Becoming Men Of Excellence, Lighting Up The World 6/16/12 Joshua 1:1-9 Ephesians 5:25-6:4
I can recall a number of years ago I was having a conversation with one of the women in the fellowship hall. She was dressed extra nice that day and had her hair done very well. I said, “You really look nice today.” She jokingly said, “yes maybe I’ll find a piece of a man.” I said a piece, why not the whole thing. She said, these days, you’re lucky if you just get a piece of a man.
In her way she was saying, “boy to have a good man would be something awesome to have.” Men when you are at your best, you can be something awesome. I want us to realize that each man here, can become a man of excellence who can light up the world.
You have received a key chain with a challenge to “Be A Man of Excellence.” It has a flashlight included in it, to encourage you to not only lead, but to show others the way. You see the person with the light is the one up front, making sure to create a path that others can follow. I want you to know from the start, being a man of excellence does not mean being a man of perfection. As men, we will stumble, we will fall, we will make mistakes, and we will disappoint even ourselves, but we will not stay at those places.
The way we respond to those situations will be an opportunity to discover the grace and mercy of god and be a light others on what a man of excellence does when he stumbles. You see the psalmist wrote in Psalm 37:23-24 The steps of a good man are ordered by the Lord, and he delighteth in his way, though he fall, he shall not be cast down, because the Lord upholdeth him with His hands. Men it’s good to know that even when you fall, you’re still in the hands of God.
Becoming a man of excellence and being a light as a leader, means that you’re willing to believe what the word of God says that you need for life as opposed to what the world claims that you need. Becoming a man of excellence has little to do with what the advertisers tell us that we need. Every ad that’s directed toward us tries to lure us with either the desire for power, sex, or money.
The Bible teaches us, we only get one go around in life, so we should give it our best shot, knowing that in the end, we will have to stand before God and give an account for what we have done.
What man will stand before God and brag about how good of a player he was with the women? What man is going to be excited in God’s presence over the number of luxury or sport cars he had, the houses he lived in, or the money he made and spent? Who will stand before the King of Kings and Lord of Lords, and boast bout a position he had, the number of touchdowns he scored, or how many platinum records he put out?
What kind of a man is going to stand in God’s presence, and have God starts to brag on him? God shouts out to heaven, and says “look out now, here comes da’man.” It’s the man who fills the needs that God has placed inside of him. It’s the man who decides to strive to be a man of excellence in all his ways, seeking to providea light for others to follow. Let’s look at how we can become such a man.
Today we are going to look at the call of Joshua, and seek to discover three of the real needs God has placed within a man so that he can become a man of excellence. One of the important needs a man has, is the need for respect. The first place that respect has to come from is from the man himself. Respect for one’s self comes from the confidence that God has given you life for a purpose. You know that you are somebody.
There is something you have been created uniquely to do, and only you can do the job in the way God wants it done. Some of us think that call is to be a great lawyer, or investment banker, or professional athlete. But the actual calling may be to be a great father to your own children or to sincerely love your wife as Christ loved to church. It might be to be a coach, an uncle or a big brother, or even to invest yourself in a ministry in the church as a youth leader. None of us know where we have the greatest impact for God in our lives.
Joshua had lived in the shadow of Moses as Moses’ servant. Moses had been a great leader, who God used to do supernatural miracles while leading the people. Moses had been their leader for 40 years. Nobody could fill his shoes. He talked to God face to face. But now Moses was dead and the people were looking to Joshua to step up to the plate.
When Joshua was sort of down in the dumps, not knowing what to do with Moses having died, God came to him. He said, “Listen Joshua, Moses my servant is dead, now I’m calling you to lead the people into the land I promised.”
Joshua did not have the kind of respect for himself that he needed. All he could think of was, “I never could fill the shoes of Moses.” Joshua’s problem was rooted in the failure to understand, that God had something planned for him long before Moses died. God never said, “Joshua, I’m calling you to be like Moses. He said, “Moses is dead. I am calling you to lead.”
Men we have the option of hanging our heads over a loss we have suffered or a mistake we have made.. We can start doing just any old thing getting by day after day, or we can recognize, God made us with a purpose. A setback does not mean a knock out. The mere fact that God seeks to use us, means we are somebody important. We are worthy of our own self respect. We do not surrender our vision to become a man of excellence. Our hope is not found in a bottle, it’s not found in a bed, and it’s not found in a drug of choice. Our hope is in Jesus Christ who takes men from the gutter to greatness.
The respect that leads to excellence starts early in a young man’s life. Each young man that excels in school is demonstrating respect for himself. When Dominick completed high school with college credits he was demonstrating a desire for excellence in his life. He was being a light for others. When Antonio got his first full time job and brought in his first tithes on his check, he was demonstrating a desire for excellence. When Keon spends hours on the internet searching for music to bring to the life of the church he’s demonstrating a desire for excellence. Each young man that’s strong enough to say no to alcohol and to drug selling, buying or using is showing respect for himself. Each young man that treats all young girls in the way they want their daughters and mothers treated is showing respect for himself.
Each man that’s committed to being faithful to his wife is showing respect for himself and moving toward excellence. Each man that controls the kind of words that come forth from his lips, shows respect for himself and is moving toward excellence. Tell somebody next to you. Show some respect for yourself. Somebody is walking in your light..
When God called Joshua, God gave him a three fold charge. Joshua was to lead the people into the land, defeat the enemy, and claim the inheritance. Men, God has called us all to be leaders. We my lead several thousands or we may lead only one, that one being ourselves. But we are called to be leaders. Leaders prepare to do the best job possible by getting the best advice available to them . If you’re married, you have a built in source of wisdom with your wife. You should be leading together.
A man who respects himself, will respect others. Every boy and every man is called to respect every woman and every girl. We have the power to elevate women to the level God desires, or to destroy the very plans and purposes of God for their lives, often condemning them to a life of poverty. A man who respects himself, will not use women for his own personal enjoyment to be tossed to the side like a toy one no longer wants to play with. A man who respects women, will call them by their name when they’re walking down the street.
A man who respects others, makes up for the wrongs he has done. No-one has to search him down for child support payments, because he does his duty in providing for his children. A man is a better man, when he has the respect of his children. He knows how to humble himself and admit when he was wrong and to ask for forgiveness. A man of excellence, when he finds a woman who already has a child or children, he determines to be the best father that he can to the children. He’s not there to compete or to replace anybody, just to be the best presence that he can be. Sometimes the most difficult role of a man of excellence to fill is that of being a step father, especially when the children want to keep you away at a distance. But go ahead and love them anyways.
Men when we respect others, so many people come out winners including ourselves. It changes the face our entire community. You young men about to leave for college, don’t yield to the pressures around you, and sacrifice the great future God has for you and your future families. God has a calling on your lives to be leaders. We are better leaders, when we don’t have a lot of side issues to deal with from having made earlier poor choices.
What would have happened if Joshua had of told God, “God I’m content with just staying where I am. God find somebody else to do the job.” Men, we are not called to stay where we are. If we do we become sitting ducks for the enemy, but even worse we miss the potential God has for our lives to become men of excellence. Don’t forget that when God called Joshua, God had a promise for Joshua that there was an inheritance involved waiting for him to claim it. Men don’t stop fighting for your marriage, fighting for your children, or fighting for your goals. There is an inheritance you will enjoy on the other side.
If you read the end of the book, and see all that Joshua was blessed with, you would know God does not let us down. Joshua respected himself enough to respond to the call of God of God on his life. You may be mired in drugs today, you may be in prison, you may be so far from the Lord you have not thought Him in weeks, but God has an inheritance for you if you’re willing to be changed. Tell your neighbor it’s your inheritance. Get up and get it.
Joshua had an enemy to defeat, in order to claim the inheritance that God had already given them.
Men we have a need to overcome a ruthless enemy. Every man who desires excellence is going to be engaged in battle. The greatest enemy we have to defeat stands looking at us every time we stand facing the mirror. Nobody is working harder to destroy us, than that character is. He can be moody. He can be selfish. He can be critical. He can be sharp. He can be profane. He can think if he yells loud enough, He can bully others into doing thins for him. He can destroy our relationships with our wives, and with our children. There are times when we need to ban him from even coming into the house.
The way to slay that guy in the mirror is to begin to love those around us in the way Jesus loved us. Each day, we should pray, “Lord help me to get out of the way of what you want to do in and through my life today.”
The second need God has placed inside of a man is the need for encouragement. God calls us all to do something that is far greater than what we can accomplish by ourselves. Joshua had spied out the promised land 40 years earlier. Back then he was young, he was ready to take on the enemy. But he no longer has the strength he once had. He was afraid that once this new generation of people saw the power of the people in the land, what would keep them from turning on him, just like they had turned against Moses. I can see him saying, “But God, Moses tried this and it did not work out too good.”
The first thing God did after giving Joshua the command was to give him a promise to encourage him. He said, “as I was with Moses, so I will be with you; I will never leave you nor forsake you.” The words I will never leave you can also be translated “I will not drop or abandon you.” God is saying “I got your back” The good news is that God never walks out on His promises.
Joshua was not a bit different from us. Men it is okay to be afraid. It’s okay to want to quit. It’s okay to think, this thing is too hard for me to do. Anybody that ever went our for a varsity sport wanted to quit. Even Jesus prayed, “Father if it is possible, choose some way other than me going to the cross to be crucified, but not My will, Yours be done.” Wanting to quit does not mean you have to. To become a man of excellence means, you just hang in there longer than others do. You try to provide light just a little longer
God knows that’s how we are going to feel exhausted and frustrated, So three times he says, Verse 6—Be strong and courageous, verse 7 Be strong and very courageous and verse 9 Be strong and courageous and do not be discouraged, for the Lord you God will be with you wherever you go.”
There may be a father who has left his wife and children. You may have even gotten a divorce. God may be calling you to be strong and courageous and go back and win her heart again, and be the father you should be to your children. There may be a father, who thinks he cannot go on with the relationship, you need to remember verse 9 because God is speaking to you. Be strong and courageous, and do not be discouraged, for the Lord you God will be with you wherever you go. God has given you the power to turn that relationship around.
There may be a father here who has a broken relationship with a son or a daughter. Why not take the first step in the forgiveness process by humbling yourself and admitting you have a need to have the person in your life.
Every man needs some encouragement. What’s the best gift to give on father’s day. Make a commitment, “Dad each week I’m going to think of something to encourage you in.” Things like, you did a great job on the lawn. You did a good job taking care of us this week. You really make me happy to have you as my dad. Little things like that will make us feel a lot better than the socks, underwear, and other things we will be opening up after church. Kids live a life that we can boast to others about.
Wives, some of us do a lousy job of encouraging you, but please don’t let our error keep you from trying to encourage us. A lot of times we as men do not act as though your encouragement carries a lot of weight, but we need to know that you are pleased with our efforts. We need to know you do give us some credit for something. We hate those words, “you never” when sometimes we have. Every married man asks the question “can’t I do anything right.”
Family life is work for everybody involved. The greatest threat to any family, is the selfishness in each of its members. The person who causes the most grief in a family, is the one who is the most selfish of all. When we are taking the time to encourage, it means we’re being a little less selfish. Kids you are encouragement to your parents when you do your chores, because you’re saying “hey, I’m willing to do my part. Count me in on the team.”
Could we pledge to try to encourage each other more? Every man that’s married or single needs to be strong and very courageous. Not everyone wants you to become a man of excellence. Not everyone wants you to lead with your light. You are entering territory that God has for you, but there are enemies in the land to be defeated.
Joshua felt really good about God telling him to be strong and courageous. But the crowning point came for him, when he told the people, “here is what we are to do”. The people responded, we will follow you, and may the Lord be with you as he was with Moses, only be strong and courageous. A father needs to know that he has his wife and his children cheering him on in life. Few things are more humiliating to a man than for a him to be put down before others by his wife or children in public.
Men it is up to us, to do things that are positive to make our family proud. It is up to us to see to it that our children respect their mothers. Family it’s up to you to notice us and encourage us along the way. Joshua was not going into the promised land, just so that he could be blessed. He was entering the land so that all of God’s people could receive the inheritance that God had for them. Men when we are blessed, everybody in our house should be blessed. Becoming men of excellence leads to the blessings of others.
The final thing a man needs to become a man of excellence with a light to shine is a relationship with God. Men, it does not matter how good we want to be or how good we try to be, we are going to fail. God created us to be in a relationship with Him. Every man needs a leader who fully understand his mission. God did not call Joshua and give him some words of encouragement and say “now you go out and be a man and do the best you can.”
No in verse seven and eight it says “Be strong and very courageous. Be careful to obey all the law my servant Moses gave you; do not turn from it to the right or to the left, that you may be successful wherever you go. 8Do not let this Book of the Law depart from your mouth; meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it. Then you will be prosperous and successful.
Every man has a need to obey the word of God, to become a man of excellence. The natural tendency for us as men, is to rebel against anybody telling us what to do. How many times have we heard, “I’m a grown man, I don’t need anybody telling me how to live my life.” Jesus was a grown man too, but his testimony was, “I only do what the Father tells me to do.” Men understand this, “it is possible to set out on your own to become prosperous and successful. You may achieve your goal and live to regret it. Financial prosperity can be a lonely road in the end. Ask Michael Jackson.
Go to some of the nursing homes and ask the men, if you had to live life over again, what would you have done differently. Today we may be strong, healthy, independent and thinking the world is ours for the conquering. The reality is, we’re just one car accident away from even being able to dress ourselves each morning. We will get old, and we will need the assistance of others.
God gave Joshua an awesome task. He wanted him to know from the beginning, you can’t do this unless you do it according to my word. Joshua don’t try to take short cuts because it will not work. If you don’t try to wiggle over here and waggle over there, you will be successful wherever you go. If you read my word, put it in your hear and be careful to do all that it is in it, you will be prosperous and successful.
Being a man of excellence does not mean being a perfect man. Jesus does not require us to be perfect. For the word of God tells us 1 John 1:7-10 (NKJV) 7 But if we walk in the light as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses us from all sin. 8 If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. 9 If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. 10 If we say that we have not sinned, we make Him a liar, and His word is not in us.
Becoming Men of Excellence means that we cannot compromises on respecting ourselves, respecting others, and respecting the word of God. It is only through coming into a relationship with Jesus Christ that we begin to allow God to make us the man that he is calling us to be. We cannot stand before God on our own goodness. Only pride makes us bold enough to think so.
The bible teaches, there is a way that seems right to a man, but it ends in death. Every road by every person here is ending in death. The questions we need to be answering on a daily basis are 1) did I respect myself and respect others 2) Is there someone I need to say I’m sorry to, and 3) did I obey the word of God. Everyday that we can answer yes to each of these questions, is a day of success and prosperity that really counts. These are the true needs of every man.
