Psalm 4:1-8
Acts 3:12-19
1 John 3:1-8
Man’s reproach…God’s righteousness is a way of looking at the world around
us; most of the people in the world are living in the corrupt ways of the
devil, and only relatively few people are living in the heavenly will of
God, and His righteousness.
The world is full of fault finding in addition to all the violence.
We hear from vegans who have been ridiculed so often in their churches for
being vegan and living in the heavenly will of God that they no longer feel
comfortable being in the congregation.
This is a perfect example of Man’s reproach going against what we believe to
be God’s righteousness being expressed in the lives of those vegans, which
is the opposite of the way Jesus taught us to live, but it is exactly the
way the people acted toward Jesus before He was murdered.
Let’s think about these things as we look at what David wrote in Psalm
4:1-8…
1. Answer me when I call, O God of my righteousness!
Thou hast relieved me in my distress;
Be gracious to me and hear my prayer.
David is acknowledging that whatever righteousness is in him is really
coming from God.
And, he is also thankful that God has removed his distress, but at the same
time he also wants God to hear his prayer.
2. O sons of men, how long will my honor become a reproach?
How long will you love what is worthless and aim at deception?
Selah.
David wants these people to see the truth about what they are really doing,
but at the same time he seems to be praying for God to help them hear.
We can also see a similarity in the way they acted toward Jesus, but in
Jesus’ case He did nothing against the heavenly will of God.
3. But know that the LORD has set apart the godly man for Himself;
The LORD hears when I call to Him.
God seems to have heard David’s prayers, but he also did a lot that was
against the ways He wanted him to live.
I personally wouldn’t consider David to be a godly man like Jesus, but he
did have what truly seemed to be a repentant heart and soul.
4. Tremble, and do not sin;
Meditate in your heart upon your bed, and be still.
Selah.
This is what we should all be doing.
This should also be the place and time for us to consider our sins and truly
repent.
It is also the time and place to consider the differences between man’s
reproach…God’s righteousness, and where we seek to live in His righteousness
and have the capacity to forgive man’s reproach against us, just as Jesus
did.
5. Offer the sacrifices of righteousness,
And trust in the LORD.
A true sacrifice is something that we have to give up that we really want to
keep, such as some of the corrupt ways of this world, which includes the
violent ways most people exploit animals and eat them.
6. Many are saying, "Who will show us any good?"
Lift up the light of Thy countenance upon us, O LORD!
We also know that some people who truly try to live in God’s heavenly will,
and feel isolated in their churches and church communities saying something
similar, and want the light of the Lord to shine on the situation.
We also strongly believe that most of the time God wants us to be the light
that He shines through us.
An example of this is letting the world around us quietly see our vegan
lifestyle, for it can easily be seen in what we eat and wear; this is also
why we don’t believe in faux or imitation products that look like things
that come from animals.
7. Thou hast put gladness in my heart,
More than when their grain and new wine abound.
Being born-again with the indwelling of the Holy Spirit, does bring joy to
our hearts and souls.
This is what happens when we have a personal relationship with the Lord.
8. In peace I will both lie down and sleep,
For Thou alone, O LORD, dost make me to dwell in safety.
NASB
It’s often hard to get to sleep when we are not at peace, but the assurance
of the Lord’s presence brings us peace no matter what else is wrong.
Let’s now take a look at Acts 3:12-19…
12. But when Peter saw this, he replied to the people, "Men of Israel, why
do you marvel at this, or why do you gaze at us, as if by our own power or
piety we had made him walk?
People saw the miracle, which was brought about by God’s righteousness, but
they didn’t seem to associate the miracle with God, but seemed to have
thought that it was brought about by the apostles themselves, and thus Peter
questioned their actions and corrected them.
We need to always look to God first for our answers and not to any other
sources as is most often the case.
13. "The God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, the God of our fathers, has
glorified His servant Jesus, the one whom you delivered up, and disowned in
the presence of Pilate, when he had decided to release Him.
Then Peter chastised them for their hardness of heart, which is really the
corrupt ways of this world.
14. "But you disowned the Holy and Righteous One, and asked for a murderer
to be granted to you,
This is a perfect example of Man’s reproach.
It is the opposite of God’s righteousness.
It shows the way that most of the people in this world go along with the
crowd and the corrupt ways of the devil.
15. but put to death the Prince of life, the one whom God raised from the
dead, a fact to which we are witnesses.
And to this very day, some 2000 years later, people still don’t believe, or
they are afraid that man’s reproach will be turned against them.
16. "And on the basis of faith in His name, it is the name of Jesus which
has strengthened this man whom you see and know; and the faith which comes
through Him has given him this perfect health in the presence of you all.
This is an example of God’s righteousness in the midst of this corrupt world
and man’s reproach.
17. "And now, brethren, I know that you acted in ignorance, just as your
rulers did also.
This is true, and we need to be careful that we don’t fall into the same
trap that they did.
18. "But the things which God announced beforehand by the mouth of all the
prophets, that His Christ should suffer, He has thus fulfilled.
This is the way they applied prophecy; after the fact, they cite the
scriptures that could apply, as proof that the word of God was spoken
beforehand by the prophets.
19. "Repent therefore and return, that your sins may be wiped away, in order
that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord;
NASB
This is probably one of the most important things that Jesus taught us about
our Father in Heaven.
He is a loving and forgiving Father to those who have a repentant nature and
seek to live in God’s heavenly will.
Let’s close our discussion about man’s reproach…God’s righteousness by
looking at 1 John 3:1-8…
1. See how great a love the Father has bestowed upon us, that we should be
called children of God; and such we are. For this reason the world does not
know us, because it did not know Him.
John is addressing true born-again believers who have repented from their
worldly and sinful ways, been forgiven, and who do everything in their power
to live in God’s heavenly will here on earth and free creation from its
present corruption.
For these are the only people who become the peacemaking children of God.
2. Beloved, now we are children of God, and it has not appeared as yet what
we shall be. We know that, when He appears, we shall be like Him, because we
shall see Him just as He is.
This is the wonderful and glorious existence that awaits all people of faith
in the coming of the Lord.
3. And everyone who has this hope fixed on Him purifies himself, just as He
is pure.
This is what I hope we all try to do.
4. Everyone who practices sin also practices lawlessness; and sin is
lawlessness.
This is not referring to people who occasionally sin and repent and try
their best to remain in the heavenly will of God, for as Paul teaches us, we
all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God.
This is referring to most of the people in the world who actually like what
the world has to offer, and live in it, which includes buying and consuming
the products of violence.
5. And you know that He appeared in order to take away sins; and in Him
there is no sin.
Yes, but remember that in order for God to take away our sins, we need to
willingly give up our sinful ways and seek His forgiveness.
6. No one who abides in Him sins; no one who sins has seen Him or knows Him.
Here again we have the distinction about those who enjoy living in the
corrupt and violent ways of this world, with all its violence that causes
millions of humans and billions of animals to suffer and die every year.
7. Little children, let no one deceive you; the one who practices
righteousness is righteous, just as He is righteous;
This is referring to God’s righteousness, and even if we are subject to
man’s reproach because of living in His righteousness, we are to remain
steadfast.
8. the one who practices sin is of the devil; for the devil has sinned from
the beginning. The Son of God appeared for this purpose, that He might
destroy the works of the devil.
NASB
This is the separation that exists in this corrupt world, and it is becoming
more and more evident as more and more people change into children of God.
It’s like have a billboard ahead of us at a fork in the road: Man’s
Reproach…God’s Righteousness.
We hope and pray that we all choose the fork leading to God’s righteousness.
Amen?
Amen.
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