One for the Guys

When does a boy become a man?
What is a man?
What is Authentic Manhood?

Paths to Manhood:
1. Community - Many, many people groups have initiation ceremonies to usher boys into manhood, this consists of but is not limited to: Rituals, Ceremony, Celebration, and Initiation
2. Family/Father - The father tells the boy he is now a man and teaches him how to be a man
3. The Body of Believers - Teaching what the Biblical definition of a man is

While the first two let the boy know that he is now a man, what kind of man will this boy turn out to be? Only the type of man the the community or father already are.
The last way, allows God to shape and form the boy into a Man of God.

Here are the two types of men:
1 Corinthians 15: 45-49
"Thus it is written, 'The first man Adam became a living being'; the last Adam became a life-giving spirit. But it is not the spiritual that is first but the natural, and then the spiritual. The first man was from the earth, a man of dust; the second man is from heaven. As was the man of dust, so also are those who are of the dust, and sas is the man of heaven, so also are those who are of heaven. Just as we have borne the image of the man of dust, we shall also bear the image of the man of heaven."

1. The first man = Life Separate from God

• Manhood set on a natural course
• Manhood based on instinct and reactions
• Manhood that draws life from others
• Manhood without transcendent meaning

2. The second man = Life in Union with God

• Manhood influenced by Spiritual direction
• Manhood based on Faith, not flesh
• Manhood full of transcendent meaning and sense of destiny
• Manhood that gives life

1 Corinthians 15:22

"For as in Adam all die, so also in Christ shall all be made alive."

Pillars of Authentic Manhood:

1. A Man Rejects Passivity
2. A Man Accepts Responsibility
3. A Man Leads Courageously
4. A Man Expects the Greater Reward (God's Reward)

1. A Man Rejects Passivity

God created Males to be aggressive (NOT Violent). Look at Adam before the fall, he names the animals and has dominion over the earth, then the snake approaches the woman. Adam is right there, he's not off in some other part of the garden, he is watching and listening yet doesn't speak up to protect his wife. He has become Passive. After the fall, he renames woman and calls her Eve. This is a step forward in rejecting the passivity that he let take over just before the fall.

2. A Man Accepts Responsibility

This is Accepting God's will, work, and woman for our lives. Jesus says, "My food is to do the will of him who sent me and to accomplish his work." John 4:34 We Must have the Will to Obey God, we are going to serve somebody, Who is it going to be? We have Work to do, who's work will you choose? And we will have Women to Love and Protect, Our Mothers, Sisters, and wife's. We must Accept this Responsibility and Obey God, Do His Work, and Protect His Daughters.

3. A Man Leads Courageously

Christ was the Ultimate example of a True Leader! He gave Direction, Protection, and Provision. 1 Corinthians 11:3-4 "But I want you to understand that the head of every man is Christ, the head of a wife is her husband, and the head of Christ is God." Christ has provided for us and modeled how to be a leader to us, now we need to do that for our loved ones.

4. A Man Expects the Greater Reward (God's Reward)

We must have Great Expectations, Hebrews 12:1-3 "Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God." What kept Jesus in the race? The Joy that was set before him! Look at Moses also in Hebrews 11:24-26 "By faith Moses, when he was grown up, refused to be called the son of Pharaoh's daughter, choosing rather to be mistreated with the people of God than to enjoy the fleeting pleasures of sin." Moses knew that there was a Greater reward with God than what was offered in sin. We must also choose which reward we want. The Fleeting pleasures of sin or Eternal Life with Christ!

Authentic Manhood is a call to real life!

1 Corinthians 2:9 "But, as it is written, 'What no eye has seen, nor ear heard, nor the heart of man imagined, what God has prepared for those who love him'"

John 10:10 "The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly."

1 Timothy 4:8 "for while bodily training is of some value, godliness is of value in every way, as it holds promise for the present life and also for the life to come."

1 Timothy 6:6-7 "Now there is great gain in godliness with contentment, for we brought nothing into the world, and we cannot take anything out of the world."

What is an Authentic Man?

An Authentic Man is a Man who:

1. Rejects Passivity
2. Accepts Responsibility
3. Leads Courageously
4. Expects the Greater Reward (God's Reward)

1 Corinthians 15:49 "Just as we have borne the image of the man of dust, we shall also bear the image of the man of Heaven."

Manhood Commitments:

1. I commit to bond my soul with the Spirit of God, my person to reflect the image of God and to live my life to the Glory of God.
2. I commit to live by the biblical definition of masculinity where I: Reject passivity, Accept responsibility, Lead courageously, and Expect God's greater reward.
3. I commit from this day forward to purity in relationships with women, sexual abstinence until marriage and faithfulness to my wife in marriage.
4. I commit to proclaim the Gospel of Jesus Christ to the world through my Christian Faith.
5. I commit to seek out mentors in my life and to disciple other men in their Christian Faith.
6. I commit to be a member of a group of peers who will help me to process life personally and spiritually for a lifetime.

Ephesians 5

Walk in Love

1Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children. 2And walk in love, as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us, a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God.

3But sexual immorality and all impurity or covetousness must not even be named among you, as is proper among saints. 4Let there be no filthiness nor foolish talk nor crude joking, which are out of place, but instead let there be thanksgiving. 5For you may be sure of this, that everyone who is sexually immoral or impure, or who is covetous (that is, an idolater), has no inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and God. 6Let no one deceive you with empty words, for because of these things the wrath of God comes upon the sons of disobedience. 7Therefore do not associate with them; 8for at one time you were darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Walk as children of light 9(for the fruit of light is found in all that is good and right and true), 10and try to discern what is pleasing to the Lord. 11Take no part in the unfruitful works of darkness, but instead expose them. 12For it is shameful even to speak of the things that they do in secret. 13But when anything is exposed by the light, it becomes visible, 14for anything that becomes visible is light. Therefore it says, "Awake, O sleeper, and arise from the dead,and Christ will shine on you."

15Look carefully then how you walk, not as unwise but as wise, 16making the best use of the time, because the days are evil. 17Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is. 18And do not get drunk with wine, for that is debauchery, but be filled with the Spirit, 19addressing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody to the Lord with all your heart, 20giving thanks always and for everything to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, 21submitting to one another out of reverence for Christ.

Wives and Husbands

22Wives, submit to your own husbands, as to the Lord. 23For the husband is the head of the wife even as Christ is the head of the church, his body, and is himself its Savior. 24Now as the church submits to Christ, so also wives should submit in everything to their husbands.

25Husbands, love your wives, as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her, 26that he might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word, 27so that he might present the church to himself in splendor, without spot or wrinkle or any such thing, that she might be holy and without blemish.[a] 28In the same way husbands should love their wives as their own bodies. He who loves his wife loves himself. 29For no one ever hated his own flesh, but nourishes and cherishes it, just as Christ does the church, 30because we are members of his body. 31"Therefore a man shall leave his father and mother and hold fast to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh." 32This mystery is profound, and I am saying that it refers to Christ and the church. 33However, let each one of you love his wife as himself, and let the wife see that she respects her husband."

Generation Sigma Men's Fraternity

In Christ

David