Mighty Men

MIGHTY MEN

II SAMUEL 23: 8-17

FATHER’S DAY JUNE 16, 2002

INTRODUCTION: THE TOP TEN THINGS YOU LEARNED FROM YOUR FATHER:

10.When he was your age, kids had to walk six miles to school

in the snow and rain . . . uphill both ways.

9. If he had acted like you, his father would have knocked

him into the middle of next week.

8. When he was your age, kids had to make their own fun.

7. You weren’t born in a barn.

6. When he was your age, he had to work for what he got.

5. You don’t wanna make Dad stop the car.

4. “Because I said so” is a reason that makes perfect sense to an

adult.

3. You’d better stop crying or he’ll give you a reason to cry (like

you didn’t already have one).

2. You’d lose your head if it wasn’t attached.

And the #1 thing you learned from your father . . .

1. Money doesn’t grow on trees!

SOURCE: Submitted by Bob Hostetler, Cobblestone Community Church, Oxford, Ohio.

TRANSITION THOUGHT: Today as we focus on Fathers, we come together to celebrate and affirm fatherhood. We also come together to seek guidance from the living God on the Subject of being the Men that God desires for us to be. This Sunday, the Ladies get a bit of a brake and us fellows get to squirm a little. About a month ago we honored Motherhood with a call to be a Woman of Significance. Today we will do no less as we dig into the word that Tony read for us concerning David’s Mighty Men. What is it that we can take from this text that will help us be better Fathers and Mighty Men for God? Though this text does not address fatherhood, it does give us a shining example of what a real man of God looks like. And I believe, if we follow this example of Scripture, we will be the Fathers our Heavenly Father desires us to be. SO, lets dig in and find out what makes a MIGHTY MAN.

THESIS SENTENCE: REAL MEN SERVE GOD AND ARE THUS MIGHTY MEN!

SO WHAT DOES IT LOOK LIKE TO BE A MIGHTY MAN FOR GOD?

I. MIGHTY MEN STAND THEIR GROUND

A. MIGHTY MEN STAND REGARDLESS OF THE OPPOSITION

1. Rambo eat your heart out!! 800 men came to do battle, and did Josheb stick his head between his legs and run? NOT on your life (verse8)!! He raised his spear and 800 men fell in one encounter!

2. Eleazar was no different. He did battle until he was so tired that his hand froze to his sword. The word says, “But he stood his ground and struck down the Philistines till his hand grew tired and froze to the sword. The Lord brought about a great victory that day (verses 9 and 10).”

3. Shammah also stood his ground. In the middle of a field and defended it and the Lord brought about a great victory (verses 11 and 12)!

4. The key phrase for us is that all three of these men stood there ground regardless of the opposition.

5. What is out gut reaction men, when the battle looks unwinable? Do we stand our ground and fight or do we run?

6. God is looking for some men who will stand their ground regardless of the opposition. WILL YOU BE THAT MAN?

SCRIPTURE EMPHASIS: The Apostle Paul chimes in and states, “Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. Stand firm then, … (Ephesians 6: 13 and 14).”

B. MIGHTY STAND REGARDLESS OF THE ALLIES

1. Did you notice that of the three mighty men that served David, two were left in a lurch when the battle got the hottest: “Then the men of Israel retreated (verse 9)” and “Israel’s troops fled from them (verse 11).”

2. But the mighty men fought on.

3. Now men, it is easy to fight when you are in the majority, but what happens to us when we are in the minority?

4. The word for us today men is Stand your ground whether or not the world or you friends and family think it is cool or not!!

SCRIPUTRE EMPHASIS: Once again the Apostle Paul is our instructor in the faith, “At my first defense, no one came to my support, but everyone deserted me. May it not be held against them. But the stood at my side and gave me strength, so that through me the message might be fully proclaimed and all the Gentiles might heart it. And I was delivered from the lion’s mouth. The lord will rescue me form every evil attack and will bring me safely to his heavenly kingdom (2 Timothy 4: 16-18).”