The Impact of Your Influence
Steve W. Reeves
INTRODUCTION
A. You
have it! You have had it since the day
you were conceived. You’ll never lose it.
Even after you are gone it will continue.
1. What am I talking about? Your influence.
2. Before you were born you were already
influencing the actions of others.
3. Throughout your life your influence has
been felt by your family, friends, teachers,
coaches, employers, employees, and
others. Your life is like a piece of chalk that
leaves a part of itself on whatever it
touches. Your influence is like a small bottle
cork repeatedly hitting a large steel
beam causing it to swing like a pendulum.
4. You’ll never lose your influence as long
as you live.
5. After you have gone your influence will
continue to shape the lives of others.
Speaking of Able the writer of Hebrews
said, “Through faith, though he is dead, he
still speaks” (Hebrews 11:4).
B. On
“Mother’s Day” we often address the powerful influence our mothers have on
us. Theodore Roosevelt said, “When all is
said and done, it is the mother, and the
mother only, who is a better citizen than
the soldier who fights for his country. The
mother who does her part in rearing and
training aright the boys and girls who are to
be the men and women of the next
generation, is of greater use to the community,
and occupies, if she only would realize it,
a more honorable as well as more
important position than any man in it. She
is more important, by far, than the
successful statesman, or businessman, or
artist, or scientist.”
1. Though we thank God for our mothers we
recognize that influence is an attribute
ascribed to all people.
2. Each of us has the potential to have a
positive influence on the people around us.
C.
This power of influence can easily be seen in the lives of two individuals we
read
about in the history of Israel.
1. For their story we go deep into the
recesses of the Bible to the book of 2
Chronicles 24. Remember that 1 and 2
Kings along with 1 and 2 Chronicles are
companion volumes. They depict the same
events recorded at different times in
history.
2. The king’s name was Joash. He reigned in
the 9th century B.C. and was the only
child of King Ahaziah who escaped being
murdered by Athaliah. When he was just
one year old Joash was hidden by his
aunt for six years in the chambers of the
temple.
2. At the age of seven Joash became the
king of Judah. Jehoida, the High Priest, led
a rebellion against wicked Athaliah who
was as bad if not worse than her mother
Jezebel had been in Israel.
3. Though Joash was the king it was
Jehoida’s good influence that brought about
improvements in Judah. The altars to the
pagan god and goddess Baal and
Ashtoreth were torn down and the worship
of God was restored in the temple.
4. When Joash was old enough he ordered
repairs to be made on the temple. A
box was placed at the entrance to the
temple to collect money and the people gave.
Each day the box was emptied and the
money was used to pay stone masons,
carpenters and craftsmen. New utensils
were made to replace those that had been
defiled by Athaliah in her worship of
pagan deities.
5. For the first 23 years of his reign (age
7 to 30) Joash was a good king because of
the good influence of Jehoida. After
Jehoida’s death, however, Joash began to be
influenced by bad advisors who led him
away from God. When Jehoida’s son,
Zachariah, warned him to turn away from his
wickedness Joash had him stoned to
death in the court of the Lord's house
6. For the final 17 years of his reign
Joash was a weak, wicked king. The Assyrians,
with a small army, defeated the army of
Judah and ransacked the temple. Joash
became sick and was ultimately killed by
two of his servants while in bed.
D.
This may seem like a strange story to share on Mother’s Day but I want to
appeal to
all of us to recognize the importance of
our influence. Here is what I want us to see.
I. THE
POTENTIAL OF IMPRESSIONALBE PEOPLE
A. When Joash was a child his
impressionable mind was influenced by several good
people.
1. His aunt, Jehoshbeath who rescued him
as a baby and took care of him for the
first six years of his life.
2. Jehoida, the High Priest. A man of
God. He loved the Lord and risked his life to
gather all of the Levites together
in Jerusalem so wicked Athliah could be killed
and Joash installed as King. His
counsel was wise and good. When he died at
the age of 130 years (2 Chronicles
24: 15) he was given the burial of a
king
among the tombs of the kings in
Jerusalem
2. When Joash was older and these good
influences had passed away he was
influenced by wicked, idolatrous
men.
3. As long as Joash had this good
influence in life he did well.
B. Every day we meet impressionable people.
Parents of young children are
especially in a position to develop the
potential of impressionable little ones.
1. The things they see and hear from you
will have a profound impact on their
life.
2. You will not always be present with
your children. A mother once wrote the
following in a letter to her
daughter.
I
gave you life - but I cannot live it for you.
I
can teach you things – but I cannot make you learn.
I
can give you directions – but I cannot always be there to lead you.
I
can allow you freedom – but I cannot account for it.
I
can take you to church – but I cannot make you believe.
I
can teach you right from wrong – but I cannot always decide for you.
I
can buy you beautiful clothes – but I cannot make you beautiful inside.
I
can offer you advice – but I cannot accept it for you.
I
can give you love – but I cannot force it upon you.
I
can teach you to share – but I cannot make you unselfish.
I
can teach you respect – but I cannot make you honor.
I
can advise you about your friends – but I cannot choose them for you.
I
can advise you about sex – but I cannot keep you pure.
I
can tell you about the facts of life – but I cannot build your reputation.
I
can tell you about lofty goals – but I cannot dream them for you.
I
can teach you about kindness – but I cannot force you to be gracious.
I
can warn you about sin – but I cannot make you moral.
I
can pray for you – but I cannot make you walk with God.
I
can teach you about Jesus - but I cannot make Jesus your Lord.
I
can tell you how to live - but I cannot give you eternal life.
All
of these things – are your choice.
3.
You will not always be with your children – but your influence will be.
II. THE POWER OF
INFLEUENTIAL PEOPLE
A. I wish the story of Joash had a happy
ending. Unfortunately, it does not. In verse
17 we read that after the death of
Jehoida some of the officials came and bowed
before Joash.
1. By bowing before Joash they won his
trust. The conclusion of verse 17 says,
“and the king listened to them.”
2. To what voices do you listen? It was
not the king who had the power in this story.
It was those who influenced the
king.
3. These wicked officials turned him
away from God.
4. When Solomon was king he allowed his
foreign wives to turn him away from God
(1 Kings 11:1-6).
5. When Ahab was king of Israel his
wickedness was stirred up by the
influence of Jezebel (1 Kings
21:25).
6. Paul reminded the Corinthians of the
damage that can be caused by the power
of influence in 1 Corinthians 15:33,
“Bad company corrupts good morals.” .
B. Thankfully, the power of influence can
also be a tremendous force for good.
1. Jesus used the metaphors of “salt”
and “light” to demonstrate the good influence
His disciples should have (Matthew
5:13-16).
2. When Paul wrote to Timothy he
mentioned the good influence his mother and
grandmother had on his life.
a. In 2 Timotny 1:5 he wrote, “For I am
mindful of the sincere faith within you,
which first dwelt in your
grandmother Lois and your mother Eunice, and I am
sure that it is in you as well.”
b. in 2 Timothy 3:14-15, “You,
however, continue in the things you have learned
and become convinced of, knowing from whom
you have learned them, 15 and
that from childhood you have
known the sacred writings which are able to give
you the wisdom that leads to salvation
through faith which is in Christ Jesus.”
III. THE PROCESS OF
INFLUENCING PEOPLE.
A. It begins with who you are.
1. The people who fall under your
influence will not only listen to what you say.
They will be watching what you do
and who you are. See 1 Peter 3:1-2.
2. If there is a discrepancy between
what you say and what you do they will know.
B. A Godly influence must include three
essential traits.
1. Purpose. What is your purpose in
life? Do you “love the Lord your God will all of
your heart, soul mind and strength” (Matthew
22:37)?
2. Priority. Is God first in your life?
Do you “seek first the kingdom of God and His
righteousness” (Matthew 6:33)?
3. Persuasion. Are you actively seeking
to teach and mentor others? Remember
Paul’s instruction to fathers
concerning children, “Bring them up in the nurture
and instruction of the Lord”
(Ephesians 6:4).
4. Pray. Listen to Ephesians 3: 14-19, “For
this reason I bow my knees before the
Father, 15 from whom
every family in heaven and on earth derives its name,
16 that He would
grant you, according to the riches of His glory, to be
strengthened with power through His
Spirit in the inner man, 17 so that Christ may
dwell in your hearts through faith; and that you, being rooted and
grounded in
love, 18 may be able
to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and
length and height and depth, 19 and
to know the love of Christ which surpasses
knowledge, that you may be filled up
to all the fullness of God.”
CONCLUSION:
A. An
anonymous author has written, “My life shall touch a dozen lives before this
day is
done; Leave countless marks for good or
ill, ere sets the evening sun. This is the
wish I always wish, the prayer I always
pray: Lord, may my life help other lives it
touches by the way.”
B.
Your influence will be your greatest legacy – not your house, your farm, your
car or
your possessions. It is your influence
people will remember. Are you influencing
people to live for God? Do they see Christ
living in you?
C. If
we may assist you in responding to the Gospel of Christ through faith,
repentance
and baptism we invite you to come today.
