Transcript THE_ICEBERG_PRINCIPLE_8-28

The Titanic sank – April 14th, 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