Rev. David Holwick ZG Series: Men of Courage
First Baptist Church
Ledgewood, New Jersey
October 27, 2013
Joshua 24:14-15
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I. Many traditions have fallen.
A. Homosexual marriage has just been approved in New Jersey.
1) As usual, it was done through the courts rather than
through a vote of the people.
2) Many Christians have seen this coming for some time.
3) It is not just the strength of the homosexual rights
movement, but weakness of traditional marriage.
B. Many Christians have failed in their personal responsibilities.
1) Their families have suffered as a result.
2) Where Bible-believing churches are the strongest, marriages
are the weakest.
3) The public has noticed this.
C. Where are the men of courage?
1) We will be offering a commitment pledge on November 10.
a) Could do it in morning, but that creates pressure to
conform, so we will do it in the evening service.
b) Bring wife, bring kids, bring friends.
2) It is designed for husbands and fathers, but any man can
make this commitment.
a) It is about how you treat all people.
b) It is about how you will serve your God.
II. What kind of man are you?
A. Most want to see themselves as moral, loving, decent and strong.
1) When you watch Monday Night Football, you can imagine
yourself in the limelight, passing for the touchdown.
2) Perhaps compared to others, and most of the time, you
represent these values.
B. But not all of the time.
1) All men also have a dark side.
a) There are times when you are immoral, unloving, corrupt
and weak.
b) Your selfishness and cruelty have scarred those you
truly love.
2) The Bible puts a lot of emphasis on sin. Rom 3:23
a) We don't just fall a little short of God's ideal.
b) We have messed things up in a big way.
III. What kind of man do you want to be?
A. Most men want to be like their ideal.
1) We want to be brave and hard working and moral.
2) But after you experience too many setbacks, you begin to
wonder what is actually possible.
a) Can you actually be different?
b) Aren't we already sabotaged by our failures?
B. You cannot erase the past, but you can turn it over to God.
1) Acknowledge what you have done wrong.
2) Ask God to wash it away through the blood of Jesus.
3) The Courageous Pledge says,
"I will learn from my mistakes, repent of my sins,
and walk with integrity as a man answerable to God."
C. Do you see yourself as answerable to God?
1) Have you been born again?
2) Can anyone else tell by watching you?
IV. Men need a new life, not a new leaf.
A. Insight by pastor Ed Stetzer.
1) Transformation is not about trying harder or having a better
life.
Mark Twain reportedly said that church is good people
standing in front of good people teaching them to be
good people.
The change people need is not simply about being a better
person.
The gospel is bigger than simple moralism.
2) We don't want to produce good religious people.
We see what becomes of good religious people from the
encounters Jesus had with the Pharisees.
God wants to see people transformed at a spiritual level
rather than a behavioral level.
3) The change people need most is not in their circumstances,
but in themselves.
It is not the ability to try harder, but it is a life
entrusted to Jesus.
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B. Change is a process.
1) Being a Christian means growing in knowledge and discipline
every day.
a) Conversion - accepting Jesus as your savior - happens
at one particular time and is settled forever.
b) Discipleship is what you do after that.
1> In Ephesians 4:24, the Apostle Paul says we have to
put on the new self, created to be like God in
true righteousness and holiness.
2> Literally, "new self" is "new man."
A> We need to become a different person.
2) Growing as a man is similar.
a) It is not just a change of attitude or behavior, but a
transformation of everything you are.
b) Don't settle for living up to the expectations of
Roxbury - God sets our standards.
V. Change begins with a commitment.
A. Pledges in the Bible.
1) Joshua challenged the people to choose God over idols.
a) He anticipated that the Israelites would be tempted
to follow false gods.
1> Many Americans wonder if the same thing is happening
today in our own country.
b) Joshua outlined a simple choice: follow idols, or God.
1> Then he made it clear who he would follow - God.
2> How would you have responded?
2) Israel made a pledge to God when a new king took office.
2 Kings 23:3
"The king stood by the pillar and renewed the covenant in
the presence of the LORD--to follow the LORD and keep
his commands, regulations and decrees with all his heart
and all his soul, thus confirming the words of the
covenant written in this book. Then all the people
pledged themselves to the covenant."
a) Note that it is not just the king who makes a pledge.
b) Each citizen did the same thing.
3) Christians are making a pledge when they are baptized.
a) Baptism is a pledge that we will follow God with a
clear conscience.
1 Peter 3:21
"...and this water symbolizes baptism that now saves
you also--not the removal of dirt from the body
but the pledge of a good conscience toward God.
It saves you by the resurrection of Jesus Christ..."
b) The power of this pledge has to come from God.
1> It is Jesus' resurrection, not our words, that
make it effective.
2> An empty pledge is a like a bath instead of a
baptism.
B. We are challenging the men here to pledge to be leaders.
1) In your homes.
a) We want to go to heaven, and we want our loved ones
to come with us.
1> It doesn't just happen - you can lead them to it.
2> Your spiritual heritage CAN be passed on.
When George McCluskey married and started a family, he decided
to invest one hour a day in prayer, because he wanted his
kids to follow Christ.
After a time, he expanded his prayers to include his
grandchildren and great-grandchildren.
Every day between 11 a.m. and noon, he prayed for the next
three generations.
As the years went by, his two daughters committed their lives
to Christ and married men who went into full-time ministry.
The two couples produced four girls and one boy.
Each of the girls married a minister, and the boy became a
pastor.
The first two children born to this generation were both boys.
Upon graduation from high school, the two cousins chose the
same college and became roommates.
During their sophomore year, one boy decided to go into the
ministry.
The other didn't.
He undoubtedly felt some pressure to continue the family
legacy, but he chose instead to become a psychologist.
He earned his doctorate and eventually wrote books for parents
that became bestsellers.
He started a radio program heard on more than a thousand
stations each day.
The man's name was James Dobson.
Through his prayers, George McCluskey affected far more than
one family.
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b) It is more than spiritual leadership.
1> It has to be backed up with love and service.
2> How will you treat those whom God has put in your
life?
2) In your community.
a) You may not have a wife and kids, but you have
neighbors.
b) What kind of impact will you have on them?
c) Would they know they could depend upon you if they
were in a crisis?
d) Do they know you are a spiritual man?
3) In your church.
a) Too many men just go along with the ride.
b) They see their duty as showing up and not making a fuss.
c) Don't just accept God's existence - work for him and
build up his kingdom.
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SOURCES FOR ILLUSTRATIONS USED IN THIS SERMON:
#26692 “His Prayers Affected Three Generations,” Steve Farrar, Wit and
Wisdom by Richard G. Wimer, June 2, 2004; original source
seems to be Loyal J. Martin of Newton, Kansas, Leadership,
vol. 16, no. 4.
#64273 “Preaching For Deep Change: Are You Sharing Information Or Changing
Lives?” Ed Stetzer, Preaching Now, www.preaching.com,
October 25, 2013.
These and 35,000 others are part of the Kerux database that can be
downloaded, absolutely free, at http://www.holwick.com/database.html
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Courageous Resolution
I do solemnly resolve before God to take full responsibility for
myself, my wife, and my children.
I WILL love them, protect them, serve them, and teach them the
Word of God as the spiritual leader of my home.
I WILL be faithful to my wife, to love and honor her, and be willing
to lay down my life for her as Jesus Christ did for me.
I WILL bless my children and teach them to love God with all of their
hearts, all of their minds, and all of their strength.
I WILL train them to honor authority and live responsibly.
I WILL confront evil, pursue justice, and love mercy.
I WILL pray for others and treat them with kindness, respect, and
compassion.
I WILL work diligently to provide for the needs of my family.
I WILL forgive those who have wronged me and reconcile with those
I have wronged.
I WILL learn from my mistakes, repent of my sins, and walk with
integrity as a man answerable to God.
I WILL seek to honor God, be faithful to His church, obey His Word,
and do His will.
I WILL courageously work with the strength God provides to fulfill
this resolution for the rest of my life and for His glory.
As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord. - Joshua 24:15
Copyright © 2024 by Rev. David Holwick
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