R is for Righteousness

Intro

Are you right with God?

How would you feel if God stood before you right now and looked you in the eye?

Are you afraid of dying and facing God?

If you are at all fearful, then you do not realize the price Jesus paid for you.

Righteousness is your legal standing with God - good or bad, wrong or right.

Righteousness is not based on man’s opinion or feeling, but with Christ’s dealing with the sin issue.

In the Old Testament, because of their unrighteousness, man could not look at God’s face and live. Because God was right, and they were not.

Today, the Christian can look at God because the Blood of Christ, the righteous One, has made us right with God!

Righteousness Is the gift from God, not the works of man

Romans 4:5 (NLT)

Romans 4:5 NLT

5 But people are counted as righteous, not because of their work, but because of their faith in God who forgives sinners.

5 But people are counted as righteous, not because of their work, but because of their faith in God who forgives sinners.

Man sinned against a holy God

Gods holiness must be justified

God’s wrath must be satisfied.

The wages of sin is death

God‘s mercy did not want you to die.

God‘s grace sent His only Son so that we couldbecome the sons of God

Jesus became your sin - substitute

Your crime was his punishment.

Jesus took our sin upon him.

Jesus, the spotless Lamb of God, to take your sin away

Jesus did not wear sin as a coat, but he became every evil thought, indeed known to man.

2 Corinthians 5:21 NLT

21 For God made Christ, who never sinned, to be the offering for our sin, so that we could be made right with God through Christ.

Jesus died your death - sacrifice

Jesus was then nailed to the cross for our sin.

The Cross became a lightning rod for God‘s wrath.

Jesus paid your price.

Jesus is your sacrifice

Jesus died certainly for your opportunity

Jesus died that you might live

So that you might become the righteousness of God in Christ

Jesus went to your hell - sentence

To give you the chance to go to His Heaven

Jesus rose from your death to His Heaven - success

Jesus wants you to go to His Heaven

Blasphemy belittles the Blood

Religion thinks it is blasphemous to claim one is the righteousness of God - to have the same legal standing as Jesus Christ Himself. You are a child of the King also! We are simply stating what Christ has freely given us.

Ironically, what IS blasphemous is to say that born again believers are still sinners, even if saved by Grace. This is an insult to the ultimate sacrifice of the Son of God!

Penance is sacrilegious - fallen man tries to pay for their own sin - even after he is forgiven!

We are to show fruits of repentance - not works!

Go and sin no more!

Hell is to refuse God’s Grace

Did you ever wonder Why is hell so hot?

And for so long?

The righteousness of God explains ferociousness of hell

The reason hell is so hot is because people refuse the Divine exchange of our sinfulness for his righteousness.

Hell is the continual attempt of purification under the earth that man refused while on the Earth.

Righteousness - Act like you are Right with God

Righteousness is a priceless gift.

It must be treated accordingly, not lightly

How do we respect God’s gift of righteousness? By living righteously!

Act like you are forgiven - because you are!

Stop kicking yourself - no need for penance

Stop dragging up the past

Stop feeling sorry for yourself

Stop making excuses

The blood is stronger than your sin

His life is stronger than your death- that’s how Jesus could die for every sin for everyone.

God‘s future is brighter than your past

You are right with God!

Look Him in the Eye and praise Him!

Refute the religious naysayers

Through the blood of Jesus, we traded ungodliness for Godliness

Godliness means to Live like God

Think link God - Righteous Thoughts - Phil 4

Godly thoughts

Speak like God - Righteous Words - 2 Cor 4:13

Godly words

Since we call sin ungodly behavior, why do we call godly behavior blasphemous?

Words - if someone cusses like a sailor, why can’t they speak scripture like God?

3rd commandment - do not use the Name of the Lord in VAIN

Like righteous Abraham - use God’s words to Call those things that be not - and create things into existence!

Act like God - Righteous Works -

Godly acts - Matthew 25

Righteous people do righteous things such as: feed the hungry, care for the sick, clothe the naked, visit the prisoner, give water to the thirsty, give shelter for the homeless.

Earthly righteousness determines heavenly destiny

In Matthew 25, Jesus took the actions of the righteous personally

In the parable of the Sheep and the Goats,

Jesus warned man’s fate from God above us depends on how we treat those around us

Self-Righteousness brings Self-Condemnation

Jesus’ harshest words were reserved for those who pretended to be right with God, especially hypocritical religious leaders.

Matthew 23:28 (NLT)

Matthew 23:28 NLT

28 Outwardly you look like righteous people, but inwardly your hearts are filled with hypocrisy and lawlessness.

28 Outwardly you look like righteous people, but inwardly your hearts are filled with hypocrisy and lawlessness.

The teachers In Jesus’ day refused to do righteous acts by helping the hurting. Instead, the leaders made the people’s suffering worse by imposing man-made laws on the community.

Righteousness Divides the Wicked

Parable of the Tares and the Wheat = separation

Matthew 13:40–43 NLT

40 “Just as the weeds are sorted out and burned in the fire, so it will be at the end of the world. 41 The Son of Man will send his angels, and they will remove from his Kingdom everything that causes sin and all who do evil. 42 And the angels will throw them into the fiery furnace, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. 43 Then the righteous will shine like the sun in their Father’s Kingdom. Anyone with ears to hear should listen and understand!

The end time separation of the wicked “Bad fish” from the good by the angels is repeated in the parable of the fishing net - Matt 13:47-50

The end time separation is soon upon us - get ready!

Righteousness - Unites the Church

Righteousness Is a purifier - individually right with God

Righteousness is a Unifier - Collectively right with God -

· one belief based on one Book

· Vs 100 denominations and 1,000 opinions - all thinking they are right

The personal results of righteousness - Freedom and Boldness

Freedom

Righteousness brings freedom

The blood of Jesus has given you a new lease on life.

Your blotter has been blotted out.

Your record has been wiped clean.

Your sins are forgiven.

Righteous people, no longer fear their future, righteous people no longer carry guilt or shame based upon the sins of the past, even if someone were to remind them of it

Boldness

Righteousness breeds boldness

The more person has been forgiven, the more bold they become, in appreciation for what God has done in their life

The strength they once used to carry baggage is now used to carry boldness

On the day of Pentecost, the apostle Peter went from being a denying coward at night to a bold public daytime preacher when he was filled with God‘s righteous spirit.

The Bible says that the righteous as bold as a lion.

Imagine what you would say with a clear conscience!

The public results of righteousness - treat others right

Even though righteousness is a gift from God, it is to bear fruit in our lives

The righteousness on the inside shows up on the outside in the form of actions and how you treat other people.

Treat others right, forgive their sins, love them unconditionally, pray for your enemies.

Do the right thing, for the right reasons.

God gives the gift of righteousness for righteous reasons

God wants right relationships in heaven and on earth

God wants things right with the world, so He sent the only righteous one, his son to give us all the chance of right standing with him and with each other.

God made you right with him, so make others right with you,

How? By forgiveness

by forgiving them as God has forgiven you.

and asking for their forgiveness if necessary

The Bible warn against being like the unthankful Stewart, who was forgiven by God of much debt but refused to forgive his neighbor a little

Righteousness stops doing bad and start doing good

When Zacchaeus was forgiven by Jesus for tax extortion, of his countrymen, he repaid his victims four times over

Jesus commented that salvation had come to his house.

Likewise, The marked change of a person’s actions from bad to good gives God glory.

The Bible says he who has stolen, let him steal no more.

Saul of Tarsus went from destroying churches to become the apostle Paul, who built churches

Let’s go from speaking wrong to speaking right.

Let’s go from doing wrong to doing right.

Let’s go for running with the wrong crowd to running with the right crowd.

True guilt - Repentance restores righteousness

If you are not right with God, make it right, and do it right now

His forgiveness is instantaneous, and so is His righteousness

People could not look at God and live

His word of forgiveness for is stronger than your curse words against Him

Respect the forgiving power of His Word!

Respect the cleansing power of His Blood!

—- prayer ——

False guilt - Don’t be punked by the devil.

Some of you are right with God, but you feel like you’re wrong. The enemy has been using false guilt to steal your joy, quiet your praise, and slow you down from following God to your fullest.

Shake off the false feelings of condemnation and pull out the darts of doubt and press on with God.

Be relieved of the stress

Be released from the guilt

Raise your hands high

Hold your head high

You are forgiven

You are a child of the King

You are right with God!

Righteousness is its own reward

Luke 14:14 NLT

14 Then at the resurrection of the righteous, God will reward you for inviting those who could not repay you.”

Righteousness cares for others -

Righteousness does the right thing, for the right reasons. Not for recognition or repayment or even reward, but out of appreciation for the Lord.

Call to action: Righteous LIVING and GIVING

What areas in your life did God make right?

What are you going to do with your free gift of righteousness?

What will you say?

Who will you touch?

How would you feel if God stood before you right now and looked you in the eye?

Closing - that day is coming!

Righteous LIVING - help those you can see

· family, neighbors, coworkers, local church, local charity, shelters and prisons, mentoring, get involved with community projects.

Righteous GIVING - help those you cannot see -

· give money to foreign missions, water wells, feeding programs, disaster relief, food shipments.

Righteousness makes the church ONE bridal party the world wants to join!

Let’s all do our part to make things right with the world since we’ve been made the righteousness of God in Christ.

In the meantime,

Look God right in the eye and thank Him for making you right with him!