We will be holding Good Friday and Easter Sunday services! Find out more here

A Song for Fathers

This Fathers' Day sermon is taken from Psalm 128. (Listen here

Introduction 

  • Life is more than abt the pursuit of worldly pleasure and wealth.
  • Songs that fathers sing to their children can have a profound impact on their children's lives
  • Psalm 128 is part of a series of songs collectively known as "The Songs of Ascent". The Israelites had to face constant battles between David's armies and the Philistines. Yet, the common theme in many of these psalms was that the Israelites lifted their eyes, sung this song and placed their hope on God.
  • For fathers, what songs are we singing to our children today? Are we singing songs that put our trust in God? What hope and assurance is there for fathers?
  • There is enormous pressure to place secular success above spiritual welfare of our families.

How does Psalm 128 give us hope?

1. True happiness for fathers (v1)

  • The biblical idea of true happiness, that of a "blessed man" comes from obeying God. This is independent on our circumstances but comes from obeying God. 

2. Blessing upon our work (v2)

  • The writer Malcolm Gladwell argued that there are 3 elements for people to be satisfied at work. There are "autonomy", "complexity" and "connection between effort and reward". 
  • Yet, more often than not, our lives are not that simple. Not every good effort will lead to good reward. Why? The Christian realises that sin is also destroying our environment and our relationships.
  • Sin corrupts our motives and we find ourselves not working for the glory of God but seeking our own gains. At times we will stray, make wrong decisions, do the wrong things, but God's promises teach us how to get back on track. That eventually we will see the fruit of our labour. That we can believe in God, our labour will not be in vain.
  • Can we see the challenges and complexity of our workplace? Is God using those situations to teach us something? To mould our character?
  • Whatever work that God has entrusted to us today, we can do with faith and dignity. Reflect on how sin affects our work, of how sin is making us fall short of God's standard for us.

"Faith (hope in God) gives dignity and worth to all work, without which work will bore us." "Faith (hope in God) gives a moral compass to our work, without which work will corrupt us." - Tim Keller

3. Blessing upon our families (v 3-4)

  • The Psalmist uses an agricultural analogy to describe the flourishing of the family. 

4. Wider impact (v 5-6)

  • The Psalm closes by speaking on the wider influence that this blessed man will have. The prosperity of Jerusalem, the spiritual homeland of His people was promised (v.5).
  • Beyond that, the man will also see a lasting influence to generations to come.

What does this mean for us? 

  • With our own strength we will surely fail. But to turn our eyes to God, to acknowledge our sinfulness and limitations, He will give us grace and humbleness as we become poor in spirit and look to the cross as we recognise the need for God.
  • Christ is our answer and through Him we can experience genuine blessing and experience Him in our wider relationships. God wants us to be a blessing to our nation.
  • In Psalm 67, we are reminded that we are blessed to be a blessing to others, not to keep things to ourselves but to share and to bless the nations.
  • Do we desire a life of true happiness? The Word of God invites to lift our eyes to Him and to trust in the gospel. To turn from our sin and acknowledge our need for Him. We are assured that God wants to bless us and to give us a long and lasting impact in this world.
  • Reflect and think about how God can impact our lives and how we can bless others