And Man Became Page 2 The SLAVE was denied that… It’s not hard work that breaks a man’s spirit Gen 2: 4 These are the generations of the heavens and of the earth when they It was the DEAD END street he lived on which brought despair. were created, in the day that the LORD God made the earth and the heavens, The power to become had been taken away! 5 And every plant of the field before it was in the earth, and every herb of the field before it grew: for the LORD God had not caused it to rain upon the KNOW THIS: What we become is a matter of our thinking and mindset. earth, and there was not a man to till the ground. 6 But there went up a mist from the earth, and watered the whole face of the ground. 7 And the Prov 23: 7 For as he thinketh in his heart, so is he: LORD God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul. 8 And the LORD STORY OF MAN WHO BECAME WEALTHY: (Raised in poverty) God planted a garden eastward in Eden; and there he put the man whom he had formed. Everyday his mother told him… we are NOT living like this because of others, your daddy and his daddy before him were lazy and didn’t take God’s creation was done… but… There was no-one to till the ground. advantage of the opportunities provided. But you won’t be like this.” So God remedied the situation by giving the earth a man and a man the earth. She BROKE the powerful hold of poverty in her children! God created Adam… But he was just a shell UNTIL God breathed. She understood the foolishness of blaming others… YOU CAN BECOME SOMETHING! God breathed and MAN BECAME something more then he was before… THAT is God’s greatest gift to us… the power to become! I am preaching to men… GOD GAVE MEN THE POWER TO BECOME! Even angels have the right to become devils if they choose! The greatest law is not relativity or thermo dynamics or even gravity. April 5, 1962 @ 7:04 AM – I BECAME a bouncing baby boy.  GRAVITY is that mysterious thing that reaches up through the center of the earth and lays hold upon the moon. I was not trained medically… But I have read a lot. My understanding is…  Did you know? – Just 20% less gravity would cause this earth to  A mother’s egg always provides the X chromosone. blow up like a hydrogen bomb!  So gender is decided by Dad. If he adds an X - XX it’s a girl!  Gravity is the leash which swings us around the sun, unbroken and  If he adds a Y its XY – It’s a BOY!  strong and sure. What a mysterious thing is the law of gravity. It’s totally lottery unless you believe in the divine providence of God.  Created by God - Yet this is not the greatest law. God desired that I start out in this life as a male baby… Then a male child… The greatest law is the power of a MAN to become something more! BUT GOD WANTS MORE… HE WANTS ME TO BECOME A MAN THE ISSUE AT HAND – Will I become a MAN? (up to me) Listen to the preamble of the US Constitution – Amazing Document ABORTION is such a TRAVESTY because there is no telling what we lost! "In order to establish justice, to insure domestic tranquility, to provide (We abort on one end – spend $$$ to save them in PICU) No logic? for the common defense, to secure the blessings of liberty to ourselves and to our posterity, we do hereby establish and ordain this constitution Think about some of the most POWERFUL, TOUGH, AWESOME men you United States of America." can think of… THEN picture them when just a child! It’s hard to picture GEORGE S. PATTON JR - as a toddler It was written into that document… MAN HAS A POWER TO BECOME! (playing with a binky! – crying mommy)  Page 3 Pay their bills / Honest in Business / Love the Lord & Church / Sacrifice for their children! We all start that way – our development as men is unquestionably shaped by Page 4 things encountered as children. I Cor 13: 11 When I was a child, I spake as a child, I understood as a Out ideas about masculinity & femaninity were shaped by the PRESENCE child, I thought as a child: but when I became a man, I put away childish or ABSENCE of the people who parented or mentored us in our things. childhood. SPAKE – UNDERSTOOD – THOUGHT… Like a Child

Think of the great male figures of history and ask yourself – (good & evil) Ever LISTEN to your children talk? = BRUTAL! Self Absorbed! WHO TOUCHED THESE MEN? Often Stingy and Posessive 

Adolf Hitler – Abraham Lincoln – George Washington – Martin Luther King Luke 6: 45 : for of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaketh. –Joeseph Stalin - Ghangus Khan – Douglas MacAurther – Napoleon - Norman Schwarzkoff – David Patraous - Moses – Elijah – Abraham - When I was a Child… TALKED like one. Noah - Polycarp – Turtullian - Clement of Alexandria- The Apostle But Now God wants me to Talk like a MAN! BUT HOW? Paul I have to THINK AND UNDERSTAND like a Man. Some FAMOUS… Some INFAMOUS… When did they become a man? MY UNDERSTANDING is how I process ideas & come to conclusions! We live in a culture FULL of divorce & broken homes. Thoughts of self doubt and low worth can haunt a child long into life. The young boy who is so angry he beats his toys up soon puts his fist through the wall as a man. Soon is BATTERING his wife or kids… Young boys growing up w/o fathers can be devesting. Skewers perceptions! Soon heading into jail for assualt!

EX: THE HIP HOP CULTURE OF OUR TIME IS SELFISHLY BASED *** ROOT PROBLEM: Never learned to express his inner frusstrtations A man is a man BECAUSE he takes care of “his bidness” We must learn as men to vent our inner emotions through proper chanels! TAKES WHAT HE WANTS… LIVES BY PLEASURE Has as many women as he likes… Buys expensive toys! Heb 13: 16 But to do good and to communicate forget not: for with such sacrifices God is well pleased. ( = social participation ) Men are going about enjoying the pleasures of life and lust… LEAVING a TRAIL of hurting women and children in their wake. If not, we come unglued and make a mess around us! THAT is NOT what God had in mind for men! Paul said: I UNDERSTOOD as a child… Our understanding is the Hear me - BEING A MAN IS NOT A TESTOSTERONE CONTEST!  DIGESTIVE process of our minds. It is how we draw our conclusions and opinions! Interesting Note: Doctor said that after a man gets older and becomes a father his testosterone levels automatically decrease. Point: If we as adults still walk around with childish understanding – our ENOUGH CHEST BEATING… NOW BE A MATURE MAN conclusions will be immature! Husband = HOUSEBAND Childish immature understanding in a 250 lbs man can be dangerous! REAL MEN: Make Sacrifices / Keep Promises / Provide for their families Treat their wives well / Work hard / honor their agreements ***  So often I have seen children of fractured homes carry the feeling of being responsible for the wrongs or abuse. excuse. The first said unto him, I have bought a piece of ground, and I must Satan takes advantage of our childish understanding… We believe a lie! needs go and see it: I pray thee have me excused. 19 And another said, I Page 5 Page 6

THESE THOUGHTS WILL CREATE A LIFETIME OF LOW ESTEEM have bought five yoke of oxen, and I go to prove them: I pray thee have me AND SMALL THINKING! Keep us from BECOMING God’s will! excused. 20 And another said, I have married a wife, and therefore I cannot come. 21 So that servant came, and showed his lord these things. Then the I understood as a child… what a powerful truth… We expect children to master of the house being angry said to his servant, Go out quickly into the have limited understanding. streets and lanes of the city, and bring in hither the poor, and the maimed, But – what is normal for a child – can be deadly for an adult! and the halt, and the blind. Go out quickly into the streets and lanes of the WHAT IS CUTE AT 4 IS UGLY AT 18 city, and bring in hither the poor, and the maimed, and the halt, and the blind.

He is no longer a baby… now he’s making babies! THEY ALL HAD OTHER IMPORTANT THINGS TO DO… REGARDLESS: of his size, his childish understanding is dwarfing him! But Jesus said the nobleman became angry. I made a GREAT supper!

Prov 7:7 And beheld among the simple ones, I discerned among the youths, Everything was paid for and provided… all he was looking for was hunger! a young man void of understanding, (nothing sadder) Go get the poor, halt, the blind & the lame… They have a right to become! We are seeing RAGE in our children. Grandkids killing grandparents. School shootings etc. If your to busy with your plans to enjoy my meal… I will feed someone else! The teen violence is becoming more gruesome by the years seems like. - 13 – 14 yr old boys standing before judges w/o To many want to have Christianity as a side dish – meant as the main course! any remorse The Lord is looking for people who have a desire to become more in God! We are a generation that has grown up to fast… Taken on adult issues with a We all have other things we could be doing! childish mind. If you analyze the reasons… (land, oxen & married) JOB & FAMILY!  Our minds FILLED with Cable TV and Video & Internet – It is the SAME things every generation must juggle! Violence and Sex… Heard & Watched way TO MUCH! There comes a point when…  the mind of a child should not have to face adult issues to soon! EXCUSES MUST BE PUT AWAY… I need to admit… (molestation, abuse, home violence) I have snacked on other things… I am not hungry like I used to be!

To many men have followed their fathers footsteps into promiscuity, Mark 8:36 For what shall it profit a man, if he shall gain the whole world, addiction and irresponsibility. and lose his own soul? NOTHING IS WORTH BEING LOST OVER

THE GOOD NEWS IS = GOD HAS A MECHANISM FOR CHANGE! I say to this body tonight…Let us be careful not to loose our hunger for Jesus BUT… WE HAVE TO HAVE THE WANT TOO! Christian commitment looks STRANGE to the world… Luke 14:16 A certain man made a great supper, and bade many: 17 And They cannot understand. The CARNAL mind is EMNITY against God. sent his servant at supper time to say to them that were bidden, Come; for all Don’t walk to please this world… live your life to please Christ! things are now ready. 18 And they all with one consent began to make GOD TOLD ABRAHAM SOMETHING HE NEVER TOLD ANYONE! What God called sacrifice… Abraham called worship! I will be Jehovah – Jirah = “the God that supplies” He defined an altar, a knife and a son as worship. Page 7 Page 8

From this day on son… you will never have a need I won’t meet! As saints of God the thing that makes the difference is not WHAT you do… Never a crisis I won’t walk you through! I SWEAR I WILL BLESS YOU ( we all do the same things ) but HOW you do it!

But NONE of that kicked in UNTIL he passed the test on Morriah! We are going to have to get to the place where sacrifice is worship to us!

I believe a man or a woman can learn to make decisions that PLEASE God. The Bible does not say God loves a giver… he loves a CHEERFUL one! God doesn’t bless organizations or churches… You will not be found when you seek him… until with a WHOLE HEART! He blesses anointed & appointed men! It’s not just prayer that works… it the EFFECTUAL FERVANT prayer!

I believe we can chose to think & act in such a way as to garner his blessing!  Some say this is a HARD life… NO - It is simply a FOCUSED life!

Gen 22:1 And it came to pass after these things, (NON STOP TRIALS) Matt 11: 29 Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and that God did tempt Abraham, and said unto him, Abraham: and he said, lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. 30 For my yoke is Behold, here I am. easy, and my burden is light. BUT THERE IS A YOKE!

He works in our Life through the things we care significantly about! Christianity is not the absence of a yoke… He does have control of my life! It’s a matter of choice… Yoked to Jesus - I have the power to become! Gen 22:2 And he said, Take now thy son, thine only son Isaac, whom thou lovest, and get thee into the land of Moriah; and offer him there for a burnt Listen to God’s desire… Deut 28 God says offering upon one of the mountains which I will tell thee of. THE BALL IS IN OUR COURT! WHAT MINDSET WILL WE CHOSE? Abraham… if you pass this test… you will never be the same again! (If you do this… this will happen… If you do this other… this will happen) VSE 3 And Abraham rose up early in the morning, and saddled his ass, and took two of his young men with him, and Isaac his son, and clave the wood VSE 32 Thy sons and thy daughters shall be given unto another people, and for the burnt offering, and rose up, and went unto the place of which God had thine eyes shall look, and fail with longing for them all the day long: and told him. 4 Then on the third day Abraham lifted up his eyes, and saw the there shall be no might in thine hand. 33 The fruit of thy land, and all thy place afar off. labours, shall a nation which thou knowest not eat up; and thou shalt be only oppressed and crushed alway: This place of supernatural blessing is not always easily attained. Must trudge though some things to get to it! YOU ARE EXCERISING YOUR RIGHT TO BECOME? IS THERE ANY MOUNTAIN CLIMBING MEN HERE TONIGHT? VSE 41 Thou shalt beget sons and daughters, but thou shalt not enjoy them; 5 And Abraham said unto his young men, Abide ye here with the ass; and I for they shall go into captivity. BUT WHY??? and the lad will go yonder and worship, and come again to you. VSE 47 Because thou servedst not the LORD thy God with joyfulness, and HERE IS THE PRINCIPLE THAT PRODUCED THE BLESSING with gladness of heart, for the abundance of all things; TEACH YOUR KIDS TO WORSHIP WITH SACRIFICE

The Psalmist said.. “Make a joyful noise unto the Lord” “Serve the Lord with GLADNESS” “Come before his presence with singing”

We need a revival of joyful sacrifice… A revival of serving with gladness!

The OT Tabernacle was a type and shadow of the NT church…

Badger skins on the outside… Outer court had a stench of death.

Everything you saw from the outside looked ugly from the worldly view.

Why would you want to be a part of something so different?

But oh you bring them inside… and let them be here when we light the incense of praise and worship! It’s beautiful!

When the priest went into the holiest of holies… the power fell!

I am weary of people telling me this place is so powerful… then why leave?

Not everyone is willing to call sacrifice worship.

GOD GAVE US THE MINISTRY TO CHALLENGE OUR THINKING AND TEACH US TO BECOME TRUE MEN!

God breathed… and MAN BECAME… God is still breathing today… and you have the power to become!

5-11-2003 NAC (Sun/PM) 4-4-2007 BWC Men’s Conf (revised)