Jesus Christ: Our Righteousness

Righteousness.  A big word.  A confusing word.  An extremely important word.  Righteousness in its simplest definition is being in right relationship with God and with others.  To be righteous is to relate with God according to His standard of what is right.  To be righteous is to relate with others according to God’s standard of what is right.  God created us for the purpose of righteousness.  God is perfectly righteous and He demands nothing less than perfect righteousness from us.  Righteousness is not just a moral option we choose to accept or reject, it is something that our creator God requires that we possess.  There are eternal consequences for being unrighteous.  So, how do we obtain righteousness?

600 years prior to Jesus arrival on the earth the prophet Jeremiah said, “Behold, the days are coming, declares the Lord, when I will raise up for David a righteous Branch, and he shall reign as king and deal wisely, and shall execute justice and righteousness in the land . . . And this is the name by which he will be called:  The Lord is our righteousness” (Jeremiah 23:5-6, cf 33:15-16).  Jesus Christ is the righteous Branch through whom we are able to obtain righteousness ourselves!

READ:  Romans 3:10-26

God’s ultimate plan for making us righteous was a person!  Right relationship with God and others is only possible through a relationship with Christ. Jesus Christ provides RIGHTEOUSNESS for us by paying the penalty for our UNRIGHTEOUSNESS on the cross!  Without Jesus Christ, we would be without hope of obtaining the righteousness demanded by God.  What has Jesus Christ done in order to be our righteousness?

Jesus Christ knows that we are NOT righteous (Rom. 3:10, 23) – The standard of righteousness is perfection.  This is bad news because we are more capable of jumping to the moon than we are capable of being righteous before God!  Instead of living righteously, we “sin”.  “No one is righteous, no, not one”.  Very simply . . . SIN = UNRIGHTEOUSNESS.  I am not righteous, you are not righteous, none of us are.  “All (of us) have sinned and fall short of the glory of God”.  Knowing that we are not righteous and the necessity of us to be righteous, Jesus offered Himself.

Jesus Christ MANIFESTED righteousness to us (Rom. 3:21) – Through Jesus’ life, He reveals to us what perfect righteousness is.  We can see what it looks like with our eyes.  We can hear what it sounds like with our ears.  It’s been revealed to us in a clear and unmistakable way!  1 John 2:1 says, “I am writing these things to you so that you may not sin.  But if anyone does sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous.”  Righteous is an adjective that describes Jesus Christ.  Jesus Christ was not somewhat righteous.  He was not righteous for a period of time.  He was perfectly righteous, and for all of us who do sin, Jesus Christ is our righteous helper before the Father who demands sinless righteousness!

Jesus Christ graciously PAID for our righteousness with His blood (Romans 3:22, 24-26) – The word translated “justified” in verse 24 is simply the verb form of the noun “righteousness” or the adjective “righteous”.  Therefore, the word translated “justified” could also be translated “have been made righteous”.  To be made righteous is to be as if we’d never sinned.  By sending Jesus to be the propitiation for our sin by His blood, God justifies us or makes us righteous.  A propitiation is a sacrifice that satisfies the just punishment of God’s wrath.  Jesus Christ sacrificed His life by shedding His blood in order to satisfy the wrath that we deserve for our sin.  Jesus Christ willingly received the consequence and paid the ultimate penalty for our sin . . . with His blood.  Another beautiful aspect of the word “justified” is that it is in the passive voice which means that “all (of us who) have sinned” did nothing in the process of being made righteous.  God did the work of justification, making us right, through the blood of Christ.  We are simply recipients of this underserved gift of God’s grace!

CONCLUSION
Romans 5:1 says, “Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ”.  PEACE . . . any relationship unhindered by anxiety, worry, disappointment, frustration, bitterness, fear, anger, hostility, or violence.  Jesus Christ accomplished peace in our relationship with God and others by making us righteous.  Perfect righteousness is only obtainable through Jesus Christ.  We must receive the gracious gift of righteousness by putting faith in Jesus’ work on the cross (Rom. 3:22, 25-26).  Have you received the righteousness from Jesus Christ that allows you to be at peace with God?

Restoring Right Relationship

Relationships can be fixed. God has given us a way to mend a broken relationship.  It may seem impossible.  It may seem like there is no hope.  The sadness, disappointment, and the frustration may be too great.  The hurt, sorrow, and pain may go too deep.  The accusations and lies may have gone too far.  The insensitivity and cruelty may have been too much.  Don’t despair, just as the human body is capable of healing from physical injury and wounds, we are capable of experiencing relational healing as well!  The process is not easy, but healing starts in our relationship with God.  Let’s take another look at King David as an example . . .

READ:  Psalm 51:1-19

According to the title, King David wrote Psalm 51, “when Nathan the prophet went to him, after he had gone in to Bathsheba”.  Psalm 51 is a prayer to God, revealing in greater depth, David’s attitude of repentance and confession that we first see in 2 Samuel 12:13 when he said, “I have sinned against the Lord”.  Psalm 51 provides us a practical example of how CONFESSING our sin to God RESTORES a right relationship with Him and with others!  After David was convicted of his sin, David recognizes there is NOTHING he can do to make things right, he can’t undo a pregnancy, he can’t bring a dead husband back to life, and so he humbly cries out to God for “mercy” (Ps. 51:1).  He acknowledges that the only acceptable response to God is a genuinely “broken spirit” and a “contrite heart” (Ps. 51:3-5, 17).  No matter what relational sin we have committed, when we confess it to God, He does all the work of forgiving us and restoring us back to right relationship with Him and others!  What does God do when we confess our relational sin and ask Him for mercy?

God WASHES us CLEAN from the stain of sin (Ps. 51:1-2, 7-9) – Water works miracles to remove dirt and stains.  That’s why parents’ demand that children take a bath/shower every day!  David uses several words including “blot out” (vss 1, 9), “wash” (vss 2, 7), “cleanse” (vs 2), and “purge” (vs 7) to describe the forgiveness he knew was necessary to remove the relational sin from his life.  1 John 1:9 says, “if we confess our sins, His is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness (cf Mt. 6:12; 1 Cor. 6:9-11; Tit. 3:3-7)”.  When we confess our relational sin to God, He mercifully gives us a spiritual “bath” and removes the relational “stain” of sin that is in our lives.

God creates a new HEART in us (Ps. 51:10) – Anne Frank once said, "In spite of everything, I still believe that people are really good at heart."  While I think we would all love for this to be true, evidenced by all of our behavior, it is not.  Matthew 15:19 says, “out of the heart come evil thoughts, murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false witness, slander.” When David was confronted with his sin, He did not try to justify his actions, he did not try to place blame one someone else, he understood that the source of his relational sin was his own evil and sinful heart.  David wrote in Psalm 24:3-4, “Who shall ascend the hill of the Lord? And who shall stand in His holy place? He who has clean hands and a pure heart”.  Being in right relationship with God and others requires a newly cleaned heart and God is the only one who is able, in His mercy, to give it to us (Jer 24:7; Ez. 11:19; 36:26).  When we confess our relational sin to God, He mercifully gives us a new heart which becomes our source of right relationship with God and others.

God removes the SEPARATION from Him that is caused by sin (Ps. 51:11) – Relational sin builds an impenetrable wall of division and hostility between us and God.  Every time we break one of God’s Ten Rules we cement another brick in the wall that separates us from God.  David recognized that his relational sin had built a wall that was preventing him from being in God’s “presence”.  By confessing his relational sin, David was asking God to knock down the wall that separated them.  Ephesians 2:13-16 says, “in Christ Jesus (we) who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ.  For He Himself is our peace, who . . . has broken down in His flesh the dividing wall of hostility . . . so making peace, and (reconciling) . . . to God . . . through the cross, thereby killing the hostility”.  When we confess our relational sin to God, He mercifully knocks down the wall of hostility that exists between us allowing us to be in His presence.

CONCLUSION
The greatest benefit of right relationship is JOY, a deep inner sense of happiness or pleasure.  Too often, our sin interrupts the joy God wants us to share with Him and others.  Whatever sin we have committed to interrupt our joy with God or others, if we confess it to God with a broken and contrite heart, in His mercy, He will forgive us, restore our right relationship, and allow us to experience the joy of right relationship once again!  Is there any relational sin in your life that you need to confess to God that is preventing you from experiencing the joy of right relationship with God and others?

Destroying Right Relationship

Relationships are fragile. It doesn’t take much to damage a relationship.  An “innocent” word of gossip.  An untimely “joke” (Prov. 26:18).  Making a false accusation.  Telling a little “white” lie.  Falsely criticizing or placing blame on others.  Showing favoritism.  Acting selfishly, prideful, or arrogant.  Being rude or unthoughtful.  Being jealous over a friendship.  In varying degree, every interaction we have with others has the potential to build the relationship or damage the relationship.  In contrast to αγαπη love, which promotes right relationship, there are an infinite number of things we can do to damage right relationship.  Take King David for example . . .

READ:  2 Samuel 11-12 (11:1-9, 11:14-17, 11:26-12:7, 12:10-14)

It’s obvious from this story that relational sin DESTROYS a right relationship with GOD and with OTHERS!  David committed sin by breaking several of God’s Ten Rules of right relationship.  David broke the 10th rule first, “you shall not covet your neighbor’s wife” (Deut. 5:21).  David broke the 7th rule next, “you should not commit adultery” (Deut. 5:18).  David went on to break the 9th commandment, “you should not bear false witness against your neighbor” (Deut. 5:20) and the 6th commandment, “you should not murder” (Deut. 5:17).  It is no surprise that what David did “displeased the Lord”, was “evil” in His sight, and “utterly scorned” Him (2 Sam. 11:27, 12:9, 14).  Relational sin is serious and we must take to heart what happens when we commit relational sin.  What do we learn about relational sin from King David?

Relational sin starts SMALL (2 Sam. 11:1-3) – David makes some small and seemingly innocent mistakes early on in this story . . . 1)  David “remained” in Jerusalem during a “time when kings go out to battle”, 2) His eyes “saw” Bathsheba, and 3) He “inquired” about Bathsheba. Small decisions that fed a growing temptation to which he ultimately gave in.  James 1:14-15 says, “each person is tempted when he is lured and enticed by his own desire.  Then desire when it has conceived gives birth to sin, and sin when it is fully grown brings forth death.”  We all have the potential within us to commit awful relational sin!  Our best defense against major relational sin is living with integrity and character in the smaller, seemingly less important areas of our lives.

Relational sin has a wide-spreading negative IMPACT (2 Sam. 11:3, 6-26) – David’s sin involved more than just him and Bathsheba.  David’s sin involved “Eliam”, Bathsheba’s father, “Uriah”, Bathsheba’s husband, and “Joab”, David’s military commander.  These individuals experienced sadness, deception, and even death as a result of David’s relational sin.  When we sin, it’s easy to minimize it and think we are not hurting anyone else, but in reality, all relational sin inadvertently includes a significant number of other relationships whether we realize it or not.

Relational sin can be FORGIVEN (2 Samuel 12:13) – When David is confronted by Nathan with His sin he says, “I have sinned against the Lord”.  David recognized that His primary offense was against God!  As a result of David’s confession his sins were “put away”.  Amazingly, God forgives relational sin when we are repentant.  1 John 1:9 says, “if we confess our sins, (God) is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness”.  Confessing our relational sin to God and against God is the first step in restoring right relationship with God and with others.

Relational sin has serious ongoing CONSEQUENCES (2 Samuel 12:10-12, 14) – Although David was repentant, confessed His sin, and was forgiven, God did not remove the future consequences of His sin.  God raised up “evil” against David from within his own house, his wives would be publically taken from him, and the child he bore with Bathsheba would “die”.  The consequences of David’s sin would go with him the rest of his life, bringing intense sadness and hardship. Relational sin can be forgiven, but the after-effects will go with us the rest of our lives.

CONCLUSION
In spite of David’s sin, God considered him a “man after (His) heart” (Acts 13:22).  Being a man or woman after God’s own heart does not require relational perfection or sinlessness.  In fact, it appears that we can make some pretty big mistakes.  But, it definitely means that when we do sin in relationship we humble ourselves and admit to God we have sinned and go through the process of making it right.  Are you a man or woman after God’s own heart?

The Golden Rule of Right Relationship

There are some people who are just really hard to love . . . and for good reason!  During my years as a counselor at East Iowa Bible Camp, there were a handful of campers who were hard to love.  One particular camper made it his mission to see me get angry by trying to throw a bucket of water on me every opportunity he got.  He would hop out from hiding behind a building and try to soak me, but since he had pre-warned me that he was going to do this, I was alert and he was never able to accomplish this cruel mission (this made him even more upset).  Although he made every effort get me to respond with anger by his intentional mistreatment of me, I continued to try and demonstrate love toward him in my words and actions.  When others mistreat us, it is hard, if not impossible, to love them in return.  And yet, that is the required response if we want to be in right relationship!

READ:  Luke 6:27-36

DOING to others what we wish they would DO to us is how we put God’s one rule of love into PRACTICE!  What we refer to as The Golden Rule in verse 31 is Jesus’ re-statement of the Old Testament Royal Law found in Leviticus 19:18 to, “love your neighbor as yourself”.  In a parallel text in Mt. 7:12 Jesus equates the golden rule with loving your neighbor by saying, “So whatever you wish that others would do to you, do also to them, for this is the Law and the Prophets.”  The Golden Rule is Jesus' new definition of how we are to demonstrate love.  In as much as we apply this ONE GOLDEN RULE in our interaction with others we will be fulfilling ALL of God's relational rules!  How do we put the Golden Rule into practice in relationships?

Put love into practice by returning KINDNESS for EVIL (Lk. 6:27-30) – In verses 27-30 there are six imperatives, or six things that Jesus said we MUST do for those who have mistreated us in some way (love, do good, bless, pray, offer, give, do not demand).  I do not intend to define each and every one of these imperatives, but I believe Paul summarizes Jesus’ teaching in Romans 12:21 by saying, “do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.”  When we are hated, cursed at, abused, used, and mistreated we are going to want to return the favor.  It is in these circumstances that we need to put the GOLDEN RULE into practice.  No matter what type of evil or mistreatment has been done to us, we must respond by doing to them what we wish they would do to us!

Put love into practice by doing MORE than EXPECTED (Lk. 6:32-34) – In verses 32-34 Jesus is saying that demonstrating love is not doing the minimum of what is required.  By doing the minimum we are not being any different than the rest of the world.  Even sinners have the ability to reciprocate love.  When we have been unloved, no good has been done to us, and have lended and not received anything in return we are going to want to withhold our love.  It is in these circumstances that we need to put the GOLDEN RULE into practice.  No matter whether others deserve it, we must respond by doing to them what we wish they would do to us!

Put love into practice by expecting to get NOTHING in RETURN (Lk. 6:34-35) – In verses 34-35 Jesus is saying that our demonstrations of love are NOT impressive when we gain back as much as we gave away.  When we offer a favor, lend money, or do a good deed to another we will naturally want to be acknowledged or be repaid.  It is in these circumstances that we need to put the GOLDEN RULE into practice.  No matter how unfair it may seem, we must respond by doing to them what we wish they would do to us!

CONCLUSION
According to verse 35, God shows us how to put the Golden Rule into practice by being “kind to the ungrateful and the evil”.  In verse 36, Jesus summarizes the Golden rule into a two word command “BE MERCIFUL”.  Ultimately, doing to others what we wish they would do to us is a god-like act of kindness and mercy!  By treating others with kindness and mercy they get to taste God’s merciful love toward us.  What relationship in your life do you need to put God’s one rule of love into practice?

The Ultimate Expression of Right Relationship

Our student ministry takes several overnight trips throughout the year.  Before we depart I gather everyone into a circle where I give my initial ONE RULE for the trip . . . respect and obey the adult leaders going on the trip!  In my small mind this ONE RULE requires the students to obey all the “other” rules that we as adults will make up all along the rest of the way.  Not confusing, not hard to remember, simply DO EVERYTHING the adult leaders ask.  Wouldn’t it be nice if in order to be FULLY obedient to God there was just . . . ONE RULE!?!

READ: Leviticus 19:18

God’s ONE RULE of right relationship is LOVE!  Although the Old Testament law is made up of hundreds of relational, social, and civil laws (including the 10 commandments) in order that we might know how to be in right relationship with God and others, Jewish scholars believed Leviticus 19:18 summarized all the laws in the Old Testament.  The New Testament quotes or alludes to Leviticus 19:18 several times in order to explain that through the action of LOVE we fulfill (obey) the entire Law and Prophets.  For example, Romans 13:8-10 says, “Owe no one anything, except to love each other, for the one who loves another has fulfilled the law. For the commandments, “You shall not commit adultery, You shall not murder, You shall not steal, You shall not covet,” and any other commandment, are summed up in this word: “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” Love does no wrong to a neighbor; therefore love is the fulfilling of the law (cf Gal. 5:14; Jms. 2:8)”.

Jesus agreed that the single most important relational rule is LOVE.  In Matthew 22:36-40 Jesus was asked what the greatest rule in the Old Testament law was and He replied, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the great and first commandment. And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. On these two commandments depend all the Law and the Prophets”  God’s one rule, the ultimate expression of right relationship is . . . LOVE!  This one rule, if obeyed, allows us to simultaneously obey all other rules God has revealed to us.  What is αγαπη love?  Aγαπη love has 4 important characteristics . . .

Aγαπη love is SELFLESS and SACRIFICIAL – Loving requires putting others’ interests, wants, and desires above our own (Phil. 2:3-4).  Love is willing to serve by placing high value and worth on others.  How can I put the other person’s interests above my own in this relationship?

Aγαπη love is an ACTION or DEED that meets a NEED – Loving recognizes and responds to the needs of others (Luke 10:25-37; 1 John 3:17-18).  Love is willing to be merciful and compassionate toward others.  What are the greatest needs of the other person in this relationship?

Aγαπη love is for the GOOD or BENEFIT of others – Loving results in others’ experiencing good, blessing, benefit, or pleasure.  Love is willing to benevolent and charitable toward others (Gal. 6:9; 1 Thes. 5:15).  What can I say or do in this relationship that will bring the other person joy or blessing?

Aγαπη love is a Spirit-led DECISION – Loving is a spiritually rational choice (1 John 4:19).  Love is not based on feeling or preference but a decision of the will to treat others in the way God treats us.  How does God’s love for me help me to choose to love in this relationship?

CONCLUSION
1 Corinthians 13:8 says that “LOVE NEVER FAILS”!  Love is failproof in relationships.  You can’t go wrong if you love in relationships.  Love will always, 100% of the time, be the right thing to do in relationship.  Right relationship with others is dependent upon how willing we are to be loving toward them!  Don’t forget, αγαπη love is the way God relates us!  Are you ready to relate with others according to God’s one “never failing” rule of love?

The Rules of Right Relationship

Rules dominate every area of our lives.  There are rules for everything.  Rules about how fast we can move on a pool deck, “no running”.  Rules about entering a business, “no shoes, no shirt, no service”.  Rules about how fast to drive.  Rules about politeness and etiquette.  Rules about clothing and fashion.  Rules make life complicated, but they are important because they make known necessary boundaries and expectations.  Rules are important because they provide safety and security.  Rules are important because they provide a fixed standard that applies to all people, in all places, at all times.  Wouldn’t it be nice if life had a list of rules to live by?

READ: Exodus 20:1-17

God created humanity in His relational image.  Humanity was given God’s relational nature.  And just like everything else in life there are rules for relationship. Therefore, God revealed TEN RULES to establish the STANDARD of a right relationship with Him and with others!  The Ten Rules, more popularly known as the Ten Commandments, were revealed to the people of Israel during their wandering in the wilderness after God used Moses to deliver them from slavery in Egypt.  The Ten Rules were spoken by God directly to the people and written on tablets of stone by the “finger of God” (Ex. 24:12, 31:18, 32:16).  God said that those who obeyed these Rules were His “treasured possession” (Ex. 19:5).  Many consider these Rules archaic and out of date, but when we obey them, life tends to work.  When we don’t obey these rules, life tends to be more challenging and difficult.  What are the 10 rules of right relationship with God and others?

Rules for being in right relationship with GOD (Exodus 20:3-11) – The first 4 commandments are rules for our relationship with God.  God revealed to humanity His expectation of how we are to relate with Him.  Obeying these rules bring about God’s blessing and favor while disobeying these rules bring about God’s curse and displeasure.
No Other GODS Before Me (vs 3) – We are to give our whole lives in worship to the one true God and Him alone (Ex. 23:13; Deut. 13:1-18; Rom. 12:1-2).
Do not make for yourself a CARVED image (vs 4-6) – We are to worship God, as He is, in spirit and truth (Lev. 19:4; John 4:23-24).
Do not take the name of the Lord your God in VAIN (vs 7) – We are to use God’s name and speak about Him in a worthy and reverent manner (Lev. 19:12).
Remember the SABBATH day, to keep it HOLY (vs 8-11) – We are to physically rest and devote ourselves to the Lord 1 day out of 7 (Ex. 31:12-17; Lev. 23:3).

Rules for being in right relationship with OTHERS (Exodus 20:12-17) – The final 6 commandments are rules for our relationship with others.  God Himself revealed to humanity His expectation of how were are to relate with one another.  When we live obediently to these rules our relationships will be characterized by harmony and peace while living disobediently to these rules will result in tension and division.
HONOR your father and your mother (vs 12) – We are to give our parents honor, respect, and obedience as a result of the authority given to them by God (Ex. 21:15, 17; Lev. 19:3; Deut. 21:18-21; Eph. 6:1-13).
Do not MURDER (vs 13) – We are to value and protect the life of other human beings (Lev. 24:17, 21).
Do not commit ADULTERY (vs 14) – Marital companions are to experience and enjoy sex only with their husband or wife (Lev. 20:10; Deut. 22:22).
Do not STEAL (vs 15) – We are to acquire our own property and possessions rightly through hard work.
Do not bear FALSE witness (vs 16) – We are to speak honestly and truthfully to and about others.
Do not COVET (vs 17) – We are to be content and satisfied with our property and possessions.

CONCLUSION
READ: Deuteronomy 30:15-20 God did not establish these Ten Rules as suggestions, they were established as requirements to be obeyed.  God reveled His Ten Rules to us and we must choose whether we are going to obey. The consequence of our choice is either life or death, blessing or curse.  Right relationship with God and others depends on our desire and efforts to live according to these God-established Rules.  Is it your desire to obey and live by God’s Ten Rules of right relationship?

Right Relationship is an Act of Faith

Our beliefs have a dramatic impact on our lives.  We hold a belief when we are convinced that something is true or right.  Our beliefs determine how we interact with and experience reality.  For example, what we believe about gravity dramatically impacts whether we are willing to walk off the edge of a cliff or not.  This example reveals that our beliefs, whether true and right or false and wrong, have very different consequences and outcomes.  Therefore, it is important that all, or as many of our beliefs as possible, align with what is true and right in reality.

Our beliefs have a dramatic impact on our ability to have a right relationship with God and others.  The foundation of right relationship is BELIEVING what is right and true!  RIGHTEOUSNESS = to be in RIGHT RELATIONSHIP.  God Himself is perfectly righteous, He is the STANDARD of right relationship.  In order for us to be in relationship with God we must be righteous as well.  The bad news is, none of us is righteous. So, how does unrighteous humanity obtain righteousness?  We obtain it in the exact same way Abraham did!  Genesis 15:6 says that “(Abraham) believed the Lord, and He counted it to him as righteousness.”  Throughout Abraham’s life he believed God and acted obediently according to His words.  Abraham believed God when He told him he was going to have a son in his old age (Gen. 15:4-5), he believed God when He told him to be circumcised (Gen. 17:10-14), and he believed God when He told him to offer his son Isaac as a sacrifice (Gen. 22:1-12).  In each of these instances Abraham believed and obeyed.  The foundation of Abraham’s obedience was His belief.  BELIEF/FAITH = FULLY CONVINCED that God and His Word are TRUE.  What is the result of believing what is right and true?

Belief/Faith in God results in us BEING right in relationship (Romans 4:1-5) – In most areas of life we receive what is due for our work.  We are due a paycheck based on the hours we work we do at a job.  We are due a grade based on the work we put into studying for a test.  In contrast, in our relationship with God we “do NOT work but believe in Him who justifies the ungodly” in order to be counted as “righteous”.  Right Relationship Tip #1: Righteousness can only be obtained from God as a gift as a result of our belief in Jesus’ work on the cross.  Romans 3:22 says, “the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all who believe.”  Jesus Christ has done all the work necessary for us to be in right relationship with God!  Righteousness is a gift of grace from God through Jesus Christ for all of us who believe.  At the moment we believe, righteousness is “counted” to us (Romans 4:22-25).

Belief/Faith in God results in us DOING right in relationship (James 2:14-24) – While belief is all we need to be righteous before God, there is at the same time work to be done.  Righteousness is not just a spiritual thing, it is a practical thing as well.  Being right results in doing right.  That’s why James uses Abraham as an example when he asks the question, “was not Abraham our father justified by his works”, his “faith was active along with his works, and faith was completed by his works.”  Abraham’s righteousness (which he obtained by faith) at the same time, expressed itself in real life!  Right Relationship Tip #2:  Belief is proved genuine by obediently doing righteous actions in relationship.  If we believe, if we are fully convinced that God and His Word are right and true, our belief will simultaneously have a dramatic impact on what we do in our real lives.  If we believe God, it will result in the righteous works of love, kindness, goodness, patience, and forgiveness etc we do in relationship with others.

CONCLUSION
Right relationship (righteousness) with God and others starts with belief/faith! What has God revealed to us that we must believe in order to have a right relationship with Him?  We must . . . 1) Believe that God EXISTS, LOVES us, and wants a RELATIONSHIP with us, 2) Believe that our SIN destroys our relationship with Him, 3) Believe that JESUS died on the cross to pay the penalty for our sin, 4) Believe that Jesus death provides FORGIVENESS for our sin and restores RIGHT RELATIONSHIP with Him. Do you believe?  Our righteousness before God and our righteousness before others depends on it.

Right Relationship Begins With the Family

Where do babies come from?  At some point, every child asks this embarrassing question and the answer usually has something to do with “the birds and the bees”.  It should not be too shocking of a revelation that babies are not delivered by a stork.  When children ask this question parents often squirm and try to avoid giving a direct answer for as long as possible.  In reality, the answer to this question should not be embarrassing or a topic that is avoided.  This profound question is answered very early on in the book of Genesis.  In fact, the answer comes as the very first directive given by God to male and female humanity . . .

READ: Genesis 1:28

Marital companions are COMMANDED by God to have CHILDREN!  Once a permanent commitment of faithfulness has been established by God between one man and one woman children are to follow quickly behind.  The childhood rhyme has it right, “first comes love, then comes marriage, then comes the baby in the baby carriage”!  This amazing combination of relationships is a family, the God-established foundation and beginning place of right relationship.  In Deuteronomy 6:4-7 God said, “Here, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one.  You shall LOVE the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might.  And these WORDS that I COMMAND you today shall be on your heart.  You shall teach them diligently to your children.”  A family consisting of a male father, a female mother, and child(ren) is the environment God created for humanity to learn to love God and love His commandments.  What is God’s design for marriage, children, and family?

God designed children to be the FRUIT of marital companionship (Gen. 1:28a) – A “greenhouse” is a building where a perfect environment is maintained for the purpose of growing new plants. The family is the perfect relational “greenhouse” established by God where His image is newly planted in children and grows to maturity.  In Malachi 2:14–15 God condemns the breakdown of the marriage and family saying, “the Lord was witness between you and the wife of your youth, to whom you have been faithless, though she is your companion and your wife by covenant.  Did He not make them one, with a portion of the Spirit in their union? And what was the one God seeking? Godly offspring. So guard yourselves in your spirit, and let none of you be faithless to the wife of your youth.”  A God established marriage and family exist for the purpose of reduplicating His image that He originally created within Adam and Eve.  The desired product of God’s love for humanity and marital companion’s love of one another is godly children.  Family Relationship Tip #1: Be grateful for your PARENTS and allow God to use them to help you GROW into His image.  No matter what family situation we come from, whether godly or not, we exist in this world as a product of a father and a mother in order to bear the image/likeness of God!

God designed family to MULTIPLY His image throughout the whole EARTH from generation to generation (Genesis 1:28b) – Our family tree is a history of relationships from where we descended.  We individually are the result of a long lineage of family relationships in the past.  At the same time, we individually are the seed (beginning place) of a potential long lineage of family relationships into the future.  God wants His image to multiply throughout every branch of our family tree and every family tree that exists (remember, He is the source that started them all). Family Relationship Tip #2:  Commit and prepare now to become a godly SPOUSE and PARENT in the future!  God’s image is currently growing in our life, and we’re next in line to pass the image along.  A spouse and the children we produce have the potential of multiplying God’s image for generations to come.

CONCLUSION
God designed the family to pass the baton of His image from one generation to the next until the whole earth is full of humanity who worship Him.  During our teenage years it is important that we simultaneously reach back for the “baton” of God’s image being passed to us in preparation of passing it on to future generations!  Are you reaching back to receive the baton of God’s image from your parents?  Are you preparing to pass the baton of God’s image forward to your children?

Right Relationship is a Permanent Commitment to Faithfulness

There are an infinite number of opinions about the purpose and value of dating.  It’s just fun . . . to have a good time.  It’s necessary . . . to figure out who we are compatible with.  It’s “practice” . . . to see if we can make each other happy.  We can say whatever we want, but dating ultimately has one purpose . . . it’s a time when we spend exclusive time with someone to explore the possibility of getting married.  It’s serious, it’s exclusive, and commonly includes increased physical intimacy (sitting close, holding hands, kissing, etc)!  Who are we kidding!?!  Dating is a deep investigative relationship moving toward marriage.  Dating is not bad, there is an appropriate time to begin expressing our interest in someone and displaying our ability to love and care for them.

READ: Genesis 2:24-25

Marital companionship is a PERMANENT RELATIONSHIP established by GOD between one MAN and one WOMAN!  There are 3 distinct opposite gender relationship zones, the friend “zone”, the dating “zone”, and the marriage “zone”.  These are 3 very distinct zones which reveal an obvious progression.  We move out of the friend zone into the dating zone by asking (or being asked) the question, “would you go out with me?”  We move out of the dating zone into the marriage zone by asking (or being asked) the question, “would you marry me”?  By God’s design, our interest in the opposite gender leads to movement through the zones toward marriage.  In Matthew 19:3-6 Jesus answered a question about divorce saying, “He who created them from the beginning made them male and female, and said, ‘Therefore a man shall leave his father and his mother and hold fast to his wife, and the two shall become on flesh?’ So they are no longer two but one flesh.  What therefore God has joined together; let not man separate.”  The phrase “joined together” literally means to “yoke with”.  A yoke is an instrument placed the shoulders of two animals in order to unite and coordinate their work together.  God is the one who places this yoke on marital companions and sexual immorality is the only reason we ever have permission to remove it.  How do we know when we are ready to date/be married?

Marital companionship involves LEAVING our PARENTS (Gen. 2:24) – Some of us may stand up, cheer, and say, “all right, sign me up, I’m ready NOW!”  Slow down, not so fast.  Leaving parents is not about getting out from under their authority.  It’s about abandoning our 1) dependency on our parents and 2) our allegiance to them. Leaving parents means no longer needing to rely on them for anything and being prepared to provide for one another.  Marriage Prep Question #1:  Am I mature enough to live 100% INDEPENDENT of my parent’s SPIRITUAL, RELATIONAL, EMOTIONAL, and FINANCIAL support?  God put parents in our lives to prepare us for the day when we would live independent of them.  Our readiness to date and be married is dependent on whether God is done using our parents to instill in us all the wisdom we need for life.  The more we honor and obey our parents the sooner we’ll be ready to date and be married (Ex. 20:12; Deut. 5:16, Eph. 6:1-3).

Marital companionship involves HOLDING FAST to a SPOUSE (Gen. 2:24) – What “The Lego Movie” villain Lord Business called “Kragle”, God calls “holding fast”.  What Lord Business used to try to get people to permanently quit “messing with his stuff”, God uses to permanently bond marital companions together.  The word “hold fast” means to “cling” or “stick” to another.  Marriage is relationship cemented together by God.  Marriage Prep Question #2: Am I mature enough to commit to SELFLESSLY and SACRIFICIALLY care for all the NEEDS of another person no matter what?  Holding fast is an unconditional commitment to love another person no matter what.  Our ability to unconditionally love others and stick with them is a good test of whether we are ready to date and be married (Mk. 12:31).

Marital companionship involves becoming ONE FLESH with a SPOUSE (Gen. 2:24) – God is either a bad mathematician or He knows something that we don’t know.  According to God 1+1=1.  Just like God Himself (1+1+1=1), marriage is a mathematical mystery.  A married man and women experience unity and oneness like no other relationship.  Marriage Prep Question #3: Am I mature enough to remain INSEPARABLY UNITED to a spouse for the rest of my life? Before a marriage there is “he” and “she”, after a marriage there is an entirely new entity called “us”.  Our ability to live in unity and oneness with others is a good test of whether we are ready to date and be married (Rom. 12:16; Phil. 2:2).

CONCLUSION
Marriage has been beautifully designed by God!  Don’t allow your interest in the opposite gender to motivate you to just have a boyfriend or girlfriend, but rather to prepare you for a marriage that will honor God and reflect His image.  Are you spending more time worrying about who you are going to date or preparing for a lifetime of marital companionship?

Right Relationship Satisfies Our Need for Companionship

I confess, at an early age I was interested in girls.  In elementary school I was interested in girls like Sue Risdon, she was cute and good at 4-square, tetherball, and kickball.  In Jr High it was Britt Siebels, she was cute and one of the best female athletes in school.  My childhood “girlfriend” days ended in Jr High when I went to a school dance and realized that boyfriends and girlfriends actually danced together.  This was too much pressure for me and so I abandoned “girlfriends”.  My interest in girls didn’t end, I still had girls I was interested in, girls had my attention, I looked forward to having a girlfriend and being married throughout high school and college.  Why such an ingrained interest in girls?  Why, for all of us, such an innate interest in the opposite sex?

READ: Genesis 2:18-23

A WOMAN is God’s provision for a MAN’S loneliness!  Light was good (Gen. 1:4).  Earth and sea were good (Gen. 1:10).  Vegetation and plants were good (Gen. 1:12).  The sun and moon were good (Gen. 1:18).  Fish and birds were good (Gen. 1:21).  Beasts, livestock, and things that creep on the ground were good (Gen. 1:25).  Everything God created was very good (Gen. 1:31).  The pattern of goodness is broken in Genesis 2:18 when it says man being alone is “NOT GOOD”.  ALONE = state of being without COMPANIONSHIP.  Our individual loneliness is what sparks our interest in relationship.  It is our inherent loneliness that causes our interest in a guy or in a girl.  Nobody teaches us, “this is a girl and you should be interested in one.”  We are made alone, causing a magnetism toward the opposite gender.  What is God’s solution for man’s loneliness?

GOD PROVIDES for our loneliness (Gen. 2:18) – Because God is relational, He knew that without a companion, man would experience loneliness and that loneliness was not good, so HE provided the perfect companion saying, “I will make him a helper”!  Man did not go find a companion for himself, God “made” and “brought (a female companion) to the man”.  Dating Tip #1:  Don’t obsess over trying to ATTRACT a companion (with appearance, charm, etc), but rather put your energy into becoming the PERSON God wants you to be and finding the PURPOSE He has for your life.  It’s easy to begin dating wrongly or prematurely desperate to attract a companion.  Instead trust, that at just the right time, God will provide just the right companion for your life.

God created man in need of HELP and woman to be a HELPER (Gen. 2:18) – A woman is man’s missing rib.  Guys, our attraction is a search for our missing “rib”.  Girls, your attraction is a search for the one who’s “rib” you possess.  Here’s a secret to finding someone even better than a “soulmate”, a “ribmate” . . . Dating Tip #2: Look for a companion who will HELP you become the person God wants you to be and fulfill the purpose He has for your lives TOGETHER.  Guys, being God’s person and fulfilling His purpose for your life by yourself is a lonely task.  Look for someone who can help you be the person God called you to be and to fulfill the purpose God has for your life.  Ladies, look for a man who you sense is the person God wants him to be and is living out a purpose in life that you want to help be a part of.  Marital companionship is not about our happiness, it’s about reflecting the image of God through relationship together (Eph. 5:22-33)!

God makes the perfect FIT to satisfy our loneliness (Gen. 2:18) – Puzzle pieces are all individually different and unique.  We can try to force puzzle pieces together that were not intended to go together or we can do the work of finding piece’s that, when they come together, fit perfectly.  Dating Tip #3: Don’t pursue a companion that matches your PREFERENCES, pursue a companion who COMPLEMENTS you.  The word “fit” in Hebrew means “opposite” or “counterpart”.  Male and female companions who complement one another are ones that when they are brought together complete and perfect one another.  When God brings a marriage companion to us we can trust that they will be a perfect “fit” for us (just like puzzle pieces made for one another)!

CONCLUSION
God created humanity as individual males and females with an inherent interest in the opposite gender and marital companionship.  By pursuing this relationship according to God’s design, we can experience right relationship with the opposite gender within marital companionship we are all so interested in finding!  Are you trying to satisfy your own loneliness or are you trusting God to satisfy your loneliness with companionship?

The Standard of Right Relationship

Do you know why we do a majority of what we do?  I can sum up why we do a majority of what we do in one word . . . RELATIONSHIP!  The #1 reason why students participate and stay involved in youth group is relationship.  If students have a close relationship, they will come and stay involved.  If students do not have a close relationship, they won’t come or they will stop being involved.  If there is one thing that all humanity has in common it is relationship!  Regardless of gender, race, age, income, status, all human beings long for relationship with other human beings.  It’s one thing to be in relationship with others, it’s a whole other thing to be in right relationship with others.  Is there a standard that can help us be in right relationship?

To answer this question we must go back before creation, before light, before water, before land, before plants, before animals, before anything.  Genesis 1:1 provides the first clue to understanding right relationship when it says, “in the beginning . . . God”.  Before anything else existed, for all eternity past, there was God.  What was God doing for eternity BEFORE anything was created?  In a prayer to God, Jesus provides a second clue to understanding right relationship in John 17:5, 24 saying, “glorify me in your own presence with the glory that I had with you BEFORE the world existed” . . . 19 verses later Jesus prays, “you loved me BEFORE the foundation of the world.”  Before anything else existed God and Jesus shared glory and love in relationship.  From these verses we understand that GOD Himself is RELATIONSHIP, therefore He is the STANDARD of all right relationships!  Why is God our standard of right relationship?

READ: Genesis 1:26-27

God is our standard of relationship because He, as three distinct persons (Father, Son, Spirit), exists in perfect relationship with Himself.  When God created humanity, it was His relational nature that was given to us.

God is US and OUR (Gen. 1:26) – Very simply, these two simple Hebrew pronouns “us” and “our”, referring to God who created everything, are plural!  God is not just “I” and “me”, but “us” and “our”.  Mysteriously, before anything was created God (singular) was speaking to and relating with others (plural).  “Us” and “our” is much more than multiple personality, it reveals that God is not just a singular being, but a plural being conferring with others in relationship.  Relationship is an inherent reality of God’s eternal nature.

Humanity is an IMAGE or a LIKENESS of a relational God (Gen. 1:26) – Artists will carve statues out of marble, stone, wax, or wood in order to create a lifelike representation of a person.  The Lincoln Memorial has a statue of Abraham Lincoln.  The statue is obviously not the actually Abraham Lincoln, but a lifelike representation of him.  When God created humanity He created us in His “image” or in His “likeness” in order to be a representation of Himself!  An “image” is a “statue” or “carved image” that is a representation of the actual or real thing, whereas “likeness” is a “pattern” or “copy” similar to an actual or real thing.  As representations made in God’s image or likeness, relationship is primary characteristic of our God-likeness.

Humanity is MALE and FEMALE (Gen. 1:27) – Blue/pink, handsome/pretty, trucks/dolls.  These words stimulate thoughts of either a male or a female.  Why?  Humanity was made distinctly male and female.  As much as males and females are similar, they are undeniably different.  A plural God who is three distinct persons created plural humanity who are each distinct persons, each possessing God’s image and likeness.  It is our unique individual identity and gender that serves the specific purpose of connecting us to others in relationship.

CONCLUSION

Since relationship is inherent in God’s eternal nature, and since we are created in God’s image, relationship with others is what we were designed for!  Our longing and instinct for relationship with others is no accident.  Since God created us for relationship, we can look to Him to help us be in right relationship with others.  Are you looking to God as the standard of right relationship with Him and with others?

The Walk of Faith

Pacers and pacer groups are a standard part of any 26.2 mile marathon.  A pacer is an experienced marathon runner who runs a steady pace and keeps track of that pace so that those following them can run the race at a particular pace in order to finish with a particular time.  At any marathon, there will be a number of pacers standing at the starting line holding a sign with a goal time above their head indicating the pace they plan to run.  A pace group is a group of runners who run a marathon following a particular experienced marathon runner.  A pacer and a pace group provide tangible motivation and encouragement to finish a race and accomplish their race goal.  Wouldn’t it be nice if there was a pacer and a pace group for life?

READ:  Hebrews 12:1-2

Living life in the same way as Jesus did requires ENDURING FAITH!  FAITH = Being fully convinced that Jesus Christ is to be the One who sets the PACE for your whole life from START to FINISH.  Jesus Christ stood at the beginning of the race of his life holding a sign above His head that read, “follow me”, “walk in the same way in which (I) walk (1 John 2:6).”  In other words, from birth to death, Jesus set the perfect pace necessary to endure the race of life.  The author of Hebrews says Jesus ran the race of life with “joy” even though it required “endur(ing) the cross”.  Jesus set the perfect pace with every thought, word, action, and decision of His life.  When running the race of life we need enduring faith to live in the same way Jesus did from the very beginning to the finish line.  How are we to run the race of life with enduring faith?

Running the race of life requires laying aside the WEIGHT and SIN that slow us down (Heb 12:1) – Running a marathon would be bad enough, but can you imagine running a marathon with a heavy backpack!?!  In order to keep pace with Jesus we need eliminate any “weight” or “sin” that slows us down in life.  Weight we need to lay aside might include worldliness or selfish priorities.  Sin we need to lay aside includes any way we choose to live our own lives that is in rebellion against God’s righteous standard.  Running with this worthless and destructive extra baggage will do more than just make running difficult, it will make running nearly impossible.

Running the race of life is a MARATHON and not a SPRINT (Heb 12:1) – A sprint is short and requires a brief burst of all the energy we’ve got.  It’s over almost as soon as it starts.  A marathon is long and requires a slow and consistent pace.  It goes on and on and you think you might never get to the finish line.  Many of us because we are running the wrong type of race, we run at the wrong pace, and aren’t running the race at all.  The race of life is not a sprint to church for an hour on Sunday.  The race of life is not chasing vigorously after the next “mountaintop experience”.  The race of life is a daily lifestyle that includes living like Jesus in all our thoughts, words, actions, and decisions.  This type of race is extremely difficult, but God promises to provide the endurance necessary to run it.

Running the race of life requires LOOKING to Jesus (Hebrews 12:2) – A pacer in a marathon will do us no good if they are not the focus of our attention.  If we run our own race we will either go too fast or too slow, neither of which will be the right pace necessary to make it to the finish line.  In order to run the right pace we must continually, “look to Jesus”.  He is the “founder” of our faith, the starting line of our faith, the One who is its source and beginning.  Jesus is the “perfecter” of our faith, the finish line of our faith, the One who is our goal and ultimate measure of our success (Eph. 4:13).  Philippians 1:6 says that it is Jesus, “who began a good work in you (and) will bring it to completion”.  As we look to Jesus and keep pace with Him, we can be confident that we are running the race of our lives in a way that will get us to the finish line!

CONCLUSION
In Matthew 11:28-30 Jesus said, “Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.”  Living like Jesus doesn’t add a heavy weight to our race, in fact, it lightens us to be able to be free to run.  Our race is lightened because Jesus carry’s our burden’s for us.  Jesus carried the burden of the cross so that our shoulders could be free to run unhindered (1 John 5:3).  Are you running the marathon of life carrying a heavy burden or are you running unhindered by living the same way Jesus lived?

The Walk of Suffering

Louis Zamperini was an Olympic track runner who enlisted into the US military in 1941 at the beginning of World War 2.  In 1943 Louis was captured by the Japanese and became a prisoner of war after surviving a plane crash and 47 days on a raft in the Pacific Ocean.  Louis spent 2 years as a prisoner of war being mistreated and severely beaten.  On one occasion, he was forced to hold a heavy wooden beam above his head at gunpoint.  At the end of the war Louis was freed and later became a Christian at a Billy Graham crusade.  As a result of Louis becoming a Christian, he miraculously returned to Japan to share the gospel with those who mistreated him and he once hated.

READ:  1 Peter 2:19-25, 4:1-5

Living life in the same way as Jesus did requires SUFFERING for the sake of OTHERS!  SUFFERING = Enduring the pain and hardship of MISTREATMENT by others without RETALIATION.  Throughout Jesus’ life, after His arrest, all the way up until the moment He died Jesus endured constant mistreatment including criticism, rejection, insults, false accusations, threats on His life, betrayal, wrongful arrest, being spit on, punched, slapped, mocked, made fun of, and finally crucifixion as a criminal.  Amazingly, Jesus never did anything wrong to deserve any of this mistreatment!  Even more amazingly, although Jesus endured a lifetime of unjust suffering, He never once retaliated in any way!  Why did He do it?  Peter said that Jesus, “suffered for (us), leaving (us) an example, so that (we) might follow in His steps”.  Every time Jesus endured suffering He had us in mind, and He wants us to live our lives in the same way.  How are we to respond to the mistreatment of others?

When we are mistreated by others we should not REVILE in return (1 Pet. 2:23) – Teenagers and siblings are professional revilers.  They tend to say things intended to hurt or injure others’ reputations.  To revile means to “insult”, “mock”, or “speak abusively” to someone.  Sadly, when we’ve been mistreated with words, it’s hard for us not to return the favor.  According to Peter when, “(Jesus) was reviled, He did not revile in return”.  Jesus endured the verbal mistreatment of others by speaking kindly to them or remaining silent (Mark 15:16-20, 29-32; Luke 22:63-65, 10-11, 35-43)!  Throughout our lives we can expect to be abused verbally by people in varying degrees of intensity, and yet we are to have a similar response each time, we are simply not to return the same type of mistreatment to them.  When we do, we are sharing in the suffering of Christ!

When we are mistreated by others we should not THREATEN in return (1 Pet. 2:23) – “I’m going to kill you”!  I’ve heard this threat a handful of times around our house, any one of us might use this threat out of anger when we feel that we’ve been mistreated and we want the one who mistreated us to know it is our desire to mistreat them in return.  According to Peter when, “(Jesus) suffered, He did not threaten”.  Jesus endured the mistreatment of others by doing good to them.  When we have been mistreated we are to refrain from declaring that we personally are going to make sure they get what they deserve.  Not threatening in return may not bring an end to the mistreatment we experience, but it will free us of being guilty of mistreatment as well.  Threats will only escalate the issue, whereas responding with love and kindness provide a powerful opportunity for forgiveness and reconciliation to occur.

When we are mistreated by others we should ENTRUST ourselves to GOD who judges justly (1 Pet. 2:23) - If we are not to stand up for ourselves when we are mistreated, what are we supposed to do?  According to Peter, instead of reviling or threatening Jesus, “continued entrusting Himself to Him who judges justly”.  Jesus did not consider it His responsibility to make things right for Himself, instead He fully trusted God to do it for Him!  Paul said in Romans 12:19, “never avenge yourselves, but leave it to the wrath of God, for it is written, ‘Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord’”.  One day, God will judge everyone fairly and give them the consequences they deserve for what they have done to us, which frees us from the need to do it for ourselves!

CONCLUSION
Philippians 1:29 says, “it has been granted to you that for the sake of Christ you should not only believe in Him but also suffer for His sake”.  Paul wrote these words joyfully while he was “imprisoned” in a jail cell “for Christ” (Phil. 1:4, 13-14).  We are not just called to believe in what Jesus did, we are called to participate in the life of suffering that He lived!  Do you merely believe in Jesus Christ or are you also sharing in His sufferings?

The Walk of Dying

Dietrich Bonhoeffer was a German pastor who stood against Adolf Hitler and the Nazi party.  Bonhoeffer was hung as a martyr for his Christian faith in a Nazi concentration camp in 1945 at the age of 39 for participating in a resistance against Hitler in support of the Jews.  He is most well-known for writing a book called “The Cost of Discipleship” in which he penned the famous statement, “when Christ calls a man, he bids him come and die.”  This statement summarized Bonhoeffer’s belief that being a follower of Christ is not cheap but costly and allows us to, “live in the world without being of it” and to be “truly free to live our lives in this world”!  What did Dietrich Bonhoeffer believe that gave him the courage to stand up to Hitler in the face of death?

READ:  Luke 9:21-25

Jesus Christ taught and lived out what Dietrich Bonhoeffer came to believe and live out himself, that living life in the same way as Jesus did requires LOSING our LIVES!  Jesus said that He, “must suffer . . . and be killed”.  Jesus selflessly chose physical death for the benefit of sinful humanity.  In Philippians 3:10 Paul expresses his desire to know Christ by “becoming like Him in His death” (cf 2 Cor. 4:10).  Sounds a little morbid!  Who wants to be like someone who is known for how they died?  Paul did, and we should too!  It’s a profound paradox for those who want to live in the same way Jesus lived that by losing our lives we truly find life!  How do we lose our lives for the sake of Jesus Christ?

We lose our lives by FORBIDDING ourselves the LIFE we want (Lk. 9:23) – Forbidding ourselves things we want is hard to do.  Our golden retriever Daisy had zero ability to forbid herself something that she wanted.  She would spend 5 straight days digging a hole underneath a fence just so she could get to a ball.  Are there things in life that we react the same way towards?  We spend our lifetimes pursuing what we want when we should “deny (ourselves)” and live for God.  Our lives are not our own to do with what we want, we are the possession of God and therefore we need to use our lives for His purpose and glory (Rom. 14:7-8; 1 Cor. 6:19b-20a)!

We lose our lives by daily WRITING another page of our OBITUARY (Lk. 9:23) – An autobiography is an account of a person's life written or composed by themselves.  If you were to write an autobiography would choose the genre of an obituary?  Probably not.  The apostle Paul wrote his own obituary in Galatians 2:20, “I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me.”  Like Paul, by “taking up (our) cross”, we are to put ourselves to death in order that we may walk a new life in Christ (Rom. 6:3-7, 11)!  Daily we are to die to the desire to write the story of our lives, but instead let God author every chapter of our life.

We lose our lives by FOLLOWING Jesus Christ (Lk. 9:23) - Do you remember getting to be the line leader in elementary school?  How proud to be the ONE that marched everyone down the hall to recess or to the lunch room.  Is that not the position that we are encouraged to achieve in life?  Jesus does not call us to be at the front of the line, rather to place ourselves last and least among others and take up the humble position of following.  Jesus’ call to be a disciple is an invitation to leave the things of the world behind and follow Him (Mt. 4:18-22)!

CONCLUSION
2 Timothy 2:11 says, “If we have died with Him, we will also live with Him”.  In order to live for God, we must be willing to die for Him.  Jim Elliott was one of five missionaries killed at the age of 29 in 1956 while participating in Operation Auca, an attempt to share the gospel with the Huaorani people of Ecuador in South America.  Jim expressed his willingness to lose his life eleven years before he died when he wrote in a personal journal, “he is no fool who gives what he cannot keep to gain what he cannot lose”.  Jim understood something that we need to understand as we live in this world.  There is nothing in this world that is worth holding onto, even our very lives, compared to the surpassing greatness of knowing and following Jesus Christ!  Have you lost your life for the sake of Christ, or are you still trying to save it?

The Walk of Humility

Attitude is everything!  Charles Swindoll wrote, “the longer I live, the more I realize the impact of attitude on life.  Attitude is more important than facts. It is more important than the past, than education, than money, than circumstances, than failures, than successes, than what other people think or say or do. It is more important than appearance, giftedness or skill.  The remarkable thing is we have a choice every day regarding the attitude we will embrace for that day. We cannot change our past . . . we cannot change the fact that people will act in a certain way. We cannot change the inevitable. The only thing we can do is play on the one string we have, and that is our attitude... I am convinced that life is 10% what happens to me and 90% how I react to it.  And so it is with (us) . . . we are in charge of our attitudes.”

Our attitude is something we are constantly in control of in spite of our circumstances.  Our attitude is not something that someone else can manipulate or decide for us.  Our attitude determines how we respond to difficulty and hardship.  Our attitude dramatically impacts and influences others.  Our attitude drives our decisions and shapes our priorities.  What attitude did Jesus Christ possess that we are to possess as well?

READ: Philippians 2:1-11

Living life in the same way as Jesus did requires an ATTITUDE of HUMILITY!  MIND (ATTITUDE) = Chosen WAY of THINKING.  The NIV translates Philippians 2:5, “Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus.”  Jesus Christ’s attitude of humility was at the core of what made Him who He was.  Jesus’ attitude of humility was the source of His love and compassion.  Jesus’ attitude of humility was the source of His willingness to serve and sacrifice.  Without humility, Jesus would have held on to His “equality with God”, He would have never taken the “form of a servant”, He would have never been “born in the likeness of man”, and definitely would have never been obedient to “death on a cross”.  Jesus’ attitude of humility is the same attitude that we are to live our lives with!  What does it mean to have an attitude of humility like Christ?

Humility is an attitude willing to LET GO of a HIGH position (Phil. 2:6-7) – When we possess something valuable it is natural for us to act like a child in order to keep possession of it by holding onto it tightly, turning our backs, and selfishly screaming “MINE”.  The last thing we would do with something valuable to us is willingly open our hands and let it go.  In contrast, Jesus, although He possessed the valuable status of God, released His rightful “grasp” and “emptied” Himself of His high position and privilege.  Humility is a willingness to let go of any characteristic about ourselves that we might claim superiority over another person including appearance, intelligence, skill, or position.  By choosing to let go of our superiority we open a door to significantly impact others that is impossible to open in any other way.

Humility is an attitude willing to TAKE HOLD of a LOW position (Phil. 2:7-8) – In my youth group we had what was called the “Christian pencil”.  The “Christian pencil” was the pencil that no one wanted because it had no eraser, it was short and stubby, and had teeth marks all over it.  Only a super Christian was willing to take hold of that disgusting pencil.  In contrast, Jesus humbly chose to “take” the lowly position of a human being.  The word humble means, “to lower, to lay flat, to make small/insignificant, to place under.”  Humility is placing ourselves in a position that is lower, under, and below all others.  If there is one attitude that we must take hold of tightly and never let go it is the willingness to allow others in our lives to be more significant and important than us.

Humility is an attitude which is willing to DIE to SELF for the sake of others (Phil. 2:8) – It’s one thing to die of natural causes, it’s another thing to choose to die on purpose in place of someone else so that they can live.  Jesus humbly lowered Himself to the lowest place of “death on a cross”.  Jesus’ ultimate expression of humility was His willingness to be punished and die as a sinner in our place.  In a million small ways every day and, at times, in big ways, we must choose to die to our selfish desires by “count(ing) others more significant than ourselves” and by “look(ing) to the interests of others”.  Dying to self is painful, but it’s worth the sacrifice knowing that someone else’s life is better as a result.

CONCLUSION
What happens when we live with an attitude of humility?  Jesus said in Luke 14:11, “everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted”.  Just as “God highly exalted (Jesus)” for His humility, we must not exalt ourselves, but rather humble ourselves and allow God to be the one to exalt us higher (Phil. 2:9)!  Do you have an attitude of pride that exalts yourself higher or an attitude of humility that places yourself lower?

The Walk of Love

Anybody like grapes?  A cluster of grapes goes through quite a process for us to be able to enjoy.  Many of us get our grapes from Wal-Mart.  Wal-Mart gets its grapes from a company called Sun World which has vineyards in California.  After approximately 150-180 days of development, at just the right time, when these grapes were ripe, they are cut off, put on a truck, and delivered to Wal-Mart where we can purchase and enjoy them.

For you and me to enjoy the fruit of salvation, Jesus Christ went through quite a process. He left heaven, He was born as a baby, He lived 33 years of a sinless life, He died on the cross, He was buried, and He rose again three days later.  A week before Jesus death, burial, and resurrection He prayed to His Father in John 12:27, “for this purpose I have come to this hour”.  The night of Jesus’ betrayal and arrest John 13:1 says, “Jesus knew that His hour had come to depart out of this world to the Father”.  Just before Jesus’ crucifixion His life was ripe, His “purpose” and His “hour” had come.  Why?  So that all those who would believe in Him might enjoy the sweet “fruit” of salvation, the forgiveness of sin.

READ: John 15:1-17

Living life in the same way as Jesus did requires producing the sacrificial FRUIT of LOVE!  Jesus lived His life to display God’s love to a sinful world.  Jesus produced the greatest fruit of love when He died on the cross in order that we might enjoy the fruit of salvation. Since the disciples didn’t get it from the life He lived, He told them in John 15:12-13, “this is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you.  Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down His life for His friends”.  Sacrificial love is the fruit that Jesus wants His disciples to display to others.  How are we able to exhibit the sacrificial fruit of love?

Our ability to sacrificially love others is the natural result of being loved BY GOD (John 15:9-10) – A vital part of what it means to abide in Christ, and producing sacrificial love, is knowing beyond a shadow of a doubt how immeasurably much God loves us.  Jesus ability love was the result of the fact that “the Father loved (Him)” and “abide(d) in His love”.   Paul prays in Ephesians 3:17-19 that, “(we), being rooted and grounded in love, may have strength to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, and to know the love of Christ which surpasses all knowledge”.  Christ’s love for us is far beyond what our minds can comprehend.  Christ overwhelmed us with love on the cross.  Only when we have believed in Christ’s love for us on the cross will we be able to sacrificially love others.  1 John 4:19 says, “we love, because He first loved us”.  For us to bear the fruit of sacrificial love that others can enjoy we must first accept and experience God’s sacrificial love for us.

Our ability to sacrificially love others should be EVER-INCREASING (John 15:2-8) – Jesus subtly communicates with this metaphor of vine and branches that His disciples are capable of producing more and more and more fruit.  In verse 2 in distinguishing two completely different branches, He says there are branches who by nature of their unity with Christ “bear fruit”.  In verse 2 He says there is a process through which a branch can go in order to bear “more fruit”.  In verses 5 and 8 He says there is a branch that bears “much fruit”.  This multiplied production of fruit happens as God the Father, the vinedresser, prunes branches abiding in the vine.  Pruning is a process of cutting away excess and unnecessary growth in order to produce a higher quality and greater quantity of fruit.  In order to allow space for a higher quality and greater quantity of sacrificial love in our lives, God removes things that are get in the way or prevent increased growth from happening.  We should not be surprised if this is a hard and even painful process.  And yet, it is a process we should invite and welcome in our lives (2 Thes. 1:3).

CONCLUSION
Jesus said in John 3:16, “God so loved that world, that He gave His only Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life”.  Jesus lived His life so that the world would taste and experience the fruit of salvation.  He may no longer be physically present on the earth, but He is present in a way even greater than when He was on the earth.  Jesus miraculously multiplies Himself through us.  Jesus is the true vine, He produced the fruit of sacrificial love on the cross, we are the branches, and now we must bearing the fruit of sacrificial love as well!  Are others enjoying the fruit of sacrificial love that is being produced in your life?

The Walk of Servanthood - Part 2

“Dirty Jobs” is a TV series on the Discovery Channel in which host Mike Rowe does a real life strange, nasty, and messy job alongside regular employees.  Mike joins these employees and works alongside of them to complete whatever disgusting, degrading, or dangerous job they do.  Every job is even more difficult than expected and Mike often expresses admiration and respect for the workers' willingness to do a job that most of us would avoid.  According to Mike, one of the worst dirty jobs ever was sewer inspector where he trudged through human waste to repair sewer lines. Most of us avoid these types of jobs, but Jesus did one specific job much like this (not as a gimmick for a TV show), to show an important way in which we are to live our lives . . .

READ: John 13:1-17

Living life in the same way as Jesus did requires SERVING others in MENIAL ways!  MENIAL = A LOWLY or DEGRADING job.  Menial jobs are boring, dirty, unpleasant, unglamorous, unrecognized, unappreciated, and unrewarded.  Who wants to sign up to do that job?  Jesus did!  Jesus did the menial job of washing the disciples’ feet in order to help them understand just how much He was willing to sacrifice for them (John 13:7, 12).  If Jesus was willing to do the menial job of washing feet, we need to be willing to do jobs that we are way overqualified for as well!  Why is serving others in menial ways so important?  

Serving others in a menial way is a TOP-NOTCH expression of LOVE (Jn. 13:1) – We might be willing to love others through some pretty difficult things, but at some point, our love has its limits.  One of the true tests of the extent of our love for someone is if . . . we are willing to clean up the mess after they throw up!  Cleaning up vomit for someone else is a true expression of love.  Jesus “loved (His own) to the end”.  By washing the disciples’ feet, Jesus displayed that there was NO LIMIT to the love He had for His disciples.  Jesus was willing to do anything and everything for those He loved including dying on the cross. If we are going to truly love others, there must be no limits to the love that we exhibit toward others.  We must be willing to lay down our lives for others in the most lowly and degrading ways so that there is no doubt in their minds that we love them.

Serving others in a menial way is a TANGIBLE expression of LOWLINESS (Jn. 13:2-5) – When I graduated from Lincoln Christian Seminary in 2007 I was given a towel to remind me that my primary job in life is to lower myself and serve others.  Foot washing was a lowly job of hospitality done by servants when a visitor entered a home after walking the dusty, dirty streets.  Jesus, lowering Himself to the menial job of a servant, “poured water in to a basin and began to wash the disciples’ feet and to wipe them with the towel that was wrapped around Him”.  Although Jesus was above the disciples as their “Teacher” and “Lord”, He did the menial of washing feet in order to show them how lowly and humble He was willing be in order to serve others. Menial jobs show others that our lives are not meant to be used to serve ourselves but to serve others.

Serving others in a menial way is a TRUE expression of LEADERSHIP (Jn. 13:12-17) – Leadership today is thought of as being out front, taking charge, and exerting control over those under us. Jesus redefines leadership saying, “if I then, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another’s feet.  For I have given you an example, that you also should do just I have done to you”.  Jesus wanted to multiply His method of servant leadership among the disciples, but rather than just tell them what they should do He showed them with His own life as an example.  If we want to lead others we must do it by example and be willing do whatever job we might expect or demand someone “beneath” us to do.

CONCLUSION
Jesus washing the disciples’ feet was symbolic of the cleansing that He would provide by dying on the cross.  1 John 1:7 says that, “the blood of Jesus His Son cleanses us from all sin”.  Jesus did the menial job of dying on the cross so that we could be washed clean of our sin.  Jesus willingly did this painful, shameful, and unjust job so that we would never have to do it!  Have your sins been washed away by putting faith in Jesus Christ?

The Walk of Servanthood

Who wouldn’t want to be considered GREAT!?!  For some, greatness is winning a championship as a professional athlete.  For some, greatness is having thousands of fans cheer while you are performing on stage.  For some, greatness is making money as the CEO of a large corporation.  For all of us, greatness is ascending up a ladder of success, popularity, or authority as high as possible.  We want to be singled out as the one on top or the winner.  We want to be elevated to places of honor or recognition. We want power and authority to control or influence others.  While this is the definition of greatness for some, is it possible that such a desire is what prevents us from becoming truly great?  What if greatness is a descent down rather than an ascent up? Jesus Christ took a different path to become great.  How did Jesus become great?

READ: Matthew 20:20-28

Living life in the same way as Jesus did requires becoming GREAT through SERVANTHOOD!  Jesus defines greatness and becomes great Himself in a very different way than anyone would expect.  Jesus, using His own life as an example, said the He, “came not to be served but to serve”.  In a great reversal, Jesus declares greatness is not a selfish process of ascending higher in order to be honored, admired, or served by others, but instead a sacrificial process of descending lower in order to serve others.  Jesus willingly exemplified this by exchanging His greatness for our worthlessness, “giving His life as a ransom for many”.  As a ransom (the price paid to buy a slave’s freedom), Jesus served us by purchasing our freedom as sinners with His blood.  That is true greatness and the type of greatness that we should be striving to emulate.

TRANSTION:  How do we become great through servanthood? 

Greatness through servanthood is NOT craving a POSITION or AUTHORITY (Mt. 20:20-21, 25-26a) - We do not like to be told what to do, we like to be the one in charge telling others what to do.  James and John’s mother asked Jesus if her sons could, “sit, one at your right hand and one at your left, in your kingdom”.  She wanted her sons to be given positions of importance and authority in Jesus’ kingdom.  Jesus rebukes this request later saying that they should not want to be like the “rulers” and “great ones” who “lord” and “exercise authority” over others.  Being higher and above others are not indicators of true greatness.  Power and authority only feed our selfishness, pride, and mistreatment of others.  Beware of needing to be in front, on top, and in charge, this craving is a major hindrance to us becoming truly great.

Greatness through servanthood is NOT confidence in OURSELVES (Mt. 20:22-24) – The Little Engine That Could is known for his attitude of “I think I can, I think I can”.  The story encourages us to be optimistic, believe in ourselves, and work hard.  Not bad qualities, but NOT what makes us great.  James and John answer Jesus’ question, “are you able to drink the cup I myself am about to drink?” with a confident, “we are able”.  James and John did not realize that when Jesus used the phrase “drink the cup” He was referring to the suffering of God’s wrath that He would endure on the cross for sin (Mt. 26:39).  James and John had an entirely different idea of what it meant to be great in mind and were overly confident in their own ability.  Our greatness does not depend on our ability, our talent, our personality, or our skill.  Beware of trusting in our own ability, this self-confidence will prevent us from becoming truly great.

Greatness through servanthood is a choice to SERVE and ENSLAVE ourselves to others (Mt. 20:25-28) – Servants and slaves in Jesus’ day were the lowest, most insignificant members of society because their job was to do anything and everything that someone else told them to do.  Doing what someone else tells us to do is hard, degrading, and humiliating.  According to Jesus, being “great” and being “first” among others requires living the life of a “servant” and a “slave”.  These are characteristics of lowering ourselves and willingly putting ourselves under the authority of others.  These are not characteristics that seem like they lead to greatness, but according to Jesus they are the only path to becoming truly great!

CONCLUSION:

Jesus said in Matthew 23:11-12 that, “the greatest among you shall be your servant.  Whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and whoever humbles himself will be exalted”.  Servanthood requires humility.  If we reject servanthood and choose a different path to greatness, a day will come when we will be humbled and our greatness will be exposed for what it really is.  But if we humble ourselves and walk as a servant as Jesus walked, a day will come when we will be exalted and considered truly great!  Are you willing to humble yourself in order to become a servant?