Excuses, Excuses

In a humanistic society, it seems that soon, "anything goes" will be the byword of the masses. Sadly, we are there! Instead of making reasons why we should live and be more like Jesus, we are making excuses to live more like the world. You know, the world the Bible says is evil and the home of our enemy. Paul wrote to the church in Philippi to be people who lived clean, innocent lives, and you will shine like stars in a crooked and perverse world. Jesus says we are like a city on a hill. Jesus said the following in Matthew 5:14 “You are the light of the world—like a city on a hilltop that cannot be hidden. 15 No one lights a lamp and then puts it under a basket. Instead, a lamp is placed on a stand, where it gives light to everyone in the house. 16 In the same way, let your good deeds shine out for all to see, so that everyone will praise your heavenly Father.

Does this light come from our goodness? No! The Holy Spirit in our lives is the only source of light that is available, and that light is the light of the Lord. This righteousness we have is the Lord's righteousness He has imparted to those who are born again in the Spirit. If a person thinks they can be good apart from God, they have fooled themselves, and their righteousness shines about like a flashlight needing batteries. God's light is always at its brightest all the time! So what do we do? We rely on God's Word and the Holy Spirit to do this work in us and through us. Do we only live this on Sunday morning in a church service? No Way!! It is not those who are well who need the physician, but those who are sick need to experience Doctor Jesus through us.

Some people who try to live in their own righteousness can end up being a little "snooty." You know, spiritually conceited. Oh, they are proud of themselves for how good they are, and before long, they have their own "good person" club, set their own rules, and live in the glow of their compromised righteousness. This sounds a lot like how the Pharisees were, and here is what Jesus called them in Matthew 23:34: “Therefore, I am sending you prophets and wise men and teachers of religious law. But you will kill some by crucifixion, and you will flog others with whips in your synagogues, chasing them from city to city. 35 As a result, you will be held responsible for the murder of all godly people of all time—from the murder of righteous Abel to the murder of Zechariah son of Berekiah, whom you killed in the Temple between the sanctuary and the altar. 36 I tell you the truth, this judgment will fall on this very generation.

Some of those "righteous" people will even say, "We are called to be good, aren't we?" Yes! Not your goodness, but God's righteousness that is pure and undefiled without human intervention. A person who just wants to be "good" has no excuse for not allowing God to be their "goodness" and that means they will have to get down and dirty when looking at themselves, and after the purging they will find themselves looking more like Jesus in their attitude and their love for others. They will turn into "mavericks" and appear to be loners because they actually are kind of by themselves, but that is ok because they are not alone. God is right there growing them into a realistic reality that is immersed in God. No excuses for not sharing the gospel because God has silenced every excuse and every avoidance.

Jesus said it this way in Matthew 6:33 But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be provided to you. First means first, so there is no excuse anymore. Live in God's righteousness, and He will radically change your perspective about everything....EVERYTHING.

Today's Message,

David Warren