These are the resolutions of a man totally surrendered to Christ. These are my resolutions.
They are from a sermon by Eric Ludy, at the Church at Ellerslie, Windsor, Colorado on 12 Jun 2011.
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The 10 Resolutions of Manly Honor
Q – What is the first principle of Manly Honor?
A – Live always for the Glory of God
Q – How must you live in order for God to gain glory?
A – I must yield my life to Jesus Christ and allow Him to both own and operate my existence. For only God at work in me can bring glory to God through me.
· Whether therefore ye eat, or drink, or whatsoever ye do, do all to the glory of God. 1 Corinthians 10:31
· He that speaks of himself seeks his own glory: but he that seeks his glory that sent him, the same is true, and no unrighteousness is in him. John 7:18
· . . . as my Father hath sent me, even so send I you. John 20:21
Q – What is the second principle of Manly Honor?
A – Offer body and blood to Jesus Christ
Q – What does it mean to offer your body and blood to Jesus Christ?
A – It means the recognition that I am not my own. My body and blood belong to the King of kings. He can break my body or pour out my blood in order that His Almighty purposes might be accomplished on this earth.
· What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own? For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God’s. 1 Corinthians 19-20
Q – What is the third principle of Manly Honor?
A – Be the first to suffer the wrong
Q – What does it mean to be the first to suffer wrong?
A – It means that if someone must suffer, it is my privilege to be the one to bear it, that others (of lesser strength and maturity) might be preserved.
· For Christ also hath once suffered for sins, the just for the unjust, that he might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh, but quickened by the Spirit: 1 Peter 3:18
· . . . in lowliness of mind let each esteem others better than themselves. Look not every man on his own things, but every man also on the things of others. Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus. Philippians 2:3-5
· Forasmuch then as Christ hath suffered for us in the flesh, arm yourselves likewise with the same mind . . . 1 Peter 4:1
Q – What is the fourth principle of Manly Honor?
A – Proclaim Jesus Christ in every moment
Q – How can you proclaim Jesus Christ in every moment?
A – By cultivating the life and power of Christ in me, and thusly showcasing His nature, His attitude, and His actions in every life occasion
· To whom God would make known what is the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles; which is Christ in you, the hope of glory: Colossians 1:27
· But by the grace of God I am what I am: and his grace which was bestowed upon me was not in vain; but I labored more abundantly than they all: yet not I, but the grace of God which was with me. 1Corinthians 15:10
· Only let your conversation be as it becomes the gospel of Christ . . . Philippians 1:27
· But as he which hath called you is holy, so be ye holy in all manner of conversation. 1 Peter 1:15
Q – What is the fifth principle of Manly Honor?
A – Let the vulnerable claim your strength
Q – What does it mean to allow the vulnerable to claim your strength?
A – Since Jesus Christ owns me, He has a claim on my life, energies, and strength. And thusly, those that have a rightful claim on His mercies, grace, and abundance (the poor, the weak, the orphan, the widow, the imprisoned, the refugee, etc) have a claim on me. I am their servant as an extension of my bonded servitude unto my Creator King.
· And the King shall answer and say unto them, Verily I say unto you, In as much as you have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, you have done it unto me. Matthew 25:40
· He that hath pity (is generous) unto the poor lends unto the LORD; and that which he hath given will he pay him again. Proverbs 19:17
· For whosoever shall give you a cup of water to drink in my name, because you belong to Christ, verily I say unto you, he shall not lose his reward. Mark 9:41
Q – What is the sixth principle of Manly Honor?
A – Agree to the task even before it is assigned
Q – What does it mean to agree to a task even before it is assigned?
A – It means that I have consecrated my ear unto God’s Word and His Spirit’s call. I have already declared, “Yes, Lord!” to any request He may make of me in the present and future. I will not hesitate when the challenge of obedience comes, but will move with swift-footed givenness to His command.
· Then his master shall bring him unto the judges; he shall also bring him to the door, or unto the door post; and his master shall bore his ear through with an aul; and he shall serve him forever. Exodus 21:6
· Then shalt thou kill the ram, and take of his blood, and put it upon the tip of the right ear of Aaron, and upon the tip of the right ear of his sons . . . Exodus 29:20
· Who hath ears to hear, let him hear. Matthew 13:9
· He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches . . . If any man have an ear, let him hear. Revelation 2:7,11,17, 29; 3:6,13, 22; 13:9
Q – What is the seventh principle of Manly Honor?
A – Never shrink from the challenge, but rise to meet it
Q – What does it mean to shrink from challenge?
A – It means to put more value on my selfish comforts and securities than on God’s Glory. It means to cower and forsake the empowering grace of God to meet life’s demands.
Q – What does it mean to rise to meet the challenge?
A – It means trusting God to carry me, enable me, and prove victorious in and through every trial. It means to bear the attitude of the super-triumphant.
· . . . I did not shrink from declaring to you anything that was profitable, and teaching you publicly and from house to house . . . I did not shrink from declaring to you the whole purpose of God. Acts 20:20,27
· Now the just shall live by faith: but if any man shrink back, my soul shall have no pleasure in him. But we are not of them who shrink back to destruction; but of them that believe to the saving of the soul. Hebrews 10:38-39 (+ NASB term)
· And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb, and by the word of their testimony; and they loved not their lives (unto the death) so much as to shrink from death. Revelation 12:11
· Watch ye, stand fast in the faith, quit you like men, be strong. 1 Corinthians 16:13
Q – What is the eighth principle of Manly Honor?
A – Never dilute the manly Gospel message
Q – What does it mean to dilute the manly Gospel message?
A – It means that, for the sake of earthly approval, comfort, and fleshly compromise, the Gospel is shorn of its grandeur and triumph. The Gospel means death to the Old Man, the removal of the stronghold of Sin, and the power of the indwelling Christ enabling us to carry out all the impossible errands of God. And this message must never be compromised.
· Hold fast the form of sound words, which thou hast heard of me, in faith and love which is in Christ Jesus. That good thing which was committed unto thee keep by the Holy Ghost which dwells in us. 2 Timothy 1:13-14
· You shall not add unto the word which I command you, neither shall you diminish ought from it, that ye may keep the commandments of the LORD your God which I command you. Deuteronomy 4:2
· Every word of God is pure: he is a shield unto them that put their trust in him. Add thou not unto his words, lest he reprove thee, and thou be found a liar. Proverbs 30:5-6
Q – What is the ninth principle of Manly Honor?
A – Never heed the Old Man’s fuss
Q – What does it mean to heed the Old Man’s fuss?
A – It means to lend an ear to the Old Man’s whine, self-pity, and craving for fleshly indulgence. But a man of honor must not heed this voice of Flesh for He owes it nothing and is not, in the least bit, required to feed its lusts.
· Knowing this, that our old man is crucified with Him, that the body of sin might be destroyed, that henceforth we should not serve sin.. . . Reckon you also yourselves to be dead indeed unto sin, but alive unto God through Jesus Christ our Lord. Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body, that ye should obey it in the lusts thereof. Romans 6:6,11-12
· Therefore, brethren, we are debtors, not to the flesh, to live after the flesh. For if ye live after the flesh, ye shall die: but if ye through the Spirit do mortify the deeds of the body, ye shall live. Romans 8:12-13
Q – What is the tenth principle of Manly Honor?
A – Never capitulate to the Devil
Q – What does it mean to capitulate to the Devil
A – Capitulate means to surrender, to give in, and to cease resistance to an enemy force. The Man of Honor must never capitulate to the Enemy. No matter what terms the Devil offers, he must not be either believed or trusted. And even if he offers me all the treasures of this earth, or the position of king over all the earth, or the applause of all the peoples of this earth – the Man of Honor must remain resolute and unbending.
· Resist the devil, and he will flee from you . . . Neither give place to the devil . . . Put on the whole armor of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil . . . taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked . . . Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour: whom resist stedfast in the faith . . . James 4:7b, Ephesians 4:27;6:11,16, 1 Peter 5:8-9a
The full sermon can be seen and downloaded at:
http://ellerslie.com/Eric_Ludy_Sermons/Entries/2011/6/12_The_Ten_Resolutions_of_Manly_Honor.html
