"I will greatly rejoice in the Lord, my soul shall be joyful in my God; for he hath clothed me with the garments of salvation, he hath covered me with the robe of righteousness, as a bridegroom decketh himself with ornaments, and as a bride adorneth herself with her jewels." (Isaiah 61:10).
My fellow Christians, faithful servants and ambassadors of the Lord Jesus Christ, and those who are lost and in desperate need of His redeeming grace. And we know that Christ suffered on the cross for the iniquity of us all. More specifically, It was His precious blood that was spilled, when His blood should have been my blood, your blood and the blood of this secular world. And in my humble opinion, the inerrant, unchanging and infallible Word of God, Jesus Christ (John 1:14), can never be overstated or overused and will never, ever cease to be relevant: "For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved." (John 3:16-17).
We who are among the redeemed, have experienced a remarkable reclamation and reconciliation by and with God the Father in and through His son, Jesus Christ: "And the times of this ignorance God winked at; but now commandeth all men every where to repent: Because he hath appointed a day, in the which he will judge the world in righteousness by that man whom he hath ordained; whereof he hath given assurance unto all men, in that he hath raised him from the dead." Acts (17:30-31).
In the simplest of terms, we as humankind have been given the credit for something we could have never, ever earned. Furthermore, we didn't deserve it! In consideration of both the theme of this message, and keeping in strict harmony with the standards of God, the word "Righteousness" denotes one who possesses a quality of rightness in the presence of God. And with the attributes of the character, conduct and moral fiber inclusive.
Putting further emphasis on the above notion, we have been granted life when we rightfully deserved death. The failure and refusal of humankind to obey God confirmed that we had yet to be taken to the end of ourselves. In other words, until sin was dealt with the "hope" of salvation remained elusive. The Bible teaches that this gracious act of the "Imputed Righteousness" of Christ extends us credit as though it was actually our faith whereby, we were justified. Needless to say, that is certainly not the case: "For they being ignorant of God's righteousness, and going about to establish their own righteousness, have not submitted themselves to the righteousness of God. For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to every one that believeth. Now then we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God did beseech you by us: we pray you in Christ's stead, be ye reconciled to God. For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him." (Romans 10:3-4; 2 Corinthians 5:20-21).
The apostle Paul references the Old Testament and recognizes faithful Abraham as owning such a distinction: "For what saith the scripture? Abraham believed God, and it was counted unto him for righteousness. Now to him that worketh is the reward not reckoned of grace, but of debt. But to him that worketh not, but believeth on him that justifieth the ungodly, his faith is counted for righteousness." (Romans 4:3-5). As we see in the previous passage concerning Abraham, faith is the operative term in the realm of "righteousness." He, too, did not and could not secure a right standing before God by doing what was right based on his standards, but rather by believing the Righteous God of the universe. Our God NEVER changes.
In times past we were all lost souls, and not knowing nor believing that our waywardness was the result of our being hopelessly sold out to sin. Why? Literally because of the irresistible urges of our vile and untamed flesh or sin nature and our passionate love affair with this secular world. Of course, we offered little or no resistance because of the fact that we were overcome by the sensation of sin and became desensitized to it. Sin was now domesticated, which are ideal conditions as far as Satan was concerned! Putting it mildly, it behooves us to regularly and rigorously remain on high alert, and particularly during these last days and troubling times: "Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world. And the world passeth away, and the lust thereof: but he that doeth the will of God abideth for ever. Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour:" (1 John 2:15-17; 1 Peter 5:8).
But dare not despair, for we have all the help we need, our hope is guaranteed, peace has prevailed and triumph was realized on the cross. And know this, Satan is severely limited and his end is drawing near, but the Living Lord Jesus is limitless and He reigns eternal. However, we must stay true to our calling, and be fully submitted and committed to the one who called us, and without compromise. Neither give in nor give up dearly beloved. The devil is not to be trusted or bargained with, as he has the capacity to transform himself into an angel of light (2 Corinthians 11:14). He is the original "great imposter" : "Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. He that committeth sin is of the devil; for the devil sinneth from the beginning. For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that he might destroy the works of the devil." (James 4:7 ; 1 John 3:8).
Now, we have been equipped and empowered with boldness and the assurance of hope. Because of the Lord of Glory, our source of light and life, we have transcended darkness and have now become the bearers of the magnificence of His light: "If in this life only we have hope in Christ, we are of all men most miserable. For we through the Spirit wait for the hope of righteousness by faith. Blessed be the LORD my strength, which teacheth my hands to war, and my fingers to fight." (1 Corinthians 15:19 ; Galatians 5:5; Psalm 144:1).
In conclusion, let us cease not to walk in the righteousness of God in Christ, and in possession of the promise of a new and living Way. Being sound in judgement and disciplined in sacrificial service, our mission is clear and the time is now. Additionally, we are blessed with the providence of God as we weather the storms of trials and troubles along the way to GLORY: "To whom God would make known what is the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles; which is Christ in you, the hope of glory:" (Colossians 2:27). Thus, our "Clay-Maker" is, indeed, a "Way-Maker".
The "ENEMIES OF RIGHTEOUSNESS" have officially been identified and exposed. These are collectively:
SIN NATURE/FLESH
SECULAR WORLD
SATAN
"I will extol thee, my God, O king; and I will bless thy name for ever and ever. Every day will I bless thee; and I will praise thy name for ever and ever. Great is the Lord, and greatly to be praised; and his greatness is unsearchable. One generation shall praise thy works to another, and shall declare thy mighty acts. I will speak of the glorious honour of thy majesty, and of thy wondrous works. And men shall speak of the might of thy terrible acts: and I will declare thy greatness. They shall abundantly utter the memory of thy great goodness, and shall sing of thy righteousness." (Psalm 145:1-7).
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