Biblical Manhood
He Created Them • Sermon • Submitted
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Handout
Introduction
Introduction
Recap:
Last week we looked at the Good Design.
We saw:
Every human being is made in the image of God
This means every human being is worth more than all the rest of creation
Every human being has equal value regardless of race, class, location, culture, physical abilities, age, and gender.
Why is this so important?
Because when society uses the wrong value system to attach worth to human life, horrific tragedies can occur:
— racism, abuse, abortion, genocide, holocaust
Princeton bioethicist Peter Singer, published in the Journal of Practical Ethics in which he explains why he would adopt a child with Down syndrome out (my emphasis). He then expresses a profound bigotry against people with cognitive and developmental disabilities (my emphasis).
“For me, the knowledge that my [hypothetical Down] child would not be likely to develop into a person whom I could treat as an equal, in every sense of the word, who would never be able to have children of his or her own, who I could not expect to grow up to be a fully independent adult, and with whom I could expect to have conversations about only a limited range of topics would greatly reduce my joy in raising my child and watching him or her develop.
“Disability” is a very broad term, and I would not say that, in general, “a life with disability” is of less value than one without disability. Much will depend on the nature of the disability.
But let’s turn the question around, and ask why someone would deny that the life of a profoundly intellectually disabled human being is of less value than the life of a normal human being. Most people think that the life of a dog or a pig is of less value than the life of a normal human being.
On what basis, then, could they hold that the life of a profoundly intellectually disabled human being with intellectual capacities inferior to those of a dog or a pig is of equal value to the life of a normal human being? This sounds like speciesism to me, and as I said earlier, I have yet to see a plausible defence of speciesism. After looking for more than forty years, I doubt that there is one”
— https://www.nationalreview.com/corner/peter-singer-thinks-intellectually-disabled-less-pigs/
Only Christianity has the ability to recognize the real and intrinsic value of EVERY human being.
Together, men and women uniquely display the glory of God and declare the love of Christ to a confused world.
The foundational truths underlying each message in this series:
God created you. You bear His image. He has uniquely designed you for your role and season in life for His glory and your good.
Today we focus on men, next week - women.
(Thanks to Matt Chandler for some of the concepts)
The Danger in This MessageThe danger is that this message has the potential to be tuned out or turned against.
The Danger in This MessageThe danger is that this message has the potential to be tuned out or turned against.
Tuned out
Why should women listen to this sermon:
Wives, to prayerfully call and graciously encourage your husband to step up and into the God-given role He has given them.
Moms, to help train your sons to become the men God is calling them to be.
Single ladies, to recognize the characteristics of a man who will lead you to a place of flourishing and to call young men to maturity.
We need you! God has uniquely designed you in a way that enables men to accomplish what God has designed them to be.
Turned against
I know there are some here who have experienced men claiming to be acting out of their God-given roles but are really acting out of self-centered sin.
These are the men who use their strength and positions to hurt, degrade, belittle,
These
They are boys.
ILLUST - Know what my preteen son asked for for his birthday? A machete.
Why don’t you give a boy a machete? They will cut their leg off! Worse, they might injure others as well.
Men who hurt women or use their role to limit or oppress women are weak punks who feel they are strong by holding others down but are really not strong enough to do the harder thing — suppress their own desires for the good of others.
Happens even in the church.
I worry that the biblical understanding of manhood has been taught wrongly, used abusively, and practiced well — rarely.
The reason why we struggle with Genesis 1-2 is because we live in a Genesis 3 world - Words of the ideal become tainted through our experiences.
The Definition of Manhood
The Definition of Manhood
Our working definition of biblical manhood:
Men have the unique role of exercising headship to bring about God’s glory in human flourishing.
Using headship as opposed to leadership (though headship does encompass some leadership)
Didn’t want it to seem that only men can lead.
It is also a biblical term.
3 But I want you to understand that the head of every man is Christ, the head of a wife is her husband, and the head of Christ is God.
23 For the husband is the head of the wife even as Christ is the head of the church, his body, and is himself its Savior.
Men accomplish this by means of humble servant leadership in the areas of provision, protection, and spiritual direction.
Gen 2 is finer detail of Gen 1 creation story
Section marked out by elleh toledot — it marks a new section. You see another one in Gen 6:9
אֵ֣לֶּה תוֹלְד֧וֹת
Genesis 2:5–17 (ESV)
5 When no bush of the field was yet in the land and no small plant of the field had yet sprung up—for the Lord God had not caused it to rain on the land, and there was no man to work the ground, 6 and a mist was going up from the land and was watering the whole face of the ground— 7 then the Lord God formed the man of dust from the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living creature. 8 And the Lord God planted a garden in Eden, in the east, and there he put the man whom he had formed. 9 And out of the ground the Lord God made to spring up every tree that is pleasant to the sight and good for food. The tree of life was in the midst of the garden, and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. 10 A river flowed out of Eden to water the garden, and there it divided and became four rivers. 11 The name of the first is the Pishon. It is the one that flowed around the whole land of Havilah, where there is gold. 12 And the gold of that land is good; bdellium and onyx stone are there. 13 The name of the second river is the Gihon. It is the one that flowed around the whole land of Cush. 14 And the name of the third river is the Tigris, which flows east of Assyria. And the fourth river is the Euphrates. 15 The Lord God took the man and put him in the garden of Eden to work it and keep it. 16 And the Lord God commanded the man, saying, “You may surely eat of every tree of the garden, 17 but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die.”
Before woman God creates man. This does not mean that man is more special or has more value — Gen 1:23-27 has already told us that.
We do see God creating man and giving man responsibilities according to his role that he is to carry out.
Before we get to the distinction of man’s role I don’t want us to fly past the creation of man — There is an important truth here:
Humble servant leadership
7 then the Lord God formed the man of dust from the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living creature.
MEN: God formed you; therefore, you submit to him.
You are a man under authority. Any authority you may think you have is only delegated to you by God.
You are not a self-made man.
He is your first and primary relationship.
Truths that flow from this:
However important you think you are — no matter how many people answer to you — you answer to God.
However insignificant you feel — no matter how many people you answer to — you answer first and foremost to God.
8 And the Lord God planted a garden in Eden, in the east, and there he put the man whom he had formed.
God creates man’s role and it is up to man to live it out.
Adam’s role will be specifically and initially tied to the Garden, but Adam didn’t plant the seeds, he didn’t plot out the land. He is to continue to make things fruitful so God get’s the glory.
“Nice garden, Adam. Thanks, but it’s actually God’s — I just work here.”
The Distinction of Man’s Role
The Distinction of Man’s Role
15 The Lord God took the man and put him in the garden of Eden to work it and keep it. 16 And the Lord God commanded the man, saying, “You may surely eat of every tree of the garden, 17 but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die.”
Provision (work it), Protection (keep it), and Spiritual Direction (God commanded = gave his Word)
Provision
Provision
Work it.
Work is a product of God’s good design — not the Fall.
All throughout the Bible God honors hard work — not because producing something makes you more valuable (you have all the value you need and are going to get simply because you are made in the image of God).
Men, we tend to think our value comes in what we produce.
WRONG - production for self-satisfaction.
RIGHT - production for others’ flourishing.
God honors hard work because that is how he designed you.
Using something against its design only leads to brokenness.
Men, you have the God-given responsibility to provide for those God has given you — for your family.
Provision doesn’t mean just money, house, car, vacation, clothes, etc.
(Adam could have bought the best tractor, garden hose, and work gloves and he still wouldn’t help the garden flourish)
Provision is that which your family needs to flourish. That may mean less hours at your job.
25 Husbands, love your wives, as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her,
In exercising headship, the husband may lay down
Does this mean a woman cannot be the bread winner in the home — no because providing for the family is not directly tied to money earned.
It means not being lazy in flourishing the family in all that they need - physical, emotional, spiritual and doing so in a way that gives God glory — recognizing HE is the ultimate provider.
Protection
Protection
(Keep it)
shamar = guard
The sad reality is that too often men are the ones hurting and not the ones protecting.
God gave you muscles to work hard and protect women.
Spiritual Direction
Spiritual Direction
In the Home
ILLUST - Christine reproved me. Not my job — it’s yours
The lessons we teach our families come not only through our successes but also how we handle our failures.
ILLUST - 3 hardest words to say?
I’m sorry
Worcestershire
I’ve screwed up — I haven’t led my kids well. They aren’t following Jesus. Confess it and ask Jesus to redeem it.
Elder must lead his family well
(not perfectly, not all children perfect)
In the Church
When Paul discusses the role of church leaders to Timothy as he calls on Timothy to set men in the role of protection and spiritual direction over the ministries of the church For his reasoning as to why this should be Paul points to the creation account and the unique roles of men and women.
The Distortion of Man’s Role
The Distortion of Man’s Role
Genesis 3:6 (ESV)
6 So when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was a delight to the eyes, and that the tree was to be desired to make one wise, she took of its fruit and ate, and she also gave some to her husband who was with her, and he ate.
9 But the Lord God called to the man and said to him, “Where are you?”
Too passive
Too passive
abdication of headship
Too aggressive
Too aggressive
16 To the woman he said, “I will surely multiply your pain in childbearing; in pain you shall bring forth children. Your desire shall be contrary to your husband, but he shall rule over you.”
If we were to pull your wife aside and ask if she feels she is living out all the gifts and abilities God has given her then you are not fulfilling your role.
The Redemption of Man’s Role
The Redemption of Man’s Role
Christ redeems sinful man
Christ redeems sinful man
12 Therefore, just as sin came into the world through one man, and death through sin, and so death spread to all men because all sinned—
15 But the free gift is not like the trespass. For if many died through one man’s trespass, much more have the grace of God and the free gift by the grace of that one man Jesus Christ abounded for many.
Christ models perfect manhood
Christ models perfect manhood
Christ lived the life we as men should live.
— we are to love our wives “as Christ loved the church”
Dads, you are the default template for your daughters of what a man should be and therefore the initial sketch of what your daughter will look for in a relationship.
1 The saying is trustworthy: If anyone aspires to the office of overseer, he desires a noble task. 2 Therefore an overseer must be above reproach, the husband of one wife, sober-minded, self-controlled, respectable, hospitable, able to teach, 3 not a drunkard, not violent but gentle, not quarrelsome, not a lover of money. 4 He must manage his own household well, with all dignity keeping his children submissive, 5 for if someone does not know how to manage his own household, how will he care for God’s church? 6 He must not be a recent convert, or he may become puffed up with conceit and fall into the condemnation of the devil. 7 Moreover, he must be well thought of by outsiders, so that he may not fall into disgrace, into a snare of the devil.
Husbands / Fathers Single men Seniors
Single men image headship by protecting women as sisters, serving women as sisters.
Fathers, it is time to train our boys to be MEN. Here’s the problem — we can’t lead them into places we are unwilling to go.
ILLUST - going to outhouse, Brooks wanting me to lead in the church when dark.
Conclusion
Conclusion
Men:
— Commit to humble servant leadership.
— Take up the responsibilities of your role.
— Work for the glory of and the flourishing of those God has given you.
Call men down to pray.