Mighty Men
by Jeffrey W. Hamilton
Text: Genesis 10:8-9
I. What makes a man stand out among his peers?
A. What makes him noteworthy?
B. What is the source of his strength?
II. Men mighty in wickedness
A. Genesis 6:4-6
1. When the righteous intermarried with the wicked, the results were mighty men, not in stature, but in wickedness.
2. Every thought of men was on evil and it was these men who held some in renown.
3. They were so renown for their evil that God cleansed the earth with a year-long flood.
B. In Isaiah’s time there were men renowned for their drinking - Isaiah 5:22
1. These are the men who boast they can drink anyone under the table
2. Regular alcohol was not enough, they mixed in drugs to increase their potency
3. What strength! I can fry my brain and ruin my body longer than you can!
III. Men mighty in strength and character
A. Judges 6:11-12 - Gideon was selected because of his great strength.
1. It is not necessarily physical strength.
2. God saw a strength of character within Gideon.
3. I find this fascinating because the stories of Gideon’s battles would lead you to believe he was full of self-doubts.
B. Much like David - I Samuel 16:18
1. It was the mighty David who slew the physically strong Goliath
C. One can be physically strong, but cowardly.
D. Or, one can be brave of heart in spite of physical weakness.
E. Or, one can be graced with both - II Samuel 1:17-27
IV. The Bible also speaks of men mighty in wealth and influence
A. Boaz was a man of great wealth - Ruth 2:1
1. He had other great qualities as well
B. Unfortunately, there are many with the power of wealth but lacking in character.
1. Mighty people tend to trust themselves and their wealth.
2. As a result they cannot humble themselves even to enter heaven - I Corinthians 1:26
3. Think about it, how many millionaires, kings, governors, presidents, rulers of high rank according to the world’s standard accept the call of the gospel?
4. Perhaps they are so used to giving orders, they cannot follow the commands of God.
V. Men mighty in word and in deed
A. Stephen gave tribute to Moses - Acts 7:22
1. Here again is a fascinating statement because Moses did not see himself as an eloquent man - Exodus 4:10
2. Moses’ words were powerful because the words were the words of God
3. It is not the presentation, but what is said which makes it notable.
4. The deeds of Moses were the marvels of God – the ten plagues, the crossing of the Red Sea, and the many signs given in the wilderness.
B. Jesus too was described as mighty in word and deed - Luke 24:18-20
1. When Jesus taught, he taught with authority - Matthew 7:29
2. When the Jewish leaders sent men to arrest Jesus, they came back empty handed - John 7:45-46
3. The works that accompanied Jesus were like no other. They showed the might and glory of God - Luke 9:42-43a
VI. Men mighty in conviction and faith
A. Abraham showed the strength of his faith - Romans 4:16-20
B. The amazing thing is that such strength comes when we truly see our physical weakness - II Corinthians 12:9-10
VII. Men mighty in Scriptures
A. Apollos was described as such a man - Acts 18:24, 27-28
B. Apollos knew his Bible and knew it well.
1. It comes only by deep study - Psalm 119:97-104
2. To use it properly requires knowing how to divide it rightly - II Timothy 2:15
C. We are not talking about simply memorizing passages.
1. We are talking about knowing the facts, reasoning with the information, so that you can apply it to your life.
2. I Timothy 4:6-16
VIII. It is not might alone that we should seek. We need to be mighty in righteousness.
A. The Lord desires for men to step up to the tasks.
B. There are great works to be done, works that cannot be done by solely sitting in a pew.
C. Do you desire to serve the Lord with all your might? - Mark 12:29-30
