Righteousness
By Apostle Aje Pelser
Preached at Harvester Reformational Church, Cape Town March 2017

With reference to a book Apostle Andre read that opened up his understanding to righteousness – “Two kinds of Righteousness” by E. W. Kenyon.
Definition of Righteousness from the book:
“Righteousness …the ability to stand in the presence of Father God without the sense of guilt or inferiority…”

In the beatitudes of Jesus from His Sermon on the Mount (Matt. 5 message from last week) there is a clear flow from Spirit to soul to body and then to the relationships we have with those who persecute us and those who have pioneered the road for us culminating in our heavenly pilgrimage. What righteousness does, is to create an awareness that we already have the kingdom of heaven within and that the glorious “one day we will be” is a present reality by faith, until our bodies are redeemed at His coming – “when this mortal must put on immortality and we are all changed in the twinkling of an eye…”

Here are some scriptures that will help us understand righteousness better:

His unfailing love makes us more than conquerors
Rom 8:37 Yet in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us.

Jesus is our source of strength for holy living
Php 4:13 I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.

Walking in the Spirit removes daily condemnation
Rom 8:1 There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus, who do not walk according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit.

We are justified by faith
Rom 5:1 Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ,

He presents us Blameless
Jud 1:24 Now to Him who is able to keep you from stumbling, And to present you faultless Before the presence of His glory with exceeding joy,

Continually walking in the Light of fellowship we are cleansed by His blood
1Jn 1:7 But if we walk in the light as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses us from all sin.

The practice of righteousness tells people who you are
1Jn 3:10 In this the children of God and the children of the devil are manifest: Whoever does not practice righteousness is not of God, nor is he who does not love his brother.

Access the glory of the new creation in Christ
2Co 5:17 Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new.

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Access spiritual blessings IN Christ
Eph 1:3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ,

We are reconciled to God through Jesus’ death and resurrection on the Cross
Col 1:21 And you, who once were alienated and enemies in your mind by wicked works, yet now He has reconciled
Col 1:22 in the body of His flesh through death, to present you holy, and blameless, and above reproach in His sight—

We are presently presented without spot of before God!
Eph 5:27 that He might present her to Himself a glorious church, not having spot or wrinkle or any such thing, but that she should be holy and without blemish.

Jesus became sin to deal with our sin consciousness, take away our condemnation and become our substitute.
2Co 5:21 For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.

Jesus reformation dealt with our conscience – something the Old Testament Law could not cleanse.
Heb 9:8 the Holy Spirit indicating this, that the way into the Holiest of All was not yet made manifest while the first tabernacle was still standing.
Heb 9:9 It was symbolic for the present time in which both gifts and sacrifices are offered which cannot make him who performed the service perfect in regard to the conscience—
Heb 9:10 concerned only with foods and drinks, various washings, and fleshly ordinances imposed until the time of reformation.

Let God’s force of righteousness be unleashed in our lives daily as we believe in the work of Jesus Christ on the cross. There is therefore now no condemnation because we are in Christ, and we no longer walk according to the flesh but he spirit within…