Awaken to Righteousness

Today we are looking at Awakening to Righteousness! We confess this every week in our confession of faith. We say this line, “I’m hungering and thirsting after righteousness,” But we must always ask ourselves, are we really hungering and thirsting after righteousness. Or is that just something we say. You and I have to admit that we live in a world that has very little righteousness. Now before we start let me say this, righteousness is not legalism. Righteousness is motivated by God’s love while legalism is motivate by the law.

1 Corinthians 15:56 (NKJV)

56The sting of death is sin, and the strength of sin is the law.

Galatians 2:16 (NKJV)

16knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the law but by faith in Jesus Christ, even we have believed in Christ Jesus, that we might be justified by faith in Christ and not by the works of the law; for by the works of the law no flesh shall be justified.

So we are not talking about laying down the law. We’re talking about laying down God’s love. We need to remember that Jesus came because God so loved the world.

1 Corinthians 15:33–34 (NKJV)

33Do not be deceived: “Evil company corrupts good habits.” 

34Awake to righteousness, and do not sin; for some do not have the knowledge of God. I speak this to your shame.

We Must Watch Who We Hang With!

Even though we hate to admit it, we become like those we hang around with. If we always are with sarcastic people, we start to become sarcastic. If we hang around negative people, we become negative. Cocky begets cocky. Many times we can see what we’re like by watching our kids because when they are growing up, they imitate us and when their full grown it’s too late. I remember when I had a bad attitude at home growing up, especially during high school years, my mom would ask me, “Who you hanging around with cause that’s a pretty bad attitude you came home with. However, on the other hand, if we hang around positive people we become positive and when we hang with Godly people, we become Godly. And better yet, if we hang with God, we become more and more like Him.

The world that you and I live in is so subtle that if we don’t check who we’re with and just take for granted we can handle, it’s easy for us to go off track.

Romans 13:11–14 (NKJV)

11And do this, knowing the time, that now it is high time to awake out of sleep; for now our salvation is nearer than when we first believed. 

12The night is far spent, the day is at hand. Therefore let us cast off the works of darkness, and let us put on the armor of light. 

13Let us walk properly, as in the day, not in revelry and drunkenness, not in lewdness and lust, not in strife and envy. 

14But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh, to fulfill its lusts.

We Need to Live Righteously Because Time is Short!

Now we know that at any time, Jesus could come back. So we always think in that sense. But here’s a thought, our time is short. I’m, like people say, getting up there in years. But in reality, our time is short. We like to plan as if we’re going to live forever. We make bucket lists of things we plan do not realizing that time is short. For those of us on social security there are times I ask myself how did this happen so fast. One day we’re in school. Then we graduate, get married, have children, they grow and move away, then we’re empty nesters and we go home to be with Jesus. It’s really a blitz. The Bible tells us that life is like a vapor. So we need to awaken our righteousness and clothe ourselves with the presence of Jesus and get rid of the old life and the things we used to do.

Ephesians 5:8–14 (NKJV)

8For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Walk as children of light 

9(for the fruit of the Spirit is in all goodness, righteousness, and truth), 

10finding out what is acceptable to the Lord. 

11And have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather expose them. 

12For it is shameful even to speak of those things which are done by them in secret. 

13But all things that are exposed are made manifest by the light, for whatever makes manifest is light. 

14Therefore He says: “Awake, you who sleep, Arise from the dead, And Christ will give you light.”

Awakening Righteousness Brings His Light to All!

When we awaken righteousness our lives expose the world to the light that they so desperately need. When we awaken righteousness we also are able to awaken others to the light that is in Jesus. Light is definitely needed in this dark world we all live in. We all used to live in darkness and that is not what I ever want to do again. There is no hope in the darkness but there is hope in the light because we can see things we never were able to see before. Hope instead of hopelessness. That’s what righteousness does. Gives up hope because we are able to see ahead and that eliminates fear and darkness.

Matthew 5:14–16 (NKJV)

14“You are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hidden. 

15Nor 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. 

16Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven.

Awakening to Righteousness Lets the World See God!

One of the things that happens when we Awaken Righteousness in our lives is that we begin to live right and we begin to do things that bring glory to God. When people see how we live in God’s righteousness they will see our good works and give praise to God. We must awaken from our sleep and do the things that honor God. That way people will see God in us and not us. Let’s awaken righteousness in our lives and let’s prove God’s love and righteousness flows through us.