A Good Name
Sermon • Submitted • Presented
0 ratings
· 2 viewsNotes
Transcript
Proverbs 22:1
Proverbs 22:1
Introduction: As we begin
This evening
Allow me
To share with you
A Japanese proverb
It says
And listen carefully
But it says
The reputation
of a thousand years
may be determined
by the conduct
of one hour.
What a powerful statement
that is.
Let me
Read it again
The reputation
of a thousand years
may be determined
by the conduct
of one hour
And with that in mind
Let’s read our text
For this evening
The Bible says
In Proverbs 22:1 “A good name is rather to be chosen than great riches, And loving favour rather than silver and gold.”
Let’s go to the Lord
In a word of prayerpI. Consider David’s good name
Declaration
The
Book of Proverbs
Is a tremendous collection
Of words of wisdom..
and we know...
That...
king Solomon
wrote this Book.
The book of Proverbs ..,
during
his reign over Israel,
a reign which lasted
from approximately
970 to 931 BC,.
But be that as it may
This book
Is a tremendous collection
Of wise words.
That is
Wise sayings…
And among them
Are Proverbs 3:5–6 “Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; And lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, And he shall direct thy paths.”
And Proverbs 4:23 “Keep thy heart with all diligence; For out of it are the issues of life.”
And Proverbs 15:1 “A soft answer turneth away wrath: But grievous words stir up anger.”
As well as many others.
But this book
Is filled
With words of wisdom.
And
One
Of the most important statements
Given in this book…
In fact
One of the most important statements
In all of the Word of God
Is our text…
For this evening.
Notice
Verse 1
Here
In Proverbs 22
Solomon wrote
(Proverbs 22:1 “A good name is rather to be chosen than great riches, And loving favour rather than silver and gold.”
My
What words of wisdom
We find here
(Proverbs 22:1 “A good name is rather to be chosen than great riches, And loving favour rather than silver and gold.”
Now
This proverb
teaches
that a good name
and God's favor
are more valuable
than great riches,
They’re more valuable
Then silver, or gold.
And
the truth
In this proverb
redefines wealth
by emphasizing
that
personal integrity
and true
spiritual standing
outlast
material possessions.
see
Money can buy
Lots of things.
But let’s be honest
money
can be lost quickly.
But a life lived
with
honesty
Integrity
And character
leaves an unshakeable mark.…
On all those
Around us.
And therefore
Our names
Are
Powerful things.
As a matter of fact
Our names
are one
Of the most valuable possessions
We have.
Our names…
Are important.
And
Because they are
Solomon proclaimed
That
(Proverbs 22:1 “A good name is rather to be chosen than great riches, And loving favour rather than silver and gold.”
And quickly
Let me share
A few reasons
Why that is so.
A
Good name
Helps you
Gain the trust
Of those around you.
Because see
People naturally feel safe
and willing to work,
trade,
or
Interact
with someone
who has a clean
and honest reputation.
That’s true.
A good name likewise
Can help you
To have a good influence
On others.
And
In the Christian life
That is so very important.
Because God wants all of us
To help
Edify one another.
And that’s why
Influence
Is so important…
And thus
Having a good name.
And
At the same time too.
Unlike money
or objects, …
a good name
stays bright and valuable
even
through difficult times.
Additionally
A good name
Will defend you.
That
When you are not in the room, …
a good name
speaks for you …
and stops bad rumors
from being believed.
And ultimately
Leaving behind
an honest name …
A good name…
gives family
and future generations
a proud foundation
to stand on!
see
(Proverbs 22:1 “A good name is rather to be chosen than great riches, And loving favour rather than silver and gold.”
But
That being said
A good name
Doesn’t just happen.
But it is earned.
It is earned
Over time.
In fact
It takes years
to
Acquire
A good name.
But at the same time too.
That good name
Can be destroyed
In a moment.
So how important it is
For we as believers
To
have
A good name
(Proverbs 22:1 “A good name is rather to be chosen than great riches, And loving favour rather than silver and gold.”
Discussion
And
In my
44 years
As an independent Baptist
I’ve had the privilege
Of knowing many
Who had good names.
people…
Of great integrity.
Among them
Have been preachers
Painters
Educators
Postal workers
Landscapers
Bricklayers
High level…
Government employees
And military personnel.…
Who
Worked
At the Pentagon.
And I’ve known these people
To be people
Of integrity.
They were people
Who spent years
Doing the right thing.
In
The right way.
Over the long haul.
They Weren't all...
Wealthy.
But they had good names.
By the way
The word good here
In Proverbs 22:1
Means
possessing
an honorable reputation,
Having high moral character,
and the respect
of others.
Now
In biblical times,
a person's name
stood
for who they truly were
and how the community
perceived
their reliability.
And as it is inferred…
In our text tonight …
A good name is built
through
daily choices …
of honesty,
fairness,
and kindness .
rather than compromising one's values
for financial gain.
And in the Bible…
We find many
Who had
good names.
Incidentally
There is a warning
For all of us
This evening.
Sometimes
We place people with good names
On a very high pedestal.
When the truth is
They are just human.
Take
For example
A great preacher.…
That you may know…
and respect…
Like Byron Foxx.
Brother Fox’s name…
Is a good one.
He has
A sterling reputation
He has a great desire
To do right.
And to never
hurt the name of Christ.
He loves the Lord
And loves people.
We’ve seen this…
in
Our own church
For more than 1/4 of a century.
Byron Foxx
Has a good name.
But let me say
We Ought to be careful
About placing him
On too high
a pedestal!
Because
Although
Brother Foxx
Is a spiritual man…
He is still
Just a man.
And has the same flesh
That all of us do.
And although
We
Would never
Expect him
To fall into sin…
Yet
He is capable
Of doing that very thing.
Just like
All the rest of us are.
But again
In the Bible…
There are many people
Who had good names.
For example
Noah
Had such a good name.
The Bible says
In Genesis 6:9 “These are the generations of Noah: Noah was a just man and perfect in his generations, and Noah walked with God.”
My
What a name
Noah had.
He walked with God.
He was just
And perfect
In his generations.
And what about
Moses
The man of God
My
What a good name
He had.
And then
There is Abraham.
Abraham
Was a godly man.
And when we think
of Abraham....
We think of one
Who
So loved the Lord
That he was willing
To sacrifice his own son
At God’s commandment.
Now…
He wasn’t a perfect man
Nor was Noah
or Moses.
But Abraham
Had such a good name.
And
What about Joshua
Caleb
Samuel
Jeremiah
Isaiah
Daniel?
My
What good names
These men had!
And
What about Ruth
And Esther?
What good names…
These people had.
What great reputations
These people of integrity
Had in that day…
And still Have Today !
And
In the New Testament
We read about Peter
And Paul
And Timothy
And others.
These people
Had such good names
In their time
And in ours as well.
Deliberation
But
As we think about
Our text today
Where Solomon said
(Proverbs 22:1 “A good name is rather to be chosen than great riches, And loving favour rather than silver and gold.”
As we think about that.…
As we think about good names…
For me anyway…
The name David…
Comes to mind.
Oh listen
David
Had such a good name.
Didn’t he?
He had such a good name.
In fact
When we think of David…
We often think
About his great victory
Over Goliath.
And…
We know
The story
From 1 Samuel 17.
David at the time
Was a young man
Probably a teenager.
And compared to Goliath
He was small in stature.
And while
All
Of the mighty army
Of King Saul
Coward in fear.
David
Stood resolute
On the side of God.
In fact
He told Saul’s soldiers
In
Verse 26
(1 Samuel 17:26 “ What shall be done to the man that killeth this Philistine, and taketh away the reproach from Israel? for who is this uncircumcised Philistine, that he should defy the armies of the living God?”
And then
In verse 36
He told King Saul
(1 Samuel 17:36 “Thy servant slew both the lion and the bear: and this uncircumcised Philistine shall be as one of them, seeing he hath defied the armies of the living God.”
And then
David
Stood
Before Goliath
This mammoth person
Who was defiant
Against God…
David said…
(1 Samuel 17:45–47 “Thou comest to me with a sword, and with a spear, and with a shield: but I come to thee in the name of the Lord of hosts, the God of the armies of Israel, whom thou hast defied. This day will the Lord deliver thee into mine hand; and I will smite thee, and take thine head from thee; and I will give the carcases of the host of the Philistines this day unto the fowls of the air, and to the wild beasts of the earth; that all the earth may know that there is a God in Israel. And all this assembly shall know that the Lord saveth not with sword and spear: for the battle is the Lord’s, and he will give you into our hands.”
oh!!
One a good name…
David had!
And
Acquired
On that day.
Those soldiers
In Saul’s army
Gained great respect
For David that day.
And his brothers…
Who
Only moments before
Were ridiculing David.
Yet
When they saw David
Stand
In the spiritual integrity
Of his heart.
When
They saw him stand
Before this giant.
And then actually
Slay the giant.
Man
They no doubt
Gained great respect
For their brother.
And
It wasn’t just the soldiers
Or David’s brothers.
Because the Bible goes on
To say
And 1 Samuel 18:6–7 “And it came to pass as they came, when David was returned from the slaughter of the Philistine, that the women came out of all cities of Israel, singing and dancing, to meet king Saul, with tabrets, with joy, and with instruments of musick. And the women answered one another as they played, and said, Saul hath slain his thousands, And David his ten thousands.”
My
What a good name
David had
Among the people of Israel.
In fact
It must’ve been a name
Uttered
In every home…
In the nation of Israel.
David’s name
Became synonymous
With spiritual backbone…
And godliness.
And
By the way.
We ought to endeavor
To acquire a name…
Like David.
Had in that day.
We too...
Ought to take a stand
For the Lord.
But
David did.
In fact
Look in chapter 18
If you would please.
There are several verses
That I want you to see here.
Notice verse 5
The Bible says
In 1 Samuel 18:5 “And David went out whithersoever Saul sent him, and behaved himself wisely: and Saul set him over the men of war, and he was accepted in the sight of all the people, and also in the sight of Saul’s servants.”
Then again
In verse 14
We are told
(1 Samuel 18:14 “And David behaved himself wisely in all his ways; and the Lord was with him.”
Likewise
In verse 15
It says
(1 Samuel 18:15 “Wherefore when Saul saw that he behaved himself very wisely, he was afraid of him.”
And then…
And this is
What I really want you to see.
But we are told
In verse 30…
(1 Samuel 18:30 “Then the princes of the Philistines went forth: and it came to pass, after they went forth, that David behaved himself more wisely than all the servants of Saul; so that his name was much set by.”
Now…
Did you hear that?
David’s actions…
His character…
His
Conviction…
For the Lord his God.
Gained him a name
That was much set by.
Do you know
What that means?
It means ...
that David
was
highly esteemed,
That he was
very famous,
and held
in great honor
by the people.
Oh
What a great name
David had
And then
Later on
After David
Became king
Replacing Saul…
Do you remember
When Abner
Decided to join forces
With David?
And
Do you remember
What Joab did?
He murdered Abner.
But when he did…
It Much displeased David.
and the Bible goes on
To tell us
Beginning in verse 31
(2 Samuel 3:31–36 “And David said to Joab, and to all the people that were with him, Rend your clothes, and gird you with sackcloth, and mourn before Abner. And king David himself followed the bier. And they buried Abner in Hebron: and the king lifted up his voice, and wept at the grave of Abner; and all the people wept. And the king lamented over Abner, and said, Died Abner as a fool dieth? Thy hands were not bound, Nor thy feet put into fetters: As a man falleth before wicked men, so fellest thou. And all the people wept again over him. And when all the people came to cause David to eat meat while it was yet day, David sware, saying, So do God to me, and more also, if I taste bread, or ought else, till the sun be down. And all the people took notice of it, and it pleased them: as whatsoever the king did pleased all the people.”
See
Clearly
Young David
Had such a good name
Among the people
He had
Such a good name
Among his family
His friends
And yes
Even the foes
Of the nation of Israel…
Respected David’s name.
In fact
Before David
Became king of Israel…
And when he sought refuge
In the land of the Philistines.…
From King Saul.
The
Bible says
In 1 Samuel 29:1–5 “Now the Philistines gathered together all their armies to Aphek: and the Israelites pitched by a fountain which is in Jezreel. And the lords of the Philistines passed on by hundreds, and by thousands: but David and his men passed on in the rereward with Achish. Then said the princes of the Philistines, What do these Hebrews here? And Achish said unto the princes of the Philistines, Is not this David, the servant of Saul the king of Israel, which hath been with me these days, or these years, and I have found no fault in him since he fell unto me unto this day? And the princes of the Philistines were wroth with him; and the princes of the Philistines said unto him, Make this fellow return, that he may go again to his place which thou hast appointed him, and let him not go down with us to battle, lest in the battle he be an adversary to us: for wherewith should he reconcile himself unto his master? should it not be with the heads of these men? Is not this David, of whom they sang one to another in dances, saying, Saul slew his thousands, and David his ten thousands?”
So
Even the Philistines
Respected the name
Of young David.
They knew...
He had power
With God
Determination
But see
A good name
Solomon wrote
(Proverbs 22:1 “A good name is rather to be chosen than great riches, And loving favour rather than silver and gold.”
And David
Had
Such a good name.
Among his family.
Among his friends.
And yes
Even
Among his foes.
He had
Such a good name.
And I hope
We do as well.
II. Consider David’s sullied name
Declaration
But
As we think about
David's good name....
We must also consider
David’s
Sullied name.
Because the time came
That although
David
Had
Spent years
Building his reputation
With daily acts
Of spiritual character.
He spent
Nearly 25 years
Building his character
Through acts of integrity.
He
Became a household name
Of goodness
Kindness
Charity
Graciousness.
Why
He was even gracious
To King Saul
In fact…
He said
On more than one occasion
Regarding Saul
I will not stretch forth my hand
Against the Lord’s anointed.
But although
David spent
Nearly 25 years
Doing daily acts
Of
Kindness
Charity
Graciousness
Spiritual stamina.
Yet the time came
When
in just a moment…
David
Eviscerated his name
We
Have studied this passage
Numerous times
But let’s study it
Again please.
Turn if you would
To 2 Samuel 11
And let’s read together
The first 5 versus
Samuel wrote
(2 Samuel 11:1–5 “And it came to pass, after the year was expired, at the time when kings go forth to battle, that David sent Joab, and his servants with him, and all Israel; and they destroyed the children of Ammon, and besieged Rabbah. But David tarried still at Jerusalem. And it came to pass in an eveningtide, that David arose from off his bed, and walked upon the roof of the king’s house: and from the roof he saw a woman washing herself; and the woman was very beautiful to look upon. And David sent and inquired after the woman. And one said, Is not this Bath-sheba, the daughter of Eliam, the wife of Uriah the Hittite? And David sent messengers, and took her; and she came in unto him, and he lay with her; for she was purified from her uncleanness: and she returned unto her house. And the woman conceived, and sent and told David, and said, I am with child.”
My
What a spiritual tragedy.
This guy…
Who spent
Nearly 1/4 of a century…
Building his reputation.
Building
A
Godly name…
In a goodly legacy.
This man
In a moment of weakness…
Destroyed…
His reputation.
Because let me tell you.
Things like this
Aren’t
Kept quiet.
You can be sure…
That this act …
Of weakness
On David’s part
Got out!
You can be sure
That although
Some
Of his own soldiers
Likely idolized him…
And they certainly
Held him on a pedestal.
But when this thing happened…
With David and Bathsheba…
You can be sure
Word got out.
Because
Notice verse four again.
It says
With regards to Bathsheba
(2 Samuel 11:3 “And David sent and inquired after the woman. And one said, Is not this Bath-sheba, the daughter of Eliam, the wife of Uriah the Hittite?”
So then
(2 Samuel 11:4 “And David sent messengers, and took her; and she came in unto him, and he lay with her; for she was purified from her uncleanness: and she returned unto her house.”
But…
Have you ever wondered
Who those messengers were
And
Have you ever wondered
What those messengers
Thought?
I mean…
They knew
Bathsheba was a married woman.
They knew…
That her husband
Served
In David’s army.
So
What must they
Have been thinking…
When they became privy
To the knowledge
That David was seeking
A physical relationship
With a married woman?
and see...
They knew
What the Bible said
In Exodus 20:14 “Thou shalt not commit adultery.”
And they also
Likely knew
What David wrote
Regarding the Word of God…
In Psalm 19:10 “More to be desired are they than gold, yea, than much fine gold: Sweeter also than honey and the honeycomb.”
So
What must those messengers
Have been thinking
To themselves?
They must’ve been thinking…
David says
He loves God’s Word
But yet....
… He’s lusting
After a married woman!
But then
Knowing human nature
I would venture to say
That those messengers
Told others.
Because let’s be honest.
You don’t keep news like this
A secret.
Word gets out!
And
If by chance
Word
Doesn’t get out.
Be sure your sins
Will find you out!
The Bible says
In Numbers 32:23
In fact
Nine months later
After David
Sent those messengers
And after he had
An adulterous relationship
With another man’s wife
And after he had Bathsheba's husband
Killed
In battle.
Nine months
After the fact…
A baby was born.
So all Israel
then knew
What David had done.
And let me tell you…
A man
Whose name
Was
Once revered
Was now
Looked down upon.
They must of thought to themselves.
I thought David
Was a man of integrity.
I thought David
Was a man
Of spiritual character.
But
Look what he has done.
He committed adultery
Murder
And then he engaged
In a cover-up.
Man…
David’s name…
Must’ve been
On the tongue
Of
Every Jewish citizen
And the topic
At every meal.
You can count on that!
Discussion
But
As I thought about
David’s name
And how it had been
A good name.
And as I remembered....
That…
(Proverbs 22:1 “A good name is rather to be chosen than great riches, And loving favour rather than silver and gold.”
But then
As I thought about
How
Through one-act
Of spiritual carelessness
David’s name
Became sullied.
I remembered
That his name…
That is…
His sullied name…
His
Sullied reputation…
Had a negative influence…
On everyone…
Around him.
For example
His Sullied name
His sullied reputation
Had a negative influence
On his family.
In fact
Not long
After the baby
Was conceived.
God sent the prophet
To go see David
In chapter 12
Of 2 Samuel.
In fact
Turn their
And read with me
The first 10 versus.
The Bible says
In 2 Samuel 12:1–10 “And the Lord sent Nathan unto David. And he came unto him, and said unto him, There were two men in one city; the one rich, and the other poor. The rich man had exceeding many flocks and herds: But the poor man had nothing, save one little ewe lamb, which he had bought and nourished up: and it grew up together with him, and with his children; it did eat of his own meat, and drank of his own cup, and lay in his bosom, and was unto him as a daughter. And there came a traveller unto the rich man, and he spared to take of his own flock and of his own herd, to dress for the wayfaring man that was come unto him; but took the poor man’s lamb, and dressed it for the man that was come to him. And David’s anger was greatly kindled against the man; and he said to Nathan, As the Lord liveth, the man that hath done this thing shall surely die: And he shall restore the lamb fourfold, because he did this thing, and because he had no pity. And Nathan said to David, Thou art the man. Thus saith the Lord God of Israel, I anointed thee king over Israel, and I delivered thee out of the hand of Saul; And I gave thee thy master’s house, and thy master’s wives into thy bosom, and gave thee the house of Israel and of Judah; and if that had been too little, I would moreover have given unto thee such and such things. Wherefore hast thou despised the commandment of the Lord, to do evil in his sight? thou hast killed Uriah the Hittite with the sword, and hast taken his wife to be thy wife, and hast slain him with the sword of the children of Ammon. Now therefore the sword shall never depart from thine house; because thou hast despised me, and hast taken the wife of Uriah the Hittite to be thy wife.”
Now
Do you see that phrase
In verse 10?
The sword…
Shall never depart…
From the house?
The phrase
"The Sword"
is A metaphor
Describing
continuous violence,
bloodshed,
conflict,
and family betrayal.
And to say
That the sword
Shall never depart from thine house
is…
A
prediction
that strife
and tragedy
would plague David's own royal family …
and children …
for the rest of his life.
And if you look
At the timeline…
Of
David’s life.
You realize
That Amnon
One of David’s sons
was likely
in his late teens
to early twenties .
He was somewhere…
Around
19 to 22 years old
when King David committed adultery
with Bathsheba.
And let me ask you
Do you think
Amnon
Heard about what David had done?
No doubt.
see
Although Amnon
Grew up…
Knowing that the name of David
Had been synonymous
With spiritual character.…
And integrity.
But yet
He found out
David
Had feet of clay.
He messed up badly.
He became
Morally weak
And criminal.
But I wonder…
What kind of effect
It had on Amnon?
Well
Turn if you would
To chapter 13
Here
In 2 Samuel.
And read together with me
Versus 1 – 6
The Bible says
(2 Samuel 13:1–6 “And it came to pass after this, that Absalom the son of David had a fair sister, whose name was Tamar; and Amnon the son of David loved her. And Amnon was so vexed, that he fell sick for his sister Tamar; for she was a virgin; and Amnon thought it hard for him to do any thing to her. But Amnon had a friend, whose name was Jonadab, the son of Shimeah David’s brother: and Jonadab was a very subtil man. And he said unto him, Why art thou, being the king’s son, lean from day to day? wilt thou not tell me? And Amnon said unto him, I love Tamar, my brother Absalom’s sister. And Jonadab said unto him, Lay thee down on thy bed, and make thyself sick: and when thy father cometh to see thee, say unto him, I pray thee, let my sister Tamar come, and give me meat, and dress the meat in my sight, that I may see it, and eat it at her hand. So Amnon lay down, and made himself sick: and when the king was come to see him, Amnon said unto the king, I pray thee, let Tamar my sister come, and make me a couple of cakes in my sight, that I may eat at her hand.”
And
We know
What happened.
When his sister Tamar
Brought him food
At the direction
Of her daddy David.
The Bible says
In verse 11
(2 Samuel 13:11 “And when she had brought them unto him to eat, he took hold of her, and said unto her, Come lie with me, my sister.”
Amnon
Like his daddy David
Took
What he wanted!
Even though
It was treacherous.
And David’s sinfulness
Was likely...
Largely influential…
In all this.
So the truth is…
Our names
Are Important!
And
When those names
Are good.
They inspire people.
But when those names
Are not so good…
They hurt people.
Amnon
Was no doubt
Harmed
By David’s sullied name.
But
Not only
Did David’s
Sullied name
Have a negative influence
On his family
But at the same time too.
It had a negative influence
On his friends.
In fact
Do you remember
A man named Ahithophel?
Ahithophel
Who was known
for his great wisdom,
and his advice …
Was David’s counselor…
David’s friend.
But
At the same time too.
Ahithophel
Was Bathsheba’s Grandfather.
And when David
Took her…
Destroying her marriage…
Defiling…
Her good name.
Listen please…
There is no doubt
That Ahithophel
Became privy
To what happened.
And whereas…
At one time
David
And Ahithophel
Were good friends.
Yet
David’s sullied name
Caused Ahithophel
To have disdain
For him.
So much so
That he betrayed David…
When Absalom
Tried to overthrow the kingdom.
I am
Just saying to you
That
(Proverbs 22:1 “A good name is rather to be chosen than great riches, And loving favour rather than silver and gold.”
But when you sully your name
Through spiritual shortsightedness
When you make
Grave mistakes
That destroy
Your very name.
Oh
That has an influence
On those around you.
That’s true.
It has an influence
On your family.
It surely influenced
David’s family.
Amnon
Forced his sister…
Absalom
Killed Amnon…
And then later…
He tried to take the kingdom over.
And wanted to kill his own dad.
What a terrible influence
A sullied name can have
On family.
And
What a terrible influence
A sullied name
Can have
On friends.
That whereas…
At one time
David’s friends
Looked up to him.
They
knew him
To be a man of integrity…
A man of character…
A man who stood
On the Scriptures.
And was kind.…
Charitable…
And even gracious.
Yet
Because of David’s
Spiritual indiscretion
Because
Of sin in his life.
Carelessness…
Spiritually speaking.
David’s friends
Were influenced negatively.
Some
Turned against him
like Ahithophel.
Some no doubt
Talked about him
behind his back.
Others
Lost confidence in him…
And Looked down
Upon him.
Determination
But
Sadly
While David’s sullied the name
Negatively influenced
His family
And his friends.
It also negatively influenced
The Lord’s foes.
In fact
Listen if you would
To a conversation
Between David
And the prophet Nathan
In 1 Samuel 12.
Nathan
Confronted David
For the sin of his heart
The sin of adultery and murder.
And
In verse 12
Nathan said
David
The Bible says(2 Samuel 12:12–13 “For thou didst it secretly: but I will do this thing before all Israel, and before the sun. And David said unto Nathan, I have sinned against the Lord. And Nathan said unto David, The Lord also hath put away thy sin; thou shalt not die.”
See
Nathan was endeavoring
To restore David
To a right relationship
With the Lord.
And that was really important
But
Don’t miss
Verse 14..
Nathan
Went on to say
(2 Samuel 12:14 “Howbeit, because by this deed thou hast given great occasion to the enemies of the Lord to blaspheme, the child also that is born unto thee shall surely die.”
Now that you see that phrase?
You’ve given the enemies of the Lord
Occasion
To blaspheme?
That phrase
means that
King David's public sins
of adultery and murder
gave people
who oppose God …
a reason to mock, ……
To insult God
Because
Here
David was
a prominent representative
of God, …
Yet
his hypocrisy
made God look bad …
to the surrounding nations …
and unbelievers.
Because again
When you do something
Like David did
That’s not something
That can be kept quiet.
David’s family
Undoubtedly knew about it.
David’s friends
Found out about it.
And
Unfortunately…
David’s foes
Became privy to it.
And what a negative influence
That surely had
On all of them!
III. Consider your own name
Declaration
But then
There is all of us
This evening
(Proverbs 22:1 “A good name is rather to be chosen than great riches, And loving favour rather than silver and gold.”
But what kind of name
Do you have…
This evening…
Before your family?
Who by the way
Know you well?
And
What kind of name
Do you have
Among your friends?
Who likewise
Know you well?
And what kind of name
Do you have
Among God’s foes?
And
By that
I’m speaking about people
Who don’t know the Lord.
What kind of name do you have
With all of these people?
Because remember
You do have
A name…
Among them all.
And it is either
A good name…
Or a sullied name.
Now a good name
Is built
Through
Years of integrity
Acts of character
Kindness
Graciousness
Charitableness.
And those kinds things
influence people
.In a very positive way.
But
You can do one thing
And destroy
Your credibility.
You can say
One unkind word
An un do
A thousand
Gracious words.
You
Can sully your name
Among those
You influence
By one act of indiscretion.
Discussion
And
in the process
You can do
Horrendous damage
To those around you
Because
Think about your own family.
You hopefully.…
Have a good reputation
with them.
But
One wrong action
One unkind word
Can hurt them greatly.
And by the way
Not just your physical family…
But your Church family.
And listen please…
Your Tongue…
Has the power
Of life and death.
In
Your physical family
And your church family.
And your actions
Speak louder than words.
You can say
Hallelujah, praise the Lord.
But by your actions…
You can deny those things.
And
Your family
And your church family
Can be irrevocably harmed…
How sad.
And
What about your friends?
Listen please
In a moment
You can destroy your reputation
Through spiritual carelessness.
Which can destroy your reputation…
With your friends.
And
What about
Lost folks.
see...
You can claim
To be a Christian
To be a Bible believer..
And yet
With one moral act
of indiscretion…
You
Can give lost people
Occasion
To blaspheme
The holy name of God.
Determination
So
What you do
About your name?
What can you do
To protect your name?
Well
In closing
Let me make
Several suggestions.
First of all
Guard your heart.
The Bible says
in Proverbs 4:23 “Keep thy heart with all diligence; For out of it are the issues of life.”
That verse
By the way…
teaches
that your life flows
from your heart.
It teaches that…
True honor
And a goodly name
flows naturally
from private obedience.
To the Word of God.
So guard your heart!
Secondly
practice unwavering integrity:
The Bible says
in Proverbs 11:3 “The integrity of the upright shall guide them: But the perverseness of transgressors shall destroy them.”
God wants us
To be people of integrity.
That word integrity…
By the way…
means
complete honesty.
It means to live
in moral innocence.
It is a life
that is whole
and steady
Where God is concerned.
So practice integrity
In your life.
But then
Finally
Keep your word.
Jesus said
In Matthew 5:37 “But let your communication be, Yea, yea; Nay, nay: for whatsoever is more than these cometh of evil.”
So
Let me ask you…
How is your name…
This evening?
Is it a good name…
Or
Is it a name
That is sullied?
Before your family?
Your friends?
And your foes?
Well
Let me tell you
Your name
Is valuable.
And although people
Can slander your name
Improperly…
They can accuse you of things
That you have not done.
And
That has happened to me
Fairly recently.
But your name
Is important
(Proverbs 22:1 “A good name is rather to be chosen than great riches, And loving favour rather than silver and gold.”
Now
You
May need to come to the altar
To ask God
To help you
This evening
Perhaps with your name
So
When the invitation begins
Would you do that
Conclusion: Let’s close in prayer
