Righteousness Brings Hope
The God of hope fill you with all
joy and peace in believing, that
ye may abound in hope, through
the power of the Holy Spirit…
The Apostle Paul
Despite their circumstances, Christians have
a lot of hope for the future. Hope is the confident
expectation of good things. Where there is life,
there is hope! The best is yet to come. We have
the promise of eternal life. God is on our side,
and we are on His. We have a Father like we never
had in life. We are in partnership with our Heavenly
Father to accomplish His works on this earth.
The writer of Hebrews declares we are "…heirs
of prom-ise… who have fled for refuge to
lay hold upon the hope set before us: which hope
we have as an anchor of the soul both sure and
stedfast, and which entereth into that within
the veil: Whether the forerunner is for us entered,
even Jesus made an high priest forever…"
(Hebrews 6:17-20).
THE PROMISED SEED, OUR BLESSED HOPE
The Apostle Paul tells us of Abraham, "Who
against hope believed in hope, that he might become
the father of many nations, according to that
which was spoken, So shall thy seed be"
(Romans 4:18). God established a covenant with
Abraham, a contract based upon the promise of
God. "Now to Abraham and his seed were
the promises made. He saith not, And to seeds,
as of many; but as of one, And to thy seed, which
is Christ" (Galatians 3:16). Because
of this promise, which is fulfilled in Jesus Christ
for those who believe, we are "In hope
of eternal life, which God, that cannot lie, promised
before the world began" (Titus 1:2).
We begin our Christian life as a born again Spirit.
By the power of the Holy Spirit, we grow in the
knowledge of His Word, His promises for us, taking
on His mind in our soul. We hope in the knowledge
we gain, that one day we will change into an incorruptible
body, "In a moment, in the twinkling of
an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall
sound and the dead shall be raised incorruptible,
and we shall be changed. For this corruptible
must put on incorruption, and this mortal must
put on immortality" (1 Corinthians 15:52,53).
This hope began as a promised seed.
We have been "…born again, not of
corruptible seed, but of incorruptible, by the
word of God, which liveth and abideth forever"
(1 Peter 1:23). This incorruptible seed [Jesus]
made us righteous and is presently bringing forth
His righteousness in us through the power of the
Holy Spirit, that we may have hope. Paul prayed,
"…Now the God of hope fill you with
all joy and peace in believ-ing, that ye may abound
in hope, through the power of the Holy Spirit"
(Romans 15:13). He prayed for the Ephe-sians,
saying, "…that you may know what is
the hope of his calling, and what the riches of
the glory of his inheri-tance in the saints"
(1:18). This is our one hope (Ephe-sians 4:4),
the Lord Jesus Christ (1 Timothy 1:1).
Our hope of heaven is because of grace through
faith in the Good News of Jesus Christ. Paul says
to the Colossians, "…be not moved
away from the hope of the gospel" (1:23).
"To whom God would make known what is
. . . this mystery… which is Christ in you,
the hope of glory" (1:27). King David
understood this mystery: "Therefore my
heart is glad, and my glory rejoiceth: my flesh
also shall rest in hope" (Psalm 16:9).
Those without Christ have no hope (Ephesians
2:12), but we, who patiently wait for His coming,
do (1 Thessalonians 1:3). Paul tells of His coming:
"For the Lord him-self shall descend from
heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel,
and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ
shall rise first: then we which are alive and
remain shall be caught up together with them in
the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so
shall we ever be with the Lord. Wherefore comfort
one another with these words" (1 Thessalonians
4:16-18).
Paul prays, "Now our Lord Jesus Christ
himself, and God, even our Father, which hath
loved us, and hath given us everlasting consolation
and good hope through grace" (2 Thessalonians
2:16). Truly, our hope is also due to God's ability
working in us!
SOWING SEEDS OF HOPE
We are commissioned by Jesus Christ to minister
the Good News. As believers, we are liberated
to serve in the power of His Spirit. We trust
that God is at work in our lives, and have ceased
trusting in our own fleshly works to save. As
we walk full of the Spirit, the Lord gives us
creative works, which are from Him. We receive
dreams and visions of work for us that will bring
forth our destiny. We learn to listen to His still,
small voice.
In the Gospel of John, Jesus promised the believer
that, "…out of his belly shall flow
rivers of living water" (John 7:38b).
In Luke's Gospel, Jesus said, "…I
send the promise of my Father upon you: but tarry
ye in the city of Jerusalem, until ye be endued
[clothed] with power from on high" (24:49,
emphasis added). In Acts, Luke recorded Jesus
saying, "But ye shall receive power [ability]
after that the Holy Spirit is come upon you: and
ye shall be witnesses unto me…"
(1:8, emphasis added).
In the Old Testament, we find three positions
for which the Lord gives special anointing. The
Hebrew word "navee" means prophet; "kohen"
means priest; and "melekh" means king.
The "kohen hagadol" was the High Priest.
Usually there is opposition in these positions,
especially with the prophets, who speak for God,
oppos-ing the unrighteous kings and/or priests.
In a few cases, however, we see the unity of these
positions in one man. Moses was such a man, as
was David and to some extent Solomon. The perfect
unity of all three is seen in Jesus Christ. Christians
are heirs of this unity in faith.
On the day of Pentecost, the Holy Spirit clothed
those in the upper room with God's ability. Like
Christ, they went forth in ministry as prophet,
priest and king. As a prophet, they preached Jesus:
His death, burial and resurrection, and thousands
were saved. As a priest, they ministered to God,
praying for the sick in the name of Jesus, and
people were healed. As kings, they ministered
in God's strength and believers were baptized
in the Spirit. These ministries of God's grace
continue today through the anointing of the Holy
Spirit.
Paul says, "I have planted, Apollos watered;
but God gave the increase… he that planteth
and he that watereth are one: and every man shall
receive his own reward according to his own labour…
ye are God's building…" (1 Corinthians
3:6,8,9b). Paul wrote of plowing in hope and becoming
all things to all people that some might be saved,
so that he might gain an incorruptible crown (1
Corinthians 9). He spoke of another reward, "For
what is our hope, or joy, or crown of rejoicing?
Are not even ye in the presence of our Lord Jesus
Christ at his coming? For ye are our glory and
joy" (1 Thessalonians 2:19,20). We have one
lifetime to bring forth fruits of righteousness,
and then the rewards will be passed out (Romans
14:10; 1 Corinthians 3:13-15). Are you to receive
rewards, or are you wasting the ability God has
given you?
The prophet Hosea spoke of this work 750 years
before Christ, saying, "Sow to yourselves
in righteousness, reap in mercy; break up the
fallow ground: for it is time to seek the Lord,
till he come and rain righteousness upon you"
(10:12). At Pentecost, righteousness was rained
upon the believers as they praised God in the
upper room. Our Heavenly Father knew that only
His Son and the anointing of the Holy Spirit would
break up the soil of mankind's stony hearts. It
took the dynamite of God's power for such a miracle.
Are there areas in your life where you need to
give the flesh a rest and let God's ability take
over?
Isaiah prophesied saying, "To appoint
unto them that mourn in Zion, to give unto them
beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning,
the garments of praise for the spirit of heaviness;
that they might be called trees of righteous-ness,
the planting of the Lord, that he might be glorified"
(61:3). We are the trees of righteousness in Christ,
given beauty for ashes, joy for mourning and the
garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness.
We are planted beside the life-giving waters.
HOPE BRINGS FORTH CLEAN LIVING
God's life-giving sap flows through us as trees
of righteousness at all times. As a Christian
meditates on the Word of God day and night, "…he
shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of
water that bringeth forth his fruit in his season;
his leaf also shall not wither; and whatever he
doeth shall prosper" (Psalm 1:3). God
has made us His temple by sending the Holy Spirit
to dwell in us. Our heart is God's sanctuary,
where life flows through our soul: thoughts, choices
and feelings. As these are brought into line with
God's point of view, His ability to minister flows
forth.
We are the body of Christ, a living organism.
We pray and worship God day and night before His
throne, while awaiting in hope for His soon return.
Hope is future, but our righteousness in Christ
is now. As we live facing our Father's heavenly
throne room "…we shall be like him;
for we shall see him as he is… And every
man that hath this hope in him purifieth himself,
even as he is pure" (1 John 3:2c,3).
When we identify with our righteous-ness in Christ,
our soul is cleansed so His righteousness may
flow forth. John says, "Dear children,
don't let anyone deceive you about this: When
people do what is right, it is because they are
righteous, even as Christ is righteous"
(1 John 3:7 NLT). Do you have a desire to be illuminated
with the revelation of Jesus Christ?
Our Heavenly Father gave us His ability to live
a righteous life before Him when we were born
again. Paul says, "For the grace [ability]
of God that bringeth salvation hath appeared to
all men. Teaching us that, denying ungodliness
and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously,
and godly, in this present world; Looking for
that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing
of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ;
Who gave himself for us, that he might redeem
us from all iniquity, and purify unto himself
a peculiar [special] people, zealous of good works"
(Titus 2:11-14, emphasis added).
We have a responsibility to keep a clean temple
before the Lord. Paul said to Timothy, "If
a man purge himself from these [sins], he shall
be a vessel unto honor, sanctified and meet for
the master's use, and prepared unto every good
work… Flee also youthful lusts: but follow
righteousness, faith, charity, peace, with them
that call on the Lord out of a pure heart"
(2 Timothy 2:21,22, emphasis added).
There is a progressive work of sanctification
going on in the sanctuary of our hearts. The Apostle
Peter says, "But sanctify [set apart]
the Lord God in your hearts" (1 Peter
3:15a, emphasis added). Paul said it like this,
"…I plead with you to give your bodies
to God. Let them be a living and holy sacrifice-the
kind he will accept. When you think of what he
has done for you, is this too much to ask? Don't
copy the behavior and customs of this world, but
let God transform you into a new person by changing
the way you think" (Romans 12:1,2 NLT).
This is our daily service as priests. The priestly
duties of old consisted of trimming the wicks
on the oil lamps so the light burned brightly
in the sanctuary. Christ, our Light, searches,
exposes, guides, reveals, strengthens and renews
our mind. His light in us reflects God's glory.
The priests changed the loaves of bread in the
sanctuary to keep them fresh. Christ, our True
Bread and Sustainer, gives us the desire through
the revelation of His Word to do His will. The
priests also burnt incense while offering prayers
to God. Christ, our Intercessor, prays for us,
as we come to God through Him in prayer, thanksgiving,
praise and worship. He lifts our hearts to experience
His presence. This is our service unto God, walking
in holiness as a living sacrifice (See Diagram
#7).
Christ's righteousness brings forth grace, peace,
joy, love and hope, but we must yield ourselves
as servants of righteousness (Romans 6:19). We
rejoice in hope of the glory of God, even in our
tribulations, being patient, gaining experience
and more hope. This process of maturity allows
the love of God to flow through our hearts freely
(Romans 5:1-5). This hope becomes our helmet of
salvation as we watch for the return of Christ
(1 Thessalonians 5:8). We shall see Him as He
is; "The-LORD-Our-Righteousness," as
we yield our lives to being servants of righteousness.
WHO IS GOD?
God is hope, and the Author of hope. Hope does
not come from our desires or wishes, but from
God, Who is Himself our hope. "My hope
is in Thee" (Psalm 39:7).
Our faith is tied to this hope, even though it
is invisible. "Now faith is the substance
of things hoped for, the evidence of things not
seen" (Hebrews 11:1). Moses told the
children of Israel, "…because the
LORD loved you… Know therefore that the LORD
thy God, he is God, the faithful God, which keepeth
covenant and mercy with them that love him and
keep his commandments to a thousand generations"
(Deuteronomy 7:8a,9).
Genuine hope is not wishful thinking, but a firm
assurance from God about things that are unseen
and still in the future. "Now that we
are saved, we eagerly look forward to this freedom.
For if you already have something, you don't need
to hope for it. But if we look forward to something
we don't have yet, we must wait patiently and
confidently" (Romans 8:24,25 NLT).
God is changeless. Progress and change may character-ize
some of His works, but God Himself remains unchanged,
"…thou art the same, and thy years
shall not fail" (Hebrews 1:12b). If God
did change; He would not be perfect, and we could
not hope in Him. He is the same from one time
to another.
God is Holiness. The word "holy" means
"to separate." It refers to God as separated
from or exalted above other things (Isaiah 6:1-3).
Holiness refers to God's moral excellence. Being
holy, God requires holiness from His children,
and supplies us with righteousness to achieve
His requirement. Holiness is a gift from God and
received by faith through His Son, Jesus Christ:
"And that ye put on the new man, which
after God is created in righteousness and true
holiness" (Ephesians 4:24).
God is our Sanctifier. He is our "Jehovah-M'Kaddesh,"
meaning "The-LORD-Our-Sanctifier." We
are sanctified by God the Father (Jude 1), God
the Son (Hebrews 2:11), and God the Holy Spirit
(1 Peter 1:2). We are sanctified in the Spirit
when we are born again, but He continues to sanctify
our soul and body until His return (1 Thessalonians
5:23). Jesus prayed, "Sanctify them through
thy truth; thy word is truth" (John 17:17).
God is our Servant. Jesus is identified as our
Messiah, and His ministry is on behalf of His
children. He is chosen of God. He delights in
God and He receives God's Spirit. Like Wisdom,
in Proverbs 8, He is holy, just and righteous.
He is our example as servants of righteousness.
Truly, God is our Blessed Hope. We can trust
in Him to never change His mind concerning our
Lord's glorious appearing. He has given us the
ability to live separate from this world because
of Christ's righteousness. We can now serve him
in a new and living way, letting our "…light
so shine before men, that they may see our good
works, and glorify our Father which is in heaven"
(Matthew 5:16).
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