Godly Man

Fathers Day Illustration

1 Timothy 6:11-12

New International Version

11 But you, man of God, flee from all this, and pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, endurance and gentleness. 12 Fight the good fight of the faith. Take hold of the eternal life to which you were called when you made your good confession in the presence of many witnesses.

The Measure of a Godly Man

Introduction:

There's a book titled The Godly Man's Portrait By Thomas Watson

-According to Watson, he discovered the Bible said that a godly man is:

• A man of knowledge.

• A man moved by faith.

• A man fired by love.

• A man like God.

• A man careful about the worship of God.

• A man who serves God and not men.

• A man who prizes Jesus Christ.

• A man who can weep.

• A man who loves the Word.

• A man who has the Spirit of God residing in him.

• A man of humility.

• A man of prayer.

• A man of sincerity.

• A heavenly man.

• A zealous man.

• A patient man.

• A thankful man.

• A man who loves the saints.

• A man who does not indulge himself in sin.

• A man who is good in his relationships.

• A man who does spiritual things in a spiritual manner.

• A man thoroughly trained in religion.

• A man who walks with God.

• A man who strives to be an instrument for making others godly.

Looking at the Background of 1st Timothy

Background: (ADD MORE BACKGROUND)

Timothy hailed fromLystra in Asia MinorA place Paul visited on hisfirst missionary journeyTimothy was the son of a believingJewish woman and Greek fatherHe was likely converted under Paul's ministry

1 Timothy is one ofthe Pastoral Epistles,meaning that it was writtenfrom Paul to Timothy,and has emphasis on thosewho are in spiritual leadership.

-However, it is important to understandthat every man or woman who comesinto the Kingdom of Godis designated as a man or woman of Godwhether he or she is in a pulpit or not.,

Every father or mother is preachingwith his life as muchas he is with his words.

Point: Flee

Text: v. 11a But you man of God flee from all of this

2 Timothy 2:22 - “Flee the evil desires of youth

Flee- is to run away from danger or evil and run to a place of security.

Examination:

A man of God is measured by what he flees from.In some other places Paul told usthat we are to flee from some things:

• 1 Corinthians 6:18—Flee from fornication.

• 1 Corinthians 10:14—Flee from Idolatry.

• 1 Timothy 6:11—Flee from the love of money.

• 2 Timothy 2:22—Flee from youthful lusts.

This is something that wecan all benefit from.Especially in this worldthat we are living in.

Where on social media we see sex,making money,living luxurious lifestylesare glorified.

We see people in fancy cars,fancy mansions,expensive clothes.There are people making quick money.

Wealth quickly gained is quickly wasted —easy come, easy go!But if you gradually gain wealth,you will watch it grow.

We see this and people try to imitatewhat they see on the FB and IG.

Devil/Tricks

This is the devil tryingto contaminate your souls.That's why we need to flee.

But in 1 Timothy 6, Paul was talking aboutfleeing from the clutches of greed.He introduces the subject in 1 Timothy 6:6-10:

A committed life brings wealthBut we are rich when we aresatisfied by the simple things.

We came into this world with nothingand we will leave this world with nothing.

Bread in our stomachand shoes on our feetshould be good enough.

When you are chasing moneyyou are chasing destruction,and you will have nothing but trouble. (DEE TEE) Wednesday Night

If you go down this pathand lose your footing.you won't have any stability,solidity,sturdiness,security,or safety.

We have to flee from it.This is trap that is promotedby greed and it will never end well.

Greed will hide itselfbefore you realize itthe trap is slammed shut

and you are caught ,in a vicious cyclethat you will struggleto get out of.

We as humanscan have a nice car that drives,we stay in decent homethat's furnished,pantry full of food,AC and furnace works,no leaks in the roof.

Then you compare yourselfto other people,You see what she has You see what he has But you don't know what they did to get it

And begin to think well I don't live as well as he does or she does. (Will Illustration)

This is the human hearttrying too justify itself.But we have to be contentwith what we have.

We have to stop chasingeverything we see and flee from it.

Hours/Job

At the end of the day,a man will never be measuredby how many hourshe spent at the job,

by how much moneyhe made,

or how many possessionsthat he owned.

The real value of a man’s lifeis what he fled from.

Man of God and woman of Godwe have to flee from all of this.We are measured by what we flee from.

Application:

One of the greatest tricks the enemyis to get you to focus onone particular thing in your lifeso that you take your eyes off of Jesus.

When all of your energy isinvested in something else —something that will ultimately perish —

you are in a vulnerable positionand you are walkingon a slippery slope.

You believe it will satisfy you,it’s like scratching a mosquito bite;giving into the urgewill only cause the woundto grow worse.

I encourage you to set your mindand thoughts on things aboveand make God your only obsession.Be obsessed with God

He is all you will ever need,and I promise you,He offers you a more abundantand satisfying lifethan any fleshly passionyou can imagine!

Keep ya mind stayed on Jesus After you flee you have to Pursue

Point: Pursue

Text: v. 11b Pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, endurance and gentleness.

Galatians 5:22-23 Fruits of the Spirit

Examination:

We should chase after righteousnessWe should chase after godlinessWe should chase after faithWe should chase after enduranceWe should chase after gentleness.The Holy Spirit seeks to producethe fruits of the spirit in the Christian life.

When one looks at the believer,they should seeLoveJoyPeacePatiencekindnessGoodnessFaithfulnessGentlenessand self control

A man of true faith will find himselfcoveting and pursuingthese everlasting possessions of the soul.

-A man who is followingafter these kinds of thingswill find an incrediblespiritual focus in his life.

It is hard to get a manwho is focusedto be turned aside from his goal.

Application:

Love should be practiced by lookingbeyond personalities and behaviorsof others and consideringtheir need to be saved.

When a Christian seesthe spiritual needs of humanitythe way God does,an accumulation of the differentfruit takes actions.

Forbearance, kindness, and gentlenesscan all be impactful when dealing with hard to deal with people

The ones that are only focused on themselvesMy way or the highwayManipulative (Emotional Blackmail)Gossip too muchPlay the Victim

But Forbearance, kindness, and gentlenesshave the ability to calmtense situations,soften bitter hearts,and change the atmosphere.

Joy and peaceshould be the normal demeanerin the life of the Christian,knowing that they are rightwith their Maker.The inner calm can be seenby those around them.

I have Joy no matter what's going on at home I have Joy no matter what's going on at my job I have Joy no matter how these church folk are acting

Goodness and faithfulnessshow in the lives of Christiansthrough their commitmentsto living a life of righteousness,having good work ethics,serving others,church attendanceand other areas that require physicaland spiritual involvementand service.These are not just mental ideas.

Self-controlshows when Christiansdo not allow their fleshlydesires to overridetheir spiritual disciplines.

It can be over an urgeto sin in the flesh,or to act out from a quick temper.

We are measured by what we chaseWhat are you chasing this morning What are you pursuing this morning What are you running afterPsalm 27:8 My heart says of you, “Seek his face!” Your face, Lord, I will seek.

Are you going to seek the Lord?

After you purse, you have to keep fighting.

Point: Keep Fighting

Text: V. 12 Fight the good fight of the faith. Take hold of the eternal life to which you were called when you made your good confession in the presence of many witnesses.

Examination:

Fight the good fightLiterally agonize the good agony.Paul is informing usthat every step of the way,there will be a fight to contend with.

There are adversariesthat if you would see themwould terrify you. . .

but you don’t walk by what you can see,you walk with confidenceand trust in the Lord.

Application:

1 Timothy 1:18 KJV

This charge I commit unto thee, son Timothy, . . . . that thou by them mightest war a good warfare;

Zechariah 10:5 KJV

And they shall be as mighty men, which tread down their enemies in the mire of the streets in the battle: and they shall fight, because the LORD is with them,

and the riders on horses shall be confounded.

2 Corinthians 10:3-5 KJV

For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war after the flesh: [4] (For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strong holds;)

[5] Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ;

Ephesians 6:10-13 KJV

Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might. [11] Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.

[12] For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places. [13] Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.

Battle Dress for Spiritual Warfare

Marine recruits when arrived on the base were issued a service bag filled with clothing, in addition to a rifle, a cartridge belt, a bayonet, and a heavy steel helmet.

Since those just arriving on base did not know how to care for themselves, recruits were also issued basic supplies for their hygiene needs—the so-called “bucket issue,”

though the Corps had another name. Among the items of clothing were what were to become known as BDU—battle dress utilities.

Until somewhat recently, BDU was an acronym referring to the combat clothing worn by American soldiers into battle.

A marine would have various uniforms to be worn for different occasions. BDUs were issued to give the marine some advantage during combat.

In the ancient world, battle dress included armour which gave a measure of protection from injury during combat.

Power to Withstand the Energy

You have the power to withstand the attacks of the enemy

Stand firm in your faithDon't yield to sin and thoughts of defeatYou have spiritual weapons that's more powerful than the enemy

Understand you are not strong enough to do it on your ownto resist Satan's temptations and tacticsGod's power and strengthempowers you to overcome the wiles of the devil.

the belt of truth - living in the authenticity before God,since Satan is a liarhe can't functionin an environment of integrity.

the breastplate of righteousness God imputed righteousness into us.When Satan accuses youprotect your heart with the truthof your righteousnessstanding in the truth of Christ.

the shoes of the gospel of peace -is the peace of God that confirmswe are moving in the right direction.

the shield of faith -is knowing God is telling the truthand trusting during the situation

the helmet of salvation - making decisions with a biblical mindset

and the sword of the Spirit -is our only offensive weaponwhich is the word of God.It's like a daggerused for hand to hand combat

Talk to the Men

Don’t check out on the fight!Our generation needs fighting menmore than they ever have before.

Stay at your battle stationsand do the right thing.As men there is a tendencyto want to “check out”and let the world pass on by

-George Barna has identifiedsome troubling statisticsfor the church at large in America:

Women Statistics

• Women are twice as likely to be involved in discipleship in the church as men are.

• Women are 57% more likely to attend Sunday School.

• Women are 56% more likely to hold a leadership position.

• Women are 54% more likely to participate in a small group.

A godly man is measuredby what he fights for!

We cannot becomedisconnectedand isolatedfrom the house of God.

We have to take the fight to the devil!

Mr. Mosley

I see Mr. Mosley is connected to the house of GodMr. Free WillMr. EverythingEvery church needs a Mr. MosleyHe cleansHe is the securityHe will usherHe does the carpentryHe does the yardIf you need him to he repair your lawn mower He willHe will repair your generatorEvery church needs a Mr. MosleyHe is the example

-Men there are some things that we ought to be willing to fight for in our generation.

• Fight for your own personal identity as a man.

• Fight the battle for personal holiness.

• Fight the fight for your family.

• Fight through the pain of living in a fallen world.

• Fight for some close godly friends.

• Fight for a strong faith.

-It is time for us to be measured by what we

flee from,

follow after,

and fight for!