I was so encouraged by our gathering this past Sunday morning! We continued our series “REALationships” and we talked husbands. To see how many of our men stand up for prayer to ask God help us fulfill the scriptural role that Good intends for us was AWESOME! I really believe that when we men strive as Christ followers who happen to be single, husbands, or fathers, then we will begin to be prepared to or begin to truly live providing the appropriate spiritual leadership for the women around us to help them follow Jesus. God desires for us to follow Jesus in such a way that they will see how His Spirit is working in and through us and they will want to follow as well. To help encourage us, I want to share some additional content from my message from Sunday that we didn't have time to get to. Please feel free to comment or ask any questions you may have.
Men, we must love our wives and be faithful to them.
We’re not going to really be able to do it unless WE LOVE GOD FIRST. When the prophet Samuel was sent by God to anoint David who was to be the next king of Israel after Saul, God told him that David was being chosen because he was a man after God’s own heart. What does that mean? It means you’re going to live your life putting God first. It means we follow what Jesus said in Mark 12:30-31,
Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.' 31 The second is this: 'Love your neighbor as yourself.' There is no commandment greater than these."
To be a man after God’s own heart we have to live our life saying what’s important to God is going to be important to us. So how do we do that? Well I want to talk through Colossians 3 and see how it can help us be men after God’s own heart. Let’s start with verse 1,
Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is seated at the right hand of God. 2 Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things. 3 For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God. 4 When Christ, who is your life, appears, then you also will appear with him in glory.
Paul begins the chapter reminding us what has happened to our lives because of Jesus. After our baptism, through the Holy Spirit we are new people, the old sinful man is buried and gone. I love verse 3. It says our lives are hidden with Christ in God. When we give our lives to Christ, God no longer sees who we used to be, He sees who we are in Christ. Paul tells us that we need to focus our lives on Christ and the hope we have in Him which is- heaven. Paul then explains what is supposed to continually take place once we enter this new life with Christ.
Put to death, therefore, whatever belongs to your earthly nature: sexual immorality, impurity, lust, evil desires and greed, which is idolatry. 6Because of these, the wrath of God is coming. 7You used to walk in these ways, in the life you once lived. 8But now you must rid yourselves of all such things as these: anger, rage, malice, slander, and filthy language from your lips. 9Do not lie to each other, since you have taken off your old self with its practices 10and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge in the image of its Creator.
We men never deal with those things do we? Lust, anger, filthy language. You notice he says “You used to walk in these ways…” God expects us to constantly work to put to death whatever belongs to the earthly nature. If you have to put something to death that implies that it must be alive. What does that say about our earthly nature? It is constantly trying to keep us from being who God desires us to be. Paul then continues and tells us what God has done for us through Christ is for anyone,
Here there is no Greek or Jew, circumcised or uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave or free, but Christ is all, and is in all.
Then he explains how we should live our lives in Christ.
12 Therefore, as God's chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. 13 Bear with each other and forgive whatever grievances you may have against one another. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. 14 And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity.
Men, think about what I just read. How much do you think about doing some of these things? Being compassionate? Kind? Humble? Gentle? Patient? How about forgiveness? Bearing with each other in love? Love? These are things that are totally opposite of how the world will tell you a man should live. We’re supposed to look out for number one, do whatever we can get ahead and take care of ourselves. But it’s what God expects of us as men. It’s these things that we should be setting the example in for our families. Go on,
Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. And be thankful. 16 Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom, and as you sing psalms, hymns and spiritual songs with gratitude in your hearts to God. 17 And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.
As a husband are you living your life in the name of the Lord? Are you doing everything you do in the name of Christ, always being thankful for what you have? Christi Gibson, the wife of John Gibson, the pastor who committed suicide because of his name being on the Ashley Madison site said this concerning the suicide note he left,
He talked about depression. He talked about having his name on there, and he said he was just very, very sorry," Christi said. "What we know about him is that he poured his life into other people, and he offered grace and mercy and forgiveness to everyone else, but somehow he couldn't extend that to himself.
Husbands, do you need to allow the grace and mercy and forgiveness of God to come into your lives? I believe, men that it’s time we start setting the pace. We need to commit to God that we are going to be men after God’s own heart. What is going to have to happen in your life to begin to live that way?
