Title: Real Men Let God Lead the Way
Theme: To show the importance of letting God lead in the life of men.
Text: Psalms 127:1 – 5
Psalms 127:1-5 A Song of Ascents. Of Solomon. Unless the Lord builds (establish, a foundation) the house, They labor (toil and effort) in vain (they are just spinning their wheels) who build it; Unless the Lord guards (keep, observe) the city, The watchman stays awake in vain.
Jesus reminds us of a similar story in Matthew 7:24
Matthew 7:24-27 "Therefore whoever hears these sayings of Mine, and does them, I will liken him to a wise man who built his house on the rock: (25) and the rain descended, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house; and it did not fall, for it was founded on the rock. (26) But everyone who hears these sayings of Mine, and does not do them, will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand: (27) and the rain descended, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house; and it fell. And great was its fall."
Foundation is important. This is not just a foundation below but we establish in our family. A prescendent that we set.
As Joshua said in his last address to Israel:
Joshua 24:14-15 "Now therefore, fear the Lord, serve Him in sincerity and in truth, and put away the gods which your fathers served on the other side of the River and in Egypt. Serve the Lord! (15) And if it seems evil to you to serve the Lord, choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods which your fathers served that were on the other side of the River, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you dwell. But as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord."
Joshua was saying that this will be established in his household. Men we make that choice.
(2) It is vain for you to rise up early, To sit up late, To eat the bread of sorrows; For so He gives His beloved sleep.
It is a waste for you to sit up all night and worry about something happening.
It is God who delights in giving us rest.
Matthew 11:28 Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.
(3) Behold, children are a heritage from the Lord, The fruit of the womb is a reward.
Children are not a burden they are a blessing. They are the fruit that the Lord gives us.
Children are a gift from the Lord.
I know this is relating to parenting. I know this message is relating to fathers. But on a side note the Lord spoke to me as I was preparing this message and I felt impressed to remind you that even though you may not have children of your own do not take lightly the influence you have over the little ones.
(4) Like arrows in the hand of a warrior, So are the children of one's youth.
Being intentional
And these words that I command you today shall be on your heart. You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, and when you walk by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise. You shall bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes. You shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates. (Deuteronomy 6:6-9)
As arrows are targeted by an archer so are the direction of our children. Could you imagine if an archer just randomly shot arrows with no target in mind.
One day Charlie Brown was in his back yard having target practice with
his bow and arrow. He would pull the bow string back and let the arrow
fly into a fence. Then he would go to where the arrow had landed and
draw a target around it. Several arrows and targets later, Lucy said,
"You don't do target practice that way. You draw the target, then shoot
the arrow." Charlie's response: "I know that, but if you do it my way,
you never miss!"
Bow and Arrow
“The value of the bow is in it’s flexibility. It’s willingness to bend for the arrows.
The value of the arrow is it’s ability to be guided by the bow.” – Bryan Cutshall
Father’s play such an important role in the spiritual growth of their children
Statistics
According to data collected by Promise Keepers and Baptist Press, if a father does not go to church, even if his wife does, only 1 child in 50 will become a regular worshiper. If a father does go regularly, regardless of what the mother does, between two-thirds and three-quarters of their children will attend church as adults. If a father attends church irregularly, between half and two-thirds of their kids will attend church with some regularity as adults.
If a mother does not go to church, but a father does, a minimum of two-thirds of their children will end up attending church. In contrast, if a father does not go to church, but the mother does, on average two-thirds of their children will not attend church.
Another study, focused on Sunday School, found similar results on the impact of fathers:
• When both parents attend Bible study in addition to the Sunday service, 72% of their children attend Sunday school when grown.
• When only the father attends Sunday school, 55% of the children attend when grown.
• When only the mother attends Sunday school, 15% of the children attend when grown.
• When neither parent attends Sunday school, only 6% of the children attend when grown.
Another survey found that if a child is the first person in a household to become a Christian, there is a 3.5% probability everyone else in the household will follow. If the mother is the first to become a Christian, there is a 17% probability everyone else in the household will follow. However, when the father is first, there is a 93% probability everyone else in the household will follow
Acts 16:25-35 But at midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the prisoners were listening to them. (26) Suddenly there was a great earthquake, so that the foundations of the prison were shaken; and immediately all the doors were opened and everyone's chains were loosed. (27) And the keeper of the prison, awaking from sleep and seeing the prison doors open, supposing the prisoners had fled, drew his sword and was about to kill himself. (28) But Paul called with a loud voice, saying, "Do yourself no harm, for we are all here." (29) Then he called for a light, ran in, and fell down trembling before Paul and Silas. (30) And he brought them out and said, "Sirs, what must I do to be saved?" (31) So they said, "Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and you will be saved, you and your household." (32) Then they spoke the word of the Lord to him and to all who were in his house. (33) And he took them the same hour of the night and washed their stripes. And immediately he and all his family were baptized. (34) Now when he had brought them into his house, he set food before them; and he rejoiced, having believed in God with all his household. (35) And when it was day, the magistrates sent the officers, saying, "Let those men go."
(5) Happy is the man who has his quiver full of them; They shall not be ashamed, But shall speak with their enemies in the gate.
Quiver is the arrow holder. Full of them to shoot and to guide.
The gate is there business transactions were made. So when the children “they” go to the gate then they will not be ashamed of their parents because they have taught them how to trust God and be children of integrity.
Conclusion
Ezekiel 22:30-31 “I looked for someone who might rebuild the wall of righteousness that guards the land. I searched for someone to stand in the gap in the wall so I wouldn’t have to destroy the land, but I found no one. So now I will pour out my fury on them, consuming them with the fire of my anger. I will heap on their heads the full penalty for all their sins. I, the Sovereign Lord, have spoken!”
Importance of Prayer
Prayer is Accessing the Thrown
Prayer is Accepting God’s Plan
Prayer is Agreeing with Others
