Hello I Love You…
Jehovah Tsidkenu – The Lord Our Righteousness
Intro: Ashley and I were wasting time at a video establishment people watching. One game caught our attention – karaoke dancing. You stand on a dance pad and jump around doing combos – the more accurate you are the farther you go. Humored by the concept, Ashley and I stumbled onto this guy who considered himself the lord of the dance. This guy had it perfected. Armed w/ his trusty sweat rag, he took this game to new levels.
Note: As I thought about the lord of the dance, I thought about us. How we dance through life striving for perfection knowing in the end the game is going to beat us. I thought about the pursuit of perfection in our relationship w/ God, and the struggle b/w the call to holiness and the desire for perfection. I thought about how many of us have settled for good enough Christianity when God has called us to experience spiritually alive Christianity – He’s called us to holiness.
Trans: This AM, as we consider the next name for God – Jehovah Tsidkenu – I want us to discover the righteousness and holiness of our God and His provision for us to be in pursuit of Him instead of for perfection before man. (Text: Jer. 23:5-6)
I The SETTING
Note: When Jeremiah uttered this prophecy, the kingdom of Judah was about to fall. More than 100 years earlier, the 10 tribes of Israel had been taken captive never to return b/c of their infidelity towards God and Judah was on the threshold of joining their misery b/c they had sinned even more grievously than the kingdom to the north. Judah was in the shape of many Christian lives today. They were on the roller coaster ride of a few years w/ God and a few years of serving other gods. Depending on who was king (on the throne) it would determine whether or not they followed God. If an evil king ruled, then Judah would follow in sin, but if a good king ruled, then they experienced reform and awakening.
Point: Your spiritual intimacy w/ God always is directly related to the ruler you have established on the throne of your life.
Trans: At this point in Judah’s journey, the people had once again turned from God and were pursing the lead of Zedekiah – the successor of Josiah who cast aside the Godly reforms and pursued a way that seemed right to himself. Not even a generation had passed and God was once again cast to the side and forgotten.
Point: It’s amazing and scary how quickly we’re capable of turning from righteousness to sin – how quickly we can run from the church singing “I Have Decided to Follow Jesus” to humming, “I Like It, I Love It, I Want Some More of It!”
Trans: God’s patience wore thin w/ Judah (just as it did w/ Israel and just as it does w/ us when we turn to other gods), and He called on Jeremiah to shoot a rocket across the bow of Judah’s life to give them fair warning of what was going to happen if they didn’t turn back to Him. (see Jer. 22)
Insert: God has given us fair warning too. His Word clearly states what will happen if we turn from Him to other gods and to other activity contrary to His precepts.
Verse: Do not be deceived, God cannot be mocked, a man reaps what he sows. The one who sows to please his sinful nature, from that nature will he reap destruction; the one who sows to please the Spirit, from the Spirit will reap eternal life. Gal. 6:7-8
Verse: For the wages of sin is death… Rm. 6:23
Trans: We find in this text a call to righteousness through the provision of Jehovah Tsidkenu – the Lord is My Righteousness.
II The SOURCE
Word: Tsidkenu – “still or straight” – it’s a standard of measurement – our sinful nature is measured against God’s holy nature.
A The Perfection of the Trinity
Note: The source of all righteousness is Jehovah. He is the one and only who is perfectly righteous. He is Tsadik (righteous).
Note: He is w/out sin – unblemished – holy, holy, holy.
Verse: Our God takes no pleasure in wickedness, no evil dwells in Him. Ps. 5:4
Trans: The one thing we must come to understand is the God is righteous, holy and just, and that our lives are measured by the standard of His righteous.
B The Defection of Man (caused by the infection of sin)
Trans: In contrast to God’s righteousness is man’s unrighteousness and propensity for evil. Whereas God is holy, holy, holy, man is sinful, sinful, sinful.
Note: What the psalmist pens in Ps. 14:3, Paul reiterates in Rm. 3:10 – “There is none righteous, not even one.” Paul then concludes that, “all have sinned and have fallen short of the glory of God.” (Rm. 3:23)
Note: Our sin separates us from God and makes us enemies of righteousness and truth – and we are condemned by our sin. Thus, any pursuit or effort of man falls short of satisfying the righteousness of God. It is tainted.
Verse: All our righteous deeds are filthy garments. Is. 64:6
Note: B/c of sin, the ability to be perfect is gone. There isn’t one person who has ever been or will ever be perfect. I know that’s a shock to many of you, but it’s true.
Say: I am not perfect, I will never be perfect, or will ever meet a perfect person.
C The Provision of the Savior
Trans: Enter the righteousness of God. Jehovah Tsidkenu, in His great love and mercy, knowing that we are hopeless and helpless, extended His grace to us to redeem us from our lostness and bring us into a personal relationship w/ Him. A relationship that does not expect perfection but the pursuit of the perfect God.
Note: Jesus is the Branch of David – foretold by Jeremiah as coming to rule w/ righteousness over the people of God.
Note: Through Christ we have been declared righteous – set apart from sin unto God and called to holiness – called to keep ourselves separated from sin (1 Pt. 1).
Note: But we must understand that holiness to God is perfection yet we will never be perfect. Rather we are in the process of being perfected (see Ph. 3:12-14)
III The SIGNIFICANCE
Note: The Lord is our righteousness – He provides through the cross everything we need to set us free from sin and bring us into a righteous relationship w/ Him.
Point: If the Lord is our righteousness then we cannot obtain it through our own ability or ingenuity – it is imputed.
Trans: The same grace that saves us is the same graces that sustains and keeps us. I share this b/c until we understand that God is our righteousness we will pursue a relationship w/ God less than what He has desires for us.
Note: We settle for Good Enough instead of Spiritually-Alive Christianity.
Good Enough Christianity Spiritually Alive Christianity
1 Based on Right Beliefs/Convictions
2 Stay Moral
3 Keep Busy
Note: Performance-Driven
1 God Hungry
2 Kingdom Hungry
3 Holiness Hungry
I hate sin more than I love its pleasure
Note: Purpose-Driven
Note: I want to be KNOWN by Christ, to KNOW Christ, and to make Him KNOWN.
Note: Two years ago Glenn and Ashley received bad news from the doctor about their health – change or die. Both of them had to begin to change their thinking process and their habits. First they had to choose whether they wanted to live or die – seems like an easy choice, but its not. B/c to make that choice required discipline, tenacity, patience, and confrontation. Secondly, they had to actually make lifestyle changes – eating, exercise, sleeping, etc. But they made those changes and the results have both saved their lives and invigorated their lives.
Brother Ashley has run two half marathons and Bro. Glenn has traveled 100 miles on a bike and is preparing to make a 300 mile ride. Both of them have also received great reports from their doctors on the condition of their health – Pastor Glenn’s doctor has told him that if he keeps it up not only will he push his diabetes into remission, he will get to keep his feet.
Why: I tell you this stories of victory b/c neither man has obtained perfect health, but they continue to strive for something they can never obtain. Yet in striving for it, they have improved their lives. By the way, they aren’t perfect – sometimes they slip up and eat something they know they shouldn’t or skip a workout, but they don’t allow that slip to detour the pattern of their lives. They don’t let it sabotage who they are becoming.
Trans: As followers of Christ, we’ve been set apart for a higher call – a life of holiness. It is not a life of Good Enough Christianity but a call to Spiritually Alive Christianity. It’s not a call to a perfection that can’t be humanly obtained, but a call to the pursuit of perfection that can be experienced by grace through faith.
Holiness is not being perfect – it is resting in God’s perfection and abiding in what He is doing through faith and obedience to the work and Word of God.
Note: One thing is for certain – it is only possible b/c Jehovah is our righteousne
