Sowing Righteousness!

This scripture is a key scripture of difference between denominations.  This shocked me actually.  Did you know that not all Christians believe the scripture that the Lord delivers us out of them all.  That is, our afflictions.  I was shocked and dismayed by this when sharing it with someone the other day.  These people are not part of our church family but are of faith in Jesus Christ.  It has highlighted to me to be very careful when being given counsel in life’s decisions by well-meaning professionals.  It is key to our faith in Christ actually.  For we are nothing without the righteousness of Jesus.  We can do nothing to please God in our own righteousness.  The bible says so in Matthew 5:20.  This verse states,  “For I tell you that unless your righteousness surpasses that of the Pharisees and the teachers of the law, you will certainly not enter the kingdom of heaven.”  This is Jesus himself speaking this truth.  To deny this is to deny the work of the atonement of Jesus Christ.  It is an abomination to God!!!

What does righteous mean here?

In Psalm 34:19, "righteous" means someone who lives according to God's moral law, essentially doing what is right in God's eyes; it refers to a person who is faithful and obedient to God, even amidst hardships and troubles, signifying that even those who strive to live righteously will face difficulties, but God will deliver them. 

What is God’s moral law?  Is it love?  It's a divine code of conduct based on God's nature and will. The internet states it is hinged on the 10 Commandments.  This leads me to the Holy Spirit and the part played in the development and observance of righteousness in a believer.  We would see the fruit of the Spirit.  In the Bible, righteousness and the Holy Spirit are closely related, and are considered to be important parts of living a life under God's kingship. In Romans 8:10, it says "But if Christ is in you, although the body is dead because of sin, the Spirit is life because of righteousness".  We can see here that righteousness is a key to living according to the Spirit, can’t we?

What is an affliction? Persecution, suffering, that which causes physical or mental distress.  Have you ever been afflicted?  Why do you think that is?

Why does God allow our afflictions to happen?  Answer:  It increases our righteousness.  We seek His face and will in our lives in greater ardency.  

In the bible there are numerous examples of those who when seeking God’s will become or live through affliction.  Think of Hannah with infertility then bringing forth the boy Samuel; Joseph in his betrayal and then became leader under Pharaoh in Egypt and the apostle Paul wrote about the thorn in his side.  

I find that the more I lean into the will of the Holy Spirit the greater the roadblocks or stumbling blocks become evident. 

What do you do when affliction hits?  You run to your prayer closet.

I find that I stop coping as well when I have looked away from Jesus, I need to keep my eyes on the vision that the Holy Spirit has given me for my life.  

These days God is raising up warriors and fighters for His cause, his Will, his Kingdom to come upon the earth.  God calls us to be bold, assertive, decisive and meek and humble.  Love is these things.  I see it in the youth, the young adults who were timid and shy as little ones and the bear anointing is coming through as they are reaching maturity.  They are revolutionists in this country.  They are righteous in Jesus.  They will lead the army of the Lord into battle against the schemes of the enemy which tried to rob them of their future.  

There is a future in this country.  For those who are in Christ Jesus.  We would like to share some of our story on what being righteous means in our walk with Jesus.

We chose Jesus and spoke of His goodness, even when 

•  We went through IVF to try and have more children.

• We experienced miscarriages.

• We lost our business and our homes.

• We lost custody of our son.

• We lost our way of life.

• We lost our health.

• We lost our sound mind.

A friend in Ballarat said to me that we were increasing in Christ’s righteousness every day.  What did we do?  We came close to the Lord.  We sought His face with extreme intent.  We saw the Lord and know first hand that He is good.  It is through the storms of life that we get tested, yes…but we also get to flex our armour and our muscles and our faith and our love and our peace and demonstrate our righteousness in Christ Jesus to the world around us.  To the world we influence around us. Praise God for this.

In the Bible, jasper is depicted as a precious stone, symbolizing purity, beauty, and the glory of God, particularly in the context of the High Priest's breastplate and the New Jerusalem. 

Here's a more detailed look at the biblical mentions of jasper:

• High Priest's Breastplate:Jasper is one of the twelve precious stones inserted in the high priest's breastplate, along with other gems, signifying the divine order and representation of God's chosen people. 

• New Jerusalem:In Revelation, jasper is used in the building of the New Jerusalem, a city representing God's eternal kingdom and His unapproachable light. 

• Symbolism:Jasper is described as "most precious" and "clear as crystal," and its association with the divine throne and the New Jerusalem highlights its connection to God's eternal kingdom and His unapproachable light. 

• Revelation 4:3:Jasper is described as a stone of brilliant and transparent light, used to describe the appearance of God on his throne. 

• Revelation 21:18-19:Jasper is used in the building of the wall of the New Jerusalem, and the city itself is pure gold, like clear glass. 

• Other characteristics:Jasper is a gem of various colors, and its mention underscores its role in the divine order and the representation of God's chosen people. 

Show a picture of jasper (preferably on the breastplate of the high priest)

Jasper is said to be one of the names of the three wise men who visited Jesus when he was a baby.

The gemstone of righteousness. Known as the jasper.  When we go through trials and tribulations our gemstones are shinier, more sparkly and exude a greater light and eminence.  On our armour is a gemstone representing our status as righteous citizens of heaven’s Kingdom.  Ask the Lord to show this to you.  We are beautiful to him.  Our righteousness is Him in us.  His Holy Spirit dwells within us in the most beautiful way.

Our faith in our God is different from the other beliefs people have on this earth.  Only our God can change and transform you.  Only our God can impute his dna into us.  He changes us, he renews us, he imputes His righteousness into us and we become His in a very real way.  The enemy, the devil roams around like a roaring lion seeking whom he may devour.  We are Christ’s righteousness therefore He cannot devour us.  Do you hear me people of God….he cannot devour us!  The Word came as a man around 2000 years ago and fought that thing called an affliction to the righteous people of the Lord…His Bride, in fact.  Do you know what happened?  He faced off against the devil and won.  What the devil meant as a setup on the Son of Righteousness turned into the greatest true story ever told.  He lives.  He rose from the grave having defeated hell, where the devil plans your afflictions and by the power of the resurrected King we are delivered for we are His righteousness.

Christ’s righteousness is our inheritance.  It is given to us when we are born again which means to believe in Jesus Christ and His atonement at the cross.  Bearing our iniquities, our sin and condemnation. For there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, Romans 8:1.