Sunday Sermons
Having Influence
Having Influence
Ever question your impact upon the world? Ever feel ignored?
Discounted? Or not even noticed? Look again, because God says otherwise. First Jesus said that we are like a city set on a hill that cannot be hidden (Matthew 5:14). He then noted that the world around us will see our good works (5:16). Paul exhorted Christians to be blameless, harmless and innocent, and live above the corruption in the world, then he said among whom you appear as lights in the world (Philippians 2:15). In both contexts, it is clear that godly people will not only be noticed they will have profound influence. Paul started his exhortation in Philippians 2:15 with the statement “prove yourselves”, which means that there are things we can do in make sure that we are being lights. In this lesson I want to offer practical ways in which we can be lights in this dark world:
Anger: Rare and Righteous
- “Be angry, and yet do not sin” (Ephesians 4:26).
- “But let everyone be quick to hear, slow to speak and slow to anger; for the anger of man does not achieve the righteousness of God” (James 1:19-20).
People will only ignore and dismiss those who are perpetually angry. " Angry young people simply appear to be arrogant. Similarly, anger in older people is easily dismissed as orneriness” (In, But Not Of, Hugh Hewitt, p. 194).
Your Flaws: Manage them Ruthlessly
- “But I buffet my body and make it my slave, lest possibly after I have preached to others, I myself should be disqualified” (1 Corinthians 9:27).
- “Now flee from youthful lusts” (2 Timothy 2:22).
Paul took no comfort in the fact that everyone else has flaws or that many other people sin on a regular basis. “Every successful person you admire has huge flaws (or has the potential)—everyone. Don’t kid yourself about the individual. There are no perfect people. The folks who rise to the top and stay there for a long time ruthlessly study themselves and bring their flaws under control” (Hewitt p. 160). One of the easiest ways to undermine our own influence is to convince ourselves that one flaw or sin does not really matter. All of us have the potential to leave our vices behind us and move on (Ephesians 4:24). “Most of the free world is managed by disciplined people who rise early and work late and who take pleasure in their craft. This is an old rule, as old as history. We pay attention to exceptions and tell ourselves that the exceptions are the rule. They are not” (Hewitt p. 161).
Habits: Get Them Under Control When Young
- “Remember also your Creator in the days of your youth…” (Ecclesiastes 12:1).
- “So remove vexation from your heart and put away pain from your body, because childhood and the prime of life are fleeting” (11:10).
“Most of what we do every day is what we did the day before or the week before or the month before. Occasionally major breaks arrive to force a realignment of our habits such as leaving college or grad school, starting a new job, getting married, or having a child, but even then we carry forward as many habits as we can into the new circumstances” (Hewitt p. 46). Avoid the temptation of thinking that “I can always get it together later” or that change will happen in my life when I change my circumstances. Getting a job, starting a career, getting married or having children will not bring instant maturity, so do not depend upon them as incentives to get your life together.
Conflict: Do Not Resent It
- “Blessed are you when men revile you, and persecute you, and say all kinds of evil against you falsely, on account of Me” (Matthew 5:11).
- “Do not think that I came to bring peace on the earth; I did not come to bring peace, but a sword…and a man’s enemies will be the members of his household” (Matthew 10:34,36).
Though conflict will be part of our lives, we have an opportunity to shine when people see how we handle ourselves in difficult situations. We need to determine not to cause unnecessary drama, but instead make the sacrifices necessary to get along well with others (Romans 12:18).
Gratitude: Never Outgrow It
- “In everything give thanks” (1 Thessalonians 5:18).
“Someone nursed you, clothed you, kept you safe. Not everyone can say that. Millions die before they draw a breath. Millions more before the age of five. Millions more are beaten, abused, famished, and diseased. Someone taught you to read, gave you music, showed you a sport. Someone inspired you to learn, told you about God, introduced you to your spouse, granted you an interview, gave you a job. Someone assisted your dad; someone helped your spouse; someone coached your daughter. And someone will bring you a blanket in a hospital room, give you a ride to a doctor’s appointment, and hold your hand as death approaches..You have got to know whom you owe. When you do, you will have a perspective that allows for happiness, indeed makes happiness inevitable. Concentration on the absolute quantity of assistance you have received in the past and are receiving now show quiet and dispel dissatisfaction” (Hewitt p. 111).
The Value of Saving A Soul
- “Let him know that he who turns a sinner from the error of his way will save his soul from death, and will cover a multitude of sins” (James 5:20).
Hewitt advises us to keep our eye on the obituaries. Likewise, Solomon noted that a lot can be learned at a funeral (Ecclesiastes 7:1ff). Hewitt then notes: a) No one is as powerful as he thinks, and eventually all power fades. Solomon also noted this same truth (Ecclesiastes 4:15-16). There are hundreds and thousands of people of whom one could say, he used to be quite important. b) Any career, even the most lucrative and powerful will have a run and it will have an end, and that end will likely occur much earlier than our death.
By contrast, evangelism is about changing the infinite trajectory of a single soul, and to assist God in saving a precious soul from eternal misery and helping that same soul gain eternal bliss is the most significant achievement to which any human can aspire. For every effort must be judged in light of its eternal value. It is easy for Christians at times to think they are working on the backwaters of importance and are like some employee in a cubicle buried depth in the recesses of some huge company. But we are on the front lines. “I am continually reminded that that the front line in the world is the line on which people hear about the story of Christ and are given a chance to respond to it” (Hewitt p. 134).
Your Limits: Review Them Often
- “But do not let immorality or any impurity or greed even be named among you, as if proper among saints” (Ephesians 5:3).
- “Abstain from every form of evil” (1 Thessalonians 5:22).
Why? Because it is easy to conform to the world (Romans 12:1-2), to allow our ethical edge to become dull, to give into little excuses, little compromises, little exceptions—and thus suddenly find ourselves far from God’s standard of righteousness.
Love Your Neighbor—and Know Them
Saving souls is all about loving people and showing an interest in them, thus Hewitt advises, “Know everyone between your door and your desk”—and know them by name. The more we now such individuals, the less likely we are to mistreat them, discount them or ignore them, and the more we will see them as needing the gospel, for they too have precious families, spouses, and friends and also worries, troubles and cares—just like us.
Mark Dunagan | mdunagan@frontier.com
Beaverton Church of Christ | 503-644-9017
www.beavertonchurchofchrist.net
