To Be The Man

Hello Everyone!

I had plans of writing more/posting more this summer. Then it was August 31st and I hadn't done anything since mid June. Where does the time go? With Ric Flair in the news recently due to his health, and many of you notifying me of such, I thought I would repost my Father's Day Sermon from earlier in the year. At the bottom you'll find the video of said sermon if you interested in the difference between my sermon notes and what actually comes out of my mouth. Enjoy!

Sola Scriptura!

Glen

P.S. I looked for a picture of me in the Nature Boy outfit but could not find one. I know they were posted online. If you have one send it to me please. 

P.Sx2.  I know the text is random sizes & fonts. The technology has left me quickly since retiring almost 2 years ago. I can't even find a picture of myself dressed as Ric Flair anymore. 

1 Kings 2:1-3

To be the man, pt 2.

Happy Father’s Day Antioch Baptist Church! Those of you that hear me on Wednesday nights know that I grew up with a love for professional wrestling that I got from my papa. Blackjack Mulligan, Wahoo McDaniel, and of course the greatest wrestling of all time. The Nature Boy Ric Flair. To 8 year old me that was the coolest guy in the world! He had the fancy clothes, the limousines, and he was always surrounded by beautiful women. Now I realized giving Ric Flair’s prime was 25 years ago there are plenty of you that either don’t know or don’t remember him. So, I brought some visual aids to help you out. He had this platinum blonde hair like this, and he had these elaborate robes like so. He would put the robe on and strut down the aisle shouting “WOOOOOOOOOOOOO”. Then proceed to put a whupping on his opponent. Then after the opponent tapped out to the figure four leg lock he would pick up the mic and shout “To be the man! You’ve got to beat the man!” This is what 8-year-old me thought a man looked like. Ridiculous, right?

There is a big difference between what the world says a man should look like and what The Bible says a man should look like. So if you are a man, live with a man,  or you know a man, then today’s message is going to be quite helpful as we look at Biblical Manhood, and what it takes to be the man.
Now the days of David drew near that he should die, and he charged Solomon his son, saying: ² “I go the way of all the earth; be strong, therefore, and prove yourself a man. ³ And keep the charge of the Lord your God: to walk in His ways, to keep His statutes, His commandments, His judgments, and His testimonies, as it is written in the Law of Moses, that you may prosper in all that you do and wherever you turn.

On Wednesdays for the last several years we have been studying the life of David, King of Israel. He accomplished a great many things in his life. Most famously he slayed the giant Goliath with just a sling and a stone. He was a great military commander, he was a great king. He unified Israel after a 7 year civil war. He expanded Israel borders through both military and political prowess. He wrote most of the psalms and it’s said that he dealt judgment and justice to all of God’s people. He is referred to in the New Testament as a man after God’s own heart.

Yet, he was also not without his flaws. While he was a terrific king he was not a great father or husband. These short comings would haunt him later in life. Now he is on his death bed. His son Solomon, has been chosen as the heir apparent. He had spent the last several years trying to make amends for his short coming as a father and to teach his son how to be a Godly leader. Here he gives his last bit of fatherly advice.

David says I go the way of all the earth. David realized that his time was up and that he, just like all of us, was going to die. There’s a running joke at the Men’s Breakfast we have every Saturday morning that as we are piling all manner of unhealthy delicious things on our plates at least one person will comment “we all got to die of something, it might as well taste good.”

David realizes and accepts that it is his time. He realizes that the most important thing he accomplished was in his life was his decision to follow the Lord. He tells Solomon. Be strong.

What do we picture with the word strong? What’s the first thing that pops in your head? A superhero perhaps like Superman or the Hulk? Maybe some pro athlete, or body builder? The implication in the text is not physical strength but to be strong, courageous, resolute. David knew better than anyone the challenges of being king and that it required a great deal of strength physically, mentally, emotionally and spiritually. Solomon would not be able to lead properly without this type of strength. 

David reminds him that this kind of strength, Godly strength is how he will prove himself a man. What does the world tell us? What’s the world’s definition of a man? Good Looks? Big muscles? Large Bank Account? Lots of girlfriends? Successful career?

I like to read a lot and a little while back I read the auto-biography of former NFL player and current Actor, Terry Crews. He’s been in movies, tv shows, and radio programs. He’s married to a former beauty queen, has a net worth of $20 million dollars and if you’ve seen pictures of him he’s pretty much a 6’3” solid mass of muscle. He’s the textbook definition of manly. Yet, by his own admission. He talks about how he has struggled all his life with never truly feeling like a man.

I can relate. I spent most of my life never really feeling like a man. I’ve never been particularly good looking, rich or strong. I’ve always been terrible at all the traditional manly things like cars, hunting, fishing, repair work and anything that involves the outdoors. Look if Outside is so great why do we spend so much money perfecting inside? Anyway. Then back in Nov of 2015 I quit my day job so I could stay home with the kids while Lindsey went back to nursing. I had to do all manner of things outside my comfort zone. Fishing, hiking, repairs work, and we have two separate gardens now. I took apart a sink, successfully retrieved a necklace, and then I put it back together.

I realize all these things may seem minor to a lot of you but to me they are significant accomplishments and things I would have never considered two years ago. God uses the situations in our lives to stretch us, grow us, and show us who is really in control.

Being a man is not about doing "manly" or "macho" things that I thought it was for so long. It's about serving your family and that means you simply do what needs to be done. Whether it’s in your comfort zone or not.  This is the strength David is talking about.

David then tells Solomon exactly what he must do to be strong.

And keep the charge of the Lord your God: to walk in His ways, to keep His statutes, His commandments, His judgments, and His testimonies, as it is written in the Law of Moses, that you may prosper in all that you do and wherever you turn.

This is all about God’s Word.

Keep the Charge:

Remember Gods promises to you that are found in God’s Word. This is our firm foundation the promises of God.

Walk in His ways: Remember God’s Word in your personal life. Not just on special occasions or in front of others but even those times when the doors are closed and no one is looking.

Keep his Statutes: A statutes is a permanent rule established by an organization, to govern its internal affairs. Remember God’s Word while you are ruling the people. Remember God’s Word at Work.

Commandments: This one is important. God doesn’t give us suggestions. He gives us commands. Growing up when my Dad told me to take out the trash. I took out the trash. When I didn’t, for whatever reason, there was a problem. That was usually solved by a whupping. Whatever, God has commanded you to do, you best do it as soon as you can.

Judgments: Hebrews 4:12 “For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the hear”

God is not only the law giver, but the law applier. God is the discerner of hearts. We are to stand by His judgments according to His Word not our own personal opinions.

Testimonies: Remember all that God has done and remind yourself and others constantly. I frequently hear people say, I don’t know how to witness. I don’t know how to do a devotion or teach a class. I don’t know what to say to my classmates, co-workers, facebook friends, etc.

It’s real simple. I’m going to tell you the same thing brother John Gravitte would tell me “I’m not real smart, or know enough to be a pastor but I just tell them what the Good Lord has done for me and that’s enough.”

Colossians 1:13 “For He rescued us from the domain of darkness, and transferred us to the kingdom of His beloved Son,”

Just tell them what Jesus has done for you and don’t forget to remind yourself as well.

In short, He says Son, Follow the whole word of God in every aspect of your life.

This is so that he can prosper is all that does and everywhere he turns. Who here wants to prosper? I would dare say all of us do. This is how! However high and orthodox our view of God's Word might be, our failure to actually do what it says shows the world that we do not in fact put much faith in it.

The Bible is not a book of morality but of reality! Christianity is not about behavior modification but an encounter with the risen king! Morality matters yes but it is a product of the gospel not its essence. The all-knowing God calls us to follow Him; and every act of obedience accesses for us the benefits of His Omniscience. We can live beyond our own abilities. God has provided good for us. When we turn from Him, we only turn to that which will make us sorrowful.

Conclusion

I want to close tonight with story from when I was younger.

When I was in 5^th grade, I loved trading cards. Baseball, basketball, football, etc. Then they came out with Marvel Comic trading cards. Be still my nerdy little heart! They were a $1 a pack. I would scrounge up loose change and do random chores to earn enough money for a pack of cards. I even carried around this tiny little plastic change wallet for this purpose.  One evening me and my dad were in the Revco in Durham. I counted my change and had enough for a pack of cards! My dad was buying something in line in front of me. As the lady rang him up he looks at me and goes Son can I have a dime? A dime would have put me a dime short of buying my pack of cards and I hesitated.  Yet, I also knew my Dad loved me and wouldn’t ask anything of me without purpose. So, I gave him the dime and proceeded to put the cards back. He then said, “What are you doing?” said “ I’m a dime short so I’m putting the cards back.” He smiles at me and goes I just asked for the dime so I didn’t have to break a dollar. He then hands me a dollar.  God asks us for dimes, and gives us dollars. We can trust Him because He is good.

You know Ric Flair was right. To be the man we do have to beat the man. But that man is ourselves, we all have to come to that point where we trust our heavenly Father for help. We must remember that  even in our sin, His love never ceases. He sent Christ to forgive us our sins and extend to us the means of reconciliation with Him through the power of the resurrection. He allows us to embrace Him as savior of our souls and Lord of our lives, and I can think of no better present for Jesus this Father’s Day than that. Once we do that we will truly be Men & Women of God.