WE ARE MADE THE RIGHTEOUSNESS OF GOD IN CHRIST!

 EVERYDAY IN THE WORD!

FRIDAY DECEMBER 24, 2021.

SUBJECT : WE ARE MADE THE RIGHTEOUSNESS OF GOD IN CHRIST!

Memory verse: "For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.”  (Second Corinthians 5 vs 21..) 

READ: Romans 3 vs 21 - 26:

3:21: But now the righteousness of God apart from the law is revealed, being witnessed by the Law and the Prophets,

3:22: even the righteousness of God, through faith of Jesus Christ, to all and on all who believe. For there is no difference;

3:23: for all have sinned, and fall short of the glory of God, 

3:24: being justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus,

3:25: whom God set forth as a propitiation by His blood through faith, to demonstrate His righteousness, because in His forbearance God has passed over for the sins that were previously committed,

3:26: to demonstrate at the present time His righteousness: that He might be just, and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus.

INTIMATION:

Righteousness is the character or quality of being right or just. It was formerly spelled ‘rightwiseness,’ which clearly expresses the meaning. It is used to denote an attribute of God. Therefore, the “righteousness of God” means essentially the same as His faithfulness, or truthfulness, that which is consistent with His own nature and promises. 

God’s righteousness as exhibited in the Death of Christ, which is sufficient to show humanity that God is neither indifferent to sin nor regards it lightly. On the contrary, it demonstrates that quality of holiness in Him which must find expression in His condemnation of sin.

The righteousness of our God and Savior Jesus Christ is the righteous dealing of God with sin and with sinners on the ground of the Death of Christ. The apostle Paul, for the most part, uses it as that gracious gift of God to men whereby all who believe in the Lord Jesus Christ are brought into right relationship with God. This righteousness is unattainable by obedience to any law or by any merit of man’s own, or any other condition than that of faith in Christ. Therefore, the man who trusts in Christ becomes ‘the righteousness of God in Him,’ that is, becomes in Christ all that God requires a man to be, all that he could never be in himself.

Jesus died in order that we might become the justified sons of God in Christ. It is because of His death that we are able to be righteous before God. Since we cannot establish our own righteousness on the basis of perfect keeping of law or meritorious good works, then all men must be drawn to the cross in order to be justified from sin. It is at the cross that we are justified by the grace of God. 

When we trust in Christ, we make an exchange: He takes our sin and makes us right with God. Our sin was laid on Christ at His crucifixion. His righteousness is given to us at our conversion. This is what Christians mean by Christ’s atonement for sin. In the world bartering works only when two people exchange goods of relatively equal value. But God offers to trade His righteousness for our sin—something of immeasurable worth for something completely worthless. How grateful we should be or His kindness to us. 

Before the cross, men were under the curse of sin in that they could not deliver themselves from spiritual death through meritorious law-keeping or good works. Therefore, as a result of God’s grace, the sinless Son of God was offered as a sacrifice for sin. Jesus thus bore the sins of all humanity on the cross. In order for any person to take advantage of God’s grace, he must obediently respond to the gospel. 

The gospel shows us both how righteous God is in His plan for us to be saved and also how we may be made fit for eternal life. By trusting Christ, our relationship with God is made right. From start to finish God declares us to be right with Him because of faith and faith alone. God has now fulfilled His promise. His righteousness has now been revealed as to how He has forgiven sins through the cross. He forgives all men who approach Him through faith that moves one to obey the gospel. 

The righteousness of God is the revelation of the justification of God in order to save men regardless of the inability to keep the law. It is the remedy for man’s problem of sin and death. Man faced condemnation by the law, for the law brings sin and death because under the law man could not be justified to be saved by the keeping of the law.

In the sayings of the Lord Jesus, righteousness is whatever is right and just in itself, whatever conforms to the revealed will of God, whatever has been appointed by God to be acknowledged and obeyed by man, the sum total of the requirements of God, and religious duties required of man (distinguished as almsgiving , man’s duty to his neighbor, prayer, his duty to God—worship, fasting, the duty of self-control). 

For instance, because Abraham accepted the Word of God, making it his own by that act of the mind and spirit which is called faith,and, as the sequel showed, submitting himself to its control, therefore, God accepted him as one who fulfilled the whole of His righteousness (Romans 4 vs 3). 

Prayer: Abba Father, Your righteousness is revealed in Your love for us, and Your saving grace given to us in Christ. Thank You for the gift of this unparalleled show of love and care. Give me the grace to be completely committed to Your precepts,  in Jesus’ Name I have prayed. Amen.

PRAISE THE LORD!

God’s Indescribable Gift

 If while we were enemies we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, now that we are reconciled, shall we be saved by his life. More than that, we also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received reconciliation. (Romans 5:10–11)

How do we practically receive reconciliation and exult in God? We do it through Jesus Christ. Which means, at least, that we make the portrait of Jesus in the Bible — that is, the work and the words of Jesus portrayed in the New Testament — we make that portrait the essential content of our exultation over God. Exulting in God without the content of Christ does not honor Christ. And where Christ is not honored, God is not honored.

In 2 Corinthians 4:4–6, Paul describes conversion in two ways. In verse 4, he says it is seeing “the glory of Christ, who is the image of God.” And in verse 6, he says it is seeing “the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.” In either case you see the point. We have Christ, the image of God, and we have God in the face of Christ.

To exult in God, we exult in what we see and know of God in the portrait of Jesus Christ. And this comes to its fullest experience when the love of God is poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit, as Romans 5:5 says. And that sweet, Spirit-given experience of the love of God is mediated to us as we ponder the historical reality of verse 6, “For while we were still weak, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly.”

So here’s the Christmas point. Not only did God purchase our reconciliation through the death of the Lord Jesus Christ (Romans 5:10), and not only did God enable us to receive that reconciliation through the Lord Jesus Christ, but even now we exult in God himself, by the Spirit, through our Lord Jesus Christ (Romans 5:11).

Jesus purchased our reconciliation. Jesus enabled us to receive reconciliation and open the gift. And Jesus himself shines forth as himself the indescribable gift — God in the flesh — and stirs up all our exultation in God.

Look to Jesus this Christmas. Receive the reconciliation that he purchased. Don’t put the gift on the shelf unopened. And when you open it, remember God himself is the gift of reconciliation with God.

Exult in him. Experience him as your pleasure. Know him as your treasure.

HOW TO BE DECLARED “NOT GUILTY” BEFORE GOD!

 EVERYDAY IN THE WORD!

THURSDAY DECEMBER 23, 2021.

SUBJECT : HOW TO BE DECLARED “NOT GUILTY” BEFORE GOD!

Memory verse: "For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith; as it is written, “The just shall live by faith.” (Romans 1 vs 17.) 

READ: Romans 3 vs 21 - 29:

3:21: But now the righteousness of God apart from the law is revealed, being witnessed by the Law and the Prophets,

3:22: even the righteousness of God, through faith of Jesus Christ, to all and on all who believe. For there is no difference;

3:23: for all have sinned, and fall short of the glory of God, 

3:24: being justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus,

3:25: whom God set forth as a propitiation by His blood through faith, to demonstrate His righteousness, because in His forbearance God has passed over for the sins that were previously committed,

3:26: to demonstrate at the present time His righteousness: that He might be just, and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus.

3:27: Where is boasting then? It is excluded. By what law? of works? No, but by the law of faith.

3:28: Therefore we conclude that a man is justified by faith apart from the deeds of the law.

3:29: Or Is He the God of the Jews only? Is he not also the God of the Gentiles? Yes, of the Gentiles also:

INTIMATION:

God gave humanity laws that will govern them in accordance with the principles of life obtainable in His kingdom. And to be justified before God one has to be flawless in keeping all the laws. The law of works demanded that man live flawlessly in order to gain his acquittal from sin. Through law one cannot be acquitted of sin simply because he has committed sin against law, and consequently, is guilty before God. 

All humanity has fallen short of that which is required for one to dwell in the presence of God. The result of law is that all are made sinners. The result of sin is the separation from God. And the result of separation from God is spiritual death which eventually lead to a second death. Since all men sin, then apart from the grace of God, no man can stand justified—not guilty—before God on the basis of law alone

God sent Jesus Christ as a propitiation for our sins. In His death, Jesus was God’s offering to appease His wrath that would eventually have to be poured out on sinners. In order for God to stand just in judgement of free-moral humans, there had to be a choice for humanity to be saved from condemnation. Through the offering of the blood of Jesus, God gave that choice. Though the offering had to be made at a point in time of human history, the required response to God by faith on the part of man has always been in existence.

God promised that He would send the Savior into the world for the blessing of all nations. Through the Sanai law and the Prophets the promises were made. And through the faithfulness of God the promises were accomplished by His gift of His only begotten Son, Jesus Christ, as a propitiation for our sins. The promises were not fulfilled because of man’s perfect obedience of law, but because of the grace of God to do such regardless of the sinfulness of man. 

Salvation has come to man by the blood offering of Jesus on the cross, not through the meritorious efforts of men. The sacrificial blood offering of Jesus was for the sins of humanity from creation to the consummation of this world. The righteousness of God is the justification of those who obediently respond to the grace of God that was revealed on the cross. It is the righteousness (justification) that is accredited to those who seek God by faith. God is just because He has revealed the means by which men can be made righteous.

It was through Jesus’ faithfulness to go to the cross that the righteousness of God was accomplished. Justification was also accomplished because of the faith of those who believed in the cross. Both the faithfulness of Jesus in going to the cross, and man’s faith response to the cross, were necessary in order to accomplish God’s eternal plan to reconcile men to Himself through Jesus.

Christ died in our place, for our sins. God declares Christ’s death to be the appropriate, designated sacrifice for our sin. Christ then stands in our place, having paid the penalty of death for our sin, and He completely satisfies God’s demands. His sacrifice brings pardon, deliverance, and freedom. We are, therefore, declared not guilty by trusting Jesus Christ to take away our sins. Trusting means putting our confidence in Christ to forgive our sins, to make us right with God, and to empower us to live the way He taught us. God’s solution is available to all of us regardless of our background or past behavior. 

Why does God save us by faith alone? (1) Faith eliminates the pride of human effort, because faith is not a deed that we do. (2) Faith exalts what God has done, not what we do. (3) Faith admits that we can’t keep the law or measure up to God’s standards—we need help. (4) Faith is based on our relationship with God, not our performance for God.

Prayer: Abba Father, thank You for the gift of Your Son as a propitiation for our sins. I completely and wholeheartedly accept the sacrifice of Jesus on the cross for my sins, and declares Him as my personal Lord and Savior. I anchor my faith completely on Him, and pray that nothing will be able to take my guess off Him, in Jesus’ Name I have prayed. Amen.

PRAISE THE LORD!

That You May Believe

 Now Jesus did many other signs in the presence of the disciples, which are not written in this book; but these are written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name. (John 20:30–31)

I feel so strongly that among those of us who have grown up in church and who can recite the great doctrines of our faith in our sleep, and yet who can yawn through the Apostles’ Creed — that among us something must be done to help us once more feel the awe, the fear, the astonishment, the wonder of the Son of God, begotten by the Father from all eternity, reflecting all the glory of God, being the very image of his person, through whom all things were created, upholding the universe by the word of his power.

You can read every fairy tale that was ever written, every mystery thriller, every ghost story, and you will never find anything so shocking, so strange, so weird and spellbinding as the story of the incarnation of the Son of God.

How dead we are! How callous and unfeeling to your glory and your story, O God! How often have I had to repent and say, “God, I am sorry that the stories men have made up stir my emotions, my awe and wonder and admiration and joy, more than your own true story.”

Perhaps the galactic movie thrillers of our day can do at least this good for us: they can humble us and bring us to repentance, by showing us that we really are capable of some of the wonder and awe and amazement that we so seldom feel when we contemplate the eternal God and the cosmic glory of Christ and a real living contact between them and us in Jesus of Nazareth.

When Jesus said, “For this purpose I have come into the world” (John 18:37), he said something as crazy and weird and strange and eerie as any statement in science fiction that you have ever read.

Oh, how I pray for a breaking forth of the Spirit of God upon me and upon you; for the Holy Spirit to break into my experience in a frightening way, to wake me up to the unimaginable reality of God.

One of these days lightning is going to fill the sky from the rising of the sun to its setting, and there is going to appear in the clouds the Son of Man with his mighty angels in flaming fire. And we will see him clearly. And whether from terror or sheer excitement, we will tremble and we will wonder how we ever lived so long with such a domesticated, harmless Christ.

These things are written — the whole Bible is written — that we might believe — that we might be stunned and awakened to the wonder — that Jesus Christ is the Son of God who came into the world.

THE HEART THAT GOD HEARS!

 EVERYDAY IN THE WORD!

WEDNESDAY DECEMBER 22, 2021. 

SUBJECT : THE HEART THAT GOD HEARS!

Memory verse: "If I regard iniquity in my heart, the LORD will not hear me." (Psalm 66 vs 18.)

READ: Mark 11 vs 22 - 26:

11:22: Jesus answered and said to them, "Have faith in God. 

11:23: For assuredly, I say to you, whoever says to this mountain, 'Be removed and be cast into the sea,' and does not doubt in his heart, but believes that those things he says will be done, he will have whatever he says.

11:24: Therefore I say to you, whatever things you ask when you pray, believe that you receive them, and you will have them.

11:25: "And whenever you stand praying, if you have anything against anyone, forgive him, that your Father in heaven may forgive you your trespasses. 

11:26: But if you do not forgive, neither will your Father in heaven forgive your trespasses."

 

INTIMATION:

When we fail to confess our sins, and repent of them, or when we harbor and cherish certain sins, we place a wall between us and God. We may not be able to remember every sin we have committed, but our attitude should be one of confession and obedience. Our confession of sin must be continual because we continue to do wrong. 

A heart filled with the spirit of heaviness receives nothing from God. Let go, lighten your heart, free your heart to create space to receive from God. A heart crowded, and burdened with iniquity—wickedness, unforgiveness, injustice, evil, hatred etc, is so filthy, and crowded with negativities that it cannot receive anything good, especially from the Lord. Such heart attitude quench the Spirit, thereby dampening the fruit of the Spirit—love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.

Forgiving others is tough work; so much so that many people would rather do something totally distasteful in vengeance than offer forgiveness to someone who has wronged them. For a person to pray with a heavy heart, bearing grudges, is, however,  like a tree sprouting leaves and bearing no fruit, fruitful in appearance only, but is spiritually barren.

The heart bearing grudges, can never at the same time harbor blessings. Don't deceive yourself; God cannot be mocked; for whatever you so in your heart, that you shall also reap (Galatians 6 vs 7). Therefore, make your choice. You cannot be on the two sides of the divide at the same one time. 

Effective prayer involves; an attitude of faith—complete dependence on God. Faith filled prayer changes the heart, dismantles pride and vengeance, filling the holes; the spaces occupied by grudges, hatred, injustice, wickedness etc, with love, and speaks peace, forgiveness, and harmony. 

Our prayers must have a bias for God's kingdom, and must not be with selfish motives. Our prayers are often motivated by our own interests and desires. When we pray, we can express our desires, but we should want His Will above ours. For instance, Jesus, our role Model, prayed thus; "Abba, Father, all things are possible unto thee; take away this cup from me: nevertheless, not what I will, but what You will" (Mark 14 vs 36). Jesus prayed with God's interests in mind.  Check yourself to see if your prayers focus on your interests or God's.

The attitude of faith in God is not something we can obtain without help from Him. Faith is a gift from God. The Scripture, in Ephesians 2 vs 8 - 9, clearly says:- "For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast." No matter how much faith we have, we never reach the point of being self sufficient. Growing in faith is a constant process of daily renewing our trust in Jesus Christ. 

Therefore, God will answer your prayers, not as a result of your mental attitude, but because the following other conditions must be met;

1. You must a believer.

2. You must not hold a grudge against another person.

3. You must not pray with selfish motives.

4. Your request must be for the good of God's kingdom.

Prayer: Abba Father, my total trust, and confidence is in You. I come to You with a heart of love and peace. I forgive all that have offended me, believing You have forgiven me my trespasses. Therefore, attend to my cry, and deliver to me my needs according to Your Will, not mine, in Jesus’ Name I have prayed. Amen.

PRAISE THE LORD!

The Birth of the Ancient of Days

 Then Pilate said to him, “So you are a king?” Jesus answered, “You say that I am a king. For this purpose I was born and for this purpose I have come into the world — to bear witness to the truth. Everyone who is of the truth listens to my voice.” (John 18:37)

This is a great Christmas text even though it comes from the very end of Jesus’s life on earth, not the beginning.

Notice: Jesus says not only that he was born, but that he “came into the world.” The uniqueness of his birth is that he did not originate at his birth. He existed before he was born in a manger. The personhood, the character, the personality of Jesus of Nazareth existed before the man Jesus of Nazareth was born.

The theological word to describe this mystery is not creation, but incarnation. The person, not the body, but the essential personhood of Jesus existed before he was born as man. His birth was not a coming into being of a new person, but a coming into the world of an infinitely old person.

Micah 5:2 puts it like this, 700 years before Jesus was born:

But you, O Bethlehem Ephrathah, who are too little to be among the clans of Judah, from you shall come forth for me one who is to be ruler in Israel, whose coming forth is from of old, from ancient days.

The mystery of the birth of Jesus is not merely that he was born of a virgin. That miracle was intended by God to witness to an even greater one; namely, that the child born at Christmas was a person who existed “from of old, from ancient days.”

And, therefore, his birth was purposeful. Before he was born he thought about being born. Together with his Father there was a plan. And part of that great plan he spoke in the last hours of his life on earth: “For this purpose I was born and for this purpose I have come into the world — to bear witness to the truth. Everyone who is of the truth listens to my voice” (John 18:37).

He was the eternal Truth. He spoke only the truth. He acted out the greatest truth of love. And he is gathering into his eternal family all those who are born of the truth. This was the plan from ancient days.

BE SINCERE IN YOUR WORSHIP!

 EVERYDAY IN THE WORD!

TUESDAY DECEMBER 21, 2021.

SUBJECT : BE SINCERE IN YOUR WORSHIP!

Memory verse: "For our boasting is this, the testimony of our conscience, that we conducted ourselves in the world in simplicity and godly sincerity, not with fleshly wisdom, but by the grace of God, and more abundantly toward you." (Second Corinthians 1 vs 12.)

READ: Matthew 15 vs 8 - 9:

15:8: “These people draw near to Me with their mouth, and honor Me with their lips, but their heart is far from Me.

15:9: And in vain they worship Me, teaching as doctrines the commandments of men.’”

INTIMATION:

Sincerity is the quality of being open and truthful; not deceitful or hypocritical. It is the quality or state of being sincere; honesty of mind or intention; freedom from simulation, hypocrisy, disguise, or false pretense.  Sincerity is a quality possessed by God, as that which is to characterize the conduct of believers. If your worship is correct but not sincere, it will not be accepted and if it is sincere but not correct it will not be accepted 

Sincerity is the virtue of one who communicates and acts in accordance with the entirety of their feelings, beliefs, thoughts, and desires in a manner that is honest and genuine. When we claim to honor God while our hearts are far from Him, our worship means nothing. It is not enough to study about religion or even to study the Bible. It is not enough to act religious. Our actions and our attitudes must be sincere. You may know a lot about God but do not know God, therefore, you’re insincere in your worship to Him.

Sincerity in worship has to do with our spirit's relationship with God. We have to first establish a relationship with God by inviting Christ Jesus into our lives as Lord and Savior. Now we have a relationship established with God. Thus, as we worship, we do this through our regenerated spirit, given to us after accepting Christ as stated above. Our spirit worship the Lord as we sing worship song, appreciate Him in our heart, praying to Him, declaring His glory, and exalting His name in our life.

The Bible, in Zechariah 7 vs 5 - 7, tells about the Israelites. While in exile they had lost their sincere desire for loving relationship with God. Zechariah told them that they had been fasting without a proper attitude of repentance or worship. The fasts of both the fifth and seventh months were fasts instituted by the people, not God. The fasts were based on their own desires, for both represented fasts in reference to the loss of their city and their rulers. 

The fasts were not over the loss of their faithfulness to God. It had nothing to do with repentance. They fasted and mourned during their exile with no thought of God or their sins that had caused it in the first place. Instead of fasting in repentance to take heed of the call of the prophets to repent, they were fasting over something they had lost. Consequently, their worship was insincere and not acceptable to God.

When you go to church, pray or have fellowship with other believers, are you doing these things from habit or for what you can get out of them? God says that an attitude of worship without a sincere desire to know and love Him will lead to ruin. 

Sincerity and truth are extremely valuable because they are so rare. Many people are deceivers, liars, flatterers, they think they will get what they want by deception. With God this will lead to ruin. When we feel as though sincerity and truth have nearly gone out of existence, we have one hope—the Word of God. God’s Word is as pure and flawless as refined silver. So listen carefully when He speaks to you through His Word. And do the same when you worship Him.

Sincerity is a mix of seriousness and honesty. If you do things with sincerity, people will trust you, and God will be pleased with you. Along with patience and compassion, sincerity is one of those qualities we all probably wish we had more of—and wish other people had more of, too. People who show sincerity are being serious, kind, and truthful. 

Prayer: Abba Father, give me the grace to worship You in sincerity of heart at all times, knowing that it is pleasing to You, and in so doing You will answer me whenI call, in Jesus’ Name I have prayed. Amen.

PRAISE THE LORD!