THE FATHER AND FAMILY VALUES PSALM 127 PRINCETON CHRISTIAN CHURCH 19 JUNE 2022 God, in His love for us, reached out to us with the most valuable and precious thing He has – His Son Jesus Christ. In doing so God demonstrates to all Fathers that the most
precious thing a father possesses – his children.
Scripture: Psalm 127:1-5
For many men, one thing holds a great significance for them as fathers. And that one thing is to see his son becoming a father. And, if the father has instilled in his son the value and importance of being an “always on the job” father to his son, that significance is greatly enhanced. Through generation after generation that vital understanding of what a father is, will continue.
One preacher I read about said something very important one year on Father’s Day. Here is what he said, “This year Father’s Day holds a new significance for me as I see my son Joshua about to become a father.”
Life has come full circle and God in His wisdom has designed our human experience so that all of us can indeed experience the circle of life.
This undeniable constant is a part of our collective conscious and unconscious minds. It does not “just happen” that we become fathers. Becoming a father brings unfathomable responsibilities to the father who is not prepared to assume his role. But, for the father who is prepared, understanding fully how this new bundle of joy is going to affect and enhance his own life, he will see those responsibilities as excellent opportunities to make a positive difference in the world through his son or daughter.
As Godly fathers, we are living out a pattern of design and in that design, there is the wisdom of eternity and the hand of the Creator.
Through the Genesis account, we see God, Our Heavenly Father created life using only His voice, speaking the words: “Let there be” and all things came into existence.
But when it came to human life Our Heavenly Father took a direct approach and got His hands dirty by forming us from out of the earth.
Then our Heavenly Father took His own breath and put it into us.
Genesis 2:7 – Then the Lord God formed man of the dust from the ground
And the LORD God formed man of the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and man became a living soul.
By doing so it was not merely God’s words that brought us to life but the very breath of God that came into us and made us into creatures that would know eternal life since the breath of the eternal God had been passed into us.
We became children of our God and have ever since retained that title though, sadly, so many in this world refuse to acknowledge our parentage to this day.
John 1:12
12 Yet to all who received him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God-- 13 children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband's will, but born of God. 14 The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us.
God in His love reached out to us with the most valuable and precious thing He has – His Son Jesus Christ. – Who is the breath of God.
John 3:16
16 For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have everlasting life.
In doing so God demonstrates to all Fathers that THE most precious thing a father possesses is – his children. He shows us that that is the kind of relationship He wants with us – the precious possession of a father – his children.
Mark 8:36-37
36 For what shall it profit a man, if he shall gain the entire world, and lose his own soul? 37 Or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul?
But we Fathers so often forfeit that which is most precious for that which is simply transient and fleeting – as we chase after the things of the world instead of chasing after our children at play. Or taking time to listen to a child; to watch their play for a few minutes?
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“Family values” is a phrase we hear frequently in our world today. Possibly it is sometimes overused. But it has become a part of our culture. In our time it seems that each family is left to define for themselves just what “Family Values” means.
But for the Christian family there should be little to no confusion about the meaning or the practice of family values. The family values any family should observe, and practice are those we find in the Word of God.
The world, or more rightly, our enemy the Devil is very cunning and deceitful and does what is called twisting as he takes that phrase – family values - and pollutes it with his lies.
No, the source of our “Family values” fathers should be and must be and shall forever be the Bible - God’s inspired infallible word of instruction to us all. But the enemy has sought to divide and conquer.
Today we have divided families, children separated from their mothers, separated from their fathers, and separated from their grandparents because we have sold our souls in order to chase after the world and its sparkling allure rather than chase after the sparkling love that is reflected in our children’s eyes.
Ecclesiastes 2:11 NIV
Yet when I surveyed all that, my hands had done and what I had toiled to achieve, everything was meaningless, a chasing after the wind; nothing was gained under the sun.
Fathers have been tricked - even deceived into achieving the things we thought would bring joy and peace and an inheritance to our children. Fathers, we have been using our hands far too much when in fact we should be using our hearts to bring the blessings of God to our children.
Fathers, we are victims in some sense of the world for having bought into the lies cultivated in our generation and culture, and our enemy the Devil. We have believed that it is the accumulation of things, houses, lands, titles, and money that we ultimately give to our children. Are those things what is best for them? Those things that we are led to believe are best and most valuable for them as an inheritance in this world.
We Fathers expire under tremendous toil and effort to pass on the things of this world that in the end cannot bring the lasting peace of mind and tender love of the heart. No! Only knowing God can give those priceless treasures to our children.
Jeremiah 24:7 NIV
I will give them a heart to know me, that I am the LORD. They will be my people, and I will be their God, for they will return to me with all their heart.
Fathers, if you are like me, then you too have sometimes failed as a leader to your children and family, but the good news is that it is not too late for you or me to be redeemed in their eyes.
While we still have the opportunity, we have to lead our children to God, or, back to our Savior Jesus Christ if they have fallen away. It is not too late. Until our Lord, Jesus Christ, returns, it is never too late to come back to God. All it takes is that first step in a new direction.
Acts 2:39 NIV - "The promise is for you and your children and for all who are far off--for all whom the Lord our God will call."
Fathers plant your feet firmly and then bend your knees and approach the Throne of Grace today as together we ask our Heavenly Father to forgive us for losing sight of that which is the best thing we can give our children – faith in Jesus Christ.
A verse from the Scriptures, a few years ago seemed to be on the lips of everyone we would meet. That verse is 2 Chronicles 7:14 which says: “If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.”
Oh, that we would pray this prayer and practice the things God desires of us as fathers, mothers, brothers, and sisters.