Man Up!

Welcome to this edition of PowerPoint with Jack Graham. A one of the greatest men who ever lived on the face of the earth, described in the scriptures as a man after God's own heart. What a great heart this man had. He was a shepherd, a singer, a soldier, a sovereign king of the great nation of Israel. He was a sinner who knew what it meant to fail God and yet to find forgiveness and repentance and renewed faith. But most of all, he was a servant. Though God took him from the shepherd fields and into the palace, he never lost the heart of the shepherd. And so in summation of his life, really an epitaph of his life, Paul said in verse 36 of Acts chapter 13, for David, after he had served the purpose of God in his own generation, fell asleep and was laid with his fathers and saw corruption. David, he served the purposes of God in his own times.

He did it fully, he did it faithfully. And this is the challenge to every man. So I'm calling this message Man Up. That is, let us stand tall and rise up to the challenges of our own day of being men and being dads. Now there's a lot of discussion today as to what a man is.

Men are trying to figure it out. What does it mean to be a man? What does it mean to be masculine? What does it mean more importantly to be God's man in this culture? And to rise to the occasion and the challenges of our days. It's not easy being a dad, we have many absentee dads today.

Guys who have checked out and moved on or even if they're at home not involved in the lives of their children. But God has called us, like David, to serve our own generation and that would include first and foremost our own generation family. And to do that, we do it like David who took on three primary responsibilities of his life and in his life.

One was a king, the other a shepherd, the other a warrior. Let's look at those three roles and responsibilities of a man after God's own heart. First, as kings, gentlemen, we are leaders.

That's what a king does. And as leaders, we guide our families. And when Jesus is first in your life, when King Jesus rules in your heart, you like him become a kingdom of priests. Christ rules in our hearts and reigns in us.

Now that's true for all believers, both men and women, but I'm specifically talking to men today about assuming the authority that God has given you as a man to lead your family. Now the key word here in this passage is David served his own generation. It's the only time this particular word is used in the New Testament to describe a servant or one who serves. And it literally means the under-rower. The under-rower. Underneath the bow of the boat or the bottom of the boat, these slave trafficking boats, these massive boats of yesteryear were the oars and those who rode them underneath.

And in the offscouring and the sweat and the smell and the stitch of men, working men, these under-rowers were serving, under-rowing. So when we talk about being a man and being a man's man and taking charge and taking responsibility, that doesn't mean that we beat our chests and get on our swag and say, everybody get out of the way, I'm in charge here. As King, David served his generation. And as kings, we are to serve our families like Jesus, like King Jesus. There are many would-be kings, but a real king is someone who stoops to conquer like Jesus. You remember when Jesus gathered His disciples in the upper room? The Bible says in John chapter 13 and verse 3 that the Father, knowing that the Father had given Him everything, all things were given to Him, all things into His hands and He came from God, that He was going back to God.

What did He do? Did He seize the throne? No, He took up the towel, He rose from the supper, He laid aside His outer garments and taking a towel He tied it around His waist and then He began washing the dirty feet of those disciples. This is what King Jesus, the Son of David did to serve and this is our rule as well. And let me say while we're talking to men about manning up and being a man, let me say that any guy who manhandles his family or abuses his wife or his children, either verbally or physically or emotionally or spiritually is no man at all but a beast.

That's not what we're talking about. But let it be known that God has designed the family with the husband Father designed to lovingly lead His family. The Scripture says that wives are to submit unto their husbands even as to the Lord. And while there's a lot of debate even in the church about this whole idea of submission, nobody's standing up and saying, well let the children be in charge of the home. Let the parents submit to the children.

No, there's a clear order and design in the family. Under God, men are to lovingly lead their wives, love their wives as Christ loved the church and gave Himself for it, that's Ephesians 5 25. And under that authority as the God has given the authority to the husband to lovingly lead his family, the wife is to graciously submit as unto the Lord. The idea of submitting here, the very word means to rank under. In the military, you're familiar of course with rank. It doesn't mean that a private is intellectually or emotionally or spiritually inferior to a general, but in the context of that ranking, the general is responsible and in charge of the privates and so on. And in God's design for the family, God has directed that the man should take responsibility and lead.

This is on us men, that we would not be passive or weak or indifferent, but that we would make sure that we take the charge and the responsibility for our family. In any organization, someone is in charge. Have you ever been a part of a situation where no one was in charge?

It doesn't feel very good, does it? It generally results in chaos. So God has given us the family and an order in the family. Under God, men and fathers are to lead. Living under authority is critical, men, because we can't be over until we're under. That's the principle of authority. You cannot be under, you cannot be over rather until you are under the authority of Christ.

Until you are ruled and dominated by the power of Christ. And so men, as kings, leaders in our families, we are to lovingly lead our families, we are to point our wives and our kids to Christ, we are to honor our wives and bless our children, we are to bear our family's burdens, we are to provide and protect, we are to discipline and direct, we are to be both tender and tough, we are to be present and accounted for. Your number one job, guys, if you are a father is to be a dad.

What difference does it make if you have a six figure income in the corner office if you're a stranger to your own family? How do you lead? You lead by leading.

Anybody that has to say I'm in charge typically isn't. You lead by leading. This means that we ask God to enable us to be better men and better husbands and better fathers. In Ephesians 4 Paul spoke to believers and guys we would step up first on this. Verses 1 and 2, I therefore, a prisoner of the Lord, urge you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling to which you have been called.

Have you been called to be a husband and a father? And you would walk worthy in a manner to which you have been called and with all humility and gentleness with patience, bearing with one another in love. You're listening to PowerPoint with Jack Graham and today's message, Man Up. Slow down and soak up the sacred meaning that's at the heart of the holiday season with Dr. O.S. Hawkins, 25-day Christmas devotional, The Christmas Code.

You'll see the birth of Jesus with fresh eyes as you take time to rest and rejoice in what really makes this season so special. The Christmas Code is our way to thank you for your gift to PowerPoint. This is the last day of this offer, so call today. Call 1-800-795-4627. That's 1-800-795-4627. You can also text the word PowerPoint to 313131. That's PowerPoint to 313131. And don't forget to visit JackGraham.org where you can shop our e-store or give a gift online or sign up for Dr. Graham's free daily email devotional.

Our website again is JackGraham.org. Now let's get back to today's message. Man Up. There's a word in the Bible that Jesus used in the Beatitudes. It is meekness or meek, to be meek, which means to be gentle. Blessed are the meek for they shall inherit the earth. Meekness is not weakness. Jesus was the mightiest man who ever walked upon the face of the earth. But He was meek and lowly of heart. Moses was called the meekest man on the face of the earth in his own generation.

Moses was a strong and powerful leader, but he was meek. He'd be strength under control. Strength under control. And that's how we are to lead. The true champions maintain self-control and focus.

And that's how we win as men. Wherever Jesus is, wherever Jesus rules, there is life and there is strength and there is peace. I love what David says in 2 Samuel 23. The God of Israel has spoken. The Rock of Israel has said to me, when one rules justly over men, ruling in the fear of God, he dawns on them like the morning lights, like the sun shining forth on a cloudless morn, like rain that makes grass to sprout from the earth.

When we rain in godliness, when we rain as God gives us the strength to do it, we are like the dawn, the morning of a light, a refreshing spirit in our families. Real kings love and care and serve. There are kings who do nothing but sit on their lazy boy like a throne, snap the remote control and ask everybody to serve them.

But real kings serve others. There's a second role that David fulfilled that we are to fulfill and that is as a shepherd. And as shepherds, we are to provide for our family.

As kings, we are to lead our family. As shepherds, we are to provide for our families. David was always at heart a shepherd. He shepherded Israel. In fact, in Psalm 78 it is said of David that he chose David, his servant, and took him from the sheepfolds, from following the ewes that had young he brought to him, and to shepherd Jacob his people and Israel his inheritance.

Watch this guys. So he shepherded them according to the integrity of his heart and guided them by the skillfulness of his hands. Two things this godly good shepherd did.

He served with the integrity of his heart. He shepherded them with the integrity of his heart and with the skillfulness of his hands. The point is, men, we are to pastor and shepherd our families spiritually, physically, emotionally. We do this by praying for our families, by leading and guiding their families. Not just sending our families to church, but leading our families to serve God. Providing nurture, providing care, providing ministry. The first goal of every dad as well as mom should be to make disciples of their own children, to teach them God's truth. We dads are to prepare our children, our little lambs for a world that is filled with predators and dangers and obstacles. This is not a safe place for children to live these days. What a shepherd does is show up every day whether he feels like it or not. Don't let this culture say that you are dispensable.

You are not dispensable. The media so often a mirror of our culture portrays dads as dolts and dummies and all the rest. But you can change the culture of your life and your family and your neighborhood and this community by being a father to the fatherless, to being a dad to your own children, and granddads don't forget your responsibility. In fact, the Bible tells us that grandfathers, the inheritance of grandfathers is dynamic and powerful in the life of children. And that we should think not only in terms of raising our children and our job is done. You know the old joke, it's great to have grandchildren because you can send them home when you're tired of them. But we can't get tired of our grandkids because we have a responsibility to assist our children and their children's children going forward.

Don't think in terms of just a 40-year generational span of your influence but think of the influence you have as a grandparent upon your children, your children's children, and their children after them. This is your mission, to be a shepherd. There are others who can make decisions at the office, there are others who can who can travel to the ends of the earth but there's only one dad to your children.

And that's you. And I can tell you there's no greater success in life than being a successful man, husband and father, as God gives you success. Be fair, be firm, be leading and guiding your children. Now David failed, David chased after his lust, and nearly destroyed his family. And there were repercussions of David's sin and his family for the rest of their days. But, read Psalm 51, David repented of his great sin. And God's grace renewed him and strengthened him. And as I'm preaching I realize that I'm preaching to men who have failed because I have failed as a father, as a person, so have you. But God's grace covers our failures. And it's never too late for a new beginning.

And you can find restoration and strength to begin again. The only man who fails as a father is the man who quits and gives up, checks out. What we need to do as men is to show up every day for work. Our work shepherding our families, leading our families. It may mean leaving work early now and then, just going home and throwing the ball around with your son, or reading a book to your daughter, peering into the eyes of your children.

Go home early, the returns are tax-free and the benefits to your children are beyond imagination. One final thing, we are not only kings, taking authority and responsibility as leaders in our homes. Not only like David are we to serve God and His purpose in our generation as shepherds, providing for our family, leading and guiding our families.

But we are warriors, protectors of our families. David was a warrior king who won many victories. The great victory, the first victory you'll recall was against Goliath. He was a shepherd boy, showed up, heard the giant blaspheming God, asked to go in, put me in coach. So he went in courageously in the name of the Lord God, the battle is the Lord, he exclaimed and the giant was felled.

He stood in the gap against the enemy. And that's what God has called warrior men to do today, to stand in the gap for our families. We do that by teaching them, training them, and protecting them. This is a dangerous world.

When I was a child living in small town Arkansas, I would get on my bike typically eight o'clock in the morning and not come back till dinnertime, suppertime as we called it. Kids don't live like that today, we can't. On a practical level, protecting your kids means knowing who their friends are, guiding them to make good decisions about their behaviors and about their attitudes.

It's knowing who your daughter is dating and your son, as far as that goes, is protecting them when they go to somebody else's house to know what's going on over at the other house. Satan is like a roaring lion seeking whom he may devour. Be in the battle every day.

Resist the devil, he will flee from you. Put on the whole armor of God and stand for your children. Be courageous, be brave, be bold. General Patton, U.S. Army General said, all men are afraid of the battle. The coward is the one who lets his fear overcome his sense of duty. Our greatest sense of duty is for our family.

We must be courageous to take the hard stand, to be willing to teach our children how to stand against the enemy, to stand alone if necessary. So David served the purposes of God in his own generation. And then the Bible says he fell asleep. He just apparently suddenly and quickly stepped into eternity.

He closed well, he finished well though there were defeats as well as great victories. His son Solomon went on to build the temple and to be a wise man on the face of the earth. When it comes time to lay it down men, when we fall asleep in Jesus, may we open our eyes into his presence and hear the words well done. You're listening to PowerPoint with Jack Graham and today's message, Man Up. As you prepare for Christmas, we want to help make sure you don't miss a moment of what God wants to say to you. Slow down and soak up the sacred meaning that's at the heart of the holiday season with Dr. O.S. Hawkins, 25-day Christmas devotional, The Christmas Code. Dr. O.S.

Hawkins is a longtime friend of Dr. Graham and the two have often collaborated in the work of the gospel, encouraging each other in both life and ministry. And in the Christmas Code, Dr. Hawkins helps you encounter the birth of Jesus with fresh eyes and rejoice in what really makes the season so special. The Christmas Code is our special thanks for your gift to help boldly proclaim God's word through PowerPoint. This is the last day of this offer, so call today. Call 1-800-795-4627. That's 1-800-795-4627. You can also text the word PowerPoint to 313131. Text PowerPoint to 313131. And don't forget to visit JackGraham.org where you can shop our e-store or give a gift online or sign up for Dr. Graham's free daily email devotional.

Our website again is JackGraham.org. Pastor, what is your PowerPoint for today? I've always believed that men are a vital part of the work of Christ on earth, and not only indispensable in society and in the culture where men are so greatly needed to leave their homes and their families, but also in the church.

When you look at the life of David, you find a man though he was flawed and certainly imperfect, yet a man who served God and the purposes of God in his own generation. What a beautiful description of what our life should be as men, that we would serve God with all our hearts, minds, soul, and strength, that we would be all in, that we would man up to lead our families, to lead our churches, to lead our children, and fulfill the purposes of God in our own generation. The way that you can do that is to embrace your leadership role in your family as a provider, as a protector, as a lover in your family. I would encourage you men to be leaders in your church. You say, how do I lead in my church? By serving, by showing up and serving and be available to the plan of God and the purposes of God in your life.

If you will be faithful to God, I promise you, he will help you to man up and take on the responsibility of leadership through servanthood. I want to remind all of you who are listening on PowerPoint right now that you can connect with me personally on Twitter at Jack N. Graham. We'd love to get to know you and for you to get to know me through this amazing opportunity that we have on Twitter and also Facebook. And you can go to jackgram.org, our website. There you can find messages and tools to grow in your faith.

Again, that's jackgram.org. Let's connect. Let's get together. And I look forward to knowing you better in this way.

God bless you. Thank you for joining us today on PowerPoint. And that is today's PowerPoint. Remember, when you give a gift to PowerPoint, we'll send you a copy of the book Christmas Code as our thanks.

Call 1-800-795-4627, 1-800-795-4627. You can also text the word PowerPoint to 313131. Text PowerPoint to 313131. And join Dr. Graham next time when he brings a message about finding significance in your life. That's next time on PowerPoint with Jack Graham. PowerPoint with Jack Graham is sponsored by PowerPoint Ministries.