How To Identify The Righteousness From God

Summary

This message contrasts self-produced righteousness with the righteousness gifted by God. It explains that when we take pride in our good qualities—whether generosity, humility, or any other virtue—it reveals that we are relying on our own efforts, not on God's grace. The speaker uses examples like writing a book or being hospitable to show how human pride in achievements reveals their origins in self-effort. The ultimate point is that true righteousness, like the sacrifice of Calvary, leads to humility, and when we truly see God's work in our lives, we no longer take pride in our own actions.

Takeaways

• 😀 True righteousness comes from God, not from self-effort.
• 😀 Self-produced righteousness leads to pride, whereas God-given righteousness brings humility.
• 😀 If you feel proud of a good quality in your life, it likely comes from your own efforts, not God’s gift.
• 😀 Metaphor of a book: If you wrote it, you can be proud of it. But if someone else wrote it, you can’t take credit for it. The same applies to your righteousness.
• 😀 Any good quality in your life—whether hospitality, generosity, or humility—should not cause you to feel pride if it comes from God.
• 😀 You cannot be proud of something God has given you because it's not your own achievement.
• 😀 A true Christian doesn’t boast in their good works or qualities, as they recognize these are gifts from God.
• 😀 The growth of a church or its congregation doesn’t signify your personal success; it’s God’s work, not yours.
• 😀 Pride in your sacrifices for God shows a lack of understanding of Christ’s ultimate sacrifice on the cross.
• 😀 When you fully grasp the sacrifice of Jesus, all your small sacrifices will seem insignificant in comparison.
• 😀 The test of true humility is whether you can see your own sacrifices, pride, and achievements in the light of Christ’s sacrifice.

Q & A

What is the difference between self-produced righteousness and righteousness as a gift from God?

Self-produced righteousness is based on one's own actions and pride in them, while righteousness as a gift from God comes through faith and is marked by humility, not pride.

Why is pride considered a key indicator of self-produced righteousness?

Pride in any virtue or good action suggests that we believe we are responsible for producing it, rather than acknowledging it as a gift from God, which should lead to humility.

What is the analogy of the book used to explain self-produced righteousness?

The speaker compares self-produced righteousness to a book that you wrote, in which you can be proud. If someone else wrote it, you cannot take pride in it. This illustrates that when we are proud of our good qualities, it indicates that we believe we have produced them ourselves.

How can we detect if we are relying on our own righteousness rather than God's?

The test is whether we take pride in certain qualities or actions in our life. If we do, it suggests that we are relying on our own righteousness rather than recognizing it as a gift from God.

What is the role of humility in recognizing divine righteousness?

True humility comes when we acknowledge that the good qualities in our life are gifts from God, and we are not proud of them because we recognize that they are not our own creation.

Why does the speaker argue that hospitality, while good, can become a form of self-righteousness?

When someone takes pride in being hospitable, it reveals that they view their generosity as a personal achievement rather than a gift from God. This pride distorts the virtue into self-righteousness.

What does the speaker mean by saying that 'anything that you're proud of is your own'?

The speaker means that any virtue or good quality you take pride in, whether it's humility, generosity, or skill, reveals that you believe it is something you have produced yourself, not something that God has bestowed upon you.

How does the concept of sacrifice relate to the understanding of righteousness?

The speaker highlights that true sacrifice should be viewed in the light of Christ's ultimate sacrifice on the cross. When we see the enormity of Christ's sacrifice, our own sacrifices will seem insignificant, and we will no longer take pride in them.

What does the analogy of seeing stars in the day and at night reveal about our self-awareness of sacrifices?

The analogy suggests that if we can still see our own sacrifices (like stars in the daylight), it means we are in spiritual darkness. When we truly see the brightness of Christ’s sacrifice, our own sacrifices will fade into the background.

Why is it important to understand the difference between self-produced righteousness and righteousness from God?

Understanding this difference helps prevent pride and self-reliance in our actions. It encourages us to recognize that all good qualities and actions are gifts from God, which leads to humility and gratitude rather than boasting.