The Reason for Jesus

Maybe you’ve heard someone say, “Jesus is the reason for the season,” and he really is. Jesus is the reason for Christmas. But do you know the reason for Jesus? I mean, do you know why Jesus came to earth to be born?

Nobody knows the exact day that Jesus was born in Bethlehem, but we do know that a miracle happened over 2,000 years ago when God chose Mary to be the Mother of His One and Only Son. December 25th was chosen as the date to celebrate his birthday long ago.

Would it surprise you to know that Jesus existed before he was born? That’s not true of you or me. Every human being, except Jesus Christ, came into existence inside their mother. But Jesus has always been the Son of God. His existence didn’t begin at his birth. When baby Jesus was laid in the manger, he opened his eyes and looked out upon the world for the first time as a human being. Before that, the Son of God was with his Father in heaven. Jesus came to earth to become one of us, lived a perfect life like none of us, and then he died on the cross and rose from the grave for all of us. God showed his love by sending his one and only Son.

You see, Jesus knows what you and I are going through down here because he experienced human life: happiness, sadness, weakness, weariness, pain, and finally death. He knows what it feels like to be a human being, and he cares about all of us.

“Because God’s children are human beings—made of flesh and blood—the Son also became flesh and blood… it was necessary for him to be made in every respect like us, his brothers and sisters, so that he could be our merciful and faithful High Priest before God. Then he could offer a sacrifice that would take away the sins of the people. Since he himself has gone through suffering and testing, he is able to help us when we are being tested.” (Tyndale House Publishers, Holy Bible: New Living Translation, Hebrews 2:14a, 17–18)

Jesus became a human being so that he could take away our sins. Everybody does bad things, and we call those bad things sins. Every time we do wrong we make God unhappy. Whenever you sin, you hurt God, you hurt yourself, and you hurt other people. When Jesus died on the cross, he showed us just how much it hurts when we sin.

If we do wrong we also have to pay for it. If you steal something, then you have to give it back. If you break something, then you have to pay for it. That’s the right thing to do. We also deserve to be punished when we do wrong. If you steal you could go to jail for it. When Jesus died on the cross, he was punished for our sins. But Jesus never sinned! He never told a lie, never stole, never disrespected his parents, never cursed at anyone, or hit anyone. From the time he was born in the manger until the time he died on the cross, Jesus never sinned. That’s why he could take the punishment for all of our sins.
“Christ had no sin, but God made him become sin so that in Christ we could become right with God.” (The Everyday Bible: New Century Version, 2 Corinthians 5:21)

So, that’s why Jesus was born: to show us how much God loves us, and to pay the penalty for our sins. You and I sin, don’t we? We really do need Jesus. We need him to take away our sins and to help us to live better lives. Jesus wants us to live well. That’s one of the reasons the church I lead is called Lifewell. He also wants all of us to go to heaven to be with him some day.

Jesus came back to life after he died for our sins, and showed himself to his family, friends and followers. Then he went back up to heaven to be with His Father. He is alive and can never die again. That’s why we can pray to Jesus, and that’s how we can have eternal life in heaven. The Bible says, “Whoever will call on the name of the Lord will be saved.”

You see, you and I are the reason for Jesus.
“For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten son that whoever believes in him will not perish but have eternal life” (John 3:16).

Why don’t you pray right now and call out to Jesus. Thank Him for being born, and for dying on the cross and rising from the dead.

Dear Jesus, I love you and I believe in you. You were born in a manger. You grew up, but never sinned. When you were a man you died on the cross for my sins. I believe you came back to life. Jesus, I ask you to come into my heart, take away my sins. I love you and I want to live my life for you. Amen.

God the Father, Almighty Creator

The Apostles’ Creed Introduction

Get God In Your Face!

Don’t Miss Out on Your Reward for Serving the Lord!

1- Moses had to lead a multitude of doubting, disbelieving rebels, who often complained, yearned to return to slavery in Egypt, and even threatened to stone him and Aaron.

10 Times Israel Grumbled Against God & Moses

(Acc. to NASB text note)

Exodus 5:21, 14:11, 15:24, 16:2, 17:2, 3, 32:1,

Numbers 11:1, 4, 12:1, 14:2

2- When they got to the edge of the Promised Land, they disbelieved and refused to enter and fight.

“So why is the Lord bringing us into this land to fall by the sword? Our wives and our little ones will become plunder! Would it not be better for us to return to Egypt?” So they said to one another, “Let’s appoint a leader and return to Egypt!”” (Numbers 14:3–4, NASB 2020)

3- Moses would rightly feel great frustration at this point. Did he feel like a failure as a leader?

4- The Lord threatened to destroy all of the people and start again with Moses.

“And the Lord said to Moses, ‘How long will this people be disrespectful to Me? And how long will they not believe in Me, despite all the signs that I have performed in their midst? I will strike them with plague and dispossess them, and I will make you into a nation greater and mightier than they.’” (Numbers 14:11–12, NASB 2020)

5- Moses interceded for the people (once again), appealing to the reputation of YHWH.

“Please forgive the guilt of this people in accordance with the greatness of Your mercy, just as You also have forgiven this people, from Egypt even until now.’” (Numbers 14:19, NASB 2020)

6- The Lord relented, but pronounced judgment: the children of Israel would remain in the desert for 40 more years, until all the fighting men who rejected the Lord died.

“So the Lord said, “I have forgiven them in accordance with your word; however, as I live, all the earth will be filled with the glory of the Lord. Certainly all the people who have seen My glory and My signs which I performed in Egypt and in the wilderness, yet have put Me to the test these ten times and have not listened to My voice, shall by no means see the land which I swore to their fathers, nor shall any of those who were disrespectful to Me see it.” (Numbers 14:20–23, NASB 2020)

“In accordance with the number of days that you spied out the land, forty days, for every day you shall suffer the punishment for your guilt a year, that is, forty years, and you will know My opposition. I, the Lord, have spoken, I certainly will do this to all this evil congregation who are gathered together against Me. They shall be worn out in this wilderness, and there they shall die.” (Numbers 14:34–35, NASB 2020)

7- Moses would now have to continue leading this people in the desert for 40 years!

8- Eventually, Moses got to a breaking point. In frustration and with a sense of entitlement, he took credit for miraculously providing water for the people.

“‘Take the staff; and you and your brother Aaron assemble the congregation and speak to the rock before their eyes, that it shall yield its water. So you shall bring water for them out of the rock, and have the congregation and their livestock drink.’ So Moses took the staff from before the Lord, just as He had commanded him; and Moses and Aaron summoned the assembly in front of the rock. And he said to them, ‘Listen now, you rebels; shall we bring water for you out of this rock?’ Then Moses raised his hand and struck the rock twice with his staff; and water came out abundantly, and the congregation and their livestock drank.” (Numbers 20:8–11, NASB 2020)

9- The Lord performed the miracle through Moses, but was not pleased with His servant and pronounced judgment: Moses and Aaron would not enter the Promised Land.

But the Lord said to Moses and Aaron, ‘Since you did not trust in Me, to treat Me as holy in the sight of the sons of Israel, for that reason you shall not bring this assembly into the land which I have given them.’” (Numbers 20:12)

10- When the 40 years ended, Moses pleaded with the Lord to let him enter and experience the land. The Lord refused, but allowed Moses go to the top of a mountain and see it.

“I also pleaded with the Lord at that time, saying, ‘Lord God, You have begun to show Your servant Your greatness and Your strong hand; for what god is there in heaven or on earth who can do such works and mighty acts as Yours? Please let me cross over and see the good land that is beyond the Jordan, that good hill country, and Lebanon.’ But the Lord was angry with me on your account, and would not listen to me; instead, the Lord said to me, ‘Enough! Do not speak to Me any more about this matter. Go up to the top of Pisgah and raise your eyes to the west, the north, the south, and the east, and see it with your eyes; for you shall not cross over this Jordan.’” (Deuteronomy 3:23–27, NASB 2020)

11- Lessons for us:

A) God has promises and a plan for your life.

If you pursue your own plans and desires you will miss out on the much greater life God offers.

B) If you give up and turn your back on God, you will miss out on the eternal Promised Land, which is heaven.

C) Sometimes leading people can be frustrating.

What do you do when you are disrespected, unappreciated or under-appreciated?

Seek the Lord and His reward!

1- Don’t demand respect; be respectful and respectable.

2- Don’t give them what they’re giving you, but what you want them to give you.

3- Be merciful and gracious, not judgmental.

4- Don’t walk away, but pray for them.

D) Entitlement is dangerous. That is when we say, “I deserve _________.”

E) Don’t take credit for what God has given, or done in and through you.

1- Even all of your hard work results from the gifts and talents God has created in you.

“What do you have that you did not receive? And if you did receive it, why do you boast as if you had not received it?” (1 Corinthians 4:7, NASB 2020)

2- Your reward comes from the Lord, not people!

a) Don’t seek human recognition.

b) Don’t seek sympathy for your hardship.

c) Don’t seek financial renumeration.

d) Don’t seek promotion.

e) Don’t seek ease.

f) Don’t give up!

3- If you seek earthly rewards, you may put yourself under discipline from the Lord, and miss out on experiencing what He offers!

4- “Seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness and all of these things will be aded to you as well.” (Matt. 6:33).

5- Turn your back on the world and follow Jesus for His promised rewards!

“Peter began to say to Him, ‘Behold, we have left everything and have followed You.’ Jesus said, ‘Truly I say to you, there is no one who has left house or brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or farms, for My sake and for the gospel’s sake, but that he will receive a hundred times as much now in the present age, houses and brothers and sisters and mothers and children and farms, along with persecutions; and in the age to come, eternal life.’” (Mark 10:28–30, NASB 2020)

6- Let humble service to the Lord be its own reward.

“So you too, when you do all the things which were commanded you, say, ‘We are unworthy slaves; we have done only that which we ought to have done.’” (Luke 17:10, NASB 2020)

Doppler Effect of Time

An observation I made in 2011. More real to me today than ever.

As a train approaches me and blows its horn, the pitch sounds higher, as it moves away the pitch sounds lower. This happens because my perception of the sound wave is affected by the distance: shorter distance, narrower sine wave, higher pitch, and reverse this for the lower pitch as the train gets further away.

My perception of time is like this, except, instead of a higher and lower pitch, I have the perception that each decade seems exponentially (as opposed to equally) more remote in my memory. 2001 is like yesterday; 1991 feels much further removed; and 1981 is like another lifetime. I was nine in 1971, so I wont rely on that perception as having the same degree of continuity as the others.

Is there a lesson here? As I approach the end of my life, as we approach the end of history, time seems to speed up. Things feel like they happen and pass by more quickly. Even younger people I speak to have a perception that, say, the last school year, went by so fast. Is the end close? Maybe.

This is all perceptual, not Scriptural. Biblically speaking, time to God may be short or long depending upon his will. “But do not forget this one thing, dear friends: With the Lord a day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years are like a day” (2 Peter 3:8, NIV). So, God can get a thousand years worth of work done in a day, or a thousand years may pass by as quickly as a day. Time is subject to God and his will.

I need to subject myself and my perceptions to God, and not be a slave to time.

Enter God’s Rest

Read Hebrews 4:1-11

“Wherever rest appears in 3:1 to 4:11, it refers to an experience of salvation we enter by faith in Jesus Christ.” (Tommy Lea, Holman NT Commentary on Hebrews).

The Sabbath is a symbol. The day has meaning beyond itself. That meaning has been fulfilled in Christ (Matthew 5:17 & John 19:30), who is Lord over the Sabbath (Mark 2:28). We will realize it when we rest in Him.

The Sabbath was a perpetual reminder to the Jews to trust YHWH. “Cease striving and know that I am God.” The psalmist wrote that for Israel to sing (Psalm 46:10). Stop striving to please God on your own; instead, rest in Christ. He pleases the Heavenly Father. You and I fall short, even when we are at our best. Trust Him to care for you; trust Him to forgive you when you fail. Follow Jesus and obey Him by all means, but do so as the result of an active faith, not as an attempt to win his favor. His favor is given freely when you have faith.

The Pharisees never figured that out. Instead, they made the Sabbath a legalistic nightmare of rules to keep people from work, which caused plenty of strife and unrest. Ironic. Obviously, that is not why God established the Sabbath. As Jesus clearly stated, “God made the Sabbath for man and not man for the Sabbath” (Mark 2:27).

Sunday is not the same as the OT Law Sabbath. Saturday is. Our present passage is not teaching Christians to observe the Sabbath as a special day, be it Saturday or Sunday. It is leading us to understand the purpose behind the Sabbath, to enter God’s rest.

As those who are in Christ, we leave behind our striving to please God because we believe that Jesus Christ, who dwells within us, has fully pleased His Father. Therefore, we are pleasing to God as our Father, so long as we remain in Christ. We enter this rest by trusting Christ’s completed work at Calvary. “It is finished.” My salvation was bought with His precious blood. There is nothing more for me to add. Death was conquered. There is nothing more for me to fear. I am under Christ’s authority. There is no law for me to keep. I am already justified, made right positionally, even before I begin to produce the fruit of righteousness.

So, do not harden your hearts and go back to the old way of seeking to live a holy life on your own to please God. Legalism kills. You can never be holy enough for the Holy One. Trusting Him and admitting His Spirit into your heart, which is the inner chamber of your life, will make you holy. Do not doubt the love and goodness of your Heavenly Father when you are going through trouble. Trust Him to protect, and provide as He did for His people in the wilderness. That is rest.

Finally, realize that the Promised Land itself was the ultimate rest for the Israelites. That is what the author of Hebrews is speaking of here. When we strive to please God, we tend to make Him promises: “O, God, I’ll do this for You if you’ll just bless me.” “O, God protect me from this tornado,” or “from these terrorists, and I’ll serve you.” That is not New Covenant religion! God has made the promises. Discover them and trust Him to fulfill His own word. Jesus has promised, “Seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness and all of these other things will be done for you” (Matthew 6:33), and “If you remain in me and my word remains in you, ask whatever you wish and it will be done for you” (John 15:7). Put your hope in these promises. Begin to ask and seek and knock (Matt. 7:7-11, Luke 11:9-10), and rest in the faith that your good and loving God will answer your prayer and give you “above and beyond all that you can ask or imagine” (Ephesians 3:20).

You enter the Lord’s rest by faith. “This faith demands a dependence on God’s work instead of on our own works.” (Tommy Lea, ibid.) When you “believe in yourself,” rather than trusting God, then you will fall short of His rest. You will either start making up your own rules, or striving to keep your understanding of the Bible’s teaching on your own. This is not the way to live the life of a Christian as God designed it to be. Rule oriented religion is common; it is very human. We are competitive. We seek to perform, to earn. We want to deserve good things. The Gospel is nothing like this. Christ offers justification, being made right with God because of His sacrifice. Christ offers a free gift of eternal life if we will receive it by faith. Then we live our lives in gratitude for what the Lord has done. We are transformed by grace and the indwelling presence of the Holy Spirit. The fallen human nature is replaced with a spiritual one: I am reborn by the work of the Holy Spirit, and I begin to produce good works organically. Religion is inherently artificial. Genuine Christian life is supernatural, sustained by the Spirit of God. In Christ I don’t fear, I don’t strive, I am kept from falling or failing. That is rest.

When I have financial needs, I am stressed. Jesus taught us to pray, “Give us this day our daily bread.” Interestingly, the Greek word translated daily may mean tomorrow’s bread, which I pray for today. The idea would be that I don’t worry about tomorrow, as Jesus plainly says (Matt. 6:34). Instead, seek His kingdom and righteousness and trust him to provide everything you need (Matt. 6:33). That is rest.

Never Take Revenge

“Beloved, never avenge yourselves, but leave it to the wrath of God, for it is written, ‘Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord.’ To the contrary, ‘if your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink; for by so doing you will heap burning coals on his head.” Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.” (Romans 12:19–21, ESV)

We are living in a revenge culture. Witness the ever present “revenge porn” found online. It seems everywhere I turn, whether to those on the Right or Left, there are people angry at something someone has done to them (real or imagined).

A very visible example at the moment is the murder of Charlie Kirk, a Conservative debater, speaker and organizer. He was a gentle, but unrelenting and persuasive, even provocative promoter of Conservative political ideas. He was also an outspoken and unapologetic Bible believing Christian. He had great impact on college campuses, most of which have become bastions of Leftist ideals. He made enemies on the Left, and one of them murdered him in cold blood in the middle of one of his college appearances in Utah. This is likely seen as revenge by many of his political opponents and detractors, who hated him for what he stood for. I was not a Charlie Kirk fanboy, but I did appreciate his incisive and intelligent answers to college students who asked questions at his meetings. In the wake of Charlie’s murder, what should his friends and followers do?

What would Charlie do?

I don’t believe Charlie Kirk would seek revenge. He would seek to dialog with those who approve the actions of his assassin. That’s what he always did: have a conversation; ask questions; speak truth.

What would Jesus do?

Pray for the assassin. Offer forgiveness. Show undeserving love to those who celebrate this evil act.

What I see is Conservatives rejoicing over people losing their jobs because of impulsive social media posts. If you’re a Christian, a real one who follows Jesus, stop. Pray for these people.

What should genuine Christians do when we are the recipients of evil and injustice?

Leave it to the wrath of God. God is love, AND God is just. Only almighty God can dispense perfect, righteous justice to those who perpetrate evil.

“It is appointed for everyone once to die, and then comes judgment” (Heb. 9:27)

“We must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each one may receive what is due for what he has done in the body, whether good or evil” (2 Cor. 5:10).

My anger doesn’t achieve God’s righteousness (James 1:20)

Jesus took upon himself the entirety of Almighty God’s righteous wrath against sin at the cross. As a result, anyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved from that wrath, saved from eternal destruction in hell. “There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus” (Rom. 8:1).

Since I have been forgiven by God, I am commanded to offer forgiveness to anyone who has offended or harmed me. I am not justifying their hatred, harm or sin. I am giving them over to God. I will not take revenge. However, if that person rejects Christ and clings to their evil, they will pay the penalty for what they’ve done to me and others. It is imperative that we who claim Christ as our Lord, act like it. We must act like Jesus.

I saw a video of a march honoring Charlie Kirk the night of his death. An individual rode through it on an electric scooter (I believe) shouting disrespectful remarks. A mob knocked him off the scooter and began beating him. That is exactly what Jesus forbids. That is what Paul is speaking against. That did not honor Charlie Kirk. In fact, it plays right into the hands of his Leftist detractors, making them feel justified in their hatred.

At the root of revenge culture is self-righteousness. I am good; I am right; you are wrong; you have offended and harmed me, so I will harm you back. Justice demands an eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth, so I will poke out your eye or knock out your teeth. The trouble with this is, “there is none righteous, not even one” (Rom. 3:10/Psa 14:3), so I am hypocritical to hit back in anger. Revenge never ends. Soon enough we find ourselves in a blind and toothless world.

In reality, you may be right and I may be wrong, but only God can condemn anyone. However, the good news is: “there is therefore no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus” (Rom. 8:1). So, we all need to get right with God by receiving Jesus as Lord and Savior. My response to being offended and harmed must be love. Jesus gave practical application to this command to love your enemy.

“You have heard that it was said, ‘An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.’ But I say to you, Do not resist the one who is evil. But if anyone slaps you on the right cheek, turn to him the other also. And if anyone would sue you and take your tunic, let him have your cloak as well. And if anyone forces you to go one mile, go with him two miles. Give to the one who begs from you, and do not refuse the one who would borrow from you.” (Matthew 5:38–42, ESV)

Jesus tells us how to overcome evil with good: Love your enemies.

“You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, so that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven. For he makes his sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust. For if you love those who love you, what reward do you have? Do not even the tax collectors do the same? And if you greet only your brothers, what more are you doing than others? Do not even the Gentiles do the same? You therefore must be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect.” (Matthew 5:43–48, ESV)

So, “Love your enemies and drive ‘em nuts!”

Personality Based Spiritual Gifts

Motivational Gifts Will Align With Your Personality

Spiritual Gifts That Redirect Natural Personality Traits

“However, since we have gifts that differ according to the grace given to us, each of us is to use them properly:

if prophecy, in proportion to one’s faith; if service, in the act of serving;

or the one who teaches, in the act of teaching; or the one who exhorts, in the work of exhortation;

the one who gives, with generosity; the one who is in leadership, with diligence;

the one who shows mercy, with cheerfulness.” (Romans 12:6–8, NASB 2020)

1- Prophecy.

Main Goal: Repentance.

Companion gift: Faith (also, a manifestation of the Spirit 1 Cor. 12:9)

Personality Type: Choleric, high in extraversion, very high in assertiveness, may not be as open, may be disagreeable, may appear to lack compassion and be low in politeness, may be higher in neuroticism.

2- Service.

Main goal: serving the Lord and others.

Companion gift: Love

Personality type: melancholy or phlegmatic, high in agreeableness, compassionate, polite, higher in conscientiousness, industriousness and orderliness

3- Teaching.

Main goal: to equip people by giving them knowledge and wisdom.

Companion gift: may also be a pastor (Eph. 4:11)

Personality type: likely sanguine, higher in extraversion and conscientiousness, higher in openness

4- Exhortation.

Main goal: Encouraging people.

Personality type: sanguine, agreeable, extraverted, may be lower in conscientiousness, may be high in openness, low neuroticism

5- Giving/Generosity.

Main goal: meeting material (usually) needs of people, funding ministry

Companion gift: faith (again see 1 Cor. 12:9)

Personality type: may be melancholy or phlegmatic, agreeable, conscientious, industrious orderly, may not be high in extraversion or assertiveness, moderately enthusiastic, moderate to high in openness

6- Leadership.

Main goal: Give direction to people

Companion gift: May also be any one of the offices in the church listed in Ephesians 4:11: Apostle, Prophet, Evangelist, Pastor/Teacher

Companion gift: Zeal (motivation, eagerness, diligence)

Personality type: Choleric or sanguine, high in extraversion, very high in assertiveness, high in conscientiousness, may be lower in agreeableness, may be higher in volatility

7- Mercy.

Main goal: comfort people in difficulty

Companion gift: love

Personality type: phlegmatic, may be low in extraversion because they focus on individuals over groups, very high in agreeableness, especially compassion, could be higher in neuroticism

Big Five OCEAN Personality Traits

The traits and aspects of the Big Five personality model are:

Agreeableness: Compassion and Politeness

Conscientiousness: Industriousness and Orderliness

Extraversion: Enthusiasm and Assertiveness

Neuroticism: Withdrawal and Volatility

Openness: Intellect and Aesthetics

Traditional Personality Types

Choleric: Ambitious, energetic, assertive, confident, decisive, goal-oriented.

Sanguine: Outgoing, cheerful, optimistic, sociable enthusiastic, charismatic

Melancholic: Thoughtful, introspective, analytical, sensitive, perfectionistic, loyal

Phlegmatic: Calm, reliable, peaceful, diplomatic, steady, compassionate

MANdate

Four things men are made to be and do from Genesis 2.

1. Protect & Serve

The LORD God took the man and put him in the Garden of Eden to work it and take care of it. And the LORD God commanded the man, “You are free to eat from any tree in the garden; but you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for when you eat of it you will surely die.
Genesis 2:15-17 (NIV)

עָבַד
ʽâbad

1) to work, serve
1a1) to labour, work, do work
1a2) to work for another, serve another by labour
1a3) to serve as subjects
1a4) to serve (God)
1a5) to serve (with Levitical service)
Part of Speech: verb

Men are made for meaningful work.

Without meaningful work the mind and hands of a man wander
into evil places.

Without meaningful work a man will become depressed.

Men are made to serve.

Self serving behavior will always lack fulfillment for a man.

Men are no good without a Master.

Without a Master we are rogue warriors,
ronin,
angry, violent, unfulfilled troublemakers.

A man works to serve his wife,
but she is not his Master.

A man works to serve his children,
but they are not his Master.

A man works to serve his friends, his church, his neighbors, humankind, but none of these is his Master.

A man must submit to worthy superiors,
but no man is worthy enough to be the Master.

Jesus Christ is the Master.

שָׁמַר
shâmar
1) to keep, guard, observe, give heed
1a1) to keep, have charge of
1a2) to keep, guard, keep watch and ward, protect, save life
1a2a) watch, watchman (participle)
1a3) to watch for, wait for
1a4) to watch, observe
1a5) to keep, retain, treasure up (in memory)
1a6) to keep (within bounds), restrain
1a7) to observe, celebrate, keep (sabbath or covenant or commands), perform (vow)
1a8) to keep, preserve, protect
1a9) to keep, reserve
1b) (Niphal)
1b1) to be on one’s guard, take heed, take care, beware
1b2) to keep oneself, refrain, abstain
1b3) to be kept, be guarded
1c) (Piel) to keep, pay heed
1d) (Hithpael) to keep oneself from
Part of Speech: verb

Men are made to keep watch and protect.

Men must first guard their hearts from evil, duplicity and temptation.

“Guard your heart,
for from it flow the springs of life”
(Proverbs 4:23).

A man must watch over his own attitude and behavior.

“Watch the path of your feet
And all your ways will be established”
(Proverbs 4:26, NASB).

A man must watch his mouth.

“The one who guards his mouth preserves his life;
The one who opens wide his lips comes to ruin”
(Proverbs 13:3).

Only after he has guarded himself from evil is a man capable to protect his family and friends.

It is precisely at this point that Adam failed Eve,
and we are the worst for it.

When the woman saw that the fruit of the tree was good for food and pleasing to the eye, and also desirable for gaining wisdom, she took some and ate it. She also gave some to her husband, who was with her, and he ate it.
Genesis 3:6 (NIV)

Adam failed to guard his wife.

Instead of watching over her, he just stood by and watched the devil take her captive with lies.

Men of God, you must not follow Adam!

Protect your wife, your family and your friends
by speaking the truth in love
(Ephesians 4:15).

This may make you unpopular in your home or with your friends, but they will thank you in the end.

Of course, this assumes you’ve disciplined yourself to learn the truth of Christ and live by it.

2. Decide & Lead

“Now the LORD God had formed out of the ground all the beasts of the field and all the birds of the air. He brought them to the man to see what he would name them; and whatever the man called each living creature, that was its name.
Genesis 2:18-19 (NIV)

Men are made to define, determine, make decisions.

It is not a lack of intelligence which keeps a man from making a decision, but a lack of determination and courage.

A man lacks determination who believes strongly in nothing beyond himself.

Our problem right now is too many men have grown up without strong Christ centered fathers and grandfathers.

We live in a world filled with pusillanimous boy-men.

Pusillanimous
Pu`sil*lan”i*mous\, a. [L. pusillannimis; pusillus very little (dim. of pusus a little boy; cf. puer a boy, E. puerile) + animus the mind: cf. F. pusillanime. See Animosity.]

1. Destitute of a manly or courageous strength and firmness of mind; of weak spirit; mean-spirited; spiritless; cowardly; — said of persons, as, a pussillanimous prince.

2. Evincing, or characterized by, weakness of mind, and want of courage; feeble; as, pusillanimous counsels. “A low and pusillanimous spirit.” –Burke.

Syn: Cowardly; dastardly; mean-spirited; fainthearted; timid; weak; feeble.

Where are the real men?

Where are the men of God?

Men, we must submit to the Son of God,
and His Father will become our own.

Then we will begin to be what we were meant to be.

Men are meant to lead.

“For Adam was formed first, then Eve”
(1st Timothy 2:13).

The leader goes first to chart the course.

The leader goes first to protect those following him.

The leader offers the first and the best to God.

The leader is first to look after the needs of his followers, and last to meet his own needs and desires.

“Rather, let sthe greatest among you become as the youngest, and the leader as one who serves”
(Luke 22:26, ESV).

“Whoever humbles himself like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven”
(Matthew 18:4).

“The greatest among you shall be your servant”
(Matthew 23:11, ESV).

As an example, the husband is called to love his wife sacrificially,
“as Christ loves the church and gave himself up for her”
(Ephesians 5:25).

A Christlike leader never strives to focus attention on himself.

A Christlike leader makes no selfish demands.

A Christlike leader doesn’t have to enforce his leadership with threats of force or pleading for obedience.

A Christlike leader is first of all a follower.

“Follow me as I follow Christ”
(1 Corinthians 11:1).

If you will not follow, you will be a poor leader.

Jesus Christ is our role model, men.

He is everything we are supposed to be.

Make the decision to follow the One who called himself
“Son of Man”
starting right now.

The Bible Is/Is Not

It is not just a single book but a collection of writings.
It is not one type of literature, but many: narrative, poetry, wisdom sayings, law, letter, prophecy, apocalyptic.
It is not merely human in origin, nor written by the hand of God alone.
It is a human and divine colaberation.
Its works were written by some 40 ordained and inspired human authors.
Its works were not written at one time, but over a period of 1500 years.
Portions of its writings began as oral tradition among people who could not read and write: stories in Genesis 1-11, Gospel stories regarding Jesus’ works and words.
It was not written in English, but in ancient Hebrew, Aramaic and Greek.
Different English translations are a good thing because this allows the reader to see into the original languages through the eyes of different translators who have different views about the texts.
The 66 writings were not determined to be Scripture by some council of men, but understood to be the Word of God by the people of God from the time they were written. They were read in synagogues and churches for many years before official councils were convened. Ie. Old Testament- Jamnia in AD 90, New Testament- Athanasius’ Festal Letter is first official list of 27 writings (AD 367), Synod of Hippo (AD 393)
The Bible is honest and shows the weaknesses and sins of its characters, including and especially the greatest heroes. Ie. King David and Bathsheba, Peter’s denials, Paul’s persecution of the church.
The Bible is not “full of errors,” but does show the differences in time periods, understanding and experience of its human authors: ie. 4 Gospels, Kings vs. Chronicles.
God doesn’t support everything the writings in the Bible report. Ie. King David did a number of things as a warrior that God proved to be unhappy about, since he was not permitted to build the temple because he “shed much blood”; the imprecatory Psalms display some negative (even awful) emotions of the writers (Psa. 58, 137).
The Bible is a miracle of preservation, the Penteteuch alone having survived for 3500 years, the New Testament books surviving Roman persecution and burning.
The Bible is not God’s words, but God’s Word. It is His message to His people.
The Bible must be read along with the presence of the Holy Spirit, who inspired its writers if it is to be correctly interpreted. Pray for illumination and understanding before you read.

Pastor Darryl Hall

Quid est veritas?