Will The Real Men Please Stand Up

Will The Real Men, Please Stand Up?!?

Ezekiel 22:30

* Turn with me to Ezekiel 22. This entire chapter leads us to God’s ultimate conclusion in verse 30. Review with me the words of Jehovah God to His chosen people. (READ)

* It’s Father’s day, a day to honor dad. For me in my capacity as a pastor, I ask this, “From the perspective of our Lord, what is the best way to do this?” Maybe we should copy some of the dumb men television commercials and play for entertainment. Maybe we should gently stroke their egos with shallow compliments or maybe we should placate them high sounding words.

* Or maybe, just maybe, we should take stock of what this culture has done and continues to do to masculinity (I.E. dads and prospective dads) and finally put out a call to all males to “be men”, real men. It is time in this country to sound out a call to return to manhood, to return to masculinity, and be all that God wants you to be. Today, I’d like to start a revolution, which I hope will develop into an evolution for all men. I submit that, at the very least, we need this type of movement to counteract the trends of recent years with respect to us men. For too long, we have placed a guilt trip on Dad because he is rough, he is driven, he hides his emotions. He doesn’t respond like his wife, doesn’t think like her, talk like her, or even understand her, so the prevailing attitude seems to be, he must be weird.

* Men today, this is a message to you and me. Trust me, in the preparation of this message, I’ve already heard it, lived it, and KNOW that I needed this message for my life.

* 2 WARNINGS: THIS MESSAGE CAN CHANGE YOUR LIFE!

* In the 1960’s there was a game show entitled “To Tell the Truth.” In that show, 3 people introduced themselves by the same name. (One of these three were, in actuality that person) The celebrity panel was allowed to ask questions and guess who indeed was the “REAL” person was. To end the show, the announcer asked, “Will the REAL ‘Jerry Watts’ please stand up.” OUR SECOND WARNING IS THIS: At the end I will ask, “WILL THE REAL MEN PLEASE STAND UP!”

* If I am to ask the real men to stand we must have a common understanding of what constitutes a “real man?” Now, consider that thought just for a second and ask yourself a needed question: “Who among us can give a clear definition to a real

* The truth is most of us THINK we know what being a man is all about, but we just cannot to find the right words which would DEFINE what a man is. Honestly, how can we become what we can’t even define? Furthermore, how can we develop our young boys into men, if we don’t have a description of manhood?

* A person does not have to be a “rocket scientist” to realize this country, this culture, and the church is in desperate need of some real men. That is, men who clearly, completely, and even courageously understand that, as a man, they are made by the hand of God, in the image of God, with the divine responsibility given to them by God himself to chart the course for life, their families, their culture, and their world. This morning I want call every man who hears this message to become a man given to Biblical manhood.

* Admittedly, our concept of manhood flawed. It seems to range somewhere between the Archie Bunkers of yesteryear and “Raymond (Everybody loves Raymond)” of today. There are problems with the models. First, God did not create us to be bigoted, male chauvinists, “know it alls” who belittled our wives, children, and anyone who disagrees with us. Next, God also did not create men to be the dummies of the house who possesses the intelligence of a Junior High kid, who without his very perceptive woman, has little possibility of handling the smallest things in life. Truthfully, until we Biblically define exactly what a man is, we have little hope of becoming real men and producing real men.

* Many books have been written which speak to this very issue for men. For the last 6 months a small group of men in this church have met every Wednesday evening to discover God’s authentic manhood. It is called “Men’s Fraternity.” Not too many days ago I read a book entitled, “Why men hate going to Church.” Writing the forward to the book, “No More Christian Nice Guy”, Dr. Laura Schlessinger (a woman) says, “I cannot tell you how many times I’ve had to remind men that they are men. It not about biology, it about strength, will, honor, courage, leadership, sacrifice, compassion & love.”