Study Notes

I.      If you’re good works can’t make your righteous, bad works can’t make you unrighteous

A.    If no work made me righteous, but rather faith made me righteous then once I’m righteous no work can make unrighteous, but only rejecting Jesus can-Romans 3:21-22

1.      It’s paramount that you get the revelation that works don’t make you righteous.  When you get the revelation that you did no work to receive your righteousness you get the revelation that there is no work (thing) you can do to lose your righteousness

B.     Your right standing with God is not hinging and dependent on your good works, but rather on your faith; if you do something wrong you don’t become unrighteous

1.      Even when I’m doing wrong, I’m still right with God

2.      Righteousness says you are right with God even when you have done wrong

3.      Sin doesn’t stop God from seeing you as righteous; receiving forgiveness simply allows him to wipe the slate clean, thereby cleansing us from the effects of sin

4.      I’m not righteous b/c I don’t commit sin, but I’m righteous b/c of my faith in Jesus

C.    As a believer when you sin, when you are sinning, you’re not unrighteous again because it no longer has to do with what you do or don’t do, but with who you are

1.      God may not like what I did, but I’m still right with him and when I approach him he’ll tell me I need to repent of that, but I’m still the righteousness of God

II.     When you begin to understand that it’s not by works that you’re righteous, but by faith you’ve just begun to scratch the service of a true revelation of the love of God; when righteousness is revealed you begin to see into the love of God

A.    I’m not accepted and approved and right with God because of what I do or don’t do, but I’m accepted and approved and right with God because He’s my Father and I’m His son because I have faith in Jesus-Romans 8:14-15

1.      God loves me so much that when it comes to my being approved and accepted and right with Him, it has nothing to do with what I do or don’t do; when it comes to my right-standing with God it doesn’t even matter what I do and accepted by Him and that’s what makes me want to please so much more

2.      When it come to walking in the fullness of what he has for my life what I do matters

3.      If you live life with the misunderstanding that it’s your works that make you righteous you’ll be robbed of a true and deep revelation of God’s love

a.    A revelation your righteousness comes with a revelation of the Father’s love

B.     Luke 15:11-Right-standing with God is similar to the picture a parent with a rebellious kid; you may not like what they are doing, but you always accept them

1.      12-He didn’t work for this estate or earn it; he got it b/c of who he was, not b/c of what he did

2.      13-He wasted all he had by reckless living; this couldn’t have pleased the father

3.      19-He comes up with the plan, I’ll work for it

a.    18-19-He thinks that his right-standing with his father is hinging on what he does

4.      20-His Father forgave him and treated him as though it never existed

5.      21-He wants to talk about his sin, but his Father has no interest in it

a.    He’s saying because of what he has done he no longer deserves to be called a son, but what he doesn’t realize is that his son-ship has nothing to do with what he does or doesn’t do

b.    Son-ship is not conferred or maintained through or because of works, but rather it is the result of birth

6.      22-24-It didn’t matter what his son did, he was accepted by the Father

a.    He loves me and I’m right with Him because I’m his son/daughter

b.    This treatment has nothing to do with what he’s done, but everything to do with who he is

7.      28-30-He thinks his right-standing was about his works

8.      31-The Father said you’re my son, all that I have is yours b/c you’re my son not because of all your good works

9.      Healing, prosperity, victory etc.  is not yours because of what you do, but it’s yours because of who you are and you the righteousness of God

III.   Righteousness is the Father’s love toward us in full manifestation; It displays God’s love for his children in ways that go beyond human thinking

A.    You’ll never have a full revelation of the love of God without having a clear understanding your right standing before with God

1.      Righteousness is God saying my love for you is unconditional and its forever. It’s God being patient and God being kind. It’s God being on our side no matter what. It’s God being for us. It’s God backing us. It’s God never leaving us. It’s God being by our side encouraging us, strengthening us, and helping us even when we’ve disobeyed Him. It’s God holding our hand saying to us, “fear not, I’m with you.” It is love never failing, love never ceasing, and love never ending. It’s God looking you right the face and saying son, there’s nothing on this Earth that will keep me from loving you. There’s nothing that you can ever do to get me to stop loving you. My love for you always is and always will be. You’ll always be right with me and you can always come to me. I’m your Father and you’re my son and you don’t ever have to hesitate to come to me for any reason

B.     If God sent is only Son to die for us when we were sinners or enemies against God, how much will He do for us now that we are His children-Romans 5:1-10

1.      Romans 5:6-10 (Message) – Christ arrives right on time to make this happen. He didn’t, and doesn’t wait for us to get ready. He presented himself for this sacrificial death when we were far too weak and rebellious to do anything to get ourselves ready. And even if we hadn’t been so weak, we wouldn’t have know what to do anyway.  We can understand someone dying for a person worth dying for, and we can understand how someone good and noble could inspire us to selfless sacrifice. But God put his love on the line for us by offering his Son in sacrificial death while we were of no use whatever to him. Now that we are set right with God by means of this sacrificial death, the consummate blood sacrifice, there is no longer a question of being at odds with God in any way.  If, when we were at our worst, we were put on friendly terms with God by the sacrificial death of his Son, now that we’re at our best, just think of how our lives will expand and deepen by means of his resurrection life! Now that we have actually received this amazing friendship with God, we are no longer content to simply say it in plodding prose. We sing and shout our praises to God through Jesus the Messiah!

2.      If He did that awesome thing for you then when you weren’t right with Him, how much more will he do now when are right with him-Romans 8:32

IV.   A revelation of your righteousness is key to a fear free, oppression free life

A.    Isaiah 54:14-If you’ll get established in righteousness you’ll be far from oppression b/c you will not fear and you’ll be far from terror (the organized use of fear to torment)

B.     Understanding your righteousness with God will cause you to believe the love God has towards you-1-Jn 4:16

1.      People get into fear and lack boldness when they doubt his love-Dt 1:26-29, Mk 4:38

a.    They are not established in righteousness and that’s why they are afraid

2.      When you get the revelation that God is on your side (your right-standing before God), then you will not fear-Psalm 118:6

3.      A revelation of how much God loves you triggers you releasing that love towards other people-1 John 4:19-20 11, John 13:34

a.    Growing and developing in the love of God flushes out fear-1 John 4:18

C.    Fearless boldness only comes with a clear revelation of your righteousness-Prov 28:1-2

1.      1 Samuel 17:45-46, Daniel 3:16, Psalm 91:1-A fearless boldness that’s birthed out of a revelation of your righteousness will lead to a refusal to draw back and compromise that refusal always brings forth the supernatural power of God

D.    Great faith is birthed out of revelation of your right-standing with God-Rom 1:17, 4:1-22