Introduction

Welcome church! Today we look to honor and encourage the men in our midst to step into the calling that they have been given. Being a man in our day and age is no easy task. It’s even more difficult if you’re hoping to be a man after God’s heart in the midst of this increasingly godless culture. But the reality is that many of us hope and dream of making a difference. We dream of being the hero in our favorite movies. We dream of being successful in our work. We dream of being used by God and having a lasting impact on our communities.

Although much of what I just said seems like an impossible task to many of the men in the room, the reality is that it takes a life of intentionality. Becoming a man of God doesn’t happen by accident.

Becoming a man of God doesn’t happen by accident.

Main Teaching

By this time in Jewish history, God had used Moses to lead the Israelites out of Egypt. He had led them through the Red Sea and then closed it behind them to destroy the army following them. Moses had led them to Mt. Sinai, where God gave them the 10 Commandments, and now, Moses had led them to the Jordan River. On the other side of the river was their new home, the promised land.

They had dreamed about this moment for centuries as they worked as slaves in Egypt. But before God allowed them to enter the land, He told Moses to have 12 men, leaders of the 12 tribes, to go into the Promised Land as spies and to bring back a report. The spies checked out the land for 40 days. When they came back, 10 of them said the land was filled with giants, and they reported that there was no way they could beat them. But 2 of the men, Joshua and Caleb, shared a different story. They told the people to trust God and that God would be faithful to deliver them into the land He had promised.

Now, at this moment in the story the people of God have a choice to make. Caleb and Joshua have delivered an honest report with a faith-filled response to the potential dangers. They could have simply fallen in with the rest of the spies, but instead they chose to stand firm, and to be bold.

What inspired these two men? And what can we learn from them? What makes the difference in the life of a man of God?

A Man Of God Has Divine Resources

Verse 24 says Caleb was different because he had a different spirit in him. Have you ever noticed how some people complain about every setback and difficulty that comes his or her way? While others seem to take it in stride and go on with life? Have you noticed how some people work and try to get ahead while others are always looking for an easier way or a shortcut to success? What makes the difference?

It’s what’s inside that makes the difference.

Think for a moment of 2 balloons. One filled with water. It sits on the ground, weighted down and unable to rise. The other, filled with helium, pulls at its cord. It is always straining to rise toward the heavens. It’s what’s inside that makes the difference. The same is true of men.

The thing that makes the difference between a man always straining toward heaven, and the one who is content to call this world his home, is the spirit that’s within him.

In order to be a man of God, you must have God’s Spirit in you. That’s why Jesus told Nicodemus so long ago, “You must be born again,” and why Paul commanded us to be filled with the Spirit. As long as you continue on, trying to do your best without accepting Jesus Christ, you will never be all you can be, you will never achieve what you were meant to achieve, you will never stand where you could have stood, for the Holy Spirit is the divine resource of a Godly man.

Let me ask you today, “Are you filled with the Holy Spirit?”

A man of God has divine resources, and a man of God acts differently than others.

Caleb followed the Lord completely, and in becoming a man of God you must learn to follow the Lord completely ... View this full sermon with PRO Premium