Rev. David Holwick
First Baptist Church
Ledgewood, New Jersey
April 26, 1998
Philippians 2:19-30
REAL MEN LOVE JESUS
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I. How macho is your man?
A. Women's Sunday last week.
1) Women tend to be more "spiritual."
a) Has always been this way.
b) Men are along for the ride.
B. Spirituality can be manly.
1) As a matter of fact, without Jesus you cannot be a
real man.
2) If being macho requires spirituality, how macho is your
man?
3) Our passage today gives insight into the qualities of a
real Christian man.
II. Caring. 2:20-21
"I have no one else like him, who takes a genuine interest
in your welfare.
For everyone looks out for his own interests, not those
of Jesus Christ."
A. Timothy's story.
Timothy was a young man from what is now Turkey.
His mother was Jewish but his father was not.
He was probably educated as a Greek, and at some point became
a Christian, along with his mother and grandmother.
After meeting Paul, he served him faithfully his whole life.
It was like a father/son relationship.
B. God is looking for men who put people before profits.
1) People magazine - John Paul Getty.
Richest man of 1970's.
Endowed art museum with $700 million.
Yet didn't have time to attend funeral of his favorite
son.
"Concerning intimacy, he was an utter failure."
C. Over the long haul, relationships are more valuable than things.
1) The Bible says, "These three remain: faith, hope and love.
But the greatest of these is love."
2) You can be a success in everything else but if you don't
have love in your life, you're a failure.
D. People are naturally selfish.
1) Discipleship should reroute this into compassion.
2) Best sign of Christianity - love others more than self.
3) Y. K. Museveni, the President of Uganda, has been described
by the Reuters news agency as "one of the most
outspoken proponents of change in Africa."
Early this year he made a dramatic speech.
"I would like to share some thoughts with you about the
spiritual situation of Africa's peoples.
I see the tribal differences, poverty and illness,
lacking resources for educating our children, political
and racial problems.
It is obvious that the principles of Jesus Christ have not
yet sufficiently permeated Africa!
It may seem strange that I speak so openly about Christ.
I am not a very religious person, and have problems with
many religious people.
Everyone who claims to love God should also love each other.
This is one of the basic characteristics of every follower
of Christ.
In him, I find the inner strength, principles and lifestyle
which can help me and all of Uganda's peoples to solve
our individual and national problems."
Among the principles Museveni takes from Jesus:
Humility - one of the greatest requirements for becoming a
good leader.
Many leaders follow their desire for power, their greed and
their own interests.
Once they achieve prominence, they suddenly forget the
people around them, with their poverty and needs.
Only if we humbly recognise that those with great
responsibility are in truth only servants of God and
people will we be able to lead our peoples.
Please pray that God will give me the strength, wisdom and
understanding to be humble.
Love - I find it fascinating to see that since centuries,
those people who made great contributions to human
development were united in their belief that life's
highest goal is to love God with all your heart,
mind, and soul.
I am thinking of Moses, Abraham, William Wilberforce,
Mother Theresa.
If we in our nations and societies would make a rule of
loving God and one another, all problems would soon be
solved.
#4327
E. God is looking for men who are caring and compassionate.
1) Compassion is protecting the needs and rights of people.
2) Too often we're just in it for ourselves, not caring what
other people need or want.
3) Is it possible to get so wrapped up and committed to your
business that you forget your family?
4) Make time for people.
III. Consistent. 2:22
" ... Timothy has proved himself ... he has served with me
in the work of the gospel."
A. God is looking for men who put character before conformity.
1) They're not afraid to be different and to stand alone.
2) It has been said, "If you don't stand for something,
you will fall for anything."
3) What are you willing to stand for in life?
B. We need men of conviction, who cannot be bought at any price.
1) "Prove" means tested character -- integrity.
a) Timothy's name means "he honors God."
b) He did not cave in to pressure.
2) Men of integrity are committed to their values, consistent
in their beliefs and convictions.
a) How solid are your values?
b) Proverbs 10:9 - "The man of integrity walks securely,
but he who takes crooked paths will be found out."
C. Success over the long haul is built on character, not on image.
1) The man of integrity will not be afraid of what is going
to be found out.
2) Is your private life consistent with your public image?
3) Or are you more like Dr. Jekyl and Mr. Hyde?
D. Your family needs your consistency.
1) Proverbs 20:7 - "The righteous man leads a blameless life;
blessed are his children after him."
2) Inconsistent men produce insecure children.
3) The kids don't know where their dad's coming from.
4) The greatest gift we can give our kids is a dad they can
depend on.
IV. Cooperative. 2:25a
"I think it is necessary to send back to you Epaphroditus,
my brother, fellow worker, and fellow soldier ..."
A. God is looking for men who put cooperation before competition.
1) Paul recognized that even he would get more accomplished
if he worked together with other people.
2) He describes the cooperation in three terms, covering
three relationships -- brother, worker, soldier.
B. Three things about the Christian life:
1) It is a family: we're related.
a) 133 times in the New Testament Paul uses the word
"brother" to describe the relationship between
Christians.
b) Some experts say that only 10% of men have real friends.
1> Christian men don't know how to relate to each other.
2> They are afraid to let anybody get close to them.
c) If you don't feel that close to other believers,
work at it.
1> Let me know, and I'll put your name in the bulletin!
2) It is a fellowship: we have the same task, assignment.
a) We have the Great Commission.
b) We are to serve and work together, not independently.
3) It is a fight: a Christian is an enemy of the devil.
a) We need to give strength to one another in our spiritual
battles.
V. Committed. 2:25b-27
"(Epaphroditus) is your messenger, whom you sent to take
care of my needs. ... He was ill, and almost died.
But God had mercy on him ..."
A. God wants men who put the cause of Christ before comfort.
1) Paul is in prison in Rome and the people in Philippi took
up an offering to help Paul with his expenses.
It was 800 miles and 6 weeks travel over rough terrain.
Epaphroditus volunteered to take it.
On the way there he caught a disease or infection and
it was feared he wouldn't make it.
But Epaphroditus was persistent in spite of his pain.
2) How committed are you to the cause of Christ?
3) Joy, the bloodmobile lady: people in New Jersey aren't
very committed.
We have to import blood from other states because our
people don't give.
"Everyone should give something back to their community.
It's not easy, but someone has to do it."
B. God uses men of action who take the initiative.
1) About 65 years ago, Nicolai Lenin talked to a little group
of 12-14 people and said,
"Give me 100 totally committed men and I will change
the world."
Evidently he got them because eventually two-thirds
of the world came under Communist domination.
That is the power of commitment.
2) Spiritual awakenings occur when men in a church become
participators, not just spectators.
C. The number one complaint from wives is passive husbands.
1) They are aggressive at work, taking the lead, but at home
they are dead meat.
2) They hide and hand over leadership to the wife or kids or
anyone else that will take it.
3) They are even passive in their own spiritual life.
4) Your wife doesn't want you to get this new prescription
from Pfizer.
She wants you to take charge of your marriage,
your family, your faith.
VI. Courageous. 2:29-30
"Welcome him in the Lord with great joy and honor men like him,
because he almost died for the work of Christ, RISKING his
life to make up for the help you could not give me."
A. Gambling for God. (Barclay)
1) The word used for "risk" is a gambler's word, and means to
stake everything on the roll of the dice.
Paul is saying that for the sake of Jesus Christ,
Epaphroditus gambled his life.
In the days of the early church there was an association
of men and women called "the gamblers."
It was their aim to visit the prisoners and the sick,
especially those who were ill with dangerous diseases.
In AD 252 plague broke out in Carthage.
The non-Christians threw out the bodies of their dead and
fled in terror.
Cyprian, the Christian bishop, gathered his congregation
together and set them to burying the dead and nursing
the sick in the plague-ravaged city.
In doing this, they saved those who were left.
Christians should have the courage to gamble with their
lives to serve Christ and people.
B. God is looking for men who will put service before security.
1) Your whole goal in life is to become secure and financially
independent.
2) Security becomes the goal of life rather than service.
3) God is looking for men who are willing to risk serving.
C. The greatest failure for Ledgewood would be to end up a nice,
community social group.
1) We come in and talk about things that are real nice and
leave making no difference at all.
2) What are you sacrificing for Christ?
a) How much time? Finances? Concern?
b) When you stop risking you are dying.
c) You need a challenge that is bigger than life, and
only Christ can provide it.
VII. God doesn't need Superstars.
A. Timothy and Epaphroditus were just ordinary guys, yet 2000 years
later we're still talking about them.
1) When you look at your life and work, as a man, how much is
it going to count 50 years from now? Or 100 or 1000?
2) Will you have made any difference?
B. If you are not this kind of man, will you be?
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(parts adapted from Rev. Rick Warren, Saddleback Community Church, CA)
[for documentation of illustrations, download database at
http://illust.holwick.com]
First Baptist Church; Ledgewood, New Jersey
This document last modified March 1, 1999