IT
IS WELL WITH THE RIGHTEOUS
BREAD
10 Tell the righteous it will be well with them, for they
will enjoy the fruit of their deeds. Isaiah 3:10 (NIV)
1 The
Spirit of the Sovereign LORD is on
me, because the LORD has anointed
me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent me to bind up the
brokenhearted, to proclaim freedom for the captives and release from darkness
for the prisoners, 2 to
proclaim the year of the LORD’s
favor and the day of vengeance of our God, to comfort all who mourn, 3 and provide for those who grieve in
Zion-- to bestow on them a crown of beauty instead of ashes, the oil of
gladness instead of mourning, and a garment of praise instead of a spirit of
despair. They will be called oaks of righteousness, a planting of the LORD for the display of his splendor. Isaiah
61:1-3 (NIV)
10 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 righteousness, as a bridegroom adorns his head like a priest, and as a bride adorns herself with her jewels. Isaiah 61:10 (NIV)
10 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 righteousness, as a bridegroom adorns his head like a priest, and as a bride adorns herself with her jewels. Isaiah 61:10 (NIV)
1 Blessed are all who fear the LORD,
who walk in his ways. 2 You will
eat the fruit of your labor; blessings and prosperity will be yours. Psalm
128:1-2 (NIV)
4 Even in darkness light dawns for the upright, for the
gracious and compassionate and righteous man. 5 Good
will come to him who is generous and lends freely, who conducts his affairs
with justice. 6 Surely he will
never be shaken; a righteous man will be remembered forever. 7 He
will have no fear of bad news; his heart is steadfast, trusting in the LORD. 8 His
heart is secure, he will have no fear; in the end he will look in triumph on
his foes. 9 He has scattered abroad
his gifts to the poor, his righteousness endures forever; his horn will be
lifted high in honor. 10 The wicked
man will see and be vexed, he will gnash his teeth and waste away; the longings
of the wicked will come to nothing. Psalm 112:4-10 (NIV)
32 So be careful to do what the LORD your God has commanded you; do not
turn aside to the right or to the left. 33 Walk in all the way that the LORD your God has commanded you, so that
you may live and prosper and prolong your days in the land that you will
possess. Deuteronomy 5:32-33 (NIV)
28 Be careful to obey all these regulations I am giving
you, so that it may always go well with you and your children after you,
because you will be doing what is good and right in the eyes of the LORD your God. Deuteronomy
12:28 (NIV)
31 What, then, shall we say in response to this? If God
is for us, who can be against us? 32 He
who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all--how will he not
also, along with him, graciously give us all things? 33 Who will bring any charge against
those whom God has chosen? It is God who justifies. 34 Who is he that condemns? Christ Jesus,
who died--more than that, who was raised to life--is at the right hand of God
and is also interceding for us. 35 Who
shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or
persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword? 36 As it is written: “For your sake we
face death all day long; we are considered as sheep to be slaughtered.” 37 No, in all these things we
are more than conquerors through him who loved us. 38 For I am convinced that neither death nor life,
neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, 39 neither height nor depth, nor anything
else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is
in Christ Jesus our Lord. Romans 8:31-39
BUTTER
“The Gospel is
God’s explosive power that changes everything. The gospel makes us Christians…. God forgives your sin, declares you righteous
in Christ, gives you eternal life, adopts you as His child, and ushers you into
an intimate relationship with Himself, through the Holy Spirit. Secondly, the
gospel grows us. The gospel is not
merely the way we enter, it is the way we make all progress…it is the ‘way of
righteousness from first to last.’…
Since the gospel not only makes us Christians, but also grows us as
Christians, the most desperate need of both unbelievers and believers... is to
hear and appropriate the Gospel to their lives. Thirdly, the gospel empowers us
to serve…with a whole new motivational structure…setting us free to love and
serve unconditionally in response to God’s grace in Christ”. Dick Kaufmann
“The man who has
been born again, and who has the divine nature within him, is a man who is
righteous and his righteousness does exceed that of the …Pharisees. He is no
longer living for self and his own attainments, he is no longer self-righteous
and self satisfied. He has become poor
in spirit, meek and merciful. He hungers and thirsts after righteousness…He
loves God, yes, unworthily, alas, but he loves Him and longs for His
glory…(this) is a righteousness that far exceeds the righteousness of the
scribes and Pharisees.” D. Martin Lloyd-Jones
“God no longer holds you responsible for
the smallest sin. Every single sin is forgiven. When faith is said to be credited
for righteousness, it is because of what your faith receives: when you believe,
Christ’s righteousness is credited to your account, and your sins are credited
to his account. If both of these things do not happen, you cannot consider
yourself forgiven. Sin would be charged to your account. In the gospel, two
things happen: first, God removes the charge of sin against your account.
Second, God gives you the gift of righteousness from Christ. You receive this
double gift when you receive Christ’s redemption through the shedding of his
blood.” Walter
Marshall
“We comfort the afflicted sinner in this
manner; Brother you can never be perfect in this life, but you can be holy. He
will say, ‘How can I be holy when I feel my sins?’ I answer, ‘You feel
sin? That is a good sign. To realize that one is ill is a step and a
very necessary step, toward recovery.’
‘But how will I get rid of my sin?’ he will ask. I answer: See the heavenly Physician, Christ, who heals
the broken-hearted. Do not consult the
Quack doctor, Reason. Believe in Christ
and your sins will be pardoned. His righteousness will become your
righteousness, and your sins will become His sins.” Martin
Luther
“Before you can
(know you are right with God) you must not only be troubled for your sins of
your life, but also for the sins of your best duties and performances...before
you can be at peace with God, there must be a deep conviction before you can be
brought out of your self-righteousness; it is the last idol taken out of your
heart. The pride of our heart will not let us submit to the righteousness of
Jesus Christ. But if you never felt that you had no righteousness of your own
or if you never felt the deficiency of your own righteousness, you cannot come
to Jesus Christ.” George
Whitefield
“If there be
ground for you to trust your own righteousness, then all that Christ did to
purchase salvation….is vain.” Jonathan Edwards
“Holiness is not a
feeling – it is the end product of obedience.
Purity is not a gift – it is the result of repentance and serious
pursuit of God.” Frances
J. Roberts
“Now
when a man has learned through the commandments to recognize his helplessness and
is distressed about how he might satisfy the law…and then being truly humbled
and reduced to nothing in his own eyes, he finds in himself nothing whereby he
may be justified and saved. Here the
second part of Scripture comes to our aid, namely, the promises of God which
declare the glory of God, saying, ‘If you wish to fulfill the law….come,
believe in Christ in whom grace, righteousness, peace, liberty, and all things
are promised to you. If you believe you
shall have all things; if you do not believe, you shall lack all things’.” Martin Luther
HEART
SAVOR
- · It is always well with the righteous.
- · God clothes His children in the righteousness of Christ – no longer counting their sins against them. The Holy Spirit in turn begins the sanctification process of conforming the child of the King to the image of Jesus. This is done through His power alone. Flesh never accomplishes sanctification – it will continually fail. God’s work done in God’s way will never lack God’s supply.
- · It is important for us to walk in a manner worthy of the Gospel.
