A. Today’s sermon brings to a conclusion our sermon series “It’s All About God – Living A God-Centered Life.”
1. It has been a real joy and a real blessing for me to develop this sermon series using Max Lucado’s book “It’s Not About You” as a resource.
2. We have spent three months of Sundays exploring what it means to live a God-centered life.
3. We have sought to behold God’s glory and holiness.
a. We have sought to understand God’s eternal and unchanging nature.
b. And we have sought to grasp the fact that our God is love.
4. Then, with this clearer understanding of who God is, we have explored how to properly emulate and reflect our God.
a. We can reflect the glory and greatness of our God best when we make our lives all about God and not about us.
b. In order to make our lives all about God, then we must make our message and our salvation all about God, and we must make our bodies and our struggles, and our success all about God.
B. To conclude this sermon series, I want us to explore the need for us to protect God’s good name.
1. If our lives are supposed to be all about God, then we will do our best not to bring shame on God’s name.
2. If our lives are all about God, then we will do our best to guard God’s good reputation.
3. I don’t know if most parents of the present generation say this kind of thing to their kids (especially to their teens), but parents of other generations used to say this regularly to their kids when they left the house: “Go have fun, but don’t do anything that will bring shame on the family name.”
4. Proverbs 22:1 says: A good name is to be chosen over great wealth; favor is better than silver and gold.
5. If that’s true of a good personal, family name, then how much more true should that be about our heavenly Father’s family name?
6. The 3rd commandment in God’s 10 commandments of the Old Testament is: “You shall not take the name of the LORD your God in vain.” (Exodus 20:7)
a. The Christian Standard Version translates the verse: Do not misuse the name of the Lord your God, because the Lord will not leave anyone unpunished who misuses his name.
b. The Amplified Bible renders the verse: “You shall not take the name of the LORD your God in vain [that is, irreverently, in false affirmations or in ways that impugn (im-pyoon) the character of God]; for the LORD will not hold guiltless nor leave unpunished the one who takes His name in vain [disregarding its reverence and its power].
7. We often only think of language, when we think of taking the name of the Lord in vain, but I want us also to think about lifestyle.
a. This command of God calls us to elevate the name and the reputation of God to the highest place, not only in what we say, but in how we live.
b. The goal of our existence should be to give honor to God’s name.
C. Let’s employ a modern day parable to illustrate this truth.
1. Once there was a Manhattan skyscraper and everyone in the building worked for the Owner and CEO whose office was on the top floor.
a. Most of the workers in the building didn’t know him and had not even seen him, but they had seen and knew his daughter.
b. The owner’s daughter worked for her father and she exploited her position to her benefit.
2. One morning, the owner’s daughter approached Bert, the guard and said, “I’m hungry, Bert. Go down the street and buy me a muffin.”
a. The daughter’s demand put Bert in a quandary.
b. He was on duty and leaving his post would put the building at risk.
c. But the owner’s daughter insisted, “Come on, now, hurry up.”
d. What option did he have?
e. As he left, he said nothing, but he thought something like: “If the daughter is so bossy, what does that say about her father?”
3. But the owner’s daughter was only getting started.
a. While she was munching on the muffin Bert brought her, she bumped into a paper-laden secretary and asked, “Where are you going with all those papers?”
b. The secretary answered, “I am on my way to have them bound for an afternoon meeting.”
c. The owner’s daughter said: “Forget the meeting. Come to my office and vacuum the carpet.”
d. The secretary started to counter: “But I was told…”
e. But the owner’s daughter cut her off: “And I am telling you something else.”
f. The secretary had no choice, after all, this was the owner’s daughter speaking.
g. Which caused the secretary to question the wisdom of the owner.
4. And on and on the owner’s daughter went – making demands – calling the shots – interrupting schedules.
a. She never invoked the name of her dad – never leveraging her comments with, “My dad said…” or “you know who my dad is, right?”
b. There was no need to – she is the owner’s child.
c. Doesn’t the child speak for the father?
d. And so Bert abandoned his post and a secretary failed to finish her task.
e. And more than one employee questioned the wisdom and character of the man upstairs.
f. They wondered: “Does he really know what he is doing?”
5. But what if the story was different? What if the owner’s daughter acted differently?
a. Rather than demand a muffin from Bert, what if she brought a muffin to him, saying, “I thought of you this morning, Bert, you arrive so early. Do you even have time to eat? Here, enjoy this.” As she hands him the muffin.
b. On the way to the elevator, the owner’s daughter sees a secretary with an armful of documents and says, “My that is a load, can I help?”
c. The secretary says, “Thank you” and the two of them carry the stacks of documents down the hallway.
6. And what if that’s how the owner’s daughter conducts herself throughout the day?
a. Picture her engaging with the workers and asking them about their families, and offering to bring them coffee.
b. She warmly welcomes the new workers and generously praises the hard workers.
c. And so, the owner’s daughter, through her acts of kindness and concern, raises the happiness level of the entire company.
d. The owner’s daughter doesn’t even mention her father’s name, and she never declares, “My father says…” or “you know who my father is, right?”
e. There is no need to – she is the owner’s child.
f. Doesn’t the child speak on his behalf? Doesn’t the child reflect his heart and mind?
g. When she speaks, they assume she speaks for him.
7. And because they think highly of her, they think highly of her father.
a. And even though they’ve not seen him and have not met him, they know his child and so they know his heart. (This story was told to Max Lucado by Rabbi Daniel Thomson on an airplane)
b. Interesting story, right?
D. Brothers and sisters, we are the children of our heavenly Father, and our heavenly Father is the owner and CEO of everything.
1. The only glimpse of our heavenly Father that many people in our world get is what they see through us.
2. If we conduct ourselves in negative and unattractive ways, then that results in a poor reflection on our Father – we bring shame on the family name.
3. But if we conduct ourselves in positive and attractive ways, then we leave a good reflection on our Father – we protect God’s good name.
E. This is part of what the apostle Paul meant when he wrote: “We are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were making an appeal through us” (2 Corinthians 5:20).
1. An ambassador has a singular aim – to represent their king and kingdom well.
2. He or she promotes their king’s agenda and protects their king’s reputation.
3. An ambassador seeks to elevate the name of their king.
4. That’s why there is no more responsible position than that of an ambassador.
F. Let’s consider the role of an earthly ambassador and how it relates to our heavenly ambassadorship.
1. First, an ambassador is sent to represent their king and home kingdom in a foreign land where the people often speak a different language and have different customs.
a. As Christians, we are to live in this earthly world, but our citizenship is in heaven and we represent our heavenly King.
b. Therefore, we are to be in the world, but not be of the world.
2. Second, an ambassador speaks on behalf of their king and kingdom.
a. Earthly ambassadors don’t come with their own agenda, or their own authority, rather than speak and act with the agenda and authority of their king.
b. As Christians, we speak on behalf of our King.
c. We bring God’s good news and speak God’s important truths into a world of darkness and competing ideas.
3. Third, the honor and reputation of a king and country is in the hands of its ambassador.
a. The ambassador’s king and country are judged by the words and actions of the ambassador.
b. Our world is watching our Christian conduct and is making judgments about our God, our God’s ways, and our God’s family.
c. Our words and actions cause people to think more or less of Christ and His church – this is a huge responsibility that we must take seriously.
G. The apostles Peter and Paul both expressed these ideas in their letters.
1. Let’s start with something Peter wrote: 11 Dear friends, I urge you as strangers and exiles to abstain from sinful desires that wage war against the soul. 12 Conduct yourselves honorably among the Gentiles, so that when they slander you as evildoers, they will observe your good works and will glorify God on the day he visits… 15 For it is God’s will that you silence the ignorance of foolish people by doing good. (1 Peter 2:11-12, 15)
a. Notice that Peter uses terminology related to being foreigners living in a foreign land, like ambassadors are familiar with.
b. Christians are strangers and exiles living in a sinful world, and we are supposed to live lives that are very different from our worldly counterparts.
c. We must conduct ourselves “honorably among the Gentiles” – Gentiles meaning those worldly, unbelieving Romans that the early Christians found themselves living among.
d. Peter used the word “honorably” meaning with integrity and righteousness, being holy.
e. But notice the reason that Christians are to live this way: In order to glorify God, and to silence the ignorant talk of foolish people.
f. The unbelieving, evil world around us may want to slander Christians and may try to slander us, but if we live honorably and with integrity, our holy lives and good works will silence them and prove them wrong.
g. In the end, God receives glory and God’s good name is protected.
2. Not let’s turn to something from Paul that he wrote to the church at Thessalonica: But we encourage you, brothers and sisters… 11 to seek to lead a quiet life, to mind your own business, and to work with your own hands, as we commanded you, 12 so that you may behave properly in the presence of outsiders and not be dependent on anyone. (1 Thess. 4:10b-12)
a. Notice that Paul encouraged the Christians in Thessalonica to “behave properly in the presence of outsiders.”
b. Obviously, Christians should behave properly at all times, but especially in the presence of unbelievers.
c. Notice some of the things that Paul included in this idea of behaving properly: lead a quiet life, mind your own business, work with your own hands, and don’t be dependent on anyone.
d. In other words, be a good neighbor, don’t stick your nose where it doesn’t belong, be industrious and hard-working, and take care of your own business.
e. Be a good example for others, because this sheds positive light on God and the church.
3. When Paul wrote to Titus, he said something similar: 1 But you are to proclaim things consistent with sound teaching. 2 Older men are to be self-controlled, worthy of respect, sensible, and sound in faith, love, and endurance. 3 In the same way, older women are to be reverent in behavior, not slanderers, not slaves to excessive drinking. They are to teach what is good, 4 so that they may encourage the young women to love their husbands and to love their children, 5 to be self-controlled, pure, workers at home, kind, and in submission to their husbands, so that God’s word will not be slandered.
6 In the same way, encourage the young men to be self-controlled 7 in everything. Make yourself an example of good works with integrity and dignity in your teaching. 8 Your message is to be sound beyond reproach, so that any opponent will be ashamed, because he doesn’t have anything bad to say about us.
9 Slaves are to submit to their masters in everything, and to be well-pleasing, not talking back 10 or stealing, but demonstrating utter faithfulness, so that they may adorn the teaching of God our Savior in everything. (Titus 2:1-10)
a. Did you notice how Paul encourages appropriate living for people of all ages and genders?
b. Certainly, these holy and good behaviors should be exhibited by people of all ages: older men and women, and younger men and women, and yet different ages and different roles bring with them unique challenges and temptations.
c. But the bottom line reason that Christians of all ages, genders and roles must behave themselves is so that God’s name, and God’s church, and God’s word will be respected.
d. Even Christian slaves (for modern, present purposes, we might substitute “workers” or “employees”) were required to exhibit proper Christian conduct.
e. Paul spelled out the reasons for proper conduct in these words:
1. “so that God’s word will not be slandered”
2. “so that any opponent will be ashamed, because he doesn’t have anything bad to say about us”
3. “so that they may adorn the teaching of God our Savior in everything”
f. Christians should want to make sure that we don’t do anything that will make God’s word be slandered.
g. We don’t want to give unbelievers anything bad to say about us.
h. Our good Christian life and character adorns and beautifies God’s word – it makes it attractive!
4. But if we live inconsistently and don’t exercise the proper care and commitment in our lives, then we can shame the family name.
a. In Romans 2:17-24, Paul gave these scathing words of rebuke to his Jewish counterparts: 17 Now if you call yourself a Jew, and rely on the law, and boast in God, 18 and know his will, and approve the things that are superior, being instructed from the law, 19 and if you are convinced that you are a guide for the blind, a light to those in darkness, 20 an instructor of the ignorant, a teacher of the immature, having the embodiment of knowledge and truth in the law— 21 you then, who teach another, don’t you teach yourself? You who preach, “You must not steal”—do you steal? 22 You who say, “You must not commit adultery”—do you commit adultery? You who detest idols, do you rob temples? 23 You who boast in the law, do you dishonor God by breaking the law? 24 For, as it is written: The name of God is blasphemed among the Gentiles because of you.
b. Ouch! If we don’t practice what we preach, then we can be causing the name of God to be blasphemed among unbelievers.
c. As Christ’s ambassadors, that should be the last thing we want to make happen, right?
H. As Christ’s ambassadors, even with a commitment and goal to represent God in a holy and perfect way, we must acknowledge that we will and do fall short.
1. None of us are perfect, and we never will be perfect, but we must we quick to repent of our sins.
2. Like King David of the Old Testament, we must be ready to pray: God, you know my foolishness, and my guilty acts are not hidden from you. Do not let those who put their hope in you be disgraced because of me, Lord God of Armies; do not let those who seek you be humiliated because of me, God of Israel. (Psalm 69:5-6)
3. As disciples of Jesus and ambassadors of Christ, we don’t claim to be perfect, but do depend on God’s forgiveness, and must be committed to taking off the old and putting on the new, so that we can best represent our heavenly Father and King, and protect the good name of our God.
4. Afterall, it’s not about us, rather it’s all about Him.
I. So, allow me to close this sermon and this series with a prayer.
1. I pray that God will rescue us from self-centered thinking and living.
2. I pray that we will have no higher goal than to cause everyone around us to think more highly of our Father, our King, for it’s all about Him.
3. If we will make that our life purpose and goal, then our life and our story will end well.
J. Let’s go back to the story of the owner’s daughter.
1. Picture her taking the elevator to the top floor to see her father.
2. Picture her arriving at her father’s door and he’s standing in the doorway with open arms.
3. Her father is aware of her good works and has seen her acts of kindness.
4. People think more highly of him because of her and he knows it.
5. He takes her in his arms and says: “Well done, my good and faithful servant. Come and share in your father’s happiness.”
6. May our heavenly Father sustain us all until we are taken into His arms and hear the same words from His mouth: “Well done, my good and faithful servant. Come and share in your Father’s happiness.”
7. When we make it all about God and when we protect God’s good name, then He shares His glory and blessings with us.
Resources: It’s Not About Me, Max Lucado, Thomas Nelson, 2004.
