The Measure Of A Good Man

by Dr. Joseph R. Rogers, Sr.
(Raleigh, North Carolina)

“The Measure Of A Good Man”
A Sermon By Dr. Joseph R. Rogers, Sr.
For The Restoration Worship Center
Rocky Mount, North Carolina 27801
Theme: The God-Man Defined
June 30, 2019

Scripture: Now the days of David drew nigh that he should die; and he “charged” Solomon his son, saying, I go the way of all the earth: be thou –strong- therefore, and –show- thyself a man and –keep- the charge of the Lord thy God, to “walk” in His ways, to “keep” His statutes, and His commandments, and His judgments, and His testimonies, as it is written in the Law of Moses, that thou mayest “prosper” in all that thou doest, and whithersoever thou turnest thyself”. (1 Kings 2:2-3)

Measure = quality, size, extent, gauge or assess.

Introduction
As we come in celebration of “Men’s Day 2019”, I want to commend all men under the sound of my voice. May the blessings of the Lord continue to guide, empower, sustain, encourage, and comfort you on life’s journey. It is an honor and privilege to have been invited to come share and participate with you today.

As men we must ‘continue’ to ‘assume’ and ‘exercise’ our God-given ‘roles’ and ‘positions’ as designed by God—being the HEAD of our families!

It is without question that, women desire good men with principles, integrity, backbone and a godly foundation, who is guided by the Holy Ghost and operates within the principles and parameters of God’s Word. What is the makeup or characteristics of a good man?

The good man knows ‘what he is’, ‘who he is’, ‘whose he is’ and lives’ up to his God give ‘character’, ‘integrity’ and ‘responsi-bilities’. Over the years, the challenge of executing these duties has been difficult from the “Black man” perspective, of which, I will flavor a little in this message.

The false, “Curse of Ham”, has been an Achilles Heel for African Americans for years. The details of this curse occur in the Book of Genesis, concerning Noah's drunkenness and the accompanying shameful act perpetrated by his son “Ham”, the father of “Canaan”.

It has been suggested that this ‘cursed’ fell upon all of the descendants of Ham—No! The judgment fell upon his son “Canaan”. As children of the Most- Highest God, I have good news today and that is, we are blessed of God and highly favored.

African American Males has played an integral role in both world and American history. Joseph, the son of Jacob and Rachel was sold by the Ishmaelites to the Egyptians, therewith, he married a black woman from Egypt. It was the Egyptians that enslaved the Hebrew children.

Subsequently, African Americans were bought to this country (The United States of America) to be a submissive slave, stripped of his manhood, dignity, tradition, self-worth, and self-assertiveness. This scheme purpose was designed to break and destroy the “faith”, “confidence” “will’ and ‘pride’ of the brilliant minds of the “black man”. BUT…thanks be unto The Lord…How many of you here today know that…

 …no weapon that formed itself against us shall prosper!

 …when we trust in the Lord with all of our heart and do not depend upon our own understanding, God will direct our pathway.

 …no river shall drown us, nor fire burns us up, nor enemy defeats us.

 No mountain will frighten us and no valley will discourage us.

As Black men, we must never feel inferior to anyone or anything no matter how the situation might appear or unfold. Be proud of your kinky hair, thick lips, and a dark complexion.

We are as any other ethnic group, that is, as stated by the Apostle Peter, “9 But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should shew forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvelous light”. (1 Peter 2:9) As African American men…

• We are better than being inmates in the criminal justice system.

• We are better than smoking marijuana or snorting cocaine or inhaling ice or crack.

• We are better than baggie pants showing the crack of our behinds and speaking with no intelligence or education.

• We are better than talking smack and in the same breath, lack the ability to dissect a sentence or congregate a verb.

We must hold our heads up and follow God’s “Pillar of Clouds by day” and “Pillar of Fire by Night”; pressing forward, on that upward way, gaining new heights every day, with all of our God-given abilities, vigor, and vitality!

Exposition I
This text shares with us the closing days of David’s life, as he takes time to leave “needed” and “resourceful advice” to his son, “Solomon”. His advice to Solomon was to “Be strong and show himself a man”.

In making this statement, David was telling Solomon there are some dark evils in life that will try to overtake him. David is saying, Solomon, “You must Walk in the Ways of the Lord—Keeping His Statues, judgment, testimonies, and Commandments”. David’s advice came out of his own life experience…

As a young man he “exemplified” courage and faith as he took on a lion and a bear that had taken a lamb from the flock and slew them. He took on the Philistine Giant Goliath as the armies of Saul hid in fear in the Valley of Elah.
David said, “who does this giant think he is, the God that I serve is able and will give me overcoming and conquering power”! With five (5) smooth stones and a sling, David created the first guided missile and killed him.

David was known for his military abilities but he also recognized the importance of being a “good” father and husband”. These words, “Show thyself A Man”, should be echoed today to all men; over and over again! So, what constitutes “The Measure of A Man”.
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Exposition II
1. The Strength of His “Character”:
When the chips are down, can he think straight and keep the family on a steady course? When He faces difficulties in life—sickness, failure, defeat, will he weather all storms?

A man of strength will display his character when it is needed most. This inner strength is hidden from the naked eye but it is displayed in the moments of crises. Next one is…

2. The Strength of His “Commitment”:
Being committed to His “Wife”, “Children” and other responsibilities is a MUST. A good man is willing to stand by his wife in sickness, and in health, for better or for worse with every ounce of his being.

A “good man” assumes the responsibility of ‘caring’ and ‘protecting’ his family, in spite of challenges and circumstances that may arise. The Final one is…

3. The Strength of His “Faith”:
A Faith that believes that with God all things are possible. A Faith that, even though the answer or solution cannot be seen with the natural eye, nor understood with the natural intellect, still believe that God will/can provide.

A good man knows and acknowledges that there are things that he cannot control. He says as the songwriter, “I have learned how to lean and depend on Jesus. And I found out that if you trust Him He will provide”.
Conclusion
So, as I move toward my conclusion, I would like to challenge “all men” under the sound of my voice, to apply these “gems” and “insights” to your life.

So, what is the litmus test for measuring a good man? Well, David charges his son, Solomon in this manner:

“…be thou –strong- therefore, and –show- thyself a man!

“–keep- the charge of the Lord thy God!

“walk” in His ways, “keep” His statutes, commandments, judgments, and testimonies, (What Is The Results)

“that thou mayest prosper” in all that thou doest, and whithersoever thou turnest thyself”. (1 Kings 2:2-3)

When we measure a GOOD MAN…
 We must not measure him by how he died, BUT by how he lived.
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 We must not measure him by what he gained in life, BUT by what he gave to others.
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 We must not measure him by what might be said in his resolution or obituary, BUT on the premise of whether or not he helped someone as he walked along the way.
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Beloved, Measure a good man by:
**Whether he “believed” and “trust”, in the Power of The Almighty God! Singing…

(All hail the power of Jesus' Name! Let angel’s prostrate fall; Bring forth the royal diadem, and crown Him Lord of all).

Well, who would be our only example of a god or a good man? I am so glad you ask! It is not the city’s mayor, city council member, county commissioner, the state or house representatives, the governor nor the president of the United States of America.

The Best Man that I know…He…
 Spoke and said, “Let there be like”,
 Took a rib from the man and made woman,
 Confuse the people building the Tower of Babel,
 Cause Abraham/Sarah to have a child in their old age,
 Talked to Moses from a non-consuming burning bush,
 Delivered Israel from the Egypt bondage,
 Made a highway through the Red Sea,
 Gave Israel a passageway across the Jordan River
 Was as old as the Father & older than His Mother
 Was betrayed by a Judas kiss,
 Was Arrested and Tried in a kangaroo court,
 Was Falsely accused and found guilty of blasphemy and treason,
 Was Marched down the Dava Del Lo Rosa, to Golgotha Hill,
 Was nailed to the old rugged cross,
 Was Hang between two thieves in humiliation and shame,
 Died on Friday…and put into a borrowed tomb,
 Cause the Sun to hide behind the drapes of darkness,
 Was buried in a borrowed tomb,
 Rose on Sunday with all power in His Hand,

He Is coming back again on a cloud in the air and…

**Every eye shall see Him!
**Every knee shall bow! And
**Every tongue shall confess, HE IS LORD!

Do you know HIM! Do you know HIM! It’s JESUS! Our Lord & Savior!
“The Measure Of The Man”
Dr. Joseph R. Rogers, Sr. D. Min.
Author/Lecturer/Servant Leader