SELF-RIGHTEOUSNESS #2
By David J. Riggs
Intro.
A. The "self-righteous" are, as the Lord puts it, "those who trust
in themselves that they are righteous, and despise others."
(Luke 18:9).
B. Self-righteousness is a sore evil because it is difficult to
detect.
1. It is especially hard for us to notice when we are guilty of
it ourselves.
2. Many sinners in Jesus' time, repented of their sins.
a. However, not many of the self-righteous repented.
Why didn't they repent? They did not repent
because they did not know they were sinners.
b. Nevertheless, they were sinners and needed help like
everyone else.
C. In this lesson, hopefully, we want to give exhortation on
overcoming and avoiding self-righteousness.
I. WE MUST FOLLOW IN THE STEPS OF JESUS. 1 Pet. 2:21
A. Jesus loved the self-righteous as well as everyone.
1. He came to seek and to save the lost, and that includes
everyone.
2. Many of His lessons were given for the specific purposes
of helping the self-righteous. Luke 18:9
3. Simple, basic "love" is everywhere commanded in the
Scriptures, but it is exceedingly difficult to develop.
a. Love of others is the second great commandment.
Matt. 22:39; Rom. 13:8-10
B. Jesus carefully taught and rebuked the self-righteous. Matt.
15:9-14
1. He knew they were offended by His teaching, but He
kept teaching them. Matt. 21:45-46
2. As time progressed, His rebukes became stronger and
stronger. Matt. 23:25-28
a. He did all this because He loved them, and was
trying help them. Matt. 23:37
b. They should have heeded His word and repented.
C. We must first diligently seek to avoid self-righteousness in
ourselves, but when we see self-righteousness in others, we
must seek to help them as Jesus did. 1 Thess. 5:14; Gal. 6:1
1. If we do not seek to help, they will not see their self-
righteousness and will continue in it.
2. Out of love, Jesus tried to cause the self-righteous to see
what they were doing to themselves and to others.
a. Out of genuine love for their souls, we must likewise
do the same.
II. WE MUST NEVER RENDER AN OPPOSITE RESPONSE.
A. Extremes often beget extremes.
1. Some become lukewarm in religion in opposite response
to the self-righteous.
2. This is how it comes about.
a. They see the self-righteous and they don't want to
be like them.
b. The self-righteous attend every service, and they
don't want to be like them, so they become rather
lax in attendance.
c. The self-righteous pray every day and boast about it.
They don't want to be like them, so they don't pray
every day.
3. Thus, they feel that the proper reaction to self-
righteousness is to be half-hearted, lukewarm Christians.
B. It is not the zeal and dedication that makes one
self-righteous.
1. It is the attitude behind the zeal and dedication that
makes a person self-righteous.
a. Thus, if we want to avoid self-righteousness, we
cannot run from zeal and dedication.
b. The Lord expects us to have zeal and dedication.
Rom. 12:11; Luke 13:24; 1 Cor. 9:24-15
c. We need to develop zeal and dedication without the
self-righteous spirit.
III. AVOID SELF-RIGHTEOUS IN MY OWN LIFE.
A. Everyone is self-righteous to a certain extent, and it is not
easy to overcome.
1. We must conquer self-righteousness in ourselves. If we
set a good example in this matter, it will do much in
leading others in the right way.
B. We suggest a few things that, hopefully, will help us.
1. Give God the glory for every accomplishment. 1 Pet.
4:10-11
a. God must always receives the glory, not us.
b. We give Him all the glory, not just with lip service,
but from within, from the heart.
2. Never seek our own self glory, or glory from others.
Matt. 6:1-4
a. One of the basic problems of the Pharisees was their
undue concern for what others thought of them.
John 5:44; John 12:42-43
3. Recognize dependence on Christ.
a. Were it not for Christ and His death in our behalf,
every sin and stain would still be with us.
b. We should never turn from the Lord when we have
problems, but to the Lord.
c. When we have difficulties and hardships, no matter
what they are, we should turn to the Lord for
wisdom, strength, and comfort. Phil. 4:13
4. Consider others better than ourselves. Phil. 2:3-4;
Rom. 12:9-10
a. This simple instruction from God's word will help
up to keep from looking down our noses at others.
b. When we are genuinely concerned about the
problems and needs of our fellow Christians, we will
not be self-righteous.
c. Dr. James Dobson, in his book, Hide and Seek,
spoke of giving a lecture to students which touched
on the need of helping others who might have
problems. Dr. Dobson said, "Sitting in the audience
that same day was another student with the same
kind of problems. However, he did not write me a
letter. He never identified himself in any way. But
three weeks after I left, he hanged himself in the
basement of his apartment. One of the four young
men with whom he lived called long distance to
inform me of the tragedy. The caller, very deeply
shaken, said that the dead student's roommates were
so unaware of his problems that he hanged there five
days before he was missed!"
5. Keep our eyes in God's mirror. James 1:22-25
a. The word of God has a way of showing us our
faults, and it molds us into what we ought to be.
Psalm 19:7-11
b. We must make an honest, diligent effort in applying
His word to our lives.
6. Learn, develop, and practice humility.
a. One of the glaring, evident problems with the
Pharisees was lack of humility.
(1) In His parable against the self-righteous, Jesus
showed the importance of humility. Our
standing before God depends on it. Luke
18:9-14
(2) "Humility" was one of the "weightier matters"
of the law which the Pharisees omitted.
(3) We need to learn what humility is, and practice
it.
7. We must learn to humbly receive criticism. Prov. 9:8-
9; Eccl. 7:5; Psalm 141:5
8. Be willing to turn the other cheek. Matt. 5:38-42
a. This should be applied not only when it is physical,
but also when it is verbal.
(1) When we feel insulted, it's easy to give insult.
(2) When we are accused, it's easy to likewise
accuse.
(3) If we are kicked when we are down, it's easy
to kick back.
9. Don't be a meticulous fault finder myself. Mark 7:2
a. An old Chinese proverb says, "He who is looking for
faults in his brethren shall surely find them."
b. The purpose of this lesson is to help each of us as
individuals to do better.
c. If we see glaring "self-righteousness" in a brother or
sister, as Jesus did, we need to try to help.
10. Show mercy and forgiveness whenever possible.
Matt. 9:13
a. We need to learn God's will so that we can know
when to rebuke, show mercy, and forgive.
b. We need to learn God's word so that we will make
fair and righteous judgments.
11. Give encouragement to those who continue to try to
do good. 1 Thess. 1:2-3
Concl.
A. Let us strive to avoid self-righteousness.
1. May the Eternal God help us and bless us in this
endeavor.
Chart: Avoiding Self-Righteousness
1. Give God the glory for every accomplishment. 1 Pet. 4:10-11
2. Never seek our own self glory, or glory from others. Matt.
6:1-4
3. Recognize dependence on Christ. Phil. 4:13
4. Consider others better than ourselves. Phil. 2:3-4; Rom. 12:9-10
5. Keep our eyes in God's mirror. James 1:22-25
6. Learn, develop, and practice humility. Luke 18:9-14
7. We must learn to receive criticism. Prov. 9:8-9
8. Be willing to turn the other cheek. Matt. 5:39
9. Don't be a meticulous fault finder myself. Mark 7:2
10. Show mercy and forgiveness whenever possible. Matt. 9:13
11. Give encouragement to those who continue to try to do
good. 1 Thess. 1:2-3