Pursuing Righteousness and Faith, Part 2.

​2 Timothy 2:22 (NKJV) Flee also youthful lusts; but pursue righteousness, faith, love, peace with those who call on the Lord out of a pure heart. (NKJV). 
 
Pursue-  BAGD Lexicon Definition on p. 254.  

• Dioko - “to follow in haste to find something, run after, pursue…figuratively, pursue, strive for, seek after, aspire to something.”  

Pursue Righteousness…Righteousness defined:

• Dikaiosuna (BAGD p. 248).
  • The quality or characteristic of upright behavior, uprightness, righteousness…seek to attain/achieve uprightness.  
• One author states that “Righteousness is thinking, speaking, and acting in agreement with God’s standards of right and wrong. It is doing what is just, right, and virtuous, as defined by God. The boundaries and definitions of righteousness are clearly revealed in the Bible (Pr 8:8; Ps 119:40,128,172; II Tim 3:16-17). All you have to do is totally humble yourself before God’s word and do it (Jas 1:19-27; 3:17-18).” From Let God Be True 
• Illustration:
  • Uprights in football.
    • Those cheering for the kicker to make.
    • Those cheering for the kicker to miss.
    • Make...is hitting the mark.
    • Miss…is missing the mark (sin).

 
So here is the Human Responsibility…

•  Leave and Long 
• Leave.
  • Flee…BAGD P. 1052
    • to keep from doing something by avoiding it because of its potential damage, flee from, avoid, shun…In contrast to [dioko/pursue].
      • 1 Timothy 6:11 (NKJV) But you, O man of God, flee these things and pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, patience, gentleness.
      • 1 Corinthians 10:14 (NKJV) Therefore, my beloved, flee from idolatry.
    • Youthful…(young in age; young spiritually).
    • Lusts…BAGD P. 372
      • A desire for something forbidden or simply inordinate, craving, lust.
        • 2 Timothy 4:3 (NKJV) For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine, but according to their own desires, because they have itching ears, they will heap up for themselves teachers;
        • 1 Peter 1:14 (NKJV) as obedient children, not conforming yourselves to the former lusts, as in your ignorance;
  • Self-righteousness. “Self-righteousness makes a list of rules and checks them off, congratulating itself on how well it is doing compared to others. The Pharisees of Jesus’ day were masters of self-righteousness, but Jesus had harsh words for them: ‘Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You are like whitewashed tombs, which look beautiful on the outside but on the inside are full of the bones of the dead and everything unclean. In the same way, on the outside you appear to people as righteous but on the inside you are full of hypocrisy and wickedness’ (Matthew 23:27–28).” 
    • Doing that which is right in their own eyes…hoping to get one by on God.  
      • Deuteronomy 12:8 (ESV) “You shall not do according to all that we are doing here today, everyone doing whatever is right in his own eyes, 
      • Judges 17:6 (NLT) In those days Israel had no king; all the people did whatever seemed right in their own eyes. 
  • There are passages that communicate to us that NONE can be Righteous apart from God.  
    • Psalm 14:1-3 and Psalm 53:1-3
      The fool has said in his heart,
      “There is no God.”
      They are corrupt,
      They have done abominable works,
      There is none who does good.
      2 The Lord looks down from heaven upon the children of men,
      To see if there are any who understand, who seek God.
      3 They have all turned aside,
      They have together become corrupt;
      There is none who does good,
      No, not one.
    • Romans 3:10-12 
      10 As it is written: “There is none righteous, no, not one;
      11 There is none who understands;
      There is none who seeks after God.
      12 They have all turned aside;
      They have together become unprofitable;
      There is none who does good, no, not one.”
• Long.
  • 2 Timothy 2:22 Flee also youthful lusts; but pursue righteousness, faith, love, peace with those who call on the Lord out of a pure heart. (NKJV).  
  • Matthew 5:6a (NIV) those who hunger and thirst for righteousness,  

Listen and Look 

• Isaiah 51:1 “Listen to me, you who pursue righteousness, you who seek the Lord: look to the rock… 

 
Life and Lusciousness 

• Proverbs 21:21 Whoever pursues righteousness and unfailing love will find life, righteousness, and honor. (NLT).  
• Matthew 5:6 (NIV) Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled.  
• One author states that, “To be righteous is to be right with God. A heart that is right with God results in a life that bears ‘fruit’ (John 15:1–2; Mark 4:20).
  What does it mean to pursue righteousness? 
• Biblical Example…
  • Job 1:1 (NKJV) There was a man in the land of Uz, whose name was Job; and that man was blameless and upright, and one who feared God and [a]shunned [(turned away from)] evil.

 
God Loathes and Loves 

• Proverbs 15:9 The LORD detests the way of the wicked, but he loves those who pursue righteousness.”
• Therefore, what He hates/loathes, I should hate too. I should want to see it how He sees it. 
  • Renew my mind, Lord.
    • Romans 12:2 (NLT) Don't copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God's will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect.

Beautiful collision...responsibility (upright living within His boundaries) and rewards (renewed mind that comes from Him) collide. **God's boundaries and evidence of our loving, willing obedience put into action.
 
 
Now, let’s consider the close relation between righteousness and faith.
 
 
Pursue Faith
 
BAGD Lexicon Definition on p. 254.  

• Dioko - “to follow in haste to find something, run after, pursue…figuratively, pursue, strive for, seek after, aspire to something.”  

Faith…(BAGD pp. 818-820).

• State of believing on the basis of the reliability of the one trusted, trust, confidence, faith in the active sense = ‘believing’, in reference to deity.
  • As true piety [religion], genuine devotion…
    
    

• What is Faith?  
  • Hebrews 11:1 (NLT) Faith is the confidence that what we hope for will actually happen; it gives us assurance [(evidences)] about things we cannot see. 

 
Pursuing Faith

• Is a reliance upon the Holy Spirit.
  • A fruit of the Spirit.
    • Galatians 5:22 (NKJV) But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness,
    • Ephesians 6:23 (NKJV) Peace to the brethren, and love with faith, from God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
• Is pursuing a faith that works and doesn’t stand alone.
  • Illustration:
    • Hide and Seek…intently looking for that which you’re seeking…sometimes the person is right there in plain sight.
    • Playing hide and seek with my girls…they’d stand in a corner and cover their eyes…they figured that if they couldn’t see me, then I couldn’t see them.
    • The righteous living manual is right there in plain sight for us…we looked at that last week…pursuing His Word.
  • Example not to follow.
    • Romans 9:30-33 (NKJV) What shall we say then? That Gentiles, who did not pursue righteousness, have attained to righteousness, even the righteousness of faith; 31 but Israel, pursuing the law of righteousness, has not attained to the law of righteousness. 32 Why? Because they did not seek it by faith, but as it were, by the works of the law. For they stumbled at that stumbling stone. 33 As it is written: “Behold, I lay in Zion a stumbling stone and rock of offense, And whoever believes on Him will not be put to shame.”
  • Examples to follow.
    • 2 Peter 1:5-8 (NIV) 5 For this very reason, make every effort to add to your faith goodness; and to goodness, knowledge; 6 and to knowledge, self-control; and to self-control, perseverance; and to perseverance, godliness; 7 and to godliness, mutual affection; and to mutual affection, love. 8 For if you possess these qualities in increasing measure, they will keep you from being ineffective and unproductive in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. 
    • James 2:14-26 (NKJV) Faith Without Works Is Dead 14 What does it profit, my brethren, if someone says he has faith but does not have works? Can faith save him? 15 If a brother or sister is naked and destitute of daily food, 16 and one of you says to them, “Depart in peace, be warmed and filled,” but you do not give them the things which are needed for the body, what does it profit? 17 Thus also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead. 18 But someone will say, “You have faith, and I have works.” Show me your faith without your works, and I will show you my faith by my works. 19 You believe that there is one God. You do well. Even the demons believe—and tremble! 20 But do you want to know, O foolish man, that faith without works is dead? 21 Was not Abraham our father justified by works when he offered Isaac his son on the altar? 22 Do you see that faith was working together with his works, and by works faith was made perfect? 23 And the Scripture was fulfilled which says, “Abraham believed God, and it was accounted to him for righteousness.” And he was called the friend of God. 24 You see then that a man is justified by works, and not by faith only. 25 Likewise, was not Rahab the harlot also justified by works when she received the messengers and sent them out another way? 26 For as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead also. 
• Is an ongoing / continual process.
  • 1 Timothy 2:15 (NKJV) Nevertheless she will be saved in childbearing if they continue in faith, love, and holiness, with self-control.
  • 2 Corinthians 8:7 (NKJV) But as you abound in everything--in faith, in speech, in knowledge, in all diligence, and in your love for us--see that you abound in this grace also.
  • 2 Peter 1:5-8 (NIV) 5 For this very reason, make every effort to add to your faith…
  • Trust / confidence in Him... He's never failed us before and never will. 
    • Therefore, put your Faith into Action.  
• Is an Example to leave for generations to come.
  • 1 Timothy 4:12 (NKJV) Let no one despise your youth, but be an example to the believers in word, in conduct, in love, in spirit, in faith, in purity.
  • 2 Timothy 3:10 (NKJV) But you have carefully followed my doctrine, manner of life, purpose, faith, longsuffering, love, perseverance,
  • Titus 2:2 (NKJV) that the older men be sober, reverent, temperate, sound in faith, in love, in patience;
  • Revelation 2:19 (NKJV) “I know your works, love, service, faith, and your patience; and as for your works, the last are more than the first.

 
 
Collision: Genuine Faith and Righteous Works (Upright Living).