Father's Day: "Gracious, Merciful, and Righteous"

Intro:

Psalm 112 is an acrostic which starts with every letter of the hebrew alphabet, “indicating order and complete coverage of the topic.”

it is a wisdom Psalm

Psalm 111 is an acrostic as well “The parallel structure and extensive textual links between Psalms 111 and 112 indicate that they are a complementary pair. a CompanionPsalm. Psalm 111 focuses on the great and good Lord who should be revered, and Psalm 112 focuses on the person who reveres the Lord. Thus, Psalm 111 is the theological cause that produces the anthropological effect in Psalm 112.”

Who in your mind is the most manly warrior to have ever walked the earth?

Outline:

Character: “Blessed is the Man” (vs. 1-4)

Conduct: “It is Well with the Man” (vs. 5-10

Summary: Men who love Jesus make the best Dads!

Prayer

Character: “Blessed is the Man” (vs. 1-4)

Praise the Lord!- Halleluyah!

Blessedness or happiness starts with praise!

Blessed is the man- happy is the man

Who “fears” the LORD- profound respect for God more than any other authority

Who greatly “delights” in his commandments!- to have a high degree of pleasure or mental satisfaction.

What today gives you the highest degree of pleasure or mental satisfaction?

His offspring

Will be “mighty” in the land- warriors, manly

The generation (lifetime) of the upright will be blessed- praised, filled with strength, full, adored

Wealth and Riches

Are in his house- dwelling place, it doesn’t say his garage, barn, or bank account i find it interesting that this comes right after mentioning offspring. Wealth and riches are not always found in money and stuff, it is found in those that share our dwelling place. I am glad for that, because those in my dwelling place are wrecking all my stuff…fix things, find things, clean up things...

His “righteousness” endures forever- adherence to what is required according to a standard

Wealth, then, should not be one’s goal in life, but it may be one of God’s blessings for those who seek him faithfully. - Daniel, S. Estes

Light dawns

in the darkness for the “upright”- a person whose behaviour is upright in accordance with a standard

He is a light in dark places

He is given light in dark places

He is

Gracious- disposed to bestow favours or blessings

Merciful- showing or having compassion

Righteous- Characterized by or preceeding from accepted standards of morality or justice

Application- Let’s engage our hearts with the text

What are you praising these days?

The Bible addresses happiness, deep respect, high degrees of pleasure, mental satisfaction, family, business, behaviour, a standard, etc. I often think about these things on a daily basis. Yet, do I draw my guiding factors or evaluate the end result by what God’s Word says?

Where are you looking for the highest degree of pleasure and mental satisfaction?

In what ways are you tempted not to believe that those who live in your dwelling place, or did, your offspring are the true meaning of lasting wealth and riches? Apart from the times they scratch the boat, dent the car, or eat the last dessert.

So many of us have given our selves to what we do, and we are good at it. God calls us to give ourselves to who we are in Christ, to value our families more than our hobbies and toys, and look to his word for guidance when we are in the dark. The only way we will truly be blessed is as we follow the perfect example of manliness in Jesus.

Notice that there was nothing about wives in this section. Let this be an encouragment to those of you that are not married, or that are widowers, or are a single parent. The goal of being a blessed man is loving Jesus! Men who love Jesus make the best husbands, men who love Jesus make the best dads!

Conduct: “It is Well with the Man” (vs. 5-10)

It is well with the man- good, merry, pleasant, having desirable or positive qualities. in his interactions with others.

Who deals generously and lends

Who conducts his affairs with “justice”- the quality of being free from favouritiesm, self-interest, bias, or deception.

This is a hot topic these days. Because a lot of people have been conducting themselves with favouritism, self-interest, bias, and deception. Listen to the news! everything from racisim, military schandal, and residential schools.

For the Righteous - those that are held to or hold to a standard

Will never be moved- sway, be made to stagger, totter, this is not stubborn, stiff, or a stick in the mud.

He will be remembered forever

He is not afraid of bad news- reports, news; rumors; revelation. Is this even possible today?

His heart is firm- not hard, rather, prepared

Trusting in the LORD

His heart is steady- to be supplied with necessities and support

He will not be afraid- or feel anxious or apprehensive about a situation or event

Until he looks in triumph on his adversaries

He has distributed freely- the hebrew word looks like pizza only with an “r” on the end

He has given to the poor

His righteousness endures forever- not because of your works but Jesus works

His horn is exalted in honour- “horn”- when I get to the end of life, I want to be able to hold my head in honour for how I lived.

The Wicked man

Sees it and is angry- look at what emotion is associated with the wicked man- Anger. How you view others has a lot to say with how you view yourself.

He gnashes his teeth and melts away

Gnash- grinds his teeth usually out of anger or rage

To dissolve into slime (Ps. 58:8)

The desire of the wicked will perish!- what a note to end on for Father’s day. None of us want what we do and who we are to come to nothing.

Application

What does the conduct of you heads say about the character of your heart?

What brings the greater fear what others say about you or what God knows about you?

If you are watching this today and the HS is convicting you that you are not living according to God’s standard can I exhort you to repent and ask for God’s forgiveness. If you need help, look around at the godly fathers in this room or around you. Take them for coffee, tell them where you are struggling and ask for his help!

If you are watching this today and you are doing it, you are seeking to love Jesus, treasure your kids, and conduct your affairs with justice and you feel like you are not getting ahead or don’t know how long you can keep this up…You are doing the right thing, keep relying on Jesus, keep looking to him, keep following His word. Greatly delight in His Word!

Summary: Men who love Jesus make the best Dads!

Questions

Renew the Mind in the truth of God’s Word: What does the text say?

How are Psalm 111 and 112 similar?

How does the Psalmist describe the character of a “Blessed man” in verses 1-4?

How does the Psalmist describe the conduct of a blessed man in verses 5-10?

What is the rock that keeps the heart firm in verse 7?

Engage the Heart through conversation: How is your heart responding to what the text says?

What about the Character section in verses 1-4 caught your attention the most?

As a Dad, which one do you find the most difficult in life: gracious, merciful or righteous? Which one is most evident?

How does a trust in the LORD create a heart that is firm and not afraid of bad news?

What part does anger play in your life?

Enlist the Body to share the hope of Jesus with our neighbours: What does it look/sound like to become more like Jesus this week?

If your kids were ask to answer some of the questions above what do you think they would say?

What will it look/sound like to greatly delight in His commandments this week?

What will vs. 4, 9 look like this week with your kids?