FATHERS DAY 2004 Being a Man of God
A tramp one day stopped a man walking down the street. “Excuse me, sir,” said the tramp. “I know I’ve no business to stop you, and if I’m caught begging I’ll be the guest of the county for a bit: and I guess I’m not much to look at, but poverty don’t help a man look handsome, and there’s no use denying I didn’t live straight, sir, and I’ve paid the penalty to the full. But, by heaven sir. You don’t know the man I meant to be.”
Many of us hope and dream of making a difference. We dream of being the hero in our favorite movies. We dream of being a success. We dream of being used by God and making a lasting difference. My friend, I want you to know that being a man of God doesn’t happen by accident. This morning I would like us to look at the qualities required of a man of God.
- Read Numbers 13:1-2, 18-19, 26-33.
At this time, God had used Moses to lead the Israelites out of Egypt. He had led them through the Red Sea, and then closed it behind them to destroy the army following them. Moses had led them to Mt. Sinai, where God gave them the 10 Commandments, the same commandments you see Moses holding on our capital building but which we can’t display in our schools. Now, Moses had led them to the Jordan River. On the other side of the river was their new home, the Promised Land they had dreamed about for centuries as they worked as slaves in Egypt.
Before God allowed them to enter the land, He told Moses to have 12 men, leaders of the 12 tribes, to go into the Promised Land as spies and to bring back a report. The 12 spies checked out the land for 40 days. When they came back, 10 of the leaders said the land was filled with giants. There was no way they could beat them. 2 of the men, Joshua and Caleb, were different. They told the people to trust God and God would give them the victory.
Now the questions facing us this morning, the questions your family and our country need so desperately for you to answer are, “What kind of man will you be?,” and “what makes the difference?”
I. A MAN OF GOD HAS A RESOURCE OTHERS IGNORE
- 14:24
Verse 24 says Caleb was different because he had a different spirit in him. Have you ever noticed how some people complain about every setback and difficulty that comes his or her way, while others seem to take it in stride and go on with life? Have you noticed how some people work and try to get ahead while others are always looking for an easier way a shortcut to success? What makes the difference? It’s what’s inside that makes the difference.
At my house, I have several flashlights. Some of them give off no light and others can fill the house with light. Why the difference? Some have dead batteries and others have charged ones. It’s what inside that makes the difference.
Think for a moment of 2 balloons. One filled with water. It sits on the ground, weighted down and unable to rise. The other, filled with helium, pulls at its cord. It is always straining to rise toward the heavens. It’s what’s inside that makes the difference. The same is true of men. The thing that makes the difference between a man always straining toward heaven, and the one, which is content to call this world his home, is the spirit that’s in him.
In order to be a man of God, you must have God’s Spirit in you. That’s why Jesus told Nicodemus so long ago, “You must be born again,” and why Paul commanded us to be filled with the Spirit. As long as you continue on, trying to do your best without accepting Jesus Christ, you will never be all you can be, you will never achieve all could have achieved, you will never stand where you could have stood, for the Holy Spirit is the resource of a Godly man. Let me ask you, “Are you filled with the Holy Spirit?”
A man of God has a resource others ignore, and a man of God acts differently than others act.
II. A MAN Of GOD ACTS DIFFERENTLY THAN OTHERS ACT
-Read 14:24 Verse 24 says that Caleb followed the Lord completely
1. You must follow the Lord Completely - There was no hypocrisy in Caleb. He was not willing to follow the Lord, only when things were safe, or only at church when people who believed like he did surrounded him. No! He followed the Lord completely.
Oh Lord, send us more men who are willing to follow you completely. Men who know what is right, who know what is wrong and who are willing to stand up and be counted. Give us men who will say, “The Lord’s house is open and that’s where I’ll be.”
And did you notice, that Caleb was willing to do whatever needed to be done? Whatever the Lord called him to do, he did it. When the spies were returning from Canaan, Caleb wasn’t too proud to carry a bunch of grapes. He didn’t think manual labor was beneath him. No! He put his shoulder to the job at hand, and let me tell you Christian, if you are too important to do some lowly job for Jesus, if you are too good to serve in some position, then you are too good for God to use.
There are far to many preachers, and far too many supposed leaders, who believe certain jobs, are beneath them. If you think you are too good, too qualified, and too gifted to help set up and take down, if you only want positions with titles, let me remind you that Jesus washed the disciples’ feet. A man of God follows the Lord completely. A man of God also acts differently because he follows the Lord cheerfully.
2. You must follow the Lord cheerfully – It amazes me, the number of people in our churches today who act like, or at least look like, they’ve lost their last friend. It amazes me the number of people who pout when they put their tithes in the plate. It breaks my heart when I see people working in the church who act like it is an OBLIGATION or a CHORE they HAVE TO DO.
I remember watching some of the women and girls who came in to clean the church where I taught in Russia, several years ago. Those ladies would come in 2 or 3 times a week, and scrub the mud & snow soiled floors of their church, on their hands and knees with brushes. They did it cheerfully and happily. Why? Because they were new Christians. No one in the church had been a Christian for more than 5 years. Those folks were excited about the building God had given them and about the change He had made in their lives, and they were grateful for the opportunity they had to show their love for Him. That’s the type of service God wants from His children. It breaks my heart when I see people who aren’t even happy about attending a worship service, much less serving God.
Let me tell you my friend, if you are just serving out of obligation, if that’s the way you feel, then don’t do it. God doesn’t need slaves to serve His throne. He is the Lord of the empire of love. He wants men, women, and children who serve Him cheerfully because they love Him and because they’re grateful for all He’s done for them. Jesus said He would build His church and He can do it without the complainer’s labor and the miser’s money. On the other hand, if you want to be a man of God, then you will serve cheerfully.
Being a man of God means that you act differently than others do. You follow the Lord completely, you follow the Lord cheerfully, and you follow the Lord constantly.
- Read Joshua 14:10-11
3. You must follow the Lord constantly - From the day Caleb first began following the Lord until his death, he followed the Lord constantly. 45 years after he had first gone as a spy, Caleb was still following the Lord. In all those years, he never once joined the complainers, and he never quit asking what God wanted him to do. At age 85, you don’t find Caleb sitting in a rocking chair, watching the world go by and talking about the good ol’ days. No, he was still working in God’s kingdom, looking forward to the next challenge. Men of God act differently, because they follow the Lord constantly.
4. You must follow the Lord Faithfully – Now when I say faithfully, I mean that he followed God with faith. When Caleb and the other spies returned from the Promised Land and gave their reports, the others talked of giants and walled cities. They wanted to return to Egypt and the things they were missing out on by following God. Not Caleb. When he looked back, he remembered the chains and bondage of Egypt and the miracles of God, and he had faith. He said, “If God could pull us through those difficulties, if He worked in the past, then He will continue to do so now. Caleb had faith.
Sir, if you want to be used by God, you must follow with faith. When difficulties arise, when finances a tight, when sickness strikes your home, when trouble comes, when opportunities arise, you need to speak up, remembering how God has provided and protected in the past and reminding others that the God we serve is not some wimpy little, pretend god we give lip-service to, but that He is the Faithful, Almighty, Miracle-working, loving God. In difficulties, a man of God has faith and that makes him act differently than other people.
A man of God has a resource others ignore. A man of God acts differently than other people, and a man of God enjoys rewards others miss out on. - Read Numbers 14:24, 36-38
III. A MAN OF GOD ENJOYS REWARDS OTHERS MISS
1. Your life will be saved – The first reward you will enjoy selling out to God is that your life will be saved. The verses we just read tell us that the 10 who rebelled against God died, but Joshua and Caleb, lived. When you look after God’s honor, He will look after you.
A number of years ago, Queen Elizabeth asked a merchant to go over to Holland to take care of some business for her. When she told him what she had in mind he complained, “If I do your majesty’s business, my own business will be ruined.” “You do my business,” said the Queen, “and I will take care of your business.” The same is true of God. When you are willing to give your life to serve God, He will take care of you. Jesus said in Matthew 6:33 But seek first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things will be provided for you (HCSB).
2. You will be honored – Not only will God save your life, but He will also bring you honor. In the beginning, people made fun of Caleb. They wanted to stone he and Joshua. He had no respect and no honor. By the time the Israelites got to the banks of the Jordan River again, all the older men were dead except Joshua and Caleb. Their carcasses littered the wilderness. Now, however, Joshua and Caleb were held in honor at the council meetings. I imagine they asked him again and again to tell them about the miracles God did in Egypt. He was honored among men, for they saw that he was different. God’s hand was on him.
3. You will be remembered – Because of the life Caleb lived, he was put on the most difficult jobs. If there was a task no one else could handle, it was given to Caleb. There were 3 huge warriors in Mt. Hebron. No one would try to kill them, no one would even face them but Caleb. Those giants with 6 fingers on each hand and 6 toes on each foot needed to be driven out so God’s people could possess the land. Who would do it? I know, let’s get Caleb. Caleb faced the giants and defeated them, so the land was safe for God’s children.
If you walk with God, you will be given the difficult tasks. You will be given the difficult jobs. But my friend, when you leave you will leave shoes hard to fill for men that walk with God are hard to find. You will be remembered!
4. You will leave an inheritance for your children – Num. 14:24
I envy any man who will leave a godly inheritance for his children. What did Caleb leave his children?
- He left them the blessing of a nation who knew the Lord.
- He left them the example of a godly father
IV. CONCLUSION
Men, the Lord is issuing a call for godly men. He is looking for men who will take up the call and follow Him. He is looking for men who will walk with Him constantly, who will take a stand for right, and who will invest their lives in something that will last.
Are you that kind of man? Will your children remember how you loved the Lord? Will they remember seeing you read your Bible? Will they have a memory of the many times they heard their names through the walls of the house, as you lifted them up in prayer? Will they remember how your walk with God impacted every relationship and how it impacted your attitude during the week? Will they have a memory of how God blessed you because He was first in your life? What inheritance are you leaving for your children?
** If men are willing to commit, have them stand and then pray for them.
