Lesson 1 ~ June First Week
Stand for Righteousness
Background Reading:
Psalm 119:142; Proverbs 14:34; Matthew 5:6; Roman 1:17-20; 3:21-26; James 1:19-20
Devotional Reading:
Romans 10:1-15
Central Verse:
“He that followeth after righteousness and mercy findeth life, righteousness, and honor.”
Proverbs 21:21, KJV
“Whosoever pursues righteousness, and unfailing love will find life, righteousness, and honor.”
Proverbs 21:21, NLT
Key Terms:
Lust – Usually intense or unbridled sexual desire; to have an intense desire or need.
Hunger – A strong desire; a desire or a need for food.
Imputed – To give the blame or credit to some person or cause.
Introduction:
God made man in His image and likeness, which means that there is a part of him that only God can fill. Because of this fact, there is always a hunger in man for more than what he can acquire on his own or through worldly achievements. God wants man to recognize that he has a spiritual hunger that has nothing to do with natural food. He must recognize that his soul requires nourishment on a regular basis.
It does not matter how often a man prays or how many Bible passages he studies and memorizes. It does not matter how often he is in a church ser-vice. There will always be a hunger on the inside that cannot be satisfied until he realizes that the hunger is for righteousness. Jesus tells us he that hungers and thirsts after righteousness shall be filled (Matthew 5:6). That desire to get closer to God and learn His ways will constantly eat at a per-son when he has not been filled with righteousness.
What is righteousness? Is it an attribute that belongs to God? No man can be justified by his own works apart from God. Righteousness is a gift from God to humanity through His love. It is a God-given quality imputed to man when he believes and accepts the Gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God.
It is acting in accordance with the divine and moral law; it means free from guilt and sin.
Discussion:
Many believers love God and the church, yet feel dissatisfied and empty emotionally, physically, and spiritually. They are low on joy, fulfillment, and peace. These are times when the enemy will deceive them and cause them to turn to sex, drugs, and alcohol. They know they are hungry and thirsty for something but can't seem to realize what it is. They don't realize that their spiritual appetite can become confused and do not know they need to change their spiritual diet. They need a change to bring wholeness, peace, and real nourishment.
John let believers know that all that is in the world is the “pride of life, the lust of the eye, and the lust of the flesh”(1 John 2:16). These three things are the driving forces in the body, and if a believer is not aware of his need for righteousness, he will allow that lust (or desire) to lead him to the negative things that will destroy him. Hunger has to do with the desires of the flesh and the spirit, so a believer must have the leading of the Holy Spirit within his spirit.
When a believer gets a spiritual diet change, he moves from tired, anxious, and overwhelmed to fulfilled, whole, and free. Righteousness exalts, but sin brings forth reproach. “When sin is fulfilled, it brings forth death” (James 1:15). Do not underestimate the persistent, clever, oppressive spirit of lust. It is important that the tactics of lust be exposed and the believer strategizes from a place of knowledge rather than from a place of fear to bring about defeat to that spirit of lust. Lust is savage and destructive, for it is of the devil. The believer needs to move into God with some “hungry prayers” that express their hunger for God and a depth of intimacy and closeness that only talking to God can bring.
Lust is a strong opposing force against righteousness. It is seen daily be-cause the world is filled with advertisements that promote lust on every level. It is made to seem so common that it's difficult to avoid it. This world seems to try to trap every person by some type of sinful lust. The many sex-ual ads create lustful thoughts and the desire for sexual behaviors. The never-ending reality shows and movies about the lives of the rich and famous cause people to lust after fame and fortune. But there is hope for believers because they have Biblical truths that can help them overcome lust and receive true freedom.
The righteousness of God can and will help believers combat lust and allow them to live a lust-free lifestyle. They can walk in freedom from lust and stand for truth and righteousness. When a man loves righteousness, he will hate wickedness and iniquity and be blessed by the Lord.
When a believer stands for righteousness, pride cannot accompany him. Pride cannot lead the believer; it cannot promote him because it will impede his growth. To stand for righteousness, he must not just talk about the Word, read, or sit on the Word; he must live and deploy the Word daily, and pride will not allow him to do that.
Conclusion:
The believer must remember that the wrath of man does not work within the righteousness of God. He must be careful what he allows to come out of his mouth and out of his spirit. A believer cannot get angry and just say anything because they will be accountable for their words and actions. “Be ye angry, and sin not: let not the sun go down upon your wrath”(Ephesians 4:26).
The believer must not be ignorant of God's righteousness, but they must submit themselves to God and His righteousness. The righteousness of God makes men aware that all men have sinned and have come short of the Glory of God. The righteousness of God allows men to know that Christ was the end of the Law.
Jesus was made sin for humanity because He knew no sin. He was born of a virgin, lived in flesh and was sinless, died and was buried, but on the third day got up out of the grave and is now back at the right hand of His Father. The just shall live by faith.
Questions:
1. Why is it necessary for believers to stand for righteousness?
2. What ways will God help the believer stand for righteousness?
3. Why is righteousness of faith?
Essential Thought:
If you stand for righteousness,
righteousness will stand for you.