Am I righteous because I go to church every Sunday? try to do right all the time?sing in the choir? head the Ushering department? or because I invite people to church?
I mean who is really righteous?
Many times the answer to these questions would be yes because we have this idea that we are righteous because of what we do. I never really asked myself what it really meant to be righteous. I came to the understanding that Jesus had saved me and His sacrifice took my sins away forever. Therefore when I am born again I am a new creature even though I fall sometimes,I repent. It is all part of the sanctification process. My mind is just being renewed daily and I become more and more like Him as I draw near to Him. However, being the righteousness of God was something I never really considered even though It was one of those quotes from the scriptures I heard people say and probably echoed along with the crowd,I never really understood it. I was reading my devotional the other day and I was led to read Romans 5 and then I came across this amazing sermon on being the righteousness of God and I was so thankful because God addressed these deep rooted questions. It's been so amazing for me. My hope is that it encourages you today too and that after today you will receive that certainty of who you are and never doubt it again.
What is Righteousness?
Righteousness Is A Free Gift
Righteousness is described as a free gift. Although many of us consider righteousness as something we earn by merit.
Romans 5:15-17
" But the free gift is not like the offense. For if by one man's offense many died, much more the grace of God and the gift by the grace of the one man Jesus Christ abounded to many".
For if by one man's offense death reigned through the one, much more those who receive abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness will reign in life through the one, Jesus Christ.
In this chapter the offense referred to here is the disobedience of Adam which resulted in the reign of sin on the earth and the gift referred to is the gift of righteousness which Jesus offers to us.
Even though some of us reading this have accepted Jesus we still consider that we have to work for righteousness. It is described as a free gift. Which means we do not work for it and it is not given upon merit. It is available to us because of what Jesus did. It may still be hard to grasp but consider this, we are fine with accepting that when a man comes into the world he comes as a sinner automatically due to Adam's offense (Rom 5:16-17) . Even though the only thing he had to do to receive that title was to be
born.
I heard a preacher give this example he said when we come into the world we are automatically sinners irrespective of the how good or charitable we are,we will still have that title and we would not be considered as righteous. The question then is how do we receive this righteousness or how can we be made righteous?
Believe That Jesus Makes Us Righteous And Receive
The bible in Rom 5:19 says "For as by one man's disobedience many were made sinners and by ones man act the many will be made righteous.... Using the example above you might do right, feed the poor, live a honest life, do all that is considered to be right in the society yet you are still a sinner because you were born into sin. There was nothing you did to merit this and the truth is no matter your good deeds you would still not be considered as the righteousness of God because of what Adam had done that "made all "sinners . Thus it is only when we receive Jesus in our hearts by believing that He died for you and I (the act)and gave us the free gift of righteousness, will we be righteous.
" For as by one man's disobedience many were made sinners, so also by one man's obedience many will be made righteous" -Rom 5:19.The same way we did nothing to be sinners is the same way there is nothing we do or we could ever do to receive his righteousness but believe. Therefore When you are born again you have a new title a new identity and it is in Jesus .
Just like Paul You have been crucified with Christ yet it is not you who lives but you live in the flesh by faith in the son of God, who loved you and gave himself up for you.-Gal 2;20
Therefore you are righteous because you believe that he has given you new life .The title that comes with that new life or being born again is being the righteousness of God not because of what you do or did but because of all He did. You are as a baby newly born in Christ and the title you bear now is the righteousness of God in Christ Jesus
.
You might still look at yourself and say I am far from being righteous but I want to encourage us today that Jesus was never searching for perfect people all he wants is a heart that accepts his love. I am still not perfect yet he is working his will through me to share his message. Come to him, rest in the potter's hands and let him mold the clay into what he has called us to be. Stop focusing on you focus on him. You are righteous because he
made you
Righteous.
Thus let us serve in God's house because we love God. Do it not because you are trying to prove a point to any man(
and whatever you do,do it heartily, as to the lord and not to men -col 3:23 ) let your focus be on loving your God who showers you with His unconditional love everyday and has given you a title that you might not deserve but you have anyway because you believe and you receive his amazing love in the person of Jesus.
WHY IS IT IMPORTANT WE KNOW
We will be ill equipped for the battle If we do not know.In the book of Ephesians the bible talks about all the instruments we need to withstand the fiery darts of the enemy. Righteousness is listed as one of the instruments.
Stand therefore, having girded your waist with truth, having put on the
breastplate of righteousness, and having shod your feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace;
above all, taking the shield of faith with which you will be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked one.- Eph 6: 14-16
The breastplate protects the frontal part of our body and this part includes our heart and the enemy knows that if our heart condemns us we will not have peace with God . Our faith which is the shield before the breastplate will be impaired for we will not be acting in faith when we believe in our own righteousness instead of his.Our boldness will be weakened we will not be able to come into his presence boldly or ask him for anything.Our breastplate of righteousness would also be affected because of our unbelief in Jesus our righteousness that speaks for us.
Beloved ,if our heart does not condemn us, we have confidence toward God. And whatever we ask we receive from Him, because we keep His commandments and do those things that are pleasing in His sight. This is his Commandment that we should believe on the name of His Son Jesus Christ and love one another, as He gave us commandment - 1 John 3:21 -23
Thus we leave ourselves open to the fiery darts of the enemy when we doubt Christ's righteousness given to us. I want you to know today that We Have Been Bought With The Price. He Gave Us His Righteousness the moment we accepted him into our hearts .
YOU DO NOT NEED TO CRINGE ANYMORE BECAUSE YOU THINK YOU JUST CANNOT BE RIGHTEOUS. YOU ARE RIGHTEOUS BECAUSE OF WHAT JESUS DID AND NO DEVIL, NO ACCUSATION, NO MAN CAN DISPUTE THAT.
Focus On Jesus. The more you focus on him the more you become more and more like him - 2cor 3:18
Declaration
I am justified because he has justified me. I am the righteousness of God in Christ Jesus and I am loved by God.
Is This Then A License To Sin?
I am of the opinion that there is no way you encounter Jesus, his love and you would remain the same. I love to share one of my favorite stories in the bible about Zaccheus the tax collector who had done so much wrong. Yet Jesus stopped in the midst of the crowd to give his attention to this sinner and he(Jesus) publicly declared that he would fellowship with him in his house. Zaccheus was so overwhelmed that without Jesus telling him to change his ways, he personally said " Look lord , I give half of my goods to the poor; and if I have taken anything from anyone by false accusation, I restore four fold". luke 19:1-10
I believe that when you encounter His love your heart responds in love to want to please Him and the great thing is that His spirit in us will teach us both to will and do of His good pleasure. I am not saying you wouldn't make mistakes sometimes. My point is once you encounter Jesus and you continually grow in His ways His love would compel you to desire to do good. The amazing thing is that even when you blatantly ignore Him sometimes(not worth it) and learn the hard way (realize there is no you without him)it is His love that always pulls you back in.
The second point is that God cannot be mocked He relates to us based on our hearts. He knows us and he can never be fooled. I think sometimes we try to do God's work for him. I really do not think it is worth our time bothering about others' righteousness or holiness. I remember going to church on a Sunday morning some years ago and as I gazed on the road I saw a night worker(thinking of it now maybe she was not) coming out of a hotel. I felt good with myself for a second because I was spending my Sunday morning going to church and well she was not. There and then I got reminded of the warning Jesus gave to his disciples "To remove the log in their own eyes before they remove the speck in another's eyes" and also judge not that you might not be judged. I remembered that I had been saved by grace and all that I am is by His grace. I should rather focus on me and live the judging to the ultimate judge God. Therefore focus on you and your relationship with God and pray for others because Jesus died for us all.
Have A Blessed Weekend People
With Lots Of Love
Kike Akinola for TeamFV
Kindly share and if you fancy some inspiring music click here for our song of the week
http://thefvfactor.blogspot.co.uk/2015/04/wednesday-song-day_29.html
Photo Credit : Thefvfactor and christianitymalaysia.com
HAPPY NEW MONTH!!!
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