Notes
I, too, try to please everyone in everything I do. I don’t just do what is best for me; I do what is best for others so that many may be saved. And you should imitate me, just as I imitate Christ.
1 Corinthians 10:33, 11:1
Men are to be the direction-setters for their families. God calls men to see their leadership role as a responsibility. So how can men be the compass for the families?
Paul was a direction-setter for churches, and he was saying here that we should be like him and also set direction. Men are to lead their families to Christ by setting the direction for how their family lives and operates. God is the perfect example of what fatherhood is all about. No human gets it right all the time, but earthly fathers should strive to father their children and lead their families in the same way God fathers us and leads the Church.
1) Step Up
The woman was convinced. She saw that the tree was beautiful and its fruit looked delicious, and she wanted the wisdom it would give her. So she took some of the fruit and ate it. Then she gave some to her husband, who was with her, and he ate it, too.
Genesis 3:6
God didn’t call Adam to sit passively and watch this happen. Adam had been given the command to not eat from that tree before Eve was ever created. Adam failed in giving direction to his family, and it resulted in the enemy being able to tempt Eve into eating the forbidden fruit.
For husbands, this means love your wives, just as Christ loved the church. He gave up his life for her...
Ephesians 5:25
But God showed his great love for us by sending Christ to die for us while we were still sinners.
Romans 5:8
Jesus didn’t passively sit and watch. He was proactive and stepped up despite the sin in the world. God is a God of initiative. How do men become the spiritual heroes in their families and in the world? They need to be men of prayer. Pray with and for their wives and their kids, not just when they’re hurting but before they ever hurt. Read God’s Word and worship together. Help your children learn what it means to repent by being honest when you’ve failed. Set goals and boundaries to help them aim their life correctly. Step up to the responsibility of leadership. This is how you set spiritual direction: lead by example with God at the forefront of everything you do.
2) Step Out
At that moment their eyes were opened, and they suddenly felt shame at their nakedness. So they sewed fig leaves together to cover themselves. When the cool evening breezes were blowing, the man and his wife heard the Lord God walking about in the garden. So they hid from the Lord God among the trees.
Genesis 3:7-8
...to make her holy and clean, washed by the cleansing of God’s word.
Ephesians 5:26
So the Word became human and made his home among us. He was full of unfailing love and faithfulness. And we have seen his glory, the glory of the Father’s one and only Son.
John 1:14
If we’re going to follow Jesus and not Adam, understand that Jesus stepped out of heaven. And He didn’t step out of heaven just to forgive, but to bring truth to the world. Men can’t hide when there is conflict; they need to, with God’s love and grace, know the truth and stand for the truth.
3) Step In
“Who told you that you were naked?” the Lord God asked. “Have you eaten from the tree whose fruit I commanded you not to eat?” The man replied, “It was the woman you gave me who gave me the fruit, and I ate it.”
Genesis 3:11-12
He did this to present her to himself as a glorious church without a spot or wrinkle or any other blemish. Instead, she will be holy and without fault. In the same way, husbands ought to love their wives as they love their own bodies. For a man who loves his wife actually shows love for himself. No one hates his own body but feeds and cares for it, just as Christ cares for the church.
Ephesians 5:27-29
God sent his Son into the world not to judge the world, but to save the world through him.
John 3:17
Then the Lord God called to the man, “Where are you?”
Genesis 3:9
Adam’s response wasn’t to step in, but to blame someone else. Jesus is the protector and the provider for the Church. He washes us and sets us in the right direction, not to smother us but to bring us closer to Him. Men are meant not to smother their families, but to cover them - to protect and provide. You can’t change anything that has already happened, but you can change what is going to happen. Set the direction for your family so that they become who God created them to be.
Group Questions
- Share an example of a man you’ve witnessed demonstrating godly leadership?
- In what ways can men take initiative in leading their families spiritually and ensuring that God is at the forefront of family life?
- How can fathers demonstrate the love and sacrifice of Christ in their daily lives?
Prayer
Thank you for the leadership and love you’ve shown us through Jesus. Help us to be strong, faithful, and proactive in our roles, reflecting your grace in all we do.