The Garments Of Righteousness

The Garment of Righteousness

Ephesians 4: 17-32

Syrianna……Arabs

Righteousness

Position-State of being

Rom.4:6 David says the same thing when he speaks of the blessedness of the man to whom God credits righteousness apart from works:

7 “Blessed are they

whose transgressions are forgiven,

whose sins are covered.

8 Blessed is the man

whose sin the Lord will never count against him

Righteousness is a gift

Rom5: 17 For if, by the trespass of the one man, death reigned through that one man, how much more will those who receive God’s abundant provision of grace and of the gift of righteousness reign in life through the one man, Jesus Christ.

Matt 5:20 (act-Character)

20 For I tell you that unless your righteousness surpasses that of the Pharisees and the teachers of the law, you will certainly not enter the kingdom of heaven.

How do we put on this Garment of righteousness?

Romans 6:13 we must yield our bodies as instruments of righteousness

It is not something that God does it is something that I do

Vv.22 We begin by taking off

Put off the old self (mind-thinking)

Lifestyle

1 Darkened understanding

2 Ignorance

3 Hardened hearts

4 Living separated from the life of God

vv. 24 Putting Only- thinking differently

Put on the new self

Repentance-change of heart-mind

1 Values change

2 Goals change

3 Interpretation of life changes

Here is why the change is necessary

Romans 1:21 For although they knew God, they neither glorified him as God nor gave thanks to him, but their thinking became futile and their foolish hearts were darkened. 22 Although they claimed to be wise, they became fools 23 and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images made to look like mortal man and birds and animals and reptiles.

24 Therefore God gave them over in the sinful desires of their hearts to sexual impurity for the degrading of their bodies with one another. 25 They exchanged the truth of God for a lie, and worshiped and served created things rather than the Creator—who is forever praised. Amen.

It is a life that is blind to the truth II Cor. 4

The truth and the life go together. If you believe God’s truth, then you receive God’s life

Vv.26 self control/restraint

vv. 25, 29 speech/communication -edification

vv. 28 behavior-stealing

vv. 32 relationships

The Lotus Effect

The lotus is also a well-recognized metaphor for spiritual growth. Here’s why. The lotus begins life as seed buried in the mud of a pond. It begins its growth in muddy, dirty water, shooting a tuber up to and through pond scum until its green, round leaves spread out on the surface. The stem of the flower rises another 10-12 inches above the water where the blossom with its pure white petals open, provides a stark, but beautiful contrast to the muddy environment in which it thrives.