Today we will talk about what it means to “man up.” Women, don’t check out this morning...somebody has to keep these guys accountable. Let’s see what the Bible says about this subject. 1 Corinthians 16:13 “13 Be watchful, stand firm in the faith, act like men, be strong. 14 Let all that you do be done in love.” This is one of Paul’s last instructions to the church at Corinth in his first letter to them. The instructions that you leave at the end are the ones you want people to remember the most. As he addresses these men he had five very specific instructions. One: Be watchful, Two: Stand firm in the faith, Three: Act like men, Four: Be strong, and Five: Do everything in love. Alright, you got all that guys? It seems pretty simple, right? OK, I guess that means we’re done. Let’s pray so you guys can go home, kick back, watch tv, chill and do nothing for the rest of the day. Does that sound good? Yes? Does that sound like the list of five things Paul said to do? And that’s the problem. Our natural bent is to trade the list Paul gave us for the one I just gave you. That’s why Paul gave us those instructions, especially that last one. I guess it looks like we may have to stay a little longer, so we can fully grab on to all those. In a general sense, these are all kind of the same instruction. It would be like if I said:” “straighten up, fly right, don’t screw up and keep it between the ditches.” What am I saying to you?
You know exactly what I mean, even though I used four different phrases to describe how I wanted you to behave. So in one way, Paul is just really making sure he drives his point home. But if we dig further we can see the deeper instruction that we have been given. So, let’s go into a little more explanation on each one of these. One: Be watchful. That sounds easy enough. Are you being watchful? What is it that you are watching for? Can you be watchful if you don’t even know what you are looking for? Matthew 26:40-41 “40 And he came to the disciples and found them sleeping. And he said to Peter, “So, could you not watch with me one hour? 41 Watch and pray that you may not enter into temptation. The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.” One of the most important things we are to watch out for is temptation. The temptation for us to fall asleep at the wheel. To fall asleep when we should be paying attention. To fall asleep because the flesh is weak. Have you fallen asleep spiritually? Temptation is not the same as sin. You will be tempted, but you do not have to let the temptation over take you and give in. You have been given the power to resist. 1 Corinthians 10:13 “13 No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man. God is faithful, and he will not let you be tempted beyond your ability, but with the temptation he will also provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it.” Everyone deals with the same temptations, but God promises that you will not be tempted beyond your ability to resist.
It won’t be easy, but God will provide a way of escape. Now here’s the hard part. It’s up to you to use it. Jesus was so concerned about us being tempted, He put it into His model prayer instruction. Matthew 6:13 “Lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.” But why was He so concerned about us being tempted by evil? Because that is what happened to Him, just as He started His ministry. Matthew 3:16-17 “16 And when Jesus was baptized, immediately he went up from the water, and behold, the heavens were opened to him, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and coming to rest on him; 17 and behold, a voice from heaven said, “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased.” That seems pleasant, everything looks to be going great. Well, just look at what happens immediately after that in chapter 4. Matthew 4:1 “Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil.” The very next thing that happens, right after He was baptized was that the Holy Spirit led Him into the wilderness to be tempted of the devil. When God puts you on display as His representative, you can expect the devil to take notice. This is what Jesus is telling us. That we should ask God to allow us to avoid that situation. So remember: Do not fall asleep spiritually, be watchful for temptation.
Two: Stand firm in the faith. To stand firm you have to have a stable foundation. The stronger you are rooted in the Word of God the more stable your foundation will be. Here are a couple of important things we are to stand firm in according to the Word. Galatians 5:1 “For freedom Christ has set us free; stand firm therefore, and do not submit again to a yoke of slavery.” This is saying that you are to stand firm in freedom. Do not to be caught up in the legalism that held you captive before your freedom in Christ. The legalism of religion is nothing more than a worthless ritual. 2 Thessalonians 2:15 “15 So then, brothers, stand firm and hold to the traditions that you were taught by us, either by our spoken word or by our letter.” Again, this is saying to stand firm in what you are taught in the Word and do not fall back on the religious rituals of your past. Philippians 1:27 “27 Only let your manner of life be worthy of the gospel of Christ, so that whether I come and see you or am absent, I may hear of you that you are standing firm in one spirit, with one mind striving side by side for the faith of the gospel,” Stand firm in unity with your family of faith. Not just when the pastor is around, but always and in every situation striving to have one mind...the mind of Christ. Which is a mind of humility. Do not let pride derail you by making you unstable. So remember: Stand firm by stabilizing your foundation in the Word.
Three: Act like men. How is a man supposed to act? He is supposed to act the way God intended for him to act. And how can we know what that is? We just have to look at the instructions God gave to the first man, Adam. We also need to see where Adam went wrong, so we can avoid those mistakes. Genesis 1:26 “26 Then God said, “Let us make man in our image, after our likeness. And let them have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over the livestock and over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.” We are to have dominion. Man was created to have dominion over all the earth. To be God’s managers over the earth and all the animals. We have dominion or authority over the physical realm through the delegated authority of God. It’s the same as an army officer. The officer himself does not have the power to command 100 soldiers, but the authority of the government that has been delegated to him certainly does. In the same way, it is not our power that is used to have dominion, but God’s power at work through us. His delegated spiritual authority gives us the legal authority to rule over whatever he says we can. You have spiritual legal authority in the physical earth because you have a physical body. We are a spirit inside of a body. Last Sunday night Jim mentioned that demons do not have legal authority in the physical earth realm. That is because they are spirits without a physical body. So they need a body to be legal. That is why they want to possess a person. So they can legally do satan’s will on the earth. God put His Holy Spirit in you, so that you have the spiritual legal authority to accomplish His will on the earth. And He gave you all authority over the power of the enemy. As a disciple of Jesus, even demons are subject to your spiritual authority.
Luke 10:17 “17 The seventy-two returned with joy, saying, “Lord, even the demons are subject to us in your name!” So remember: Act like men and take dominion with your delegated authority. Four: Be strong. This is a continuation of the third point. It is not our own strength, but God’s strength through us. Ephesians 6:10-12 “10 Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might. 11 Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil. 12 For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places.” We are to be strong in the Lord and in the strength of His might. God provides the armor for us to be spiritually strong, because it is a spiritual battle not a physical one. Ephesians 6:13-17 “13 Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand firm. 14 Stand therefore, having fastened on the belt of truth, and having put on the breastplate of righteousness, 15 and, as shoes for your feet, having put on the readiness given by the gospel of peace. 16 In all circumstances take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming darts of the evil one; 17 and take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God,” Look at what this Old Testament verse says about how God is our strength. I love the illustration of this verse.
Habakkuk 3:19 “19 The Lord God is my strength, and he will make my feet like hinds' feet, and he will make me to walk upon mine high places.” Another translation says “He will make my feet like the deer’s” Notice that is says it is God’s strength that will make us be able to walk in high places, the dangerous places. The places where deer walk. Have you ever seen a deer stumble? Me neither, they are very sure footed, even in the craziest terrain. Hang on because there’s where it gets good. The verse says says God’s strength will make our feet like hinds’ feet. But why would we want to be the feet that are behind? Because they are connected to the front feet. You see, when a deer steps, the hind feet step into exactly the same spot that the front foot just left. His strength is the lead foot and all you have to do is to put yourself in the same place His foot just left for us to be safe in the dangerous places. His word tells us exactly where we should step. If Jesus stepped there, you should step there, but if He didn’t, neither should you. If you are connected to him like hind feet, you won’t have a choice where you step. Following where He goes will be natural. So remember: Be strong by armoring up and following Jesus. Five: Do everything in love. Seriously? Everything? Really? Yes, everything, as hard as that may be. I’ve mentioned the last couple of weeks how we are supposed to us our spiritual gifts in love.
1 Corinthians 13:1-3 “If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. 2 And if I have prophetic powers, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. 3 If I give away all I have, and if I deliver up my body to be burned, but have not love, I gain nothing.” Without love as your motivation you are the same as a loud cymbal with our purpose, you are nothing and gain nothing. It’s all just a waste of your time. 1 John 4:7-10 “7 Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God, and whoever loves has been born of God and knows God. 8 Anyone who does not love does not know God, because God is love. 9 In this the love of God was made manifest among us, that God sent his only Son into the world, so that we might live through him. 10 In this is love, not that we have loved God but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins.” God sent His Son so that we could live a life of love toward others. God’s original design was for us to love one another. When Jesus provided a way for us to become sons of the Father, it was for us to be able to take on His way of thinking and state of being. And that is to love, freely and without regard to what it will cost us. John 3:16-17 “16 For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. 17 For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved.”
God’s plan was to reconcile “the world”, because He loved it. God loves all of His creation. The earth, the animals, the people and the kingdom system He established for how it was supposed to operate. Our thoughts should be ruled by love and that should drive every feeling, decision and action. That’s how you do all things in love. How are you doing with that? Is love your driving thought? Is it a love for others and God, or is it a love for what makes you happy and comfortable? We like to think of love as something that’s easy and feels great. But the truth is that if you’re going to focus your love on others, it will be difficult and costly. But this is the way God set the example for us and it should be our goal too. Are we loving our enemies? Are we even trying? What would allow us to love them? If we can see them the way God sees us, it will open our hearts to love them. Well there it is. That’s how to “man up” according to the word of God. Let’s review it. One: Be watchful, Two: Stand firm in the faith, Three: Act like men, Four: Be strong, and Five: Do everything in love.
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