Ep 482 | Righteousness, Self-Control, Coming Judgement - Brian Osburn 1/8/23

Glad that we could be together this morning glad that we could

honor our father this morning and praise him.

And thank him for the great things that he has done.

My voice is not the best this morning.

I'm fighting a cold and I but I pray that you will forgo that,

and we'll, we'll look at the message this morning regarding a

God's word and what we are going to talk about specifically or

focusing here in Acts chapter 24 verse number 25, where it says

Acts 24 · chapter mention

here in this is in the middle of Paul's life.

He's on trial. It says, after some days, when

Felix came with his wife Priscilla, who was Jewish, he

simple Paul and heard him concerning the faith in Christ.

Now, as you reason about righteousness self-control and

the judgment to come, Felix was afraid and answered go away for.

Now, when I have a convenient time, I will call for you.

And that's what we're going to talk about.

About Paul's reasoning about righteousness self-control and

the judgment to come and then talk about Felix's reaction,

regarding that. That message that Paul gave so

long ago to this man or to this husband and wife really is just

as applicable today. As it was back then we're going

to take a deep dive into these three things this morning before

we do the Though, what a wonderful privilege we have

that, God has allowed us to talk to him in prayer, and we're

going to take advantage of that at this time, every once in a

while, you're here, kind of the younger generation, use the term

YOLO. It's an acronym.

Referring to you only live once and it's and it's kind of the

modern-day version of carpe diem which we know the means seizing

the day. So usually when these are said

it's its or use it's usually in reference to living life to the

fullest and sometimes it carries unwise risks that might just

lead a person into trouble. No, not all the time when it's

used and that it's used in the negative sense or not all the

time, does it ever lead to bad consequences?

But me personally from my observation that tends to mostly

carry the idea of doing what you want and doing what you desire.

no matter what other people might tell you, And if we're not

careful, this kind of attitude can lead us to do what our own

will is, and it just might differ from the will and the

Commandments that are expressed with in the scriptures from the

Lord. This seems to be the case with a

husband and wife, who had been who had become acquainted with

the Apostle Paul here in our context and Acts chapter 24.

Acts 24 · chapter mention

And they seemed to have enjoyed being with Paul.

They seemed to have enjoyed, listening to Paul, tell them

about the faith in Jesus Christ. but one day, when Paul was

before them, it got a little too real for them.

Because Paul address, something that directly convicted this

husband and wife whom he stood before here in the setting of

Acts chapter 24. Paul is currently on trial.

Acts 24 · chapter mention

He's incest ariya. And the reason why he's there is

because the accusations that were brought before him what

happened back in Jerusalem. How all this trouble that Paul

got in how it all started was? Paul brought a gentile into the

temple. And that just created all kinds

of trouble surrounding Paul. I mean, there was a big mob,

they tried to kill him, Romans soldiers, rescued him from being

nearly beaten, and stoned to death, and he was placed under

arrest. There was a plot to kill Paul

while he was still under arrest. And so, they snuck Paul out,

they created an army to protect one man and take him up to Sessa

Rhea. Get him out of the trouble of

the mob that about 40 men who had taken a vow of.

We're not going to eat or drink anything till they saw Paul

dead. And so those, the authorities

said, well, we got to get this guy out of here.

We got to protect him. So that's how he ends up in

caesarea. And while he's here in caesarea,

he's brought before Felix to continue his tribe and Felix.

He's a Roman governor in that part of the world.

He had historically, speaking had a, quite a shady past, and

he wasn't well respected among the people.

In fact, he was so, Said having to have been cruel to the

people, even to the point of being cruel to causing some of

those people that died. Well, Felix enticed his third

wife, Drusilla to leave her husband and to marry him.

And she was the daughter of Herod Agrippa and Herod Agrippa.

We know in scriptures to be the same Herod, who had persecuted

the church in Acts 12. He had killed James, the brother

of John with the sword, And I am unsure of drusilla's character,

but it would not be fair to judge her based upon her

father's reputation. And so you've got Felix and

you've got Drusilla, a husband, and a wife and they call for

Paul. And Paul talked to them about

the faith in Jesus Christ. As we already read this morning

and I'm sure Paul talked to them about various things, and I'm

just, this is just me brainstorming based upon what

Paul had taught in the various places that he had gone through.

And, you know, strengthening the churches coming into encounters

with various people establishing churches throughout the places

that he went. I'm sure he taught them about

the death burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ.

After all, when you read the many sermons of what, and what

the disciples talked about throughout the Book of Acts, the

early part of the church, They always mention the significance

of the death, the burial, and the resurrection of Jesus.

That was the foundation of their teaching.

Perhaps Paul as we continue to brainstorm of what he might have

taught them concerning the faith in Jesus to Felix and Drusilla.

Maybe he talked about the Prophecies of old concerning the

Messiah and explain how those prophecies were fulfilled

through. Jesus, who is the Christ, I

believe Paul knew of Felix's reputation and he was aware of

their marriage. And so because of that, it

prompted him to speak about three things in particular,

which is a part of the faith in Jesus Christ.

And so in verse number 25, Luke tells us the Paul reason with

Felix and Ursula Drusilla about three, things, righteousness

self-control and then the coming judgment.

And I want to discuss those three things with you and our

study because like I said already has the same importance

today as it did to this husband and wife whom Paul was talking

to so let's begin with righteousness.

What do you think about when we talk about righteousness?

We think Paul was talking to them about.

What righteousness is it refers to the quality or condition of

Simply being right? Especially being right in the

eyes of God and specifically, it refers to the state of being an

accord or the state of being in harmony with the laws of God.

And so because of that, it's quite the opposite.

Now of wickedness, it's quite the opposite of sinfulness when

we speak of righteousness. Before we talk about our us

being righteous and how we go about doing that, I want to

focus just for a moment on God. And God being righteous.

And this is part of his character, in fact, David

declares this in one of his songs and Psalm 116 verse 5,

Psalms 116:5

gracious is the Lord and righteous.

Yes our God is merciful. And so that is an established

fact. God is righteous. and so because

he is righteous, it means that it has an impact on us because

we could be righteous to Because of Him, First John chapter 3,

1 John 3 · chapter mention

verse seven little children. Let no one deceive you.

He who practices righteousness is righteous.

Just as he referring to God is righteous. and so, That's an

established fact. Well how do we become righteous

thing? What can I do?

What can you do to become righteous?

Just as God is righteous. How do we become right before?

God, will part of that answer is found right here in practice

righteousness in order to be righteous, but let's unfold that

little bit more. And let's take that.

Now to Romans chapter 1 and Romans chapter 1, verses 16 and

Romans 1 · chapter mention Romans 1:16

17 says, for I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ for it is

the power of God to Salvation for everyone who believes to the

Jew first and also for the Greek, For in it is says the

righteousness of God is revealed from Faith to Faith.

As it is written, the just shall live by faith.

So Paul mentioned something here about the gospel of Christ and

when Paul mentioned the gospel of Christ, he said something is

revealed in that. What's revealed in the gospel of

Christ. The answer is right there.

What do you think it is? It's the righteousness of God is

revealed through it. That's what he says.

Now, does this mean that when we read about Jesus and have faith

in the gospel that we learn that God's righteous?

Well, if you ask me, not necessarily because what we

learn about the Gospel of Jesus Christ, and how the

righteousness of God is revealed is that we can become righteous

through that gospel. You see, we could be seen as

being right before God. And when we do that, through our

Act of Faith, because the just shall live by faith, As Paul

says here. And that is how we become

righteous. We have to believe the gospel of

Jesus Christ, and we have to act upon that Gospel of Jesus

Christ. And then when we do that through

our belief, through our faith, and they acting upon my upon our

faith, it is, then we are Justified.

And we are seen as being right before.

God now Let's carry that idea over to Romans chapter 10 and I

Romans 10 · chapter mention

want to read the first four verses here in Romans chapter

Romans 10 · chapter mention

10, where says, Brethren my heart's, desire and prayer to

God for Israel, is that they may be saved for our bear them

witness that they have a Zeal for God, but not according to

knowledge. For they being ignorant of God's

righteousness and seeking to establish their own

righteousness. What was the end results when

they try to do that? Verse number 3, what happened?

He said, they have not submitted to the righteousness of God

because they did that for Christ is the end of the law for

righteousness, to everyone who believes.

And so, Paul says, they were ignorant of God's righteousness.

And that doesn't mean that they simply didn't know, or

understand that God was righteous.

But got what Paul is saying, is that these people did not know

about the gospel and how it could save them and how they

could be justified and right before God through it.

Instead, they tried their own ways.

They try to use their own logic and by their own practices of

what they thought they could do in order to be justified before.

God. And as a result, they fell

short. They did not submit to the

righteousness of God because they try to do it their way.

So the answer was through Jesus as it says here, in verse number

for Christ, is the end of the law for righteousness.

There's our answer for being right before.

God, he is the end and he is the way of the law for righteousness

to any and everyone who believes him and follows him.

Now, only carry this now is Step a little further.

Let's take this scenario that's that you've got a person who

steals money from a purse when the owner the person wasn't

looking Now, when you look at that person who stole that,

would you say that that person was righteous or unrighteous

because of what he or she had done?

That's a no-brainer, right? That we would all agree that

they were unrighteous because of their action.

Well, you take another person who prays often, who looks to

God's word for guidance on a regular basis and tries their

best to do the will of the Lord and submits their life to the

will of the Lord. I believe we would agree that

that person would be righteous because of their actions.

And from these two examples, we can agree that a person's

condition is a result of their actions.

And let's take a few verse. Let's look at a few verses of

what the scripture says about this principle about a person's

condition, being a result of their actions Circle background.

Now, to what we had already read in first, John three verse seven

little children. Let no one deceive you.

He who practices righteousness is righteous.

Just as he is righteous. John says, when you practice

righteousness when you're active and doing that, the result is

that you will be deemed as righteous before.

God. Look all the way back to Noah.

And Noah what he did in Genesis 6.

The Bible tells us that Noah found Grace in the eyes of the

Lord, Genesis chapter 6. And verse number 8, The lord

Genesis 6 · chapter mention

gave Noah instructions on what to do in order to survive the

flood into saved himself and his family.

And after you read those instructions by the Lord and you

see Noah's response to those instructions here at the end of

chapter 6 it says here. Thus Noah did according to all

that. God commanded him.

So he did now going to chapter 7 and verse 1.

Then the Lord said to Noah, come into the ark.

You and all your household because I have seen that you are

righteous before me in this generation.

So Noah did what was right. Noah did what God commanded him

to do. And God saw that and as a result

no was seen as being righteous before the Lord.

His condition was a result of his actions, wasn't it?

Now, look here with me and Deuteronomy chapter 6, verses,

Deuteronomy 6 · chapter mention

24 and 25 and the Lord commanded us to observe, all these things.

All these statutes to fear the lord, Our God, for our good old

ways, but he might preserve Us Alive as it is this day, then it

will be righteousness for us if We are careful to do what?

if we're careful to observe all these Commandments before the

Lord Our God, as he has commanded us, So this passage if

you ask me is very clear. On how we are righteous, the

Lord gives us his will the Lord reveals that in the scriptures

and the Commandments that we read and the people will respect

and fear the lord and observe and obey his commands.

And as a result of our own actions condition of us, will be

righteous before the Lord. So, having an understanding of

the nature of God's righteousness, and how we can be

right before him on a move on? Now, to the next thing that Paul

addresses before, Or Felix and Drusilla, and that is

self-control. Self-control is about managing

your actions. It's about managing your

emotions as well. And Paul is directly talking to

a married couple who did not exercise self-control.

In fact, she left her husband to be with another man.

Felix. And he encouraged it because he

thought he couldn't live without her.

That is not self control. That self-will.

And that's fulfilling your personal desires and your

interests over. What is right?

That's what they were guilty of. Exercising self-control, I stand

before you and admit we all know.

That can be a tough challenge. It really can.

Fact, if you in my opinion, it's the biggest challenge for all of

us, keeping ourselves in check managing ourselves so that we

keep ourselves under control boy.

That's a constant challenge. And that's a tough battle.

And Satan tries very hard to get us to exercise.

Our self will Over self-control. You know, Paul said something

about this Challenge and 1st Corinthians chapter 9 and he

says this, as we begin in verse number 24, Do you not know that

those who run in a race all run? But one receives the prize, he

says, run in such a way that you may obtain it and everyone who

competes for the prize is temperate.

That's a key word in our study, their temperate, in all things.

Now they do it to obtain a perishable Crown but we for an

imperishable Crown therefore I run thus not with uncertainty.

Thus, I fight not as one who beats the air, but I discipline

my body and bring it into subjection lest.

When I have preached to others. I myself should become

disqualified. Paul States.

This fact in verse number 25 that everyone who competes for

the prize, he said his temperate or he says, they they use

self-control in all things. And I love sports.

I keep up with football with baseball and you've got those

pro athletes who that who's whoever is part of the team,

they have one goal in mind and that goal was the win, the

championship at the end, the season, that is their goal.

But they've got to do something in order to obtain the gold,

don't they? So, they have to exercise

self-control. They have two physical exercise,

they got to monitor what they eat.

They got to hone their skills. and what they're trying to do,

they're trying their best to be as good as possible in order to

obtain that prize, in the end, whether that be, whether that be

a trophy, whether that be a ring on their finger, whether it be a

gold medal, whatever it is that they're trying to obtain.

They exercise self-control. Paul said that when it comes to

our own Christian race, we should be striving for a price

too. But this prize is a far better

one than just a ring or a trophy or a gold medal.

It's a crown and it's a crown that will not perish and in

order to obtain it in the end, Paul said we have to be

temperate, we have to use self-control.

But he said you do it in all things.

All things in your life. Exercise self-control.

And we have to, we have to show it in everything we do.

We had to bring it into submission of those temptations

that we have. And again That could be

challenging, we have to sharpen our skills and growing them.

And as Paul also mentioned, as he disciplined his body and

brought it under some submission, we have to do the

same in our lives. We have to manage it in a way

that we do. Not let ourself will.

Take control. And given to our desires.

Now I want to carry this idea to something else, the Paul wrote

and that's found in Ephesians chapter 4.

Ephesians 4 · chapter mention

Now we're going to spend a little bit of time here in

Ephesians chapter 4 where it says this is we begin reading in

Ephesians 4 · chapter mention

verse number 17. This I say therefore and testify

in the Lord that you should no longer walk as the rest of the

Gentiles walk in the futility of their mind.

Having their understanding darkened being alienated from

the life. Of God, because of the ignorance

that is in them because of the blindness of their heart, the

blindness of the heart he's talking about or hardening, it's

about hardening or being kind of petrified.

And you cannot burn petrified wood because it's not affected

by the heat of the fire. So when you think about a heart

that is hardened or blinded, it is difficult for that heart to

be affected in a positive way. And I believe we could all agree

upon that. And the reason for that is

because of the lack of self-restraint from that person.

If that person will tend to do whatever they want because they

won't allow other words of advice or perhaps a Allah or

command to affect them in a positive way, they're going to

do what they want. No matter what And when Paul

mentioned, these types of Hearts, he went on to explain

how they got this way, because of what he says about them.

In verse number 19, who being past feeling have given

themselves over to lewdness to work, all uncleanness with

greediness. And so, these people had their

problem with giving themselves over to sinful Behavior, thus

exercising, a lack of self-control.

And this is totally the opposite of learning the ways of Christ.

As we continue here in verse number 20, because he said, but

you have not so learned Christ. If indeed you have heard him and

have been taught by him as the truth is in Jesus.

You see to learn Christ It means you imitate Christ.

It's to be like him. It's the look at his

characteristics and say I need to be like that.

That is to learn Christ. and so, when you learn about Christ, and

when you do it with an open and a very humble heart, What you

then do is you allow him to mold your life into something that's

wonderful. It's something that's great.

And the something that the Lord desires and that's the beginning

of self-control. In fact, Paul talks about that

as we continue through this chapter and verse number 22.

Now that you put off concerning your former conduct the old man,

which grow which grows corrupt according to the deceitful lusts

and be renewed in the spirit of your mind and that you put on

the new man. Which was created according to

God in true righteousness and holiness.

So, exercising self-control is a two-step process.

From what we see here and this is where you apply it.

Number one, you have to get rid of the old man.

You have to get rid of them. Can I get rid of those old ways?

Those old habits? I mean, stopped following the

desires of what you want. And when you want, where we once

did this, we now show self-control and we try our best

not to do it again or once we might have lost their temper

about little insignificant things.

We're now going to be slow to wrath and be graceful in our

speech in our reaction. We're once we talked in the

certain way we now show self-control and we Bridle our

tongue. We talk in a way that brings

grace to the here. Those are just a couple examples

of showing self-control putting away the old man.

Putting away those bad habits. So that's step number one.

Step number two is to be renewed in the spirit of our mind and so

it requires us to be to renew our attitude about surrender.

Looking for the Lord for guidance.

It also requires us to renew our perspective because what we do

in the here and now really, it's not about me.

And it's not about you either. It's about the lord.

It's about Christ, shining through your life and glorifying

your father, in everything that you do.

That's why we're to be temperate in all things as Paul said.

Looking unto Jesus. And so putting on the new man

remove old habits, replace them with good righteous habits.

This was God's purpose when he created us.

He created us as he says there, he created us for righteousness.

He created us for holiness. Let us let that be our goal in

life. And I know it is our goal.

But sometimes we had to be reminded that I had to be

reminded of that. To exercise self-control to

further show the importance of self-control.

It's listed as one of the fruits of the spirit in Galatians.

Galatians 5 · chapter mention

Chapter 5, and verse 23. And in First Peter chapter 1

1 Peter 1:5–8

verses 5 through 8, Peter gives us the ingredients that we need

to have in our lives or to keep from falling.

And he mentions this in verses five and six inside computer

one. But also for this very reason,

giving all diligence add to your faith virtue, and to Virtue

knowledge to knowledge, self-control to self-control

perseverance to perseverance godliness.

So, we have this formula that we use in order to help ourselves

out. And to wrap up this section.

Paul says this Romans 6, verses 12 through 14.

Romans 6:12–14

Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body that you

should obey it in its lusts and do not present your members as

instruments of unrighteousness is sin.

But quite the opposite, he says present yourselves to God as

being alive. Live from the dead and your

members as instruments of righteousness to God for sin,

shall not have dominion over you.

For you are not under law. But under grace, we're going to

make mistakes, I know. We're going to send the pulse

point is that we should be showing some control to the

point that we don't let that sin overtake us.

That's the point. Don't go back to that sin and if

we do over and over and over, we're going to find that they're

what we're really. We're not quite In control of

whatever that is that we keep falling back to in our lives.

Now we come to the third thing that Paul mentions to Felix and

Drusilla and that's about the Judgment that is to come.

I'm not going to spend as long in this section here.

As I have the other two But here's a fact, here's reality.

We're all going to face the judgement.

We are. And we know this because of

what's written in Hebrews 9 verse 27.

Hebrews 9:27

And Paul also States, this Troost, this true fact in verse

4. In our second Corinthians rather

5:10 For. We must all appear before the

Judgment seat of Christ. that each one may receive the things

done in the body, according to what he has done, whether good

or bad, and in addition to that, Romans 2:16 in the day when God

Romans 2:16

will judge the secrets of men by Jesus Christ, according to my

gospel. So We're going to face the

judgement. And every single one of us will

be there. Every single person of all time

will be there, no one will escape it.

And with that times comes there will we will stand there with

faults We will stand there with shortcomings.

Perhaps, we will stand there with regrets in life.

But what's important is, what you did about those things.

Yes, I'm guilty of the sin. I've committed in my life and

the same applies to you too. But you and I Were Redeemed by

the blood of the Lamb. And we stand before the judgment

is God going to see that is God going to see you as redeemed is

God, going to see you as right based upon what you have done in

the here. And the now if he doesn't see us

as redeemed, if he doesn't see us as as fixing things or

falling back into sin, And the harsh reality of that is that we

will not escape the sentence of Eternal death and Hell.

That's hard. But that's the truth.

That's what the scriptures teach us.

All the more reason for us to be righteous and exercise

self-control in our lives that we can be ready for the coming

judgment. This message.

Scared Felix. It scared him to the point that

he put off what he need to do to prepare for the coming judgment.

He told Paul go away. When it's more convenient, I'll

call you back. We don't know if Felix word

asila ever showed their faith in Jesus and obeyed the gospel.

We do know that Felix ever once a while will call Paul in and

they would talk and I believe that happened for about two

years because Paul was held there for two years because if

he looks Who knows who knows if ever if Felix and Drusilla ever

accepted, the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

We just don't know the scriptures.

Don't reveal that But he did know what he needs to do. in

order to be right with God, If you are here.

Perhaps you're not ready. Start this New Year being ready.

Because we don't know when it's going to happen, we don't know

when that final judgment is going to come.

God promises. It's going to happen.

We just don't know. All the more reason to be ready

today and you could be, you could be ready in two different

ways, you could be ready, number one, or it cannot be ready in

two different ways. If you don't obey the Gospel of

Jesus Christ, but you can, you can obey the Gospel of Jesus

Christ. The Lord wants you to obey the

Gospel of Jesus Christ, he wants you to be saved.

And he had to believe in Jesus Christ and what he did for you,

how he died upon that cross and bore your sins upon the cross.

He died was buried. But thank the Lord, he was

resurrected on the third day because we can have new life

through him because of his resurrection.

You have to believe that repent of your life that is a change

your direction in life that you're going to do, the will of

the Lord and not your own will. And then confess that Jesus

Christ is the Son of God and then be baptized for the

remission of your sins. And those people did that in

Acts chapter 2, the scriptures tell us that those that the Lord

Acts 2 · chapter mention

added those people to his church.

We don't add people to the church.

The Lord adds people to his church through their obedience

to the Gospel of Jesus Christ. If you've never done that, you

are not ready for the coming judgment.

And you need to do that. Perhaps if you if you have them

these things but maybe maybe need to make things right with

the Lord. Maybe if the Lord were to come

today, that you be afraid that you just might not be ready.

Well, the Lord is gracious. The Lord is merciful and the

Lord forgives and whatever it is in your life that might not be

right. You could take advantage of that

at this moment, as the Lord offers its invitation to you to

make things, right? So that you will be ready for

the Judgment. That is to come.

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