Rediscover the Bible for Life
“A Few Good Men”

As I was thinking about this Father’s Day message the movie, “A Few Good Men,” came to mind, or more specifically an exchange that happened in the courtroom scene between Jack Nickelson’s character, Colonel Nathan Jessup, and Tom Cruises character, Lieutenant Daniel Kaffee.

Kaffee: Colonel Jessep! Did you order the “code red?”

Judge:   You don’t have to answer that question!

Jessep: I’ll answer the question. You want answers?

Keffee: I think I’m entitled to them.

Jessep: You want answers?

Keffee: I want the truth!

Jessep: You can’t handle the truth!

You don’ t want the truth because deep down in places you don’t talk about at parties, you want me on that wall – you need me on that wall.

We use words like “honor,” “code,” “loyalty.” We use these words as the backbone of a life spent defending something. You use them as a punch line.

This is not a show I would recommend, but this memorable back and forth exchange got me thinking about what it takes to be a good man, a godly man and father.

This Sunday morning I’d like to talk about what it takes to be not only a good man and father, but what it takes to be a godly one. And while the topics of honor, code, and loyalty are good and noble, the three characteristics I see making a godly man and father are those who are able to lean, lead, and love.

Let’s just take a look at this first characteristic.

A godly man leans, but not upon what he may know, but rather he leans, or better, trusts upon the Lord.

Proverbs 3:5-6 says, “Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your paths.”

To lean in the Hebrew means to give oneself support. Figuratively it speaks of leaning or trusting in the Lord rather than in one’s own understanding.

To be a godly man and father means we lean or trust in the Lord for everything in life, and we’re to live this way as an example to others, especially to our children. Do they know beyond a shadow of a doubt that we trust God? Do we show them this trust by the way we live your lives?

There are three areas in a godly man’s life where they are to lean upon the Lord.

Salvation: Are we trusting in God for our own and our family’s salvation, or are we still trying to work it out in our own understanding and power?

Strength: When we wait for God, He’ll give us the strength to endure and overpower, but when we move forward on our own, we’ll fail and fall. And our kids will witness both.

Supply: As men we’re suppose to be the breadwinners, but God is the one who gives us the ability to work at this or that profession. And so when it comes to providing we need to lean on God, trust in Him instead of ourselves.

We’ll explore how to lean upon the Lord a little more this Sunday along with the other two characteristic of leading and loving.