A Call to Righteousness RECAP
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Intro
Intro
Wow… never in a million years would I have thought we wouldn’t be together here as a church for so long! When I preached this first message of this new series online, I knew some would be unable to watch; however, I had planned on giving you a “spark notes” recap the next week … and here we are so much later.
So, before you get to hear todays message, I want to catch you up on this series “A Call to Excellence.”
Christians, you are called to excellence in your life, your ministry, your vocation, your family, and your walk with Christ. Things are expected of you no matter what some may say. And, in order to be excellent in those things, we must work at them, practice them, rehearse them.
In order to be excellent, you must first be righteous.
To be righteous is to be first …
Moral
Moral
Morality is real. Right and wrong are real. And they are decided by God. You know right and wrong based on Scripture and the conviction you feel when you do wrong vs the assurance you feel when you do right.
Good and evil are choices. Right and wrong are choices. Choose wisely.
Obedient
Obedient
A righteous Christian will be moral, he or she will also be obedient.
Remember, the commandments of God are not burdensome when you realize each of them are for your own good and those commandments are good!
Without forsaking Scripture, choose others first, choose the least of these first. Put. others. first.
Be obedient to God by loving others even IN their sin while not loving or affirming their sin. Why?
Romans 5:8 “But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.”
Love
Love
Love, a call to love is a call to righteousness. A call to love is a call to excellence.
People will come to Christ more quickly if you treat them how Christ would.
Who did Christ love? The addict? The possessed? The prostitute? The liar? The doubter? The arguer? the thief?
Yes. Christ loved even you in your sin. So, love those around you.
Justice
Justice
As you love, do justice. Biblical justice.
Biblical justice is pleading the cause for the least of these, not just the ones we agree with.
Remember the prostitute at the feet of Jesus? Rescued and told to go and sin no more. Not lectured. Not hated. No spit on. Not stoned. But, loved.
Justice was done for her.
Here me closely: a call to righteousness is a call to Justice but a call to justice is not a call to affirm sin, but to love the sinner.