This sermon – Men of Courage – was originally preached 2013.10.20 by Sam Troyer.
Scriptures used: Ezekiel 22:30, 1 Corinthians 11:2-3, Ephesians 5:22, Romans 5:17-19, Deuteronomy, Romans 1:28, Timothy, Hebrews 13:7, James 5:16.
Men of Courage, Never Give Up
God is looking for “a few good men,” men who will, “man up.” There are not a whole lot of courageous men out there. There is a cost associated with being a courageous man. If it wasn’t hard there would be thousands of courageous men standing in the gap, holding the line. Silence is one of the big sins that men struggle with today. Standing passively by. Being unwilling to say yes or no. Refusing to speak for God. Adam’s sin was the sin of silence. He should have spoken up, but instead he stood by in silence. We know the story of Adam and Eve. They were tempted in the garden by a serpent. Adam saw the serpent talking to Eve. Adam was there. From what we know he doesn’t appear to have said anything. Did Eve sin in eating the fruit? Yes. But Adam stood by and remained silent even though he knew what the right thing was. Adam was not deceived. He had received the command of God and didn’t follow through with it. Down through the ages men have been silent when they should have said something or stood for something. We are often guilty of this today as well! We need to be encouraged. It is extremely difficult to take a stand, but as men of courage we haveto do it. What God is asking of us is too big for us. We cannot do it on our own. Only by the strength that is given us through the power of Jesus and the Holy Spirit, can we stand up, as men or courage, when we need to.
We men feel powerless at times. What do we do when we feel like the situation is beyond our control? Do we retreat? Do we back off? Do we question our manhood? We are often terrified. We ask questions. What if I am a fraud? What if I lose my job? What if I can’t support my family?
What should we do with “powerlessness.”
* Receive strength from God. See our limitations, but move ahead with the strength that is available to us through Christ.
* Receive forgiveness from God. Don’t let bitterness drive a wedge between you and God. Come to Him. Allow God to work on our behalf.
There are times we don’t know how to answer. We can feel like an impostor. We fear the reaction of what will happen if we step in. Criticism. Rejection. Abuse. Made fun of. Loss of peace. Things can get quite messy.
For You Ladies
You can make it so much easier for the men in your life to speak into your life and your home, or you can make it extremely difficult. Does your husband just shut up? It’s often because he is tired of hearing criticism. He is afraid. He is weak. He should be speaking, but he’s not. We can all make it easier for the men in our lives by listening. They will mess up. But having a listening ear, and willing support, makes the role that a man is called to take much easier to carry out.
Remembering
As men we are called to bring perspective into situations. What is the key to us as men being able to be men of courage? Remembering. Why do we fail as men? Often times it is because we are failing to remember God. Choosing instead to forget what we know about God. Men were created to remember. As men we are to remember God working and His dealing in the pasts. To remember the past and build stability from the fact that God has worked in the past and to bring that perspective into the present situation. Men are often known for their silence. They don’t speak. If we refuse to remember God’s working we can insulate ourselves from God’s power. Adam didn’t speak out. He wimped out. He should have spoken out, but didn’t. Let’s stand. Shun the silence of Adam.
