The Father's Role in the Home | Kim Miller

-

Transcript

Welcome And Why This Feels Heavy

SPEAKER_00 0:00

Good to see you all. I just had to think this morning, um, as I when you're preacher always kind of nervous a little bit, you know, you come to church, and and when I sit down, I hear you guys all talk, and you're just happy and everything, just kind of calms me down. And I just really appreciate that with you guys that you do that for me. So that's what happened this morning again. And um the subject this morning's a little heavier for me. Um the husband's role in the family. I should change that. It's uh it's the husband's role in the home, I want to say. Uh, I guess it's kind of the same thing, but um as you reflect back to your wedding, and as I think back, and I think I've mentioned this before, I probably didn't think through all what I signed up for. Uh,

When Authority Shifts At Marriage

SPEAKER_00 1:01

there really is something trim uh I'm not sure what the right word is. I am glad I signed up for it. Don't worry, I have no regrets. But there's something that happens when the father walks up with his daughter. Some of us had to do that already. You're giving her to another man. You have to let go. That authority changes, it goes from you to him. You are no more responsible for that girl. You have the responsibility when she's in your home. We'll go through some of that. But there is an authority that transfers when that happens, and I think sometimes we almost we don't make light of marriages. No, we don't. I don't want to say that. But but we I think sometimes um, I know for myself back when that happened, I didn't think through all that. Yeah, you do know realize it's your wife, but it is a tremendous umbrella that you're wearing as husbands when that authority transfers over to you. So the scripture that we're gonna be using this morning is Ephesians 5. If you want to

Imitate God With Sacrificial Love

SPEAKER_00 2:31

turn with me to that, we're gonna take the whole chapter. And start in verse 1. We're gonna read through that here. Paul is writing to the Ephesians, and he's talking to them about leaving the old life. The chapter 4 talks about how they left the old life, now they're a new creature, and now they are to be the light to the world. Ephesians 5 says in verse 1, therefore be imitators of God. This is to the to the church, therefore be imitators of God as beloved children. We all know when when we have little children, it's so cute. You don't even have to teach them this. All at once, they're playing, they're playing mom and dad, they're imitating their parents. You don't have to teach them that. And this is what he's saying here be imitators of God as beloved children. Just like little children, be imitators of God and walk in love as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us as fragrant offering and sacrifice to God. Christ's love for us was just a self-sacrificing, it's a self-sacrificing love. It led him to sacrifice himself so that we might live. Our love for others should be the same kind of love, it love that goes beyond affection. It's a self-sacrificing love when we reflect Christ. And as husbands, we are gonna see as we go through the sermon, our roles in the home are self-sacrificing. We're dying to self. We're going to see the need of self-sacrifice so others can live and thrive.

Drawing Lines Around Sexual Sin

SPEAKER_00 4:21

Verse 3 But sexual immorality and all impurity or covetousness must not even be named among you, as is proper among saints. Let there be no filthiness, nor foolish, nor crude joking which are out of place, but instead let there be thanksgiving. For you may be sure of this, that everyone who is sexually immoral or impure, or who is covetous, that is an idolater, has no inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and God. Let no one deceive you with empty words, for because of these things the wrath of God comes upon the sons of disobedience. Therefore do not become partners with them. Here's just simply Paul is just simply cautioning the Ephesians against condoning immorality in the church. And um he's actually asking them to do more than that. Um not condoning immoral immoral immoral lifestyles. Um, and you know, we should not be partners with them. And that can be, I think it's not a good idea, even like in business, or even be friends with close friends. I I want to be careful how I say that. We need to connect with the, we need to be in touch with the world in order to win them to Christ. But we got to be careful on how much we condone the immoral lifestyles as we because we can be get dragged into the same lifestyle if we don't, we're not careful.

Walking As Light That Exposes

SPEAKER_00 5:47

Verse 8 For at times you were darkness, he's saying, you were in that old world, old, old lifestyle, but now you are light in the Lord. Walk as children of light. Our actions should reflect our faith as children of light. We should live above reproach morally so that we can reflect God's goodness to others. Matthew 5, 14 and through 16 says, as we're that's a familiar verse, you're the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hid, nor do people light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a stand and it gives light to all that are in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good works, and give glory to your Father who is in heaven. Verse 9 For the fruit of light is found in all that is good and right and true. In other words, the fruit of our lives is right and good if we are connected, and if when we are connected with the Father. Verse 10, and try to discern what is pleasing to the Lord. Take no part in the unfruitful works of darkness, but instead expose them. For it is shameful even to speak of the things that they do in secret. But when anything is exposed by light, it becomes visible. He's telling us, you know, don't get involved with those fruitless deeds of darkness. Any pleasure of act or activity that causes us to sin is what he's talking about. But we must go even further. We shouldn't, as we taught, we should not condone it. We should actually bring it to light. We should expose it. Paul is instructing us to expose these deeds because our silence may be interpreted as approval. You know, we don't always think about that. Silence about uh sin is kind of approval. I know in some businesses they have kind of that if what you don't, what you kind of don't, uh what you see that maybe isn't what you want, but you don't do anything about it, your silence is kind of approving it. So he Paul is suggesting here and encouraging us to, if there is fruitless deeds of darkness, especially in the church, is what he's talking about. We should expose those. For anything, verse 14, for anything that becomes visible is light. Therefore it says, Awake, O sleeper, and arise from the dead, and Christ will shine on you. God needs people to stand for what is right. Christians must speak out for what is speak out for love lovingly, speak out in a loving way for what is true and right. So Paul here is appealing to the Ephesian church to wake up and realize and uh that you're kind of maybe slipping into some dangerous conditions here. So be careful, he is telling them.

Wisdom With Time And The Spirit

SPEAKER_00 8:32

Verse 15, look carefully then how you walk, not as unwise, but as wise, making the best use of the time because the days are evil. Verse here is here we see he's like, keep your standards high in your Christian walk of life, keep them high, because we are in an evil world around us. Don't let down your guards, walk with wisdom. Verse 17. Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is, and do not get drunk with wine, for that is debauchery, but it will but be filled with the spirit. So here we see Paul is contrasting getting drunk with wine with, which is, you know, kind of producing a temporary high, with being filled with the spirit, which produces lasting joy. It probably is a hard thing to do, is to be drunk and to be able to discern the Lord's will for you. So I think that's what Paul's bringing out here. It can it doesn't have to be wine, it can be drunk with addictions, it can be drunk with whatever. So it doesn't just have to be wine, it can be other things. Anything that's kind of associated with the old life that causes you to that your mind causes you not to be able to discern the will of the Lord is what he's talking about here. So we need to daily submit to his will and draw constantly from his power, and that is what it means to be filled with the Holy Spirit. Not being so concerned about how much we have of the Holy Spirit, but how much the Holy Spirit has of us. Be more concerned about how much the Holy Spirit has of us than we have of the Holy Spirit. Verse 19, addressing another, addressing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody to the Lord with your heart, giving thanks always and for everything to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. You know, it's sometimes not easy to be thankful, uh, depending on what we're going through. But Romans 8 28 says, and we know that for those who love God, all things work together for good. For those who are called according to his purpose. Verse 21. Verse

Marriage Mirrors Christ And The Church

SPEAKER_00 10:52

21, submitting to one another out of reverence for God, uh for Christ. Wives submit your own, submit to your own husbands at the Lord. Here we're getting into the family. Uh, he's starting to talk to the family, a personal, personally talking to the families of submitting the wives submitting uh to their husbands. And submitting is not saying we need to become a doormat for other people to walk over us. That's not what he's talking about. We see Christ submitted to uh the will of the Father, and for us, we honor Christ by following his example. When we submit to God, we become more willing to obey his command to submit to others. That is, when we submit to each other, we're giving up our rights for the other person, is what we're doing when we're submitting. So in a marriage relation, both the husband and the wife need to submit to each other, are called to submit. For the wife, this means willing to follow the husband's godly leadership. I put it's it's important that we have the godly or the Christ-like leadership in there. For the husband, it means putting aside his own interests in order to care for his wife. Submission is rarely a problem in homes where both partners have a strong relationship with Christ and where each is concerned for the other's happiness. Verse 23 For the husband is the head of the wife, even as Christ is the head of the church. Here we are talking about the headship order. For the husband is the head of the wife, even as Christ is the head of the church, his body, and is himself its savior. Now, as the church submits to Christ, so also wives should submit in everything to their husbands. Question to us, men do we deserve to be submitted to? I heard somebody ask that question. He was like, Men, do we deserve to be submitted to? Are you worth being submitted to? Then he asked the women, are you worth to being loved? You know, the Bible tells us we should love our wives. Are we worthy of each other's submission and love for each other? Do we deserve it? From the other from our partner. The reason it says that wives should submit to their husbands is because the church submits to Christ. In short, in a simple, in simple words, our marriages are supposed to be a picture of the church, of Christ's relationship with the church. That is what the Christ's God's intent is for our marriage, that we are a picture of the church. We both represent a relationship of loving trust. Christ's relationship with the church and our relationship to others. We both represent a loving, a relationship of loving trust, respect, and mutual cooperation, but the differences got the scope because Christ is divine and infallible. Well, husbands, we are human and imperfect. So that's where the challenge comes in sometimes. We are human and we are imperfect. Christ is perfect, but our marriage should be a picture of Christ and the church for the husband. So,

Numbers 30 And The Weight Of Silence

SPEAKER_00 14:22

what does it mean to be the head of the home? How does that look? Um, there's a scripture in numbers 30 that I didn't even almost know about. I would have had to, I didn't know, I wouldn't have known that numbers 30 is this, but I'm gonna read that. I'll I'll invite you to c uh just to um it brings the, I guess it brings the weight on the on what the husband's role is in the family. It talks about how what happens in the home is the responsibility of the father, of the husband in the home. So I'm gonna read Numbers 30, the whole chapter. Moses spoke to the heads of the tribes of the people of Israel, saying, This is what the Lord has commanded. If a man vows a vow to the Lord or swears an oath to him to bind himself by a pledge, he shall not break his word. He shall do according to all that proceeds out of his mouth. If a woman vows a vow to the Lord and binds herself by a pledge, while within her father's house in her youth. Now, this is talking about a daughter that's not married, and her father hears of her vow, and her pledge by which she has bound herself and says nothing to her, then all her vows shall stand, and everything, and every pledge by which she has bound herself shall stand. Here the father didn't say anything about the pledge that the girl made. I just I'm just gonna take this slow so we understand what's saying. Here the father didn't say anything about a pledge that the girl was made. So in other words, now that pledge is on the father because he was quiet about it. Verse 5. But if her father opposes her on that day, that he hears of it, no vow of hers, no pledge by which she has bound herself shall stand, and the Lord will forgive her, because her father opposed it. So in other words, the her father opposed it and was like, that's not a good vow. You shouldn't be doing that. So he was doing something about it. So she was forgiving that because of her father. Verse 6 If she marries a husband while under her vows, or any thoughtless utterance of her lips by which she has bound herself, and her husband hears of it and says nothing to her on that day that he hears, then her vows shall stand, and her pledge by which she has bound herself shall stand. But if on the day that her husband comes to hear of it, he opposes her, then he makes void her vow that was on her, and the thoughtless utterance of her lips by which she bound herself, and the Lord will forgive her. But any vow of a widow or of a divorce divorced woman, anything by which she has bound herself shall stand against her. If she vowed in her husband's house or bound herself by a pledge with an oath, and her husband heard of it and said nothing to her, and did not oppose her, then all her vows shall stand, and every pledge by which she bound herself shall stand. But if her husband makes them null and void on that day that he hears of them, then whatever proceeds out of her lips concerning her vows, or concerning her pledge of herself shall not stand. Her husband her husband has made them void, and the Lord will forgive her. Any vow and any binding oath to afflict herself, her husband may establish, or her husband may make void. But if her husband says nothing to her from day to day, then he establishes all her vows or or all her pledges then that are upon her. He has established them, because he said nothing to her on the day that he heard of them. But if it makes them null and void after he has heard of them, then he shall bear the iniquity. I want to make sure we all get that. But if her husband says nothing to her from the day to day, then he is that then he establishes all her vows for or all her pledges that are upon her. He has established them, because he said nothing to her on that day that he heard of them. But if he makes them null and void after he has heard of them, then he shall bear her iniquity. Verse 16, last verse. These are the statues that the Lord commanded Moses about a man and his wife, and about a father and his daughter, while she is in her youth within her father's house. Now, here it talks about vows, but I guess I want to bring it to the everyday here. Basically, what they're bringing out here is what happens in the home falls under the under the decisions that are made in the home. What I want to be careful how I say this. The decisions that are made on the home ultimately fall on the shoulders of the of the husband. It's because of the authority structure.

Eli, Adam, And Real Accountability

SPEAKER_00 19:00

So now I want to bring out to just I'm not going, I don't want to spend a lot of time on this, but talking about Eli in Samuel 2, 1 Samuel 2, about how his sons were acting and how they were blaspheming against God. And Eli knew about it, and he said something about it, but he didn't do anything about it. And so I'm just gonna read this here. Um you don't have to turn to it. And so I'm just gonna read, and it says, and yet the Lord's judgment is phrased as falling onto their father, Eli. He's it's talking about the two sons. The Lord says, Eli knew his sons were blaspheming God and failed to restrain them. The high priests of Israel, Eli's sons, were under the authority as lower priests. Eli was the high priest. His duty, once he knew about their blasphemy before God by their corruption, was to remove them from office. Eli failed to do that. So in practice he gave greater honor to his sons that he did than he did to the Lord. Then we hear how the Lord came to Samuel here in 1 Samuel 3. This is where it was revealed to Samuel what was, and then Samuel revealed it to Eli on what was going to happen. Then the Lord said to Samuel, this is where he called Samuel three times. Behold, I am about to do a thing in Israel at which the two ears of everyone who hears it will tingle. On that day I will fulfill against Eli all that I have spoken concerning his house from beginning to end. And I declare to him that I am about to punish his house forever. For the iniquity that he knew, because his sons were blaspheming God, and he did not restrain them. Therefore I swear to the house of Eli that the iniquity of Eli's house shall not be atoned for by sacrifice or offering forever. So I also realize that as parents, we can't make our children obey us either. So there is something of like children disobeying their parents. Some scriptures are later on about that. So what I'm saying is just because a child maybe falls into sin, and you did try to do something about it, God is grace. The Lord is very gracious. So I'm not trying to, I guess what I want to, I want this to be, I don't want this to be a doomsday message, a sermon, but I want this to be an encouragement. So it is a heavy, it is a heavy responsibility for us as husbands to be the leaders, to take the weight of what happens in our home. But there is also something like children disobeying, what you want them to do and not and not doing and not being able to do anything about it other than pray. So there there are things like that. I just want to make sure I don't come across of not being understanding with that. So, more importantly, here, the fact that God has appointed the husband as the head of his family means that God holds the husband accountable for his family. This is the core of what male headship means. In the partner Of two spiritual equal human beings, man and woman. The man bears the primary responsibility to lead the partnership in a God-glorifying direction. And we see here in Romans 5, we're not going to turn to that, how Adam is held responsible for bringing sin into the world or letting sin. So Adam was not the one that partook of the fruit. It was Eve. But Adam is the one that's being held responsible. So just bringing out there is no scripture that we can find that I'm aware of where it just says, hey, us husbands have to wear the umbrella. It doesn't say it in that terms. But as you look through scripture, the the um the pattern, the pattern is that the husband is the head of the house, and the husband is responsible for what happens in the home. As Adam was responsible here in the Garden of Eden of what happened there. Does it mean that the husband is guilty all of all his family's sin? No, not necessarily. Because we cannot always, there are things that happen in the home that we that are out of our control. But since his leadership affects, but since his leadership affects every aspect of lives of every family member, it does mean every husband will have to give account to God for that. Therefore, the husband's leaderheadship is not a privilege, but it is an immense responsibility as as men in the home.

Practical Love Toward Your Wife

SPEAKER_00 23:37

Now I'd like to bring it a little bit more into the shoe leather. Um bring it more practical here in the everyday. I have three things I'd like to touch on here, and I'm open to having more from you. I'm sure this is not an exhaustive exhaustive list, but this is I have uh the husband's role to his wife, the husband's role to his children, and the husband's role to his family. Just practical things that we're gonna talk about. And I want to be the first to say I have not mastered all these. My children can attest to it. So even though I'm sharing some of these things, I do not have these all mastered. Number one is show love to her, show love to your wife. I don't always get it done, but I like to try, and I don't know, I've never told Monica this, but I'd like to try to just at least have a little intimate moment with her every day. It can be a little talk, it can be a little kiss that's a little bit more tender or whatever. It can be uh just something special. Oh, maybe call her and see how her day's going. Just something little. Um, I think I think she appreciates it. The hard one is die to yourself. That's the hard one. Be like Christ. What did Christ do to the church? And I'm gonna read I'm gonna finish chapter five here of Ephesians five here. Husbands love your wives as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her. Christ literally died for the church. That is what Christ wants us as husbands to do for our wives. That not literally, though, I'm sorry, but self-sacrifice in the physical, everyday things of life. That means having her interests above ours. That he verse 26, that he might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word. Now that is talking about Christ in the church. Verse 27, so that he might represent, that he might present the church to himself in splendor without spot or wrinkle or any such thing, that she might be holy and without blemish. In the same way, husbands should love their wives as their own bodies. He who loves his wife loves himself. For no one ever hated his own self, own flesh, but nourishes and cherishes it, just as Christ does the church. Now, this was back in that culture. I did not do a deep study, but I think this was going against culture on how they were looking at women back then. For you died to self for the sake of your wife. Verse 30, because we are members of his body. I'm gonna verse 29, for no one ever hated his own flesh, but nourishes and cherishes it, just as Christ does the church, because we are members of his body. Therefore, a man shall leave his father and mother and hold fast to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh. This mystery is profound, and I'm saying that it refers to Christ and the church. However, let each one of you love his wife as himself, and let the wife see that she respects her husband. Going back to dying to yourself, then the next one is give her your best, not what's left of you. Give her your best, not what's left of you. Provide for her. This could really go in different directions. I mean, it can go physically, it can be spiritually, it can be emotionally. Uh, provide for her. In other words, be there for her needs. Just be there for her needs. Then I and the next one I have care for her emotionally. One thing I found out that I didn't realize when I first got married, but your wife appreciates when she had a bad day, that she doesn't have to tell you that she had a bad day. That you recognize it. When he walked, when you walk in the door and you recognize that she has had not, it wasn't the best day for her, and that you can sense it and that you say something to her before she has to say something to you. She'll she'll appreciate that. Protect her, physical and spiritually, be her spiritual leader. Pray with each other every day. Pray with each other every day. And we'll talk about that a little bit later when we're going um talking about the family. Trust her. Trust your wife. She is your helper, she's your partner, she has tremendous intuition. My wife, I've don't know, have I said this over the pulpit before? She knows what I'm gonna say. She makes a good FBI agent. She has intuition. Like I don't. She's normally right. Also, recognize what she does for you. Just to be appreciative. Make sure she knows that you appreciate her. So that's not an exhaustive list, but those are a few things that I that came to my mind.

Fathering With Discipline And Warmth

SPEAKER_00 28:52

The father's role to the children. Gonna read Ephesians 6, 4. Here, children, here are some verses for you as well. It says, Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right. Honor your father and your mother, for this is the first commandment with a promise, that it may go well with you, and that you may live long in the land. But then it turns to the fathers and says, Fathers, don't provoke your children to anger, but bring them up in the discipline and instruction of the Lord. I think Colossians 3 says something about don't discourage your children or something, fathers. So it is for something it mentions fathers. It doesn't mention that about mothers or or or or or uh wives, but it does say, fathers, don't provoke your children. Number one thing that you can do for your children is love their mother. Love their mother. Show your children that you love her. This gives them security. The children's security is in the parents. So love their mother. Who should the children obey? Just the father because he's the head of the house? No, it's a joint, it's a joint thing with the wife and the husband. The children should be obeying the mother and the father. It's so easy. I know I've thought about this before. It's so easy to do, to think. I want my kids to be more successful and have a better life than I did. I'm not saying it's wrong to think that way, but I think it's better. I found this, so this is not original with me, but I think it's better to say, I want to develop a young man or woman of character. And if we do that, they probably will have a better life than you will, than we will. So build young men and women, develop young men and women of character. And this comes into the discipline. Discipline your kids. If you don't, the world will. Somebody will. I didn't that I this is not original with me again. I I found this. But that was a new thought to me. Somewhere along the line, our children will be disciplined. It may be, and if we don't now, it might be when they're adults. Somebody along the line will discipline our children. So we need to decide whether we do it or not. So we we need to, and if we do discipline our children, we need to be careful with that. It has to be effective, it has to be done in the right way. There's people, I know there's been abuses in discipline, so we want to be careful with that. It always has to be for the development of the kid, development of the child. It should be drawing them closer to being a good man or good daughter of character as uh to in their development. Spend time with them. That can be in different, many different ways. Help them find good friends. That's very important. Help your children find good friends. I tell you what, I think friends can sometimes have a bigger effect on your kids than you as parents can. So help. It's very important that you help your children find good friends. Husbands, dads should show your daughter, show your daughters what true love is. So that when they go to find a husband, so that when they're ready to get married, and a man comes along, a guy comes along, that they can sense whether this is true love or not. That's very important. Show your daughters what true love is. We've covered this one before. When your daughter gets married, we need to let go. Not always easy, but we do need to let go. Not saying we can't encourage or whatever down the road, but the ultimate responsibility is not on your shoulders anymore. It is on the man that she has married. Practical here. Very practical. Teach them how to work. It's actually very important. Teach your children how to work.

Presence, Trust, And Family Security

SPEAKER_00 33:17

Now we're going to transition to the husband's role to the family. The husband's role to the family. Number one thing I want to say: no one else can take your place. No one. No one in this world can take your place. There's other positions. Um most other positions somebody could take your place. But that is one position that no one can take your place. I want to take this time. Monica reached out to some of you women, or actually to the to the the ladies' chat. And the question was the question was, what do you want to see in the as the husband of the home? What do you want to see in your husband? And maybe what are they doing? Maybe they're doing and and they are doing things. And we were just blessed with the response that we got. It was very positive. So we have some very tremendous dads in this church. I don't know who you were. Monica does, I don't. So I want to read this knowing letting you know this is anonymous. I don't know who the who this is. So I'm going to brag up as much as I want to here. All right. Someone said being present with us as a family and not feeling like the children and I are constantly in competition for his attention with his phone or work. So I don't know who that is, but good job. If there is conflict in our family or marriage, he takes the lead in finding a way to resolve it and not just check out or ignore it. Takes responsibility for his relationship with God and leading the rest of the family towards God. Looks for ways to help with things around the house or with the children without me needing to tell him or ask him. Be someone who can trust. Be someone who I can trust physically, emotionally, and spiritually. Very important. That your wife can trust you physically, emotionally, and spiritually. Being the gatekeeper of our home. Making sure the children are surrounded with good influences and friends. Cares for the hearts of the children and is intentional about spending time with them, talking with them. To look out for the good of the family, even if it's if it means sacrificing his own wants. A lot of this is self-sacrifice. Putting his family's needs before his own. To always consider his family before saying yes or no to anything. That's good. We get asked to do a lot of things, and it's always good to check in with a family before we say yes. To also contribute in his in his share of helping at home with the children, household work, etc., instead of spending all his free time doing only things he enjoyed. These are coming from multiple different ladies in the church. But Lord bless you, men, as you lead the home, uh continue to do the good job you're doing. So the father's role to the family. This is the last one. This is kind of closing. Be the family's security, be the role model. I'm not diminishing the relationship with the women and Christ. Um because of the headship order that the women don't have a relationship. That's not what I want to come across here. But the father does need to be the security of the family and a role model in the home. Maybe you're not the husband or father that you thought you might be. That can happen. We're not perfect. We're not perfect as dads. And we need to just accept that. We need to recognize that. We're not perfect. We mess up. But I tell you what, our families are very forgiving. Our family isn't looking for perfection, they just want you. They just want you. The family is very forgiving and long-suffering as long as they see your present. If you're present, they will forgive you. Because we're not perfect. Be present when you're home. Play with the kids. It's a good exercise program. I tell them if you're overweight and you have kids, just go less on the sugar and play with them outside. You'll probably lose weight. Provide a healthy environment for your family. So that your children can thrive, that your family can thrive. Provide a healthy environment so your family can thrive, and that children want to spend time at home. I know there's families. I'm not saying there's families in the church here, but I know there's families where children don't want to be at home. And there is something like having a family where children want to be at home. Provide a healthy environment so your family can thrive, and so children want to be at home.

Wearing The Armor Of God

SPEAKER_00 39:16

This is the heavy one. Wear the umbrella of protection over your family. We're the gatekeeper for our family. Right now, when I read Ephesians, I find it very interesting that Ephesians 6, the whole armor of God, is in the same chapter after he tells the children to obey the parents. It comes right after the wife and the husband relationship. There is a part that I'm skipping here. It's about the master and the slaves or the servants. I'm not going to bring that out here, but I find it very interesting. And I don't want to take it out of context. But I believe us husbands need to wear the whole armor of God. And that's what I like to bring out here. As wearing the umbrella of protection over our family. Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might. Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil. For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over the present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places. Therefore, take up the whole armor of God that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all to stand firm. Stand therefore, having fastened on the belt of truth, and having put on the breastplate of righteousness, and as and as shoes for your feet, having put on the readiness given by the gospel of peace. In all circumstances, take up the shield of faith with which you can extinguish all the flaming darts of the evil one. And take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God, praying at all times in the Spirit with all prayer and supplication. To that end, keep alert with all perseverance, make supplication to all the saints, and also for me that words may be given to me in opening my mouth boldly to proclaim the mystery of the gospel, for which I am an ambassador in change, that I may declare it boldly as I ought to speak. So, husbands, I think it's very important, and I think it's important for all of us, but especially as husbands, that we wear this whole armor of God. So, how does that look? Have a pure heart. Have a pure heart. Love the Lord with all your heart. It goes hand in hand. Love the Lord with all your heart and have a pure heart. Pray out loud with your family. Share with your family what God is teaching you. This is one that I've not done well. Share with your family what God is teaching you. And worship to worship together even if it's messy. Family. Family devotions. I know this is another place where I feel I've failed in. Years ago I did a lot better when they were young. But it gets a little messy when they're young. Don't be a worried. Don't be afraid of that. Still do it. Teaching our family and showing our family what's most important, that is serving God. I just want to encourage you, husbands. I hope this was an encouragement to you. I know it's a heavy, heavy sermon. But we have so many good dads in this church. We're blessed. We're blessed with good families. So I just want to pray a blessing over each one of us here.

Final Encouragement And Prayer

SPEAKER_00 42:54

So let's just bow for a word of prayer. God, I just pray. We thank you so much for the strong families that we have in our church here today. Thank you for all the husbands that are doing such a great job, Father. Just pray your blessing upon them as they carry the load, as they wear the umbrella of protection to keep the evil from the family. I just pray that you would help us. Give us strength. We're not perfect. Thank you so much for families that forgive us when we fail and families that love us. We just pray you go with us from here that we could honor and glorify you with our lives and our families in Jesus' name. Amen. Lord bless you as you go through this next week. Hope everyone has a great week.