Traits of Great Men
“Most men will proclaim every one his own goodness: but a faithful man who can find?”
Proverbs 20:6
“And the LORD said unto Satan, Hast thou considered my servant Job, that there is none like him in the earth, a perfect and an upright man, one that feareth God, and escheweth evil?”
Job 1:8
“For he shall be great in the sight of the Lord, and shall drink neither wine nor strong drink; and he shall be filled with the Holy Ghost, even from his mother’s womb.”
Luke 1:15
“Verily I say unto you, Among them that are born of women there hath not risen a greater than John the Baptist: notwithstanding he that is least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he.”
Matt 11:11
Definition:
- You nor your family can measure your greatness: you must grow in favor with God and good men.
- God has given Hebrews 11 as a report card for many great men, who are watching us (Heb 12:1-2).
- There are great men by human standards (II Sam 7:9), but we measure by His rule from the Bible.
- Great men avoid meltdowns or folly (Ec 10:1). They cut losses before they are in a crushing event.
Purpose:
- We begin a new year in a few days, and we should be committing and planning to be great in 2010.
- God looks for single men who will stand and be counted for Him against compromise (Eze 22:30).
- If you are sick by the carnality, sins, or dysfunction of others, then condemn folly by greatness.
- There is only one way to take care of yourself for old age, sickness, and death … greatness now!
- This next year may be the last year you have by death or the Lord’s return. Make it count greatly!
Benefits:
- This is how you glorify God and Jesus Christ during your short life … aim for greatness for Him.
- This is how you build His kingdom and church and benefit the lives of all those around you.
- This is how you accrue God’s blessings in life: if you are great for Him, He will be great for you.
- This will surprise the carnally minded and weak … this is how to maximize your own happiness.
Reality:
- You can do this: it is not a matter of ability, but rather a matter of your commitment and choices.
- You can do this: it does not take much to stand out while living among effeminate compromisers.
- You can do this: some pretty weak and sordid characters made it to Hebrews 11 by their faith.
- You can do this: through the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the power of the Holy Ghost.
- Everything in your past can be blown away with proper repentance, restitution, and reformation.
| Trait | Definition & Description | Great | Losers |
|---|---|---|---|
| Keep Heart | The basis of all speech and action is the heart, so great men keep their heart with all diligence, for from it comes your whole life (Pr 4:23; Matt 12:35). | David, Daniel | Saul, Demas |
| Meek | Humility, modesty, submissiveness; patient and peaceful in injury. Content with backseat; unruffled by foes; avoids public acclaim (Mic 6:6-8; Ep 4:2). | Moses, Paul | Diotrephes |
| Love | Affectionate compassion and sacrificial service to others - a more excellent way to serve God than as an apostle (I Cor 12:28-31; 13:4-7; II Cor 12:15). | Paul | Eliphaz, Jonah |
| Service | Getting outside yourself to help others, who cannot repay; the greatest in the kingdom are servants (Matt 20:25-28; 23:11-12; Luke 14:12-14; Ac 20:35). | Gaius, Philemon | Mark |
| Rich | Financial prudence is the goal to work hard, control expenses, and save to build estate and help others (Pr 11:16; 21:17,20; Ep 4:28; I Thes 4:11-12). | Job, Abraham | Nabal, Rehoboam |
| Generous | Cheerful and quick liberality in giving; the opposite of stingy; it involves a supernatural principle that blesses or curses men (Pr 11:24-28; II Cor 9:6). | Barnabas, Araunah | Judas |
| Speech | Rule your tongue to avoid foolish talking, harsh or impetuous words; only a few perfect men rule the tongue (Ep 5:4; Pr 17:27-28; 21:23; Jas 1:19; 3:2). | David | Nabal, Ishbosheth |
| Worship | The desire, delight, and action of praising God for His nature, works, word, which should be a joy and priority for every believer (Ps 37:4; Jer 9:23-24). | David | Snuffers |
| Leader | The conviction, confidence, and commitment to get out in front of family, friends, or church and be an example of walking with God (Ezek 22:30). | Abraham, Joshua | Rulers |
| Prayer | Consistent supplication of God for blessing on church, nation, and family for spiritual and natural needs (I Thes 5:17; Col 4:2; Jer 15:1; Ezek 14:14). | Daniel | Joshua |
| Virtue | Virtue is manly strength to be holy, noble, and pure in life against your own lusts and the tempting offers of the world toward sin (II Pet 1:5; Ps 24:4). | Joseph(3) | Amnon |
| Influence | Are you a tree of life to others? Family, friends, colleagues, neighbors? Do they respect your life and want to emulate you and learn more (Pr 11:30)? | Cornelius | Lot |
| Faith | Belief, confidence, and trust in God overcoming the world, circumstances, doubts from the devil, and others’ negative thinking (Heb 11:1,6; I Jn 5:4). | Abraham | Thomas, Saul |
| Gracious | We are to be kind, modest, agreeable, friendly, and charming as the servants of Christ (Col 4:6). And this form of speech will pay dividends (Pr 22:11). | David, Jesus | Nabal |
| Zeal | Passion for the things of God consuming your heart, life, and activities, so that you stick out to the average as strange (Eccl 9:10; Gal 4:18; Col 3:23). | Phinehas, Jehu | Ephesus, Laodicea |
| Hospitable | Why do you have money? To help others (Eph 4:28). Why do you have a house? To entertain and house others (Heb 13:2). | Abraham | An inn |
| Honesty | All dealings with all men should be in scrupulous honesty and truth, so that your person and words are absolute trustworthy (II Kgs 22:7; Tit 2:9-10). | Jacob | Ananias |
| Courage | The boldness and confidence to do what needs to be done without regard for what men or circumstances may do (Josh 1:1-9; Pr 29:25). | Caleb, Jael | Peter, Pilate |
| Patience | Suffering or enduring pain or trouble with calmness and composure; it is continuing without quitting in the face of difficulties (Rom 12:12; Gal 6:9). | Job | Stony |
| Thankful | Instead of complaining and whining about things, and instead of thinking too much, give yourself to thanksgiving for everything (I Thess 5:18). | Jacob, A leper | A butler, 9 lepers |
| Gentle | Mild in disposition or behavior; kind, tender, courteous. It is a fruit of the Spirit; we are to be tenderhearted; and Jesus was gentle (Jas 3:17; Tit 3:2). | Joseph | Zeruiah |
| Diligence | Life is short, and you should do everything with your might. Why pace yourself? God will bless the diligent (Pr 22:29; Gal 6:9; I Cor 15:10). | Jeroboam | Sodom |
| Temperate | Self-discipline is necessary for greatness in any endeavor. The world seeks a corruptible crown, but we an incorruptible one (I Cor 9:24-27). | Daniel, Paul | Demas, Samson |
| Forsight | Great men look ahead, not just work, eat, play, and sleep everyday. They are looking to help family and church in the future (Pr 6:6-8; 13:22; 22:3). | David | Rich man |
| Neighbor | Your neighbor (those God puts around you and in front of you) trusts you, and great men never violate that trust (Pr 3:27-30; Luke 10:25-37). | Hiram | Ahab, Edom |
| Prudent | Some procrastinate, take risks, stay unorganized, ignore the future, etc. But others guide their affairs with discretion (Ps 112:5; Pr 13:23; 17:18; 24:27). | David | Flood |
| Content | The world measures success by lots of stuff, but God measures by how happy you are with what you have (I Tim 6:6; Heb 13:5; Pr 30:8; Phil 4:11). | Agur | Ahab, David |
| Answers | You must be able to teach others and defend the truth, and this is not hard, if you pay attention and practice (Pr 22:17-21; 24:26; I Pet 3:15; He 5:12-14). | Elihu, Aquila | Hebrews |
| Holy | God is holy, and great men must be holy as well, which is to avoid sin and hate it in every respect (I Pet 1:14-17; II Cor 6:14 – 7:1; I Thess 4:3-7). | Joseph | Lot |
| Just | This is fairness, where you deal fairly with all, doing what is good and right, without partiality for any reason (Is 59:14; Col 4:1; Jas 3:17; Matt 1:19). | Joseph, Abner | Joab |
| Peaceful | God and good men love peace, and great men are peacemakers whenever they can calm tempers or cause reconciliation (Matt 5:9; Eph 4:3; Jas 3:18). | Barnabas | Saul |
| Faithful | Can others rely on you for actions assumed, requested, or promised? Great men always perform as expected (Pr 13:17; 25:13; Lu 16:10; I Cor 4:2). | David | Mark |