“RIGHTOUSE LIFESTYLE”
TEXT: Romans 6:11-18; Ephesians 4:25-5:7; Various
INTRO: Living the life of an “Authentic Christian” is of the utmost importance if we are to be true servants of Jesus Christ.
The world is full on Non-authentic Christians. Let that not be a label that we settle for. Authenticity is a life long pursuit. We as Christians need to be able to walk the walk, in more of a consistent way than we can talk the talk.
I posed a question last week. “Are you a REAL Christian?” Knowing that this short list is not an exhaustive list of what it means to be and Authentic Christian , however the four points will clearly put you on the right track.
· R- Righteous Lifestyle
· E- Evangelical Passion
· A- Authentic Walk
· L- Loving my Brothers (Neighbors)
This morning we are going to look at the R- in REAL- Righteous Lifestyle.
ILLUS: De Tocqueville of France, over a hundred years ago, visited America. Upon his return home he wrote: “I sought for the greatness of America in her harbors and rivers and fertile fields, and her mines and commerce. It was not there. Not until I went into the churches and heard her pulpits flame with righteousness did I understand the greatness of her power. America is great because she is good; and if America ever ceases to be good, America will cease to be great. Tan, P. L. 1996, c1979. Encyclopedia of 7700 illustrations : [a treasury of illustrations, anecdotes, facts and quotations for pastors, teachers and Christian workers]. Bible Communications: Garland TX
If this dignitary of France was to visit America today, I am sure he would not be able to make the same comment. Christians and Churches must be on the Front Line when it comes to living Righteous lives, if not us, then who?
I think history has proven that we need Authentic Christians to stand up and live righteous lives. We can look at the demoralization of America, and blame what ever we want, however, we must look at ourselves and ask the question- “Would my lifestyle be considered Righteous in the eyes of God?”
We need to understand that God has called all of us to a righteous life, His promise then to us, is to be the provider of all we shall ever want.
ILLUS: Frances Havergal, the song writer, lived and moved in the Word of God. His Word was her constant companion. On the last day of her life, she asked a friend to read to her the 42nd chapter of Isaiah. When the friend read the sixth verse. “I the Lord have called thee in righteousness, and will hold thine hand, and will keep thee,” Miss Havergal stopped her. She whispered, “Called—held—kept. I can go home on that!” And she did go home on that. —Pentecostal Evangel
There is No higher compliment that can be paid to a Christian, than to call him a “Righteous person”. He or she may be a zealous church worker, a conscientious parent, a faithful tither, a talented leader; but none of these things matter if, at the same time the person is not a righteous person.
PROP.SENT: An authentic Christian is one who hungers and thirsts for righteousness. Jesus calls these believers blessed. He also promises that He will fill those, and give us all of our desires if we seek first His kingdom and His righteousness.
I. ELEMENTS OF GOD
A. Godlike in Character!
1 John 1:15 This is the message we have heard from him and declare to you: God is light; in him there is no darkness at all.
1 John 4:8 Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love.
If we want to develop “Godly Character, we must understand what the bible says about God.
John describes two traits of God’s Character-
1. God is Light
2. God is Love
The Christian who wants to live a righteous lifestyle needs to understand these traits, and apply them to his or here life.
There are two explanations we can look at- according to professor Howard Marshall.
One he says represents Revelation- (The Light) and Salvation- (The Love)
The other would be that of Righteousness, Light symbolizing the flawless perfection of God- with not even the hint of moral imperfection.
ILLUS: Dove soap, you know the one with ¼ moisturizing cream. It is very happy to state that it is 99.44 % pure. Pretty good by man’s standards, however, this would be a blasphemous statement about God. God is 100% Holy and righteous; there is not one stain on His character. Jerry Bridges
To live a righteous life then one would have to pursue a Holy Life. I say pursue, because it is impossible for us to be 100% pure this side of heaven. That is why we must pursue to live a life that resembles God.
1 Peter 1:16…"Be holy, because I am holy."
God has set the standard. Paul tells us that we have been called to live a Holy Life. Any believer who is content, to live a life of their choosing, is missing the blessing of being an authentic Christian.
Paul told the church in Ephesus to “ Put on the Breastplate of Righteousness”- This breastplate is not something of ourselves. But it is Christ Righteousness that we put on, like a breastplate.
The purpose of the breastplate on a soldier was to protect all the major organs of the body, especially the heart. It covered the front area - thus protecting from a frontal assault. It covered the back area - thus protecting from a rear assault.
In the day we live there are plenty of ways Satan has to attack our heart to do damage to it. We live in a world that is destroying the sacred things.. We need to know that our hearts have protection from the onslaught of Satan’s attacks.
Nothing protects better than Christ’s righteousness, it is indestructible!
ILLUS: While serving in the Marine Corps, I was issued a Flack Jacket, a Kevlar Vest that would protect me from flying shrapnel. Whether it came from the front or the back. Pastor David Schaal
Since the Bible says that our "own righteousness is like filthy rags" (Isa 64:6) we must realize that such rags cannot stop the damage done by an attack of the enemy, only Christ’s righteousness as a breastplate is strong enough to protect our heart and life!
B. Godlike in Action!
Hebrews 4:15 For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are--yet was without sin.
What is Righteousness or Holiness??
The simplest definition is “ Without Sin!” That is what was said about Jesus!
Now granted, we will never reach such a goal this side of heaven, however it should be our goal in life. Our supreme objective.
John said that he wrote his first letter that his readers would not sin. (1John2:1 )
Most Christians seem content of not sinning very much, but John’s goal was that they should not sin at all.
We tend to compare ourselves with those around us. We say, “I am more righteous than that person”, “I am a stronger believer then she is”, “I go to church more than him.”
Comparing ourselves to other people will result in us always coming up short. You see our goal is not to look or act like other believers, but to look and act like Jesus Christ!
When Paul was instructing Timothy about his relationship with younger women, he told him to treat them as sisters, with absolute purity” (1Timothy 5:2)
When Paul was instructing the church in Ephesus about the importance of living a righteous life he said So I tell you this, and insist on it in the Lord, that you must no longer live as the Gentiles do,… (Ephesians 4:17)
He said I INSIST- I Insist that you live holy lives, not like the Gentiles. He said this with the Lords authority. Holiness and righteousness is not an option, it is a must for all believers.
Now even for the most devoted Christian there will be failure in our pursuit for righteousness. John tells us “ If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves. ”(1John1:8)
We still have a sinful nature.
We still live in a fallen world
We still have temptations to deal with.
But, the questions we must ask ourselves…
What is the desire of our heart?
What do we pray about when it comes to our own sin?
What areas of our sinful nature are we putting off, and what qualities of God are we putting on?
Why do we make excuses for our current lifestyle?
The Christians in Paul’s day were just as corrupt and sinful as we find ourselves today, maybe even worse!
4:19- Having lost all sensitivity, they have given themselves over to sensuality so as to indulge in every kind of impurity, with a continual lust for more.
Yet, in the middle of all this ungodliness, these Christians were expected to put off traits of their sinful nature, and put on Godly traits.
Now your question is this. O.K. Pastor, but How do you do that?
II. ELEMENTS OF RIGHTEOUSNESS!
A. Convictions to live by!
To the Christians in Ephesus Paul wrote:
Ephesians 4:23… to be made new in the attitude of your minds;
To the Roman Christians Paul wrote:
Romans 12:2 Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind.
The process of renewing our mind involves establishing new convictions. As we expose ourselves to the Word of God, as we allow the Holy Spirit to rule our lives, our minds will be transformed.
ILLUS: When God created the human body, he wired us in ways that baffle engineers. When we put our hand over an open flame, there is an alarm that goes off in our head that shouts, “ HOT!- our natural reaction is then to pull our hand away from the flame. The result is that we have prevented injury. Pain is a sign that things are not right. If there were no pain, say the flame felt pleasurable, then the skin on our hand would melt right off. Conviction is used in the same way. When we want to do something outside the parameters that God has laid out for us, the Holy Spirit says, “HOT!” “DON’T DO IT!” This is all done to protect us from spiritual injury. If we do not yield to our convictions, Spiritual destruction is for certain! Pastor David Schaal
We develop convictions by spending time with God. Through daily devotion, prayer time, reading His Bible, fellowshipping with other believers. Going to church.
These convictions are developed over time. As soon as you are convicted about one area that God has been dealing with you on, God will show you another area that does not look like him.
Yielding to our convictions is the way we transform our human mind, into the mind of God.
This is where Righteousness begins: with the knowledge of the truth that renews our thinking, and enables us to understand how God wants us to live.
B. Obedience to God!
Psalms 119:4 You have laid down precepts that are to be fully obeyed.
Someone once said: “ A belief is what you hold, a conviction is what hold you!”
A conviction is not a conviction unless you live by what you claim to believe. There has to be a commitment there.
We cannot pick and choose what we want to believe and what we do not.
Fudging on our income tax a little is just as much a sin as robbing a bank.
An unforgiving spirit toward someone else is just as much sin as say murder.
I am not saying that all sin is equally offensive to God, however all sin is offensive to God.
You see David understood this. He recognized that partial obedience , for example, refraining form outright theft of a neighbors property, but coveting it, would be an act of disobedience.
God’s Word, His precepts are to be fully obeyed!
Job 31:1 "I made a covenant with my eyes not to look lustfully at a girl.
Daniel 1:8 But Daniel resolved not to defile himself with the royal food and wine, and he asked the chief official for permission not to defile himself this way.
Both of these Old Testament saints, made a resolution to obey God. God considered both of these men among the most righteous who ever lived.
They lived up to their convictions.
C. Discipline of my will.
Titus 2:11-12 11 For the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men.12 It teaches us to say "No" to ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright and godly lives in this present age,
To experience a righteous lifestyle, we must look at the daily choices we make. Everyday we are asked to live up to our convictions- to obey them or not.
The choices we make on a daily basis will make or break our “Authentic Christian Life”
In Romans 13, Paul tells us to put to death the misdeeds of the body…We do this by the choices we make. Not only saying No to temptation, but saying Yes to the positive steps that will draw us closer to God.
ILLUS: Worship Leader and songwriter, Tommy Walker shares this story. I had just finished leading worship for a Promise Keepers event on the East Coast. I was exhausted as I left the huge stadium and couldn’t wait to get some rest. I was on a huge spiritual and emotional high from the meeting, and the realization that I was in an unfamiliar city far away from home soon hit me pretty hard.
In my hotel room after the meeting, I struggled with the temptation to flip on the TV set that had quite a few channels I had no business watching. I finally prayed, “ Lord, after all You’ve done for me I am not going to do this!” I committed myself not to turn on the television- Period!
It wasn’t long before I picked up my electric guitar and started strumming, Suddenly, God seemed to be saying, “ Well, here’s your gift for honoring Me tonight.” Words started to come, and I heard a song lyric: “That’s why we praise Him/That’s why we sing.” I grabbed some paper and started writing. I felt like God was telling me, “look what I can do with a little act of obedience.” Ministries Today, July/August 2003, Volume 21, Number 4, page 28
A Definition of Discipline would be: Delayed gratification: Jerry Bridges
ILLUS: How do you eat an Oreo Cookie? If you are like me, I first twist it to separate the cookie from the cream filling. Then I eat the cookie, leaving the reward of the cream for last. I eat my favorite cake, Yellow cake with chocolate frosting the same way. I eat the moist cake, then I have a layer of frosting waiting for me to consume. Discipline is putting off momentary gratification, for a lasting satisfaction at a later moment. Being a disciplined Christian means putting off the momentary pleasures of sin, and having an eternal reward later. Pastor David Schaal
D. Dependence on the Holy Spirit!
Let’s not make the mistake that 100% of the responsibility to live a righteous lifestyle is on our shoulders. We need to understand that we are both personally responsible and totally dependent in our pursuit of righteousness.
We cannot change our hearts, that is the exclusive work of the Holy Spirit. However we need to avail ourselves to the means that He uses.
To be “Transformed by the renewing of our minds, the word transformed means to change from within.
Change is one thing. Even an unsaved person can change for the better. That is why there are a lot of nice people out there who think they are going to work their way to heaven.
However, only the Holy Spirit can transform us from within, with new values and new desires.
Psalms 119:36-37 Turn my heart toward your statutes and not toward selfish gain. 37 Turn my eyes away from worthless things; preserve my life according to your word.
This same Psalmist, the same man who expressed his personal responsibility, here acknowledges total dependence upon God, to transform his thinking.
Acknowledging this will enable us to look for the Holy Spirits work in our lives.
E. God-centered desire!
God does not honor self-centered desires. This is the one reason we do not experience God’s transforming power in our lives on a daily basis.
God does not give us power so we can feel good about ourselves, he gives us power so we can obey him for His sake, for His glory.
The measure of sin is not, how it made me feel, but how it makes God feel.
Sin is a serious issue we must face if we are to be Authentic Christians. It is serious to God.
Obedience is a by-product of us yielding to our convictions.
When we sin, we need to understand that it is not about us. It is about God.
When we sin we get down on ourselves, we say things like: “I know better than that!” “What a looser I am!” Oh, I did it again!”
· Cain denied his sin
· Saul said- I have sinned, I was afraid of the people
· Judas Iscariot said- I sinned, I have betrayed innocent blood”
It is all about me syndrome.
David
Psalms 51:4 Against you, you only, have I sinned and done what is evil in your sight, so that you are proved right when you speak and justified when you judge.
Prodigal Son
Luke 15:21 "The son said to him, ’Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son.’
We need to look at sin as something that grieves the heart of God
CONCLUSION: If we are going to live Authentic Christian Lives, we need to be REAL. The first step is to “Live a Righteous Lifestyle”. Say no to the things of our former self, and say yes to the things of God. Understanding and living the elements of the Pursuit of Righteousness will enable us to live and Authentic Christian life.
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Unless otherwise stated: All “Scripture taken from HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan Publishing House.
The five Elements of Righteousness were developed from: The Practice of Godliness, by Jerry Bridges, 1983, NavPress
For further study on Righteousness and Holiness, the books The Pursuit of Holiness and The Practice of Godliness (By Jerry Bridges, NavPress), are recommended as a must read.
