God’s Design for Your Character – By Design
God’s Design For Your Character
Together Church | Pastor Jerry Wells
July 20, 2025 | Series: By Design
Introduction
I have a 2021 Ford Ranger pickup truck. Its name is Ranger. I enjoy driving Ranger because of its good character.
- Ranger is reliable.
Since 2021 there has not been one time it has not started for me. It has never broken down on me. It has never let me down.
- Ranger is durable.
All Ford trucks are advertised to be Built Ford Tough. Ranger is Built Ford Tough. Ranger has four-wheel drive and can take me just about anywhere I want to go over the worst terrane.
- Ranger is efficient.
Ranger gets good gas milage. Other than my gas expense, I have had it for 4 years and my only expenses have been basic car maintenance expenses. After 60k miles, I finally had to get some new tires.
- Ranger is safe.
Ranger has 360 sensors that warn me when anything is a threat to me. It’s wide18 inch tires and four-wheel drive option make it safe for me to drive in any weather conditions. It has the power I need to avoid difficult driving situations.
- Ranger is a servant.
Ranger exists to get me where I want to go when I want to be there. Ranger has no other purpose but to serve me.
I like Ranger because Ranger has good character.
I have owned some cars that did not have good character.(ex: My volkswagon) It was a lemon. I did not like my VW. It was not reliable, durable, efficient, or safe and it did not serve me well. When I discovered it had bad character, I wanted to get rid of it.
In the same way that every car has character, every one of us has character.
The difference between a car and us is that we can choose what our character is going to be like.
Body
This morning I want to talk to you about…
God’s Design For Your Character
If you are taking notes we are going to answer 4 questions.
- What is God’s design for our character?
- How does God form His character in us?
- Why is God’s people having God character so important to God?
- What keeps God’s character from being formed in us?
- What is God’s design for our character?
There are many passages of scripture that talk about God’s design for our character.
One of the most famous passages about God’s design for our character is Matthew 5:1-16
Matthew 5:1-16
1 And seeing the multitudes, He went up on a mountain, and when He was seated His disciples came to Him.
2 Then He opened His mouth and taught them, saying:
3 “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
4 Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.
5 Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth.
6 Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be filled.
7 Blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy.
8 Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.
9 Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God.
10 Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
11 “Blessed are you when they revile and persecute you, and say all kinds of evil against you falsely for My sake.
12 Rejoice and be exceedingly glad, for great is your reward in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you.
13 “You are the salt of the earth; but if the salt loses its flavor, how shall it be seasoned? It is then good for nothing but to be thrown out and trampled underfoot by men.
14 “You are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hidden.
15 Nor do they light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house.
16 Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven.
NKJV
Theologians have called this list the beatitudes. Beatitude simply means happy or fortunate.
I like to think of this list as BE Attitudes!
Attitudes are characteristics that God wants the world to see in His people.
These attitudes can also be called character traits.
At the very beginning of their training as His disciples, He wants them to understand God’s design for their character. He breaks God’s design down for their character down for them by sharing with them a detailed list of nine very specific character traits He wants them to possess and demonstrate to others.
If we did an in-depth study on each one of these nine character traits we would discover that every positive character trait is found in the lives of those who possess these nine beatitudes. For example, people who are poor in spirit are always humble, patient, and kind. People who are merciful are always compassionate, forgiving, and generous.
The apostle Paul also taught the church God’s design for their character as did all those who wrote the new testament epistles. Their list was prompted by what they saw a relevant to those to whom they were writing.
When Paul wanted to make it simple for the church to understand, he would sum it up by saying, learn about Jesus and be like Him.
2 Corinthians 3:18
18 But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as by the Spirit of the Lord.
NKJV
To be like Jesus is God’s design for your character.
- How does God form His character in us?
God forms His character is us by…..
- Giving us His Spirit.
John 14:15-18
15 “If you love Me, keep My commandments.
16 And I will pray the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may abide with you forever —
17 the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees Him nor knows Him; but you know Him, for He dwells with you and will be in you.
18 I will not leave you orphans; I will come to you.
NKJV
- His Spirit gives us His nature.(2 Peter 1:4)
This radical transformation occurs when the Holy Spirit comes to dwell in us and we are born again. In the spirit, God’s character becomes our character. For us to act in other way is for us to act out of character.
- His Spirit gives the mind of Christ.(1 Corinthians 2:16)
We can think and understand the thoughts of Jesus.
- His Spirit gives us resurrection power.(Acts 1:8)
We can will things into existence in our mortal being by just professing that they are true.
- Giving us His Word.
2 Tim 3:16-17
16 All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness,
17 that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work.
NKJV
His Spirit uses the truth of the scripture to reveal to us God’s will for our character.
- Giving us His church.
Ephesians 4:11-13
11 And He Himself gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers,
12 for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ,
13 till we all come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ; NKJV
His Spirit uses the teaching of scripture in His church and the examples of others in His church to reveal to us God’s will for our character.
- Giving us His tests.
James 1:2-4
2 My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials,
3 knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience.
4 But let patience have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing.
NKJV
2 Cor 12:9-10
9 And He said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore most gladly I will rather boast in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me.
10 Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in needs, in persecutions, in distresses, for Christ’s sake. For when I am weak, then I am strong.
NKJV
His Spirit uses the difficult circumstances we experience to form His character in us.
- Why is God’s people having God’s character so important to God?
- Having God’s character is the main way that we fulfill His commandment to love others.
1 Corinthians 13:4-7
4 Love suffers long and is kind; love does not envy; love does not parade itself, is not puffed up;
5 does not behave rudely, does not seek its own, is not provoked, thinks no evil;
6 does not rejoice in iniquity, but rejoices in the truth;
7 bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.
NKJV
Growing as a Christian means to grow or mature in God’s love and to grow in love means to become more and more like Jesus in your character.
- Having God’s character is the main way that we bring glory to the name of Jesus.
John 13:34-35
34 A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another; as I have loved you, that you also love one another.
35 By this all will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another.”
NKJV
Matthew 5:13-16
13 “You are the salt of the earth; but if the salt loses its flavor, how shall it be seasoned? It is then good for nothing but to be thrown out and trampled underfoot by men.
14 “You are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hidden.
15 Nor do they light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house.
16 Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven.
NKJV
- Having God’s character is the main way that we experience the blessings that God wants us to experience.
(See the beatitudes)
It is the main way we experience happiness in God in this world.
It is the main way we will be rewarded in heaven.
Conclusion
What keeps God’s character from being formed in us?
- The blame game
A car can have good or bad character based on what car company made it and how it is treated by its owner.
Because you are a human being, no matter who your parents are or how you have been treated, you have the ability to determine whether you will have good character or bad character.
For God’s character to be formed in you, you must stop blaming others and take ownership of your character.
You may have been born as a broken down 1000 used car that has been abused by your previous owner but when you receive Jesus, the Holy Spirit becomes your owner and when He comes into you, you become God’s version of a brand new Rolls Royce. You can become whatever God calls you to become as long as the Holy Spirit is at the wheel.
- The desire for things in this world
If there is something in this world that we want more than we want God, we quench the Holy Spirit’s power in us to transform us into the image of Jesus. We will neglect the resources the Holy Spirit uses to transform us into the image of Jesus; His Word and His church. We will become bitter over the difficult circumstances we experience.
Jesus said seek first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness and all these things will be added unto you. If you will set aside the desires you have for things in this world and seek His kingdom first, He will transform your character into His character.
- A failure to trust God through the process
We become a new creation the moment the Holy Spirit comes to dwell in us. This transformation of our spirit is the basis for our new identity.
But unfortunately, this transformation does not yet extend to our bodies. Because we live in this flesh, we still have to deal with the law of sin. We still have to deal with all of these orientations in our flesh that are not Godly.
Maturing in Godly character or sanctification is a process that requires us to live by faith and trust God through the process. This is why Paul said this…
2 Cor 4:16-18
16 Therefore we do not lose heart. Even though our outward man is perishing, yet the inward man is being renewed day by day.
17 For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, is working for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory,
18 while we do not look at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen. For the things which are seen are temporary, but the things which are not seen are eternal.
NKJV
If we ever stop trusting God through the process we will lose heart and lose ground.
To avoid losing heart, we must stay connected to God and connected to His body. That is where encouragement to our faith is found. And we need it daily.
This teaching on God’s design for our character has been under attack since the fall of man and it is certainly happening in our nation.
- People with the wrong character are being esteemed as American heroes.
- People with serious character problems are being told by false teachers they are not to blame for their bad character.
- People with good character are being slandered and their character is being defamed by false accusations.
This is even happening within the church.
The way we fight this battle is by having the right character in the way we respond to these attacks. We should never agree with what is false. We should always speak the truth calling people fulfill God’s design. But we should always speak the truth in the spirit of love.
Invitation
- Trying to be a person with good character without depending upon God is like trying to overcome the law of gravity without depending upon the right resource to help you fly. You cannot experience God’s design for your character without being personally connected to God. To be connected to God, you must be connected to Jesus Christ. Invitation to receive Jesus.
- If you are a disciple of Jesus you, need to be committed to let God form His character in you for His glory. You need to surrender to His will for your life and this is His will. Invitation to commit yourself to cooperate with God.
- If you have been habitually failing in some way to honor Him with your character, you are not alone. Don’t lose heart and give up. You need to commit yourself to stay connected to what God has provide to accomplish His purpose in you. Take a step of faith toward God today by receiving prayer from the body of Christ. Invitation to receive prayer.