26. To Grow in Wisdom and Stature

Introduction

When King David was old and advanced in years, Solomon was crowned king in his stead. The house of David was in order; he was ready to lie down with his fathers. But there was one more thing David had to do before he departed. He called his son to himself and gave him one final charge:

David's final words to his son are a call to strength and manliness. Notice David's definition of masculinity is to obey the Lord. Masculinity is not something that is separate from Godliness.

Be God’s Man

The charge of David to his son is the same call God gives to His sons. Brothers, if you are in Christ you are God's son.

As sons of God, we have responsibilities. Biblical masculinity is the holy calling of accepting the responsibility that God requires of you in obedience. The call to all men is to be God's man, to lay your sword before Him in service. And what would God have His son do? Be like Him:

Each day we walk with God, we are to become more transformed into the image of Christ. When people see us, they should see more of Christ in us than they did the day before.

For those who are young, you have been given a great gift. Because of your youth, you have more of an opportunity to become like Christ than the deathbed convert. You have more of an opportunity than the one who was saved in his late forties. This is not to say that God cannot work great change in those saved later in life, but simply to say that you have an opportunity to grow still more than them.

Those of you who have not known a day when you have not loved the Lord, you are able to cultivate Godly masculinity when you are young. It has been bestowed on you to be like Christ and to grow in wisdom and stature and in favor with God and man (Luke 2:52). Do not take this gift lightly; remember that to whom much has been given, much shall be required (Luke 12:48).

A Champion of the Word

As you begin to cultivate biblical masculinity, remember to be on your guard. The enemy is cunning, so do not underestimate him, for he has brought down many great men who are more mighty than you.

The devil seeks to devour the flock of Christ; he is a malicious worm. He especially has his eye fixed on young men, for he knows that the young men are dangerous tools. Young men are creatures of great strength, capable of the mightiest deeds.

Satan would wield the strength of young men to his will to accomplish great devastation and ruin. We see this in the young man Absalom, who won the heart of Israel and sought to overthrow his father, David. Absalom had such great potential, was gifted in persuasion, was handsome, and was mighty. He could have been a great warrior for his father, the king, and he could have made Israel safe and encouraged Israel to follow the Lord. Instead, he sought power, and the devil used that selfishness.

My brothers, do not use your strength for evil. Do not seek selfish gain, for it will only end in ruin. Guard your hearts and your minds against corruption. How do we do that? By combating evil with the sword of truth:

The Word of God is a mighty defense to us and a great general in the attack. Keep your path according to Scripture, and obey all that it teaches. But how can you obey Scripture if you do not know what it says? You must spend time reading your Bible every day.

This is something I fear many of us tend to neglect (myself included). We take for granted the fact that we have the very Words of God at our fingertips. We also take for granted that we have such free access to the Word of God when so many places around the world are trying to stamp it out.

Brothers, do not take lightly the weight, power, and worth of the sixty-six books contained in leather binding. Meek and humble as they may appear, these books contain the words of eternal life by which lives are changed, and nations are brought to their knees. Scripture is how the infinite God reveals Himself to us; therefore seek after the Lord with all your heart by diving deeply into His Word. Make Bible reading something more important to you than even eating. A great challenge my brother practices that I have adopted is “no Bible, no breakfast.” This is a helpful way to remind yourself of the importance of God’s Word. Strive to read Scripture every day, no exception.

Memorize Scripture. David hid the Word of God in his heart so he might not sin against Him (Psalm 119:11). What do you do when you are confronted by the enemy on the road, and you have no access to your Bible? What do you do when you are at work and a customer starts yelling at you, and you feel rage bubbling up in your heart? What do you do when your friends are leading you astray? Memorizing Scripture is the concealed carry of your spiritual life. Every verse you memorize is always ready to defend you and combat the darkness.

That Glorious Strength

A point that we have made multiple times in this series is that men need to be strong. Strength is a major part of our design. It is not some minor side feature, but rather, it is an integral function of masculinity. Adam was made as a creature of strength to work the ground and domesticate it. Jesus the Second Adam came with great strength, speaking with authority as he drew hard lines in the sand. Adam's blood flows through our veins; we drink Christ's blood and rejoice in His covenant; we are to act, therefore, in the same Spirit that was in Christ Jesus and to use the bodies that are built in the likeness of Adam. This is especially true of young men:

Young men, the world is going to tell you that your strength is a toxic trait that should be despised, but do not listen. God has given you your strength as your glory; therefore, rejoice in your strength. But remember, with your strength comes great responsibility. We are to use our strength in a certain way.

We are to be self-controlled. We need to use our strength sensibly, and we ought to act in a dignified manner. Even our speech is to be above reproach (meaning we need to be careful with our words).

Strength is more than mere physicality. Strength includes our physical build, but it is not limited to that. We are to be spiritually strong. This means having the determination to do the will of God, the courage to stand up for righteousness, and the will to joyfully accept responsibility for others. Spiritual strength is not something we naturally possess but is something that is given to us. Each of us is born dead in sin, and we have no ability to do anything pleasing to God. It is the Spirit of God who breathes life into us and empowers us to accomplish great things.

When you look at the Old Testament, notice the times when the phrase “the spirit of the Lord came mightily upon him.” This happened to Gideon when He led Israel into war (Judges 6:34). Samson had the Spirit of the Lord on him when he struck down the Philistines with the jawbone of a donkey (Judges 15:14). David had the Spirit of the Lord rest upon him the moment he was anointed to be king of Israel (1 Sam 16:13).

In each of these examples and many more, the Holy Spirit strengthened men to accomplish mighty deeds, and that same Spirit has been poured out to all who have been purchased by the blood of Christ. He is interceding for you at this very moment. He is convicting you of sin and is making you more like Christ with each passing day. Dear Christian, listen to the Spirit. He is your source of strength.

Cast Off All That Hinders

It is important that this strength that the Lord has given be pointed in the right direction. We have a clear goal in our sights that we are striving for. This means that we need to stay on mission.

My brothers, there are many things along the road that will seek to distract us from our mission. If the devil cannot corrupt your strength, he will seek to distract you by squandering your strength so that you accomplish nothing. Video games are one of those things that can lead us into idleness. They give you a false sense of dominion and accomplishment, but at the end of the day, what have you gained?

Watching sports is another area in which we can squander our strength. Entire Lord’s Days can slip from our fingers by watching football for hours on end, hours that could have been used in service of the King. I am not trying to say that sports, video games, movies, etc. are sinful. Is there a time to watch a football game? Absolutely. Is there a time to play an online game with friends? Most certainly. But do not miss the warning I am laying before you.

Do not let these things drag you down. Do not squander your strength. Your eyes need to be always fixed on Christ. I believe that a majority of our time needs to be spent working for the kingdom. This does not mean we never rest, for God gave us a sabbath. You get a day, but there are six others to work. Imagine if Martin Luther had our technology and spent hours on end scrolling through Facebook (hashtag nailed it); what sort of impact do you think he would have had? What if, instead of exploring Africa to pave the way for evangelism, David Livingstone spent all his time playing Minecraft? Brothers, let us lay aside every encumbrance and put our hands to the plow and work for our King.

Brothers

Being a man of God is a hard calling; the road is difficult and will be overwhelming to us at times. But that is why God has given us brothers to march with us.

When the going gets tough, we need brothers who will pick us up and encourage us on the road. In my own life, when my mom was battling cancer, I had a group of guys that I heavily relied on to get me through that hardship.

There is more to brotherhood than help in adversity, though. Men can push you to accomplish great things. Nehemiah and his men rebuilt the walls of Jerusalem in only fifty-two days. When the men of God unite together to use their strength in worship of Him, they accomplish great things. The Lord has given men strength for the purpose of subduing the earth, and when the men of God obey, the Lord brings about dominion.

Brotherhood is necessary, but it is also important that the brothers we entrust ourselves to are true brothers.

You become like who you hang around. Friends always have an influence on you. Are they having a positive impact on you? Gather to yourself brothers who are united to the same cause, who will push you to be more like Christ and will stand shoulder to shoulder with you in the work of building the kingdom.

Listen to the Wise

There is a lot more advice I would love to give to those of you who are striving to develop Godly masculinity while young, but there is no time in this article. So, for the time we have left, I want to leave you with one last piece of advice. Listen to wisdom. Men of God are wise, so it is important to seek wisdom.

Where are we to acquire wisdom? It starts by fearing the Lord and not despising wisdom and instruction. To fear the Lord is to stand in reverence of Him, and it also means to recognize your place and to be humble. You do not know everything; therefore, listen to wisdom and instruction. Notice whose instruction we are to listen to: parents. Your parents are God’s gifts to you for the training up in righteousness. Listen to them, for their words will train you up in the way you should go.

I understand that some of you have unwise parents or perhaps no parents at all. Fear not, my brothers, for God has graciously given us other parents to guide us in wisdom. Look at Paul’s words to the Corinthian church:

There are those who have walked with the Lord for many years. They possess great wisdom and understanding. They know what it means to be a man after God’s own heart. I guarantee they are in your church. Seek out these men, let them be more than just mere tutors, let them be fathers to you. Watch how they walk in the Lord, imitate them, and listen to their advice. More than that, remember your Heavenly Father, who is the perfect Father who will love, discipline, and strengthen you to be a true man who will accomplish great things.

Works Cited

New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation. All rights reserved.