Manipulation and doing righteousness.
A. Two kinds of people.
1. Born of blood, of the will of the flesh and the will of man. Jn.1:13
2. Children of God are born of the will of God. These are born of water and of the Spirit. (Jn.3:5)
Acts 2:36-38 tell us how this is done! Please study these!
3. Jesus prayed the Father to protect them from the evil one. Jn.17:15
My prayer is not that you take them out of the world but that you protect them from the evil one.
4. Yes, we know the world is under the control of the evil one! 1Jn,5:18-19
We know that anyone born of God does not continue to sin; the one who was born of God keeps him safe,
and the evil one cannot harm him. We know that we are children of God, and that the whole world is under
the control of the evil one.
(Please remember this is not talking about rulers of nations on this earth.
The evil one is Satan and Satan is a spirit. It is the environment and situation of the time. In reality,
no leaders in the world will ever beable to really control the whole world! Read Ephisians chpater 6
to know this.)
5. Yes, we can overcome: àYe are of God, (my) little children, and have overcome them: because greater is he
that is in you than he that is in the world. They are of the world: therefore speak they (as) of the world,
and the world hears them. We are of God: he that knows God hears us; he who is not of God hears us not.
By this we know the spirit of truth,… 1 Jn,4:4-6
B. How must God’s children conduct themselves?1. Matt.10:16 Behold, I send you forth as sheep in the midst of wolves:
be ye therefore wise as serpents, and harmless as doves.
2. Eph.5:8 For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord.
Live as children of light.3. Phil 2:15 That ye may become blameless and harmless, children of God without blemish in the midst of a crooked
and perverse generation, among whom ye are seen as lights in the world.
4. To do righteousness is our nature! 1 Jn.3:7
Dear children, let no man deceive you: he that doeth righteousness is righteous, even as he is righteous.
5. Here is a point of no return! He that is unrighteous, let him do unrighteousness still: and he that is filthy,
let him be made filthy still: and he that is righteous, let him do righteousness still: … Rev.22:11
C. Do righteousness at what price?1. 1 Cor.15:19àIf we have only hoped in Christ in this life, we are of all men most pitiable.
2. Phil.3:8-11 I count all things to be loss for the excellence of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord:
for whom I suffered the loss of all things, and do count them but refuse, that I may gain Christ, and be
found in him, not having a righteousness of mine own,… but that which is through faith in Christ, the
righteousness which is from God by faith: that I may know him, and the power of his resurrection, the
fellowship of his sufferings, becoming conformed unto his death; if by any means I may attain unto the
resurrection from the dead.D. Consequence of not doing righteousness.
1. In Hades he lifted up his eyes, being in torments, and sees Abraham afar off, and Lazarus in his bosom. Lk.16:23
2. Be judged according to their works!à The sea gave up the dead that were in it; and death and Hades gave up the
dead that were in them: and they were judged every man according to their works. And death and Hades were cast
into the lake of fire. This is the second death, the lake of fire. Rev.20:13-14
E. Reward of doing righteousness.
1. Jesus promised: Jn.14:1-3 "Do not let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God; trust also in me. In my Father's
house are many rooms; if it were not so, would have told you. I am going there to prepare a place for you.
And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that also may be where I am.
2. 1 Thes.4:15-17 According to the Lord's own word, we tell you that we who are still alive,… will certainly not
precede those who have died. For the Lord himself will come down from heaven, with a loud command, with the
voice of the archangel and with the trumpet call of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. After that,
we who are still alive and are left will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in
the air. And so we will be with the Lord forever.
May God bless you and keep you forever! March 3, 2009.