Man Up // The Hot Seat - Week 1
“Man Up” the Sermon
1 Kings 2:1-3 (NIV) “When the time drew near for David to die, he gave a charge to Solomon his son. 2 “I am about to go the way of all the earth,” he said. “So be strong, act like a man, 3 and observe what the Lord your God requires: Walk in obedience to him, and keep his decrees and commands, his laws and regulations, as written in the Law of Moses. Do this so that you may prosper in all you do and wherever you go.”
It’s time for us men to MAN UP!
This message is for adult men, specifically African American men
Men who are looking to raise the bar in their lives
Men who are looking to raise the bar in the lives of their children by applying Biblical principles to all aspects of life
We are going to use the example of King David’s words to his son Solomon as he was about to die
I will also share some of the life lessons I have learned during my own journey to become a man
Let’s talk about how God expects a man to act in this age of fatherless sons and the subtle feminization of men that is permeating our society.
It’s time to MAN UP!
What does it take to Man UP?
Be Strong - Act Like a Man
Be Observant - Know God’s Word (What He expects you to do)
Be Faithful – Walk in Obedience (Do what He wants you to do)
Endure – Keep Obeying
Then, you will prosper!
Let’s unpack each of these
What does it mean to Be Strong – Act Like a Man
Fear NOT!!
2 Timothy 1:7 “For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind.”
If you remain faithful and obedient, you will accomplish all that He has for you to accomplish in life, nothing more and nothing less!
Don’t QUIT!
Winners never quit and quitters never win!
Hanging in there and enduring hardships speaks a lot about a person’s integrity
Real men are people of integrity. Integrity can be defined as:
always telling the truth
doing what you say you will do
accepting responsibility for your actions
Strive for Excellence
Colossians 3:23 ESV “Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men”
Do Things right the FIRST TIME!
Or else you will have to do them over!
Lawn mowing and hedge trimming story
Help people get what they want and eventually you will get what you want.
True measure of strength is this: “Are you strong enough to put others first and serve them?”
Humans are born with a natural selfish nature. To put ourselves first.
Treat others (FIRST) like you want to be treated.
Be OBSERVANT - Knowing God’s Word
Hide God’s Word in your heart
Read a Proverbs a Day for Wisdom
Be a man of Discipline and Sacrifice
Realize that there is nothing new under the sun
Too many people are looking for TRUTH in the wrong places
I’ve never created anything, only discovered things
Discovered that TRUTH is found in the Bible
It’s my job to read it and search for TRUTH
Ideas can be the killer of productivity!
Once you know, it’s time to go and do…
Be Faithful – Walk in Obedience to God’s Word
Remember, Philippians 4:13 “You can do all things through Christ who gives you strength”
In dealing with other people
Learn to speak the 5 Love Languages
Daddying - Being a good dad means being there for your kids
It takes a man to show a man how to be a man
Don’t be a baby’s daddy!
Be there, be an example, have a good family life!
Teach your kids and others…
How to take care of their stuff and share their stuff
That practice makes perfect
Repetition is the key to learning
About teamwork
Endure – Keep Obeying
Endurance takes Positive Thinking
Change thinking, attitude, performance, productivity
Importance of reading the Bible daily
Work hard, set goals, and push for high achievement.
Learn to think like God.
Ezekiel 11:19 (NIV) “I will give them an undivided heart and put a new spirit in them; I will remove from them their heart of stone and give them a heart of flesh.”
Learning from Others
The average person learns from their own mistakes, the wise person from the mistakes of others, but a fool never learns.
I’ve done jail ministry and share this thought
I’ve never been to jail but learned from my real dad that I don’t want to go there
Story of Denise
Denise Lesson 1: Remember the Golden Rule
Denise Lesson 2: Influence of friends
David tells Solomon to get rid of Joab
Do Nice Things for other People
Then, you will prosper
All these things come before the prospering
Life is about choices and consequences
Deuteronomy 30:15 (NIV) “See, I set before you today life and prosperity, death and destruction.”
No matter the circumstance, CHOOSE JOY
Prospering is FUN – learn how to have fun
When you mess up – God is always willing to give HIS GRACE!
Story of Cat
Conclusion:
We need strong MEN in our society, in our churches, leading our families
God wants to bless these MEN and see them prosper
When we do, everyone will be better for it
This can happen IF we DO what David advised Solomon to do…
Be Strong, Act like a man, Know God’s Word, Walk in Obedience, and Keep Walking in Obedience… THEN we will prosper.