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Righteousness (No matter what)

February 5th, 2012

To the leader of the study
Righteousness is one of the most unpursued qualities of Jesus. To be righteous is to be like Jesus. The goal of this study is to challenge and inspire the teens to seek righteousness with all their hearts. You must be open about your life to facilitate openness in the teenager.

Intro

Describe “righteousness” in your own words.

  1. doing the right thing
  2. being obedient to God and parents
  3. obeying laws
When is it most challenging to be righteous?
  1. when you feel pressure
  2. when things are hard
  3. when you just don’t feel like obeying
  4. when you don’t understand
The of this study is to help you biblically define righteousness and to help you see your need to be righteous in every situation no matter what.

The Scriptures

1 John 3:7
Who is righteous?
  1. Those who do what is right
  2. Those who are not led astray
  3. Those who imitate Jesus
James 2:21-22
What made Abraham righteous?
  1. He offered Isaac
  2. He obeyed God
  3. He obeyed with faith
Bottom line: To be righteous is to do what is right and to obey God’s commands.

Matthew 26:38-39
How was Jesus feeling?
  1. Overwhelmed
  2. Sad and sorrow
  3. “This is hard”
  4. “I don’t want this”
How did Jesus respond to his feelings?
  1. He was open about them in prayer
  2. He wad willing to do God’s will.
  3. He made a decision to obey, no matter what.
Bottom line: We must do what is right even when we do not feel like obeying God.

Acts 5:28-29
Why were the apostles being persecuted?
  1. They filled the city with the words of Jesus
  2. They made people feel guilty about hurting Jesus
How did they handle the persecution?
  1. They were bold
  2. They obeyed God no matter what
  3. They did what was right or righteous
Bottom line: In the face of persecution or peer pressure, we must do what God says.

Personal Heart-Check Questions

Is righteousness a daily goal in your life?
What areas are you most tempted to be unrighteous?

Practical Applications

Matthew 6:33
Start every morning by seeking God first.
  1. Pray to be righteous
  2. Be open about areas of weakness
  3. When unsure of what to do, ask, “What would Jesus do?”
Write out one page about what you’ve learned from this study about righteousness; some things you have done or will do differently because of this study; and how this will help you be a disciple someday.

Write a one-page letter to your parent(s) about how grateful you are for them, and how you will specifically change to show a greater respect for them (Ephesians 6:1-2 and 1 Thessalonians 5:13 obey, honor and hold them in the highest regard)