I'll Be Honest

We all have a meeting in the courtroom of God to be judged, and we will all either be declared righteous or guilty. The problem is that we're all guilty, but the solution is that God has provided a way to remove our guilt and make us righteous.

A teaching that has become very widespread within mainstream Christianity is the idea of the rapture. This view is very popular, but is it biblical?

In our battle against the Devil, one of the essential parts of the armor is the breastplate of righteousness. If we're going to make battle and wage war with the Devil, we must first make sure we're robed with righteousness of Jesus Christ. If this is part of our armor, we can expect that the Devil will do all that he can to make us trust in our own righteousness.

The heart of the gospel is that there is a way to obtain the righteousness of God apart from the law and that is through faith in Jesus Christ. There is only one way we can be accepted before God, and that is by having Christ’s righteousness imputed to us. Is that your hope?

Tim considers what Jesus means in Matthew 5:19 when He says, “whoever relaxes one of the least of these commandments and teaches others to do the same will be called least in the kingdom of heaven…”

Outline:
0:00 – Question on Matthew 5:19
3:55 – Considering the Context
9:35 – What is “the law” and “the prophets”?
13:19 – Jesus is not speaking of imputed righteousness.
17:23 – Under Moses, what were the greatest commandments?
20:37 – Some try to explain away certain commandments of the Old Testament.
29:43 – Considering the “golden rule” in Matthew 7.
34:30 – What terms does the Bible talk about a moral law?
36:30 – Romans 13:8, “owe no one, anyone, except to love each other”
39:11 – Is “love” a cheap word? Does love not have a good sound in some people’s minds?
40:48 – Consider love in John 13.
46:12 – Colossians 3:14 “put on love”.
47:43 – James 2:8, fulling the royal law.
51:20 – Romans Chapter 8 – practical righteousness.
57:30 – Where does it stop?
1:02:05 – The apostles spiritualize the Mosaic law.
1:04:50 – Observe the shadows in the fullness.
1:09:43 – Recognize that Christ came to fulfill the law and redeem a people whose lives will be filled with obedience because they are empowered by His Spirit.
1:12-11 – Closing with questions from those on the Zoom call.

We have to remember that the Devil, our adversary, is crafty. And one of his clever tactics is making us lose our balance and making us go to extremes. "Satan loves to sail with the wind, and to suit men's temptations to their conditions and inclinations." - Thomas Brooks

A righteous life is a vital part of our armor in our spiritual battle with the Devil. Good theology and abstaining from immorality isn't enough; by God's grace, we need a righteous life full of fruit and good works if we would win this fierce battle. "A holy minister is an awful weapon in the hands of God." - Robert Murray McCheyne

How should we as Christians recognize (or not recognize) the holidays that are observed by the world? How should we view other Christians who hold a different view or take a different approach than we do on these matters?

If we desire to be overcomers in our battle with the Devil, we must be wearing the breastplate of righteousness, but how does righteousness shield us from the Devil? One thing the Devil fears about the righteous life of the believer is the effective prayers that they are praying.

If we would stand in our battle against the Devil, then it's obviously important that we have the right kind of shoes for our feet that will help us to stand. The Devil will do all that he can to cause is to stagger and lose our stability. But if our feet are prepared with the Gospel of Peace, by God's grace we'll be able to stand and not lose our spiritual stability.