Telling the Truth

Announcer (Female): Do you give people in the world the chance to take those cheap shots at Jesus? Are you resenting him as well? Those are tough thoughts from Stuart Briscoe on today’s Telling the Truth. And we hear those and more in a moment.

So many people read their Bible, go to church, serve on mission trips, and go through the motions, yet still struggle to find God. Jill Briscoe has a surprising and deeply encouraging answer to this dilemma.

Which she shares in her three-message series titled Finding God. In this inspiring series, you’ll discover how you can stop spending so much energy on finding God, and let him find you.

The Finding God series is our thanks for your gift today to help more people experience life through the teaching and resources of Telling the Truth. So, request your copy when you gift today. 1-800-889-5388. That’s 1-800-889-5388, or you can give online at TellingTheTruth.org.

And here’s Stuart to start his message, Be Wise About the Whatever’s of God. It’s today’s Telling the Truth.

Stuart Briscoe: We reminded ourselves of the fact that the Lord Jesus Christ rose again from the dead, and this is the fundamental doctrine of the Christian faith. If Christ is not risen, our faith is invalid. The Bible says that. And of course, Christians understand it.

On the other hand, if Christ is risen, then that is the cardinal truth upon which we build our lives. In the beginning of Colossians chapter 3, we're reminded of the fact that there's a sense in which those who are believers in the risen Christ have been raised with him. In other words, they have moved into a whole new experience. They have been introduced to newness of life.

Now, we need to conclude by talking about verse 17 of Colossians 3, where it says, whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him. God's will, God's word, God's worship, and now God's whatevers. Just the whatevers of life, and how we are to live in them and to work through them.

Now I want you to notice particularly that this is a very simple yet profound statement. Whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.

One of the problems that those who profess the name of Christ sometimes experience is what we would call a compartmentalization of their faith. There's a sort of a part-time spirituality. I'm very spiritual when I'm in church, but I'm just normal when I'm outside of church.

Now you'll notice that what scripture says disallows that opportunity too. Whatever you do in word or in deed, you do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus. Whatever you do, you do it in the name of the Lord Jesus. No compartmentalization.

Notice that Paul then sharpens the focus on the whatever. And he brings two things to bear on this. Whatever you do in word and in deed. Now those two things always come together in spiritual experience. Word and deed.

Or, put it this way, a Christian is somebody who professes faith in Christ. They are expected to articulate this profession in one form or another. Some people of course are very reluctant to do this, but scripture is very straightforward about it. It says things like this, for instance.

I believe, therefore, I have spoken, or, let the redeemed of the Lord say so, or, if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus, and believe in your heart that God has raised him from the dead, you will be saved.

Now notice that confession with the mouth or profession of faith is an integral part of spiritual experience. Many people are reluctant to do it, but they need to learn how to articulate intelligently, joyfully, openly, that which they deeply believe.

However, there's a problem here. If there is profession without performance, or as Paul would put it, word without deed, then there's a terrible lack of credibility. Now, the apostle is addressing that and he is saying there has to be profession, but there must be performance.

And we cannot afford to compartmentalize it in whatever we do in word and deed. It must be done in the name of the Lord Jesus. However, whereas in some instances there is profession without performance, which lacks credibility, sometimes there is performance without profession, which lacks clarity.

So for instance, you find some people, very, very sweet people, God-fearing people, law-abiding people, friendly neighbor people, church-attending people. And their neighbors look at them and say that is a very sweet, neighborly, God-fearing, church-attending, law-abiding person. And that's it.

That being the case, they are a witness to the fact that they are very sweet, law-abiding, God-fearing, church-attending people. But Jesus doesn't come into it at all. It will never occur to those observing them that they're anything more than sweet, neighborly, nice people.

Unless those people articulate with their mouths, the reason I behave the way I do and live the way I do, is simply because Jesus is my Lord and Savior. There's a lack of clarity in those who perform and don't profess. There's a lack of credibility in those who profess and don't perform.

Whatever we do, says the Apostle Paul, in profession or in performance, it's supposed to be done in the name of the Lord Jesus. Now it's interesting to notice that in the context in which this statement is found, there are many clues to the areas in which we live out these whatevers we do.

Let me just run through them really very quickly with you. Colossians chapter 3 verse 12. Therefore, as God's chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience.

Bear with each other and forgive whatever grievances you may have against one another. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity. Now what he's talking about here is church life.

Church life. In other words, all these people, God's chosen people, holy and dearly loved. Now look around, folks, and you'll see a whole lot of chosen people, holy and dearly loved. Trouble is, it wears thin at times, doesn't it?

Sometimes we get across each other. Sometimes we say unkind things to each other. We abuse each other. We get upset with each other, and then everything flies out of the window and we forget something. That our behavior in the context of the community of believers is intended to be as follows: In that context, whatever you do, in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus.

Now look on at verse 18 of Colossians 3. Wives submit to your husbands as is fitting in the Lord. Husbands love your wives and do not be harsh with them. Children obey your parents in everything, for this pleases the Lord. Fathers do not embitter your children, or they will become discouraged.

Now there are instructions there for wives, husbands, children, and parents. What's this talking about? Family living. Family living. In other words, the context in which we live out the whatevers we do in the name of the Lord is in the church and in the family.

Think what would happen if we conducted ourselves in the congregation always in the name of the Lord Jesus. Think what would happen in our families, whether we're children or parents, husbands or wives, if our relationships were in the name of the Lord Jesus in word and indeed.

But read on in verse 22. This is dealing with of course with the unique social problem in Colossae when Paul was writing in the first century, but it is applicable to our different situation today. You'll see why.

Slaves, he said, obey your earthly masters in everything. And do it not only when their eye is on you and to win their favor, but with sincerity of heart and reverence for the Lord. Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart as working for the Lord and not for man.

Since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward, it is the Lord Christ you're serving. Anyone who does wrong will be repaid for his wrong, and there is no favoritism. You say, goodness, you mean he laid all that on slaves? That's a bit one-sided, isn't it? Well, read the next verse.

Masters, provide your slaves with what is right and fair, because you know that you also have a master in heaven. Now we don't have too many slave markets around now, we just have the business world. What he is saying is this: When you go to business, Monday through Friday, whatever you do, in word and indeed, in the context of your business life, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus.

Stuart Briscoe: So you see he's covered church life, he's covered family life, he's covered business life. Now read on in verse 2 of chapter 4. Devote yourselves to prayer, being watchful and thankful. Pray for us too, that God may open a door for our message, so that we may proclaim the mystery of Christ, for which I am in chains. Pray that I may proclaim it clearly as I should.

Now he's talking about our personal devotional life. He's already talked about letting the word of Christ dwell in us richly. That is God talking to us. And now he's saying, now make sure that you're watchful and thankful and careful in your prayer life.

And as you do that, you'll engage in a dialogue deep in your spirit with the Lord. And you won't just be wrapped up in yourself. You'll be praying, says Paul, for people like me, who have to go out to the uttermost parts of the earth and preach Christ.

Read on. Verse 5. Be wise in the way you act towards outsiders. Make the most of every opportunity. Let your conversation be always full of grace, seasoned with salt, that you may know how to answer everyone.

This is the dealing with the secular world. Let's face it. We deal with people all the time who are not believers. We deal with people who look at things very, very differently from us. We need to have great wisdom and great tact and great grace as we live among them.

We need to have something to say that is seasoned with salt. Salt was a purifying agent. And salt gave flavor. So the way that we conduct ourselves among the unbelievers, the outsiders, the secular society, is such that graciously we speak to them something that is pure.

Something that has flavor and content to it, so that we communicate something of value to them in the name of the Lord Jesus. Now it seems to me that that just about covers everything, doesn't it? Church life, family life, business life, devotional life, secular life. I can't think of too many compartments that are left out.

But the overriding principle is this: In all these areas, whatever you do, in word and deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus. The whatevers. Exciting thing about this is, of course, that it gives us an overriding principle for our lives.

I must admit I've never preached on this verse in my life before, but it's something that has been boring into my mind constantly. This is how we are called to operate. So much then for the whatevers. Now let's look at the whomevers.

In other words, the Apostle Paul is pointing out that the thing that makes the difference in the Christian's life is that he or she is living unto the Lord Jesus in the name of the Lord Jesus. That makes all the difference.

When we talk about the name of the Lord Jesus, let's remember that we're talking of Jesus as Savior and Jesus as Lord. Jesus means that he has come to save us from that that we are incapable of saving ourselves from.

Lord means that in him final authority is vested, and we gladly acknowledge his deity and his authority in our lives. We acknowledge the Lord Jesus. That means we take his name upon us.

As soon as I call myself a Christian, I have taken the name of Christ upon me. As soon as I identify with a Christian church, I am taking the name of the Lord Jesus upon me. If you claim to identify with a Christian church, you're claiming to identify with Christ, and you're taking his name upon you.

And once you may not do any good to the caliber of witness of a church, which is serious, what is really serious is what you do to the name of Christ. What you do to the name of the Lord Jesus. This world is full of people who are looking for opportunities to take cheap shots at Jesus.

And we've got to be very careful that we give them as few opportunities as possible. You bear the name of the Lord Jesus. When you think about this, it does tend to elevate your aspirations. It does tend to elevate your desires.

It tends to lift you up into a higher plane, because it's not just you. It's him. It's not just what you want, it's what he wants. It's not your reputation, it's his name that's at stake. When I go out into all the different compartments of my life in the name of the Lord Jesus, what it means is this: having taken his name, I stand in his authority.

Not my authority, not the authority of any office that I might hold, but in the authority of the Lord Jesus. If I speak things that are commensurate with what he said, all his authority is invested in what I say.

If I find myself confronting forces that are about to overwhelm me, I can stand in the authority of Christ, who has already triumphed over those authorities. Which means that as I stand in the name of the Lord Jesus in any compartment of my life, I can begin to draw upon a sense of tremendous authority and adequacy, not because of who I am, but because of who he is in the name of the Lord Jesus.

Raise your kids in the name of the Lord Jesus. Go to work in the name of the Lord Jesus. Come to church in the name of the Lord Jesus. Touch people out there in the name of the Lord Jesus and suddenly the mundane will have grand dimensions. Whatever you do, remember the whomever you do it for.

Which leads the however to be considered very briefly. Notice one other thing that the Apostle Paul says here, whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.

Bishop Handley Moule, Bishop of Durham, many years ago, godly man, great Bible expositor, said this, quote, There is nothing more sure to isolate hearts than the spirit of complaint. There is nothing more sure to fuse them into strong and happy oneness than the Christian spirit of thanksgiving.

And he's absolutely right. In other words, I don't develop the kind of attitude that grumbles and gripes and puts up with things and can't wait till I get out of it, but begins to recognize the intrinsic value and worth of all that is done in the name of the Lord Jesus and I am thankful.

Jill Briscoe: Stuart, how can a believer break their personal "God in a box" beliefs?

Stuart Briscoe: Well, I'm sure people have different boxes in which they want to place God. So we'd have to take, we'd have to take these particular boxes, different sizes, different shapes, one at a time. But to give a generic answer, I would say this, that when we put God in a box, we have our own prescribed limits. We, we've basically remade God in our image.

We have decided what God can do and what he can't do, what he will do and what he won't do. And the problem with doing that is, of course, that we finish up with a God to our liking. Now, that's getting it exactly the wrong way around.

We are not free to make God in our own image. God has made us in his image. So, what we have to recognize is, is this: that God is the one who took the initiative to create us and everything else in the first place. And therefore, it is not up to us to recreate God. It is up to us to find out who the God is who made us, why he did it, and what he has revealed of himself.

And I would say, the way that you break the God in a box syndrome is to find out what God says about himself in his word, and test your presuppositions against his self-revelation.

Jill Briscoe: Stuart, what's a way that you are salt and light to the unbelieving world around you?

Stuart Briscoe: Being salt and light in the world, which of course, is how Jesus described his disciples, and presumably it applies to us as well, means, first of all, that salt was known in the days of Jesus, primarily as a preservative.

In other words, things were subject to decay, so they packed them in salt, and it arrested corruption. Light, on the other hand, was well known as the means of banishing darkness. All right? In our culture today, there is much that is degenerative. There is much that is corrupt and corrupting.

How do I be salt in a corrupting, corrupt situation? I speak for truth. I stand for truth. I live in integrity. I put some distance between the corruption and myself. I stand up against injustice. I stand for that which is good and right and true.

As far as light is concerned, there's a lot of darkness in the world today. People don't know who they are, they don't know why they're here, they don't know where they're going. But if I know what God says in his word, I can shed light on that situation.

And so, as far as being salt is concerned, I take a negative stand very often and say, no way, that is not right. As far as being light is concerned, I take a positive stand, and I go about my life bringing the insights of God's self-revelation to situations where people are living in darkness concerning him.

Announcer (Female): Thanks for being with us today here on Telling the Truth. We pray today's message encouraged you and helped you experience life in Christ. So many people read their Bible, go to church, serve on mission trips, and go through the motions. Yet still struggle to find God.

Jill Briscoe has a surprising and deeply encouraging answer to this dilemma, which she shares in her three-message series titled Finding God. In this inspiring series, you'll discover how you can stop spending so much energy on finding God, and let him find you.

By slowing down and putting yourself deliberately in his presence, you'll recognize that he's already there, waiting for you. You'll be uplifted as Jill explains how God worked in the lives of men and women in the Old Testament, and how he works in your life too, even when you don't see him and feel his presence.

The Finding God series is our thanks for your gift today to help more people experience life through the teaching and resources of Telling the Truth. So, request your copy when you gift today. 1-800-889-5388. That's 1-800-889-5388, or you can give online at TellingTheTruth.org. Thank you for joining us today. Come back next time for more life-changing truth with Stuart and Jill Briscoe.