Character Counts! The Sacred Matters
(Matthew 12:33-37)
Theme: Christian discipleship is a war against all that would desecrate that which is holy.
Purpose: What do I want to happen in the hearer when I preach this sermon?
A. Increased insight. After I preach this sermon, the hearer should be able to see that many Christians have replaced the God of the universe with another god, one that more resembles Santa Claus, Monty Hall, Uncle Sam, or a cosmic Donald Trump.
B. Increased knowledge. After I preach this sermon, the hearer should be able to state that:
1. The key to developing a godly character is making sure that God is really first in our lives.
2. What comes out of our mouths is a thermometer?it indicates what is happening inside of us.
C. Changed attitude. After I preach this sermon, I want the hearer to determine to
1. Recognize the spiritual warfare in which each Christian disciple is engaged.
2. Respect that which is holy and especially the sacred Name of God.
Need to be
Surfaced: As a result of sin every human being is tempted to reshape God. It is easier to shape God into our image (the image that we want Him to be) than it is to be shaped and reshaped into His image.
Solution to
be Offered: To prevail in this spiritual war, to be successful in our quest for godly character, we must first recognize that it is a war and then we must always respect that which is holy. Of particular importance is that we respect the holiness of the Name of God.
Introduction. (Get attention, surface need, make a contract to deliver a solution.)
A. John believed in God.
1. Went to church on a regular basis.
2. Loved his family.
3. Volunteered to coach his son?s little league team.
4. To the amazement of everyone he suddenly left his wife and moved in with another woman.
a) Some church members went to see him.
b) When asked about his actions he replied, ?Oh, I just think that God wants me to be happy. Don?t you??
5. What is the problem?
a) John did not worship Yahweh, God of the universe.
b) John worshiped Santa Claus.
(1) Many of us have replaced the God of the universe with Santa Claus.
(2) Many of us have replaced God with Monty Hall of Let?s Make a Deal.
(a) We don?t pay much attention to God until we?re in a jam.
(b) Then we negotiate with Him so He will help us out of it!
(3) Or perhaps our God is Uncle Sam?being a good Christian and being a good American is one and the same thing.
(a) Jehovah is God of the United States (how else could we have become the envy of all the world if God were not with us?)
(b) I am a citizen of the United States.
(c) Therefore, Jehovah is my God and I am just all right (oh, I suppose I ought to go to church once in awhile but there is no sense in becoming a fanatic about it).
(d) But God said to Moses, ?Thou shalt not bow down thyself unto them [idols], nor serve them, for I Jehovah thy God [singular ? of each Israelite individually] am a jealous God, (ASV Exodus 20:5).
(i) He?s talking to all of Israel through Moses.
(ii) But when it comes to His relationship with human beings it must be one-on-one.
(4) Or a cosmic Donald Trump:
(a) ?You can have it all.?
(b) Give ten bucks and God will give you back 100!
(c) This god never wants Christians to be sick, sad or suffer. (If one of these ?S? words affects your life it is because you lack faith and aren?t giving enough to the church!)
B. Character Counts!
1. As disciples we are on a quest for godly character.
2. The key to success is making sure that God is first in all areas of our lives
a) This is contrary to the world?s view of character
b) The world teaches that character is all about how we treat one another
c) Our relationship to God is an ethical side dish?unimportant to character development
d) By the way, our ?relationship with God? ought to be kept private
3. As disciples we must keep God first.
4. To do that we must:
a) Recognize the war.
b) Respect the holy.
I. Recognize the War
A. Who created whom?
1. He created me in His image.
2. Then I sinned?rebelled against Him?and now I am in constant danger of creating Him in my image!
a) Even those closest to Jesus tried to reshape Him!
(1) Peter expected Messiah to be a man of great political power.
(2) Peter expected to play a role in the government of Messiah.
(3) So when Jesus told His disciples that Messiah would die on a cross Peter rebuked Him!
NIV Mark 8:31-33 He then began to teach them that the Son of Man must suffer many things and be rejected by the elders, chief priests and teachers of the law, and that he must be killed and after three days rise again. 32 He spoke plainly about this, and Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him. 33 But when Jesus turned and looked at his disciples, he rebuked Peter. "Get behind me, Satan!" he said. "You do not have in mind the things of God, but the things of men."
b) It was clear to Peter that God needed to change!
c) Sometimes it is clear to me that God needs to change!
(1) It wasn?t until Peter accepted and embraced God on a cross that Peter could call himself a ?servant.? (2 Peter 1:1).
(2) It won?t be until I accept and embrace my God on the cross for my sins that I will be able to take my proper place.
B. What do you want from God?
1. If He would do anything you asked, what would it be?
a) Make you rich?
b) Make you handsome?
c) Make you famous?
2. I wonder if any of us would ask to simply be alone with Him for a few minutes so that we could privately, quietly, and humbly say ?thank you??
It won?t be until I accept and embrace my God on the cross for my sins that I will be able to take my proper place of humble, grateful servant.
C. You?re All I Want, You?re All I?ve Ever Needed.
1. Lyrics to a popular Christian song.
2. They sound great but are they true?
a) There is a part of me that does not want God.
b) There is a part of me that wants power, pleasure, and prestige instead.
c) I don?t want an ?off the rack? deity?I want one that is tailor made for me and me alone!
d) In this war that is constantly going on within me I am constantly trying to reshape God. Why?
(1) Because it is easier to reshape God into my image
(2) Than to be reshaped into His image.
D. We must recognize the war that rages within us!
1. I want a god who will do what I say when I say do it.
2. I want a god who will stay where I put him.
E. To wage the war, pray this prayer:
1. God, you are God and I am not.
2. You formed me from the dust of the earth.
3. You breathed into me the breath of life.
4. You created me I did not create you.
5. You God are Lord, King, Ruler, Master.
6. I have sinned against you.
7. My sin has created within me an unruly and rebellious heart.
8. There is a part of me that is in utter defiance of you?it resists every attempt to place you in your proper place of first priority in my life.
ASV Psalm 51:1 Have mercy upon me, O God, according to thy lovingkindness: According to the multitude of thy tender mercies blot out my transgressions. 2 Wash me thoroughly from mine iniquity, And cleanse me from my sin. 3 For I know my transgressions; And my sin is ever before me.
ASV Psalm 51:10 Create in me a clean heart, O God; And renew a right spirit within me. 11 Cast me not away from thy presence; And take not thy holy Spirit from me. 12 Restore unto me the joy of thy salvation; And uphold me with a willing spirit. 13 Then will I teach transgressors thy ways; And sinners shall be converted unto thee.
II. Respect the Holy.
NIV Matthew 12:33 "Make a tree good and its fruit will be good, or make a tree bad and its fruit will be bad, for a tree is recognized by its fruit. 34 You brood of vipers, how can you who are evil say anything good? For out of the overflow of the heart the mouth speaks. 35 The good man brings good things out of the good stored up in him, and the evil man brings evil things out of the evil stored up in him. 36 But I tell you that men will have to give account on the day of judgment for every careless word they have spoken. 37 For by your words you will be acquitted, and by your words you will be condemned."
A. We must watch our mouths.
1. It is good to guard what comes out of your mouth.
2. Profanity, coarse jokes, cursing, etc. must not be heard coming out of the mouths of God?s people.
B. But what comes out of the mouth is merely a thermometer.
1. It merely indicates what is happening inside the person.
2. What comes out of the mouth is evidence of what is inside the heart.
3. That is why there must be a deep respect for what is holy, for what is sacred.
C. Of all the holy things we as a people desecrate, by far the most frequently abused is the Holy Name of God.
1. We use it as a curse.
2. We use it as an exclamation point (?Oh my God!?)
3. We use it as a cliché.
4. We use it as a weapon.
5. We use it as an endorsement.
D. Some of us would never consider blatantly misusing God?s name and so we just ?come close.? We don?t say ?Jesus Christ? as an irreverent exclamation, we say ?Jeez Louise? instead.
E. How should we use the name of God?
1. As having a claim of authority over us.
ASV Matthew 6:9 After this manner therefore pray ye. Our Father who art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name.
ASV Psalm 29:2 Ascribe unto Jehovah the glory due unto his name; Worship Jehovah in holy array.
a) God?s name carries authority.
b) It represents the power that takes a person
(1) Who has lost his direction,
(2) Who has ruined her relationships,
(3) Who has alienated himself from his God and from the purpose God has for his life,
c) And remakes that that lonely, broken person into a person who now shares in the character of God.
d) God?s name represents a claim of authority over us.
2. As a call to integrity.
a) Illustration:
(1) An unruly young soldier was brought before Alexander the Great for punishment because of his conduct.
(2) ?What is your name?? Alexander asked the accused.
(3) ?Alexander,? came the reply.
(4) The great general was visibly shaken. Finally, he commanded the boy, ?Either change your behavior or change your name!?
b) We cannot call ourselves ?Christian? and act like the world.
Let every one that nameth the name of the Lord depart from unrighteousness. ASV 2 Timothy 2:19.
c) The Name of God for us is a call to integrity.
3. As a call to intimacy.
a) The Hebrews overreacted to God?s command to not MIS-use the Name by never USING the Name of God.
b) The very fact that He revealed His Name to us indicates that He is inviting us to be intimate with Him.
c) He is inviting us into His presence but we must first take off our shoes because where we are about to go is holy ground!
Conclusion.
A. Many of us have replaced the God of the universe with someone else:
1. Santa Claus.
2. Monty Hall.
3. Uncle Sam.
4. A cosmic Donald Trump.
B. Character Counts!
1. As disciples we are on a quest for godly character.
2. The key to success is making sure that God is first in all areas of our lives.
3. To do that we must:
a) Recognize the War
(1) Who created whom?
(2) He created me in His image.
(3) Then I sinned?rebelled against Him?and now I am in constant danger of creating Him in my image!
b) Respect the Holy.
(1) We must watch our mouths.
(2) But what comes out of the mouth is merely a thermometer.
(3) That is why there must be a deep respect for what is holy, for what is sacred.
(4) Of all the holy things we as a people desecrate, by far the most frequently abused is the Holy Name of God.
(5) For disciples diligently pursuing godly character in our lives the Name of God:
(a) Has a claim of authority over us.
(b) Calls us to integrity.
(c) Calls us to intimacy.
