Character that Influences
The Magnetic Christian • Sermon • Submitted
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· 29 viewsInfluential people have a character that influences.
Notes
Transcript
Introduction
Introduction
Think of people who have influenced your life?
Perhaps it was a teacher, a preacher, an elder, a coach, or a mentor? What drew you to them?
It may have been their skill and competence at first. But dig deeper. Was that all?
Wasn’t it who they were, not what they did? They were people you admired and wanted to model your life after.
People influence people. It is not a technique or a series of skills.
At the very core of influence is the character a Christian has. It is people who are salt and light.
Paul told the Philippians:
Do all things without grumbling or disputing, that you may be blameless and innocent, children of God without blemish in the midst of a crooked and twisted generation, among whom you shine as lights in the world,
He says it is who they were, their character as children of God that makes them the bright stars against the ebony sky.
The question is, “what kind of person influences others for Christ?” We see the character that doesn’t and that which does.
Discussion
Discussion
The Bad Example
The Bad Example
Someone observed you can learn as much from bad examples as good ones. So let’s start there.
Suppose we want to know the character to avoid. In that case, we must look no further than the constant antagonists of Jesus, the Jewish leaders called the scribes and Pharisees.
In Matthew 23 Jesus scalds them for their lack of integrity. The refrain is “Scribes, Pharisees, Hypocrites.” Jesus takes us and seats us in the front row of a Greek tragedy. Onstage is an actor. With one hand, he holds a mask in front of his face as he speaks the lines. Then, he exits, only to reappear with another mask in hand, playing another character.
With this simple image, Jesus exposes the problem with the Jewish leaders. They did nothing more than play the part. Their godliness was “mask-deep.”
How did it look?
Their Influence
Their Influence
Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you travel across sea and land to make a single proselyte, and when he becomes a proselyte, you make him twice as much a child of hell as yourselves.
When they did convert people, their converts were just as bad, if not worse than themselves. They were a child of hell leading people into the furnace.
In this vivid image, Jesus highlights a simple principle. We influence who we are, not what we want. We want people to be better than we are. Yet, the only way for that to happen is to become better ourselves.
For the Jewish leaders, it was just too much trouble.
They Cheated the System
They Cheated the System
Instead of true righteousness, which is difficult, they chose to shortcut God’s way. It was way too costly to keep your word. Instead, they found an ingenious way of promising with fingers crossed.
You blind fools! For which is greater, the gold or the temple that has made the gold sacred? And you say, ‘If anyone swears by the altar, it is nothing, but if anyone swears by the gift that is on the altar, he is bound by his oath.’ You blind men! For which is greater, the gift or the altar that makes the gift sacred? So whoever swears by the altar swears by it and by everything on it. And whoever swears by the temple swears by it and by him who dwells in it. And whoever swears by heaven swears by the throne of God and by him who sits upon it.
They devised an intricate system of what was sacred and what was secular. And their system matched their desires. So, they worked the system to get out of vows and promises made. Those vows might require too much money, too much time, or too much embarrassment.
The result was no one really trusted them. With a sly wink, people knew their promise was destined to be broken.
They Hid Behind the Trivial
They Hid Behind the Trivial
You have to give it to the Jewish leaders. They know how to count out the smallest of things. The tithe, the ten percent that financed the temple and the priests, was necessary. So they elevated it. It was a straightforward metric, a way to measure faithfulness.
“Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you tithe mint and dill and cumin, and have neglected the weightier matters of the law: justice and mercy and faithfulness. These you ought to have done, without neglecting the others.
They took the smallest of seeds, the mint, dill, and cummin, carefully measured out ten, and put one aside. They would measure out another 10, and set them aside.
Once finished, they declared themselves ‘obedient to God.”
But it was a pickpocket saying, “watch my left hand while I take your wallet with the right one.” They ignored the proper purposes of the commands while doing their counting.
The problem is we fall into that trap today.
When I was a boy, a West Texas swindler named Billy Sol Estes went to federal prison for selling phantom fertilizer tanks. The problem was he was a good member of the Church of Christ. Even after all the evidence, he proclaimed how righteous he was because of “being in church every Sunday.”
Trivial measures at the expense of godly lifestyles are a mask many people wear.
They Emphasized Impression
They Emphasized Impression
Jesus came loaded with observations. He had studied them well and knew their habits.
“Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you clean the outside of the cup and the plate, but inside they are full of greed and self-indulgence.
They fastidiously did the prescribed number of washings of plates and cups. No one could accuse them of missing this fine point of Jewish law prescribed in the manmade Talmud. Yet, it was an impression they wanted you to get.
In reality, if you peel back their lives, you find, in Jesus’ words, “greed and self-indulgence.” Taken together, their lack of self-control said, “I will do as I please and as I want.” Their wantonness provided fodder for sexual scandal and financial mismanagement.
No wonder Jesus brings before them a vivid image of their character.
“Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you are like whitewashed tombs, which outwardly appear beautiful, but within are full of dead people’s bones and all uncleanness.
You could look onto the hillsides outside of Jerusalem. The rock outcroppings provided an ideal place to chisel out the openings for a sarcophagus. It was then whitewashed to prevent erosion.
In the bright midday sun, the tombs gleamed. But the irony was apparent. As good as they look on the outside, they stink on the inside.
It made Jesus’ point well. You have sought to impress people with your observances but stink when God sniffs your life.
He warns that our character must not be based on what we want people to think of us. Instead, we please God, and it will bleed out to others.
As Jesus started this section, he nailed a single indictment that all of these proved.
They point out the right way but live the wrong way. They don’t practice what they preach.
But does anyone? Any preacher knows that he needs the message he preaches on Sunday as much as the arm-folding audience. We know more than we do.
Yet, Jesus pointed out something in this list. The leaders had no intention of ever trying to bring their life into line with the law. They were content giving the appearance of obedience without the effort of it.
A life of integrity may fail, but it keeps getting up and trying it again.
So, Jesus gives essential instructions.
so do and observe whatever they tell you, but not the works they do. For they preach, but do not practice.
We can listen to the truth but not follow the hypocrite.
The only way to influence those around us is for the heart to match the proclaimed standard. When it fails, it admits it. The words can teach, but the life will influence.
The Good Example
The Good Example
If you watch a child, you learn what influences him. His parent, who is always with him, rubs off in words and actions. He learns to walk by watching. He learns to talk by listening. He learns to live by influence.
So it is no wonder that the apostle Paul knew that the best way for Christians to grow and affect others' lives is through a good example.
He told the Corinthians:
I urge you, then, be imitators of me.
and again,
Be imitators of me, as I am of Christ.
He also told the Thessalonians the same:
And you became imitators of us and of the Lord, for you received the word in much affliction, with the joy of the Holy Spirit,
In all of this, Paul is really counseling influence from the life of another. He wants them to examine the man to determine his message. In doing so, he teaches that what influences others is the integrity of a Christian life. It is how much the message changes a life that makes it possible to draw others to the same faith.
What, then, are the marks of this kind of integrity?
Consistency
Consistency
Paul never had the attitude of “listen to what I say and do not do what I do.” Instead, he stood open to examination.
He told the elders in Ephesus, in their final tear-filled meeting:
And when they came to him, he said to them:
“You yourselves know how I lived among you the whole time from the first day that I set foot in Asia,
He did not instruct them as a professor who stood above them. Instead, he was a fellow traveler a few steps ahead. He could point them the way.
Remember the indictment Jesus made against the Jewish leaders: They do no practice what they preach.” Paul preached what he practices. That is Christian consistency.
People want to know if you live up to your own standards. It is easy to give glib answers but difficult to ignore authentic living.
We struggle with consistency as a virtue. After all, none are perfect. Many times we see the need for perfection, which is unattainable on this side of heaven.
Yet, consistency is merely doing what you say needs to be done. It includes what happens when you fall. If you believe in forgiveness, it is easy to repent. In fact, one of the most powerful witnesses of Christian authenticity is an honest, “I messed up, please forgive me.”
Even Paul did that.
though formerly I was a blasphemer, persecutor, and insolent opponent. But I received mercy because I had acted ignorantly in unbelief,
Paul was not shy about talking about his failings. He showed his scars. It is hard to argue “and who are you to talk,” if they tell you how they have missed the mark, but God still forgave them.
It does require us to empty ourselves of ego. It takes more courage to speak about how you failed and how God picked you up than to be the hero of your own story.
The strongest person in the room is the one who shows his faults and still pursues doing better.
The saying is, “I could not hear what you said because your example was shouting at me.” Don’t let that be the mark of our lives.
People are looking for models they can follow, not saints they can worship.
Trustworthy
Trustworthy
While it is easy to assume we are trustworthy, it is also easy to self-fib. We tell white lies and fudge the facts in our favor.
Sometimes, it costs to tell the truth.
When Paul wrote the Galatians, he had to face the opposition who slandered him. They say he was not telling the truth. And yet, Paul pays the price of criticism.
He reminds the readers:
Have I then become your enemy by telling you the truth?
Sometimes, people don’t want to hear the truth. But Christian character, based on God’s truth, speaks the truth, even when it is unpleasant.
Do people trust us when we speak? About whatever?
Can they count on the fact that it is factual, accurate, and believable?
Someone pointed out that if you cannot trust a person at one point, you cannot trust him on any point. That’s the damage falsehood brings.
The philosopher Nietzsche observed, “I’m not upset that you lied to me, I’m upset that from now on I can’t believe you.”
Tell the truth. It draws people today because it is as rare as a spring in the desert.
Compassion
Compassion
Compassion is how you treat other people. It is one thing that drew people to Jesus.
When he saw the crowds, he had compassion for them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd.
He felt as they felt, and they knew it.
It was how Paul approached his converts.
As far as we know, Paul spent but three weeks in Thessalonica. In his wake, and amid persecution, a church sprang to life that survived. When Paul writes them his first letter, he uses two images of excellent care and concern.
But we were gentle among you, like a nursing mother taking care of her own children.
He was gentle like a nursing mother cuddling a crying baby, to calm and comfort it. You can feel the warmth as you read the verse.
Then, a few verses later, he uses his second:
For you know how, like a father with his children, we exhorted each one of you and encouraged you and charged you to walk in a manner worthy of God, who calls you into his own kingdom and glory.
Here is was the concern of a father for a son. He wants his son to live right, so he encourages and shows.
You can sense his compassion. Here is a man that the Thessalonians know cares for them. He paid with his life for them. He yearns for them.
That gives him influence with them.
People observe lives asking a single question, “do they care.?”
I learned this by watching. Early one Saturday morning, I boarded a plane in Dallas headed for Memphis. On that plane, in first class, was a well-known, media-enriched evangelical preacher. If I called his name, you would know it even today, years after his death. As the flight attendant came by, I watched. He was demanding and abusive. He chewed her out for not getting a pillow faster. He was a busy man and, as everyone within 10 rows could hear, “to important to be ignored.”
I watched, listened, and cringed. This man would be on a national TV stage the next day, telling people how much Jesus loved them. I doubt the flight attendant believed him…or his message.
Someone observed, “people don’t care about how much you know until they know how much you care.” Do you?
Your Speech
Your Speech
Speech is an indicator of a lifestyle.
Jesus told the Jewish leaders:
You brood of vipers! How can you speak good, when you are evil? For out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks.
Speech is a crucial indicator of what is taking place inside of a life.
Haven’t you seen that? When someone is upset, they get snippy and snarky? And when you say, “are you mad?” they respond, at the top of their lungs, “I’M NOT MAD, WHAT MAKES YOU THINK I A MAD!” And you know, despite the denial, something is happening.
Paul told the Colossians,
Let your speech always be gracious, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how you ought to answer each person.
I find it ironic that he uses the topic of salt after we have spent time looking at influence as salt. Salt makes things taste better. It goes does down better with kind words.
When you speak, do people sense compassion and concern for them? Or do they hear ego speaking loudly?
Do they hear anger? Judgment? Condemnation?
Or do they sense grace and God?
The words we speak make a difference in whether we attract to Christ or repel people.
One woman was asked, “how do you know to say the right thing?” She said, “that’s easy. I just taste them before I spit them out of my mouth.”
Perhaps we need to do some tasting.
Words have power, as M. S. Lowndes reminds us:
Sticks and stones may break our bones,
But our bones can all be healed
When hurtful words are spoken to us,
The brokenness is often concealed
Hidden away deep down inside
Where nobody can ever reach in,
Only God's hand can heal the hurt
If we allow His love to come in
Lord, please help us speak the words
That will build up and edify,
Words that will bring comfort and hope
That will truly unify
It's so easy to come out with words
Filled with anger and hurt,
Words that divide sisters and brothers
That hasn't been laced with God's word
How easy it is to speak the words
That discourages one another,
Giving our own opinions and advice
Without understanding each other
Lord, I pray you'll speak through us
With words that truly uplift,
Words that always encourages
And hearts willing to forgive
Help us, Lord, to realize our words
Can bruise the human soul
And can build a wall of indifference
Where our spirits slowly grow cold
Help us, Lord, to realize the pain
That others can feel inside
When we speak negativity
And discouragement into their lives
We must be ever mindful of
The words we come to speak
And ask ourselves – 'Will they build up',
For words can cut so deep
If we could only grasp this,
We would only speak words of hope
That brings blessing and encouragement
And helps one another to grow.
Conclusion
Conclusion
Christian influence is not a set of gimmicks to get people to do something. They are not psychological tricks to manipulate others.
The Christian who influences lives an authentic life that shows the life of Christ to modern people in a caring and compassionate way attracts others to the message of Christ. They show examples and use words that flow out of an ongoing relationship with their Lord and Savior.
How do you know if you have that kind of Christian integrity? If you are honest with yourself, you will know. Ask yourself a single question:
As I know who I am, would others be attracted to how I think, live, and speak?
You know yourself best. If the answer is no or I’m not sure, do some heartfelt repentance and start working on yourself. As someone has said, “people will always come and watch someone who is on fire.”
But remember, you are speaking the message constantly, as Edgar Guest reminds us.
I'd rather see a sermon than hear one any day;
I'd rather one should walk with me than merely tell the way.
The eye's a better pupil and more willing than the ear,
Fine counsel is confusing, but example's always clear;
And the best of all the preachers are the men who live their creeds,
For to see good put in action is what everybody needs.
I soon can learn to do it if you'll let me see it done;
I can watch your hands in action, but your tongue too fast may run.
And the lecture you deliver may be very wise and true,
But I'd rather get my lessons by observing what you do;
For I might misunderstand you and the high advise you give,
But there's no misunderstanding how you act and how you live.
When I see a deed of kindness, I am eager to be kind.
When a weaker brother stumbles and a strong man stays behind
Just to see if he can help him, then the wish grows strong in me
To become as big and thoughtful as I know that friend to be.
And all travelers can witness that the best of guides today
Is not the one who tells them, but the one who shows the way.
One good man teaches many, men believe what they behold;
One deed of kindness noticed is worth forty that are told.
Who stands with men of honor learns to hold his honor dear,
For right living speaks a language which to every one is clear.
Though an able speaker charms me with his eloquence, I say,
I'd rather see a sermon than to hear one, any day.