The world today takes their finger of blame and says that the problems of this age are caused by the rebellious youth of our culture. But should we take that same finger and point it at the guardians of society: men and women who market drinking commercials toward teens and target our youth with easily accessible pornography.
And if we were to pose a question for the stages of mainstream media, politics, and celebrity, I think it would be this: Where has the righteousness gone? Where are the Christians?
Proverbs 14:34 says, “Righteousness exalts a nation, but sin is a disgrace to any nation.” If you go out of the country today, you’ll find that other countries don’t look at us well. The Pew Global Attitudes Survey of 2007 read, “The U.S. generally performs poorly on global goodwill surveys, which is particularly true throughout the Middle East and much of Europe.” Why? NO RIGHTEOUSNESS. We aren't standing by what we claim to believe.
I believe there is a quota of righteous people in this nation, that if it is not met, God will bring judgement.
Righteousness is “Acting in accord with divine or moral law that arises from a sense of justice.” It’s a judicial term, a legal term. Job was characterized as a righteous man and it wasn’t because he was perfect but because he bore fruit in all aspects of his life.
See I’m looking at righteousness the way God looks at it. God is a holy God and can have no part in sin. And there isn’t a person in this world who hasn’t sinned.
If today you were to stand in a court room and judged upon the basis of the Law, how would you be charged? The Bible says, “All men have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.”
The Bible tells us, “No one can fathom the depravity of the human heart.” We often blame others or even the devil for our sins, but there is a difference between the works of the flesh and the works of Satan. The flesh is a slave to impurity and adultery, serves the law of sin, has passions and desires, brings corruption, has its own wisdom, wages war against the soul, and has nothing good in it. It is the flesh that creates immorality, impurity, sensuality, idolatry, sorcery, enmities, strife, jealousy, outbursts of anger, disputes, dissensions, factions, envying, drunkenness and carousing. SIN.
And because of our sin, we are seperated from God, restless and without peace. But you are a living soul, created for fellowship with Him. God loves you and has a purpose for you. He wants to give you victory in your life.
Romans 5:8 says, “God demonstrated His own love for us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.” Christ came to the earth and lived blamelessly. He was the perfect offering for our sin, as he died on the cross, shedding his blood for you and me. It is by the blood of Christ that we are saved. Christ’s blood is the blood of redemption, of covering, of forgiveness, of reconciliation, of justification, of peace, of entrance to the ear of God in prayer and the blood of cleansing.
We have been made righteous through the cross of Christ. Galatians six says, “Because of that cross, my interest in this world has been crucified, and the world's interest in me has also died.” So many want the blessings of Christ, but don’t want his cross. Paul said, “The cross is an offense to man.” And only those with ears to hear and eyes to see can percieve the mystery of the cross. If today you feel a stirring in your heart at all, don't be afraid to let Christ in, to make him Lord and Savior of your life.
God will justify those who have faith in Him. What is faith? Faith is believing God by witness of His Scriptures. When I was a child my dad bought a hammock and set it between two towering oak trees in our front yard. He sat on it to see if it could hold him and, being the wild kid that I was, I jumped on it and it broke out of the tree. But faith is like a well-fitted hammock. You cannot have the warmth and the joy of knowing Christ until you make that leap of faith and accept him into your heart.
Do you want peace? Do you want true joy and happiness? You can only find it in Christ. JESUS CHRIST.
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