Portrait of a Godly man
Selective Scriptures
Introduction-
This morning we celebrate Fathers Day.
It is just like Mothers Day except that it doesn’t cost as much- that is what retail stores are saying.
Father’s Day is the day most people have a BBQ instead of taking Mom’s to a fancy restaurant-that is what the restaurants are saying.
Less cards given
Less expense of gifts.
Don’t talk as long on the phone.
Families don’t travel as much on Father’s Day.
I feel ripped off. The more I talk about it.
Society has put less importance on Dad’s and men in general and society is paying a price for it.
We have put so much importance on men being tough, macho, working all the time to make a living that when it comes to family and showing people that we love them, it is becoming irrelevant.
Dads, what do you think about that?
Men, what do you think about a society that believes you are out of touch to make any contributions? It ought to make you mad.
What does God say about that?
What do you think He thinks about that?
Ephesians 6:1-4
“Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right. Honor your father and your mother-which is the first commandment with a promise, that it may go well with you and that you may enjoy long life on earth. Fathers, do not exasperate your children, instead bring them up in the training and instruction of the Lord.”
Men, listen-
We may not be getting the biggest and most expensive gifts, less cards, less phone calls, but in God’s eyes, we are precious and we have a job to do.
Last week I shared some statistics with you.
Women 3 to 1 in the church- unacceptable.
Women doing the work of a man and being the spiritual father to their children- unacceptable.
Women going to church and the husbands and boyfriends waiting at home for the family to return-unacceptable.
“Let your light shine before men…..”
The men have to rise up and be the men that God wants them to be.
Ephesians puts it out there-
Children, honor your parents. It does not say honor them only if they are perfect and you agree with them all the time. It says to honor them so that you have a life that is not always in chaos- that it may go well for you!
Fathers, do not exasperate your children, bring them up in the training and instruction of the Lord. NLT- “Do not provoke your children to anger by the way you treat them, but bring them up with discipline and instruction that comes from the Lord.
We are living in a culture that doesn’t know the role of men.
Unless men, take up their responsibility in the family and the church we will lose a generation of kids. (repeat )
Kids are raising themselves without a father.
divorce
lack of being involved in their lives.
Father’s putting so much emphasis on making a living that they are losing their kids emotionally and physically.
We have two choices, weather they have kids or not.
We can live defeated and hopeless and think that the problem will go away on its own.
We can model what God intended for us to be and make a difference in our kids and the kids we have contact with.
I am gullible enough to believe a few good men filled with the Holy Spirit of God can impact people lives in a positive and spiritual way.
We can be good husbands, good fathers, we can be positive role models.
The culture today may not know what responsibility men play, but Godly men should not only know but live it daily for the world to see.
You don’t think we can make a difference? Listen to a few quotes about fathers.
Jim Valvano-
“My father gave me the greatest gift anyone could give another person. He believed in me.
Dan Pierce
The greatest mark of a father is how he treats his children when no one is looking.
Harmon Killebrew (HOF player for the Twins)
“My father use to play with my brother and me in the yard, mother would come out and say, your tearing up the grass. Were not raising grass, Dad would reply, we are raising boys.”
It is getting involved, rolling up your sleeves, making mistakes, making adjustments, and showing your family that they are important to you.
Reed Marham
“Being a great father is like shaving. No matter how good you shaved today, you will have to do it again tomorrow.”
So how do we do that? Raise our kids with the instruction of the Lord in a culture that has no problem turning its back on the things of God?
I have said it before- wisdom not applied is just storage of words.
I. Men have to lead
We will never be able to lead our lives or the lives of our families without the Lord leading us.
Galatians 2:20-
“I have been crucified with Christ, and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me.”
Christ guiding me and leading me!
In our families
“Husbands, love your wife just as Christ loved the church and gave hImself up for her.”
Not getting hung up on “being the boss” but understanding the responsibility that comes with the job.
Illustration-
It is like driving on a road and it makes a sharp turn or dip so that the road is unseen and you have to trust that the people who made the road completed it even though you for a moment cannot see the road.
It is not running ahead of God or lagging behind but learning to let God lead you.
Looking beyond circumstances, but to the purpose God intended for you.
Psalm 32:8-
“I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go. I will counsel you with my loving eye on you.”
When we refuse God’s leading
We are telling God we know better than He does.
We are accusing God of being unjust/ unfair.
We are questioning God’s ability to keep His promises (unbelief)
We basically call God a liar.
We have to learn to let God lead us.
II. We have to learn to lean
Emphasis on leaning on God.
Not our self
Not someone else
Not God as an afterthought.
Proverbs 3:5-6
“Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your path straight.”
For Salvation
Strength
Needs/ guidance
Our families
We men have a problem giving up control.
We want to fix it
make it happen
We don’t ask for directions until we are completely lost.
James 1:5-
“If any of you lack wisdom, he should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you.”
This is one of the prayers that God will answer yes to every time.
You learn to lean on Him and He will give you wisdom to do what is needed.
Frank Sinatra use to sing a song “My Way” The theme was “I did it my way” this is a good example of leaning on your own understanding and being wise in your own eyes.
It is a recipe of disaster.
To lean is to rely on.
What we say by our actions is we rely on our own training, experience more than we rely on God.
Is it any wonder we get ourselves spiritually in trouble.
So we have to learn to lead
We have to learn to lean on God
III. We need to learn to love
If you look behind you and no one is following, you are not leading anyone.
The only way you lead people is loving the people that you are leading.
The only way to properly love someone is to love them the way that the Lord loves them.
1 Corinthians 13:1
“If I speak in the tongue of men and angels, but have not love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal.”
If I do not love like God loves, I am just making some noise.
God leads us to love our wife’s, our children, God’s people, the lost as God loves them.
It goes deeper than looks, deeper than when it is convenient.
Illustration-
A man was talking to his wife after she had done something that he did not approve of. He said to her, how can you be so beautiful and stupid at the same time? She replied, God made me beautiful so you would love me, and he made me stupid so I would love you.”
Listen to me as I close this out
The most important thing we can do is love God and love people.
Before we can love anyone, we have to experience God’s love because you cannot give away something you don’t have.
Jesus loves me this I know, for the Bible tells me so.
It seems like a simple Sunday school lesson, but most people do not understand how much God loves them because if they did, they would act different.
When you know and understand God loves you, forgives you, and you have a purpose, you will love different and you will treat people different.
That is a portrait of a Godly man.
You will love your wife, your children, God’s people different once you have experienced God’s love in the right way.
Amen.
