Sermon Tone Analysis

Act Like a Man

Intro - guests and Father’s Day

…move to idea of Father’s day sermon

“GREAT MEN AREN’T BORN GREAT, THEY GROW GREAT!”

[picofstrongmen-arnold-ghandi-rogers]

[very brief]

If I forced you to answer immediately, without thought, what does it take to be a man?

- elaborate

Male identity issues

Toxic masculinity

…generally, we think that you are a man if you are strong physically, narcissistic and critical, and detached emotionally/cynical.

my struggles (very brief)

MY VIEW OF WHAT BEING A MAN IS WAS GETTING IN THE WAY OF WHAT GOD IS SAYING MEN NEED TO BE!

I was letting the world shape my thinking...

[picofsocialmedia]

We are inundated with this toxic and stereotypical masculinity every day!

The world is feeding us this idea of what being a man looks like, and in so doing, is systematically disassembling our understanding of what God really needs us to be!

It’s time for us to detach from those standards, and find again God’s standards.

So instead of looking at the world’s idea of what being a man is - what we see in sitcom’s and movies, and everywhere else, I think it is high time we look back to scripture and see what God says about how men should act.

And church, you can find that truth for us today, in .

-----

pray

[maybe parallel all this with 1 sam david stuff??? Use smaller quote from TR...

[actlikeaman]

Act like a man...

some won’t have those words in your translations.

It may say, “be courageous.”

But the word used there, an-drid'-zom-ahee, literally means to “act like a man.”

So if we want to look at what God thinks a man should act like, this is a pretty good place to start!

To do that, I need all of us to accept that what we learned about being a man, while very valuable to our development, and likely still very important parts of our character, isn’t necessarily what God wants us to hear about being a man now that we have given our lives to Him!

Think of it like this - if someone comes to live with you for a little bit, I think we would all say something like, “as long as you are under my roof, your will abide by my rules.”

Well men, these are the things God needs us to do!

He doesn’t need us to be the best hunters, or the best mechanics, or whatever else we have come up with!

He needs us to focus on these things here so that we can be the best example for the world that we can be.

[picofDavid-amanaftgergod’sownheart]

To do that, I think that we need to stop looking at what the world wants us to be, and look back to what God shows us He wants us to be, at least as best we can.

And today, I want us to look at this scripture, and what it calls for us to act like, against a very well known story: David and Goliath.

David, because he was a man after God’s own heart.

And this event, because in this moment, we see all these qualities being put into practice.

1 Sam

First we are called by Paul to “be watchful.”

[Be strong…]

[recap story and read]

…You see, David had a duty, and he knew he needed to see it through, but what was even more important to him was watching out for his family and his people.

When David sees that the battle is about to begin, he gives no thought, not a second is given to consider his position, he knows that he is called to watch over all that he loves - sheep or brothers!

And how much more for family and people!

His sole focus in this moment isn’t personal safety, it isn’t what works best for him, it isn’t thinking about whether or not they should even fight!

His sole purpose here is to watch over, to protect, to keep and eye on those he loves.

For us that should have a pretty clear application.

Everyone we come across, especially those younger than us, and those who don’t know Jesus, we must be watchful for them!

include watching children…we don’t interfere, we show them how to do things and protect them as they learn to do it on their own.

talk about it

[Be watchful…]

In fact, our lives should be angled towards that for all people!

Paul isn’t calling us to watch out for number one!

He is reminding us that there is a whole world out there that needs us, and WHILE THEIR LIFE ISN’T OURS, IT IS OUR RESPONSIBILITY TO HELP THEM TO SEE GOD IN ALL THAT WE DO SO THAT THEY WILL SEE GOD IN ALL THAT THEY DO!

include watching children…we don’t interfere, we show them how to do things and protect them as they learn to do it on their own.

AND LISTEN, YOU DON’T HAVE TO BE GOOD AT STUFF TO BE WATCHFUL!

YOU JUST HAVE TO CARE! YOU HAVE TO BE PRESENT!

YOU HAVE TO VALUE OTHERS MORE THAN YOURSELF, JUST AS SCRIPTURE CALLS US TO, AND JUST AS DAVID DID HERE.

THEIR LIFE ISN’T OURS, BUT IT IS OUR RESPONSIBILITY TO HELP THEM TO SEE GOD IN ALL THAT WE DO SO THAT THEY WILL SEE GOD IN ALL THAT THEY DO!

AND LISTEN, YOU DON’T HAVE TO BE GOOD AT STUFF TO BE WATCHFUL!

YOU JUST HAVE TO CARE! YOU HAVE TO BE PRESENT!

YOU HAVE TO VALUE OTHERS MORE THAN YOURSELF, JUST AS SCRIPTURE CALLS US TO, AND JUST AS DAVID DID HERE.

1 Sam 17:31-

After David came to the lines, he started talking to everyone, sort of hinting that he was maybe probably considering fighting the Philistine Goliath.

And then came a sort of, what I call, crisis of faith moment.

Moments we all have.

Moments when God asks us to live out the words we so readily say.

[read]

How do we live our faith out in the world?

Do our words and our actions line up?

[Stand firm in faith…]

If we are going to talk the talk, men, we have to walk the walk.

talk about it -

David, in this moment, went from the audience of the guys at work, in modern parlance, to the audience of the King!

God’s chosen ruler of His people!

And this moment should really stand out to us as one we can identify with.

You know there are too many moments to count in my life, and in all our lives, when we “react” to someone after we get home.

how do we live our faith out in the world?

[explain]

…but this moment, it is one where David is watchful for those he loves, is brought in before one that can choose his destiny, and instead of shrinking away and going back out there and making something up, he stands firm in his faith!

“The LORD who delivered me from the lion and the bear, will deliver me from this Philistine!.”

[[pic?]

Church, men, this is a point that we can’t look past.

This is a moment that can define us.

All too often we are men of words, and not of action.

Now I don’t mean those actions that serve to divide people one from another - cold and heartless legalism intended only to subdue and not lift up.

No, this moment isn’t that, this moment is our wake up call!

You see, we are called to lift up others, to be watchful for them, and then y’all to stand firm in the faith and know and live out that God is in control!

David didn’t really know if he would win, and it didn’t even really matter!

What mattered then, just as it does now, is that the whole Army was shaking in their boots, and this one boy, ONE FAITH FILLED FOLLOWER OF GOD, STOOD UP TO BE COUNTED AND OFFERED HIMSELF IN THE PLACE OF THE OTHERS!

ONE MAN OFFERED TO BE THE EXAMPLE!

AND CHURCH, WHETHER HE ENDED UP WINNING OR LOSING, HE WON! HIS EXAMPLE, HIS INSPIRATION, WOULD HAVE RALLIED ALL THOSE OTHERS SOULS, JUST WAITING FOR A REASON TO STAND!

And that is what standing firm in faith can do, even today.

Listen, there is a entire world waiting to wake up!

There is life and love, living in every soul that God touches, just waiting to be sprung to life!

And men, church, when you stand firm in your faith, when you say no to the shortcuts, when you say yes to integrity, and peace, and love, and joy, and kindness, goodness, patience, and gentleness, you then make your stand with Christ, and awaken that Spirit within all those who see!

AND CHURCH, I NEED TO SAY THIS, AND I NEED YOU TO HERE IT, SOME PEOPLE CAN’T BELIEVE IN THEMSELVES UNTIL SOMEONE ELSE BELIEVES IN THEM FIRST!

AND YOU CAN’T SHOW THEM THAT IF YOU AREN’T LOOKING OUT FOR THEM AND THEN STAND FIRM IN ALL THAT YOU BELIEVE!

Even those that might laugh at you, they are changed.