lion rebel

Recently I was reading in Peter’s second letter in the New Testament and I came across a verse that caused me to realize that I needed to grow in knowledge. (“Make every effort to add to your faith goodness; and to goodness, knowledge; and to knowledge, self-control; and to self-control, perseverance…” 1.5, 6) I spent the next two or three months discovering every where that the Bible talked about knowledge; the knowledge of God was primarily what I found and spent my time on. I decided this was important because Peter said that they key to self-control was knowledge. Needless to say I felt super-Christian as I “gained” knowledge and understood more what it meant to have a knowledge of God. I mean, I spent months on it, picking apart verses, finding new meanings – it was a great time of growth in my relationship with God.

And now, six months later, I find Paul saying this in the first three verses of his letter to the Romans in chapter ten: “My heart’s desire and prayer to God for the Israelites is that they may be saved…They are zealous for God, but their zeal is not based on knowledge. Since they did not know the righteousness of God and sought to establish their own, they did not submit to God’s righteousness. Coincidentally, in my search for knowledge, I discovered my understanding of the righteousness of God was lacking as well – and I spent a large amount of time on that. But these six months later, I am discovering that my own “knowledge” has built myself up – on my own standards, my own abilities. Just like the Israelites. What’s interesting to me is that Paul says that the Israelites zeal was not based on knowledge – it was, just the wrong kind of knowledge. These people knew the book of the Law forwards and backwards. They knew their history, they knew what God had done, but they never equated it with his righteousness.

In submission to God’s righteousness, we find true peace and life. When we establish our own righteousness, we fall far short, every time.

What I want is to be zealous – but not zealous because I’m a “super-Christian” – rather I want to be zealous because I know the goodness of God and what he’s done and how he will never let me fall if I simply trust him and his ways. Glory to God!

Romans 3:1-4

What advantage, then, is there in being a Jew, or what value is there in circumcision?  Much in every way!  First of all, the Jews have been entrusted with the very words of God.  What if some were unfaithful?  Will their unfaithfulness nullify God’s faithfulness?  Not at all!  Let God be true, and every human being be a liar.  As it is written: “So that you may be proved right when you speak and prevail when you judge.”

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There is a bigger scheme of things here that Paul is getting at.  But for the moment we’re going to focus on the minutiae.  By using the Jews as an example, he proves here that mankind does not do away with God’s righteousness just because they have been unrighteous.  I think this has to do with his desire for us to have free will, in itself proving that he is righteous no matter what.  What dictator has ever been truthfully called righteous?  None that I know of – so because of God’s willingness to allow us to be unrighteous or unfaithful, he proves his own righteousness and his own faithfulness.  It is in our discrepancies that God’s truth is made known – that he loves us and cares for us and wants to be in right relationship with us.  If everyone was perfect because God dictated it there would be no life to be found in the midst of mankind!  We’d all be drones, drowning in our perfection, never fully satisfied.  It is in our desire to be one with him that we are fully complete.  God’s faithfulness is proved through his willingness to let us screw up so that we can come back to his arms with rejoicing and gladness.

:My goal::Our goal:
to participate in life with God, proving his faithfulness to us.

Romans 1:18-20

The wrath of God is being revealed from heaven against all the godlessness and wickedness of human beings who suppress the truth by their wickedness, since what may be known about God is plain to them, because God has made it plain to them.  For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities – his eternal power and divine nature – have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that people are without excuse.

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God has made it plain – he has made known what may be known about him.  Even just wrapping my mind around that is difficult.  Apparently, there are things about God that cannot be known.  Why?  Well – he’s God, I guess, and I suppose there are aspects to his nature that are too difficult for us to understand.  And yet, it is amazing to me what qualities have God have been made known: his invisible qualities, such as eternal power and divine nature.  Paul says they have been clearly seen – and that gives people no excuse to live apart from God.

Yet, just as his righteousness is being revealed, so is his wrath, because there are those of us who, by our wickedness and godlessness, repel the righteousness of God.  It seems that he is specifically speaking about those who know the truth of God, yet stand against it.

The scary thing about that is, too often, I am that man.  Rarely on purpose, but out of the rote repetition of my life, the bad habits I have instilled, distract from the beautiful truth of God.  There is a thing of repentance that needs to be walked out.  To turn away from godlessness and wickedness, and wallow in the grace of God, allowing his spirit to conform me to his ways.

:My goal::Our goal:
to walk in the truth, not in godlessness, repentant and in awe of his invisible qualities.

Romans 1:11-17

I long to see you so that I may impart to you some spiritual gift to make you strong – that is, that you and I may be mutually encouraged by each other’s faith. I do not want you to be unaware, brothers and sisters, that I planned many times to come to you (but have been prevented from doing so until now) in order that I might have a harvest among you, just as I have had among the other Gentiles. 

I am obligated both to Greeks and non-Greeks, both to the wise and the foolish.  That is why I am so eager to preach the gospel also to you who are in Rome.

I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God that brings salvation to everyone who believes: first to the Jew, then to the Gentile.  For in the gospel the righteousness of God is revealed – a righteousness that is by faith from first to last, just as it is written: “The righteous will live by faith.”

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Paul’s reason for wanting to be in Rome is two-fold: his desire to impart and receive spiritual gifts for the purpose of edification, and his desire to preach the gospel to those in Rome.  I like how he is straight up – he is truthful in that he wants to visit them so that he can be with them and encourage as well as be encouraged, but he also wants to be there because he knows that the harvest is ripe and ready for the “power of God” to bring salvation. 

                  That changes everything about “preaching.”  In my limited viewpoint it has often been about me getting up on stage and convincing people to change their lives somehow – but for Paul, as it should be for everyone, it was about allowing the power of God to work through him and bring salvation to those who believe. 

                  And it is all about the righteousness of God being revealed.  I have got to believe that people are not satisfied with their dirty lives – I know that I am not and that I struggle with it every day.  Why would the mess satisfy those students who are too cool for school?  Under the covering, I know they have to hate it and want out.  I know that I did – even though I probably didn’t realize it until after the fact.  There is a certain level of self-awareness that must take place. 

                  It is about learning righteousness and faith.  Living by faith – that is how the righteous do it. 

:My goal::Our goal:

to preach the gospel unashamedly – and to live by faith.

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Exploring God’s righteousness as it relates to all of eternity:

1. He calls people in his righteousness to do his work – even those who aren’t his chosen people.
2. The Lord exercises righteousness on the earth, because he delights in it.
3. God’s kingdom is made up of righteousness.
4. God will establish his righteousness in the earth.
5. Jesus fulfilled God’s righteousness.

Matthew 3:

“Then Jesus came from Galilee to the Jordan to be baptized by John.  But John tried to deter him, saying,
‘I need to be baptized by you, and do you come to me?’ 
Jesus replied, ‘Let it be so now; it is proper for us to do this to fulfill all righteousness.’  Then John consented.”

There are probably a handful of topics to be pulled from this part of the gospels – but I only want to focus on this idea of fulfilling all righteousness.  I do not want to debate how it was fulfilled or even why by being baptized it was fulfilled.  

First there is this recognition of John – “You want me to baptize you?”  John knows that this is the one.  There is no other and he cannot fathom being the one to baptize the one.  All he knows is that he needs to be dunked by the one, not this way.  But of course Jesus sees it another way, again it’s not about power or “leadership.”  It’s about honor and servant-hood.  

I do not understand all the power that goes with water baptism, but I understand the significance of coming up out of the water a new person, fresh with the heart of God, his Spirit, deep within you.  Christ knew that he could not just step in and be the one who baptized everyone because that would not fulfill the spirit of righteousness that pervades everything God does and is about.  All along this is about being righteous – remember, God is right.  There is nothing wrong about him.  He just is right and there is nothing of the opposite in him.  

And so Jesus, the Messiah, the one who had come to cleanse the world with sin, allowed – not even allowed, rather called for – his own baptism, his own cleansing if you will.  And in doing so fulfilled the very truth of God that had rang out for all of history and eternity: God is righteous!  In his righteousness he does not unjustly destroy – but he builds up, restoring hope and gladness through his righteousness.  Jesus fulfills all righteousness.

Exploring God’s righteousness as it relates to all of eternity:

1. He calls people in his righteousness to do his work – even those who aren’t his chosen people.
2. The Lord exercises righteousness on the earth, because he delights in it.
3. God’s kingdom is made up of righteousness.
4. God will establish his righteousness in the earth.
5. Jesus fulfilled God’s righteousness.

Isaiah says of the Lord:

“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 his righteousness,
as a bridegroom adorns his head like a priest,
and as a bride adorns herself with her jewels.
For as the soil makes the sprout come up
and a garden causes seeds to grow,
so the Sovereign LORD will make righteousness
and praise spring up before all nations.” 

One of my favorite statements comes from a John Bevere book, ‘The Fear of the Lord,’ in which he says something along the lines of this: “At the end of all days when the King of kings comes back in all of his splendor, there will not be time for you to recognize that the King of Glory is here.  You will not have time to decide then whether or not you are going to bend your knee.  You will already be on your face because of his awesomeness.”  

The Lord is going to cause righteousness and praise to come up from all nations, from all people.  We will not have an opportunity to decide that we are going to be righteous now, or suddenly choose to praise the Lord with our lives.

Yesterday I read something in the book of Revelation that stirred my heart:

“Yet you have a few people…who have not soiled their clothes.  They will walk with me [Jesus], dressed in white, for they are worthy.  Those who are victorious will, like them, be dressed in white.  I will never blot out their names from the book of life, but will acknowledge their names before my Father and his angels.”
And a short bit later, Jesus says:

“I am coming soon.  Hold on to what you have, so that no one will take your crown.  Those who are victorious I will make pillars in the temple of my God.  Never again will they leave it.  I will write on them the name of my God and the name of the city of my God, the new Jerusalem, which is coming down out of heaven from my God; and I will also write on them my new name.”  

What I see from Isaiah in this is a great passionate joy in his relationship with the Lord because he knows the goodness of his God is wearing off on him.  And he chooses to celebrate that righteousness that he has been clothed with because he understands that he would not have a chance to make things right if he put it off until the day of God’s return.

It is as if the Kingdom of God is a garden, as Isaiah references.  And the king returns when the garden comes to fruition.  There is no way to transplant your own plant into that garden and produce fruit immediately so as to be taken away with the King for his feast.  You can transplant yourself there, but by the time your fruit comes to bear, it will be too late and he will be long gone because the rest of the garden has been picked clean and is free from the burden of having to produce more fruit.  

This thing of righteousness is already in works – fortunately for us we still have a chance to turn around and adopt ourselves to the Lord’s righteousness stemming from his salvation.  He is the true vine and we are to be his branches.

Exploring God’s righteousness as it relates to all of eternity:

1. He calls people in his righteousness to do his work – even those who aren’t his chosen people.
2. The Lord exercises righteousness on the earth, because he delights in it.
3. God’s kingdom is made up of righteousness.
4. God will establish his righteousness in the earth.
5. Jesus fulfilled God’s righteousness.

In his letter to the Romans Paul says:

“You, then, why do you judge your brother or sister?  Or why do you treat your brother or sister with contempt?  For we will all stand before God’s judgment seat.  It is written:

‘As surely as I live,’ says the Lord,
‘every knee will bow before me;
every tongue will confess to God.’

So then, we will all give an account of ourselves to God.
Therefore let us stop passing judgment on one another.  Instead, make up your mind not to put any stumbling block or obstacle in the way of a brother or sister.  I am convinced, being fully persuaded in the Lord Jesus, that nothing is unclean in itself.  But if anyone regards something as unclean, then for that person it is unclean…Do not by your eating destroy your brother or sister for whom Christ died…For the kingdom of God is not a matter of eating and drinking, but of righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Spirit, because anyone who serves Christ in this way is pleasing to God and receives human approval.
Let us therefore make every effort to do what leads to peace and to mutual edification.  Do not destroy the work of God for the sake of food.” 

I believe that last sentence could be a fill in the blank: “Do not destroy the work of God for the sake of ________.”  Music, drink, gender, age, seating in the sanctuary.  Paul’s point has nothing to do with food – and everything to do with the state of the Kingdom to which we belong, the Kingdom of God!  The Kingdom of God is about righteousness, peace and joy!  There is no room in any of those things for bickering and self-righteousness!  Often that is what it is – we term it as “my righteousness in the Lord,” when we’re talking about the kind of music one should listen to or whether or not it is allowable for a person to drink alcohol.  But really, what good is being done by fighting for that?  What good is being done by trying to prove the other wrong?  The only good is self-good – the destruction of someone else in your domination of them.  

One thing that has been revealed to me lately is that the work of God is people.  His work is what he is doing to draw them closer to himself and change them.  If I insist that the only way to worship is Rock n Roll and push all elderly people who don’t agree with me out the door with my Rock n Roll, I’ve done more harm to them and their relationship with God than good for the kingdom.  Because the kingdom is not about my righteousness – it’s about the righteousness of God pervading all things.  My righteousness is tainted – God’s is completely good and [this sounds redundant] right.  I need to learn to let his righteousness invade everything I am involved in and humble myself to his ways, serving others in the process.

Now exploring God’s righteousness as it relates to all of eternity:

1. He calls people in his righteousness to do his work – even those who aren’t his chosen people.
2. The Lord exercises righteousness on the earth, because he delights in it.
3. God’s kingdom is made up of righteousness.
4. God will establish his righteousness in the earth.
5. Jesus fulfilled God’s righteousness.

The Lord speaks in Jeremiah 9:

“Let not the wise boast of their wisdom
or the strong boast of their strength
or the rich boast of their riches,
but let those who boast boast about this:
that they understand and know me,
that I am the LORD, who exercises kindness,
justice and righteousness on earth,
for in these I delight,”

declares the LORD.

“The days are coming,” declares the LORD, “when I will punish all who are circumcised only in the flesh – Egypt, Judah, Edom, Ammon, Moab and all who live in the wilderness in distant places.  For all these nations are really uncircumcised, and even the whole house of Israel is uncircumcised in heart.” 

Again there is such a difference between the physical and the spiritual.  First God warns that none should brag about themselves, their own wisdom, their own strength, or riches.  He ends by saying that punishment will come upon those who believe that because they’ve cut a chunk of their flesh off that they will be saved.  But the problem is that, if all of this was a physical thing, everyone could be saved, just as they are!  What we do not see is if that were the case, we would already be in heaven.  Instead, God desires a people who are able to boast about their understanding of him and their affinity with him.  And we would understand that he exerts kindness, justice and righteousness on us because he loves us.  He wants us to be with him and he knows that is not possible with out his action, because of Adam’s decision to sin all of us choose to sin.  God never chooses to sin.  Not once – that is his righteousness [at least a part of it].  

What I love about the word ‘exercises’ that is used in the TNIV [and the NKJV - just for you T.] is it depicts a state of continuation.  It is not that God only threw his righteousness and justice and loving-kindness out over the world once, but he does it faithfully.

Again – God’s focus is on the eternal – not the now!  That is why I could go the rest of my life being a good pastor, preaching every weekend, holding evangelism meetings and even getting thousands saved and still go to hell at the end of it all because deep in my heart it was not about loving God and loving others – it was about me touching as many lives as possible [for God of course], and doing church really well.  

The hard part is figuring out what this looks like – I think because I feel inundated with the things of “doing” rather than “being.”  My wife asked me a profound question the other night when she came home from work and I had the day off: “What did you do to love Jesus today honey?”  Honestly, I chuckled with a bit of disgust and bewildered said, “I don’t know.”  And honestly I had not done anything thing that day to love Jesus.  I termed it a “relaxation” day and wasted it entirely on not one thing, and amazingly I didn’t feel rested the next day.  My wife went on to tell me an amazing story of how she chose to love a woman who was a patient of hers that day – that she just loved her by speaking kindly and gently to her, treating her like a princess and offering her the only gift she could give: the love that Jesus had already given my wife.  I wish I could do the story more justice – but how convicted I am now as I retell it, thinking of how often I selfishly avoid people because I am tired or do not want to “deal” with them.  It has to be about so much more than me – it has to be about Christ in me, the Light of the world, the Glory of the King, and the Grace of our God.

Now exploring God’s righteousness as it relates to all of eternity:

1. He calls people in his righteousness to do his work – even those who aren’t his chosen people.
2. The Lord exercises righteousness on the earth, because he delights in it.
3. God’s kingdom is made up of righteousness.
4. God will establish his righteousness in the earth.
5. Jesus fulfilled God’s righteousness.

This comes from a passage I’ve used often in terms of God’s righteousness – but here is what he says of Cyrus, king of Persia:

“This is what the Lord says to his anointed, to Cyrus, whose right hand I take hold of to subdue nations before him and to strip kings of their armor, to open doors before him so that gates will not be shut: I will go before you and will level the mountains; I will break down gates of bronze and cut through bars of iron.  I will give you the treasures of darkness, riches stored in secret places, so that you may know that I am the Lord, the God of Israel, who summons you by name.  For the sake of Jacob my servant, of Israel my chosen, I summon you by name and bestow on you a title of honor, though you do not acknowledge me…
This is what the Lord says– the Holy One of Israel, and its Maker: Concerning things to come, do you question me about my children, or give me orders about the work of my hands?  It is I who made the earth and created human beings on it…I will raise up Cyrus in my righteousness: I will make all his ways straight.  He will rebuild my city and set my exiles free, but not for a price or reward, says the Lord Almighty.” [Isaiah 45]

I cannot imagine the response from Christianity if someone came out with a book “from the Lord,” that depicted God declaring that he was going to pave the way for the Tali-ban to bring nations to their knees and strip presidents of their power.  Even if he said that he was going to do it only for the sake of Christians everywhere.  I am quite certain there would be uproar, scoffing, disbelief and a general consensus that the man be banned from churches everywhere.  I know that I would have a hard time with it – though, if I could make a disclaimer for myself, it would be more about the pronouncement itself, not the topic of the pronouncement, that would give me difficulties.   But still, it is hard for me to imagine God using what I believe to be one of the hearts of evil in this world to advance his kingdom.  But the words that he spoke just before this in Isaiah sting me: ‘Do you question me about my children, or give me orders about the work of my hands?  It is I who made the earth and created human beings on it.  My own hands stretched out the heavens; I marshaled their starry hosts.’  

There’s no real room for improving on that – much less his plans for all mankind and eternity.  So what if he wants to use Stalin or Mussolini to bring the nations to their knees so that they will turn to him!  It is not a ‘who cares?’ kind of thing – but rather, ‘He’s God and I am not.’ kind of thing.  He has and is and always will do much greater things that I, or anybody.  

This is what the Lord concludes near the end of Isaiah 45:

“Israel will be saved by the Lord with an everlasting salvation; you will never be put to shame or disgraced, to ages everlasting.”  Everlasting!

Continuing into God’s righteousness as it relates to humankind:

1. His righteousness belongs to the upright in heart.
2. Although God is far above us in righteousness, through his righteousness he does not oppress.
3. He brings his righteousness near.
4. The Lord has revealed his righteousness to all people.
5. His righteousness will spring up before all people.
6. The Lord leads us in his righteousness.
7. The Lord’s righteousness is with those who fear him.
8. He clothes his chosen people with his righteousness.
9. He delivers us in his righteousness.
10. He vindicates in his righteousness.
11. The fruit of the Lord’s righteousness is peace – quietness and confidence.
12. Our unrighteousness brings out God’s righteousness.

Bear with me on this one – Romans 3:

“But if our unrighteousness brings out God’s righteousness more clearly, what shall we say?  That God is unjust in bringing his wrath on us?…Certainly not!  If that were so, how could God judge the world?  Someone might argue, ‘If my falshood enhances God’s truthfulness and so increases his glory, why am I still condemned as a sinner?’ …Do we have any advantage?  Not at all!
…As it is written:

‘There is no one righteous, not even one;
there is no one who understands;
there is no one who seeks God.

…Now we know that whatever the law says, it says to those who are under the law, so that every mouth may be silenced and the whole world held accountable to God.  Therefore no one will be declared righteous in God’s sight by observing the law; rather, through the law we become conscious of our sin.
But now apart from the law, the righteousness of God has been made known, to which the Law and the Prophets testify.  This righteousness is given through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe.” 

I know my tendency when someone uses a bunch of scripture [or even a little bit] is to skip over it after I recall in my own head the general theme of it.  But go back and note again the highlighted and underlined sentences.  Because of the law of God we understand our unrighteousness – and that helps us to recognize God’s holiness as supreme over us in all things.  But again – and I think I’ve said this 13 or 14 times – because of God’s righteousness, he brings us along side of him, or at least he longs to.  Because of my unrighteousness I can see more clearly his goodness, his rightness…or I should.  But the lie of the darkness is that because I am so evil that I do not deserve his goodness, or even worse that his punishment is coming for me and will destroy me, so I best just keep it in the dark for as long as I can hoping to avoid discipline.  

One thing I am coming to understand more and more is the freedom that exists in stepping out into the open.  It looks restricting.  It seems detrimental.  But truly it is freeing.  It is a weight of despair off of a chest that will welcome the beauty of the glory of the Lord.  How glorious!  

It has been long enough that we have cowered in the darkness fearing the light which brings freedom.  It is time to surrender and open up to the grace of our righteous King, in whom there is no darkness or destruction, only justice and peace.