Well, today we're going to do the first part of a biblical definition of manhood. So this is part one, but first we have to go back to some final thoughts from Genesis. And there's some key reminders here. One, men were created by God to be social and spiritual leaders. That's just our calling. Even if we're a kind of a behind the scenes kind of person. Every man is called to that. And when men abandon this pursuit, or when this pursuit is taken away from them, chaos ensues. Listen to me as I read from scripture here, because we see this in scripture. Isaiah chapter three, beginning at verse one. For behold, the Lord God of hosts is taking away from Jerusalem and from Judah support and supply, all support of bread and all support of water, the mighty man and the soldier, the judge and the prophet, the diviner and the elder, the captain of 50 and the man of rank, the counselor and the skillful magician, and the expert in charms. And I will make boys their princes, and infants shall rule over them. And the people will oppress one another, every one his fellow and every one his neighbor. The youth will be insolent to the elder and the despised to the honorable. For a man will take hold of his brother in the house of his father saying, you have a cloak, you shall be our leader. And this heap of ruins shall be under your rule. In that day, he will speak out saying, I will not be a healer. In my house, there is neither bread nor cloak. You shall not make me leader of the people. For Jerusalem has stumbled and Judah has fallen because their speech and their deeds are against the Lord, defying his glorious presence. For the looks on their faces bears witness against them. They proclaim their sin like Sodom, and they do not hide it. Woe to them, for they have brought evil on themselves. Tell the righteous that it shall be well with them, for they shall eat the fruit of their deeds. Woe to the wicked, it shall be ill with them. For what his hands have dealt out shall be done to him. My people, Infants are their oppressors and women rule over them. Oh my people, your guides mislead you and they have swallowed you up the course of your paths." And we see that today. Look at this. Men become confused, directionless, and troubled. Women suffer and must fight for their equality and protection. Family life is harmed Children are hurt and society becomes troubled. You see, as men go, so goes the life of a society. You see, the male leadership of Genesis is not natural, but supernatural with specific responsibilities. There are three things. There's a will to obey. There's a work to do. There's a woman to love and care for. That's what man takes on. if he's willing to be obedient. But our culture has some key objections to this. Number one, it says male leadership is cultural, not creational. It's as if, oh, that was for that time, but we're smarter now. Or secondly, male leadership as a result of the fall, not a result of God's design. And we see that in the Galatians 3, 28 passage where it says neither Jew nor Greek, male or female. The reality is it is God's design. Secondly, There are two men and as a result, two masculinities or two masculine identities. And we see Adam and Jesus Christ and the comparison or the contrast in the book of 1 Corinthians chapter 15 and verses 45 through 49. It says this, thus it is written, the first man, Adam, became a living being. the last Adam became a life-giving spirit. But it is not the spiritual that is first, but the natural, and then the spiritual. The first man was from the earth, a man of dust. The second man is from heaven. As with the man of dust, so also are those who are of the dust. and as is the man of heaven, so also are those who are of heaven. Just as we have borne the image of the man of dust, we shall also bear the image of the man of heaven. I like this quote from a theologian named Herman Ritterboss. He says this, Adam and Christ stand against each other as two great figures at the entrance of two worlds, two creations, the old and the new. And in their actions and fates lie the decisions for all who belong to them, because all men are comprehended in them. Secondly, or B, these men are leaders of two distinct spiritual destinies of all humanity. We see this in the book of Romans chapter five and beginning at verse 17. If because of one man's trespass, death reigned through that one man, much more will those who receive the abundance of grace and the free gift of righteousness reign in life through the one man, Jesus Christ. Therefore, as one trespass led to condemnation for all men, so one act of righteousness leads to justification and life for all men. For as by the one man's disobedience, the many were made sinners, so by the one man's obedience, the many will be made righteous. These men are also leaders of two distinct masculine destinies. The first Adam represents a manhood set on a natural course. He's earthy, he's fleshly, and it's based on personal instinct, human reason, and reaction, not on revelation. It's all on what comes before me and how I react to it. And the reality is we've got the word of God. We've got revelation from God on how we as men should behave, how we should think. And that draws life from others. Instead of it being about getting to know other people and loving others, it's all about me. I'm the main star of this cast. And when you guys are playing in this role, understand that I'm the main guy. And that's not the calling for us as believers. It's without transcendent meaning. It just stays right where it's at. And then it is a living soul or a living being as we look back at 1 Corinthians chapter 15, but nothing more. But the second Adam represents a manhood set on a heavenly course. It's about eternal things. It's about God's kingdom and their yield to revelation. not personal instinct, not human reason, not reaction. It is literally, what does the word say? It's not my will, but yours be done. And then that empowers others. It's about others. When the discussions start, we're wanting to know about others. We're wanting to know how to help. And then it's full of transcendent meaning. We see that we're in this this thing of life that it's not just about us, that it goes beyond us. And then, as a result, and back to the 1 Corinthians 15 passage, we have a life-giving spirit because of what Christ has done. So how these two masculine identities play out practically, Adam's manhood becomes conventional manhood, and that focuses on certain things, but then you have Jesus's manhood becomes authentic manhood and that focuses on certain things. And so for Adam, it's what a man does. For Jesus, it's what a man is. For Adam, it's competition with other men. For Jesus, it's community with other men. I don't have to always compete. There's nothing wrong with competition, but I'm also wanting to know how you are, how you're doing. For Adam, it's temporal power. For Jesus, it's transcendent purpose. For Adam, it's personal rewards. It's getting all the toys I can. For Jesus, it's eternal rewards. For Adam, it's self. For Jesus, it's others. For Adam, it's success. For Jesus, it's significance. You see the contrast here? And this is what God wants us to be. He wants us to be Christ-like in our manhood. Well, four defining differences between Adam and Christ, and we're gonna be talking about more of those as we get together the next time. But first of all, the first Adam fell into passivity. and the second Adam, Christ, rejected passivity. We see the first Adam when we look at the Genesis 3 passage, and we see him standing there. He had gotten the information from God on what he was supposed to do and how to protect his wife, but we see in Genesis chapter 3 and verse 6, So when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was a delight to the eyes, and that the tree was to be desired to make one wise, she took of its fruit and ate, and also gave some to her husband who was with her, and he ate. So he stayed there the whole time when the serpent was tempting, and yet didn't do a thing, didn't step between her and the serpent. He just let it happen. So, that is passivity. Then we look at the Philippians passage, which is what Christ has called us to, and Jesus steps up. There's something different here. Philippians 2, beginning at verse 6, it says this, but made himself nothing, taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross." So real men reject social and spiritual passivity. So let me ask you this, what is the most important thing you heard today? And then could you explain that? And then secondly, how does this discussion on the first and second Adam help you in seeing your masculinity more clearly? And I'd hope that you'd be able to explain that.