Building a Biblical Man!
Notes
Transcript
Handout
Intro:
Intro:
2 “As for me, I am going the way of all of the earth. Be strong and be a man,
3 and keep your obligation to the Lord your God to walk in his ways and to keep his statutes, commands, ordinances, and decrees. This is written in the law of Moses, so that you will have success in everything you do and wherever you turn,
4 and so that the Lord will fulfill his promise that he made to me: ‘If your sons take care to walk faithfully before me with all their heart and all their soul, you will never fail to have a man on the throne of Israel.’
Toxic masculinity refers to restrictive cultural norms that pressure men to act in harmful ways. It does not mean that manhood or male attributes are bad. Instead, it describes exaggerated stereotypical behaviors—like emotional suppression, hyper-independence, and aggression—that negatively impact both the men who conform to them and those around them.
Like anything terms and definition morph or change over time. This definition of toxic masculinity I can agree with. I do think there is this overemphasis on Alpha and Beta males. Which is creating a false sense of what a man looks like.
In Evangelical circles there are conference now built around: Rodeos, hunting, shooting to restore manhood back to men. This conference is called Muscular Christianity. I know some of the preachers in this conference through twitter. There timelines are full of defintion of men as tough guys, warriors, and dominator’s.
To me this is an overcorrection of the feminization of men. Satan has the whole culture confused. He has blurred the lines that exist between men and women.
(2) David is telling his son Solomon I am about to die. While I am gone. “Be strong and be a man” inside this statement is a powerful truth. Men and Women are different. There are expectations for men that are different from that of women.
The extremes of Patriarchy and Feminism have blurred these lines.
You got churches now rooting manhood in: Hunting, Shooting Guns, Sports, and MMA
You got other churches and organizations rooting manhood in: Therapy session teaching men “to get in touch with their feminine selves”
Is there a word from the Lord on what a biblical man looks like?
I can tell you that Biblical Manhood is rooted in Character not ax throwing contest.
I. Real men fear God
I. Real men fear God
10 “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, and the knowledge of the Holy One is understanding.
8 Let the whole earth fear the Lord; let all the inhabitants of the world stand in awe of him.
28 He said to mankind, “The fear of the Lord—that is wisdom. And to turn from evil is understanding.”
(EXP)(10) “The Fear of the Lord” This exact phrasing is used 25-30x in the bible and the phrase the command “fear the Lord” is used roughly 300x in the bible. It is important that we squeeze the phrase a bit to understand the meaning.
fear-reverential awe, awe-inspiring, dread!
1 After this I looked, and there in heaven was an open door. The first voice that I had heard speaking to me like a trumpet said, “Come up here, and I will show you what must take place after this.”
2 Immediately I was in the Spirit, and there was a throne in heaven and someone was seated on it.
3 The one seated there had the appearance of jasper and carnelian stone. A rainbow that had the appearance of an emerald surrounded the throne.
4 Around the throne were twenty-four thrones, and on the thrones sat twenty-four elders dressed in white clothes, with golden crowns on their heads.
5 Flashes of lightning and rumblings and peals of thunder came from the throne. Seven fiery torches were burning before the throne, which are the seven spirits of God.
6 Something like a sea of glass, similar to crystal, was also before the throne. Four living creatures covered with eyes in front and in back were around the throne on each side.
7 The first living creature was like a lion; the second living creature was like an ox; the third living creature had a face like a man; and the fourth living creature was like a flying eagle.
8 Each of the four living creatures had six wings; they were covered with eyes around and inside. Day and night they never stop, saying, Holy, holy, holy, Lord God, the Almighty, who was, who is, and who is to come.
9 Whenever the living creatures give glory, honor, and thanks to the one seated on the throne, the one who lives forever and ever,
10 the twenty-four elders fall down before the one seated on the throne and worship the one who lives forever and ever. They cast their crowns before the throne and say,
11 Our Lord and God, you are worthy to receive glory and honor and power, because you have created all things, and by your will they exist and were created.
I simple wanted you to see what the throne room of God was describe as by someone who got a vision of it. John is trying to explain the unexplainiable the best he can. The best word to describe the scene is reverential awe and worship!!!!
(10) “The Fear the Lord is the beginning of wisdom!” The phraseology is doing a lot of heavy lifting. It tell us that wisdom and revelation comes from a deep sense of “Fear”. You can’t follow, Love, worship, submit without “fear”. Fear of God then is the root of our relationship with him.
When Person gets saved they are submitting to the Lordship of Christ. They are saying He is the Master and I am his servant. It is recognition of his authority. That is why I stress “Confession of him as Lord” found in Romans 10:9
9 If you confess with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.
A Biblical Man is willing to say “Jesus is Lord” and live accordingly!!
II. Real men love God
II. Real men love God
28 We know that all things work together for the good of those who love God, who are called according to his purpose.
37 He said to him, “Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.
38 This is the greatest and most important command.
39 The second is like it: Love your neighbor as yourself.
(28) Paul tells us in this verse that “all things work together for the good of those who love God” Paul wants the believer to know that those who love the Lord will experience trials and tribulation. They will go through things but the all those things will be turn out for God because that person has a deep love for the Lord.
As men we get real squimish when talking about our Love for another man. We can say it to the women in our lives but when it comes to men we get a little uncomfortable.
A real man is able to express his love towards God without apology or fear of what men would say to him. Loving God is proper response to a God who loved us first.
(37) Jesus tells the Pharisees and Religous leaders. The first and greatest commandment is “Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind”
Men what does it look like to Love the Lord. It is to never make God feel like he has to compete for your heart! God does not like competition. He has already done enough in all of our lives to prove his love. Give him is rightful place in your life.
What does it look like to Love God practically?
Lately I have erased some apps from my phone that were consuming too much of time, and they were getting in the way of my love for the Lord.
Putting God first means getting rid of anything or priortizing things in your life to reflect your love for God.
III. Real Men influence through Grace and Truth
III. Real Men influence through Grace and Truth
14 The Word became flesh and dwelt among us. We observed his glory, the glory as the one and only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.
We live in a world now were too much strength is viewed is toxic and too little strength is viewed is effeminate. There are books being written about this moral problem.
Our Lord in the text lets’ us know that strength and tenderness must be kept in tension. When some people look at Jesus all they see is wrath. When others look at Jesus all they see is Love. The proper view of Jesus is Holiness through which all of his attributes swim in. So Jesus gives holy compassion and Holy strength. His Compassion is Perfect and his strength is Perfect.
A Biblical Man employs both compassion and strength as he relates to the world. He understands the moment. Sometimes folks need compassion and sometimes folks need to kick in the stomach. In both cases compassion is never devoid of truth and truth is never devoid of compassion.
7 A woman of Samaria came to draw water. “Give me a drink,” Jesus said to her, 8 because his disciples had gone into town to buy food. 9 “How is it that you, a Jew, ask for a drink from me, a Samaritan woman?” she asked him. For Jews do not associate with Samaritans. 10 Jesus answered, “If you knew the gift of God, and who is saying to you, ‘Give me a drink,’ you would ask him, and he would give you living water.” 11 “Sir,” said the woman, “you don’t even have a bucket, and the well is deep. So where do you get this ‘living water’? 12 You aren’t greater than our father Jacob, are you? He gave us the well and drank from it himself, as did his sons and livestock.” 13 Jesus said, “Everyone who drinks from this water will get thirsty again. 14 But whoever drinks from the water that I will give him will never get thirsty again. In fact, the water I will give him will become a well of water springing up in him for eternal life.” 15 “Sir,” the woman said to him, “give me this water so that I won’t get thirsty and come here to draw water.” 16 “Go call your husband,” he told her, “and come back here.” 17 “I don’t have a husband,” she answered. “You have correctly said, ‘I don’t have a husband,’ ” Jesus said. 18 “For you’ve had five husbands, and the man you now have is not your husband. What you have said is true.”
(7-14) Jesus tenderly minister to this Samaritan women. He opens the lines of communication. He empathizes with her. He talks to her as an equal rather than as a suboardinate. He offered her living water a well spring unto eternal life. She did not deserves this treatment from Jesus based on how she lived her life, but he gave out of the kindness of his will.
(15-18) The woman ask for the water then Jesus employs truth and accountablity. Jesus says go get you husband. She says I don’t have a husband then Jesus says you are right. You are just living with a man. Then he says the last 5 men you been with you haven’t been married too but you still living like you where.
Truth without grace crushes people, and grace without truth deceives people." Charles Spurgeon
Application
Real Men Fear God
Real men Love God
Real men influence the world with Compassion and Strength
A thermometer only reflects the temperature around it. If the room is cold, it reads cold. If the room is hot, it reads hot.
A thermostat, however, sets the temperature of the room.
Many men live like thermometers, simply reflecting the culture around them. Biblical men are thermostats. They influence their homes, churches, and communities according to God's standards rather than being shaped by the world's standards.
IV. Real men walk in integrity
IV. Real men walk in integrity
2 The one who lives blamelessly, practices righteousness, and acknowledges the truth in his heart—
21 May integrity and what is right watch over me, for I wait for you.
1 Vindicate me, Lord, because I have lived with integrity and have trusted in the Lord without wavering.
9 The one who lives with integrity lives securely, but whoever perverts his ways will be found out.
3 The integrity of the upright guides them, but the perversity of the treacherous destroys them.
6 What should I bring before the Lord when I come to bow before God on high? Should I come before him with burnt offerings, with year-old calves? 7 Would the Lord be pleased with thousands of rams or with ten thousand streams of oil? Should I give my firstborn for my transgression, the offspring of my body for my own sin? 8 Mankind, he has told each of you what is good and what it is the Lord requires of you: to act justly, to love faithfulness, and to walk humbly with your God.
