SUMMARY
Today we are in a “crisis” of masculinity. Culturally speaking, men no longer know what it means to be a man. Our society has sniffed out male pride wherever it has grown and ruthlessly uprooted it. The radical changes in sexual mores, patterns of employment, and domestic life have turned their lives upside down. But boys want to become men and men want to be men. Today we are going to rediscover biblical manhood.
This passage is about the glories of the resurrection.
To explain it, it uses a comparison between Adam and _______________.
True manliness is not like the _________ Adam.
Biblical manliness is like the __________ Adam.
The Worldly Man is Self Centered 45
By birth and by nature, we all bear the image of the natural man.
His design is to focus on his own life.
A _______ centered view of life creates the illusion of superiority.
The Heavenly Man is Life Giving 45
By the new birth, we bear the image of the heavenly man.
God so loved the world that He ____________.
His design is to graciously provide for others.
Jesus was selfless in life and selfless in death.
The heavenly man celebrates the giving of life to others!
Real Men Freely Give
The Worldly Man is Natural 46
The worldly man’s identity is tied to natural desires.
The worldly man is concerned with worldly ________________.
The Heavenly Man is Spiritual 46
His identity is tied to spiritual desires.
A spiritual man tames his emotions and passions.
He is passionate about his God. Mark 12:28-31
There is nothing more manly than conquering prayer & the Word!
Serving in the spiritual battle is a godly man’s honor!
The Worldly Man is Earthly 47
The worldly man is concerned with the here and now
His destiny is tied to this ____________.
He believes that all we are is dust in the wind.
The Heavenly Man is Heavenly 47
His destiny is in Heaven.
He believes in the resurrection.
He keeps his ____________ set on heavenly things. Colossians 3:1-2
While there is extreme confusion in the world about what it means to be a man, Christians understand that God created human beings as male and female–for His glory and for our good. The differences between the sexes are not matters of evolutionary accident, but are clear indications of God’s perfect design for human happiness. As followers of Christ, we understand that it is our responsibility to embrace, affirm, and fulfill the roles and responsibilities God has given us.
MESSAGE
The New York Post ran a story about Warrior Week, a boot camp for men run by Garrett J. White, a 40-year-old macho blond with tattooed biceps who looks like a video-game soldier. For the low, low cost of just $25,000, White will run you through a regimen of physical torture and mental preparation that involves being punched in the face, hiking while holding logs, and reciting the poem “Invictus.” [i]
White claims he is trying to restore masculinity to the American male. Men have traditionally been expected to be rough, tough, manly, emotionless, stoic, brave, and certainly not weak. But in our time, men have been subjected to social shaming, and changing cultural expectations.
White’s vision of manhood is a reaction to the feminist idea that masculinity is toxic and must be quashed. Our society has sniffed out male pride wherever it has grown and ruthlessly uprooted it. Under their pressure, modern culture has downgraded or rejected such masculine virtues as courage, tenacity, and military prowess. [ii]
For example, during a Planned Parenthood gala, drinks called “toxic masculinity” were served; and the speaker opined that men are the problem. Men make war; men commit crimes; men rape; men infuse their aggression into everything. [iii] Let me tell you ladies, the problem is not men, it is sin!
Today we are in a “crisis” of masculinity. Culturally speaking, men no longer know what it means to be a man. The radical changes in sexual mores, patterns of employment, and domestic life have turned their lives upside down. [iv]
Manly gestures like holding open a door for a woman, assisting her in to an automobile, or carrying her bags—can spark insults and rejection;
But boys want to become men; men want to be men. And today we are going to rediscover biblical manhood.
In the passage we read today, the context is the resurrection of the believer. To explain the amazing glory of the coming resurrection, the Bible uses a comparison between the very first man of the world, Adam, and the heavenly man – Jesus – who he identifies as the last Adam.
In so comparing the two men, we learn what true manliness is not – It is not like the first Adam who sinned and brought shame on the entire human race; and we learn what biblical manliness truly is – it IS like the second Adam who was sinless – Jesus Lord of all, Man of all men. Adam the first and his version of manliness was inferior. Adam the last and his version of manliness is superior. We want to avoid being like the worldly man, and we want to bear the image of the heavenly Man.
So today, we are not going to punch you in the face, make you run up hills holding logs, or recite INVICTUS, but we are going to rediscover biblical manhood. Let’s begin the quest.
Let’s start with the worldly man:
The Worldly man is self centered
45 And so it is written, “The first man Adam became a living being.”
The idea of Adam becoming a living being, or literally, “a living soul” is a reference to Genesis 2:7 where the first man was created and given life.
By birth and by nature, we all bear the image of the natural man. – His design is personal self interest – soulish – to follow his own feelings, dreams and ambitions (selfish). The worldly man is focused on human potential and personal achievements
Now what’s wrong with being a living being? Nothing exactly, unless you are one of today’s radicals who believe that it is an absolute shame and embarrassment to be born a male. However the opposite of that is the man who believes that he is a superior human being. And that is the idea of this verse.
The first thing Adam noticed is that while animals are living, they didn’t possess a living soul like mankind does. Animals lack higher reasoning skills, they do not express complex emotions, nor do they make intricate long range plans.
The first Adam, “a living soul,” developed a self centered view of the world thinking himself as superior! He was bigger, stronger, and professed himself to be smarter. This is a warped view of manliness.
If you are having trouble seeing the self centeredness of man in this verse, you will need to keep reading so that we can compare the first Adam to the Second Adam.
The Heavenly Man is life giving
45 And so it is written, “The first man Adam became a living being.” The last Adam became a life-giving spirit.
The first Adam was given life, the second Adam, Jesus gave life!
The good news is that by the new birth, we are all given the capacity to bear the image of the heavenly man. He is the life giving Spirit. For God so loved the world that He gave. His design is to graciously provide for others. He is the great benefactor, the generous provider, and the life giving spirit. He was selfless in life and selfless in death.
Now do you get the contrast. The natural man celebrates his own life! The heavenly man celebrates the giving of life to others! The natural man focuses on his own life. The heavenly man generously focuses on giving life to others.
Real Men Freely Give
Real men unselfishly and freely give their time, resources, attention, energy, and support to those who need it without regard to what they can give in return.[v]
This means freely giving your time and resources by being hospitable, volunteering at church, providing for the needy, visiting the sick, and helping the elderly. It has implications for how you steward your money. Could you give more to the cause of Christ? How can you honor your parents? [vi]
Real manhood is a hard and uncomfortable calling. The role of leadership God has given men isn’t an opportunity to be served, but a calling to serve sacrificially. [vii]
That’s the first comparison. Here is the second one.
The Worldly man is natural
46 However, the spiritual is not first, but the natural, and afterward the spiritual.
The worldly man’s identity is tied to natural desires. The basic spirit of the worldly man is concerned with the enjoyment of worldly pleasures. That is why worldly men boast about their sexual conquests. That is why men of the world chase their ambitions and abandon their families. That is why he collects boy toys and plays as often as he can. It’s a man’s world, but without God, he’s lost in the wilderness.
The Heavenly Man is spiritual
The spiritual man’s identity is tied to spiritual desires. Let’s define a real man: He is a deeply spiritual man. He is passionate about his God. There is nothing more manly than conquering prayer, mastering the Word of God and serving in the spiritual battle at church or on the battle lines of evangelism. A man’s man is a godly man!
The greatest commandment says that we are to wholeheartedly love God first (Mark 12:28-31). When God is our top relationship priority, biblical manhood results in Spiritual maturity.
The disciplines of the Christian life, including prayer and serious Bible study, are among the means God uses to mold a boy into a man.
In contrast to the worldly man, a spiritual man tames his emotions and passions. He doesn’t abuse women or children; he protects them. He treats his wife with love, respect and dignity. He protects a single woman’s innocence. He’s not defined by his exploits below the waist. He’s a man with a heart, head and conscience.[viii]
Now for the third contrast:
The Worldly man is earthly
47 The first man was of the earth, made of dust; the second Man is the Lord from heaven.-
The worldly man is concerned with the here and now as opposed to a better life after death. His destiny is tied to this life – this life is all there is to offer. And when you have no eternal stake in life, all we are is dust in the wind. Same old song, just a drop of water in an endless sea. All we do crumbles to the ground though we refuse to see. Dust in the wind. All we are is dust in the wind.
The Heavenly Man is heavenly
His destiny is heaven, where Christ is seated on the throne of God. He believes in the resurrection. This world is not his home; he’s just a-passing through. He’s a stranger, he’s an alien, he is not of this world.
You’ve heard of the man who was so heavenly minded to be any earthly good? I’ve never met anyone like that. But I have met myriads of men and women who were so earthly minded that they were no heavenly good.
Colossians 3:1-2 say this: Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your mind on things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. 2 Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things.
Let’s summarize: The worldly man is self centered, His design is personal self interest. He is a natural man. his identity is tied to fulfilling his natural fleshly desires. He is only concerned with the here and now as opposed to a better life after death. His destiny is tied to this life.
But Christian man is different: He’s a giver, not a taker. His design is to graciously provide for others, and so give them an abundant life. He is a deeply spiritual man. His destiny is in Heaven.
Remember that the first Adam was decaying dying, corruptible, made of dust. Our goal is to bear the image of the heavenly Man.
While there is extreme confusion in the world about what it means to be a man, Christians understand that God created human beings as male and female–for His glory and for our good. The differences between the sexes are not matters of evolutionary accident, but are clear indications of God’s perfect design for human happiness. As followers of Christ, we understand that it is our responsibility to embrace, affirm, and fulfill the roles and responsibilities God has given us. [ix]
[i] https://www.nationalreview.com/2017/06/masculinity-not-toxic-stop-blaming-men-everything/
[ii] https://www.city-journal.org/html/modern-manhood-11823.html
[iii] https://www.nationalreview.com/2017/06/masculinity-not-toxic-stop-blaming-men-everything/
[iv] https://www.city-journal.org/html/modern-manhood-11823.html
[v] https://www.desiringgod.org/articles/the-meaning-of-manhood
[vi] https://www.desiringgod.org/articles/the-meaning-of-manhood
[vii] https://www.desiringgod.org/articles/the-meaning-of-manhood
[viii] https://www.cru.org/us/en/communities/families/5-themes-biblical-manhood.html
[ix] https://albertmohler.com/2005/04/21/from-boy-to-man-the-marks-of-manhood-part-one/
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