Living Right now to avert Gloom at Last

What is living right?

Living right from the Christian perspective means to live a life set apart for God. It means to live a holy and righteous life. Romans 12:1-2 ‘I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service. And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.
1 Peter 1:16-17 ‘but as He who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct, because it is written, “Be holy, for I am holy.” reminds us of this.

Living right is to not conform to the dictates or standards of the world. It is walking in love. Treating others the way you want to be treated. Standing for the truth always. Doing the will of God. It boils down to your daily activities: do you pray? are you kind to others? Are you grounded in the things of God? Do you love God and others? What about the great Commission?

My first question will be, ‘can someone live right in a wrong living world? The sad thing in this world today is not the moral collapse of leaders but the low level of ethical behaviours on the part of many Christians. We lie, cheat, bribe, commit all the sins we know. Christianity has become more fashionable and the church has lost its values. Today, wrong is the newly accepted right so how can one live right in a world that projects wrong more than right?

People find it difficult to live right because they feel mostly misunderstood and lonely. The challenge with living right has been in force since the days of Elijah as recorded in 1 kings 19:10, 18 So he said, “I have been very zealous for the Lord God of hosts; for the children of Israel have forsaken Your covenant, torn down Your altars, and killed Your prophets with the sword. I alone am left; and they seek to take my life.” 18 Yet I have reserved seven thousand in Israel, all whose knees have not bowed to Baal, and every mouth that has not kissed him.” Elijah filled with the Spirit of God executed the prophets of Baal. When the head of idol worship in the person of the First Lady Jezebel, a name today synonymous with evil threatened him, he ran away to mount Horeb. God showed him that he was not alone. There were 7000 others living right in the same country.

This illustration is to inform us that we are not alone in this. Just like the 7000 in the time of Elijah, we have millions on earth living right. The question is ‘are you one of them?’ Please ask your neighbour, are you living right? What did he or she say? If you are not living right, I pray that the mercy of God will locate you after this message and cause you to start living right in Jesus Christ name amen.

Facts about living right

1. There are three main facts you must know about living right:
   We are called to live right- Micah 6:8 ‘He has shown you, O man, what is good; And what does the Lord require of you. But to do justly, To love mercy, And to walk humbly with your God?’
2. We have the choice to either accept or reject it– Joshua 24:15. ‘And if it seems evil to you to serve the Lord, choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods which your fathers served that were on the other side of the River, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you dwell. But as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.”You must decide to live right like Joshua’
3. There are consequences for our decisions and actions. Revelations 22:12 ‘“And behold, I am coming quickly, and My reward is with Me, to give to every one according to his work. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End, the First and the Last.”

How can we live right?

1 Thessalonians 5:12-24 ‘Now we exhort you, brethren, warn those who are unruly, comfort the fainthearted, uphold the weak, be patient with all. See that no one renders evil for evil to anyone, but always pursue what is good both for yourselves and for all. Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, in everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you. Do not quench the Spirit. Do not despise prophecies. Test all things; hold fast what is good. Abstain from every form of evil. Now may the God of peace Himself sanctify you completely; and may your whole spirit, soul, and body be preserved blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. He who calls you is faithful, who also will do it.’

1. Have a relationship with God. Repent and be saved. Stop sitting on the fence. Stop chasing shadows. On that last day you will answer for one thing: how did you spend your life on earth. How did you fare with the great commission given in Matthew 28:18-20? ‘And Jesus came and spoke to them, saying, “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” Amen.’
2. Obedience built on love: The great commandment in Matthew 22:37-40.’ Jesus said to him, “ ‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.’ This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like it: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ On these two commandments hang all the Law and the Prophets.” If you love God, Who first loved you, you will obey all that He has commanded you to do. If you love your Neighbour, you will not do anything bad to them. Romans 13:1: ‘Love does no harm to a neighbor; therefore love is the fulfillment of the law.’
3. Be prayerful: 1 Thessalonians 5:17 reminds us to ‘pray without ceasing’
4. Know the word of God: Joshua 1:8 ‘This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate in it day and night, that you may observe to do according to all that is written in it. For then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success’

Obstacles to living right

Pride: 1 Corinthians 10:12 ‘Therefore let him who thinks he stands take heed lest he fall.’
The devil: 1 Peter 5:8 ‘Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour.’

Consequences of not living right

Our topic is ‘living right to avert gloom at last’. The aim of talking about living right is to stop or take away the consequences of not living right which is eternal gloom. The word gloom means a partial or total darkness. An atmosphere of melancholy or depression, despondency, sadness, mournful. Hebrews 9:27 ‘And as it is appointed for men to die once, but after this the judgment,’ and this is clear in Revelations 20:15 ‘Then I saw a great white throne and Him who sat on it, from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away. And there was found no place for them. And I saw the dead, small and great, standing before God, and books were opened. And another book was opened, which is the Book of Life. And the dead were judged according to their works, by the things which were written in the books. The sea gave up the dead who were in it, and Death and Hades delivered up the dead who were in them. And they were judged, each one according to his works. Then Death and Hades were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death. And anyone not found written in the Book of Life was cast into the lake of fire.’

Conclusion

The end of the matter is clear: Jesus Christ wins; Satan loses. The Saints go up; Sinners go down; if you live right, you will go with the Saints; if you don’t, you will live in eternal gloom, damnation, torture. I will rather be among those singing Holy! Holy!! Holy!!! than with those weeping, gnashing their teeth in hell fire. Child of God, the choice is yours. Choose wisely. Let the Holy Spirit guide you and enable you to chose right.

Say this prayer now: Almighty God, the merciful Father, I come humbly before you in total surrender to your command and call on me to live right. I ask for forgiveness of all my sins and pray that you fill me with your Holy Spirit. Give me the grace to live totally for you so that at the end of the age I will enjoy eternal bliss in Jesus Christ name I pray. Amen