Living Water

Pastor Lazarus Muoka

What Do Men Say You Are? 

John 1:47-48 states, “Jesus saw Nathanael coming to him, and saith of him, Behold an Israelite indeed, in whom is no guile! 48 Nathanael saith unto him, Whence knowest thou me? Jesus answered and said unto him, Before that Philip called thee, when thou wast under the fig tree, I saw thee.”

BRETHREN, time has come when we should be concerned with what people say about us; their impression of us and the worth of the respect they have for us.

Are we indeed God’s children, as we profess to be or hypocrites? Does God know you as one of His? Are you a secret or an open disciple of Christ? During Jesus Christ’s time on earth, deceitfulness was the mark of the Jewish people.

To find a man, living in the midst of the Jews and still walking in uprightness, was rare, but Nathanael distinguished himself. Our Lord Jesus gave a good testimony about him as a worthy descendant of the patriarch Jacob, who not only professed to believe in the true God, but also worshiped Him in sincerity and truth.

Brethren, can you be identified by the Lord you claim you are worshipping? Have you asked yourself why God is silent on your matter? If God calls you today, where will you be, does He really know you? What do people say about you in your absence? Are they holding anything against you; in their supposition are you a sinner? As a police man, you collect bribe from anyone that comes your way.

Let it be known to you that you are a sinner. If you are a doctor and carry out abortions or killing unborn babies, you are a murderer. You may not like to be called so, but that is what people say about you in secret. As a lecturer, if you favour only students that purchase your handouts, you are a fraudster.

Although you may not like to be openly called such name but when students talk about you, they refer to you as a swindler and that is what you are. If you are married but live an immoral life, you are an adulterer.

You may not like such third name and people may not like to openly call you so, but that is what you are, an adulterer— a public toilet. If you take alcohol or work in the brewery, you are a disgrace to Christianity whether you believe it or not.

The Book of Job 1: 1 states, “There was a man in the land of Uz, whose name was Job; and that man was perfect and upright, and one that feared God, and eschewed evil.” In Job’s days in Uz, it was hard for a rich man to live a pious life, but Job stood out among his generation and was distinguished.

The Holy Book describes him as a man who feared God and obeyed all His commandments. As you read this message, how would you be described by people who know you in the office, market, school or meet you on the road? What would they say about you? Are you known as a prostitute, robber, liar, fornicator, idolater, criminal, drunkard, smoker, etc.? What testimony will they bear about you? Acts 11:26 states, “And when he had found him, he brought him unto Antioch.

And it came to pass, that a whole year they assembled themselves with the church, and taught much people. And the disciples were called Christians first in Antioch”

The disciples were called Christians in Antioch not because they had no individual names but they were doing the work of their Master, our Lord Jesus Christ, and people identified them and bore testimony that they were of Christ.