NO MORE SELF-RIGHTEOUSNESS
Dr. Creflo Dollar started off the session by saying that Jesus didn’t come for self-righteous people. He explained that religion is self-righteousness as its aim is to try to make man right with God without God’s involvement. The quickest way to lose favor is to try to get it by human effort. Grace is unmerited favor.
Dr. Dollar went further to describe the characteristics of self-righteous people as follows:
1) They despise others.
2) They judge others.
3) They justify themselves by comparing themselves with other people.
4) They have no patience for those who make mistakes.
5) They don’t respond right when shown the need to change.
Religion, self-effort, legalism will wear you out, he continued. The ultimate goal of satan is to shame you because shame will paralyze you. It will make it difficult to focus on what God has called you to do. Guilt brings shame, do not give in to guilt. Rest on the finished works of Jesus, he admonished.
”Religion thrives on guilt and fear. Self-righteousness is based on fear.”
Religion has created the numerous amount of people who were saved by grace but now want to live by works. Self righteousness is the open door to the works of the flesh.
Dr. Dollar also said humility and submission go hand in hand. Humility makes it easy to submit to God. Whoever humbles himself will be exalted. On the other hand, self righteousness is unrighteousness, it is pride and births more sin. For instance, if Jesus says to cast all our cares upon him and we refuse to do that, that’s pride because we think we can carry the cares. Philippians 3:4-6.
“The Cycle of Self-Righteousness is Sin →Trying to fix it → Fail → Experiencing shame → Sin again.”
Self righteousness puts you in the cycle of guilt and condemnation. Righteousness is an identity issue. Do not let your behavior determine your identity, let your identity determine your behavior, he enjoined. Matt11:29 (MSG). John8:10-11. 1John3:20.
According to Dr. Dollar, self-righteousness is the foundation for the cycle of sin. Satan wants to shame you through the cycle of sin. The more people think they have to perform to live the Christian life, the more they run away from it.
“The Christian life is impossible to live without Jesus. John15:4 – 5.”
Jesus has delivered you from all the curses of the law and you have ‘The Blessing’. You don’t have to be motivated by the curse to tithe, it’s to your benefit to do so. You do so because you are blessed, not so as to be blessed.
God wants to sustain you until you’re able to bear fruit not throw you away. Condemnation can make your heart cold. Whatever good thing shows up in your life, it’s because of God. Give him thanks always. Don’t try to be good or do good without God. Isa.10:15. Rom.11:18.
Dr. Creflo Dollar concluded the teaching by enjoining believers not to be proud of any good thing that comes out of them but to attribute it to God, otherwise, that will be self-righteousness and that is the biggest sin if there were any such classification of sin.
The entire message is available on the church’s website. Click DAY 7 MORNING SESSION 1 to purchase it at 100 NGN.