1 Corinthians 16 verses 13 and 14.
Okay. If you uh If you asked me... How to go about quietly destroying a society. I don't think that we would reach for bombs or or armies. The most effective way would be to remove The man.
Not the males. Remove the man. Not physically, but remove them spiritually. You see, I think we would strip them of conviction, we would soften them with comfort, we would convince them that their strength is toxic and their self-sacrifice is unnecessary. In essence, I think if we were trying to quietly dismantle society, I convince our men That the core of manhood, as they know it, isn't a calling to be embraced, but a cancer to be destroyed.
And they would simply do it for me. I once heard it say that if a man-eating lion were released into the world today, he would most likely starve to death. And while that is a bitter joke, I think it rings true in society at large now. Yes, there's no shortage of males in our culture, but. As we look out, there is a crisis of manhood, and what's worse, the world celebrates that crisis unknowingly sailing towards its own destruction.
Today, as we look at 1 Corinthians 16, we will find that God speaks into this societal void, and His summons to us is clear. The summons is man up. This isn't a nostalgic appeal for 1950s America. This isn't a plea to return to the days of John Wayne and Clint Eastwood. Rather, this is a spirit-inspired summons to biblical masculinity.
It is that we are called. To embrace a manhood grounded in faith that is shaped by sacrifice and is fueled by Christian love. This morning we will examine that calling. We'll look at what a man is. why his charge is so urgent.
We will consider the danger of effeminate men to society and how Christ shows us the true glory of what it is to be a man. With that said, my first point, and we will dive in quickly, is. that we are called first to act like men. Our primary text today is 1 Corinthians 16, verses 13 and 14. The New King James translates it, watch, stand fast in the faith.
Be brave. Be strong. Let all that you do be done in love.
Now in this passage, the Apostle Paul is concluding his epistle to the Corinthian church. As he does this, and he enjoys giving these pithy exhortations to the saints. He does it in 1 Thessalonians as well. He's going to give us a few exhortations to the believers. And they are, as you've just read, keep watch.
Don't waver. Be brave, be strong. And that phrase, that word behind the phrase, be strong, that's the focus of my attention for a moment. If you were carrying an ESV this morning or a King James, you probably are reading something in the King James that says, quit ye like men. Or if you're reading your English Standard Version, it reads, act like...
Men. The word here is Andritzomai. And the root word of that is iner. It means Man. or husband.
Therefore, I am convinced that the ESV or the King James particularly translates this well. And that the Apostle Paul is, in essence, in layman's terms, giving a summons. Man up. Man up. Now, this is not a phrase that's pulled out of thin air for the apostle.
Rather, it's helpful for us to remember: who are we reading? We're reading a letter from the Apostle Paul. This is a man. Who is Uh has grown up Reading stories about valiant saints of old. He's grown up reading about Moses, he's grown up reading about Joshua.
He's grown up reading about about Daniel. He's grown up reading about Joshua preparing to enter into the promised land, knowing the weighty tasks that wait before him, the battles that sent in front of him. And when Joshua and Joshua one is preparing to enter into the Promised Land to begin his conquest, here's what the Lord says to him. He says, No man shall be able to stand before you all the days of your life. And here's the reason: as I was with Moses, so I will be with you.
I will not leave you nor forsake you.
Now, after telling this to Joshua, reminding Joshua of his presence. God makes the practical implication of that presence clear. He continues, be strong. and of a good courage, The word there in the Septuagint is Andradzomai, or be strong and act like a man. For to this people you shall divide as an inheritance the land.
which I swore to their fathers. to give them. This isn't the only time that we see this. And uh in 2 Samuel 10. A new king has risen in Ammon.
And David actually is deciding, I want to be gracious to this man. And so David sends mourners to the king to bewail the loss of the king's father, to enter in and to empathize in his sufferings. And the king's advisors convince the king that David is humiliating him. And so the king. King of Ammon decides that he is going to, in essence, declare war on David.
Well, the king takes it the wrong way. He declares war against Israel. And as he invites an alliance in with him to come up against Israel, the enemy lines up against Israel in battle. And we find Joab, an Israelite general, a commander. He's going to line his man up against the Syrian forces.
And then he's going to call his brother Abishai to line up against the Ammonite forces. And here's what he tells him. The King James, I think, gets it.
Well, or right in 2 Samuel 10. He says to his brother, Be of good courage. And let us play the men. for our people. For the cities of our God and the Lord do which seemeth Him good.
And these are just two examples. And after seeing them, I think that we can better understand that when When Paul charges the Corinthian church to act like men, He isn't inventing something new. He's echoing the wartime speech that God has always given to his men when the stakes were the highest.
Now before I venture into applying that for us, I think we should explore the question of What is a man? What is a man?
Now I'm assuming That we can all agree this morning that a male is one possessing XY chromosomes and presenting male genitalia. I think we could be generally agreed upon that here, at least for now. That's my assumption. But my question is not what is a male biologically, but what is a male expected to be, specifically, what is a man? What is a man?
And so I want to invite you to consider just very shortly Genesis chapter 2. Genesis chapter 2. Verse 15. I'll read the verse for you, Genesis 2:15. Then the Lord God took the man.
And put him in the Garden of Eden. To tend. And keep it. He takes Adam, whom he has just created. He picks him up, he's going to put him in Eden.
For A twofold purpose. Adam, you are to tend the garden. And you're to keep the garden. In other words, God placed a man on the earth to work and to cultivate, or most simply, he has put man here to do two things, to provide and to protect. You have heard it said I know from me.
And probably from the other elders, that Adam is the first Adam. He is called to keep the garden as a prophet, priest, and king. That is why Christ comes as a man, fulfilling this role. Adam is, in essence, called to provide for the garden and to protect the garden.
So at our core, what we find here pre-fall is that men are called to provide and to protect, not because of the fall, but as a result of God's design for us. And so we say. Since the fall has happened, Do does this expectation still remain? I think it's very clearly yes. 1 Timothy 5 verse 8, here's what Paul says.
He says, But if anyone does not provide for his own, And especially for those of his household, he has denied the faith. And is worse Than an unbeliever. And so it seems to me that Paul has a pretty good handling on what the expectations of a man are. Namely, a man is to be a provider. A Christian man especially is to excel in his provision for his family.
And if you forsake that calling, you have abdicated your calling as a Christian man and you are worse than an atheist. Paul's making it clear: a Christian man who won't provide for his family has besmirched the faith. You're a disgrace to Christ's name in essence. That's a powerful phrase from Paul. And in Ephesians 5:25, we see this calling to not only provide, but to protect.
Husbands, love your wives. How, Paul? What does that look like?
Well, just as Christ also loved the church. and gave himself For her. To put it plainly, we are expected to provide for our people. And to protect them to the point that we will lay our own lives down on the line for their sake.
So what is biblical man? And here's my definition for you. Biblical manhood is embracing your God-given duty. Even when it's costly. Even when it's inconvenient.
Why? Because I love God more than I love comfort. Biblical manhood is embracing your God-given duty because you love God more than you love comfort. This means that when the alarm goes off at 5 a.m. and you get out of bed, you put your boots on and you go to work because, brothers, it is our God-given responsibility to provide for those people in our homes.
That is your calling. That's your calling. There's no option for you to call in and to lie to your employer about being sick so you can go fishing or play video games. That's off the table. We are expected to go to work, to provide for our families, and while we are there, brothers, we are expected to do our best as though we are doing it for the Lord Himself.
Listen to this quote by Martin Luther. He says, the Christian shoemaker does his duty Not by putting little crosses on the shoes. But by making good shoes. Because God is interested in good craftsmanship. Brothers, we are called to employ ourselves about the means of providing for our family as Christian men, going into the workplace, not by putting little crosses on any everything, but doing our work diligently as though it's for the Lord of glory himself.
Furthermore, it means that when we get home. We are there to provide and to protect. Brothers are... Our work is not finished just 'cause we punched our time cards. Instead, our most valuable work has just begun.
Because as soon as As you walk in that door, You see that precious woman and those cheering kids, you are now staring into the face of your greatest ministry. This, you know, kind of typical father that you see in TV shows, he kind of walks in and his wife hands him a beer or a soda and he sits on the recliner, and that's the end of his purpose for the day. He's punched his time card. That's not you. That's not you.
Not if you call Christ, Lord. You get home, you are staring into the face of your greatest ministry. Ephesians 5:25 and 26 says, Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ also loved the church and gave himself for her. Why? How?
That he might sanctify and cleanse her with the washing of water by the word. Brothers, are we washing our wives in the word? Are we leading them into truth? Are we discipling them in the way of Christ? Are we protecting them from false teaching?
Are we praying with them and for them? Are we teaching them what the Lord is showing us? Are we discipling her and our children and protecting them from falsehoods, which is damaging to their very souls? I think we can all agree this morning that bad theology hurts people. And if bad theology hurts people, who in the world do you care more for than your own bride?
And yet it is so often That we simply neglect the role of cultivating and discipling her in our home and leave it to the Lord's Day. Brothers, that should not be so. That should not be so.
Now, look, I know I was blue-collar before I went to the pastor. I know what it's like to wake up at 2 a.m. I know what it's like to run a route before the sun sets up. Most of my routes were finished before the sun came up. I know what it's like to spend all day with a boom saw in a bucket truck.
I know what it's like to work in chemical fields. I know what it's like to drive home half asleep, but that is no reason for us to abdicate our God given roles as leaders. The choice for us this morning is really clear. The choice is not whether you're going to be a leader or not. You don't get to make that choice.
The choice is whether you're going to be a good leader or a bad one. There's no excuse for us, brothers. to be spiritual infants. We are called to pursue the Lord. to grow in grace to lead our homes, to pray for them.
to be priests over that body. to protect and to provide for them. We are called to lead our wives, to lead our children in the Word of God, and make it clear that for our house, this house, we will serve Christ. We will serve Christ here. If we forsake this responsibility, beloved, there is a high price for us to pay.
And that leads me to my second point, which is the danger of effeminate men. I'm aware. that some may write this sermon off as a sort of hobby horse. And I struggled whether or not, honestly, to preach it myself.
However, I think I've been here long enough for you to know that this is not a simple hobby horse of mine. And while reading 1 Corinthians, I was convinced that this is a necessary subject that needs to be covered. 1 Corinthians chapter 6. Please, if you will go there with me, I want to read you a passage right quick because I'm going to try to explain something about that text, 1 Corinthians 6. One of my favorite passages of Scripture, and you won't see why right now, but I'll explain why later, because it's pretty heavy hitting right now, but I'll come back later and show you why.
1 Corinthians 6, verses 9 and 10. Here's the word of Paul. Do you not know? That the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God. Do not be deceived.
Neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers. nor homosexuals, keep that in mind, nor sodomites, nor thieves, nor covetous ni uh nor covetous, nor idolaters, or excuse me, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners. will inherit the kingdom of God. That word homosexuals that I'm pointing out there, that's an unfortunate translation, in my opinion. The King James nails it.
It renders it the effeminate. will not inherit the kingdom of God. The effeminate will not inherit the kingdom of God. Why do you think that's the right choice?
Well, Jesus uses this same word behind that, Malachoi. He uses it twice. And he uses it in Matthew chapter 11. I'll read it to you. Matthew chapter 11, verse 8.
Jesus is confronting the multitudes. John the Baptist is imprisoned. John is going through a crisis of faith. Jesus, are you the one or should we look for another? Jesus has strengthened John in the faith and sent him away.
Jesus is going to turn to his audience that is following him. And Jesus, loving John the Baptist, is going to exalt John as the greatest man ever born of woman. And what's intriguing here is, he's going to begin to do a contrast between John and between some other men in society. Almost humorous. Listen, he says in verse 7: as they departed, Jesus began to say to the multitudes concerning John.
What did you go out into the wilderness to see?
So, when you went to go see this man in the wilderness, what did you go to see? Did you go to see a reed? Shaken by the wind? In essence, did you go to see a coward? Did you go to see a man who is soft and being blown about by every tide of changing?
No. What did you go out to see? A man clothed in soft or malakoi garments? Indeed, and Jesus is going to contrast, those who wear soft clothing are in kings' houses. But what did you go out to see?
A prophet? Yes, I say to you, and more than a prophet. For this is he of whom it was written.
So, Jesus using the word Malachoi and Malachost is going to use it in the term of soft. And he's contrasting that with John the Baptist, a man who is depicted, he's an ascetic of sorts. John is a man not given to pleasures. John is a man given to discipline. You went to see a man who was settled in not only how he lived, but what he spoke to you.
So, for the Lord, it seems. The word that Paul used in First Corinthians was most often understood as soft.
soft men or effeminate men. And beloved, if the Holy Spirit thinks it's important enough to include that in his eternal word. That as Paul writes to the church at Corinth, God the Spirit wants Paul to say, make it very clear: hey, do not be deceived. Effeminate men will not go to heaven. Then I think that that's grounds enough for us to think that this is a necessary subject to be discussed in the church.
Furthermore. As I look at our culture. I know that our fathers, our sons, our brothers are being sold a lie concerning masculinity. On one hand, We've got the alpha males such as Andrew Tate. They are out here depicting masculinity as some sort of false bravado, this depicted by a life of exploiting women, a life of greed, a life of moral corruption and pride.
On the other hand, we've got young men drowning in a culture bent on demasculating our men. In TV shows, who's the biggest fool in the entire show? It's typically the husband and the father. In our movies now, the men, even in your superhero movies. The men have to be rescued by this heroine because they're not capable of doing it themselves.
And in our music. Men are told take a back seat because women run the show. In Beyoncé's 2011 song, Run the World, she writes, Boy, you know you love it. How we smart enough to make these millions strong enough to bear these children, then get back to business. My persuasion can build a nation.
Endless power with our love we can devour. You'll do anything for me because who runs this world? Girls.
Now, what I want us to get here is that the alpha males, such as Andrew Tate, which are perverting the mind of our conservative sons and brothers and fathers. and the demasculinized product of today's culture are both effeminate. Both of them are effeminate. The alpha male culture and the demasculinized culture are both effeminate.
So what is an effeminate man? An effeminate man is one who rejects his God-given duty. due to an inordinate love for ease, pleasure, or safety. An effeminate man is one who is a man. Who Rejects his God-given duty out of an love, an inordinate love for ease, pleasure, or safety.
Now let me make it clear, if feministy is not a personality quirk. It's characterized by a soft, cowardly refusal to embrace your God-given. Responsibility.
So When Paul condemns effeminate men, he isn't condemning tenderness of heart. Surely who was the tenderest of all? It was the Lord Jesus, wasn't it? But he is condemning softness in men where strength should be, softness in men where they should stand for truth. But instead, they fear conflict, they abandon their post as leaders, and they are passive.
Then we are not called to be passive. I believe that this reality is illustrated perfectly and powerfully in the life of Lot. In Genesis 13 through 19. There we find Uh two To summarize, Abraham and Lot have uh two two ranching businesses their hands are are having a conflict, and so to preserve the familial unity, Abraham says, you know what, we'll go our separate ways and Lot, you choose where you would like to go and I'll take what's left. And Lot seeing the well-watered plains, which I don't necessarily think was inherently evil or sinful.
I think it was probably just a business decision. He makes his decision, but what does the rest of the text say that we get a foreshadowing of? Lot begins to pitch his tents towards Sodom. It's a foreshadowing of spiritual decline in the life of Lot. And then we fast forward, right?
We we go down the road and and law it's not Living outside of Sodom now. Lot is sitting in Sodom. Lot is actually one of the becoming a higher up in Sodom. And when the message of destruction comes to him, He goes and tells his son-in-laws about it coming. And he has so abdicated his role as a spiritual leader, they don't even, they think he's joking.
They don't even think he's being serious when he warns them. And I'll be honest with you, I don't think Lot thought he was serious either, because what's the next text tell us that happened to Lot? It says, when they told him destruction was coming, He idled. He sat there and he began to delay to the point that the angels had to physically remove him. From Sodom.
He lingered. I believe that Lot's effeminate rejection of duty led him to put his family in that wicked city. And what's the final result of that? What happens to his wife? They are leaving.
The command has been given. Do not look back. And what does she do? Out of a love and an affection for Sodom, she turns back, she gazes upon it, and she becomes a pillar of salt and dies. What happens to his children while they're in the cave?
They commit that heinous, incestuous act with their own father. There's a sense at which, yes, our children are responsible for their conduct. Our spouses are responsible for their conduct. But as the head of the home, Lot has led them into Sodom. Lot has abdicated his role as spiritual head, it seems.
He's a man who is not serious in the faith, and there are repercussions because of that. There are repercussions because of how we lead our homes. We are told that Lot had a vexed, righteous soul. And so I think that a lot is a powerful illustration of the dangers of an effeminate Christian. Man.
Yes, we find that there was grace for Lot, right? What happened to Lot? He was delivered from destruction by the grace of the Lord. Yes, we find in 1 Corinthians 6, the text goes on. Let me read the remaining verses of that text in 1 Corinthians 6.
He says. I'll read it to you. The whole thing.
Alright. Do not be deceived. Neither fornicators nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor homosexuals are the effeminate. Nor sodomites, nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners will inherit the kingdom of God.
Now, listen to this. We know that these sins were present in the Corinthian church. We know that. But what's the means to provoking them out of these sins? And such were some of you.
Well, wait, Paul, we know that these sins characterize these Christians. What he is anchoring in them, this progression of holiness, is not a simple. I'm going to shoot my wide because I'm getting to this later. It's not pull yourself up by your bootstraps, but the way that they gravitate or graduate out of this sin is by grounding themselves in the gospel. Such were some of you.
But you were washed. You were sanctified. You were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus and by the Spirit of God. Yes, Lot had grace. It delivered him from God's wrath.
Yes, in 1 Corinthians 6, there is grace for effeminate men in Corinth. And yes, there is hope for today in that same Christ who himself is the true man. Christ is the true man. That leads me to my third point, Jesus, the true man. If biblical masculinity is embracing His God-given calling, not because it's easy, but because he loves God more than comfort.
And there's no greater example than Jesus. There's no greater example. Jesus was obedient to the Father amid horrendous sufferings. As he prayed in Gethsemane, knowing what was to happen to him, knowing that he would bear the wrath of God against sin on the cross, he cried, Father, Not my will. But thine be done.
Jesus never wavered from the truth. He spoke with boldness. He spoke with clarity. Remember Jesus in his in his conflict with Satan in the wilderness. Or Jesus standing before the Pharisees?
Or Jesus standing before Pilate? He never wavered. In John chapter 4, verse 34, Jesus says, My food. is to do the will of him who sent me and to finish his work. Finally.
Some associate masculinity with aggression.
However, the man who belittles those under his care is not masculine. The man who belittles those under his care, this demissive aggression, is an effeminate forsaking of his duty to lead in love. Lo look at me. You were not a man. because you speak down to your 130 pound wife.
That does not make you a man. You are not a man because you belittle your children and you make your household feel terrified of your presence. You are not a man, you're effeminate. Because your calling, beloved, is to lead that home And laugh. It's to lead that home in love.
That's the kind of manhood we want.
Some associate masculinity with aggression.
But Jesus was full of grace to the weak and needy, was he not? Remember in Matthew 11, 28 through 30, he said, Come to me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me. I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. My yoke is easy, and my burden is light.
And beloved, that's the kind of manhood that we are called to. Not a caricature of macho masculinity and not societies of masculated cowards. but the sacrificial strength of Jesus Christ. In the words of one man, biblical manhood isn't about beating your chest, it's about bearing your cross. It isn't about dominating your home, it's about dying for it daily.
So if you're conflicted this morning, You realize your failures. You realize that we have abdicated our roles as head. We have prioritized our comfort and our pleasures over dying to self and leading as Christ would have us to leave. There is hope, beloved, because as we realize our failures, as the weight of the law crushes us, Then the good news glimmers that much more preciously. When the law crushes us, the black backdrop of the law allows the diamond of the gospel to shine that much more beautifully.
We have failed as our duty calls us to serve God and our spouses. But there is hope. There is hope. Christ, the true man, has died for sinners. Christ the true man has died for sinners.
Yes, you have fallen and come up short of the glory of God. But in Christ there is forgiveness for those who believe on him. The true man, the God man. And when you come to him. He changes everything.
When you come to him, he changes. Everything. This leads me to my fourth point. Becoming a man of God. Let me reiterate that we need to be cautious about who we are listening to online.
Dads, if we do not disciple our sons, the internet will gladly do it for us. It will gladly do it for us. There is a stripe of masculinity floating through the online world that some Christian leaders are even perpetuating. marked by a spirit of argumentative pettiness, Brothers, that isn't you not being a coward. That's you having no self-control, which is a fruit of the Spirit.
So, when you are listening to that podcaster or that blogger or when you're reading that book, I want you to ask: does this man push me on towards a Christ-like disposition? Does my understanding of masculinity coincide with what I see depicted in the life of the only perfect man to ever live? As we think about our opening text today, I want us to think through these verses in light of Jesus back in 1 Corinthians 16, verse 13. Watch, stand fast in the faith. Be brave, be strong.
Let all that you do be done in love.
Before we look at that, I want to make it clear as well. That becoming a biblically masculine man is not us pulling ourselves up by our bootstraps. Um there's a a a recovery or a reignition of stoicism. If you're not familiar with Stoicism, Stoicism especially in the early church was a friend of the church in ethics. the sense of self-control.
But the heresy of Stoicism is the fact that what do we believe in the Holy Ghost? Yes. And the heresy of Stoicism is that all of your progression as a man, all of your masculinity, all of your progress comes from you. It comes from your discipline. And what is the echo of the church?
I believe in the Holy Ghost. I believe in the Holy Ghost. You need to be very careful. Listening to podcasts, it seemed to sound like they're coinciding with us, and it's just calling you to pull yourself up by your bootstraps. We believe in the Holy Ghost of God.
Our comforter, the gift of God the Father and Son to the Church. You are not a Stoic, you are a Christian. And that means that the biblically masculine man is not simply pulling yourself up by your bootstraps. It is a man relying on the Spirit of grace day in and day out. Zechariah 4.6, the Lord declares to the rubble.
Not by might nor by power, but by my spirit, says the Lord of hosts. This is the secret to manhood. It is not by your strength or my strength. It is by the Spirit of God working through us.
So we stand firm.
So we watch.
So we are brave. When Adam and Eve fell. Three things happened. The serpent was going to eat dust all the days of his life. Beloved, what do serpents do?
They slither. Right. Eve is going to bear pain in childbearing. What do women do? They're a unique gift.
They bear children. And what do men do? We work, and God says, And you are going to live by the sweat of your brow. Everything that is intrinsically special about us, sin has tainted. Brothers, I know what it's like to be tired at work.
But there's a gospel point in that. When you're tired at work, when you're fatigued, let that develop in you a greater hatred for sin. That's the reason that you are so fatigued in your work. When you go to a funeral, and I have unfortunately preached many of them, you stand over that body, it ignites in me a deeper hatred for sin. The ravages of sin have stripped this one from us.
And as you're at work and your body's fatigued, this is the ravages of sin on our world. And one of the final aspects of the fall is that God tells Eve, your desire is going to be for Adam. Not that she's going to think he's just a hunk. That means that you are going to want to usurp his authority and conquer him, and then it continues, and he will dominate you. It's the sense of the relationship, which was once beautiful, is compromised, and it's not that Adam is just going to be the spiritual head, he is going to lead ruthlessly.
Over you. And so, beloved, if you don't rest in the Spirit and you just pull yourself up by your bootstraps and you think, I'm going to be the man, you will do what Adam did. You must live by the Spirit. Because a masculinity detached from the gospel. is a ruthless Ruthless Life.
So, as we look at 1 Corinthians 16, verses 13 through 14, let me give you a few applications for us as we consider to strive like men of God or to be men of God. First, be watchful of the schemes of the enemy. You are the protector of your home. Remember Jesus. How he takes his men up.
As he watches through the night. And he prays while others, his disciples, are asleep. And brothers, we too are called to be at watch over ourselves, and we are called to be at watch over our families. We must, we must be hesitant or resistant to spiritual lethargy because there is a high cost at stake. Listen to Ezekiel 33, 6.
If the watchman sees the sword coming, And he does not blow the trumpet, and the people are not warned. And the sword comes and takes any person from among them. He is taken away in his iniquity. His blood I will require at the watchman's hands. There is a cost to us abdicating our calling to be watchful over our homes.
As our wives are deceived, as our children are consumed and discipled by the world, if we abdicate our roles, God will judge us. If our wives think That being a woman is a greater burden than a man, then perhaps we aren't leading the way that we should. She is the gem jewel of the home and the gift of Christ to us to delight in her beauty. And we bear the burden of protecting her and caring for her and exalting her and standing before God on behalf of how we stewarded our relationship with her. Yes.
Ladies. I I have two children. I know the hard hardships of childbearing. But there is something that strikes great fear into my heart. I will stand before God.
An answer for how did I lead her.
Now whether Your wife adheres to this gentle, gracious leadership or not, that's between her and Christ. But how did you lead her? How did you lead those children? You will stand and he will judge you on the final day for that. That's petrifying.
That's petrifying. Are we watchmen over our homes? We are called to be alert, not asleep at the wheel, and so ask yourselves: Am I alert to the subtle compromises sneaking into my home? Am I passive? Or am I viligently watchful over our souls?
Second, be courageous as you stand anchored in Christ. Remember Jesus. He stood as a man until death. while Peter denied him like a coward. Joshua 1:9, have I not commanded you, be strong and of good courage, or act like a man?
Do not be afraid, nor be dismayed. Why? For the Lord your God is with you wherever you go. Church, we don't have a baseless courage. We don't have a baseless hope, and we certainly don't stand alone.
Rather, the boldness that we have as Christian men is anchored in the fact that Christ is with us, He is in us, and we are marching according to His orders for our lives.
Okay. Emotions are are good things. But they're bad compasses. And so, as the Christian man, we must stand strong. We must stand informed by the Word of God.
We must stand directed by His Spirit in accordance with the Scriptures. Because if you, ladies, too, if we allow ourselves to be dominated by our feelings, which are tainted by sin, we will line up into failure. Emotions are good. But they are Bad compasses.
So, when you have to stand, brothers, against compromise, when you have to have that tough conversation, when you have to muster through fatigue after a long day at work, rest in the Lord. Ask Him for strength and wisdom to know that He is with you and He calls you. Be a man. Be a man. That that has Encourage me in the pastorate.
One of the great delights of the pastorate is meeting with people. one of the great burdens of the pastor just having to speak hard things to people. And oftentimes, a spirit of cowardice will rise up in me. I know I need to meet with this saint. I know what they need to hear.
I know it needs to be delivered in grace. I know it's going to be very hard for them to hear. And there'll be this temptation. How can I get out of that? How can we skirt this and fix it some other way?
But who does God call to be leaders in the church? Men. And what has he called me to do? At the man. He is with you.
So, when we have those tough conversations or when we have to do things that we don't want to do, we stand courageous because your Lord is with you. He is with you to fulfill the calling he has given to you. Third, be strengthened by exercising your faith. Remember Jesus, how he stood strong in the wilderness, strong in the garden, strong on the cross. And we too, by his grace, are called to stand strong.
And the way you stand strong is by being strengthened regularly. What happens if you do not use your body? It will atrophy. Your body will atrophy. It's the same with the faith.
If you do not avail yourself of the means of grace, if you do not pray and avail yourself of the scriptures and of the fellowship of the saints that God has given to us, we will atrophy. But we are called to stand strong. And so avail yourself, be vigilant in your devotions, take advantage of the means of grace that God has given us, and go to war with your sin each day. Knowing that the Lord's with you. The Lord's with you.
Just like Joshua, crossing the Jordan into a season of warfare, we too have crossed the Jordan. We've been baptized, haven't we? and are called to declare war on our sin. And we're not alone. The Lord's with us.
Finally, do all in love. Remember Jesus? How He entered our fallen world out of love for the Father and love for fallen sinners like us? Remember how He loved us as He was faithful until death and stands faithful to you still this moment? Church, that kind of love should motivate us.
Let us embrace our roles, our difficult, our glorious roles. Yes, there is great temptation today to give into pleasure, to give into effeminate behavior. But we embrace these roles because we love God. And we trust that He knows what's best for our lives. And we embrace these roles because we love the people he has called us to care for.
Finally, in closing.
Okay. Finally to the ladies here. Uh while this has Certainly been primarily addressed to man. I hope you found benefit as well. For mothers, These are the kinds of sons that you should long to raise.
For single ladies, this is the kind of man that you should look to marry. For wives, this is the kind of man you should pray for and encourage your husband to be. And brothers, the world is starving for men. Our families need spiritual leadership. Our children must see us in the Word.
Our churches need godly servants. and your neighbors need to see your gospel witness. This world needs men. It needs men that look like Jesus. Left to ourselves, we give in to our feelings and our desires and our lusts and will begin to live as effeminate men who serve themselves.
But in Christ, we are made new, aren't we? In Christ we were made completely new. And so, for us all, let us look to Jesus. Let us seek to follow Jesus by grace. And as we go to war with sin, let us fight courageously, knowing that Jesus is with us.
Me. This is the gospel cure. for a feminine men. May God bless the preaching of his word. Heavenly Father, we are thankful for the Church of Christ.
I'm thankful as I look out on this congregation you have given us.
so many good and godly men. But when I look at the world Oh, what a what a shortage we have of them. Father, I pray that by grace you would raise up more Christian men in the likeness of Christ. calls us every day to rise and to die to self. to live unto Christ.
As men to embrace our roles, as heads of home who love our families more than ourselves. For our wives, Lord, may they likewise embrace their God-given roles as nurturers. Lord, may our children likewise recognize their God given roles and to heed to our leadership. And Father, I intercede on behalf of the flock of God and pray, bring salvation to our homes. Save my children, Lord.
Give us wisdom. To speak. clearly on the gospel. to live the gospel. to go to war ruthlessly against sin in our homes.
to make it clear. that as for me and my house, we serve Christ. Let us lead gently. Let our wives be exalted. Let us recognize them as gifts to us.
And let them recognize our headship as a thing which is to be beautiful in the confines of marriage. and is to be beautiful as it is done so in the Spirit of Christ. Let us be men of Christ. Give us that, I ask, in Jesus' name. Amen.
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