The importance of good works
1. According to the Scripture reading (Acts 10:37-38), Jesus had a reputation.
2. The Lord was known throughout the whole land of Israel as someone who “did good”
3. Throughout “all Judea” Jesus had made a name for Himself
4. Special attention is given to Jesus for His “good works” (verse 38).
5. People as well as things in life have reputations.
6. A car manufacturer can have a reputation.
7. The reputation may involve price, quality, or even availability.
8. Animals have reputations (donkeys are often regarded as stubborn creatures).
9. Our friends and coworkers have reputations.
10. Reputations are funny things; once one is achieved, it is often very hard to change.
IF WE LOOK AT OUR INDIVIDUAL LIFE, WHAT TYPE OF
REPUTATION DO WE HAVE?
a) Tonight we want to think about reputations.
b) Our study begins with how easy it is to get a bad reputation.
c) People have a funny way of judging things in life.
2) Many of us have heard of Mike Nifong, a District Attorney in North Carolina.
3) Most would have never heard of this man except for a recent case involving some Lacrosse players.
4) I recently heard that Mr. Nifong has served as a DA for 29 years.
a) Apparently during this near three decade period there have been no significant complaints.
b) His life has been fairly ordinary.
c) Now, because of decisions with a single case, he may lose his job.
d) This man illustrates a sad but all too common truth.
e) A reputation can be stained—sometimes permanently—by a single act.
f) A bad reputation can be attached to someone almost overnight.
g) Good reputations take years to build, but bad reputations are all too often immediate.
5) When we look at the Bible we see this principle as well.
6) If we say the name “Judas” what comes to mind? For many he has a reputation of being a “traitor.”
a) We do not generally think of any good work Judas may have done with the treasury funds.
b) We do not typically think about any helpful teaching he may have done.
c) If he performed healings, that is also not what captures our attention and interest.
d) His act of betrayal was a reputation killer, and he is not the only one to suffer a bad rap.
e) What about Ananias and Sapphira – what comes to mind about them?
f) Were they not Christians? They were, but this is not the point usually emphasized.
g) Were they not willing to contribute some of their resources for God’s people?
h) We zero in on one thing with them: they lied and they died for their lie.
7) If we want to be the people of God, we want to seek to avoid things that will ruin a reputation.
a) This is true for all ages, and it has special significance for young people.
b) When we lived in Millersburg we had a young man who was a fairly new driver.
c) He liked to race down the neighborhood street and sometimes did not stop at the stop sign.
d) There were probably a lot of good things that could be said about that young man.
e) When neighbors spoke about him the conversation was always about reckless driving.
f) No Christian wants a bad reputation, but this is exactly what happens in some cases.
8) Reputations can become attached to us early in life.
9) In school there most young people who a reputation when it comes to trouble.
10) From pre-school some deserve to have “troublemaker” branded on their forehead.
11) Within the first week, some kids are known as kids who will always be in trouble.
12) A little later reputations are formed due to sexual activity.
13) The reputation is either, “she and he do” or “she and he do not.”
14) A choice is made, and that choice determines reputation.
a) Reputation involves other matters like honesty.
b) Do people tell the truth or do they lie? Will a person steal or be upright?
c) Some think reputations do not matter.
d) They do, and our world reminds us each day of this fact.
15) If you do not know a little business secret, I will share a small but important insight.
16) Before interviewing someone for a job, people in human resources often use the Internet.
17) Companies will take a person’s name or other personal information and run searches on Google.
18) They want to see if a potential employee has a negative reputation in the E-world.
a) In many cases these searches show a job applicant half naked on some web site.
b) In other cases there may not be a picture, but the person has bad mouthed a former employer.
c) Or, someone may have said some things that are just really, really unwise.
d) Employers see that and a person who may have gotten the job does not even get interviewed.
e) Life is now such that our reputation is available to people we have never even met.
19) I have heard employers say they have turned people down for jobs because of what I just described.
20) On a more personal scale, we do the same thing.
21) Several here have used EBAY, a well known Internet auction site.
22) If you have ever used this service you have probably looked at a seller’s or buyer’s eBay history.
a) The history is a place where people leave comments about their transactions.
b) A person may have advertised an item for sale, accepted the money, but never shipped the product.
c) A seller may have won an auction but never paid for what was won.
d) The comments that are left about people form a person’s EBAY reputation.
e) Some buyers and sellers come out and say, though not in these exact words:
f) If you have a bad reputation do not you to take part in our action.
23) Reputation matters.
24) Think about Wendy’s and the alleged “I found a finger in my bowl of chili.”
25) This was in March, 2005 (almost 2 years ago), but some still will not eat Wendy’s chili.
26) In our society lawsuits are not always limited to the courtroom; there is the court of public opinion.
WHEN WE REALIZE THE IMPORTANCE OF REPUTATIONS, WE, AS CHRISTIANS, WILL WANT TO HAVE THE BEST ONES WE CAN POSSIBLE HAVE.
a) A good reputation, which is what we want, does not mean a perfect reputation.
b) As Christians we may make a hasty decision that hurts someone’s feelings.
c) We may say something that a person does not take in the right way.
d) If we are offended by someone, we need to see things for what they are.
e) We should not toss away a person’s good reputation for small incidents.
f) If a good reputation is destroyed by small things, a good reputation is impossible.
g) If errors and sins destroy reputations, everyone has a rotten reputation.
h) Our general character should cause people to attach a good reputation to our lives.
2) In 1 Sam. 16:7 we are reminded that man “looks on the outward appearance.”
3) Since this is how men often judge, we are not surprised by 1 Tim. 3:7.
a) When Paul spoke about elders, he said non-Christians were to see them as having a “good report.”
b) Non-Christians should attach a good reputation to elders.
c) There is no question about this.
d) We do want to ask if the need for a good reputation is limited to elders.
e) Are elders to have good reputation but other church members can be known for all types of sin?
4) The answer is no. Elders are explicitly mentioned, but this does not exclude others.
5) We will create a reputation, and that reputation will usually not be created proven in our assemblies.
a) Our reputations will largely be based on what is done outside these doors.
b) It is true that Christians will have a reputation for typically being here or not.
c) Not being here when we meet does little to aid in having a solid reputation.
d) 90% of reputation will come as we go out into the world as a Christian.
6) If we live what we have learned, our reputation should be good.
7) If we do not, our reputation will be damaged and perhaps we will ultimately be classified as a hypocrite.
8) The world can identify hypocrisy, and hypocrisy becomes an on-going reputation.
9) If we are really living the Christian life, Acts 10 suggests we will quickly develop a reputation.
a) Think of what Jesus said in Lk. 9:23 – take up His cross daily and follow Him.
b) If that is being done, a reputation will soon follow.
c) In Lk. 14:33 Jesus spoke about a willingness to “renounce all we have and follow Him.”
10) Up until recently many here had a chance to see Dr. Norm Waggy.
11) Dr. Waggy has passed his patients off to other physicians to go to a mission field.
12) I saw a note he sent out to his patients.
13) I dare say that when people think about this physician, they think about one thing:
a) It was not the baby he helped deliver.
b) It was not he antibiotics he prescribed.
c) It was not the suggestion that someone receive a heart test.
d) They remember him for setting aside his practice and going into the mission field in the 2d half of life.
e) This man professes Christ as His Lord and a reputation has followed.
f) Decisions, choice, life, and the Master of our life equal reputation.
14) It is good to have a good reputation in life.
15) What really matters is our reputation or standing before God.
a) 2 Cor. 8:21 speaks of things “honorable in the sight of men” plus “the sight of God.”
b) God knows all about us; what He knows is really the basis for a reputation.
c) In Jas. 4:10 James said “humble ourselves in the sight of the Lord.”
d) What is our reputation before God when it comes to pride and humility?
e) Is our reputation amongst the heavenly host one of humility or arrogance?
f) We establish a record and reputation with the heavenly powers.
16) This is true even if we are not a Christian.
17) Think about Acts 10:31; Cornelius was told “his prayer was heard.”
a) Was this man saved? No, and we know he was not saved because of Acts 11:14.
b) He was told his prayer was heard but he had to call for Peter to “hear words to be saved.”
i) Cornelius was not a saved man but he had a reputation among the heavenly host.
c) Among men and among the heavenly powers he was known as a decent man.
d) He still had sin in his life and that had to be forgiven for salvation; he was a respectable person.
18) Jesus also had a reputation in heaven.
19) Again and again He showed that He was devoted to the work and service of God.
20) We started with Acts 10 and learned how Jesus even had a reputation among men throughout Israel.
21) The two key questions for us are these:
a) What kind of reputation have we been forming among men—good or bad?
b) Question # 2, what kind of reputation do we have in heaven?
c) Reputations can make things easy or hard in this life.
d) They will also have some bearing on whether people spend eternity.
22) I cannot think of any of our hymns that specifically use the word reputation.
23) The concept is certainly in many of them, and tonight we ask what type of reputation we will choose.
24) If we have selected the wrong one, we can decide to set things aright beginning tonight. Remember:
Without faith we cannot please God (Heb. 11:6).
We cannot be a child of God without repentance (Lk. 13:3).
We must confess that Jesus is the Son of God (1 Tim. 6:12; Acts 8:36-38).
Finally we must be baptized into Christ (Gal. 3:27) for the forgiveness of sins (Acts 2:38; 22:16).
Have we done these things and are we living a faithful Christian life?