Tag: discipleship

Our Righteousness: Stink or Aroma?

Discipleship 1:2

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(*For our understanding, the simplest definition I have heard for righteousness is right standing with God. Let’s bear that in mind during today’s study.)

Our main text today comes from Luke 18:9-14.

Two men, a Pharisee, (an ultra-religious, “separated one”, person), and a tax collector went to church to pray. I can picture the Pharisee going front and center of the church, standing upright, looking heavenward. “I thank You, God, that I am not like other men,” he prayed. Then he began to pontificate on the reasons why, using comparison to other men. Besides being faithful to his wife, he was holy, just, and he did not use force, threats, or illegal means, to gain what he had. In other words, he was not like the tax collector, (whom we’ll get to), who stood afar off, praying. Oh, and by the way, the pharisee also went without food twice a week and gave ten percent of all that he had to the church. He was all of that, a bag of chips, a mega sized drink besides, and vocalized it. Self righteousness stinks.

Sadly, I can relate to the pharisee. I have looked down on others, especially in my younger days. “I do not go to the booze, drug, and sex parties of my peers. I do not use vulgar language or immodestly dress as they do.” La de da. Okay, reflecting back, I do not think that I was as outwardly as offensive as the pharisee or my peers would have approached me as they did. Ah, but God looks on the heart, and sometimes the inner thoughts of my heart stunk.

The point I’m making is that I have battled the self righteous attitude. I may not have been as vocal as the pharisee, but internally it was still there. What I think the big temptation to do here is compare ourselves to one another. Which, now that I am more mature in Christ, I intentionally guard against; however, I have caught myself, even now, being a spiritual snob. At times I must remind myself that my “comparison” is to be made to sinless Jesus only, period, for all of us have fallen short of the glory of God.

The tax collector felt the weight of his unrighteousness. He didn’t go the whole way into the church, would not lift his eyes to heaven, and smote his breast which is a biblical sign of repentance. There was no comparison to others here; he owned his sins and cried out, “God, be merciful to me — I am a sinner!”

I can also relate to the tax collector. Sometimes I drive myself nuts with the things I think, say, or do that are displeasing to God. But that’s why grace, charis, the free, unmerited favor of God toward people who don’t deserve it, is so wonderful. This was the heart of the tax collector. It is my heart when I have done wrong and have humbly come to God to confess it.

My sacrifice [the sacrifice acceptable] to God is a broken spirit; a broken and a contrite heart [broken down with sorrow for sin and humbly and thoroughly penitent], such, O God, You will not despise. Psalm 51:17 AMPC

This is when righteousness is a sweet smelling aroma as unto the LORD. So who went home forgiven and in right standing with God? The tax collector of course!

I tell you, this man went down to his home justified (forgiven and made upright and in right standing with God), rather than the other man; for everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, but he who humbles himself will be exalted. Luke 18:14 AMPC

The pharisee was not humble in his “praying”, therefore God didn’t hear him, just as he won’t hear us.

If we say we have no sin [refusing to admit that we are sinners], we delude and lead ourselves astray, and the Truth [which the Gospel presents] is not in us [does not dwell in our hearts]. 1 John 1:8 AMPC

Compare the non-effective arrogant “prayer” of the pharisee to that of the effective prayer of the tax collector.

If we [freely] admit that we have sinned and confess our sins, He is faithful and just (true to His own nature and promises) and will forgive our sins [dismiss our lawlessness] and [continuously] cleanse us from all unrighteousness [everything not in conformity to His will in purpose, thought, and action]. 1 John 1:9 AMPC

I hope you will join me in taking some time to self-reflect. Let us ask ourselves: Is there a bit of snobbishness residing in me? If there is, let us humble ourselves, ask for forgiveness, and repent. And like the tax collector, may we walk away forgiven and in right standing with God. In closing, let’s visit the scripture again:

If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.  If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. 1 John 1:8-9 NKJV

Blessed be the name of the LORD.

For “whoever calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved.” Romans 10:13 NKJV

The Ultimate Purpose of Salvation

Discipleship 1:1

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Okay, I admit it. I’m thinking the first lesson is going to be a no-brainer. Wrong! I don’t know if you’ll get as much out of this as I did, but I hope so.

First, let us pray:

LORD, may we enter this study with open hearts, willing to thwart preconceived notions and beliefs that may be contrary to You and Your word. Where we may have trouble comprehending, help us to understand. Shine Your light upon us, help us to receive all that You have for us. Make us blessable so that we may be a blessing to others. Thank You. Amen.

And so we begin…

The bedrock verse for salvation would be:

For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. John 3:16 NKJV

The thing that sticks out to me, probably most of us, is “not perish”, not spend an eternity in hell. And that is absolutely true! That being said, we’re missing the flip side: everlasting life. Huh? You might say. If we stop at eternal life being the means of being saved from eternal damnation, then we’ve missed the ultimate purpose of salvation.

The night before His crucifixion, Jesus was praying. One of the things He prayed is,

“And this is eternal life, that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent.” John 17:3 NKJV

Know God, Know Jesus, is basically what Jesus was saying. Relationship. He was trying to safeguard us. Why? Because …

The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy … John 10:10 NKJV

I was attending a celebration of life recently and the importance of the focus we present to others was driven home to me. The minister drilled the terribleness of hell to the attendees, as I have heard many well meaning believers do. I’ve done it. I agree that there is a hell to shun and a heaven to gain, no argument here. But what if instead of magnifying the atrocities of hell, we would give heaven three times the accolades? And what if, especially in the light of our first discipleship lesson, we presented Jesus as the answer to our heartaches here?

As the author pointed out in the study I’m reading, it’s no wonder people put off choosing Jesus when salvation is presented as an escape from hell at our demise. He’s not presented as a viable solution to the here and now problems people are facing. What they need is eternal life and they need it now. They need that intimate relationship with the Savior now so that He can direct them into the abundant life here. Life will not be perfect in this broken world in these aging bodies, but we can have life abundantly. If it were not so, Jesus would not have said it.

“… I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly.” John 10:10 NKJV

And when do we obtain this abundant life?

He who possesses the Son has that life; he who does not possess the Son of God does not have that life. 1 John 5:11-12 AMPC

Abundant life begins when we choose Jesus, it begins here, on planet earth. And what is abundant life? The exact opposite of what the thief came to do.

I want to live the abundant life promised me now. That is part of the reason why I am studying this, so that I can rise above those things that are holding me down and lift others up as well. If you share the same desire, then I hope that you will continue to join me.

I recommend re-reading these posts and meditating on the scriptures presented until the next lesson. According to Romans 12:2 NKJV, let’s,

“… not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.”

Study well, fellow sojourner.