The Family God Builds: A Man's Calling as Leader, Lover and Protector
"Ruin a marriage and you ruin a family. Ruin families and you ruin a nation. Being a man is a calling."
We are still in 1 Peter 3:7, and our goal is the end of that verse: "that your prayers be not hindered." This week I want to step back and look at the bigger picture, the family God builds, and then at the calling of the man in it.
Marriage Builds Everything Else
Marriage leads to family. Families make up society, groups and nations. Ruin marriage, and everything built on it is ruined. The church too is made of families.
A good family is a role model. It becomes a refuge for many people. It raises godly children, and it shows others what God's standard looks like.
God Started With One Man
God chose one man, Abraham, and from him built a nation. "I will make of thee a great nation... and in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed" (Genesis 12:2-3). Blessing and curse flow down family lines. You carry either a heavy yoke or a light one from your family. Choose to begin a line of blessing.
Every culture has good traits, but we have no part in the worship of other gods. In the Lord we become one spiritual culture.
Rethinking the Family
Can we really exist without family? Modern life is individualistic. Families don't even eat together anymore. And children who will not listen to their parents end up taught by the phone and the TV. If you reject the line that came before you, one day your children may reject you too.
Many of us value something only after it is gone. Don't wait that long to value your family.
Marriage Is Spiritual Warfare
Marriage is spiritual warfare. The enemy hates godly homes. So we need a strategy, and that strategy is prayer.
Being a Man Is a Calling
Being a man is a calling, and the roles are not reversible. For a man, his glory is to be a man. He is "the image and glory of God" (1 Corinthians 11:7).
A Dominion Mindset
"Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it: and have dominion" (Genesis 1:28). A man is made to create, to cultivate and to reflect God's dominion in his sphere.
When Should a Man Marry?
A man should marry when he knows who he is, what his gifts are, and what his purpose is.
Weakness Does Not Suit a Man
Men cry and men feel pain. That is human. But a man should not stay weak. Shouting and complaining do not fix anything. Rise up and change the situation.
Start From Your Knees
"But I would have you know, that the head of every man is Christ; and the head of the woman is the man; and the head of Christ is God" (1 Corinthians 11:3). There is someone over the man, and that is Christ. Before you lead your home, submit your own life to Him. A man who walks in moral values and in God becomes the instructor of his family.
If the man is godly, a godly wife will follow him with joy. Adam lived in Eden, in the presence of God. Abraham walked before God. If you want a marriage from heaven, stay connected to heaven.
Headship and Covering
In Numbers 30:6-8, a husband who heard a vow his wife had made could let it stand or make it void on the day he heard it. That shows the covering and headship God placed on the husband. A man was created to lead and a woman to help. When the man does not lead, everything becomes painful.
The Man's Roles
Glory: He carries the image and glory of God.
Leader: He gives direction to his home under Christ.
Lover: The Word commands husbands to love their wives.
Protector: He removes wrong influences and guards his children from ungodly relationships.
Don't Devour Each Other's Space
Marriage is not an agreement to devour each other's personal space until neither one can pray, read the Word or live fully as the man or woman God made them to be.
Parents Are a Covering
Esau married Canaanite women and ignored his parents, and it grieved them (Genesis 26:34-35). Isaac told Jacob, "Thou shalt not take a wife of the daughters of Canaan" (Genesis 28:1), and sent him to his mother's family.
When parents go in different directions, children become confused. Parents are a natural protection. Young people, don't keep your life secret from your parents.
Young people, make up your minds today. And I pray that God strengthens every man in every area of his life.
The Marriage in the Lord Series
This is Part 5 of a 9-part teaching on marriage in the Lord. Here is the full series in order:
Part 1: Marry Only in the Lord: Why Your Marriage Covenant Shapes Your Destiny
Part 2: The Wife's Role in Marriage: Helper, Glory and Keeper of the Home
Part 3: The Husband's Role in Marriage: Dwell With Understanding and Honor
Part 4: Becoming Ready for Marriage: Leave, Cleave and Choose Wisely
Part 5: The Family God Builds: A Man's Calling as Leader, Lover and Protector (you are here)
Part 6: Love Her as Christ Loved the Church: The Husband as Priest, Teacher and Provider
Part 7: How to Make Your Marriage Blessed: Fear God and Keep His Word
Part 8: What God Has Joined: Faithfulness, Agreement and a Godly Seed
Part 9: Pursue Peace in Your Marriage: Recognizing and Breaking Toxic Patterns
Previous: Part 4: Becoming Ready for Marriage
More Teaching Series
The Mystery of Open and Closed Doors: Start with Part 1: The Stealer of Joy
The Decision Series: Start with Part 1: Why Decisions Matter
The Lordship Series: Start with Part 1: Is Jesus Your Lord or Only Your Savior?
Declarations
My marriage will build a godly family, and my family will bless a nation.
I will begin a line of blessing.
I will fight for my home in prayer.
I submit my life to Christ, my head.
I will be a leader, lover and protector in my home.
I will stay connected to heaven, and my marriage will reflect heaven.
Stay Connected & Grow Deeper
Watch the full message: Part 5 of the Marriage in the Lord series on YouTube. Please note that the message is preached in Hindi.
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