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
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
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
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,
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.