Deuteronomy 11:18-21 (NKJV)
“Therefore you shall lay up these words of mine in your heart and in your soul, and bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes. 19. You shall teach them to your children, speaking of them when you sit in your house, when you walk by the way, when you lie down, and when you rise up. 20. And you shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates, 21. that your days and the days of your children may be multiplied in the land of which the Lord swore to your fathers to give them, like the days of the heavens above the earth.
I. A REAL MAN IS ONE WHO PLACES HIS RELATIONSHIP WITH GOD AS FIRST PRIORITY IN HIS LIFE
v.18a “Therefore you shall lay up these words of mine in your heart and in your soul,
Proverbs 4:23 (NLT)
Above all else, GUARD YOUR HEART, for it affects everything you do.
Application: Your heart is going to be full of something.
Luke 6:45 A good man out of the GOOD TREASURE of his heart brings forth good; and an evil man out of the EVIL TREASURE of his heart brings forth evil. For out of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaks.
Mark 7:21-23 (NKJV)
For from within, out of the heart of men, proceed evil thoughts, adulteries, fornications, murders, thefts, covetousness, wickedness, deceit, lewdness, an evil eye, blasphemy, pride, foolishness. All these evil things come from within and defile a man.”
Application: You must keep your heart filled with the Spirit of God, and live in obedience to the leadership of His Spirit, to fulfill the plan of God concerning your family.
II. A REAL MAN IS ONE WHO ALLOWS HIS LIFE TO BE USED OF GOD
v.18b “Therefore you shall lay up these words of mine in your heart and in your soul, AND BIND THEM AS A SIGN ON YOUR HAND,
Application: Why do you do the things you do? Do you have a purpose in mind or are you simply spending your days doing whatever?
God created you ON PURPOSE. Since God created you on purpose, it only stands to reason that HE HAS A PURPOSE FOR YOUR LIFE.
Jeremiah 1:5 (NLT) “I knew you before I formed you in your mother’s womb. Before you were born I set you apart and appointed you as my spokesman to the world.”
Romans 8:28 (NKJV) And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose.
2 Timothy 1:9 (NKJV)
[God] has saved us and called us with a holy calling, not according to our works, but according to His own purpose and grace which was given to us in Christ Jesus before time began,
Application: Because God created you on purpose; because God has a purpose for your life; you must now ask yourself. WHAT IS GOD’S PURPOSE FOR ME? AND AM I FULFILLING THAT PURPOSE?
Colossians 3:23,24 (NKJV)
AND WHATEVER YOU DO, do it heartily, as to the Lord and not to men, knowing that from the Lord you will receive the reward of the inheritance; for you serve the Lord Christ.
III. A REAL MAN IS ONE WHO MEDITATES UPON AND LIVES OUT THE WORD OF GOD
v.18c “Therefore you shall lay up these words of mine in your heart and in your soul, and bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes.
Application: If you’re going to talk the talk then you have to walk the walk!
James 1:22-25
BUT BE DOERS OF THE WORD, AND NOT HEARERS ONLY, DECEIVING YOURSELVES. 23. For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man observing his natural face in a mirror; 24. for he observes himself, goes away, and immediately forgets what kind of man he was. 25. But he who looks into the perfect law of liberty and continues in it, and is not a forgetful hearer but A DOER OF THE WORK, THIS ONE WILL BE BLESSED IN WHAT HE DOES.
IV. A REAL MAN IS ONE WHO PASSES HIS FAITH ON TO HIS CHILDREN
v.19 YOU SHALL TEACH THEM TO YOUR CHILDREN, speaking of them when you sit in your house, when you walk by the way, when you lie down, and when you rise up.
Application: Some questions to ask yourself:
When was the last time your children heard you pray?
When was the last time you talked with your children concerning the Word of God?
When was the last time you talked with your children about their salvation - their relationship with God?
IF YOUR FAITH ISN’T IMPORTANT ENOUGH TO TALK ABOUT –
YOUR FAITH ISN’T IMPORTANT ENOUGH.
Proverbs 22:6 (NKJV)
TRAIN UP a child in the way he should go, And when he is old he will not depart from it.
V. A REAL MAN IS ONE WHO GIVES HIS FAMILY A SECURE SANCTUARY AWAY FROM THE SINFULNESS THAT IS IN THE WORLD
v.20 And you shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates,
Application: Our world is growing increasingly sinful - our American culture is becoming increasing hostile toward God and the things that make for holiness. Your family needs a place in which they can retreat and feel safe on an emotional and spiritual level.
2 Chronicles 23:19 (NKJV)
AND HE SET THE GATEKEEPERS AT THE GATES OF THE HOUSE OF THE LORD, SO THAT NO ONE WHO WAS IN ANY WAY UNCLEAN SHOULD ENTER.
Application: What is getting into your house? (TV; movies; internet; radio; music; conversations; etc.)
VI. A REAL MAN IS ONE WHO SEES THE BIGGER PICTURE AND PLANS FOR THE FUTURE OF HIS FAMILY
v.21 that your days and the days of your children may be multiplied in the land of which the Lord swore to your fathers to give them, like the days of the heavens above the earth.
Application: The little things you do now become the seeds that will produce a much larger crop later.
Galatians 6:7-8 (NKJV)
Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; FOR WHATEVER A MAN SOWS, THAT HE WILL ALSO REAP. For he who sows to his flesh will of the flesh reap corruption, but he who sows to the Spirit will of the Spirit reap everlasting life.
CONCLUSION
