Preach The Righteousness of God
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· 3 viewsPreach the Righteousness of God Because He is watching, It keeps us from wandering and assures us of our future in Christs presence.
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Preach The Righteousness of God
Preach The Righteousness of God
If you were being lied to how would you know?
Pastor Dan is not a false teacher, but i would think that people who are sitting under false teaching feel he same way about their pastor.
How would you know?
What if all that this church were striving for was in fact not at all what Jesus would want.
How would you know?
Todd Barnett (Trust your gauges not your gut)
Main Idea,
Church, preach the righteousness of God found in your Bibles. God’s righteousness is the compass that keeps people from wandering, gives you purpose on earth, and will lead you to a rewarding life to come
I charge you in the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who is to judge the living and the dead, and by his appearing and his kingdom: preach the word; be ready in season and out of season; reprove, rebuke, and exhort, with complete patience and teaching. For the time is coming when people will not endure sound teaching, but having itching ears they will accumulate for themselves teachers to suit their own passions, and will turn away from listening to the truth and wander off into myths. As for you, always be sober-minded, endure suffering, do the work of an evangelist, fulfill your ministry.
For I am already being poured out as a drink offering, and the time of my departure has come. I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. Henceforth there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, will award to me on that day, and not only to me but also to all who have loved his appearing.
Pray
1. Preach the truth of God’s righteousness because the Judge is retuning (1-2)
I charge you in the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who is to judge the living and the dead, and by his appearing and his kingdom: preach the word; be ready in season and out of season; reprove, rebuke, and exhort, with complete patience and teaching.
Paul charges Timothy a legal term before two witnesses. In this case it is God and Jesus who is the judge of the living and the dead.
[Judicial and Kingdom Righteousness]
This judgement is aimed at the righteous and unrighteous.
The righteous we are told will inherit the Kingdom of God at Jesus’ appearing.
Those who reject His righteousness will remain dead in their trespass.
With God’s righteousness in mind Paul charges Timothy to preach the word in all readiness when it is popular or not.
He is to expose, correct and urge people away from their own passions and to see their unrighteousness before God.
This is to be done with great patience and teaching.
Illustration 1.
The parable of the master returning home in Luke twelve.
There is a compounding work that God does.
He prolongs His return so that lost can be saved to His kingdom
AND We can mature in righteousness.
When we fix our eyes on the things above an urgency arises within us to preach His righteousness and return.
So if you have been raised with the Messiah, seek what is above, where the Messiah is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on what is above, not on what is on the earth. For you have died, and your life is hidden with the Messiah in God.
Argumentation
God’s justice cannot overlook idolatry. However, in his love, He is wanting Timothy, his church and the church today, to make an appeal to the world through His Word.
The righteous One is coming therefore get right with God.
Application
Be ready to Preaching the word
Preach the word in season and out is when it is favorable and unfavorable.
When it leads to successes and suffering because we do not know who will have ears and hear.
Don’t you know that the unrighteous will not inherit God’s kingdom? Do not be deceived: No sexually immoral people, idolaters, adulterers, or anyone practicing homosexuality, no thieves, greedy people, drunkards, verbally abusive people, or swindlers will inherit God’s kingdom. And some of you used to be like this. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God.
But such were some of you.
But God used someone who was pursuing righteousness to
expose your unrighteousness,
correct the lies you were holding as true,
and urge you to surrender your self-righteousness and instead clothe yourself in his righteousness.
Likewise you must be ready to preach the righteousness of God to those around you knowing Christ is going to return.
2. Preach the truth of God’s righteousness because people are being deceived (3-5)
For the time is coming when people will not endure sound teaching, but having itching ears they will accumulate for themselves teachers to suit their own passions, and will turn away from listening to the truth and wander off into myths. As for you, always be sober-minded, endure suffering, do the work of an evangelist, fulfill your ministry.
A time is coming and is now when people will reject the notion of needing Christ’s righteousness.
Instead, they will turn from an outward need to instead need.
Timothy was to continue to preach against this type of idolatry.
Idolatry rooted in lusts, self-desires, and passions of the flesh.
This form of thinking places their trust in their own works and they turn their spiritual ear away from the truth
So faith comes from what is heard, and what is heard comes through the message about Christ.
Rather than seeing their own need for salvation through Christ they believe they could save themselves.
With that in mind, Paul also tells timothy how he and his church can avoid that slippery slope.
Be sober minded (drunks make unrighteous decisions, and they cannot spell righteousness backwards),
Endure suffering (avoid the myth that suffering is only for sinners),
Evangelize your faith (this is the antithesis of pursuing your own passions)
Fulfill your ministry (we are saved for his good works).
By doing those things and helping those who have wandered, you will avoid the trap of self-righteousness.
Illustration
Have you ever been lied to?
I remember on time watching my mother slide down the wall with the phone in hand because my dad had been lying to here for years and cheating on her.
During hat phone call she learned from my dad’s boss that dad had quit his job and ran off with one of the other employees to live in Florida.
My guess is that my mother probably missed some tells but she missed the clues because she was deceived.
Now, imagine if my mom were your sister, or your daughter a close friend and you knew she was deceived.
Would you step into that situation and tell her?
How would you tell her?
My hope would be that early detection would prevent the spiraling events that ensued and it would be worth all the intervening you needed to do in order to spare her years of pain.
But more importantly,
How would you tell her?
Would you say. You are so Foolish!
How can you be so naive!
What kind of a fool falls for such a liar as that?
No. You would
confront the situation,
expose the lie,
and urge her to do what is right.
That is how we should evangelize.
Early detection prevents eternal suffering. So speak but do so in love.
Tim Keller: How do you reach a generation like that?
Tim Keller: For my mother here righteousness was in her marriage. For others it is our jobs, still others relationships but when they fail us or we fail them it exposes that those things we are seeking for value, worth, righteousness are unable to what Jesus does. Forgive, and restore us in His righteousness.
I greatly rejoice in the Lord,
I exult in my God;
for He has clothed me with the garments of salvation
and wrapped me in a robe of righteousness,
as a groom wears a turban
and as a bride adorns herself with her jewels.
Argumentation
Paul understands the trusting nature of humanity and so he gives warning to Timothy so that he can avoid this trap of self-righteousness.
The anti venom of this is to be sober minded, endure suffering, evangelize and fulfill the ministry (the Good work God has created you for).
God’s righteousness comes from seeking Him not our selves.
A mind filled with self or the things of this world has no room for God.
Three myths, we have bought into as a church
for the last 200 years is from the Pentecostal healing movement and that is that God does not want you to suffer.
Suffering means sinning. But the apostles considered it an honor to suffer like Christ.
We make excuses as a church for why evangelism is not important although no one says that out loud.
We have a casual approach to serving in ministry.
If I have time after all the things that I want to do, then Ill serve.
Paul is saying make the will of God and the church first and then do all the other things otherwise you are giving your self over to your own desires and finding the company that agrees with you.
Application
I couldn’t preach this message without confronting you a little, or exposing a lie in your life.
When is the last time you used the word to expose a lie or urge someone to Christ?
If I were to call on you here and now, could you show me from the Bible how to lead someone to Jesus and away from self-righteousness?
This is why you should join small groups, get discipled, serve in a ministry and so you are ready to preach the word!
3. Preach the truth of God’s righteousness because it gives purpose and assurance (6-8)
For I am already being poured out as a drink offering, and the time of my departure has come. I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. Henceforth there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, will award to me on that day, and not only to me but also to all who have loved his appearing.
Paul uses His own life as an example of how one can endure all that he has and fulfill the same charge he is giving Timothy. He said, my life is poured out as an offering, meaning my life is a living worship to the Lord.
I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.
Paul knew his life was unworthy to know Jesus, but by Christ’s love, He gave Paul grace and has placed His stamp of righteousness on him.
Paul was coming to the end in this life,
He confident that he had
fought the good fight,
finished the race set before him and
kept the faith in all his suffering.
Paul knew that Jesus would be standing there ready to judge him when he died. And He was certain He would hear well done good and faithful servant and that a crown of Righteousness would be awarded to Him by non other than the judge of all righteousness.
Illustration
Paul uses his own life as an illustration (6-8).
What does fighting, finishing and keeping the faith look like for Paul?
Are they servants of Christ?
I’m talking like a madman—I’m a better one:
with far more labors,
many more imprisonments,
far worse beatings, near death many times.
Five times I received 39 lashes from Jews.
Three times I was beaten with rods by the Romans.
Once I was stoned by my enemies.
Three times I was shipwrecked.
I have spent a night and a day
in the open sea.
On frequent journeys, I faced
dangers from rivers,
dangers from robbers,
dangers from my own people,
dangers from the Gentiles,
dangers in the city,
dangers in the open country,
dangers on the sea,
and dangers among false brothers;
labor and hardship,
many sleepless nights, hunger and thirst,
often without food, cold, and lacking clothing.
Most people who would have seen Paul receive those things may have said “maybe Christianity isn’t for you…”
“Maybe you should adjust your approach, Paul.”
But Paul knew from the Word that He was in stride with Lord and He could look forward to standing before Christ.
Argumentation
Notice Paul did not list all the things he did first and then say he’s a living sacrifice.
That would have implied that he earned it.
That would be Paul resting in his own righteousness.
Instead, he says I made a commitment to worship the Lord with my whole life and it resulted in hard, hard, fought rode, but My faith kept me going knowing that I will see Jesus.
If his hope was in his occupation the crowds could have beat to the point he could no longer built tents.
If his hope was in his relationships the crowds could have killed them.
If his hope was in self righteousness many abandoned him being a criminal in jail.
But He loved Jesus, The Word, therefore he listened to the Word and He trusted Him and He clothed himself in Christ’s righteousness and that led to his assurance knowing that it could never be taken from him
Application
What assurance do you have?
How do you know you have saving faith and not just wishful thinking?
Do not be deceived!
Do not be just hearers of the word do what it says.
A life in Christ is a life fulfilling commited his ministry, evangelizing, enduring suffering for His names sake not yours!
Jesus was the only one who was able to live a perfectly righteous life and he was devoted to live a life of worship to the Father.
He preached the word, evangelized, endured much suffering and fulfilled His ministry, so that we could one day stand in His presence not by our own righteousness but His.
Don’t reject that gift, don’t lean on your own understanding- it could leave you upside down or crashed and burned. Instead seek Jesus and let him have your whole life so that you can also look lovingly at His return with all hope and assurance.
