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Sunday, September 5, 2010

4th Grade Boys Lesson - Play the Man

Today we are going to look at some marks of manhood versus marks of boyhood. Because none of us really wants to be a boy forever, right? Toys-Я-Us tries to tell us that we don't want to grow up, but they are just one secular group among many who hate Jesus and want us to be forever infants.

Marks of Boyhood......Marks of Manhood
Plays games.....................Lives in Reality
Loves Self........................Loves Others
Goes with the crowd........Stands up for right
Fights back......................Turns the other cheek
Ignores others in peril.....Defends the meek
Rebels..............................Recognizes authority
Whines.............................Works Hard
Loves appearances..........Cares about what's on the inside

1 Corinthians 13:11 When I was a child, I spoke like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I gave up childish ways.

Boys play games like basketball, football, and baseball. This is good because it improves your hand eye coordination and teaches you to operate in a team. But sports at best are just a lesson in life on how to grow into a man. Little boys who never grow up watch these sports and make them their gods. The parallels between the idol worship in the Bible with people painting their faces and making loud noises like war and loving things in the form of animals and forsaking the Sabbath is played out completely in modern college football idolatry. Not to mention the time wasted.

Ephesians 5:15-16 Look carefully then how you walk, not as unwise but as wise, making the best use of the time, because the days are evil.

We need to be making sure we are not wasting time, not watching boys games that have no purpose and no effect on eternity. This also includes devoting massive amounts of time to anything, like video games, hunting, fishing, watching racing, or whatever.

Isaiah 3:4-5 And I will make boys their princes, and infants shall rule over them. And the people will oppress one another, every one his fellow and every one his neighbor; the youth will be insolent to the elder, and the despised to the honorable.

Little boys care for their own interests and don't care who they have to trample or offend to get their way. This is hugely selfish and the main source of sin. What are some ways that you can be selfish that hurt others?

Let's look at what men do:

Philippians 2:3-4 Do nothing from rivalry or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves. Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others.

What are some ways you can count others as worth more than yourself?

Boys go along with the popular belief and the pleasures of sin,

Proverbs 5:22-23 The iniquities of the wicked ensnare him, and he is held fast in the cords of his sin. He dies for lack of discipline, and because of his great folly he is led astray.

What are some things in this country that men should be standing up to, but because we're a nation of boys we don't? Tolerance, Abortion, Violence, Islam, Euthanasia...

When the Nazis came for the communists, I said nothing; I was, of course, no communist.
When they locked up the Socialists, I said nothing; I was, of course, no Socialist.
When they came for the trade unionists, I said nothing; I was, of course, no trade unionist.
When they came for the Jews, I said nothing; I was, of course, no Jew.
When they came for me, there was no one left to speak out for me.
– Martin Niemoller

Psalm 1:1 Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the wicked, nor stands in the way of sinners, nor sits in the seat of scoffers.

One of my favorite verses is in Romans 3 where it says God will be true, even if every man is a liar. If God is going to be true even if all of the world goes astray, then I'm going to stand with God and stand up for right.

What does a boy do when someone hits him? He hits back.

Matthew 5:38-44 You have heard that it was said, 'An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.' But I say to you, Do not resist the one who is evil. But if anyone slaps you on the right cheek, turn to him the other also. And if anyone would sue you and take your tunic, let him have your cloak as well. And if anyone forces you to go one mile, go with him two miles. Give to the one who begs from you, and do not refuse the one who would borrow from you. You have heard that it was said, 'You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.' But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you...

The man doesn't strike back when he is wronged personally. The reason we do this is to demonstrate the grace of Jesus Christ, that while we should have been squished the first time we sinned and offended God, he still was patient and kind and didn't crush us.

Boys don't come to the aid of others, but men do:

Luke 10:30-37 Jesus replied, "A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and he fell among robbers, who stripped him and beat him and departed, leaving him half dead. Now by chance a priest was going down that road, and when he saw him he passed by on the other side. So likewise a Levite, when he came to the place and saw him, passed by on the other side. But a Samaritan, as he journeyed, came to where he was, and when he saw him, he had compassion. He went to him and bound up his wounds, pouring on oil and wine. Then he set him on his own animal and brought him to an inn and took care of him. And the next day he took out two denarii and gave them to the innkeeper, saying, 'Take care of him, and whatever more you spend, I will repay you when I come back.' Which of these three, do you think, proved to be a neighbor to the man who fell among the robbers?" He said, "The one who showed him mercy." And Jesus said to him, "You go, and do likewise."

If you are wronged, then you turn the other cheek. But if someone is hitting a girl in your class, then you step in and do what you must to make sure she is no longer getting hit. In this we emulate our Saviour who has promised to avenge every wrong done to us. Likewise we need to take care of someone even if they are our enemy; if they are hungry, we feed them, if they are thirsty, we give them drink, and the reason is in First Peter:

1 Peter 2:12 Keep your conduct among the Gentiles honorable, so that when they speak against you as evildoers, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day of visitation.

A boy rebels against authority, loving himself, money, and being disobedient to parents and elders; where-as a man submits to the King of Heaven knowing that he is right and his ways are right.

One of the darkest times in all of Israel was in Judges 21, let's see why:

Judges 21:25 In those days there was no king in Israel. Everyone did what was right in his own eyes.

What does a boy do when he has to do a hard chore or a job he doesn't want to do? He whines about it, he grumbles, he doesn't do a good job.

But a man knows that he is representing Jesus Christ when he works, so he does everything without grumbling, knowing that he is ultimately working for Christ himself:

Colossians 3:17 And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.

Now let's look briefly at how a man loves his brothers and sisters: Six words for love are Agape, Storge, Phileo, Thelema, Eros, and Porneia:

Agape – Sacrificial lovingkindness – Better translated as Charity.

This is how God loved the world. You agape somebody when you do something for them without expecting anything in return or because of who they are. If you see a baby carriage rolling down a hill, you’re going to do something regardless of who the baby is. You may be agape loving the next Adolf Hitler, but this sort of love doesn’t discriminate. For example, you can totally hate someone but still give them charity, like a prisoner of war is given food and drink and medical care, even though he is an enemy.

Storge – In terms of God it is Fatherly love, also used for parental love, and pastoral love. Cherish would be a good translation; you cherish things that are valuable.

This word is hard to find in the New Testament, not because it’s not there, but because it gets stuck on the back of other words. In Romans 1:31 it says one of the marks of God’s judgment on a people is they will stop having storge love. It’s used most beautifully in the beginning of Romans 12:10, the HCSB has the best translation,

Romans 12:10 Show family affection to one another with brotherly love.

Phileo – Brotherly love, the word for friend, Philos, comes from this.

This is helping your friend no matter what and not expecting payment in return.

Romans 12:10 Love one another with brotherly affection. Outdo one another in showing honor.

Thelema – Desire/Enjoyment…aka…I love hamburgers…I love skiing…

In 1 Thessalonians 4:3 it says that God loves your sanctification, he desires it, he enjoys it. What is sanctification? Becoming more and more like Jesus Christ in your actions and attitude.

A husband can also thumos his wife;

Eros – Physical/Committed/Romantic Attraction, the actual word is not in the Bible but the concept is.

This is love between a husband and a wife. It is not purely physical, it’s sort of all of the previous loves combined. It’s almost axiomatic, or self-proving, that the husband loves his wife and therefore finds her pretty and he loves her also because she is pretty. This love should be constrained within the marriage covenant; when it is used wrongly you can use Eros to describe it, but a better word is one of sexual immorality:

Now we get to how boys love women:

Porneia – Physical attraction; lust.

The Greeks would have freaked out if they found out we’re using the same word for Agape and Phileo to translate Porneia, yet we do. This is the love that says I love the outside of you and couldn’t care less about the inside of you.

A man will consider the personality and virtues of a woman based on her character rather than her appearance. The Bible compares us to flowers which become beautiful overnight but fade away quickly. But a beautiful soul saved by Jesus Christ will last forever.

1 Corinthians 16:13 Be watchful, stand firm in the faith, act like men, be strong.

Let me give you some examples of some real men:
Manz, Hubmaier, Sattler
Cranmer, Ridley, and Latimer


You are a real man when you commit to following Jesus Christ and his commands, when you place his priorities as your priorities, and when you consider others as more valuable than yourself. I hope you will take this seriously and soon put away childish things and play the man.

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