And Father, thank you for this blessed opportunity to sing these psalms of praise to you and to gather here in your presence to worship you in spirit and in truth. Lord God, we praise and thank you for your forgiveness, for your tender mercy and your loving kindness. And we thank you that you are slow to anger and quick to show mercy. And we praise you because you are a God who has shown us pity and grace and mercy in the Lord Jesus Christ. We come to you in his name this morning. trusting in his righteousness for our salvation. Lord God in heaven, we pray that you would make our hearts open and receptive to your truth, that we might receive it in faith, and that we might be transformed by it. Lord God in heaven, it is our earnest desire that your name would be exalted here among us this morning, and that when we leave this place, we would be better equipped and strengthened by your grace to reflect the image of the Lord Jesus Christ in this world. Lord God in heaven, we pray all of these things in His holy name. Amen. Please be seated. We could have or should have been back in our series in the book of Job today. However, we are going to do something different. We are going to take up A different subject, a subject that is very important and pressing in our day, and a passage which is focused upon that subject, the subject of Christian manhood. And I invite you to turn to 1 Corinthians chapter 16, and we will be reading verses 13 through 18 of that chapter. 1 Corinthians 16, 13 through 18. The scripture reading today will be from the King James Version of the Bible. We almost never use, we really do never use that version in public reading of God's Word. But we have a specific reason for using it this morning, and that reason will become evident to you in just a moment. But we'll begin our reading at verse 13 of 1 Corinthians 16. Watch ye, stand fast in the faith, quit you like men, Be strong. Let all of your things be done with charity. I beseech you, brethren. You know the house of Stephanas, that it is the firstfruits of Achaia, and that they have addicted themselves to the ministry of the saints. That ye submit yourselves unto such, and to every one that helpeth with us, and laboreth. I am glad of the coming of Stephanas, and Fortunatus, and Achaicus. for that which was lacking on your part they have supplied. For they have refreshed my spirit in yours, therefore acknowledge ye them that are such. Let us pray. Father in heaven, we confess before you that we are slow to understand and dull of hearing. We pray that you would quicken our hearts and minds and open our ears to receive the wondrous truth that you have inscripturated that we might know you and that we might know our duty before you. Therefore, O God, may you be glorified in the preaching of and in the hearing of your word this day. We pray in Jesus' name. Amen. There is a difference between mere males and real men. And the purpose of this sermon today is to discover what a real man is according to the word of God. The subject of Christian manhood is a vast subject that can't possibly be treated in one sermon, but this text in 1 Corinthians 16 leads us quite a ways in our understanding of what it means to be a Christian man. The Apostle commands us to act like men, and he also gives us a view of what it means to act like a man. Now, a sermon such as this obviously applies in a particular way to men, but it does not apply to men exclusively. Within this concept of Christian manliness, we will discover many principles that can be and should be applied by every believer in his or her life. Nevertheless, the Word of God does speak particularly and directly to men in this text of Scripture. And it commands Christian men with this terse and powerful admonition, quit ye like men, or act like men. How do men act like men? How do Christian men lay hold of this Christian manliness that the Apostle has in mind? Our purpose is to answer that question today, and we will approach an answer under four headings. First of all, the concept of manliness. Secondly, the capstone of manliness. Thirdly, the companions of manliness. And finally, the model of manliness. First of all, the concept of manliness. And I direct your attention to your outline where we summarize this point. There is no consensus in our society on what it means to be a real man. But the apostle has something definite in mind when he commands us to act like men. The coinciding admonitions, watch, stand fast in the faith, be strong, invoke a scene of spiritual warfare, Real men are needed where a real enemy is present. Real men are serious about spiritual warfare. They exhibit strength, vigilance, resolution, and initiative on the spiritual battlefield. Now, as Paul winds down his first letter to the Corinthian church, he concludes with this series of terse rapid-fire admonitions here in verse 13 and 14. And that is characteristic of the apostles' writings. In verse 13, he says, watch, stand fast in the faith, and then the King James Version says, quit you like men, which is obviously somewhat of an archaic translation, but it is nevertheless an accurate translation. Most other translations fail to translate that third admonition carefully or correctly. The New King James Version says, watch, stand fast in the faith, be brave, The New Revised Standard Version says, watch, stand fast in the faith, be courageous. These are attempts to interpret the text rather than translate it. In the Greek text, that third admonition is one word, one Greek word only, and it is the verb andridzomai in Greek, andridzomai. This is the verbal form of the word for man. And it's not the generic word for mankind, that would be the word Anthropos. This is the specific word for men, males as opposed to females, and this word is turned into a verb. And thus it means, literally, act like men, or you could translate it, be manly. Now when the Apostle commands us to act like men, there must be a concept behind that commandment. He must have something specific and concrete in mind. There must be a biblical concept of Christian manliness that goes along with this commandment so that we know what he means when he says, act like men. Before we set out to discover what the Apostle has in mind, we must recognize that the concept of manliness is in a state of confusion. in our culture today. Feminism and liberalism have sought to emasculate men by consistently questioning the gender roles. Manliness is a concept in crisis, therefore there is no real consensus on what a real man is. Some people perceive manliness in terms of size and proportion, and you can see men walking around with muscles bulging at the seams, and to some people, That is manliness. Some people pick out their masculine role models from among the actors and the athletes that we all know so well. Some people identify manliness in terms of a man's vocation or lifestyle or possessions. If he's handy with a power saw, he's a real man. But today the modern man seems to have been redefined as being a timid and sensitive creature. of someone who is in touch with his emotions and not afraid to cry. Is that a real man? But most of all in our culture today, men are lampooned in movies and sitcoms as being inept and foolish. And more often than not, in the plot of a movie, it takes a woman to get the job done. And this crisis of manliness extends from society into the evangelical church. where more and more women are assuming more of the leadership, and men are not taught how to act like men. Men are taught how to be nice and agreeable and obliging, but they are not taught how to act like men, with spiritual initiative and spiritual leadership and spiritual strength. We face a crisis of manliness, not only in our society but also in the Church. And this makes Paul's admonition all the more urgent in our day. Act like men. What does he mean, act like men? Well, we can gain insight here into this commandment by looking at the immediate context of the commandment. Now, it has been said that words are like people in that they are known by the company that they keep. This admonition, act like men, has some company. It is the third of four admonitions that all converge as one unit in one verse. And those three coinciding admonitions are, watch, stand fast in the faith, and be strong. That is the immediate context of this commandment to act like men. Now all of these admonitions, all of them, have something in common. They all have an enemy in view. They all invoke a scene of spiritual warfare. Watch. That is, be on guard against the enemy. Be on guard against temptation. Be on guard against evil. Watch. Secondly, stand fast in the faith. That envisions an enemy. That envisions an opposing force. And that commandment is for us to not give up ground in the faith. Don't recoil or retreat when your faith is tested or opposed. Stand fast in the faith. And finally, be strong. That is to say, mix faith with fortitude. Have some spiritual resolve. Meet the enemy with equal and opposite force. Take command of your spiritual life and show no weakness to the enemy of your soul. Be strong. These admonitions seem clearly to place Christian manhood in the context of Christian warfare. And that is where true manliness is tested. That is where true manliness is needed, on the spiritual battlefield. Now this context of combat is confirmed by another interesting passage in the Old Testament. In Joshua chapter 1, verses 1 through 9 of that chapter, God is commanding Joshua to go into the promised land, to not be afraid, but to conquer that land that God has given to his people. And in just those nine verses, God commands Joshua three times to be strong and courageous. That is how the New King James Version translates it. But in the Septuagint, which is the Greek version of the Old Testament, the very same word that Paul uses in 1 Corinthians 16, and drizomai, act like a man, is used in Joshua chapter 1. In the context of Joshua 1 is actual combat against a physical enemy. And in that context, Joshua is commanded to act like a man, or to be manly. In 1 Corinthians 16, there is also an enemy in view. Not a physical army, but a spiritual adversary. Paul knows that real Christian men are engaged in real Christian warfare. And so he says, watch, stand fast in the faith, act like men, be strong. From this string of admonitions, we can conclude some definite things about the concept of Christian manliness. First of all, a real man is serious about spiritual warfare. He does not drift through his life with his guard down. He is not spiritually passive. He is not spiritually idle. He is alert. He watches because he knows that there is real spiritual danger and a real spiritual enemy. A real man watches over his soul. He watches over his thoughts. He watches over his words. He watches over his habits. He is sensitive to evil and he is on guard against temptation and he is vigilant in his spiritual life. A real man is a spiritually watchful man. Now, there are many mere males who are content to go to church once a week and to pray before meals, but they have no consistent posture of spiritual vigilance in their lives. They don't watch over their souls or the souls of their wives or children. They are content to be spiritual eunuchs without any watchful spiritual vigilance in their lives. But Christian men should know this. that the enemy of your souls loves it when you are spiritually inattentive and unwatchful, because it is then that you and your family are spiritually vulnerable. The enemy of your souls would not only like to divert you from the path of Christian manhood, but the enemy of your souls has designs on your wife, He would like to divert your covenant children at an early age, and He can do it if you are not watchful. Real men are vigilant watchmen over their own souls and the souls of their loved ones. But secondly, real men stand fast in the faith. That is to say, real men of Christ do not compromise the truth. They do not compromise the Christian life and the Christian calling. Real men do not give up ground in the quest to know the truth of Christ and to adhere to the pathway of faith. Now, there are mere males who see biblical truth as flexible, and who see Christian duties as negotiable. And they obey when it is easy, and they serve Christ when it is convenient. But in the mind of a mere male, there are some duties that are just too hard. and there are some temptations that are just too strong. Mere males will talk about how they feel and how they failed and how they'll try harder next time. But the next time is no different. They are full of apologies and good intentions as they slouch backwards in their faith. But real men of Christ stand fast in the faith. When they are called to a Christian duty that is hard to perform, they look to Christ for strength And they do it. When they are confronted by temptation or opposition, they stay and they fight. With the Word of God as their weapon, they stand fast. They push back. They do not give up ground to the enemy. Real men stand fast in the faith. But thirdly, real Christian men are strong. Now, Paul does not have physical strength in mind when he says, be strong. But we must observe that sometimes physical courage is needed in the service of Christ. Take the example of Joshua, or David, or Nehemiah. These are but a few examples of Christian men who were called to strength and valor in the service of Christ. Sometimes the spiritual enemy is a physical enemy. And Church history teaches us that Christian men must be capable of strength and valor in this fallen world. But the greater kind of strength, the kind of strength that Paul has in mind here in this text, is spiritual strength. Be strong, he says, meaning have strength of spirit, have strength of mind, have strength in your will to serve Christ and grow in the faith, no matter what the cost may be. Now, our culture has taught mere males to obsess over their self-esteem, to give full vent to their feelings, There's an old adage, the real men don't cry. But that adage has become a joke in our day. But it has yet to be proven what virtue flows from the full vent of one's feelings. In fact, scripture advises against this in Proverbs 29, 11, saying a fool vents all his feelings, but a wise man restrains them. And yet the modern ideal of a 21st century man leaves plenty of room for complaining and fussing and many other forms of self-expressive emotional drama. Instead, scripture says, be strong. Be strong in your spirit, strong in your mind, strong in your will and resolution to glorify Christ in what you do. And so a Christian man is not a complainer. He is not worried about his self-esteem. He is not led by his emotions, nor is he spiritually paralyzed by the setbacks of life. He accepts his place and his calling joyfully. His mind is fixed on his duty to Christ, and he is led by the Word of God. He is, in a word, strong. Now this spiritual strength, as applied to men in particular, also surely includes the strength of spiritual leadership and spiritual initiative. As the head of a covenant family, a Christian man is to be an example of spiritual strength and spiritual composure. He is to give spiritual leadership and instruction and comfort to his family and be an example of steady strength, a strength that a wife and children can rely upon. And this kind of godly strength enables a man to focus upon others and be of help and edification to others. Instead of focusing on his own needs and his own problems and his own issues, he can focus on others to help and to encourage them in their faith. A man who is spiritually weak and is content to be so will always need the attention of others. But a man who desires to grow in strength in his faith is enabled by the grace of God to attend to others and to give encouragement rather than always being in need of it. Now, this is not Stoicism in Christian garb. The picture of a Christian man that is emerging here is not a picture of a superman who has no spiritual needs and is all spiritual strength. Every Christian man, no matter how strong he might be, is nothing without the strength that Christ gives. And all men are in need of greater grace and mutual edification. But Scripture calls us to act like men. That is a concept which includes spiritual watchfulness, standing fast in the faith, and growing in spiritual strength. Now these things give us an initial and basic concept of what it means to be a real man in the view of the Apostle Paul. And this passage calls Christian men to grow in Christian manliness. And yet the crown jewel of Christian manliness lies in the next verse, in verse 14, where the Apostle says, let all of your things be done with charity. And we treat this point under the heading, the capstone of Christian manliness. I direct your attention to your outline where we summarize this point. The Corinthians were immature in many ways. They were enamored with the sensational, and they were prone to squabble and flatter. Paul tells them several times, in no uncertain terms, to grow up. The path of manly maturity that Paul commends is a path of steady, strong, selfless love. It is no coincidence that the commandment to act like men is followed closely by this. Let all of your things be done with charity." Charity, agape, or Christian love, is not the emotional, impulsive brand of love that is proffered by our society. Instead, it is a strong, sacrificial love that bears all things and rejoices in the truth. This is the capstone of Christian manliness. As we have seen, the four rapid-fire admonitions in verse 13 can justifiably be seen as interrelated, and we can take them as one package, watch, stand fast in the faith, act like men, be strong. All of these admonitions have the same tenor to them, and they all envision the context of spiritual warfare. And so we have seen what it means to act like a man partly by examining these three other concurrent admonitions in verse 13. But when we come to verse 14, it seems like there is a change of direction. Paul seems to be giving sort of a general admonition that is applicable to all believers to do everything that they do with charity or Christian love. And so there's no compelling reason just on the face of the text to assume that Paul was still talking specifically about Christian manhood. But given the whole thrust of the book of 1 Corinthians, there is a compelling reason to believe that Paul still has Christian manhood in mind when he says, let all that you do be done with Christian love. You see, the Corinthians were a troubled church. Paul rebuked them for being divisive and disorderly, but one of their problems was that the people of the church were jealous of each other's gifts. Everyone wanted to have those gifts that would make them stand out. The showy, flashy gifts. They wanted to prophesy. They wanted to speak in tongues. They wanted to have miracles of healing. They were enamored with whatever was sensational. And everyone aspired to have these sensational gifts so that they could have notoriety. And Paul reminded them in chapter 12 that not everyone has these gifts. But he tells them to earnestly seek something better. Seek the greater gifts, something that is best, better than everything else, better than prophecy, better than speaking in tongues, better than working miracles. Paul says, I'll show you a more excellent way. And then he launches into that very wonderful and memorable passage about Christian love in 1 Corinthians 13. The point is that the greatest spiritual gift is true Christian love. greater than prophecies, greater than tongues, greater than miracles. Love is the more excellent way, Paul says, the greatest gift. And understanding this point is an element of Christian maturity. The mature Christian can discern and must discern between what is good and what is better. The mature Christian must be able to discern between what is transient and what is permanent. The point that Paul makes is that prophesying and speaking in tongues are good gifts, but they are transient gifts, and they are second best. Christian love is better, and it is permanent. So the Corinthians in that church were acting childish, in that they wanted the showy gifts, the glitzy gifts, speaking in tongues and working miracles, but they did not aspire to the maturity of Christian love. Now in that context, Paul encourages them to aspire to Christian love by saying in 1 Corinthians 13, when I was a child, I thought as a child, I spoke as a child, I acted like a child, but when I became a man, I put away childish things. You see what he is saying. Children desire childish things, but maturity in the faith demands something else of us, that we desire what is better. And 1 Corinthians 13 tells us what is the better thing, that is the grace of Christian love. And so Paul definitely links Christian love to Christian maturity. Christian men and women alike are to aspire to have more and more of this excellent thing called Christian charity. Therein lies our spiritual maturity. Now when Paul is talking about maturing in Christian love, he uses his own development as an analogy. As I mentioned, he compared this process of maturity to his own formation as a man. When I was a child, I spoke as a child, thought as a child, understood as a child. But when I became a man, Paul said, I put away childish things. Now it's interesting that he doesn't say, when I grew up, I put away childish things. He doesn't say, when I became an adult, I put away childish things. He's more specific and he's more personal. When I became a man, I put away childish things." Evidently, the process of maturing in Christian love was an element of his Christian manhood. Now, the need for Christian love applies to men and women, of course, but we can still appreciate this emphasized connection between Christian love and Christian manliness. We find a similar emphasis in Ephesians chapter 5, where wives are told to respect their husbands, but husbands are told to love their wives. Now it's not as though wives don't have to love their husbands, but the scripture emphasizes the imperative of love when speaking to men in particular. We find the same emphasis in our text. Paul tells us to act like men. And then in the same breath, he says, let all that you do be done with love. It's not a coincidence, of course, that he talks about Christian manliness and Christian love in the same breath. One of the major arguments of the book has been this. Desire the better gifts. Grow up. When you become a man, you put away childish things. And so now at the conclusion of the book, he summarizes that argument. Act like a man. Do all that you do with love. And so we are justified in seeing this as the capstone of Christian manliness. Let all of your things be done with charity. That is how the King James Version translates that verse. And we've been using the King James Version today because of the better way it translates verse 13. But it is better here in verse 14 also, using that word charity. And it's better for this reason. There are at least three Greek words that signify different kinds of love. There is the word eros, which signifies sort of an erotic love, such as a husband and wife may have together. There is the word philos, which signifies more of a familial kind of love, the kind of love that brothers may have for one another. But then there is the word agape, and this is Christian love. This is the kind of love that Paul describes in 1 Corinthians 13. And so instead of using the same generic English word, love, to translate all three of these Greek words, the King James Version gives a unique translation to the word agape. It translates it as charity, and it means literally Christian love. It is distinct from all other kinds of love. It is distinct from the world's conception of love. Thus, this concept of Christian love surely deserves its own word, and it has its own title. Charity. Christian love. Now, unfortunately, this word has been hijacked by the world, and it is no longer found in modern Bible translations. Charity has come to signify any act or organization designed to help the poor, whether it is Christian or not. But charity or agape is that kind of love that the world cannot understand, the kind of love that the world cannot mimic. It is Christian love because it is patterned after the love of Christ. If this is the capstone of Christian manliness, then we are left with a whole new paradigm of what it means to act like a man. This love is not the negotiable, impulsive emotion that passes for love in this fallen world. Christian charity springs from the new nature. It is a strong and sacrificial love. It is a selfless and constant love. 1 Corinthians 13 tells us that charity is not envious or prideful. Instead, it is long-suffering and it is patient. Charity works hard to edify and to build up others. It is not afraid of sacrifice. It keeps no record of wrongs. Paul goes so far as to say that charity is even greater than hope and faith. Christian love, as the Apostle describes it and envisions it, is truly a thing to behold. It is clearly a divine thing. It is clearly a God-given grace, and it ultimately reflects the pure and constant love of Christ toward his people. This sacrificial love is the crown jewel of Christian manhood. In contrast, the mere males of the world are self-focused, and if you injure their pride, they can become quite nasty. Impatience, intemperance, and even profanity are the hallmarks of mere males who identify their manhood in terms of their ability to fight, to curse, and other such things. But real men have characters that are crowned with charity. Men of Christ give of themselves and empty themselves for the sake of others, as Christ did for us. Now this is radically different from the world's idea of a real man. What is a real man of the world? A man of the world, what is that? Well, it's someone who is independent and autonomous, who looks out for number one. He's out to do what he wants to do and get what he wants to get. But a man of Christ lives by the law of charity. He bears all things, he endures all things in order to love and edify others for the glory of God. This kind of love that is strong and constant and selfless and sacrificial is the pure love with which Christ has loved us. It is the kind of love that all believers ought to cultivate, men and women alike. But this is also, in particular, the kind of love that separates mere males from real men. And so in verses 13 and 14 we find the basic concept of Christian manliness and we find the capstone of Christian manliness contained within these five admonitions. A real man is a spiritual fighter who shows vigilance and initiative in his spiritual life. On the spiritual battlefield, he watches, he stands fast in the faith, and he is strong. And in his life, he does what he does with charity, with Christian love. Now, after those five admonitions, the Apostle continues on with some personal instructions to the Corinthians. In particular, he commends three different men by name. And he urges the Corinthians to acknowledge them and receive them because of their service to Christ. And this portion of our text also has a bearing on the subject of Christian manliness. Let's read again verses 15 through 18. I beseech you, brethren, you know the house of Stephanas, that it is the firstfruits of Achaia, that they have addicted themselves to the ministry of the saints. that ye submit yourselves unto such, and to every one that helpeth with us, and laboureth. I am glad of the coming of Stephanus, and Fortunatus, and Achaicus, for that which was lacking on your part they have supplied. For they have refreshed my spirit and yours, therefore acknowledge ye them that are such. We treat this point under the companions of manliness on your outline, where we summarize the point mere males tend to congregate, but so do real men. Paul exhorts real men to submit to and acknowledge other real men who have addicted themselves to the ministry of the saints. Real men in Christ keep each other's company in order to help one another grow and excel in their service to Christ. Now, in this conclusion, Paul mentions and commends three men by name. First, Stephanus, along with his household, saying that they have, interestingly enough, in the King James Version, addicted themselves to the ministry of the saints. And that translation gives adequate force to the verb that Paul uses. And it is a very striking picture of the devotion of these men to the service of Christ. They were addicted to serving the church. Then Paul commends Stephanus again, along with Fortunatus and Achaicus, saying that they supplied him with what was lacking on the part of the Corinthian church, probably meaning that they added to their gift and filled it out and supplied his needs in a very particular way. You see, here are examples of real men who give of themselves in order to edify the body of Christ. And Paul gives directions that the Corinthian church should submit themselves unto men like this. Now, this is not the submission of an inferior to a superior. Rather, it means that they should affirm these men and approve these men and help them in their ministry and in their labors. Then Paul says in verse 18, acknowledge such men. Now in giving these personal instructions, it is apparent that Paul has somewhat changed the subject. There does seem to be a break between verse 14 and 15, but it is not an ironclad division. Paul has not completely left his previous subject. What Paul says here has a true bearing on what it means to be a godly man. First of all, he points out examples of godly men, men who serve and love the saints with Christian love. And then, having exhorted the Corinthian men to act like men, he exhorts them to acknowledge and affirm these three men who have labored for the Church. The point is that men of Christ need godly examples and they need godly companionship from other men of Christ. Because growth in Christian manliness is something that Christian men do together, by serving together, by helping one another. Now, of course, this point that godly men should be received and helped and acknowledged is a point that applies across the board to men and to women alike. But we are justified in discerning this particular point from our text. The example and companionship of Christian men will help other Christian men grow in Christian manliness. First, Paul commends these three godly servants as being examples of Christian men, men who endeavor to serve. These are examples of real men, and the kind of men that believers should aspire to be. Now, mere males look up to other kinds of people, the rich and the famous, or to athletes, or to actors, But Paul calls upon us to look to the example of three men who quietly and faithfully serve the Church. These are real men who are worthy of being received and acknowledged and imitated. Also, Paul commends these three men as the kind of companions that real men need. When Paul says, submit yourself unto such, the basic idea is to be of service to them, be of help to them, be a partner with them. in the gospel enterprise. Paul is saying that these are the kinds of companions and co-laborers that you should take for yourselves. Now, mere males tend to have shallow connections. They choose their friends because of some mutual hobby or some other common interest that is rooted in the world. When mere males congregate, they tend to congregate for fun or for pleasure. But real men choose their companions with more spiritual discernment. They keep company with other Christian men for good purposes, for accountability, for encouragement in the faith, and for mutual edification. This is how Christian men are helped to mature in their true manliness, by taking real men as their examples and their companions. And so this personal note that Paul appends to the end of his letter turns out to have quite a big contribution to this concept of Christian manliness. First he says, act like men, and then he gives us three flesh-and-blood examples of real Christian men who serve the Church with love. Then he urges us to receive and acknowledge such men, that is, take them as examples and keep them as companions. Such men who serve Christ are the companions of manliness. The examples that you look up to and the companions and company that you keep say a lot about what kind of man you aspire to be. Now, the final point here that we will discuss is a point that does not come directly from the text, but in a very real way, it is the most important point of all. And that is the model of manliness, a point summarized in your outline this way. Christ was a true man. but he was also a real man. In his service to the Father, Christ was a model of the pure zeal and true strength of faith that define Christian manhood. He always watched, he always stood fast in the faith, he was always strong, and he always did all that he did with charity. Now, we can look at Stephanas and Fortunatus and Achaicus and even the Apostle Paul as examples of Christian men. but they are secondary examples. Jesus Christ himself is the true paradigm of true manliness. Now, we often talk about the humanity of Christ, and as a point of doctrinal orthodoxy, we affirm that Christ is and was a true man. But we must also affirm that he was a real man, not just a human, but also a model of manliness. Consider the concept of manliness as displayed in Christ's life. He was watchful, wasn't he? He was always spiritually watchful, always on guard against the temptations of life and the assaults of Satan. Even when those assaults came under the guise of friendship, came through Peter, his close friend, he was watchful. He was on guard. He answered his opponents with Scripture. When he was contradicted, he went to the Word of God. He always was watchful over his soul, sometimes spending whole nights in prayer and in communion with God. There was a real man who watched and who was vigilant in spiritual warfare. Consider how the Lord Jesus stood fast in the faith. He never changed his theology in order to be popular. He never caved in when he was opposed. And he never bent the law of God to suit himself. As a real man, he stood fast in the faith. And he never backed down from the truth. He never compromised his sanctity. And when the enemy pushed, he pushed back. He was not willing to give up his ground. And he always stood fast in the faith. Consider also the manly strength of the Lord Jesus Christ. He was strong of mind, strong of spirit, and strong in his will to do the work of God. We must also take note of the fact that he was physically courageous and strong as well. The artists love to picture him as weak and emaciated and even effeminate, but these images do not correspond to reality. As we know, he grew up in a life of manual labor, And one day in his ministry he walked into the temple and he flipped over the moneychangers' tables and he made a whip out of cords and he drove out the moneylenders from the house of God. Now that is nothing like the artist's rendition of the effeminate Jesus. When he was personally insulted he turned the other cheek and he taught us to do the same thing. But when his father's holiness was impugned He was not afraid to be courageous, to be valiant, to be strong. He was only one man, but the merchants in the temple did not resist him. This is not because he displayed any supernatural power. What he did in the temple there was not a miracle. But what those money changers and merchants witnessed was the strength and the courage of a real man who was right with God. Now, obviously, Jesus didn't come to fight and to flex his muscle and to make a show of himself. Obviously, he did not. Because that is not real manliness. There was no bravado in this man, such as what passes for manliness in the world today. But the point is that there was real boldness in this man. There was real godly strength in this man. His true strength is most clearly seen in his mind and in his spirit and in his will to do the work of God. Christ was humble and lowly of heart and tender toward others. But as a man, in his duty, he was always strong. Spiritual leadership and spiritual composure always characterized his life. And when the difficulty of his calling threatened to overwhelm him with emotion in the Garden of Gethsemane. He righted himself. He fixed his mind upon the will of God and his duty. And he said, not my will be done, but yours. And scripture tells us that he set his face like stone toward Jerusalem with an unwavering will to do the duty that God had given him, no matter how much pain and shame he had to endure. the pure strength that it took to patiently and silently endure torture and death because it is your calling to sacrifice yourself for people who hate you and want to kill you. Consider what strength it took, what pure godly strength it took to do that. If we had only a faint reflection of such strength If we had only a faint reflection of such a strong will to do our duty, we would be real men indeed. But finally, consider the capstone of manliness in the life of Christ. Here was a man, a real man, who did all that he did with charity, with real Christian sacrificial love. He fits the picture of 1 Corinthians 13 with absolute perfection. Christ was long-suffering and kind. He was not envious. He did not parade himself or behave rudely. He did not seek his own. He was not puffed up, nor was he provoked. Nor did he think any evil. He did not rejoice in iniquity. Rather, he rejoiced in the truth. He bore every hardship. He hoped and believed in all good things. And he endured all things for our sake. He was a real man with so much true charity that he was willing to give his life for ours. And that unconditional, sacrificial love that he has for the Church continues today. And even now, the glorified Christ continues to be the paradigm of true manliness. And so Christianity remains and always has been a manly religion. because we have as a Savior a true man and a real man who loved so dearly that he gave his life as a ransom for ours. And so, in conclusion, I commend to you the man Christ Jesus, his life, his work, his godliness, and his manliness. The Son of God, the only Savior, and a real man indeed. And I ask you, are you mere males or real men? Let us pray. Lord God in heaven, convict our hearts with your word and enable us to respond in faith. We thank you that Christ died for our sins and he had so much true Christian charity for us that he was willing to give his life for ours. May we take him as a model of what a real man is. May we believe in Him with all of our hearts and we pray for the strength to do so and to follow His example in life. Father, we pray these things in Jesus' name. Amen. We will respond to God's Word by singing Psalm 31, Selection G. And you'll notice here in the 10th stanza, there are some echoes of the things that Paul mentions in 1 Corinthians 16. The commandment to be strong and to be of courage. O love the Lord you godly, the Lord the faithful keeps, that he repays the haughty, that what he sows he reaps. Be strong, he'll keep refreshing your heart with courage great. O do with hope and patience upon Jehovah wait. Let's stand in silence.