The Good Report

An elderly couple was on a road trip. The wife, who couldn’t hear very well, was doing the driving.

They stopped for gas, and a man at another gas pump said, “That is the nicest car I’ve ever seen. What kind is it?” The husband told him it was a Mercedes.

His wife couldn’t hear the conversation so she yelled, “What did he say?” The husband told her that the man just wanted to know what kind of car they drove.

The man at the pump asked, “Where are you folks from?” The husband told him they were from Dallas, Texas.

“What did he say?” asked the wife.

“He wanted to know where we are from,” said the husband, who was getting a little annoyed.

The man at the pump said, “That’s where I met a woman a few years back. She was the meanest woman I have ever met!”

“What did he say?” hollered the wife.

“He said he thinks he knows your sister,” the husband said.

We’ve all met mean people. Today, I want to start by asking you to write a list of the meanest people you’ve ever met, and then I want you to rank on a meanest scale from 1-10.

I’m just kidding. I don’t want you to do that today. But, I bet you could do it if you tried! It might not be all that difficult.

Reputation refers to the beliefs or opinions that are held about someone or something.

For good or bad, we all have a reputation. It’s what people think about us.

I want to talk about the reputation of God.

Philippians 4:8 tells those who belong to Christ can have peace when they think thoughts that are of good report. What are thoughts of good report? How can they produce peace in your life? Why does God want you to think on things that are of good report?

The greek word for good report is euphemous which could be translated as admirable, commendable, proper, excellent, morally right, or speaking well of something or someone. All of which, in the context of this scripture, are referring to reputation or character.

Paul is telling us that we can have peace when we think on things of good reputation. Especially when we focus our thoughts on God’s reputation.

All of us have certain beliefs and opinions about the character and nature of God.

It seems to me that we can be right or wrong about a reputation. We can be right or wrong about who we think God is based on our beliefs of opinions.

My goal is to get your thoughts on things that are of GOOD report. To get you to see that God has a good reputation. Specifically, I want you to understand God’s gracious, providential control of all things.

God’s character doesn’t change. He has a good reputation. How we understand Him affects what we think about Him. I want to make sure we have a correct understanding of His reputation. To think thoughts that are of good report means that we think about the true reputation of God which is good. God is good. He is gracious. He is in control.

To develop the correct beliefs and opinions regarding God we can look to the Bible as the foundation of truth. There’s a verse in the old testament which I hope you will commit to your memory and your heart.

Genesis 50:20 (CEV)

20 You tried to harm me, but God made it turn out for the best, so that he could save all these people, as he is now doing.

These words were spoken by a person named Joseph. His life gives us an example of God’s gracious, providential control of all things.

His story can help us develop healthy beliefs and opinions about God.

Thinking about his story is an example of what Paul is talking about when he says to think on things that are of “good report” because in Jospehs story we can clearly see the character of God. This story can shape our view of God’s reputation. When we have the correct beliefs or opinions about God, the result will be peace in our lives.

When you have peace your faith will grow. Faith knowing that the same God who was in control of Josephs life is also in control of your life!

So, who was Joseph?

Joseph was a boy who was pampered by his father, Jacob, and hated by his ten older brothers, who sold him into slavery when he was seventeen years old.

In Egypt, his master’s wife tried to seduce him and he was put into prison. But when he was thirty years old, Joseph was set free from both prison and slavery and Pharaoh appointed him second ruler of Egypt!

Twice Joseph’s brothers came to Egypt for food, and Joseph used their visits to work on their hearts and bring them to repentance.

He revealed himself to them, forgave them, and told them to bring Jacob and all their families to Egypt where he would care for them.

When Jacob died seventeen years later, the brothers feared that Joseph might punish them, but Joseph assured them that all that had happened was from the Lord.

In the years that followed, God used Joseph to rescue the Hebrew people from extinction.

If you were Joseph, how you you describe God when everything was going wrong? Put yourself in his situation. You’ve been sold as a slave by your own family, you’ve been accused of a crime you didn’t commit, you’ve been in prison for years; How would you describe God?

What is Gods reputation in that situation? What are your beliefs and opinions about God?

Joseph had every reason to have a bad opinion about God. It would be very tempting to blame God for all the bad things that happened to him.

You and I have gone through difficult situations in life. No person is exempt from hardship. You may have been tempted to blame God because your reputation of Him was not clear.

When life is at it’s worst, when you’re at the rock bottom place of despair where you can’t see the light because of the great darkness that surrounds you, that is where you find out what you really believe about God.

I have three things I want to say to you that I hope will help you to think on things of good report. Things to believe and know about God that will give you peace in the trying times of life. Things you can hold onto when it seems as though God is not on your side.

This first thing you need to know is that...

God is not Against You

I want you to say something out loud with me. You may not believe it to be true, but I can tell you from everything I’ve ever read in the Bible I know this to be one hundred percent factual. I want you to say, “God is not mad at me”.

GOD IS NOT MAD AT ME.

You do believe that to be true?

From our point of view, people, circumstances, and even the Lord may seem to be against us; but as children of God, we need to know that our heavenly Father is in control.

He’s not punishing you for something you’ve done. Now, there may be consequences that you have to work through, but God is not punishing you for being a bad person.

In fact, the opposite is true.

Think about Jesus, what was His reputation? What’s the good report about Jesus? Jesus, who was Holy, could have judged people very harshly. Instead, He was loving, tender, and patient.

He never expected us to live perfectly. He knew that we just couldn’t because sin had made us unholy.

He came to make us holy! All He asks is that we acknowledge we are not right, then He will do the rest.

This is the glorious work of grace through our Lord Jesus Christ.

2 Corinthians 5:19 (NLT)

19 For God was in Christ, reconciling the world to himself, no longer counting people’s sins against them. And he gave us this wonderful message of reconciliation.

God is NOT holding your past failures, sin, or mistakes against you.

YOU ARE!

I need you to hear something really important, If God has forgiven you, then you need to forgive yourself. Don’t live with the guilt anymore. Let it go. Allow the cleansing blood of Christ to cover your past, present, and future.

Now, if God is not against you, why does He allow bad things to happen to you? It doesn’t seem fair.

God is not the cause of any bad thing in this world. That is not His nature.

James 1:17 (NLT)

17 Whatever is good and perfect is a gift coming down to us from God our Father, who created all the lights in the heavens. He never changes or casts a shifting shadow.

God is responsible for the good things. He is not responsible for the bad things in life. He does, however allow His children to experience hardships in life. We don’t live in the perfect world God designed. We live in a broken world that has been infiltrated with sin. People are sinful and they will do all sorts of terrible things until the final day of judgement.

Why does God allow us to suffer? Here’s what I think: I don’t know.

I cannot stand in the shoes of God and give you a complete answer to that question. I don’t have God’s mind. I can’t see the bigger picture in my own situations and certainly not in yours.

1 Corinthians 13:12 (CEV)

12 Now all we can see of God is like a cloudy picture in a mirror. Later we will see him face to face. We don’t know everything, but then we will, just as God completely understands us.

After all the suffering that Joseph went through in life his conclusion was clear, this is what he said to his brothers who sold him as a slave:

Genesis 50:20 (CEV)

20 You tried to harm me, but God made it turn out for the best, so that he could save all these people, as he is now doing.

What was meant for evil God turned for good. I can tell you with certainty that this is Gods reputation: He turns bad situations into good situations. This is what Paul is telling us to focus our thoughts on. The good report is that God is working things for good, and not for evil.

The cousin verse to Genesis 50:20 is Romans 8:28

Romans 8:28 (NLT)

28 And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them.

God is NOT against you. This world will get you down. To have peace you need to think on things of good report. You need to know that God is gracious. He works even the worst situations for good. He sees the big picture of our lives, we need to trust Him.

Trusting in Him will give you peace. Be at peace knowing that God is not against you. If you have trusted in Christ as your Lord, you can know that God is for you. He loves you. Don’t blame Him when hard times come, look to Him in those times because He’s on your side.

Here’s the second thing to know...

God is Preparing You

It must have seemed pretty bad for Joseph when he was sitting in prison for something that he didn’t do. We don’t know how long he was in prison. It was at least two years, but it could have been as long as 13 years.

He was sent there for punishment of a crime he did not commit. But, in reality, he was there because God wanted to promote him.

God USED a time of confinement as a time of refinement. God prepared Joseph for leadership during the most trying time in his life.

God has set us free from sin and death, but we are still living in a broken and fallen world. We are in what feels like a prison of pain, despair, and heartache. But if we think thoughts that are proper about who God is then we will remember that He can refine us through any circumstance.

We remember the story of David defeating Goliath and we are encouraged that God makes our enemies fall when we trust in Him. What we forget is that by killing that giant it awoke a new enemy for David named King Saul, the most powerful warrior on the planet at the time. Even though Saul was strong, it was God’s will for David to take Saul’s place as the King of Israel.

It took at least 15 years from the time David was anointed king over Israel until he ruled over the land. Those 15 years were hard years; but they were years of development. David was forced to walk through some hard places, but God used that time in his life to develop David to sit on the throne of the land.

Anyone would have been tempted to give up hope if they found themselves in Joseph or Davids situation.

Waiting. Waiting on God do what he told them He would do. Joseph had a dream from God, David had a promise from God. They had to wait on the Lord for years before those dreams and promises came to pass.

You may have been given a dream or a promise from God. Don’t give up on those things. Wait on God. He can still do what seems impossible.

The truth is that we don’t know how or why God does what He does, we can only see the results of His marvelous work.

One day a lady named Sue had a problem with her air conditioning unit. It stopped working. She called the repair place and they asked her what was wrong with the unit. Of course she didn’t know, she was only upset that it was getting hotter and hotter in her home.

Well, a repairman came out to the house and took everything apart. She came outside and saw everything seemed to be broken. Parts were all over the place. The repairman told her he needed to go back to the shop to get the parts he needed to fix the unit.

She had to wait for him to come back and put everything back together. He did, and the AC was blowing colder than ever before. She was thankful he repaired the unit, even though she had no clue as to what he did to make it all work together.

This is how it is in our difficult times. All we can do is make a call for help. We might not know what’s wrong or how to fix it, but if we call on God He knows exactly what’s wrong. We might have to wait on Him to get the right tools or the right parts, but we know if we trust Him things are going to be put back together better than they were before!

There are two things than you can do to make it through these times of waiting and preparation.

The first is to call God and ask for His power. Here’s an example from the Apostle Paul who experienced first hand what it was like to be thrown into prison unfairly:

2 Corinthians 12:8–10 (NLT)

8 Three different times I begged the Lord to take it away.

9 Each time he said, “My grace is all you need. My power works best in weakness.” So now I am glad to boast about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ can work through me.

10 That’s why I take pleasure in my weaknesses, and in the insults, hardships, persecutions, and troubles that I suffer for Christ. For when I am weak, then I am strong.

The greater our weakness and sufferings for Christ, the more grace God will give to accomplish his purposes. That grace is always sufficient for each new day so that we can accomplish what he desires for that day and endure any suffering.

Grace is God favoring us with his presence, love, help and power.

It is a heavenly strength given to those who depend on God and call on him for help.

In our times of struggle we need to pray for His strength. It’s ok to admit you’re not strong enough. When you stop trying to make things happen with your own strength then God will be able to give you His strength to make it through the troubles you face.

The second thing you can do is rest in His peace. When we think on things of good report, we think on the reputation, character, and nature of God. We remember what He’s done for other people and how He loves us and promises never to leave us or forsake us.

When God is using a difficult situation to prepare you for His promotion you can have peace that no one else can completely understand because you know WHO God is…He has a good report with you. His reputation goes beyond your present afflictions.

Like Joseph we say, what was meant for evil God has turned for good. We say that before we even know HOW God is going to make it turn around in our situation. That type of attitude is called faith!

Today, you might be here, right in the middle of a prison like experience. You might be begging God for relief, but it seems like none is coming. I’ve got to encourage you to hold on. Don’t give up. God is preparing you for your next level of service. Trust in His faithfulness. He will come through for you.

Ask Him for strength in your weakness and for peace that is beyond comprehension.

He is preparing you. That thought, that God is working out your situation, is a thought of good report.

My message to you today is that God is not against you, God is preparing you, and

God will Bless You

I asked you a question at the beginning of this message.

If you were Joseph, how you you describe God when everything was going wrong? Put yourself in his situation. You’ve been sold as a slave by your own family, you’ve been accused of a crime you didn’t commit, you’ve been in prison for years; How would you describe God when everything seems to have gone wrong?

Now, I want you to put yourself in Josephs position again to answer another question, but this time put yourself in his position as the most powerful man in the most powerful nation on earth at the time. You can look back at all the difficulties and see that it was all worth it to be standing where you are now. How would you describe God after you see that He has turned everything to blessing?

This is what Joseph said:

Genesis 50:20 (CEV)

20 You tried to harm me, but God made it turn out for the best, so that he could save all these people, as he is now doing.

All that happened to Joseph was working for him and his family to bless them.

Here’s the good report, the reputation, of God: He is working everything out to the good of those who love Him and have been called to His purpose!

This is what we should be thinking on in our difficult situations.

When you KNOW that truth in the deepest part of your heart then you can face ANYTHING because like Joseph, you can say, I know that God will make my situations turn out for the best.

For me AND for others.

God wants to bless you and other people through you. Jesus gave us a mission. The motivation behind the mission is blessing.

Matthew 28:18–20 (CEV)

18 Jesus came to them and said: I have been given all authority in heaven and on earth!

19 Go to the people of all nations and make them my disciples. Baptize them in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit,

20 and teach them to do everything I have told you. I will be with you always, even until the end of the world.

We are blessed by God through the gift of salvation. We have become children of God by trusting in the work of Christ to redeem our souls. That’s the greatest blessing we could have ever recieved.

The gift and blessing of our salvation should be enough. This life is short.

Part of the job of being a Pastor is that you are with people at the end of their life. I’ve stood beside many hospital beds as people cross from this life to the next.

And you know what? They aren’t concerned one little bit about this world. Money, house, car, material blessings just don’t mean anything at that point. All that matters is what’s coming next.

What’s the good report? What’s the reputation of God? He has taken care of you through His son Jesus. He loved you before you loved Him. You can’t earn His love…the blessing is that it’s a gift!

Joseph is a representation of Jesus. He was abused, rejected, accused, and seemingly defeated. But God had plans for him. He was brought out of the pit and given a place of honor. His life was used to accomplish God’s plan of blessing for all the people of that time.

Jesus was abused, rejected, accused, and seemingly defeated. He was murdered. But, God had plans. Jesus was brought back to life from death! He has been given all authority in heaven and on earth! His life was broken so that God could bless all of humanity.

Let me tell you, this is your great hope. This is your greatest blessing. You might be going through hard times, but I’m telling you the good report is that Christ has already delivered you!

Now, if you understand that truth, then you will live your life as Christ told you too, by proclaiming this great news. Making disciples would be the great joy in life. Doing the will of God would be a pleasure not a task. Hard times are just part of the journey.

You’d be saying like Joseph:

Genesis 50:20 (CEV)

20 You tried to harm me, but God made it turn out for the best, so that he could save all these people, as he is now doing.

Joseph knew God’s good reputation. He had the correct beliefs and opinions about God.

It all comes down to thinking on things of good report. You need to make sure that you have the right view of God, His reputation. When you do, no matter what you face, you’ll find peace because you’ve placed your faith in a faithful God.

When you have the correct understanding of God you’ll be encouraged, because you know that God is not against you. You’ll be equipped with His strength, power, and peace because you called on Him in your time of preparation. And you’ll be empowered because you know that the blessings of God have been given to you so that you can bless other people.