The Character of a Man
***Video "My Dad My Hero"
There are many commercials promising that their product is just the right Father's Day present - whether it's steak or power tools or something golf related... But I want us to focus this morning not on what we can get for Dad - but rather what we need from Dads, from all Christian men.
C.S. Lewis wrote, "Surely what a man does when he is taken off his guard is the best evidence for what sort of man he is. If there are rats in a cellar, you are most likely to see them if you go in very suddenly. But the suddenness does not create the rats; it only prevents them from hiding. In the same way, the suddenness of the provocation does not make me ill-tempered; it only shows me what an ill-tempered man I am."
I don't particularly like that explanation - because he's right. I want to be able to make excuses, to blame any impatience or anger or flaws on things such as busyness, or fatigue or poor timing. But the reality is - those things are just that - excuses. It's much easier to be a man of Godly character in ideal circumstances. But life is rarely one of ideal circumstances. I want us to look at a passage of scripture from Romans 5:1-4 (NIV)...
Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, (2) through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand. And we rejoice in the hope of the glory of God. (3) Not only so, but we also rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; (4) perseverance, character; and character, hope.
The word translated here as 'character' can also be translated as 'experience' meaning proof of trustworthiness. Character is something that's developed over time. A lack of character proves to be a faulty foundation - and everything else crumbles without character. I want to first point out that character is…
I. More than talk
It's easy to stand before you and talk about character - it's a much more difficult task to live it out. Character is more than talk, it's revealed by actions over a life time - proven by trials, a result of perseverance. James, the brother of Jesus, wrote…
James 2:14-19 (NIV)
What good is it, my brothers, if a man claims to have faith but has no deeds? Can such faith save him? (15) Suppose a brother or sister is without clothes and daily food. (16) If one of you says to him, "Go, I wish you well; keep warm and well fed," but does nothing about his physical needs, what good is it? (17) In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead.
(18) But someone will say, "You have faith; I have deeds." Show me your faith without deeds, and I will show you my faith by what I do. (19) You believe that there is one God. Good! Even the demons believe that -and shudder.
The 'character' of a Godly man moves us to put faith into action. One trait guys seem to have is that we usually don't want to just talk about problems, we want to fix them. And I'm told - that sometimes that can be a bit annoying. However, when it comes to our personal character we need to do more than just talk.
Our character can be revealed by our actions, but it can also be revealed in our genuine emotions. And dealing well with emotions is traditionally not a 'guy' trait.
I read that, "if you want to learn what a man is really like, ask three questions: What makes him laugh? What makes him angry? What makes him weep?" These are pretty good tests of character that are especially appropriate for Christian men."
"What we need today is not anger but sorrow, the kind of anguish that Moses displayed when he broke the two tablets of the law and then climbed the mountain to intercede for his people. We need the kind of anguish that Jesus displayed when He cleansed the temple and then wept over the city. The difference between anger and anguish is a submissive and broken heart."
Character is more than talk. Character allows Godly emotions to motivate you to action. And it's important to point out that character is…
A. A choice
It's said that we are 'the sum of our experiences'. That's true, to an extent. The circumstances that happen to us in our lives do shape who we are, but character is all about how you choose to respond to those circumstances. In the Old Testament in the book of Deuteronomy, we find Moses speaking to the Israelites after God had led them through the wilderness. Dave mentioned this passage just last week...
Deuteronomy 30:16-20a (NIV)
For I command you today to love the LORD your God, to walk in his ways, and to keep his commands, decrees and laws; then you will live and increase, and the LORD your God will bless you in the land you are entering to possess. (17) But if your heart turns away and you are not obedient, and if you are drawn away to bow down to other gods and worship them, (18) I declare to you this day that you will certainly be destroyed.
You will not live long in the land you are crossing the Jordan to enter and possess. (19) This day I call heaven and earth as witnesses against you that I have set before you life and death, blessings and curses. Now choose life, so that you and your children may live (20) and that you may love the LORD your God, listen to his voice, and hold fast to him.
God gave His people a choice – follow Him and prosper, or ignore His commands and end up being destroyed.
There are many today who want God's blessings in their life, but they choose to ignore His ways – but then still expect those blessings. It doesn't work that way. God has told us, in the Bible, how to live in a way that will bring blessings and happiness. When you choose to reject God's ways and follow your own plan – it will lead to failure.
Men of Godly character take action; they intentionally, methodically choose God's ways over their own. But it's easier to just follow the crowd, 'don't make waves'. In years past in our country, 'the crowd' in general followed basic Biblical values - whether they acknowledged them as such or not. A lot of 'common values' were somewhat similar between those who followed Jesus and those who didn't. But now, not only is that divide getting much wider today - now standing for Biblical truths is actually called 'intolerant' and 'hateful'.
But a man who chooses to follow Jesus must be willing to stand against the tide of popular thought and recognize sin - in his own life first, and then in the lives of those to whom God has entrusted into his care - his family. A man of God must be willing to call out evil for what it is - even if the whole world stands against him. And it will cost you. But it's a matter of choosing...
B. Character over reputation
Your reputation is what others think about you. Character is who God knows you are. You can actually embrace sin but still cultivate a really good reputation in the world, if you choose their values. But you can't hide from God. Are you more concerned with what people think of you than what God thinks of you?
In the Gospel of Luke, Jesus addressed the Pharisees, those who claimed to follow God and His laws...
Luke 16:15-17 (NIV)
He said to them, "You are the ones who justify yourselves in the eyes of men, but God knows your hearts. What is highly valued among men is detestable in God's sight. (16) The Law and the Prophets were proclaimed until John. Since that time, the good news of the kingdom of God is being preached, and everyone is forcing his way into it. (17) It is easier for heaven and earth to disappear than for the least stroke of a pen to drop out of the Law."
Jesus was addressing those who wanted to ignore God's Word in favor of their own views. There are those in the Church today who claim to follow Jesus but accept and celebrate values the Bible explicitly calls sin. God's Word does not compromise to meet man's desires. And recognize - I'm speaking to the Church here!! The world is absolutely free to do whatever they want. They can redefine and reject the sanctity of marriage, and reject the sanctity of human life created in the image of God, they can steal the concept of 'pride' and rage against those who don't accept their values - but you, man of God, must follow the Word of God!
If you acquiesce or compromise in order to be seen as 'nonjudgmental' and avoid the anger of the crowd - your reputation may get you applause from men. But your character, demonstrated by your faith in Jesus can lead to eternal life! But that takes a strong man of conviction, and that flies in the face of a fact that many in society want to deny...
II. God designed masculinity
The phrase you may have heard frequently associated with masculinity is 'toxic masculinity' - the chauvinistic, arrogant, misogynistic attitudes of some men. Some say even 'masculinity' in itself is bad and we need to get more in touch with our feminine side in order to conform and 'get along'.
However, those traits that are associated with 'toxic masculinity' are not God's design for men. God designed men for His purposes in this world - to be a blessing to their family and to society. A man of God shows deep humility before God, knowing his place before his Creator. A man of God, through the power of God's Holy Spirit, seeks control over His own personal desires - so that he can then be protector, provider, and a servant leader for his family!
With that picture in mind, I want to look back to the first passage we read from Romans, noticing the word 'we'…
Romans 5:1-4 (NIV)
Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, (2) through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand. And we rejoice in the hope of the glory of God. (3) Not only so, but we also rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; (4) perseverance, character; and character, hope.
That passage focuses on the blessings "we" receive - but as men, as fathers, there's an implication given our role as men. This passage is not just about 'us' - but also our influence on others, those in our care who need hope too! We need to be 'man enough' to persevere - which leads to hope. And we then need to lead our families to hope in Jesus!
Many men tend to focus more on the provider aspect of a man and less on the protector and leader roles. All we have to do is look around at the state of our world to recognize there's a lot of garbage from which our families need protection. 'Manhood', as God designed it, is not for the weak – and I'm not talking about physical strength, but developing a bold spiritual strength.
When it comes to God's design and our role in our families, we need to pray for the strength to...
A. Stand firm!
And this is not about being closed minded or running our homes as tyrants – that's nowhere close to the biblical picture we see of masculinity. But it's about developing the spiritual strength to stand firm on God's Word! It's about standing against the onslaught of the 'godless values' that are being promoted and encouraged all around our families! And choosing to follow God's ways will bring condemnation and opposition from the world, but it's no match for God's blessings that come with choosing character.
I want to look at the words of the Apostle Paul from Acts 20:22-24 (NIV)...
And now, compelled by the Spirit, I am going to Jerusalem, not knowing what will happen to me there. (23) I only know that in every city the Holy Spirit warns me that prison and hardships are facing me. (24) However, I consider my life worth nothing to me, if only I may finish the race and complete the task the Lord Jesus has given me - the task of testifying to the gospel of God's grace.
Paul's character, his resolve to do what he knew was right at any cost – even at the risk of his own life – that character, and God's grace, drove him on. Paul faced massive amounts of opposition. Paul spent a lot of time in jail and early Church tradition suggests that he was eventually beheaded for his 'crime' of preaching the Gospel of Jesus Christ. But Paul stood firm to the end – he spent his life testifying to the gospel of God's grace.
What's your life's testimony? Is it all about you and your accomplishments - or about what you did, on behalf of Jesus, for others? Do you take the task given to you – that of testifying to your family – as seriously as Paul took his task? Men, when it comes to providing for, protecting and serving your family - stand firm!
And one more thought about our task, men of God – we are called, by our character, by our values, by our example…
B. You teach God's Word
Our families need us to model and teach God's Word! I guarantee the schools are quite willing to teach our kids values that do not even remotely line up with God's values. We can't allow ourselves to be too busy to teach our kids the truth. And there's one more opportune way for us to step up and do that – to put our faith into action. Our VBS program is in the evenings the week of August 7th -11th. Our children need the example of Godly men. I would love it if Cindy was overwhelmed after service with men who wanted to take this opportunity to serve our kids!
Chuck Swindoll made a plea in his book Living Above the Level of Mediocrity. He stated, "This world needs men who cannot be bought; whose word is their bond; who put character above wealth; who possess opinions and a will; who are larger than their vocations; who do not hesitate to take chances; who will not lose their individuality in a crowd; who will be as honest in small things as in great things; who will make no compromise with wrong; whose ambitions are not confined to their own selfish desires; who do not believe that shrewdness, cunning, and hardheadedness are the best qualities for winning success; who are not ashamed or afraid to stand for the truth when it is unpopular; who can say "no" with emphasis, although all the rest of the world says "yes."
That's a man of God!
So What?
The first Bible passage I read this morning stated "suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope." Character is a stepping stone to hope - hope in Jesus! Those who follow Jesus are not given the reward of Heaven because we're perfect. As Christians, we're to strive to be holy with every fiber of our being. But the real difference between those of us in the Church and those outside of the Church is that our sins are forgiven through the blood of Jesus. We need to be all about Jesus! Our families need Jesus, not simply for us to encourage them just to be 'good people'!
We need more fathers, men who choose to follow God's ways no matter the cost. To be the Church that God intended us to be – we need men and women of character! How you respond is up to you… Happy Father's Day!