The Godly Man, Part 2

The Bible says, help Lord for the godly man ceases to be Help Lord for the godly man ceases to be That was the cry of the psalmist It was the cry of the psalmist because it was the concern of the Lord God of Israel That's why the Lord says in 2nd Chronicles chapter 16 that he had searched to and fro throughout the earth to find someone's heart that he could strengthen who was totally committed to him That's why through the prophet Ezekiel in Ezekiel chapter 22 he said he searched for a man to stand in the gap but he could find no man

And then he says to the prophet Jeremiah that if he could find one person in Jerusalem, just one person who acts justly, who sticks to the truth, who honors me, I will spare the city from captivity But there was none And Jeremiah searched among all the poor people And then he thought, well, I'll search among the rich people because maybe among the wealthy, among the popular there is someone who is committed to the Lord but he found no man there either The Lord said in Isaiah 59, I looked for one man to intercede on behalf of my people Israel and there was none to intercede

So the cry of the psalmist was loud because he knew the concern of the Lord concerning godly men The faithful disappear, the psalmist says in the latter half of verse 1 of Psalm 12, the faithful disappear from among the sons of men The godly men are the faithful men, the committed men, the dedicated men, the true men Where are those people? Where are those men? That's the question we asked last week on Father's Day 2025

Are you a godly man? Are you a godly man in your family? Are you a godly man in your church? Are you a godly man in your community? Are you a godly man at work? Would you be the person that the Lord would see as his eyes run to and fro throughout the country looking for one man whose heart is completely sold out to him that he would strengthen on a regular basis? Are you that kind of person? Are you the godly man, the faithful man that stands in the gap, that intercedes for the people of God, that when push comes to shove there is the strong man, there is the reliable man, there is the steadfast man, there is this godly man? So important

Because you see, that is the epidemic that kills generation after generation, a lack of godly men So the question comes, are you that person? Are you that man? And it's so easy to see how the succession of godliness can be very easily interrupted in a family Turn with me in your Bible, if you would, to 1 Kings chapter 2 by way of introduction. 1 Kings chapter 2 David, King David, is about to die David, over 50 years earlier, was anointed King of Israel He did not begin to reign once he was anointed

There was this whole time in which he had to run from King Saul before he was ever king over Hebron or Judah for 7 years and then king over all of Israel for 33 years So for 40 years Israel had a king His name was David He followed King Saul And David is about to die And in Acts chapter 13, there is a eulogy or an epitaph on David's life It says that David, he's the man, having served God's purposes in his own generation, fell asleep among his fathers That's the New Testament's eulogy on King David The man, David, had a ministry The ministry was to serve God He was a servant of God

His mission was to serve God, God's purposes So the man, David, had a ministry as a servant, and that ministry was tied to a mission which was to serve God's purposes in one moment, his generation He couldn't serve God's purposes before his time, only during his time But that's how the New Testament sums up the life of David And so when you come to 1 Kings chapter 2, you have David's last words to his son Solomon

And think if you were to gather your son, or maybe your sons around you during the time of your death, what would you say to your son? How would you express to your son the most important thing ever? How would you exhort your son or your sons? What would you say to them? And if you said it, would your life match it? Very important, right? Would your son be able to look at what you say and say that matches who you are? So David gathers his son together, Solomon, his beloved son And this is what he says in 1 Kings 2, verse number 1

As David's time to die drew near, he charged Solomon, his son, saying, I am going the way of all the earth Now stop right there for a second He's going the way of all the earth That's how David says, I'm going to die We don't say it that way We don't say, hey, you know what, your father's about to go the way of all the earth, or your mother's about to go the way of all the earth We don't say it that way But that's how David saw it It's like Paul in 2 Timothy chapter 4, verse number 6, where he said, the time of my departure is at hand He didn't say, you know what, I'm about to die

He says, no, the time of my departure is at hand It's a nautical term that describes the loosening of the oars of a ship that allows it to set sail into the open sea That's how David saw the end of his life He was about to set sail He was about to depart from this life and enter into the most glorious of all lives, the life in eternity That's how David saw the end of his life. I mean, that's how Paul saw the end of his life And David now sees it as he's going the way of all the earth

And so because Solomon, I'm about to leave you, he says these words, Be strong, therefore, and show yourself a man What a statement Be strong, show yourself a man, keep the charge of the Lord your God, to walk in His ways, to keep His statutes, His commandments, His ordinances, and His testimonies, according to what is written in the law of Moses, that you may succeed in all that you do and wherever you turn This is David's emphasis towards his son. I want you to be strong He's not talking about physical strength, right? David was a warrior He was a man of bloodshed

That's why God said he couldn't build the temple But his son Solomon was a man of peace And all during Solomon's reign, Israel lived in peace So he's not talking about Solomon's physical stature He's not talking about his physical abilities to be strong physically He's talking about spiritual strength Why is that important? Why? Listen carefully Because he's not talking about emotional or mental strength He's talking about spiritual strength Because the only way you can be strong mentally and emotionally is if you're strong spiritually

Those who are weak mentally, those who are weak emotionally, are that way because they are weak spiritually Your mental capacity, your ability to handle your emotions, comes from a spiritual strength that a heart is sound in doctrine and strong in the Lord and the power of his might Your emotional stability, your mental stability, all stems from your spiritual stability You must understand this It's everything strong about you comes because of your spiritual stature in the Lord When you are strong spiritually, you can make wise choices You can make sound decisions You don't get all frazzled

You're able to handle and control your emotions because you are strong spiritually That's why Paul says in Ephesians 6, Be strong in the Lord and in the power of his might In 2 Timothy 2, verse number 1, he says, Be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus, our Lord Isaiah chapter 30, verse number 15, In quietness and in trust shall be your strength David said in Psalm 27, verse number 14, Wait for the Lord, be strong and let your heart take courage Yes, wait for the Lord And that word wait in Hebrew is a word that talks about wrapping yourself around something, something strong

When you wrap yourself around the Lord, you can trust in him You can wait upon him You can be strong in him because you derive your strength from the Lord himself So important Go back with me, if you would, to the book of Joshua Joshua chapter 1 Listen to what God tells Joshua This is the key verse on how to overcome intimidation Have you ever been intimidated by somebody? Does somebody intimidate you at work? Does somebody intimidate you at school? Does somebody intimidate you in the church? Is someone intimidatingating you somewhere in life? Joshua chapter 1 is how you overcome intimidation

How do we know that? Because Joshua is about to become the leader of Israel, right? And Joshua is about to follow the greatest leader Israel ever had by the testimony of the Lord God himself So God says that Moses is Israel's greatest leader There will never be a leader like Moses But yet, Joshua, you're chosen now to follow the greatest leader who ever lived And Israel, by the way, on several occasions wanted to kill the greatest leader who ever lived in Israel So now, Joshua, you're going to step into those sandals, and you're now going to become the leader of Israel

And if they wanted to kill the greatest leader who ever lived, just think of what they're going to want to do to you if you just mess it up So you've got to overcome intimidation, Joshua You've got to be able to stand strong So this is what the Lord says to Joshua in verse number 5 No man will be able to stand before you all the days of your life Just as I have been with Moses, I will be with you. I will not fail you or forsake you Be strong and courageous In other words, be strong and show yourself a man

Have the spiritual fortitude that you need to lead 2 million disgruntled Jews into the promised land How are you going to do that, Joshua? It tells him, be careful to do according to all the law which Moses, my servant, commanded you And do not turn from it to the right or to the left so that you may have success wherever you go This book of the law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate on it day and night so that you may be careful to do according to all that is written in it For then you will make your way prosperous and then you will have success

Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous Do not tremble or be dismayed for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go Listen, Joshua, don't be in any kind of emotional or mental turmoil because you're about to take on a job that goes way beyond your mental and emotional capabilities Know this, you need to be strong in the Lord You need to be courageous in the Lord. I will be with you as I was with Moses Just do not let this law depart from your mouth. I want you to meditate on it day and night Why? Because I want your way to be prosperous. I want your way to be successful

And the only way that's going to happen is if my word controls every element of your life, your thought, your heart, your emotions, and then you will be prosperous and then you will be successful And Joshua was because he obeyed the law of God So here comes King David

And David says to his son Solomon, I want you to be strong. I want you to show yourself a man because manliness and strength go hand in hand. I want you to be courageous. I want you to be a man of spiritual fortitude. I want you to be a man that is able to stand against adversity. I want you to be a man that doesn't crumble under pressure You've got to be a man You've got to be strong You're going to be the king of Israel You're going to be the king of Israel And you can't be a weak king You've got to be a strong king You can't be an emotionally disturbed king You've got to be a strong king

You can't be a depressed king You have to be a dedicated, determined king You have to be strong, Solomon And you've got to show yourself a man How are you going to do that? He tells him You keep the statutes You keep the law You follow the word of God This is what you do And God will make your way successful Listen to the words of Solomon in Proverbs chapter 4 If you've got your Bible, you can turn there Proverbs chapter 4 Now remember, Solomon writes the book of Proverbs to his son Right? It's a book designed for children, young people So Solomon is going to write to his son

Listen to what he says to Rehoboam Hear, O sons, the instruction of a father Chapter 4 verse number 1 And give attention that you may gain understanding For I give you sound teaching Do not abandon my instruction When I was a son to my father That's Solomon speaking When I was a son to my father My father was the king of Israel His name is David. I am now the king of Israel But when I was a son to my father, tender and the only son in the sight of my mother, then he taught me and said to me, Let your heart hold fast to my words Keep my commandments and live So Solomon's remembering

Talking to his son Son, listen Listen, you need to understand that when I was tender and young, and I was the son of my mother, the son of my father, my father gave me instruction He would go on to say, talk about acquiring wisdom, understanding, knowledge And the whole chapter is about what Solomon's dad, David, said to his son about strong strength Being courageous Being able to handle the issues that come about

And you would think that once he says this to Rehoboam, once he examines his life and talks to his son about these things, that now he's going to produce a seed, an offspring, that's going to become the next great king of Israel Didn't go that way Didn't happen that way Because if you're with us for our 26 week study on the book of Ecclesiastes, you understand Solomon's end of life journey In the summation of his life

What happened to Solomon? What happened to this influence over his son, Rehoboam? What happened to this man? Well, the Bible tells you way back in the book of Deuteronomy, chapter 17, it says verse number 16, moreover, he, the king, shall not multiply horses for himself But Solomon did that Why didn't God want Solomon to multiply horses for himself? Because horses were a symbol of strength. A symbol of military prowess And God says, I want you to trust me, not your own military ingenuity Not your own army. I want you to trust me So I don't want you as the king to gather horses for yourself

He says, nor shall he cause the people to return to Egypt to multiply horses, since the Lord has said to you, you shall never again return that way He shall not multiply wives for himself What did Solomon do? He multiplied wives for himself God says, don't do this Keep his statutes Keep the laws Observe them Don't turn to the left Don't turn to the right Same thing he told Joshua Same thing he told King David Now he's telling King Solomon, keep the law of God Do not turn to the left Do not turn to the right Do everything that's written in the law of Moses

But he multiplied wives for himself. 700 wives for himself He shall not multiply wives for himself, or else his heart will turn away Nor shall he greatly increase silver and gold for himself And he did that too Read Ecclesiastes 2 He accumulated all kinds of gold for himself Not for the temple, but for himself He went against what the law of God explicitly said, do not do Do not do this But Solomon did

So it says in verse number 18, Now it shall come about that when he sits on the throne of his kingdom, he shall write for himself a copy of this law on a scroll, in the presence of the Levitical priests

It shall be with him, and he shall read it all the days of his life, that he may learn to fear the Lord his God, by carefully observing all the words of his law and his statutes, that his heart may not be lifted up above his countrymen, and that he may not turn aside from the commandment, or to the right or to the left, so that he and his sons may continue long in his kingdom in the midst of Israel This is a plan for the king It's not like you've got a whole bunch of things you've got to do

It's just simply, don't multiply for yourself horses, don't multiply for yourself wives, and do not multiply silver and gold for yourself That is it No big deal, right? Wrong Big deal for Solomon He did all that All of that So when you read the book of Ecclesiastes, you had this long journal that describes Solomon's end of life So when he comes to the very end, what's he say? Same thing Deuteronomy 17 says The sum of all things is just to fear God and keep his commandments It's almost as if he's telling Rehoboam, this is it This is how you sum up life Fear God, keep his commandments

It's almost as if he says, and I didn't. I should have, but I didn't But this is the end of everything This is the summation of life Fear God, keep his commandments Why? Because then you will show yourself a man Then you will be strong and courageous Then you will be able to stand against the wiles of the devil Then you'll be able to stand against the lure of the woman and the lure of riches and power But he didn't The cost? Well, the Bible says these words in the book of 2 Chronicles 12, verse number 14 about Rehoboam He did evil because he did not set his heart to seek the Lord

He did evil because he did not set his heart to seek the Lord As you recall in the book of Ecclesiastes, what did Solomon do? He sought for meaning under the sun outside of God He sought for meaning in life, for satisfaction in life, for royalty in life, for greatness in life outside of God And it cost him greatly So he raises a son that doesn't want to seek the Lord at all Because what you do in moderation, your children will do in excess That's the theme of Scripture That's how it works And that's why Isaiah says these words, Isaiah 38, verse number 17

Mark it down. A father tells his son about your faithfulness, O Lord. A father tells his son about your faithfulness, O Lord He continues to tell his son about how faithful God is to him, his family, his ministry, his life, and continues to pour that into the life of his son So one of the psalms said, Help, Lord, the godly man ceases to be and the faithful disappear from the sons of men on this earth It doesn't have to be that way Not at all You can be that godly man You can be that man that stands strong and turns the course of a generation

You can be that man that invests into the lives of your children You can be that man that models a way to your children You can be the kind of man that's strong and courageous so you can invest into the lives of your children King David was not a perfect man, but David was a man after God's own heart And every king that followed David, David was the quintessential king that all the other kings were measured by because he had a heart of great repentance When he sinned, he turned from his sin and he repented to the Lord and he never sought revenge on any of his enemies

That's what it means to be a man after God's own heart You never seek revenge on your enemies and you always repent when you sin That's a man after God's own heart That was King David He wants to pass that down to his son, Solomon Solomon began great Read the book of Song of Solomon Read the book of Proverbs He began great But over time, he didn't even heed his own words Proverbs 4.23, Guard your heart, for out of it flow all the issues of life Everything about your emotions Everything about your mentality Everything about your relationships Everything about who you are flows from your heart

Therefore, be strong and courageous Be strong spiritually in your heart That's the cry That's the godly man So we began our outline last week And we won't finish it this week either And that's okay Because I'm in no hurry. I'm never in a hurry. I used to be when I was younger But now that I'm old, I've kind of slowed down a little bit But who is the godly man? Number one He goes to God incessantly in prayer Talked about this last week, right? He's a man of prayer Read Psalm 32 Read Psalm 4 He's a man who seeks the Lord Who goes to the Lord And we used Job as an illustration last week

Remember Job chapter 1? When he offered up burnt offerings for his children He continually did this And the question comes, how did Job know this? The book of Leviticus had not been written yet So how did he know about burnt offerings? How does Job know this? Because of Noah Because of Abraham Noah in Genesis 8 Abraham in Genesis chapter 22 And most believe that Job was a contemporary of Abraham So it would have been passed down from Noah to Abraham To Job to offer up burnt offerings You see, Job didn't have a church to go to Didn't have a men's ministry to go to

Didn't have any books to read on family and family worship and family prayer time He didn't have a book to read about the disciplines of a godly man He didn't have a support group And I'm glad this is in the Bible because so many times today, men want to use it as an excuse. I just need to be held accountable No, you don't You need to be held accountable to God He's your accountability But we use it as an excuse Someone needs to hold me accountable Someone needs to hold my hand You're not a man if somebody's got to hold your hand Right? You hold your children's hands

You don't hold a man's hand And Job is a quintessential example of this He had no church, no small group, no men's ministry, no Sunday school Nothing but Job And what was passed down from generation to generation And he was a man who was upright, blameless, fearing God, and turning away from evil And he was the greatest man on the planet He did it all because he was committed to his God See, we have developed such a weak mentality in today's culture that man needs so many people to hold him up and hold his hand

And we have produced a weaker and weaker and weaker generation of men over the generations that have preceded us and are continuing on after us because we don't encourage men to be strong, show yourself a man, and do what God says Job did He's your biblical example He's the one you follow If he's the greatest man on the planet, follow that guy Right? Because he was upright, God-fearing, turning away from evil, and he was a man who truly, truly was a blameless man So he goes to God incessantly in prayer because he knows that he can't do anything of himself He needs the Lord

Like the psalmist, he cries out to the Lord He goes to the Lord and bathes his family in prayer He bathes his wife in prayer He knows he can't change his wife He knows he can't change his children So he knows that God can do that So he goes to the Lord and prays consistently to his God and asks God to do a great and mighty work Number two, not only does he go to God incessantly, but he obeys God instantly He obeys God instantly Listen to the psalmist Psalm 119 Psalm 119, verse number 32

The psalmist said this. I shall run the way of your commandments, for you will enlarge my heart. I'm going to run the way of your commandments And then he says over in verse number 60, I love this Listen to this Psalm 119, verse number 60. I hastened and did not delay to keep your commandments That's the godly man. I hastened and did not delay Why? Because delayed obedience is disobedience And so he says, I hastened and did not delay to obey all your commandments This is the man of God He hastens to obey He can't wait to do what God says That's the godly man

Thomas Watson has written a book called The Godly Man's Picture It's just a great book on what a godly man looks like And in there he just is, all throughout the book, talks about how the godly man just can't wait to do what God says So many times our godliness is hindered because we will not obey what God says in his word There's something about what he says that rubs us the wrong way It could be forgiveness It could be leading your wife It could be loving your wife It could be disciplining your children

Over the years, and 40 years is a lot of years of church ministry, over the years there have been people that I've counseled that say, look, this is what God's word says. I can't do that What? You mean you won't do it? Because you can do it, but you just won't do it. I can't What do you mean you can't do it? If God says and gives you a command, he gives you the ability and the grace to obey the command Because his commands are not burdensome, 1 John 5 says So because his commands are not burdensome, if he says this is what you got to do, this is what you do

And know what they say? Well, let me pray about it There are certain things you don't ever have to pray about You don't have to pray about loving your wife You just got to obey the command Right? You don't have to pray about it Just do it Just do it You don't have to pray about forgiving someone Just forgive them It's a command Forgive You don't have to pray about it Well, what's God going to do? Just obey the command The obedience is followed by great delight But you got to obey And the man of God just, he obeys God instantly He hears the word of God He listens

And the man, he just runs to obey So many times we meander on our way to obedience And we get sidetracked when we do that And the obedience then comes later Not good Over in 1 John chapter 2, John says these words. 1 John chapter 2, verse number 3 By this we know that we have come to know him How? If we keep his commandments How do we know that you know God? You keep his commandments The one who says I have come to know him and does not keep his commandments is a liar Now those are strong words John says if you say you come to know Christ and you don't obey his commandments, you're a liar

He doesn't say, you know, let me pray for you He says you're just a liar And then he says this The truth is not in him But whoever keeps his word, in him the love of God has truly been perfected And by this we know that we are in him For the one who says he abides in him ought himself to walk in the same manner as he walked So crystal clear So precise It's not hard He obeys God instantly He goes to God incessantly And number 3, he disciplines himself intently He disciplines himself implicitly Implicitly Absolutely Without a doubt

Have you ever watched somebody come out of a gym? It's like 24 hour fitness or all different gyms There's so many different gyms out there Have you ever watched somebody come out of a gym, man, and they just got done working out? If you go down to Victoria Gardens, you know, they have Gold's Gym down there by, it's right by the Cheesecake Factory. I don't know why that is, but it's right by the Cheesecake Factory And they always come walking out there with those ripped shirts, you know, so you can see all their muscles, you know

They walk out of the gym, you know, they walk out there like this so you can see they just got done working out Right? That's how they walk Because they want you to know they're working out And when you look at them, you say, what, that guy's disciplined Look at those muscles bulging from his neck Look at those triceps Look at those biceps Look at those veins just bulging out of his calves That guy is disciplined Boy, that guy wants to work out Why? Because he disciplines himself implicitly There's no doubt that he works himself out That's the way it should be for you spiritually

That's what our Bible says Discipline yourself unto godliness Why? Bodily exercise profits a little, but godliness has profit for all things, 1 Timothy 4, 7 and 8 Discipline yourself unto godliness But so, look at it this way Somebody who is disciplined in their life, you know it You see it in their children, right? Their children are obedient to their father and their mother You see it lived out in their children You see it lived out in the wife's love for her husband and willing to follow his leadership You see it manifest in itself

But this man has disciplined himself implicitly to love his wife, to love his children because he loves God And you see it in the eyes of his wife You see it in the obedience of his children You see it in his commitment to his church He's deeply committed to his church He serves in his church He prays for his church He loves his church You see it You don't wonder whether or not they went to the gym to work out They're working out daily They're disciplined in their prayer life They're disciplined in their study life They're disciplined in their church life

They're disciplined in their family life They're disciplined in all of their life That's how they are And you don't have to wonder whether or not you see it Because their spiritual veins are bulging Their spiritual muscles are ripping the shreds, their suits Because that's how they are Because you see it in their lives People who love the Lord, they're godly men It's so important They discipline themselves implicitly Have you ever noticed that to most men, the toys of the world mean more than the truth of God's Word? The toys of the world are more important than the truth of God's Word

How many times over the years, wives have said to me, I come home from where I was and my husband's playing video games. I ask him to do something and he says, I just play video games All day And so I sit down with the husband and talk to him about it Dude, you play video games all day? You don't have a job? Don't you work? 1 Timothy 5 says, If a man does not provide for his house, he's worse than what? An unbeliever You're not going to work? You're worse than an unbeliever You've got to go to work You've got to provide for your family That's what men do You've got to be a godly man

But so many times, the men of this culture just want to hide themselves in video games or games on the internet or pornography on the internet They want to escape the realities of life instead of handle the truth that's before them And the godly man, he disciplines himself implicitly He knows that to make it through life, it requires strength and manyness And the only way that's developed is through constant discipline So he goes to God incessantly in prayer He obeys God instantly, without reservation and without hesitation That's a godly man He runs the way of God's commandments

He disciplines himself implicitly when it comes to the discipline of supplication and scripture and self-denial and surrender That's what he does Number four, he loathes his sin intensely He loathes his sin intensely. A godly man hates his sin An ungodly man loves his sin, but a godly man hates his sin Psalm 95, verse number 10 says, hate evil, you who love the Lord Not rocket science, hate evil, those of you who love the Lord And then you have the prophet Ezekiel, who says these words in Ezekiel chapter 20, verse number 43

God speaking to Israel there, you will remember your ways and all your deeds with which you have defiled yourselves, and you will loathe yourselves in your own sight for all the evil things that you have done You will loathe yourself You will hate what you have done You will despise yourself for all the evil that you have done There's something about the godly man that despises iniquity, that despises idolatry, that wants to run away from all iniquity and pursue righteousness and godliness Hate evil, you who love the Lord

God tells Timothy in 1 Timothy 6, verse number 10, you, oh man of God, flee the love of money You flee these things, Timothy You're a man of God And by the way, Timothy is the only man in the New Testament called a man of God Only man, no other man is Paul's not called a man of God, but Paul was a man of God Peter was not called a man of God, but Peter was a man of God John was not called a man of God, but John was a man of God But Timothy is the only one in the New Testament called a man of God And Paul says, Timothy, you man of God, you flee these things You flee immorality You flee idolatry

You flee the love of money And you pursue, you run after, you sprint toward godliness You sprint toward faith You sprint toward perseverance You sprint toward love You sprint to those spiritual virtues that make a man a man That's what you gotta do, Timothy Timothy was a young man, 35, 36 years of age, passing the church of Ephesus And Paul says, hate sin so much, you'll run from it That's the man of God He goes to God incessantly in prayer He obeys God instantly, without reservation, without hesitation He's the kind of man who disciplines himself implicitly when it comes to spiritual virtues

He's the man who loathes his sin intensely That's why Job was called the man who turned away from evil That's why Job said, I've made a covenant with my eyes not to look lustfully upon a woman And Job didn't even have the Bible or the book of Proverbs to tell him about the lure of the adulterous woman But he knew well enough as a man of God to make a covenant with his eyes not to look lustfully upon a woman That's a man of God That's a godly man That was Job And the godly man loathes his sin intensely And let me give you this one He yields to the Spirit intently

He can't do it without the Spirit of God He can't do anything without the Spirit of God So he yields to the Spirit intently He walks in the Spirit so he doesn't fulfill the lust of the flesh He's filled with the Spirit of God He's controlled by the Spirit of God Ephesians 5.18 Why? Why? Because he understands that he doesn't want to grieve the Spirit of God He doesn't want to hinder the Spirit's work in his life As Galatians 5 says, he doesn't want to lust after the Spirit He doesn't want to quench the Spirit He wants to be filled with the Spirit

So he saturates himself with the Scriptures and submits himself to a Savior at all costs So God directs him and leads him every step of the way That's the godly man But what about the man part? We got the godly part What about the man part? The godly man part? That's next week Let's pray Father, we thank you for today And I do pray for all the men in our assembly that, Lord, we truly honor you and glorify your name Lord, forgive us for excuses There are no excuses not to live the way you've called us to live You've commended us to live

We just need to obey your word, submit to you as our ultimate authority, and follow what you say explicitly So I pray for the men of our church that that's the way we would be Our wives would see our uncompromising commitment to the truth Our children would see our uncompromising commitment to God and their mother Their children would want to follow in the footsteps of their father's love for God and his wife

We pray, Lord, for the generation of children that are in our auditorium today, the 40 kids that were on stage and the others who didn't come up for one reason or another, that next generation, that we are to raise up to follow you. I pray for our fathers, that you give them strength and wisdom, the discipline to nurture their children in the ways of God Lord, go before us, I pray, as a church, that we would be and raise the kind of men that truly love the Lord and are godly men so the psalmist would never say about us, help, Lord, the godly man ceases to be May that not happen in our assembly

May we be a model of spiritual virtue for the glory of your kingdom So we ask you to go before us on this day that we might live for you this week and for the rest of our lives until you come again, as you most surely will In Jesus' name, amen.