God’s Call To Righteousness

The Message of Righteousness

I know by printing this message I run the risk of appearing self-righteous. I believe this message comes by divine inspiration and through tempering in the crucible of personal experience. After fifteen years of ministry, my walk was becoming dull, especially after disappointments and set-backs. I found myself waning from my standards after bouts of discouragement. I was being seduced to compare myself with others instead of measuring myself according to Christ. I became disillusioned even in the midst of what others would consider “front line ministry.” When I was a new believer, I could never understand how David and Solomon, such powerful men of God, could drift in their latter years. I never thought it could happen to me. Yet, I found myself wearing down! Finally, I went on an extended time of fasting and prayer, crying out for the Lord to restore my hunger and thirst for righteousness. It was then that God revealed to me what I was to bring to the table of this generation, the message of righteousness.
Biblically by definition, righteousness is the character or quality of being right or just. God’s righteousness is what He has appointed mankind to obey as judged by the standard of His Holy Word. On his own, mankind cannot enter into right relationship with God. He cannot make himself righteous by his own standards. By nature, man is morally corrupt. God cannot accept man’s codes, regulations, or self-imposed religion, because man is a sinner separated from God. Col. 2:20-23 NKJV What man could not do on his own, God did by sending His only Son Jesus Christ. Only through faith in Christ do we meet the requirements of a Holy 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.” II Cor. 5:21 He took on our sin, we take on His righteousness!

This is the message of righteousness – that we can live it! We can be right with God through Christ and live righteously by his Spirit in this present evil age.

It has been said that a man who trusts in his own righteousness will never come to Christ. How true! One can become religious without ever becoming righteous! Luke 18:9-14 No law, no matter how well-kept, can make a person right with God. A law cannot give life. No matter how much faith a person has in what he believes, to be true, can make God accept him. Our spirit-man must be converted through the new birth by the power of the Holy Spirit. Then we are made right before God through trusting in Jesus Christ. “Who Himself bore our sins in his own body on the tree, that we, having died to sins, might live for righteousness – by whose stripes you were healed.” I Pet. 2:24 NKJV The sin nature was conquered by the blood and the cross. Jesus Christ made it possible for the believer to live by the Spirit, free from the dominion of sin! This is the message of righteousness – that we can live it! We can be right with God through Christ and live righteously by his Spirit in this present evil age.

The Foundation of Righteousness

“Righteousness and justice are the foundation of Your throne; mercy and truth go before Your face.” Ps. 89:14 NKJV A foundation is the basis upon which something stands or is supported. The righteousness of Jesus Christ is the foundation upon which the gospel stands. He is a sure foundation for all those who put their trust in Him. “For other foundation can no man lay than that is laid, which is Jesus Christ.” I Cor. 3:11
Many Christians know in theory the doctrine of the righteousness of Christ. They know from Isaiah 64:6 that our righteousnesses are as filthy rags. Yet, few actually live like it! They know it in verse, yet fall short in practice. Jesus said that if we know or realize these things, happy are we if we do them. John 13:17 A few years ago, during a street outreach, someone approached one of our evangelists saying that he didn’t “look” like a preacher. The evangelist responded by saying, “Which would you rather have: a preacher who looked like one or lived like one?”
We must have a moral foundation because this world’s foundations are shaking. Ps. 82:5 Our personal character and actions will reveal what we are truly founded upon. What we really believe will show up in our lifestyle – there’s no hiding that. God’s word makes no exceptions for the different cultures in which we live. We’re to come out from among them and be separate. There must be an identifiable difference between the believer and the non-believer. Our character should emanate the characteristics of our Lord. “If you know that He is righteous, you know that everyone who practices righteousness is born of Him.” I John 2:29 NKJV
Truly knowing Jesus Christ produces an outflow of the righteousness of God in our personal lives and dealings. It is the fruit of righteousness in our lives that attests to our relationship with God. Our lives take on certain notable features: love, faithfulness, and trustworthiness. We cannot partake and have pleasure with the kingdom of darkness and have an inheritance in the kingdom of God at the same time. We cannot live in both worlds; we may be in it but do not have to be of it! “In this the children of God are manifest, and the children of the devil: whosoever doeth not righteousness is not of God, neither he that loveth not his brother.” I John 3:10

Many Christians know in theory the doctrine of the righteousness of Christ. Yet, few actually live like it! They know it in verse, yet fall short in practice.

In order for a believer to have a sure foundation he must be grounded in truth. Righteousness and truth are inseparable. God’s word instructs us in righteousness. “All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness.” II Tim. 3:16 The word instruction means education and training and implies disciplinary correction, as in training up a child. The mark of a true disciple is that he’s teachable; it becomes evident in his response to correction. He is a follower of righteousness that affects every area of his life. He’s a doer of the word being trained in righteousness!
Recently, I was confronted by an elderly woman at the post office. She was in the foyer asking passer-bys if they needed cigarette carton coupons. My response to her was that Jesus Christ has delivered me. Instantly, she changed her tune and began to testify of her awesome experiences and relationship with the Lord. Intertwined with her testimony, she added that every day she reads her horoscope. Gently I interrupted her, that astrology and Christianity cannot co-exist; as Christians we cannot partake of what God has denounced. It was then that I asked her why was she pushing cigarette coupons if she was a Christian. Her answer…she likes helping people!
This woman had no foundation in righteousness. She belonged to no church because she claimed God speaks to her personally. She was in submission to no one! She does not abide in truth but in her own spiritual delusion. This is the spiritual condition of many American Christians. This elderly woman should be a healthy disciple depositing her life in the younger women of the church. She should be an example of godly women professing godliness, a pillar of righteousness. She should be teaching others! “For when for the time ye ought to be teachers, ye have need that one teach you again which be the first principles of the oracles of God; and are become such as have need of milk, and not of strong meat. For every one that useth milk is unskilful in the word of righteousness: for he is a babe.” Heb. 5:12-13
There is nothing as good as how righteousness feels; how you can enter into His presence in prayer and communion with a clear heart. When you can stand before God and man in integrity and trustworthiness. When the life that no one sees is upright before God. And, knowing that our lives are bringing glory and honor to His name – being unaccused and without fault at His coming. “To the end he may stablish your hearts unblameable in holiness before God, even our Father, at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ with all his saints.” I Thes. 3:13

There is nothing as good as how righteousness feels…when the life that no one sees is upright before God.

We shouldn’t settle for anything less. It’s worth the struggles against sin. It’s worth the combat with compromise. It’s worth the pressures of persecution. And, it is worth the stigma of being ostracized! There can be no peace with God without the righteousness of God in our lives. Only then do we have true rest and confidence. “And the work of righteousness shall be peace; and the effect of righteousness quietness and assurance forever.” Is. 32:17 I am not talking about ‘works of righteousness’ of our own accord to earn salvation or make points with God. Eph. 2:4-10 But, the produce of moral excellence resulting from His righteousness working from within. Not by religious works but by works as a result of our relationship with Christ. “Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost.” Tit. 3:5
The Scriptures say that the kingdom of God is righteousness, peace, and joy in the Holy Ghost. Romans 14:17 This is the standard by which I gauge my life. I call it the Christian Barometer. When anything unrighteous enters my life, I become unsettled and lose my peace. When I lose my peace, I lose my joy. So I make it my aim to guard my heart and put on the breastplate of righteousness. Eph. 6:14

The Standard of Righteousness

We are living in the last days. Even irreligious people know that dangerous times are upon us. “But as the days of Noah were, so shall also the coming of the Son of man be.” Matt. 24:37 The days of Noah were extremely violent and wicked. God called Noah to preach righteousness before he sent the judgment of the flood. These are prophetic times. Today, in America, violence and wickedness is out of control! These signs of the times are actual indicators that the spiritual climate is conducive for the Lord’s return! Today, as in Noah’s generation, God is raising the standard of righteousness before His final judgment.
“The foundation Solomon laid for building the temple of God was sixty cubits long and twenty cubits wide (using the cubit of the old standard).” II Chron. 3:3 NIV As believers we are the temple of God and collectively the house of God. God will use no “new” standard to build His church. No new idea! No new truth! No new revelation! He will use the old Standard slain from the foundation of the world – Jesus Christ our Lord.
I once owned an old 1930 German made, Baby Grand piano. I needed to replace a long, wood screw that fell out of one of the legs. I went to several hardware stores in search of a replacement. I had a difficult time matching the correct thread size. Finally, an employee asked me from where did the screw come. When I told him, he then explained to me that the original piano screw was from the old industry standard. It was now obsolete and there is a new industry standard for thread sizes. The new standard would not fit the piano. Although obsolete, the old screw was still the correct size. Jesus Christ is the standard for truth and righteousness for all who believe, for all ages. He cannot be revised and reshaped to fit new, changing cultural standards. No matter how much things have changed. No matter how bad those would like to make the church relative to the times. There is only one Standard. He is not obsolete. And, He will not fit into man’s ever changing criterion! The cross of Calvary is not user friendly nor ergonomically designed. The flesh must still die in order to produce the righteousness of Christ in our life. There is no resurrection power without it! “Jesus Christ the same yesterday, and to day, and for ever.” Heb. 13:8

God will use no “new” standard to build His church. No new idea! No new truth! No new revelation! He will use the old Standard slain from the foundation of the world – Jesus Christ our Lord.

Every disciple needs standards. As Christians, we are called to a higher standard than the society around us. We should be impacting our culture instead of our culture impacting us! Recently, I saw a billboard advertising air conditioners. Their slogan was “Built To A Higher Standard.” We expect a higher standard when we: buy a product, go to the doctor, call the plumber, or need a lawyer. Ironically, as a nation, we have lowered the standard in electing a President!
“Righteousness exalteth a nation: but sin is a reproach to any people.” Pr. 14:34 Once America viewed the Bible as the universal standard for social rule and civil order. Our American forefathers founded this country’s commonwealth upon Biblical truths – a sure foundation. They understood if a diverse population were to live together it would need a common set of values in which to survive. Through the wisdom of the Scriptures, our constitutional founders interpreted the world. They believed that only moral men could interpret moral issues. Unfortunately, today, America has turned its back on the God of her fathers. Moral relativism has plunged this nation into the depths of depravity. As a result, national leadership has degenerated. We now have the most scandalous presidential administration in American history. A bumper sticker read, “Jesus is a liberal: pray for those who hate our president.” The heart of the populous is reflected in the leaders it chooses. Many believe his alleged sex scandals do not hinder his public performance. Yet, God says, “It is an abomination for kings to commit wickedness, for a throne is established by righteousness.” Pr. 16:12 NKJV
Perhaps one of the most evident signs of the growing decline of moral standards was when an Alabama judge was ordered to remove the Ten Commandments from his courtroom. He defied the order! Today he continues to stand – despite the threats – for the sake of righteousness.
By removing the Ten Commandments, we throw out the moral ethics that govern our free social system. Hence, justice becomes relative. Without transcendent moral standards, vices become justifiable. There is no distinction between right and wrong. When we relinquish the Ten Commandments, we relinquish restraints. Without restraints there is a loss of individual self-control; for a nation that rings insanity!
A vivid example: at a graduation ceremony in Vermont, a high school student tossed her cap and slipped out of her gown. She then proceeded to read her graduation speech in the nude. The eighteen year-old girl said it just felt right. Worst yet, the news media treated it as a cute story. Prayer in school is outlawed but nudity is allowed as freedom of expression! “By this we know that the ‘inmates’ are running the institution.”
How does this translate to the church today? We shouldn’t be surprised! II Tim. 3:1-5 Will we adapt to the standards of the culture or will we maintain the standards of righteousness for the honor of God? “But thou, O man of God, flee these things; and follow after righteousness, godliness, faith, love, patience, meekness.” I Tim. 6:11

If we are to endure to the end then we must make prayer and communion a priority. There are no shortcuts to the Kingdom.

I am alarmed at the number of Christians who have compromised their personal standards of holiness, and continue to do so without conviction. Hollywood has lured many to lower their values along this dangerous road to ruin …including me! A few years ago, a movie came out that continues to be one of the all-time top films in movie history. Everyone was talking about it. It was a ‘must see’ and a true account of an actual, historical event. Everyone was recommending it; I felt out of place because I had not seen it yet. Before I went, I did my homework: I called the theater to check on the film’s rating and content. They assured me the box office hit was morally sound. I felt safe to go. To my surprise the epic – in the name of authenticity and realism – contained graphic language, sex, and nudity. I was shocked! Yet, I was more ashamed of myself for not walking out! It never happened again!
My friend, the devil is slick and he will use any method to destroy our witness. My personal prayer, according to Luke 1:74-75, is to serve Him without fear in holiness and righteousness all the days of my life! I hope that is your prayer also. Dear Saint, if you are being persecuted for righteousness sake, then rejoice, you are on the highway of holiness. You are blessed! Do not be surprised if the world hates you. You must be resembling the Master. If you are struggling, then let the word of Christ dwell in you richly and He will show you what you can and can’t do. He will show you what is right. If you have strayed from righteousness, then repent, for you have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the Righteous. He is abundant in mercy and ready to forgive. “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” I John 1:9 Don’t let the devil beat you down, for we have all fallen short! Let the Lord revive you in His righteousness.
It is the last hour. We must put on the armor of righteousness and be girded with truth. Find the secret place of His presence in the covert of His wings. If we are to endure to the end then we must make prayer and communion a priority. There are no shortcuts to the Kingdom. Be encouraged that there is a crown of righteousness laid up for all those who have loved His appearing. II Tim. 4:8
“He who is unjust, let him be unjust still, he who is filthy, let him be filthy still; he who is righteous, let him be righteous still; he who is holy, let him be holy still.” Rev. 22:11 NKJV

Re-edition, original word 1998