Men's Conference Message (2008)
Significant & Strong Men
Gen 1:26 “Then God said, "Let us make man in our image, in our likeness, and let them rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air, over the livestock, over all the earth, and over all the creatures that move along the ground.”
Intro
Men want to feel important & significant.
They want to do significant things?
People of the world think that to feel important and be significant you must have the look or the brain or both like famous people in the like of Arnold Swazeneggar, David Beckam, Winston Churchill, Mahatma Gandhi, Thomas Edison etc.
It is perfectly fine to want to feel important & be significant because God created us to be significant! However it is not alright if we think we have to do something, to achieve something in order to feel important & significant. We do not need to prove that we are significant and important.
We are significant because God created us so.
We are significant because we are created in the image and likeness of God.
There is no need to prove that we are significant and valuable.
We need to know this fact so that we are secure and confident.
Gen 1:26 “Then God said, "Let us make man in our image, in our likeness, (tell us that man is significance) and let them rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air, over the livestock, over all the earth, and over all the creatures that move along the ground (tell us men is strong/want to have dominion).”
We are not as big as an elephant but God made us are more significant than the elephant.
We are not as muscular as a rhinoceros but we are more significant than the rhino & God gave us power to rule over them.
We are not as strong as these animals yet we are able to tame & command tiger, elephants etc. to make them do stunt for us in a circus. To entertain us, to make us laugh, to work for us!
Application
In the world, we hear people talk about Brawn (muscular, handsome etc.) & Brain (intellectual, have certificates, title etc.)
If they have nice face, nice muscular body they will use what they have to gain popularity, to gain attraction and make it in the world.
They are confident and feel good about themselves because they have the look (handsome) they have the physical attributes.
If they don’t have the brawn they can use their brain.
They will study hard, get as many title to their name to gain significance, to gain acceptance. They use their intellectual ability to gain all the cert title and climb the career ladder to get positional title.
They feel confident, feel good because they are smart and they are intellectual. Feel not useless!
They are secure because they have brawn or brain.
If they have both better still!
What if you do not have both?
What if suddenly you lose the physical features that you are proud of or you lose the intellectual features that you are happy with?
What if you don’t have both?
Does that mean the end of you?
Finish? Useless!
Example – Jesus has got no physical look
Jesus has no nice appearance. Nothing in his appearance to draw people to him!
Isa 53:2b-3 “He had no beauty or majesty to attract us to him, nothing in his appearance that we should desire him. 3 He was despised and rejected by men, a man of sorrows, and familiar with suffering. Like one from whom men hide their faces he was despised, and we esteemed him not.”
But Jesus was secure, he was confident!
Example – Paul also no physical look!
Was short, bald headed man!
He was insulted, persecuted.
Why was Paul so confident, secure?
He got his significance from God!
Example – Jesus attributed his knowledge & wisdom to God
Jesus said “I can do nothing by myself. I say only what my Father told me, I do only what I saw my Father does.”
We see that Jesus say he is not able to do anything by himself.
He does not have brawn & he does not have “brain”
Where did he get his confidence and ability to go on and become the most influential person with billions of followers?
He attributes everything he has from God.
His identity, confidence comes from God
His strength is in God!
John 5:19-20 “Jesus gave them this answer: "I tell you the truth, the Son can do nothing by himself; he can do only what he sees his Father doing, because whatever the Father does the Son also does. 20For the Father loves the Son and shows him all he does...”
John 12:49-50 “For I did not speak of my own accord, but the Father who sent me commanded me what to say and how to say it. 50I know that his command leads to eternal life. So whatever I say is just what the Father has told me to say.”
He found his significance in God!
He found his security in God!
He found his strength in God!
Example – David
David was secure in God.
He did not find his significance from his looks.
He did not find his strength from his muscle.
He was a young boy made fun by his brothers.
When facing Goliath, he said
1 Sam 17:45 “David said to the Philistine, "You come against me with sword and spear and javelin, but I come against you in the name of the LORD Almighty, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied.”
The world defines men by his brawn and his brain
The world defines man’s significance by what he can do, by what he achieved.
The worldly man is a self made man.
The man who found his significance is God is called a God made man.
He does not depend on his look and his intellect.
His significance is from God!
His security is in God!
His strength is of God!
This is the man God wants us to be. Like Christ. Christ-like!
Rom 8:29 “… to be conformed to the likeness of his son.”
The man who are manifesting the image of God! Being the man of God!
He found his significance in God.
When you want to know what a man is like we look at all the Biblical man who found their significance in God.
What make a man significant and strong?
A man who found significance in God & from God!
From this significance they carry out what God call them to do.
Strong man is a God made man!
Man who found their significance in God and through God!
Not from what they do.
Not from the outside but from the inside.
Application
It is sad to see many men finding their significance in the work they do. When they are no longer a chairman or CEO etc they say they are lonely. It is sad to see them saying they are useless and feel useless once they lose their position or look or title.
Man can find his significance in only one place, in God.
In their relationship with God!
Strong man is a man who is able to have a band of Brothers, who are committed to your spiritual well being.
Strong men are committed to tough questions & are willing to submit to another who will pray with you & for you:
1) Have you made any decision which compromised your belief & value?
2) Have you shared your faith and how you can improve it?
3) Have you had any flirtatious or lustful attitude or tempting thoughts or exposed yourself to any explicit material that will not honour God?
4) Have you been totally above reproach in your financial dealings?
5) Have you done your 100% best in your job?
6) Have you told half truth or outright lies to make yourself in a better light to those around you?
7) Have you taken care of your body physically through daily physical exercise, proper eating, sleeping habits? Have you taken care of your mind through continual education? Have you taken care of your spiritual man through reading, meditating, memorizing & applying God’s word?
8) Have you lied on any of these questions?
Gen 1:26 “Then God said, "Let us make man in our image, in our likeness, and let them rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air, over the livestock, over all the earth, and over all the creatures that move along the ground.”
Intro
Men want to feel important & significant.
They want to do significant things?
People of the world think that to feel important and be significant you must have the look or the brain or both like famous people in the like of Arnold Swazeneggar, David Beckam, Winston Churchill, Mahatma Gandhi, Thomas Edison etc.
It is perfectly fine to want to feel important & be significant because God created us to be significant! However it is not alright if we think we have to do something, to achieve something in order to feel important & significant. We do not need to prove that we are significant and important.
We are significant because God created us so.
We are significant because we are created in the image and likeness of God.
There is no need to prove that we are significant and valuable.
We need to know this fact so that we are secure and confident.
Gen 1:26 “Then God said, "Let us make man in our image, in our likeness, (tell us that man is significance) and let them rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air, over the livestock, over all the earth, and over all the creatures that move along the ground (tell us men is strong/want to have dominion).”
We are not as big as an elephant but God made us are more significant than the elephant.
We are not as muscular as a rhinoceros but we are more significant than the rhino & God gave us power to rule over them.
We are not as strong as these animals yet we are able to tame & command tiger, elephants etc. to make them do stunt for us in a circus. To entertain us, to make us laugh, to work for us!
Application
In the world, we hear people talk about Brawn (muscular, handsome etc.) & Brain (intellectual, have certificates, title etc.)
If they have nice face, nice muscular body they will use what they have to gain popularity, to gain attraction and make it in the world.
They are confident and feel good about themselves because they have the look (handsome) they have the physical attributes.
If they don’t have the brawn they can use their brain.
They will study hard, get as many title to their name to gain significance, to gain acceptance. They use their intellectual ability to gain all the cert title and climb the career ladder to get positional title.
They feel confident, feel good because they are smart and they are intellectual. Feel not useless!
They are secure because they have brawn or brain.
If they have both better still!
What if you do not have both?
What if suddenly you lose the physical features that you are proud of or you lose the intellectual features that you are happy with?
What if you don’t have both?
Does that mean the end of you?
Finish? Useless!
Example – Jesus has got no physical look
Jesus has no nice appearance. Nothing in his appearance to draw people to him!
Isa 53:2b-3 “He had no beauty or majesty to attract us to him, nothing in his appearance that we should desire him. 3 He was despised and rejected by men, a man of sorrows, and familiar with suffering. Like one from whom men hide their faces he was despised, and we esteemed him not.”
But Jesus was secure, he was confident!
Example – Paul also no physical look!
Was short, bald headed man!
He was insulted, persecuted.
Why was Paul so confident, secure?
He got his significance from God!
Example – Jesus attributed his knowledge & wisdom to God
Jesus said “I can do nothing by myself. I say only what my Father told me, I do only what I saw my Father does.”
We see that Jesus say he is not able to do anything by himself.
He does not have brawn & he does not have “brain”
Where did he get his confidence and ability to go on and become the most influential person with billions of followers?
He attributes everything he has from God.
His identity, confidence comes from God
His strength is in God!
John 5:19-20 “Jesus gave them this answer: "I tell you the truth, the Son can do nothing by himself; he can do only what he sees his Father doing, because whatever the Father does the Son also does. 20For the Father loves the Son and shows him all he does...”
John 12:49-50 “For I did not speak of my own accord, but the Father who sent me commanded me what to say and how to say it. 50I know that his command leads to eternal life. So whatever I say is just what the Father has told me to say.”
He found his significance in God!
He found his security in God!
He found his strength in God!
Example – David
David was secure in God.
He did not find his significance from his looks.
He did not find his strength from his muscle.
He was a young boy made fun by his brothers.
When facing Goliath, he said
1 Sam 17:45 “David said to the Philistine, "You come against me with sword and spear and javelin, but I come against you in the name of the LORD Almighty, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied.”
The world defines men by his brawn and his brain
The world defines man’s significance by what he can do, by what he achieved.
The worldly man is a self made man.
The man who found his significance is God is called a God made man.
He does not depend on his look and his intellect.
His significance is from God!
His security is in God!
His strength is of God!
This is the man God wants us to be. Like Christ. Christ-like!
Rom 8:29 “… to be conformed to the likeness of his son.”
The man who are manifesting the image of God! Being the man of God!
He found his significance in God.
When you want to know what a man is like we look at all the Biblical man who found their significance in God.
What make a man significant and strong?
A man who found significance in God & from God!
From this significance they carry out what God call them to do.
Strong man is a God made man!
Man who found their significance in God and through God!
Not from what they do.
Not from the outside but from the inside.
Application
It is sad to see many men finding their significance in the work they do. When they are no longer a chairman or CEO etc they say they are lonely. It is sad to see them saying they are useless and feel useless once they lose their position or look or title.
Man can find his significance in only one place, in God.
In their relationship with God!
Strong man is a man who is able to have a band of Brothers, who are committed to your spiritual well being.
Strong men are committed to tough questions & are willing to submit to another who will pray with you & for you:
1) Have you made any decision which compromised your belief & value?
2) Have you shared your faith and how you can improve it?
3) Have you had any flirtatious or lustful attitude or tempting thoughts or exposed yourself to any explicit material that will not honour God?
4) Have you been totally above reproach in your financial dealings?
5) Have you done your 100% best in your job?
6) Have you told half truth or outright lies to make yourself in a better light to those around you?
7) Have you taken care of your body physically through daily physical exercise, proper eating, sleeping habits? Have you taken care of your mind through continual education? Have you taken care of your spiritual man through reading, meditating, memorizing & applying God’s word?
8) Have you lied on any of these questions?
Labels: men's conference
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