WHAT A CHARACTER!
Acts 4:36-37
S: Character Development
Th: Seeing the Unseen Christ: How His Presence Transforms Life
Pr: YOU ARE KNOWN BY THE HABITS YOU KEEP.
?: What?
What habits should we be known by?
What habits should we keep?
KW: Habits
TS: In our adventure of practicing Christ’s Presence, we will discover five habits we need to develop.
The ____ habit we need to develop in order to practice Christ’s Presence is being a…
I. WORSHIPPER
II. LOVER
III. FOLLOWER
IV. TESTIFIER
V. PRAY-ER
RMBC 2/18/01 AM
INTRODUCTION:
ILL Notebook: Clever (this is his girlfriend)
After Bert May took office as mayor of Mt. Sterling, Kentucky, an unfortunate inci-dent precipitated some hateful phone calls to his home. One night while he was conducting a city council meeting, his wife answered the phone. "Is this the home of Bert May, the mayor?" a woman’s voice asked. When his wife explained that he was at a meeting and would return her call if she left a name and number, the caller said, "That’s confidential. This is his girlfriend." His wife, knowing this was all a ruse, calmly responded, "Lady, if you don’t leave your name and number, he won’t know which one to call back."
I love that clever response.
You knew that wife was a character.
ILL Personal: Baptizing Sarah James
You may recall a while ago, when I was doing a baptism, one of the ones being baptized was Sarah James.
And, as she came down the steps to be baptized, I said facetiously, “Here is a person with no personality.”
What I really was saying is “what a character!”
1. Have you ever said that someone is a character?
“What a character!”
Who comes to mind when you say that?
Carmen Benner?
Pat Brown?
John Wulf?
Emily Arnold?
We really have a long list at Randall!
When you call someone a character, that kind of statement is never made without reason.
There are distinctive qualities about that person.
You know…
2. Eventually, each of us will be remembered for certain characteristics that could be captured in a phrase or two.
That being so…
What qualities are you building into your life?
What are you doing now to shape the person you are becoming?
Abraham Lincoln was known as “Honest Abe.”
Florence Nightingale was known as “The Lady with the Lamp.”
When we hear the name Enoch, we think of the one who walked with God.
David was known as “a man after God’s own heart.”
John the apostle was known as “the disciple whom Jesus loved.”
TRANSITION:
Also…
1. In Scripture, Joseph of Cyrene was also known by a phrase—Son of Encouragement (Acts 4:36-37).
(36) Joseph, a Levite from Cyprus, whom the apostles called Barnabas (which means Son of Encouragement), (37) sold a field he owned and brought the money and put it at the apostles’ feet.
Barnabas!
Most have us have hard of Barnabas.
His ministry of encouragement was such a normal practice that people just naturally called him the Encourager.
Now that is a pretty decent label!
You know, it is nice when people think well of us.
But there is One that is more important than all others!
2. How do you think Jesus would characterize you?
You see, the most important issue isn’t what people think of you, but what Jesus thinks of you.
ILL Characterizations
Might Jesus say something like:
“Sam—a regular churchgoer, always on time, but shows little interest in me or anything spiritual the rest of the week. Sunday Sam.”
“Delores—a gifted woman—but she’s more tuned into the TV soaps that to my truths in Scripture. Double-minded Delores.”
“Larry—a great sports enthusiast. Enjoys being with people, nice guy, but rarely will he lift a finger to reach out to anyone on my behalf. Lazy Larry.”
“Fred—a hard worker…not much talent but a lot of desire. Oh, how I look forward to those times together in prayer. Faithful Fred.”
What is Jesus thinking about you?
The truth is…
3. YOU ARE KNOWN BY THE HABITS YOU KEEP.
Sometimes, we are not too proud of our habits.
And the best way to keep the pressure off is to focus on the other guy.
We always want to be at least better than someone else.
As Mark Twain said, “Nothing so needs reforming as other people’s habits!”
But you can only avoid your own bad habits for so long.
There is a simple fact in all of this that is good news.
It only takes 21 days to establish a new habit—good or bad.
Now that’s encouraging
We are not stuck, having to stay the same.
Our present patterns can be altered.
We can live a different way.
We can succeed when it looks like we were going to lose.
ILL Notebook: Practice (Rice & Notre Dame)
Quarterback Tony Rice led Notre Dame’s football team to a national relationship in 1988. Before the season, sportswriters wondered whether Notre Dame could beat the tough teams with a Quarterback like Rice, whose passing often was inaccurate. They didn’t know that coach Lou Holtz had bought Rice a dartboard and told him to practice throwing darts an hour a day. Rice didn’t see how that would help his passing, but he did as his coach said. Soon he began throwing passes with more accuracy and confidence—both of which were evidenced in a banner season.
The neat thing about establishing a new habit, is you don’t have to do it all at once.
You can start small.
And as you practice, your skills will improve.
Next Sunday, we will officially begin our 50-Day Adventure called: Seeing the Unseen Christ: How His Presence Transforms Life.
Our 50-day adventure is an opportunity for accelerated spiritual growth.
We set aside 50 days to practice some positive, healthy habits that honor Christ.
As we mentioned last week, we need to practice Christ’s Presence.
This means we need to develop good habits that will get us there.
So, in our study today, and…
4. In our adventure of practicing Christ’s Presence, we will discover five habits we need to develop.
OUR STUDY:
I. The first habit we need to develop in order to practice Christ’s Presence is being a WORSHIPPER.
1. ACTION STEP: Prepare Your Heart for Meaningful Worship.
If we had announced last week that Billy Graham or George W. Bush was going to be here, this place would be packed.
Some of us might even do something drastic—we would get here early.
There would be such an air of excitement!
Now, do you think it is possible to expect Jesus’ Presence every Sunday?
Why not?
Why not anticipate Jesus’ literal Presence?
2. Anticipate Jesus’ literal Presence.
This may not be easy for us.
It will take some discipline.
It will take the discipline of the mind and the discipline of the heart.
We will need to sharpen our eyes of faith.
But it will be worth it.
For remember this—we have not greater work!
We will enjoy worship for eternity.
We might as well get ready for it…
ILL Notebook: Preparation (dry socks)
The day Christopher Adamson had picked for cross-country skiing excursion turned out much colder than had been expected. By the time the group had returned to the car, they were all nearly frozen. Chris pulled out his thermos and poured himself a cup of hot cocoa. His friend Ken reached for his wide-necked thermos. “There’s really one thing that can warm you up on a day like this,” he said, opening the container. Then, he took out a pair of clean, dry socks—still warm from the dryer.
Now, that’s being prepared.
You see, if we are going to be prepared and anticipate Jesus’ Presence, we must…
3. Get ready ahead of time (Psalm 122:1).
It is an exciting thing to worship.
Pouring out our hearts to God in worship ultimately brings joy to our souls.
As the Psalmist said…
I rejoiced with those who said to me, “Let us go to the house of the LORD.”
In your adventure journal, you will find 11 different activities that will help you prepare for worship.
We recommend you choose a different activity for each week.
Do this so that you may develop the great habit of being a worshipper.
II. The second habit we need to develop in order to practice Christ’s Presence is being a LOVER.
1. ACTION STEP: Show Christ’s Love through Secret Acts.
This is a habit that can really be fun.
We want you to have fun with this!
And it is essential, too, for love is at the heart of Christianity.
We need to remember that…
2. Love is active (John 13:34).
As Jesus said…
“A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another.”
This is not some casual suggestion.
Christ meant it!
Love is not some warm, fuzzy feeling.
Rather, it is a lifestyle of action and service benefiting others.
ILL Notebook: Service (GW)
During the American Revolution a man in civilian clothes rode past a group of soldiers repairing a small defensive barrier. Their leader was shouting instructions, but making no attempt to help them. Asked why by the rider, he retorted with great dignity, "Sir, I am a corporal!" The stranger apologized, dismounted, and proceeded to help the exhausted soldiers. The job done, he turned to the corporal and said, "Mr. Corporal, next time you have a job like this and not enough men to do it, go to your commander-in-chief, and I will come and help you again." It was none other than George Washington.
Love serves.
You know, we are good at quoting this verse, “Love one another.”
But are we loving?
Are we loving another?
You see, to love one another, you need to love another.
So look for ways to reach out and show consideration and compassion
Do simple things…like sending a card, preparing a meal, shoveling, helping financially, shopping…
The possibilities are endless.
Now whenever possible, we want to do these acts of kindness in secret.
We want to do it this way because we want to…
3. Let the credit go to Christ (Matthew 6:1-4).
(1) “Be careful not to do your ‘acts of righteousness’ before men, to be seen by them. If you do, you will have no reward from your Father in heaven. (2) So when you give to the needy, do not announce it with trumpets, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and on the streets, to be honored by men. I tell you the truth, they have received their reward in full. (3) But when you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, (4) so that your giving may be in secret. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.”
So…show love, because it is a great habit to be a lover of people as God loves people.
III. The third habit we need to develop in order to practice Christ’s Presence is being a FOLLOWER.
We spoke a bit about this action step last week.
It is…
1. ACTION STEP: Reverse a Self-Destructive Pattern.
If we are going to be a true follower of Christ, we have to take sin seriously.
There are specific areas that we need to change direction.
They are in the way of our relationship with Christ.
Our experience with Christ is hampered because of these.
So just as Christ cleared out the temple, we need for Him to clean out the temple of our heart.
To do that, we need to know what God says.
So…
2. Put God’s Word in your heart (Psalm 119:11).
The Psalmist writes…
I have hidden your word in my heart that I might not sin against you.
Never underestimate the power of God’s Word in you.
For God’s word is powerful in fighting Satan’s attack.
When His Word is in us, it weakens the power of sin in our lives.
This is why we must discipline ourselves to…
3. Get into the Word (Hebrews 4:12).
For the word of God is living and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart.
God uses His word to penetrate the deepest recesses of our heart.
So let the word get deep!
Let it get in there.
Again, your journal is a tool to help all of us in this.
It is not meant to be busywork.
Rather, for our church family, it is meant to be a roadmap highlighting the essentials to keep us all together.
Being in God’s Word together will help us as we develop the habit of being God’s followers.
IV. The fourth habit we need to develop in order to practice Christ’s Presence is being a TESTIFIER.
1. ACTION STEP: Live a Lighthouse Lifestyle.
Many of us find lighthouses fascinating.
We are drawn to them.
We also recognize their essential usefulness.
They illuminate their appointed area, warning of dangers, and demonstrating safety.
We are to be the same way.
People all around us are in a spiritual fog.
They are in eternal peril.
It is time for us to be a lighthouse.
It is “My Life as God’s Light.”
To do that, we recommend that you…
2. Pray for five families/individuals, for five minutes, five days a week.
Let’s be intentional.
Let’s state to God the desire of our hearts.
We want them to be in eternity with us.
So does God, by the way.
Believe me—you will be praying according to the will of God.
You might remember, during last year’s 50-day adventure, we emphasized this same aspect of being a lighthouse.
3. Remember the importance of PRAYER, CARE and SHARE.
We pray for others.
We look for opportunities to care.
And then we share the difference God has made in our lives.
ILL Testimony: Diane Sharpe
Thanks Diane.
Thanks for being a lighthouse for us today.
We testify because we want people to know Jesus like we do.
What kind of friend are we if we don’t at least tell them the most important thing about our lives?
We can all be testifiers, and in doing so, we will practice Christ’s Presence.
V. The fifth habit we need to develop in order to practice Christ’s Presence is being a PRAY-ER.
1. ACTION STEP: Converse with Christ about Life at Its Best.
Though last, this is nowhere the least of our action steps.
We have the greatest privilege in directly talking with God.
We need no intermediary.
We share our praise and thankfulness.
We share our heart concern.
We share and know that God hears us, because He is the with us God.
A resource we are recommending to you is the “Best Life Possible Prayer.”
2. Use the “Best Life Possible Prayer”:
Gracious Father,
You’ve been so good to me. Today I’m especially aware of ______________________________. I remind myself that whatever my circumstances, when I practice your presence I celebrate your gift of life at its best. I pray for neighbors and friends who don’t know this secret, like _____________________. Help me care for them as you have cared for me.
Amen.
APPLICATION:
All habits have a starting point.
I am willing to wager that most of you will agree that these habits we are speaking about are worthwhile.
They are positive spiritual habits.
And…
1. Practicing positive spiritual habits develops character.
But notice this…there is more than this than what you do.
This is essentially about who you are!
Who are you?
Is Jesus in you?
And is Jesus seen in you?
My dear friends, it is my hope and desire and prayer that together, we will practice Christ’s Presence.
And, that it will be said of us that Jesus is with us.
Will you join me in that?
2. May it be said of us, “Jesus is with us.”
BENEDICTION: [Counselors are ]
Be a worshipper…be ready, be prepared, know that the Presence of God is here in this place because your are here and He enjoys the praises of His people;
Be a lover…love God, love your neighbor, love one another, love another—and watch gossip fade, old grudges resolved and broken relationships healed;
Be a follower…and crave the joy God has for you, leave your sin and know His Word, for it is there you will find freedom and rest;
Be a testifier…let your life be God’s light, show people the way out of their spiritual fog by lighting their way to Christ;
Be a pray-er…be in conversation with God—know His hear and reveal your own, and watch His Presence come alive in Your heart and soul.
Now may your love abound more and more in knowledge and depth of insight, so that you may be able to discern what is best; and may you be pure and blameless until the day of Christ, filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ, to the glory and praise of God. Amen.
