The Posture of Virture pt1 What virtue are you walking in

Welcome back to the podcast, family. I'm Pastor Lindsey Jones, and today we're stepping into something I have been carrying for a long time — a brand new series called The Posture of Virtue.

Now let me ask you a question before we even get started: What virtue are you walking in?

Because here's what I've learned — virtue is not something you announce. Virtue is something you carry. It's the way you walk when nobody is clapping. It's the way you respond when nobody is recording. It's who you are when the room goes quiet.

In this first episode, we are opening up 1 John 2:6 — "He who says he abides in Him ought himself also to walk just as He walked." And we're going to sit with that word ought. Because ought is not a suggestion. Ought is a posture. Ought is a requirement of those who say they belong to Him.

I'm going to share something personal in this episode — a season of refinement I walked through that I didn't understand at the time. A season where I felt silenced, overlooked, set aside. But what I thought was rejection was actually preparation. What felt like silence was actually God using a man named Pastor Cooper to refine me for what He had next.

And maybe that's where you are right now. Maybe you've been asking God, "Why this season? Why this silence? Why am I still here?" This episode is for you.

"What God works on in private, God will eventually put on display in public."

So go ahead — grab your Bible, grab a pen, grab your coffee. Press play. Share this episode with someone who needs to hear it. And let's discover together the power of your virtue, and become who God created you to be.

This is The Posture of Virtue, Part 1. Let's get into it.

Transcript

SPEAKER_00 0:54

Turn with me to First John chapter number two and verse number six. We're just going to read one verse on this morning. First John chapter two, verse six, and it reads, He who says he abides in him ought himself also to walk just as he walked. I want to give this particular scripture some context. So I want you to hear it from the Amplified Version. The Amplified Version reads it as thus. Whosoever says he lives in Christ, that is, whoever says he has accepted him as God and Savior, ought as a moral obligation to walk and conduct himself just as he walked and conducted himself. Let us pray. Heavenly Father, we want to say thank you. Thank you for this opportunity we have to come and hear from you to God. God, first we want to ask for your forgiveness. If there's anything we said, did thought about that, it's not like you cast it in the sea of forgetfulness and remember it no more. We don't want anything to hinder, stop, or impede what you're trying to do in our life. God, I ask that you hide me behind the cross. Don't let them hear me, don't let them see me, but let them hear and see you. I use my mind, my body, my mind, my spirit. Everything about me belongs to you at this moment. Use me for your glory, God. Don't let me rush through this message. Oh God, control my speech so we can hear exactly what you want us to hear. Speak when you need to speak, God. Show up when you need to show up, God. Show up like always. We lose your presence in the room. We lose your presence in our over the airways right now, God. You take control. Take dominion and power over everything right now, God. And God bless the hearts of the hearer. That they may hear your word and become doers of your word, God. Touch them, God. That this word may transform them and change them to who you want them to become. Do it right now in the name of Jesus. And let every household and every person say amen and amen. Ladies and gentlemen, I want to begin a new series entitled The Posture of Virtue. The Posture of Virtue. I want to leave this opening thought with you, but I need you to write it down. I need you to sit with it. I want you to carry it with you throughout every message in this series. And that thought is, what virtue are you walking in? Type it in the chat, write it down somewhere. What virtue are you walking in? Up to this point, we have walked through three postures together. The posture of the heart, the posture of faith, and the posture of obedience. And each one of these postures, God was doing the work in you or in us. He changed the heart or he changed our hearts. He strengthened our faith. And he was teaching us that there's a blessing on the other side of obedience. But ladies and gentlemen, those three postures were internal. Those were postures that God had to deal with you about. Those were postures that God was working on you privately. Those were the postures God was shaping you behind closed doors. But now God is moving you. God is moving us from the internal to the external. Understand he's not losing, or we're not losing what he's done on the inside of us, but taking what we have learned on the inside and translating it to how we should act on the outside. And changing it so the world can see a difference in us, because we have been changed internally, and what we do internally has to come out externally. I'm talking to somebody already. Because what God does in private, God will eventually put on public display. I'm gonna repeat that again. Because with the work that God done for you in private, God will eventually put that public or that private work on public display. Look at your neighbor and say, what God does, what God does in me has to show up through me. What God does in me has to show up through me. When God transforms you, you walk like him, you love like him, you forgive like him, you carry yourself like him. You reflect his character to a world that is watching. And the way the believers reflect God's character is through the fruit of the spirit. Galatians 5, 22 and 23 tells us exactly what the believer posture should look like on the outside. But the fruit of the spirit is love, joy, peace, long-suffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law. Ladies and gentlemen, the list right here is the posture of virtue. This is what the world is supposed to see when they look at the life of a believer. Not someone who just shows up to church, not someone who just quotes a word every day, but those who look like the one who says they abide with Christ. So before we dive in, before we go any further, I want you to ponder the opening thought one more time. What virtue are you walking in? Because the question, because the answer to the question will tell you everything you need to know about how much of the inside work God has truly made it to the outside. As we dive into the text here in 1 John 2 and 6, we must go back to the beginning of the chapter because it's important to understand who John is talking to. John is talking to the believers of that day. And through the text, he is talking to us right now. He's talking to us about our sins. He is telling us that when the believer sins, we have an advocate with the Father. We have someone who will fight for us in the person of Jesus. How is that possible? Because Jesus, who knew no sin, became sin for us, he died for us, and now everyone who believes in him and accepts him as the personal, as their personal savior, has someone who they can go to when they have sinned or messed up. Church, we don't have to run to the priest anymore. Jesus is the high priest. Jesus is the one who will advocate and stand between us and his father and telling God not to hold judgment against us. He's the one that will stand in the gap and say, I stand before them, God. Don't look at their sin and condemn them. Look at me and pronounce them righteous. God is the one, or Jesus is the one who stands in the middle and fights for your freedom. Jesus is the one who stands in the gap and tell God, no, no, no, no. He's part of the family. He's saved, he accepted me as his Lord and Savior. So look at him now differently. Now don't get it twisted. We all have made mistakes. We all have fallen short of the glory of God. But John here tells us or calls us to repent. And when you repent, you remember who you belong to. Look at your neighbor and tell them, I belong to God. I'm a child of the king. And yes, when I mess up, I can return to my father and say, I'm sorry. Because when I return to him, he's reminding me of the change he's made on the inside. And when the change on the inside really gets a hold of me, my outside actions have to dictate what the inside actions already have made possible. Ah, it reminds me, or he'll remind you, of the postures you just walked through and how those postures change your life. He reminds us that you walk through trusting me. You walk through hard times to build your faith. You walk through disobeying me and following me once again. So we have to learn to walk in those postures daily. Walk in the posture of a heart that has been changed. Walk in the faith that has been tried. And walk in the posture of obedience, knowing that there's a blessing waiting for you on the other side. Ladies and gentlemen, walking in those postures matters. Because you will have people who say they love God. You will have people who say, I believe in God, but they walk totally opposite of how God wants them to walk. They act differently because they are not truly, I'm gonna get in trouble with it, they're not truly living the way believers should live. Because the Bible says it like this. He said, if you trust me or if you believe in me, you'll keep my commandments. And we just read the scripture that said, if you believe in me and accept him, you ought to walk how I walk. Ah, how can I walk with Christ when I when I when I when I mess up? Or how can I walk with Christ and have him abide in me when I treat people wrong? How can I walk right with God or have God abiding in me and I can't speak to somebody? How can I walk with God or have him abide in me and I can't speak to somebody or love somebody? Or try to help somebody or speak down to somebody. We're no better than them. Ah, we can't look down on somebody because of the situation that they're in. We can't look down on somebody because they're down and out at this particular moment. We can't, we gotta have compassion on those people that don't know Christ. We have people who say they love God, but walk total opposite of the love that He says to walk in. Church, hear me today. Virtue is not something that we keep behind closed doors. Virtue is something that we have to live every single day. Virtue will tell others if you are a true believer of Christ or you are just a liar. Virtue will show up and expose who you really are. Ah, ladies and gentlemen, this is why God dealt with our posture on the inside. Because when he deals with us on the inside, it changes who we are. So when we start to walk and talk like him, we reflect his love on the outside. It's so easy for somebody to say they love God, but truly not abiding in him. It's so easy for them to say, I trust God, but they're not abiding with him on the inside. See, see, see, God is not looking for just words anymore. He's looking for posture. God is not looking for those words just to come out of your mind, your life. He's looking for where your heart stands. He's looking to see where your faith stands. He's looking to see where your obedience stands. See, and all of these postures will wind up reflecting who you portray on the outside. This is why he dealt with us first on the internal. So when we begin to walk and talk like him on the external, the inside posture is standing firm. There is a difference between confessing and believing. There is a difference between having and abiding. We confess, we see, we can confess all day long, but confession does not require change. Believing does. And you try your best not to do what you just done. Why? Because you've been you confessed it and you believe that it was wrong. Many times, people just confess just to be confessing. They use it as lip service. They say, I'm sorry without believing that they truly are. I don't know who I'm preaching to. I gotta be preaching to myself. Because sometimes, who? You say I'm sorry out of habits. You start confessing out of habits. Just because you got caught, you say I'm sorry. And but you would never have confessed it if you never got caught. See, when when God changes you from the inside, whoo, and feel your presence, God, He starts changing you from the inside. You start to feel something like I was wrong for doing that. And you go to that person and you say, I'm sorry. And you do with everything that you have, every fiber of your being, not to do what you just did again. Why? Because you truly believe that. See, believing requires you take hold and ownership of that new posture. Ah, when you take hold of that new posture, it has a grip on you. When you take hold of that new posture, it does something for you on the inside. When you take hold of that new posture, it changes how you react to people. When you take hold of that new posture, it changes how you see people. When you take hold of that new posture, you don't look at things the same anymore. Ah, you no longer do things the same anymore. Why? Because the new posture is taking over. And the new posture requires change. The new posture requires change. Ah, here now, when we have taken on that new posture, we begin to walk right. We begin to talk right. And we begin to conduct ourselves differently. When we believe in our hearts, and we are now taking, or Christ has possessed us, or we are now abiding with Christ. We are no longer a spectator. We are no longer just looking, but we are now living. We are now, God becomes now the driving force in our life. John 15 and 5 says it like this. He says, I am the vine. You are the branches. He who abides in me, and I in him bears much fruit. For without me, he can do nothing. Ah, look at your neighbor and says, I am nothing outside of Christ. Christ is everything to me. Christ is everything that I have. Christ is everything that I try to embody. Christ abides in me. And outside of him I am nothing. But in him I can do all things. Christ is everything to me. Ladies and gentlemen, here the last line. Without me, you can do nothing. Not less, not slower, but nothing. Those who abide in him and let him abide in them produces much fruit. But apart from him, you can't accomplish anything that is spiritually significant. Ladies and gentlemen, that is what makes the difference. It's not merely emotional attachment. This is functional dependence on Jesus. Functional dependence means you can't move without him. You can't decide without him. You can't stand without him. The believer who walks in the virtue, when the believer walks in the virtue, he learns to lean on Jesus for everything. The virtue is the believer, or is the believer who leans and depends on Jesus the way the branches depend on the vine. There will come a season in your life when God has to deal with you privately before he puts you on public display. That season that God may have some of us in is called refinement. See, refinement is not easy. Refinement forces you to look at God and yourself in a whole new light. Ah, let me testify here. Before I was released to come to Maryland, I was a minister in New York City. And I was a member of Kingdom Life Temple. My family and I were searching, asking God for our next place of worship. We were led to go to Kingdom Life under the leadership of then Pastor Thomas Cooper, who is now Bishop Thomas Cooper. When we arrived, one of the deacons asked me to assist the pastor. I said no. I told him I'm still healing and I just wanted to sit and not be active. But the deacon, week after week, pressed the issue. So I finally gave in and said yes. And for the next year and a half, Pastor Cooper didn't say much of anything to me. But every Sunday I was on my post. I went home crying to my wife. Because why was I there? But I felt like I didn't want to be there anymore. I finally asked God, why do you have me here? And the word of the Lord came to me and said, I'm refining you through this journey. Church, God was testing me. He was testing me to see if I would be committed and faithful, not to Pastor Cooper, but to the assignment he has placed over me. If I had given up, I would not be where I am today. Today I honor Pastor Cooper because what felt like silence was actually God using him to refine me for my next move. I want everyone to understand, or under the sound of my voice, to hear this. Refinement is the place where God grows your maturity where it needs to be. So whenever you have time to announce you to the world, you can handle it. And we'll repeat that again. Refinement is the place where God grows you into the mature believer that you need to be. So when it's time to announce you to the world, you can handle it. Because you have been what? Refined. So I'm asking, I'm going to ask you, church, what refinement season are you in right now? What is the assignment that you said no to? What is the post or the post you've been crying on? Don't quit. Because if you stay faithful through the silence, God is preparing you for your public outcoming. Ah, ladies and gentlemen, if you confess that Jesus is Lord over your life, then your actions need to line up with that fact. You cannot say one thing and do another when you are a true believer. You must live in private how you should live in public. See, see, see, see. What happens is when God is working on you in private, it's not easy. Actually, it's painful. It's painful because God is taking you through a season. So when it's time for you to come out, when it's time for you to hit that public stage, when it's time for you to hit that public and people can start reacting to what you what they see in you, you can deal with it. You can handle it. See, sometimes we try to run before we can walk. Or sometimes we put the cart before the horse. God is saying, no, no, no, no, no. Let me refine you. Let me show you. Let me deal with you privately first. Because if I deal with you privately, when the scrutiny comes publicly, when the criticism comes publicly, when people naysay it start coming at you publicly, you can handle it. Why? Because you have been refined by me. See, see, see, see, see, God will refine you because he wants you to be what Matthew 5, 14 says. You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden. I'ma stop right there because when God is refining you, he's preparing you to be a light to the world. When God is dealing with you privately, he's dealing with you so when it's time for you to be out in the world, your light will shine bright. And no matter what people may say, no matter how people may react, they can't demand. Because why? Because you have been refined and set on a hill, and your light now cannot be hidden. He goes on two verses later in 5.16 and says, Your light shall shine before men, so they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven. See, this is not just for you. This is so God can get the glory out of your life. Ah, don't get it twisted. When God uses you, when God puts you in positions, He's not doing it to set you up. He's doing it so that God can get the glory out of your life. And that men can see God working through you, and your father in heaven will get the glory. Ah, don't get puffed up when God starts using you. Don't get so high and mighty when God starts speaking through you. No, no, no, no. You're just the vessel. God is the one that's given it to you. So when God begins to speak, you gotta turn around and say, it all belongs to God. Ah, ladies and gentlemen, uh, when God places something in your spirits, don't think it came from you. No, no, no, no, no. God placed that in you. And when you begin to speak, speak as the mouthpiece of God and not one of yourself. And watch God get the glory. But most people, some people, most preachers, some preachers begin to think that they are doing something great. No, no, no, no, no. You are nothing without God. You can't say nothing without God. You can't move without God. You don't get the glory. We gotta give it back to Him. So don't get pumped up when God starts using you. Don't get pumped up when God starts saying something to you. No, no, no, no. Fall flat on your face and say, God, I thank you for using me. Get the glory out of my life. Ah, church, the posture of virtue is not just for you. It is for others to see. Why? So they can give God the glory. Because what they see, when they see virtue in you, they shouldn't see you, they should see Christ. Ah, but many believers put on a facade. All they want is accolate. All they want is the people to think that they're great. But that virtue does not look for applause. True virtue does not, true virtue rises up in the midst of a storm. True virtue rises up when everything once in you said clock back. True virtue rises up when they said you have the right to say something. But true virtue stands up and says, I'll fight your battles. I remind me of the scriptures that the battle's not yours, it's the Lord. See, CC, when you are in a fight and your virtue of posture stands up, you don't have to stand there and take it. Take it to God in prayer. And what God will do, He will stand firm with you, and He will let people see that Christ resides in you. And you will begin to speak, not as one of authority in yourself, but as the authority of God. And say, You can say what you want to say, you can do what you want to do, but I'm standing fat footed in my virtue. I'm standing fat footed in my promise. I'm standing fat foot in what God told me. Yes, it may be strong. Yes, it may be hard, but I'm going to stand here because why? Because my virtue is going to stand up and say yes to God. See, true to true carries a silence that will break through the Lord. I don't know who I'm preaching to. Because sometimes, when your virtue stands up, all you can do is be quiet. See, see, see, the Bible says it like this all things are lawful but not expedient. See, see, sometimes you don't have to say a word, let your virtue stand. Because, see, your virtue and silence will shatter the noise. Where people expect you to cut back, where people expect you to say something back, remain silent. Because God is fighting your battles. What do you mean by that, Pastor? True virtue is your witness in silence. See, because sometimes if you start to get in your feelings, you'll say something that shouldn't never have been said. So God will battle your tongue and say, Not now, daughter. Not now, son. Now is not the time. Remain silent. See, people will see you at your worst, but you still have to have an encouraging word. People will watch you go through, and they will see you come out preaching a sermon without you ever opening your mouth. This is why we have to adopt what James told us. In 122, be ye doers of the word and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves. Because my action as a believer will prompt a non-believer to ask me questions. And that question is my moment to express God's love. That moment is to accept a moment in time is now I can express God's truth attention about who they are. That moment that they come is a moment when God's work on the outside now shows up. I mean, sorry, the work on the inside now shows up on the outside. And your witness now becomes their lighting, their guiding lights. And every one of those actions to show up in a believer's life. These actions are love, joy, peace, long-suffering, kindness, faithfulness, and self-control. This is how Jesus walked. And we need to follow his example. I remember years ago, I went apple picking. And when I went to pick apples were right or they looked right and ready to be picked from the tree. I remember that in order to get the apples off the tree, you really had to pull hard and sometimes twist at the stem. I can recall that when I approached the apple tree, I noticed that all the apples were different sizes. Some were fully developed, others were not. But to my natural eye, they all looked the same to me. It wasn't until an expert of the apple orchard started to point out which apples were ready to be picked that I could not tell a difference. Church, think about this. Jesus said it himself in John 15 and 1. He said, I am the true vine, and my father is the vine dresser. And as he goes on in verse number four, he says this, Abide in me and I in you, as the branch cannot bear fruit of itself unless it abides in the vine, neither can you unless you abide in me. The word abide means to stay, to dwell. So when I pulled a mature apple off the tree and I began to eat it, I was taking in all of the nutrients the vine had put into the apple, all the substance that I needed to be nourished. I received the moment I ate of that apple. But what if the apple was undeveloped? What if I picked it too soon? Two things would have happened. The apple would not have been good for me to eat. And it would have, I would have pulled it from its source and killed its potential in the process. Church, this exactly, this is exactly why God takes us through the refinement. Because He understands that when people come in contact with us as believers, if our fruit is not fully developed, if our fruit is not yet matured, when they come to pull off of us, two things will happen. One, they will not get all of the substance they need to survive. Two, they will get an unmature believer who does not know how to handle them. Ah, ladies and gentlemen, did you hear what he said? He said, when the second prop blessed me, he said, they will get an unmature believer who does not know how to handle a non-believer. See, see, see, this is why we go through refinements. Because when we come in contact with non-believers, we gotta be able to handle them with care. And if you cannot handle them with care, you will destroy the process in them before you even begin. Ladies and gentlemen, watch what you pull on. You can't pull from every tree. You can't pull from every fruit. Make sure the connection, or make sure it's connected to true vine, which is Jesus. Uh, ladies and gentlemen, watch how you pull on something. Make sure that it's connected. Because if you pull it too soon, or if somebody pulls on you too soon, they'll get the immature part of you. They'll get the undeveloped part of you. They'll get a part of you that has not been refined yet. So don't allow them to pull on you before you get refined. Don't allow them to get you out of your refinement before it's ready. This is why he said silence. Because sometimes, by you being silent, you're still being refined in the process. You don't have to respond to everything all the time. Sometimes silence is golden. Why are you silent? I just ain't got nothing to say. It's not that I, it's not that I don't want to say something. But if I say something, I'm going to give you a part of me that is immature. I'm going to give you a part of me that I can't control at this particular moment. I'm going to give you a part of me out of my feelings and not of my spirit. So I'd rather not say anything at all while I remain silent. Uh, ladies and gentlemen, that's called allowing the posture of self-control to take over. We'll get into that, we'll get into that later on in this series. But as I bring this message to a close, I'm reminded of a scripture in Zechariah, chapter number four, verse number 10. For who has despised the day of small beginnings? The angel of the Lord asks Zechariah that question. And I am asking you that same question today. Church, we can no longer, sorry, we cannot look at the what God is doing in our lives as something small. Refinement is big in the eyes of God. Why? Because God created you in his image and his likeness. He created you with purpose and on purpose. But somewhere along the way, the enemy stepped in and tried to pull you away from where God is trying to take you. But here now, God is calling you back, calling you back into the posture of virtue, calling you back to the posture of Galatians 5, 22 and 23, the posture of love, the posture of joy, the posture of peace, the posture of long suffering, the posture of kindness, the posture of goodness, the posture of faithfulness, the posture of gentleness, and the posture of self-control. I would like to end with this verse found in Philippians 1 and 6. Being confident of this very thing, that he who began a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ. Let us pray. To all of those who are in a season of refinement. To all of those who are in a season where God is dealing with you. In a season where God is dealing with you privately. Don't look at it as a small thing. God is refining you. Or your coming out party, if you want to call it that. So this is the time. Allow God to refine who you are. Allow God to change who you are. If that's you, and you're struggling right now, I just want you to lift your hands. And as I pray this prayer over your life, God is going to give you the strength that you need. He's going to give you the comfort that you need. So you can hold on in this refinement season. And God is saying right now, thank you, Jesus, that when you're in your refinement moment, you don't need to respond to everything. Some things you just gotta let go off you like a duck, like water rolls off a duck's back. God is saying, in your refinement season, silence is golden. Block out the noise. I'm dealing with you. Block out the noise. Let me and you have a conversation. If that's you, you don't gotta say anything. All you gotta do is lift your hands up as I begin to pray. And God is going to start to move in your life. And things are starting to start to happen in your life. Things are going to shift in your life. And things are going to take a turn for the better in your life. And when things start to turn, and God begins to bring you out in public, people will start to say, What happened to you? And you can turn around and say, God, refine me. Heavenly Father, I want to say, for those that got their hands lifted at this moment, that they may be in a difficult season in their life, and they don't understand why. I pray right now, God, that you allow your spirit to comfort them. Allow your spirit to rest on them. Give them the strength to make it through this refinement period that you're taking them through. God, I'm asking that you bridle some tongues, change some hearts, shift some atmospheres for them right now. Do it in the name of Jesus. God, only you know what they are going through. But you created them with purpose and on purpose. So God, guide them through this refinement period. So when this refinement period is over, God, they can look back and say, God did it. Strengthen them through this refinement period, God. Increase their faith through this refinement period, God. Increase their obedience in this refinement period, God. Change their heart in this refinement period, God. So when it's timely time to put them on public display, they can come out with a new heart, a new attitude, new perspective. They can come out, God, with showing love, joy, peace, long-suffering, kindness, gentleness, faithfulness, and self-control. You do it now, Father. Move on them, God. Touch them right where they're at. And we thank you for this refinement period, God. Because you're shaping and making them in who you want them to be. And when this is over, God, they'll be able to declare that you are Christ and Lord to the dying world that's out there. Thank you for doing it, God. And we'll be so mindful to give you honor, glory, and praise. In Jesus' name we pray. Amen and amen. I want to say thank you to all of those who are here with us, the church family, thank you for being with us. I pray that this message touched you as it touched me. Over the next several weeks, we'll be dealing with the posture of virtue. Because God is doing something in Destiny Temple. Where he just doesn't want us to be just any other believer. But he wants us at Destiny Temple to show people what it's truly like to be a disciple of God. God's got us Destiny Temple. God has us in the palm of his hands. He's shaping us, he's molding us. And we must allow him to do so. I don't want anybody to miss out on this series. So if you know anyone, please spread the word that this series of the virtual apostle will change your life. And watch God transform us into becoming more like Him. Thank you for joining us. And I will see everyone on next Sunday. God bless you. Enjoy the rest of your Father's Day, fathers. Enjoy the rest of your day, family. I love each and every one of you. God bless.