Be a Righteous Man

On the sixth day of creation, God created humans, but He first created man. Stop and think about that for a minute. Sometimes we run over that, pass by it a little too quickly. If we go back to Genesis 2, verse 15, we find that God did some things with the man, just alone, before He created woman. There was an importance in the role of the man. There was a designation that God made in being a man, having a man made and a man being a man. And I'd like to just point this out. In Genesis 2.15, we're going to find that God gave Him certain responsibility and He gave Him certain territory. This was all set up, established, a law was given to Him, long before woman even arrived on the scene. It says in Genesis 2.15, Then the Lord God took the man, which He had created somewhere else, He took this man and He put him in the garden of Eden. So God had created him. We don't know it all went on there. Breathed life into him, made him of clay. Might have taught him there, spent some time with them. But then He took him to this place and He said, I'm giving you this garden here, I'm placing you here, and I'm putting you here to tend and keep it. This is your job, this is your responsibility, this is what your life is going to be about, this is your purpose, this is your place, and I've created you for this purpose and place. And it's important to note also what didn't happen here. God didn't create a woman and put her in the garden. He didn't create a woman and give her a directive. He didn't create a woman and give her laws and rules. At the same time, He did the man. There is something here about the role of a man that speaks from these verses. In verse 16, going on, the Lord commanded a man. Now He's giving specific command. No woman around to the man. He says, Of every tree of the garden you may freely eat, but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die. Now we can see here, then, why the Bible says that sin came to humanity through Adam. Because Adam here is given the command, the law. We don't know how much of the law God explained to him at this time, but He certainly gave him that point. He showed him the trees, showed him the boundaries, showed him what his job was. He got him all lined out, didn't he? Now, Adam here, on the day that this happened, Adam now has his life lined out. He's got the plan in mind. He's got the do's and the don'ts. He's got the goals. But there's a problem. There's a problem. And that is, with his plan, and this plan is now established without any interference, without any complications, without any input, it's hard for him to do it alone. Okay? So we find verse 18. Now with your plan, God says, and what I've given you, it's not good that a man should be alone. I will make a helper for him that's comparable for him. So with this quest in life and this plan that the guy has, he picks up a helper, and God creates the woman. Dropping down to verse 24, therefore a man shall leave his father and mother, and shall dedicate himself to his plan, and cleave unto his wife, the helper of his plan.

So from the beginning we see that a man has an important place, an important idea, concept, this road map of his life in a sense, that he develops without a lot of interference, he steps away from family, he starts down the road, and he clings to his wife, and she is the helper as he goes along. Now men and women are different, and we're unique. We're created with different responsibilities, different roles, different ways of thinking, different personalities, different contributions to the one whole that both male and female bring to a marriage, and that's a wonderful thing. What I'd like to do today is focus a little bit on the role of a man, just to point the guys, young men, boys, teens, young adults, middle-aged adults, old adults, really old adults, on some of the principles that we can find in the Bible about being a righteous man. Manhood, not just about male manhood and maleness, but manhood in the connection with godliness as we strive as human men to be growing in the image of the god family. So today, in a society that's off track that you and I have grown up in, a culture that has lost its way, lost its foundation in moorings, as it's gotten away from even the belief in God, and certainly in the obedience of God's word, let's take a look at the scriptures for principles about how we can be a righteous man. You and me, how we can strive to be a righteous man. Forgetting for a minute the world that's all askew, that doesn't really have the concepts that God would want righteous men to have. There are some points today. The Bible doesn't necessarily lay out so many points, but I went looking for some and prayed about this for a few weeks, and thinking about this and working it up. And I came up with some points and I put numbers on them and they happen to be seven. I'm not saying by any means these are the only points or even the good points. These are just some points that I want to share with you and I think that we, as men, can benefit from on this Sabbath day. The first point is be a leader in godliness.

This is a whole step away from culture, where men tend to be leaders in godlessness. Males tend to be gravitating towards sinful things, self-satisfaction, self-pleasing, out with their lives and toys and energies, whatever, trying to please the five senses and be all they can be. We need to be leaders in godliness. Now, that says a lot in a world that is not focused that way at all. It's actually the reverse. If you think of a godly person in society, your mind will probably go right to a woman, a chaste lady, one who is very refined and very proper and conducts herself very well. The news is always full of guys that are just smashing the boundaries and setting a terrible, terrible example. It's common for women to be religious, not men. It's common for women to study and pray, more common than for men. And yet, this point really stands out in that you and I should be a leader of women in godliness. Not equal, but actually one who leads a leader in godliness. It's not real common in the Bible to see examples of that. There are many. I'm not saying that, but here are some things that kind of step out. You remember there was one instance where the husband says to the wife, why are you going to see the priest today? It's not the Sabbath or a new moon. Why was he saying that? It sounded like he was a stay-at-home person, didn't it? And she went to church. That was way back in the Old Testament. You come up to the life of Timothy, an excellent young man, who was credited for the spiritual teaching that he received.

His mother and grandmother, Lois and Eunice, why was there no father figure mentioned? You know, where are the father figures? Where are the examples of good marriages in the Bible?

Where are the leaders in godliness that come up and stand out? Well, those are the individuals that God puts his Holy Spirit in, who then battle upstream, who fight the good fight, who become individuals like Paul, David. Didn't start out that way. It's not the way society was going, but with God's help, struggled and became good examples. You need to set the example and become a resource for the lady in your life and the children in your life for questions that they have. Remember, it says in the Bible, women shouldn't speak in the church, right? What should they do? If you have a question, ask your husband at home. What kind of husband are you going to ask at home? Well, you need to be a leader in godliness, in Bible study, in understanding, in meditation, in living it. And as you live and you push and you grow, others have questions you can show by example. You can answer verbally, but you have to be a leader in godliness in order to do that. A leader in godliness, you might say, is the same as being the king of your castle.

Now, I've mentioned this because oftentimes you might think of yourself as, I'm just a guy. I don't have anybody I'm reigning over. I'm not responsible. You can just minimize your role and then goof off. Well, let's just go back to the king of the castle. Okay, you may not have a huge territory, but you've got your family, your home, your dwelling. If you're married, you've got more people in your kingdom, your little kingdom, as it were, you see. But you are the head of your family. Now, think about this. Remember all the summaries in 1 Kings, 2 Kings, 1 Chronicles, 2 Chronicles of all the kings of Israel?

You know how that reads? And this king did right in the Lord's eyes, and the nation was blessed. But the next king he did evil in the Lord's eyes, and the nation was cursed. And the Philistines came, and the Amorites, and Amalekites, and Hittites, and the Hivites, and everybody persecuted him for years and years.

And the next king, his son, was worse than him, and this king was bad. And then this one king who was, you know, little boy, grew up, and he was righteous for a while. It just kind of goes like that, doesn't it?

But you know, God really blessed the righteous kings, and he really didn't bless the unrighteous kings. So how does that translate to your castle? It's the same thing. It's the same thing. Blessed when we rule well, and cursed when we don't. Now you can just look at your own life.

Little boys, big boys, we can all look at our own life and say, now what kind of a castle, what kind of a kingdom do I want? Do I want one with the sun shining, with rainbow and birds flying over? Or do I want one that's just, you know, collapsing, and everybody's miserable, and you're running for your lives? Well, that's kind of the choice God gives us.

Let's go over to Deuteronomy 28 and take a look here at what's going to happen to your castle and mine. Now, this isn't just, you know, kind of blowing smoke at you. This is real, live stuff. I'm living it, you're living it. All you got to do is look at the state of your little castle and you can figure this out.

Deuteronomy chapter 28. We'll start with verses 1 through 6. It shall come to pass if you diligently obey the voice of the Lord your God to observe carefully. Ooh! See, this is the leader in godliness, the careful observance of all his commandments, which I command you today, that the Lord will set you high above all the nations of the earth. Your castle is going to do well if you do that one thing.

These blessings shall come upon you and overtake you because you obey the voice of the Lord your God. Do what God says. Here's what's going to happen in your home. Blessed shall you be in the city where you work. Blessed shall you be in the country. Blessed shall be the fruit of your body, your children. Blessed is the produce of your ground, the increase of your herds, the increase of your cattle, offspring of your flocks. Blessed shall be your basket and your kneading bowl. Nice food at the table. It's going to be a pretty nice life, isn't it?

Blessed shall you be when you come in and blessed shall you be when you go out. God's going to cause your enemies who rise against you to be defeated. Verse 8, the Lord will command the blessing on you in your storehouses. So on and so forth. That is great. Or we can look at verse 15. But it shall come to pass if you get busy in your life and distracted and you have other things that you really want to do and the cares of this world and the lust of this flesh and the example of males in society influences you.

If you do not obey the voice of your Lord to observe carefully all His commandments and His statutes, then all these curses will come upon you and overtake you. Cursed shall you be in the city. Cursed shall you be in the country. You know, you're going to be cursed on your job. Curses will be your basket and your kneading bowl. You're going to be cursed in your kitchen. Curses will be the fruit of your body and the produce of your land. The kids are going to really give you trouble, etc., etc.

In verse 20, the Lord will send on you cursing. People aren't going to respect you. Confusion. Rebuke. This is what's going to happen, you see, because of the wickedness of your doings and that you have forsaken me. Now, there are direct parallels. That obviously is the covenant God made with Israel. Physical obedience, we might say. Physical rewards. But the same thing really applies on a spiritual basis. You can look at those rewards and you can apply them and say, look, my life is going to be generally respectable, admirable, happy.

The economy may go up and down, but my castle is going to be a pretty nice place to live in if I obey God and really am careful to do what God says. And the converse is true as well. So, simple fact is, we need to fear the Lord. We need to bring the blessings on ourselves and those under our roof. So, be a leader in godliness. Blessings will follow. And I can't tell you what a nice life you can have by obeying and really striving to obey even the fine points of God's law.

The blessings just come piling in. There's no other way to explain them. And if you want the most miserable existence you can think of, just start playing around with God's commandments and doing little workarounds. And your castle will come unglued. Point two. Now, we've talked about the blessings of being a man. You get this beautiful helper and you get the territory, you get the plan all lined out. It's a pretty neat life. It really is, at least the potential is. Guys will tend to take that and say, wow, I'm all set up. You know, kind of look at that as, look at what I've got. I've got the gal on my arm.

It really is about me. Big mistake. Big, big mistake. Because when you're a man with a wife and then children, you become responsible for her life and the life of her children. You become responsible for the quality of her life, for the happiness of her life, for fulfilling all the needs that she has. Too often, the least priority in a man's life is his wife. His biggest priority is somehow going for the gusto of life. But that is, unfortunately, the wrong way to do it. Even old men never seem to learn, it seems, that that beautiful helper he's been given and the children become a huge responsibility for him, not just to pay the bills for, but to enrich their lives. So the second point is, take responsibility for your family's lives. Take responsibility. Say, I'm responsible.

You know, I've told you before, a daily prayer really needs to have, as a part of it, every day, God, help me today to make my wife's life as happy and fulfilled as possible. It shouldn't be, Lord, help me today to go make a whole bunch of money, help me, you know, to make a wise decision about what kind of hot rod or what kind of new electronic device I want. How can I make my spouse happy and fulfilled today? That is, the second point is, that's where responsibility starts. And with that comes the children, other little lives. How can I make those lives fulfilled today? Because, guys, we'll get distracted, we'll get our lives full, we'll have all these things, and next thing you know, the whole day goes by. And those other lives depend, depend on our interaction and focus for fulfillment. Without it, they go unfulfilled.

You are your family's keeper. Let's look at 1 Timothy 5 and verse 8.

1 Timothy 5 and verse 8. Now, it kind of seems like we got distracted. The man had this plan, he got a helper, but all of a sudden he's turned back inward, hasn't he? Kind of, whoops, it's not about going forward, it's about, now I've got to stop and focus and take responsibility for the family. Well, that's just part of it. You know, you can't just get a car and say, great, I'm going to go see the world in my car. You have to give back to the car. You have to put gas in it. You have to change the oil and the tires. You have to maintain it. You have to wash it. You have to care for it. Pretty soon the car will leave you somewhere that you don't want to be left. Sorry, girls. Guys understand the car things. I'm going to throw that in. 1 Timothy chapter 5 verse 8.

It says, if anyone does not provide for his own. Now, this is in the context of widows, but I like to pull this out just as a general principle. If anyone does not provide for his own, and especially for those of his household, he has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever. If a man isn't taking care of the widows in his household, that's bad. It's just what he said. Imagine if he's not taking care of his wife and his children in the household. Who he has a covenant with before God. That would be abandoning the covenant that you made at marriage. We need to take care of and provide. What is there to provide? Well, now, guys will say, well, I'll just write a check. We're covered. I'll just go to work, work hard, and pay the bills, and we're covered. No. You've got to understand what the needs of your helper is and what your children are. Children may be boys, they may be girls. Differing ages all the time. Providing for their needs is so very important. To not do so will ruin their lives. And we'll just leave a woman hollow and just a really miserable existence. At the end of her life, she may just ask some questions, which I've heard some women actually ask, that are just very, very sad. You know, what was this all about, anyway? You know, the old grumpy, selfish guys finally died, and now I'm an old person, and I'm going to die, too. And what was this life about? It's just a horrible thing to do if you don't take responsibility for the lives of those in our family. We are our family's keepers, we just saw here. If we look in 1 Corinthians 7, verse 34, it's pretty important for men to realize what our helper is focused on, even right from the Bible. You know, Paul, at one point here, recommends people not to get married. But he says, if you want to get married, it's okay. But here's the main component of marriage you're going to have to deal with. Let's look over here in 1 Corinthians 7, verse 34. There is a difference between a wife and a virgin, an unmarried woman. The unmarried woman carries about the things of the Lord. She's got to focus on whatever it is she wants to focus on. And she can focus on Bible study, she can focus on her life, her career, whatever she wants, okay? And he's saying that's a good thing in these times of persecution. That's a good place to be. But, going on. In the last, the next sentence in verse 34, but she who is married, okay, you pick up a wife, you decide, yeah, I'm going to get married. She who is married carries about the things of the physical life, how she may please her husband. She now has a focus on helping you, pleasing you. How she looks, what she cooks, what she does, what she says, she's gonna, is dressing and adorning herself and doing things that are constantly wanting to please you. You have to be responsible for that. How do I know? Look at the previous verse. Verse 33, he who is married cares about the things of this physical life, how he may please his wife.

We're supposed to do that. Not just take it and say, well, that's nice, you know, nice for you to please me, nice for you to please me. No, right there. The married should also be focused on how to please his wife. We are responsible for pleasing her and finding ways to love and help. So by accepting her as this devoted helper, you become responsible for her personal fulfillment, for her joy in life. Is your wife joyful to say, I'm so glad to be alive? If not, you know, point the finger and say, why haven't I made her that way? Is she fulfilled? Is she saying, you know, I'm so glad to be a woman and I'm so glad to be in your household and I'm so glad to be living this life. It's so fulfilling. If she's saying, this life is not fulfilling, look in the mirror and ask, why isn't it fulfilling for her? Because you are responsible for her, for her needs, her blessings, gifts for her, appreciation for all of her hopes, her desires, her dreams. Those dreams that she had ever since she was a little girl, dressing up, you know, like the princess, dressing up like the bride. She was looking forward to something with expectation and knowing a woman, she's doing an awfully hard attempt at fulfilling her side of the bargain of being a helper. And that's just the way women typically are. So, point number two is very important. Take responsibility for those lives in your family. And if you're not married, consider that. Consider that. And go into that wanting to do that, desiring to do that. It's actually one of the best parts of marriage. Point number three. Just say no to women and yes to your woman.

Just say no to women but yes to your woman.

Now, guys have a bit of a challenge in life when it comes to this. That's just the way we're made. God set it up that way. It's fine for a man to glance at God-made beauty, including the beautiful ladies that he's made. I'll tell you what, if you want to see a bunch of dull surroundings go to a convention with a bunch of guys. Just nothing worth looking at. Thankfully, God made women, and they dress up nice. It's nice to see ladies. It's a great thing. It's beautiful. Glance at them. It's right and proper to glance and to notice the beauty of others. Women expect that. Let's look at an example in Scripture here. In 1 Samuel 11, we'll begin in verse 2. 1 Samuel 11, beginning in verse 2.

You'll recognize this story, but let's just analyze it carefully here.

2 Samuel 11, verse 2. 2 Samuel 11, verse 2. Then it happened one evening that David arose from his bed and walked on the roof of the king's house. It's nice to go up on top of the roof and look around. It's an evening time. Maybe the sun was setting. And from the roof, he saw a woman bathing, and the woman was very beautiful to behold. Nice. She was probably having her ritual bath clothed. It's just one of those things that happened in Scripture, and she had to have this ritual bath. If she didn't, even, it was fine. He noticed she was beautiful. Great.

The point is, glance at God-made beauty and appreciate it. So, you have to remind yourself that stuff belongs to someone else.

You know what I'm talking about, guys. That's not mine.

She's not mine. Whatever it is, it's not mine. Appreciate it. Move on. Lingering looks are not proper. Women don't expect lingering looks. They get real uncomfortable with lingering looks. Men are easily intrigued by sight, and that's our challenge in life.

And if you do linger with the looks, then the thoughts tend to move a little deeper, and they begin to prompt thoughts that aren't right. Maybe some temptation or whatever. We see in the next verse that David allowed this to happen.

It says in verse 3, So David sent and inquired about the woman. David, you know, that's not your woman. Look out, see the sunset, see the pretty lady. Keep going. Don't stop and start lingering. Get the binoculars out. What's the name? What's the address? Start an inquiry. Call the FBI. Get a background check. He inquired. Someone said, is this not Bathsheba? The daughter of Eliam, the wife of Uriah the Hittite? You know, drop the shades, move on.

Jesus clarified what is right and wrong in this regard. He said in Matthew chapter 5 verses 28 through 30, or 28 and 29 we'll cover, he says, But I say to you that whoever looks at a woman too lust for her. This has gone beyond, you see, an appreciative glance. Thank you for being here. Thanks for looking so nice. I see you to lusting for her thoughts that have now moved into some other sphere. He has already committed adultery with her in his heart. This is in verse 29, If your right eye causes you to sin, not to see and appreciate, but to go further, to stare and to contemplate, then pluck it out and cast it from you. What he's saying is don't really guide you, you know, gouge your eye out, but you see the point. You need to not do that. Don't go there. Retrain the brain. The Bible says, Lust, when it is full grown, becomes sin. Jesus there shows it.

In verse 4 back in 2 Samuel 11 going on now to verse 4, And David sent messengers, and took her, and she came to him, and he lay with her. See, this has just gone way, way, way into something, something else. Men have always had a problem with not exercising self-control. That's why you see so many multiple wives. Remember when David, you know, the capital of Israel used to be up in the north, and he moved it down to Jerusalem. And you can read in the Bible, when David moved to Jerusalem, as soon as he got there, he took a whole bunch of wives in concubines.

You know, he just married a whole bunch of wives and took concubines. Several. That is just not controlling yourself. One of the sad things you'll find in the Bible is Abraham. At the end of Abraham's life, remember Abraham and Sarah and their special relationship and all they went through? They evidently weren't living together. Or maybe that was Isaac and Rachel. I forget. Anyway, I might have got the wrong one. But one of those lovey-dovey deals, at the end, she dies, and he goes to the funeral, travels across country to the funeral to see her. Lots of other wives come up later in the story. That is not how we need to be thinking, gentlemen. It is not at all. God said that Genesis chapter 2, it is good for a man to leave his father and mother and cling to his wife, singular. Husband of one wife, it says in Titus 1, 1 Timothy 3. Jesus said, if you even look at another woman in a wrong form, you're committing adultery with her. That's a married man, to use the term adultery, it looks like. So how could you have a second wife without sinning if you're already married? You shouldn't be looking at somebody.

So it's very important, verse 3, just say no to women, but say yes to your woman, your own woman. She's yours! Marriage beds on file, that is your wonderful relationship that you have. And your life will be embellished and happy the more you focus on each other. God made men, I don't know if you realize this, guys, prove me wrong if you can, God made men with flash memory that fades quickly. If you don't believe me, just tell me what your wife wore yesterday. She'll tell you what you wore three weeks ago. That's because you can't remember what she looked like yesterday very well. I'll tell you a little secret, I probably shouldn't, but I will. I'll tell on myself. When I go on these trips to Africa, if I go by myself, every day when I talk to Mary on the phone, I call her every day, usually morning and evening, her face begins to fade. And by the time the trip is over, I really don't know what she looks like anymore. I know she has long brown hair, but I can't pull the features of her face together. So the airport arrival is always a thrill. I'm telling you. And I don't like to take pictures alone because I don't like to be stunned when I get home. It's a gift. I was talking to two of our ladies over in the Nairobi congregation, and they said, you know, that is a wonderful gift that God gave us ladies, that our husbands don't remember what we used to look like. I mentioned that to a couple of them just before I flew home, and they jumped all over. Absolutely. No, we think that's God's gift. We appreciate the fact that our husbands don't have that great of a memory of what we look like because they still think we look great every day. And so the point is, if we focus on the wife we do have with just glancing appreciation for others, it stays great. It really does. And that's a special gift that God gave to men and also benefits the ladies as well. Point number four. Men, don't allow yourself to be feminized.

Think about that a minute. We are in a society that is pushing a lack of masculinity at men. We are in a society that tends to feminize men just because of the way it's set up. We're not on farms anymore. Sorry, but everybody moved to the city pretty much. We really don't often do a whole lot of physical stuff anymore. We're more consumers now. You know, we've got the buying strategy down. We go to the bulk stores for food. We need something. We'll buy something on sale. We'll buy various appliances on sale. The kind of managing things that you shop for is what guys tend to do. That's what our society, what our culture is based on. It's a consumer shopping kind of a thing.

The female mindset is about decorum, refinement, security, adequate provisions, limiting risk, safety, sugar and spice, and everything nice. That's the gals. That's good. We like that. Men like that about a woman. The feminine mindset is precious, but it's not for guys. It's not for guys. However, women tend to try to convert their guys. If you probably ever watch the Red Green show, the guys pull out to the clubhouse where they can be guys away from the gals. They give the men's pledge at the end, you know, I'm a man. I can change if I have to, I guess. Because that's what we're always being told. You can't be a guy. You can't be a man. You can't be messy. You can't be this. You can't be that. Why can't a man be more like a woman? Kind of the reverse from the old stage play or the movie My Fair Lady, where he says, why can't a woman be more like a man? You start to blend. You see, one expects more from the other. And if we're not careful guys, within our culture and within the polishing up that the ladies would like to do, our mothers, wives, etc., we can begin to lose some of the importance of our sex, as it were. Let's look for a minute. Refinement. Refinement is good to a point. To a point, that's not where we want to go. Clean. Cleanliness is nice.

Clean clothes are great. Sometimes. Just not all the time. You know, Ecclesiastes, the third chapter, speaks of a time to dance. Think of it. Time to dance? How would you dance for dancing?

And a time to pick up stones. I would dare say that a man's wardrobe needs more picking up stone outfits than dance outfits. But if we're not careful, our society will get you all prissed up and niced up and shined up and white and next thing you know, you'll be having your nails done and you know, your little shoes will click just right and you know, just the right watch and you know, everything's just great. It's not where a real man needs to be all the time. Maybe some of the time. Not all the time. In contrast to the feminine mindset, the male mindset is about risk. Taking risk. About curiosity, imagination, daring, pushing things to their limits. We're the snips and snails and puppy dog tails. We're the broken things and the things we can break or the things that we can push to their limits and try to break or ourselves that will push to the limits. We're always trying to see how fast, how high, how hard, how whatever things can be done. And we're always being told to quit that, stop that, slow down. You know, don't be a boy. But as a boy, you might have been called things like Mr. Disassemble. You know, because that's what boys do. You give them something and they see something. This thing starts coming apart. In other words, curiosity. How does it work? What's inside it? What are its limits? How far can it be pushed? Maybe a few tears when it breaks or you can't put it back together or whatever. But that's part of a boy that needs to know what's in there. And that actually is very important to a woman later in life. I'll tell you about that in a minute. Here's something off of an air compressor I found yesterday after I took it off. No, actually it was before I took it off. I've seen this a lot. Warning. Never remove this cover. I just love that sticker. A woman had to have made that sticker. Never remove this cover. Obviously, you know what I did with it. It reminds me of a black and decker tool that I've owned a couple of. And there's a sticker on the tool that says, if this tool fails to work, discard it. It is irreparable. Just discard it. And then there's a clip that holds the tool together. And it says, never remove this clip. Underneath that, it says, if this clip is removed, the product cannot be reassembled. One of my favorite tools. You know, when you pull that clip and you disassemble that thing, all kinds of gears and little roller bearings come tumbling out with grease, along with the damaged part inside. And it's the coolest thing in the world to fix and put back together and put the clip in and laugh at the silly sign. I mean, the first time I did that, my wife says, well, don't do that. How do you think they assembled it? If you can't reassemble it, how could you assemble it in the first place?

You know, guys just have to know these things, starting from young, you know, very, very young. How does it work? How can it be modified and improved? How can I make a better one? It starts with toys, moves up to homemade go-karts or whatever it is the kids do. I had an...across from my grandmother's house in Texas, there were some boys that were a few years older than my brothers and I, and they built a roller coaster in their front yard. A roller coaster. It was a pretty cool roller coaster, too. My grandfather had a garage and it's kind of a shop full of wood and stuff. I never got a roller coaster out of it. Got some four-engine airplanes and other toys that, you know, we crafted out there as kids. But, you know, boys move on up. Next thing, it's your home. How can this home be fixed, modified, repaired? How can it be better? How can it be built? Next thing you know, inventions. How many companies started in somebody's garage?

Apple computers, you know? How many bands started in people? How many things started in a garage where guys, young guys, went out there and continued what they'd done from little boys, pushing the envelope. See where this goes. Boys need that. Men need that. You know, there's an entire industry that's created for men. It's called the do-it-yourself industry.

Home repair, home improvement stores, electronics parts and improvement stores, auto parts stores, on and on. Because little boys pulled things apart and wanted to know what was inside them, and they went on from there. Boys need to disassemble. They need to bang. They need to break. They need to saw. They need to drill. They need to glue and grease and paint. They need to ratchet things. You know, they just need that. They really, really need that. What they don't need is a bunch of plastic junk brought in from the store, followed by video games. You know, that keep them from being able to become the mind-expanding, curious kind of person that one day is going to have this plan laid out in life, and it's going to pick up a helper for the plan. If you take that away, what you're going to end up with is you're going to have the assembly line person who, okay, what do I do next? What class do I take next? What job am I stuck in now? What do I do? You see? And there goes sort of all the male-ness, and you join the team of females and males out doing the same thing in society pretty much the same way. Now, I'm probably stepping on a lot of toes here, and that's okay, because it's all right to be a man. It's all right to be male. It's all right to be involved in some of these things, because the girl of his dreams someday may depend on his ability to do some of the uncivilized things that men get into. Again, we'll talk about that in a minute.

There's a movie called Six Days, Seven Nights. I wouldn't recommend it.

It's got this pilot of a bush plane, a big single-engine bush plane. It's a de Havilland beaver that they use up in Alaska with big floats on it. As pilots fly in a young, blondish gal from New York City, he works in a magazine, a women's magazine. He's flying her in the South Pacific somewhere, trying to get from one place to another. They run into this storm, and the storm's bad, really, really bad. So bad, in fact, that the plane crashes on a little, deserted island somewhere out in the Pacific. It just smashes and crashes. As it hits, one of those big floats gets ripped off the airplane. Lightning hits the radio and fries it. Bad, bad, bad. Crash, tumble. Kind of wake up. I guess the next day, I think it was clear, and they woke up, if I remember correctly. So Harrison Ford says to this gal, he says, the landing gear crumpled when we hit, so we can't take off. And she says, well, aren't you going to fix it? I mean, can't we attach it somehow? Aren't you one of those guys?

He says, what guys? Those guys. You know, the guys with skills. You send them into the wilderness with a pocket knife and a q-tip, and they build you a shopping mall. That's kind of what guys can do. Not all guys. Everybody has their own talents, their own abilities, their own interests. But when you send a guy and a gal out into the forest, you kind of expect there to be a cabin one day. You know what I mean? It's how the pioneer thing went down. And I think parents who simply rotate plastic toys in their boys don't do them any favors.

It's a lot better to stuff your garage with wood and some metal, some bolts, some screws, some wheels, tools, paint, not power tools. Don't, you know, don't end up like me. No, just kidding. Then close the door on them and see what emerges from that. That's where imagination and trial and error mixed with some dirt, some grease, and some occasional blood come out. And over a period of time, if we guys use those things, then we retain our ability to help and be helpful in certain situations. Let me summarize point four this way. Here's a visual for you. She will civilize you, and that's fine. Guys need some civilization. We credit the ladies of the world for actually having civilization. Just don't lose your moose cup. Your moose mug. You know, don't lose this. Keep it. You're a guy. We need our moose mugs. All right?

Point five. Point five is important. It's this. You can write it down if you like. Work hard, get dirty, and stink. That's one of my favorite points. Work hard, get dirty, and stink. You know, that's really what we do. We shouldn't apologize for that. It's what we do. Let's look in Ecclesiastes chapter nine and verse ten. Ecclesiastes chapter nine and verse ten.

Whatever your hand finds to do, do it with your might. Might. You know, put your energy, your effort, your sweat into it. Do it with your might. Now, do it in conjunction with verse nine. Live joyfully with the wife whom you love. So you're going to work hard. It's important that men work hard. Whatever you do, sometimes it's brain work. But it's also good for men to get out and exercise their hearts, their muscles, and to live joyfully with your wife in combination within that context. Hard, difficult work is good for a man. It's how a man provides in part for his wife and his children. Maybe that's not his employment. Just remember, you should always wash your hands after using the toilet. But there comes a time to remove the toilet and dig out the blockage in the pipe underneath. That's what guys do. It's our job.

Sometimes we have to clean the septic tank or dig it out or change the dirty oil in the motor or crawl around in the fiberglass in a hot attic or change a spare tire, replace the brakes, dig an underground pipe out, dig a ditch, kill an animal, dress it out, provide food, etc., etc. That is part of being a guy. And guys sometimes don't know that. They think that's the time to pick up the phone and call another guy with the uniform on who does that. It's just sort of another one of those shopping things. If you need help, just ask some of us. We'll be glad to jump in there with you. We're guys. We like that kind of stuff. We sure like company when we're doing that kind of stuff anyway. Saul and Goliath. Remember King Saul? Goliath down there? Saul says, this Goliath guy is challenging us. Who's going to fix this? Who do we call?

Who do we call? He wasn't a person himself who's going to get involved. He's going to think, what do we do? Who do I call? David, the boy scout, the camper, the backpacker, who hang out with the sheep, killed the bears, took the lion back and dealt with the bees.

He's the guy. He's the guy. He comes up and says, you just take care of him. You just do it. You get your hands dirty yourself. With God's help, you just do it.

If we're not careful, boys will grow up in a clean house, a clean subdivision, with a park that's cleaned by a sanitation crew and mowed by somebody. Probably the dirtiest they'll get is if they fall off a skateboard. That's not really going to help them a lot. They grow up being clean men, and clean shirts, and clean office, and getting pedicures somewhere. It's really not good for guys. It's too civilized. It's better for boys to grow up like David, hunting and fishing and hiking and backpacking and camping. I have an RV. It's for my wife. I like my junior dome tent. Those of you who like backpacking, that's my favorite. 1995 from You Know What Store, anywhere in the U.S. of A. That thing will get you out anywhere, anytime, in the bushes, wherever. Two pounds, and you can really see and do some some neato stuff. That kind of reminds me of David. If you go backpacking, consider this. Your pack's going to be heavy. The route's going to be tough. It's going to be all uneven and dangerous, all full of all kinds of stuff. You're going to have to persevere and stick with it to reach your destination. You have to make choices. Choices of when and where and how. You have to be responsible for the weather, for your health, for what you bring, for what you eat, for your safety, for your comfort.

There's going to be dirt. There's going to be smoke.

You know, if you kill what you eat, there's going to be blood and guts. Stinky stuff. You're facing the unknown constantly. Guaranteed surprises. Experience teaches things very quickly out there.

And that's very good. Just one backpacking trip.

One. Tells teaches a young boy so much. I know a man that's ordained in the church that still tells the story of the time he went backpacking with some friends and a teacher up in the California Mountains changed his life in many ways. We have our camp program, which is kind of in indoor bunks and beds and dining halls and nice games and things. But there's nothing like getting out and backpacking, dry camping, being responsible. Men need that. Boys need that.

So, again, the point is work hard, get dirty and stink, but clean up nice.

We do need the last part. Point six. Be a loving, serving man.

You know, some guys are all about fun, toys, and what they're doing and how big their muscles are getting or how fast they can do this or that. It says in Romans 12, verses 1 and 2, that we're to present our bodies a living sacrifice. Not thrill seekers or fun seekers. I mean, that's fine in its own little way, maybe, at times, but a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service.

So even that goal that we have in life that we set out on, that we have our wife to help us on, needs to be a proper goal. And he goes on in verse two, do not be conformed to this world. Don't follow the world. Don't follow the examples of the world. Don't follow the sitcoms of the world. Don't follow the ideals of the world. Don't even go there. Don't be like worldly men. Be a loving, serving man to everybody. That is godliness. Now, a balanced man will find that he can love and serve and help even his own family by having toys. Okay? Boy toys.

Let me ask you a question. What's the difference between a TV set and bicycles? What's the difference between a motorcycle and an RV? What's the difference between a bag of golf clubs and a boat?

The difference in each of those is one is personal, self-focused, and the other is group-involved.

The personal stereo, the personal device, the personal disc, the PC, etc., etc., it's all about me, all about my experience. To have toys like bicycles to get you and your wife out into nature, a boat to get you and your family out into nature. Believe me, you cannot go. You cannot go see the mountain sheep, the wild mountain sheep in Big Horn Sheep here in Arizona at Canyon Lake without a boat. You can't do it from land. There are things that you can do if you have certain things that will enable your family to have a richer experience. They will take your family out into things God made. Now, why do I say that? Because it tells us in the Bible that the invisible things of God are clearly seen by what He has created, and you won't find that so much in your subdivision. You won't find that in your house. You won't find the glory of God in a man-made city structure where you live and you work all the time. You really need to get out, get others out, get your family out. And various devices and toys that guys like to have, if they direct them well, can actually serve and can be a sacrifice. Somebody's got to pay for that stuff. Somebody's got to maintain that stuff. Somebody's got to haul it, pack it, park it, etc., etc. It's a lot of work.

It says in Philippians 2, verse 3, let nothing be done through selfish ambition or conceit. Verse 4, let each of you look out not only for his own interests, but also for the interests of others. So being a loving, serving person in the family means fun things for the wife, fun things for the kids, fun things for the family, looking out for those things, bringing them enjoyment, opportunities to see God, maybe opportunities to get out to various places at various times, always looking and sacrificing maybe that personal device you have. Oh, it would be really nice to have that for me, but I'm going to put that aside. I'm going to put my personal desires aside for the fulfillment of everyone's. Life is not about what you have, but what you become, you and your family, you and your wife, you and your spouse. It says in Psalm 37 16, a little that a righteous man has is better than the riches of many wicked. You've got to stay focused on loving and serving, and that will just blossom into riches of the mind, fulfillment, respect, and honor. One thing that I've found works extremely well is it's found in Matthew 6, verse 33. Seek you first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and these other things will be added. God and His righteousness is about loving God and loving your fellow individual. The closest human you have is the one that sleeps in bed with you. Love your wife and love God. Those are the two that you have covenants with, and the rest of these things, they'll tend to come along with God's blessings. The things that you like, whatever that is, and everybody's different, will tend to come along. Don't make life about you and trying to acquire things for yourself, but rather to love and to serve others. The right things will come along at the right time. And finally, we come to point seven. Point seven is have big ideas for serving God and your family and the church. Big ideas for serving God, family, and church in that order, in that order. You know, building a temple in Jerusalem wasn't going to come from Micah, David's wife.

We find in 1 Kings 8 and verse 17, Now it was in the heart of my father David to build a temple for the name of the Lord God of Israel. You stop and think about that for a minute. That is huge. David somehow came up with this idea, a quest, a passion that he himself had to build a temple for God in Jerusalem. I'm sure his wife was a little fearful of that. I don't think we could afford that, honey. I think that's going to take you away from the family too much. You know, there's a thousand reasons here for my security and, you know, the prosperity of the family and it might fail, etc. It sounds too risky.

Here's Solomon saying, It was in my father's heart to build a temple for the name of the Lord God of Israel. Going on in verse 20, Solomon says, And I have fulfilled the position of my father David, and I sit on the throne of Israel as the Lord had promised, and I have built a temple for the name of the Lord God of Israel.

Big ideas for serving God. That comes first. You have to serve God and please God. You have to do those things that are pleasing in his sight. Come up with, think of ways to please him. Think of ways to contribute. Think of some sacrifices to make, ways that you can contribute to God through offerings, financial or self, you know, efforts contributing to groups or whatever. You just have to think that through. Have big ideas for serving God. David said a good example of that. Godly men put God first. They get tested when they do that over the Sabbath in the Holy Days. They get their job tested to see if they'll go to the Feast of Tabernacles or not.

They develop strong ethics through this process. It's good for them to be tested. That's not a problem. It's not a bad thing. It's a good thing to be tested. Count it all joy when you're tested. And when you succeed, you know, ha, I'm able to do this. I'm able to accomplish this. Next, godly men sacrifice for their wife.

And they sacrifice for their children in the rearing of the children and providing house and food and support. And an example, God you have a covenant with, your wife you have a covenant with. And in that order, we sacrifice with big ideas for God and our wife. Guys have the big ideas. Guys take the risks. Guys come up with the plans that sometimes seem crazy big and overtly risky. It's how things like the Panama Canal get made. Or the Empire State Building, where the guy's walking out there on those beams. You know, they're going to get it up. It's going to get done. Big, big plans that you just think, well, this can't be done, and yet it's done.

Direct that towards God and direct that towards your wife. And the third is that godly men sacrifice for the church. In that order, you don't have a covenant with your congregation, but in its own context, it's good to serve and have big ideas to help out in the congregation. As time permits. Too many people get this reversed. They'll serve in the congregation, ignore the family, and don't have time for God. Or some other combination of that order. But the church teaches us and the ministry and has for decades. But God first put your wife and family second and put the church third, even though we're employed to do that.

It's very hard to do. Usually, church comes first. It's hard to get in enough prayer and study with God and what family? Oh yeah, that's right. You short your wife in time and what is her due and right, and you pay. And so I'm telling you the principle here, the right way to do it, this is what we strive for, get the priorities straight. The priorities will reorganize themselves, and you have to force them back. Put God first. No, you don't have to run out the door early in the morning. Pray first. Study first. No, you don't have to race off to work. Have coffee and breakfast with your wife. She's second. If you're still employed by eight or nine o'clock, good. Go deal with that. And on the weekends, help out in the church, if you're able to. But put these big ideas that you have in a sequence of priority. God first, wife second, and the local church third. You can't be effective if God isn't guiding you, so why would you not put him first? He's not going to bless what you're trying to do.

Second, if your marriage is a wreck, you can't be effective. You can't be a leader. You can't really fulfill your goal. You're going to be all torn up inside. So here we've seen seven principles of a righteous man. They're not the only seven by any means, but the person who follows these seven principles, if you would notice, would be respected by God, would be respected by his spouse and children, respected by society, by his church, by his friends. He would be a respectable, honorable person.

And he will have assurance when Christ returns and the judgment takes place. Let's conclude by reading Isaiah chapter 56 in verses 1 and 2. Isaiah chapter 56 verses 1 and 2. Thus says the Lord, Guys, this is what we need to do. Keep justice and do righteousness. For my salvation is about to come and my righteousness is about to be revealed. We need to be seeking first the kingdom of God and his righteousness. We need to be doing righteousness. That comes first. Verse 2, blessed is the man who does this. He's going to be blessed. Your life, your castle is going to do real well. Those around you are going to be doing fine. Blessed is the man who does this and the son of man who lays hold on it, who keeps from defiling the Sabbath and keeps his hand from doing any evil.

So in any situation that life brings you, always strive to be a righteous man.