good morning
wow wow okay hey we are looking for the leaders at Champion Center you know a lot of people consider
themselves to be leaders but we we believe and we’re talking about it a lot this year that we’re all called into
leadership and this is a bit of a new uh unveiling to this year over the next couple months you’re going to see a lot
of faces like that no exaggeration hundreds have graduated from Champion Center Leadership School over the years
and are serving not only in our local church but around the nation and literally around the world so we this is
a time where uh they’re you know sending our kids off or if you’re a young adult going off to University needs to at
least be questioned it needs to be considered you need to think again like is that really what I’m supposed to do
and I I just this year we’re going to maybe make you tired of hearing about lead X because lead X is one of the best
kept secrets at Champion Center and so we want to talk about it enough that people are aware of it and you know it’s an option we are connected with
Northwest University go find out more and consider being a part of lead X
Program there you go welcome to church and Happy
Father’s Day to all of the dads today
now we uh on this day we not only like to celebrate the fathers but all of the men of our house young men older men so
we put stuff in the lobbies and we whoop it up like the little funny
thing that you heard a while ago Father’s Day some say it’s number 14 some say it’s number 18 some say it’s number 20 on the
list of most celebrated holiday you know most places it’s not a big celebration not sure why but here we
want to let men know how valuable you are how much you matter we want you to be encouraged we want you to be lifted we want you to know you’re important to
God you’re important to your family you’re important to our church so thank you to all of the people who have gone above and beyond and they brought their
cars or they brought their toys or they’ve helped set it all up that are across the locations today and in this
message today I want to talk about what it means to be a man what it means to be a man I not only
want to speak to the men I want the women to hear me talk about what manhood is in the sight of God and I am
definitely not trying to be politically correct as you’ll soon find out I really I let go of that a long time ago and uh
o but I want to talk I want to talk about scripture I want to talk about how God designed Us and how we’re created by
God so if you would just say with me my heart’s open my mind’s ready make me better God
by your word I receive it I believe it and I won’t be the same again
in Jesus name Psalm chapter 8 verse 3 begins like this it says when I consider your heavens
and the work of your fingers the moon and the stars which you have ordained what is man that you are mindful of him
and the son of man that you visit him for you have made him a little lower than the Angels you have crowned him
with Glory and Honor and you have made him to have dominion over the works of your hands you have
made him a little lower than the angels and you have crowned him with Glory and Honor
and you have made him to have dominion you have made him to have dominion
over the works of your hands and you have put all things under his feet all sheep and oxen beasts to the field birds
of the air fish of the sea that pass through the path of the Seas oh Lord our Lord how excellent is your
name in all the Earth this is the summer of the summer in the Psalms and this is one of the passages here
where the psalmist is writing about his curiosity toward why God’s grace is
is given so liberally to men and his point is that we are like dust
and we come and we go and we have faults and we have failures and we have shortcomings
but then he acknowledges what I hope to impart somewhat today and that is
Through The Eyes Of God how God sees man is that he has crowned man with glory and he’s crowned man with
honor and this can be mankind by the way it’s not to leave the gals out but the verbiage of this especially I chose
because I’m wanting to speak directly to Men Who oftentimes wonder about who you are and you stop in the first part of
that Psalms what am I that you would be mindful of me and who am I that you would consider me
and how God can you actually count on me how God can you actually bless me or
save me or care about me and you stop there and I want to encourage you today to keep this going in terms of the the
writing here of the psalmist who said that acknowledge that but went forward to acknowledge how God sees man
not how man sees man but how God sees mankind the first thing that I want to
say to all of you today is don’t apologize for being a man
God made man in his own image and he made us male and female
my version of the creation is that men are the original
and women are the copies but Sheila
has another version and Sheila says that men are the
Prototype the mock-up version and after God made man he said I can do
better than that and
the battle of the sexes but the fact is that men are different
from women can I get an amen men are physically and mentally different
gender is not just a social construct or it’s not just something
that is different by default men and women are different by Design a few little quick things is to just say
men typically have about 25 percent thicker skin men also have denser stronger bones
tendons and ligaments than women do men typically have more muscle mass than women
and the muscles are faster more powerful and a little bit for the women is that women don’t get as fatigued as fast
like there’s an upside Gauss I’m just wanting to boast in manhood a little bit
men’s and women’s Brains are different they function differently by Design
yeah I keep reminding my wife that like just be patient with me
you you the right and left hemisphere you go back and forth like it’s a you know an eight-lane Highway and
between my right and left brain hemispheres is like a mountainous terrain with a little pathway that I
have to struggle to get from one side to the other like it takes me a while
the common Trend right now is to criticize masculine traits and to tell
men that they are not soft enough they’re not nice enough that they are insensitive and to just
slap all kinds of labels on you know like like he’s an alpha male which is like an it’s a it’s a wolf it’s
an alpha meaning woof they went to the Animal Kingdom to describe masculinity you know
phrases like toxic masculinity insinuates that
a man can be too masculine which is just not true
a man can have issues the so can a woman a man can have problems lack of
self-control he might need to grow up he might need to mature you might need to go to counseling but that doesn’t make him too masculine
he’s not too masculine there’s no such thing as toxic masculinity but it’s a verbiage
to make make overt manhood somehow feel wrong
masculinity doesn’t make men emotionally absent
and contrary to what a lot of people would say masculinity
makes men emotionally aware masculinity doesn’t make a man stuff his
emotions trauma might being rejected by his father might
being beaten by his father Mike
but not man but not masculinity and so I just want to begin today by
saying to all of the guys at all of our location don’t apologize for being a man I don’t care what they say to you or what they
say about you don’t apologize for being a man
now truth is is that if God had wanted only women he would not have made men
and a big question is where would we be in society without strong men and masculinity we have some
pictures that are going up today of hard working men devoted devoted husbands and Fathers and Sons
and and thinkers and you can see in the middle right in the middle you got the fighting the fire and you got men who
are on in high buildings and building skyscrapers and you got men out there
each and every day iron workers and doing doing physically demanding things
and exhausting themselves in a cause of supporting the ones that they love and building the community that they’re
a part of and I want to just keep it up there a little while because I I just want to salute men today and and I want
to say to men don’t apologize you got men in law enforcement and you
got men in Military and you got men doing and and again women have some of these jobs as well but let me tell you
that our country would not be what our country is our world would not be what our world is if it weren’t for men so
please men don’t let anybody bring you down or think less of yourself for being
a man don’t apologize to anybody for your manhood our families our wives our children need
strong men our countries need courageous men God’s church needs committed men
the psalmist also said in 139th psalm he said this he said you created my
inmost being and and you God knit me together in my mother’s womb
I praise you because I am fearfully and I am wonderfully made what a great
example of a man coming to terms with the fact that I am not a mistake I am not here by default I am not I am
not manly by default my masculinity is not a weakness my masculinity is a
strength what a great example of a man coming to terms without yes I’m not perfect yes I may have work to do but I
am fearfully and I am wonderfully made
so I want to talk about some things I I you know I I got a lot to talk about and say and
and um about this topic um but I’m just gonna talk about three
things that men are meant to be at least that’s the heading on it all other things might get in there but three things that men are meant to be and the first one is that men are meant to be
leaders men are meant to be leaders and and one of the enemy’s weapons against our communities is to get men to know to not
know the power of their presence and to underestimate the power of their presence I want you to think
about this one of the I want to say it again one of the enemies weapons against our communities is to get men to not
know the power of their presence I’m really thankful
for my wife for to my wife for saying to me for many years now
your presence matters maybe one of the strongest things she’s ever said from a place of admiration
when you walk in the room Kevin your presence is powerful and when she’s talking about that she’s
not just talking about church she’s talking about home she’s talking about when I am with the family when I’m gone and when I’m there
and she says it just completely different when you’re around and and the reason
I’ve really appreciated that that many times like a lot of men I underestimate I like pull back I think well you know
the gals are here and you know my youngest grandson is going through the age right now and and my older one went through this age too but like right now
I show up at my my youngest grandson’s baseball game and the first thing he says to me is Papa where’s Gigi
I’m like the last time that happened she was out
of town and and I decided just to give him a little trouble I’m like she doesn’t care like I do she doesn’t love like I I I’m here for you buddy I got
you you know I he looks at me and grinned you know he but he’s in that stage
and then turn that into an underestimation especially at an early age but you know what he he’s on the verge of becoming more aware
of the greatness of his grandfather he is he is on the verge
it happens two boys they start looking for the men there’s a point where it all changes and
they walk into a room looking for the mail where’s the men in the room
where’s the boys the older boys playing today so I want to just say to all of you men
that in the days of War if you watch some movies seen some things that have happened in
our history in the days of war men are summoned out of the fields they are summoned out
of the house and whether they are trained or not whether they are young
or old whether they have learned to use a weapon or not men are summoned
out of where they are to engage
and they show up in history they show up and you’ve seen it in movies just barely there their clothing is ripped
and they have a they may have a weapon that they borrowed or somebody put in their hands and it’s bigger than they are
and they show up there to be the first and that’s what leadership is leaders go
first so whatever context you might be giving to it that you feel like
is you know this is why I’m backward this is why I stay away this is why I’m in the corner this is why I don’t I
don’t want to challenge your thinking and say basically leaders go first and
I’m thankful for every man who steps up his presence at the house of God
these are these are War times and we need and God is calling men out
front this is where we are right now we are today in the void of Good Men
who will get out front who will go first who will engage who will Mentor who will
lead who will communicate who will speak up when it feels risky
when it requires strength when there’s a challenge when it’s not easy
you see what I see and the sporting world and you see what I see with
men who are making millions of dollars and you see a few of them pop up
whenever there’s these celebrations that are going on at Dodger Stadium and
places where things that are ludicrous and should never be a part of
children’s children being exposed to and then you see a few of those men who
go on Facebook and they say this is not right and this is not right
against my God that I serve and that I’m loyal to I’m a Christian I have faith
and you see a little bit of that but I always wonder where where’s the other men do they not understand that it’s
shoulder to shoulder right now do they not understand the season the time that we live in
I’m just really thankful for men who are men men who are going first men who are
willing to put themselves out there because when we do we provide Direction I said when we do we provide Direction
when men step out children eyes go to the where the men
step out women women are thankful for a man who steps out my point as Leaders go first
they set the course they clear the path they provide direction for others
and as men the best thing that man can do is to lead women and children on the path of life to provide
direction we have a great picture of this in Scripture A Man Named Joshua steps out in the company of all of the
nation of people when there’s a there’s a tension there’s a question there’s a wonder if we’re going to be safe or we’re going to be
okay or how’s this going to be and what about the enemy and what about the price we will pay and a man named Joshua steps out and he says hey whatever
you want to do is up to you but as for me
and my house we will serve the Lord
and this is beautiful context because he was making a decision that showed him as a man under God’s Authority
who was taking responsibility to lead his family to serve the Lord he wasn’t just a wild man he wasn’t just a crazy
man he wasn’t just a man who who was you know without uh objectivity and not
ubject to anything over him he was a man who was under Authority but willing to lead and willing to step
up and meet the moment and can I just tell you that while I’m grateful for my mom
for the moms the grandmas the aunts that I was surrounded by as a boy can I just tell you that it was The Men
Who led me to know how to be a man yep
it was the man who taught me how to treat women right
how to manage my finances how to respect others
it was a man that taught me how to stand in church respect the people in worship around me
man who taught me that worshiping God was not a weakness that worshiping God was one of the most
what was one of the strongest things that a real man can do is to put himself under the authority of
God it was men it was men who who showed me how to
stand at the national anthem at the ball game take off the hat and put it over their chest in honor of
those who have given their lives for our country it was men who taught me I wouldn’t have had that direction but
they taught me they taught me by example and by their words how to love God and how to serve his church
they taught me how to meet people how to greet people my father I’ll never forget when it took me to meet the banker for
the very first time and I remember being nervous and young but it was I was a teenager and I was working and had my
first little part-time job and my dad said it’s time son for you to meet a friend of mine Mr Ziegler at the bank
and he walked me in that bank and I’ll never forget I tell you right where it is I can tell you the community was located I can tell you what Mr Ziegler
looked like I can tell you all of the above because it’s now in my brain my dad walked me in and Mr Ziegler stood up
from behind this big desk walked around the desk and my dad said Mr Ziggler I want you to meet my son Kevin Kevin this
is Mr Ziegler my dad had already told me look him in the eye you will be scared but don’t show it
look him in the eye shake his hand son this is a friend of our family
it was a man that taught me how to engage conversation see women can bestow masculinity but
only women cannot bestow masculinity only a man can do that
and that’s why it’s one of the most important reasons God has called every man to lead
here’s a quote I want to show you I’m not sure I’ll call it anonymous or tell you that I made it up I don’t know but
if we don’t teach our children to follow Christ the world will teach them not to
and if you say well pastor Kevin I’m just not I don’t know how to do that I don’t know how to leave my dad wasn’t can I just encourage you and say
leadership is something you can learn leadership is something you can develop leadership is something you can grow in and always and never stop growing in
leadership is something you can reproduce in others and to be honest with you I am still learning from Men how to be a better man
I’m learning from men younger than me I’m learning from men older than me I’m learning from men who are pastors I’m learning from men who are not pastors I
am still learning how to be a better leader and a better man
the second thing that men are meant to be everybody okay the second thing that men are meant to
be is we’re meant to be providers are meant to be providers and
there’s a large number of American men that are between the age of 25 and 54 years old right now literally 7.2
million men that have essentially dropped out of the workforce and
along with that research they talk about how those men are spending their time and on average seven hours a day
every weekday on average men are dedicating themselves to Leisure Time relaxing playing games
watching TV and this is all according to the Bureau of
Labor Statistics I’m not shaming men as much as I am saying to society that we’re doing
something to men that is causing confusion
and the outcome here’s that manner displaced and uncertain and unsure
and that’s what I’m really talking about today and you know what’s really crazy about this is you would think that those men
who are out of the workforce they would be more spending more time with their children and so forth let me tell you the rest of what this research showed is
that men are not working who are not working or looking for work by the way that was the other part they’re not working and
they’re not looking for work they are spending less time
caring for other household members including friends
and people in their neighborhoods and communities why here’s why
because man is made to provide
and when he stops working he stops caring
so this is not a day when men are going to be thanked and celebrated or appreciated for doing good things
and my message today is two men do good anyway
a local media which will remain unnamed
was covering complaints against the local telephone company and people were reporting them saying
that the company service was bad and people were complaining and griping now the fact
is that this was that the copper cable is being stolen at unprecedented rate
right now and in our cities and communities and and even though the media knew that
they chose to not tell it in their story so you have people literally working around the
clock and people working really hard to bring service to families in the homes and individuals
and the families like we had no service we haven’t had service for 10 days we haven’t served for two weeks we got to drive to get it and and and the media
does the story and leaves out the corruption this is the day we’re living in right
now that the corrupt world of media
and other establishments are bringing hard-working established businesses down
rather than calling out evil rather than being honest and truthful and telling the whole story
we have a society today that is leaving out those parts to make hard-working
establishments companies churches look bad in the eyes of people
and so again if men if you’re looking for the Applause you’re probably not going
to get it if you’re looking for people to see how hard you work you’re probably not going to hear it
if you’re looking for a society a community who really will appreciate you for who you are I’m really sad to tell you today that’s
not the time and the season that we’re living in but work hard anyway
don’t apologize for being a man keep being who you are and doing what God’s called you to do
and do it with all of your heart because if we’ve ever needed men we need
men right now
one last thought this would probably go on endlessly but uh the last one is that men are meant to be protectors
and masculinity doesn’t make men dangerous to women and children
it makes them protectors of women and children it doesn’t make them dangerous not
masculinity again something else being off
can create rage mental health right now is definitely an all-time high
but let’s not blame masculinity for men who really want to take on an enemy
for men who actually want to be called to stand between the threat and those
that they love because that’s what men do
something lights up in a man even at a young age when it’s good versus evil and he can
he can be the good guy who takes out the bad guy we’re wired that way
God created us to do that with our grandsons even while they’re still protected by us
we start telling them to protect and I’ll tell my grandsons if they’re going somewhere with my wife or I’m
leaving the house and they’re there or you know I’m going out of town I’ll say now now look after look after Gigi
take care of her now if you know my wife you know she’s quite well taken care of herself but
it’s for the boys because something something Rises up
like you mean you you you count on me like like yeah
that’s who we are son we men we do this see men are not meant to be weak we’re
meant to be meek and meek means strength under control
and this is New Testament definition by the way as defined in the Greek
is that meekness we we hear that word and we often think of you know timid
General backward let what happens happen just be meek no no no no not the original
writings of the Greek it’s better understood as strength under control it’s it’s the picture literally
and you can research this it’s the picture of a war horse that is under the commander of his leader nostrils
feet stomping ready trained for battle but under the command of its the one
riding him and that’s the picture of when you read the word me and Jesus said the meek will
inherit the earth and I think this is something that Christians and women and even men are
going to have to come to terms with in our own lives to not continue downgrading
a man’s desire to be able to take care of himself and his family and a man’s ambition to rise up to
whatever evil would threaten his world the people that he loves doesn’t doesn’t
we emasculate there’s the word I’m looking for we emasculate men rather than giving Liberty to and celebrating
men by understanding that our desire for those things when we
are young and when we are boys and I know all boys don’t like to fight I get it I understand but I can tell you you
take that masculinity put it in business put put it in a place of dominance you
watch the competitive juices to want to win be at the top come against face anything that rises up in men that’s
part of masculinity and there’s a saying that it’s it’s
those who have a sword and know how to use it but keep it sheathed
will inherit the earth that’s a better way of describing the meek will inherit the earth
is that those who have a sword and keep it sheathed and know how to use it
will inherit the Earth those who have ability those who learn
those who have wisdom those who go forward in society and step up not sitting in a basement not staring into a
computer not wasting your life away because you don’t have valued on Vision you don’t have caught that that’s not
what we want to put on men today that’s not what we went and didn’t want men to feel we want men to feel and understand
that we applaud you we are grateful for you like yes you are the one who can
train yourself for war the psalmist literally said that teach my fingers to fight and My Hands to War
why and how does that man say that because he knows God created me not to be a vigilante not to be a troublemaker
am I am I making sense to you today I believe I believe you know scripture
refers to God’s protection and provision in our lives as that of a father and a children I don’t think that men are supposed to because the Bible says that
about God we’re supposed to walk away from that I think men are supposed to to realize that that’s actually that we are
an extension and we are appointed by God to be the protectors and the providers on
behalf of God in our society today good men are an extension of god good
men are instruments of God to serve our families by protecting them
amen somebody shout amen
I’ll give you one more quote by G.K Chesterton it says a true Soldier doesn’t fight because he hates what’s in
front of him but because he loves what is behind him
do you understand I Don’t Preach like I’m preaching today because I hate anybody
I don’t stand up for what I stand up for because I hate anyone
I stand up and I fight for truth and I fight for God’s way because there’s another generation coming behind me
and there are children in my shadow that are being attacked by the enemy and and their their lives that are being
told and there are deceptions that are wrecking lives and a true Soldier doesn’t fight because he hates
what is in front of him but because he loves don’t mess with my
don’t mess with my family don’t mess with my church
don’t don’t mess with don’t mess with my children don’t don’t do that
thank you
come on let’s thank the Lord today for his word his goodness his Blessing his favor
I’m gonna in our Auditorium everyone is standing here but I’m just gonna invite the women if you would the gals to sit and let me pray over the men how about
we do that today the Bible says that the steps of a good man they are ordered by the Lord
and he Delights in his way steps of a good man they are ordered of the Lord
I’m talking to men today who have failed and you know you failed I’m talking to men who have felt inadequate
insufficient capable you don’t you almost hate to be called higher because
feel like wow to go higher means I get it’s risky it’s risky with people around me
people say to me who Do You Think You Are step out to lead even in my own family there’s going to be voices maybe even my
wives and so men just give up
we maybe don’t say we give up but we give up
and I’m calling you today to young men and people men who are fathers
men or grandfathers I’m just calling you out come
come out of the shadows and have courage be strong and of good Courage the Lord is with you
I’m not sending you on a mission to be loud and boisterous and demanding in military commanding
but I am calling on a mission to be brave to let your masculinity Express itself
and don’t feel that you need to apologize to anybody that you want to win you want to conquer you want to overcome you want
to provide you want to protect you want to serve through those Avenues
so I want to pray over you and I I think what I want to do is I want to ask you to just close your eyes if you would and pray this I’ll Lead You In A Prayer
how’s that and I want you to just confess this with me today will you do this just say with me
God is ordering my steps I’m walking in the way that he leads me
he placed my feet on a solid rock a firm foundation
and with God’s help I will not be moved
I’m a Man created in God’s image man after God’s Own Heart
I’m a leader I’m a provider
I’m a protector I serve God
a family Church of Jesus Christ
in Jesus name father I bless every man today
speak blessing courage and strength Health favor open doors
over every man who is here while I pray for the man I pray for when
women today who have somehow have a tainted View
of masculinity and I pray that these men who are around these women
would have the courage to understand that a hurt woman hurt wife
or her mom still doesn’t change your purpose and plan for their life
I pray that we would overcome any level criticism that might be leveled against us
whenever we’re walking in your will and your way that we would be humble enough to receive instruction
that God we would seek your guidance and be under your Authority in our lives but that we would also
have the strength and the wisdom and the guidance and the courage I pray to be the men that you have called us to be
I bless every man who serves in our church today serves in our community today I speak
blessing over all of the men who are mentoring and leading those around them and younger than them
I thank you for every man who serves in our children’s our church kids today I thank you for what we call the men on
duty at Champion Center who are making their presence known in our youth
Ministries and youth departments and I thank you for these men on the worship team taking their place on the platform
and singing and glorifying you I just thank you for the men who are welcoming at the doors and men who are standing in the aisles and men who are prayer
partners and men who are leading people and connecting them with a prayer partner they are door Keepers in the house of God I thank you for all of
these men and I call blessing upon their lives in Jesus name
amen amen God bless you man
come on let’s give men a great big thank you today
okay let’s all stand together in the house of God and I want to do one more thing men women young people anybody who
would say I want a new beginning in my life I want a new beginning in my relationship with God I feel like God’s
drawing me pastor Kevin to him and I don’t have all the answers and I don’t know what all that means but I do feel
drawn to know God and to to be a child of God if that’s you today just raise your hand up in the air bring it up high
wherever you are whoever you’re around just raise raise it high high high in this room other room today raise that hand up high good God knows God sees I
see some God bless you God bless you God bless you good good God bless you sir God bless you
with your hand held high all of you raise your hand just say this out loud say Lord Jesus welcome to my world
forgive me of all my sin and make me a new person I receive you now
my leader and my Lord I’ll never be the same again in Jesus name
I love you church God bless you let’s give a hand to all of those who prayed that prayer right now