Nepaug Bible Church - http://www.nepaugchurch.org - Pastor's Sermon Notes - http://www.nepaugchurch.org/Sermons/zz19941002.htm
BUILDING A BIBLICALLY STRONG SOCIETY "A Biblical Manifesto For Global Social Renewal" (Psalm 128:1-6)
Introduction (To show the need...)

(1) This past week on Haiti, when a Haitian law enforcement officer appeared to raise his weapon at an American marine, the marines opened fire. When the resulting mele ended, 10 Haitian officers were dead, and the "liberated" common people stormed t he police barracks, seizing weapons and even musical instruments of the officers, leaving the marines the only law in town. With such a loss of law and order, with raw sewage going unattended throughout the city streets in that troubled land, what is the p athway towards a solution to the social upheaval in Haiti?!

What can be done to solve the world's social needs?



Reader's Digest reports that "In 1960, five of every 100 American births were illegitimate. By 1991 that figure was 30 of every 100, and the upward trend shows no sign of slowing. Government welfare programs dealing with the problem have increased dramatically..." (p. 139)

What can be done about such a social need in America?



(3) On Thursday, September 22nd this year, a group of about 15 area residents gathered at the Superior Court for Juvenile Matters in Litchfield to show support for a Goshen youth. He was up for minor clashes with the law, but these residents knew tha t he was under enormous pressure at home that had fueled his delinquency:

(a) The youth's parents were going through a painful divorce. His mother had lost custody of the sons and so had moved into the apartment next to her estranged husband and boys. In order to gain access to the boys, she knocked a hole in the wall be tween the apartments so she could carry on with her lover but still see her sons.

(b) The troubled youth's father has used him as a human ash tray, grinding lit cigarette butts into his arms.

(c) On one visit, a state trooper confiscated a large stash of firearms in the man's apartment. The young man was so full of intense rage that has already killed a dog out of spite with one of the firearms!

What is the answer to such social needs in our own Litchfield County?!



Need: "I may know how to relate to family members properly, but the very social fabric of our community, state, nation and whole world for that matter is in trouble! What can I realistically do to further real social renewal amongst the world's billions?!"

1. Psalm 128 shows how social health is advanced in the world:
1. Verse 6 hints that heeding verses 1-5 produces peace for Israel.
2. Peace for the nation also implies peace in its international affairs!
3. If there is international peace, the world also enjoys social well-being.
4. Thus, Psalm 128 is a formula for global social blessing and renewal!
2. The vehicle God uses for promoting social wholesomeness throughout the world is displayed in Psalm 128:1-5 as follows:
1. The person addressed in this psalm is a family man :
1. The Hebrew word for "man" in verse 4 means "a male at the height of his powers," T.W.O.T., v. I, p. 148; Bib. He., p. 1090.
2. He is a husband who also has children by his wife , v. 3.
2. The family man who fears God is thus used of God to promote genuine social well-being throughout the world as follows:
1. When a family man fears God, he obeys Scripture, v. 1.
2. When that occurs, he enjoys personal fulfillment , 128:2:
1. When a family man obeys God's Word, he enjoys employment fulfillment, v. 2a.
2. When things go well there, a family man senses personal value, and becomes emotionally happy , v. 2b.
3. AS THE RESULT of all of these things, such a person benefits his world's social order in continually widening circles of impact:
1. A personally fulfilled family man nurtures his wife so that she reaches her fulfillment, Ps. 128:3a & 4.
2. The fulfilled marriage yields fulfilled children , 128:3b,4.
3. As a result of this fulfilled home , the people in it eventually influence its community for the good, Ps. 128:5. With the man making annual trips to Jerusalem with this family (Dt. 16:16), his home in time causes the nation's capital to be blessed with good during the family man's life, v. 5!
4. That generation of children grows up to have good families , and eventually they in turn influence for global good, v. 6!

Application: To produce real social renewal in the world, each of us must (1) fear God (Ps. 128:1) so as to obey God's command to believe in Christ for salvation from sin, A. 17:30; Jn. 3:16. (2) As believers, we sustain Scriptural obedience by (a) confessing performed sins (1 J. 1:9) and by (b) relying on the indwelling Holy Spirit (Gal. 5:16-23) to heed Scripture in life consistently. (3) If a male head-of-household is unhappy in his job, marriage or family, he needs to fear God en route to completing items 1-2 listed above, Ps. 128:1ff. As he does so, in time, he will contribute to world-wide social renewal!! (4) If a woman is unhappy, she needs to fear God so as to apply items 1-2 listed above. This includes avoiding erroneous female roles that either (a) promote a feminism that competes against men or (b) pampering them which unintentionally tempts men to become self-centered and irresponsible for the needs of others! Rather, she must help with a non-competitive, non-pampering submission to him so that her role along with the influence of other godly family men can disciple him onto world-changing maturity! According to 1 Cor. 11:3,9 and Gen. 2:20-25, she will then find her loftiest fulfillment! (5) Any program (a) in a church or (b) government or (c) community effort that seeks to impact for social renewal must have its efforts cooperate with God's intent of developing godly homes through godly family men . Modifying this plan by ignoring the discipleship of men or by oppressing or pampering them away from assuming responsibility will hurt world social renewal!

Lesson: For worldwide social renewal, God uses any family man who truly fears the God of the Scriptures! >

Conclusion: (To illustrate the message...)

male authority, asks for and gets chaos. Crime, violence, unrest, disorder -- most particularly the furious, unrestrained lashing out at the whole social structure -- that is not only to be expected, it is very near to inevitable." (R eader's Digest, October, 1994, p. 139) The answer is getting Godly family men in place to rear godly young men!



But can a woman be truly happy if she must focus on submitting to men and not reaching her 'full potential' as an economico-politico leader in society?" An account of a woman who 'has it all' as feminists would put it appeared in a recent issue of Esquire (September '94, "Working Girl", p. 145ff):

(a) The article describes the young and beautiful Patricia Duff, a recent divorcee from former Tri Star head, Mike Medavoy, and a very threatening competitor to other married women in the high society realm. "Men are obsessed with her" writes the au thor.

now that she's gotten it, she isn't so sure she wants it.'"

she maintains that what she wants at this point in her life is to have a family...What has impressed her most about Perelman (her latest beau) is that he is a good father to his five children. 'They are all wonderful, unspoiled kids,' she says! 'He gets big points for that.'"

We do not condone divorce or remarriage by using such an illustration; nevertheless, here is evidence that reveals the truth behind real social health: having 'feminist success' pushed at women will not satisfy them like their performing what God has designed women to do -- being helpers for men to become good family men!!



The answer in our world's social needs? It is Christ presented through the discipling of godly family men!