He was so moved that he was determined to secure copies for all of his employees.
• He wired the publisher in Chicago: “Send 125 copies of ‘Men of God.’”
• The publisher wired back, “Chicago is out of ‘Men of God” they are hard to find. Try Memphis they might have some.”
We desperately need men and women of God today in every city, home and every church today.
To be referred to as a “man of God,” or a “woman of God,” is one of the greatest titles that could be given to any Christian.
We have some in society who are referred to as:
• Men of wealth,
• Men of wisdom,
• Men of fashion,
• Men of the “cloth,” etc.
There are all kinds of titles for people. Many indicate a high level of prestige, but the highest honor that could be bestowed on a person is to be referred to as a man or woman “of God!”
• Moses was referred to as a MAN OF GOD, in Deut. 33:1.
• Saul is referred to as a MAND OF GOD , in I Samuel 9:6.
• David is referred to as a MAN OF GOD , in II Chron. 8:14.
• Elijah is referred to as a MAN OF GOD, in I Kings 17:24.
• Elisha is referred to as a MAN OF GOD, in II Kings 4:9.
This is a title every Christian should strive to earn, and it is a fact that titles has to be earned.
For example, when a soldier goes into the army, he is not asked, “What title would you like to have while you serve your country?”
Would you like to be a:
• Sergeant.
• Colonel.
• Lieutenant.
• General.
That is not the way it works! Those titles have to be earned. Every one of them!!!
To be called A MAN, or WOMAN OF GOD, is something each Christian also has to earn.
Reminds me of…
Illus: Two rich brothers were known as two of the most wicked men in town.
One of them died.
• The living brother came to the preacher and said my brother has died and I want you to preacher his funeral.
• This wicked brother said I want you to say that he was a MAN OF GOD. I will give the church $10,000 dollars for you to do this.
• The preacher agreed to preach his funeral.
• However when he preached the funeral he stated the decrease was one of the most wicked men in town. He was a liar, a drunk, a thief, Womanizer, and a idiot.
• “But I promised his brother I would say something nice about him. And this is what I want to say nice about him, compared to his brother he was saint”
If we are fortunate enough to be referred to as a MAN, or WOMAN, OF GOD it is because we have earned that honor.
There are things WE MUST DO and MUST NOT DO to be considered to be MEN and WOMEN OF GOD.
Illus: When I die and some preacher will preach my funeral. I hope they might say:
• I was a good administrator
• I could manage money well
• I was compassionate
• I had some talents
• I preached a good sermon
But the greatest honor would be to have some preacher stand over me and declare that I was a MAN OF GOD!
I hope today you feel like I do when that time comes in your life you want that preacher to say also that you were MAN OR WOMAN OF GOD.
To make that happen let us look into the scriptures and see what kind of life we must live.
Let us look at some of the things that Paul Told Timothy the requirements to be a MAN OR WOMAN OF GOD!
Look at I Tim. 6:11. We read, “But thou, O man of God, flee these things; and FOLLOW after righteousness, godliness, faith, love, patience, meekness.”
Notice, Paul gives us a grocery list of things we are to FOLLOW after.
First, we must consider Paul told Timothy to be a MAN OF GOD THERE ARE THINGS HE…
I. MUST FLEE
In verses 1:11 Paul gives young Timothy to be a MAN OF GOD HE MUST FLEE…
1 Timothy 6:1-12 Let as many servants as are under the yoke count their own masters worthy of all honor, that the name of God and his doctrine be not blasphemed. And they that have believing masters, let them not despise them, because they are brethren; but rather do them service, because they are faithful and beloved, partakers of the benefit. These things teach and exhort. If any man teach otherwise, and consent not to wholesome words, even the words of our Lord Jesus Christ, and to the doctrine which is according to godliness; He is proud, knowing nothing, but doting about questions and strifes of words, whereof cometh envy, strife, railings, evil surmisings, Perverse disputings of men of corrupt minds, and destitute of the truth, supposing that gain is godliness: from such withdraw thyself. But godliness with contentment is great gain. For we brought nothing into this world, and it is certain we can carry nothing out. And having food and raiment let us be therewith content. But they that will be rich fall into temptation and a snare, and into many foolish and hurtful lusts, which drown men in destruction and perdition. For the love of money is the root of all evil: which while some coveted after, they have erred from the faith, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows. But thou, O man of God, flee these things; and follow after righteousness, godliness, faith, love, patience, meekness. Fight the good fight of faith, lay hold on eternal life, whereunto thou art also called, and hast professed a good profession before many witnesses.
In these verses Paul tell Timothy to be a MAN OF GOD he must FLEE all these things.
A. Arguing
B. Love of money
C. Proud
D. Lust
These are all traps that Satan put before us, but Paul told Timothy to be a MAN OF GOD we must FLEE FROM SUCH THINGS.
But in this sermon I want to show you what Paul tells us to do to be a MAN OR WOMAN OF GOD.
First we must…
II. FOLLOW AFTER
Look at this verse again, “But thou, O man of God, flee these things; and FOLLOW AFTER RIGHTEOUSNESS...”
The first thing that Paul tells Timothy he must follow after…
A. RIGHTEOUSNESS.
The word “righteousness,” in the scriptures is used in two ways. It means to:
• To be right with God
• To be right with men
In this portion of scripture Paul is talking about BEING RIGHT WITH MEN.
It means integrity still counts!
That is, the quality of being honest and having strong moral principles; moral uprightness still counts.
We live in a society that tells us that living a good honest, moral life no longer counts.
DON’T YOU BELIEVE IT!
It may not count with the ungodly across this land that have forsaken the teachings of the Word of God, but IT IS STILL COUNTS WITH THE MAN OF GOD.
Integrity is what makes a person stand out from evil men.
Let me give you an example.
Illus: Reuben Gonzales was in the final match of a professional racquetball tournament.
• It was his first shot at a victory on the pro circuit, and he was playing the perennial champion.
• In the fourth, and final game, at match point, Gonzales made a super “kill” shot into the front wall to win it all.
• The referee called it good. One of the two linesmen affirmed that the shot was in.
• But Gonzales, after a moment’s hesitation, turned around, shook his opponent’s hand, and declared that his shot had hit the floor first.
As a result he lost the match. He walked off the court.
Everybody was stunned.
Who could ever imagine it in any sport a player with everything officially in his favor, with victory in his hand, disqualified himself at match point and lost!
When asked why he did it, Reuben said, “It was the only thing I could do to maintain my integrity.” (Submitted by Mssionga J Daniels)
Reuben Gonzales did something that a lot of athletes would not have done.
What?
He realized that he could always win another match, but he could never regain a lost integrity!
Illus: I know a brick layer that brags about his laying bricks by the thousands.
He would tell the building contactor how many bricks it would take to brick in his house. He would always give a couple of thousands more than he needed.
When he bricked the house he braggingly stated he would take the couple of extra thousand and take his forklift and bury them in the front porch and cover them with dirt.
All over this nation contractors do such things. BUT NOT A ONE WHO DOES SUCH THING CAN BE CALLED A MAN OF GOD.
The word “righteousness,” here deals with our relationship with man.
Illus: One commentator noted that you can tell what a man’s relation with God is by looking at his relations with his fellow men.
• If a man is at variance with his fellow men,
• If he is a quarrelsome, competitive, argumentative trouble making creature,
• He may be a diligent church attendee.
• He may even be a church office-bearer,
BUT HE IS NOT A MAN OF GOD.
If a man is distant from his fellow man, it is good proof that he is distant from God.
A man of God is guided by righteousness wherever he goes or wherever he lives.
Illus: There was an interesting political cartoon dealing with Senator Ted Kennedy during the situation that took place in the drowning of Mary Jo Kopecne.
The story itself was in during the time John Tower was brought before the senate to be examined for a presidential nomination.
John Tower was on the witness stand and was asked: “What would you do if we rejected your nomination on the grounds that you’re a boozing womanizer?”
His reply: “Move to Massachusetts and run for the U.S. Senate.”
That statement brought laughter but it reveals that integrity is no longer important.
Today America is in trouble when it comes to INTEGRITY.
Illus: The Day America Told the Truth, 1991was written by James Patterson and Peter Kim.
A survey question was asked what you are willing to do for $10,000,000 in the United States of America…
• 25% Would abandon their entire family
• 25% Would abandon their church
• 23% Would become prostitutes for a week or more
• 16% Would give up their American citizenships
• 16% Would leave their spouses
• 10% Would withhold testimony and let a murderer go free
• 7% Would murder a stranger
• 3% Would put their children up for adoption
That survey was taken in 1991 I believe it is far worse today!!!
Illus: Today we see women by the thousands march on the streets America for the right to kill their children through abortion.
Remember when it was an honor for a mother to bear children.
Illus: Some say the most dangerous place for a child to be in America is in the womb of these women.
Yes, America today is in serious trouble when it comes to INTEGRITY!!!
We can see that…
Illus: On Oct 7, 2023 at 6:38 AM a surprise attack by Palestinian group Hamas took place on Israel.
• More than 1,400 killed in Israel, including children.
• 4,500 people have been seriously injured.
• Women were brutally raped and killed.
• Pregnant women were ripped opened.
• These vicious terrorist chopped off Babies heads with shovels.
• At least 32 of those killed in Israel are Americans, according to the U.S. State Department.
WHAT KIND OF RESPONSE CAME FROM THOUSANDS AND THOUSANDS OF AMERICANS?
THEY APPLAUDED THESE TERRORIST BY THE THOUSANDS MARCHING DOWN THE STREETS IN AMERICA.
What makes this really bad most of these protesters came from some of the leading educational institutions in this country.
One day these protesters will be our school teachers and leaders in this nation.
This country has a Intergrity problem.
• While acceptable moral standards may vary from state to state, the standards of moral conduct have never changed with God.
• What is right in South Carolina, is right in California in God’s sight.
You and I will never earn the name of a MAN, or WOMAN OF GOD, until we FOLLOW AFTER RIGHTEOUSNESS.
Also we are to follow…
B. AFTER GODLINESS.
Look at I Timothy 6:11 again. We read, “But thou, O man of God, flee these things; and follow after righteousness, GODLINESS...”
Some may think GODLINESS is similar to righteousness.
Actually they are different!
• Remember, the word “righteousness” in this text refers to being right in the sight of man.
• GODLINESS is much deeper than being right with mankind. Godliness is being right in the sight of God. Godliness is being God-like.
Godliness deals with our relationship with GOD, not man.
• Living under the Lordship of Jesus Christ must make a difference in the everyday decisions of our lives.
• We must be willing to pay the price of discipleship and strive to be RIGHT WITH MAN and RIGHT WITH GOD.
Let me illustrate…
Illus: Years ago, Jack Eckerd, founder of the Eckerd drugstore chain, committed his life to Christ. He was a man that FOLLOWED AFTER GODLINESS!!!
Shortly afterward, as he walked through one of his stores, he noticed the magazine racks with their glossy copies of Playboy and Penthouse.
Although Eckerd was retired from active management, he called the president of the company and urged him to get rid of those pornographic magazines.
The president protested because substantial profits were gained from their sales.
Eckerd being the largest stockholder, Eckerd himself stood to lose a lot of money by such a decision. But he remained firm in his objection, and he prevailed.
The offensive magazines were removed from all 1,700 drugstores.
When he was asked what motivated him to take this action, Eckerd replied, “God wouldn’t let me off the hook!”
We don’t hear of many taking that kind of stand today by an evil society who thinks INTERGRITY NO LONGER COUNT. People have become demoralized.
That is, they have lost all their godly morals.
Illus: Our forefathers would be shocked if they could return today and see that our society no longer cares about the GODLINESS this Bible teaches.
• They would be shocked to see the way some women dress in public to seduce the opposite sex.
• They would be shocked to hear men using offensive LANGUAGE IN FRONT OF WOMEN AND CHILDREN.
• They would even be more shocked to hear some women using the same foul language.
• They would be shocked to see transgenders winning beauty pageants and play in women sports.
• They would be shocked to hear some of the biggest churches in America watering down the word of God.
• They would be shocked that Christians would go to the polls and vote men and women into office that provides laws to allow women to kill their babies through abortion.
• Our ancestors would be shocked how we as a nation have lost our Christians morals.
We even have people in our churches who have demonstrated they lack integrity.
Illus: For example, when President Clinton was in office as the president of these United States when he defiled the oval office of the White House we frequently heard people say they do not care if President Clinton turns the White House into a whore house, they would vote for him just as long as it benefited them.
In other words they are more loyal to a political party than they are to God Almighty!!!
Listen, we will never earn the name of being a MAN, or WOMAN, OF GOD, until we FOLLOW AFTER RIGHTEOUSNESS AND GODLINESS.
If you want that preacher to stand over your casket and say “We have come here to honor the life of a MAN, or WOMAN, OF GOD” you have to FOLLOWED AFTER GODLINESS.
But notice, Paul shows us something else we will have to follow after.
Also we have to…
C. FOLLOW AFTER FAITH.
Look at verse 11 again. We read, “But thou, O man of God, flee these things; and follow after righteousness, godliness, faith...”
The meaning of the word “faith” in this text is from the Greek word meaning, “Fidelity, reliability, or dependability.”
Every year, across this nation, churches like this will meet to elect new officers and teachers for the coming year. They will check with everyone to see, before they are nominated, if they are willing to serve in the area it has been suggested they serve in. Once they agree to serve, they then are usually elected to serve.
But, sometime within the first month some will become UNRELIABLE.
Illus: That is, sometimes, in some churches:
* A class full of boys and girls might show up to learn about the Lord, but the teacher will not be there.
* A class full of boys and girls will show up to learn about Jesus and the teacher may call in right before class that they will not be there. Because it is so late, no one will have time to prepare a Bible lesson to teach those boys and girls go lacking.
* A church might have people who have joined the church and promised to support it with their ATTENDANCE and TITHES, and knowing the church needs that support will take it and spend it on them.
All across this country there are people in churches who are UNRELIABLE CHRISTIANS.
They may be saved by the grace of God, but by no stretch of the imagination can they be referred to as being a MAN or WOMAN OF GOD!
Illus: God is the HUB OF THE WHEEL of the Christian’s life. Everything should revolve around Him!!!
The people of God understand that they may not get everything done they want to get done in a week, but, GOD SHOULD NOT TO BE THE ONE THAT IS LEFT OUT!
Listen, if some Christians worked on their jobs the way they serve God, many would be fired!
They use all kinds of excuses to protect their testimonies, BUT GOD KNOWS THE REAL REASON IS BECAUSE OF THE OTHER “GODS” IN THEIR LIFE THAT THEY HAVE MADE MORE IMPORTANT THAN HE IS!
The ones who put other “gods” before the living God will never be called men or women of God when they pass on.
If the preacher honored them with that title everyone present at the funeral would know he was lying.
Conclusion:
A missionary in India was once teaching the Bible to a group of Hindu ladies. Halfway through the lesson, one of the women got up and walked out.
A short time later, she came back and listened more intently than ever.
At the close of the hour the leader inquired, “Why did you leave the meeting? Weren’t you interested?”
O, yes,” the Hindu lady replied. “I was so impressed with what you had to say about Christ that I went out to ask your driver whether you really lived the way you talked. When he said that you did, I hurried back so I wouldn’t miss out on anything.”
To be known as a man, or woman of God is one of the greatest honors that can be bestowed on us, but we must earn the right to wear such a title.
There are some things:
I. WE MUST FLEE
II. WE MUST FOLLOW
A. AFTER RIGHTOUSNESS
B. AFTER GODLINESS
C. AFTER FAITH
