A Person of Character
Notes
Transcript
We are considering the answer to the question: What is a Christian?
Last week we considered that a Christian is s person of the day.
We live our lives in the day time, avoiding those deeds that tend to be done in the dark as though they are hidden.
Today we consider that a Christian is a person of character.
What do we mean by character?
Well we are not talking about a character of a book.
We are talking about the transforming, shaping, and marking of a life and its habits!
Character is a certain kind of behavior that rules might have pointed toward but a “rule-keeping” mentality can never achieve.
You see it’s not about keeping rules, or a list of does and don’ts
When all has been considered what matters is not rules or self discovery, but character.
5 Now for this very reason also, applying all diligence, in your faith supply moral excellence, and in your moral excellence, knowledge,
6 and in your knowledge, self-control, and in your self-control, perseverance, and in your perseverance, godliness,
7 and in your godliness, brotherly kindness, and in your brotherly kindness, love.
8 For if these qualities are yours and are increasing, they do not make you useless nor unproductive in the true knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Are you ready for the message God has for us today?
Cool, grab your pen, your bible, the sermon sheet and let’s dig in!
I grew up thinking being a Christian was about rules, a legalistic kind of Christianity.
It was all about what I could not do!
As I got older the list got longer!
The Rich Young Ruler
The Rich Young Ruler
Being a Christian is not about rules its about character.
This is one of the lessons from the rich young ruler.
17 As He was setting out on a journey, a man ran up to Him and knelt before Him, and asked Him, “Good Teacher, what shall I do so that I may inherit eternal life?”
18 But Jesus said to him, “Why do you call Me good? No one is good except God alone.
19 You know the commandments: ‘do not murder, do not commit adultery, do not steal, do not give false testimony, Do not defraud, honor your father and mother.’ ”
20 And he said to Him, “Teacher, I have kept all these things from my youth.”
21 Looking at him, Jesus showed love to him and said to him, “One thing you lack: go and sell all you possess and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow Me.”
22 But he was deeply dismayed by these words, and he went away grieving; for he was one who owned much property.
It seems clear that by running up to Jesus the young man has a question he desperately wanted answered.
Well he thinks he does anyway!
Out of breath, excited, he can’t wait as he anticipates Jesus answer!
In effect his question is, “what good thing must I do?”
I have found the answer of Jesus to be very fascinating!
Good is only defined with the back drop of God. God alone is good, no one else is! That means without God there is no way to define good.
To the Jews eternal life meant the coming age when heaven and earth come together. The time of the kingdom of God.
So he is asking Jesus if he will be part of that time.
For just a moment: Ponder how an eternal future can shape the way a person lives in the present.
If that is the path, then that needs to be my goal.
Can you see how that man’s question though asked in the 1st century is applicable to a person of any age, a person today?
In the keeping of the law this young man was not finding fulfillment.
Even with all he was doing in the community he new that something was lacking.
The way Jesus responds to the young man is with a challenge.
Jesus’ challenge to the young man is a transformation of Character.
The Transformation of Character
The Transformation of Character
The New Testament invites its readers to learn how to be Christian in a way that informs their moral judgments.
It is the formation of their character.
The name for this kind of transformation of character is virtue!
5 Now for this very reason also, applying all diligence, in your faith supply moral excellence, and in your moral excellence, knowledge,
6 and in your knowledge, self-control, and in your self-control, perseverance, and in your perseverance, godliness,
7 and in your godliness, brotherly kindness, and in your brotherly kindness, love.
8 For if these qualities are yours and are increasing, they do not make you useless nor unproductive in the true knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.
In verse 5 we have “moral excellence.”
Moral excellence is virtue and virtue is moral excellence.
Virtue is the excellence of a person that enables them to achieve their end or purpose especially used of moral excellence.
Peter says, “supply” — this is a command not some good thing to do, it is a command to do it!
You see its not just enough to have faith, our faith should move us to virtue!
Peter is showing us in this passage the formation of Christian character.
What then is the outcome according to Peter — vs. 8-9
Being a Christian is a transformation of character.
We are different people.
We don’t go with the flow of society, we are on a different path.
Our identity is wrapped up in Christ!
20 I have been crucified with Christ; and it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself up for me.
Conclusion
What is a Christian? — A Christian is a person of character!
We have seen in both sermons that growth is always part of a Christian life — we are life long leaners!
What are you going to do based upon what God has said today?
