Parresia · Beholding Jesus in His Amazing Grace, Session 17, “Jesus, Our Righteousness”

Transcript of Session 17, “Jesus, Our Righteousness”

Introduction

Welcome to Beholding Jesus in His Amazing Grace. This session is entitled, “Jesus, Our Righteousness.”

Today I want to share the simple message of the gospel of grace with you and what it means when we say, “I am the righteousness of God in Christ Jesus.”

Email from 2016

I want to begin by sharing an email that I received in 2016, eight years ago, which began with a recollection of a message I shared in 2010, 14 years ago.

In the fall of 2010, I was asked to teach a group of about 100 college age and high school leaders about grace. I taught eight sessions about the New Covenant, the cross of Jesus Christ, and the doctrines of grace from Hebrews, Romans, Galatians, Ephesians, and 2 Corinthians. I didn’t “water it down” or make it “relevant.” I taught them the same way I always teach. 

After each session, the young people were invited to come up for prayer, and I was overwhelmed by the response. There were many tears and so much freedom being experienced!

What an incredible time that was, not only for them, but also for me. I was so grateful to God for how He was transforming all of us. And that became the norm for years to come. Everywhere I went, grace was spreading to more and more, and God was radically changing lives! 

Recently, the Holy Spirit reminded me of an email I received from one of the young people who was a member of that leadership team in 2010. The email was dated July of 2016, six years after I had taught that group of students. Here is that email sent to me eight years ago:

”You probably don’t remember me but I listened to you preach about grace when I was 15 at a youth meeting. I was on fire for God but could not get over the guilt and condemnation I was feeling 24/7 in pursuit of a sinless life (which is impossible). I remember your speech like it was yesterday and I remember going up to you afterwards and asking you how what you were preaching is fair and asking you if all the things I was doing to try and live sinlessly were for nothing, and you simply responded that it’s not fair, but that’s why it’s grace and not works. I then noticed how the church was so full of sermons about works and trying to get rid of sin and all of that and I was struggling with recurring sins in my life and finally reached the point where I couldn’t take it anymore because I was beating myself up beyond recognition. I removed myself from the church until I graduated from college. I was so tired of Christians and Christianity always pointing out my flaws and telling me that because I kept sinning that God thought less of me. All of this ‘Holier than thou’ attitude. So I didn’t talk to God for 4 or 5 years between my senior year of high school and now because I knew that I wasn’t worthy and I could never get to the point where I could talk to God with a clean conscience. I always felt like he was disappointed in me. And about two hours ago when I listened to your sermon in Huntsville online while I was driving in the car, I just started bawling and thanking God for all he did to take the weight off my shoulders. It doesn’t seem right that he doesn’t see all my flaws and it’s taking a lot of faith for me to fully believe that he sees me for what I am and loves me anyway but it feels so good to finally know that he loves me and accepts me for who I am. Thank you so much for preaching the TRUE grace of God. It has changed my life.”

A seed was planted in this person’s life  in 2010 because God had opened the door for me to share the gospel with him. And then, six years later God changed his life, simply because God led him to a message that I had online.  one of my recorded teachings online – while he was driving his car.

Weary and heavy laden

I searched my documents for that message, because I wanted to know what I said that touched person so deeply. And I was able to find those notes. So I want to share with you that very message today. 

If you have listened to me for long, you have already heard most of what I am going to say, but today I want you to hear it as if you have never heard it before, or hear it for someone you love and imagine – ask and imagine – them being set free to receive the grace of Jesus Christ for themselves. [Ask and imagine and He will do immeasurably more]

So here is that message from May of 2016: in Huntsville, AL, at a Parresia Gathering.

Matthew 11:27, The Message – [I began by reading from the Message paraphrase, Jesus said – ] “No one knows the Son the way the Father does, nor the Father the way the Son does. But I’m not keeping it to myself.”

Jesus came to reveal the Father’s heart and nature. In fact, Jesus himself is the manifestation of God. If you want to know what the Father is like and what the Father’s will is, just look at Jesus.

But up until Jesus came, no one knew the Father the way the Son did. They often thought of God as Someone who put heavy burdens on them and was far away and was displeased with them.

Matthew 11:27-31, The Message, cont. – [Jesus said] “I’m ready to go over it line by line with anyone willing to listen. [Then Jesus asked a question that would show who were willing to listen – ] Are you tired? Worn out? Burned out on religion? [That’s a common denominator for many people right before they are awakened to God’s grace and to receive the grace of God. Then Jesus gave them the SOLUTION – ] Come to me. Get away with me and you’ll recover your life. I’ll show you how to take a real rest. Walk with me and work with me—watch how I do it. Learn the unforced rhythms of grace. I won’t lay anything heavy or ill-fitting on you. Keep company with me and you’ll learn to live freely and lightly.”

Jesus was speaking to people who were heavy-laden with a religious system that demanded more than their weary souls could supply.

They were under the law, with all of its 600-something rules and regulations – which Paul called the “ministry of condemnation and death.” (2 Corinthians 3:7, 9) 

Why did he call it that? Because it ministered condemnation and death! Everyone knew they didn’t measure up to the perfect standards of the law.

It’s the “do to be” system. Do that and you will be right with God; do this and He will accept you. I call it the “do-do” of religion. 

And every religious system is the same. And the results are aways the same:

• Burn out from working so hard
• never feeling like God is pleased with you
• always striving to “be right” with God
• doubting that He loves you
• constant comparisons with others
• You just don’t feel like you measure up and there’s alot of insecurity
• And you will always find this in a religious system: hidden sin (the Bible says “the strength of sin is the law” [1 Corinthians 15:56] (The more law you have the more sinning you have! The sinning doesn’t go away; it just goes underground.)
• and then, of course, feelings of shame and Condemnation

The law created a veil of condemnation that separated them from the presence of God. So Jesus came, and He removed the veil of condemnation and separation.

Acts 13:38-39 – [Paul preached] “Let it be known to you, brethren, that through this Man [Jesus Christ] is preached to you the forgiveness of sins; 39 and by Him everyone who believes is justified [made right with God] from all things from which you could not be justified by the law of Moses.”

Now you might ask, what does that have to do with me? I’m not Jewish. I don’t follow the law of Moses. But if you subscribe to any religious system that tells you that you have to work to be right with God, you are under law and not under grace.

Ephesians 2:8-9 – [Paul wrote] For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, 9 not of works, lest anyone should boast.

However, so many people think we’re saved by grace, but then we need the law – or a outward Demand on performance – to stay right with God.

You see, the law which demanded perfect performance, never made anyone right with God because Its purpose was to make everyone guilty.

Romans 3:19-20 – Now we know that whatever the law says, it says to those who are under the law, that every mouth may be stopped, [You cannot go to God with your list of accomplishments] and all the world may become guilty before God. 20 Therefore by the deeds of the law [by obeying the Law] no flesh will be justified in His sight, [Or made right in His sight. Why?] for by the law is the knowledge of sin. [not the knowledge of righteousness]

The purpose of the law wasn’t to give us a standard of righteousness to achieve. The purpose of the law was to show us that we couldn’t achieve it so that we would turn to Jesus and receive His grace.

There is no place for the law in the life of a New Covenant believer. Why? Because – 

Galatians 3:12 – the law is not of faith…[Whatever is not of faith is sin. (Romans 14:23) Our very efforts to try to be a good person to get right with God is sin!]

So the law is not of faith. Why? Because it doesn’t take faith to perform to be right with God;  but it does take faith to believe you are righteous as a gift, apart from your performance. That is the faith that God says you must have to enter the kingdom of God.

Galatians 2:16, The Message – [Paul wrote] We know very well that we are not set right with God by rule-keeping but only through personal faith in Jesus Christ. How do we know? We tried it—and we had the best system of rules the world has ever seen! Convinced that no human being can please God by self-improvement, we believed in Jesus as the Messiah so that we might be set right before God by trusting in the Messiah, not by trying to be good.

So how do we live without the law to tell us how to be good?

Colossians 2:6 – [again, Paul wrote] As you therefore have received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in Him…

How did you receive Christ Jesus the Lord? By grace trough faith. So how do you walk it out each day? By grace trough faith in His righteousness.

Jesus served you

You see, the Gospel is NOT about your service to Jesus. It’s about His service to you because He loved you first.

The Gospel is that Jesus knew YOU before you were born;  Jesus loved YOU before you loved Him.  Jesus came from heaven as YOU. [He put on human flesh]  Jesus died as YOU. [Not just FOR you, but AS you – in your place.] Jesus was buried as YOU. Jesus rose as YOU.  Why? So you can be as He is in perfect right standing with God. That’s the Gospel. Jesus served you.

The Gospel is the power

Romans 1:16 – [Paul said -] For I am not ashamed of the gospel [the good news] of Christ, for it is the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes, for the Jew first and also for the Greek. [believes is the Greek word pisteuō. It means to put your full hope, trust, and confidence in the good news of Christ – not in your works of efforts, but His]

“Salvation” is the Greek word “soteria” from the verb “sozo” which encompasses much more than your “get out of hell free card.” The gospel is also the power of God even in this life for your healing, wholeness, mental soundness, provision in every area of your life, and deliverance from every demonic force.

The “power” of God  – that’s the Greek word “dunamis” from which we get our word “dynamite”! The Gospel is dynamite, explosive power. It’s not good instruction. It’s a Good News, so good that it’s sounds too good to be true, but the second you believe it, it becomes the explosive power of God to change your life!

Romans 1:17 – [Back to Romans 1, verse 17 ] For in it [the salvation that comes from believing the gospel] the righteousness of God is revealed [not OUR righteousness, the free gift of Christ’s righteousness] from faith to faith; as it is written, “The just [the righteous] shall live by faith.”

“Righteousness” means right standing with God. It takes faith to believe you are rights all day every minute of every day! Why must it be by faith? Because every day you will look into the mirror and see evidence to the contrary.

The Great Exchange

But you must believe the truth! A divine exchange took place:

2 Corinthians 5:19-21 – God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself, not imputing their trespasses to them, [that means He’s NOT COUNTING your sins against you. Why? Because all of your sins were counted against Jesus at the cross. God won’t find fault with you because He found fault with Jesus for all your sins. And then Paul says – ] and [God] has committed to us the word of reconciliation. [What is THE WORD of reconciliation? God is not counting your sins against you!] 20 Now then, we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were pleading through us: we implore you on Christ’s behalf Be reconciled to God. [by simply believing and receiving the following truth:] 21 For He [God] made Him [Jesus] who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.”

Jesus became sin at the cross apart from any sinful actions, deeds, or thoughts, and once you receive the free gift of His righteousness, you become righteous apart from anything good that you have done.  You are righteous – not because you do righteous acts, but because HIS righteousness became YOUR righteousness. He took your sin; you take His righteousness. It is so unfair! It’s called the great exchange.

Grace doesn’t make sense to the natural mind. All we understand is deductive reasoning which says, “Do good, get good, feel good about yourself. Do bad, get bad, feel bad about yourself.” And the feeling of good or bad is supposed to be your motivation for doing good.

Every religion, including Buddhism, Hinduism, Judaism, and Islam, believes that. Some call it karma. Every religion believes that we should get the good we have earned and the bad we deserve. 

It takes the Holy Spirit to understand grace because grace tells us that we get the good we could never earn, and we never have to get the bad that we actually deserve. It’s scandalous. 

Forgiven

In Jesus we have finished forgiveness – we have it; we’re not trying to get it.

Ephesians 1:7 – In Him [Jesus] we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of His grace.

We have been forgiven. Past tense. We are not forgiven as we go. We aren’t working towards being forgiven. We are not forgiven some time in the future. All of our sins – past, present, and future – were paid for at the cross.

The wages of sin is death, and our forgiveness was purchased at a great cost: “the redemption through Jesus’ blood.”

“Forgiven” means that the debt has been paid. When you sin today, you should know that the debt has been paid once for all, and immediately see Jesus seated in heaven at the right hand of God having purged your sins.

Hebrews 1:3 – …when He [Jesus] had by Himself [with no help from us!] purged our sins, [He] sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high [He sat down because the work was finished – not a morsel of sin remained in the New Creation that He has made you to be!]

If you can see this truth in your heart, instead of being sin and self focused and trying to hide or pay for your sin, you will be filled with thanksgiving and gratefulness for then unfairness of this Great Exchange, and we’re going to be filled with the unconditional love of God. And then the grace of God will instruct you to live right! Right believing leads to right living!

Titus 2:11-12 – For the grace of God has appeared [grace is a Person and His name is Jesus! And that grace is – ], bringing salvation to all men, 12 instructing us to deny ungodliness…

Grace is the best teacher there is to teach us to deny ungodliness. The more we know about the amazing grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, the more we will reflect His glory in holy living.

If our minds are constantly on sin and shame, we will continually beg for forgiveness, [asking for something we already have! He already forgave us!] but Jesus will never get back up on that cross and die again! Once was enough!

We are forgiven according to the riches of His grace. The day you can measure the riches of His grace is the day when you’ll know how much He has forgiven you. Let’s make that a goal – measure the riches of His grace!! Just count the many ways that He has extended grace to us, and it will keep us in awe of Jesus!

If you are a believer in Jesus Christ, do you realize what happened to you the moment you believed?! You were redeemed! You were bought out of the slavery of sin, shame, condemnation, guilt, and darkness, and you were brought into the light. 

You became a whole new creation in Christ with a brand new identity!

2 Corinthians 5:17- if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new. [“new” – kainos – fresh, unused, unworn, of a new kind, unprecedented, novel, uncommon, unheard of]

You are a masterpiece. There is no one else like you. You are unique. If you only knew who you are! 

The new creation has no history of sin, and it has no future of sin. The new creation has no sin in it – because the blood of Jesus is eternal!  The new creation isn’t new until it’s old. It’s forever new! In our redeemed spirit – the new man who is joined to Jesus Christ – has dominion over our flesh and over sin – You don’t have to be a victim!

Romans 6:14 – For sin shall not have dominion over you, for you are not under law [where your identity was in your performance] but under grace [where your identity is in Jesus!]

Sanctified, Washed, Justified

When Paul encountered sin in the church, he didn’t use the law on them. He simply reminded them of their identity in Christ!

1 Corinthians 6:11-12 – [After Paul scolded the Corinthians for behaving like the unrighteous unbelievers, he said -] And such were some of you. [But you aren’t anymore!] But you were washed, but you were sanctified [made holy], but you were justified [made right with God] in the name of the Lord Jesus and by the Spirit of our God. [He didn’t say, “And such were some of you, but you changed your behavior.” God change you – He made you right with him through the blood of His Son. Paul goes on to say – ] 12 All things are lawful for me, but all things are not helpful. All things are lawful for me, but I will not be brought under the power of any. [Why? Because sin shall not have dominion over me because I am not under law where my identity is in what I DO, but under grace where my identity is in what He has DONE!]

All those verbs – washed, sanctified, justified – are in the aorist passive indicative Greek verb tense.

• Aorist means a one time action that will never be repeated. When you were washed, you were washed for good. When you were sanctified, you were sanctified for good. When you were justified, you were justified for good.
• Passive means it was done to you! You didn’t wash or sanctify or justify yourself! God did that the moment you believed, and you became a new creation!

It seems that when Paul encountered sin in the church, all he wanted to do was make them conscious of what Jesus had accomplished for them in His finished work at the cross.

No judgement, no condemnation

The number one problem in the world today (not to mention the church) is unbelief in what Jesus Christ has accomplished for us.

Every human being was born with a longing to be close to God. Nothing you or I could ever do in our own efforts can satisfy this longing to be loved, accepted, and approved of. Only God can provide what our souls crave. 

And God did it by sending His Son, Jesus Christ, for us. 

Romans 5:8 – God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.

There is only one demonstration of love that all other expressions of love rest upon: He loved us before we sinned, He still loves us when we sin today, and He will always, always, always love us even when we fail Him in the future!

I picture Jesus putting His body over ours – like a father shielding his children from bullets, while taking the bullets himself. He is our Hero!

The fiery darts of the enemy will continue to pummel us as long as we are in these earthen vessels of flesh. He is the accuser of the brethren, and those fiery darts are the arrows of shame and condemnation. 

But the love of Jesus covers over a multitude of sins. 

1 John 4:17-18 – Love has been perfected among us in this: [perfected – accomplished, finished] that we may have boldness in the day of judgment [boldness: parresia – free and fearless confidence! How can we have free and fearless confidence in the day of judgement?]; because as He [Jesus] is so are we in this world. [We are right with God because of Jesus] 18 There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear, because fear involves torment. [That word torment literally means “punishment.” The believer never has to fear punishment from God or wrath from God because Jesus took it for us in our place! He took the wrath of God against all unrighteousness and unglodliness of men] But he who fears has not been made perfect in love.

If you fear punishment, then God’s perfect love is not fully accomplishing it’s purpose – that you might have complete confidence and boldness in His presence. 

Hebrews 4:16 – Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need. [“Come boldly” – again is the Greek word parresia and it means freedom in speaking, unreservedness in speech, openly, frankly, without concealment, free and fearless confidence, cheerful courage, boldness, assurance. What does that mean? Come as you are! Just let it all out with God! You can tell God anything! You don’t have to hide anything! Tell Him everything.]

1 John 3:21 – Beloved, if our heart does not condemn us, we have confidence [We have parresía] toward God.  

Do you have confidence toward God, or do you have an unhealthy fear of Him? If you don’t have confidence toward God, it’s because your heart is condemning you! He’s not the one condemning you – YOU are condemning you!

What is perfect love? The kind that says – 

Romans 8:1-3, NASB – Therefore there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. 2 For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has set you free from the law of sin and of death. 3 For what the Law could not do, weak as it was through the flesh, God did [The law couldn’t make you righteous through your good behavior! What the law could not do, God did – by -]: sending His own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and as an offering for sin, He condemned sin in the flesh.

Sin in the flesh has been overcome, and deprived of its power to condemn us, control us, identify us, or separate us from God!

Then a few verses later at the end of that same chapter, the Bible tells us that nothing can separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord. Nothing! Not even our failures – yesterday, today, or tomorrow – because blood of Jesus is eternal and has washed away all of our sins.

If you sin today, I want you to know, you’re not acting like yourself! That is NOT WHO YOU ARE!!! You are NOT a SINNER! You are a child of God! And the more you believe that, and the more you keep your eyes on Jesus, the more you will live it out. It is a false identity to identify yourself by the sins of the flesh. You have been circumcised from the flesh. You have been cut away from that identity. You are now identified in your spirit with Jesus Christ. You are His beloved.

New Covenant

So radical and complete is your redemption that God has promised He won’t even remember your sins!

Hebrews 8:12-13 – [Speaking of the New Covenant, God says] “For I will be merciful to their unrighteousness, and their sins and their lawless deeds I will remember no more.” 13 In that He says, “A new covenant,” He has made the first obsolete.

Perfect love: means no more reminders of how far short we fall. 

We say that God can do anything. But there are some things that God can’t do.  He’s not a man that He should lie.  

His word is His bond. He cannot remember our sins! Why? Because do you know what happens when God remembers sins? He punishes for sins. And that was done in the body of Jesus once for all 2000 years ago.

John 1:29 – “Behold! The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!”

Nothing you do on the outside can cleanse you on the inside! Only the blood of Jesus can cleanse you. Do you believe that?

If you have never trusted Jesus as your Lord and Savior, if you have never received the forgiveness of your sins, if you have never received the abundance of His grace and the free gift of His righteousness, I invite you to do that today.

Romans 10:9-10 – If you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. [What does that mean? He took your sin in His body into the grave to pay your debt and died in your place. He took your sin into the grave, and rose again without it] 10 For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. [Today is the day to trust Jesus with your life!]

Seated in heavenly places

Everyone who has believed in the Lord Jesus is spiritually born again as a New Creation. And just as Jesus is seated in heavenly places, so are we seated in Him.

Ephesians 2:4-7 – But God, who is rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, 5 even when we were dead in trespasses, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), 6 and raised us up together, and made us sit together in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, [And why did He save us and raise us up to heaven? So-] 7 that in the ages to come He might show the exceeding riches of His grace in His kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. 

The phrase “in the ages to come” literally means, “from the moment He perched you there and seated you in heaven into all eternity,” God desires to show – “to demonstrate, manifest, and display” – the exceeding riches of His unmerited favor in His kindness towards us!

Under Grace

If we can receive our identity in Christ, we will be truly free. If you are under grace and living in freedom, because you will have certain qualities about you. 

Under grace there’s no need for comparison,  or competition,   or jealousy,   or personal agendas,   there’s- 

• nothing to hide,
• nothing to prove,
• nothing to gain, (Why? because you have it all! What more could you gain than Jesus?)
• nothing to lose, (Why? because to live is Christ and to die is gain!)
• no one to convince, (God can handle that!)
• no one to impress. (Because Jesus is the only One who matters, and He thinks you’re pretty special)
• You don’t need followers. (Why? Because you’re just following Jesus and keeping our eyes on Him, not looking behind you to see who’s following you. You don’t have to check every day and ask, “Do I have a million followers today?” Isn’t that awesome! That’s what living under grace is like!)
• You don’t need man’s approval because you have God’s!
• You don’t need a position or a title. You don’t’ need to take credit for anything.
• You are free to serve others and free to love.
• You are marked with joy and peace and security.
• You are free to succeed because you’re free to fail and get right back up again!

And the biggest one is this: we’re free to hear the voice of the Holy Spirit for ourselves! 

The Gospel of grace transforms religious “robots” into eagles who soar without any of the constraints of religion.

Reconciled

As I conclude, I want to leave you with the most important truth you need to remember every day:

Colossians 1:22-23, NLT – Yet now He [God] has reconciled you to Himself [past tense] through the death of Christ in His physical body. As a result, He has brought you into His own presence [right now!], and you are holy and blameless as you stand before Him [present tense] without a single fault. 23 But you must continue to believe this truth and stand firmly in it. Don’t drift away from the assurance you received when you heard the Good News.

Copyright info: All scriptures in the New King James Version unless otherwise noted.

• (NKJV) New King James Version. Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission.
• (NLT) Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright ©1996, 2004, 2007, 2013 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
• (NASB) Scripture quotations taken from the New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation Used by permission. (www.Lockman.org)
• The Message, Copyright © 1993, 2002, 2018 by Eugene H. Peterson