Sermon: CHARACTER vs REPUTATION In a world taken over by evil, violence and corruption , Noah was a righteous man. However, Noah wasnt just a righteous man, he was the only follower of God left on the earth. The Bible says he was blameless among the people of his time. It also says he walked with God. Living in a society saturated with sin and rebellion against God, Noah was the only man alive that pleased God.Genesis 6:9 Joseph was faithful to the law, and yet[b] did not want to expose Marry to public disgrace, he had in mind to divorce her quietly.Matthew 1:18-19 In our day we live in an age of moral vacuum. It seems like character doesn’t count. To put it candidly, you can sleep around and still be a good brain surgeon. You can cheat on your mate and have little trouble continuing to practice law. Apparently, it is no problem to stay in politics and plagiarize. You can be a successful salesperson and cheat on your income tax. Seeing this we have allowed this attitude to permeate throughout Christianity. The perception is that you can do these things and still be a good Christian. But the reality is you cannot do those things as a Christian and continue enjoying the Lord’s blessing. • William Hershey Davis said:- Your reputation is what men think you are. Your character is what God knows you to be. • Reputation is what people think you are.; Character is what you are. • Reputation is what you have when you come to a new community; Character is what you have when you go away. Reputation is a photograph; Character is in the face. • Reputation is made in a moment; Character is built in a lifetime. • Reputation grows like a mushroom; Character grows like an oak. • Your reputation is learned in an hour; your character does not come to light for a year. • A single newspaper report gives your reputation; a life of toil gives you your character. • Reputation makes you rich or makes you poor; Character makes you happy or makes you miserable. • Reputation is what men say about you on your tombstone; Character is what angels say about you before the throne of God. Reputation comes from without. Character grows up from within. is what men say about you on your tombstone. A good father will leave his imprint on his daughter for the rest of her life. - 2 Chronicles 17:3-6 Your Character will impact generations to come. A reputation is the estimation in which a person or thing is held, especially by the community or the public generally,” People don’t judge who we are, they judge who we’ve led them to believe we People only judge those who claim to be better than others, more holy, more righteous more moral. When I’m ethical, I just look good. The LORD was with Jehoshaphat, because he walked in the first ways of his father David, and sought not unto Baalim; But sought to the LORD God of his father, and walked in his commandments, and not after the doings of Israel. Therefore the LORD established the kingdom in his hand; and all Judah brought to Jehoshaphat presents; and he had riches and honor in abundance. And his heart was lifted up in the ways of the LORD: moreover he took away the high places and groves out of Judah. The more time and effort we put into making ourselves look great, the longer and harder the fall when the truth comes out. And eventually the truth comes out. When somebody who works on their reputation isn’t ethical, they find themselves in social court. Working on our reputation is just a dumb move. 1. God rewards character, not reputation. The worldly person gets their pleasure and redemption and religion from the world, a person who knows God doesn’t work for an human audience. Who cares what they think, honestly. Just do the right thing because it’s the right thing and let God reward you. 2. If you present yourself as better than you are, you can’t have intimacy. People who lie about who they really are are socially bankrupt, lonely, and have a string of bad relationships. Why? Because they can’t let people know them. They are too busy trying to win in some kind of “game.” Screw the game. Make friends. Settle for being medium great. Your heart will thank you. 3. Tell the truth. There’s nothing more healing than living in the truth and presenting yourself as who you really are. It’s easier to sleep at night. 4. When you work on your character, you’re working on the stuff that happens when nobody is looking. This is infinitely more difficult than misleading and deceiving people. But it’s the stuff that really sets you apart. It’s the stuff God rewards. What would your life look like if you stopped working on your reputation and started working on your character? Character: the mental and moral qualities distinctive to an individual As Christ followers, we should desire to possess character that models Christ. We all will mess up at times, but our life should be characterized by following God. I found this quote that directly correlates with this post: “Your character is what you really are, while your reputation is merely what others think you are.” -John Wooden Although my reputation means a lot to me, I would rather possess Godly character over all of it. Even though it is important to set a great example, it is more important what God thinks of you…rather than what others think of you. As Christ followers, we are supposed to set the example. But if the example is artificial and not really a part of your life, that will eventually hurt others. God calls us to lead others authentically, not artificially. Obviously, it is important to have both a great reputation and Godly character. As a follower of Jesus Christ, these should line up the same in your life. It doesn’t mean that someone will come along and try to destroy your reputation. People will always try to tear you down. Our whole purpose on this earth is to bring glory to God and His kingdom. We are to “Amplify God’s Kingdom!“. In order to do this, we must set the example (reputation) and live it out (character). “Now then, we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were pleading through us: we implore you on Christ’s behalf, be reconciled to God. For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.”-2 Corinthians 5:20-21 . Mt.1:18-19 We don’t know much about Joseph. What we do know indicates that he was a man who had a solid reputation. He was known as a righteous man. This same word is used to describe Elizabeth and Zechariah in Lk.1:6. It says, “Both of them were upright (or righteous) in the sight of God, observing all the Lord’s commandments and regulations blamelessly.” Joseph was this kind of man. In Ps.62:7 David writes, “My salvation and my honor depend on God; he is my mighty rock, my refuge.” Does your honor, your reputation depend upon God? Are you trusting in God to vindicate and exalt you in due time? Joseph let go of his reputation and entrusted hands of God. Share your views, May the good Lord bless you and heal your reputation, resuscitate your character so that you may be made whole, in Jesus name
Posted on: Mon, 30 Jun 2014 10:56:30 +0000
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