Do the Right Thing

Introduction:

"By any means necessary” seems to me to be an anthem of our culture today. We see it in politics, definitely in our movies and TV series (Example). The world is okay with shifting what is right around to accomplish it’s aims. How should Christians think about it?

(In our text today)

As a Christian witnesses, results are often less important than how we get there. We must always do the right thing.

Read Acts 22:30-23:11

Pray

Paul should and must do all that he can to make a defense for himself and the faith, but he must do it according to what is right and pleasing to God. After all, that’s what is truly right.

What is right is what pleases God, aligns with His revealed will, and brings glory to His name.

We please God by doing the right thing in the right way. Four points...

Be truthful and do right

(v.1-2) Paul’s claim to a clear conscience brought a harsh reaction. But he was being truthful.

The only way to have a clear conscience is truthfulness - honesty with self, God and with others.

Paul had a clear conscience because he had nothing to hide.

He didn’t do everything right all the time. He calls himself a wretched man, and the chief of sinners! (Romans 7:14-25, 1 Timothy 1:15). However he was honest, a man of integrity.

Integrity is being the same through and through. A piece of wood with rot, or compromised by insect damage is not a piece that can be built with. It lacks integrity, not solid throughout.

Ex. Dog with an overgrown dew claw.

Real help only comes by allowing the healing light of truth to shine on every dark, murky, sin-infected area in our hearts and our lives. It may hurt. It may go against every natural instinct, but it truly is the way to healing, integrity and and freedom.

As believers, we are to do what we do with integrity. We are called to be truthful, and do right.

How do we know what is true and right? It isn’t that difficult. Our consciences know it, generally (God’s image and all that). We follow that, and then further develop such knowledge through the revelation of God’s Holy Word.

John 8:32 (NKJV)

32 And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.”

John 17:17 (NKJV)

17 Sanctify them by Your truth. Your word is truth.

God’s truth is a lens or a light that when pointed at an area, illumines and gives clear perspective on what is there.

It reveals God - shedding light on who God is, how He relates to us and what He is doing.

It reveals us and the world around us - giving perspective on who we are, where we come from, and where we are going.

It reveals Christ - our suffering, dying, resurrected Lord and Savior!

God’s truth, is what frees and sanctifies us. It makes clear both our sinfulness before God, and His great mercy and love towards us in Christ.

Must be willing to pay the price of such illumination.

Paul was telling the truth, but it came with a cost - v.2 - Truth always comes with a cost.

Back in 2006, former vice president Al Gore spearheaded a campaign to educate the public about global warming. His efforts were captured in a documentary called “An Inconvenient Truth”

While I cannot, and will not try to argue for or against global warming - the title itself made a critical point.

Truth - even if it is inconvenient or contrary to our liking - must be dealt with.

Ex. Balance of our bank account. The weather. Sin, righteousness and judgement before God.

Truth is knowledge. Truthfulness is doing something about it. Action is the cost of truth.

When confronted with the truth that the temperature is 0 outside, you must dress accordingly or pay the consequences. When confronted with the truth of who Jesus is and what He has done, it is the same. In either case, to not act does not change the reality.

Avoiding the truth, or attacking the messenger of truth does not change the truth. It just leaves us with heavy, dirty consciences which tax our hearts and minds as we carry around our sin. It need not be so. You can be relieved of your burden. You can walk in integrity. That’s what Paul did.

We must be willing to shine the light of God’s truth in every direction, both inward and outward, far and near, left and right. Whatever it uncovers, we must deal with it (Matthew 7:3-5).

May we not be guilty of shining it only where we think it costs us the least.

Are there areas in your life that need the light of truth applied? Be truthful, and do right.

For a truly clear conscience, we must respond with repentance towards God and faith in the Lord Jesus. Initially, for salvation and then daily in our Christian life.

Know and act on the truth. Be truthful, and do right.

Be repentant and do right

(v.3-5)

Doing the right thing means admitting when you’re wrong.

You cannot truly do right apart from a relationship with God.

“What is right, is what pleases God, aligns with His revealed will, and brings glory to His name”

Hebrews 11:6 (NASB95)

6 And without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is and that He is a rewarder of those who seek Him.

The starting point to a relationship with God is repentance. It starts with recognition of wrong done (sin), and progresses to a Holy Spirit enabled change of heart and mind, that brings a change of direction. Turning. When we've done wrong, the only way forward is to turn/change/repent, then go the right way by faith in Christ.

Paul was ready to stand boldly for what’s right, but he was just as ready to admit when he was wrong.

Paul was 100% correct in his accusation against this wicked high priest. However, he violated the respect due to the office (v.3-5). He admitted he was wrong.

What a difference it would make if people simply took responsibility and admitted when they were wrong! (Myself included! - no excuses, no blaming, just addressing the revealing the light of truth in honesty!

Ex. Back in August the US withdrew our troops from Afghanistan and surrendered to the Taliban. We saw images of them driving our tanks through the streets as they took over and thousands of people were stranded in harms way with no way to leave.

When confronted about the chaos of the withdrawal, President Biden began to point fingers at the former president instead of taking responsibility for his own administrations decisions and actions.

Casting blame or making excuses just leaves one without credibility and without the trust of those around them. People will respect imperfect people who take responsibility for their wrong actions. Let’s pray for more repentance by leaders and in our society at large.

Repentance is a gift!

We get to repent

Because of Jesus we have the promise of 1 John 1:9.

1 John 1:9 (NASB95)

9 If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

Because of his death, He is righteous when forgiving our sins, and because of his perfect righteousness, he is able to cleanse us from all unrighteousness as his moral perfection is placed to our account.

We have every reason to admit our wrongs and change direction! Grace frees us to do so before God! We must not let our pride keep us from doing so with others.

We get to help each other by modeling repentance.

Parent should model this for their kids. Husbands for their wives. Church members for each other!

Yes, we do okay at calling each other to repentance at times. But, what might it do for your brother to see you shedding tears at the altar, or asking for specific prayer as you strive for change in the battle against sin!?

Not simply a one and done at conversion. Doing the right thing requires constant adjustment, constant repentance.

Don’t let pride get in the way of freedom and growth. Be repentant and do right.

Be strategic and do right

(v.6-10)

When we discover the truth, and we know what is right, we must then be skillful in how we act in order to bring it about.

I am not saying we compromise the truth, or that we manipulate to get to a certain desired outcome, but that we use our heads.

While we don’t always practice it, we all understand that that it is best to think before speaking, posting, or taking some action. So it is with most things in life. If we spent time considering how we do what we do, we may be far more effective in doing it! Do right, but do it thoughtfully!

Consider Paul.

Innocent and falsely accused, he was not likely to get a just hearing by this biased council

So Paul, understanding the deep divide between Pharisees and Sadducees immediately acts to use their internal quarrel to his advantage. (v.6-9)

He gave the Pharisees a way to promote their own beliefs by believing his testimony - or at least that it was possible.

This wasn’t dishonest, or wrong, just strategic.

What ensued is that the entire hearing got disrupted - distraction by dissension

By the way, this is a tactic used all the time

Ex. PsyOps - Social Media campaigns by foreign governments aimed at stirring up division and disunity. They don’t care who get’s elected, or if we get vaccinated or not. They will use whatever conflicts we have to weaken us by widening the division and causing further distrust in our societal structures.

Satan does this as well, stirring up controversy in the church and keeping us focused on things that divide instead of unified over the primary truths. It’s strategy.

We must be thoughtful in our Spiritual work.

What is your strategy for growth, brother/sister? What are you doing this year, this month, this week to defeat sin and grow in righteousness?

God saves us by grace, even sanctifies us by His grace. However, as we are renewed in our minds and hearts, He calls us to be wise, carefully walking in His ways.

Proverbs 16:9 NASB95

9 The mind of man plans his way, But the Lord directs his steps.

Growth is never only by our efforts, but neither is it completely apart from them!

We need this as a church. How will we do what we are called to do? What will our strategies be, as we endeavor to fulfill God’s will for us as a body in this and our surrounding communities?

I am developing a list of priorities and general plan that we will focus on as a church, so we can begin to be more intentional in doing right.

This isn’t just a spiritual principle either, though is it?

We can be thoughtful and intentional in our relationships, in our vocations and our management of our homes.

Is there an area in your life that needs attention? Be strategic! Get help, information, resources. Then take action.

God made us to manage, take dominion and rule for His Name’s sake. It honors Him when we get the information we need, and take action to make things right!

It is critical though, that while we plan and work strategically for what is right, that we are trusting God is in control of the outcomes. We close with this...

Believe God and do right

(v.11)

God was working out his witness from Acts 1:8. Even as Paul was sharing truth and skillfully defending himself and the church, God was using every opportunity, every twist and turn of circumstance to fulfill His good plan. He still is today.

Paul would do what he could, but is reminded of what he knew - God is in control. The outcomes are the Lord’s. His duty (and ours) is simply to do what is right.

Proverbs 3:5–6 NASB95

5 Trust in the Lord with all your heart And do not lean on your own understanding. 6 In all your ways acknowledge Him, And He will make your paths straight.

Believe God’s truth, His character, His promise and plan.

Christ is the object of our belief, the security of every promise and the hope for every moment. We believe God because of the Resurrected Savior, and we believe God through the resurrected Savior. In Him every promise is as sure and certain as the resurrection itself.

Do the right thing and trust God. Not simply a frame of mind or feeling of warmth, but a way of living.

Summary:

What we do matters, but so does how we do it. We do what we do for and in the Lord.