INTRODUCTION:
I am firmly convinced that America is in the state that she is in today because the Church is not doing the job that Christ left for us to. I have been preaching now for more than 20 years and in that time I have been in churches in nearly every State of this great Nation and I have learned one thing: The “Great Commission” is more often “the Great Omission”. I have made a further observation. As I examine the state of the Church I am finding that it is the men in our churches that are not standing in the gap. Men, we are not stepping up to the plate and fulfilling our God-given responsibility to be the men that we need to be.
What I would like to do today is search the Scriptures and find some men that we ought to pattern our lives after. These men are by no means perfect, nobody to ever walk the face of this Earth, outside of the lovely Lord Jesus, was, is or will ever be. These Godly men, though, gave us a good example to follow.
BODY:
I. God Needs CHRISTIAN Men—Peter
A. Christianity is not salvation---it’s a step higher
B. John 21:15-17
1. Jesus asked Peter three times “Lovest thou me?”
a) Trinity of God
b) Different words for “Love”
(1) 15: Agape’/Philos
(2) 16: Agape’/Philos
(3) 17: Philos/Philos
c) Peter denied Christ three times
2. Peter had to decide to give Christ first place
C. Christianity is giving Christ preeminence—Matthew 6:33
II. God Needs COURAGEOUS Men—Joshua & Caleb
A. Numbers 13:26-14:10
B. Chapter 13:1-25
1. God told Moses to send men to survey Canaan: 1,2
2. Moses sent one man from each tribe: 3-20
3. They searched the land for 40 days: 21-25
4. 10 came back and said “We can’t take the land.”
5. 2 men stood out.
C. Joshua and Caleb went against the majority.
D. God plagued the people but spared J & C
E. J & C were the only two to enter the Promised Land
III. God Needs CONSECRATED Men—Daniel
A. Daniel 6
1. Daniel was 2nd in command under King Darius: 1-3
2. The rulers of the land “sought to find occasion against” him: 4-9
3. They persuaded the king to make a decree: 7-9
a) The people were to pray only to the King.
b) If a man prayed to another he would be cast to the lions.
c) The decree could not be changed
4. Daniel continued to pray to God 3 times a day: 10
5. The men saw Daniel praying
6. The told the King—he was troubled
7. He cast Daniel into the lions’ den and “prayed for him”
8. God shut the lions’ mouths: 22
B. Daniel was faithful and God blessed him.
C. Romans 12:1, 2
IV. God Needs CONSISTENT Men—Job
A. Job was a godly father—prosperous: 1:5
B. Satan is permitted to test Job: 1:12-20
1. Loss of property and children
2. Job himself is afflicted.
3. His own wife tells him to curse—he is faithful.
C. Job’s three “friends”—seven days of silence—“sin=suffering”
D. Job is faithful—his prosperity is restored
E. God doesn’t need “Sunday Morning Christians”
V. God Needs COMPASSIONATE Men—Paul
A. Philippians 3:5-21
1. Paul was a religious leader: 5,6
2. He didn’t care about his past—he wanted to please God: 7-14
3. He wished the same for others: 15-19
4. He looked forward to Heaven: 20,21
B. Paul gave his testimony everywhere he went
C. God wants men with warm hearts and willing hands.
D. God wants men who kneel in prayer
E. God wants men who weep over lost souls
F. God wants men who have a vision.
CONCLUSION:
God is standing before us today with His finger pointed. He is saying, “I want you.” Will you heed the call today to be a Christian man? Will you give Jesus Christ first place in your life? Will you make Him the President instead of just a resident? Are you courageous today? Will you say with Joshua and Caleb, “Even though the odds are against me; even though it would be much easier to compromise and hang with the crowd; even though it may cost me friendships, family relationships, pleasures, or even my life, I will do what I know is right!”? Have you consecrated yourself to God? Have you given Him 100% of yourself, your time, your talents and your treasure? Are you a consistent man; or are you a Sunday Morning Christian? Friend, are you a compassionate man? Jude verse 22 says “Of some having compassion MAKING A DIFFERENCE”.
There is a type of man, though, that you must be before you can have any of these other qualities. Before you can be Christian, or courageous, or consecrated, or consistent, or compassionate, you must be converted. You must know Jesus Christ as your personal Savior. Then He will help you to become the man that you ought to be.
