Shame or Glory to God?

Romans chapter 2. This is kind of a little side thought I had from a study earlier in the week, but what we're going to read here in Romans chapter 2, and we'll begin it for the sake of time. Verse 21. It says, Thou therefore which teachest another, teachest thou not thyself.

Thou that preachest a man should not steal, dost thou steal. Thou that sayest a man should not commit adultery, dost thou commit adultery. Thou that abhorrest idols, dost thou commit sacrilege.

Thou that makest thy boast of the law through breaking the law dishonorest thou God. For the name of God is blaspheme among the Gentiles through you as it is written. It's a very solemn statement that what Paul is writing here is that those that were claiming to keep the law and to honor God, they were breaking the law and dishonoring God, and in their hypocrisy the name of God is blasphemed.

Now we'll go to 1 Peter. We're going to read a contrast really in chapter 2. 1 Peter 2 and verse number 10. 1 Peter 2 verse 11.

Dearly beloved, I beseech you as strangers and pilgrims, abstain from fleshly lusts which war against the soul, having your conversation honest among the Gentiles. Now remember in Romans it was dishonest. They were teaching and preaching one thing, but they were doing another.

And here it says this, having your conversation honest among the Gentiles, that whereas they speak against you as evildoers, they may by your good works which they shall behold glorify God in the day of visitation. And that'll suffice for the time that is at hand. Really what we have here is you've got in Romans, you've got the hypocrites of the law are causing the name of God to be blasphemed by their own sin.

Here you've got those that were doing right and Gentiles were speaking evil against them that by their good works they might glorify God. Glorify. It's kind of a contrast.

And really when it comes to testimony, when it comes to your testimony or your assembly's testimony, it's not a good testimony or a bad testimony. It's either true or it's false. That's the way we have to look at testimony.

We always talk about you're going to ruin your testimony or you're going to lose your testimony, and we understand what that means. But when it comes to giving testimony, Jesus Christ is the faithful and the true witness. And what the Lord Jesus said, the way he acted, the way he behaved was just exactly how God himself would have done in any situation because he is God manifest in the flesh.

He always gave true testimony. But we live in a, maybe it's just the flesh too. We want to be people pleasers.

We want to have the appearance of being righteous. We want to be people impressors. We want to be people pleasers.

And we're doing these things for our own reputation. And when we do those things like Romans says, and we say these things and we don't do them, then people are going to be quick to point the finger and they're going to blaspheme God. So what we have just done is at the expense, the extent of our own glorying before people and in our own failure, we've given people a reason to blaspheme God.

We are the cause. It says through you, because of you, people blaspheme God. Now that's not a testimony, is it? Yeah, it's a false testimony.

It's a wrong testimony. And that happens. That's why it's written in there.

So if you're going to claim to do something, you've got to do it. If you're going to say God says this and you're going to teach it and you're going to preach it and you don't do it, what do we do? We're giving reason for people or through our actions, they're going to blaspheme God. And the purpose that we're here for has absolutely been turned upside down.

We're here to bring glory to God and now here people are blaspheming God. Now we're going to be false accused. If we're going to suffer, it better be because of false accusation.

And the world is looking for any opportunity and every opportunity to point the finger at God, to discredit God, to eliminate God, to cancel God. And when he can do it through God's people, it's a double win, isn't it? And so if they're going to talk bad about God, it dare not be through us. And that happens.

You think of Peter when he wept and he denied the Lord. What would the people say about the Lord because of Peter's reaction to what was taking place? Well, they can say, well, he's a follower of Christ and then he's ashamed of Christ. Well, then Christ must not be what he claims to be.

Because if this man is the Messiah, why would a man be afraid and ashamed of the Messiah in front of his own people? Just a simple illustration. And so we preach that being a Christian is true living. It's really the best life a person can live.

And we believe that. Or don't we believe that? But then we mope and we're sat around for things of everyday life that everybody else goes through. And we have a greater reaction to adverse things than someone who's not saved.

And then they say, well, that life isn't worth living. If that's what Christianity is, I don't want it. And maybe you've been like me, and maybe you've got the same rebuke from someone who's not saved.

If that's what Christianity is, I don't want it. If that's the case, and you've heard that remark, hopefully it's because of the way you're living, afraid of sin. The way you're living, trying to live righteously, but not because of our hypocrisy.

So the reality of a testimony is vitally important. Either we're speaking and living the truth, or we're speaking and living a lie. Speaking the truth, living a lie.

Any of those combinations. And really what spoke to me was when you come to Peter, their conversation was honest among the Gentiles. Whereas they're going to speak of the Christian as an evildoer, but by their good works, which they see, they'll glorify God in the day of visitation.

They'll have to glorify God in a day to come, because what you did was right. Think of that. So that in the day when the fingers are being pointed, and the accusations are being made, and through your good works, you prove that what you said is true.

And you prove that who God is, is right. By what you do, and the way your life matches your word, and that the word of God, they will bring glory to God. They'll be forced to, because the truth will come out.

And I thought, what a contrast. That I have the power to cause God's name to be blasphemed, or I have the power for God's name to be glorified. It will be one or the other.

There's no neutral ground. What I do, what I say, where I go, is it going to blaspheme the name of God, or is it going to glorify the name of God? That sums up life. It either brings glory to God, or it's a shame for us to do.

Now, this is really short and really simple, but it's one or the other. To give the people a justified reason to blaspheme the name of God by the way I live, that's pretty heavy. But at the same time, to have glory brought to God by Peter, they speak against you as evildoers.

They may by your good works, which they shall behold, glorify God in the day of hesitation. You see, they'll notice those good works. They want to deny those good things, but they will see them, and they will glorify God, and your life will then have the meaning and the purpose that God intended it for his glory.

And the Lord bless his word.