SERMON: MADE IN GOD'S IMAGE

Preached by Gregory W. Lee
(Father's Day Message)
17 June 2007

I. Introduction
-- if you have your Bibles with you, please turn over to 2 Timothy 4

1. In the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who will judge the living and the dead, and in view of his appearing and his kingdom, I give you this charge:
2. Preach the Word; be prepared in season and out of season; correct, rebuke and encourage--with great patience and careful instruction.
3. For the time will come when men will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear.
4. They will turn their ears away from the truth and turn aside to myths.
5. But you, keep your head in all situations, endure hardship, do the work of an evangelist, discharge all the duties of your ministry.
6. For I am already being poured out like a drink offering, and the time has come for my departure.
7. I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith.
8. Now there is in store for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day--and not only to me, but also to all who have longed for his appearing.

-- as we all know, today is Father's Day -- the day we celebrate the fathers and men in our lives -- I have become aware, over the years, that not only do men not understand women but that women don't really understand men
-- so, in honor of Father's day and on behalf of all the men here today, I thought I would share with you a few items out of an instruction manual for women that was written to help you better understand us men and why we do the things we do -- so, here we go:

-- Because I am a man, when I lock my keys in the car, I will fiddle with a wire clothes hanger and ignore your suggestions that we call for help until long after hypothermia has set in.
-- Because I am a man, when the car isn't running very well, I will pop the hood and stare at the engine as if I know what the heck I am looking at. If another man shows up, one of us will say to the other, "I used to be able to fix these things, but now with all these darn computers and everything, I wouldn't know where to start."
-- Because I am a man, when I catch a cold, I need someone to bring me soup and take care of me while I lie in bed and moan. You never get as sick as I do, so for you this isn't an issue.
-- Because I am a man, when one of our appliances stops working, I will insist on taking it apart, despite evidence that this will just cost me twice as much once the repair person gets here and has to put it back together.
-- Because I am a man, I must hold the television remote control in my hand while I watch TV. If the thing has been misplaced, I may miss a whole show looking for it (though one time I was able to survive by holding a calculator).
-- Because I am a man, there is no need to ask me what I am thinking about. The answer is always either sex, cars, or food, though I have to make up something else when you ask, so don't. And when I tell you I am thinking about nothing, it's true.
-- Because I am a man, I do not want to visit your mother, or have your mother come visit us, or talk to her when she calls, or think about her any more than I have to. Whatever you got her for Mother's Day is okay, I don't need to see it. And don't forget to pick up something for my mom, too!
-- Because I am a man, you don't have to ask me if I liked the movie. Chances are, if you're crying at the end of it, I didn't.
-- Because I am a man, I think what you're wearing is fine. I thought what you were wearing five minutes ago was fine, too. Either pair of shoes is fine. With the belt or without it looks fine. Your hair is fine. You look fine. Can we just go now?
-- Because I am a man, and this is, after all, the 21st century, I will share equally in the housework. You just do the laundry, the cooking, the gardening, the cleaning, and the dishes.
I'll do the rest.
-- well, I hope this little primer on men has helped out all the women here today better understand how us men think and why we do the things we do
-- I can understand your confusion about men -- when I was a boy, I became confused myself over what a man was supposed to be
-- you see, one of my first memories as a child was watching t.v. with my father on the weekends -- we would watch man-shows -- football -- wrestling -- and especially, westerns -- all those good old westerns -- Rawhide -- Gunsmoke -- Daniel Boone -- John Wayne movies -- as we watched all those shows, Daddy would tell me that those were real men and that I should follow them and do what they did
-- and so these were the men I patterned in my life -- I especially wanted to be Daniel Boone -- living in the wilderness -- fighting the indians -- hunting and fishing to survive -- truth be told, my decision to be a wildlife biologist was probably influenced some by the TV shows of Daniel Boone that I grew up watching
-- that's who I wanted to be -- that's how I wanted to live -- I remember walking around the stores of Adel as a kid with a coonskin cap carrying a popgun -- I was a real tough character -- women grabbed up their kids to protect them when I walked by -- men gave me a wary eye -- I was a real man just like Daniel Boone

-- and then my mother took me to church -- and I learned in Sunday School about Jesus -- I was told that I should follow Him and do what He did and live like He did -- but He sure didn't sound like John Wayne or Clint Eastwood or James Arness -- all the stories we learned in Sunday School talked about Jesus going around preaching and healing sick people and feeding five thousand men with a few loaves of bread and a few fish and loving everybody He saw
-- and when I looked at the pictures of Jesus in the church, He didn't look like the men in the westerns -- or even any of the men on the farm that we worked with -- He was always posed in prayer -- with long flowing hair -- a slight glistening of His eyes -- and His face turned towards heaven -- sometimes He was alone -- sometimes He was surrounded by a crowd of people -- but He always looked so peaceful and so good and so nice
-- He didn't have a coon skin cap -- He didn't carry a gun or a sword or nothing -- He wore robes and evidently went to church all the time -- and when I was young, I noticed that all of the sunday school teachers were women -- and all of the teachers at Vacation Bible School were women and that the only man in the church was the preacher -- so I guess I kind of figured out on my own that to be like Jesus you had to be like them -- good and kind and sweet -- and not like John Wayne or Daniel Boone
-- and that's the Jesus I grew up knowing -- a good man -- a kind man -- a meek and mild man -- not a hunter like Daniel Boone -- not a warrior like Marshal Matt Dillon -- just a nice, good man
-- and, you know what, that's the image that we still tend to portray in the church today -- but is it true? -- is this our Jesus? -- is this our Lord? -- or is this just what we've made Him out to be?

-- when I got older, I started reading the Bible for myself -- and the God I saw in the Bible sure acted a lot different from the Jesus I grew up learning about in Sunday School and Vacation Bible School -- for instance, in the Old Testament, this God took on the Egyptians and poured out plagues on them and rescued His people from the Egyptian army when they were pinned up against the Red Sea -- and this God told Saul to go to war and kill all the Amalekites -- this God sounded a lot more like a warrior than the Jesus I had learned about
-- and then I started reading the New Testament -- and, sure enough, there were the stories about Jesus feeding the five thousand and healing the sick and preaching on the mountainside -- but, you know what, there were other stories in there, too
-- Jesus standing up to the Pharisees and the religious rulers of His day -- refusing to back down and calling them hypocrites to their face
-- and Jesus going up against demons -- commanding them to be quiet and to come out of people -- casting them away from His presence
-- and then there's the story of Jesus going up to the temple and getting angry -- taking a whip and turning over the tables of the money changers and throwing them out of the temple because they had desecrated it with their presence
-- now, that's a Jesus a man can understand and relate to -- that's a Jesus who is more than nice and good -- that's a Jesus like John Wayne and Daniel Boone -- a man who stands up for what is right and who isn't afraid to fight if the situation demands it

-- and then I read the stories about the early church and the great men and women of God who stood up against Nero for what they believed in -- who were willing to face persecution and die for their faith rather than deny their Lord and Savior
-- men like Paul -- who dedicated his life to spreading the message of Jesus and carrying it to the far-flung reaches of the Roman Empire -- Paul -- who in 2 Corinthians 11 said that he had been flogged by the Jews five times -- beaten with rods three times -- shipwrecked three times -- spending a night and day in the open sea -- constantly on the move -- constantly in danger -- from bandits and robbers and his own countrymen -- in danger in the city -- in danger in the country -- in danger all the time
-- and I realized something -- being a Godly man isn't about being nice and good and holy -- being a man who goes to church doesn't mean you have to check your masculinity at the door -- being a Godly man means you've accepted the challenge of Christ and you're stepping into the heart of a battle -- a battle of good versus evil
-- and I learned that following Christ means more than just coming to church and singing a few hymns -- it means putting on the full armor of God -- and taking up your cross and the sword of the Spirit -- and running headlong into battle with Jesus leading the way
-- to be a Christian man means that you are called to be part of God's army -- to be a warrior -- to be just like John Wayne and Daniel Boone and William Wallace on the fields of Bannockburn

-- look at this passage here in 2 Timothy -- where the Apostle Paul -- who is dying after spending years on the mission field -- is writing to his young protege Timothy -- does this sound like a message from a nice man -- or does it more closely resemble the final instructions from a general on the field of battle to his next in command?
-- look back at verse 1

1. In the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who will judge the living and the dead, and in view of his appearing and his kingdom, I give you this charge:
2. Preach the Word; be prepared in season and out of season; correct, rebuke and encourage--with great patience and careful instruction.

-- the words of a warrior passing the torch to the next generation -- "in the presence of God and Christ Jesus -- with the power and authority that they gave me -- I charge you, Timothy, with continuing the work -- preach the word -- carry the message -- raise the standard of Christ in the battle against the enemy"
-- "be ready at all times, for the enemy is constantly at watch -- looking for weakness -- looking for his chance to strike -- be strong with the troops -- correct and rebuke them when they stray -- and encourage them when they begin to doubt and when they begin to fear"
-- no, these are not the words of a nice man --of a meek man -- of a weak man -- these are the words of a mighty warrior -- a man of God who knew what he stood for and why he was striving for so many years

-- verse 3

3. For the time will come when men will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear.
4. They will turn their ears away from the truth and turn aside to myths.
5. But you, keep your head in all situations, endure hardship, do the work of an evangelist, discharge all the duties of your ministry.


-- it's not going to be easy, Timothy -- it's going to be hard -- you've got enemies who are going to rise up against you -- not only Satan and his demons -- but also the men that he's going to raise up -- who will refuse to hear the truth -- who will refuse to follow the one true God
-- but stand firm -- in the heat of battle, don't become confused -- keep your head about you -- remember your calling and Who it is that stands with you and for Whom you fight -- endure the hardship -- and fulfill the calling of Christ on your life -- you are an evangelist -- you are a warrior -- you are a man of God
-- Paul's charge to Timothy reminds me of the words of William Wallace from the movie Braveheart -- if you remember the story, the Scottish people had been oppressed by the King of England -- Edward Longshanks -- for as long as they could remember -- and finally the Scottish highlanders rebelled -- Longshanks sent his army to the field of Sterling to put down the revolt
-- and the highlanders drew up ranks against them -- vastly outnumbered in all ways -- as the Scottish nobles went out to agree to a truce and end the revolt, many Scots began to leave the field of battle -- afraid of dying -- afraid of fighting
-- Wallace rode up then and rallied the troops with a masterful speech -- "Sons of Scotland! I am William Wallace. -- And I see a whole army of my country men, here, in defiance of tyranny. You've come to fight as free men, and free men you are. What will you do with that freedom? Will you fight?" -- a Scot called back to him, "Against that army? No, we will run, and we will live."
-- Wallace replied, "Aye, fight and you may die, run, and you'll live... at least a while. And dying in your beds, many years from now, would you be willin' to trade ALL the days, from this day to that, for one chance, just one chance, to come back here and tell our enemies that they may take our lives, but they'll never take... OUR FREEDOM!"
-- that is the message of Paul to Timothy -- don't be afraid to fight -- be the man that God has called you to be -- stand up against the evil of this world and the evil in the heavenly realms -- you may die in the midst of the battle -- but you will die knowing that you fought well and didn't shrink away -- and you will die knowing that your reward is waiting on the other side

-- verse 6

6. For I am already being poured out like a drink offering, and the time has come for my departure.
7. I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith.
8. Now there is in store for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day--and not only to me, but also to all who have longed for his appearing.


-- Paul says the end is near for him -- he has given all he has -- he has fought the good fight -- he has finished the race -- he has kept the faith -- he never backed down -- not even once -- he kept going and gave all he had for His God and His King

III. Closing
-- I think most of us grew up thinking that if you were a man and went to church, that you were somewhat weak -- that Christian men were good and nice but that they weren't real men -- in truth, most of them were wimps
-- Jesse Ventura, the pro-wrestler who is the former governor of Minnesota, sure thinks so -- he once said that "Organized religion is a sham and a crutch for weak-minded people who need strength in numbers."
-- Ted Turner -- good 'ole Ted -- the owner of the Braves and TBS -- once said about the same thing -- he said that "Christianity is a religion for losers"
-- but the truth is, a man who really follows God -- a man who isn't ashamed of the gospel -- a man like Paul and Timothy and all those who stood up against Nero in the coliseum -- these men aren't wimps -- they aren't losers -- they are warriors on the front line of a battle -- representing our God and our King against the evil forces arrayed against them

-- let me close by telling you about just such a man and encourage you to follow his example
-- Reggie White -- the star defensive end for the University of Tennesee and the Green Bay Packers -- was an imposing figure on the ballfield -- he stood 6'5" -- weighed 290 pounds -- and was blessed with incredible speed and strength -- he could bench-press over 425 pounds and run a 4.69 40-yard dash -- extremely fast for a man his size -- by anyone's standards, Reggie White was no wimp -- he was no loser
-- listen to what he once said, "There are some people who say Christianity is for wimps -- but people can say what they want -- as far as I am concerned, being a Christian makes you more of a man -- Jesus was the bravest, toughest man who ever walked on the face of the earth -- before He died on the cross, He could have snapped His fingers and everything would have been over -- but He chose not to do that and instead died a painful death to pay for our sins"
-- as a friend who knew Reggie once told me, Reggie was the type of guy who would knock you down on the field and then offer you a hand back up when the play was over -- a man who knew what he was called to be -- a man who knew Who he was called to serve -- a man who wasn't afraid to enter the battle, even if it might cost him his life

-- let me speak directly to you men in the congregation this morning -- God isn't calling you to be Mr. Rogers -- He's calling you to be Braveheart -- He isn't calling you to just come to church and sing, "In the Garden" and other "nice" hymns -- and He certainly isn't calling you to huddle at home in safety while you send the wife and kids to church
-- God is calling you to carry His message to a hostile world -- to enter the battle -- to charge the fields at Bannockburn -- to stand up for Him at your workplace and in the marketplace and where ever you might find yourself

-- I don't know if you carry things around with you in your pockets or not -- but I do -- and when I reach in my pocket during the day and I feel this thing -- whatever it is -- then I am reminded of who I am and what I am supposed to be doing and standing for in my life
-- one thing that I carry around with me from time to time is a rock -- a smooth river rock -- it reminds me of David standing up against Goliath -- of the rock that he picked up from the riverbank and used to slay the giant Philistine warrior on the field of battle
-- and it reminds me that I am called to be a warrior for God, too
-- I went out and got a bunch of these rocks -- and if any of the men in the church want one -- I'll have them at the back door on the way out
-- regardless of whether you take a rock or not -- I hope you remember that God is not calling you to be a wimp or a loser -- He is calling you to be a real man -- a Godly man -- a man who is willing to fight the good fight, to finish the race, and to keep the faith -- just like David and Paul and Timothy
-- let us pray