Dr. MacArthur met with a group of Black men from Grace church, from which he got the points for the following sermon. This sermon is a followup to previous sermons addressing the chaos in our culture.
The following bullets are the main points of the sermon:
- Five points from meeting: racism is a sin; show compassion; listen; show love of Christ; and help develop godly fathers
- Stats on fatherless homes: 25 million children in USA live without biological father; grades 1-12, 40% children of all races without bio. father…a national problem
- American homes have been producing children that are bad fathers for generations because those children had no father in the home
- Resultant problems: sexual immorality; feminism; over exposure to perversion; collapse of homes – [family units]
- The only hope for rectifying this problem is for men to break this cycle and learn to be masculine, virtuous men
- A masculine, virtuous man responds to evil by reducing it and producing good
- Scripture references cited: Ex. 20:5; 34:7; Deut. 5:9,10 in reference to the 3rd and 4th generations that are required to undo such cycles as the absence of the father in a home
- Abortion, for example, is a result of corrupt men
- First Core Virtue that must be developed in men: FORTITUDE; firmness and strength of soul that faces danger with courage and bears loss and pain without complaint.
- Dictionary definition of Fortitude: doesn’t compromise even in the face of danger that causes pain
- Further aspects of definition stated and made relevant
- Impact of such men on a family unit is biblical
- Scripture: 1Co 16:13 Be on guard. Stand firm in the faith. Be courageous. Be strong.
1Co 16:14 And do everything with love. - Such men protectors of wives, children, friends…
- Such men have CONVICTIONS regarding what is true [and worthy]
- Numerous scriptures that convey the message of Deut 31:6: Deu 31:6 So be strong and courageous! Do not be afraid and do not panic before them. For the LORD your God will personally go ahead of you. He will neither fail you nor abandon you.”
- EVERY MAN’S CONVICTIONS TO GOD AND FAMILY WILL BE TESTED BY: fear, difficulty, temptation…to see if compromise ensues
- Scriptures for qualities of an elder
- Eph. 5: what God expects of every man: to provide security and nurturing for wives and children…
- SECOND CORE VIRTUE: INTEGRITY — unbreakable fortitude; steadfast adherence to a moral code: honesty; sincerity; simplicity; and incorruptibility
- Antonyms: duplicity; hypocrisy…
- The world is a seducer; Satan is a seducer and deceiver pushing men towards compromise
- Psalm 15, example of virtue
- Examples: types of compromise happening with spiritual men in our time
- Examples of biblical men who compromised; their losses specified
- Daniel cited as a biblical man who did not compromise: detailed points given
- Prayer to God for raising up men of fortitude and integrity
Therefore, Dr. MacArthur indicated that turning to God is the answer to our social problems. Our elected officials are not able to solve this problem. They and we need God’s enabling grace.
We ought to be praying for God to help our leaders and our fathers.