The Focus On Faithful Fathers

Amen. Our Bible reading this morning

is taken from Psalm 78, Psalm 78, and we're going to read the

first 12 verses. Psalm 78 and we'll read through

verses one through to 12. Let's hear the Word of God for

those online. The words will come up on screen

and we're reading, as we always make it clear, from the

Authorised Version or the King James Version, whatever you

prefer. Psalm 78, let's hear God's word.

Give ear all my people to my law.

Incline your ears to the words of my mouth.

I will open my mouth in the parable.

I will utter dark sayings of old which we have heard and known,

and our fathers have told us we will not hide them from their

children, showing to the generation to come the praises

of the Lord, and his strength, and his wonderful works that he

have done. For he established a testimony

in Jacob, and appointed a law in Israel, which He commanded our

fathers, that they should make them known to their children,

that the generation to come might know them, even the

children which should be born, who should arise and declare

them to their children. That they might set their hope

in God, and not forget the works of God, but keep his

commandments, and might not be as their fathers, as stubborn

and rebellious generation, a generation that set not their

heart to write. And his spirit was not steadfast

with God. The children of Ephraim, being

armed and carrying bows, turned back in the deaf battle.

They kept not the covenant of God and refused to walk in His

law, and forgot His works and His wonders, that He had showed

them marvellous things, that He in the sight of their fathers in

the land of Egypt, in the field of Zoa.

We'll end the reading there at verse 12, and we pray the Lord

will stamp with His own approval and blessing this reading of His

own precious and and infallible Word.

Amen. Now my text today is taken from

Psalm 78 and the verses 5 right through to seven and have

entitled this message the focus on faithful fathers.

Now the Bible has a lot to say about the role of fathers in the

home. Everyone knows that the role of

a mother is vital to the well-being of family life.

But for some sinful reason the role of fathers has been

relegated to the position of almost a second class citizen.

For in our day, the woke feminist brigade, they embrace

and teach the observed mindset that while fathers are a

biological necessity for children, this is what they

argue they are a psychological absurdity.

Now that's a lie. Now that's completely untrue.

That's contrary to the word of God.

You see, the Word of God teaches, and a great deal of

evidence from the secular world backs this up, that fathers have

a vital role in bringing stability and bringing strength

and bringing spirituality into their homes.

Did you know that the Bible mentions the word Father and

fathers 1511 times? Wow, that's a lot. 172

references to the word fathers in the book of Genesis, 5 in the

Book of Revelation, and 26 of them in the book of Psalms.

Now here in Psalm 78, there are 5 references to the word Father,

verse 3. Let's read it together.

Which we have heard and known and our fathers have told us.

There's the first one, and then in verse 5.

For He established a testimony in Jacob, and appointed a law in

Israel, which He commanded our fathers, that they should make

them known to their children. There's the second one.

Then the third one is in verse 8.

And might not be as their fathers, a stubborn and

rebellious generation, a generation that set not their

heart aright, and whose spirit was not steadfast with God.

Verse 12 the 4th 1 marvellous things that he in the sight of

their fathers in the land of Egypt, in the field of zoan.

And if you can write down to verse 57, it says, but turned

back and dealt unfaithfully like their fathers, and were turned

aside like a deceitful bull five times.

Asaph, the writer of Psalm 78, mentions the word fathers, and

he mentions the word fathers. Now listen to me carefully in

the context he's addressing the importance of the home and the

vital role of parents in that home, especially the fathers.

So yes, fathers are a biological necessity, but they're

definitely not, as the woke feminist brigade says, as

psychological absurdity. Fathers are absolutely necessary

for the strength, stability, and spirituality of the home.

Scripture and history teaches us that as the home goes, so goes

society, and generally speaking, as goes the fathers, so goes the

home. The moral and spiritual

condition of society is always rooted in the well-being of the

family. We live in a day where there's

the breakdown of society. Why are we seeing such breakdown

in the United Kingdom? Here's the answer part of it,

the breakdown of the family unit.

Children living in single parent homes have increased in the past

100 years by over 300%. And one of the problems that

society faces today is the breakdown of the family unit.

And here in Psalm 78, we have the words of Asaph, a

contemporary of David, and he's speaking a very important

message, a message that needs to be heard, one that is absolutely

essential to the preservation of society through in his day and

generation. Through in our day and

generation. A message that is vital to the

fulfilment of God's purpose for his people.

And one of those roles that God has for his people is this, the

role of being a faithful father. And that's what we want to focus

on this morning. And here in Psalm 78, verses 1

Psalms 78:1–8

to 8, ASAP very faithfully under the inspiration of the Holy

Spirit sets out that vital role and focus of faithful fathers.

And then he elaborates in the Psalm from verse 9, I believe

through to verse 51. And he gives a accurate account

of the history of the children of Israel from their exodus out

of the land of Egypt by the blood of the Lamb, remember, led

by Moses, right through to the days of King David, when King

David was on the throne of Israel.

And and of course it, it tells us what God did to them and in

them and through them. And then the sad thing is that

at the end of the Psalm from verse 52 to 72, he closes with

how the Lord dealt with his own people when they forsook him and

forgot him and, and sinned against him.

Now today is classically known as Father's Day and we wish all

fathers here happy Father's Day and being Father's Day.

Then I want to focus on a few thoughts of being a faithful

father. How do we define describe what a

faithful father is? There was 4 things came to mind

and I have to confess they only came to mind yesterday because

of the busyness of the week. Psalm 78 verses 5 to 7 as our

Psalms 78:5–7

text. I want you to think of the

conversion of faithful fathers. He says, For He established a

testimony in Jacob on appointed law in Israel, which He

commanded our fathers, that they should make them do unto their

children. Notice the word our fathers

Asapha said, Give the year, O my people, to my law, incline your

ears to the words of my mouth. In verse 5 it says which He

commanded our fathers and then he says in verse 52 of this

Psalm, but made his own people to go forth like sheep and

guided them in the wilderness like a flock.

You see the word father's here that's mentioned five times in

this Psalm has to be seen in context.

These fathers are in a relationship with the Lord.

They know the Lord in a personal intimate way.

They they live their lives with knowing God in a greater and a

better and a deeper way. They testify that they are the

Lord's people, one of his own, his own people.

Verse 52, when Asaph talked about our fathers, he was

thinking about those who were in a right relationship with God,

those who had a testimony that they're in a relationship with

the living and the true God. Now let me ask this morning, do

you know him? Do you know him as one of his

own people? Do you know that you're born

again of the Holy Spirit? Do you testify that you've got a

personal, precious relationship and experience with God via the

new birth? Remember, Nicodemus came to

Jesus by night. He was a religious man.

He was very respectable. He was righteous in his own

eyes. He no doubt he was a leader of

the Jews and probably a proud one at that.

But he was not regenerate. He didn't understand what the

Lord Jesus said about the new birth.

Remember, of course, what the Lord Jesus did say to him there

in John chapter 3 he says this. In John chapter 3 and verse 5 he

John 3 · chapter mention John 3 · chapter mention

says to Nicodemus John 3 and verse 5.

Verily, verily, I say unto thee, except a man be born of water

and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the Kingdom of God.

That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born

of the Spirit is spirit. Marvel not that he say unto

thee, You must be born again. See, Nicodemus was confused, he

didn't understand. He he asked the question, how

can a man be born when he is old?

Can he enter the second time into his mother's womb and they

born? He was thinking about physical

birth and Jesus was saying, marvel not don't let it shock

you, Nicodemus, listen to what I'm saying.

Physical birth is real. It's distinctive.

You've been made in the image of God.

God has made you. You're special.

You're unique. You're, you're, you're, you're

like a masterpiece from his hand and physical life as a precious

gift. But so is spiritual birth.

So is being born from above. Certainly Nicodemus, there's a

physical life, so there's a, a spiritual birth.

So we asked the question this morning rather pointedly.

Fathers, are you born again? We're, we're not asking fathers

if they come to church and we do encourage them to come and bring

their children and their wives with them.

We're not asking them if you would like to join the church,

not asking do you believe in God and in the Lord Jesus Christ.

See, 10s of thousands in Northern Ireland have been born

into Christian homes. Many of them have been baptised

as children, may be catechized and confirmed.

They come and go from the House of God, maybe not every Sunday,

but regularly. And they're they, they would

say, well, I'm religious, but it's all in their head and they

have no real life changing, transforming relationship with

the living God. So I'm asking the question, do

you testify of being one of his own people?

When Asaf mentioned our fathers, mentioned fathers five times, he

was thinking about those fathers that we're supposed to be in a

saving relationship with the God of heaven.

Was there a day, a time when you recognised that you were a

Sinner, that you repented of that sin?

You came to the Lord and said, Lord, I'm a big Sinner.

I thank you that you've provided in Christ a big Saviour and I

rejoice Lord in the reception of Christ.

Remember again if I go back to John's gospel in John chapter 1,

John 1 · chapter mention

it tells us there in verse 11, John chapter one verse 11.

He came unto his own and his own received him not, but as many as

received him to them give he power.

John one, verse 12, the word power there means exhusi has to

do with authority to become the sons of God, even to them that

believe in his name, which were born not of blood.

So it's not hereditary, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of

the will of man, but of God. Can you say this morning that

you're born of God, born from above?

Can you say that this morning? I am what I am by the grace of

God, see, but by the gift of God and the new birth, and by God's

saving special grace in Christ, your aspiration and aim should

be I'm a better dad, I'm a better man, I'm a better young

person, I'm a better son, daughter, I'm a better worker,

I'm a better husband, I'm a better wife.

I'm a better young person because those in Christ are

different. Those in Christ are distinct and

how they live and what they say and what they do, the tastes

that they have and music and dress and how they conduct their

business. They do it under the eyes of

God. They do it because they're in a

right relationship with God. They do it because they know

that one day they they have to give an account to God.

They listen to God's law. You see, he says, give the year

O my people to my law. Incline your ears to the words

of my mouth. He's speaking as well to the

fathers. Give a ear has to do with

listening, listening with understanding.

Incline your ears means to to bend them to what?

To the words of my mouth. You pay the closest attention to

it and, and, and the words of my mouth have to do with

instruction. The words of my mouth have to do

with God's inspired holy word, the Lord Jesus said man shall

not live by bread alone, but by every word to proceed out of the

mouth of God. The psalmist is speaking for the

Lord. He's speaking about the Lord.

He's speaking about God's word, God's instruction for his

people. See, we, we live in a day.

Hear me out. Take a modern home, homes and

carried off. Perhaps the wife and I agree.

We don't want to force religion on our children.

We want them to be free to make up their own minds in such a

manner. Does not sound ways.

Sounds good. Oh, we'll say it's very modern,

isn't it? Oh, why?

That sounds sophisticated. But it's all false.

It's bogus. It's sheer nonsense.

It's a lie. Why?

Because there's no way to be religiously neutral in the home.

Religious neutrality in the home is a lie.

Because once you become neutral about the things of God, once

you become neutral to the words of God, that in itself is a form

of anti God religion. If parents are neutral in their

attitude to religious things, then this will impact upon the

life of the home, impact upon the life of their children.

See these wise, modern, sophisticated people that want

to bring up their children, they say, well with an open mind.

Well they're not open minded about school.

No, they want them to have the best school, primary and

secondary. They want them to go into

university, to the top universities.

They're not open minded really when it comes to alcohol and

comes to drugs and comes to gambling and comes to other

things. Why be open minded about knowing

God? Because this is the greatest

knowledge in the world and surely fathers, our fathers,

especially those born of the Spirit and washed in the blood,

would want their children to know God and know him in an

intimate, deeper, better, greater way.

That's why the text above the porch in the meet and greet area

says, as you come in, be still and know that I'm God.

God can be known. God has revealed himself in his

Word and we can know him in a greater and a better and A and a

deeper and an intimate way that will impact upon our moral

choices and impact upon our moral lifestyle very quickly.

Not only the conversion of our fathers or faithful fathers, but

think about the Commission of faithful fathers.

It says in verse 5 which he commanded our fathers, that they

should make them known to their children.

Here's the mission of the fathers.

The fathers get a message from God and they give that message

to their children. And that message from God, of

course, starts at the cross and ends at the cross.

In other words, the fathers of such a respect for the person of

God, the praise of God, the power of God, the pardon of God,

the provision of God, the purity of God, the promises of God.

The Father then tells what he knows to the children.

He teaches to the children what God has given him.

He receives that faithful word, and he transmits it by his mouth

to his children. He is determined to communicate

God's truth to the children. Here's the purpose.

Look at verse 6, That the generation to come might know

them, even the children which should be born, who should arise

and declare them to their children.

We want the children to come and their children's children to

know something of the marvellous works and deeds of the Lord,

those praiseworthy deeds, the the works of his power in

creation, Providence and redemption, the the great

wonders he has done. See, people are asking today and

they ask me sometimes and I haven't an answer.

What's happening to our country? What's happening to our United

Kingdom? What's happening in our society,

in our church, in our education system, it's not the way it used

to be, because the way it used to be is this.

Our fathers made them known to their children the Word and the

works and the wonders of God. And if we fail to tell the

children, then we are in essence hiding and concealing God's

truth to the children. And that's what's happening in

our education system. In schools, they used to teach

the word of God. One of the things that they did

was memorise the Lord's Prayer. Another thing that we learnt was

the Beatitudes. Another thing that we learnt was

the 10 commandments. School assemblies started the

day with God, a reading from God's Word, the reciting of the

Lord's Prayer. Some schools tell like that, but

but not all. And then we're asking and

wondering why there's been a a colossal breakdown in society.

Well, you see, we've allowed an atheistic state.

They're involved in the education of our children.

And as any wonder, then we live in a in a world of confusion.

So children don't know what a woman is.

Children don't know what marriage is between one man and

one woman for life. Children don't know what the

role of fathers and mothers are. Children don't know what their

role is. Children don't know what the

what what the church is all about.

You see, the fathers of an older generation, they heard the

truth, they heard the word of God and they taught that to

their children. And I say this morning, there

can be no religious neutrality in the home.

A religious neutral home is a form of anti God religion.

Imagine if a child says I'm thirsty or a child said I'm

hungry and you hid the water from them and I'm not going to

give you any, and you hid the food and locked it away in the

cupboard. The child was thirsty and

hungry. That would be a monstrous crime.

That would be in the papers in the Telegraph.

But here's an even greater monstrous crime, hiding and

concealing the Word of God from the children.

In olden times, our fathers were rooted in the Westminster

Confession of Fiat, the 39 Articles of the Church of

England, the Baptist Confession of 1688, the Heidelberg

Catechism, the Savoy Declaration for the Independent Churches of

the Congregational. Asaph is concerned in his day

and generation his mindset as this God has revealed Himself to

us, our fathers and our fathers have got a duty and

responsibility to share that revelation with others, starting

with their children. I wish more fathers would teach

their children the Word of God. I wish that more fathers would

fortify their education by instruction from the Word of

God, because godly living is living committed lives by the

Word of God. And the great mission for all

parents and believers and fathers and mothers is to teach

and tell the truth to their children that there might be

better children. And that should govern our

actions and our attitudes and their announcements very

quickly. Think of the motivation of the

fathers. If you go back, it says which He

commanded. Our fathers He commanded, you

see, it's done in a spurt of loving obedience to God.

God has commanded me that this Father has a healthy spiritual

life. This Father revels in the great

works of God, creation, Providence and redemption.

He's got a revelation of God in his heart and mind.

He he delights in that God. And then because he delights in

that he, he declares them. And that's the most effective

way for children to come to know the Scriptures.

A father delighting in the scriptures, a father declaring

the scriptures and his motivation is done because it's

it's done through the instrumentality and work of the

Spirit. It's done because he's living a

life of loving obedience to God. See, this is not just a hobby.

This is not like teaching your children about gardening and

teaching your children about the birds and the bees, teaching

your children about fishing, or teaching the children about

collecting little cars. This is a preoccupation with

God. That has to be the motivation.

He revels in delights and God's command.

And these commands reveal something of God's grace and

mercy and love and holiness and justice, goodness and truth and

unnipotence. It's, it's not just the

Christian School. It's not just the Sunday school.

They have a place, but God places the ultimate

responsibility upon the fathers, and He holds us fathers

responsible for the spiritual well-being and condition of our

children. The mission of the Father, the

motivation of the Father, the mandate of the Father.

The goal here is rooted in an important purpose.

He established a testimony in Jacob and appointed a law in

Israel. You see, not testimony in Jacob,

but not law in Israel reveals the divine oracles, reveals the

Holy Scriptures, the Holy Scriptures.

The Old Testament was entrusted to the nation of Israel, and it

was the Father's duty to teach and tell the children that the

children might know God. And God has clearly revealed

Himself to us. We've got an inspired,

authoritative and fallible book. We're not following cunnally

devised fables. We're not following the

traditions of men. We're not following made-up

stories. What we offer and teach the

children is a word from God. A word about God.

A marvellous, miraculous word from God.

And that word is designed to help them, provide for them on

the journey, protect them on the journey.

Like like a shield. Why?

Because there's many counterfeits in the world.

There's a lot of anti God religion in the world.

There's a lot of false religion, a lot of false cults.

And we've got to teach them about the true and the living

God. And we've got to teach them the

ways of God, the works of God, the wonders of God, the witness

of God. I finished this morning.

Not only think about the conversion of faithful fathers

and the Commission of faithful fathers that we have a mission,

we have a motivation, and of course we have a mandate and the

mandate is God has entrusted us with this book, the words of

this book. But think about the consecration

of faithful fathers. You see, these faithful fathers,

they must put confidence and trust in God's Word themselves.

God's Word, of course, stands above the ideas of men for every

area of life, and this includes the raising and the training of

our children. And therefore we need to

communicate to the children the character of the Bible as the

words of his mouth. The Bible doesn't merely contain

the word of God. The Bible is the word of God.

It's infallible, inerrant, authoritative.

It always takes precedence over the ideas of men, over the

teaching of men, whether they be great men or not.

The chief has to be this as we consecrate ourselves to being

faithful fathers, what saith the scriptures?

Isaiah 8 and 20 to the law and to the testimony.

If they speak not according to this word, it's because there's

no light in there. We must guard against elevating

the words and ideas of men above the word of God.

See, it all goes back. What saith the Scriptures?

We live in an age of militant feminism.

I've already given you fathers our biological necessity.

But a psychological absurdity? What nonsense.

Will you be alert and honour guard against secular humanism?

There's a humanistic worldview that that that is anti God and

rejects God. And part of that humanistic view

is the whole hoax of evolution. And then of course, we've got

militant atheism thrown into the mix.

And of course we've got resurgent Roman Catholicism.

To be consecrated to be a faithful father, he must not

really have a confident trust in the word of God, but he must do

the will of God from the heart. He must arise and declare them

to his children, and he must delight in that word and delight

in doing God's will. See, let me ask this, are we not

raising a children of Bible illiterates?

A lot of children know a lot about science today, about AI.

They know a lot of computer terms.

We'd ask them the question, who's the 1st man and first

woman? I was asked that years ago in

Aberdeen and Torry and I got this answer.

We fell near, jumped out of the seat.

I know, I know. Yes, son.

Hansel and Gretel. Where did the Lord Jesus come

from? A spaceman.

Now that's real. Do our children know the four

gospels, Matthew, Mark, Luke and John?

Do they know the Lord's Prayer? Can they kneel at the bedside

and recite the Lord's Prayer? If if you can't get your Bible

open and recite it along with them.

Do they know the Beatitudes? Do do they know the 10

commandments? See, see, this is real.

This is the nitty gritty. This should be our concern.

We should live by example and communicate God's Word.

We want to teach and declare and make it known to the children

because with knowledge there's understanding and with knowledge

there's spiritual perception. And this is not an option he

commanded. This is part of God's command.

This is God's rule. And if we want children to know

and experience God, we must dedicate our lives to the

teaching of the children so that they'll know the Lord, not

forget the works of God, keep his commandments, that they

might set their hope in God. That's what he says in verse 8.

And might not be as their fathers as stubborn, verse 7,

that they might set their hope on God and not forget the works

of God, but keep his commandments.

And might not be as their father a stubborn and rebellious

generation, a generation that set not their heart aright and

whose spirit was not steadfast with God.

If there's a verse that describe fathers and Ulster, that would

be a verse. Those fathers need to repent.

Those fathers need to get right with God.

Those fathers need to return to the House of God in the day of

God and receive the word of God with meekness and say I've got

word from God and part of that word is this.

I'm to teach and tell my children this revelation from

God. I delight in this.

Is that what you delight in today?

I've only scratched the surface here.

Sometime maybe in the autumn we'll deal with a wee four or

five message series on the home, deal with the family, and this

will be part of it. The Lord bless you this morning.

Happy Father's Day to those that are here.