Real Men of Genius Part IV: The Perfect Woman - Fearless and Faithful

Pastor Dan's sermon from 7/27/2008
Scripture Reference: I Peter 3:1-7
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Playing Hardball with Church Softball

This past week, during my sermon on male leadership I used an illustration about Church Softball. My point in the illustration was to cause ALL of the men in the church to ask questions about how they spend their time. Softball is an easy target because many of the men at our church are involved in it. They love to play softball. The point was not to put down those men that do play softball but to ask all men in the church to investigate how they spend their time.

I started off the point by asking, "Is your spiritual tank full?" This was in response to the point that men, who are called to provide spiritually for their families must have a full spiritual tank in order to provide anything at all. Of course, I was able to speak with a few softball players after the service and we had a good laugh while also realizing the importance of the point.

The point was NOT to say that NO ONE should be playing softball or that those who do play are somehow spiritually bankrupt. This was made clear in the sermon. The point was for those who are spiritually bankrupt or empty to take inventory and reprioritize and for those who feel as if they have it all together to re-examine themselves in light of Jesus Christ. If our men do not study the Scriptures in depth but are able to hit home runs than we have accomplished nothing as a body. We need spiritually sound minds in our men and this is accomplished by being challenged in God's Word. Many of the men on our teams are spiritual giants and many others do struggle to stay focused. As with any other point from a sermon--if the shoe (or in this case the cleat) fits...lace it up and run with it.

But the challenge is also for me. I am your pastor and I want to offer something for you men that I would want to go to. Sometimes we reason that softball/sports are ways to spend quality time with each other while another Bible Study is just a waste of time. I don't believe that is the case in the coming months with what we are offering. This Fall, I am offering a class for all of the men in our church, that I believe, will revolutionize our lives, our homes and our walks with the Lord. It is called, "The Walk of Repentance". This study will transform your life and I am asking you to give me the opportunity to prove it. We are starting in September and we will run this class all year long. It is for all men for all walks and stages of maturity. More on this soon.

For now, brothers press on and may the love of God, the grace of Jesus Christ and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you.

Real Men of Genius Part III: Adam, Where Are You?

Pastor Dan's sermon from 7/20/2008
Scripture Reference: Ephesians 5:21-31
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A Man At Peace

“A Heart at peace gives life to the body, but envy rots the bones.” Proverbs 14:30

Download the “Time Management” resource by clicking here.

I had a revelation a while back when I was on my way to church one morning around 7:40am. I was about 15 minutes away from the church and I was supposed to be there in 5 minutes. I was running late. It also seemed as if I was being held back by every single stop light and every single slow moving person on the road. There was no way I was going to be on time this morning. In my anger I was wondering why God has to put every single slow person on the road and stop me with every single stop light in Delaware. Why can’t he read the situation and clear the road for me. That was when a few light bulbs went on in my head.

Tardiness was a pattern in my life. I was always about 12 minutes late wherever I went. It didn’t matter if it was a place I wanted to be or a place I didn’t care so much for. I was always about 12 minutes late on average. If I really thought I about this chronic problem I began to realize that my lateness and the amount of obstacles on the way to my destination were directly related. Not only this but my anger level and impatience were also related these factors. So I changed. I began leaving for places so that I would be 15 minutes early rather than right on time. Do you know that as soon as I did this the roads were a lot easier to navigate. I didn’t see to many slow people on the road. Stop lights seemed less frequent. Above all of this I never struggled with self control or patience. Go figure.

Our lives are reflected in this illustration of my immaturity (my revelation came several years ago). People today are angry and impatient. Most men pretty much live on the edge of insanity. If you don’t believe me I dare you to test me. Next time you are on the road change lanes without your blinker and cut it a little close and see what happens. One of the main reasons men are on the edge of insanity, a breaking point if you will, is because they have mismanaged their time. We have left no room for any stop lights, slow people and obstacles in life. As a result we live a life of being ticked off and ready to scream at any moment.

A man who is after the Lord’s heart needs to get how he spends his time under control. You have to have boundaries. You have to have time to stop, go slower, and navigate obstacles. Think about it for a moment. How do you react when an unknown factor enters into the picture? You come home from work and your wife says any of the following: “Your son got in trouble at school today.” Or “Did you forget that we have dinner at my mom’s tonight?” or “The Home Owners Association bill came in the mail last week. I forgot to tell you. It is due by tomorrow. Can you drop it off?” Many a man will react with either a) getting angry b) mumbling and complaining and/or c) ignoring the question all together. Why do we react this way? Because we are living without boundaries. We say “yes” to everything and every activity. We are so busy doing all the wrong things that we have run out of time for stops, obstacles, slow people and relationships. If something is not in the plan we get ticked off.

Proverbs 14:30 says, “A heart at peace gives life to the body, but envy rots the bones.” Godly men are to have a heart at peace. You can’t have peace when all of life is about the next great thing. Stress not only kills a man physically but spiritually as well. A man loses quality when they are stressed out. Envy or strife rots a man from the inside out. When you are always on the run, always worried about bills, always charging up the credit accounts, always working late hours to pay for the American Dream you will begin to rot from the inside out.

How can we begin to have victory in this area? I would challenge the men in our church to budget their time. I talked about this on Sunday. I am providing a resource for men and families to use. Find out where you spend your time. Make “budget cuts” if need be. By using this tool you will see that many of you are living by stealing time from relationships so that you can meet the other demands. This is not the discipline of a godly man. This exercise will help you to see where your priorities lie and may even help you to make some tough godly decisions as the leader in your home. Take the challenge…the clock continues to click.

Real Men of Genius Part II: Can't We All Just Get Along?

Pastor Dan's sermon from 7/13/2008
Scripture Reference: Genesis 2-3
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Real Men of Genius Part I: Can't We All Just Get Along?

Pastor Dan's sermon from 7/6/2008
Scripture Reference: Genesis 2-3
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Between a Man and a Woman

This week, we will take a step away from Acts as I begin a series on Men and Women. Originally, I thought I would begin with men and continue on with the women. However, as I have been studying God's Word I have decided that we need to start with a strong foundation. To this end, we will go all the way back to Adam and Eve and start where it all began. For at least the first week we will take a look at God's created order. In the following weeks we will take a closer look at what God requires of men and women.

This series is for all ages from younger adults to mature adults. It doesn't matter if you are single or married. This series is for each of us. I am very conscious of the fact that not everyone in our congregation is either married or happily married. If you are single you will be able to apply God's truth to your life. If you are unhappily married than I pray God's Word would do wonders and miracles in your relationship.

I have chosen to tackle this subject matter while our younger covenant children are participating in S4. S4 is designed for your children to worship and grow in the faith. Although I believe it is important for your children to worship with you on the Lord's Day, I also believe there are times when it is appropriate to offer them different subject matter. Your worship on the Lord's Day should not be limited to an hour or two on Sunday morning. I am encouraging you to allow your children to participate in S4 as we deal with some mature matters over the next 6 weeks. I would also encourage you to stick around for Dr. Betters' sermon series on things your children should know from the Proverbs.

It is my prayer that families and marriages, relationships and hearts would be transformed by God's Word over the next several weeks. Pray that God would bring revival to his people here at GRPC and around the world through the preaching of his Word.