CHARACTER.

Prepared and Presented by Tankiso Letseli.

A story is told of a man who found a wallet or a purse that had been lost. He returned the wallet with all of the money, credit cards, and other valuables intact. He was offered a reward, but for reasons, he refused it saying, "No man should be rewarded for being honest. Honesty is its own reward." The reason that incident is memorable, is because it was reported in the newspaper at the time, as though the man had done something unusual or heroic. The fact of the matter is, it should be expected of everyone.

The title of our message this morning is "Character." Someone once said that every man (may I add - and every woman) has three characters - that which he or she demonstrates, the which he or she has, and that which she or he thinks he or she has. I would like to add that there is a fourth character for every man and woman, that which he or she ought to have.

In the third chapter of his second letter, the Apostles Peter asks a very penetrating question which, goes right to the heart of this matter. His question is, "What manner of persons ought ye to be?" He is not concerned with what kind of character your are. God already knows. The question is not about the kind of character other people think you are. This has little bearing. He doesn't even ask what kind of character you would like to be. That may change from time to time. But he does ask what kind of a character you ought to be.

Today, I am suggesting that in order to realise the best of life, you must also have that inner quality, that we describe as good character. I don't know how you feel about it, my friends, by I believe life is a tremendous thing. What a miracle birth is! "We are fearfully and wonderfully made, the Bible says. In spite of the advancements of medical science, life is still a mystery and wonder. What a privilege it is to be alive, to bask in the blessings of the Almighty God, to know His Presence, and to experience His love.

In one of the best-selling books, "Megatrends," John Naisbitt has explored some of the changes that are taking place in our society. And after looking at what life has been, and what it will become in the future, he closes the book with the exclamation, "My God, what a fantastic time to be alive."

Life is the gift of God to us, life here and life to come. And you can know life in the fullest and deepest and highest sense of the term. Along with other ingredients, we must also have a good Character. We must be the kind of persons we and God can both be pleased with. Many people today are impressed with other things - position, power, prestige, possessions, but there is only one thing that really matters, and that is character. Youth passes, beauty fades, but character endures forever.

Now, we need to understand that when I talk about character, I do not mean reputation. You see, reputation is what people think you are. Character on the other hand, is what God knows you really are. Reputation is for time. Character is for eternity.

Character is like a tree, and reputation is like its shadow. The shadow is what you think of it, but the tree is the real thing. I have known some people whose reputation would not know their character if they met it coming down the street. It is possible, in other words, to build up a reputation that is undeserved.

In the sixteenth chapter of First Samuel, God spoke to this truth as He directed Samuel in selecting a king of Israel to replace Saul. Following God's instructions, Samuel went to the house of Jesse, and asked to see his sons. In keeping with the tradition, the firstborn son was brought out first.

I think he must have been a fine, healthy, handsome young like some of you. Samuel was impressed with his appearance. He remembered how Saul stood head and shoulders above all of the rest of Israel when he was selected to be a king. But God said, "No, he is not my choice." Jesse brought out his second son, and God turned him down as well. The third oldest was brought out, again God said, "No."

Finally, seven of Jesse's sons had shown to Samuel, but none was chosen. Then Samuel said, "Do you have any other sons?" "Oh Yes," Jesse said, "but he's the youngest. We have the little lad, David, who is out tending the sheep."

"Send for him," Samuel said. And when he saw the youngest son, the least likely candidate, the unimpressive boy, God said, "This is he." Then God's admonition to Samuel speaks to all of us.

"Man looketh on the outward appearance," God said.

You see, that's all we have to look at, isn't it? We can see persons stature, their clothing, their countenance, and on the basis of what we see draw conclusions.

That is why some men and women are such successful criminals. They have a kind face. They look trustworthy. But their appearance is deceiving. We judge people to be very religious. They go to church every Sabbath or every Sunday. They carry a Bible. I am not speaking against such things. But that is only an outward appearance. We judge some men to be very successful on the basis of the material things they seem to possess. All we have to go by is what we can see. Friends, that is reputation. "Man looks on the outward appearance," God said, "but God looks on the heart."

There is an amazing statement in Philippians chapter two, verse seven. Paul said, "Christ made himself of no reputation." He did not concern Himself with what people thought about Him. Now, that does not mean we should be careless about our conduct, and perhaps get a bad reputation. It means rather that we should live in obedience to God's Word, keep our character clean and spotless, and not worry about reputation.

D. L. Moody once said, "If I take care of my character, reputation will take care of itself." You see, character is what you are in the dark, and the measure of ones real character is what he or she would do if he or she would never be found out.

In the first chapter of his letter to the Philippians, Paul expresses his desire in prayer, that they may be sincere and without offence till the day of Christ. The English word, "sincere," comes from a Latin word meaning without wax. It is really a picture word. The picture is that of a potter who has made a piece of pottery. If the vessel is marred, he may be tempted to fill in the defect with a bit of melted wax. The crack can be filled and glossed over, until on casual observation it would never be noticed. But when helped by the glowing of the sun, the defect would show in all its glaring ugliness.

Character is a man without hidden defects. Even those that seem so minor on the surface, can be destructive in the time of crisis. For the sake of clarification, Earlier on we related a story of a man who found a wallet with all of the money, credit cards, and other valuables intact, and returned it. That wallet revealed that the man was an honest man. He did develop honesty after returning that wallet, but he returned it because he was an honest man. That wallet revealed his character, but it did not make or develop his character of honesty.

If a thief had picked up that wallet, he would have stolen it. The wallet would have revealed his true character. The wallet would not have made him a thief, but he would have stolen it because he was a thief. You see, temptations do not make us fall, but they only reveal that we are at the brink of falling, or that we have actually fallen. Character is not made in the crisis, but it is only revealed in the crisis.

The servant of the Lord maintains that, "Character does not come by chance. It is not determined by one outburst of temper, (or) one step in the wrong direction. It is the repetition of the act that causes it to become habit, and molds the character either for good or for evil." (E.G. White, "Messages to Young People," p.163).

How a man or a woman thinks when he or she is not acting, will determine how he or she acts when he or she is not thinking. The Bible says, "As he thinketh in his heart, so is he." If we are sincere, without wax, without hidden glossed-over defects, the time of crisis will reveal the strengths of our character.

The Great British statesman, demonstrated outstanding wisdom, and his words wisdom are often quoted. But in speaking about character, Disraeli made a statement with which I must disagree. He said, "Characters do not change. Opinions alter, but character only develops." I think I understand what he meant by that, but the great theme of the Gospel is that, character can be changed. The redemption price has been paid for the sin-sick, judgement-bound people of God. There is a life-changing, character-transforming power in the blood of Jesus Christ. Jesus Christ wants to fashion our characters in His Likeness. In fact, the whole purpose of redemption or salvation, and the whole purpose of True Education, are restore the image of God in man.

The servant of the Lord Points out that, "In the highest sense, the work of education and the work of redemption are one, for in education, as in redemption, `other foundation can no man lay than that is laid, which is Jesus Christ." (Ed. 30).

"An Ethiopian may not change his skin and leopard may not change its spot," the Bible said, but a man or woman can be completely re-made through the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ. That is the message of the Gospel. That is the reason we preach. That is the hope of every sinful man, as a Negro old-timer was heard to say, "I ain't what I ought to be. I ain't what I wantta be. I ain't what I'm gonna be, but thank God, I ain't what I used to be."

There is a story about two brothers who were caught stealing sheep. As punishment the letters S.T. meaning Sheep-thief were branded on their foreheads. One of the brothers was unable bear the stigma, and tried to lose himself in a foreign country. But always he would be asked about the strange brand on his forehead. Finally, he died in bitterness and loneliness, and he was buried far from home.

The other brother said to himself, "I can't run away from the fact that I stole the sheep. I will stay here and win back the respect of my neighbours and myself." Years passed, and he built a reputation for honesty and integrity.

Decades later when he died, a stranger asked what those letters, S.T., on his forehead meant. "It happened a long time ago," he was told, "well, everyone has forgotten the details, but we think it is the abbreviation for saint."

The Bible declares that "if any man is in Christ Jesus, he is a new creation. Old things are passed away, and behold all things are become new." (2 Cor. 5:17).

Christian character is not an act but a process, not a sudden creation but a development. It grows and bears fruit like a tree; it requires patient care and unwearied cultivation.

I ask you, what is the constitution of your character? Are you developing the kind of person you and God can be pleased?

The servant of the Lord says, "As the mind dwells upon Christ, the character is moulded after the divine similitude." (E. G. White, "Messages to young People," p.160.)

Someone has said, "Everyman may not be the architect of his own fortune, but every man is the architect of his own character." A Good-Character is the sum total of many ordinary days well-spent in the light of the will of God. I am today the product of my yesterday. And tomorrow I will be what I have determined to be today. Brothers and Sisters, let us not deceive ourselves, our characters today are but a fruit of what we have sown yesterday.