And so I believe that God has something so special for you today. And so I want you right now, say this like you mean it. Say men of valor. Oh, man. You know, man, I heard that was too high pitched. I think the women were louder than you, which is kind of awkward. So. So I'm going to give you one more chance. Somebody say men of valor. All right, now that's better. Now, women, I want you to find a man in your row and tell him you are a mighty man of valor. Somebody drop it in the chat right now.
Tag somebody. Now, single ladies, I just gave you the biggest golden opportunity right there to say that to the man you've been worshiping next to for three weeks. I hope you didn't blow it. Hope you chose wisely. But married folks, that might have got awkward because you said that knowing full well that you guys just argued the entire way to church today. But that's okay. Speaking it in faith. How many married people do we have here today? Don't sound so excited.
Come on, we gotta make marriage look good for all the single people who's married here today. That's better. I've been married, going out five years to my bride, Caitlin. She's amazing. I don't know how I pulled it off. She's beautiful, she's anointed, she's talented. We have a son, 2 years old, named Easton, and we're having a blast. Being married is awesome. Being a parent is awesome, despite what culture may try to tell you. And so who's our single people in here?
Go ahead, raise your hand high. Look around, take a snapshot, not a real photo. Don't be creepy. These are your options. Look around in the comment section. Don't be weird though. Men, I'm just saying stay for loadout. Lift as many heavy things as you can and a wife will appear. I'm just. Don't put God on that. That was a joke. Can I be blunt with you today? Okay, you said yes. So it's obvious to me that there is an all out concerted attack on men in our world and in our culture today.
Now, I'm not saying that women hear me to say that you do not also have your unique struggles and obstacles that seem impossible to break through that we as men do not understand. I'm not saying that at all. But what I am saying is that it's obvious to me that there is a concerted attack on men that has left them so demoralized, so discouraged and so emasculated that it has broken the Spirit of a generation of men. And you might be watching right now, men in Miami, in Indiana.
And you've stopped reaching, you stopped leading, you've stopped pushing, and you've become at peace with being passive. And that's why I believe it's actually an emergency that the church would raise up mighty men of valor in this time. And so we just finished an amazing time as a church, Our men's retreat called the Forge. If you were there, man, you know it was powerful. It's an amazing time.
And wives, mothers, sisters, cousins, nieces, many of you are already feeling the effects of what God did in the men in your life in that time. It was amazing. And we got to hear from Apostle Mike Signorelli, the apostle of our house, and he brought a message Talking about the 25 characteristics of a spiritual father. And it was incredible. It lit a fire in me as a man. And so I want to share three of them with you today. Can I do that? All right.
But before I do, we just need to take a moment and give some honor where it is due. Apostle Mike and Julie, they're not here right now, but can we give a hand for the mother and father of our house? And I just want to tell each and every person watching, and I can say this as somebody who's journeyed with them for over 10 years, the closer you get to them, actually, the more you see to the depth of their relationship with Jesus.
And actually, and this is saying a lot, they love Jesus and each other more now than they did when they started. And unfortunately, when you journey this long in ministry and you see the success that we've seen a lot of the time, unfortunately, the opposite is true. And so through the ups and downs of starting a church, raising a family, they love Jesus, they love each other, and they love you.
And so we are counting the minutes very selfishly until they get back from this sabbatical that they are on. But we're praying that they come back rested. Amen. Amen. Three things. And you can put these in your notes if you want to see. Preachers say that, but we want you to take notes. So three things that a true man of valor embodies. Are you ready for him? He is a protector, he is a provider, and he is a priest.
Now, as I said that list, I'm well aware of the fact that some of you men may have been inspired, while others of you, your heart sank because in your heart of hearts, you feel like you're over three. And that's okay. It's why we're here today. But some of you women, you may have heard that in your heart leapt with gratitude for the man of valor in your life. That is doing great on all three.
But I would wager that there's many more women right now that when they heard that, they felt a pain in their heart because their father never truly protected them, that their husband has not been a provider. And maybe neither of them ever led you spirit spiritually like they should have. And so I'm well aware that there's a tension in the room when we talk about things like this. And so I want to look today at the life of a guy who's preached about a lot. He slayed giants. He was a musician.
You probably colored pages of him in Sunday school. His name's David. And we actually are going to get a window into who David was as a young man. We're going to start in 1st Samuel, chapter 17, in verse 34. And this is David telling King Saul of what life was like as a young shepherd living on the backside of a hill. And it says this, but David said to Saul, your servant used to keep sheep for his father.
And when there came a lion or a bear and took a lamb from the flock, I went after him and I struck him and delivered it out of his mouth. And if he arose against me, I caught him by his beard and struck him and killed him. Your servant has struck down both lions and bears. Come on. No big deal, right? And I want to pause there and I want to camp out there for a moment because some of you, those of you who have been to the zoo ever, you're doing the math in your head right now.
You're saying, I've seen lions, I've seen bears. Why on earth would David have risked life and limb fighting one of those for one sheep, when honestly, he probably had hundreds, maybe thousands, I don't know, his whole sheep inventory. But why would David do that? Right? Because hear me. Men of valor do not protect because there's something in it for them. Men of valor do not protect because the thing they're protecting exists to serve them.
Men of valor protect because it's at the very core of who God created them to be. And can I tell you, Church, that the Bible actually describes Satan, the devil, as a lion who's on the prowl seeking whom he may devour. And there's many men under the sound of my voice right now that you have stopped protecting the things that you should protect. And you've actually been allowing the devil the Line to pick things off in your life piece by piece.
Because you revealed to him that you're going to let it go without a fight. And so you stop protecting the purity in your marriage. You've stopped. Stop protecting the peace in your home. But I came here today to tell you that God is calling you. He's calling you back to be a protector. Somebody say protector. And not just. Hear me, church. Not just to hold the line, but to take territory and to go after the lion and the bear and to rip that thing back out of the lion's mouth.
See, David, he did not wait for the lion and the bear to come back to him. Hear me? He went after it and he took back what it stole from him. And so God is calling you to take territory, to plunder hell what it stole from you. Come on, man. It's time to cross over. It's time to be a protector. And women, this message ain't just for the men.
Women, hear me in Indiana, in New Jersey, God wants to heal wounds left in your heart from the men who should have protected you, but instead chose to be predatory. Because here's the truth. The man that fails to walk in his design as a protector ends up becoming a predator. And so God wants to heal those wounds in you. Woman of God, I don't know why they didn't cherish your purity. I don't know why he chose to abuse, abandon, and neglect you.
But what I do know is that above it all, there is a God in heaven who never stopped protecting you, who never has forsaken you, who never failed you. And women, hear me, because he is raising up in this hour mighty men of. Of valor in this house that are going to be an image bearer of the heavenly Father, and they're going to be an extension of the Father's heart in your life, regardless of your age, your stage of life, your background, because that's what the church is supposed to be.
Don't be a predator. Be a protector, man. Because predators they take. Predators they isolate. Predators are only concerned with what's gonna serve them. But protectors give. Protectors unify and connect. Protectors will lay their life down for those that they have been charged to protect. And so today, man, I'm gonna ask you, which one are you gonna be online? Which. Which one are you going to be? And I want to look again at the life of David.
We're going to flash forward a little bit into second Samuel, chapter 11, because in David's life, we actually get to see what happens when you Lose sight of who you are as a protector. It says, in the spring of the year, the time when kings go out to battle, they, David sent Joab and his servants with him and all Israel. And they ravaged the Ammonites and besieged Rabba. But David remained in Jerusalem.
Now, it happened late one afternoon when David arose from his couch and was walking on the roof of the king's house, and he saw from the roof a woman bathing. And the woman was very beautiful. Ain't it funny how in one season of David's life, he's the guy who will kill a lion and a bear over one sheep? But then you flash forward just a little bit, and he's the kind of guy who will seek the safety and the distance and the comfort of a rooftop far away from the fight that he should have been.
In verse three, it goes on to say, david sent and inquired about the woman. And one said, is not this the daughter of Eliam, the wife of Uriah, the Hittite son? So David sent messengers and took her. Come on, predators. Take. And she came to him, and he lay with her. See, somehow, David, over the course of his life, he went from killing predators to becoming one.
And some of you men, as I was reading that you were being brought back to a time in your life when you walked in integrity, when you showed up for your kids, when you were pursuing your wife. And you're asking yourself, how did I get here? How did I go from the man that would kill a lion and a bear for my family to the man hiding on a rooftop, spying on things that I shouldn't even have? How did I get here?
But I came on assignment today, men of God, to remind somebody that it is not too late, that there is still time, that God is not done with you yet, that you have not drifted so far from him, that he cannot reach you. And I feel prophetically right now that God is raising something up on the inside that says, I don't care what came before. I don't care about the shame, the labels. I'm stepping over as a protector. Stepping over as a protector. Don't be a predator. Be a protector.
But you see, David, he wasn't just a protector. He was also a provider. Now, okay, okay. God's moving, but I want to ask a question. This is going to get a little interactive, okay? Because I want to find out who the providers are in our midst. Okay? Don't worry. I'm not going to ask salaries. I'm not going to ask who's employed and who's Not. There's actually a better way to find out who the providers are in our midst. And I want 100% participation. Come on, Back row Indiana. Wake up.
I see you in the spirit. I'm just kidding. I'm sure they're locked in. We love you, Indiana. I'm from Indiana, by the way, so I can. I can say that. Okay, by show of hands, I want to know which of you are the designated Netflix subscriber of you and your extended family. Oh, man. Come on, lift it. Loud and proud. Can we give a hand clap and a shout for the real team players, the ones that put society on their back? Come on. Come on. Men of God. Amen. Amen, man.
Some of y' all, you got aunts that you've never met, you've got exes still logged in. You're gonna go home, you're gonna purge that account, be a good steward. I'm standing before you as a man of God, as a pastor who probably bumps his mother in law off her own Netflix account five times a week. Don't you judge me, Eric. Don't you. She gave us the login. I'm not trying to rob her of a blessing. Let it be. Somebody watch him.
But see, we in society, we place a special honor on people that provide. We place a special honor on the people who go first and provide that safety and that security. And I want to remind the men today that that is a mantle that God has called you to take up. But see, hear me, being a provider, it doesn't mean you have to have the nicest house on the block. It doesn't mean that your wife has to have all the Gucci, all the Louis, that you have to have the best car.
But what it does mean is that the people in your life that are under the covering of your provision are taken care of. And see, it's not about a number. It's if you are physically able to earn, you earn. And then what you earn, you give generously to the people under your care. And so I want to. I want to read out of 1st Chronicles, chapter 29, we get to see a snapshot into David's life in a time where he shows us what it is to be a provider. This is later in David's life.
And going to pick it up in verse two says this. So I have provided for the house of my God so far as I was able. The gold for the things of gold, the silver for the things of silver. And we're going to move down to verse three. Moreover, in Addition to all that I have provided for the holy house, I have treasure of my own of gold and silver. And because of my devotion to the. To the house of my God, I give it to the house of my God. Now, men, you may not have kingly riches like David.
You may not have now what you someday hope to have in the future. Some of you are starting businesses. Some of you guys are building. But I want to highlight six words in this passage. Are you ready for them? All right, I'll ask you guys. Are you ready for them? Come on. So far as I was able. See, it's not about a number. You may not have monetarily as much as David did at this time, but it's not about a number church. It's about an able. Somebody say it. So far as I was able, it's about enable.
Because can I tell you, man, I remember as a young man, what it still young. A younger man. I'm aging on stage right before you. I got grays. I remember what it feels like to overdraft your checking account at the gas pump, knowing that paycheck's gonna hit in a couple days, but you gotta get home. I remember the shame of feeling like everybody has their finances together more than you do. But what I also know is that I was young and now I am old.
Yet I have not seen the righteous forsaken, nor his children begging for bread. See, men, being a provider is not about a number. It's an identity that you walk in that says, I'm gonna work to provide for house. I'm gonna work to provide for God's house. And then I'm gonna trust that what I have in his hands turns what I have into enough. And because he's the ultimate provider, and I'm gonna be like my father.
And I know, I know because I've been a pastor for a few years now, hearing a message like this, Some of you men, you're thinking to yourself, okay, Evan, my wife has a good job. She actually happens to make more than I do. And I think that's great. Some of you, you might be thinking, okay, Pastor, I got laid off. This all sounds great. I couldn't control that. And the fact that I'm not working right now, does that make me less of a man?
And what I want to say to you, number one, I think that's amazing that you have a woman of God in your life. Proverbs 31. Woman that brings finances into your family blesses your family. That's amazing. Number two, I know that Things happen outside of your control. Layoffs happen, injuries happen, you get laid off.
And you as a man, you might feel like you're in an in between season right now, but what I want to caution you against men is don't let your in between season turn into a full, forever season. Because some of you are like, man, I got laid off. And I'm saying, brother, that was 18 months ago. You're dangerously close to laying in it and staying in it instead of walking through it. And so God, he's called you to be a provider.
I want to read in first Timothy 5, verse 8, before I read this, I want to let you know this is not Evan Wilson's opinion. Don't get mad at me. This is the word of God, verse 8. It says, but if anyone does not provide for his relatives and especially for members of his household, he is denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever. Now, I want you to underline, if you got your Bible, three words in this verse. Are you ready for them? His, his, and he. Notice it doesn't say she.
It doesn't say her. Not that a woman of God cannot earn and help provide. But I'm saying this is a mandate and a mantle that is placed on men. And it actually says, this is the word of God. If you deny that call, you have denied the faith, and you're actually worse than an unbeliever. And I know this part of the sermon doesn't get shouts, but, man, we need to get this.
Because the reality and why I'm preaching this so emphatically and why I believe God takes this so seriously is that as a man, if you do not function as a provider, you end up becoming a parasite. And as I'm sure you're getting a sense for by this point in the message, David is a complicated guy. And in his life, the pendulum swings in both extremes. Sometimes he really gets it, other times he does not.
And so I want to look at David's life, and I want to go back to a time when he stepped out outside of being a provider, and he actually became a parasite. We're going to read in 2nd Samuel, chapter 12, but to give you some more context, David, when he slept with Bathsheba, not only did he sleep with a married woman, but he actually orchestrated for her husband to die on the battlefield in order to cover up his sin. And so this all happens.
And then God commissions David's friend Nathan to confront David about this. And the way David chooses to do it is with a fictional Story to draw attention to what David had done. And so we're gonna be 2nd Samuel 12, verse 1. And it says, the Lord sent Nathan to David. And he came to him and said to him, there was two men in a certain city, one rich and the other poor. The rich man had very many flocks and herds, but the poor man had nothing but one little lamb which he had bought.
And he brought it up, and it grew up with him and his children. It used to eat of his morsel and drink from his cup and lie in his arms, and it was like a daughter to him. Some of you dog parents that let your dog kiss you on the mouth. This is you. It's gross, but praise God, we'll pray for you. Now, there came a traveler to the rich man. And the rich man was unwilling to take one of his own flock or herd to prepare for the guests who had come to him.
So instead, he took the poor man's land and prepared it for the man who. Who had come to him. Now, upon hearing this, David, he gets angry. Righteously angry. Okay, Nathan, we got to find this guy. We got to find this rich man. He needs to die. Then we need to find the poor man, and we need to multiply and restore to him fourfold what was taken. And so David's getting all worked up. And then Nathan looks him dead in the eye and he says, david, this story is about you.
You are the rich man, and you took in your plenty, in your kingly riches. You took something that you shouldn't have had. Because what do parasites do? Parasites eat what they don't earn. Parasites, they get fat while the house gets weak. Parasites, they have no regard for who they're taking from. Parasites, they don't build legacy. They bleed it dry. And so don't be like David in this instance. Be a provider man. Somebody say provider.
Amen. If you want to be the real alpha, I know that word is used, it means different things to different people. But if you want to be the real man, it's not who has the biggest muscles, the biggest bank account, the nicest car. It's the man who's the most generous. It's the man who gives of himself, that the people around him's lives are better because he's in leadership. And so you can be a protector and a provider. But can I tell you where most men really miss it?
Because I know that many of you, maybe you've stepped into those first two, but the reality is you can protect and you can provide. But if you don't learn how to pray, then you're never gonna step in as a man to who God's called you to be. I'm talking about priesthood. Because let's be real. Can we be real right now? Church. There's a lot of secular red pill podcasters that are preaching this message of you gotta be a provider, you gotta be a protector, you gotta be a high value man.
And men who don't even follow Jesus are flocking to these kind of messages because it resonates with something on the inside of them. But can I be real? Can I be blunt? It also feeds on the pride of a man to say, oh yeah, I'm a protector, I'm a provider. Look at me, look at all the people that I can take care of. But can I tell you that if you are only a protector, if you are only a provider, and you don't catch a revelation of priesthood. See, the antidote to pride in a man is priesthood.
It's not about looking impressive in the eyes of the world. It's how yielded and submitted. Can I be in the presence of my father? And so we're talking about, about priesthood husbands. Can I talk to you for a moment? Can I tell you what your wife needs even more than your financial provision? She needs your prayers. She needs your encouragement.
See, more than hearing another preacher on a microphone on a stage preaching a message on a Sunday, she needs to hear and feel your prayers on a Monday. And your prayers, your encouragement, no matter how inarticulate you feel that they may be, will do more for the soul of your wife than a hundred sermons preached by a man who is not her husband. And I had to learn this crash course. Young married man.
No podcast, no conference, no altar call can replace the prayer priesthood of your home fathers, fathers. As a young father myself, can I tell you that what your kids need more than you teaching them how to throw a baseball is you showing them how to throw a petition up to heaven.
If they have seen you get worked up over a game more than they have seen you on your face before your God, they are gonna grow up in an increasingly strong secular world having no idea how to withstand the things that are coming their way. They need to see your priesthood and single man. I didn't forget you, what a blessing that it is to be single right now. And I can feel the collective eye roll of seven campuses of our church hearing that from a married guy. I feel it. I've been there.
I've been in conferences. Okay, easy for you to say, married preacher man. I want a wife. But what a blessing it is to be single. Now, hearing messages like this, getting the revelation of priesthood, imagine the power in your marriage if you go into it healed and whole and the man that God called you to be. Because when a man does not become the priest of his house, he becomes a poison to his family. Can I say that again?
The man who doesn't become the priest of his home will become a poison to his family. Some of you men, you feel like that's you right now, but can I tell you more about David's life? This mighty man that we hear about and that we color in coloring books about? See, when David stepped out as operating as a priest, his baby died as a judgment for his sin. His son violated his own sister because David did not protect the purity of his home.
Another son, he took things into his own hands and he committed murder. And then that same son rebelled and tried to overthrow David. And then that same son died because David did not deal with the sin that was knocking at his door. And some of you, right now, you're thinking, man, I thought my family was dysfunctional. I see myself a whole lot more in David now. And you might be thinking, okay, I don't want that for my family. I know enough to know that. But I don't know how to be a priest.
And so I want to. As we get ready to close, I want to give you five things that a priest does. If you haven't written anything else down, this whole sermon, shame on you. Number one, it's a joke. Number two, I think this is gonna help somebody. Five things that a priest does. Number one, A priest stands in the gap. When nobody else is praying, you're praying. Man of God. When nobody else is fasting, you're fasting. When nobody else feels like what? Worshiping.
You turn up the worship music and you praise your God. See, you set the atmosphere of your home when you're a priest. Number two, a priest offers sacrifice. You sacrifice your time, your preference, your ego. You sacrifice for the sake of leading your family to the cross. Number three, priests teach and model God's word. Now, you don't have to have a microphone and scream and foam at the mouth like some preachers.
But maybe what that looks like, men, is being the guy that says, no matter how busy we are as a family, no matter how many travel, sports we are signed up for, no matter what extracurriculars there are, we are going to sit down with the daily growth journal every single day, and we're going to open up the word of God. See, we made it as easy for you as we could, man. We want to put a sword in your hand. But, see, a priest, he teaches and models God's word. Number four, A priest blesses people.
Man, if we only knew the effect that our words actually have on the people in our life. Our wives, our kids, if you're single, your cat. We don't realize the effect that our words have. And I think if we took an inventory, we'd realize we speak more curses than blessings. But a priest blesses his home. Number five. A priest keeps the house holy. A priest says, there are some things that are not gonna cross over the threshold of my home. I'm gonna be the gatekeeper.
I'm gonna cast out what needs to be cast out. And as for me and my house, I will serve the Lord. I'm gonna filter culture, and I'm gonna lift up the name of Jesus in my home. A priest keeps his home holy. And now, as we get ready to close my fourth close, I know that that list, to many of you men, it was not inspiring, it was crippling, because it reminded you of all the ways that you feel like you're not measuring up. You know, Evan. Yeah, I get it.
I can't remember the last time I prayed, let alone prayed for my family. Lord, man, you know, I feel like I probably cussed out my family more than I've encouraged them. I don't know the word of God. How am I supposed to teach the word of God? And you're thinking through all of these reasons why you can't be a priest, but can I tell you Miami? Can I tell you Indiana? Can I tell you Long Island? That's kind of the whole point of this faith that we walk in, is that you cannot measure up.
You actually can't do it. On your best day, you're gonna fail. Because, see, we as men, we live in this tension of responsibility and release. As a man, I'm responsible for my walk. I'm responsible for my family. I'm responsible for my home. But if you only ever catch a revelation of responsibility and never a revelation of release to Jesus, you're gonna find that you're building a house of cards, and it's gonna come crashing down. Because here's the truth.
You don't have to lead anybody to the dead end that is yourself. You just gotta lead them to the foot of the cross. You don't have to be perfect men. You just gotta show them who is Takes the pressure off, doesn't It. Because, see, man, we gotta. We gotta grow beyond the minimums. We gotta grow beyond checking the boxes. All right? I took my family to church on Sunday. Praise God. That you did. I provided for my family. I went to work 9 to 5. I checked my box.
Because, see, following Jesus is not a formula. It's a funeral. It's going to take dying to yourself, man of God. It's going to say, I'm going to look inward. I'm gonna kill the predator. I'm gonna kill the parasite. I'm gonna kill the poison deep in my heart, and I'm gonna step in. And so right now, under the sound of my voice, I want to know which men are gonna answer the call. Because you know what? I'm not even gonna count down.
Because a man of valor does not need a countdown to step up and step into what God has. So right now, I want you to jump up on your feet. If you are a man who says, I'm going to be a protector, I'm going to be a provider. I'm going to be the priest of my home. Come on, can we get loud right now? There's men in living rooms right now standing up. There's men in Miami standing up right now. We're killing the predator. We're killing the parasite. We're killing the poison, man.
But you can't do it by yourself. I think we know that. And I would be remiss, as a preacher of the gospel today if I commissioned you to be the priest of your home without reminding you that there is a high priest who leads you. Hebrews chapter four is going to encourage somebody. Verse 14. It says, since then, we have a great high priest who has 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 weakness, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are. Hear me, man. Yet he was without sin. Let us then with confidence, draw near to the throne of grace that we may receive mercy and find grace in our time of need. See, David, he couldn't save his sons. But Jesus overcame the world, David. He ran from the fight he should have been in.
But Jesus, he stepped in the fight that nobody else could. David. He knew how to build altars. But Jesus stepped onto the altar as a sacrifice. See, I'm grateful for scripture to see ourselves in men like David. But you don't just need to see yourself. You need a savior. And so there's men being commissioned all over the world right now. Count yourself among the ranks of mighty men of valor today. Come on. Can we give a hand for our men?