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The King in His Beauty - Righteousness - Part 1
Prayers 1. Take a song of Worship to adore God. 2. Thank God for His mercy over your life, family, and loved ones. 3. Righteous God, let your righteousness be upon my life by your mercy in the name of Jesus.
Text: Romans 5 15 But the gift is not like the trespass. For if the many died by the trespass of the one man, how much more did God’s grace and the gift that came by the grace of the one man, Jesus Christ, abound to the many! 16 Again, the gift is not like the result of the one man’s sin: The judgment that followed one sin brought condemnation, but the gift that followed many trespasses brought justification. 17 For if, by the trespass of the one man, death reigned through that one man, how much more will those who receive an abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness reign in life through the one man, Jesus Christ! 18 So then, just as one trespass brought condemnation for all men, so also one act of righteousness brought justification and life for all men. 19 For just as through the disobedience of the one man the many were made sinners, so also through the obedience of the one man the many will be made righteous. 20 The law came in so that the trespass would increase; but where sin increased, grace increased all the more, 21 so that, just as sin reigned in death, so also grace might reign through righteousness to bring eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.
What is Righteousness? Righteousness has been defined as: · Acting in accord with divine or moral law · Being free from guilt or sin The Bible dictionary defines righteousness as: · The act or conduct of one who is righteous. · The state of being right with God.
Note that: 1. Righteousness is a gift
2. A gift is a blessing to you.
3. Righteousness is a costly gift. When someone gives you a gift it comes to you free of charge. However, the person giving you that expensive gift has paid a lot for it. For example, when someone gives you the gift of a new car, that giver, where it was not a gift to that individual, would have paid dearly for it to the dealership to purchase the car or paid the expensive market value to the seller. As it is in the physical, so it is in the spiritual. Jesus paid for the gift of righteousness with His blood. He shed his blood for you and I to be able to obtain righteousness free of charge without us having to purchase it with our blood.
Note further that:
1. Righteousness is so important that it is the girdle/belt of the loins of Jesus Christ. o Righteousness will be a belt around his hips; faithfulness will be a belt around his waist. Isaiah 11:5
o What does this mean? Righteousness is the belt of our Lord Jesus Christ and should be your belt too.
o What is the significance of the girdle or belt? § It prevents shame § It prevents your nakedness from being seen § It is used for holding your weapons e.g., sword, knives (and for some guns) are held in the belt. Hence righteousness enables you to fight and gives you the weapons with which to fight in the battles of life.
2. Faith sustains and demonstrates your Righteousness in God. In Genesis 15:6, the Bible states that: o Then Abram believed in (affirmed, trusted in, relied on, remained steadfast to) the LORD; and He counted (credited) it to him as righteousness (doing right in regard to God and man). 3. We get rewards in the kingdom of God according to our commitment to Righteousness and our level of Righteousness. o The LORD rewards everyone for their righteousness and faithfulness. (1 Samuel 26:23)
o then hear from heaven and act and judge Your servants, punishing the wicked by bringing his conduct on his own head, and providing justice to the righteous by giving to him in accordance with his righteousness (innocence). (2 Chronicles 6:23)
o Hence, we need to stay in Righteousness and keep increasing in Righteousness.
4. Increased anointing and promotion are delivered to us through righteousness.
You have loved righteousness (virtue, morality, justice) and hated wickedness; Therefore God, your God, has anointed You Above Your companions with the oil of jubilation. (Psalm 45:7)
5. Righteousness is an antidote to untimely death. Riches do not profit in the day of wrath, But righteousness delivers from death. (Proverbs 11:4)
o Righteousness protects you from the hands of death so that what kills others will not be able to kill you.
6. Righteousness is also a weapon…an armor
We faithfully preach the truth. God’s power is working in us. We use the weapons of righteousness in the right hand for attack and the left hand for defense. (2 Corinthians 6:7)
o A weapon to be engaged for your protection in the battles of life.
7. Righteousness is also a breastplate that shields your heart, chest and life from the bullets and fiery darts of enemies
Stand therefore, having fastened on the belt of truth, and having put on the breastplate of righteousness (Ephesians 6:14)
8. Righteousness exalts a nation
Righteousness exalts a nation, but sin is a reproach to any people. (Proverbs 14:34).
o A nation (people, family, and community) is blessed and improves when given to righteousness.
9. God's desire is to bring in everlasting righteousness into the world.
“Seventy weeks are decreed about your people and your holy city, to finish the transgression, to put an end to sin, and to atone for iniquity, to bring in everlasting righteousness, to seal both vision and prophet, and to anoint a most holy place. (Daniel 9:24)
10. Make sure to receive your crown of Righteousness. And now the prize awaits me—the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will give me on the day of his return. And the prize is not just for me but for all who eagerly look forward to his appearing. (2 Timothy 4:8)
o The crown of Righteousness is one that no believer in Jesus Christ should miss.
o Jesus's coming made this possible for us to receive this crown at the end of our race here on earth. Prayer: Father, give me your righteousness that delivers from shame, reproach and death in the name of Jesus.
I pray for you as I also pray for myself:
May the gift and blessings of righteousness come upon your lives in the name of Jesus.
Grace |
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