Producing the Righteousness of God

Producing

 

 

 

Sunday 10/28/18 

Series: For Edification

Message – Producing the Righteousness of God

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Producing the Righteousness of God

Last week we learned about seeds and fruit bearing, learning about it from both the positive…

Prodcuing

When you take that planted WORD (that thought, that suggestion, that influence) and think on it set your mind or affections on it – it will have all the fuel it needs to grow and produce!

  • If it is a Word from God – it will produce LIFE – UNION with God and bearing His likeness.
  • If it is a Word from satan – it will produce death – separation from koinonia with God and bearing the image and likeness of satan – the rebeller.

We spent the greatest portion of our time in James 1:15-18, which says,

“(15) Then after desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin (EVIL FRUIT – PROOF of UNION), and when sin is finished, it brings forth death. (16) Don’t be deceived, my dearly loved brothers. (17) Every generous act and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights; with Him there is no variation or shadow cast by turning. (18) By His own choice, He gave us a new birth by the message of truth so that we would be the firstfruits of His creatures.”

  • James warns us about desire because OURS is a journey of desire! Only, we need to set our affections on the right things and in the right places.
  • We learned that God calls our desires for other things – adultery and friendship.

How many of you are wary of people who come at you with an agenda?

Producing

Well, we need to REMEMBER that Jesus warned us that our enemy HAS AN AGENDA! He ONLY (can anyone say ONLY)…He ONLY comes to steal, and to kill, and to destroy (John 10:10).

OURS is a journey of desire and there is NOTHING wrong with desire! Only, we need to set our affections on the right things and in the right places. Which is why Paul tell us in Col. 3:1-17, “(1) So if you have been raised with the Messiah, seek what is above, where the Messiah is, seated at the right hand of God. (2) Set your minds and your affections (the words “set your minds” mans to be mindful of and devoted to) on what is above, not on what is on the earth. (3) For you have died (THAT body Paul wanted to be set free from has been rendered inoperative – powerless), and your life is hidden with the Messiah in God.

In the same way in those verses we looked at last week in James – he is telling us that the good and perfect gift is to become like your Maker – to be fully reborn in His image – spirit, soul & body! ANY OTHER THING will produce NOT union with God (LIFE) but separation (death).

THIS Is where our desires and affections must lie!

This is what we must NOT be deceived about!

James is telling us to not be deceived by fleshly desires. They are promising satisfaction and fulfillment – but they cannot deliver. The only thing which will satisfy is Jesus!

We were created for union and oneness with God through Christ Jesus both now and forever! Amen?!

For the time being however, (what Paul called “this present distress”) we are perplexed and pressed from every side with desires which attempt to supplant our desires for Christ in us – with temporal and temporary satisfaction from our flesh.

We ended last week by allowing King David to summarize our lesson in Psa 17:1-15,

Of which I will just read the last three verses…

“(13) Arise, O LORD, Confront him, cast him down; Deliver my life from the wicked with Your sword, (14) With Your hand from men, O LORD, From men of the world who have their portion in this life, And whose belly You fill with Your hidden treasure. They are satisfied with children, And leave the rest of their possession for their babes. (15) BUT As for me, I will see Your face in righteousness; I shall be satisfied when I awake in Your likeness.”

Now, this week we are going to leave the lesson of desires right here and look at this same truth of fruit bearing from another angle as it is found in John 15.

At this point I had everyone turn to John 15, but then felt a strong impulse to stay where we were and continue through James 1 which was not in my notes so I will offer a few notes here, but you will have to listen rather than follow along in writing this week. My apologies for not taking the time to write it out, but it is what it is.

James 1:17-25, NKJV “(17) Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and comes down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow of turning. (18) Of His own will He brought us forth by the word of truth, that we might be a kind of firstfruits of His creatures. (19) So then, my beloved brethren, let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath; (20) for the wrath of man does not produce the righteousness of God. (21) Therefore lay aside all filthiness and overflow of wickedness, and receive with meekness the implanted word, which is able to save your souls. (22) But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves. (23) For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man observing his natural face in a mirror; (24) for he observes himself, goes away, and immediately forgets what kind of man he was. (25) But he who looks into the perfect law of liberty and continues in it, and is not a forgetful hearer but a doer of the work, this one will be blessed in what he does.”

2Cor. 5:17-21, NKJV “(17) Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new. (18) Now all things are of God, who has reconciled us to Himself through Jesus Christ, and has given us the ministry of reconciliation, (19) that is, that God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself, not imputing their trespasses to them, and has committed to us the word of reconciliation. (20) Now then, we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were pleading through us: we implore you on Christ’s behalf, be reconciled to God. (21) For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.”

Rom. 7:16-23, NKJV “(16) If, then, I do what I will not to do, I agree with the law that it is good. (17) But now, it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells in me. (18) For I know that in me (that is, in my flesh) nothing good dwells; for to will is present with me, but how to perform what is good I do not find. (19) For the good that I will to do, I do not do; but the evil I will not to do, that I practice. (20) Now if I do what I will not to do, it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells in me. (21) I find then a law, that evil is present with me, the one who wills to do good. (22) For I delight in the law of God according to the inward man. (23) But I see another law in my members, warring against the law of my mind, and bringing me into captivity to the law of sin which is in my members.”

 
This service had content that is NOT written out here, so I would encourage you to listen to it WHILE you read…Blessings! 

I hope this teaching will challenge you and encourage you to place your trust in the Lord Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord.

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Blessings!

 

Hi my name is Mark and though I am opposed to titles, I am currently the only Pastor (shepherd/elder) serving our assembly right now.

I have been Pastoring in one capacity or another for nearly 30 years now, though never quite like I am today.

Early in 2009 the Lord revealed to me that the way we had structured our assembly (church) was not scriptural in that it was out of sync with what Paul modeled for us in the New Testament. In truth, I (like many pastors I am sure) never even gave this fundamental issue of church structure the first thought. I had always assumed that church structure was largely the same everywhere and had been so from the beginning. While I knew Paul had some very stringent things to say about the local assembly of believers, the point of our gatherings together and who may or may not lead, I never even considered studying these issues but assumed we were all pretty much doing it right...safety in numbers right?! Boy, I couldn't have been more wrong!

So needless to say, my discovery that we had been doing it wrong for nearly two decades was a bit of a shock to me! Now, this "revelation" did not come about all at once but over the course of a few weeks. We were a traditional single pastor led congregation. It was a top-bottom model of ministry which is in part biblical, but not in the form of a monarchy.

The needed change did not come into focus until following 9 very intense months of study and discussions with those who were leaders in our church at the time.

We now understand and believe that the Bible teaches co-leadership with equal authority in each local assembly. Having multiple shepherds with God's heart and equal authority protects both Shepherds and sheep. Equal accountability keeps authority and doctrine in check. Multiple shepherds also provide teaching with various styles and giftings with leadership skills which are both different and complementary.

For a while we had two co-pastors (elders) (myself and one other man) who led the church with equal authority, but different giftings. We both taught in our own ways and styles, and our leadership skills were quite different, but complimentary. We were in complete submission to each other and worked side-by-side in the labor of shepherding the flock.

Our other Pastor has since moved on to other ministry which has left us with just myself. While we currently only have one Pastor/Elder, it is our desire that God, in His faithfulness and timing, may bring us more as we grow in maturity and even in numbers.

As to my home, I have been married since 1995 to my wonderful wife Terissa Woodson who is my closest friend and most trusted ally.

As far as my education goes, I grew up in a Christian home, but questioned everything I was ever taught.

I graduated from Bible college in 1990 and continued to question everything I was ever taught (I do not mention my college in order to avoid being labeled).

Perhaps my greatest preparation for ministry has been life and ministry itself. To quote an author I have come to enjoy namely Fredrick Buechner in his writing entitled, Now and Then, "If God speaks to us at all other than through such official channels as the Bible and the church, then I think that He speaks to us largely through what happens to us...if we keep our hearts open as well as our ears, if we listen with patience and hope, if we remember at all deeply and honestly, then I think we come to recognize beyond all doubt, that, however faintly we may hear Him, He is indeed speaking to us, and that, however little we may understand of it, His word to each of us is both recoverable and precious beyond telling." ~ Fredrick Buechner

Well that is about all there is of interest to tell you about me.

I hope our ministry here is a blessing to you and your family. I also hope that it is only a supplement to a local church where you are committed to other believers in a community of grace.

~God Bless!