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The ABC’s of Christian Character - Part 5 of 9
By Bro. Cheek | December 10, 2008
Table of contents for The ABCs of Christian Character
- The ABC’s of Christian Character - Part 1 of 9
- The ABC’s of Christian Character - Part 2 of 9
- The ABC’s of Christian Character - Part 3 of 9
- The ABC’s of Christian Character - Part 4 of 9
- The ABC’s of Christian Character - Part 5 of 9
- The ABC’s of Christian Character - Part 6 of 9
- The ABC’s of Christian Character - Part 7 of 9
- The ABC’s of Christian Character - Part 8 of 9
- The ABC’s of Christian Character - Part 9 of 9
The ABC’S of
Christian Character
1 Thessalonians 4:1-12
Part Five of Nine
By Pastor Robert L. Cheek Jr.
Victory Baptist Church
1 Peter 2:9 But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should shew forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvellous light:
This morning I want to preach the next message in our series on The ABC’s of Christian Character. I hope that the series has been a blessing to you. There is so much we would say concerning the subject of character. We are using the letters of the alphabet as an outline in dealing with the Bible’s description of “Christian” character. We have already considered letters A- E.
Attentiveness, Blamelessness, Contriteness, Diligence and Expectation. I want to move on in this series with the next several letters as time permits.
F. Faith is a Christian Character Trait
Hebrews 11:1 Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.
If ever there is a single identifying characteristic of a Christian, I think it would have to be faith. Hebrews 11 is called the great hall of faith in the Bible. There are 16 O.T. saints listed in this chapter and many more referenced that all died having that one great character trait of faith. Now the faith that I am talking about is not just any kind of faith. The faith that is a Christian character trait is always faith in the promises of God.
Hebrews 11:13 These all died in faith, not having received the promises, but having seen them afar off, and were persuaded of them, and embraced them, and confessed that they were strangers and pilgrims on the earth.
Notice that the O.T. saints looked afar off at God’s promises (that’s faith’s eye), they were persuaded by God’s promises (that’s faith’s influence), they embraced God’s promises (that’s faith’s action) and they confessed that God’s promises had an effect on their life (that’s faith’s result). That’s the kind of faith that is a part of the Christian character.
Hebrews 11:6 But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.
Notice the character of Paul as he faced, literally, one of the greatest storms of his life.
Acts 27:14 But not long after there arose against it a tempestuous wind, called Euroclydon.
Acts 27:15 And when the ship was caught, and could not bear up into the wind, we let her drive.
Acts 27:16 And running under a certain island which is called Clauda, we had much work to come by the boat:
Acts 27:17 Which when they had taken up, they used helps, undergirding the ship; and, fearing lest they should fall into the quicksands, strake sail, and so were driven.
Acts 27:18 And we being exceedingly tossed with a tempest, the next day they lightened the ship;
Acts 27:19 And the third day we cast out with our own hands the tackling of the ship.
Acts 27:20 And when neither sun nor stars in many days appeared, and no small tempest lay on us, all hope that we should be saved was then taken away.
Acts 27:21 But after long abstinence Paul stood forth in the midst of them, and said, Sirs, ye should have hearkened unto me, and not have loosed from Crete, and to have gained this harm and loss.
Acts 27:22 And now I exhort you to be of good cheer: for there shall be no loss of any man’s life among you, but of the ship.
Acts 27:23 For there stood by me this night the angel of God, whose I am, and whom I serve,
Acts 27:24 Saying, Fear not, Paul; thou must be brought before Caesar: and, lo, God hath given thee all them that sail with thee.
Acts 27:25 Wherefore, sirs, be of good cheer: for I believe God, that it shall be even as it was told me.
Paul spent many days seeing neither sun nor stars, being tossed about by the wind and the rain, surrounded by men who were desperately seeking some sense of hope. In the midst of that storm, Paul’s faith stood strong.
Colossians 2:6 As ye have therefore received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk ye in him:
Colossians 2:7 Rooted and built up in him, and stablished in the faith, as ye have been taught, abounding therein with thanksgiving.
There are so many references to faith in God’s Word that I truly do not understand how any person who claims to be a Christian should not have faith. Yes, there are times when our faith falters. Yes, there are times when we are overcome with doubt, but true Christian character never abides in doubt for very long. I think every Christian should memorize the last phrase in Acts 27:15, “for I believe God, that it shall be even as it was told me“. We should rehearse that phrase in our hearts every time we cannot see the light of day because of trials in our life. We should rehearse that phrase in our hearts every time we are challenged by others to stand up for Jesus. We should rehearse that phrase in our hearts especially in those times when God seems so distant and everything seems utterly hopeless. Faith is truly a Christian character trait. I have but briefly mentioned faith. I hope our faith is not so brief!
G. Giving is a Christian Character Trait
Luke 6:27 But I say unto you which hear, Love your enemies, do good to them which hate you,
Luke 6:28 Bless them that curse you, and pray for them which despitefully use you.
Luke 6:29 And unto him that smiteth thee on the one cheek offer also the other; and him that taketh away thy cloke forbid not to take thy coat also.
Luke 6:30 Give to every man that asketh of thee; and of him that taketh away thy goods ask them not again.
Luke 6:31 And as ye would that men should do to you, do ye also to them likewise.
Luke 6:32 For if ye love them which love you, what thank have ye? for sinners also love those that love them.
Luke 6:33 And if ye do good to them which do good to you, what thank have ye? for sinners also do even the same.
Luke 6:34 And if ye lend to them of whom ye hope to receive, what thank have ye? for sinners also lend to sinners, to receive as much again.
Luke 6:35 But love ye your enemies, and do good, and lend, hoping for nothing again; and your reward shall be great, and ye shall be the children of the Highest: for he is kind unto the unthankful and to the evil.
There are several character traits mentioned in this text, but I want to draw your attention to the trait of giving (verse 30). We have all been the recipients of a another Christian’s generosity. It is a great character trait to be able to give from the heart. The flesh is naturally stingy and we should take every opportunity to cultivate a character trait of giving. It is not only a reciprocal act, but haven’t you noticed how good it feels to give to others when you are expecting nothing in return?
I remember a time when we were in evangelism. We visited a church in Tennessee that cultivated an environment of giving. In fact, I picked up the habit of placing the offering on the floor and bowing down to thank God for the offering, from what I saw at this church. To make a long story short, our brake line developed a leak while we were at this church. The pastor gave us the keys to his brand new Lincoln Towncar. He gave us his cell phone to make calls if we needed to. He instructed some men in the church to take our vehicle to a mechanic so that the brake line could be fixed - the church paid for it. The preacher also bought me a brand new suit during that meeting and a man in the church instructed his wife to take my wife out and she bought her a new dress. I can truly say that we have seen the Christian character trait of giving and I know I want my character to be developed more and more in this area.
Titus 2:14 Who gave himself for us, that he might redeem us from all iniquity, and purify unto himself a peculiar people, zealous of good works.
Jesus not only gave of Himself, but He gave Himself! And now Christ wants us to be zealous of good works. One of those works is the grace of giving. Christianity never ever teaches a person to be stingy and selfish.
Luke 6:38 Give, and it shall be given unto you; good measure, pressed down, and shaken together, and running over, shall men give into your bosom. For with the same measure that ye mete withal it shall be measured to you again.
Giving is a Christian character trait.
H. Humility is a Christian Character Trait
Luke 14:8 When thou art bidden of any man to a wedding, sit not down in the highest room; lest a more honourable man than thou be bidden of him;
Luke 14:9 And he that bade thee and him come and say to thee, Give this man place; and thou begin with shame to take the lowest room.
Luke 14:10 But when thou art bidden, go and sit down in the lowest room; that when he that bade thee cometh, he may say unto thee, Friend, go up higher: then shalt thou have worship in the presence of them that sit at meat with thee.
Luke 14:11 For whosoever exalteth himself shall be abased; and he that humbleth himself shall be exalted.
There are few people in this world that have a naturally humble character. Most of us have to really put some work into being humble, don’t we? But the work is worth the reward. The Bible teaches that pride abases but humility exalts.
1 Peter 5:5 Likewise, ye younger, submit yourselves unto the elder. Yea, all of you be subject one to another, and be clothed with humility: for God resisteth the proud, and giveth grace to the humble.
Clothing is meant to cover. I think the Holy Spirit wants us to be so clothed with humility that others clearly see humility in our character. This character trait is really easy to develop. All you need to do is look for ways to elevate others rather than yourself. You may not naturally like to do that at first, but over time you will come to understand that there is a blessing to being second fiddle. In fact, I heard an assistant pastor say that very thing. He said it is a blessing to be second. That’s humility.
Philippians 2:3 Let nothing be done through strife or vainglory; but in lowliness of mind let each esteem other better than themselves.
Philippians 2:4 Look not every man on his own things, but every man also on the things of others.
To tell you the truth, nobody likes to be around a proud, self-centered person. There is no Christian virtue in being proud and puffed up. But people love to be around a humble person. In fact, I think that humility in people actually makes those around them feel exalted and special. Here is a great verse to memorize and apply that can help us develop humility in our character.
Proverbs 27:2 Let another man praise thee, and not thine own mouth; a stranger, and not thine own lips.
Somebody noticed that the middle letter of PRIDE is the letter “I”. And you can tell how proud a person is by marking how often they use that little letter “I” when they speak. Think about that.
Luke 18:11 The Pharisee stood and prayed thus with himself, God, I thank thee, that I am not as other men are, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even as this publican.
Luke 18:12 I fast twice in the week, I give tithes of all that I possess.
Sounds like the Pharisee was a very proud person. Out of 34 words he said “I” five times. Now the publican never did use the pronoun “I” to refer to himself. He was humble and he left justified. If you ever try this, you will see just how hard it is. Try and go a day without using the letter “I” as a pronoun for self. It’s really tough to do. Now there isn’t anything wrong with the letter, but the exercise shows us just how difficult it is to develop humility in our character. Speaking of “I”…
I. Integrity is a Christian Character Trait
Proverbs 20:7 The just man walketh in his integrity: his children are blessed after him.
Psalms 25:21 Let integrity and uprightness preserve me; for I wait on thee.
The word integrity means, “moral soundness or purity; incorruptness; uprightness; honesty.”
When Absalom fled from his father David the king, king David gave commandment not to hurt Absalom.
2 Samuel 18:9 And Absalom met the servants of David. And Absalom rode upon a mule, and the mule went under the thick boughs of a great oak, and his head caught hold of the oak, and he was taken up between the heaven and the earth; and the mule that was under him went away.
2 Samuel 18:10 And a certain man saw it, and told Joab, and said, Behold, I saw Absalom hanged in an oak.
This man is not named in the text, but one thing identifies this man: His integrity.
2 Samuel 18:11 And Joab said unto the man that told him, And, behold, thou sawest him, and why didst thou not smite him there to the ground? and I would have given thee ten shekels of silver, and a girdle.
2 Samuel 18:12 And the man said unto Joab, Though I should receive a thousand shekels of silver in mine hand, yet would I not put forth mine hand against the king’s son: for in our hearing the king charged thee and Abishai and Ittai, saying, Beware that none touch the young man Absalom.
2 Samuel 18:13 Otherwise I should have wrought falsehood against mine own life: for there is no matter hid from the king, and thou thyself wouldest have set thyself against me.
Noah Webster stated, “Integrity comprehends the whole moral character, but has a special reference to uprightness in mutual dealings”. He implied that a person’s integrity is sort of a gauge to character. The man who found Absalom had high moral character. A person who has no integrity has no Christian testimony. That’s how important integrity is to our Christian character. Someone said, “Give us the man of integrity, on whom we know we can thoroughly depend; who will stand firm when others fail; the friend, faithful and true; the advisor, honest and fearless; the adversary, just and chivalrous; such an one is a fragment of the Rock of Ages.” What did the writer mean?
Numbers 23:19 God is not a man, that he should lie; neither the son of man, that he should repent: hath he said, and shall he not do it? or hath he spoken, and shall he not make it good?
That’s integrity – God’s integrity. God says what He means and He means what He says. That’s the way Christian character ought to be. One of the best ways to develop integrity in your character is to simply keep your word.
Ecclesiastes 5:4 When thou vowest a vow unto God, defer not to pay it; for he hath no pleasure in fools: pay that which thou hast vowed.
Ecclesiastes 5:5 Better is it that thou shouldest not vow, than that thou shouldest vow and not pay.
In other words, when you promise God something (and we can certainly apply this principle to people as well as to God), keep your promise or else don’t promise at all. Don’t yield to the temptation to obligate yourself if you full-well know you can’t or won’t.
Proverbs 19:1 Better is the poor that walketh in his integrity, than he that is perverse in his lips, and is a fool.
Proverbs 11:3 The integrity of the upright shall guide them: but the perverseness of transgressors shall destroy them.
We have considered four more Christian character traits. Faith, Giving, Humility and Integrity are all important ingredients to Christian character. Do you consider yourself a faithful, giving, humble Christian that has integrity?
Let’s Pray.
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