When I became a MAN

The following is a message delivered years ago to a group of young people at a youth conference. As I read it again tonight, it brought tremendous memories in one sense of what God did through it in peoples lives at this time but also brought conviction as a sharp sword piercing a resistant flesh When I became a man or… Grow up… Good morning – I’d like you to start in Psalm 12 but also turn to Nehemiah and Daniel We are going to look briefly at the development of 2 men of God today Listen, can I say this – We are in a generation that needs more Godly men and women – we need more mature Christians that will do something for God and make a difference than all those that call themselves Christians but make no impact on this world for Christ Psa 12:1 Help, LORD; for the godly man ceaseth; for the faithful fail from among the children of men. Psa 12:2 They speak vanity every one with his neighbour: with flattering lips and with a double heart do they speak. Psa 12:3 The LORD shall cut off all flattering lips, and the tongue that speaketh proud things: Psa 12:4 Who have said, With our tongue will we prevail; our lips are our own: who is lord over us? Psa 12:5 For the oppression of the poor, for the sighing of the needy, now will I arise, saith the LORD; I will set him in safety from him that puffeth at him. Psa 12:6 The words of the LORD are pure words: as silver tried in a furnace of earth, purified seven times. Psa 12:7 Thou shalt keep them, O LORD, thou shalt preserve them from this generation for ever. Psa 12:8 The wicked walk on every side, when the vilest men are exalted. So we see the need for Men – Psa 12:1 Help, LORD; for the godly man ceaseth; for the faithful fail from among the children of men. We also see the result of no godly men – Psa 12:8 The wicked walk on every side, when the vilest men are exalted. Godly men that impact the world are desperately needed today… We are all commanded to be “like Men” – spiritually – 1Co 16:13 Watch ye, stand fast in the faith, quit you like men, be strong. The reason that this world still spins today and that we still exist 2 Pet 3:9 – The Lord is not slack concerning his promise as some men count slackness, but is longsuffering to usward – NOT WILLING THAT ANY SHOULD PERISH, BUT THAT ALL SHOULD COME TO REPENTANCE There are 6.8 billion people on this earth and most of them are on their way to hell –God has used and still uses godly men and women in each generation as His conduit through which the gospel is spread. I see this room and I get excited as I think of how God could turn the world upside down just with the young people in this very room if He could just have your heart and if you would allow Him to make godly men and women out of each of you God needs each of us to GROW UP This is not a matter of the age of a person but of a spiritual maturity and growth in order to accomplish His mission for His glory The need is great in this world, the labourers are few and the time is short – the Night is far spent, the day is at hand… LET US …. So what constitutes being a godly man THE WORLD SURE HAS SOME CRAZY DEFINITIONS OF WHAT MANHOOD IS DON’T THEY – Some base it on what you have – You are a man if you ride a Harley You are a man if you wear black Some base it on who your allegiances are to – You’re a man If you cheer for the raiders Some base it on age – you are a man If you are 21 yrs old If you accomplish some right of passage – maybe college graduation You are a man if you own a home etc etc SO Does being a Christian constitute godly manhood? – no you are born again at salvation and are just a babe in Christ – it is part of the equation – you cannot be a mature Christian without first being a Christian The Bible says in 1 Peter 2:2, as newborn babes desire the sincere milk of the word that you may grow thereby In fact in Ephesians we see the mandate of the church – For the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry and for the edifying of the body of Christ. Till we all come in the Unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the son of God – unto a PERFECT MAN SO I WANT TO ENCOURAGE YOU TODAY TO GROW UP – OR to “BE A MAN” for GOD This afternoon we will look at 2 OT characters that grew up –Nehemiah and Daniel Two men of different ages, backgrounds and different professions that decided that no worldly comfort or position was worth keeping if God had something more important for them 1) Put away childish things – our comforts, aspiration and temporal endeavors and surrender to God’s will 2) Personalize the need – be sensitive to God’s calling 3) Prepare our hearts for manhood and its trials 4) Persevere through the trials of spiritual manhood 1) The first step of manhood is to PUT Away childish things 1Co 13:11 When I was a child, I spake as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child: but when I became a man, I put away childish things. Paul says he put away childish things in order to become a man Nature tells us that • men don’t play with rattles anymore • they dont wear bibs or ride tricycles • They grow out of diapers, out of a bottle - they progress to soft food and then they cut their teeth and can enjoy steak, amen? • They grow physically in height and size and constantly grow out of their clothes throughout their childhood • They learn letters, form words and start being able to converse with people In like manner - the godly man needs to put away the common hang-ups of immature Christians and be willing grow up for the sake of Christ The truth is that the men we will look at had to put away things that we might not consider childish but almost – the NORM – they had to put away the desire and potential for personal comfort, gain and prominence and seek first the Kingdom of God Nehemiah - Put away his own comfort and aspirations. Put away a career in exchange for God’s cause. He was a cupbearer. He worked in a palace – chances are he wasn’t wearing rags, he probably was not mistreated, he probably ate good, he was probably comfortable and although he had to test the drinks for poison I expect that for the most part anyone who wanted to do the king in would know he had a cupbearer to prevent poisoning and I also expect the king wouldn’t have just anyone cooking for him – I imagine it was a relatively safe job. (and it wasn’t a bad gig – it was like testing all the samples at Sam’s club – he may not be able to buy all those foods but he could enjoy tasting them) Did Nehemiah have to change his profession – was anyone forcing him to go do something for God? NO, HE SIMPLY KNEW THAT WORKING FOR GOD WAS MORE IMPORTANT AND WORTHWHILE THAN WORKING FOR HIMSELF Daniel – put away worldly potential for godly potential He was a good looking kid or he wouldn’t have been chosen – Dan. 1:4 – no blemish, well favoured, skillful, cunning etc He had a good education He was in captivity but he was the rags to riches story –if he played his cards right and become what the Chaldeans wanted him to be - he could live in a nice place, - he could have great food, - he would have great respect as a counselor of the king, - he would be popular, - he could wear nice clothes, - he’d be paid well, - he’d probably be allowed to get married and have a family - – not bad by the world’s standards. Did Daniel have to go against the system? Couldn’t he have just gotten comfortable and forgotten about the God of his people and lived a carnal life? These men didn’t just sit in their comfort zone and seek worldly pleasures – they put away childish things WHY? Because GOD HAD SHOWED THEM A NEED and that was more important than their personal desire for comfort LISTEN TO ME YOUNG PEOPLE _ I SAY THIS FROM PERSONAL EXPERIENCE AND PERSONAL FAILURE THAT - UNTIL YOU SEE THAT GOD IS WORTHY OF GLORY MORE THAN YOU ARE WORTHY OF COMFORT - AND UNTIL YOU SEE THAT MILLIONS OF LOST SOULS ON THEIR WAY TO HELL ARE MORE IMPORTANT THAN YOUR temporal pursuits – You will never do anything worthwhile for God and His kingdom Lets move on - The next step we see into Spiritual manhood for these men is that they were 2 Personalize the need – be Sensitive and responsive to God’s calling - God would have us all to get a vision for our “mission field” Eph 1:17 That the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give unto you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of him: Eph 1:18 The eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that ye may know what is the hope of his calling, and what the riches of the glory of his inheritance in the saints, Nehemiah heard of a need of his people and he made it personal (HIS CALLING WAS TO DO SOMETHING ABOUT THE BROKEN DOWN CITY OF JERUSALEM) Neh 1:2 That Hanani, one of my brethren, came, he and [certain] men of Judah; and I asked them concerning the Jews that had escaped, which were left of the captivity, and concerning Jerusalem. Neh 1:3 And they said unto me, The remnant that are left of the captivity there in the province [are] in great affliction and reproach: the wall of Jerusalem also [is] broken down, and the gates thereof are burned with fire. He heard the Need and it was personal – he took responsibility for what was happening Neh 1:6 Let thine ear now be attentive, and thine eyes open, that thou mayest hear the prayer of thy servant, which I pray before thee now, day and night, for the children of Israel thy servants, and confess the sins of the children of Israel, which we have sinned against thee: both I and my father's house have sinned. The next thing you know he was asking the king for permission to lead a group back to prepare the wall Daniel Daniel recognized that he was in a dangerous position that could easily lure him into sin – and he knew from the beginning that if GOD were going to use him in this area – there was no room for COMPROMISE HE REALIZED THAT THIS POSITION WOULD ALLOW HIM TO BE A WITNESS TO THE ENTIRE KINGDOM ABOUT WHERE TRUE WISDOM AND DISCERNMENT AND ANSWERS COME FROM _ HE WANTED TO TESTIFY OF THE GREATNESS AND GLORY OF HIS GOD TO ALL THE WORLD Dan 2:27 Daniel answered in the presence of the king, and said, The secret which the king hath demanded cannot the wise men, the astrologers, the magicians, the soothsayers, shew unto the king; Dan 2:28 But there is a God in heaven that revealeth secrets, and maketh known to the king Nebuchadnezzar what shall be in the latter days… He saw the need – he recognized his calling and he made it personal If you’re going to be a man – you must be separated as Daniel purposed to be Pro 18:1 Through desire a man, having separated himself, seeketh [and] intermeddleth with all wisdom. 2 cor 4 – come out from among them and be ye separate saith the Lord and touch not the unclean thing 1Jn 2:15 Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him. 1Jn 2:16 For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world. 1Jn 2:17 And the world passeth away, and the lust thereof: but he that doeth the will of God abideth for ever. Rom 12:2 and be not conformed to this world but be ye transformed… So the growth of the man goes 1 - from putting away the childish things 2 - to personalizing a need and taking responsibility for it. Lets move on to #3 – A person will not become a GODLY man without preparation. 3 Manhood Requires a preparation of the Heart So How did they Prepare? – THEY ALL HAD TO HAVE SOME HEART SURGERY 1) Nehemiah Prayed, fasted and mourned Neh 1:4 And it came to pass, when I heard these words, that I sat down and wept, and mourned [certain] days, and fasted, and prayed before the God of heaven, Both of these men had times of mourning, praying and fasting before God as part of their preparation. Daniel mourned for 3 weeks and Nehemiah mourned certain days Mourned – godly sorrow - its a sorrow of the heart – a sorrow for offending God – a sobriety that desires to please God That sorrow and seriousness will produce a preparation on your heart 2Co 7:10 For godly sorrow worketh repentance to salvation not to be repented of: but the sorrow of the world worketh death. 2Co 7:11 For behold this selfsame thing, that ye sorrowed after a godly sort, what carefulness it wrought in you, yea, what clearing of yourselves, yea, what indignation, yea, what fear, yea, what vehement desire, yea, what zeal, yea, what revenge! In all things ye have approved yourselves to be clear in this matter. Is that a good way to prepare your heart? The Bible has much to say about the heart - It is deceitful above all things and desperately wicked… - JESUS SAID - Out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaketh Prov 4:23 - keep thy heart with all diligence, for out of it are the issues of life. We are to love the Lord with all our heart We are to trust in the Lord with all our heart We are to hide God’s word in our heart to protect us from sin… 2) Daniel Purposed – Daniel 1:8 (8) But Daniel purposed in his heart that he would not defile himself with the portion of the king's meat, nor with the wine which he drank: therefore he requested of the prince of the eunuchs that he might not defile himself. Determined to be separated from sin – to ready himself before the temptation came Job – I made a covenant with mine eyes… David – I will set no wicked thing before mine eyes - David said – set a watch O Lord before my mouth, keep the doors of my lips - David said – I will behave myself wisely in a perfect way, O when wilt thou come unto me, I will walk within my house with a perfect heart… - Paul – I determined not to know anything among you save Jesus Christ and him crucified Dan 9:3 And I set my face unto the Lord God, to seek by prayer and supplications, with fasting, and sackcloth, and ashes: Dan 9:4 And I prayed unto the LORD my God, and made my confession… The last step is the TEST OF MANHOOD When the time is right then there needs to be that right of passage. There will come the time when God will test your manhood – he will start to put you through that refiners fire – He will be ready to try you. A man becomes a man when he perseveres through the trials – when the soldier hits the battlefield, when the doctor takes the scalpel to his first live person, when the pilot goes up on his own for the first time – that is when it is the making or breaking of a man. When the pressure was on – when the problem was presented – when the persecution came – These 2 proved to be MEN of God What were the tests of their manhood and did they persevere? Listen – if the tests come and you have not put away the childish things, personalized the need and recognized your responsibility and prepared your heart – you will fail – the tests that these men had were significant and had they not been prepared they would have failed miserably 1) Nehemiah– • A Test of Humility Wasn’t afraid to get his hands dirty – despite being the governor over the project he showed that he was no better than anyone else and did work himself – Neh 3:16 After him repaired Nehemiah the son of Azbuk, the ruler of the half part of Bethzur, unto [the place] over against the sepulchres of David, and to the pool that was made, and unto the house of the mighty. • A Test of Courage, Commitment and Faith He was willing to fight for the work he was called to knowing that God was in control Neh 4:13 Therefore set I in the lower places behind the wall, [and] on the higher places, I even set the people after their families with their swords, their spears, and their bows. Neh 4:14 And I looked, and rose up, and said unto the nobles, and to the rulers, and to the rest of the people, Be not ye afraid of them: remember the Lord, [which is] great and terrible, and fight for your brethren, your sons, and your daughters, your wives, and your houses. • A Test of Discernment He was wise in that didn’t fall into the enemies traps Neh 6:2 That Sanballat and Geshem sent unto me, saying, Come, let us meet together in [some one of] the villages in the plain of Ono. But they thought to do me mischief. 2) Daniel – we’ll just look at one of his tests. • A Test of Consistency regardless of Circumstance DANIEL WAS A Man of Prayer and faith but when a persons life is on the line – that is where the RUBBER MEETS THE ROAD… I know that most of you know the story of Daniel – those that hated him couldn’t find any fault in him according to the law because he was a man of integrity – so they fooled the king into changing the law regarding praying to other gods and this meant that Daniel would be killed if he continued to pray to God – he chose to obey God – even though it meant the Lions den Dan 6:10 Now when Daniel knew that the writing was signed, he went into his house; and his windows being open in his chamber toward Jerusalem, he kneeled upon his knees three times a day, and prayed, and gave thanks before his God, as he did aforetime. NOTICE THE Consistency – It doesn’t say he prayed for help to not be thrown in the Lion’s den or to be delivered from it. He gave thanks. Would our prayers be primarily of thanskgiving under those circumstances? . Conclusion – Where are you today? Do you know first of all that you are saved… THEN – have you Put away childish things Personalize the Need – see what God’s will is for you Prepare your heart to obey under any circumstances and Persevere through the trials of manhood with faith and boldness Jesus turned the world upside down with about a dozen men – what potential does a group this size have for the glory of God? ¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬ When you stand before God someday – wouldn’t it be relieving to know that you lived your life - - with no reserves but gave it all to God - with no retreats – you faced every challenge with faith in the Lord Jesus - and with no regrets – that you are so confident in your service to God that you don’t regret how you spent your life that is how I want to face God…