Nepaug Bible Church - http://www.nepaugchurch.org - Pastor's Sermon Notes - http://www.nepaugchurch.org/Sermons/zz19970309.htm

GOD'S RENEWAL FOR HOUSEHOLDS
"Part II: Renewing Household Adults - Renewing Manhood"

Introduction: (To show the need . . . )

It is no secret that great men are generally lacking in America:

(1) The Supreme Court is yet to rule on what is considered now by the national media to be a creditable charge that the President of the United States once solicited an unwanted, lewd act from another man's wife while he was still Governor of Arkansas.

(2) But additionally, he faces a firestorm of charges on illicit fundraising activities related to his reelection campaingn. One comes via his own handwritten memo in which he pushed the use of the White House's Lincoln bedroom as a bed and breakfast typ e "reward" for $100,000 and $50,000 private donations toward his reelection!

(2) Just this week, the Vice President got on television in reaction to a story about his alleged ardent activity in White House fund-raising coffees. He said he felt he had never done anything proven in court to be wrong, but that he sure wouldn't do it again! Well, if it wasn't wrong in the first place, why is he backing away from it now? Where's the character in that?!

(3) Republican congressmen might be tempted to make political hay with what the White House is going through except for one thing noted by the media: Republican leaders more or less have their own fundraising skeletons to hide in the same closet!

(3) What we lack in great character in politics plagues the whole nation: David Blankenhorn's book, Fatherless America notes that "fatherlessness is the engine driving our most urgent social problems, from crime to adolescent pregnancy to domestic violence." ("Life Without Father," USA Weekend, Feb. 24-26, '95, p. 4)

(4) The September 13, 1988 Hartford Courant ran a story entitled "Shelter needs men a good role models." Tom Condon wrote a moving article in behalf of the Hartford Interval House for Battered Women asking quality men to work as Big Brothers to at -risk boys of battered women to counter the bad examples of their errant fathers!



How can quality manhood ever be renewed in America?! How can it be renewed in our area, in our own families?!



(We turn to the sermon's "Need" section . . . )



Need: "The shortage of good MALE leadership in our nation and its marriages and families is at EPIDEMIC proportions! What is the ANSWER?! How can effective manhood be renewed in the land?!"
  1. As we found in our last lesson, SIN produced errant male behavior:
    1. SIN inclined adult males to exchange taking the caring oversight of others for self-serving irresponsibility, Gen. 2:19-23; 3:6,17 ; 4:1-24.
    2. SIN routed adult males toward abusing women, Genesis 4:19.
    3. SIN led adult males to begin inhibiting themselves from showing affectionate warmth toward their wives, Gen. 3:3-7 with 3:11-12.
    4. SIN steered adult males toward abusing the young, Gen. 4:23.
  2. SPIRITUAL dynamics also ENHANCE such errant behaviors:
    1. Satan who tempted Eve in Gen. 3:1-5 also tempts adult males today:
      1. The Devil tempts a man to abuse his wife: when her Gen. 3:16a libido frailty stalls to meet his drive, he is tempted either to coerce her to yield by denying his attention, taking advantage of her Gen. 3:16b vulnerability for his affections (1 Pet. 3:7), or physically to defraud her to meet his lust (1 Th. 4:1-8), Ep. 5:28-29 with 6:12.
      2. If union is denied, Satan tempts men with immorality, 1 Co. 7:5.
      3. Satan tempts men to abus their children, Eph. 6:4 with 6:12.
      4. He then tempts men to feel so blue at such failures that they shy away from taking any oversight, 1 Tim. 3:7; Ep. 5:25-29 with 6:12.
    2. The world that appealed to man in the fall of Gen. 3:6 tempts men:
      1. Men are tempted by worldly lures appealing to bodily appetites to commit immorality and try substance abuse, 1 Jn. 2:15, 16a.
      2. Men are tempted by worldly lures of aesthetic appeal to neglect family or avoid its unhappy conflicts by getting preoccupied with "good ol' boy" clubs of carnal men, 1 Jn. 2:15,16b; Gen. 4:17-24.
      3. Men are tempted to gratify male pride before worldly male buddies by performing "bully" abuses listed in "I,A,B,D", 1 Jn. 2:15, 16c.
    3. Sin natures rising from the Gen. 3:6 sin (Rom. 5:12ff) create a bent in men to be unable to will or do anything but such vices, Ro. 7:15-24!
  3. God offers renewal for males with such errant behaviors as follows:
    1. If men trust in Christ for salvation, God creates a new nature to provide them the means to will and do what is right, Romans 8:3-5.
    2. God's Spirit indwells them to do the rest, Phil. 2:12-13; Ga. 5:16-23.
    3. God supplies them with the following insight to restore true manhood:
      1. Scripture instructs men to adjust their self-view for renewal:
        1. The Bible informs male believers that God accepts them as His adult sons in the God-man, Christ Jesus, Ep. 1:3,6; Rom. 8:15f.
        2. Yet, Scripture counters pride in this acceptance by noting they are accepted via Christ's borrowed righteousness, Gal. 2:20.
        3. Thus taught, these men feel both humble yet valued as God's sons, and thus use their male drives, but with GENTLENESS!
      2. This healthy new self-view produces a renewed family experience:
        1. This new bearing makes one desirable, easing spousal tensions.
        2. As a man lets CHRIST lead his wife re: the Gen. 3:16 issue by faith in the Rev. 3:21 promise, God meets the needs of both.
        3. With a gentle lead man in the home, marital tensions go and the children feel safe to respond to a father's rearing, Eph. 5:25-6:4.
        4. Even if his wife keeps an abusive stance toward him, a renewed man helps the family by continuing his care but keeping a safe emotional distance in relating to her, Prov. 21:19; 2 T. 2:24-3:5.
      3. Scripture instructs men how to preserve this healthy new self-view:
        1. Scripture teaches them to view lures to (a) rule harshly, (b) to lose confidence and be irresponsible, (c) to withdraw affection or (d) to defraud their wives and (e) be abusive as Satanic to be resisted by obeying Eph. 6:12-18: they do so by (1) facing the truth, (2) leaning on Christ's power, (3) being ready to give the Gospel, (4) trusting God's promises and (5) praying for help!
        2. They are taught that worldly lusts are deceptive as they do not fulfill, and to use God's power to overcome these lures that fuel the actions listed in sections "I" and "II,B" above, 1 Jn. 2:15-17.
        3. They are taught to apply Scripture regularly in God's power to keep their thinking clear and sustain godly acts, 2 Tim. 3:16-17.
      4. Scripture motivates thus-adjusted men with a fulfilling mission:
        1. Men must lead their wives and children and provide for their financial needs, Eph. 5:25-31 with 6:4 and 1 Tim. 5:8.
        2. Psalm 128 motivates them to do so by showing how this will fulfill their Gen. 2:8-15 male urge to develop the earth: (a) as a man respects and obeys God (v. 1, 4 as "man" = geber, "male"), he is personally blessed, which blesses him in his job, v. 2; (b) his development enriches his wife in all of her roles at home, 3a; (c) the couple then nurtures their children to be productive by their bar mitzvahs @ age 13 (when olive shoots become a money crop), 3b; (d) together they influence their worship center (5a), then the community (5b) and finally the world, Ps. 128:6!
Lesson Application: Fulfilling manhood arises when (1) men trust Christ for salvation (2) and use God's Biblical resources for living! (3) Then even ONE such man can make a WORLD of difference!

Conclusion: (To illustrate the lesson . . . )

(1) A young, unmarried man who once attended Nepaug Church heard of an 8th grade boy who was abandoned by his parents on the streets of Waterbury, Connecticut. Concerned about helping in the community, this unmarried young adult has decided to adopt this needy boy to make a difference in his life!

This week, I ran into the young man and his adopted son -- they were picking out fresh produce at a local grocery store where the young man was teaching the boy about proper nutrition!

A former attender of Nepaug, a young, unmarried man has felt the need to reach out to a boy abandoned by his parents to make a difference. Why? Because of a commitment to Christ.



(2) Another young adult who attended Nepaug Christian Academy years ago has been publically honored in the Register-Citizen. At the time, he was not a father though he was a newlywed. The article is entitled, "He's nobody's father, yet kids look up to him." Claudia Rizzi, who had played on the soccer team he coached, said in this report: "He would do anything for anyone. He'll listen to what you have to say and then he'll try to help you in any way possible."

A former attender at Nepaug who had made a commitment to serve the Lord as a young man was this noted "father" figure!



The sky is the limit on what God can do to adult male men committed to His glory! Men, GO for it!!