Introductory Comments
1. A strange dog came to a preacher's house, and his three sons soon became quite fond of it. It so happened that there were three white hairs in the animal's tail. One day an advertisement was seen in the newspaper about a lost dog which fitted that description perfectly. "In the presence of my three boys," said the minister, "we carefully separated the three white hairs and removed them." The real owner discovered where the straying canine had found a home and came to claim him. The dog showed every sign of recognition, so the man was ready to take him away. Quickly the minister spoke up, "Didn't you say the dog would be known by three white hairs in its tail?" The owner, unable to find the identifying feature, was forced to leave. The minister said later, "We kept the dog, but I lost my three boys for Christ." His sons no longer had confidence in what their father professed. He hadn't practised what he preached!
2. We have been looking at how we are to present Christ to the world. We have just celebrated Christmas and for many it is now easy to forget about the message of Christ’s birth, to forget about Christ Himself.
3. But we, as His followers, have been given the task to present Christ at all times of the year. We have seen how we are to do this by clothing ourselves in the righteousness of Christ - by having His character - the fruit of the Holy Spirit. We present Him by forgiving one another and by letting the peace of Christ rule in our hearts.
4. Today we see how we present Christ by living a consistent life. When we fail to do be consistent we confuse those around us, just as the preacher did to his three sons.
Teaching
1. We know that consistency is important in raising our children. If one day we tell them they can do something but the next day we get mad at them for doing the same thing, they get confused as to what they are allowed to do. Experts tell us to make sure we tell our children what we expect of them and to stick with those expectations. If one day we hug our children and the next day we reject their affection, they get confused about how to express their love. And if we say one thing but do the opposite, they soon wonder if we really mean what we say, if we really believe what we say, if we really love the Lord. Parents, our children are watching us, our every move. They learn much more from what they see in us than what we teach them by words. We can present Christ to them, or we can confuse them about what it means to be a Christian.
2. But it is not just our children who watch us. So do the guys at the coffee shop, the girls on the line, or the people who live next door. They watch closely to see if we are consistent. If we really believe what we say we believe.
3. And the biggest complaint I hear about Christians by those who are not, is that we are hypocrites. A bunch of phonies. You should hear that elder’s language at work, she cheats me at the store and then says praise the Lord as she leaves. That farmer says he trusts God but he is the biggest worrier around. These are things I have heard, not about you, but about others.
4. But what would people say to me about you? Would they tell me there is a consistency in your life? Or would they tell me that you are not the person I think you are?
5. Paul tells us that we are to do all things consistently. In a moment we will see how we are to be or can be consistent. But this consistency means that every word , every deed is to be consistent with who we are. In all things we are to present Christ
6. There are few exhortations in Scripture that are more comprehensive than this one. Word or deed takes in everything in life. Deeds can be preaching, teaching, eating, exercising, driving, cleaning house, shopping, visiting, working, playing (basketball, soccer, tennis, fishing, even watching) - everything! Our words are everything that passes our lips, even in unguarded moments. Everything we say or do is to be done "in the name of the Lord Jesus
7. Paul wants us to allow Christianity to infect every area of our life:
* the way we conduct business
* the entertainment and hobbies we are involved in
* the way we spend our money
* the way we serve in the church
* the way we respond to the needs of those around us
* the way we react to those who offend us
8. To be consistent means to not change from day to day, depending on how we feel. It means not treating one person better than another because he is your boss. It means being mature by being in Christ.We let His peace rule us and His word dwell in us.
9. It means that we don't need a set of detailed rules but we need an inner attitude that determines who we react. Is that not what Jesus taught us in the sermon on the mount. The NT is not a set of detailed rules but a call to be in Christ. To know certain principles by which to live. To love God and our neighbour. Little children need detailed rules more than do more mature ones or adults.
10. But what are these principles that provide guidelines but also enable us to live consistently. The answer is found in our text when Paul says "do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus" He could just as well have said "do it all in Jesus" since His name represents who He is.
11. How do we do everything in Jesus? Scripture teaches us a number of ways. Listen to these and apply them as principles by which to live your life .
12. Col 3:23-24 Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men, since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving.
a. Whatever we do, whatever takes work and effort. Whether it be at the workplace, at school, the work of raising a family, or the work we do at church, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men. The workplace is one of the hardest places for us to be a consistent Christian witness. We may have a difficult boss, we may find the work mundane, we might find the politics of work to be upsetting. We may be undergoing restructuring or feel that the government is making our work intolerable. We may wonder why we should work hard when those around us are just putting in time.We may feel we are underpaid and that those who make more than us are doing less work. We may be tired.
b. It is so easy to hold back in our efforts. But Paul tells us to take a different approach to our work. No matter what we are doing, work as if the Lord is our boss. "Lord, I’m going to do my best today because I am working for you. You have given me my work and let me show appreciation to you. May I see my work as a calling. As an opportunity to serve you . Even if I am been used, let me show your love.
c. Rom 12:20-21 On the contrary: "If your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink. In doing this, you will heap burning coals on his head." Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.
d. So, the first way we can do all in the name of Christ, is to treat our work, of whatever form, to be work for the Lord. Seeking the opportunity to win over people with our good work
13. Second, we turn to 1 Cor. 10:31.
a. So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God.
b. In all that we do we must seek to bring glory to God. And that means we need to ask ourselves, will this glorify Christ? Before I take some action, will this action bring Him glory? Before I say something, will my words glorify Him?
c. When we carry His name as Christians, our conduct is to reflect His character. Every time we sin or have the appearance of sinning, we defame God’s holy name. Whenever a church goer or leader is convicted of an offense, people look at us with suspicion. We see this when a fanatic kills a abortion doctor. It makes all of us who oppose abortion seem like bad people. It does so by association. And by association, we can bring glory to God by living lives that are righteous and loving to others.
14. Closely related to this, is the idea that we are Christ’s representatives. And as such we are to follow His example of how we are to live.
a. Paul says in 1 Cor 11:1 Follow my example, as I follow the example of Christ.
b. Perhaps many teenage Christians are ahead of many of us. For many wear bracelets with the letters WWJD. What does that stand for? What Would Jesus Do! Whenever we have to decide what to do, we need to ask ourselves WWJD? Would be help this person? Would he fight back? Would he say those words that are on the tip of our tongues?
15. We also do all in the name of Jesus by trusting in Him.
a. Prov 3:5-6 Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight.
b. Things may seem hopeless. We may be mistreated. We may want to take action even though God might not approve. But we look not at things as the world does. Instead we trust in our Lord. That He is working all things out for our good. After all, did He not die for us? This gives us the peace we talked about last week.
c. In our actions, do we show that we trust in God? This can be hard. It can mean making choices that hurt us and cost us. But we are willing to do so, because we trust in our faithful Saviour.
16. We trust in Him and we obey Him as Lord. We do not like to be obedient. We would rather so what we like rather than to be told.
a. If I were to say that you should be in church in the evening or you should tithe or you should do anything, you would probably not do it.
b. We do not like God telling us how to live. But Lordship is denying our selves, our desires, our old selfish nature and choosing to acknowledge Christ’s Lordship.
c. He cannot be our Saviour and not be our Lord. He must be both. Each day we must say, "Lord, I belong to you, please lead me to live for you. I am not my own, but I belong to my Lord. That means that I chose to do your will, through the power of your Holy Spirit.
d. And do not just to call Him your Lord, but live like we mean it.
Mat 7:21 "Not everyone who says to me, 'Lord, Lord,' will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only he who does the will of my Father who is in heaven.
17. And finally, James tells us: James 1:22 Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says."
a. That is what Paul means in our passage when he says that whatever we do, in word and in deed, is to be done in the name of Jesus. And so we must ask ourselves, "Do my actions reflect what I say I believe? If not, God enable me to show my faith rather than declare it."
18. Friends, I have no doubt that if we lived IS2~1HTM
