Wise Words: God's Righteousness

May 18, 2014

Wise Words

Righteousness

Proverbs 11:3-11

(Advance Slide #1)

Introduction

Two weeks ago we began this series of lessons from the book of Proverbs.

• In fact, it is considered in the genre of writings “wisdom literature.”
• My intentions for this series of lessons is to extract, and thats not all that heard, the important pieces of wisdom so that we can implement and use them.

1. Fearing God
2. How we should treat our mothers

What is a legend?

• It is an extremely famous person known for something particular.

(Advance Slide #2)

EX - Michael Jordan

• MJ began his basketball career at UNC leading them to a national championship in 1982.
• In 1984 he joined the Chicago Bulls:
• 6 NBA championships
• 6 NBA finals championships
• 2 Olympic gold medals
• He is a legend!

(Advance Slide #3)

In Proverbs 11 God is calling men and women to be legends.

• To be known for integrity.
• To stand for righteousness in a land full of evil and corruption.

He has told you, O man, what is good; and what does the Lord require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God? Micah 6:8

(Advance Slide #4)

• So what does God expect from us?
• Righteousness, mercy, and a humble spirit.

(Advance Slide #5)

Text

3 The integrity of the upright guides them, but the crookedness of the treacherous destroys them. 4 Riches do not profit in the day of wrath, but righteousness delivers from death. 5 The righteousness of the blameless keeps his way straight, but the wicked falls by his own wickedness. 6 The righteousness of the upright delivers them, but the treacherous are taken captive by their lust. 7 When the wicked dies, his hope will perish, and the expectation of wealth perishes too. 8 The righteous is delivered from trouble, and the wicked walks into it instead. 9 With his mouth the godless man would destroy his neighbor, but by knowledge the righteous are delivered. 10 When it goes well with the righteous, the city rejoices, and when the wicked perish there are shouts of gladness. 11 By the blessing of the upright a city is exalted, but by the mouth of the wicked it is overthrown. Proverbs 11:3-11

What we find in this text is that it tells us what a righteous person looks like.

• It accomplishes this by drawing a contrast between the righteous and the wicked.

(Advance Slide #6)

vs. 3 - “integrity of the upright guides” - “crookedness of the treacherous destroys them”

vs. 5 - “righteousness of the blameless keeps his way straight” - “wicked falls by his own wickedness”

vs. 6 - “righteousness of the upright delivers” - “treacherous are taken captive by their lust”

vs. 8 - “righteous is delivered from trouble” - “wicked walks into it”

(Advance Slide #7)

vs. 9 - “godless man would destroy his neighbor” - “by knowledge the righteous are delivered”

vs. 10 - “it goes well with the righteous” - “when the wicked perish there are shouts of gladness”

vs. 11 - “blessing of the upright a city is exalted” - “the mouth of the wicked it is overthrown”

Did you catch the pattern?

• These are righteous...these are not.
• These have integrity...these do not.
• God protects and honors the upright...the wicked will be trapped and destroyed.
• God is making a comparison!

(Advance Slide #8)

*Make a choice, decide what type of person you want to be!

Lesson

(Advance Slide #9)

EX - In 2008 George Barna and his research group conducted a certain survey.

• They did a nationwide survey asking various people their views on “righteousness.”
• Didn’t actually ask that, but they did ask what their thoughts on 8 activities:

1. Watching porn
2. Using profanity in public
3. Gambling
4. Gossiping
5. Sexual relationships outside of marriage
6. Seeking revenge
7. Getting drunk
8. Lying

• Evangelicals were the group most likely to embrace morality, atheists and agnostics were more likely to accept it.
• Religiously liberal - 5 times more likely engage in sex outside of marriage; 3 times more likely to view porn on reg. basis; twice as likely to get drunk in a social situation/lie/and gossip

Those who respected God = more likely to embrace righteousness!

• Many reject righteousness because it interferes with what they want to do.

A lot of people do not want God’s righteousness.

• What they really want is something to make them feel better about their own ‘righteousness.’
• What is God’s reaction to this?
• God says, “Not going to happen!” Whatever your excuse may be, “wrong is wrong!”

(Advance Slide #10)

Ex. 23:2 “You shall not fall in with the many to do evil, nor shall you bear witness in a lawsuit, siding with the many, so as to pervert justice,”

Prov. 15:3 “The eyes of the Lord are in every place, keeping watch on the evil and the good.”

Eph. 4:18 “They are darkened in their understanding, alienated from the life of God because of the ignorance that is in them, due to their hardness of heart.”

(Advance Slide #11)

The book of Proverbs tells us what happens when we choose wickedness

3:33 - your house is cursed

11:5 - falls by his own wickedness

11:6 - taken captive by their lusts

11:10 - there are shouts of gladness when they perish

(Advance Slide #12)

It also tells us what will happen if we choose righteousness….and there is a difference!

15:29 - prayers are heard

29:6 - sings and rejoices

10:3 - doesn’t let the righteous go hungry

(Advance Slide #13)

God is calling people to righteousness!

• But there is a problem with this?

(Advance Slide #14)

“None is righteous, no, not one;” Rom. 3:10

• Okay, do I understand you correctly?
• God wants me to be righteous.
• I want to be righteous.
• But I can’t be righteous! WHY, would God demand it of me?
• Because God set the bar high.
• He’s not saying you’re always going to reach it...it is your objective!

4 But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, 5 even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved— 6 and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, 7 so that in the coming ages he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. 8 For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, 9 not a result of works, so that no one may boast. 10 For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them. Eph. 2:4-10

Action Step

Be clothed and walk in His righteousness!

Conclusion

(Advance Slide #15)

If we are not righteous enough to be saved then how can we?

“For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.” 2 Cor. 5:21

• How do we become the righteousness of God?

(Advance Slide #16)

• We “put on” His righteousness
• “For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ.” Gal 3:27