God's TradeMarks

God’s Trademarks Jeremiah 9:23-24 On the sheet of paper, I want you to make two columns. In the first column, list 6 things about yourself. Now, in the second, list 6 things about God. When you examine these two lists, one describing God and the other describing you, how many characteristics overlap? How many don’t? And even if you share some qualities with God, when compared to the perfectness of Christ, how well do you measure up? Consider if somebody was to describe you, are you being pictured as more worldly or heavenly? Now all of us are going to fall into both the worldly and the heavenly categories. After all, were just people and nobody is perfect. We’re saved by grace and called children of God, but even though we have an eternal home in heaven, we’re still temporarily renting here on earth. But if I were to ask you which of these two categories are you pursuing more, earthly or heavenly, what would your answer be. Because you can appear to live by Christian values. You can read your Bible, pray before a meal, and go to church, but if you’re still pursuing what’s earthly, that success will vanish just like you will one day. So in light of this, what are you known for? Because attempting to live Godly while desiring what’s worldly reveals the true intention of your heart! And that’s what today’s Scripture is talking about. It’s warning us about wrongly placed boasting because we can easily be deceived. We can deceive ourselves and others can deceive us. It reminds me of a man who owned a foreign car and begun irritating his friends by bragging more and more about his gas mileage. So one day his friends decided enough is enough and thought of a funny way to end his boasting. Every day, one of them would sneak into the parking lot where the man kept his car and pour a few gallons of gas into the tank. Soon the bragging man was recording absolutely awesome gas mileage! He went so far as to say he could even get upwards of 70 miles per gallon. All while his sneaky friends secretly delighted in their friend's vain attempts trying to convince people of the truthfulness of his claims. But then his friends stopped putting extra gas into his tank, and they laughed secretly as their poor friend couldn’t figure out what had happened to his car. You know, we all like a good practical joke, but this goes to show how easy it is to boast about something. It’s easy to trust in our own devices and to think we know best. That’s why everyone needs a proper understanding, and just like how you just made a list comparing yourself to God, in today’s Scripture, Jeremiah also made a list comparing earthly qualities to God. We are all known by something. We all have trademarks, so to say. And today’s lesson teaches us what you consider important. Jeremiah knows that we like to talk about what’s important to us because what’s important to us helps give us security and standing. And for some people, they love to talk about what sets them apart from the rest. But the Bible isn’t saying that nothing should be important to us. We are a social people, and we continually talk about what’s on our minds. If we considered nothing important, we’d quickly lose our way and meaning in life. And that’s why today’s lesson calls attention to what is truly important. Verse 23 summarizes what we typically value or consider important. First, the Bible mentions wisdom or what we may call the success of the mind. Now the book of Proverbs teaches wisdom and considers God-centered wisdom as the greatest good. Biblical wisdom is to do all for the glory of God. To live wisely means getting to know Jesus and promoting His Kingdom in every area of life. But Jeremiah, however, has a more self-sufficient wisdom in mind. He’s talking about intellectual arrogance that listens to nobody but judges everybody. Too often, those who boast about being wise reject Christ and the Bible. People such as Richard Dawkins and those who follow Dawkins usually believe that human reason and science can solve all of man's problems and make us better people. But just look around at how much technology we have today, yet people continue to hurt one another. Second, verse 23 mentions strength. There’s nothing wrong with being physically or mentally strong. But another word for strength is power, and power can intimidate, bully and oppress people. Even the glory of strength is short-lived because how many pro sports players are made so famous, just to be forgotten and eclipsed by the latest highlights. It doesn’t matter how strong a person is, because one day our earthly strength will fail, and the only strength that will matter is how tightly one clung to the cross! Lastly, verse 23 mentions wealth. All of us are interested in money. We all need a certain amount of money to live, and God knows we need money. But it’s funny that when our pockets get a little bit deeper, how we tend to feel more secure. We desire houses in certain neighborhoods or cars that make us feel a cut above the rest. The government spends more money than we’ll ever see, and when a financial crisis hits, it reminds us just how fleeting riches are. The old saying holds true, “you can’t take it with you when you go.” There’s no U-Hauls behind hearses. Money and gaining wealth is not bad, but its how we spend it and how one's wealth influences and affects others that matters. These three things people value, wisdom, strength, and riches, are not bad in itself. In fact, just like the Israelites in Jerimiah’s day, we consider them a blessing. But what we shouldn’t do is boast in them because the Hebrew word used for boast is haw-lal’. It’s where we get our word “Hallelujah” from, and it means, “to glory and to praise.” So when a person boasts about their wisdom, strength, or wealth, they’re giving glory to the gift instead of praising the Giver of the gift. Boasting reveals a lack of humble gratitude and solely trusting in them is not wisdom but foolishness because the blessings of God can never take God’s place. Instead of using wisdom, strength, and wealth for personal gain, these blessings should be used to promote Christ’s Kingdom. Verse 23 shows what people boast about, and now in verse 24, God compares and contrasts that with His attributes of lovingkindness, justice, and righteousness. Not only does God teach about these three, but lovingkindness, justice, and righteousness are seen in Christ. Out of lovingkindness, God has not treated us as our sin deserves, but has forgiven us. We call this grace, mercy and forgiveness. Forgiveness, however, doesn’t mean that God is a softy when it comes to justice. On the cross, Jesus suffered the consequences of our sin in our place to satisfy God’s justice. As for righteousness, God is the Lawgiver who differentiates between right from wrong. And anyone who “clothes themselves with the Lord Jesus Christ” as Romans 13:14 says, is able to grow and imitate our Savior by living kindly, justly, and righteously. Since God is loving kind, just, and righteous, those in Christ are to be loving kind, just, and righteous. Doing this is our proper response for all that God has done for us. We should kindly forgive others as Christ has forgiven us instead of holding grudges. We should treat others fairly and work to eliminate corruption. We should keep God’s commands, and love our neighbor as our self by serving others just as “The Son of Man came to serve and not to be served,” thereby revealing who our Maker is. That’s what a trademark is. It’s a Makers mark. Trains are known by their distinctive whistle. Roses are known for their scent. Birds are known for their chirping. Verizon is known for its phones. PlayStation and Xbox are known for gaming. What’s your defining characteristic, your trademark? God knows your heart, and He desires that your relationship with Christ produces lovingkindness, justice, and righteousness that overflows into the lives of others. Achievements in life can be added to your list showing signs of outward growth, and you may tend to rely upon those outward things to demonstrate your worthiness. But your heart will be the happiest when you find your worth in God! God would never ask of you anything that He wouldn’t equip you to do. Last week we learned from Ezekiel that God asked if anyone would stand in the gap. We learned that means to take a firm stand between good and evil, sin and righteousness, heaven and earth. To bridge the gap between the two and to repair a sinful world. Brothers and sisters, this can’t happen by our own merit. Earthly wisdom, strength, and wealth can’t repair the broken wall of a sinful world. True understanding is exercising lovingkindness, justice, and righteousness in your life. Remember, Christ is the Cornerstone, and the wall can only be built upon Him, and we cannot build it upon Christ if we ourselves don’t imitate Christ. But building anything takes time. Verse 24 says, “let the one who boasts boast about this: that they have the understanding to know me.” You know, I’ve known my wife for over 14 years now, and you could say that I know her very well, but I’m still learning things about her. My relationship with my wife is built over time, just like our relationship with Christ is built over time. It takes a lifetime to know someone well, and the same is true about knowing God. It’s an ongoing process, a commitment. A commitment that involves reading and studying the Bible, praying, and learning from fellow believers. So boast in God. Praise Christ and glorify Him in your life. Not I, but Christ, be honored, loved, exalted; Not I, but Christ, be seen, be known, be heard; Not I, but Christ, in every look and action; Not I, but Christ, in every thought and word. Praise God for what He’s done for us and promote His values: lovingkindness, justice, and righteousness. To know God is knowing what’s important to Him and imitating what He does. Knowing God is not so much intellectual as relational. And the one who knows God loves their neighbor and uses the blessings of God – wisdom, strength, and wealth – to enrich others. Who’s mark is on your life? You may have the wisdom of Solomon, the strength of Samson, and the riches of Abraham, but you have nothing to glory in compared to the lowliest Christian who knows the Lord. And it’s in the knowledge of the Lord were we find meaning and eternal life. AMEN