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Message Notes
“’Woe to the shepherds who destroy and scatter the sheep of my pasture!’ declares the Lord. Therefore thus says the Lord, the God of Israel, concerning the shepherds who care for my people: ‘You have scattered my flock and have driven them away, and you have not attended to them. Behold, I will attend to you for your evil deeds, declares the Lord. Then I will gather the remnant of my flock out of all the countries where I have driven them, and I will bring them back to their fold, and they shall be fruitful and multiply. I will set shepherds over them who will care for them, and they shall fear no more, nor be dismayed, neither shall any be missing, declares the Lord. ‘Behold, the days are coming, declares the Lord, when I will raise up for David a righteous Branch, and he shall reign as king and deal wisely, and shall execute justice and righteousness in the land. In his days Judah will be saved, and Israel will dwell securely. And this is the name by which he will be called: ‘The Lord is our righteousness.’’” —Jeremiah 23:1-6 ESV
The Lord, who is our righteousness, establishes righteousness among His people.
“The world has yet to see what God will do with a man fully consecrated to Him. By God’s help, I aim to be that man.” —D.L. Moody
- The world has yet to see what God will do with people fully dedicated to him. By God’s help, WE aim to be those people.
- God’s righteousness is available to us all! Through His righteousness, we will fulfill His purpose on the earth.
“First of all, then, I urge that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings be made for all people, for kings and all who are in high positions, that we may lead a peaceful and quiet life, godly and dignified in every way. This is good, and it is pleasing in the sight of God our Savior, who desires all people to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth.” —1 Timothy 2:1-4 ESV
“And Jesus came and said to them, ‘All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.’” —Matthew 28:18-20 ESV
“Speak to all the congregation of the people of Israel and say to them, You shall be holy, for I the Lord your God am holy.” —Leviticus 19:2 ESV
“Therefore, preparing your minds for action, and being sober-minded, set your hope fully on the grace that will be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ. ‘As obedient children, do not be conformed to the passions of your former ignorance, but as he who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct, since it is written, ‘You shall be holy, for I am holy.”” —1 Peter 1:13-16 ESV
Definition of righteousness
- Righteousness is being in RIGHT STANDING WITH GOD.
- Righteousness is a beautiful gift from God to humanity through His love: it is the God-given quality credited to man upon believing in the Son of God.
“For our sake he made him (Jesus Christ) to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him (Jesus Christ) we might become the righteousness of God.” —2 Corinthians 5:21
Righteousness is the quality of being right in the eyes of God, including:
- Character (nature)
- Conscience (attitude)
- Conduct (action)
- Command (word)
“Love your neighbor as yourself. I am the LORD” —Leviticus 19:18
In Leviticus, God spells out for the Israelites how to be holy as He is holy:
- Our relationship with God is to have influence over our relationship with others.
“Therefore, preparing your minds for action, and being sober-minded, set your hope fully on the grace that will be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ.” —1 Peter 1:13 ESV
Main Point:
- We are not justified by rule-keeping but by our faith in Jesus Christ that enables us to obey God.
“We ourselves are Jews by birth and not Gentile sinners; yet we know that a person is not justified by works of the law but through faith in Jesus Christ, so we also have believed in Christ Jesus, in order to be justified by faith in Christ and not by works of the law, because by works of the law no one will be justified.” —Galatians 2:15-16 ESV
“To pursue righteousness means we must recognize that we cannot please God in our sinful state” —Romans 8:8
- We turn from trying to justify ourselves by our good deeds and instead seek the mercy of God.
“Those who are in the flesh cannot please God. You, however, are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if in fact the Spirit of God dwells in you. Anyone who does not have the Spirit of Christ does not belong to him.” —Romans 8:8 ESV
Why does it matter:
- We pursue righteousness when we pursue the character of Christ and desire holiness more than fleshly indulgence.
“Pursuing righteousness begins when a humble heart seeks the continual presence of God.” —1 Peter 5:6-7
“Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God so that at the proper time he may exalt you, casting all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you.” —1 Peter 5:6-7 ESV
“In his days Judah will be saved, and Israel will dwell securely. And this is the name by which he will be called: ‘The Lord is our righteousness.’” —Jeremiah 23:6 ESV
- The power in the text is not just what is done (Judah saved and Israel dwelling securely). It is who accomplishes the action, and it is the LORD OUR RIGHTEOUSNESS
Isaiah 54:17 becomes a promise with a certainty:
“No weapon that is fashioned against you shall succeed, and you shall refute every tongue that rises against you in judgment. This is the heritage of the servants of the Lord and their vindication from me, declares the Lord.” —Isaiah 54:17 ESV
- Righteousness produces these works, not the other way around. As we pursue righteousness, we become PEOPLE who accomplish the purpose of God on the earth!
“The Lord said to Cain, ‘Why are you angry, and why has your face fallen? If you do well, will you not be accepted? And if you do not do well, sin is crouching at the door. Its desire is contrary to you, but you must rule over it.’” —Genesis 4:6-7 ESV
WE MUST RULE OVER THE SIN THAT IS CROUCHING AT THE DOOR OF OUR LIVES!
“He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High will abide in the shadow of the Almighty.” —Psalm 91:1 ESV
God DELIGHTS in making us righteous through Jesus.
“But God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” —Romans 5:8 ESV