S2006



S2006.07

“Which ‘H’ Word Best Describes Your Home?”

Psalm 128

Pastor Steve N. Wagers

February 12, 2006

1. The Father that Strengthens a Home!

A) A Man Loyal to God!

B) A Man Living for God!

2. The Faith that Shapes a Home!

A) A Committed Faith!

B) A Consistent Faith!

3. The Future that Succeeds a Home!

A) The Blessing that is Promised!

B) The Beauty that is Pictured!

A census taker was working in the hills of Arkansas. He walked up to one shed where a woman was sitting on the step. After introducing himself, the census taker said, "How many children do you have?" The woman answered, "Fo'."

The census taker then asked, "May I have their names, please?" The woman replied, "Eenie, Meenie, Minie and George." Confused, the census taker said, "Okay, that's fine. But may I ask why you named your fourth child 'George'?" She replied, "Because we didn't want any Mo'."

Journalist Rowland Nethaway recently wrote an interesting article concerning the role reversal of the home in the last 30 years. He writes:

“Adults have always complained about their children, but today is a different matter. There have always been wile and rebellious kids who would go off track and do something wrong. But they knew where the track was, and what was wrong. Many of today’s children don’t seem to know right from wrong, and many don’t seem to care. Thus, today’s children are robbing, maiming and killing on whims with no pity or remorse.”

Someone has said:

Parents want…

More credit for their card

More romance for their marriage

More patience for their parenting

More time with their family.

Children want…

More playtime in their daytime

More clothes in their closet

More money for the mall

More parties for their pleasure.

If we were to describe your home, I wonder which “H” word would do it the most justice. Would you home be considered a little bit of “Hell” on Earth, or would it be considered a little bit of “Heaven” on Earth?

Psalm 128 is a Psalm tailored for the home. In it the Psalmist encapsulates the entire home as he speaks a word to the father, to the mother and to the children. It is a recipe for reward, a formula for fame and the secret for success as far as the home is concerned. If we will apply the Psalmist’s advice, our home will be Heaven on earth. But, if we reject the Psalmist’s advice, our home will be hell on earth. Let’s examine the Psalm and discover which “H” word would best describe your home. First of all, notice that he speaks of:

1. The FATHER that STRENGTHENS a Home!

When it comes to being a parent we often feel like the man in the grocery store. He was pushing a cart that contained, among other things, a screaming baby. As the man proceeded along the aisles, he kept repeating softly, “Keep calm, George. Don’t get excited, George. Don’t get excited, George. Don’t yell, George.” A lady watching with admiration said to the man, “You are certainly to be commended for your patience in trying to quiet little George.” “Lady,” he declared, “I’m George.” 

Someone has said that raising a teenager is like trying to nail Jell-O to a tree. Another has said, “If you have a lot of tension and you get a headache, do what it says on the aspirin bottle: ‘Take two and keep away from the children.’”

Sam Levenson said, “The reason grandchildren and grandparents get along so well is because they share a common enemy.” My favorite is one that I saw on a bumper sticker: “Insanity is hereditary. I got mine from my children.” I believe that any parent would agree that being a parent today is anything but easy.

As we look at Psalm 128 the Psalmist begins his advice to the home by placing an emphasis on the role of the father. He seems to say that if a home is to be a little bit of Heaven on earth, then the father has the great responsibility of strengthening his home. What kind of a father strengthens his home? The text suggests that he must be:

A) A Man LOYAL to God!

We read in verse 1, “Blessed is every one that feareth the LORD; that walketh in his ways.” The first admonition is directed to the entire family and household. However, in verse 4, the word is specifically addressed to the father, “Behold, that thus shall the man be blessed that feareth the LORD.” The Psalmist is saying that the father who strengthens the home is a man who must be loyal to God. He must “fear the Lord.”

When the Bible speaks of “fearing God” or the “fear of the Lord” the reference is not to being afraid, or terrified of God. The word “fear” speaks of a “profound reverence toward God.” In other words, God must be taken seriously. He must not be trifled with, but must be at the center of everything we are, think, say, or do.

In his book, The Christian Mind, Harry Blamires wrote, “To think secularly is to think within a frame of reference bounded by the limits of our life on earth; it is to keep one’s calculations rooted in this worldly criteria. To think Christianly is to accept all things with the mind as related, directly or indirectly, to man’s eternal destiny as the redeemed and chosen child of God.”

In his book, Is This All There is to Life, Ray Stedman uses an acrostic to define the fear of God. The letter 'F' stands for faith. He says, "You cannot come to God unless you know He is there. Thus, fear begins in the faith that God exists."

The letter 'E' stands for experience. It speaks of an experience of the grace of God. Stedman says, "You can never properly fear God until you have learned for yourself what kind of God He is. He is a God of mercy, grace and forgiveness. When you have stood before Him and felt your guilt, and you have heard Him say, "neither do I condemn you…Go and sin no more," you will be able to properly fear God."

The letter 'A' stands for awe. It is an awe of His majesty, splendor, glory, power and wonder. Stedman adds, "We come to the place where we stand before Him in awe of who He is. He is a mighty God, a miraculous God, a mysterious God, and a marvelous God. What a being He is!" The letter 'R' stands for resolve. Whereas because we reverence God, we develop a resolve to follow God. [1]

Men, our families need us to be men who fear God, reverence God and are loyal to God. Secondly, this man must be:

B) A Man LIVING for God!

The admonition to the father continues in verse 1 by reminding us that we are not only to fear the Lord, but we are to a man that “walketh in his ways.” The reference is not to our loyalty, but to our living. While we are to be loyal to God, we must also be living for God. I believe it’s safe to say that if we are loyal to God, and fear Him, we will be living for God and follow Him.

I think of an article I once read in a Focus on the Family article. The article was entitled “Believe Well, Live Well.” It began:

“Pluck any man out of a church pew on Sunday morning and like him to a neighbor who’s still at home, pouring through the two-pound Sunday newspaper in his easy chair. Let’s say the two are of the same age and earn comparable salaries. Neither of them smokes, drinks or plays the lottery. Both floss their teeth, collect baseball cards and enjoy cheesecake.

Which man will live longer and enjoy the benefits of a stable home? Answer: the man in the pew. Research is backing up what common sense has told us for years, mainly that church-goers live longer, stay married, and feel happier than those who say they don’t believe in God.” [2]

Another study released in Christianity Today showed that:

• Men who practice their faith have less risk of heart disease.

• Men who practice their faith have lower blood pressure.

• Men who practice their faith spend less time in the hospital.

I would say that living for God is not only good for your physical health and well-being, but it is necessary, and essential for your spiritual health and well-being.

Men, as husbands and fathers, like it or not, God has called us to love our families, lift our families and lead our families in the things of God. The burden of proof rests upon our shoulders. Our families deserves that we live for God, and the Bible demands that we live for God.

According to the National Fatherhood Initiative,

"Children with involved, loving fathers are significantly more likely to do well in school, have healthy self-esteem, exhibit empathy and pro-social behaviors such as drug use, truancy, and criminal activity compared to children who have uninvolved fathers."

Our greatest role as men, fathers and husbands is not to be a provider for our home, but a preacher in our home. Our greatest role is that of an evangelist. We are to lead our families in things of God. We should not just pray for our families, but we should pray with our families. We should not just read the Bible to them, but we should read the Bible with them. We should not just send them, but we should take them to church. Why? Because the strength of the home is determined, developed and decided by the men, fathers and husbands in the home.

Secondly, let’s notice:

2. The FAITH that SHAPES a Home!

A recent survey revealed that when Mom and Dad take their children to church, 76 percent of the children followed the faith of their parents. If only the father took the children to church, the percentage dropped to 55 percent. Interestingly enough, if only the mother took the children to church, the percentage dropped to 15 percent. If neither parent took the children to church, only 9 percent became active Christians. [3]

The Psalmist describes the type of faith that is to shape our homes. First, it must be:

A) A COMMITTED Faith!

Again, we read in verse 1, “Blessed is every one that feareth the LORD; that walketh in his ways.” Again, the admonition involves, and is directed to the entire family. From the oldest parent to the youngest child, everyone must commit to “fear the Lord” and “walk in his ways.”

Much has been said, in recent months, regarding the place of the Ten Commandments in federal, state and local governmental institutions. But, the truth of the matter is that while they may never again allow them to be posted in the courthouse, they should never be taken down in your house, or my house.

We read in Deuteronomy 6: 5-7, “Thou shalt love the LORD thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy might. [6] And these words, which I command thee this day, shall be in thine heart: [7] And thou shalt teach them diligently unto thy children, and shalt talk of them when thou sittest in thine house, and when thou walkest by the way, and when thou liest down, and when thou risest up.”

In other words, it is not the school’s responsibility to teach our children the things of God. It is not the government’s responsibility to teach our children the things of God. It is not even the church’s responsibility to teach our children the things of God. The responsibility rests upon the shoulders of the parents to teach their children the things of God at home.

Furthermore, a committed faith leads to:

B) A CONSISTENT Faith!

You will notice the verb tense found in verse 1. The Psalmist uses the word “feareth” and “walketh.” Again, in verse 4 we find the word “feareth.” These verbs are expressed in the present imperative tense. In other words, they not only denote a command, but an on-going, consistent action.

Simply put, we are to consistently, before our families, fear the Lord and follow the Lord. A faith that is committed must also be consistent. Our walk must back up our talk, and our talk must match our walk.

I love the little poem that reads:

I saw you stand bravely through the years,

And saw no sign of senseless fears.

I saw you stand quietly through the stress,

And saw no glimpse of bitterness.

I saw you stand prayerfully in grief,

And saw no sign of unbelief.

Though you spoke well of Jesus Christ,

I caught your faith, by watching your life.”

Jorie Kinkaid writes, “We need to model a thirst for Jesus. Our relationship with Jesus may make our children long for a relationship with Him as well. If we model such an attractive relationship of our own with Christ, our children may be eager for one too.”

Of everything that I desire, I want my son to see Jesus in my life. I want him to hear Kim and I talk about Jesus. I want him to see Kim and me serving, loving and honoring Jesus. I want him to see that our relationship with Christ is not something reserved only for Sunday, but for Monday as well. I want our faith to shape our home.

Finally, we see that when the father strengthens the home, and faith shapes the home, there is:

3. The FUTURE that SUCCEEDS a Home!

The newsletter, Facts & Trends, recently reported that every day in America:

• More than 3,500 families are devastated by divorce.

• America's divorce rate is now more than double the rate of 1960.

• One million children a year see their parents divorce.

• More than 50 percent of the children in America's public schools live in single-parent homes.

• 35 percent of America's children live apart from their biological father. And, those children have a 300 percent greater possibility of a negative life outcome than children raised in two-parent homes.

• In the past 40 years, pregnancies out of wedlock increased 600 percent.

• The majority of children in America have fewer than 10 minutes of significant and meaningful conversation with their parents each week. [4]

Those facts reveal nothing but failure, when God has promised nothing but success to the home that seeks Him and serves Him. Such a home will experience a bright future because of:

A) The BLESSING that is PROMISED!

We read in verse 1, “Blessed is every one that feareth the LORD; that walketh in his ways.” We read in verse 4, “Thus shall the man be blessed that feareth the LORD.” We read in verse 5, “The LORD shall bless thee out of Zion: and thou shalt see the good of Jerusalem all the days of thy life.”

The emphasis of the text is not upon a curse, but a blessing. God is promising and pronouncing a blessing upon the home that fears Him and follows Him.

The word ‘blessed” is the usual word found throughout the Old Testament. It is the word for “happy.” However, the word is used in the emphatic plural tense. Thus, it could be rendered, “Happy, happy!”

We could translate verse 1, “Happy, happy is everyone that feareth the Lord and walketh in his ways.” We could translate verse 4, “The man that feareth the Lord shall be happy, happy.” We could translate verse 5, “The Lord shall make you happy, happy all the days of your life.”

It’s interesting to note that the previous Psalm says that everything we do will be in vain unless the Lord is in it. However, Psalm 128 declares that if we fear God, obey God, and honor God, then nothing we do will be in vain.

In verse 2, God promises to bless our physical work. We read, “For thou shalt eat the labour of thine hands: happy shalt thou be, and it shall be well with thee.” The words “eat the labor of thine hands” are a reference to what Jesus said when he taught us to pray, “Give us this day our daily bread.” That is, God’s provision of what we need to live, day by day, is linked to our labors.

In Genesis 3: 19 man was condemned to eat bread by the sweat of his brow, by the curse of difficult labor. In Psalm 128, the curse is turned into a blessing by God’s promise He will provide all of the daily necessities to the man, woman, or home that fears Him and follows Him.

However, God not only promises to bless our physical work, but also our spiritual work. We are admonished in 1 Corinthians 15: 58, “Therefore, my beloved brethren, be ye stedfast, unmoveable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, forasmuch as ye know that your labour is not in vain in the Lord.”

God promises to bless the physical and spiritual work of a home that honors Him. Finally, we must consider:

B) The BEAUTY that is PICTURED!

Psalm 128 admonishes the home to be a little bit of Heaven on earth. When we fear the Lord, follow the Lord, seek the Lord and serve the Lord, we are promised a tremendous and glorious blessing. The Psalmist depicts the beauty of this blessing in verse 3, “Thy wife shall be as a fruitful vine by the sides of thine house: thy children like olive plants round about thy table.”

The phrase “as a fruitful vine” does not imply that the wife will produce lots of children, although the Bible describes children as a blessing, and heritage of the Lord. The phrase describes enjoyment. In other words, in the home that honors God the wife will find enjoyment in all that she sets out to do.

The phrase “children like olive plants round about thy table” speaks of enrichment. Olive trees take years to mature and become profitable. However, when patiently cultivated, they become valuable, and continue to produce a profitable crop for centuries to come.

The interesting thing about this picture is that both images, vines and olive plants, are Biblical symbols of an abundant life. They symbolize the rich blessing of the Lord. The beauty pictured is of Heaven in the home in the highest sense, physically, spiritually, emotionally, and eternally.

D. L. Moody used to tell of two fathers who both lost their sons, but one father lost far more than the other. One father lived on the Mississippi River. He was a man of great wealth. One day his eldest son had come home unconscious. They did everything they could to revive him, but in vain. Time passed, and after a terrible suspense, he finally regained consciousness.

The father whispered, “My son, the doctor tells me you are dying.” The son opened his eyes and said, “Oh daddy! You never prayed for me. Won’t you pray for my lost soul now?” The father wept. It was true he had never prayed. He was stranger to God. And in a little while that soul passed into its dark eternity. The broken-hearted father said that he would have given all his wealth if he could call back his son only to offer one short prayer for him.

The other father, as well, had a lovely son, and one day he came home to find him at the gates of death. His wife was weeping, and said, “Our boy is dying. I wish you would go in and see him.” The father went into the room and placed his hand upon the brow of his dying son. He could feel the cold, damp sweat as the icy hand of death was lowering upon him.

The father asked, “Son, do you know that you are dying?” The son replied, “Am I? Is this death? And I will be with Jesus tonight?” The father said, “Yes son, you will soon be with your Savior.” The son’s last words were, “Daddy, don’t weep, for when I get to Heaven I will go straight to Jesus and tell Him that all your life you have tried to lead me to Him, and you led me straight into His presence.” [5]

Mom and dad, I can’t think of anything more important than allowing the Lord Jesus to lead us as we lead our children. It may be a difficult job, but it is a divine job that yields eternal dividends.

1. “Is This All There Is To Life?” Ray Stedman, pp. 185-187.

2. Focus on the Family Magazine, September 1994, 2.

3. “Parents as Role Models,” Zig Ziglar, p. 76.

4. Facts & Trends, November 2004.

5. “Gifts from God,” David Jeremiah, pp. 170-171.

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