“Do The Right Thing” Series
Message #1 Intro
This has been a tough week for me: Turned a year older, Got my 25 year class reunion invitation in the mail, Have to get my driver license renewed, Broke a tooth that had to be surgically removed
*the dentist and oral surgeon said I am getting old!
Getting that tooth cut out Tuesday hurt!! It is still sore today. I think the surgery and the day after hurt more than the broken tooth. But know it is getting better.
Having it cut out hurt – but it was the right thing to do.
We seem to have the mistaken idea that the right thing to do will always be painless and “comfortable”
It will not! Sometime it will be hard and painful; but it will always be correct.
We must be careful to always do the right thing. There are a few rules for this:
The Bible is littered with stories about people who did the right thing and suffered. Hebrews 11:35-40 “Women received their loved ones back again from death. But others trusted God and were tortured, preferring to die rather than turn from God and be free. They placed their hope in the resurrection to a better life. Some were mocked, and their backs were cut open with whips. Others were chained in dungeons. Some died by stoning, and some were sawed in half; others were killed with the sword. Some went about in skins of sheep and goats, hungry and oppressed and mistreated. They were too good for this world. They wandered over deserts and mountains, hiding in caves and holes in the ground. All of these people we have mentioned received God's approval because of their faith, yet none of them received all that God had promised. For God had far better things in mind for us that would also benefit them, for they can't receive the prize at the end of the race until we finish the race.” (NLT)
I would rather be counted among these who trusted God and suffered than to refuse to follow Him.
Illustration: Large purse [say it is my wifes] filled with a variety of items that could identify who someone is:
[Maybe do like the game show “oblivious” – and give little prizes to the first correct answer.]
1. What we do defines us
Luke 6:44-45 “A tree is identified by the kind of fruit it produces. Figs never grow on thornbushes or grapes on bramble bushes. A good person produces good deeds from a good heart, and an evil person produces evil deeds from an evil heart. Whatever is in your heart determines what you say.” (NLT)
It is our heart knowledge that drives us to do the right thing. The heart is your “God module” – it is your real KNOWER.
Everything you know that has eternal value is known first in your heart.
Proverbs 4:23 “Above all else, guard your heart, for it affects everything you do.” (NLT)
· Doing the right thing defines us good people with a good heart.
· Doing the wrong thing defines us as evil
There is no in between – these two “trees” cannot be grafted together.
The big point is that if you are not doing the right thing – you are doing the wrong thing.
· If God said to do it and you are – that is the right thing
· If God said to do it and you are not – you are doing the wrong thing
· If God said to not do it and you are not – that is the right thing
· If God said to not do it and you are – you are doing the wrong thing
· If you know something is wrong and do nothing about it- you are doing the wrong thing
· If you know something is right and don’t support, encourage or help – you are doing the wrong thing
One of the major problems in our
world today is that there are a lot of things happening that are wrong and the
Christian community is not speaking out and being heard about them – we are
doing the wrong thing!
From gay marriage, abortion, euthanasia, obvert sexulization of our children and our country, gross pornography, open lying, homosexuality, stealing, graft, and plain good old fashioned bad behavior.
We see it. We know it. It is all around us.
Yet we sit back on our comfortable moss covered behinds and do nothing!
Shame on us! We deserve what we get.
There is no gray area!
The good news is that God tells us what is right and wrong and gives us a built in ability to know the difference.
1.
Do not
worship any other gods besides me
2.
Do not make
idols of any
3.
Do not misuse
the name of the LORD your God
4.
Observe the
Sabbath day by keeping it holy
5.
Honor your
father and mother
6.
Do not murder
7.
Do not commit
adultery
8.
Do not steal
9.
Do not lie
10.
Do not covet
Matthew 22:37-40 “Jesus
replied, " 'You must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your
soul, and all your mind.' This is the
first and greatest commandment. A
second is equally important: 'Love your neighbor as yourself.' All the other commandments and all the
demands of the prophets are based on these two commandments.” (NLT)
John 13:34-25 “So now I am giving you a new
commandment: Love each other. Just as I have loved you, you should love each
other. Your love for one another will
prove to the world that you are my disciples.”
We will be looking at these over the next few weeks and bring them into context with the situations now facing our world.
To do the right thing you must have the right heart – a new heart – brought by new birth.
To do the right thing you must have the right focus – the Kingdom of God!
It will rarely be easy – sometimes it will be like pulling teeth! But it will be worth it!
Now – as Dr. Laura
encourages us to do:
“Now Go And Do The
Right Thing!”