average child 30 years ago spent 3 ½ hours each day in direct
dialogue with family members.
Now the Average Christian father spends less than 7 minutes
each day in meaningful dialogue with their child.
54% of teens and preteens in evangelical church families say they
seldom or never talk with their fathers about their personal
concerns.
Some of your kids are on the road to hell and you don’t even know it. It is our responsibility to find out for sure. We are marked and designated as the ones who should shield and protect our nest. If we don’t cover our nest there will be casualties.
Is there a man in the house? God is still seeking for men in our church and our families. We must have a few good men.
