Fatherhood: A Fortress For The Family, Part 1

Good evening, church family. I want to welcome you to what is now our Wednesday evening Bible study, our Wednesday evening time together in the Word of the Lord. We gathered together with our leadership last week, and they had recommended that this would be a good thing for us to do. Looking for more ways that we can give biblical input, scriptural input to you and to your family. So that's what we're going to do.

And on top of that, on Thursdays at 3:45, Pastor Patrick is going to do something with our youth. He's going to take them through what I took you through last week, last Thursday, answering the 10 questions that you ask and answer yourself for yourself when you go through a text. He's going to use these 10 questions and do an inductive Bible discussion with our students to help them understand the book of Ephesians. It's going to be a great study. That'll be on Thursdays, starting tomorrow, 3:45, and every succeeding Thursday after that until we're able to once again gather together here at the church.

So, this is a different time for us. I understand that you understand that. We've come to grips with that. And although it's only been, you know, what, three weeks, going on four. It's going to last at least to the end of April, probably to the end of May, maybe even beyond that. We have no idea. But in the meantime, we want to do what we can to help you. As the people of God, understand the person of God and the purpose that God has for you. I thought that would be a good thing for us to discuss.

And so tonight I want to address the men of our church. The fathers of our church, the grandfathers in our church, the uncles in our church, the leaders in our church. If you're a single mom, you become pivotal to your family. I want to talk to you as well. I want to address all of us, but I want to have an emphasis on the men of our church. Because I want them truly to understand what it means to be a fortress for their family.

And so I want you to be able to ask yourself this question. Am I a refuge for my family? Am I a stronghold for my family? Am I a fortress for my family? You know, God has uniquely paved the way for guys like you and me to be able to have all this time with our families. To be able to sit with them, to be able to eat with them, to be able to play with them, to be able to spend more time at home. This is a great opportunity for us.

I want you to do as Paul would suggest. Remember over in Ephesians chapter 5, when he said these words? Therefore, verse number fifteen, be careful how you walk, not as unwise men, but as wise. Be a wise man. Walk wisely. Making the most of your time because the days are evil. So then, do not be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is. This is the will of the Lord for you. Don't be foolish. Be a wise man. Redeem the time. Make the most of every moment, every opportunity. To redeem the time means to buy that moment back for eternity's sake. And God has given this to you. God has opened wide the door for all of us as fathers to redeem the time. No excuse for us not to do so.

And so I want to help you understand that in your redemption of each moment during the day, how do you as a father be that fortress for your family? That's what I want to talk to you about. I want you to understand how it is you can lead your family with strength. That's so important. In a day where men are becoming weaker and weaker. Every moment of every day, we should be coming stronger and stronger because of our Lord Jesus Christ.

And so I want to show you how it is you are to do that.

I want you to look at every day as your day, every day as a father's day, every day as a man's day. Buy back every moment for the sake of eternity. How is it you provide for your family strength, security? Stability, satisfaction. How do you do that? How do you become a shield for your family? In a day when our wives need to be protected, right? And we know that we as men are providers and protectors. Priests and prophets for our families. And so, how do we become the protector of our family?

If you, as a father, have your sons with you, set them down next to you. Help them to understand this. If your daughters are with you, help. Help them by sitting them down next to you, that they will know the kind of man they need to one day look for. Set your wife down beside you, that she might be able to hear alongside of you the things that you're hearing, so that you can work through these things together. I want to use these Wednesdays as precious times to be able to build into your family. Some of the great biblical truths on how you can be a fortress for your family.

I want to take you back to the book of Genesis, the book of beginnings. To show you where God will present Himself as a shield to Abraham. It's Genesis chapter 15, verse number 1. If you've got your Bible and you want to turn there, I'd love to have you do that with me. Genesis chapter 15, verse number 1. Abraham in Genesis 14, you know, had big ties to Melchizedek, the ties he had retrieved from the spoils when he had defeated the kings of the East and had rescued Lot from his captivity. And maybe for fear that they might seek retaliation. God comes to him and speaks to him. In fact, it says in verse number one, After these things, the word of the Lord came to Abraham. Little phrase word of the Lord, first time, it's used in Scripture. The word of the Lord came to Abraham. God speaks. God speaks. He came to Abraham in a vision saying, Do not fear Abram. Did I be afraid? That's always the command. Don't fear. Do not be afraid. Why? I am your shield. First time the phrase, the word of the Lord, in Scripture is used. The first time it says, do not be afraid. First time it says, I am a shield. And that's also the first time it says, Your reward shall be very great. Literal translation: I am a shield to you, and I am your very great reward. Abraham, you don't have to be afraid. Why? Because I am speaking. When I speak, you will understand that I am your shield, your protector. And when you understand that I am your shield in the realm of that protection, you will realize that I am your satisfaction. I am your very great reward.

We as fathers are the shield for our families. We listen to what God's Word says. He is our shield. So we portray to them that shield-likeness by protecting them. By satisfying them, by being the kind of protectors God wants us to be.

If you go to 2 Samuel 22, David will pick up on this and expand on it. David, after his deliverance from Saul and his enemies, would write this song, a song that's really recorded in Psalm 18. He says this in verse number two. He said, The Lord is my rock. My rock and my fortress. God's a rock and a fortress. And my deliverer. He is a Savior. He is a stronghold. He is my security. He says, My God and my rock, in whom I take refuge, my shield. And the horn of my salvation, my stronghold and my refuge, my savior. Thou dost save me from violence. I call upon the Lord who is worthy to be praised, and I am saved from my enemies. It's the protector, the refuge, the fortress. That's who God is.

And so to understand how I'm to be a fortress for my family. I must understand how God was a fortress and a refuge and a shield to David and a fortress and a refuge and a shield and a stronghold to Abraham. Because that's who he was. That's who he is.

And then you go over to Psalm 18, and it's worded a little bit differently. And it says in verse number 1, I love thee, O Lord, my strength. And then he goes into what he said in chapter 22 of 2 Samuel: The Lord is my rock and my fortress, my deliverer, my rock, my God, in whom I take refuge, my shield, and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold. I call upon the Lord, who is worthy to be praised. And I am saved from my enemies. Wow, how great is that?

And then over in Psalm 46. Psalm 46, verse number 1. God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. Boy. Those are words for today, right? In the midst of all that's happening in our country, in our world, God is our refuge. God is our strength. He is our very present help in trouble. Therefore, we will not fear. Though the earth should change, and it is and though the mountains slip into the heart of the sea, though its waters roar and foam, though the mountains quake at its swelling pride, I will not fear. No matter what happens on earth, God is my refuge. God is my strength, a very present help in trouble.

This is where Martin Luther would write that great and beautiful hymn, A Mighty Fortress is Our God. Remember that? A mighty fortress is our God. It's on page, let me see, 151 in our hymnal. It says, A mighty fortress is our God, a bulwark never failing. Our helper he amid the flood of mortal ills prevailing For still our ancient foe doth seek to work us woe. His craft and power are great, and armed with cruel hate on earth is not his equal. Did we in our own strength confide, our striving would be losing We're not the right man on our side, the man of God's own choosing. Dost ask who that may be? Christ Jesus, it is He, Lord Sabaoth his name, from age to age the same, and he must win the battle. A mighty fortress is our God a bulwark. That's from Psalm 46.

Also, Psalm 91. Psalm 91, verse number 1. He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High will abide in the shadow of the Almighty. I will say to the Lord, My refuge and my fortress, my God in whom I trust. For it is He who delivers you from the snare of the trapper, and from the deadly pestilence. He will cover you with His pinions, and under His wings you may seek refuge. His faithfulness is a shield. His faithfulness is a bulwark, is a buckler, is a rampart. That's the defense around your fortress, that God is that protector.

We as fathers are the people who are the ones who are strong and supportive of our family, to protect them in times of danger, in times of difficulty, in times of depression in times of all kinds of problems. That's what we do. That's who we are. Psalms that go on to say, You will not be afraid of the terror by night, or the arrow that flies by day, of the pestilence that stalks in darkness. or of the destruction that lays waste at noon. Why? God is your refuge, your fortress, your strength. His faithfulness is a shield about you. Is a bulwark, a rampart that protects you.

And then over in Psalm 144. Blessed be the Lord, my rock, who trains my hands for war and my fingers for battle, my loving kindness, and my fortress, my stronghold, and my deliverer, my shield, and he in whom I take refuge who subdues my people under me.

Then over in Isaiah chapter thirty-three. Isaiah thirty-three it speaks of the Messiah. He says, He will dwell on the heights, his refuge will be the impregnable rock. His bread will be given him, his water will be sure. Your eyes will see the king in his beauty. Speaking of Israel. And what happens when the king reigns from Zion?

And then over in the book of Jeremiah, it continues on. Jeremiah chapter 16, verse number 19. Excuse me, O Lord, my strength and my stronghold and my refuge in the day of distress. To thee the nations will come from the ends of the earth, and say our fathers, who have inherited nothing but falsehood, futility, and things of no profit Can man make gods for him, yet they are not gods? Therefore, behold, I am going to make them know this time I will make them know my power and my might, and they shall know that my name is the Lord.

Then over Nahum, Nahum chapter 1, verse number 7, the Lord is good, a stronghold in the day of trouble, and he knows those who take refuge in him.

Why do we read you all those verses? Because it's so reiterated in the scriptures. From Abraham to David to the Psalmists to Jeremiah to Isaiah to Nahum, it's that repeated theme that God is a fortress. He is your protector. And so he becomes the model for me as a father to understand what my responsibility is as a fortress. As a protector.

Remember, the Bible says in Proverbs 20, verse number 6: many a man proclaims his own loyalty. But who can find a faithful man, a trustworthy man, a dependable man, a reliable man? Many men proclaim their reliability. They proclaim their loyalty. They proclaim their dependability. But are they truly trustworthy? Can you really count on them in crisis? Because crises are the time in which we as men rise to the occasion.

And so I want to show you how you as a father could be that fortress for your family. How you can stand strong in the day of adversity. You can be the man your wife can count on. You can be the man your children can count on. Your church can count on. You can be the man that's completely reliable and faithful to your God. That's my desire for you, my desire for myself. How does that happen?

Let me give you principle number one. And I don't want to take a lot of your time each week. I just want to draw you to some principles. Hopefully, it will instigate in your mind more Bible study. But let's begin with this one. If I'm truly going to be a fortress for my family, I must focus on life's priority. That's number one. I must focus on life's priority.

You know, all of us have priorities. All of us have things that outweigh other things. Things that are first on the list. I wonder what's first on your list, what your priority is. Paul said it this way in Philippians chapter 1 and verse number 21: For to me to live is Christ and to die is gain. Christ was his priority. To live for Christ was his priority. That should be your priority and my priority. We are citizens of the kingdom of God. We are to seek first his kingdom and his righteousness. This becomes our priority in life to live for Christ. Because if you do, death is supreme gain.

And so ask yourself, are you living for Christ? This Friday we're going to celebrate the crucified Christ. And the Bible's very clear about Christ's death and exactly why he died for you and me. As you go back and you look at 2 Corinthians 5, verse number 14, For the love of Christ controls us, compels us, constrains us. I'm caught in that element, the love of Christ, Paul says. Having concluded this, that one died for all, therefore all died, and he died for all, that they who live should no longer live for themselves. But for him who died and rose again on their behalf. Paul says, Christ died, so you would no longer live for yourself. But you live for him because he died on your behalf. He understood life's priority. That's my priority. That's your priority. And we need to focus on life's priority to live for Christ if we are going to be a fortress for our families.

So, how do you do that? How do you live for Christ? Well, number one, you need to listen to what Christ has to say. You need to listen to what He has to say. My sheep hear my voice? And they follow me. They listen to me. They hear me. My sheep hear my voice. They're listening for the shepherd. And so we listen to what he has to say.

Remember on the Mount of Transfiguration when the Lord was up there with Peter, James, and John, and there was Moses, and there was Elijah. and he unveiled his flesh and out came the glory of the Lord and the voice from heaven, This is my beloved Son, listen to him, listen to him. We need to be great listeners. Hopefully, you have your children with you. They're sitting next to you. You're teaching your children how to listen. They need to listen to the word of the Lord. It's a great discipline. We love to talk. Very few of us love to listen. And so, if you're going to live for Christ, you must listen to everything that Christ says. And listen with a keen ear. Are you listening? So important.

The Bible says in Luke's Gospel, the tenth chapter. Remember the whole discussion between Mary and Martha, and Martha was upset because Mary wasn't helping her in the kitchen? What did the Lord say? Oh, Martha, Martha, you are so worried, so anxious about things that just don't matter. But Mary has chosen the one thing that's needful. What's that? To sit at the feet of Jesus and listen to his words. That was a priority. And Mary would focus in on that priority to listen to the words of Christ. If we're going to live for Christ, we need to listen to what Christ has to say.

You know, in the book of Proverbs, in Proverbs chapter 1, these words are recorded in verse 20 of Proverbs chapter 1. Wisdom shouts in the street she lifts her voice in the square. At the head of the noisy street she cries out, at the entrance of the gates in the city she utters her sayings. How long, O naïve ones, will you love simplicity? And scoffers delight themselves in scoffing, and fools hate knowledge? How long, how long, how long? Turn to my reproof. Behold, I will pour out my spirit upon you. I will make my words known to you. Because I called and you refused. I stretched out my hand and no one paid attention. And you neglected all my counsel and did not want my reproof. I will even laugh at your calamity. I will mock when your dread comes, when your dread comes like a storm, and your calamity comes on like a whirlwind, when distress and anguish come on you Then they will call on me, but I will not answer. They will seek me diligently, but they shall not find me. Because they hated knowledge and did not choose the fear of the Lord. They would not accept my counsel. They spurned all my reproof so they shall eat of the fruit of their own way, and be satiated with their own devices. For the waywardness of the naïve shall kill them, and the complacency of fools shall destroy them but he who listens to me shall live securely, and shall be at ease from the dread of evil.

He who listens to me will live in the realm of security. So if we're going to provide security for our family, if we're going to be a fortress for our family, we need to live for Christ. And living for Christ means I listen to Him, and upon listening to Him, I become more and more secure. And my family sees that security.

Remember last week in Psalm 81, when we talked about going through Psalm 81 with you, helping you understand how to ask and answer questions. And remember the emphasis in Psalm 81? It was all about the fact that Israel would not listen. It says in verse number 8 of Psalm 81: Hear, O my people, I will admonish you, O Israel, if you would listen to me. Let no strange god be among you, nor shall you worship any foreign gods. I, the Lord, am your God, who brought you up from the land of Egypt. Open your mouth wide, I will fill it. But my people did not listen to my voice. Didn't listen. So I gave them over to the stubbornness of their heart to walk in their own devices. Oh, that my people would listen to me, that Israel would walk in my ways, I would quickly subdue their enemies, and turn my hand against their adversaries, those who hate the Lord would pretend obedience to him, and their time of punishment would be for ever But I would feed you with the finest of the wheat and with the honey from the rock, I would satisfy you. That's what God says. This is what He says He wants to do. But he says, you wouldn't listen. You wouldn't listen.

In Proverbs chapter 8, this is what the Lord says. Verse number 32. Now, therefore, O sons, listen to me. For blessed are they who keep my ways, heed instruction, and be wise, and do not neglect it. Blessed is the man who listens to me, watching daily at my gates, waiting at my doorposts for he who finds me finds life, and obtains favour from the Lord but he who sins against me injures himself. All those who hate me love death. Wow, powerful words!

Over in Proverbs chapter 16, chapter 16, verse number 20, this is what the Lord says: He who gives attention to the word shall find good. He who stands up, erect, gives attention, listens to the word, shall find good and blessed is he who trusts in the Lord. He equates listening, giving attention to the Word of God as those who trust the Lord. Those are the ones who find good.

Proverbs 13, verse number 13. Proverbs 13, verse number 13. The one who despises the word will be in debt to the word. But the one who fears the commandment will be rewarded. The one who despises the word. That's the one who doesn't listen. He hears it, but doesn't want to have anything to do with it. He scoffs at it, he despises it. That's the word that will judge him. That's the word that will condemn him. And so don't despise the word of the Lord.

Oh, Proverbs 28. Proverbs 28, verse number 9 says this. Proverbs 28, verse number 9. He who turns away his ear from listening to the law, even his prayer is an abomination. Even his prayer is an abomination. Do you turn your ear away from listening to the law of the Lord and then seek to call upon the Lord? Your prayer is an abomination if you will not hear what God says.

As men, as fathers, we need to focus on life's priority. That priority is to live for Christ. And the only way I can live for Him is if I listen to what He says in His Word. Because listening to Him helps me understand Him. So I can better live and honor His name.

Do you live for Christ? Do you make him your priority? Is he your first thought in the morning, your last thought at night? Is he in your thoughts throughout the day? Do your children know that Christ is your priority? Do your children know that everything else is secondary to the Christ? Does your wife know she is secondary to the Christ? Because you want to honor the Lord above all else?

I would pray that as we continue this study on Wednesday nights, for however long we're in the situation that we're in, that you would begin to focus on life's priority. By living for Christ. How do you do that? You listen to Him. How else do you do that? Well, you're going to have to tune in next week because we have a lot more to tell you about this.

So let me pray with you. Father God, we thank you, Lord, for tonight. We thank you for a chance to spend some time in your word, reading your word, looking at what you say to us. My prayer, Lord, is that all of us would understand the beauty of your character as we read more and more about the word of the Lord. Help us, Lord, to understand you. Help all of us to live for Christ. To understand, to die is gain. We thank you, Lord, for the situation you place us in as a church. It truly is not convenient, but Lord, it's truly what you have ordained for us. So, as we look for different avenues by which we can give the word of the Lord out to the people of God, give us supreme wisdom. And may we seek to honor you every day of our lives. Be with us now as we continue this night, the rest of this week, as we gather together again this Friday called Good Friday. And then again this Lord's Day to celebrate the resurrection of Jesus Christ our Lord. We pray in your name. Amen.