Men’s Night 1.4.24 - Dude’s Guide Intro

Men without maps.

1 Timothy 1:2 “2 To Timothy, my true child in the faith: Grace, mercy, and peace from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Lord.”

2 Timothy 1:2 “2 To Timothy, my beloved child: Grace, mercy, and peace from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Lord.”

Titus 1:4 “4 To Titus, my true child in a common faith: Grace and peace from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Savior.”

Paul had a genuine affection for this man.

He viewed him as sons in the faith.

He watched, studied, and followed Paul. He learned how to love Jesus from Paul. He learned how to love and serve the Kingdom of God from Paul.

Paul loved Timothy deeply.

Timothy traveled with Paul and learned many things from him.

Timothy was equipped as a pastor by Paul and was left to pastor in Ephesus.

There had to be some hard times for Timothy during the training process with Paul.

I think of the Rocky Balboa series.

Rocky is this bum from Pennsylvania who gets involved with this crusty old-school boxing trainer, Mickey Goldmill.

Mickey is an absolute terror for Rocky.

Mickey called Rocky a bum at times, said hard things, made him chase chickens. Made him train his head off because “Hey! I didn’t hear no bell!”

All because Mickey wanted Rocky to eat lightning and crap thunder.

Rocky video

2 Timothy 3:10–4:7 ESV

10 You, however, have followed my teaching, my conduct, my aim in life, my faith, my patience, my love, my steadfastness, 11 my persecutions and sufferings that happened to me at Antioch, at Iconium, and at Lystra—which persecutions I endured; yet from them all the Lord rescued me. 12 Indeed, all who desire to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted, 13 while evil people and impostors will go on from bad to worse, deceiving and being deceived. 14 But as for you, continue in what you have learned and have firmly believed, knowing from whom you learned it 15 and how from childhood you have been acquainted with the sacred writings, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus. 16 All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, 17 that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work. 1 I charge you in the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who is to judge the living and the dead, and by his appearing and his kingdom: 2 preach the word; be ready in season and out of season; reprove, rebuke, and exhort, with complete patience and teaching. 3 For the time is coming when people will not endure sound teaching, but having itching ears they will accumulate for themselves teachers to suit their own passions, 4 and will turn away from listening to the truth and wander off into myths. 5 As for you, always be sober-minded, endure suffering, do the work of an evangelist, fulfill your ministry. 6 For I am already being poured out as a drink offering, and the time of my departure has come. 7 I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith.

Timothy was a man with a map.

Men have tendencies to not ask for directions because we live under this illusion that we’ve got it all together.

We know which direction to go

No, we’re not lost.

We know how to put the bookshelf together

No, it’s not upside down.

We can lift whatever we want without help

No, it’s not that heavy.

However, having directions, instructions, and extra hands make life a lot easier.

The problem is that many men are unprepared for the journey of manhood.

In part, because they never have been prepared in the first place.

Some were given maps and instructed how to use them. Others were given absolutely nothing and forced to create their own maps.

Most men feel as though we’re embarking on this journey without any help or direction.

We’re on our own and don’t know where we’re going.

My dad didn’t really teach me how to be a man

How to love a woman, how to be healthy, how to understand/communicate my emotions, how to handle money wisely.

My dad was around/present and I knew he loved me, but he didn’t really equip me to be a man.

My dad has never been one for words and my mom was… well… a witch. Dad walked on egg shells because of my mom and so my dad and I didn’t have a good relationship until last year.

My dad works as hard as he can most of the time.

Darrin Patrick points to the hinge moment for him was after his mom died.

After my mom died of cancer, I became more serious about my life and took responsibility for becoming the man I was created to be. Fed up with the emptiness of prolonged adolescence, I began to reflect more deeply about the man I wanted to become, and I began to pursue mentors and father figures to help me navigate the challenges ahead.

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Prolonged adolescence is the bane of men in our day.

Adolescence: the period following the onset of puberty during which a young person develops from a child into an adult.

Many men haven’t developed fully from children into men.

Their bodies can grow muscles, beards, have children, drive trucks, go to work

Their minds, however, never get out of the childhood stage.

Self-centered, self-gratifying, self-exalting.

We run near herds of morons because men don’t have maps or people beside them to help them grow up and hold them accountable.

Men like Andrew Tate teach these men how to make money and take advantage of girls, but that’s not manhood.

What happens when we get a taste of freedom and don’t have anyone to teach us what it’s like to be a man? We run from father figures.

Dads, through their presence, define us and the road we will travel.

If a dad abandons his son physically, mentally, emotionally, or spiritually, then the young man will run from potential mentors for fear that they will abandon them as well.

Who are the godly men in your life who have mentored and discipled you?

At what point did you realize you were a man? How did you know?

Our culture lacks rituals and rites of passage.

Rites of passage helps a boy relax and rest in his manhood.

Manhood is something to be entered into—for most of us, it was sprang upon us.

When a young man is grown and experiences rites of passage, then he knows he’s earned his manhood.

He’s a man with a map.

A man without a map will be a man without a spine; he’ll lack both conviction and courage. A man without a map will be a man without a heart; he’ll lack both passion and compassion….…Men have a strong sense of nostalgia these days, a sense that the true men lived 100 years ago and smoked cigars, had epic beards and drank scotch.

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Do you think masculinity needs redefined or reformed in our culture? How?

Paul gives an update and instructions to the Corinthians

1 Corinthians 16:12–18 ESV

12 Now concerning our brother Apollos, I strongly urged him to visit you with the other brothers, but it was not at all his will to come now. He will come when he has opportunity. 13 Be watchful, stand firm in the faith, act like men, be strong. 14 Let all that you do be done in love. 15 Now I urge you, brothers—you know that the household of Stephanas were the first converts in Achaia, and that they have devoted themselves to the service of the saints— 16 be subject to such as these, and to every fellow worker and laborer. 17 I rejoice at the coming of Stephanas and Fortunatus and Achaicus, because they have made up for your absence, 18 for they refreshed my spirit as well as yours. Give recognition to such people.

Verse 13 is the man verse.

We love putting that on tshirts and mugs for dads.

What does verse 13-14 mean?

What were these men doing?

Apollos

Stayed committed to what God had for him as opposed to what Paul had for him.

“He will come when he has opportunity.”

It’s not a full no—it’s a “not right now.”

Sometimes it’s good for us to say no to good things for better things. More fruitful things.

Stephanas and his family

Devoted themselves to serving believers.

They were leading by serving.

Noble, admirable.

Paul gives the directive to follow these types of people insomuch so as to “be subject to” them.

Paul calls them to follow godly examples and leadership.

Stephanas, Fortunatus, and Achaicus

These brothers refreshed Paul’s spirit.

These were encouraging guys who loved Jesus and Jesus’s people.

Paul says, “Give recognition to such people.”

Watch those guys. Pay attention.

These men are examples of verses 13 and 14.

In what ways can you submit to this type of godly example?

Who do you give attention to that doesn’t lead you toward Jesus?

Who are some guys that you know that will intentionally point you to Jesus? Who can you be that guy for?