Session 3: Train for Godliness

Introduction

Opening Illustration - Jordan: What does it take to become a great athlete? When you read the stories and the discipline of the men whom we remember their names in the tomes of sports history, it is quite impressive what they committed themselves to. Of course, the greats all had natural talent. But it wasn’t just natural talent that got them there. The greats very consistently woke up for extra workouts while their teams were asleep. The greats kept returning to the fundamentals over and over again. It is a thing of legend that Jordan used to stay far after practice was over, when it was just the janitor left in the arena, shooting jump shots.

Personal: one day very soon we are going to stand and give an account for our life.

All of us know what it means to be disciplined when it comes to the things we really want to achieve. We know that nothing comes easy. And yet for some reason, when it comes to the most important part about our very life, our faith in Christ and call as a soldier in Christ’s army, many men have very little discipline. Somehow we have adopted this mentality among men that simply going through some of the motions will develop us into maturity.

The Crisis: And what I’ve tried to show is that the lack of godly, mature, masculine men within modern Evangelicalism, is a crisis. I have tried to make the case that we have adopted a weak vision of masculinity. Functionally, we have put forward a vision of a man that is tame, that is a coward, and that has no idea how to wield the Word of God to build up their homes, their churches, and their societies. And if godly men don’t do that work, then secularism just blazes forward. There is too much at stake to permit godly men to shuffle their way flat-footed into neutered Christianity. So the question becomes ‘how do we become the kind of men that the Bible actually calls us to?’ The answer is that we train for godliness. Just like an athlete training for a competition, for a career, we train. We practice. We sweat. We compete. We bleed. We lose. We get back up. We train more. We win. We execute.

Main Idea: Godly men train for maximum impact.

1 Corinthians 9:24–27 “Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one receives the prize? So run that you may obtain it. Every athlete exercises self-control in all things. They do it to receive a perishable wreath, but we an imperishable. So I do not run aimlessly; I do not box as one beating the air. But I discipline my body and keep it under control, lest after preaching to others I myself should be disqualified.”

From this text I want to lay out four groundrules for training for maximum impact. There is a whole lot more we can all build above and beyond these grounrules. But when taken together, these will set you up, to train maximally.

I IF ITS EASY, YOU’RE LIKELY DOING IT WRONG

First groundrule: If its easy, you’re doing it wrong. Look at the first command in verse 24,

1 Corinthians 9:24 “… So run that you may obtain it.”

This morning we did a six mile run. For the guys that did that run with us, did anybody complete the workout without sweating? The answer is of course. When you run, you sweat. Your heart beats fast and you use your will to keep going. I’m still working off a pulled hamstring from this summer, that constantly lingers whenever work out. It hurts. But I stretch it, and keep getting out there. We get blisters. We roll our ankles. Sometimes the weather is Chicago muggy. To run, is to accept that its going to be hard.

Running Towards: Remember, what we’re running towards. We are running towards a vision for our life of All-In Godly Masculinity. A godly masculinity that is the very best version of ourselves. A confidence in Christ that lifts up everyone around us. An overcoming of sin that is clear the Holy Spirit has a hold of our life. A masculinity that protects and defends the women and the children in your life. A masculinity that could give a rip what anyone else thinks, because its confident in Christ. A masculinity that hungers to win souls to Christ. To raise godly children in Christ. To build churches that honor Christ. All of this is going to take sweat, blisters, early mornings, rolled ankles.

Three Obstacles: Why is it so hard? If we’re born again, shouldn’t this just come naturally? No! At every step we take in the journey of becoming masculine men of God, we face a three headed giant.

Our Sin: First, our sin and our flesh wage war against us. Sometimes it feels like every time we set our mind to take a new step forward, to commit to something worthwhile, an old sin just holds us back. A man commits in his heart to live to the glory of God with his sexuality. Save sex for your wife. He leaves a retreat with his heart set on it. And he gets home, and an old fling is waiting on his doorstep. Sin, just seems like it is always lurking, trying to wrap your feet up to hinder you from running.

Satan: Second, Satan hinders us at every turn. Satan cannot stand strong godly men. Because he knows how dangerous are to his kingdom. He knows that men who lead courageously for Christ, and walk with piety in their life, can topple every fortress he has established in a city. And so when he sees a man of God, filled by the Holy Spirit, practically striving for gain, he goes to war. He will throw every temptation he has developed over thousands of years of studying humanity in your path to pull you back down into passivity, right where he wants you.

Culture: Third, of course is culture. When you start speaking with a confidence and an unashamed boldness on the things of God, culture will label you every word they have under the sun, in order to get you to cower back into the corner where you emerged from. When you speak, and act, and build your life around principles of godliness, then it becomes very clear where you stand on many of the issues that we all have been trained to be silent on. When I go to the abortion clinic to stand for the children in the womb, one of the loudest things I hear on repeat is, “You’re a man. This is not your place to speak.” Correction. I’m not just a man, I’m a man of God. I am instructed in Proverbs 24:10 to

Proverbs 24:10–11 “… Rescue those who are being taken away to death; hold back those who are stumbling to the slaughter.”

Wrap Up: Here’s the first groundrule. If its easy, you’re probably doing it wrong. To be careful here, that does not mean that if its hard you’re necessarily doing it right. I have watched a lot of foolish people make life very difficult on themselves for all the wrong reasons. So don’t be deceived. There is a way as Paul puts it to “run aimlessly and box as one beating the air.” But does your Christianity demand anything substantive of you? If not, you’re probably not training for maximum impact.

Let me give you some practoca; examples

It’s difficult to memorize scripture. It’s not easy. My mind is pourous. I memorize and then I forget it. It takes time.

It’s difficult to break the addiction of social media and doom scrolling.

It’s difficult to put yourself out there on issues that are the CHristian perspective is unpopular.

It’s difficult to train yourself in prayer, to go a little bit longer than you have before, and a little bit further.

It’s difficult to unite a wife and children around a common vision of holding daily devotionals.

If its easy you’re doing it wrong.

II GAIN SELF-CONTROL

Second ground rule, gain self-control. This passage in verse 25 says,

1 Corinthians 9:25 “Every athlete exercises self-control in all things. They do it to receive a perishable wreath, but we an imperishable.”

He is speaking of the self-control of a Christian. What is self-control? Self control is the ability to keep your emotions, your impulses, and your desires under control. Another way to interpret this phrase “self-control” is “to be chief of oneself.” I love that language. In no way shape or form does it rob Christ of his mastery over our life. Christ is the Master and Commander of our life. He is the captain of the ship. His Word dictates who I am, what I do, how I live. And yet, there is a very real sense as a Christian man that we are called to exercise self-control. To master our impulses. To be in command of our earthly desires.

Paul: It’s interesting that elsewhere the Apostle specifically highlights self-control as imperative for men. Listen to these two verses:

Titus 2:2 “Older men are to be sober-minded, dignified, self-controlled, sound in faith, in love, and in steadfastness.”

Titus 2:6 “Likewise, urge the younger men to be self-controlled.”

Paul looks to the younger guys and says, “younger guys, just focus on the self-control first, you can worry about being sober-minded and dignified after you get that first one down.” Elsewhere Paul identifies self control as one of the fruits of the spirit.

Galatians 5:22–23 “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law.”

This means that one of the fundamental aims of the Holy Spirit in a believer’s life is to restore control to the believer.

More Than Willpower: This means that self-control is more than will-power. How many of you have ever tried to will yourself to break a bad habit, or to stop some sin or vice. For most of us, it’s a dead end. Because, even if you are one of the few who really can overcome the actionable sin, the underlying false-affections and false-desires that led to that sin in the first place are still there. So, exercising self-control is not simply will-power or spiritual muscle. You must walk deeply with God. Not in some hokey pokey mystical way. You must know God’s Word, store it in your heart, apply it in your life, trust the Holy Spirit, and train your heart and mind to cherish Christ.

The Irony: There is an irony in here. Many men think they have great self-control, but that’s just because they’re not living or daring or risking at all. What they mean by self-control is simply being a soft man, who is kind, and sits quietly, and doesn’t make a ruckus. Which man requires more self-control, the man who has sat in his chair reading about soldiers on the battlefield all his life, or the soldier on the battlefield with sword in hand, blood on his face, and men under his command?

Danger of Unrestrained Strength: The Bible teaches that

Proverbs 20:29 “The glory of young men is their strength… ”

Yes! But not strength unrestrained or uncontrolled. But we know from studying the life of men like Sampson in the Bible, that unrestrained strength is reckless and dangerous. But strength commanded, strength submitted to God’s law and God’s way and God’s wisdom, is very powerful.

Wrap Up: Men, where is there a lack of self control in your life. Is it women? Is it with pornography? Is it with the media you consume? Is it with the way you use your time? Or the way you use your money? Is it with your discipline to wake up early, and labor with your daytime to the glory of God? Is it with your emotions? Is it with your friends? This text informs us that one of the groundrules for for training for maximum impact, is that we must exercise self-control.

III DO NOT FORGET THE SIMPLE DISCIPLINES

Fourth, do not forsake the simple disciplines.

1 Corinthians 9:27 “But I discipline my body and keep it under control, lest after preaching to others I myself should be disqualified.”

Illustration - Tommy Emmanuel: I have played guitar since I was a little boy. I’m not as good as I should be, but I enjoy watching other guitarists who are really good. One of my favorites is a guy named Tommy Emmanuel. The man is a living legend what he can do on an accoustic guitar. His fingers move so precislely and so quickly. And his understanding of music theory is insane. It all looks like it comes so easy to him. I watched a video of him a while where he explained his daily rhythm to stay sharp. And it was amazing. Every day he warms up his fingers with the same basic scales that I know and I play often. He goes up and down the fretboard, doing the basic skills on repeat. Even now that he is the best on the planet, he goes back to the basics, every day. Because those disciplines, are foundational buildings blocks upon which it is all built.

As a Christian, there are some foundational disciplines, that if you don’t get in place, you will have a very hard time growing. If you shortcut these, you cut yourself off at the feet. I could do a whole on talk on these, and I’m going to fly through them quickly. But mark these down. If you forsake these, you will struggle to mature.

The Word: Godly men must incorporate into their lives a daily rhthm of Bible Study.

Psalm 119:11 “I have stored up your word in my heart, that I might not sin against you.”

The Word is the standard for our life. It is God’s voice to us. If we want to hear the voice of God through all the clutter, we must study his Word, and apply His Word.

The Knees: Godly men must learn to labor in prayer. Men often struggle with this because its more relational than tactical. But we must start somewhere. We must pray to God, otherwise we don’t actually have a relationship with him. Again, you might not be a master at prayer yet. But you must begin somewhere.

The Morning: Third, the morning. You night-owls are going to hate me for this. But I believe waking up early, and committing your day to the Lord is a discipline that every mature man of God must develop.

Psalm 119:147–148 “I rise before dawn and cry for help; I hope in your words. My eyes are awake before the watches of the night, that I may meditate on your promise.”

A lot of guys have an idol of sleep, and laziness. And waking up early, and starting your day while the sun is still rising with prayer and study of God’s Word, will form you more than you realize.

The Sacraments: Fourth, the sacraments. Many see the Lord’s Supper as a rote and mechanical moment in our faith. If that is you, you have missed what the Scriptures say about this sacrament. When you gather with your Church, under the preaching of God’s Word, in the fellowship of the saints, and you eat of the bread and drink of the cup, Christ uses all of that to shape you. If you neglect this duty, by not attending, or by receiving it casually without purpose or intention, you miss one of the chief tools God has given you to grow your faith.

The Mind: Fifth and finally is the mind.

2 Corinthians 10:5 “We destroy arguments and every lofty opinion raised against the knowledge of God, and take every thought captive to obey Christ,”

A man’s mind must be stewarded to the glory of God. There is so much junk that we are filling our minds with, that many of us don’t know how to think biblically, and therefore how to see the world accurately. The discipline of the mind, is a man’s commitment to use this precious gift God has given us wisely. To not be suckered bycountless foolish ideologies developed by secular godless minds. But to know truth, and stand on truth confidently.

Do Not Forget the Simple Disciplines

So, we have seen three of the four groundrules.

If its easy, you’re likely doing it wrong

Gain self control

Do not forget the simple disciplines

III FIX YOUR EYES ON THE PRIZE

The fourth and final groundrule, is that we must fix our eyes on the prize. Paul speaks about “running to obtain the prize!”

Heaven: What prize is he talking about here. Clearly, and most directly, he is obviously speaking about the prize that will be awarded to each of us on the day when we meet Christ face to face. Whether Christ returns first, or he takes us home, we will one day stand before the judgment seat of God and give an account for our life. On that day, it will not matter how much you accomplished in this life, or how much you earned in this life, or how much you were respected in this life? All that will matter, is whether or not you have bowed the knee to King Jesus, have accepted his death and resurrection for the forgiveness of sins. Heaven and Hell hinge on that decision. Make no mistake, the greatest prize any of us could ever gain in this life or the next, is fellowship with Christ. Take riches, take power, take influence, take friends, take it all, but give me Christ! He is more worthy than any treasure I could ever accumulate in a thousand lives.

Bruce Quote: I think of the dying words of Robert Bruce to his children,

“Now God be with you, my children; I have breakfasted with you—and shall sup with my Lord Jesus Christ this night!”

There is a man who understood what was awaiting him. We modern men would do well to reflect often on the prize of heaven. We modern men would do well to slow down long enough, to think about eternities, and to live in light of them. What would we do differently, if we lived each day

More: But if you would permit me, and I know I am pushing perhaps more into this text than Paul intended. But Christian man, there is so more to the prize that other passages all throughout scripture hint at. There is an eternal prize. But there is also a prize in this life. And its not the prosperity gospel of health and wealth. There are deep and satisfying prizes for a godly man’s stewardship of his masculinity to be had in this life

To win souls to Christ. How many of you have led another man to Christ. While Christ gets all the credit and all the glory, is there anything as sweet as seeing another man that you have invested in, learning to walk deeply with God, to treasure God’s Word. I’ll take that prize any day.

To lead a wife God’s way. To exercise headship in the home, as a man of God on fire for God, and to watch everyone entrusted to your care flourish as result. To walk in a marriage that is abounding in Christ. I’ll take that prize.

To intentionally disciple your kids to know and love the Lord. And then one day to get to join your pastor, as their father, and baptize them in the name of the Father, the son, and the Holy Spirit. A little slice of heaven. I’ll take that prize.

To work at a craft, and see the Holy Spirit work in and through you, to use your skills in a wise and noble way. I’ll take that prize.

To get persecuted for boldly following Jesus. And to come home rejoicing that you were counted worthy to suffer for the name of Christ. You’ll sleep well that night. I’ll take that prize.

To go to the abortion clinic, and actually save a child’s life. And then to hold that child in your hands nine months later. I’ll take that prize.

To pour yourself into raising up other men in your church, and turn around on a Sunday morning and see those men hungering for God, singing their hearts out in worship, stewarding their gifts faithfully, creating a culture around them of joy and godliness and masculinity. I’ll take that prize.

Wrap Up: What is the prize you’re aiming for. Don’t settle for cheap visions for your life. Set the bar high. That’s where the Bible sets it. Reach for a life of intoxicating masculinity. Where you go, others are lifted up. Where you fight, you defend what is good and noble and right and righteous. Where you go, women are protected and led. Where you go, the vulnerable feel safe. Where you go churches flourish, missionaries are supported, the gospel goes forward. What a prize.

Closing

Let me close us. Men you are called to a bold and adventurous life in Christ. The soft and effeminate vision of masculinity that Evangelicalism sold us, was a lie. Men of God are warriors. They’re noble. They’re wise. They’re sought after. They’re humble. They’re peace-makers. They’re defenders of the weak. They stand for justice. They often exhausted. But they’re peculiarly satisfied. Their gentle with those who need gentleness. They’re fierce with those who need ferocity. They lead. And above all, they worship the one true and living God. He is their great delight. He is their great treasure!

To him be the glory!