Pastor Mark Mikels
August 20, 2006
“MY
WITNESS IN THE WORLD – Part Two”
“Eliminate The Negative!”
Church Under Construction – Behavioral Phase #4
Intro … This morning we continue the focus that we began last Sunday
– the focus on our witness in the world as we live out our lives as
followers of Jesus Christ and members of Sonlife Community Church. Last
week in a message that we could have sub-titled “Demonstrate the
Positive” we placed our attention upon the statement in our Sonlife
Covenant of Behavior which says …
“I will endeavor to give positive witness of my relationship to Jesus
Christ by word and deed in every circumstance in which I am placed.”
In other words, in every situation of life in which I find myself, I
will seek to demonstrate the fact that my relationship with Jesus
Christ produces a positive and productive effect upon my life! We saw
last week (notably in 1 Peter 2:15) that the “demonstration of that
positive effect” frequently creates an opportunity for witness as
unbelievers around us “ask us a reason for the hope that we have”.
Demonstrating the positive through our words and deeds as we bear
witness to our relationship with Jesus Christ prepares the way for
effective witness. Surely, Christ would have all of His Own
demonstrate the positive in their daily lives!
Now having discussed that at some length last week and having said that
last week’s message in a way establishes the context for this week’s
message, I want you to consider with me today’s Key Concept:
Key Concept … In the living of the Christian Life, eliminating
the NEGATIVE is as important as demonstrating the POSITIVE.
Here’s how our Sonlife Covenant expresses it …
“I will refrain from any activity or practice of life that might
discredit the name of Jesus, harm the temple of the Holy Spirit (my
body), hinder a fellow believer, or cause my personal testimony to be
compromised.” (Romans 2:24; 1 Corinthians 6:19-10; 8:9; 1 Timothy
4:12b,15-16; Proverbs 23:29-35)
Consider the Key Action Phrase in that statement… “I will refrain ” –
I will stay away from – I will avoid at all costs – I will have nothing
to do with … What? What are the things from which I will refrain?
That Covenant statement identifies … FOUR THINGS THAT I AS A
CHRISTIAN WILL NOT DO …
1. I WILL NOT DISCREDIT THE NAME OF JESUS – that is, “Make Him LOOK
bad.”
As it is written: “God’s name is blasphemed among the Gentiles because
of you.” – Romans 2:24
Could there be anything worse than that? To have the One we claim to
love and follow actually discredited in the eyes of others because of
the way that we live our lives? That condition was originally
attributed to Israel in Old Testament Days by the prophets Isaiah and
Ezekiel … (Isaiah 52:5; Ezekiel 36:22)
Because of their disobedience God had allowed His People to be overrun
by their enemies; they were taken into captivity and in their captivity
they had become an object of scorn and their God had become a symbol of
impotence. How feeble must their God be that He could not protect them
from the invader! So God’s Name linked to His People had become a joke
and their faith a farce – their disobedience had caused Him to withdraw
his hand of blessing and thus He Himself had suffered humiliation right
along with His People!
Here’s the point for us today … Jesus’ name is attached in people’s
minds to every one of us who calls himself “Christian”. The way we live
reflects either positively or negatively upon him. Like it or not, it’s
possible for us to “make Him look bad” – to make him less desirable
than He might otherwise be!
Illustration: Have you seen the signs posted on the back of many trucks
on the road asking -“How am I driving?” with a company phone number to
call? Imagine what it would be like if all Christians were to have a
sign on their backs saying “How am I living/behaving?” with their
pastor’s number to call! What kind of calls would your Pastor be
receiving?
It is reported that the famous Indian philosopher and social reformer
Mahatma Gandhi once said … “Give me your Christ but not your
Christianity”. He, at least, could see past the performance of those
who called themselves Christian and realize there was more than what
they were demonstrating but most people can’t. Most people figure that
a Christ who can’t change us into something worthwhile is not worth
investigating let alone following.
And so we go on record as a congregation as saying … “I will refrain
from any activity or practice of life that might discredit the name of
Jesus … I will not Make Him Look Bad!” Ask yourself in every
situation … Will this behavior of mine make people think better or
worse of Jesus?
2. I WILL NOT HARM THE TEMPLE OF THE HOLY SPIRIT – that is, “Make His
HOME Bad.”
“Flee from sexual immorality. All other sins a man commits are outside
his body, but he who sins sexually sins against his own body. Do you
not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, who is in you,
whom you have received from God? You are not your own; you were bought
at a price. Therefore honor God with your body.”
1 Corinthians 6:19-20
Now there’s a thousand ways that that Scripture can be applied … I
have personally used that scripture to pressure myself into “buckling
up when I get in my car”. It can be applied to our eating habits and to
our entertainment practices (sky diving or bungee jumping or motorcycle
riding or rock climbing) but I want us first of all to apply it today
in the primary way that Paul himself did … sexual misconduct.
We are living in a day when the Church of Jesus Christ and when vast
numbers of followers of Jesus Christ take a very lax position with
regard to sexual behavior. The Bible has never changed its position and
we cannot either … sexual activity outside of the secure bonds of
marriage is a violation of God’s prescribed plan – it is sin. And like
any sin, it negatively affects our fellowship with God. However, unlike
many other sins, sexual sin directly affects the dwelling place of the
Spirit of God. Sexual sin, Paul says, is a sin against our own body and
as such adversely affects the Spirit of God Himself.
Now, of course, the first focus here is sexual intercourse but all
sexual activity between two unmarried people designed to bring some
degree of sexual satisfaction is included. Sexual sin corrupts the home
in which the Holy Spirit dwells – it makes His Home a bad place to be –
a less than honorable place to be – and yet He is required to be there.
How unpleasant that must be for him! Like some family in New Orleans
trying to get comfortable once again in an home that is still filled
with the muck of hurricane Katrina so is the Holy Spirit in the body of
a believer that has been corrupted by sexual sin.
With a degree of conviction borne of deep appreciation for the work of
the Spirit in our lives we say … “I will refrain from any activity or
practice of life that might harm the temple of the Holy Spirit (my
body) – I will not “Make His home bad – that is, a bad place for Him to
be!”
Well, we are halfway done … two down and two to go … two more
incredibly important things that our Sonlife Covenant says that I as a
Christian simply will not do …
3. I WILL NOT HINDER A FELLOW BELIEVER – that is, “Make Him DO Bad”
“Be careful, however, that the exercise of your freedom does not become
a stumbling block to the weak. For if anyone with a weak conscience
sees you who have this knowledge eating in an idol’s temple, won’t he
be emboldened to eat what has been sacrificed to idols? So this weak
brother, for whom Christ died, is destroyed by your knowledge. When you
sin against your brothers in this way and wound their weak conscience,
you sin against Christ. Therefore, if what I eat causes my brother to
fall into sin, I will never eat meat again, so that I will not cause
him to fall.” – 1 Corinthians 8:9
In this passage, the Apostle Paul touches on an incredibly important
guideline for our Christian Living … As a Christian, I need to be
aware of the way my behavior affects other Christians. There may well
be things that I can do with a perfectly clear conscience that others
cannot. My behavior in those circumstances might offend or confuse
or possibly even mislead them.
In Paul’s day the issue was “eating meat that had been offered to
idols” that is, meat that had been presented to an idol as part of a
pagan religious ceremony and that had then been made available to the
public. Now Paul had previously pointed out to them (verse 4) “that an
idol is nothing at all in this world and that there is no God but one”.
Therefore, to eat meat that had been offered to idols – even in the
idol temple itself … think of a first century version of a “hotdog on
a stick” vendor hawking his wares … was no big deal.
That is, it was no big deal … UNLESS some younger, more vulnerable
believer made it a big deal! In that case, Paul says that he would
“refrain” … he would modify his behavior for the sake of the younger
believer.
And our Sonlife Covenant says that each of us would do the same …
“I will refrain from any activity or practice of life that might hinder
a fellow believer … I will not make him do bad!”
We should ask ourselves when about to engage in any controversial
behavior … “Might this behavior cause distress and possibly even
bring defeat for any of my Christian brothers or sisters?” Certainly
when the answer is a definite “YES” we should refrain – for their sake
and Paul would say, “for Christ’s sake as well”.
And now just one remains of our “Elimination Quartet” …
4. I WILL NOT COMPROMISE MY PERSONAL TESTIMONY that is, “Make ME Do
Bad”
“Don’t let anyone look down on you because you are young, but set an
example for the believers in speech, in life, in love, in faith and in
purity. Be diligent in these matters; give yourself wholly to them, so
that everyone may see your progress. Watch your life and doctrine
closely.” – 1 Timothy 4:12, 15-16
There is nothing more cherished for a true follower of Jesus Christ
than a “squeaky clean” personal testimony. There is nothing more
honoring to Christ than to have the world say of us as Pilate did of
Jesus, “I find no fault in him”. It doesn’t mean that the world “agrees
with us” but it does mean that the world finds us to be people of
personal integrity, living lives that are consistent and commendable.
Recognize the powerful platform for witness that such a life provides,
our Sonlife Covenant affirms …
“I will refrain from any activity or practice of life that might cause
my personal testimony to be compromised … I will not make me do bad.”
And with that we conclude our look at these “Four Things that I as a
Christian will simply not do” …
I WILL NOT DISCREDIT THE NAME OF JESUS! I WILL NOT HARM THE TEMPLE OF
THE HOLY SPIRIT!
I WILL NOT HINDER A FELLOW BELIEVER! I WILL NOT COMPROMISE MY PERSONAL
TESTIMONY!
All that remains is to draw your attention to this Final Thot … A
final thot that reiterates the point with which we began this
discussion.
Final Thot … Our WITNESS in the world depends as much upon what we
DON’T do as it does upon what we DO!