Men's Breakfast: Be A Man!

I want to encourage you men in the scriptures and exhort you 1st

Corinthians chapter 16 and I've been studying this passage this week, and it's very convicting and so when

I get convicted I like to convict others around me If I said to you men act like men

You may accept that If I said to you don't be a baby

That may be harder to accept There's a passage in the Bible that actually says act like men.

What's the King James say Doug? Quit ye like men. What do you preach at a men's breakfast?

What kind of words? Do you exhort men with well? How about the passage that says act like a man and in these days with gender -neutral

Bibles? It's kind of like act like men and women act like People and if you take a look at 1st

Corinthians chapter 16 verse 13 right there in a series of staccato military commands is

Tucked away act like men be on the alert Stand firm in the faith

Act like men Be strong and then the next one's a command to in the same order let all that you do be done in love

Act like a man how many people have heard a sermon on that on that verse act like a man if you have

Dave You've probably preached a sermon on act like another question to ask This year coming up in 2004.

I think it's going to be a key year for us at the church Some things are finally coming together. We've got a missions program.

That's going very well The ladies ministries are booming Sunday school curriculum has been changed.

I'm very encouraged about that Mark and Ruth We're getting some fellowship going with the banquet

I really thought the ladies did a great job of the banquet and so I just have a general good feel about the church not just all

Gut feel but just I'm pleased with the direction of the church. Then I asked myself the question. Well, what about men's ministries?

What do we do? And is that a vital component? I think the answer is well, yes So I'm going to charge you men today to act like men and then we'll have some time

Afterwards at our tables to figure out what we really need at the church for men's ministries There's some of course going on discipleship and training and things like that But I think we could do better and I'd like to have maybe for breakfast next year

And we can talk about that a little bit more, but I want to look at this passage act like men

Guys remember that big guy that wrestler our all -star wrestler Andre the what? Giant I mean he was a

Hulk of a guy wasn't he? Matter of fact, he could be Hulk Hogan except it was all rigged Andre the giant that word

Andre is this Greek word that doesn't say act like a person act like a human

Act like a a man. I was gonna say ogre, but that's not right act like that would be imposing

WWF hermeneutics into the text Act like a man and it's that word in there and there which is really a man act like a man a big strong man

Of course Paul isn't necessarily saying to the Corinthian Church I want you to be a man physically and everybody go down to the gym and do all those things, but he's talking about Spiritually act like men and this passage here is almost a corrective to all the other nonsense in first Corinthians There's all kinds of weird stuff going on and now he says act like men

Be a man And he says it in this passage as a group. So that's why

I'm gonna address you as a group Let me give you several characteristics of what men do Versus babies versus women versus teenagers act like men number one.

You don't have to take notes But if you do it, it's this one number one real men eat meat Think about it

I've had I have four kids and I know what carrots taste like in Gerber jars

Why do I know that because I love that taste of carrot? No, because I have to taste it because it makes sure it's not too hot right to give the kids

Men don't usually go around I mean, I don't see Bruce who's tender on the inside and tough on the outside as it were with his towering voice

Or I don't see Mike the hunter walking around, you know I'm gonna go shooting deer this weekend and I've got all my

Gerber's baby foods And I got those little tiny hot dogs to like eight of those hot dogs would come in that little jar

No, we don't do that men eat meat, right? And so on the spiritual level What I'd like to do is

I want to try to challenge you men to get off the blended oatmeal diet And if you're on it to get off of it, if you're not on it good for you

Keep going and require meat. This is a day that we live in if I had a thing of fluff

I would hold it up Fluff theology everything sugar everything tastes great

But in fact, it is less filling it tastes good going down But it's just a bunch of fluff and I say real men eat meat when

I was first a Christian It was like well, I want to read the latest Reggie White got saved and I'm gonna read that testimony

That's fine. But if that's all you're reading, it's just kind of Candy, I want to read to read that new

Biography where Deon Sanders got saved and I want to learn all about it. That's fine. But I think men eat meat

Turn over to Hebrews chapter 5 for a second and I want to show you to the degree of this Our society now guys, it's full of all this fluff

I may offend you I hope I don't but I might be a little more straightforward here than I am on Sundays But this society especially evangelical society.

It's so full of fluff. I can't stand it. I want to encourage you meant to eat meat You go to Congress this year in the past having all kinds of good speakers and now

I look at the agenda and I go $200 for syrup Everybody's you know, it's like the whole

JBS thing. Yes, there's truth in JBS, but it's just fluff 40 days of fluff is the latest thing out there 40 days to change your life the purpose -driven fluff.

Excuse me the purpose -driven life a purpose -driven drivel. I what's the name again? It just bothers me so I was 29 years old before God saved me and now

I want to live for the Lord It's time to grow up Look at this passage.

Oh, oh, I knew I was gonna say we can be I want you men to be known as Atkins men Not physically but spiritually physically.

It's pretty good to have to eat a lot of nuts though, right Peter Atkins and what do you have to do?

Okay South Beach then you can add a little bit of carbos But go for the protein just think about the analogy

I know first Corinthians 16 doesn't say, you know men eat meat, but that's just what men do they eat meat and so isn't it time to lay aside your only devotions for your life or the daily bread and What you listen to on radio for 15 minutes.

Those are fine I'm not saying any that's bad, but it's time to turn it up a notch, right? Look at Hebrews chapter 5 verse 11

And he's talking to this group of Hebrews some are saved some aren't some know about Christianity some don't and he says in verse 11 concerning him

We have much to say and it is hard to explain since you have become dull of hearing He says some of you

Hebrews you're groggy You're walking around taking Valium and you have just spiritual lethargy and it's just kind of like You know just spiritually you're just you you don't know what's happened

Verse 12 for though by this time you ought to be teachers You need again for someone to teach you the elementary oracles of God the

ABCs and you have come to need milk and not solid Food said you he said you Hebrews have such a history of knowing the

Bible. You should be teachers and yet You haven't eaten good food for such a long time.

What happened your stomach shrinks And the next time you take two bites you go man. I'm full You ever done that you haven't eaten very much and then your stomach shrinks a little it hasn't happened to me

But I've heard that's true And then he says to these

Hebrews in verse 13 For everyone who partakes only of milk is not accustomed to the word of righteousness interesting terminology for the word for he's a babe

Now study this on your own, but here's what verse 14 is saying But solid food is for the mature are the perfect are the saved

The solid foods for the mature who because of the practice have their senses trained to discern good and evil

He's saying you've already got junior church down you've got beginner church down It's time for the solid food and study to see if I'm right on another day

But he's also saying if you're a Christian you can have meat I am

I'm just gonna be as honest as I can. I am so tired of lowest common denominator

Christianity because then in the middle of the night when I get a phone call It's usually from people who are experiencing the lowest common denominator

Spirituality in their life, and they have a temptation or a crisis It's fine to call me of course

But they were having a crisis and they have no weapons to combat this huge enemy because they've been imbibing in lowest common denominator spirituality when

I read men like William Carey And I read ladies like Mary Slusser who ran into the jungle and if there were twins born

She would think they were demon -possessed the the people would and she would rescue them right from the tribesmen

They'd set the babies out to die and let the leopards and panthers eat them and she rescued 51 sets of twins

That fires me up But you know the theme that I see and all the great people the past Adoniram Judson you can look at other preachers that are even more common

Spurgeon You can look back to guys in the Reformation. What was the common denominator? gruel

Just study enough to get by Well you know I don't want to study all the big words because you know they're big words

And you know I'll guarantee you this if my wife And I were dating before she was my wife.

I guess if we were dating after she might he was my wife I don't know what you would call that, but if she was

French, and I couldn't speak English. Well. That's obvious And I couldn't speak

French, and she couldn't speak English, and she wrote me a love letter I wrote her a letter and said will you please marry me and she wrote me more and back

What I say there's just a bunch of big French words, and I can only read fromage, and it's just cheese

You know forget it. I know that one already. I'm gonna do fromage It's cheese, and and you know that's fine

Or would I go buy a Bible a dictionary a French English dictionary and figure out every nuance of every word to read see?

How much she loved me? if we do that for a woman Which is great

How much more for God and he's given us this book? And you know even Paul said even Peter said about Paul in 2nd

Peter well some things are hard to understand Will then grow up and study be a man?

It's okay, and the good news is let's say you haven't until this day today's a good day to start isn't the Lord good

He's never standing there saying I told you so And it's about time to get on it and you're always gonna be the way you are

No, God is saying you know I would love to grant you repentance, and I'll give you the motivation to study and grow

It's time to eat some meat And I think we do a good job, but I think we could get

Better there's a new book out wild at heart for men

That book is bad. There's only two things bad with it I guess a bad view of God and a bad view of man other than that you can read it, but it's problem

It's like people reading TD Jake's you know these days Jake's mistakes you go Yeah, of course all the sex talk is good, but it doesn't do anything the guy doesn't even believe in the

Trinity somebody stand up And let's go for it You could say it. Well. Do I like meat?

Let's say you don't understand something from the pulpit well Then go home and study it and I'm telling you this if you won't like meat, and you won't study

Do you think your wives will? And if they do God bless you, but it's not he's not blessing you because of what you've done

You men are the leaders of your family You should be craving the meat matter of fact

I'll go so far to say is your budget in 2004 done, and if it is done does it include meaty?

Bible helps to help you understand this book a great thing to do all right.

Let's keep going. It's kind of fun Let's go another one real men like meat number two real men want truth even if it hurts

You know you're a kid, and you're in the doctor's office, and the doctor doesn't tell you you've got cancer.

He tells you what? your mom and your dad But when I'm in the hospital and the doctor is whispering to the nurses and if I have cancer one day

I'm gonna say doctor. I want to know I know it's going to hurt, but I need to know the truth.

Don't you? what you want to know and Men if God calls us to act like men.

I think men will hear the truth even if it hurts And when they said to Jesus that is a hard saying some of the

Bible is hard You ever got the wind knocked out of you Remember I was playing football one time, and I was gonna make that tackle

I was on the kickoff team high school running down full blast I had the corner on the guy and I was going and I didn't see this guy out of the side of my helmet

It was just whack. I was just you know You know it's like I was reading about the

Franciscan monks this week this has nothing to do with this passage, but it's interesting So I'll tell you they didn't know what to do for the day and where to preach so they would spin it in a circle

Around and around and around as fast as they could until they fell down and then when they got up whatever direction they have were

Pointed they'd go that direction to preach That's how I felt after I got hit.

It's like whack Sometimes you read the Bible it stings. I was preparing last week's message about complaining and it hurts because I complain

It's like oh But what do you do

I could I'll go so far to say this do you gauge a sermon on Sunday? By if you feel good driving away from church

Or not. I felt good. That was a good message You guys are barking up the wrong tree

If you think that's a good message the good messages are of course They are uplifting at times, but sometimes I don't feel good till I'm a mile down the street saying

God I'm a chump. Please forgive me and then the good feelings that come after Like well,

I felt so good after that message. Well, then I probably didn't preach it hard enough Another sermon lost you say

I want the truth and it's going to hurt don't you want to be made more like Christ? Well, it's going to take a chisel, isn't it?

Or in John chapter 15, it's going to take some snippers you ever get up there I was trying to trim the hedge the other day.

That's a sight to see and some of the branches are too big And Like that it is as hard as you can, you know

And then the things bend them sideways and everything else and I'm sure you know If the tree was a person it would hurt and here

God through his word is chipping us away And it's not supposed to feel good. The fruit is what feels good

When you see the changes in your life and you say I'm not the person I was a year ago and it's hurt

That's why God uses suffering so much to change person. This is word uses suffering. Just listen a few of these verses

Proverbs 12 by 15 the way of a fool is right in his own eyes, but a wise man is he who listens to counsel?

You'll give me the truth Open wide, you know, I I brought a copy of something that's called the

Bible, but it's anything but the message When it comes to hard truth men,

I don't care what Bible translation you use, but would you make it a word -for -word translation? Why because I want precision don't you if you your wife had that love letter a written?

You'd want to understand exactly what it says I will prove my point for you men that you never use the message as your primary

Bible and I'll prove it right now Psalm 1 How well

God must like you You don't hang out at sin saloon. You don't slink a long dead -end road.

You don't go to smart mouth college Is that the Bible?

No, but it feels good because I don't go to smart mouth college either It's so stupid

Let's read another one Psalm 32 Count yourself lucky how happy you must be

You get a fresh start your slates wiped clean he's talking about Blessed are those that do not have their sins imputed to them that God doesn't count your sins against you and the message says

You're just so lucky That word is verboten in this church, by the way There's nothing to do with luck.

It's God's good hand and his blessing That's why I can't stand the purpose -driven life book is because every chapter

Starts off with the Bible quote and most of the Bible quotes are from this and this isn't even in the

Bible When you see a verse in Scripture that says the message in a book you just look up that that verse in a in a

King James New King James New American Standard New American Standard 95 New American Standard XP or ESV There's no

XP, but sounds good. I mean get a word -for -word translation And you say well, yeah, but I like the nuances of the new living and I like the nuances of the message

I know you do So do I Excuse me. So don't

I I Know but I'm trying to pull you up. We're gonna be men. Are we not going to just say well, you know,

I'm a teenager I'm a youth. I just bothers me beware of these kind of translations

And again, the guy might be a great guy. I'm not attacking the person I'm attacking the the precision of the

Word of God Listen to another one Proverbs 15 31 he who whose ears ear listens to the life -giving reproof will do we dwell among the wise

But dwell among the wise there's a payoff you hear God's Word and it's hard you go. There's a payoff

Well among the wives some more talk if you have the the the Mormon message you ought not to read that book

That's why I get so mad at anything that usurps the authority of God's Word and somehow you substitute some kind of ology are

These days it's consumerism. I'll pick a church because it meets my needs Well, I'll tell you if you pick a church that meets your needs you're picking the church for all the wrong reasons

Consumerism at churches has run rampant and I know how to change this church into a megachurch First thing you should do is get rid of an army guy like me.

That's gotta go get rid of the pulpit You don't want that thing up there. I have a total, you know

Drama every week this and that I mean there's all kinds of ways to change church We need to have a Starbucks in here.

I think that is a good idea, but wrong motives You don't pick a church to consume.

I like this and I don't like that No, you pick a church because they preach God's Word and you want to be transformed by it

Even though it hurts as it goes down My wife once said to me honey.

She said you'll never have to worry about this church I Guarantee you if I look at somebody like Brian diamond

I can show you what God has done through his word since he's been here and you look back and you say here's what

I know Here's what I didn't know God. Thank you. I wouldn't pick though that kind of music. I wouldn't pick that kind of style

I wouldn't pick this kind of preaching this and that but I'm getting God's Word. That's what you do. Is that right, right?

Exactly, right Let me give you a third one that goes right along with this real men understand the place of felt needs are warm fuzzies

It is fine to have felt needs and warm fuzzies, but real men know the place of those Now you operate your life in the physical world in the next week on warm fuzzies and I want to see how far you get

I'll show you how far you get you're gonna be You know in front of the TV with a clicker and a big bag of Cheetos and a huge thing of you know

False staff or something. I don't know what you're gonna be doing Maybe I shouldn't say false staff.

Okay, seven up Emotions are good.

God has given us emotions joy and love and the the feelings that we have a piece

I say amen, but they are not the engine. They are the caboose Try operating in your family with your wife if you're married on just warm fuzzies and when you don't get them

What are you gonna do? You move past that stage when you first get married of being in love to now the hard work of commitment love

And that's what kind of love you men ought to manifest at home and at this church love gives before it feels

I Probably would sell a million

Bibles if I came out with the felt needs application Bible turning every

Bible verse upside down on how it warms my my Cockles my shekels what it warms, but it's bad

That's why you know, you have a seeker service and you say, all right I'm gonna build my whole worship service on the people that are coming

We don't want to do that. I'll tell you the problem with me and all of us here basic problem. We're selfish

So why would I cater to a bunch of unbelievers with their selfishness? All right.

Number four real men are stable or what I call cool I remember that show when I was growing up cool now, he was a

He's a blasphemer probably it was just a show but in a spiritual sense Turn to Ephesians chapter 4

Stable cool calm men. Let me charge you to be not driven off course easily things are going to happen there are going to be crises this year that come up and Men are are not going to be carried back and forth by the crisis by suffering or by false teaching and it's coming

It's already here look at Ephesians 4 14 as a result

We are no longer to be children Tossed here and there by waves carried about by every wind of doctrine by trickery of men by craftiness in deceitful scheming.

I Don't want you to be that way children are blown every which way Men need to be firm and stable and the only way you're going to get that stability and and the firmness is in God's Word Look at the text.

They're carried by every wind of doctrine You know the word periphery Scott Goddard, what's the word that starts off periphery the preposition in Greek?

Yeah, what's it mean? Around, you know periphery is to swing around And what have

I just drawn The periphery of the circle right to swing around and you would just imagine

Swung around and around and around and the wind blows this way and you're off into j -blast land and you're in this way

You're often to purpose -driven stuff and it's this way and it's just the next thing I'm telling you Morality centered things like this and just do this and have this purpose and do this for 40 days your life will change

You're acting like a child is what you're acting like Because you're just blowing around to the next thing.

I don't want the next thing I want to be like Spurgeon when someone comes along and says I know to Spurgeon you preach the same old stuff all the time

With nothing new and he said the day I begin to preach new stuff you throw me in a lunatic asylum There's nothing new and I'm preaching this text.

It's now 2 ,000 years old the newest fad and it's always a how -to thing.

Do you notice? There it's no how to ism and moralism is no better than Having no laws.

You just will do these things for ten days and you're set No, we've talked about that so much from the pulpit.

I won't keep doing it I just have a few more real men are mature real men are mature

I Wrote some things down about mature men. They're wise

If you don't hang around anyone with gray hair, you should they're consistent. They're not easily thrown off course

They don't blame other people's for their state. They don't pass the buck. They take ownership of their life

They don't care if they're noticed or not in their ministry They don't care if they work behind the scenes and no one notices them

They don't care about how many people likes them or their friendship crowd They don't worry about how to get in the inner circle at the church or work

They don't care if they're new to the church. They're older I mean, I just listen to this thing and I thought I want to be mature first Corinthians 3 says brethren

I could not speak to you as spiritual men, but as men as flesh as the babes in Christ Everybody here's go.

Let's see. How many visitors do we have? Not not too many today, right? Only a few so we've got enough books for everybody

I'm gonna give you this book today because I want to put my money where my mouth is I want you to be mature and how do you grow?

What's the number one way a Christian grows by the way? First Peter chapter 2 verses 1 and 2

Were you long for the pure milk of the word that by it you may grow with respect to salvation you want to grow you?

Have to study the word. Well, that's why I'm gonna give you this book And my challenge is going to be this so you can grow in your mature and mature in your faith

I'm gonna give you this book. And would you please read it? If you take a book, let's put it this way if you take it

I'm going to assume you're going to read it. Otherwise, we should give it to someone else So when you take the book the free book, it's a $15 book.

I've taken the book because Mike I'll make a commitment to read it. Here's what I want to do I don't know if I could pull it off or not, but in 40 days after today

In theme with the 40 days Don't you don't even get me started.

I said Kim just make sure I just don't do go too wild against this But it is horrible. It's wrong. It's not helpful

But in 40 days I've asked MacArthur if he would meet with us for an hour To talk about the book and we can have questions the only catch see he's not gonna be here in person

He's gonna be live but on a screen and so he can see us and we can see him and we'll meet in 40 days To talk about the book

But I want you men to read the book so you can be growing up and maturing in the faith Most of you, you know are very mature and so I don't want to be condescending

But two we want to talk to John about this because this is exactly opposite of 40 -day stuff This is you want to get saved and you be better be to the end of your rope and be sick of yourself

But there's no salvation for you versus hey if they like me they'll like the gospel

No, they won't because the gospel is to Jews an offense and to the Greeks.

They think it's stupid You're a moron if you believe that now tell me how many Starbucks you can give someone and free oil changes

There's a church in Chicago free oil changes for all new visitors How many oil changes does it take to whitewash the cross of its offense?

Here's the cross. You're a sinner and your life counts for nothing It's counted for zero and you're going to go to hell unless you believe the only way of salvation

This cross gives you forgiveness and nothing else your grandma's wrong. Your wife's wrong. You're wrong.

You're everybody's wrong except Christ. Here it is We can't even have the death penalty in Massachusetts law because it's such a scandal let alone the death penalty that Christ had

Should you be nice to unbelievers? Yes Should you invite them to church after you preach the gospel?

Yes, should you be warm and kind? Absolutely, but if you preach the gospel to an unbeliever and they're not offended either

God is drawing them or you did not preach the gospel The gospel isn't well,

I'll just take all this, you know, I'll live my life. The life is you're dead Sixth, I think

I should do this. Lastly soon. I'll just keep going if you need to go fine go.

I'd like to have you stay but Six real men lead at home and at the church first Corinthians women taking off their

Symbols of leadership in first Corinthians 11 women speaking in tongues when they ought not to be first Corinthians 14

Paul saying be a man in first Corinthians chapter 16 And so I want to charge him in to lead at home and lead here at the church

Taken do you I just ask you the questions for those of you who aren't married Pray for the married man

Do you take initiative at home when it comes to reading the Bible with the family? Do you take initiative in what your wife what's your wife reading?

What kind of spiritual book is she reading? Do you take initiative at family prayer? Do you take initiative? With getting ready for service on Sunday, you know, are you the one who's enthusiastic and say oh, you know

When it comes to hunting I've got I'm gonna go hunting tomorrow morning 4 in the morning You're both set out all your arrows all your stuff

Your golf clubs are there if you're gonna go golf and when it comes to Sunday, you know You're like sleeping in the last possible minute.

Well, you're leading your family and you're leading them in a wrong way In your family, it's either lead or be led

And so it's time to be leaders and I'll tell you if you say Use that one because that's not the

Bible, but you have the Bible I I used to do this with the kids when you're little I love the Bible. I Love the

Bible and you know what the kids were for Bible time What would they do? Let's study the Bible dad.

I'll tell you if I walk in and say another Bible study I can't believe this my duty before God to teach you snot -nosed little brats the

Bible today Well, what are they gonna do? Yeah Bible time dad

You don't say that at our house Bible time get a study the Bible your kids aren't gonna do it on their own

Oh, my kids don't pay attention. Well, it's like like ADD Show me a kid who's got

ADD and I'll show you a kid who can play Nintendo games for five hours They don't have attention deficit disorder.

They have selective attention Deficit and they can pay attention. There may be some weird rare cases, but I want you men to be enthusiastic

Say well, you know, I'd like to have more fellowship, but you know, we can't come to Sunday night And it's hard to get the kids ready.

Well, if that's not the case You're the problem. You can't get your kids ready.

I was shocked yesterday. I think about leading at home Robbie we're was working on the computer in there.

We've got DSL here and stuff like that And so he was working you're running late and Carl couldn't be here

I thought I need help putting up the table. And so I said to Robbie when you're done You think you can help me put the tables up?

How old Rob 19? 18 said Rob, could you help me put up the tables? He goes sure just like that.

I mean just programmed in his mind I'm telling you what he didn't just wake up one day saying, you know

When someone asked me to do something when I'm busy and want to go home. I'll just say sure I'll tell you how that happened By God's grace to through two human beings is how that happened.

Then I was blown away even more The Door was unlocked. It's usually locked.

It's super dark in here. All the lights are off. I have one little light on I'm trying to get my computer shut down to get home and a lady came in and she walks down the hallway

And she's like, is anybody here? I said, yes, I'm in my office. Is anybody here? Yes, I'm in my office And I'm just thinking now it's 530 on a

Friday Friday nights and Saturday nights are bad for the whole stopping by the church We went I have to sit and listen to the whole sad story preach the gospel

Assume they're telling me the truth and I just you know, it's being selfish going. I don't have time I'm supposed to go to the

Casey's and all these things and So she comes walking to my my office and she said well,

I'd like to give some Christmas presents tonight I said well all the cards have been taken off. Oh, that's too bad

So shot now she begins a conversation Robbie walks by and I said Robbie would you turn on the light in the hall?

You know here I am in the church. It's dark. Here's this girl I have no idea who she is. And I know

Satan would love to destroy pastors and I Just thought what am I gonna do? well,

I said goodbye to the lady after a few minutes and Robbie was sitting in the in the Office and I said

Robbie I'm so glad you're here because here's this lady in the church and it's dark and it's late and just her and I and I Have no idea who she is.

He said well, I just thought I would wait before I Left to make sure she you tell me

What kind of kid at 19 years old thinks about that? Would you would you leave the church building with me and some girl in the dark?

And you don't even know to help out what 19 year old kid even thinks that way I'll tell you a 19 year old kid who thinks that way ones that their dad and their moms have taught in their homes as leaders

I Was not necessarily Robbie's great. That was I know who Robbie's dad is very well today

Same thing of the church you say what kind of leadership can we have at the church and I don't mean just elders but everything else

You need to lead at the church. We have some great women here. The women are starting to kind of zoom by us I love it that the women are studying but It's time to go and it's our fault as leaders in a sense and our responsibility, but it's also ours collectively

Our last one 1st John chapter 2 verse 13 1st

John 2 13 real men have discernment real men have discernment You're a kid.

You don't know you could eat Cheetos all day. You don't care. We got Maddie the other day I went to some school party and she ate so many

Sweets and chocolates that she just threw up in her bed Matter of fact, she didn't even get up after she threw up.

It's like eat so many sweets. You can't stop But I'm not talking about the purpose -driven life when

I do that, but I'm thinking about it number two best -selling book nonfiction in the United States When Methodist and Mormons both love it, so you better ask yourself the question

Should I check into it? Don't trust my word? First John chapter 2 verse 13, but you should know better now.

There's some new Christians in here So you can't learn super fast. You're on a learning curve But here's what you should be after 1st

John 2 13 I'm writing to you fathers because you know him who has been from the beginning. He's using three terms for three levels of Christians Fathers, he's not talking about paternal fathers.

He's talking about ages Saints fathers, excuse me in the Lord next He said

I'm writing to you young men young men spiritually because you have overcome the evil one. I've written to you children You're just babies.

You don't know anything except daddy I've written you fathers because you know him who's been from the beginning verse 14

I've written to you young men because you are strong and the Word of God abides in you and you have overcome the evil one

I Want everyone at this church to be at least at the young men's stage where the Word of God abides in you and you can?

Tell right and wrong. This is from Satan. This isn't here's what the scoop is. So when I say to you

You know faith teaching you can say all right, I can figure that out Even if I don't know it seventh Adventism, I can figure that out.

Even if I if I don't know it I want you men to grow to be young men Some of you already are and keep it up if you're young men be fathers

And if you're not young men, then today's the day to start Read that book. I figured it out. You've got 40 days to read the book five pages a day

Just between us girls here. You could do that on the toilet, don't you?

I can get really open with you. I read an entire systematic theology book 800 pages in the bathroom.

Not all at once I have hemorrhoids

But over time Everybody's so busy. So just figure out those little slices of time

I'm not gonna become some kind of weird legalist, but you want to grow God has ordained the the means it's through the word men of the word

And I don't want to be a little child just walk around Goo Goo Gaga and not knowing what's what it is

Nice to be able to turn on the TV and say that is a truth and that is a lie The only way you do that is when you study the

Bible. So those are just some thoughts today men I can't tell you how pleased

I am to have you men here this morning And I think this is indicative of you want to grow You want to said you're gonna deliver the word today?

Well, we could get together for food and that's fine But I also want to preach a little bit so we can grow and be Encouraged and exhorted and we can't do this on our own if you go home today saying

I'm just gonna be better won't happen Here's how you do it. God. Give me the strength to read the Bible and God.

I can't do this on my own I've been a chump for the last 15 years and Last five years the last five months the last five days and I'm gonna need your spirit

Well that dwells on me on the inside to help me do this because I don't have the power God help me any questions

It's later than I thought but here's what I want to do What I kind of like to do is figure out even among your tables if we could come up with Some opportunities for service here in the next year for men's ministries

One thing that I'd like to start off with is I think we could have four of these a year without any problem Don't you?

Doesn't all have to be this format. I was talking to Peter the other day and he used to what what did you used to leave? the breakfast

The cooking and stuff like that so we could have a group of guys to get the sanctuary ready a group of guys to make all the you know, the high -fat foods and everything else and throwing the stuff around and There's different things and so if you need to go fine

If you can just sit around and talk for about five minutes what you would like our church to be It's one thing to say our church doesn't you know do something.

That's the other thing to say. Well, it is our church I want to make it happen. I want to do it I'm committed to the church and the people here and the elders and you men and I can't think of hardly any idea that I'm gonna say no to as long as it's

Doesn't have anything to do with 40 days. Okay a a

Flood reenactment. Yeah, that's right So instead of singing the last song we could say soldier sing soldiers of Christ of rise arise or something like that But why don't we just take him?

Why don't you take five minutes if you can let's talk about what can we do at this? Church for men's ministry in a better way than we're doing now are in addition

All right, because otherwise I'm just going to think of a few things and hope that they match All right