Biblical Masculinity

I got to be home.

Wes and I got off the airplane and we could finally control what was going on.

And so we walked so quickly.

And I think we were about to break into a run trying to get to baggage claim in time.

Because we could finally control the pace at which things were happening.

We saw people who rode the tram beat us to the baggage claim.

But at least we felt like we were in control of making it happen.

And I told Wes on the way home, we're not going to get home if I wreck.

So I got to slow down.

So I'm so eager to be back with my family.

As a husband and a father.

So I kind of foolishly took on the task of preaching this morning.

Being on this trip and being busy, busy and going, going.

And I decided at the beginning of the trip that I was going to preach a Father's Day sermon this morning.

But the scope of what I want to talk about today is larger than that.

Certainly includes being a father, but is bigger than that.

What I want to talk about this morning is masculinity.

What does it mean to be a man?

Now ladies, I know that the temptation now will be to check out.

There's lots of things going on in your life.

You can begin to work through some of those things now.

But if you are single, you should pay attention this morning.

Because this is what you want to look for in a man.

If you're not, you need to know how to pray for your men.

Because the task that's been given to us, the special role that we've been given as men in this world is a huge one.

And we need your prayers.

So what does it mean to be masculine?

What does that look like?

Culture gives us some definition of that.

We look around at fallen men.

Culture gives us some idea of what that might look like.

The car you drive.

How muscly you are.

How well groomed you are.

The clothes you wear.

The power job that you have.

But ultimately, all these things are a shadow of what once was.

Before the fall, Adam, the first man, was masculine in completion.

He was a planetary king.

He was given the world to rule.

And then he sinned.

And sin totally corrupted that nature.

And in all of us men, there is this desire to get back to that place.

We all carry the burden of sin.

Which says to us, you are a failure.

We all know that if we were set on the scale of masculinity, we would be found wanting.

So all the things we do, the things that culture defines as masculine, are an attempt to get back to that place.

That's why we love competition.

Right?

Because we want to be kings.

We want to rule.

We want to dominate over others.

That's why we get so into sports.

Because we want to even just relate to a team that's winning.

Very few diehard fans stick with a team when they're losing.

Right?

We want to flip-flop to the team that's winning.

Because we want to be in charge.

We want jobs where we call the shots.

We want to drive cars that make it look like we're in charge.

And it's all trying to get back to that Adamic nature.

We're all trying to get back to that place where we are planetary kings once again.

Invincible ruling the world.

Since corrupted it, hasn't it?

Unfortunately, we have a way back to that place, which we'll get to soon.

But for us to really understand what masculinity looks like, we have to go back pre-corruption.

We have to go back before the fall and look at the creation of Adam and Eve and the way they were meant to operate together.

So turn with me to Genesis chapter 1.

Genesis 1 · chapter mention

Moses wrote the book of Genesis under the inspiration of the Spirit.

In chapter 1, he gives us an account of the creation.

And then he repeats that account in chapter 2 with varying detail.

In chapter 1, verse 27, he kind of zooms in a bit on what's going on on the sixth day.

He says,

So God created man in his own image.

In the image of God, he created him.

Male and female, he created them.

So he zooms in to say something very important to us about man and woman.

And that is that they are equal.

They're both created in the image of God.

Both with the same rights, the same responsibilities, the same things we must answer to God for.

In chapter 2, he gives us another account of the creation.

Not that it happened again, but he's re-explaining some things for us.

And once again, he zooms in.

He zooms in tight.

He gives us some details, which I believe that he was inspired to do for some specific reasons.

Look at Genesis chapter 2, verse 7.

Genesis 2:7

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.

And then verse 15.

The Lord God took the man and put him in the garden of Eden to work it and to keep it.

And the Lord God commanded the man, saying,

You may surely eat of every tree of the garden, but of the tree of knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat.

For in the day you eat of it you shall surely die.

Then the Lord God said,

It is not good that the man should be alone.

I will make a helper fit for him.

Verse 20.

But for Adam there was not found a helper fit for him.

So the Lord God caused a deep sleep to fall upon the man.

And while he slept, took one of his ribs and closed up its place with flesh.

And the ribs of the Lord God had taken from the man he made into woman and brought her to man.

Then the man said,

This at last is bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh.

She shall be called woman because she was taken out of man.

So this account has purpose.

The reason it was recorded for us, once again, we've seen that they were created as equals.

But now we're seeing something else.

We're seeing that man was created first and then woman.

Why is that?

Man was created first and then woman.

It's to show that men are to be the leaders in our relationships.

Paul certainly understood that as he wrote his letter to Timothy.

His first letter to Timothy, under the inspiration of the Spirit.

So let me give you a definition of mature masculinity to help us wrap our minds around what we're going to talk about.

And this is stolen from John Piper.

I'll give him credit where credit is due.

At the heart of mature masculinity.

I catch that.

Mature masculinity.

The heart of mature masculinity is a sense of a benevolent responsibility to lead, provide for, and protect women in ways appropriate to a man's varying relationships.

I'll repeat that for you again.

You don't have to write it down.

Just kind of wrap your mind around it.

At the heart of mature masculinity is a sense of a benevolent responsibility to lead, provide for, and protect women in ways appropriate to a man's varying relationships.

So catch what Piper is saying.

And I think it's entirely biblically founded.

Our masculinity is measured by how we relate to women.

Who we are as men is measured by how we relate to the opposite sex.

The control group.

The fixed thing.

The comparison thereof is what makes us masculine.

Otherwise, we're a closed group of men, right?

What makes us men?

Our bodies.

The way we were created.

That makes us men.

What makes us masculine is how we relate to women.

And the first way that we relate to women that's so key is that we are to lead.

Ladies, this in no way takes away what Genesis 127 says.

It's just a different role.

And a man who leads properly is a man you will gladly follow.

So mature masculinity leads spiritually.

Now we saw up in 2.16.

God gives Adam a command.

You may surely eat of every tree of the garden.

Verse 17.

But of the tree of knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat.

From the day you eat of it, you shall surely die.

So God gives Adam the moral code of the garden.

And he's told Adam, work the garden, live in the garden, be fed by the garden.

There's just one thing you're not supposed to do.

He gives that command to Adam.

Once we see Eve created, God doesn't repeat that command.

He gives the command to Adam.

And the assumption there is that Adam was responsible to pass the command on to his bride.

We get some further evidencing of that in Genesis 3, 9 and 11.

After the fall.

Who does God go to first?

Not to Eve, the originator of the sin, but to Adam.

He holds Adam accountable.

He says,

But the Lord God called to the man and said to him, where are you?

And in verse 11, he said, who told you that you were naked?

Have you eaten of the tree which I commanded you not to eat?

So here Adam is given a command and he's held fully accountable for it, even though Eve was the one that sinned first.

And why do you think Satan tempted Eve first?

Why do you think that he went after Eve instead of Adam?

Some have said it's because she was weaker.

She was the weaker of the sexes.

I don't believe that to be true at all.

I think that Satan went after it that way because he was intending to corrupt the order that God had set aside.

He was intending to go after the very thing that God had already ordered in the world.

That man came first and then woman.

He flipped it on its head and he stood back and laughed and said, boy, now they're never going to be able to sort this mess out.

Man's going to constantly try to lord over women and then blame them for everything.

And isn't that what happens?

Isn't that exactly what happens?

Adam says, the woman told me to do it.

In all that moment, we see the whole thing reversed.

Rather than leading as he ought to, he just listened to her and did what she said.

So Satan knew exactly what he was doing.

So mature masculinity leads spiritually.

Do we do that, men?

Do we lead our wives?

The other women around us, that definition I read, spoke of varying relationships.

Single men, do you lead those around you?

Are you an example for the women around you in spiritual matters?

I'm afraid that we're not.

I'm so thankful that I get to preach from the word of God and I don't have to stand up here and show you my life.

Except myself as the example.

Because I failed in so many of these things.

Do you lead your family spiritually?

Are you on the front edge of leading?

I doubt it.

Mature masculinity also leads selflessly.

Our definition says that man has a sense of a benevolent responsibility.

Jesus says in Luke chapter 22, verse 26.

Luke 22:26

Let the greatest among you become as the youngest and the leader as one who serves.

So mature masculinity does not assume authority, but advocates it through love.

Mature masculinity does not assume authority, but advocates it through love.

Ephesians chapter 5, verse 23 and 25.

Ephesians 5:23

For the husband is the head of the wife, even as Christ is the head of the church.

His body and himself its savior.

Husbands, love your wives as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her.

Do we follow Christ because he's commanded it so?

That ought to be enough, shouldn't it?

That should be it.

Rule of the universe said to do it.

We should do it.

But we follow Christ because he loves us so much.

The way he laid his life down for us.

The sacrifices he gives.

The provision he gives in our lives.

That's why we follow Christ.

And men, we should be the same way.

Benevolent.

Encouraging and leading the women around us to follow us.

They will gladly follow the man that leads in this way.

Mature masculinity also leads to Christ.

Now, the man does not stand in the position of Christ in the church quite the way Christ does.

Because he's not Christ, is he?

We're kind of a caretaker.

Christ has put us in a position to lead our wives and the women around us.

Not to ourselves, lest we set ourselves up as Christ, but to Christ himself.

So the relationship isn't exactly the same because we're not the supreme ruler.

Our job is to lead the women around us to Christ.

Mature masculinity leads in discipline.

Fathers, do you leave the responsibility of disciplining your children to your wives?

Do you stand by while they whine and complain, waiting for your wife to do something about it?

Are you first in that?

Do you lead in that?

Do your children look at you and say,

Hey, my dad's in charge around here.

My dad is setting the moral code around here.

I better not transgress the law of this household or else I'll receive the wrath of my father.

That's a hard job, man.

I've got one that just turned one.

And we're getting to that constant discipline stage.

And it is hard.

And I don't want to do it sometimes.

He breaks my heart.

Pokes that little bottom lip out.

But it is my responsibility.

And I pray that I'm not sure of that responsibility at all.

Mature masculinity not only provides, which we'll get to in a second, but it also leads financially.

Men, are we an example to the women around us on how we ought to deal with our finances?

I think a lot of Christian households, there's a strain.

Men trying to be Adamic, trying to gain for themselves the stuff that makes them men amass things for their hobbies.

And the wives who say, but honey, we can't afford that.

The opposite should be true.

James Dobson wrote in a book called Straight Talk to Men and Their Wives.

A Christian man is obligated to lead his family to the best of his ability.

If his family has purchased too many items on credit, then the financial crunch is ultimately his fault.

If the family never reads the Bible or seldom goes to church on Sunday, God holds the man to blame.

If the children are disrespectful and disobedient, the primary responsibility lies with the father, not his wife.

In my view, says Dobson, America's greatest need is for husbands to begin guiding their families rather than pouring every physical and emotional resource into the mere acquisition of money.

And then it's our responsibility to provide.

It's our responsibility.

We ought to be providing for our households.

But it's not the only responsibility.

In our provision, we must be good stewards with what we're given.

Mature masculinity is sensitive to cultural expressions of masculinity.

Mature masculinity is sensitive to cultural expressions of masculinity.

This applies to all of us, married or not.

In any relationship we take on with any woman.

I have co-workers that are female.

What is appropriate?

What is the appropriate way for a man to act?

Men, do you know which side of a female you're supposed to walk on down the road?

Are you aware of where you're supposed to be when you're walking down the street?

Which side of her do you walk on?

It changes.

Should you open the door?

Yes, you should.

Our culture may change.

That may become an offensive thing someday.

At which time you should stop.

But are the things you do appropriately communicating to women, I'm a man and I would like to relate to you as a woman.

So, my masculinity and your femininity are going to relate on a healthy level.

How we dress matters.

Dressing overly aggressive communicates something.

I would suggest that none of you wear your tight clubbing shirts.

Just not appropriate for that.

I don't know if you have this.

But it communicates an aggressive thing.

On the flip side of that, you might not want to wear skinny jeans, guys.

Because what does that communicate?

Do you want to relate to women as a woman?

You're saying, I want to dress like you.

I want to relate like you.

Swoopy bang hairdos?

Probably not appropriate for a mature masculine male.

Think about what you're trying to communicate.

All of those things that we're seeing now, you know where that all comes from?

The emo rock movement.

You know where that comes from?

Japan.

You know what they're trying to do in Japan right now, young people?

They're trying to de-gender society.

There's an actual overt attempt to de-gender society.

And that's where that is birthed out of.

Think about those actions.

What you do communicate to the women around you.

I am a male.

And therefore, we can interact that way.

Or does it do the opposite?

It's important.

It matters.

Mature masculinity is sensitive to cultural expressions of masculinity.

All right.

Secondly,

mature masculine men provide.

In Genesis chapter 3,

Genesis 3 · chapter mention

we see post-fall that Adam is going to work the ground.

That wasn't something given to him as a result of sin.

Right?

He was told prior to the fall that he was going to work the garden.

Wasn't he?

That was his task to do,

was to work the garden

and to pick fruit from the trees

and provide food.

It was just going to be really easy then.

He was never going to grow tired.

He was going to live forever.

He was just going to be a gardener

and he was going to love it.

After the fall,

what we see in chapter 3

is that it's going to become hard.

It's going to become a toil.

It's going to become so difficult to do.

So that charge is still here for us as men.

Now, I think that Piper's definition

is really appropriate.

He says that the man has a sense

of his benevolent responsibility to provide.

Because we can't always do that.

Am I right?

Some of us are not particularly gifted

and therefore don't hold jobs

that are very high paying.

But we still should know

that it's our responsibility.

We should do everything we can

to climb the ladder

and make the money to provide for our families.

I'm in a situation like that now.

I don't quite make the ends meet.

Fortunately, my wife is gifted

and can do graphic art from home

and be home with Cade.

But the burden of providing lies with me.

And I'm working on it.

I'm finding ways to advance myself,

my job,

so that I can provide fully for my family.

So there's a sense

that that responsibility is yours.

Not that you necessarily do.

Or how about a man who's disabled,

who can't?

Just it's impossible

for him to go to work.

Not that he's required to,

but that he should have

this sense of the responsibility

to do so.

A mature masculine man

also protects

in the same way

when he can,

when he's able

to do so.

I think the

unfortunate picture

often of marriage

is this 50-50 relationship.

And that seems to apply

to all things.

So I'll get out of bed

and check the strange noise

50% of the time.

You get out the other 50%

of the time.

A mature masculine man

gets up every time.

Right?

In Genesis chapter 34,

Genesis 34 · chapter mention

a super cool story

of Hamor,

the Hivite,

and he sees

Dinah,

the sister of Simeon

and Levi,

and he rapes her.

And Simeon and Levi

exact revenge

by

pretending

that he's going to allow

this tribe of men,

these non-Jewish men,

to marry

with the

Jewish women.

But the

thing they must do

in order to do that

is to all be circumcised.

So they're all

circumcised

and

they wait until

they're incredibly sore

and they go to the town

and they kill

all the men.

They just wipe them all out.

And

that's the revenge

that they exact

for the serious crime

of

offending

their sister.

I'm not advocating

that we go kill people.

But

we ought to have

that sense of protection.

Not just with our wives,

but with

women

in general

around us.

Do we

protect

women?

And we should.

On this

trip that we were just on,

Wes and I were getting

ready to fly out

yesterday,

actually.

And we were sitting

in the little

lobby of the hotel

getting breakfast.

And I had already

sat down

because I had nothing

gluten-free,

so I was drinking

orange juice.

And all of a sudden

I saw Wes just

grab this old lady's arm.

She's like

over here

and just grabbed her arm.

It was the weirdest

kind of out of the corner

of my eye

bizarre thing

to see him do.

And then I realized

that what she was

about to do

was hit the hot water

spout on the coffee thing

with her cup

under where the coffee

comes out.

So the spout's up here.

She's going to hit the tab

with the spout right here.

It didn't make any sense

at all.

But she had her

arm up under here

and Wes saved her

from scalding her arm

with hot water.

He didn't even think

twice about it.

He just smashed her arm

out of the way.

And she was so appreciative.

Thank you so much.

Thank you so much.

I mean,

he like manhandled her.

But she was very thankful

for what he had done.

I don't like to toot

my own horn.

I don't have many examples

of mature masculinity,

so I'm going to give you

this one.

I shared the story

with you guys

of being in Gainesville

a number of months ago

and a woman was being

kind of assaulted

by a guy

that she knew

and she said,

stop,

you're hurting me.

And I didn't even

hesitate.

I was talking with

John Overton.

We're walking down

one side of the sidewalk

and it was like

something clicked in me

and I beelined

across the street

to intervene

in that situation.

That's mature masculinity.

We ought to have

a sense about us

to protect women.

There you go.

My examples.

Let's wait.

Me and Wes.

Manly men.

So ultimately,

masculinity

is living like Christ

in relation to women.

We're all called

to be Christian.

Masculinity is living

like Christ

in relation to women.

Begin to filter

everything you do

through that.

The things that you

even do

when you're not

around women.

Wes and I

were on a backpacking

trip together

this trip.

Thursday and Friday

we were off in the woods.

No women around.

Me and Wes

off in the woods.

But we could have

emasculated ourselves

by talking

coarsely

about our lives.

Right?

But we didn't.

When we spoke

with our wives

we spoke with them

respectfully.

Which is

masculine.

You see how that

works?

Begin to filter

the things you do men

through this lens

of my masculinity

hinges

on how I relate

to women.

And if we're not

masculine

what are we?

I'd say we're boys.

some of us

need to do some

growing up.

So if we're to be

Christ

in relation

to women

then

we probably

ought to look

at Christ

the ultimate

expression

of masculinity

and in his life

the culmination

of his masculinity

which was his death

on the cross

which is so

offensive

to the world's

idea of masculinity.

Right?

We all

as I talked

before

we all

want to

get back

to this

Adamic

nature.

We all

want to

be this

planetary

king

and we

seek that

by trying

to rule

over other

men

which isn't

at all

what Christ

who was God

himself

did.

He humbled

himself

to death

on a cross.

Jay

Wetger

writes

the cross

is an offense

because of

its abject

weakness.

For in the

spectacle of the

cross we see

a victim

perishing

in weakness

shame

ignominy

and dereliction.

It's an offense

to what we

think masculinity

should look like.

Right?

Our Savior

should have

come on a

big giant

horse

and he

should have

been the

most muscly

guy around

and wielded

large weapons

and he

should have

obliterated

the Roman

guard

and he

should have

rescued

his church.

But the

picture we're

given is

quite the

opposite of

that.

Silent

like a

lamb

led to

slaughter.

Christ

flips all

that around

for us

doesn't it?

Turn to

1 Corinthians

1 Corinthians 1 · chapter mention

chapter 1.

I'm going to

read to you

verses 18

through 15

or 25

of chapter 1.

For the

word of the

cross is

folly to

those who

are perishing

but to us

who are being

saved it is

the power

of God.

For it is

written I

will destroy

the wisdom

of the wise

and the

discernment

of the

discerning

I will

thwart.

The

philosophies

of this

world

who seek

to conquer

to get

back to

that

nature

that

endemic

nature.

I'm going

to make

that seem

crazy.

Verse 20

Where is the

one who is

wise?

Where is the

scribe?

Where is the

debater of

this age?

Has not

God made

foolish the

wisdom of

the world?

For since

in the

wisdom of

God the

world did

not know

God

through

wisdom

it pleased

God

through the

folly

of what

we preach

to save

those

who believe.

For Jews

demand signs

and Greeks

seek wisdom

but we

preach Christ

crucified

a stumbling

block to

Jews and

folly to

Gentiles.

But to

those who

are called

both Jews

and Greeks

Christ the

power of

God and

the wisdom

of God.

For the

foolishness of

God is

wiser than

men and

the weakness

of God

is stronger

than men.

Isn't that

awesome?

That says to

me that when

I'm willing to

humble myself

to the point

of death

to give

myself

in my

masculinity

to serve

the women

in my life

power of

God.

What a

task,

right?

What an

overwhelming

task

that's been

given to

us.

Fortunately,

we have

Christ.

He is our

way back.

We can

rule.

We can

be that

planetary

king.

It just

looks

differently

than the

world

thinks.

2 Corinthians

5.16.

Paul says,

Therefore,

if anyone

is in

Christ,

he is a

new

creation.

The old

has passed

away.

Behold,

the new

has come.

We've been

restored.

Our

masculinity

has been

restored

in Christ.

We've not

been given

the ability

to be

appropriate,

to be

mature,

masculine

men.

But it's

hard.

Ladies,

it's a

challenge.

Guys,

I know

how hard

it is.

Jesus

says in

Matthew

Matthew 11 · chapter mention

chapter

11,

Come to

me,

all who

labor and

are heavy

laden,

and I

will give

you rest.

Take

my yoke

upon you

and learn

from me,

for I am

gentle and

lowly in

heart,

and you

will find

rest for

your souls.

For my

yoke is

easy,

and my

burden

is light.

So how

do we

live as

mature,

masculine

men?

We abide

in Christ.

We tarry

with Him.

We look

to Him

for the

power we

need in

order to

do so.

And

humility is

required to

see that

happen.

In the

book,

We're

covering

biblical

manhood

and

womanhood.

Piper

gives a

challenge and

shares his

prayer for

the men of

Bethlehem

Baptist

Church.

And I

think that

we should

echo this

here at

Christ

Family

Church.

And there's

15 points,

and I want

to read

them carefully

for you,

and I want

you to

bear with

me.

And we're

going to

close with

this.

Number

one,

that all

your life,

in whatever

calling,

be devoted to

the glory of

God.

Number

two,

that the

promises of

Christ be

trusted so

fully that

peace and

joy and

strength fill

your soul to

overflowing.

number

three,

that this

fullness of

God overflow

in daily

acts of

love so

that people

might see

your good

deeds and

give glory to

your Father

in heaven.

Number

four,

that you be

men of the

book who

love and

study and

obey the

Bible in

every area

of its

teaching,

that meditation

on biblical

truth be the

source of

hope and

faith,

that you

continue to

grow in

understanding

through all the

chapters of

your life,

never thinking

that study and

growth are

only for

others.

Number

five,

that you

be men of

prayer so

that the

word of

God will

be open

to you,

so the

power of

faith and

holiness will

descend upon

you,

that your

spiritual

influence may

increase at

home and

at church

and in the

world.

Number

six,

that you

be men

who have a

deep grasp

of the

sovereign grace

of God,

which undergirds

all these

spiritual

processes,

that you

be deep

thinkers about

the doctrines

of grace

and even

deeper

lovers of

these

things.

Number

seven,

that you

be totally

committed to

ministry,

whatever your

specific calling,

that you

not fritter

away your

time on

excessive

sports and

recreation or

unimportant

hobbies or

aimless

diddling in

the garage,

but that you

redeem the

time for

Christ and

his kingdom.

Number

eight,

that if you

are single,

you exploit your

singleness to

the fullness in

devotion to

God and

not be

paralyzed by

the desire

to be

married.

Number

nine,

that if you

are married,

you love

your life the

way Christ

loved the

church and

gave himself

for her,

that you

be a

humble,

self-denying,

up-building,

happy spiritual

leader,

that you

consistently

grow in

grace and

knowledge so

as never to

quench the

aspirations of

your wife for

spiritual

advancement,

that you

cultivate

tenderness and

strength,

a pattern of

initiative and a

listening ear,

that you accept the

responsibility of

provision and

protection in the

family, however you

and your wife share

the labor.

Number

ten,

that if you have

children, you

accept primary

responsibility in

partnership with your

wife to raise up

children in the

discipline and

instruction of the

Lord, children who

hope in the triumph

of God that you

establish a pattern of

teaching and discipline

that is not solely

dependent on the

church or school to

impart Bible knowledge

and spiritual values to

the children, that you

give your children the

time and attention and

affection that

communicates the true

nature of our

father in heaven.

Number eleven, that

you not assume

advancement and pure

approval in your

gainful employment are

the highest values in

life, but that you

ponder the eternal

significance of faithful

fatherhood and time

spent with your wife,

that you repeatedly

consider the new

possibilities each age

of your life for

maximizing your

energies for the

glory of God in

ministry, that you

pose the question

often.

Is our family molded

by the culture or do

we embody the values

of the kingdom of

God, that you lead

the family in making

choices not on the

basis of secular

trends or upward

lifestyle expectations,

but on the basis of

what will strengthen the

faith of the family and

advance the cause of

Christ.

Number twelve, that you

step back, plan the

various form of your

life's ministry in

chapters.

Chapters are divided by

various things, age,

strength, singleness,

marriage, employment,

children at home,

children in college,

grandchildren, retirement,

et cetera.

No chapter has all the

joys.

Finite life is a series

of trade-offs.

Finding God's will and

living for the glory of

Christ to the full in

every chapter is what

makes it a success, not

whether it reads like

somebody else's chapter,

whether it has in it

what only another

chapter will bring.

Number thirteen, that

you develop a wartime

mentality and lifestyle,

that you never forget

that life is short, that

billions of people hang

in the balance of heaven

and hell every day, that

the love of money is

spiritual suicide, that

the goals of upper

mobility, nicer clothes,

cars, houses,

vacations, food, hobbies

are a poor and a

dangerous substitute for

the goals of living for

Christ with all your

might and maximizing

your joy and ministry to

people's needs.

Number fourteen, that in

all your relationships with

women, not just in

marriage, you seek the

guidance of the Holy

Spirit in applying the

biblical vision of

manhood and womanhood,

that you develop a

lifestyle and demeanor

that expresses your God

given responsibility for

humble strength and

leadership and for

self-sacrificing

provision and protection,

that you think

creatively and with

cultural sensitivity,

sensitivity, just as she

must do, and shaping the

style and setting, the

tone of your interactions

with women.

Number fifteen, that you

see the biblical guidelines

for what is appropriate and

inappropriate for men and

women, not as licensed for

domination or bossive

passivity, but as a call to

servant leadership that

thinks in terms of

responsibilities, not

rights, that you see these

principles as wise and

gracious prescriptions for

how to discover the true

freedom of God's ideal of

complementarity, that you

encourage the fruitful

encouragement of women in

the countless ministry

roles that are biblically

appropriate and deeply

needed.

Guys, I think it's time that

we stop being boys and start

being mature, masculine men.

Let's pray together.