Latest / CCC West Covina / The Godly Man, Part 2
Transcript
- 0:00Bible says Help Lord for the godly man ceases to be.
- 0:06Help Lord for the godly man ceases to be.
- 0:13That was the cry of the psalmist.
- 0:17It was the cry of the psalmist because it was the concern of
- 0:22the Lord God of Israel. That's why the Lord says in
- 0:27Second Chronicles chapter 16 that he had searched to and fro
- 0:33throughout the earth to find someone's heart that he could
- 0:38strengthen who was totally committed to him.
- 0:43That's why through the prophet Ezekiel, in Ezekiel chapter 22,
- 0:48he said he searched for a man to stand in the gap, but he could
- 0:52find no man. And then he says to the prophet
- 0:57Jeremiah that I if you could find one person in Jerusalem,
- 1:03just one person who acts justly, who sticks to the truth, who
- 1:09honors me, I will spare the city from captivity.
- 1:16But there was none. And Jeremiah searched among all
- 1:19the poor people, and then he thought, well, I'll search among
- 1:23the rich people, because maybe among the wealthy, among the
- 1:26popular, there is someone who is committed to the Lord.
- 1:30But he found no man there either.
- 1:36The Lord said in Isaiah 59, I looked for one man to intercede
- 1:42on behalf of my people, Israel, and there was none to intercede.
- 1:49So the cry of the psalmist was loud because he knew the concern
- 1:57of the Lord concerning godly men.
- 1:59The faithful disappear, Psalmist says in the latter half of verse
- 2:05one of Psalm 12. The faithful disappear from
- 2:09among the sons of men, the godly men of the faithful men, the
- 2:14committed men, the dedicated men, the true men.
- 2:18Where are those people? Where are those men?
- 2:21That's the question we asked last week on Father's Day 2025.
- 2:26Are you a godly man? Are you a godly man in your
- 2:30family? Are you a godly man in your
- 2:33church? Are you a godly man in your
- 2:35community? Are you a godly man at work?
- 2:39Would you be the person that the Lord would see as his eyes run
- 2:43to and fro throughout the country looking for one man
- 2:47whose heart is completely sold out to him that he would
- 2:51strengthen on a regular basis? Are you that kind of person?
- 2:55Are you the godly man, the faithful man that stands in the
- 2:59gap that intercedes for the people of God?
- 3:02That when push comes to shove, there is the strong man, there
- 3:06is the reliable man, there is a stead last man, there is this
- 3:11godly man. So important because you see,
- 3:16that is the epidemic that kills generation after generation, a
- 3:23lack of godly men. So the question comes, are you
- 3:31that person? Are you that man?
- 3:35And it's so easy to see how the succession of godliness can be
- 3:41very easily interrupted in a family term in your Bible, if
- 3:49you would, The First Kings chapter 2.
- 3:51By way of introduction, First Kings chapter 2, David, King
- 3:59David is about to die. David over 50 years earlier was
- 4:06anointed king of Israel. He did not begin to reign once
- 4:14he was anointed. There was this whole time in
- 4:16which he had to run from King Saul before he was ever king
- 4:21over Hebron or Judah for seven years and then king over all of
- 4:26Israel for 33 years. So for 40 years Israel had a
- 4:30king. His name was David.
- 4:33He followed King Saul and David is about to die.
- 4:40And in Acts chapter 13, there is a a eulogy or an epitaph on on
- 4:47David's life. It says that David, he's the
- 4:52man, having served God's purposes in his own generation,
- 5:02fell asleep among his fathers. That's the New Testaments eulogy
- 5:08on King David. The man David had a ministry.
- 5:15The ministry was to serve God. He was a servant of God.
- 5:22His mission was to serve God, God's purposes.
- 5:28So the man David had a ministry as a servant, and that ministry
- 5:37was tied to a mission which was to serve God's purposes in one
- 5:44moment, his generation. He couldn't serve God's purposes
- 5:50before his time, only during his time.
- 5:54But that's how the the New Testament sums up the life of
- 5:57David. And so when you come to 1st
- 6:00Kings chapter 2, you have David's last words to his son
- 6:05Solomon. And, and think, if you were to
- 6:09gather your son or maybe your sons around you during the time
- 6:14of your death, what would you say to your son?
- 6:18How would you express to your son the most important thing
- 6:22ever? How would you exhort your son or
- 6:26your sons? What would you say to them?
- 6:29And if you said it, would your life match it?
- 6:33Very important, right? Would your son be able to look
- 6:37at what you say and say that matches who you are?
- 6:42So David gathers his son together, Solomon his beloved
- 6:47son, and this is what he says in First Kings 2 verse #1 As
- 6:54David's time to die drew near, he charged Solomon his son,
- 6:59saying, I am going the way of all the earth.
- 7:04Now stop right there for a second.
- 7:06He's going the way of all the earth.
- 7:08That's how David says I'm going to die.
- 7:12We don't say it that way. We don't say, hey, you know
- 7:15what? Your father's about to go the
- 7:16way of all the earth, or your mother's about to go the way of
- 7:19all the earth. We don't say it that way, but
- 7:21that's how David saw it. It's like, it's like Paul in
- 7:25Second Timothy chapter 4 verse #6 and he said the time of my
- 7:28departure is at hand. He didn't say you know what, I'm
- 7:32about to die. He says, no, the time of my
- 7:35departure is at hand. It's a nautical term that
- 7:38describes the loosening of the oars of a ship that allows it to
- 7:42set sail into the open sea. That's how David saw the end of
- 7:47his life. He was about to set sail.
- 7:50He was about to depart from this life and enter into the most
- 7:53glorious of all lives, the life and eternity.
- 7:56That's how David saw the end of his life.
- 7:58I mean, that's how Paul saw the end of his life.
- 8:00And David now sees it as he's going the way of of all the
- 8:05earth. And so because, because Solomon,
- 8:09I'm about to leave you, he says these words.
- 8:15Be strong, therefore, and show yourself a man.
- 8:24What a statement. Be strong.
- 8:28Show yourself a man, keep the charge of the Lord your God to
- 8:32walk in his ways, to keep his statutes, his commandments, his
- 8:36ordinances, and his testimonies according to what is written in
- 8:39the law of Moses, that you may succeed in all that you do and
- 8:45wherever you turn. This is David's emphasis towards
- 8:51his son. I want you to be strong.
- 8:54He's not talking about physical strength, right?
- 8:58David was a was a warrior. He was a man of bloodshed.
- 9:02That's why God said he couldn't build the temple.
- 9:04But his son Solomon was a man of peace, and all during Solomon's
- 9:09reign, Israel lived in peace. So he's not talking about
- 9:12Solomon's physical stature. He's not talking about his
- 9:16physical abilities to be strong physically.
- 9:19He's talking about spiritual strength.
- 9:21Why is that important? Why listen carefully?
- 9:25Because he's not talking about emotional or mental strength.
- 9:29He's talking about spiritual strength.
- 9:32Because the only way you can be strong mentally and emotionally
- 9:36is if you're strong spiritually. Those who are weak mentally,
- 9:41those who are weak emotionally are that way because they are
- 9:46weak spiritually. Your mental capacity, your
- 9:52ability to handle your emotions comes from a spiritual strength,
- 9:57that a heart is sound in doctrine and strong in the Lord
- 10:02and the power of His might. Your emotional stability, your
- 10:07mental stability, all stems from your spiritual stability.
- 10:12You must understand this. It's everything strong about you
- 10:17comes because of your spiritual stature in the Lord.
- 10:22When you are strong spiritually, you can make wise choices, you
- 10:26can make sound decisions. You don't get all frazzled.
- 10:31You're able to handle and control your emotions because
- 10:34you are strong spiritually. That's why Paul says in
- 10:38Ephesians chapter 6 be strong in the Lord and in the power of His
- 10:43might. In second two verse #1 he says
- 10:47be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.
- 10:56Isaiah chapter 30 verse #15 in quietness and in trust shall be
- 11:03your strength. David said in Psalm 27 verse #14
- 11:09Wait for the Lord. Be strong and let your heart
- 11:12take courage. Yes, wait for the Lord.
- 11:15And that word wait in Hebrew is the word that talks about
- 11:18wrapping yourself around something, something strong.
- 11:22When you wrap yourself around the Lord, you can trust in Him,
- 11:26you can wait upon Him, you can be strong in Him because you
- 11:29derive your strength from the Lord Himself.
- 11:33So important. Go back with me if you would to
- 11:35the book of Joshua, Joshua chapter 1.
- 11:38Listen to what God tells Joshua. This is the this is the key
- 11:41verse on how to overcome intimidation.
- 11:45Have you ever been intimidated by somebody?
- 11:47Does somebody intimidate you at work?
- 11:49Does somebody intimidate you at school?
- 11:51Does somebody intimidate you in the church?
- 11:54Is someone intimidating you somewhere in life?
- 11:58Joshua chapter 1 is how you overcome intimidation.
- 12:02How do we know that? Because Joshua is about to
- 12:05become the leader of Israel, right?
- 12:08And Joshua is about to follow the greatest leader Israel ever
- 12:14had by the testimony of the Lord God Himself.
- 12:19So God says that Moses is Israel's greatest leader.
- 12:25There will never be a leader like Moses, but yet, Joshua,
- 12:29you're chose. You're chosen now to follow the
- 12:33greatest leader, whoever lived. And Israel, by the way, on
- 12:37several occasions wanted to kill the greatest leader, whoever
- 12:42lived in Israel. So now, Joshua, you're going to
- 12:45step into those sandals, and you're now going to become the
- 12:49leader of Israel. And if they wanted to kill the
- 12:52greatest leader, whoever lived, just think of what they're going
- 12:56to want to do to you if you just mess it up.
- 13:00So you got to overcome intimidation, Joshua.
- 13:03You got to be able to stand strong.
- 13:05So this is what the Lord says to Joshua in verse #5 no man will
- 13:10be able to stand before you all the days of your life.
- 13:13Just as I have been with Moses, I will be with you.
- 13:16I will not fail you or forsake you.
- 13:18Be strong and courageous. In other words, be strong and
- 13:23show yourself a man. Have the spiritual fortitude
- 13:27that you need to lead 2,000,000 disgruntled Jews into the
- 13:34promised Land. How you going to do that?
- 13:37Joshua tells them, be careful to do according to all the law
- 13:42which Moses my servant commanded you, and you're not turned from
- 13:46it to the right or to the left, so that you may have success
- 13:49wherever you go. This book of the law shall not
- 13:52depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate on it day and
- 13:55night, so that you may be careful to do according to all
- 13:58that is written in it, for then you will make your way
- 14:01prosperous, and then you will have success.
- 14:05Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous?
- 14:08Do not tremble or be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with
- 14:12you wherever you go. Listen, Joshua, don't be in any
- 14:19kind of emotional or mental turmoil because you're about to
- 14:22take on a job that goes way beyond your mental and emotional
- 14:26capabilities. Know this, you need to be strong
- 14:30in the Lord. You need to be courageous in the
- 14:32Lord. I will be with you as I was with
- 14:35Moses. Just do not let this law depart
- 14:38from your mouth. I want you to meditate on a day
- 14:41and night. Why?
- 14:42Because I want your way to be prosperous.
- 14:44I want you to way to be successful.
- 14:46And the only way that's going to happen is if my word controls
- 14:50every element of your life, your thought, your heart, your
- 14:54emotions, and then you will be prosperous and then you will be
- 14:58successful. And Joshua was because he obeyed
- 15:03the law of God. So here comes King David.
- 15:08And David says to his son Solomon, I want you to be
- 15:12strong. I want you to show yourself a
- 15:15man because menniness and strength go hand in hand.
- 15:21I want you to be courageous. I want you to be a man of
- 15:24spiritual fortitude. I want you to be a man that is
- 15:27able to stand against adversity. I want you to be a man that
- 15:31doesn't crumble under pressure. You got to be a man.
- 15:35You got to be strong. You're going to be the king of
- 15:38Israel. You're going to be the king of
- 15:41Israel. And you can't be a weak king.
- 15:45You got to be a strong king. You can't be an emotionally
- 15:51disturbed king. You got to be a strong king.
- 15:55You can't be a depressed king. You have to be a dedicated
- 15:58determined king. You have to be strong Solomon
- 16:03and you got to show yourself a man how you going to do that?
- 16:07He tells them you keep the statutes, you keep the law, you
- 16:09follow the word of God. This is what you do and got to
- 16:14make your way successful. Listen to the words of Solomon
- 16:23in Proverbs chapter 4. If you got your Bible, you can
- 16:26turn there. Proverbs chapter 4.
- 16:31Now remember, Solomon writes the book of Proverbs to his son,
- 16:37right? It's a book designed for
- 16:41children, young people. So Solomon's going to write to
- 16:45his son. Listen to what he says to
- 16:50Raybone here. O sons, the instruction of a
- 16:54father, Chapter 4, verse #1 and give attention that you may gain
- 16:58understanding, for I give you sound teaching.
- 17:01Do not abandon my instruction when I was a son to my father.
- 17:05That's a Solomon speaking. When I was a son to my father,
- 17:08my father was the king of Israel.
- 17:10His name is David. I am now the king of Israel.
- 17:12But when I was a son to my father, tender and the only son
- 17:17in the sight of my mother, then he taught me and said to me, let
- 17:21your heart hold fast my words, keep my commandments and live.
- 17:29So Solomon's remembering talking to a talking to his son.
- 17:34Son, listen, listen. You need to understand that when
- 17:36I was tender and young and I was the the son of my mother, the
- 17:42son of my father, my father gave me instruction.
- 17:45He would go on to say, talk about acquiring wisdom,
- 17:49understanding, knowledge in the whole, the whole chapter is
- 17:52about what Solomon's dad, David said to his son about strong
- 17:58strength, being courageous, being able to handle the issues
- 18:03that come about. And you would think that that
- 18:07once he says this to Rehoboam, once he examines his life and
- 18:11talks to his son about these things, that now he's going to
- 18:14produce a seed and offspring that's going to become the next
- 18:17great king of Israel. Didn't go that way, didn't
- 18:24happen that way. Because if you're with us for
- 18:28our 26 week study on the book of Ecclesiastes, you understand
- 18:32Solomon's end of life journey in the summation of his life.
- 18:40What happened to Solomon? What happened to this influence
- 18:45over his son Raybone? What happened to this man?
- 18:49Well, the Bible tells you way back in the book of Deuteronomy,
- 18:53chapter 17, it says verse #16 Moreover, he, the king, shall
- 19:01not multiply horses for himself. But Solomon did that.
- 19:09Why didn't God want Solomon to multiply horses for himself?
- 19:12Because horses were a symbol of strength, a symbol of military
- 19:16prowess. And God says, I want you to
- 19:20trust me, not your, not your own military ingenuity, not your own
- 19:24army. I want you to trust me.
- 19:26So I don't want you as the king to gather horses for yourself,
- 19:31he says. Nor shall he cause the people to
- 19:33return to Egypt to multiply horses.
- 19:35Since the Lord has said to you, you shall never again return
- 19:38that way. He shall not multiply wives for
- 19:42himself. What did Solomon do?
- 19:44He multiplied wives for himself. God says don't do this.
- 19:50Keep his statutes, keep the laws, observe them.
- 19:55Don't turn to the left, don't turn to the right.
- 19:57Same thing he told Joshua, same thing he told King David.
- 20:00Now he's telling King Solomon, keep the law of God, do not turn
- 20:04to the left, do not turn to the right.
- 20:07Do everything that's written in the law of Moses, but he
- 20:11multiplied wives for himself 700.
- 20:18Wives for himself. He should not multiply wives for
- 20:25himself, or else his heart will turn away.
- 20:28Nor shall he greatly increase silver and gold for himself.
- 20:34And he did that too. Read Accusations, chapter 2.
- 20:38He accumulated all kinds of gold for himself, not not for the
- 20:41temple, but for himself. He went against what the law of
- 20:46God explicitly said, Do not do, do not do this.
- 20:51But Solomon did so, it says in verse #18 Now it shall come
- 20:55about, that when he sits on the throne of his Kingdom, he shall
- 20:58write for himself a copy of this law on the scroll in the
- 21:01presence of the Levitical priests.
- 21:03It shall be with him, and he shall read it all the days of
- 21:06his life, that he may learn to fear the Lord is God by
- 21:11carefully observing all the words of His law and His
- 21:14statutes. That his heart may not be lifted
- 21:16up above his countrymen, and that he may not turn aside from
- 21:19the commandment, or to the right, or to the left, so that
- 21:22he and his sons may continue long in His Kingdom in the midst
- 21:26of Israel. This is the plan for the king.
- 21:29It it's not like you got a whole bunch of things you got to do is
- 21:32just simply don't multiply for yourself.
- 21:34Horses don't multiply for yourself, wives, and do not
- 21:37multiply silver and gold for yourself.
- 21:39That is it. No big deal, right?
- 21:43Wrong. Big deal for Solomon.
- 21:46He did all that, all of that. So when you read the book of
- 21:54Ecclesiastes, you had this long journal that describes Solomon's
- 21:59end of life. So when he comes to the very
- 22:03end, what's he say? Same thing.
- 22:05Deuteronomy 17 says the sum of all things is just to fear God
- 22:11and keep his commandments. It's almost as if he's telling
- 22:14Raya Baum, this is it. This is how you sum up life,
- 22:18Fear God, keep his commandments. It's almost as if he says and I
- 22:22and I didn't. I should have, but I but I
- 22:28didn't. But this is the end of
- 22:29everything. This is a summation of life.
- 22:33Fear God, keep his commandments. Why?
- 22:37Because then you will show yourself a man.
- 22:39Then you'll be strong and courageous.
- 22:41Then you will be able to stand against the Wiles of the devil.
- 22:44Then you'll be able to stand against the the the the lure of
- 22:50the woman in the lure of riches and power.
- 22:55But he didn't the cost where the Bible says these words in the
- 23:02book of Second Chronicles 12 verse #14 about Raybum.
- 23:07He did evil because he did not set his heart to seek the Lord.
- 23:18He did evil because he did not set his heart to seek the Lord.
- 23:25As you recall in the book of Ecclesiastes.
- 23:26What does Solomon do? He sought for meaning under the
- 23:31sun outside of God. He sought for meaning, for
- 23:37meaning in life, for satisfaction in life, for
- 23:39royalty in life, for for for greatness in life outside of
- 23:43God. And it cost him greatly.
- 23:48So he raises a son that doesn't want to seek the Lord at all,
- 23:55because what you do in moderation, your children will
- 23:57do in excess. That's the theme of Scripture.
- 24:02So that's how it works. And that's why Isaiah says these
- 24:07words. Isaiah 38 verse #17 mark it
- 24:09down. A father tells his Son about
- 24:13your faithfulness, Oh Lord. A father tells his son about
- 24:20your faithfulness, Oh Lord, He continues to tell his son about
- 24:25how faithful God is to him, his family, his ministry, his life,
- 24:30and continues to pour that into the life of his son.
- 24:36So I wonder the psalmist said help Lord, the godly man ceases
- 24:41to be in the faithful, disappear from the sons of men on this
- 24:51earth. Doesn't have to be that way, not
- 24:55at all. You can be that godly man.
- 25:00You can be that man that stands strong and turns the course of a
- 25:03generation. You can be that man that invests
- 25:06into the lives of your children. You can be that man that models
- 25:10the way to your children. You can be the kind of man
- 25:14that's strong and courageous so you can invest into the lives of
- 25:18your children. King David was not a perfect
- 25:21man, but David was a man after God's own heart and every king
- 25:26that followed David. David was the quintessential
- 25:29king that all the other kings were measured by because he had
- 25:33a heart of great repentance, but he sinned.
- 25:36He turned from his sin and he repented to the Lord and he
- 25:40never sought revenge on any of his enemies.
- 25:43That's what it means to be a man after God's own heart.
- 25:46You never seek revenge on your enemies and you always repent
- 25:50when you sin. That's a man after God's own
- 25:53heart. That was King David.
- 25:56He wants to pass that down to a son, Solomon.
- 26:01Solomon began great read the book of Song of Solomon read the
- 26:06book of Proverbs. He he began great, but over time
- 26:11he didn't even heed his own words.
- 26:12Proverbs 423 Guard your heart, for out of it flow all the
- 26:17issues of life. Everything about your emotions,
- 26:21everything about your mentality, everything about your
- 26:24relationships, everything about who you are flows from your
- 26:28heart. Therefore, be strong and
- 26:30courageous. Be strong spiritually in your
- 26:34heart. That's the cry.
- 26:39That's the godly man. So we began our outline last
- 26:42week and we won't finish it this week either.
- 26:48And that's OK because I'm in no hurry.
- 26:51I'm never in a hurry. I used to be when I was younger,
- 26:54but now that I'm old, I, I've kind of slowed down a little
- 26:56bit. But who is the godly man #1 He
- 27:02goes to God incessantly in prayer, talked about this last
- 27:05week, right? He's a man of prayer.
- 27:07Read Psalm 32, read Psalm 4. He's a man who seeks the Lord,
- 27:11who goes to the Lord. And we use Job at the
- 27:14illustration last week. Remember Job chapter 1 when he
- 27:17offered up burnt offerings for his children?
- 27:18He continually did this. And the question comes, how did
- 27:21Job know this? The book of Leviticus had not
- 27:24been written yet. So how do you know about burnt
- 27:26offerings? How does Job know this?
- 27:31Because of Noah, because of Abraham.
- 27:35Noah in Genesis 8, Abraham in Genesis chapter 22.
- 27:38And most believe that that, that that Job was a contemporary of
- 27:43Abraham. So it would've been passed down
- 27:46from from Noah to to to Abraham to Job to OfferUp burnt
- 27:53offering. You see, Job didn't have a
- 27:55church to go to, didn't have a men's ministry to go to, didn't
- 27:58have any books to read on family and family worship and and
- 28:01family prayer time. He didn't have a book to read
- 28:04about the disciplines of a godly man.
- 28:05He didn't have a support group. And I'm glad this is in the
- 28:10Bible because so many times today men want to use an excuse.
- 28:13I just need to be held accountable.
- 28:15No, you don't. You need to be held accountable
- 28:17to God. He's your accountability.
- 28:21But we use it as an excuse. Someone needs to hold me
- 28:23accountable. Someone needs to hold my hand.
- 28:26You're not a man if somebody's got to hold your hand, right?
- 28:30You hold your children's hands. You don't hold a man's hand.
- 28:35And Job is a quintessential example of this.
- 28:38He had no church, no small group, no men's ministry, no
- 28:42Sunday school, nothing but Job and what was passed down from
- 28:46generation to generation. And he was a man who was
- 28:49upright, blameless, fearing God and turning away from evil.
- 28:54And he was the greatest man on the planet.
- 28:59He did it all because he was committed to his God.
- 29:03See, we, we, we have developed such a weak mentality in today's
- 29:08culture that man needs so many people to hold him up and hold
- 29:14his hand. And we have produced a weaker
- 29:17and weaker and weaker generation of men over the generations that
- 29:22have preceded us and are continuing on after us because
- 29:26we don't encourage men to be strong.
- 29:29Show yourself a man and do what God says Joe did.
- 29:36He's your biblical example. He's the one you follow.
- 29:41If he's the greatest man on the planet, follow that guy, right?
- 29:47Because he was upright, God fearing, turning away from evil,
- 29:51and he was a man who truly, truly was a blameless man.
- 29:56So he goes to God incessantly in prayer because he knows that he
- 30:01can't do anything of himself. He needs the Lord.
- 30:04Like the psalmist, he cries out to the Lord.
- 30:06He goes to the Lord and bathes his family in prayer.
- 30:09He bathes his wife in prayer. He knows he can't change his
- 30:13wife. He know he can't change his
- 30:15children. So he knows that God can do
- 30:17that. So he goes to the Lord and prays
- 30:20consistently to his God, and asks God to do a great and
- 30:24mighty work #2 Now he said, go to God incessantly, but he obeys
- 30:33God instantly. He obeys God instantly.
- 30:40Listen to the psalmist. Psalm 119.
- 30:46Psalm 119, verse #32 Psalmist said this, I shall run the way
- 30:57of Your commandments for you with enlarge my heart, I'm going
- 31:03to run the way of your commandments.
- 31:06And then he says over in verse #60 I love this.
- 31:09Listen to this. Psalm 119, verse #60 I hastened
- 31:13and did not delay to keep your commandments.
- 31:18That's the godly man. I hastened and did not delay.
- 31:23Why? Because delayed obedience is
- 31:27disobedience. And so he says, I hasten and did
- 31:31not to delay, did not delay to obey all your commandments.
- 31:37This is the man of God. He hastens to obey.
- 31:40He can't wait to do what God says.
- 31:42That's the godly man Thomas Watson has written a book called
- 31:47The Godly Man's Picture. It's just a great book on what a
- 31:51godly man looks like and in there he just is is all
- 31:56throughout the book talks about how the godly man just can't
- 31:59wait to do what God says. So many times our godliness is
- 32:05hindered because we will not obey what God says in His word.
- 32:11There's something about what he says that rubs us the wrong way.
- 32:15Could be forgiveness, it could be leading your wife, it could
- 32:21be loving your wife, it could be disciplining your children over
- 32:27the years. And, and 40 years is a lot of
- 32:29years of, of, of, of church ministry.
- 32:32Over the years there have been people that I've counseled that
- 32:35say, look, this is what you, this is what God's word says.
- 32:38Yeah, I can't do that. What I mean you said you mean
- 32:43you won't do it because you can't do it, but you just won't
- 32:47do it. I, I can't, What do you mean you
- 32:49can't do it? If God says and gives you
- 32:52command, he gives you the ability and the grace to obey
- 32:55the command because his commands are not burdensome.
- 32:57First John chapter 5 says so because his commands are not
- 32:59burdensome. If he says this is what you got
- 33:01to do. This is what you do.
- 33:03And you know what they say? Well, let me pray about it.
- 33:09You know, there are certain things you don't ever have to
- 33:10pray about. You don't have to pray about
- 33:13loving your life. You just got to obey the
- 33:15command, right? You have to pray about it.
- 33:18Just do it. Just do it.
- 33:21You have to pray about forgiving someone.
- 33:23Just forgive them. It's a command.
- 33:25Forgive to pray about it. Well, what's God going to do?
- 33:30Just obey the command. The obedience is followed by
- 33:36great delight, but you got to obey and the man of God just he,
- 33:42he obeys God instantly. He hears the word of God, he
- 33:48listens and then man he he just runs to obey.
- 33:54So many times we we meander on our way to obedience and we get
- 34:00sidetracked and we do that and the obedience then comes comes
- 34:04later. Not good over in first John
- 34:09chapter chapter 2, John says these words.
- 34:14First John chapter 2, verse #3 By this we know that we have
- 34:17come to know Him. How?
- 34:20If we keep his commandments, how do we know that you know God,
- 34:26you keep his commandments? The one who says I've come to
- 34:30know Him and does not keep his commandments is a liar.
- 34:36And those are strong words. John says, if you say, you say
- 34:39you come to know Christ and you don't obey, you're a liar.
- 34:43He didn't say, you know, let me pray for you.
- 34:46He says you're just a liar. And then he says this.
- 34:53The truth is not in him, but whoever keeps his word in him.
- 34:57The love of God has truly been perfected.
- 35:01And by this we know that we are in him, the one who says he
- 35:06abides in him on himself to walk in the same manner as he walked,
- 35:10so crystal clear, so precise. It's not hard.
- 35:16He obeys God instantly. He goes to God incessantly and
- 35:26#3 he disciplines himself intently.
- 35:34He disciplines himself. I'm sorry, implicitly,
- 35:41implicitly, absolutely, without a doubt.
- 35:44Have you ever watched somebody come out of a out of a gym like
- 35:4724 Hour Fitness or, or all different gym?
- 35:50There's so many different gyms that you ever watched somebody
- 35:52come out of the gym, man, and they just got done working out.
- 35:55Hey, if you go down to Victoria Gardens, you know, they, they
- 35:57have Gold's Gym down there by it's right by The Cheesecake
- 36:00Factory. I don't know why that is, but
- 36:01it's right by The Cheesecake Factory.
- 36:03And and they always come walking out there with those ripped
- 36:05shirts, you know, so you can see all their muscles.
- 36:07You know, they walk out of the gym.
- 36:08You know, they walk out there like this so you can see that
- 36:10he's got done working out, right?
- 36:12That's how that's how they walk because they want you to know
- 36:14they're working out. And when you look at things, say
- 36:16what? That guy's discipline.
- 36:18Look. Look at, look at those muscles
- 36:20bulging from his neck. Look at those triceps.
- 36:24Look at those biceps. Look at those veins just just
- 36:27bulging out of his calves. See, man, that guy is
- 36:31disciplined. Boy, that guy wants to work out.
- 36:34Why? Because he disciplines himself
- 36:36implicitly. There's no doubt that he works
- 36:39himself out. That's the way it should be for
- 36:41you spiritually. That's what my boss says.
- 36:45Discipline yourself unto godliness.
- 36:49Why body bodily exercise profits a little, but godliness has
- 36:53profit for all things. First Timothy 4-7 and eight
- 36:57discipline yourself under godliness.
- 36:59But so so look at this way. Somebody who is disciplined in
- 37:02their life, you know it. You see it in in their children,
- 37:09right? Their children are obedient to
- 37:11their father and their mother. You see it lived out in their
- 37:14children. You see it lived out in in the
- 37:17wife's love for her husband and a way to follow his leadership.
- 37:22You see it manifest in itself. But this man has disciplined
- 37:26himself implicitly to love his wife, to love his children
- 37:30because he loves God. And you see it in the eyes of
- 37:33his wife. You see it in the obedience of
- 37:35his children. You see this commitment to his
- 37:37church. He's deeply committed to his
- 37:40church. He serves in his church.
- 37:42He prays for his church. He loves his church.
- 37:46You see it. You wonder whether or not they
- 37:50went to the gym to work out. They're working out daily.
- 37:55They're discipline in their prayer life.
- 37:57They're discipline in their study life.
- 37:59They're discipline in their church life.
- 38:01They're discipline in their family life.
- 38:03They're discipline in all of their life.
- 38:04That's how they are. And you don't have to wonder
- 38:08whether you see it. Why?
- 38:10Because their spiritual veins are bulging, their spiritual
- 38:15muscles are ripping the shreds, their suits, because that's how
- 38:19they are. Because you see it in their
- 38:22lives. People who love the Lord, the
- 38:25godly men, it's so important. They discipline themselves
- 38:33implicitly. Have you ever noticed that the
- 38:36most men, the toys of the world mean more than the truth of
- 38:46God's Word? The toys of the world are more
- 38:51important than the truth of God's Word.
- 38:57How many times over the years wives have said to me, I come
- 39:01home from from where I was and my, my, my, my husband's playing
- 39:06video games. I asked him to do something.
- 39:09I'll just play video games all day.
- 39:14And so I sit down with the husband and talk to him about,
- 39:17dude, you playing video games all day.
- 39:19You have a job, don't you work? 1st 75 says if a man does not
- 39:25provide for his house, he's worse than what an unbeliever.
- 39:30You're not going to work. You're worse than an unbeliever.
- 39:33You got to go to work. You got to provide for your
- 39:35family. That's what men do.
- 39:38You got to be a godly man. So many times the men of this
- 39:43culture just want to hide themselves in video games or
- 39:49games on the Internet or pornography on the Internet.
- 39:52They want to escape the realities of life instead of
- 39:55handle the truth that's before them.
- 39:58And the godly man, he disciplines himself implicitly.
- 40:02He knows that to make it through life, it requires strength and
- 40:07manliness. And the only way that's
- 40:09developed is through constant. Discipline.
- 40:14So he goes to God incessantly in prayer.
- 40:19He obeys God instantly, without reservation and without
- 40:22hesitation. That's the godly man.
- 40:25He runs the way of God's commandments.
- 40:29He disciplines himself implicitly when it comes to the
- 40:33the discipline of, of, of suffocation and, and, and, and
- 40:37scripture and, and self denial and and surrender.
- 40:41That's what he does #4 he loathes his sin intensely.
- 40:58He loathes his sin intensely. A godly man hates his sin.
- 41:09An ungodly man loves his sin, but a godly man hates his sin.
- 41:16Psalm 95, first number 10, says hate evil.
- 41:21You who love the Lord not, not not rocket science, hate, evil,
- 41:27those of you who love the Lord, and then you.
- 41:31Then you have the prophet Ezekiel who says these words in
- 41:38Ezekiel chapter 20 verse #43 God speaking Israel.
- 41:47There you remember your ways and all your deeds with which you
- 41:51have defiled yourselves. And you will loathe yourselves
- 41:58in your own sight for all the evil things that you have done.
- 42:07You will loathe yourself, you will hate what you have done.
- 42:13You will despise yourself for all the evil that you have done.
- 42:21There's something about the godly man that despises
- 42:25iniquity, that despises idolatry, that runs to run away
- 42:29from all iniquity and pursue righteousness and godliness.
- 42:34Hate evil. You who love the Lord God tells
- 42:38Timothy in first Timothy 6 verse #10 You, O man of God, flee the
- 42:43love of money. You flee these things.
- 42:45Timothy, you're a man of God. And by the way, Timothy is the
- 42:48only man in the New Testament called a man of God.
- 42:51The only man. No other man is Paul's not
- 42:53called a man of God, but Paul was a man of God.
- 42:57Peter was not called a man of God, but Peter was a man of God.
- 43:00John was not called a man of God, but John was a man of God.
- 43:03But Timothy is the only one in the New Testament called a man
- 43:08of God. If Paul says Timothy, you man of
- 43:11God, you flee these things, you flee immorality, you flee
- 43:17idolatry, you flee the love of money, and you pursue.
- 43:20You run after, you Sprint toward godliness, you Sprint toward
- 43:24faith, you Sprint toward perseverance, you Sprint towards
- 43:29love, you Sprint to those spiritual virtues that make a
- 43:32man a man. That's what you got to do.
- 43:35Timothy. Timothy was a young man, 3536
- 43:39years of age, passing the Church of Ephesus, and Paul says hate
- 43:45sins so much you run from it. That's the man of God.
- 43:52He goes to God incessantly in prayer.
- 43:58He obeys God instantly, without reservation, without hesitation.
- 44:05He's the kind of man who who disciplines himself implicitly
- 44:12when it comes to spiritual virtues.
- 44:15He's the man who loathes his sin intensely.
- 44:23That's why Job was called the man who turned away from evil.
- 44:27That's why Job said, I've made a covenant with my eyes not to
- 44:30look lustfully upon a woman. And Job didn't.
- 44:33He had the Bible or the book of Proverbs to tell him about the
- 44:37lure of the adulterous woman, but he knew well enough as a man
- 44:44of God to make a covenant with his eyes not to look lusty upon
- 44:48a woman, that that's a man of God, that's a godly man.
- 44:53That was Job, and the godly man loves his sin intensely.
- 45:04And let's let me give you this one.
- 45:09He yields to the Spirit intently.
- 45:15He can't do it without the Spirit of God.
- 45:16Nothing. He can't do anything with that
- 45:17spirit of God. So he yields to the Spirit
- 45:20intently. He walks in the spirit.
- 45:22So he didn't fulfill the lust of the flesh, right?
- 45:25He's filled with the Spirit of God.
- 45:27He's controlled by the Spirit of God.
- 45:29Ephesians 518. Why?
- 45:31Why? Because he understands that he
- 45:33doesn't want to grieve the Spirit of God, he he doesn't
- 45:38want to hinder the spirits work in his life.
- 45:42As Galatians 5 says, he doesn't want to lust after the spirit.
- 45:45He doesn't want to quench the spirit.
- 45:52He wants to be filled with the spirit.
- 45:55So he saturates himself with the Scriptures and submits himself
- 46:02to a Savior at all costs. So God directs him and leads him
- 46:08every step of the way. That's the godly man.
- 46:16But what about the MAN part? We got the godly part.
- 46:22What about the MAN part? The godly man part?
- 46:29That's next week. Let's pray.
- 46:33Father, we thank you for today, and I do pray for all the men in
- 46:41our assembly that Lord, we truly honor you and glorify your name.
- 46:50Lord, forgive us for excuses. There are no excuses not to live
- 47:00the way you've called us to live.
- 47:02You've commended us to live. We just need to obey your word,
- 47:08submit to you as our ultimate authority, and follow what you
- 47:12say explicitly. So I pray for the men of our
- 47:18church that that's the way we would be.
- 47:23Our wives would see our uncompromising commitment to the
- 47:26truth. Our children would see our
- 47:32uncompromising commitment to God and their mother.
- 47:39Their children would want to follow in the footsteps of their
- 47:44father's love for God and his wife.
- 47:49We pray Lord, for the generation of children that are in our
- 47:53auditorium today, The 40 kids that were on stage and the
- 47:59others who didn't come up for one reason or another.
- 48:03That next generation that we are to raise up to follow you.
- 48:11I pray for our fathers that you give them strength and wisdom to
- 48:15discipline, to nurture their children in the ways of God.
- 48:20Lord, go before us. I pray as a church that we would
- 48:25be and raise the kind of men that truly love the Lord and our
- 48:31godly men. So the psalmist would never say
- 48:37about us help Lord, the godly man ceases to be.
- 48:43May that not happen in our assembly.
- 48:47May we be a a model of of spiritual virtue for the glory
- 48:51of your Kingdom. So we ask you to go before us on
- 48:55this day, that we might live for you this week and for the rest
- 49:00of our lives until you come again, as you most surely will,
- 49:05in Jesus name, Amen.