We are very thankful that you have chosen to spend these next few hours over these next two days with us. And so the theme of this conference or the title of this conference is Faithful Men, a call to aggressively fight sin and pursue holiness. And so I thought I would take a couple of minutes here at the beginning and just kind of explain to you what these conferences is designed to be. Several months ago, I sat in a hotel room with actually the three men on this front pew here, and it was after we had gone to Ryan's All-You-Can-Eat Buffet. And so I don't know if it was the second helping of dessert or if it was the Holy Spirit, but that's where the idea for this conference was born. And so I want to try to explain to you, first of all, what it's not about. We will obviously be talking about aggressively fighting sin. But I want you to know on the outset that we are not making any assumptions about any of you. We are not peering through our spiritually discerning glasses and peering deep down into your soul and assuming that you are full of vile rebellion against God and that we have brought the experts in to first beat you up and then straighten you out. Secondly, I want you to know that tonight is not the world premiere of some magic potion formula for overcoming sin that has been long forgotten and that we have recently discovered and that we can turn out a formula that will lead you into good basic principles for life and for godliness. We understand that sanctification is not formulaic. It's not automatic. And it is not robotic. It is hard. It is a struggle of our lives. And our desire is to merely sow some good seed from the Word of God to give you hope, to give you confidence, and to be a blessing to you. And so this is also not a production facility. None of us will turn out at two o'clock tomorrow and be fully conformed to the image of Jesus Christ. Sanctification, fruit bearing is a process. And if we're very honest with ourselves, it's often a process that we cannot even see moving in ourselves. And so we will not be exhaustive. You cannot take 10, 25 minute sessions. and turn out somebody conformed to the image of Jesus Christ. But again, our goal is to provide hope, to provide a clear path to victory, and to whet all of our appetites for the power of the Gospel. So that's what it's not. Now let me tell you what we hope that it will be. And there's really four core beliefs that we have that have pushed us to have this particular conference about aggressively fighting sin. And I guess the key word to these four beliefs is the word full or fullness. In Psalm 16 verse 11, the psalmist says that in thy presence is fullness of joy. And brethren, I think you join me in believing that the ultimate satisfaction, the ultimate prize, the ultimate treasure in life is the Lord Jesus Christ. And I think you would also agree with me that the very real daily struggle to walk in His presence is the most worthy struggle that you and I will ever endeavor to take. In other words, it is worth it. So ultimately, this conference is not about becoming more moral people. Jesus told the Pharisees, listen, if you only clean up the outside, all you've done is made them two-fold more the children of hell than they were before. Ultimately, this conference is about the Lord Jesus Christ. So what we're really saying in this conference is this, is that as David said, when God said to David, seek my face, David said, thy face, O Lord, will I seek. So the point of this conference is to strip away everything that would keep us from seeking the Lord's face in honesty, from seeking the Lord's face in humility, and from enjoying the presence of the Lord in reality. That's the first core belief. That in thy presence is fullness of joy. Number two, let me just read John 1 verse 14. Listen to these words. You've heard them before. These words are powerful. It says, And the Word was made flesh and dwelt among us. Did you hear that? It says that Jesus Christ, God, has come near us. He's come close to us. He has entered into our world. He has entered into our experience. None other than God Himself has entered our world, entered our experience, understands, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth. So the second belief is this, that in the Gospel, we find the One who is near, the One who relates, The one who understands, one who can help, and one who is full of grace and truth. But thirdly, if we were to make any assumptions about you at all, it would be this. It would be that you, and I'll just say we, struggle to really believe that last point. We struggle to really believe that Jesus Christ is full of the grace that I need to overcome. Full of the grace that I need. That the power to overcome sin, the power to have satisfaction, joy, and peace in the reality and even in the struggle of life is anything more than just a pious platitude or a theological concept. Perhaps sometimes we think that in a future world or in a utopic place, if things were just better around me, if my environment were smoother, if my wife was less critical, if whatever would be better, then perhaps I could find that grace to walk closely to Christ and to have victory over besetting sins. But right now it seems out of our grasp. And brothers, the reason we struggle with this is because it is easiest to believe what we see. It is easiest to believe what we have experienced. In some cases, failure. In some cases, dry, coldness, laziness of service. And in all cases, the assault of Satan. So there's one more core belief that drives this conference, and that is this. That this fullness of grace and truth is not just an empty promise. That Christ really can help. That Christ really does come to the aid of those who are in need. That grace is more than just some vague puff of unmerited favor. But grace is real. Grace is available to the child of God. And grace can be used practically every day to fight sin and to walk with God. That's why we're having this conference. Now in that light, I'm going to give the first few minutes and make a presentation to you. And I have been assigned to speak to you on a call to biblical manliness. A call to biblical manliness. You'll turn in your Bibles to 2 Timothy 2. I'm going to read one verse here in this passage. Paul is writing to his son in the faith. His son Timothy. And he says in 2 Timothy verse 1, he says, Thou therefore, my son, be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus. Now I have about 15 minutes. And I knew I had about 15 minutes. And in 15 minutes there is no way To give you an exhaustive or full look at what it means to be a man. A godly man. And so if there is one trait that defines man. If there is one trait that distinguishes men. If there is one trait that is essential of men. I would suggest to you that it is strength. Strength. Ephesians 6.10 says, Be strong in the Lord and the power of His might. In 1 Corinthians 16, He tells the man, He says, Quit you like men. Act like a man. Be strong, He says. We see this essential ingredient of men from the very nature, from our very nature, our created nature. We were created in the image of God. We were made like God. God is a God of strength, right? He's mighty in word. He's mighty to save. He's unlimited. and His power. He's unlimited in His knowledge. Everything about God screams strong strength. So in the creation mandate or the creation command for men to go and subdue the earth and have dominion over the earth, the most essential ingredient to subduing and have dominion is to be strong. Right? We see this even more clearly in physiology. or the distinguishing mark in physiology. God was not insulting women when He said, the wife in 1 Peter is the weaker vessel. Man was created physically stronger. Therefore, man is given the command to protect, to provide, to lead the home. And then we see this most clearly, the great need for strength in the spiritual realm. Brother, spiritual life under the sun. That's all we know so far. But spiritual life under the sun is couched in Scripture in warfare language. Withstand the fiery darts of the wicked. Here in this passage, endure hardness as a good soldier of Jesus Christ. No man that woreth entangleth himself with the affairs of this life. Take the whole armor of God, and even the devils as a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour. All of this language describing our spiritual life is language that demands strength. Let me just list for you a few things that God calls godly men to do. I have seven. Leadership over the home. The care and maintenance of God's own bride, the church. Do you want me to stop yet? Because it's already overwhelming, isn't it? God gives you his own creation, children, and says you are to be the stewards over these children. In a polluted and corrupt world, He gives you as the head of your home, as the father of your children, as the protector of your wife, and as the guardian of the church, He gives you the responsibility to see and to thwart danger in all of its forms. And we are surrounded by danger in this corrupt world. He commands us to provide and protect materially. And while we're providing and protecting materially, He tells us that while we're at work that we must be ethical. We must be honest. And we must be hard working, working unto the Lord and not unto men. That we're to be responsible citizens. I think that was seven. I could have stopped at one, couldn't I? And every one of those screams the need for strength. And so brothers, let me just say this. Strength is necessary. And if you are in Jesus Christ, God expects, no, God demands that you be strong. And so if strength is essential, and it is, then it is also essential that we have a clear understanding of the definition and what strength looks like. As many different men as we have in this room, we probably have as many different ideas about strength. Some are jocks, you like to pump iron. Some are artistic. We have different ideas about strength. Some are smart. Some are intellectuals. Some are like me. So let me give you one definition of strength. And I want you to listen as I give this definition of strength. And I want you to listen for all the words that we normally in our society associate with strength. There's a man you're probably familiar with. His name is Terry Bradshaw. Terry Bradshaw. Let me give you his stats. Terry Bradshaw is six feet, three inches tall. I'm already jealous. He's more of a man than I am. He is, he is or was, 215 pounds. And now we're a little bit closer. Rock solid muscle and a barrel chest. Strong. He was raised a loving, strong, right? Two parents, strong, right? Christian, home. He was raised on a foundation of work ethic. Notice these words that we think of as being strong, being capable. His parents mantra was, nothing given, everything earned. When he was a young boy, he set a goal to play professional football, and he made it. During his career, he was known for toughness, strong, getting every ounce out of his physical skill, and especially known for his unfilled leadership. There was something about him that galvanized, that motivated, that inspired the men around him to do better as a team than they could do as individuals. So during his 14-year professional career, he won four Super Bowls in six years. He was elected to the Football Hall of Fame in the very first year of eligibility. He was active in the Fellowship of Christian Athletes. And now he's a much-loved commentator, known for his homespun charm and his light sense of humor and his ability to make people around him comfortable. All those things just scream strong, right? Terry Bradshaw today is 65 years old. He's single and he's been divorced three times. In a recent Sports Illustrated interview, here's his quote. I am a three-time loser and I feel so dirty. Getting divorced was never ever something I contemplated. I feel like such a complete failure. I make fun of it because it is the best way to protect myself. I don't want to take my last breath without having someone who loves me. Brothers, if strength is essential, we must not be confused about what strength is. So let me say this. Strength is not intrinsic. If you have a pad, write that down. Strength is not intrinsic. You are not strong. And neither am I. I do not say that to insult you or insult myself. But brothers and sisters, it may be the most important thing. Brothers and sisters, I'm in my own pulpit. I'm uncomfortable now. They aren't strong either. It may be the most important thing we hear tonight. You are not strong. Strength is not found in knowledge. There have been theological wizards who were miserable failures, miserably weak. Strength is not found in natural capability. Many gifted men whose gifts were squandered and wasted. It will not be found in willpower. Nothing intrinsic is the point. If you are caught in a trap of sin, The, I will do better. I will be more sorry. I will change tomorrow. I will turn a new leaf. I want you to know those are wasted words. They're meaningless words. So can I encourage you tonight to take off the mask? None of us are strong. And whatever mask we wear to present ourselves as strong is not helpful. Strength is not intrinsic. But let me tell you this also. Strength is always robbed by sin. During this time, we will talk about sins. More importantly, we will talk about grace. But one sin that will be mentioned is the sin of unrestrained sexual lust. Why? because it's a common theme among men. And we are being bombarded constantly with the assaults of Satan. And so you need to understand this, brothers. This is serious. Strength, which is essential, is always robbed by sin. Unrestrained lust or pride or whatever it is, but unrestrained lust will kill you. It will destroy your wife if you're married today. It will. It will kill, young men, your realistic expectations for intimacy in marriage. It will destroy your fellowship with Christ. It feeds love for self, which is always in opposition to love for Christ. And one thing we don't think about very often is this. It spews hatred for the one that is being lusted after. Somebody's daughter. Somebody's son. It spews hatred. So Paul says in Romans 6 to us, to drive this point home, he says you are either a slave to sin or you are a slave to Jesus Christ. The problem is that those enslaved in sin do not recognize this. Satan and your own flesh will argue to no end. It will say you can have both. I want you to know that I know this by experience, not with this sin we just mentioned of unrestrainedness, although my eyes are prone to that as well. But I know how that something that is seemingly little, something that many might not even consider to be a sin, has such a grip and a tangle and a hold in my heart and my life, that at times I've wondered, who do I really love? Do I love this? Or do I love Christ? Do I love this? Or do I love my wife? Do I love this? Or do I love my family? And I know what it is to sit there on the bed at night and think, God help me, what in the world is wrong with me? And have no hope to do better the next day. Sin always, always saps strength. So maybe you're sitting there tonight saying this. You know what? I already know this. I already know I'm not strong. Why are you beating me up? Because there's one more point. Grace provides what God requires. Grace provides. Let me say it this way. Only grace provides what God requires. You're not strong. We get saps by sin. I want you to see that Paul writing here to Timothy is not, he's writing to a preacher. But he's not writing to one who is some powerful figure above sin. In fact, if you really read this closely, Timothy seems to be crawled up in a corner somewhere, afraid to step his foot out of the house. He's overcome with fear. In fact, Paul says, Timothy, listen. Timothy, I am persuaded. I know that your mother is a child of God. I know that your grandmother loves the Lord. Timothy, I want you to know, I am persuaded that you also are a true believer. Timothy, he was so cowering in shame, cowering in fear that Paul is saying, I know you are. I'm persuaded that you are. So Paul here is speaking to a failure. Speaking to the fearful. And I want you to know brothers that Paul says to the failed, to the failure, Paul says to the fearful, you be strong. That's good news. Grace provides what we cannot do. Grace provides what God requires. You see, brother, there's a strength found in Christ that is stronger than sin. There's a beautiful passage in Mark 3, I think it is, that says that Christ is stronger than the strong man. There's a strong man in our lives that entangle themselves in, but I want you to know that Christ is stronger than the strong man. So the message of the weekend, the theme of the weekend is to explore this theme right here. What do we have in Christ? Because what we have in Christ is that which provides a strength that we don't have. That which we have in Christ provides the help that we cannot summon up on our own. So if you look at these sessions like this, I think it would be helpful. In Christ, we are given a toolbox that is filled with tools of grace. So the goal of each session is to take out a tool. And this is important for me. If you were to go to my house, you would laugh at my, I had to do something last night on a toilet and I didn't have the right tool. I said, Luke, go down there and get, and I had no idea how to tell him what to get. Don't know the name of it. And I think that's kind of how we are a lot of times about grace. We like the idea of it. And we like the thought that grace can make me free and that's amazing. But what does it really mean today? And how do I use it? So we want to take some tools out and just describe the tools that God has given us in Jesus Christ. And I pray that if there is anybody here who is not in Jesus Christ, He will bring you to your full emptiness, that you may see in Him one who is full for your emptiness.