What is Righteousness?
so, we're doing a series on the attributes of God, and This one is the attribute of righteousness. When you hear the word righteous what comes to your mind? Any ideas, any thoughts Who Wants To Be A Brave person and say, what comes to mind when they hear the word righteous? I think of a California surfer, dude, you know, right? Just wave, you know, there was the movie Finding Nemo, Finding Nemo. I think there was a second one also, but in Finding Nemo. He's a, he's a fish that has gotten into the ocean and so his family is trying to find him and has lost his father as well. And and so he's trying to find his father in the ocean and he meets seat to a couple of sea turtles. You never the sea, turtles names, squirt, and Crush squirt and crush. And they say, okay, we got to get back, we got to get back to it, to find Nemo. We've got to get back through the East Australian, current the East Australian current and he says, once we get on the East Australian current, they have a picture of the sea turtles. We might think of righteous as you know, of adjectives a term like that or it we might refer to something kind of experience. But in the Bible, a righteous person is someone who has, right? Conduct a behavior and deeds. And if someone is unrighteous, we think of Lies corruption, Injustice or simply sinful Behavior, One person, put it this way. They said you can always tell when you are on the road of righteousness. It's uphill. The road of righteousness is uphill. Doing the right thing is not easy. Mark Twain, said, always do, right. This will surprise some people and astonish the rest. The description of Jobe. You remember the description of Jobe in the scriptures that he was a blameless, man. And upright, a man who fears God and turns Away From Evil. He was known as a righteous man. That doesn't mean he was sinless, but it means that he was right in God's eyes. Psalm 112 verse 9, says, the person who fears the Lord, he has distributed freely, he has given to the poor. His righteousness indoors forever. His horn is exalted, in honor, horn is a symbol of of strength.
Is righteousness, indoors forever? Isn't that an interesting phrase? This man who has lived a certain way, that the man who fears the Lord, his righteousness indoors forever. Well, that seems to imply that righteousness is more than just actions, doesn't it? And so in the Hebrew word, for righteousness means means to be just or to be right or to be in the right. The Hebrew word is Sadiq or said that there's a little explanation in the bulletin about that. And when when you come to Psalm 119 and 119 is divided into the different stanzas, there's one stanza that is labeled with the Hebrew letter Sade Sade is the first letter of the word for righteous or just said eek. So that that term it means just or lawful or righteous. Well, quick definition of God's righteousness, is that he himself is the standard of what is right, and he always does what is right? That's a definition from Wayne grudem. Systematic theology.
Righteousness is a mental and moral attribute and it is an attribute of God that we share to a small degree to a small degree. We share it with God because we are made in the image of God. So Jesus says, blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness for they will be filled.
And God commands us to act justly and rightly. And so for a believer in Christ, how do we do that? But we have to have the power of the Holy Spirit to act justly and rightly we don't act perfectly but we have the Holy Spirit to act rightly and justly, most of the time. Sometimes, do we do the right action for the wrong reason? Don't we You can do the right action for the wrong wrong, reason the right Justice in our conduct. We go to the next slide righteousness in our lives is about conduct but it's also a deeper matter of the heart. It's a deeper matter of the heart. Think about that phrase, in Psalm 112 the right. His righteousness endures forever. It's got to be something more than just actions. Because the question is with our actions. How good is good enough? We never will meet God's perfect standard if God is the one who is righteous. And just if God is the one who defines righteousness, so it's really about conduct, but also the heart. And so, we're going to look at two ways in the Old Testament, that God's righteousness is expressed two ways that God's righteousness is expressed in the Old Testament. And then, we'll look at a little bit of the heart aspect. So first of all, righteousness, God's righteousness is expressed in the way we treat one another, and the way we treat one another. So I'm going to turn to Deuteronomy 24 and read verses 10 through 13. and listen closely as we see how God's righteousness is expressed and how we treat one another.
This is Deuteronomy 24. Moses is giving the law to the people of Israel again before they enter the promised land. So Deuteronomy 24, he's going over these laws again. Verse 10, when you make your neighbor alone of any sort you shall, not go into his house to collect his pledge. You shall stand outside and the man to whom you make the phone, she'll bring the pledge out to you. And if he is a poor man, you shall not sleep in his pledge, in his in his cloak, you shall restore it to him the pledge as the sun sets that he may sleep in his cloak and bless you. And it shall be righteousness for you before the Lord your God. So it's saying there's a right this way to make a loan to your neighbor and the unrighteous way. And so the idea in the Old Testament, the law was given for regulating loans among God's community. And so if the person was giving their cloak, their blanket, as a pledge, for, for a debt, or for a loan, You are commanded to First, give the person that Dignity of bringing the collateral to you. It says you will. It says have the man bring the pledge out to you. So keep his dignity that way don't just burst in on him and say, Hey, where's that collateral that you owe me. Secondly, you were to return his cloak in the evening. Why, why would you have to return the man's cloak? So he can keep warm, right? Okay. So that is recognized as righteousness before the Lord, there's a righteous way and an unrighteous way of helping someone to to try to preserve. Their dignity is right and not take advantage of their need. No righteousness Express today. We have laws in our country against unfair loan practices. Orchard. They call him truth in lending statements and so you have to disclose certain things in lending statement. So there's parameters. There's regulations against misleading information and so if you were in finance, if you work in finance or if you're a banker or if your end in deals, where the money is, a lot of money is exchanged. There's there's an aspect of God's righteousness in that
That, that is expressed in the way God expects us to conduct ourselves. Deuteronomy 16 is another passage verses 18 through 20. We have this. This one is also about how God expresses his righteousness and how we're to treat one another, you shall appoint judges and officers in all your towns that the Lord, your God is giving you a cording to your tribes and they shall judge the people with righteous judgement. You shall not pervert Justice. Remember that word righteous and just in Hebrew? That's the same, same word, and in Greek, in the New Testament, it's the, it's one root word for righteous and just as well.
You shall not pervert Justice. You shall not show partiality and s***. You shall not accept a bribe for a bribe, blinds the eyes of the wise, and subverts the cause of the righteous In our day, we don't call them bribes, we call and lobbyists, right? And there's an app that there's a, there's no it's not. Exactly the same thing that there's a bribe is given in order to gain influence. And so, in the Old Testament before you had a former full formal court system. Excuse me, judges were appointed to settle disputes and so judge was to judge with righteous judgement. Now, what does that mean? Not showing favoritism, not taking bribes. And of course, we see corruption in our society. Both ways either bribery in favor of the rich to obtain what they want or frivolous lawsuits where someone gains this windfall settlement for, you know, some minor minor Injustice. Well, God's design is that those who settled disputes would have wisdom and the mind and heart for justice which comes from God himself. That's why I think it's perfectly legitimate for us to pray for four judges in our country, and for a foreign government officials to to have minds and, and make decisions according to God's righteousness and his Justice. Now, we can't necessarily just take the Old Testament law, and just map it onto our culture, with a straight line. But there are principles, there are God's righteousness is expressed. So, for example, and take the role of a public defender, a public defender is in. In some ways is an aspect of God's righteousness Express because the the Old Testament talks a lot about taking care of the poor. Don't deny Justice to the poor. And so there's an aspect of that in which people are living that out and how it's expressed. Okay, also the second thing is it God's righteousness is expressed in his actions and his judgments regarding mankind. God's. God's righteousness is expressed in his actions and judgments regarding mankind. Psalm 119 righteous, are you? Oh Lord and right, are your rules, you have appointed your testimonies in righteousness and in all faithfulness, see those two things, their righteousness and faithfulness,
So, the question is for us, if God is the final standard of what is, right? And just, then the question for us, is in times of trouble, in times of Despair, in times of trial, do we trust What God Says? And are we willing to obey? That's the test. I think a lot of times we, we know the right thing to do, but we take the shortcut for convenience, or to appease people or two, maybe try to gain favor with someone or Any, any sorts of scenarios? We know what the right thing to do is, but we want to do the Practical thing, maybe or the or the, the quick thing that's that solves the problem. I mean, I struggle sometimes when I know I need to have hard conversations with people, whether it's my kids or whether it's you know it's someone in the church or whether it's just someone that I recently with the architect in the end the town of Cary, you know. I'm trying to just way all this out in and Oh, you know this the the town of Cary, once once more proof, I guess of the The Architects design that it's that is fully fire safe. And so we have to get a letter from another Authority person. Fire protection person to to add on to what the architect has designed as the approved plans. Your statutes are forever, right? Give me understanding that. I may live first 144 in Psalm 119 when what we need to do seems hard or difficult.
We have to pray. Lord, give me understanding. Give me understanding of this. so, God's righteousness is expressed in the way he wants us to treat one another in his, in his law and also in the way of his judgments regarding mankind, Moses says, when he's pleading for the city of Sodom end in Genesis 18 or 19, he says will not the judge of all the Earth. Do what is right?
So now it's time for the heart, check. God's righteousness, reveals our sin, and our need for Grace. God's righteousness, isn't it? Isn't just a goal or a standard that we tried to aim for.
The law is our tutor to lead us to Christ. The book of Galatians says, So God's righteousness expressed in his word is to is to mirror our behavior and show us where we don't meet God standard.
And so when the Old Testament, the righteousness was revealed through God's law. And then you have in Jesus day, the Pharisees come along and they say, well, we really, we really want to keep God's law with all of our heart. And so we're going to create another set of laws that goes around the existing law, which is even more strict than what God had given. And it was essentially their own traditions and they called it the fence around the law. So in order not to break God's law, they created another barrier. In the New Testament talks about the gospels, you have, they asked Jesus? Why do your disciples not wash? Their hands eat with unwashed hands. They had a ceremonial washing.
And that was one of their that was one of their additional things that they had added on to God's law and all sorts of other ways about, you know, why was why was Jesus so controversial for healing people on the Sabbath?
Because you couldn't do work on the Sabbath and the Pharisees categorize work. As you can't pick up your mat and walk from one place to another if you walk more than a certain distance that's considered work. and so, when Jesus heals the man and said, pick up your mat and go on the Sabbath, He caused controversy because they have it in their tradition that you couldn't heal on the Sabbath. You can you can work on the Sabbath. And there's one occasion in the gospels, where they, where they tell Jesus, they tell the person who's seeking healing, they say, GoGo come back and be healed on another day. Because according to the Pharisees you weren't allowed to apply ointment or wrap a bandage in a particular way that was considered work and Jesus says this is ridiculous and don't you have a sheep or a or a goat that you go to to Lita to water on the Sabbath day of it? Falls into a ditch, don't you go and pick it up?
So, the law exposes our unrighteousness.
Sometimes we get a wrong formula. Are wrong. Formula is If I have more right, Behavior than wrong Behavior, then I'm closer to knowing god. That's not necessarily true. It's not just a matter of tallying up actions. God always wants us to seek to be holy to seek to act righteously but it's a matter of the heart.
Luke 18. I'll read this one passage. It's only 6 versus You know the story about the the two. Well you may know the story about the two men who come for prayer. Luke chapter 18.
Starting a verse 9. He also told this Parable to some who trusted in themselves that they were righteous trusted in themselves here that he told this Parable to them who trusted in themselves and treated others with contempt. Two men went up to the temple, to pray. One, a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. Tax collector, right scoundrel, right? The Pharisee standing by himself prayed us. God, I thank you that. I'm not like other men, extortioners unjust adulterers, or even like this tax collector. I fast twice a week. I give ties of all that I get, but the tax collector standing far off would not even lift his eyes to heaven. But beat his breast saying, God, be merciful to me a sinner.
I tell you this man went down to his house Justified rather than the other. for everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, but the one who humbles himself will be exalted now, I tell you in my own life, I act like a Pharisee, a lot. Because I justify in my own mind while I'm doing this. But this person isn't doing that. They're not pulling their weight or or I'm better off than this other person is.
More right, behavior and less wrong Behavior. Does not equal knowing god.
The message translation translates, this Parable. He told this to the Pharisees who were complacently pleased with themselves over their moral performance. And the tax collector confessed because he had no right to solve it. So of his own
And so, what would be examples of self-righteousness in our day? I mean, obviously, Thinking that we're better than others.
I mean you ask people about current events or things going on in the news and you asked me, what's your opinion about this? And you will very quickly find out who that person thinks that they're better than Because we'll say well, this problem is caused because we have all these bad people doing these things. Some of, that's true. But we like, don't we like to stand here and send say to ourselves? Well, I'm not doing any of that, and these people are doing all of that.
Self-righteousness moral performance. Maybe a non-Christian skeptic as a self-righteousness of intellect or education, I know all the arguments against God's existence, I know psychology or service to Christ can be a form of self-righteousness. Or our knowledge. I've studied lots of different subjects. I know the Bible. Therefore, God should bless me in certain certain ways. These self-righteousness leads to demanding. Things of God are expecting things of God, which we have no, right to demand.
Celtic success can be self-righteousness. I know what it takes to succeed there for God. Should bless me.
Self-righteousness is always a danger, always a danger because our righteousness will never meet God's standard.
I tell you really fun thing that happened yesterday. If you reminder to take some of these cards on the welcome table and keep one in your car, in your purse, so you can give them to people, invite them to church. I had one yesterday and I was coming out of the Town & Country. Hardware Store, got something supplies for the church. And there were two ladies there who were soliciting donations for the Wounded Warrior Project. And so I started talking to them and and asked where they were from the one lady had a pretty good accent and I thought she was Australian and she said, no, I'm a kiwi. I'm from New Zealand, different accent, but we were talking and She was basically an atheist and agnostic, a, but her brother had become a Christian. And after. Of time until we talked about how he would always talk to her about faith and so we were kind of asking her I was kind of asking her general questions and then I said, do you mind if I share the gospel with you in 2 minutes? And she said, well as long as nobody else comes out and interrupts us, that's okay. Cuz the God created the world and he created every human being. But we fell into sin and the only way that we can be made right with God. It's the Trust In what Jesus has done for us and asked him to save us and ask his holy spirit to fill us and and live in us so that we can serve him and be assured of going to heaven. And and she didn't really say too much, I mean she was kind of agnostic and and we went back and forth and and hurt her one. Her one thought was well, howdy howdy, how can you trust something that you you can't see hear or feel. And I gave the illustration of the airplane, you know, if he ever flown on an airplane, what was there a pilot? Did you see the pilot? Did you did you talk to the pilot? Will you probably didn't see the pilot or talk to the pilot but you trusted there was a pilot in the airplane and so we went back and forth about a bunch of different things but But it was it was interesting because it was an opportunity to witness and it just reminded me how many thousands of people right around this area. I'm in within 5 miles of here. Have no concept of it. She didn't even really have a concept of sin. She she told me that it was funny because she said her father was an atheist but she said he was very polite atheist and he was, he was Scottish, he was from from Scotland and I think her grandfather was father or grandfather, he was from Scotland and he drank a lot of whiskey and see. He's a very polite atheist and so when the Mormons would come to his house, he would he would talk with them and he would offer them Whiskey. So we had a good laugh about that but just it was just amazing to me how She didn't have much of a concept of sin, you know? And she said I'm more of a practical person. And, and so, it's, it's hard soil to break through that. Everybody has some sort of self-righteousness that that they use as a barrier to surrendering to Christ. and, And so that was it, that was a great opportunity. And I just, I just encourage you to just look for opportunities if we pray and look for opportunities, God will provide ways for us to share with people.
so we must trust fully in Christ's righteousness in order to be right with God,
We must trust in Christ's righteousness alone in order to be made right with God. And the good news is that God gives it hasn't kept. Romans chapter 3. I'm going to go back to that again. This is the heart of the Gospel, message that Christ has done everything required and what we need to have a relationship with God and we don't fade in and out of God's love.
His love is certain his love is sure. His love is true. God is immutable That's one of his other attributes. If he's immutable his love doesn't change for us. Yes, he may be displeased with us when we sin, but his love for us, doesn't change. Romans chapter 3, but now the righteousness of God has been manifested. Has been made known apart from the law, although the law and the prophets witness to it. The righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ. For all, who believe for, there is no distinction for all, have sinned, and fall short of the glory of God. And what do we deserve for for falling into sin and fallen short of the glory of God, we all deserve condemnation? We all deserve hell, But verse 24 and are justified by his grace as a gift that is, we are counted righteous as a gift through the Redemption that is in Christ, Jesus, who God put forward as a propitiation by his blood to be received by faith. We we got imputed righteousness to us.
We he gives us the righteousness that is not our own. Let's go to the next slide. I think I have a Graphic up here. It's I found this, this was very interesting. The Chinese symbol for righteousness is a combination of two other characters. Lamb on top, and then me on the bottom. Or lamb plus me lamb over me.
Jesus covers our sin. Jesus covers our sin, he asked us to believe. Do you believe? Do you believe that Jesus has done everything you need to continue in relationship with him and he will preserve you? By faith. Through his holy spirit.
Let me close
I'm sorry. I had one more illustration, but I can't find it. God has given us righteousness in Christ, amen.
and I think of the, some of the thoughts that I have,
Some of the words that come through my head.
And I'm thankful that his righteousness has paid. He has paid for all my sin. Let's pray.
