Illus: They advertise the Western Channel on television by saying, “There is a little bit of cowboy in all of us!”
One of the things we see in most cowboy movies is the sheriff. And we know that he is the sheriff because he has a badge to identify himself as the sheriff. But the sheriff is not the only one who wears a badge that identifies him.
God’s Word says that there are some things that should identify us as the children of God, such as:
I. OUR LOVE ONE FOR ANOTHER
The Word of God says, “By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another.” Our love for each other IDENTIFIES us as the children of God. In other words, the Bible tells us that the thing that should identify us as Christians is that we have, “love one to another.”
Perhaps someone is saying, “I know some people who profess to be Christians and they are always gossiping and talking bad about others.” Yes, this is true, but when you see people who are like this they are telling you something about themselves. According to the Word of God, most likely they are not one of the Lord’s disciples.
God’s Word says that one way you can IDENTIFY THE PEOPLE OF GOD is because they have, “love one to another,” not hate and jealousy!
Illus: Some folks who profess to be saved are like the Indian in Arizona who heard a man that professed to be saved preach his first sermon.
After he heard the sermon, someone asked him what he thought about the sermon. He replied, "Big wind! Loud thunder! No rain!"
Many professing Christians are the same way, “Big wind! Loud thunder! No rain!”
Every day, folks are looking for the badge of love that God’s Word says the lost world should know us by.
Illus: A woman was asked by a coworker, "What is it like to be a Christian?"
The woman replied, "It is like being a pumpkin. God picks you from the patch, brings you in, and washes all the dirt off of you. Then He cuts off the top and scoops out all the yucky stuff. He removes the seeds of doubt, hate, greed, etc., and then He carves you a new smiling face, and puts His light inside of you to shine for all the world to see."
Among many professing Christians, we can see that all the “Old Stuff” inside of them has not been removed, and you can not see the light of God’s love inside them. They are one thing in church, and something else once they are out of church.
Illus: A farmer drove his team of mules into town one day and was very late getting home.
His wife was very concerned about him, and as soon as he walked into the house she asked, "What took you so long?"
The farmer explained, "On the way to town I picked up the preacher and from then on, those mules of ours didn’t understand one word I said."
God wants us to learn that as Christians, we are to be different from the lost world. WE ARE TO BE OVERCOMERS!
Many who profess to be saved have the bad habit of hating people and wanting to destroy them with lies and gossip. God wants us to overcome the sin of gossip that destroys lives.
Illus: Los Angeles Dodger’s manager, Tommy Lasorda, describes his battle with bad habits:
• "I took a pack of cigarettes from my pocket, stared at it and said, ‘Who’s stronger, you or me?’ The answer was me. I stopped smoking.
• "Then I took a vodka martini and said to it, ‘Who’s stronger, you or me?’ Again the answer was me. I quit drinking.
• "Then I went on a diet. I looked at a big plate of linguine with clam sauce and said, ‘Who’s stronger, you or me?’ And a little clam looked up at me and answered, ‘I am.’ I can’t beat linguine."
Many folks are defeated by hate each day. God’s wants them to overcome HATE and start to love one another. The Word of God tells us we CAN DO ALL THINGS THROUGH CHRIST WHO STRENGTHENS US!
We can overcome bad habits and produce a life of love. OUR LOVE ONE FOR ANOTHER should identify us as being one of God’s children. But also, so should-
II. OUR HONESTY
One of the things that reveal we really know the Lord is OUR HONESTY!
1 Timothy 2: 2b, we read, “…In all godliness and honesty.”
CHRISTIANS SHOULD BE KNOWN FOR HONESTY IN THEIR SPEECH AND IN THEIR DEALINGS WITH OTHERS.
Politicians are known for their lying. They will tell you anything to get elected.
Illus: A bus load of politicians was driving down a country road when, all of a sudden, the bus ran off the road and crashed into a tree in an old farmer’s field.
The old farmer, after seeing what happened, went over to investigate. He then proceeded to dig a hole and bury the politicians.
A few days later, the local sheriff came out, saw the crashed bus and asked the old farmer where all the politicians had gone.
The old farmer said he had buried them.
The sheriff asked the old farmer, "The coroner wasn’t here. Are you sure they were all dead?"
The old farmer replied, "Well, some of them said they weren’t, but you know how them politicians lie!"
As Christians, we should be known for our HONESTY!
Illus: During his time as a rancher, Theodore Roosevelt and one of his cowpunchers roped a maverick steer, lit a fire, and prepared the branding irons.
• The part of the range they were on was claimed by Gregor Lang, one of Roosevelt’s neighbors.
• According to the cattleman’s rule, the steer therefore belonged to Lang.
As his cowboy applied the brand …
• Roosevelt said, "Wait, it should be Lang’s brand."
• "That’s all right, boss," said the cowboy.
• "But you’re putting on my brand," Roosevelt said.
• "That’s right," said the man.
• "Drop that iron," Roosevelt demanded, "You are fired. I don’t need you anymore. A man who will steal FOR me will steal FROM me."
Today, when people want something, they will become dishonest to get what they want.
Illus: It’s like the story about the man who was applying for life insurance. The agent asked him:
• "How old is your mother?"
• "She’s dead."
• "How old was she when she died?"
• "She was 41."
• "What did she die of?"
• "Tuberculosis."
• "How old is your father?"
• "He’s dead too."
• "How old was he when he died?"
• "Forty-three."
• "What did he die of?"
• "Heart attack."
• "You’re a terrible risk! There’s no way you can get this insurance!" So the man decided to go to another insurance agent. And the agent asked him the same questions.
• "How old is your father?"
• "He’s dead."
• "How old was he when he died?"
• "Ninety-four."
• "What did he die of?"
• "He fell off a horse, playing polo."
• "How old is your mother?"
• "She’s dead too."
• "How old was she when she died?"
• "Ninety-nine."
• "What did she die of?"
• "CHILDBIRTH."
Eph. 4:25, "Wherefore putting away lying, speak every man truth with his neighbour: for we are members one of another."
Lying is something we did before we came to know the Lord. Once we come to know the Lord, we should be known for HONESTY in our dealings.
Illus: Dr. Odell Belger has a home up in Chimney Rock, N.C. and one day, while he and his wife were there, he heard a knock on the front door. He opened the door and a man in his overalls wanted to talk to him. He could tell he had been drinking, and he really did not know what to expect. They went into the living room and he said, “Preacher, I want to talk to you about something.” Dr. Belger said, “Alright!” This drunk man started to cry and said, “Preacher, they ran my preacher off.” Dr. Belger said “I am sorry to hear that!” He said, “Yes, he is the best preacher we ever had!” He got Dr. Belger a little curious and so he said, “Why did they say that he needed to be dismissed?” He said “Preacher, they ran him off because he lied about his age.” That really caught Dr. Belger’s attention. He said, “He lied about his age?” He said, “Yes, he is in his late 70’s and he told them he was in his early 60’s.”
Listen, the lost world should be able to look at our lives and identify us as a child of God. HONESTY should be seen:
• In our speech
• In our agreements
• In our dealings with others
Our Christian life should reveal our love one for another, honesty in our speech and dealings, and also in-
III. OUR SACRIFICES
As Christians, we do not serve the Lord because it is convenient! But you never would know that to look at some who profess to be saved.
Illus: Irv and Sol, are walking down the street when Sol turns to Irv and says,
• "Irv, if you had two of those top-of-the-line Mercedes Benz cars, electric windows, CD player and all of that, exactly the same, would you give me one?"
• Irv says, "Sol, how far do we go back? Thirty years? We've been best friends since school, and if I had two of those Mercedes, top-of-the-line cars with all the trimmings, exactly the same, yeah, I would give one to you."
• So, they keep walking. After a couple of minutes, Sol turns to Irv and says, "Irv, if you had two of those large yachts, you know, with all the modern conveniences, and they were exactly the same, would you give one of them to me?"
• Irv says, "Sol, you and me are like brothers, you were best man at my wedding. If I had two of those luxury large yachts, exactly the same with all the modern conveniences, then yeah Irv, I really would give one to you."
• They keep walking. A couple of minutes later, Sol turns to Irv, "Irv, if you had two chickens..."
• "Now hold on there! Sol, you KNOW I've got two Chickens!"
We serve the Lord because we love Him, and our relationship to him requires that we make many sacrifices. It never ceases to amaze me to see the Christians who attend church only when it is convenient. They will put:
• Jobs
• Sports
• Recreation
• Family
Ahead of faithfully serving the Lord Jesus.
Illus: Dr. Odell Belger once told a man how glad he was that he came to church. The man was at least honest, he said, “Well, all they are showing is repeats on television, so I thought I would come.”
But one thing that should distinguish us as Christians is that we are willing to sacrifice for the Lord Jesus. We live in a society today that knows very little about sacrificing.
Many parents of people today lived during the GREAT DEPRESSION. As they came out of the Great Depression, our parents were determined that their children were not going to have to make the sacrifices they had to make. They thought they were doing what was best for us, but what they have done is produce a society of people that think the world has come to an end if they have to watch a black and white television set.
But if anyone is going to be successful at anything it is going to require some sacrifices on their part.
Illus: One preacher said, "When I first started in the ministry I thought I would like to be a traveling evangelist. In my first year, I preached a two-week revival meeting at one church. The host preacher thought it would be a good idea for me to get acquainted with people by staying in a different home every night, so I had to live out of a suitcase.”
He said:
• "I would eat three meals at three different homes every day.
• I stayed at homes where I slept on the sofa and had no privacy.
• I stayed in homes that didn’t even have inside plumbing. One night before I went to bed, I told my host that I needed to use the bathroom. The guy grabbed a flashlight, went out on the back porch, and shined the light down a path. He waited on the porch while I kept walking and walking. Finally, he said, ‘ANY PLACE OUT THERE WILL BE OKAY!’"
That preacher said, "About that time I decided I didn’t want to be a traveling evangelist any longer."
Brothers and sisters, when it comes to making painful sacrifices for Christ, we either don’t know about it or else we don’t want to do it.
Illus: J. H. Goldner wrote, "The prevailing tendency in the present-day church is to make religion too easy. It is kept within the realm of convenience and comfort. Rarely is there a call for real sacrifice. By means of suppers and sales, people are tricked into giving. Through entertainment and other alluring programs, an effort is made to inject a little religion into the unsuspecting. And when people have come into the church, the greatest care is exercised to spare them, so that only a minimum of anything is asked of them."
You might be interested to know that J. H. Goldner wrote these words about the church in 1926. I wonder what he would say about the modern day church?
As Christians we are noted for OUR LOVE ONE FOR ANOTHER, OUR HONESTY, OUR SACRIFICES and -
IV. OUR CONCERNS
Look at 2 Cor. 11:28, "Beside those things that are without, that which cometh upon me daily, the care of all the churches.."
Listen, Paul talks about his concern for all the churches. We live in a day when folks do not seem to have a lot of concern for God’s churches. For example:
• People today seem to have the attitude that if their job does not work out, they will find another one. After all, we live in a land where there are plenty of jobs available.
• People today seem to have the attitude that if their marriage does not work out, they will find someone else. After all, there are a lot of divorced people today trying to find a mate.
• People today seem to have the attitude that if that preacher preaches something that they do not like, or if that preacher tries to make them sacrifice something they do not want to sacrifice, they will find another church.
Like the apostle Paul, we should have a concern for the church.
1 Cor. 16:14 "Let all your things be done with charity (love)."
Illus: When a distinguished foreigner paid his only visit to America in 1950, a committee of prominent Chicago residents lined up at the railway station to offer official greetings.
But the committee noticed that his eyes were not wholly fixed on them. Those penetrating eyes were wandering beyond the encircling committee. Something on the station platform caught his eye amid the crowd of travelers.
With politeness but firmness, the great man said to the committee, “Excusez-moi,” and literally dashed past them. Diving into the crowd, he stopped beside an elderly woman who was staggering under her load of heavy suitcases and extra bundles. With his big, sensitive hands, he grabbed the old woman’s suitcases and bundles and, beckoning her to follow him, he threaded a way through the throngs of people. He led the woman to the coach she wanted to take, lifted up her suitcases into the overhead rack, and bowing in a courtly manner, wished her, “Bon voyage.”
Then he rushed back to the astounded committee with apologies for keeping them waiting. This is the way Dr. Albert L. Schweitzer arrived in America!
Much of the time we are only concerned about ourselves, but the badge of a true Christian is that he or she is concerned about others.
John 13:35, Jesus said, "By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another."
Genuine concern for the church and genuine concern for others is a badge of a committed Christian.
Conclusion:
Illus: There is a story about Lloyd George, former prime minister of Britain, who was approached by a woman after a speech. She said, "Before I saw you in person, I thought you were a much taller man."
He carefully replied, "Madam, in Wales, where I come from, we measure a man from his neck up, not from the neck down."
Brothers and sisters, we are not measured by our looks or by our dress or by our material possessions. We are measured by our lives, by the things we do, the way we speak, how we treat others, etc.
It has been said that if some were arrested for being a Christian and brought to court, it would be hard to find enough evidence to convict them. Does your Christian life reflect that you have enough evidence to convict you?
We are identified by -
I. OUR LOVE ONE FOR ANOTHER
II. OUR HONESTY
III. OUR SACRIFICES
IV. OUR CONCERNS
