There is Nothing Better Than a Good Name, Part 2

It's always been a joy of mine over the years, and I've been here for 30 years, that as we begin a new year, we always challenge our church to engage in something when it comes to their character, to their lives. I don't know how many years I've done this, maybe, I'm not sure it's been every new year, but usually it's one week, sometimes it's two weeks, sometimes it's three or four or five weeks long. It depends on how long I want to talk on this subject. But I love to challenge the church when it comes to them understanding this new year, what I can do to set it off on the right note.

So we began last week by helping you understand that there's nothing better than a good name, and I want you to have a good name in this new year and for the rest of your life. Not just a popular name or a great name or a powerful name, those are irrelevant. Those are all temporary. I'm talking about a good name. Why is it a good name? Because it's a God-like name because only God is good, and name speaks to the character and quality of a person, and the goodness speaks to the character and nature of God.

So if you have a good name, you have a God-like name, a God-like character. And we know that because the Bible speaks to the fact that one's name exemplifies the inner quality of that individual. The Bible says a good name is better than a good ointment, Ecclesiastes 7.

The Bible tells us that a good name is better than great riches and great wealth. The Bible tells us that the name of the wicked will rot, but the name of the righteous will live forever. And so we begin to understand that it's imperative that we have a good name. And so we began last week by telling you that a good name, right, is conceived in spirituality. It begins when you give your life to Christ. It begins when the Spirit of God engulfs you and you become like Christ because you're born again, you're a new creation.

You walk in newness of life, and therefore, you have a new life, and that's conceived in spirituality. Then we told you it was characterized by integrity, characterized by authenticity, characterized by transparency. There's something about your life that speaks to the fact that everything on the outside exemplifies what's on the inside and vice versa. You're a whole person in terms of your character. You're the same in the light as you are in the dark. You're the same on Sunday as you are on Monday.

Nothing changes from family to church, from work to private life. Everything is the same through and through. So a good name is conceived in spirituality, characterized by integrity, and committed to purity, committed to a pure and a holy life, committed to the life that exemplifies the holiness of God. We're to be as holy as God himself is holy. So we seek after purity, holiness, as God is. And we gave some principles about that last week. If you weren't here, you might want to download the sermon from our website, and you can listen to it.

But that's what a good name consists of. It's conceived in spirituality. It's characterized by integrity. It's committed to purity. And today, I want to give you number four. I have 10 altogether, but today, I'm going to give you number four. And that is this, that a good name is consumed with veracity. It's consumed with truth and truthfulness. A good name is consumed, enveloped, committed to the truth of God's Word. God himself is true. Christ said, I am the way, the truth, and the life. Therefore, to have a good name means to have a godlike name and to have a godlike name, a godlike character, means that I have a character consumed with the God of truth.

The Bible says these words in the book of Psalms, Psalm 119, verse number 142, your law is truth. Psalm 119, verse 151, all your commandments are truth. Psalm 119, verse 160, the sum of your word is true. Everything about the Word of God is true. Therefore, a good name is committed and consumed with the truth of God's Word. So important to understand this. Now, for the most part, we would all say that, yes, we are. But when push comes to shove, I've come to realize that most people do not value the truth as much as they think they do.

We value it on Sunday because we hear it preached. But when it comes to our decision-making, we make decisions based on what I think I should do or what I feel is the right thing to do. But I don't make my decisions running them through the grid of what does God say I should do. That would change 90% of our decision-making because we make decisions based on what I think, how I feel, what I believe is best instead of what does God say about what I should do, how I should react, what I should say. That's the most important thing.

That's the person who's consumed with veracity, consumed with the truth of God's holy word. Listen, the most paramount thing ever is truth. Truth is the only thing that matters. Nothing else matters like the truth. And therefore, the man of God, the woman of God is consumed with the truth of God. It's everything. But yet, most people will value a relationship over truth when it comes to making a decision. They don't want to hurt somebody. They don't want to offend somebody. They don't want to lose friends.

And so, truth doesn't guide their decision-making. And so, we need to understand that we all believe that the truth regenerates, right? James 1, verse number 18. The truth of God regenerates. We're brought forth by the word of truth, James 1, verse number 18. We understand that the truth of God liberates, right? You should know the truth, John 8.32, and the truth shall set you free. So, the truth that regenerates and the truth that liberates is the same truth that consecrates, John 17, 17. Thy word is truth.

Sanctify them in truth. Consecrate them in truth. Set them apart by truth. Truth consecrates, liberates, regenerates. Truth illuminates, right? Psalm 119, 105. Thy word is a lamp unto my feet and a light unto my path. So, we know that God's truth illuminates, but God's truth also regulates. That is, it regulates every relationship that I'm in. Turn with me to 2 John, okay?

2 John, not John's gospel, but 2 John. John had three epistles at the end of the Bible, 1 John, 2 John, 3 John. In 2 John, he writes to a lady. And listen to what he says in verse number one of 2 John.

He says, the elder, that's him, John, to the chosen lady, one who was chosen by God, and her children, whom I love in what? I truth. You cannot love outside of truth. You can only love in truth. So, he says this, and not only I, but also all who know, what? The truth. And then he says in verse two, for the sake of the truth, which abides in us and will be with us forever. Grace, mercy, and peace will be with us from God the Father and from Jesus Christ, the Son of the Father, in truth and love. I was very glad to find some of your children walking in truth.

In other words, I don't know all your children, but the ones I do know, they're walking in the truth. Just as we have received commandment to do from the Father. Now, I ask you, lady, not as though I were writing to you a new commandment, but the one which we have had from the beginning, that we love one another. And this is love, that we walk according to his commandments, or that we walk according to his truth. This is love, that you walk according to the truth. This is the commandment, just as you have heard from the beginning, that you should walk in it.

In other words, truth regulates every relationship. Truth is the determining factor in every relationship. There is no biblical relationship without truth. There's an association. There's an acquaintance. But there's no biblical relationship without truth governing that relationship. Truth matters. God's truth matters. Not your truth, not my truth, because you don't have truth, and neither do I. Only God has truth. It's absolute. It's objective. It's inherent. It's infallible. It's his true word.

So every relationship that you and I have is regulated by the truth of God's word. If God's truth does not govern the relationship, that means we are not walking in his commandments. We're not walking according to the truth. We are walking according to how I feel, or what I think, or what I believe, but not according to the truth of God's holy word. This is absolutely essential in every relationship that you have. It is governed solely by the truth. If not, if not, you will compromise truth every single time.

Not just sporadically, but every single time truth will be compromised when you elevate relationship over truth. Truth is always elevated over the relationship because the relationship is governed only by the truth. So we need to understand that if we're going to have a good name, because a good name is consumed with that truth. It's consumed with veracity. So how do you know you're consumed with the truth of God's word? That's a good question. And I think it's a question we need to ask. So let me tell you this way.

If you're consumed with the truth, listen, you absolutely delight in that truth. Psalm chapter 1, you know what it says. Psalm 1, very pointed, the psalmist says these words. How blessed is a man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked, nor stand in the path of sinners, nor sit in the seat of scoffers. Where you stroll, how you stand, where you sit makes a big difference, right? But his delight is in the law of the Lord. If your delight is in the law of the Lord, you do not stroll in the counsel of the wicked.

If your delight is in the law of the Lord, you do not stand in the path of sinners. And you certainly don't sit with scoffers, because you delight in the law of the Lord. And when you do, what does it say? And in his law, he meditates day and night, day and night. He will be like a tree firmly planted by the streams of water. In other words, the person who delights in the word of God will be a prominent person, which yields its fruit in season. He'll be a productive person. When his leaf does not wither, he'll be a persevering person.

And in whatever he does, he prospers. He'll be a prosperous person. Why? Because he delights in the law of the Lord. Do you delight in the law of the Lord? Now, you're here today, and you probably say, yeah, I do. That's why I'm here. And you know what? I applaud you for that. You're here. You delight in the word of God preached. You delight in the word of God taught. That's why you're here. But listen to Psalm 119. If you got your Bible, turn to Psalm 119. Listen to what it says in verse number 14 of Psalm 119.

I rejoice in the way of your testimonies as much as in all riches. I will meditate in your precepts and regard your ways. I shall delight in your statutes. The psalmist makes it very clear. I am going to celebrate your word. I'm going to meditate on your word simply because I delight in your word. So you jump over to verse number 24. It says, your testimonies also are my delight. They are my counselors. When you delight in the word of God, you go to the word of God for counsel. When you delight in the word of God, you want to be counseled not by someone's opinion, but what the word of God says.

Because God's word is my counselor. What does God's word say about the relationship? What does God's word say about the decision I make about my family, and my job, and my work, and my attitude, everything? God's word is my counselor. But yet so many times, we just act as if I'm my own counselor. Turn over to verse number 35. It says, make me walk in the path of your commandments for I delight in it. I am so delighted in the word of God, I just want to walk in the commandments of God. And then you jump over to verse number 47.

I shall delight in your commandments, which I love. The reason you delight in the commandments of God is because you love them. Look over the verse number 69. This is so good. The arrogant have forged a lie against me. With all my heart, I will observe your precepts. Their heart is covered with fat, but I delight in your law. Listen, when you delight in the law of God, it doesn't make any difference if someone's lying about you, slandering you, speaking against you. Why? Because you delight in the law of God, and God's word is everything to you.

People have asked me over the years, how do you handle criticism? I don't. How do you deal with difficult people? I let the Lord do all that. How do you handle someone who speaks a lie about you? And there have been many lies spoken about me over the years. It does not discourage me. Do you know in four decades of ministry, I've never been discouraged. My wife has never heard those words come out of my mouth. Yes, my wife. She said, my husband's never been depressed, and my husband never gets discouraged.

I've been married to her for 37 years, 38 years. I don't get depressed, and I don't get discouraged. Why? Because I delight in the law of God. Everything is about the word of God. Yeah, things happen, and they're bad. Things happen, and they wear on you. Things happen, and you got to persevere through them. But you know what? I'm not depressed about it. I don't get discouraged about it. I just believe that God's providence is at work, and I just want to wait and see what he's going to do through the word of God because I delight in the word of God.

It's everything to me. I love God's word. That's why I'm a preacher. I love the truth. I love to tell people about the truth. And so the psalmist says these words. Look at verse number 77.

May your compassion come to me that I may live, for your law is my delight. Now, jump to verse number 92. If your law had not been my delight, I would have perished in my affliction. If your law had not been my delight, I would have been so downtrodden, I'd have perished in my affliction. But your word was my delight. See that? When you go around moping and depressed, it's simply because God's word's not your delight. Something else is more important to you than God's word. You're valuing something else more than the truth of God's word.

When you value the truth, when you're consumed with the truth, it envelops you, it governs you because you delight in it so very, very much. Most of us would say we delight in the word of God, but when push comes to shove, when heartache happens, when difficult times come, we are crushed under the persecution. The psalmist said, if your word had not been my delight, yeah, I would have perished in my affliction. But your word was my delight. See that? But he goes on further. Look at this.

Verse number 143. Verse 143, your righteousness is an everlasting righteousness, and your law is truth. Trouble and anguish have come upon me, yet your commandments are my delight. See that? Trouble and anguish have come upon me from all sorts of people, from all kinds of ways, but you know what? Your word is my delight. And then he says, in verse 174, I long for your salvation, O Lord, and your law is my delight. How many times over and over again does he emphasize the fact that God's word, God's commandments, God's law is his delight?

He was consumed with the truth. That's why the psalmist had a good name. How about you? Do you delight in the truth of God's word? Job did. Talk about affliction. Talk about persecution. Talk about pain. Job delighted in the word of God. Remember what Job says when his wife came to him? His wife only shows up one time in the book of Job, only once, speaks only once, and then she speaks no more. Because what she has to say is not edified. He's gone through difficulty. He's lost everything. He's lost his health.

Verse number 9 of chapter 2, that his wife said to him, do you still hold fast to your integrity? Why? A good name, right, is characterized by integrity. Why do you still hold fast to your integrity? Curse God and die. But he said to her, you speak as one of the foolish women speaks. Shall we indeed accept good from God and not accept adversity? In all this, Job did not sin with his lips. Why? Well, go on to Job chapter 23. In Job chapter 23, he says this. Verse 10, he knows the way that I take. When he has tried me, I shall come forth as gold.

My foot is held fast to his path. I have kept his way and not turned aside. I have not departed from the commandments of his lips. I have treasured the words of his mouth more than my necessary food. Here was a man who treasured the word of God, who delighted in the word of God. And when his wife, the closest relationship to him, he put under the truth. He did not elevate his wife above the truth. No, he subjected her to the truth because he wasn't going to curse God because we can't accept prosperity without accepting adversity.

And in all this, Job did not sin with his lips. Why? Because he truly delighted in the commandments of God. And if you are delighting in the commandments of God, you are, number two, devoted to the commandments of God.

A person consumed with veracity delights in that truth and is devoted to that truth. Job was. He truly was devoted to God's holy word. Who else was? Daniel. Remember Daniel? Daniel chapter one. Daniel chapter one. Remember we told you in our study of Daniel, there is one verse with one virtue that has many victories. One verse, one virtue, but many victories. And you get that from the life of Daniel because he would delight in the law of God and be so utterly devoted to the law of God, he would not compromise.

Now remember, Daniel was 16 years old in chapter one. He's a teenager, so I want you to evaluate your son and your daughter in light of Daniel at 16. Maybe you got a 15 year old, maybe you got a 17 year old, 18 year old, maybe you have 13, I don't know. But take your daughter or your son and match them, not according to other students in the youth ministry, but match them according to the ultimate student, Daniel himself at 16 years of old. He was ripped from his family. He was taken into Babylonian captivity.

He was all alone at 16 years of age, and yet he made decisions that far surpassed most adults' decisions. Because he delighted in the law of God. He was devoted to the law of God. He would not compromise no matter what. So Nebuchadnezzar chooses Shadrach, I mean Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego along with Daniel, and he brings them into the fold because he wants to train them to be leaders in Babylon. He wants to indoctrinate them in the ways of Babylon. So he wants to feed them certain kinds of food and give them certain kinds of wine, the king's wine, the finest of wine.

It says in verse number 8 of Daniel 1, here's the one verse with the one virtue that produces many victories. But Daniel made up his mind that he would not defile himself with the king's choice food or with the wine which he drank. So he sought permission from the commander of the officials that he might not defile himself. He did not want to compromise. He did not want to defile himself. That means that at 16 years of age, he knew the law of God. He knew the Pentateuch. He knew the book of Leviticus.

He knew what the law of God said about what he should eat, what he can't eat, what he should drink, what he shouldn't drink. And some would say, well, Daniel, it's only for a short time. It's only a few little dainty morsels. It's only a little bit of wine. It's not that big a deal. It's okay. God will understand. Don't worry about it. Just eat the choice meats and drink the fine wine. After all, who's going to know and who's going to care? But not Daniel. Because Daniel knows God knows. He knows God cares.

But he delights in the law of God. And because of that virtue, I will not defile myself. He was committed, devoted. He was characterized by integrity. He was committed to purity. Therefore, he was consumed with veracity. That's how he governed his life. That's how he lived his life. Look what happens. Now, God granted Daniel favor and compassion in the sight of the commander of the officials. God granted him favor. Why? He who honors me, I will honor. So he takes a stand. Now, whether Shadrach, Meshach, or Abednego are taking a stand or not, they're going to follow his lead.

Why? Because when you come to chapter 3, they're going to do the same thing that Daniel does in chapter 1. So at 16, he's a leader. At 16, he's making crucial decisions. At 16, he's valuing truth over popularity. He's valuing truth over combination. He's valuing truth over acceptance. He's valuing truth over everything and leaving his future in the hands of God. At 16. Does your 16-year-old do that? Does your 18-year-old do that? Does your 25-year-old do that? Think about it. Because he was consumed with the truth and governed everything he did, everything he said.

If you read on in the story, verse 11, But Daniel said to the overseer whom the commander of the officials had appointed over Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah, Please test your servants for 10 days and let us be given some vegetables to eat and water to drink. Then let our appearance be observed in your presence and the appearance of the youths who are eating the king's choice food and deal with your servants according to what you see. So he listened to them in this matter and tested them for 10 days.

At the end of 10 days, their appearance seemed better and they were fatter than all the youths who had been eating the king's choice food. So the overseer continued to withhold their choice food and the wine they were to drink and kept giving them vegetables. And as for these four youths, God gave them knowledge and intelligence in every branch of literature and wisdom. Daniel even understood all kinds of visions and dreams. God granted him compassion among the overseer, favor in the overseer. And then God gave to him intelligence.

God gave to him wisdom. Why? Because he honored God. When you honor God, God honors you. When you dishonor God, you get nothing. You get nothing but what you can muster up. But Daniel lived a life of honoring the Lord. It says in verse number 18, The king talked with them and out of them all, not one was found like Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah. So they entered the king's personal service. As for every matter of wisdom and understanding about which the king consulted them, he found them ten times better than all the magicians and conjurers who were in all his realm.

God granted them so many blessings. Why? Because they were consumed with one thing. What does God say? That's it. What does God say? So when you come to check the three, and these three, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, will not bow down, right? They're thrown to the fiery furnace. They say, O Nebuchadnezzar, we do not need to give you an answer concerning this matter. If it be so, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the furnace of blazing fire, and he will deliver us out of your hand, O king.

But even if he does not let it be known to you, O king, that we are not going to serve your gods or worship the golden image that you have set up. Listen, our God is able to deliver us. But if he chooses not to do that, we're still not changing our mind. We're going to do what God said and what God said only. That's it. And God spared them, and there wasn't even the smell of smoke on their wardrobe, simply because God protected them. You want God to protect you? Then you honor God. You live for God.

You be consumed with the truth of God's word. Then you come to Daniel chapter 6, and you got Daniel and the lions there, right? And the king says, is your God able to save you? Did your God save you? Well, yes, he did. Because God is a saving God. How about you? Are you consumed with the truth of the living God, more so than anything else, that no matter the persecution, no matter the affliction, no matter what people say about you, lies, slander, gossip, you delight in the law of God. You stay focused above and not below.

You stay focused on the Christ. You fix your eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of your faith. You don't fix your eyes on the people around you. You fix them on the Lord Jesus Christ. And you stay fixed on him. Listen, Christ Community Church is a place where the whole truth is wholly taught. That's all we do. The whole truth is wholly taught. That's all we do. I am so blessed to be surrounded by men who will not compromise. I'm surrounded by men who are consumed with the truth of God's word.

We sit in my office, in our elder meetings, and we talk about what we should do and what we shouldn't do, but everything is subjugated to the truth of God's word. And that's why we always stand unified. Always. We've never been disunified. We have always been unified in our decision-making. Why? Because God's truth governs the decision that we make. We subject ourselves to the truth. And so for 30 years, I've been surrounded by men that have made that commitment and want to follow through on that commitment.

And every one of your elders has lost friends over these 30 years. But we will not compromise the truth. Because a friendship is not nearly as valuable to us as God's word is. And I sit in a room with men who have been scorned and slandered, vilified, because they will not compromise the truth. And I love being with them. I love their company. I love their counsel. Why? Because everything is according to one book, the word of the living God. And I am so blessed to be a part of these men's lives. And so we live our lives that way.

Are we perfect? Nope, not at all. Our wives will tell you that, right? We are not perfect men, but we love the Lord and we delight in the law of God. And while there have been issues over the years that we've had to deal with, you know, we've had to deal with men on our elder board who have sinned, staff who have sinned. But no matter how deep the friendship is, it never trumps truth. We must abide by the truth. And therefore we do. And I pray that never stops, that that will always be the case, because you can't lead the people of God into truth if you don't love the truth.

You can't lead the people of God into a greater knowledge of the truth if you're not growing in the truth. You just can't. And so we hold ourselves accountable to one standard. We don't hold ourselves accountable to another church, to other people, but to one person, the word of God, his word and what it says. Are you consumed with the truth of God? Does it envelop you? Do you delight in it? Are you devoted to it? Do you declare it without reservation? Do you depend upon it? Because Tim read earlier, Psalm 145, that God hears all those who call upon him, those who call upon him in truth.

God doesn't hear those who just call upon him. They're going to call upon him in truth, according to what his word says. And that's how he responds, and that's why he saves people, because he calls upon them in the truth of the living God. And those who are consumed with truth, not just desire it and delight in it, not just are devoted to it and declare it, but they depend on it. It's everything to them. And that's what a good name consists of. That's why the challenge to all of us this year is to have a good name, a name conceived in spirituality, a name characterized by integrity, a name committed to purity, a name consumed with ferocity.

Let's pray. Father, we thank you for today, the chance you give us to study your word and to grow in the grace and knowledge of Jesus Christ our Lord. Our prayer, Father, is that we would always adhere to your word without compromise. Men like Job and Daniel and Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, those men who would not compromise because they loved the law of God. May that be us. We pray in Jesus' name, amen.