The Lord our Righteousness

Westhill Episcopal Church

12 June 2011

 

Readings: Jer 23: 1-8; Rom 8: 1-10

“The days are coming,” declares the LORD, “when I will raise up from David's line a righteous Branch, a King who will reign wisely and will act in a just and right way in the land. In his days Judah will be saved and Israel will live safely. This is what he will be called: The LORD Our Righteousness.”  Jer 23:5,6

The King does what is wise, just and right.

Jesus conformed perfectly to God’s requirements. “My food is to do the will of Him who sent me, and to complete His work” John 4:34. God said “You are my Son, the one I love; with you I am well pleased” Mark 1:11. He not only kept the general requirements God has for all mankind, he kept the more demanding requirements that constituted God’s covenant through Moses with the Children of Israel. "Don’t think I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them.”  Matt 5:17.  Everything to do with ceremony, everything to do with clothing, everything to do with relationships with others, everything to do with sexual behaviour, everything to do with loving and honouring God, he kept it all perfectly.

The King is Jehovah, the Lord.

The plain teaching of the Bible, running as a thread from the Old Testament to the New Testament, is that the one who would come to save and redeem would be God himself. “For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.” Isa 9:6.  “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.” John 1:1

The King is our righteousness

This is the very heart of the Christian faith, the central pillar of the gospel. You must grasp this truth, even if you grasp none other. In putting your faith in Christ, his righteousness becomes your righteousness. “God made him who was sinless to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.” 2 Cor 5:21.  “He was given over to death for our sins and was raised to life for our justification.” Rom 4:25.  A great exchange has taken place. When dying on the cross your sins were placed on him.  On rising from the grave his righteousness was placed on you.

You cannot approach God on your own merits, on the strength of your own righteousness, however much you are tempted to do so. He doesn’t hear your prayers more because you have resisted temptation this week.

This is the name by which He will be called

So let this name be on our lips.  Remind yourself of this when you wake in the morning and when you retire at night. Encourage yourself with this thought through all of the hustle and bustle of the day. He is my righteousness; my righteousness is his. When God looks on you it is as if He looks on Jesus. He says, “You are my child, I love you; with you I am well pleased.”