#152 Jesus is a Man - A Father's Day Sermon

American society is unhinged and absent masculinity is a symptom of our estranged relationship with God. Something that has been missing in the evangelical church is the worship of God for manhood. We walk on egg shells discussing masculinity because we've bought into the lie that manhood and womanhood is about us rather than the Lord. We live move and have our being in Him. So, we ought to preach relentlessly about biblical masculinity because faithful men glorify the Lord. Also, we ought to take heart in the fact that Jesus is a man. We hope you're encouraged by this sermon by Brandon on Father's Day 2024.

Transcript

Transcript

Then the whole company of them arose and brought him before pilot. And they began to. Accuse him saying we found this man misleading our nation and forbidding us to give tribute to Caesar and saying that he himself is Christ a king. And pilot acts them. Are you the king of the Jews? And he answered him. You have said so. So we're going to move over to. The next verse 11. And Herod, with his soldiers, treated him with contempt and mocked him. Then saying arrang him and splendid and. Splendid clothing he sent him back to pilot. And Harold and pilot became friends with each other that very day. For before this, they had been at MIT with with each other. And then over to verse 32. The 48. Two others who were criminals were laid, LED away to be put to death with him. And when they came to the place that is called the skull. There they crucified him. And the criminals, one on his right and one on his left. And Jesus said, father, forgive them, for they do, for they know not what they do. And they cast lots to divide his garments. And the people stood by watching. But the Wheeler scoffed, saying it at him saying. He saved others, let him save himself. If he is the Christ of God the chosen 1. The soldiers also mocked him coming up and offering him sour sour wine and saying if you are the king of the Jews, save yourselves. There was also an inscription over him. This is the king of the Jews. One of the criminals who were hanged railed at him, saying, are you not the Christ? Save yourself and us. But the other rebuked him, saying do you not fear God since you are under the same sentence of combination? And we indeed justly, for we are receiving the due reward of our deeds, but this man has done nothing wrong. And he said, Jesus Remember Me when you come into your Kingdom? Ohh and this is 48. Yeah, and he said to him, truly I say to you today you will be with me in Paradise. It was now about the 6th hour and there was darkness over the whole land until the 9th hour. While the sun slights failed and the curtain of the temple was torn in two. Then Jesus calling out with a loud voice, said father into your hands. I commit my spirit and having said this, he breathed his last. Now when the Centurion saw what had taken place, he praised God, saying certainly this man was innocent. And all the crowds that had assembled for the spectacle when they saw what had taken place. Returned home, beating their breast. That's the word of the Lord.

And back-to-back weeks, we've had lengthy passages to read. And I wanted to. Reiterate this passage and sections of. It. For a couple reasons. One to highlight the beauty of manhood in a way, I think that. Is neglected in society. But then also just to reemphasize. How the Christians life our ability to grow in the knowledge of God's holiness and his glory. Makes that passage more and more gut wrenching. I think that's a goal of. Ours. That we would be able. To read this passage with broken hearts. All the more. So before I start, if you. Would bow in prayer with me. I. Want to read a? Prayer sections of it, at least. As we prepare our hearts to hear from them. To the great iron. Mighty God, who, amidst the lapse of this world and the revolutions of empires, feels no variable Ness. That is glorious in immortality. May rejoice that while Moon died, the Lord lives. That while all creatures are broken weeds, empty systems, fading flowers, withering glass, he is the Rock of Ages, the fountain of living waters. Turn my heart from Danny. From dissatisfactions. From uncertainties of the present state. To an eternal interest in Christ. Amen. If somebody were to ask you. Excuse me. Why we? Even celebrate days like Father's Day, Mother's Day. What would you say? What would be your response? I've been getting messages. My phone is literally buzzing right now. I should probably put a. Timer on it. For ronald's. Sake. But. You have someone asked you to explain why. Why celebrate? What would you say? Now, I'll be honest with you. I've had conversations with people who said we shouldn't. But that's specific. To Father's Day. Maybe people are indifferent. My stance is this. It's a man made holiday and then Mother's Day and Father's Day is a man made holiday. If I wait until May until June to honor my mother and my father, I've done something wrong. But a lot of people's responses of negativity may be as a result of the fact that. They have no picture. Of one worthy of honor. Maybe it's a negative response because they think about a father and they say he's undeserving of my honor. And though there. Is way more to say on that topic, but I want to say up front right now as my father sits right here in this row, he's unworthy of my honor. But my heavenly Father told me to honor him. To the praise of his glory. And I've been fortunate enough to have a father who recognizes that Heavenly Father points us to that Heavenly Father. So my reasons for celebrating Father's Day may. Be. Very different from others. But think about society today. You must be under a rock if you don't feel that there is definitely a gender divide. Jungle war. And I. It didn't start last year. Started millennia ago. In creation. In men and women decided to break away and become estranged from their heavenly Father. And not only did that relationship break, but relationship between one another broke. And we're feeling the effects of that. But after the cross. In this space. There's a picture that's supposed to be painted. That we have a spirit within us that gives us the power to paint this picture that ought to be different. So that when outside of this space you have TV shows like. I was going to forget Whoopi Goldberg the view. They'll ask the question took a poll. Why do we need men? The response, overwhelmingly, is we don't. And then the reason why so graciously given to us by them was because men are useless. And the irony about that, and the reality of this book and relationship is that one who has such a response. Probably has a scar. Of a lack of a man. A good one. And I'm not thinking about a human, but I'm thinking about. A different man. This will of thinking, even if we haven't. Decided to adopt it. Has some seeds and some markings on our own hearts at times. You see the gender feeds and the way that we think about one another, the way we treat one another, we're all guilty in some type of way of contributing to. And even Christians have begun to take those days when they come Mother's Day. This is my day. I deserve it. I get texts. I've been getting texts all day. Hey, man, so great. Grateful for you to be a father, man. You deserve it. Enjoy it. Christians, when they have this mindset, have forgotten that the Christian who trust in Christ. We'll never get what they deserve. And we worship God for it. Is what we deserve. This is righteous judgment and life. But what we've received is adoption as children. And a righteous standing before him. And inheritance into his Kingdom. But because of the gender war. And these days come up. Mother's Day, Father's Day and it. And it just becomes another opportunity to have a school point for their respective gender, even to the point where even if I preach a sermon on men. There would be some undercurrent undertones, maybe influences of me chalking. One up for the guys. Forgetting that manhood has nothing to do with men. The beauty of manhood doesn't point to men. The beauty of manhood points to man's maker. The King of glory. So even if we did want to hold on to this man made holiday, which I think is honorable, it's good and celebrate men. We celebrate men to the glory of God. All the more reason. To honor those who honor him. Why does any of this matter? The passage that I just read. Alright, Kelvin, just read. Sorry, that was hard work. I'm not taking your credit. Bro. Why does this matter? Well, first and foremost, it matters because Jesus is a man. What we're doing here at church, what we're doing here as the church is Kingdom of God rehearsal. The way that we think about one another, the way that we think about the Lord, the way that we live as a result of those thoughts that have been been buried into our hearts, is rehearsal for things to come in perfection, with glorified bodies as we worship the King of Glory and live under his headship. So we ought to rehearse rightly. Even in our thinking. And the thinking around manhood. And everything about it. Needs to be filtered through these pictures. And we ought to be the ones here. Showing that with our lives. And it starts first and foremost with knowing Jesus is a man. So you see my three points up. Jesus is a man. First and foremost that. That statement is plainly true. He is a model for men. Men need not look out into the world or anyone else to be a man. And what it looks like to be a man. He's got the King of glory. As a modeling example, look to him. Secondly, he is a man currently right now. A beautiful mystery. But he sits at the right hand of the father, currently on our behalf, advocating for us interceding for us. He's the greatest mentor. Of all time. Thirdly. He was a man. A human. A necessary sacrifice. Because the destiny of humans. His punishment for being sinful? Rebellious and we needed a stand in. And the Lambs and the sheeps couldn't cut it.

They need to be an.

Unblemished, human, and we praise God that Jesus is a man. Let's start with the 1st. And here's the Model 3 quick highlights about him being a model. Let's start with verse one of 22. Yeah. Uninstall 23. It's my passage. When the whole company of the Rose and brought him before pilot. Stop. Whatever your job is. Whatever you have been tasked to do, however long you've been doing it, think about. The person at work you think doesn't know what the heck they're doing. Some of you had somebody come. To your mind, quickly you need to repent.

There's no what you're doing.

It's not a slanderous thing. Maybe they're young lady. They just started. And maybe you've been there for a long time. But it is. So let's slander this thing. They know what they're doing. Imagine your boss, whoever is over you comes up to you. And say I want you to sit with whoever this person is and and I want you to let them teach you something. That you've been doing your job for the longest amount of time. Imagine how you feel in that moment. Imagine how disrespected or condescended you probably feel in that moment. Or maybe you're more humble than me and you take it and need of God on you. I I pray that I you know. I highlight this first passage because I just don't want to skip by the fact that the creator of the universe, the visible image of the Invisible God who spoke. And all things developed in existence in heavens and on Earth, and took the dirt of the Earth and formed it into a man. Breathed breath into this man just so subsequently those breaths to become curses towards this God, and then millennia later he's presented before this mud made man. To give an account. Who he is and. Why? He says who he is. Something we can learn as a model of Christ is that one aspect of headship, which is what God made men for. The priority of headship is humility. You you don't start with humidity, you're. Not a man. It's intrinsically tied to manhood. We've had so many models of what it means to be a man in the world. I mean, I think the three pillars of worldly manhood is athletic ability, financial stability and sexual prowess. How good you are on some field or some sport. Or how much money you make. Or how much sex you have, or how sexually attractive you are. And then that's it. It's a sucky list. Meanwhile, we have criticism model. And first and foremost, he shows is that the true grass and what it means to be powerful is you start with humidity. True humidity doesn't need to announce itself. It listens, and it certainly doesn't take advantage. It lowers. It endures. It protects. It sacrifices. Verse two, and he began to accuse himself. We found this man misleading our nation and forbidding us to give tribute to Caesar and saying that he himself is Christ of King. Now there are some interesting things about what they just said in here, because if you're familiar with the Gospels, at least what we. Have revealed to us. In the scriptures, I don't remember Jesus making any negative explicit comments about Caesar. As a matter of fact, what he said about Caesars, everything that belongs to individual. But what Jesus did do is he told he told the truth about himself. And what was inferred? Is that the way you're talking? Nobody else can be a ruler. Because Jesus is confrontational. As a model for manhood when it comes down to being a follower of Jesus in a in a dying world filled with lies, you stand in the gap between the lies and those you love. That's what Jesus does, he. He confronts.

OK.

There's an interesting aspect about Jesus crucifixion scene. A couple of these passages I'm going to jump around. You have staffing. You have mapping. They they they accused him, saying he steals up the people teaching throughout all Judea, from Galilee, even to this place. Now, they said what he was doing, his teaching. How's it stirring up the people? He's teaching the truth. And the truth will. Stir you in one way or another. Either to a revived heart or to a hardened 1. But it's the truth that's being taught. And when I spoke about this confrontation, is is not just physical, it's it's actually more spiritual. Jesus is seeing on the cross while all the people around him mocking him is actually illustrated in Psalm 22. But it's spiritual. In Psalm 22, you know, I didn't think I had. I'm going to do it. Look, go to Psalm 22 quickly. Verse 12. Psalm 22, verse 12, where we at with it. Just to give you some context of this, this divided Psalm that's attributed later on to a prophetic Psalm David here is not talking about Jesus. That's the the beauty of the Scriptures and the way that God reveals himself in truth in the scriptures is that in this moment where David is describing his. Actual circumstances prophetically as describing a circumstance to come. And those seven? All who see me knock me, they make miles of me. They wag their heads. I mean, that's creating the picture. It says here in verse 12, many booms encompass me. Strong bulls of Bashan surround me. They opened wide their mouths at me, like ravening and roaring lion, skipping the 14 four dogs encompassed me accompany of evil doers. Encircles me. They have pierced my hands and feet. I count all my bones. They stare and glow over me. They divide my garments among them, and for my clothing they cast out. So I read all that. So you can see the context of this image that's pointing to the image of the crux. Fiction, but in verse 12 that statement many bulls encompass me. Strong bulls of Bashan surround me. That is spiritual language. When you read the prophets and you read aimless, they talk about these bulls of Bashan attacking the Pagan priests and priestesses and their deities and everything else. And So what we see in this passage is Jesus being surrounded by a bunch of people who are scoffing and knocking and everything else. But what's happening in the unseen realm. Is far worse. In Jesus's response. Is I'm going to stand between them? And those I love. Because the truth is dangerous to evil. If you've heard me talking. About the goodness of a good. Dangerous man. That's it. A willingness to tell the truth. And what happens as a result of that is in our own hearts, we ask the question well, what will happen to. Me. If I do that. What if I'm slander for doing so? I mean, we read this passage, it's on 22 and it is the culmination of our deepest fears socially. I don't think any of us expect to be strung up on a cross, but we can't. We don't have to get to the cross part the slandering. Part puts us in sweats. What if they call me something I'm not. With some ridicule. What if I'm ostracized? This is my family we're talking about. This is my work we're talking about. This is my child we're talking about. Jesus as our motto. We see him resting in the promises of his father. It's just a a beauty to the confidence in Christ. That's resembled in his silence. You see Taunton stuffing mocking, challenging happening in this entire scene, that Jesus regarding the scoffing and the mocking and the challenging says only one thing. A prayer to his father to forgive. Him. That's the only response Jesus has. Isaiah says this in Isaiah 53 he was oppressed and he was afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth up the lamb on his led to the slaughter. And like a sheep before it shares the silence. So he opened not his mouth. There's a beautiful confidence when you rest in the promises of the Lord. You don't need the faults of man, and you don't need. To challenge them. Who cares what someone says about you? Who cares what they call you? Isn't that the deepest threat today, a challenge to identity and attack on who you are? You're going to be a bigoted Christian if you stand in the truth, you're going to be a racist if you value the reconciliation that comes between Brother and sister through Christ alone. At the risk of sounding flippant in this passage, there is a verse that is the most unnecessary verse. I say that tongue in cheek. Is that the crucifixion scene? Where are we? I need to get a Bible with big letters, man. What was it 36 to 40 here? We. Go 47. Verse 47. Never missing tune and saw what had taken place. He praised God sin. Certainly this man was innocent. Duh. I don't say that to the Centurion. I say that for our benefit. What I say for our benefit, because that freeze. Is is between him and the Lord. It's revealed to us in scripture, but that's just his realization between him and the Lord. But we need to know that Jesus didn't. Need to hear that. Jesus didn't need to be vindicated by the Centurion. We often seek vindication from people we want to. Hear that moment? Certainly this person was right when they made that argument. Certainly this person wasn't in the wrong when. People blame them. We want vindication from people, but Jesus rests in the vindication. He God that this is my son, with whom I am well pleased. And that carries them. Through all the mocking and the taunting that anyone could ever given. To the point where even at the. Point of this. Human vindication. He's dead already. He didn't need to hear that. And neither do we. We don't need to chase. The words of our opponents when we have the offending words of our father. Jesus is a perfect model for us. Click here. For the by the validation, we're seeking out stop it. And I and I say that as a brother across from you who seeks that. And has to bury his face in the floor, reminding myself of who I am and the Lord. And what it means to be validated through Christ? Jesus is a man. He's our model for us. But he is also ohh sorry. He is a man right now, currently presently interceding on our behalf. Our great high priests standing in the gap currently for the week so that they may be made strong. Gone through the human experience in every way yet perfectly. There was no greater mentor. The wrath of Hebrews says since then we have a great high priest towards passed through the heavens. Jesus, the son of God, let us hold fast our confession, for we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses. The one who in every respect has been tempted, as we are, without sin. As a result of that. In the midst of your failure. In the midst of your weakness. Drawn near to the throne of Grace with confidence. Not arrogance. It's not Americans that says, you know, I did it again. You know, but this is what I'm supposed to do in the Christian. I'm coming to you. About it, no, there's still fearing trembling. But there is a confidence that you're speaking to a father. Who calls you child? Son. Daughter. Jesus has the sinless one and we see this in this scene here. The thief. There are two thieves here and one thief is scoffing and pay attention to the word scoffing being. Used that you. Just I think it's necessary for us to know what the heart of a scoffer is. It doesn't matter what you're scoffing at. I think that convicted me. With the heart of scoffing looks like. All throughout scripture, scoffing. OK, he's between one wheels of scoffing and. Slander, like the son of man, why don't you save yourself and save us? And then you have. One, you're. Saying what's wrong with you hanging on across and yelling slander? What are you doing? But here's the beauty. Of it, Jesus is a man currently. There's a lot to be said about the criminal knowing, to look to Jesus for his help. There's a lot to be said about the fact. That a criminal didn't. Have any doctrine? He didn't have any of this stuff yet? Jesus welcomes him into the Kingdom. That should be reassuring. That salvation comes under no other name in heaven but Christ. It doesn't come in your beautiful perfection of being able to explain how martyrology or soteriology. That stuff builds you up into maturity, so learn it. But your salvation is it doesn't depend on it. He knows that it's Jesus. He has to look to. But the beauty of this scene is that he doesn't cry aloud to some empty space about how to be safe. He turns to his side. Because the one who can save them is suffering with them. That's the beauty of Jesus being the man currently. That in our human weakness. We cry out to help. He suffers alongside us. We grieve our weakness and we grieve losses around us. He suffers right beside us. That it is he who leads us in green pastures sits us since waters that are at rest. But we were in grave valleys of fear and death. We don't need to fear because he's there with us, comforting us with his ride and status. The Great Shepherd, the great I am. And because he is a man currently he's the great I know. Whatever you call out to him about, he can say I know. I know. Here's the reality of it. Reality of. Having Jesus as our motto to look to and. Hold our lives after.

Even be able to.

Cry out to. The reality is that. Our sin separates us from God. If there's something that's more frustrating to the believer. It's that, though they know about this perfect father who lives in heaven and their Lord and savior Jesus Christ, their life does not add up to the status they've been given to them. And then. They keep failing. I have this model. I want to look to. I want to be like. I have this please I want to cry out to you for help. But man, it's so frustrating. The fact that I have to cry out to him for help for this thing. It's been 20 years already. But the good news we have in Christ is. That he is a man. He's a man for us as a model. He's a man currently for us as a mentor who has gone through the human existence, but he is also a Messiah because he's the human substitute for us. Pastor Matt Brooks last week and he taught. You a word. Anybody remember the word? Say it out. Who said it propitiation. Propitiation. This is an important word because some would say that God is too loving to have punished, that just doesn't make any sense. If someone breaks into my house, it's my love that's going. To punish them. Propitiation means that there is a wrath kindled. Against us, by God, because of our rebellion, because of sin that has happened. And when the Israel is sacrificing lands and goats and other things, it's temporary. It's not going to last. So they're going to have to do that for all eternity. The only problem about eternity with. Humans, is that you die? You don't live for eternity, and when you die, you want to stand face to face with your creator, no matter how much you like it, no matter how much you can rationalize it or explain it away. And when you stand face to face with your creator, you're going to have to answer the question. What have you done to enter into my Kingdom and in my presence? It's pure, righteous and holy as a defiled human being. What have you done? Nothing. But Jesus is a man. And that you can say that he's done it for me. That he stood, lived. Died for me. And the perfection of my life that I could never give you has been given to me through him. And the death that I deserve to die separated from. You has been crucified with him. And I stand at the gates of the Heavenly Father now because the life that he raised to I lived in today correctly. Jesus is our substitute when we serve this substitute. The beauty of what Christians have to offer in the gender war instead of scoring points is we can actually highlight the beauty of manhood. The beauty of womanhood, and that it was supposed to be a man as a preserving force who protected his bride and he didn't. She was lied to and relationship was broken between God and man.

But the scriptures.

Do not say that sin entered through a woman.

Linked to a man. Because you're meant to be a preserving force. But in the fullness of time. The example of the son of Man was born of a woman. So when that God's creation isn't about you, it's not about us scoring points. It's about him. It's going to him.

What it means to be as image bearers that word, image all men. It's beautiful. It means idle. It it means idle then Hebrew word. That's why, he says, don't make idols. I've already done it. It's you. How dare you try to craft what? My hands have already done. You are my idols. If there were a trophy room of the Lord that someone could walk through, it would be you. Or his trophy. And if your latest trophy only instead is yours, trophy and functionality in the way that we function together and the cultural mandate of being more fruitful and multiplying, fill the earth with more of my glory, so that when someone in external universe look at the earth.

And when they look at the year, they.

Can say ohh. That's yahweh's. There's a bunch of little. Hymns. Not only is it little hymns and status is little hymns and functionality. And people Co. Ruling together, not being rivals with one another. And solving in different roles and different capacities, but to the points of his glory and his glory alone. Pauling frustration asks. Do you not realize that? One day you will judge the angels. What are you doing? Petty arguments amongst yourselves for? Jesus. The King of glory. These are substitute. And it's necessary that we understand that he's a man. He's our king. Pilot. Single pilot. He's brought before him. And he's asked. Are you the king of the Jews? In Jesus response, as you have said so. We always wondered about that response. Because it seems so anemic. Seems so thin. Other than what it's meant to be, but I imagine that Jesus is like, look, let's get this over with. This is what I came here to do. And I can only imagine that if if Jesus actually wanted the fullness of the truth to come out, and they would have never been able to handle it, and not only that, I imagine this is me talking, they they ended probably ended up would have just bending the knee and Jesus wouldn't have been killed. And we'd be still dead in our sense. Because he asked Jesus if he, if he's the king of the Jews. And I imagine that you know. If the fullness of the answer would come in, then echoes from pagans like Rahab and like Tamar would come in and say oh, but he's. My king too. And not just the Jews, but then echoes of David and Solomon, who are kings, would come in and say, oh, he's my king too. And the nation after nation, with different tongues and tribes with poor rings of pilots palace and say. But it's my king too. And if it would ever be even possible storms and winds and cancers and death itself would follow its way into the palace and say it's my thing too. Because he's the King of glory. We don't have time for all that, so. You've said so. Let's get on with it. And what we do as. A result of this king, who is a man. Is die. That's to all of us. To the men. You die first. That's the beauty of it. There is no circumstance that gets you out of that calling simply because you are the glory of God. And you're called to glory him. You die. Physically, you die emotionally. You died socially. To the praise of his glory. I think one of the hardest conversations I had this year is a friend of mine. Who? It's just his marriage is torn apart. There's a lot to be said about choices and counseling that was needed before that, but doesn't matter. He's dealing with. A marriage that's breaking up. Children present. And he's being slandered by his own bride. And not only her, but her family. And to be honest with you, I've met with him because I believed them. And I'm going to call him to account. But in my discussion with him, I realized what's happening. And he didn't utter one negative word about.

Her. So we prayed.

And in my prayer. I said Lord. Help this man to die. Because there's going to be times he's going to want to utter something negative about his bride, but I don't see that in the scriptures at all. I see the level like Christ in the scriptures. He's going to need to set an example for his children about his bride having a husband. I don't see slandering there at all. He's going, he's going to continue to have a family that slanders him and calls him names and accuses him of doing things that he wants. To do he's going. To want vindication, he's going to want their validation to share.

But that's not who I am.

Stay silent.

State.

Danny. Because your marriage wasn't about you in the first place. And in the good times and in this valley. It was for the King's glory. But there's good news. Even in this dark moment. Your king is a man. P1. And so we serve him through death. And we die differently. As believers in Christ, but we die. In my heart, I would love to see a picture of men who are growing to look like a status of Christ, that are praised and celebrated by their sisters to do so, and women who are growing to the status of Christ and men who celebrate and praise them in doing so. That the church would look so holy and separate and different. That though they slander. When they step here, there's something about it that feels so good. And they never want to leave. Not because of. Us. But for the praise of his glory. Let's pray.