REAL Young Men’s Kick-Off Lesson One—A Real Man has Radical Faith, Aug 2010
Intro
Radical according to Webtser’s Dictionary:
Going to the root or origin or touching what is fundamental; A radical change is thorough/extreme
One who advocates change by direct and uncompromising methods
Would it be easy or hard for us lead a radical life?
Which is easier? To be a radical sports dude or a real man who lives life to glorify God? Why?
Why is it that we would esteem or respect a sports dude but not esteem or respect a guy who loves God and seeks His glory, seeks to be pure? Or would we?
How can we live a radical life?
Do you want to be radical?
We are a REAL Young Men’s Group—
Radical, Empowered, Ambassadors for Life (Jesus is life)
Tonight we start with a lesson on being radical/having Radical faith—After tonight, we want to be able to define what is radical? Hopefully, we will have a growing desire to be radical--a radical man towards God.
1) King David was Radical according to God:
King David 22 "After He had removed him, He raised up David to be their king, concerning whom He also testified and said, 'I have found David the son of Jesse, a man after My heart, who will do all My will.” Acts 13:22 (NASB)
What does God mean when He says David was a man after His own heart?
Would that be a characteristic that we would use to describe us? Why or why not?
Paul 7 But whatever was to my profit I now consider loss for the sake of Christ. 8 What is more, I consider everything a loss compared to the surpassing greatness of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them rubbish, that I may gain Christ 9 and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ--the righteousness that comes from God and is by faith. 10 I want to know Christ and the power of his resurrection and the fellowship of sharing in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, 11 and so, somehow, to attain to the resurrection from the dead.
12 Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already been made perfect, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me. 13 Brothers, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, 14 I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus. Phil 3:7-14 (NIV)
REAL Men Group
Definition of a real man by Steven Arteburn and Fred Stoecker, in their book every man’s battle:
“When it comes down to it, God’s definition of real manhood is pretty simple: It means hearing His Word and doing it. That’s God’s only definition of manhood—a doer of the Word. And God’s definition of a sissy is someone who hears the Word of God and doesn’t do it.”
Let’s go deeper:
A real man is a man who sets his heart on seeking and knowing (not just knowing about) Jesus Christ. A real man prays. A real man is not defined by his culture—he surrenders and submits to Jesus and allows Jesus to lead, empower, and live through him.
Hosea 6:3 (NASB)
3 "So let us know, let us press on to know the Lord. His going forth is as certain as the dawn; And He will come to us like the rain, Like the spring rain watering the earth."
3 "So let us know, let us press on to know the Lord. His going forth is as certain as the dawn; And He will come to us like the rain, Like the spring rain watering the earth."
A real man honors females by bouncing his eyes and praying for them—not lusting after them.
He reads, meditates, and memorizes the Word of God. He obeys God. He shares his faith regularly.
This group is about being a real man from God’s perspective, not your perspective, not necessarily your parents’ perspective, not my perspective, but God’s perspective as we find His perspective revealed in His Word. God’s Word is truth. More than that, Jesus is the Word.
Religion—this is not about religion. It is about a relationship with Jesus.
This REAL Men’s group is not just about playtime, while it is a brotherhood and we will have fun, it is not just about buds and fun, in fact, it is not about you--we are about God, His Word, and boldly believing and obeying His Word, enjoying his presence. We will seek to remove the comfortable American-Dream kind of life where comfort and security rule. No, we want all God has for us, whatever that means. Jesus is the only true satisfaction in this world. He created you with desires. The strongest desire we have is for connection with God--Jesus is this connection.
So, we have two paths before us—which path do you want to be on?
1) Path one—heads toward a life for yourself. Live for your desires. Live as your culture pushes you around to live—float or drift along through life. Live for the temporary—live for the lesser things. Live as a taker and a user, not a giver.
Or
2) Path Two—head toward a life for God. Step up to real manhood--live for Christ. Live for eternity. Live in the supernatural. Live to see eternity effected. Live in real power. Live in passion. Live for life. Live for purity. Live in Christ—be a REAL man from your Creator’s perspective.
Radical, Empowered, Ambassadors, for Life
A couple more examples of Radical Real Men:
Noah—What did God ask Noah to do? What did Noah do? How long did it take?
Paul—What did Paul do, before the Damascus
Peter— Johnh 18:17, 25, 27 Acts 2:14-37
Let’s look at the conversion to Christ of a mighty missionary to China
Let’s look at how God got a hold of this young man:
Our story begins with a mother’s prayer (all of these quotes are from Hudson Taylor’s Spiritual Secret):
“The beginning of it all was a quiet hour among his father’s books, when young Hudson Taylor sought something to interest him. His mother was away from home and the boy was missing her. The house seemed empty, so he took the story he found to a favorite corner in the old warehouse, thinking he would read it as long as it did not get prosy.
Many miles away, the mother was specially burdened that Saturday afternoon about her only son. Leaving her friends she went alone to plead with God for his salvation. Hour after hour passed while that mother was still on her knees, until her heart was flooded with a joyful assurance that her prayers were heard and answered.” p 17
Meanwhile…
Again, from the book…
““A full and perfect atonement for sin,” his heart replied. “The debt was paid by the great Substitute. “Christ died for our sins.” And “not for ours only, but for the sins of the whole world.”
Then came the thought with startling clearness, “If the whole work is finished, the whole debt paid, what is there left for me to do?”
The one, the only answer took possession of his soul: “There was nothing in the whole world for me to do save to fall on my knees and accepting this Savior and His salvation to praise Him for evermore.”
Back to King David
Read 1 Samuel 17:21-52 (NIV)
-When the Israelites saw and heard Goliath, how did they respond? What was their perspective? Where was their focus?
-When the Israelites saw and heard Goliath, how did they respond? What was their perspective? Where was their focus?
-When David saw and heard Goliath, how did he respond? What was David’s perspective? What was his focus?
-When David was brought before the King—what did he say to the King?
This was the voice of a young man with radical _______ in _______.
-What did King Saul tell David?
-Why was David confident he could take Goliath?
Closing…
What is like a “giant” in your life you are facing?
How can you approach your “giant” with radical faith like David did?
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