barrykind
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i READ THIS AND THOUGHT THAT I WOULD SHARE IT!!
love barry
THE HIDDEN CHARACTERISTIC OF RIGHTEOUSNESS
I have decided that the best way to preach is by letting the Bible speak for itself. So I will be using a massive overload of verses today and will be moving through pretty fast so try to jot them all down for your own studies and stay with me.
Please turn with me in your Bibles to Genesis 18:23
The scene taking place here is Abraham speaking with God. Abraham is interceding for Sodom and asks God if he would actually destroy the righteous within the city as if they were no different from the wicked.
Abraham: "If there would be 50 righteous people in that city, would you still destroy Sodom.
God: "I would spare the city for the sake of 50 righteous people."
Abraham then says, "How about 45?"
God: "No."
Abraham: "40?"
God: "No."
Abraham: "30?"
God: "No."
Abraham: "20?"
God: "No."
Abraham: How about 10 righteous people?
God: "I would not destroy the city even for the sake of ten."
Judging by this passage of scripture alone….It really must be something to be viewed as being a righteous person in God's eyes.
So what are some of the characteristics of righteousness in God's eyes?
We know that Abraham was viewed as being righteous because God made him the father of many nations. That's exactly what his name means "father of a multitude." The Bible tells us that Abraham was righteous because he believed in God.
(Romans 4:3) For what saith the scripture? Abraham believed God, and it was counted unto him for righteousness.
In Genesis, Joseph is viewed as righteous and he was forgiving.
Joseph forgave his brothers after they sold him and threw him in prison and treated him as if he wasn't even part of their family. But in….
(Genesis 45:4) And Joseph said unto his brethren, Come near to me, I pray you. And they came near. And he said, I am Joseph your brother, whom ye sold into Egypt.
Then in Genesis 45:11 Joseph says to his brothers that sold him as a slave, I will provide for you!
(Matthew 6:14-15) "For if you forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.
Forgiveness is a very important aspect of righteousness.
The bible says you must be thankful.
(2 Corinthians 9:11, 15) you are enriched in everything for all liberality, which causes thanksgiving through us to God. Thanks be to God for His indescribable gift!
Many of the people recorded in the Bible were thankful for God working in their lives. They were not like we are today. We basically thank God when we pray for something then we get it, but people like Daniel, and Paul, and Peter, and John all thanked god for the things they prayed for before they were even done with that very prayer! They thanked God in advance because they knew God and his faithfulness to them…….speaking of faithfulness…..
(1 Samuel 26:23) May the LORD repay every man for his righteousness and his faithfulness
(Psalm 40:10) I have not hidden Your righteousness within my heart;
I have declared Your faithfulness and Your salvation;
(Psalm 143:1) Hear my prayer, O LORD,
Give ear to my supplications!
In Your faithfulness answer me,
And in Your righteousness.
After all we are talking about being righteous in God's eyes…listen to this!
(Psalm 101:6) My eyes shall be on the faithful of the land,
That they may dwell with me;
He who walks in a perfect way,
He shall serve me.
Job was called righteous because of his undying faith in God through his trials. Job's three friends came to supposedly comfort him, but all they basically did was tell him that his sin has brought these painful sores and tribulations to him, but Job kept the faith and rebuked his friends by saying that God does things for a reason and that we shouldn't only recognize God through our victories, but through our trials also.
There are many other characteristics, but the sermon title is "What is the hidden characteristic of righteousness."
And that is affliction!
Affliction is a state of pain, distress, or misery due to trials, tribulations and hardships.
Why is this hidden? Because many churches today are teaching that you don't have to feel bad anymore, just let Jesus take care of it and you will be alright. They say, "Give it to God!" In reality, we have to feel affliction because it strengthens our relationship with Jesus Christ. It gives us the intense revelation that we do need a savior! If every time we are faced with a painful or stressful situation, we completely pass up the feeling of affliction and then just give it to God, we lose all ability to even recognize Gods amazing power to heal us. You cannot be healed from pain that you do not suffer from!
Let's say that you are faced with a financial problem. You know that you are basically broke and no one can help you, but God. You have bills to pay, children to feed, or whatever the case may be. You need to feel the affliction of your financial problem so you realize that you need to call on God for help. You have to feel it! But with an entire generation being taught that we don't need to feel that pain is tearing away the very foundation of our relationship with Jesus.
Remember affliction is the state of pain or misery due to trails and tribulations…..so what's next? What is next after you are done feeling the pain? You look forward to how to fix the problem…you pray for God to help you. You talk to God. You have a very deep relationship with your Father in heaven. You don't just give it to God. God is not like a bank where you just go and drop off your paperwork and they handle all of your transactions. You must talk to God and ask him to lift your heartache through the power of prayer.
Let's see what the Bible says about affliction…
This verse is speaking of when Pharaoh was putting the Israelites through a tough time in slavery…..
(Deuteronomy 26:6) the Egyptians mistreated us, afflicted us, and laid hard bondage on us.
And then in….
(Exodus 1:12) But the more they afflicted them, the more they multiplied and grew.
We grow too. As we are afflicted, we grow in our Christian experience.
(Psalm 82:3) Defend the poor and fatherless: do justice to the afflicted and needy.
Just so you know, the Psalm 102 begins with the words "A prayer for the afflicted"
(2 Corinthians 1:6) Now if we are afflicted, it is for your consolation and salvation…
Peter, speaking in regard to Satan says in….
(1 Peter 5:9) Resist him, steadfast in the faith, knowing that the same afflictions are experienced by your brotherhood in the world.
You know, one day, I would like to be an evangelist. That is a goal of mine and as I was doing this study, I came across a verse speaking about evangelists regarding affliction…
(2 Timothy 4:5) But you be watchful in all things, endure afflictions, do the work of an evangelist, fulfill your ministry.
Now, this next verse really hits home for me especially because I have never been under as much stress and affliction as the time around when I was baptized in May. It just seemed like everything around me was just crumbling and crushing my walk with God…..but I realized something….Didn't the same thing happen to Jesus immediately after he was baptized? He was led out into the wilderness for 40 days to be tempted by Satan, but you know what he did? He endured!...
(Hebrews 10:32) But recall the former days in which, after you were illuminated, you endured a great struggle with afflictions.
(2 Timothy 3:11) What persecutions and afflictions I endured. And out of them all the Lord delivered me.
Isn't that so true? Anyway, here are some more verses about affliction….
(Hosea 5:15) - I will return again to My place
Till they acknowledge their offense.
Then they will seek My face;
In their affliction they will earnestly seek Me."
(Psalm 119:67) - Before I was afflicted I went astray,
But now I keep Your word.
(Psalm 119:71) - It is good for me that I have been afflicted,
That I may learn Your statutes.
(Psalm 119:75) - I know, O LORD, that Your judgments are right,
And that in faithfulness You have afflicted me.
(Psalms 34:19) - Many [are] the afflictions of the righteous, But the LORD delivers him out of them all.
(Isaiah 49:13) - Sing, O heavens! Be joyful, O earth! And break out in singing, O mountains! For the LORD has comforted His people, And will have mercy on His afflicted.
(2 Samuel 22:28) And the afflicted people you will save
(Psalm 18:27) For you will save the afflicted people
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Can you see that it is the afflicted who are saved…..it is the afflicted who know how low they really are……it is the afflicted who have been broken……but in the end, it is the afflicted who have a repentant heart and give glory to God because they realize their desperate need for a savior!
It is the afflicted who are in pain! This pain is not a bad thing because…..
(Proverbs 20:30) - Blows that hurt cleanse away evil…..
(Psalm 22:24) For He has not despised nor abhorred the affliction of the afflicted;
Nor has He hidden His face from Him;
But when He cried to Him, He heard.
He hears us! He hears our cries. He hears us. The afflicted are having their hearts cleansed through their pain! If you just give your problems to God without experiencing the fullness of affliction…..you are simply missing out on the biggest chance of cleansing your heart of evil. Being afflicted is not a bad thing. In fact, it a very good thing because it let's us know we are on the right track to heaven…. The book of James says..
(James 1:2-4, 5:13) - My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience. But let patience have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing. Are any among you afflicted, let him pray!
Now this is going to get a bit deeper here, so stay with me! How many of you know someone that has said that God is doing this to me because he hates me and is out to get me, HE IS MAD AT ME!. In the book of Job, you can summarize the entire book with one statement….."Bad things happen to good people because God simply tests your faith."
Let's hear what Job says about his trials and tribulations…..
(Job 34:21,28) "For His eyes are on the ways of man,
And He sees all his steps. For He hears the cry of the afflicted.
(Job 13:15) – Though He slay me, yet will I trust Him….
I need to have God slay me by His word every single day of my life. After all, what am I living for? I live for God! So slay me and show me what I'm doing wrong, cleanse the evil from my life and bring me conviction to allow me to pray and repent for my sin!
(Matthew 7:14) - Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it.
Truth is what our church is all about. We are Bible believing Christians that have an undying desire to share the truth with those who are in darkness, so we shed them light. We reach out to those who want to know the Lord.
Listen to what Paul says here….
(Colossians 1:24) I now rejoice in my afflictions for you, and fill up in my flesh what is lacking in the afflictions of Christ, for the sake of His body, which is the church</u>,
If we have this truth, whether it be about prophecy or everyday life help, we know as a group that sometimes the truth hurts. That's why Jesus says not only is the gate to life narrow, the way is narrow also. The truth was never popular and it won't ever be. Sin is what is popular. Now I would like to close by leaving you with a question…..dealing with the truth of affliction as the hidden characteristic of righteousness……How many Christians today are willing to believe that God is going to RIGHTEOUSLY destroy them in order to restore them from their sinful nature? We must allow God to slay us everyday and knock us down in order for us to get back up. We must be afflicted in order to be righteously restored. Affliction teaches us how to live faithfully. God will teach us what he wants, when he wants, why he wants, how he wants, in the order he wants for the purpose that he wants.
As you read the Bible, allow God to afflict you in certain areas that you may not be ready to change. God's plan of righteousness comes with pain and suffering. If you allow God to afflict you in your walk with him, in return he will write his word on your heart so that you remember! And you will fall in love with the affliction because even though it hurts, you know that it is right! Thank you and God Bless.
Written by:
Kenna
http://profile.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=user.viewprofile&friendID=132448171
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The HEART of the issue is truly the issue of the HEART!
John 3:3;Mark 8:34-38;James 1:27
Posts: 3529 | From: Orange, Texas | Registered: Jun 2002
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