BS-20 – ‘The RIGHETOUS?’
Are there any who are Righteous besides the Lord?
Scripture reads that there is only one who is truly GOOD; that’s God. So what about RIGHTEOUS; are there any, besides God who are righteous?
A long time ago there was a man named Noah who walked alongside of God. In fact he was chosen by God to build an ARC, a big boat, because mankind had become totally sinful and a cleansing was needed.
Q1 – Was Noah RIGHETEOUS in the eyes of the Lord or the world? Genesis 6:9.
Q2 – How about Job? Was he a pretty good guy based on what Ezekiel 14:12-20 reads?
Q3 – Matthew 1:19 – Was the husband of Mary a righteous person?
Q4 – Mark 2:17 – Who did Jesus come to rescue?
Q5 – Luke 15:7 – Are you one of the 99?
Q6 – Romans 3:10 – How many people, on their own, could be considered righteous?
Q7 – 1 Peter 4:18 – Is it easy for a righteous person to get into heaven?
Q8 – Proverbs 15:29 – Whose prayer does God hear; whose does HE not hear?
Q9 – Matthew 5:48 – Does God bless both the righteous and unrighteous?
Q10 – Matthew 9:13 – Does God only call the righteous?
Q11 – Matthew 13:49 – who will separate the unrighteous from the righteous?
**
What if – the ‘Sons of Israel’ had obeyed; would the Gentile have salvation today?
Isaiah 65:1 – The scripture, from the Lord, tells the reader that HE permitted the heathen to find him. Remember that scripture was written to the Jew, not the Gentile, back in the day. We Gentiles use it today as a guide, as examples, in how to live our lives to please God. Isaiah 64:6 – reads that the ‘Sons of Israel’ became like filthy rags, unclean, and provided the opening for the non-Jew.
**
GOOD – Mark 10:18 – 17 As He was setting out on a journey, a man ran up to Jesus and knelt before Him, and asked Him, “Good Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?” 18 And Jesus said to him, “Why do you call Me good? No one is good except God alone.
[If good is truly good (having never sinned) then only deity is ‘good’. Did Jesus affirm HE was deity when called ‘good Teacher’ by the rich young ruler?] YES.
RIGHTEOUS – Genesis 6:9 – These are the records of the generations of Noah. Noah was a righteous man, blameless in his time; [Did Noah find GRACE in the eyes of the Lord?]
God blessed Noah – Genesis 9:1
God made a covenant with Noah – Genesis 9:9-13
Ezekiel 14:12-20. 12 Then the word of the Lord came to me saying, 13 “Son of man, if a country sins against Me by committing unfaithfulness, and I stretch out My hand against it, destroy its supply of bread, send famine against it and cut off from it both man and beast, 14 even though these three men, Noah, Daniel and Job were in its midst, by their own righteousness they could only deliver themselves,” declares the Lord God. 15 “If I were to cause wild beasts to pass through the land and they depopulated it, and it became desolate so that no one would pass through it because of the beasts, 16 though these three men were in its midst, as I live,” declares the Lord God, “they could not deliver either their sons or their daughters. They alone would be delivered, but the country would be desolate. 17 Or if I should bring a sword on that country and say, ‘Let the sword pass through the country and cut off man and beast from it,’ 18 even though these three men were in its midst, as I live,” declares the Lord God, “they could not deliver either their sons or their daughters, but they alone would be delivered. 19 Or if I should send a plague against that country and pour out My wrath in blood on it to cut off man and beast from it, 20 even though Noah, Daniel and Job were in its midst, as I live,” declares the Lord God, “they could not deliver either their son or their daughter. They would deliver only themselves by their righteousness..
[A rare exception to the ways of God; for the most part the prayers of SAVED or righteous man does not change the mind of God’s eternal PLAN, does it? – Abraham & Lot.]
Matthew 1:19 – And Joseph her husband, being a righteous man and not wanting to disgrace her [talking about Mary, the earthly mother of Jesus], planned to send her away secretly.
[In the Levitical Law stoning was the outcome of a woman who had had been with another man besides her husband. Joseph knew he had not been the person who got his betrothed, Mary, pregnant. He was going to show MERCY toward her, which counted as righteousness.]
Mark 2:17 – And hearing this, Jesus *said to them, “It is not those who are healthy who need a physician, but those who are sick; I did not come to call the righteous, but sinners.”
[The spiritual sick has the meaning of the unsaved; a person who has never repented falls into the category of the unrighteous. Righteousness only comes through Christ.]
Luke 15:7 – I tell you that in the same way, there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who need no repentance.
[The Lord and the angels rejoice when a sinner turns their life over to Christ as their Savior. The 99 are those who have already made the choice for Jesus; a good thing; at one time we are all the ONE.]
Romans 3:10 – as it is written, “There is none righteous, not even one;
[In Psalms 53:1-3 the scripture explains that the meaning is those people who reject God have no righteousness; they’re lost.]
1 Peter 4:18 – And if it is with difficulty that the righteous is saved, what will become of the godless man and the sinner?
[The justified sinner, it’s one who has repented and barely falls into the SAVED category of the righteous. Though we are SAVED it is only through God’s amazing GIFT, and loving GRACE.]
Proverbs 15:29 – The Lord is far from the wicked, But He hears the prayer of the righteous.
[In 1 Peter 3:12 the writer also mentions that the Lord does not hear the prayer of the sinner; also in John 9:31 scripture repeats the warning to the unsaved. So, the Question. Does God listen to a single prayer from the HEATHEN except for the prayer of repentance?]
3:12 – “For the eyes of the Lord are toward the righteous, And His ears attend to their prayer,
But the face of the Lord is against those who do evil.”
9:31 – We know that God does not hear sinners; but if anyone is God-fearing and does His will, He hears him.
Matthew 5:20 – “For I say to you that unless your righteousness surpasses that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will not enter the kingdom of heaven.
[The religious leaders were legalist to the 10th degree; they lacked kindness and compassion. They lacked true righteousness and scripture reads that we have to be more than they were; righteousness includes several virtues such as love, kindness, peace, joy, etc.]
Matthew 9:13 – But go and learn what this means: ‘I desire compassion, and not sacrifice,’ for I did not come to call the righteous, but sinners.”
[Jesus was talking about moral standards; not just ceremonial aspects of the Law. Many of the Levitical leaders had become harsh, judgmental, self-righteous and scornful to others.]
Matthew 13:49 – So it will be at the end of the age; the angels will come forth and take out the wicked from among the righteous, 50 and will throw them into the furnace of fire; in that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.
[Those who are off Christ and those who are Antichrist will be gathered into separate groups; some (few) to joy and some (many) to torture.]
1 Peter 4:18 – And if it is with difficulty that the righteous is saved, what will become of the godless man and the sinner?
[The justified sinner is SAVED through the suffering and pain of Christ. Few put their TRUST in Jesus for salvation but many reject Him. The Christian is only righteous because we become adopted through our redeemer and savior, Jesus.]
Isaiah 65:1 – “I permitted Myself to be sought by those who did not ask for Me; I permitted Myself to be found by those who did not seek Me. I said, ‘Here am I, here am I,’
to a nation which did not call on My name.
[The Lord made HIMSELF available for the Gentile Nations. It was HE who provided the way of salvation. Did HE choose us b4 creation? Are some of us the ELECT or Foreordained?]
Isaiah 64:6 – For all of us have become like one who is unclean, and all our righteous deeds are like a filthy garment; and all of us wither like a leaf, And our iniquities, like the wind, take us away.
[Written to the ‘Sons of Israel’ but could also be to the church of Laodicea, which is defined by the end-time church, the time we live in; described as ‘lukewarm’.]
**
CONCLUSION – If you have put your TRUST in Jesus, the Christ; your sins have been forgiven and Gods amazing Grace has made you RIGHTEOUS in HIS sight.
DG