The Crucial Points of the Truth in Paul's Epistles - 2

Message Title: The Righteousness of God Revealed in the Gospel

what is the foundation of God's throne should also become the foundation of our daily living. 

Romans 1:16 For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God unto salvation to everyone who believes, both to Jew first and to Greek.

Romans 1:17 For the righteousness of God is revealed in it out of faith to faith, as it is written, “But the righteous shall have life and live by faith.”

I. Righteousness is the foundation of God's Throne

righteousness and justice is the foundation of God's throne. if we strongly desire or ask the Lord, "be merciful to me. grant me grace", the Lord may or may not answer us immediately. but there is one thing that He must always do, when He puts Himself under the requirement, that He must be righteous. when we begin to realise that there is a throne in this universe, and the foundation of this throne if the righteousness of God. 

Revelation 15:3 And they sing the song of Moses, the slave of God, and the song of the Lamb, saying, Great and wonderful are Your works, Lord God the Almighty! Righteous and true are Your ways, O King of the nations!

when the Lord does something, He must be righteous. Everything God does is righteous. when the Lord does not do something, He is also righteous. 

Matthew 5:20 For I say to you that unless your righteousness surpasses that of the scribes and Pharisees, you shall by no means enter into the kingdom of the heavens.

righteousness is being right with persons, things, and matters before God according to His righteousness and strict requirements. 

Matthew 6:33 But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.

the Lord charges us to seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and the Lord also said that blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness. righteousness is a matter of God's kingdom, and is related to God's government, administration, and rule. God executes His divine government and administration by His righteous actions, including His righteous judgement on the believers, or unbelievers, because He is the One who will judge both the living and the dead, both the believers and unbelievers. 

Revelation 19:8 And it was given to her that she should be clothed in fine linen, bright and clean; for the fine linen is the righteousnesses of the saints.

in the book of Revelation we can see that the wedding garment of the bride of the Lamb is in fine linen, and the fine linen is the righteousnesses of the saints. this shows us that if we want to get ourselves read, to prepare our wedding garments, we need to have the righteousnesses of the saints. day by day, stitch by stitch, we need to live out Christ as our subjective righteousness, which is to get more stitches for our wedding garments. Christ Himself is not only righteousness, but also righteousnesses. when Christ becomes the righteousnesses in us, this will be our standing in God. 

II. the key word concerning the gospel of God in the book of Romans is in 1:17 - "the righteous shall have life and live by faith"

the gospel of God is powerful because the righteousness of God is revealed in it. who, or what is the power of God? 1 Corinthians 2:24 tells us that Christ is the power of God. then in verse 18, it tells us that the word of the cross is the power of God. so in application of both the righteousness of God and the word of God, Christ Himself is the power of God. 

the salvation of God in the gospel of John is of God's love as its source and in Ephesians is by God's grace as its element, but in Romans it is by God's righteousness as its base. look at so many people on the earth today, surely there are many whom we are concerned and are burdened for, whome we want to bring to salvation. through us, the power of God can be released, because the righteousness of God is revealed in it. one day in the future, we will all have to give an account to God, whether we have given others the good news, and preached the gospel of God, the power of God. now the way is open to the preaching of the gospel. the Son of God has died on the cross, has paid the price in our place, and now we are here sharing the good news, that the living Person is infusing the ability to believe into us, that God must forgive every sin of us because of the Son, who has paid the price, so God is righteous, who will not require double payment. 

Christ has died in our place, our sins are forgive, now we have this as the foundation for our Christian life. let us begin everyday with this realization, "Lord, apply to me according to Your understanding, the power and the effect of Your redeeming blood. I believe in Your blood. I apply You as my righteousness." when we have mistakes or failures, we just need to confess to the Lord and we have the blood, and the righteous God must forgive us. our experience and enjoyment is also based on the foundation of God's righteousness. 

when we experience the forgiveness and forgetting of our sins from our righteous God, we will be able to forgive and forget the offenses from others. we need to forgive each other in the way we are forgiven by God. 

III. Paul wanted to have the righteousness which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness which is out of god and based on faith.

Philippians 3:9 And be found in Him, not having my own righteousness which is out of the law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness which is out of God and based on faith,

this is what Paul desires, not having his own righteousness, but will be found to be in Christ by others.