The Making of A Godly Man!
Video Clip – From Promise Keepers in 1997, “ The Making of a Godly Man!” promo video.
Texts:
Judges 6:12-16
12When the angel of the LORD appeared to Gideon, he said, “The LORD is with you, mighty warrior.”
13“But sir,” Gideon replied, “if the LORD is with us, why has all this happened to us? Where are all his wonders that our fathers told us about when they said, ‘Did not the LORD bring us up out of Egypt?’ But now the LORD has abandoned us and put us into the hand of Midian.” 14The LORD turned to him and said, “Go in the strength you have and save Israel out of Midian’s hand. Am I not sending you?” 15“But Lord,£” Gideon asked, “how can I save Israel? My clan is the weakest in Manasseh, and I am the least in my family.” 16The LORD answered, “I will be with you, and you will strike down all the Midianites together.”
Jeremiah 46:4
Harness the horses, mount the steeds! Take your positions with helmets on! Polish your spears,
put on your armor!
Ephesians 6:10-18
10Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. 11Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. 12For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. 13Therefore 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. 14Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, 15and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. 16In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. 17Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. 18And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the saints.
Thesis: The church, the family this society needs Godly Men who are willing to be made in the image of their Creator God. How about you? Do you have the courage to be apart of God’s Army and face the greatest adventure of your life?
Illustration of Jesus like Uncle Sam I want you for my army!
Introduction:
Society has over the last 20 years sought to change the purpose and plan for man. The sad fact is our society cannot make up it’s mind on what man is and isn’t. As a result we have a lot of frustrated men in our society. These men are angry, some lifeless, some bored, some absent in their positions. Our society has tried to tell us that tame, nurture type men are the right kind of man. Stu Weber states, “We know we have lost something. We know we’ve lost our masculine souls. We don’t know all that means, but we do know men are confused, hurting, and angry. It is no wonder that six times more men than women are arrested for drug abuse, that 88 percent of drunk drivers are men, and that 75 percent of all suicides in the United States are men. An article in Psychology Today summarizes: Buffeted by the women’s movement, constrained by a traditional and internalized definition of masculinity, men literally don’t know who they are…what women want from them, or even what they want from themselves. Well, men, we’ve endured twenty-five years of dismantling confusion. It’s time to restore our masculinity. It’s time to learn to be men again” (46). Men are one of the only groups in America that is politically correct to bash. Especially Christian men.
The Christian church has done no better than secular society on making up its mind on the role and character traits of its men. The church has in a sense tried to tame the adventurous heart of men. They tell men to be careful, cautious, docile, quiet, nurturers, and don’t take risks. In essence the suttle message to men in the church today is you need to be nicee-nicee. Don’t do anything dangerous, don’t go off to battle, don’t do adventurous things.
They have wanted little boys to be soft and cuddly but not masculine. No battles to be fought, no maidens to rescue in distress, no outback adventures, no exploring the unknown charts of their neighborhood.
So today we have men and soon to be men who are the TV junkies of this society. We have a bunch of men in the church and in society who are bored lifeless men with no hope for adventure and purpose in their lives. Men are suppose be created in the image of God as well as women are too. It takes both men and women combined to create a picture of God. Each one has a definitive role assigned to them from God. This does not make one better than the other, only different.
Yes, Christianity in America is in desperate need of Godly men. We need Moses, Joshua’s, Gideon’s, Samson’s, David’s, Paul’s, Peter’s, John’s and James for today. The Bible is full of true to life stories of Godly men being who they were called to be. God wants warriors in this battle for the souls of mankind.
The church needs to allow God to develop Godly men once again. We need to understand that God designed us for a purpose. We need to be Men of God that he designed!”
T.S.- How did God design men?
I. He designed men to do battle with the forces of evil.
a. Men did you know that on the average you physically stronger than women and God designed you that way.
b. Did you know that you have a more aggressive side than most women do?
i. Listen ladies and gents I did not say that men are superior to women they are just designed different. Why?
c. God desires men to go out and fight the battles in life so men can be the heroes of their families. To do battle with the enemy who is trying to destroy their God ordained families.
i. But the truth is many men have abandoned their families and deserted them. They have run away!
1. They are absentee fathers, husbands and men.
a. 40% off all families today have no father in them. This fatherless trend in families has had rippling effects today on the family unit.
i. Suicide is the 3rd major cause of Teen deaths today.
ii. Family breakups have reached an all time high with 50 % of all marriages ending in divorce. One pastor recently told me that Christian marriages have a 53% divorce rate today.
iii. Teen crime has escalated from a frustrated generation experiencing broken homes and absentee fathers and mothers.
iv. Drug use has risen to an all time high in the teens of today. Next week we will get a report on that.
v. Sex outside of marriage has sky-rocketed-kids looking for the love that is missing in homes are now looking elsewhere.
vi. 30% of all women today who are getting pregnant today are not married.
vii. One of three children born today are born into fatherless homes.
ii. God wants the men in this world to do their part and defeat the bears and lions that threaten the safety of the family.
1. We are to be like Gideon who was willing after catching a vision of God to take on the enemy and deliver the people of God.
a. Judges 6:12 tells us the angel of the Lord appeared to Gideon and said, “The Lord is with you, mighty warrior.”
b. Gideon did not respond with Yeah I know! He was like “I don’t think so!”
c. But listen to his response and God’s response in Judges 6:12-16
12When the angel of the LORD appeared to Gideon, he said, “The LORD is with you, mighty warrior.”
13“But sir,” Gideon replied, “if the LORD is with us, why has all this happened to us? Where are all his wonders that our fathers told us about when they said, ‘Did not the LORD bring us up out of Egypt?’ But now the LORD has abandoned us and put us into the hand of Midian.” 14The LORD turned to him and said, “Go in the strength you have and save Israel out of Midian’s hand. Am I not sending you?” 15“But Lord,£” Gideon asked, “how can I save Israel? My clan is the weakest in Manasseh, and I am the least in my family.” 16The LORD answered, “I will be with you, and you will strike down all the Midianites together.”
2. We are to take on the one who is trying to steal kill and destroy each and everyone our families and God’s family.
a. We are God’s mighty warriors! Why mighty? Because God says he is with us to make us mighty. Just like he was with Gideon.
b. God used Gideon and 300 hundred men to wipe out over a 120,000 men.
3. We are to be the Lions of the tribe of Judah.
a. But we look like this lion in the picture. Show Picture.
T.S. Men we are designed by the Lord to be mighty warriors so we can make a difference for the family of God.
II. Men you are designed by God to make a difference in this world.
a. Listen to how God has used men in the past from Stu Weber:
i. The human race began with a man- Adam
ii. The covenant of the testaments was given to a man- Abraham
iii. The twelve tribes of the nation of Israel began with a man- Jacob
iv. The redemption of Israel was delivered through a man- Moses
v. The occupation of the Promised land was led by a man- Joshua
vi. The royal prototype of Messiah was a man- David
vii. The Savior of the world came as a man- Jesus
viii. Jesus began His ministry and founded His church with a gathering of men- the Twelve (Stu Weber, 116)
1. Do you want to make a difference Men? Then what are you doing- in other words are you training in the army of God to be an impact player, an impact soldier in His army.
2. Men God is telling you today “You are a mighty warrior!”
3. Do you believe this? I really believe most don’t. Why? Because men of God don’t act like mighty warriors.
a. They act like wimps!
b. They are not aggressive for the things of God!
c. They are afraid to let others know they are Christians!
4. Show picture of Uncle Sam- But God wants you for his army men!
b. According to the word of God we are in a war for the souls of mankind and you men are to be apart of the army that defeats the enemy.
i. Men we have been designed by God to:
1. Listen to the commander in chief’s instructions and follow them. Obey orders!
a. Gideon did and God blessed him.
2. We are to seek counsel and insight before we go into battle from the great strategist the Holy Spirit.
a. Gideon sought the counsel of God and listened to his strategy to win.
b. God said you have to many men get rid of about 20,000 plus.
c. Do the lantern and break the jar thing. Sounds weird but God knew what he was doing. He is the great strategist. It worked-they won a great victory.
3. We are to learn from the master about spiritual war- in other words we need to go through boot camp to get into proper shape and learn the tactics of the Great Master Jesus Christ.
4. But we have to believe that we are mighty warriors!
ii. John Eldredge states from his book “Wild At Heart”:
1. “Like it or not, there is something fierce in the heart of every man” (11).
2. He adds, “Now, this longing may have submerged from years of neglect, and a man may not feel that he is up to the battles he knows await him. Or it may have taken a very dark turn, as it has in inner city gangs. But the desire is there. Every man wants to play the hero. Every mans needs to know that he is powerful. Women didn’t make Brave heart one of the best selling films of the decade. Flying Tigers, The Bridge over River Kwai, The Magnificent Seven, Shane, High Noon, Saving Private Ryan, Top Gun, the Die Hard films, Gladiator ( I add Pearl Harbor)-the movies a man loves reveal what his heart longs for, what is set inside him from the day of his birth” (11).
3. Yes, men God designed us to be the warriors, the adventurers, the risk takers, and it’s in us. Why? Because God wants us to be His warriors, His Brave hearts, His Gladiators, His fighter Pilots. He wants us to get ready and train to become the powerful soldiers we are designed to be!
iii. John Eldredge states, “God mean’t something when he mean’t man, and if we are to ever find ourselves we must find that. What has he set in the masculine heart? He has observed three qualities of a masculine heart. I would say the 3 things which men desire to do:
1. Men have a desire to fight a battle.
a. Why do you think little boys always play war?
b. Why men like war movies?
c. Philippians 2:25 But I think it is necessary to send back to you Epaphroditus, my brother, fellow worker and fellow soldier…
i. The apostle Paul was always using military jargon in his writings to the Christians. Why? Because he knew that we are in a war!
ii. Ephesians 6:12 12For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.
d. Men whether you want to believe it or not you are in a war! I know you want to fight so volunteer and step forward.
i. Be like the men in the movie Pearl Harbor when Do Little asked for volunteers to fly bombers off a aircraft carrier to bomb Japan. He told then one out of three would probably die and not make it back.
ii. But when asked for volunteers they all stepped forward. Step forward soldier!
2. Men want an adventure to live.
a. Why do you think you love James Bond and Indiana Jones movies?
b. Why do most men like hunting? Taking hunting trips? Go on fishing expeditions?
c. Why are computer adventure games so popular with men and boys? War games?
d. Men we want to live an adventure sign up today and it will be!
3. Men want a beauty to rescue.
a. Eldredge states, “ A man wants to be the hero to the beauty. Young men going off to war carry a photo of their sweetheart in their wallet.” Ever wonder why?
i. They want to be her hero!
ii. What would Robin Hood and King Arthur have been if they had not been driven to save their beauties from evil men.
b. Men want to be put to test. They want to win the great battles, live a great adventure and rescue the beauty.
c. What men fear the most is to be exposed as lifeless and worthless. The one who is an imposter not a man, not a warrior, not a hero but a coward, a loser a man with no purpose.
i. Men God wants to give you a mission impossible but make it possible with his help.
ii. Do you want this mission?
d. John shares a poem about so many men today. Listen to what it says:
Men past forty
Get up nights, look out at city lights
And wonder
Where they made the wrong turn
And why life is so long.
1. He adds, ‘I hope you’re getting the picture by now. If a man does not find those things for which his heart is made, if he is never even invited to live for them from his deep heart, he will look for them some other way” (44).
2. I believe he will look too:
a. Affairs
b. Alcohol
c. Drugs
d. Pornography
e. Gambling
f. Crime
g. And other dysfunctional behavior.
c. Men do you want to make a difference? Then sign up – step forward into training camp and discover how to really live. Be all you can be - join the army of the living God!
T.S. Men we need to become mighty warriors for God but to get there we have to train under the master warrior.
III. To be God’s warriors it’s essential that we train to be His elite soldiers.
a. The military today just does not send raw recruits off to battle without preparing them for war.
i. The same is true of the Lord. We have to learn how to wage war against spiritual forces.
ii. I Cor. 10:3, 4 states, 3For though we live in the world, we do not wage war as the world does. 4The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds.
iii. When I first became a Christian God trained me to be a soldier in his army.
1. I learned to study the manual on how to wage war against the enemy! Which of course is the Bible!
2. I learned to pray so that I might receive direction from the Lord on how and where to face the enemy. I learned to use the name of the commander in chief when I confronted the forces of evil.
a. Confrontations with evil spirits as a young Christian.
i. The cultists in Outreach church
ii. The demon possessed people who we dealt with.
iii. The study on the cults and what always happened after I learned about different groups.
iv. The confrontation with the witch
b. Training is a must if you desire to develop into the soldier God wants you to be.
i. Stu Weber recalls his first impression of Ranger training this way: The old Ranger’s speech was as lean and tough as his body. Every punctuated word of it seemed to come from his gut; ‘We are here to save your lives. To do so we are going to do two things with you over the course of the next nine weeks. First, we are going to see to it that you overcome all you natural fears-especially height and water. And, second, we are going to show you just how much incredible stress the human mind and body can endure. Many of you will not complete the nine weeks. It is simply too tough. But for those who do, when we are finished with you, you will be the U.S. Army’s best. America’s best. You will be confident. You will survive, even in combat. And you will accomplish your mission! After his remarks designed both to inspire and intimidate, the man gave us our first assignment. ‘Step one in your training is the assignment of your Ranger Buddy’”(77).
1. By the way – the Ranger trainers push teamwork in their training.
a. I watched Ranger training on TV a few weeks back and do you know what they stressed over and over. Teamwork, Teamwork, take care of the team, it’s about teamwork not individuals. Individuals will die but teams will succeed.
b. God designed men to form armies and to work together in unison against the enemy. Why? Do you think Jesus formed a team?
c. There is strength in numbers.
i. Proverbs 27:17 As iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another.
ii. Ecc. 4:8 There was a man all alone;
he had neither son nor brother.
There was no end to his toil.
d. Many times men you need to team up with other men to concentrate your strength to defeat the raiding parties of the enemy. But we have a problem today. Men do not form teams to get stronger they want to do everything on their own and as a result they are picked off one by one.
2. The Rangers also teach us that we have to overcome our natural fears if we desire to do our jobs.
a. Psalm 23:4 Even though I walk
through the valley of the shadow of death,£
I will fear no evil, for you are with me;
your rod and your staff, they comfort me.
b. I John 4:18 18There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love
c. Proverbs 19:23 The fear of the LORD leads to life:
Then one rests content, untouched by trouble.
i. Same is true in spiritual warfare! We overcome our fear by placing our trust in the Lord.
3. The Rangers also teach us that we can handle more than we think we can handle.
a. 2 Timothy 2:3,5 3Endure hardship with us like a good soldier of Christ Jesus. 4No one serving as a soldier gets involved in civilian affairs—he wants to please his commanding officer.
b. The Lord promises never to give us more than we can handle
c. 2 Timothy 2: 12 if we endure, we will also reign with him.
If we disown him, he will also disown us.
c. Men we need to train by first putting on the weapons that will defeat the enemy.
i. Ephesians 6:10-18
10Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. 11Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. 12For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. 13Therefore 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. 14Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place,
* Belt is the support which holds up your pants in battle without truth you are naked and exposed in battle and you become and easy target for the enemy.
* The Breast plate of righteousness is like flack jackets they protect you from the shots of the enemy. This is what righteousness does for you in the spiritual battle. When you heart is pure and you are righteous bullets do not enter the vital areas covered by the Jacket. But if you take it off you will be destroyed by the enemies snipers.
15and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace.
* Readiness comes from the Gospel. The Word will give you peace and insight in the mist of battle but you better know it because in battle you cannot sit down and take time to read it has to be in your heart and head.
16In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one.
* The shield of faith is your defensive weapon against the missiles of the enemy. It’s like the patriot missile it knocks them out of the sky.
17Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.
* The helmet signifies who you belong to it’s your uniform and designates what side you are on. It will give you protection for your head and the right to a part of God’s army.
18And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the saints.
* It’s imperative to make sure in battle that you have good communication with the commander in chief and the other soldiers. It will save your life!
ii. We need to be trained on how to use the weapons that have been given us. Training does not happen in one hour it takes weeks, months, years of training to become the type of soldier you need to be to win and stay alive in battle.
Conclusion: What have we learned today? How did God design man and how is a godly man created.
1. God designed man in His image and he created us to be mighty warriors for Him.
a. Inside each of us has been placed a desire by the Lord to be his lions of Judah. But we have to believe it and respond to that call!
2. Men God has designed us to make a difference in this world for His Kingdom.
a. Men with in each of us is a desire to fight the battles for the Lord, go on adventures for the Lord, and rescue the beauties for the Lord.
b. We do this for the sake of Kingdom of God.
c. Men deep down I know you want to be tested and be proven to be a mighty warrior for God! But to be proven you have to enter the battles, the adventures, and step out and be the heroes.
3. Men you also must understand that to be a successful warrior you have to be trained by the Spirit of the Lord.
a. Men you get trained by studying the war manual- the Bible.
b. By learning to use your communication system with the commander in chief-
prayer!
d. By joining training sessions designed to equip you for battle and teach you survival skills and weapon skills. These events are called Men’s Retreats and one is coming up in two weeks. Men are you willing to volunteer and learn to become God’s elite soldiers?
Then sign up today! I also encourage you men to enroll in our leadership classes, Bible studies and the like because this is were you get your training!.
Lets Pray!
