Psalm 11:1-7 (NKJV)
1 In the Lord I put my trust;How can you say to my soul,“Flee as a bird to your mountain”?2 For look! The wicked bend their bow,They make ready their arrow on the string,That they may shoot secretly at the upright in heart.3 If the foundations are destroyed,What can the righteous do?
Psalm 11:1-7 (NKJV)
4 The Lord is in His holy temple,The Lord’s throne is in heaven;His eyes behold,His eyelids test the sons of men.5 The Lord tests the righteous,But the wicked and the one who loves violence His soul hates.
Psalm 11:1-7 (NKJV)
6 Upon the wicked He will rain coals;Fire and brimstone and a burning windShall be the portion of their cup.7 For the Lord is righteous,He loves righteousness;His countenance beholds the upright.
What Can The Righteous Do?Psalm 11:1-7
What Can The Righteous Do?•We have spent several weeks this summer looking at the subject of marriage
•It’s no secret that marriage and the home are under attack
•Satan is working hard to destroy this foundation
What Can The Righteous Do?•We have seen what the Bible says about this subject
•The last couple of lessons have specifically dealt with same sex marriage
•The question we may ask is what are we to do as Christians?
What Can The Righteous Do?•When it seems as though the moral fabric of this country is being ripped apart, is there any hope?
•If there is hope, it must lie in our God and Father who rules from heaven
•So what is our responsibility in all of this?
What Can The Righteous Do?•1. Continue to live righteously
This may seem like stating the obvious, but this cannot be emphasized enough
The reason why is because many are turning away from the truth towards popular opinion (Rom. 12:2)
Some are caving to the social pressure(I Cor. 16:13)
What Can The Righteous Do?•1. Continue to live righteously
“We ought to obey God rather than man” (Acts 5:29)
Many are seeking to justify things in the name of love
Loving God (greatest command) means obeying Him!
What Can The Righteous Do?•1. Continue to live righteously
Obedience is important to our God (Matt. 7:21; Heb. 5:9)
I Peter 4:1-2Letter from homosexual “Christian”…They need us to stand firm on the truth; it’s the only way to save them
What Can The Righteous Do?•2. Remember who’s in charge
At times we get discouraged because we forget that God is still in control
It’s easy to want to quit or give up because it seems that those who stand up for right are no longer the majority
Psalm 2:1-4
What Can The Righteous Do?•2. Remember who’s in charge
God shall mock the feeble attempts of man to overthrow Him
He has not disappeared after many attempts by man to get rid of Him
We need to take comfort in the sovereignty of God (Ps. 115:3)
What Can The Righteous Do?•3. Pray
God has given us some powerful tools at our disposal
One of those tools is prayer (Heb. 4:16)
We are told over and over that we should come to Him with our cares and burdens (Phil. 4:6; I Pet. 5:7)
What Can The Righteous Do?•3. Pray
We need to pray for our country (all men including sinners) & those who hold political power (I Tim. 2:1-4)
We need to pray for boldness to speak God’s word (Acts 4:23-31)
Remember that prayer is powerful and it works (Lk. 18:1; Js. 5:16)
What Can The Righteous Do?•4. Practice self-control
It’s easy to let our emotions get the best of us at times
Perhaps it’s anger or that we are so zealous for the Lord
“Do not fret (to be angry; to burn) because of evildoers…” (Ps. 37:1)
What Can The Righteous Do?•4. Practice self-control
Paul reminds us that we are to overcome evil with good (Rom. 12:21)
We may even suffer some because of our faith; let us suffer rightly (I Pet. 2:20-23)
We should love all people and treat them with respect (Matt. 22:39; I Cor. 16:13-14)
What Can The Righteous Do?•5. Convert the sinner
There have been many times that cities, states, countries, and nations have been wicked
If we seek change for good then we do not do so relying upon those who are not followers of Christ
What Can The Righteous Do?•5. Convert the sinner
The only way that true change will come in our world is through the gospel of Jesus Christ
Romans 1:16Hebrews 4:12Acts 2:37; 5:33
What Can The Righteous Do?•5. Convert the sinner
The more people we convert to Christianity the more that will stand on God’s side
That’s exactly how those in the first century did things
They sought to convert everyone, even those in power
What Can The Righteous Do?•6. Stay focused
Although there are some battles that are just, if we are not careful they can pull our focus away from our ultimate goal
Satan can use noble causes to distract us from our journey to heaven
He can also use discouragement
What Can The Righteous Do?•6. Stay focused
Remember that our citizenship lies in heaven, not here (Phil. 3:20)
If we are not careful, we can lose our credibility if we act like the world in defending what is right (I Pet. 2:12)
Remember God will handle those who are evil (Rom. 12:17-19)
