The Righteousness of God
        




​  From this pulpit you’ve heard of the Kingdom of God, Grace, the Power of God, the Gospel of Jesus Christ, miracles, signs and wonders…
   -The Kingdom of God: Where God is moving
   -Grace: God moving to help us
   -Power of God: Things only God can do
-Gospel of Jesus Christ: What Jesus said and showed us 
                                   about the Kingdom of God
-Miracles: God breaking the “natural” laws to help us
-Signs: Symbolic events that confirm God’s will
-Wonders: Strange events that make us consider God…
 
All of these concepts are different ways of describing what happens when God SOVEREIGNLY does His will.
          A very powerful idea that includes all of these things and more is The Righteousness of God.
 
   The righteousness of God is referred to:
70 times in Psalms, 21 times in Proverbs, 51 times in Isaiah, 39 times in Romans
   Righteousness is mentioned in at least 40 books in the Bible.
Righteous: One that is found acceptable according to Law.
 
Righteousness: The activities or works of one found acceptable
                       according to Law.
Righteousness of God: God working to do good.
 
Yesterday was a hard day:
          -a funeral service
          -a child with seizures
          -a friend  found yesterday that cancer has aggressively returned to her body.
 
We need the righteousness of God!
Matthew 6:31-34
       Seek the Kingdom of God and HIS righteousness!
       ALL these things (food, drink, clothes, righteousness)!!
 
HOW do we seek the Kingdom of God and His Righteousness?
 
The New Testament book of ROMANS is
an instruction manual
that makes clear EXACTLY how to do it!
 
First:  We MUST be born again!
 
Romans 3:19-26 Although ALL of us have sinned, Jesus offers
                           His Righteousness on the Cross to save us                 
                           from our sins.
 
Second:  We must have faith (trust) IN GOD!
 
Romans 9:30-33 We must decide; are WE going to handle our
                           problem or will we give our problem TO GOD
                           to handle?
 
Romans 4:1-8 God was pleased with Abraham’s Faith and
                       counted it for righteousness.
Counted = credited
When a bank finds you credible, it might offer you CREDIT.  That credit allows you to immediately obtain (purchase) something you COULDN’T afford.
When we have FAITH in GOD,
He gives us CREDIT to receive
His Righteousness!!
 
But what exactly IS faith?
            Haven’t we all believed God for things that we did not receive?
Abraham believed all kinds of things about God.
       -Abraham believed the promise of an heir, but tried to have
one with his maid.
-Abraham believed he could help God by lying about Sarah.
 
Romans 4:18-24 Abraham lost hope that he (Abraham) could
     sire a nation. Yet he believed that God would
     keep His promise.
 
Third:  We must know where to FIND faith!
 
Romans 10:1-4 The Law points us to Jesus Christ.  Our faith  
                         must be in HIM to keep the promises.
 
Romans 10:6-11 THIS is HOW faith works!
 
1.  The Word is the PROMISE that God has made in the scriptures.
2.  Take the Word to heart.
         -It’s a promise to live for.
                    -It’s a promise to die for.
                    -It’s a promise to be proud of.
       3. If you KNOW that God raised Jesus from the dead, you
    KNOW He will keep His promise to you!
       4. Talk about the wonderful promise God has made to you!
Romans 10:12-17 Faith comes by hearing (listening to
                             attentively) what God has promised us in   
                             His Word the Bible.

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