Demolish Self-righteousness and Framework (2)
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April 25, 2010 |
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 "'For My thoughts are not your thoughts, nor are your ways My ways,' declares the LORD. 'For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are My ways higher than your ways and My thoughts than your thoughts.'" (Isaiah 55:8-9)
Self-righteousness is to insist that one's opinions are right. It is to insist or claim what is not right in the sight of God, but in one's own sight. Next, 'frameworks' is the solidification of thoughts, thinking a certain thing is right. Based on their knowledge and experience, people think, 'This is morally right,' 'This is the educated way of acting,' and 'This information is correct.' When these thoughts are solidified and do not change easily, it is the frameworks of thoughts. Among the frameworks, there are also frameworks of the truth. This refers to the frameworks that people newly make with the truth they learn in a Christian life. If we have this framework of the truth, we cannot clearly discern the will of God. In order for you to check yourself, I will tell you three major cases where a person does not please God due to self-righteousness and frameworks.
The first is to pass judgment and condemnation on others.
Seeing other people, you might think, "He shouldn't be doing that! Why is he acting like that?" or you easily give advice or rebuke others saying, "You should do this." You don't really understand his heart or situations, but you rashly pass judgment and give advice. And you think you have discernment.
But actually this is to pass judgment with your self-righteousness and frameworks. It is judgment caused by self-righteousness with thinking like, "This is the proper way to lead a life in Christ," or "I know the truth well and my idea is correct."
You sometimes see others around you who get sick. Now, you think, 'Diseases are caused by sin, and recently he didn't seem to be so well spiritually. I wonder what he did wrong.' Then, is it really 'discernment'? This thought already has judging in it. When you think he is not in a spiritually good condition, it might only be your own feeling. Also, not all diseases are caused by one's own sins. Diseases might come when one is spiritually connected with ancestors or family members, or when the physical order is not kept very well like when a person works too much.
James 4:11 says, "Do not speak against one another, brethren. He who speaks against a brother or judges his brother, speaks against the law and judges the law; but if you judge the law, you are not a doer of the law but a judge of it." Therefore, we must never pass judgment on any of our brothers or sisters with our self-righteousness and frameworks.
The second is disobedience to the Word of God.
In the Bible, we can read about the prophet Jonah who disobeyed God because of his self-righteousness and frameworks. God commanded Jonah to go to Nineveh, which was a city of a hostile nation towards the Northern Israel at that time. God commanded him to proclaim that God's punishment was near. But as you know very well Jonah ran away onboard a ship to Tarshish. Tarshish was located at the opposite side of Nineveh. Jonah thought the Assyrians deserved to be punished and destroyed for they acted in evil and gave a hard time to Israel, the elect of God. This was the framework of Jonah about goodness and justice. But the will of God was to show forgiveness and mercy beyond the Law. But God did not want the people in the city of Nineveh to be destroyed, although they were Gentiles. God let Jonah realize God's care for the people of Nineveh through a gourd that grew up. But Jonah rather got angry at God. He was still insisting that he was right. It means he didn't understand the heart of God at all.
Sometimes, I ask some leaders of the church to get certain works done. Then, some of them disobey because they have their own frameworks. But when I give an answer, some of them don't follow it. It's because my answer does not agree with their own ideas. Also, some of them do something that is quite different from my advice. They interpret my answer within their frameworks, and thus misunderstand my words.
The third case is when others around us suffer painful or difficult situations and conditions because of our self-righteousness and frameworks.
The Lord taught us to humble ourselves and serve others. But some people make a framework with this word about service to others. They say, "The lower in the order always has to unconditionally submit in obedience to their leaders. When a higher person visits to the members, others are expected to serve him in a certain way. On national holidays, they have to serve the leaders in a certain way. We are taught that way." Of course, it is not wrong to teach the ways to serve others. But the problem is that some people have other intentions when they teach these things.
For example, a leader asks his subordinates to serve him because he has selfish motives and he wants to be served. And yet, he covers himself saying, "it is a matter of the truth for the subordinates to serve me, and I am teaching the truth." He is cheating and has cheated even by himself. Even though his subordinates suffer, he thinks, "I have only taught the truth, and they misunderstand me." Namely, he forms a framework of truth according to his own situations and gives a hard time to others.
There are following cases, too. Some workers not only serve those who are higher in order but also love others and care for them very well, too. It is good to act that way, but the problem is that they form frameworks thinking those who love God must act just like they do. Then, if they see some others who don't really act like that, they conclude that those people are doing something wrong.
I hope you will love God passionately, break all your righteousness and frameworks, and become His children who can obey understanding His heart.
For additional information or to read the message's text in its entirety, please visit Manmin Central Church on the web at (www. manmin. org), select the "English" menu, and click on "Words of Life."
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