At the end of the movie, The Replacements, Gene Hackman says that the men on the football team go to live what every athlete dreams for: a second chance. I don't know any dude who isn't looking for a second chance. There's a reason high school "glory days" exist, many wish they could do it all over again- differently. 

For the most part, men have endless pursuits or love the TV a little too much because they either don’t want to make the same mistake twice so others don’t think wrongly of them or have simply given up. To many, it’s never enough while others will settle for the Star Wars bed sheets. But what if we had the opportunity to start new?

What would you do if you were given that opportunity? 

REDEMPTION

The Bible gives one of the most impactful messages to men: redemption. Redemption is a beautiful second chance, the kind with no strings attached. It’s the kind of chance that doesn’t remind you of what you did or didn’t do the last time, but an opportunity to be redeemed; to no longer exist in the mistakes you committed; to no longer be driven by a motivation that has an underlying foundation of fear; to exist as what you were created for: worship.  

In redemption, we are new not because of what we did or haven’t done, but because of the person and work of Christ Jesus. We are Christ’s workmanship which means that when He created us, we were given purpose; clear and intentional purpose (Ephesians 2:10). Redemption gives you identity.

Men, in our pursuit of Christ, redemption is the second chance. And the first thing you’re given with that second chance is an identity, a clear understanding of who you are because of who Christ is.REDEMPTION

I can remember watching the first Avengers movie with my son and a scene that stuck with me was when S.H.I.E.L.D. Agent Phil Coulson tells Loki that he will fail in his pursuits because he lacks conviction. Soon after, we see Loki grow angry and just as he’s going to make his point, is shot.

At the end of 2015, my son and I went to go watch the new Star Wars movie and I was stoked because I can be a nerd. In a scene where Kylo Ren hears disturbing news about his men not being able to catch some of the resistance, he becomes enraged and destroys an entire room with his light-saber.

Here’s my point: both characters throw fits; giant adult-sized fits.

Superhero movies have a great iron as the good guy has conviction and a broken past and while they struggle, they move forward in their convictions to save the day. Men, today, lack conviction. Conviction is a firmly held belief that requires action and that seems to be something of the past unfortunately.

ADVANCING THROUGH CONVICTION

The Bible is full of men who were real, had a crazy background, yet held convictions. In fact, one of the central themes in the Bible is that God chooses ordinary men and does extraordinary things through them to further the advance of His kingdom.

The Lord calls the drunk, the adulterer, the proud, and the weak and does a mighty work through them (fully knowing they’ll jack up) and gives men two big roles: fulfillment and responsibility.

If we look to Adam, Noah, and Abraham we see that in addition to a family, God gives them jobs. And as quickly as they’re blessed, they fail. However, in their failure, we see God covering them in grace and reassuring them of their faith and call as men.

These men were counted as righteous, not because they were awesome but because of their relationship (what we covered last week) with God and their conviction. Superheros are no longer on the big screen, but sit at at the dinner table; innovate and advance; cultivate and create; work and strive.

My prayer is that we stop looking to fictional characters for hope and look toward the One who’s given us a purpose through real men who went before us, failed like us, and helped advance the Gospel of Christ for the sake of His glory and not their own.

Men, conviction is a belief that requires action not passivity.

There is an epidemic going around. It’s contagious and attractive. We have a man problem where men are lacking in the everyday: family, work, and culture. Currently, we have so many boys walking around with a lost identity of manhood that it’s causing more harm than good despite innovations and advances in technologies, degrees earned, jobs obtained, and marriages celebrated.

Over 90% of crimes are committed by men; the divorce rate in marriages are exponential; adolescence is a prolonged (and encouraged) pastime stretching from the ages of 18 to early 30’s. 

Where did we go wrong? Is Manhood simply something that once was and it no longer applies to who we are today?

In this first installment, we place ourselves at the beginning: creation and identity.

CREATION

In Genesis 1:27, God said “Let Us make man in our image, according to our likeness.” The word image means “to be like; to resemble.” Man was created so that he would represent and glorify the One who created him in addition to carrying the responsibility given to Him (Genesis 2:15).

Simply, God hooked man (Adam) up with a job and a beautiful wife (Eve); calling him to cultivate the land and to be fruitful with his wife. Then, something happened. Man sinned. While Eve may have been the one who first ate of the forbidden fruit, it was Adam (who was was next to her) that dropped the ball by doing nothing to protect his wife. The lack of action by Adam would have implications for generations upon generations.

As our culture and technology continually evolve, the amount of ideologies and thoughts on what it means to be a man become further lost. What does is mean to be a man?  

We have boys who are  graduating college, starting a family, sleeping around, or obtaining loads of power and believe it is efforts like these that define men and while many of these aspirations (including several others) are not necessarily bad, they are not what make men. Rather, it is our relationship with the Lord that make men, gives purpose, and most importantly identity. 

IDENTITY

Before getting hooked up, man was first called into a relationship with God. At the centerpiece of creation, God was extremely intentional about having a relationship because it would be the driving force behind what it meant to be made in God’s image!

Our identity as men can only be found in the person and work of Jesus; understanding this will bring relationship, clarity, and acceptance. Acceptance is one of the biggest driving factors behind the decisions being made by boys today. The problem behind boys seeking acceptance is that it will ever be enough.

Let us look to the One who is enough; the One who restores us back to the Father. Men, we do not have time for excuses any more and we must take responsibility for our actions- up front and not passively. You don’t have to be alone, but you do have to step up.