THE MAN IN CHARGE

Biblical Text: Nehemiah 7:2

“That I gave my brother Hanani, and Hananiah the ruler of the palace, a charge over Jerusalem: for he was a faithful man and feared God above many.”

Happy Father’s Day to all the fathers and future fathers. Yours is a staggering task, for you are the God-appointed head of your household. Today we celebrate your role as the head of the Christian family.

On this momentous day, God chose a little-known text for some of us to focus on today. It comes at a time when Nehemiah was restoring Jerusalem. Nehemiah was a prominent figure in this period of ancient history. During the mid-5th century B.C., he played a crucial role in the restoration of Jerusalem, the holy city and homeland of Israel.

Nehemiah was a Jewish leader who lived during the time when the Jews had been held captive in Babylonia. At that time, the Jewish Temple at Jerusalem lay in ruin. When King Artaxerxes released the Jewish scribe Ezra to lead a group of exiles back to their homeland, the Jews were eager to rebuild Jerusalem.

Their first act was to rebuild the Temple. They did so under great duress. The Samaritans who lived their offered to help, but the Jews had no dealings with the Samaritans, for they were considered impure outcasts of the Jewish faith. That issue wasn’t straightened out until many centuries later when Jesus met the Samaritan woman at the well.

But there were enemies of Jerusalem that the returned exiles had to fight off...devious men like the Governor of the region, Tattenai, who secretly wanted the names of those who were in charge of the reconstruction, so he could throw a money-wrench into the whole operation. Still, the Jews prevailed, and the Temple was rebuilt.

The problem was that the outer wall lay in ruin, leaving Jerusalem open to hostility. The Jews were disheartened because they were vulnerable to be attacked from their non-Jewish neighbors.

Does that sound familiar? The same situation exists today. Israel is still threatened by its surrounding neighbors to the north, the south, and the west…and the Mediterranean Sea to the east. There is no peace for God’s chosen people.

Nehemiah knew one thing for sure. The wall had to be rebuilt for their protection. When the King’s cupbearer, Nehemiah, who was still in Babylonia, heard reports of the desolate condition of the city, he obtained permission from the king to journey there and help rebuild its ruined structures.

Armed with official documents and an escort, Nehemiah arrived in Jerusalem around 444 B.C., and in just 52 days, under his leadership, the Jews successfully rebuilt the wall around the city, even while facing hostility from local officials in neighboring districts…men like Sanballat and Geshem, and all the Arabians and the Ammonites. Fifty-two days! This was no small feat. It was clear God had chosen the right man to be in charge. Nehemiah became the governor of the land God had given to the Jews, and he governed well, reforming and rededicating his people to the LORD.

One of those reforms was the re-establishment of the Levite tribe. The Levites were the keepers of religious law and custom. It was their duty to preserve the Jews covenant relationship with God. They were the front-line protectors of the faith. Nehemiah had to be sure that, especially at times of his absence, he needed strong men for the job. So he appointed his brother, Hanani, and a trusted associate, Hananiah, to be his second-in-command, because, as the text says, Hanai “was a faithful man, and feared God above many.”

The LORD always desires men of STRONG faith to do His Will. When Christ came to establish the New Covenant with mankind, the LORD still needed strong men to fight to preserve the faith. ‘Soliders of the faith’ continue to this day to spread what Christ has established.

Liaten to what I say, you, our Christian fathers, are the Soliders of our faith. You have a precious treasure to preserve. You are the “watchmen on the wall”.

Nehemiah appointed Hanani to be in charge, because of his faithfulness. In the Greek, that word is better translated as “truthfulness”. Hanani was a truthful man, who would not veer to the left or the right in his preservation of Judah’s covenant with the LORD.

And that’s what God requires of fathers today. In your family, you are the preservers of the Faith. Yes, you also provide for your family’s physical needs…food and shelter. But above all else, you are the Levite of your home and the keeper of your family’s faith. And today we thank you for your dedication to the task.

THE MAN IN CHARGE

When you are the man in charge,

You are your family’s faith backbone.

Your faith is the mainstay, the spine, the pillar of your family’s faith. Without you, the family is in danger of being separated from the LORD. You are the provider of Christian guidance and values that help your family navigate life’s challenges and find their Godly purpose. Your faith sets the example for honesty, compassion, forgiveness and love. Without your faith in Christ, your family could suffer an emotional and spiritual void that fails to point them toward the comfort and hope that only Christ can provide.

You demonstrate what it means to be “a living sacrifice” …”not conformed to the world”, but “transformed”, as a living example of what it means to live in the “perfect will of God.” (Romans 12:1-2).

It’s a tall order, I know. Perfection is not ours. We were sinners but now we are saved by grace. But we know where to go to ask for forgiveness, and we know Who grants it to a sincere and repentant heart. The visuality of our repentant heart is a lesson in itself. It’s a lesson your family must learn through your example. Your backbone of faith will compel you to lean on the Lord when only grace is sufficient for your needs. Your family will see that if Christ can lift the burden of failure from your shoulders, He can surely do the same for them. They will learn that Christ alone can forgive and redeem. Christ alone can remove torment and shame, heartache, loneliness and sorrow. While we strive for perfection, our failures teach the family that we are like them, we are human, we were sinners saved by grace.

You are your family’s faith backbone.

Then, you are their faith instructor.

In your family, you are your family’s first bible study and prayer meeting. Beginning with your first prayer for your family, you are an important faith communicator. God loves to hear from his fathers. He loves to hear the prayers of the righteous…”for the fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much.” (James 5:16). That word “availeth” means “to prevail or to make strong”. And James adds the word MUCH to let us know that God is not stingy when He answers your prayers.

As your family’s faith instructor, your faith provides a sense of purpose and meaning to life. Without your faith, your family may question the purpose of their own existence, and it could weaken the family bond. Social connections in the community may fade, and your family will miss out on the network of Believers who keep them from being isolated and lonely.

Through your faith, your family learns that there is… A prayer they can pray. A testimony they can share. A storm they can face. A Cross they can carry. A habit they can conquer. And a devil thats already defeated.

You are the first line of defense against sin. Your guidance and instruction gives your family a clear moral compass to keep them from making harmful choices that lead them to ethical dilemmas. When your family sees you on your knees in prayer, they learn that, as great as you are, there is Someone greater than you…

· Someone who can settle their disagreements.

· Someone who can repair their relationships.

· Someone who can resolve their conflicts.

· Someone who can carry them through any adversity and “keep them from falling” (Jude 1:24)

And that Someone is Jesus Christ!

You are their faith instructor.

Last but not lease, you are their faith future.

Your faith shapes your family traditions and habits. They go to church because they see YOU go to church. They identify with the Church because you are a part of the body of Christ. And they find their identity in Christ through your own personal expression of faith in Christ. Without your bold expression of faith, your family’s faith future may diminish. Family identity with the Christian community may become weak. Christian celebrations may fade, and worse… your spiritual wisdom may be lost to your future generations.

You lead your children to the Only One who can lead them to Eternal Life. Your faith paints a picture of their own “moment of salvation”. Through you, they learn that it is the greatest moment of a person’s life. It’s a moment that causes heaven to rejoice and angels to sing. And it’s a moment that holds their own eternity in it.

Fathers,…teach your children that their future is in God’s hands, if they will submit to Christ. Then, like any other sinner, they will know that Satan can knock you down, but only Christ can lift you up. He can release us from what ails us, and reshape us daily, like a potter molds his clay. He can take what looks like junk and shape it into a jewel. He can gather up sorrow and replace it with joy. He can take trash and turn it into riches…because Christ is the One in charge.

You are their faith instructor.

A future where faith is in control. A future where hope stands firm. A future where assurance reigns. A future where love thrives. A future where victory marches on. A future where good prevails.

You are your family’s faith backbone.

Then, you are their faith instructor.

You are their faith future.