Raising our Expectations of Jesus- Our Righteousness

Hey there, just wanted to invite you to join my new link up called: Taste Truth Tuesday!  I am looking forward to encouraging others with you to "Taste and See that the Lord is good!"  If you would like to share what He has been teaching you please leave your link below.  Have a great day!


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I used to read "Seek ye first his Kingdom and His Righteousness, and all these things will be added to you as well" Matthew 6:33 and translate it in my mind as seek God.  But that is not really what it says.  It says seek His Kingdom and His Righteousness.  (Just to be very clear- I think you should seek God!!  But this verse Jesus states 2 specific things to be seeking in addition to Himself.)  One night I sat down and read every verse in the New Testament that used "kingdom" and put them all together and asked the Holy Spirit to teach me why I am told to seek this (He is our teacher and Jesus says He will guide you into all truth). I encourage you to do that sometime, I am SURE it will blow you away.  I did the same thing with Righteousness.  When I looked at all the verses in the New Testament that use the word Righteousness, put them together, it really opened my eyes.  I will include several of the verses, but there are so many great ones.

So what is righteousness?  I used to think that it was acting right.  That as long as I acted right I would be right with God.  Now I see that was self-righteousness, which I was the CHIEF of that.  Believing I was in good standing with God because of what I did.  As if what I did was good enough to be justified before God.  I used to think "Well, I might have done something bad, I did a little sin, but nothing like that person did!!!"  I thought that I would be good and stay good with God as long as I didn't do any big sins and acted right, when in fact the word says that "All of our righteous acts are like filthy rags" Isaiah 64:6 (Righteous acts is defined here as our merits or vindication.)  Well there goes my theory, the BEST I could act/obey would still not be enough, it was filthy on my own, it did not justify me with God.  This is not the righteousness Jesus is talking about in Matthew 6:33.  "His Righteousness" is defined as Divine Righteousness, Righteousness of which God is the source of, Judicial approval, deemed right by the Lord, being approved of and being in right standing with God.  (Strongs Concordance, Greek, #1343)

I heard a good friend, speak on the blood covenant we have with God tonight.  When you are in covenant with someone you take on their name, and they take on yours.  She encouraged us by telling us all the names of God.  One name that stuck out to me was Jehovah Zidkenu "The Lord our Righteousness."  (Jeremiah 23:6, 33:16)  Jesus was telling us in Matt 6:33, to find out that HE is our righteousness.  That because of Jesus' sacrifice on the cross, His Righteousness became ours, as believers.  He took our sin, we took His Righteousness- the divine exchange. "For our sake He made Christ [virtually] to be sin Who knew no sin, so that in and through Him we might become [[a]endued with, viewed as being in, and examples of] the righteousness of God [what we ought to be, approved and acceptable and in right relationship with Him, by His goodness]." 2 Corinthians 5:21 Amp  Because Jesus fulfilled all the requirements of the law, He made us right with God.  We didn't earn it and we sure didn't deserve it, we all know what we deserved, but praise be to Him that He gave his Righteousness as a gift to those who would believe on Jesus as their perfect representative before the Father.

"But now God has shown us a way to be made right with him without keeping the requirements of the law, as was promised in the writings of Moses and the prophets long ago.  This righteousness from God comes through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe." Romans 3:21-22 I am right with God, not because of how I act, but because of my faith in Jesus, and how He acted.


My friend said tonight, if Jesus is our Righteousness, then our Righteousness can not be tarnished.  Jesus can not be tarnished.  "It is because of him that you are in Christ Jesus, who has become for us wisdom from God--that is, our righteousness, holiness and redemption." 1 Corinthians 1:30    Jesus is our righteousness.  Can Jesus come out of fellowship with God? NO!  Are we in Him, is He is us? YES! (1 John 4:15) If we mess up, do we lose His robe of righteousness? NO! "I delight greatly in the LORD; my soul rejoices in my God. For he has clothed me with garments of salvation and arrayed me in a robe of righteousness, as a bridegroom adorns his head like a priest, and as a bride adorns herself with her jewels."  Isaiah 61:10  

 "As it is written: "He has scattered abroad his gifts to the poor; his righteousness endures forever."  2 Corinthians 9:9  I find that believing this truth is one of the real fights of faith.  That His Righteousness (right standing with God) is eternal, we can't lose Jesus, our righteousness.  If our works (obeying the law) didn't get us in right standing with God, can our works get us out of right standing with God?  No!!!  It was always Jesus and His obedience, His righteousness that was imputed to us.  We just need to have faith in that.  "For just as by one man's (Adam) disobedience the many were made constituted sinners, so by the one man's (Jesus) obedience the many will be constituted righteous (made acceptable to God, brought into right standing with God)."  Romans 5:19  His righteousness is not about my obedience, it was about Jesus'.  I am righteous, I have a new nature, because of Him, and knowing that, I have the power and ability to overcome my shortcomings.


If Jesus is your Lord, then you are wearing His robe of Righteousness, whether you feel like it or not.  When you mess up declare His word: "In Christ I am the righteousness of God."  That is always true. His blood is stronger than our mess ups. We are the bride of Christ, spotless because we have been washed by the blood.   As we begin to realize we are forever right with God, because of Jesus, we will see so much victory, healing, deliverance.  "But for you who revere my name, the sun of righteousness will rise with healing in its wings. And you will go out and leap for joy like calves released from the stall."  Malachi 4:2  


Listen to : Wedding Day - by Casting Crowns, when you get a chance :)  It describes us, the church "She wears white from head to toe but only HE could make it so"  Praise Him for His Rightousness.  He is our Lord, Jehovah Zidkenu "The Lord our Righteousness."

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