The Rewards of Righteousness - Part 1

The Teachable Woman Podcast

Reverends Michele Owes and Diana P. Cherry

The Rewards of Righteousness - Part 1

Rev. Michele Owes: [00:00:00] Welcome. Welcome back to the Teachable Woman Podcast. We are truly excited to be with you today. I am Reverend Michelle Les. I am with the one and only Reverend Mrs. Deanna Cher. Together we are teachers of good things. Mrs. Cherry, please greet our podcast family.

Rev. Diana Cherry: Greetings to the best podcast viewers in the whole wide world. love you. We appreciate you. We're excited to have you with us. guess what gonna find out tonight that you don't ever have to sin again in life. Amen.

Rev. Michele Owes: Amen. We just don't have to do it. Right. So we have Mrs. Cherry. We have been teaching on our SIN series and we've learned a lot about sin. A [00:01:00] lot about sin. We learned the definition of sin, that anything that takes us out of alignment with God, anything that displeases God, things that we do that are against His word when we know his word, we learn that sin actually comes from the heart.

Rev. Michele Owes: It just means that there's something going on in our heart. We choose is what we choose. Excuse me, what we would rather do than what God would have us to do. And we also learn that sin pays a wage. That it can have some momentary periods of pleasure and seem grandiose, but at the end, it's a subtraction game.

Rev. Michele Owes: It's taking something from us. The Bible tells us that the wages of sin is death, and so when we don't just drop dead right away, we feel like maybe we got away. But we learned that it could be the death of an [00:02:00] opportunity, it can be the death of a trust. It can be the death of a relationship. It could be the death of many things.

Rev. Michele Owes: But more than that, we learned that it leaves us. With a broken heart, it leaves us feeling ashamed, causes us to want to hide and to be away from the people of God, the house of God, the word of God. And we talked about how when Adam sinned in the garden, that the first thing he did was to hide, but that God still loves us when we sin.

Rev. Michele Owes: Nothing can separate us from his love. We also learned that we serve a forgiving God, that he is faithful and just to forgive us and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. But since we spent so much time on sin, Mrs. Cherry, I think it would be of great benefit to share about [00:03:00] righteousness

Rev. Diana Cherry: Yes.

Rev. Michele Owes: righteousness exalts.

Rev. Michele Owes: Nation, the prayers of the, the effectual fervent prayers of the righteous avail. Much so, rather than paying for something in the negative, why don't we talk about the things that are going to avail much in our lives, the things that exalt the nation. And one of the things I learned is that God really respects righteousness.

Rev. Michele Owes: It honors him when we choose to do right things, and I think it's important that we state that we are talking about being right with God, not being self. Righteous. There's a big difference between being self-righteous. Now, note, self goes before righteous, which means that's a problem because we've exalted ourselves first.[00:04:00]

Rev. Michele Owes: And oftentimes when people are self-righteous, they will share what they don't do or what they do, and think that what they do is the one and only way, and be very judgmental and critical about it. Righteousness is to be right with God and it is to be in a just. Position with him. And so we're not talking about self-righteousness, we're talking about being in right standing with God and what happens when we are in right standing with God.

Rev. Michele Owes: I'm gonna share this quick summary of Genesis chapter number 18. God was very displeased. With Sodom and Gomorrah and chose to destroy Sodom and Gomorrah. But then, you know, God said, should I keep this from Abraham? Be, who is Abraham? Should I keep this from him? And [00:05:00] then God informs him that he is going to destroy Sodom and Gomorrah, and then Abraham or Abram begins to kind of bargain with God.

Rev. Michele Owes: Well, would you destroy it if you could find 50? Righteous men. You know, God said, well, not if we could find 50. And it went to 45, then it went to 30, 35, all the way down to 10, and God had just had enough. You know? He said no, he wouldn't destroy it if, if Abram could find 10 righteous men. And then, then that chapter just ended.

Rev. Michele Owes: It said God went back to where he was. Because Abraham or Abraham had just convinced him that there could be righteous men in the city, and surely he did not want to destroy righteous men. And so God demonstrated that he respects righteousness and he was willing to withhold what he had planned to do in time to save [00:06:00] those who were righteous.

Rev. Michele Owes: Now he did destroy Sodom and Gomorrah and the righteous people that Abraham was talking about is he really wanted to get his nephew lot out and lot's family out. But what I was most impressed by was that God was willing to rethink a matter because there could be righteous people there. And so that tells me that God has.

Rev. Michele Owes: Great regard and great respect for people who stay in right standing with him. Alright, Ms. Cherry, take us away.

Rev. Diana Cherry: Well, you know we, we. Don't give enough credit for righteousness, God does. We, of those seven spiritual principles that we teach at the, at our church is obedience brings the reward, but sometimes we fail to teach people that the reward is righteousness. And

Rev. Michele Owes: Yes.

Rev. Diana Cherry: means that we can [00:07:00] be in right standing with God.

Rev. Michele Owes: Mm-hmm.

Rev. Diana Cherry: to be sin. And I was looking at first John, chapter three and verse number five says, and we know he, Jesus Christ, was manifested to take away our sins. in him is. sin. came to the earth to take away sin and my sin. That's why I started the session with gonna find out that there is absolutely no sin in you.

Rev. Michele Owes: Mm-hmm.

Rev. Diana Cherry: the thing is, God gave us a will. And we can choose to live without sin or we can choose to live in sin. But verse seven of that same chapter three says, little children let no man deceive you. that doth is [00:08:00] righteous. So if we are doers of righteousness. We are righteous, even as he is righteous. And the reason I said we have no sin in us, we commit no sin by faith, by faith, by faith is because the word of God says he that committed sin of the devil. For the devil sin it from the beginning and for this purpose, the son of man was manifested. He was manifested to take away our sins. He was manifested to show us that we don't have to live in sin. So the son of man was manifested that he might destroy the works of the devil. Whosoever, are you a whosoever, Is born of God. Are you born of God? is born of God. Does. Not commit [00:09:00] sin. That's why I started the podcast off with the fact that, hey, did you know you're not a sinner? You cannot commit sin for Jesus's seed.

Rev. Diana Cherry: His seed, God's seed remains in him, and he cannot sin because he is born of God. And then verse 10 of that same chapter, number three, one John three says in this, if you want the test. In this, the children of God are manifested. And the children of the devil. Whosoever doeth, not righteousness is not of God, neither he that loveth not his brother. So as we're looking at righteousness, first, John three tells us explicitly who is and who is not. it tells us this is how we judge who is a child of God. And who's the child of the devil. we want you to be [00:10:00] righteous. We don't want you to ever suffer from the wages of sin. We don't ever want you to have to pay the price of sin, God gave us a will. we don't have to sin. We can choose not to. then the whole world will know that we are born of God because we do not commit sin because his seed is in us. He came, he was manifested to take away our sins and he did. there's no sin in him and we honestly can live our lives so that there is no sin in us. in our righteousness is how God is manifested. Whosoever who is not righteous is is not of God, but who so doeth righteous is of God. So. You can be righteous because God gave us the power of choice [00:11:00] we can choose to do right. And we can choose not to do. Right. So resolving your heart, we're gonna do right. We're gonna be do right Christians?

Rev. Michele Owes: So what you're saying, Mrs. Cherry is when we do right, people can see God through us.

Rev. Diana Cherry: Mm-hmm.

Rev. Michele Owes: When we do wrong, they see the devil.

Rev. Diana Cherry: Right. Right. Simple.

Rev. Michele Owes: Yeah. When we do right, they see God in us. When we do wrong, they see the works of the devil, and Jesus did not die so that men might see the works of the devil in us. He wanted. Men to see the works of righteousness in us. In Psalm chapter number five, verse number 12, the Bible says, for thou Lord will bless the righteous with favor, will thou compass [00:12:00] him as with a shield.

Rev. Michele Owes: So. The Lord is prepared to bless the righteous with favor. I like favor. You know, the Lord allows the sun to shine on the center and the saint. That's like a general blessing for everybody.

Rev. Diana Cherry: Mm-hmm.

Rev. Michele Owes: like favor, you know, I, I want something special. If it can be special for me, I want that, right? I prefer that. For thou Lord will bless the righteous with

Rev. Diana Cherry: Yes.

Rev. Michele Owes: favor, will thou compass him with a shield, meaning protection,

Rev. Diana Cherry: Yes.

Rev. Michele Owes: keeping us from the storm, protecting us,

Rev. Diana Cherry: Yeah.

Rev. Michele Owes: and then showing favor toward us.

Rev. Michele Owes: And the requirement to get that from God is to just be right.

Rev. Diana Cherry: You right? Mm-hmm. He will compass us. [00:13:00] Put

Rev. Michele Owes: Yes, yes,

Rev. Diana Cherry: Aon. Wrap us in his favor.

Rev. Michele Owes: yes.

Rev. Diana Cherry: We are right with him. Isn't that awesome? I mean, protected by favor, protected by being righteous. You know, righteousness will protect us. It will lead us. It will guide us. It will keep us when we're righteous, we're imagine ourselves in a cocoon like a butterfly. We're wrapped in God's favor

Rev. Michele Owes: Mm-hmm.

Rev. Diana Cherry: are righteous.

Rev. Michele Owes: Mm-hmm.

Rev. Diana Cherry: state to be in.

Rev. Michele Owes: Yes. Yes.

Rev. Diana Cherry: You know, we used to, I, when I was younger teenager, we used to say, he ain't wrapped tight so tight, you know, but we can be wrapped tight in favor with God.

Rev. Michele Owes: Surely we would want that, particularly with the state of our nation today.

Rev. Diana Cherry: Yes,

Rev. Michele Owes: It is so unstable and things are just, we want to be compass about with the shield of the Lord. We want [00:14:00] his favor

Rev. Diana Cherry: yes.

Rev. Michele Owes: because man is acting like they're not wrapped too tight today.

Rev. Michele Owes: And we seem to be people who are subject but with the favor of God. We're not subject, but even if we choose to live according to the will of God, we are not subject as long as we are right with him. Whether I get what I asked for and if I don't, I still have the favor of God and I'm in right standing with him.

Rev. Michele Owes: And if I don't get what I asked for, it was not for me, or it is not the season for me to have the thing. Either way, I win because I get what he wants for me.

Rev. Diana Cherry: right. That's wonderful. Yeah.

Rev. Michele Owes: So we spent a lot of time talking about sin, and that sin was a separator, and that sin destroys our lives and it destroys our [00:15:00] soul, and it ruins our communication, and yet we find that being right with God. Allows us to enjoy his favor. I have often told the story of my granddaughter when she was much smaller, she would see me in my prayer closet, and she would come into the prayer closet very quietly and just nestle.

Rev. Michele Owes: I would be on my knees and she would nestle right up under me and get on her knees as well. And whenever I was not in my closet, if I passed by it, sometimes I would see her sitting there opening my Bible and turning the pages as though she could reach no more than 18 months to two years old. Right. And that, that thing just touched my heart.

Rev. Michele Owes: Whenever she would come in the house, she would let me. She would just come. [00:16:00] Calling Grandma Grandmommy and run straight to grandmommy. Just blessed my heart to no end. I love all my grandchildren, but that one right there, the one who was running to me, the one who would nestle under me while I was praying and studying the word of God and could emotionally read the moment that she needed to be quiet.

Rev. Michele Owes: And to be still and could get in that moment with me now, I just, joy, I just enjoyed that there was something happening in my heart in that experience. How much more happens with our Heavenly Father when we will nestle under him in just under the wings of the shadow of the Almighty?

Rev. Diana Cherry: Yeah. Yeah.

Rev. Michele Owes: Study his word and hear from from him and respond in kind for [00:17:00] the moment,

Rev. Diana Cherry: Yes,

Rev. Michele Owes: man, what kind of favor God will bestow up on our lives if we can just do that with him and for him.

Rev. Diana Cherry: And we have the power of choice. We

Rev. Michele Owes: Yes.

Rev. Diana Cherry: to, don't have to be like the world. We don't have to look like the world. We don't have to act like the world. We don't have to talk like the world. there enough things in the word of God that we can kind of, we can kind of create our own speech. You know, I used to tell my son before he would go to school, I would use the scripture I used to basically share with him a lot out of Proverbs four And, and I, I, I, I, I would say to him, you know, you have a co, there are a couple of children in your school. They're Christians. If they get 'em ready to do something, you know, give 'em a little slang, say internet. [00:18:00] You know, things that we teach our children to say

Rev. Michele Owes: Mm-hmm.

Rev. Diana Cherry: people who are like them and they can catch on without being goody goody two shoes or having the classmates laughing at them and things like that. There are things that we can pick up from the word of God that are just fun things and we'll protect our children. Yeah,

Rev. Michele Owes: Yes.

Rev. Diana Cherry: You know the word of God tells us we, we know when we're right with God.

Rev. Michele Owes: Mm-hmm.

Rev. Diana Cherry: First John, again, this time chapter chapter three, but verse four, it says 19, we know that we are of the truth and shall assure our hearts before him. This scripture used to bless my socks off if. Our hearts. I'm gonna say my, if my heart condemns me, is greater [00:19:00] than my heart and he knows everything, If our hearts condemn us, not, then we have confidence towards God whatever. So whatever we ask, we'll receive of him because why we keep his commandments. What does that mean? It means that we obey him we'll, right With Him. Do

Rev. Michele Owes: You, right? Yes.

Rev. Diana Cherry: You know, and, and I used to, I used to love to say things like that. Catch somebody acting a little untoward and say, do right,

Rev. Michele Owes: Mm-hmm.

Rev. Diana Cherry: on others to become, it's so many ways that we can say things very scriptural ways without quoting the actual scripture, but if we sin, our hearts will condemn us.

Rev. Michele Owes: Yes. Yes.

Rev. Diana Cherry: the word of God says that if we sin, God doesn't play. He said, if we sin, we don't know him. So it's a choice. [00:20:00] So do you know God?

Rev. Michele Owes: Mm-hmm.

Rev. Diana Cherry: God?

Rev. Michele Owes: Mm-hmm.

Rev. Diana Cherry: able to manifest the righteousness of God in everything that you do, no matter where you go? able to be the same? We don't have to change. don't have to put on a face at church and put on another face at work and put on another face when we go out to the grocery store. We have to be righteous with God. Stay in right standing with God. And we shared before that that righteousness is kind of a dual thing has made us right. now our part is we gotta act right. So

Rev. Michele Owes: Mm-hmm.

Rev. Diana Cherry: little thing that we could say to each other, you know, act right and.

Rev. Michele Owes: Yes, absolutely. I had an opportunity to, I, I was walking through a department I. [00:21:00] Where I work, and there were some people there trying to find out they were from another country and they were trying to find out what it meant for us because there were Easter eggs all over the office decorating the office for resurrection and.

Rev. Michele Owes: I was walking through that office to, to get somewhere else, and a person stopped and said, stopped me and said, I know that Michelle can explain the Christian perspective as to why we celebrate Easter. I can say what the pagans do. She said, but Michelle, I'm sure she can fully explain to you. I never once said that I was a Christian or a preacher or anything.

Rev. Michele Owes: I'm just walking through, so I have an an Asian delegation [00:22:00] standing there in the middle of the marketing department listening for me to explain who Jesus Christ is. And what I found so interesting is that they did not know who he was. And, and I asked the question. I said, have, have you ever heard of Jesus?

Rev. Michele Owes: They said, no. And so I explained that he was the son of God. I explained that he was a perfect genetic blend of all nations, that he was one blood for all nations and that he was a. Sufficient sacrifice to take on the sins of the world and that his blood cleanses us from our sins. I explained the crucifixion, I explained the resurrection and what it means to us, and I mean, they were enthralled.

Rev. Michele Owes: They did not, they did not glance [00:23:00] away for one moment or seem confused and. They had other questions and, and I was, God bless me to answer the questions because when she called on me and said what she said, I said, okay, holy Spirit, you are on. This is you. This is your moment. Speak through my mind. Speak through my mouth and think through my mind.

Rev. Michele Owes: But the point I'm making is I never, I never once went through the office and said, Hey, I'm a Christian. I'm a preacher. I'm a, I just. Do as I'm instructed to do according to the will of the Lord. I do my job. I'm kind and I'm respectful, but I just walked through and they said I'm sure she can. And I never in a million years thought that I would be standing in the middle of a very popular international department.

Rev. Michele Owes: And I am explaining who Jesus Christ is. You. You could not have paid me [00:24:00] to think that I was hired to do that, but when I was doing it, I said to myself, so this is why you brought me here, Lord, I wondered why you drew me here, but this is why you brought me here. It was for this moment. So that they might know this delegation of people who have never even heard of your son.

Rev. Michele Owes: That blew me away that nobody knew who he was

Rev. Diana Cherry: Wow.

Rev. Michele Owes: and I just thought we have to be ready. And not only that, we have to be right with him in order to explain him in a right way.

Rev. Diana Cherry: Mm-hmm.

Rev. Michele Owes: Ultimately my heart's desire was. And not only learn about him, but love him. By the time I finished saying what I need to say, I had to also recognize this was not a sermon.

Rev. Michele Owes: This was a moment in time that I couldn't get ready for in the moment. It came from a relationship. And there will be opportunities that God will give us because we [00:25:00] are right with him, because he needs a representative. And it was amazing to me how things shifted a little bit and there, there we had something in common after we talked and I just thought, God, you are awesome.

Rev. Michele Owes: You are absolutely amazing. Somebody who did not know you, who came from across the sea of Asia. I'm just coming in to get my paperwork right. I just had some things signed. I'm just coming. But this is the moment that he chooses.

Rev. Diana Cherry: Mm-hmm.

Rev. Michele Owes: are going to be moments that God chooses, and because we are right with him, we are already prepared.

Rev. Diana Cherry: Mm-hmm.

Rev. Michele Owes: He's already made the deposit, and when God calls for the deposit, we should not shy away.

Rev. Diana Cherry: Amen.

Rev. Michele Owes: We should.

Rev. Diana Cherry: right? We'll put in the kingdom for times like [00:26:00] that.

Rev. Michele Owes: Yes.

Rev. Diana Cherry: we have to, we really have to have, we really have to be ready. There that, that's not a time to pray.

Rev. Michele Owes: Mm-hmm.

Rev. Diana Cherry: not a time to, oh my God. What? You have to have it in. So that you can come out of the heart had you not had it in your heart, had you not been in right standing with God, it's no way you would've been granted sufficiency of his grace and his favor to deliver the word of God at that precise moment to people who'd never even heard of his dear son, Jesus Christ. So it's good for us to live our lives in, in these moments,

Rev. Michele Owes: Yeah.

Rev. Diana Cherry: that we're in this grocery store for such a time as this. Perhaps we're walking into a market for such a time as

Rev. Michele Owes: Mm-hmm.

Rev. Diana Cherry: We're in Walmart for t such a time as this. [00:27:00] So righteousness is not something that you just put on and take off.

Rev. Michele Owes: Right?

Rev. Diana Cherry: to be, you have to be clothed. And if the Bible says you're clothed and it wrapped tight,

Rev. Michele Owes: Yes. Yes. Some of us are in jobs that we are just like, okay, why am I here? And God has a reason. He has a plan. There are a people there. Wherever God places us, there is a reason.

Rev. Diana Cherry: Yes, yes.

Rev. Michele Owes: I recognize that who he is is so much greater than anything I ever thought I wanted to be. Even when you planned for your life, who Christ is in us is far greater than that.

Rev. Diana Cherry: Mm-hmm.

Rev. Michele Owes: so it is, it is always to our benefit when we yield whatever we think to be who he needs us to be in any moment.

Rev. Diana Cherry: Yes.

Rev. Michele Owes: moment. So some of you are still trying to figure out why God has you, where he has you, and there are people in your department on your job, [00:28:00] yay. Even in your family that still need to know Christ.

Rev. Diana Cherry: Yes.

Rev. Michele Owes: Now we may know some people who know his name, but that may be it. I just happened to be set before people standing before people. I never even sat down. We were all just standing in this office this lobby area. It was just a standing situation.

Rev. Diana Cherry: Because you

Rev. Diana Cherry: Through,

Rev. Michele Owes: I was passing through, right. But I'm glad I didn't do, like some of the preachers do in Jericho. I didn't pass over on the other side. I just,

Rev. Diana Cherry: you

Rev. Michele Owes: I gave God an opportunity.

Rev. Diana Cherry: it. Use me, God.

Rev. Michele Owes: So understand that being in right standing with God means just that. It just means just be right with him. Treat him right, do Him right, based on the word of God according to what we know and according to what we will learn. I was, I could never have been more grateful for my Bible believing [00:29:00] Bible teaching church and all that God has taught me through the years.

Rev. Diana Cherry: Yeah.

Rev. Michele Owes: my church and I can't really even say local. I've gotta say the worldwide church because, you know, I've changed my address so many times. I can't even say my local church. I've been through, through and to quite a few from the hard churches. And my husband actually started the church here in Houston, Texas as well before we even, you know, became a part of that.

Rev. Michele Owes: So I am so thankful. That God chose to make a deposit, one that he could draw from.

Rev. Diana Cherry: Mm-hmm.

Rev. Michele Owes: And so as we are on these pews on Sundays and Tuesdays and Wednesdays and Thur, whenever your church has Bible study and whenever those church doors open, understand that God is making a deposit

Rev. Diana Cherry: Mm-hmm.

Rev. Michele Owes: and, and. When we are of our right mind, we don't refuse the deposit.

Rev. Michele Owes: We don't question the deposit. We don't get mad about the [00:30:00] deposit. We just receive the deposit. We should come as fertile ground

Rev. Diana Cherry: Mm-hmm.

Rev. Michele Owes: and then be an expectation that one day God will call for his deposit. When you make a deposit in the bank, some days you, you wanna go get some of it right? When God calls for his deposit, don't shy away because you're thinking about all that.

Rev. Michele Owes: Maybe you think you are not. God wants what he put in you and allow him to be glorified in it. Allow him to be glorified in it. All right? So being a part of a worldwide ministry means a lot, and I've never really understood until actually my last several jobs. I've had to greet people from different nations.

Rev. Michele Owes: And when I know a city, know a church, know people from their nation, I'm automatically a friend,

Rev. Diana Cherry: Mm-hmm.

Rev. Michele Owes: right? God will [00:31:00] use this in so many ways that we know not of, but be open to it. Be thankful for it. We don't have to know the what, when, where, wise to everything. We just have to be okay that God trusted us to be a part.

Rev. Michele Owes: I was not doing a plug for the local church, but it is one and we need to receive it and be okay with it because we don't know where our life is going to lead us and we don't know who God is going to draw into our life. I would've never thought I'd be living in the great state of Texas, right. Nor.

Rev. Michele Owes: Where I'm working right now wasn't in my plan, wasn't in my map, wasn't, you know, wasn't in my vision per se, but my life is hidden in Christ. So wherever he sends me is where I go. What he asks of me is what I do. And so all kinds of things will happen when you will just [00:32:00] let go of the wheel and get in your passenger mode and stay there.

Rev. Michele Owes: 'cause we can't drive God anywhere. We just have to ride.

Rev. Diana Cherry: Remember, stand right and do right. God is in you. If you're born again, remember that his seed remains in you, and you cannot sin. God bless you. Be righteous.

Rev. Michele Owes: We love you. See you on our next broadcast.