The Titanic sank – April 14 th, 1912 After six warnings “Look out for icebergs!” Known as the unsinkable ship Captain quoted as saying “Not even God could sink the Titanic” The problem… The captain forgot the truth about icebergs!
Yes, There was more to the iceberg than meets the eye Most of an iceberg is below the surface of the water Not what they could see above the water that mattered Most of what mattered couldn’t be seen at all.
The Iceberg Principle The 10% above the water = Competence (skill/abilities) The 90% below the water = Character (who you are on the inside)
1 Samuel 16:1 “The Lord said to Samuel…I am sending you to Jesse of Bethlehem. I have chosen one of his sons to be king…Samuel did what the Lord said… When they arrived, Samuel saw Eliab and thought,
“Surely the Lord’s anointed stands here before the LORD.” But the Lord said to Samuel, “Do not consider his appearance or his height, for I have rejected him. The Lord does not look at the things man looks at…man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.”
In that passage… Man was searching for the right look, God was looking for the right man! God was concerned about the 90% that would sink the ship… THE HEART
The heart is the control center at the core of who you are. We all have desires, Some of them are good and honorable, others are selfish, arrogant and hurtful.
Character effects behavior and comes out of a combination of how you see things…your perspective and what you value.
Character: “moral excellence and firmness…a man of sound character” (Merriam- Webster) Character: “Who you are when you think no one else is looking.”
Character, Christ-like/godly: “A heart that honors God.”
Your “Character, Competence and Commitment” will become more and more important as you desire to get married, get a good job, start your own company and/or a host of other goals you may have.
With greater privilege that comes with marriage or the paycheck that comes with working, you will have greater responsibility and greater accountability to be the kind of man or woman on the inside that will be able to sustain, and make flourish, those relationships.
The 90% will build or sink your business, marriage, future children, etc.
Many famous people have risen to fame, due to their high degree of competence… only to have the 90% cause them to plummet.
Actors, for decades, have kept the tabloids alive and well with this principle 1980 ’s TV evangelists 1990 ’s Politicians 2000 ’s Corporations like Enron, WorldCom, and Tyco, professional athletes and Catholic priests
100 years ago a boy named Schicklgruber grew up without anyone to guide his character
You know him as Adolf Hitler
The bad news about icebergs is that it’s what below the surface that sinks a ship. Weak character will destroy our own lives and lives around us.
The good news about icebergs is that it’s what is below the surface that supports the tip of the iceberg. Godly character will set you up to utilize and increase your competence. In fact most people really want to those kind of people succeed!
Luke 6:43-49 “For no good tree bears bad fruit, nor again does a bad tree bear good fruit, for each tree is known by its own fruit. For figs are not gathered from thornbushes, nor are grapes picked from a bramble bush.
The good person out of the good treasure of his heart produces good, and the evil person out of his evil treasure produces evil, for out of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaks.”
Powerful passage…one message very clear! Out of the overflow of the heart… The mouth speaks The feet go The hands do The life produces…good or evil
Question: How do we develop a God honoring character?
Answer: 1. On the solid foundation of Christ. 2. One step at a time… obey in your next step. 3. It may be in baptism
4.It may be in spending time with God through prayer and reading your Bible. 5. It may be in hiding Gods word in your heart… memorizing so you can apply it in the everyday moments of life.
What is your next step? Commit it to God Let someone know Act on it this week