The Christian and the Kingdom of God: Do I Have a Kingdom Character?

Text: “And we pray this in order that you may live a life worthy of the Lord and may please him in every way: bearing fruit in every good work, growing in the knowledge of God, 11 being strengthened with all power according to his glorious might so that you may have great endurance and patience, and joyfully” (Colossians 1:10–11, NIV84)

Theme: The kingdom of God is the reign of God in the universe and by extension, the reign of God in the believer’s heart.

Date: 08/12/2018 File name: Resurrection26.wpd ID Number:

Do you have a Kingdom Character? Character is simply the sum total of mental and moral qualities distinctive to an individual. We all have it. The question is, of course, what kind of mental and moral qualities do you have? Are they shaped by our interactions with the world, and the people of the world? Or are they shaped by our interactions with Jesus and the people of Jesus?

Do people look at our lives and our choices and say to themselves, “Now there’s a Christian?” Or do they look at our lives and our choices and say to themselves, “That’s a Christian?” O, even worse, do they look at our lives and our choices and say to themselves, “I didn’t know they were a Christian.”?

Do you have Kingdom Character? This is not an unimportant question.

The Scriptures are pretty clear. Christians are to live differently than those who are not Christians. We are, as the Colossian passage affirms, to walk in a manner worthy of the Lord. That word walk refers to one’s manner of life and living.

I want you to consider the question this evening Do I have a Kingdom Character?

I. DO I HAVE KINGDOM CHARACTER?

1. is obedience to Christ’s kingly rule evident in you conduct and lifestyle?

a. is it evident in your language?

b. is it evident in your relationships?

c. is it evident in your use of possessions?

2. character is more than making grand pronouncements as to your moral beliefs or mental convictions

a. anyone can claim they are of good Christian character, but consistent behavior over a long period of time is the true indicator

ILLUS. We are entering a period in American culture known as “an election cycle.” Between now and November 6 we’re going to hear lots of men and women telling us about their moral beliefs and mental convictions. The question is, do they act in a way consistent with what they are telling us about themselves?

b. the more important question, because it has eternal ramifications, are our actions consistent with what we are telling other people about ourselves?

“Even a child is known by his actions, by whether his conduct is pure and right.” (Proverbs 20:11, NIV84)

“But someone will say, “You have faith; I have deeds.” Show me your faith without deeds, and I will show you my faith by what I do.” (James 2:18, NIV84)

ILLUS. John C. Maxwell is an American author, speaker, and pastor. He speaks to Fortune 500 companies around the country about leadership. On Kingdom character he writes, "Your walk talks and your talk talks but your walk talks louder than your talk talks."

3. here’s the bottom line:

a. as a Christian, does your behavior match your beliefs?

b. as a Christian, does your walk match your words?

ILLUS. In 1904 a young man, devoutly Christian, graduated from a Chicago high school as a millionaire. His name was William Borden, and he was heir to the Borden Dairy Estate. As a graduation present, his parents gave him a trip around the world. Traveling through Asia, the middle East, and Europe gave Borden a burden for the world's hurting people. Writing home, he said, "I'm going to give my life to prepare for the mission field."

When he made this decision, he wrote in the back of his Bible two words: "No Reserves."

He returned to the U.S. and entered Yale University. Upon graduation, he turned down dozens of high-paying job offers. On the day of his graduation he entered two more words in his Bible: "No Retreats."

Completing studies at Princeton Seminary, Borden sailed for China to work with Muslims, stopping first at Egypt for some preparation. While there he was stricken with cerebral meningitis and died within a month. Many of his family and friends thought "What a waste! Surely this was not in God's plan."

His body and personal affects were shipped home to his family. When they went through his bible, they found those words "No Reserves" and "No Retreats." Underneath them was another phrase he had written shortly before he died. The words were, "No Regrets".

Borden’s life was one who’s behavior matched his beliefs.

4. character is truly defined by the consistency of what you do, not by what you say or believe

a. every choice that you make in this life reveals the kind of person you really are on the inside

b. do your choices reveal a character being shaped by Christ?

5. So Here’s the Question: Do I Have Kingdom Character?

II. CHRISTIANS WITH KINGDOM CHARACTER WALK WORTHY OF THE LORD

“And we pray this in order that you may live a life worthy of the Lord and may please him in every way: bearing fruit in every good work, growing in the knowledge of God,” (Colossians 1:10, NIV84)

1. Paul encourages the Colossian believers to walk worthy of Christ

ILLUS. Notice that Paul does not encourage us to walk worthy of the Church Covenant, or to walk worthy of the expectations of the church matriarch, or to walk worthy of the world’s expectations of Christian conduct (like not judging them), or to walk worthy of a set of unwritten rules and regulations that are more denominational than biblical.

2. Kingdom Character is to walk worthy of Christ

a. it is not enough to know God’s will

b. it is not enough to possess heavenly wisdom

c. it is not enough to have spiritual understanding

2. the critical objective in the Christian’s life is putting what we know into practice

a. knowing the will of God is of no value until we have committed our lives to fleshing it out in our day-to-day activity

1) are we going to fail at times? ... Absolutely

b. but Kingdom Character is attempting to live out the will of God before others each day

3. Paul is not insisting on sinless perfection in their lives, but he is encouraging a striving for spiritual maturity

a. Paul says that their relationship with Christ will affect their moral and ethical behavior

1) we are not to just fill our heads with great biblical and spiritual truth

2) that truth is to show up in our business dealings, and our social relationships, and our financial investments, and our family relations, and our speech habits

“As a prisoner for the Lord, then, I urge you to live a life worthy of the calling you have received. 2 Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love. 3 Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace.” (Ephesians 4:1–3, NIV84)

ILLUS. During the days of the French Revolution that saw King Louis XVI and his queen beheaded, history records an amazing event. It’s one of those stories that we don’t know if it is absolutely true or not, but it is a story that was widely circulated by French Royalists who had fled France during the Revolution’s reign of terror.

After the public execution of his parents, the frenzied mob called for the king’s oldest son: “Bring out the prince,” they cried. “He’s next.” The boy was terrified. The prince was only six years old, but he was in line to become the next king, so he, too, had to be eliminated.

According to the story, the young prince stood on the platform trembling. He was still dressed in his black velvet coat and patent leather shoes. Long golden curls tumbled down his shoulders. The mob cried, “Down with royalty! Eliminate all royalty! Off with his head! Kill the prince!”

Suddenly from out of the crowd came another cry: “Don’t kill him. You’ll only send his soul to heaven. That’s too good for royalty. I say, turn him over to Meg, the old witch. She’ll teach him to steal and to lie. He’ll roam the streets like a tramp, and when he dies, his soul will go to hell. That’s what royalty deserves!”

So the story goes, that’s the advice the mob took. They turned the young boy over to Meg. She was indeed a vile woman. Her first task was to teach the boy obscene and crude language. But history tells us that every time this wicked woman prompted the prince to be profane, he would stubbornly stamp his foot, clench his fist and declare, “I will not say it. I will not say those words. I was born to be a king, and I won’t talk that way.”

4. folks, we’re a child of the king — there are certain ways we will not act and certain things we will not do — not because there is a list of rules to keep, but because of whose child we are

“Yet to all who received him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God—” (John 1:12, NIV84)

5. are you walking worthy of the Lord so that you might please Him in everything you do?

6. Christians with Kingdom Character Walk Worthy of the Lord

III. CHRISTIANS WITH KINGDOM CHARACTER WILL BE FRUITFUL IN ALL THINGS

“And we pray this in order that you may live a life worthy of the Lord and may please him in every way: bearing fruit in every good work, growing in the knowledge of God,” (Colossians 1:10, NIV84)

1. one of the marks of spiritual growth and maturity in a believer’s life is that they produce fruit — spiritual fruit

ILLUS. Here in Osage county, lots of people have fruit trees of some kind in their yards. When you plant a fruit tree, don’t you expect it to produce some kind of fruit? One of my childhood memories was going to both of my grandmother’s homes to pick peaches when they had ripened. Everybody in the family loved fresh peaches (except me), but was an annual event we all enjoyed.

2. folks, God saves us in order to bring glory to His name

a. the very first Psalm in the Book of Psalms refers to the believer who is so saturated with a knowledge of the things of God that the ultimate result is fruit-bearing

“But his delight is in the law of the LORD, and on his law he meditates day and night. 3 He is like a tree planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in season and whose leaf does not wither. Whatever he does prospers.” (Psalm 1:2–3, NIV84)

b. if your mind is planted deeply in the in the Word of God you can’t help but be a fruitful Christian

3. in the New Testament, Jesus indicates that one of the marks of being a true believer is bearing fruit

“Then he told this parable: “A man had a fig tree, planted in his vineyard, and he went to look for fruit on it, but did not find any. 7 So he said to the man who took care of the vineyard, ‘For three years now I’ve been coming to look for fruit on this fig tree and haven’t found any. Cut it down! Why should it use up the soil?’ 8 “ ‘Sir,’ the man replied, ‘leave it alone for one more year, and I’ll dig around it and fertilize it.” (Luke 13:6–8, NIV84)

a. you see, in due season your life as a Christian ought to be producing fruits of righteousness

b. there must be a spiritual harvest in your life

4. the Apostle Paul tells us that the production of spiritual fruit and good works is the very reason why God saved us

“For we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.” (Ephesians 2:10, NIV84)

a. Jesus said in Matthew 7:20 — referring to believers — By their fruits ye shall know them

ILLUS. An anonymous author once wrote: A genuine Christian is like a good watch. He has an open face, busy hands, is made of pure gold, is well-regulated, and is full of good works.

5. are you full of good works and are you bearing fruit for Christ?

6. Christians with Kingdom Character Will Be Fruitful in All Things

IV. CHRISTIANS WITH KINGDOM CHARACTER WILL BE STRONG IN THE LORD

“being strengthened with all power according to his glorious might so that you may have great endurance and patience, and joyfully” (Colossians 1:11, NIV84)

1. Paul tells the Colossian believers that they are to be strengthened with all power of God in their lives

a. quite literally Paul says that you might be empowered [by God] with all power

ILLUS. In his book entitled Spiritual Stamina, Stuart Briscoe tells the story of a man who bought his first computer. When he got it home, he carefully opened the box, took the machine out, and studied its manual. He connected all the cables to the various peripheral devices: The monitor, the printer, the speakers, the keyboard and the mouse. He flipped the on switch and nothing happened. He rechecked all the connections. He read again the setup portion of the manual. Satisfied that he had followed directions, he again flipped the on switch — and once again nothing happened. As his anger rose, the man’s little girl walked into the room. “Hi, Daddy!” her cheery voice rang out. “What a pretty computer! Can I plug it in?”

b. that begs the question: are you plugged-in to the power?

c. you can read the owner’s manual — i.e. the Bible — all you want, but if you neglect plugging into the power of God via prayer, very little is probably going to happen

2. God does not give us strength and power for show, but to enable us to experience steadfastness and patience in our lives

"strengthened with all power, according to His glorious might, for the attaining of all steadfastness and patience”

a. and that we may experience it joyously

ILLUS. In 1986 there were 19,413 entrees in the New York City Marathon. Bob Wieland was one of those contestants. He finished the marathon in 19,413th place. He was the final finisher and crossed the finish line ... four days after he began the race. Bob Wieland was the first person to run the marathon with his arms instead of his legs!

At the time, Wieland was a 40-year old Californian whose legs were blown off in a Vietnam battlefield. He runs in a sitting position, using his muscular arms like crutches to lift his torso and swing it forward. He recorded what race officials said was the slowest time in marathon history: Four days, two hours, 48 minutes, 17 seconds. But he was greeted like a champion. He claimed his finisher's medal and explained why he did it: "For the same reason as 20,000 other people. It's the greatest marathon in the country." He also cited three specific reasons: To test his conditioning. To promote the President's Council on Physical Fitness, of which he is a member. And, lastly, to show his born-again Christian faith.

He said, "Success is not based on where you start, it's where you finish, and I finished. The first step was the most difficult, after that, we were on our way home. The joy has been the journey."

b. the Apostle Paul said it like this, "Let us run with patience the race that is set before us."

3. the Christian life is one in which we are often called upon to endure whatever afflictions and circumstance that come our way and to patiently deal with relationships

a. we call this perseverance

4. Christians with Kingdom Character Will Be Strong in the Lord

Sow a thought, reap an action; sow an action, reap a habit; sow habit, reap a character; sow a character, reap a destiny. Christian Character is formed through a lifelong process that begins at the new birth experience. When a person gives their life to Christ, the Holy Spirit begins a process of developing His character traits within the soul of the individual. It's not an instantaneous development, but a consistent lifelong process. While many wish their character could be transformed in a moment, in a twinkling of an eye, the fact of the matter is that character transformation takes time.