A model for manhood
A model for Manhood.doc SD20
September 16, 2007 File E
The Joyful Christian Part 6
A MODEL FOR MANHOOD
Philippians 2:19-30
There is a war being waged
There are battles being fought
The stakes are of eternal proportions
The army is totally voluntary
Each assignment is on a voluntary basis
The rewards are equal to the risks
God is looking for men and women, boys and girls
People of honor and valor
Not perfect people—but willing to strive
Not highly intelligent people – but people willing to learn
Not the strong—but the courageous
This is the sixth in a series on the joyful Christian and my title today from these verses we just read is: A model for manhood.
The man God uses!!!
Today the message is directed specifically to us ;men. Not in any way to minimize the importance of women—Everywhere God has worked He has called, equipped and used women in His kingdom.
And everything I say today can just as easily apply to women who would be models of faith—
But today we have in our text two men as examples for us to model. He says some things about them that can serve to motivate us to be all we can be in Christ as men of God…
So today this is a message for men.
By a man—named Paul
About two men—Timothy and Epaphroditus
For men--who want to learn more and be more like THE MAN—Christ Jesus
PRAY
Garrison Keillor in an op-d piece in the Sunday New York Times, some years ago: “This was not a great year for guys…Guys are in trouble. Manhood, once an opportunity for achievement, now seems like a problem to be overcome. Plato, St. Francis, Leonardo da Vinci, Vince Lombardi—you don’t find guys of that caliber today. What you find is terrible gender anxiety, guys trying to be Mr. Right, the man who can bake a cherry pie, go shoot skeet, come back, toss a salad, converse easily about intimate matters, cry if need be, laugh, hug, be vulnerable, perform passionately that night and the next day go off and lift them bales onto that barge and tote it. Being perfect is a terrible way to spend your life, and guys are not equipped for it anyway. It is like a bear riding a bicycle: He can be rained to do it for short periods, but he would rather be in the woods doing what bears do there.” (quoted in Tender Warrior, by Stu Weber, Multnomah Books)
We are not telling you to be perfect just have a desire to be better!
Here are two men from whom we can learn:
Timothy—“I have no one else like him…”v.20
Epaphroditus—“…hold men like him in highest honor.”
The kind of men God is looking for
1. Men of compassion (v.20-21)
Paul said of Timothy—“He is the only one who really cares about you…Everyone else is concerned only with his own affairs, not about the cause of Christ.”
God is looking for men who will put People before profit…
--People are more important than programs
--Your family is more important than your work
--Your relationship with your son/daughter is more important than the house or car or education, or fine clothes you can provide them…
Relationships are more important than things!
The Bible says “…if I have not love I am nothing…”
You can be a success at everything else and viewed as successful in the eyes of the world but if you don’t have love in your life—
People to love
People who love you back---then your life is a failure!
It doesn’t have to be that way!!!
God is looking for men of compassion
Compassion gives its life away!
Compassion is protecting the needs and rights of others
Too often we are just in it for ourselves—not caring what other people need or want! It’s all about me!!!!
“Is it possible to get so wrapped up and committed to your work that you forget your family?
Phillips translates this verse, "They are all wrapped up in their own affairs". The man who is all wrapped up in himself is not a daddy, he's a mummy.”[1]
Paul says that timothy is one—ONE OF THE FEW who care more about the needs of others than himself!
2. God is looking for men of consistency---
Men who will put character before conformity
Me who are more concerned with who they are and the kind of man they are becoming than with the kind of man other people think they are!!!
These men are not afraid to be different than the world around them!
They are not afraid to stand up for what is right to their own harm!
v.22 Timothy has proved himself. He has served with me in the work of the Gospel…”
“Prove” means tested character—integrity!
These are men who are committed to their values and who value their commitments ----
Consistent in their beliefs.
They cannot be bought by temporary pleasures.
Proverbs 10:9 "The man of integrity walks securely, but he who takes crooked paths will be found out."
The bottom line for manhood is integrity.
A nice personality will make a good first impression but success over the long haul is built on character, not on image.
The man of integrity will not be afraid of what is going to be found out.
Prov. 20:7 "It is a wonderful heritage to have an honest father." Inconsistent men produce insecure children. The kids don't know where the dad's coming from.
An uncommitted or inconsistent husband produces unstable marriages.
3. God is looking for men of cooperation
God is looking for men who put cooperation before competition
Epaphroditus was one identified in v. 25 as
My brother
My fellow worker
My fellow soldier
He was part of the team!
We learn three things about the Christian life here in this verse:
1. It is a family—brothers and sisters—we are related, (I hope that doesn’t unnerve you) 133 times in the NT Paul uses the word Brother to describe our relationship with each other….
We are family!!!!
2. It is working together—we have the same task – the same job and the same commission---
Great commission: Go…
Great commandment: Love…
WE MUST DO IT TOGETHER!
3. it is a fight—When you became a Christian you became the enemy of the devil and joined ranks with the soldiers of the Kingdom of God. We must defend each other and protect each other and support each other…
Don’t go it alone!!!!!
Can other Christians use these terms about you???
I read recently that only 10% of men have a real friend—they are afraid to get close---afraid to be vulnerable and to let others in to their lives!
But there is great power in unity! Doing it together!!!!
Lets learn to cooperate with each other instead of compete with each other to get the job done!
Jesus isn’t coming back till we get the job done!
We can’t do it alone!!!!
4. COMMITMENT
God is looking for men who put the cause of Christ before comfort
Paul says of Epaphroditus, "He is your messenger, whom you sent to take care of my needs. He was ill, and almost died, But God had mercy on him."
Epaphroditus was more concerned with the work of God than his own personal comfort…he was willing to sacrifice his very life to serve for the cause of Christ!
Today we are reluctant to give a few extra hours a month to do something just for God
God forbid that we might give an extra buck to sacrifice.
(Lucado) “Paul describes this fellow (Epaphroditus) with … succinct words like brother, fellow worker, fellow soldier, and messenger. You don’t earn eulogies like these from appearing at an occasional youth rally or showing up at church picnics. These are compliments earned over years and tears. But Paul’s finest praise of Epaphroditus was expressed in these words, “he almost died for the gospel.” You can bet that Paul, who knew what it meant to die for a cause, didn’t take sacrifice for granted. After writing the phrase, he must have leaned back against his prison wall and smiled at the mental picture of his old trail-buddy. Epaphroditus. The only thing longer than his name was his staying power.[2]
Men! It is no time to be passive—we must get passionate about our service for the King of kings!
We can get passionate about a lot of things!
You have your passions don’t you??? sure you do!!!
The number one complaint from wives is passive husbands.
They are aggressive at work, taking the lead, but at home they are the frozen chosen.
They hide and abdicate leadership to the wife or kids or anyone else that will take it.
They are even passive in their spiritual life.
God uses men of action who take the initiative.
Spiritual awakenings occur when men in a church become participators, not just spectators.
Who put the cause of Christ before comfort!
5. God is looking for men of Courage: who put service before security
Again—about Epaphroditus—he risked his life to make a difference…
He put service to Paul and to His brothers and sisters before his own personal wants and desires and even before his own personal needs…
Every home needs a man who will look to the needs of his family above his own personal needs, and desires.
Every workplace needs a man who will put others first
Every church needs men who will serve without thought of what they will get out of it—or who will notice!
God is looking for men with courage, who are willing to risk for the kingdom of God, who are willing to serve God with reckless abandon.
It is time to let go of wimpy religion!
It is time to forget about soft service for the king of cush…
Myself
It is time to say with Isaiah the prophet—“Here am it send me!”
(Isa 6) God looked for a man who could carry a message of judgment and hope to a lost nation—Isaiah, a man who recognized that he was a man of great limitation
A man of unclean lips and who dwells in the midst of a people of unclean lips…
He said “woe is me…”
He was fully aware of his limitations---but he still asked to be a volunteer in the army of God—to be the bearer of the greatest message on earth!
And when Isaiah said YES---God said GO!
I am sending YOU!
It is time to let go of bored Churchianity!
And yawning Christianity!
It is time to take risks for God!
To have courage! To do the right thing when every part of your being screams against it!
2 Chronicles 16:9 "The eyes of the Lord run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to show Himself strong on behalf of those whose heart is loyal to Him.”
God is looking for people! Just available people!
Are you available???
Can you have the courage to say YES to God
Anything Lord!!!
When is the last time you said that and really meant it!
Any sacrifice! Any cost! I am your man, Lord! Here I am!
God is looking for men of compassion, consistency, cooperation, commitment and courage. Young Men and Old Men!!!
And ladies---what about you too!
You cannot escape the implications of this message to the men.
It is tragic Paul says of Timothy "I have nobody else like him."
Why not?
Why aren't there more men of God out there today?
Timothy and Epaphroditus are just ordinary guys, not super stars. Yet 2000 years later we're still talking about them.
When I look at my life and work, as a man (pastor), how much is it going to count 50 years from now? Or 100 or 1000?
Only eternity will tell! Till then we are called to be faithful men!
Altar call: If you feel that God is speaking to you today sir—as this song plays will you come—stand and walk to the altar—bow before God and just make it an act of surrender to the Lord—
CD: “I’ll Go the distance” PK2000
GOD'S MODEL FOR MANHOOD
Philippians 2:19-30
(outline by Rick Warren)
Paul uses two men as examples of the kind of man who will make a difference in the world:
(Timothy) "I have no one else like him" vs. 20
(Epaphroditus) "... hold men like him in highest honor" vs. 29
THE KIND OF MEN GOD IS LOOKING FOR
1. COMPASSION:
MEN WHO PUT ______________ BEFORE _____________.
"He is the only one ... who really cares about you. Everyone else is concerned only with his own affairs, not about the cause of Christ." vs. 20-21 (GN)
2. CONSISTENCY:
MEN WHO PUT ____________________ BEFORE ____________________.
" ... Timothy has proved himself ... he has served with me in the work of the gospel." vs. 22
"The man of integrity walks securely, but he who takes crooked paths will be found out." Prov. 10:9
Prov. 20:7 (LB) “it is a wonderful heritage to have an honest father.”
3. COOPERATION:
MEN WHO PUT ____________________ BEFORE ____________________.
"I think it is necessary to send back to you Epaphroditus, my brother, fellow worker, and fellow soldier ..." vs. 25a
4. COMMITMENT:
MEN WHO PUT ____________________ BEFORE ____________________.
(Epaphroditus) "... is your messenger, whom you sent to take care of my needs. ... He was ill, and almost died. But God had mercy on him ... " vs. 25b-27
"Faith, by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead." James 2:17
5. COURAGE:
MEN WHO PUT ____________________ BEFORE ____________________.
"Welcome him in the Lord with great joy and honor men like him, because he almost died for the work of Christ, RISKING his life to make up for the help you could not give me." vs. 29-30
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[1] Rick Warren, from sermon series on Philippians
[2]Lucado, M. 1987. God came near : Chronicles of the Christ . Multnomah Press: Portland, Or.