sermon notes 21 Nov 2021

 

Overview

1. Introduction: Righteousness comes by faith in Christ alone, not your own performance
2. You can be a victorious believer like Abraham, instead of a defeated one like Lot
3. When you have a heart for God, you won’t have a heart for sin
4. Be wise and uphold moral excellence in your life and home, instead of trusting in your flesh
5. Instead of vexing your righteous soul, live with a clear conscience and enjoy fellowship with the Lord
6. Don’t linger in the ways of the world which lead to destruction, but look to the Lord who brings deliverance
7. Having a personal revelation of the Lord and His goodness keeps you safe and on the right path
8. Receiving strength and nourishment from God when you are tired keeps you from falling into temptation
9. Be greatly blessed when you trust that God is the source of all your provision
10. Salvation Prayer

Introduction: Righteousness comes by faith in Christ alone, not your own performance

All believers are righteous by grace through faith alone as it is impossible to be saved by our own effort.

“What then shall we say that Abraham our father has found according to the flesh? For if Abraham was justified by works, he has something to boast about, but not before God. For what does the Scripture say? "Abraham believed God, and it was accounted to him for righteousness." Now to him who works, the wages are not counted as grace but as debt.”
— Romans 4:1–4 NKJV

“Abraham our father has found according to the flesh” — Abraham received the revelation that righteousness comes by faith.

“if Abraham was justified by works, he has something to boast about, but not before God” — If Abraham had been made righteous by his own performance, he would have been able to boast about it before everyone except God because God sees everything. Even if our performance is good, if our motive behind it is bad, God knows about it.

“Abraham believed God, and it was accounted to him for righteousness” — Abraham believed God the same way that you and I believe Him today—that Christ Jesus, the Son of God, was sent by God to take away all our sins at the cross. At the cross, God unleashed upon Jesus His righteous wrath against all the lawlessness and sins that He bore for us. Through this, we have transferred our sins to Jesus and He has transferred His righteousness to us.

JUST AS JESUS WAS PUNISHED AND CURSED APART FROM HIS SINFUL DEEDS, TODAY YOU ARE BLESSED AND FAVORED APART FROM YOUR RIGHTEOUS DEEDS.

“Now to him who works, the wages are not counted as grace but as debt” — Your righteousness is a grace gift given to you because of what Jesus has done on the cross for you, and not because you deserve it by your own effort. Righteousness is not a wage which you have earned.

You can be a victorious believer like Abraham, instead of a defeated one like Lot

Among all believers who are righteous by faith, there are two types of believers: those who are victorious and those who are defeated.

Abraham was greatly blessed by God. Besides making Abraham righteous, God also blessed him with wealth and health. Abraham lived a very fruitful, full life and died at the age of 175. All that is ours too as we are blessed with the blessings of Abraham (Gal. 3:29, 4:7).

“and turning the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah into ashes, condemned them to destruction, making them an example to those who afterward would live ungodly; and delivered righteous Lot, who was oppressed by the filthy conduct of the wicked (for that righteous man, dwelling among them, tormented his righteous soul from day to day by seeing and hearing their lawless deeds) —”
— 2 Peter 2:6–8 NKJV

Pastor Prince emphasises that we are not ungodly people. As believers, in God’s eyes we are righteous and godly. However, he believes that this story of Abraham and Lot is an example for us to learn from.

“righteous Lot,” “delivered righteous Lot,” “tormented his righteous soul” — God called Lot “righteous” three times in this scripture. Lot was righteous the same way Abraham was righteous. In those days, the people of God would offer a lamb to God, which was a picture of Jesus Christ, and trust that the lamb took their sins while they took the lamb’s blamelessness and spotlessness. However, though Lot was righteous, he was defeated and in a place where sin was all around him.

— Genesis 13:10–11 NKJV

“And Lot lifted his eyes and saw all the plain of Jordan” — When it came to choosing a land to occupy, Lot went by his natural sight and chose Sodom and Gomorrah because the lands appeared luscious and bountiful. However, the truth is that just because an investment or decision appears to be good outwardly, it doesn’t mean it truly is good. Beloved, take your time and listen to the Holy Spirit’s leading within when making a decision, especially if you sense unease or people are rushing you.

Be wise and uphold moral excellence in your life and home, instead of trusting in your flesh

“Abram dwelt in the land of Canaan, and Lot dwelt in the cities of the plain and pitched his tent even as far as Sodom.”
— Genesis 13:12 NKJV

“Lot pitched his tent even as far as Sodom” — Lot pitching his tent toward Sodom was the beginning of his downfall.

Parents, are you pitching your family towards Sodom or towards the land of Canaan, the land flowing with milk and honey? What this means is: do you know what your children are reading, watching on television and surfing on the Internet? Pastor Prince recommends that parents of teenage children place their computer in the living room. This is not because parents shouldn’t trust their children, but simply because they shouldn’t trust their children’s flesh or allow any chance of giving way to it.

Similarly, when we are faced with situations that tempt our flesh, choosing not to trust our flesh is our greatest safety. For example, don’t choose to watch R-rated shows or if you are on a date, don’t go to a dark place as these are all putting our trust in our own flesh and ability. When it comes to sexual immorality, the Bible tells us to run and “flee fornication,” (1 Cor. 6:18) not “stand there and fight!”

Pastor Prince shares wisdom on parenting by encouraging parents to put boundaries in place because children need them. In fact, just as God’s correction causes us to feel loved and cared for, implementing discipline and boundaries for our children causes them to feel loved and valued. As a parent, it’s time for you to repossess your marriage, family, and your position of king and a priest in your family. Many people expect the church to do this for them but in fact, you need to be the voice of moral authority in your home.

Beloved, if you fall into sin, know that there is no condemnation for you (Rom. 8:1). But don’t stay there and live in sin. You are called for greater things. You are not called to be down in the lowlands of Sodom and Gomorrah, but instead you are called to living high above, in the mountains and fresh air of faith like Abraham!

YOU ARE CALLED FOR MORAL ELEVATION ON THE MOUNTAIN OF FAITH!

Pastor Prince shares about a parent who no longer wanted to send her daughter to the church’s youth ministry as she felt that her daughter spent too much time with friends at church instead of focusing on her studies. In response, Pastor Prince encourages parents to be glad that their children have a heart to worship with other believers and encounter the Lord.

But the men of Sodom were exceedingly wicked and sinful against the LORD. And the LORD said to Abram, after Lot had separated from him: "Lift your eyes now and look from the place where you are — northward, southward, eastward, and westward;”
— Genesis 13:13–14 NKJV

“Lift your eyes now and look from the place where you are” — Unlike Lot, who chose the land he wanted with his natural eyes, Abraham looked at the land with his spiritual eyes. This is because the land was so vast that it required spiritual vision to see all of it.

Lot had chosen by his natural vision which was limited and he ended up making a bad decision, choosing a land that would soon perish. However, Abraham trusted God as his portion and everything that he saw northward, southward, eastward, and westward was given to him.

GOD BLESSES YOU GREATLY WHEN YOU CHOOSE TO TRUST HIM INSTEAD OF GOING BY YOUR NATURAL SIGHT!

Shortly after this, in Genesis 14, Lot went down to Sodom and Gomorrah and together with its population, was taken captive by four kings and their armies. When Abraham heard that Lot had gotten into trouble, he didn’t blame Lot or leave him to fight for himself. Instead, he prayed for Lot and fought for him (Gen. 14:14). Let’s choose to become righteous men and women like Abraham, not judging our fellow believers when they are facing troubles, but praying for and supporting them.

After being delivered by Abraham and his army, the Bible tells us that Lot returned to Sodom and Gomorrah and even became a board member of the city. He had a complacent attitude and chose to return to sin and a city doomed to destruction. This is as opposed to Abraham, who instead of staying in sin, returned to the mountains to seek God and moral excellence.

greatly blessed when you trust that God is the source of all your provision

“And blessed be God Most High, Who has delivered your enemies into your hand." And he gave him a tithe of all. Now the king of Sodom said to Abram, “Give me the persons, and take the goods for yourself.””
— Genesis 14:20–21 NKJV

“And he gave him a tithe of all” — Tithing is not for the entire church. It is for those who, like Abraham, have a revelation of how good God is and that God is the God Most High, Possessor of heaven and earth. These people understand that their ten percent is nothing but a declaration that God alone is their source. As Lot did not have the same revelation of God’s goodness that Abraham had, he didn’t partake of the Communion or tithe and eventually lost everything.

This revelation is the reason why Abraham could tell Lot to choose the portion of land he wanted first. Abraham knew that God was the one who would bless him. When he was tempted to believe otherwise, God reminded him, through Melchizedek, that he was a blessed man.

“But Abram said to the king of Sodom, "I have raised my hand to the LORD, God Most High, the Possessor of heaven and earth, that I will take nothing, from a thread to a sandal strap, and that I will not take anything that is yours, lest you should say, 'I have made Abram rich' —”
— Genesis 14:22–23 NKJV

“I will not take anything that is yours, lest you should say, ‘I have made Abram rich’” — From here, we can see that Abraham knew he would be very rich eventually. He didn’t want it to be said later on that the king of Sodom, or the world, made him rich. He wanted it to be said that God Almighty made him rich so that all the glory would go to God.

Every terrible sin that you see is a harvest—it began with a root of unbelief in God’s goodness in the person’s heart long before. Perhaps this person thought, “I don’t think I can trust God with finding a man. I must go out there and look around, lower my morals,” or “I need to experience living with my boyfriend for a while because I don’t think I can trust that God has a good life for me in marriage.” The moment that little root that questions God’s goodness drops in your heart and mind, you could end up doubting God’s goodness and being open to anything the devil has.

Today as you choose to live like Abraham, righteous by faith but having a heart for God, moral excellence, and having your family in order, you’ll find that just like Abraham, you’ll enjoy your marriage and family life, live to a good old age, enjoy every blessing of God and never have to vex your soul each day.

“Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me
All the days of my life;”