Father's Day

Thesis: Men of God are not a legend, but they are an extremely exclusive group of men committed to fleeing ungodliness, pursuing godliness, fighting the good fight of the faith as though God is watching, and living in such a way as to give God the glory and power He is rightfully due.

Objective: Call men to step up to their calling as men of God, and challenge women to expect these things of their Christian men.

1. Men of God are defined by action (11).
   1. The “man of God” is real (“you, man of God;” There is such a thing as a man of God. In other words, followers of Jesus are not automatically emasculated.).
   2. We must flee from the ungodly (“flee from all this;” Men of God are called to flee from anything contrary to God, including false doctrines, conceit, controversy, envy, strife, malicious talk, evil suspicions, corrupt mind, and greed. NOTICE the active nature of the verb: you don't sit there. You don't even just walk away. You get up and run!)
   3. We must pursue the godly (“pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, endurance and gentleness;” Men of God are called to pursue things which are consistent with God's character and actions, including living completely right; thinking, speaking, and acting in a matter consistent with Him; belief so strong that you do something about it; love which is a conscious decision to place others' best interests above your own; the ability to withstand hardship and labor for extended durations; the resolve to rely on God for your defense against evil people. DEFINITION gentleness – praupaqian (praupathian) - “Meekness toward God is that disposition of spirit in which we acceptHis dealings with us as good, and therefore without disputing or resisting. In the OT, the meek are those wholly relying on God rather than their own strength to defend them against injustice. Thus,meekness toward evil people means knowing God is permitting the injuries they inflict, that He is using them to purify His elect, and that He will deliver His elect in His time” (http://www.biblestudytools.com/lexicons/greek/nas/praus.html). NOTICE the active nature of the verb: you don't just wait for this stuff to come to you. And you don't settle for what you already have. You go after it, systematically seeking each in increasing measure.).
2. Men of God fight right (12-15a).
   1. We must fight for eternal life (“Take hold of the eternal life to which you were called...” (12); Men of God are called to seize upon eternal life as our promise and prize. NOTICE that eternal life is considered something to be grasped here and now, rather than in the future or eternity.).
   2. We must fight as though God is watching (“In the sight of God... and of Christ Jesus” (13); Men of God must fight as though God, the source of all life, and Jesus, who set the example of the godly fight, are watching our every move. Because, indeed, they are.).
   3. We must fight without compromise (“I charge you to keep this command without spot or blame” (14); Men of God are called to do fight the good fight of the faith without fault. Ever. Not even the slightest spot can be tolerated. We must set our standards on holiness and never lower them.).
   4. We must fight always (“until the appearing of our Lord Jesus Christ, which God will bring about in his own time” (14-15a); Men of God must fight this good fight of the faith day in and day out until they fall asleep or Jesus comes, which are effectively the same thing.).
3. Men of God glorify God (15-16).
   1. God already has glory (“the blessed and only Ruler, the King of kings and Lord of lords” (15); God doesn't need our glory. Even if we don't give Him anything, it changes nothing about who He is and/or the honor He deserves. The point here, though, is that He does deserve it.).
   2. God already is holy (“who alone is immortal and who lives in unapproachable light, whom no one has seen or can see” (16); God doesn't need our definitions of obedience and/or perfection/holiness. He is the definition of holiness, being so perfect that He is free from death, cannot co-exist with anything less then holy, and therefore we can't in and of ourselves even get close to Him except by Jesus. The point here is that we don't get to define for ourselves what's good and right. God already did that.).
   3. We must give God honor and might forever (“To him be honor and might forever. Amen.” (16); Men of God realize that our job is not to determine what constitutes worship and godliness. Our job is to get it done. We must choose to live in such a way that our lives yields to God the honor that He is rightfully due. We must choose to live in such a way that our lives render to God the dominion that is already rightfully His.).