ANSWER THE CALL
Jeremiah 1:4-10
INTRODUCTION
ROBERT HICKS was pastoring a small church near the Kaneohe Marine Air Station in Hawaii. At one of his Sunday School teachers' meetings, the women teachers were complaining about their discipline problems with young boys. They had tried everything to no avail and were ready to quit. In desperation, Hicks had a flash of insight.
The next Sunday he grabbed several of the young marines, sat one in each room and told them to pile a couple of boys under each arm. Hicks told the Marines, "Rough them up, sit on them, and make them pay attention."
The women thought that bordered on abuse, but the boys loved it and viewed it as affection! The discipline problems were solved. Hicks said, "In one Sunday I came to realize that what we need is a "'few good men'."
* MEN
- The WORLD needs a few good men to give it courage and hope.
- The COUNTRY needs a few good men of purity and integrity to put it on course.
- The CHURCH needs a few good men of godliness that will model righteousness and truth.
- Our FAMILIES need a few good men who will love and give themselves to their wives and children like Christ loves the church and gave Himself for it.
* GOD IS CALLING MEN LIKE NEVER BEFORE TO STAND UP AND BE COUNTED AND TAKE THEIR PLACES IN THE WORLD.
* THE WORLD IS CALLING FOR GOOD MEN, OUR COUNTRY IS CALLING FOR GOOD MEN, OUR CHURCHES ARE CALLING FOR GOOD MEN, OUR FAMILIES ARE CALLING FOR GOOD MEN, OUR SAVIOUR IS CALLING FOR GOOD MEN TO FOLLOW HIM. THIS MORNING I AM GOING TO CHALLENGE YOU TO ANSWER THE CALL - TO STEP OUT AND ALLOW GOD TO MAKE YOU THE MAN HE WANTS YOU TO BE.
I. Answer the Call of the Saviour
1. Men Often Have Difficulty with Faith
Illustrate: One Sunday morning a woman tried in vain several times to get her husband up out of bed. Finally she said, "Honey, you've got to get up and go to church." He blurted back, "Give me one good reason why I should go to church. The music is boring, the seats are hard, and nobody there likes me. Just give me one good reason why I should go." His wife declared, "You have to go because you're the Pastor."
* PICTURE CHURCH, FAITH, ETC. AS MORE FOR WOMEN.
* NOTE: JESUS WAS A RUGGED REVOLUTIONARY WHO DEFIED THE ROMAN RULERS
- He chose 12 very masculine men.
2. Christ Called Men to Follow Him
Mark 1:16-20
* ONE BY ONE HE CALLED 12 MEN TO FOLLOW
-One by one they answered the call. They said, "Yes Jesus, I'll follow you. I'll make a difference in my world."
- Peter - Andrew - James - John - Philip - Bartholomew - Thomas - Matthew - James son of Alphaeus - Thaddaeus - Simon - Judas -- Only Judas was not man enough to follow Jesus to the end.
3. Christ Is Looking for a Few Good Men
Christ is looking for men to follow Him today. Men that will answer the call and take their places in the Nation, in our churches, in our communities, in our homes.
* Our society has far too few men who respond with boldness and courage to the Call of the Saviour.
* WILL YOU ANSWER THE CALL.
- Begin With Salvation
- Follow With Wholehearted Commitment
II. Answer the Call to Godliness
I Tim. 4:7-8 But reject profane and old wives fables, and exercise yourself toward godliness. For bodily exercise profits a little, but godliness is profitable for all things, having promise of the life that now is and of that which is to come.
* MY # 1 VALUE AND GOAL IN LIFE IS TO BE A MAN OF GOD - A GODLY MAN.
1. Godliness Is Walking with God
Gen. 5:21-24; Heb. 11:5
By faith Enoch was taken away so that he did not see death, and was not found, because God had taken him; for before he was taken he had this testimony, that he pleased God.
Enoch walked with God; he enjoyed a relationship with God; and he pleased God. He was devoted to God and that's godliness.
2. Godliness Is Walking Godlike
1. Character
But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law. (Gal. 5:22-24)
* CHARACTER IS WHAT YOU ARE WHEN NO ONE IS LOOKING. It is the fruit of our desire to please God.
* Character is what makes you do what is right even when every fiber of your being is calling out to do otherwise.
* Martin Luther: Oct. 31, 1517 Answered the call and began the Protestant Reformation when he nailed his 95 Theses on the door of Wittenberg's All Saints Church. - Whole world stood against him - Church stood against him. But he had decided to stand up and be counted; he answered the call and proclaimed, " Here I stand, I can do no more. God help me."
* Men. God is calling us to be men of character, men who please God and do what is right regardless of the cost. Any wimp can slide through life - but God is calling us to be men of character. Will we answer the call this morning ?
2. Purity
Flee also youthful lust, but pursue righteousness, faith, love, peace with those who call on the Lord out of a pure heart. (II Tim. 2:22)
* Men - it takes a real man, a godly man to stay pure. - So many men are falling to impurity. Recent studies indicate #1 problem even among professing Christian men is pornography. God calls us to purity. Let's answer the call. Commit ourselves to purity and faithfulness to our wives.
3. Integrity
The integrity of the upright will guide them. But the perversity of the unfaithful will destroy them. ( Prov. 11:3)
HONESTY BUILDS BUT DISHONESTY DESTROYS.
Illustrate: For many years, Dr. Madison Sarratt taught mathematics at Vanderbilt University. Before giving exams he would say something like this: "Today I am giving two examinations, one in trigonometry and one in honesty. I hope you will pass them both. If you must fail one, fail trigonometry. There are many good people in the world who can't pass trigonometry, but there are no good people who cannot pass the examination of honesty."
* Our world is full of double-talking hucksters. There is so much dishonesty and deception. Integrity means you are honest and that your word is good. Just as God is true to His word, He calls us to be men of integrity. Men of our word. People must be able to depend upon our word.
** Godliness is walking with God and living right.
* MEN. GOD IS CALLING FOR MEN WHO WILL MODEL WHAT IT IS TO WALK WITH GOD AND LIVE RIGHT. There are so few good models left. THOSE OF US WHO NOW WALK WITH GOD NEED TO MODEL WHAT IT IS TO ANSWER THE CALL AND LIVE RIGHT SO THAT OTHER MEN CAN FOLLOW. AND ALL OF US NEED TO MODEL GODLINESS SO THAT OUR SONS CAN FOLLOW IN OUR FOOTSTEPS.
- Our prayer needs to be, "I want to be just like You, because he wants to be just like me."
* MEN, I CHALLENGE YOU TO ANSWER THE CALL.
III. Answer the Call of Home
Ephesians 5:25-28; 6:4
Studies indicate that with men in the 30's-40's the psychological or physical absence of fathers from their families is one of the great underestimated tragedies of our times. It has tremendous consequences to our wives and children.
* Men, we have neglected our wives and children far too long. Many children are growing up without a dad at home to model manhood for them. And in many cases even when Dad lives in the same house, he's a phantom father. He's there physically, but's he's absent emotionally. And he leaves the kids for Mom to raise thinking that his only role is to bring home the bacon. Men, that's a recipe for disaster.
1. Love Your Wives as Christ Loves the Church
2. Love and Cherish Your Children
** GET INVOLVED IN YOUR CHILDREN'S LIVES.
- You will answer to God for how your children turn out.
* Young boys are growing up with no one to lead them into manhood.
* Young girls are growing up with out the love and affection they so desperately need from Dad and so they seek it from any male that will show it.
YOU MUST SPEND TIME WITH YOUR SON FOR HIM TO LEARN TO BE A MAN.
* Wrestling with your son is crucial to his development.
YOU MUST SPEND TIME WITH YOUR DAUGHTER FOR HER TO LEARN WHAT TO EXPECT FROM A MAN.
* MEN - GOD HOLD'S YOU RESPONSIBLE FOR THE BEHAVIOUR OF YOUR CHILDREN.
1. Teach Your Children
And these words which I command you today shall be in your heart. 7 You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, when you walk by the way, when you lie down, and when you rise up. (Deut 6:6-7)
II. Be A Model For Your Children
Iv. Answer the Call of Service
I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service (Rom 12:1)
* Biblical Model = SERVANT LEADERSHIP
I. Service to Christ
* It's time to answer the call and commit our lives to serving Jesus Christ with all of our being.
II. Service to Your Family
* Let's answer the call and lead our families as Servant leaders.
III. Service to Your Church
* Time to answer the call and take our place in the church as leaders.
IV. Service to Our Community
* Time to answer the call - like James and John and live Christ at work etc.
V. Answer the Call to Stand and Be Counted
Then He said to them all, "If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow Me. 24 For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake will save it. 25 For what profit is it to a man if he gains the whole world, and is himself destroyed or lost? 26 For whoever is ashamed of Me and My words, of him the Son of Man will be ashamed when He comes in His own glory, and in His Father's, and of the holy angels. (Luke 9:23-26)
** MEN - SOMEHOW WE HAVE TO, WITH GOD'S HELP, FIND THE COURAGE TO STAND UP, TAKE OUR PLACES AS LEADERS IN OUR HOMES, CHURCHES AND COMMUNITIES AND DO WHAT IS RIGHT.
We need to answer the call to stand up and be counted.
Illustrate:
When Garibaldi recruited men to fight off a horde of invaders, he made it clear that he wanted only soldiers who were true patriots. In reply to the question "What do you offer?" He said, "I give you neither pay nor quarters nor provisions. I offer only hunger, thirst, forced marches, battle and possible death." Yet he gave them something to fight for, when he said, "Let him who loves his country with his whole heart, not with his lips only, follow me."
--That brave leader knew that an army made up of men whose main concern is to stay alive and enjoy themselves will never be able to withstand the rigors of battle.
--The Lord Jesus seeks men who will serve Him unselfishly and courageously. MEN WHO WILL ANSWER THE CALL OF COMMITMENT TO CHRIST. MEN WHO WILL ANSWER THE CALL OF GODLINESS. MEN WHO WILL ANSWER THE CALL OF BEING A SERVANT LEADER IN THE HOME. MEN WHO WILL ANSWER THE CALL OF SERVICE. MEN WHO WILL ANSWER THE CALL TO STAND UP AND BE COUNTED.
