Intentional representation
intentional 2020 • Sermon • Submitted
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· 4 viewsBeing intentional about representing Jesus is 95% about how you are when you are not intentionally representing Him and 5% about when you are deliberately representing Him.
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Video Gods Way.
12 Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. 13 Bear with each other and forgive one another if any of you has a grievance against someone. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. 14 And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity.
15 Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. And be thankful. 16 Let the message of Christ dwell among you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom through psalms, hymns, and songs from the Spirit, singing to God with gratitude in your hearts. 17 And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.
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Intentionally representing God
Intentionally representing God
This week we are continuing our 2020 intentional series.
Where we are looking at Worshipping God intentionally, seeking God intentionally, interacting with God intentionally, worshipping with intention, and representing God intentionally.
Engage with Him
Acknowledge Him (refer)
Represent Him
I have a question for you. Raise you hand if you have represented the living God this week?
Every contact leaves a trace - Locard’s exchange principle.
Every contact leaves a trace - Locard’s exchange principle.
What traces of Jesus have you left in peoples lives this week?
When I asked who had represented God this week i suspect many of your minds will have immediately jumped to:
Have I mentioned church
Have I said Jesus to any one.
Have I evangelised
Have I invited someone to Church
I have I spurted out the whole of the Gospel while on the number three bus to town.
The truth is every one of you has represented God this week.
Every contact leaves a trace - Locard’s exchange principle.
What traces of Jesus have you left in peoples lives this week?
What traces of Jesus have you left in peoples lives this week?
Being intentional when we are not intentionally representing God.
Being intentional when we are not intentionally representing God.
Being intentional about representing Jesus is 95% about how you are when you are not intentionally representing Him and 5% about when you are deliberately representing Him
I’ll repeat that .
Being intentional about representing Jesus is 95% about how you are when you are not intentionally representing Him and 5% about when you are deliberately representing Him
The vast majority of the time we are not actively seeking to represent God.
We are not walking around with a physical sandwich board announcing the tenants of our faith.
The vast majority of our time out live are that sandwich board.
What we wear in terms of our attitudes, behaviours, speech pattens, the time we give to others, our generosity - declares something about us, something about our beliefs and a sets the perception the at the people around us have about you, christianity and ultimately God.
God’s ambassadors
God’s ambassadors
Paul tells us - God has appointed you and me as ambassadors.
20 We are therefore Christ’s ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us. We implore you on Christ’s behalf: Be reconciled to God.
We all have this position - we all have the job (or honour) of representing God.
You have been specifically chosen for that role.
We are chosen of God.
Whenever the UK government wants to send an ambassador to another country, they go through a process of selecting a person. Everyone who comes to Jesus is chosen by God to be His ambassador.
Everyone who comes to Jesus is chosen by God to be His ambassador.
You belong to God’s team and we must carry ourselves in such a manner.
As part of this You are set apart. (Holy)
We are set apart. (Holy)
Holy means to be set apart.
When you became a Christian, you were set apart as a royal priesthood.
9 But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s special possession, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light.
But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for God’s own possession, so that you may proclaim the excellencies of Him who has called you out of darkness into His marvelous light;
You were chosen because you are special to God (Dearly beloved). This is a term of endearment that God has for His chosen people!
This is a 24/7 365 - lifetime role. in this day and age there are not many jobs for life but this is one of them.
When I got this new position, I could no longer wear my greasy ragged looking wardrobe that I used to wear.
My new position required a new wardrobe.
You need to dress appropriately
You need to dress appropriately
My company has a dress appropriately policy.
We have to dress appropriately for our roles. The same is true as an ambassador of God - We heard this earlier...
12 Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. 13 Bear with each other and forgive one another if any of you has a grievance against someone. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. 14 And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity.
Let’s unpick a few of these things
Compassion
Compassion
Compassion is an expression of tenderness towards the suffering and miserable.
it is easy for us to look at the suffering with a hard heart, but a person with compassion will feel a warm spot for them in their heart. Compassion should be part of our character. Our compassion should come from the depths of our soul. It is an essential part of the wardrobe of one who is going to reside in heaven.
Compassion should be part of our character. Our compassion should come from the depths of our soul. It is an essential part of the wardrobe of one who is going to reside in heaven.
Kindness
Kindness
This is a sweetness of disposition
Compassion and kindness sum up how we are to treat other people, the next two articles of our wardrobe represent our state of mind.
Compassion and kindness sum up how we are to treat other people, the next two articles of our wardrobe represent our state of mind.
Humility
Humility
Humility is being able to put others ahead of self and it is the ability to seeing others as more important than yourself.
1 Therefore if you have any encouragement from being united with Christ, if any comfort from his love, if any common sharing in the Spirit, if any tenderness and compassion, 2 then make my joy complete by being like-minded, having the same love, being one in spirit and of one mind. 3 Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves, 4 not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of the others.
5 In your relationships with one another, have the same mindset as Christ Jesus:
6 Who, being in very nature God,
did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage;
7 rather, he made himself nothing
by taking the very nature of a servant,
being made in human likeness.
8 And being found in appearance as a man,
he humbled himself
by becoming obedient to death—
even death on a cross!
Gentleness
Gentleness
D. The socks of Gentleness
We need to be gentle when we deal with people. Gentleness was not considered a virtue in the pagan world of Jesus day.
Reading social media and even mainstream media, looking at the way people interact in life and business - Gentleness doesn’t appear to be a virtue today either. Don’t mix up gentleness with weakness. Gentleness is about how you do things not what you do- Gentle and strong go hand in hand; it is power in control. Gentleness does however lead to making concessions when principles are not compromised.
23 gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law.
Patience
Patience
This is the same word as LONG-SUFFERING. This definition says it all. When we deal with people, we will have to exhibit patience with them.
Patience is the self-restraint that enables us to bear injury and insult without resorting to hasty retaliation. It is natural for us to want to retaliate every time we suffer a wrong. People of God are not supposed to be vindictive.
1 Corinthians 13 says that that love is patient.
Love
Love
Which brings us nicely to love. - by far the most important - The greatest of gifts as Paul calls it
Love is what brings all of the other things together, it is the thread that runs through our patience, humility, compassion and gentleness - it is what brings a purpose to them.
If we do not have love, then none of the other elements matter. Without love, these things that we are supposed to have will not exist except by an illusion.
For the Christian, the thing that brings our whole wardrobe together, the thing that gives it a sense of unity is LOVE.
If we do not have love, then none of the wardrobe we wear will look right. Without love, these things that we are supposed to have will not exist except by an illusion.
Everything we do must be grounded in love. If what we do is grounded in love, then when we do good for people and they are cruel back, we do not care because we are not doing it for them, but for Jesus.
This is the wardrobe that we as citizens of the kingdom should be wearing.
These are the clothes of our salvation and we should be overjoyed to wear these clothes as written in
10 I delight greatly in the Lord;
my soul rejoices in my God.
For he has clothed me with garments of salvation
and arrayed me in a robe of his righteousness,
as a bridegroom adorns his head like a priest,
and as a bride adorns herself with her jewels.
What not to wear
What not to wear
In the previous verses 5-9, Paul gives a list of the items that should never be a part of a Christian’s wardrobe:
Sexual immorality
Impurity
Lust
Evil Desires
Greed
Anger
Rage
Malice
Slander
Filthy Language
Lying
These are the dirty clothes one wears before being raised with Christ.
The old Jeans
Why do I mention these well you see at home I have some clothes that really should go in the bin but...
The old Jeans the old shoes.
They are old, dirty, have holes in but they are so comfortable.
The role of authenticity & character.
The role of authenticity & character.
The health and safety campaign
The role of Character
The role of Character
When our beliefs do not match up with our actions - people will tell.
Faithful Accountable and Trustworthy
12 Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. 13 Bear with each other and forgive one another if any of you has a grievance against someone. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. 14 And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity.
15 Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. And be thankful. 16 Let the message of Christ dwell among you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom through psalms, hymns, and songs from the Spirit, singing to God with gratitude in your hearts. 17 And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.
Collosi
1 Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. 2 Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things. 3 For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God. 4 When Christ, who is your life, appears, then you also will appear with him in glory.
5 Put to death, therefore, whatever belongs to your earthly nature: sexual immorality, impurity, lust, evil desires and greed, which is idolatry. 6 Because of these, the wrath of God is coming. 7 You used to walk in these ways, in the life you once lived. 8 But now you must also rid yourselves of all such things as these: anger, rage, malice, slander, and filthy language from your lips. 9 Do not lie to each other, since you have taken off your old self with its practices 10 and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge in the image of its Creator. 11 Here there is no Gentile or Jew, circumcised or uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave or free, but Christ is all, and is in all.
12 Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. 13 Bear with each other and forgive one another if any of you has a grievance against someone. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. 14 And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity.
15 Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. And be thankful. 16 Let the message of Christ dwell among you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom through psalms, hymns, and songs from the Spirit, singing to God with gratitude in your hearts. 17 And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.
Colossians 3:1
Reputation is what men and women think of us; character is what God and angels know of us.
Sexual immorality
Impurity
Lust
Evil Desires
Greed
Anger
Rage
Malice
Slander
Filthy Language
Lying
These are the dirty clothes one wears before being raised with Christ.
-Thomas Paine
Be more concerned with your character than your reputation, because your character is what you really are, while your reputation is merely what others think you are.
-John Wooden
“Your reputation is what others think of you; your character is what you truly are. Reputations can be manipulated; character can only be developed and maintained.”
Bhodi Sanders
- Bhodi Sanders
If you create an act, you create a habit. If you create a habit, you create a character. If you create a character, you create a destiny.
-Andre Maurois
that is why in Colossians Paul continues he sets out some of the ways we should act.
The old Jeans
How we act
How we act
13 Bear with each other and forgive one another if any of you has a grievance against someone. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. 14 And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity.
15 Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. And be thankful. 16 Let the message of Christ dwell among you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom through psalms, hymns, and songs from the Spirit, singing to God with gratitude in your hearts. 17 And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.
Bear with each other.
Bear with each other.
Bearing with one another means that we will put up with some of the faults or unpleasant traits of others that irritate us. This responsibility and forgiving each other really expands on the idea of patience.
This applies as much in how we behave to each other within the church as it does to how we behave to those in the world.
Forgive each other
Forgive each other
We have the responsibility to forgive one another.
I am going to make this one very clear. WE have the responsibility to forgive no matter if the other person forgives you or not.
15 But if you do not forgive others their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins.
that is harsh - that is not a verse you print on a bookmark or a fridge magnet but it is truth.
We have the responsibility to be a forgiving people
This applies as much in how we behave to each other within the church as it does to how we behave to those in the world.
Let peace reign
Let peace reign
We have the responsibility to let the peace of Christ rule our hearts.
Jesus died so that man could have peace with God. In order or us to allow the peace of Christ to rule in our hearts, then we must focus on heaven as verse 1-3 of this chapter tells us to do.
1 Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. 2 Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things. 3 For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God.
We have a peace about us because we know that God is in control.
We have a peace about us because we know that God is in control.
The word here for “rule” had a meaning that implied “to act as an referee or judge”.
a referee does things in a game in accordance with the rules.
When turmoil strike our lives which it will we are to apply the rules of God to how we respond. -
Turmoil will strike
“I didn't go to religion to make me happy. I always knew a bottle of Port would do that. If you want a religion to make you feel really comfortable, I certainly don't recommend Christianity. - CS Lewis.
We turn the issue to God. We follow the teaching of the Bible, the word will direct our lives, giving us the peace of God.
For the Christian’s as we follow the teaching of the Bible, the word will direct our lives, giving us the peace of God.
Have the word
Have the word
We have the responsibility to let the Word of Christ richly dwell with in us.
This is how we counteract the world
How we put the issues of the day into perspective.
Represent Christ in all things.
Represent Christ in all things.
Finally as it tells us in Verse 17 we have the responsibility to do all that we do in the name of Jesus.
EXPLAIN THIS.
God has given us everything we have. We should go about life according to that Gift.
E. We have the responsibility to do all that we do in the name of Jesus Verse 17
the responsibility to give thanks to Jesus for all we have. Verse 17
Concluding remarks
Concluding remarks
CONCLUSION
Usually we can look at a persons clothing and tell what they have been doing. You do not wear your best suit out to mow the grass do you?
As people who have a residence in heaven and who have an ambassadorship for Jesus, we too must wear the appropriate clothing. As you are representing Christ, what are you wearing?
How are you doing with your new responsibilities? I hope that you will discard the things you do not need for heaven and will put on the things befitting one who belongs to Jesus!
10 I delight greatly in the Lord;
my soul rejoices in my God.
For he has clothed me with garments of salvation
and arrayed me in a robe of his righteousness,
as a bridegroom adorns his head like a priest,
and as a bride adorns herself with her jewels.
I have not mentioned - speaking to people about Jesus.
I have not mentioned evangelism
I have not spoken about serving the church
I have not even suggested that you tell people why you choose to act in a particular way.
I am not saying you should not do these things and more - You should - but by far the greatest way you represent Jesus is our Character and our lives.
c.f. - our values.
The people around us will judge the worth of our belief and hope by what we do in our daily lives.
Landing - Known by your fruit
Landing - Known by your fruit
Every action has an equal and opposite reaction - Newtons third law of motion
In Physics that is indeed ttrue.
balloon
In life something similar is true.
Every Action for the Kingdom has incites a reaction. Size of the reaction and the direction it takes is not proportional to your action but the timing, will and power of God.
10 “Whoever can be trusted with very little can also be trusted with much, and whoever is dishonest with very little will also be dishonest with much.
Luke
Known by your fruit
Matthew says
16 By their fruit you will recognize them. Do people pick grapes from thornbushes, or figs from thistles? 17 Likewise, every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit. 18 A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, and a bad tree cannot bear good fruit. 19 Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. 20 Thus, by their fruit you will recognize them.
Peter encourages ...
1 “I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener. 2 He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he prunes so that it will be even more fruitful. 3 You are already clean because of the word I have spoken to you. 4 Remain in me, as I also remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me.
5 “I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing.
8 This is to my Father’s glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples.
16 You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you so that you might go and bear fruit—fruit that will last—and so that whatever you ask in my name the Father will give you.
5 For this very reason, make every effort to add to your faith goodness; and to goodness, knowledge; 6 and to knowledge, self-control; and to self-control, perseverance; and to perseverance, godliness; 7 and to godliness, mutual affection; and to mutual affection, love. 8 For if you possess these qualities in increasing measure, they will keep you from being ineffective and unproductive in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. 9 But whoever does not have them is nearsighted and blind, forgetting that they have been cleansed from their past sins.
Paul warns us.
19 The acts of the flesh are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery; 20 idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions 21 and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like. I warn you, as I did before, that those who live like this will not inherit the kingdom of God.
22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law.
Galations 5:19-23
but above all God chose you.
16 You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you so that you might go and bear fruit—fruit that will last—and so that whatever you ask in my name the Father will give you.
16 You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you so that you might go and bear fruit—fruit that will last—and so that whatever you ask in my name the Father will give you.
Now is the time to be intentional about representing God on earth in the times you are not intentionally setting our to. - Develop your Character as a child of God, as a member of the royal priesthood.