Join us in this powerful episode of Hope for Today as we explore the profound concept of righteousness and its essential role in the Christian faith. Bible teacher David Hawking dives into the attributes of God, underscoring the significance of divine righteousness. Through scriptural insights and engaging teaching, understand how righteousness is not merely about what we do, but about God’s actions through Jesus Christ. This episode reveals how the righteousness of God is the cornerstone of our salvation and faith.
We have no righteousness of our own. You know, it’s a generation that’s so much into themselves, it’s programming us to think this way. Somehow we’re getting better, man. I went to church. You know, I only missed two Sundays all year. Well, terrific. But let me tell you, if you went every day, you’re not any more righteous than the day you received Christ.
SPEAKER 02 :
This is Hope for Today, and it’s a blessing to have you with us on this first day of May. You know, we’re living in a world that calls evil good, celebrates what God condemns, and treats righteousness like a threat. Men lie, twist, justify, pervert, and then demand to be applauded for it. The God of the Bible, however, the God of the Bible doesn’t flinch. He doesn’t bend and he doesn’t move one inch. He is righteous, absolutely right, utterly pure and incorruptible in all of his ways. But today, Bible teacher David Hawking continues in his series on the attributes of God, taken from various portions of Scripture. And this time, he’ll share day two of his message on the righteousness of God. So stay with us as we go back to the Word and stand face to face with the truth, this rebellious world is not going to escape. Matt, prayer is so much a part of this ministry, and it is a blessing for us that people listening to the program are praying for us, and we have the opportunity to pray with and for them. In a given day, a listener calls in. They’re under tremendous pressure or there’s some trial in their life that’s just weighing so heavily on them. They call in. One of our volunteers prays with them. Folks, if you have a prayer need, do get in touch with us. And by all means, let us know how God is working in your life as you listen to the program. That’s an encouragement to us. And I want to add, you know, sometimes people think that, you know, they don’t want to call or we’re going to sell them something. No, none of that. We just want to pray and that is it. We just want to pray and be a blessing to you. Folks, we’d love to hear from you. Do you have a prayer need? Would you like to share how God is working in your life as you study the word with us? Get in touch and hang on. We’ll tell you just a bit later in the program how to do that. Right now, though, turn to Jeremiah 23 because David’s going to go there in a moment or so. He’s sharing day two of his message on the righteousness of God.
SPEAKER 01 :
Righteousness is an attribute of God. It’s what He is. It’s non-transferable. It refers to what God has done. When you read righteousness in the Bible, it’s either who He is or what He has done. Now, who He is is not transferable to you and me. But what He has done is transferable. Now what do we mean by what he has done? I’ll give you a statement. When you ask me about the righteousness of God, it is an act of God which declares us to be righteous on the basis of the death of Jesus Christ for our sins and the satisfaction of the law’s demands. What is the righteousness of God? It is who God is. It is also what he has done. And what he has done is an act which declares us to be righteous on the basis of the death of Jesus Christ. And that he satisfied all the law’s demands. In Isaiah 53, 11, in the great messianic chapter about he who was wounded for our transgressions and bruised for our iniquities and that all of our sin was laid on him. That passage says, by his knowledge, Isaiah 53, 11 says, by his knowledge my righteous servant that’s who God is non-transferable shall justify many that’s the act of God to declare us righteous on the basis of the fact that he would die for our sins and bear our iniquity so by his knowledge My righteous servant, the Messiah, who’s absolutely righteous, will justify many. Because he’s righteous, he doesn’t have to die for his own sin. Therefore, substitute his life for us, pay for ours, and now declare us to be righteous. And we didn’t do anything except believe it. That’s the incredible thing. Another example would be Jeremiah 23, where the Bible says in verse 5 and 6 that God will raise up to King David a righteous branch, and he will judge in righteousness. Turn to Romans 3 again, where we were looking when we began. Romans chapter 3. It refers to what God has done. Verse 21 says the righteousness of God is revealed and really apart from the law. even though you find it in the law and the prophets. He says it’s through faith. He mentions all of sin. Verse 24, that we are declared righteous freely by His grace. He gives us what we don’t deserve. Through what? Through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus. Redemption. To buy us out of the slave market of sin and death and hell and set us free. How have we been set free from the consequences of sin? By something we did? Or even by our faith in the Lord Jesus? No. But by the redemption that is in Christ. My faith doesn’t save me and neither does yours. Jesus Christ saves me. Faith is simply the channel that expresses confidence in what He did. That’s why a lot of people struggle with being a Christian. Because they think it’s their ability to believe it that somehow makes it so. No, it doesn’t. Even if you don’t believe it, it’s still so. You see, Jesus Christ saves you. 1 Corinthians 1.30 says he is our righteousness. 2 Corinthians 5.21, God the Father made him, Jesus, to be sin for us. Who knew no sin? He didn’t know any sin. Why? That we might be made the righteousness of God in him. How interesting. Romans 3, 25 says, God set forth Jesus to be a propitiation by His blood through faith. To demonstrate His righteousness. Do you realize that we would never learn how righteous God is if we didn’t see it in the gospel? You see, in the gospel you learn how righteous God is. Because He doesn’t depend one moment on what you’re going to do to somehow atone for your sin. A lot of us are still atoning for our sins. We cover up by our busyness. We learn to do that when we grow up in a home. We try to please our parents. And we believe if we are good, then they will bless us. And if we are bad, we’re in big trouble or deep yogurt, I like to say. You know, whatever we think, it’s sometimes programmed by our background. And so when we’re hit with the gospel, it filters through what we’ve always felt we should do in order to get people to accept us. I just want you to know that you are accepted in Christianity, not on the basis of anything you did or how you look. You’re accepted in the beloved one, Jesus Christ our Lord. That’s all you’ve got. See, that helps me. I sometimes say a sentence, many of you have heard it, it goes on the radio a lot, and I get letters about it, but I still say it. You know, to me it’s a miracle, this thing we call the church. If you knew what was in the heart of the person sitting next to you, you would move. Isn’t it wonderful, God’s grace? I mean, there’s some real stinkers in here, do you know that? And how God and His love and grace can just put us all together and act like we’re having a good time. I mean, it’s incredible when you think about it. God’s love is so great. See, God did not trust one thing about you to save you. And that’s a message we hear. You know how we get that? Let’s have John share his testimony. And he comes up and tells us 30 reasons why God’s lucky to have him. You know, testimonies are hard to share because there’s too much of man, not enough of Christ. You know, we used to say in seminary when we were told how to give a testimony, say, well, give X amount of time to what you were before you became a Christian, then how you received Christ and then what it’s been like afterwards. And I like what one old professor who was in his 80s and should have retired said, if I were you and I give a testimony, I would give about one minute to what you were before Christ and at least an hour to how wonderful he is. That got in my brain, you know. Hey, what was it like? Were you a dirty, rotten drug dealer or what were you, huh? You know what we should say. Hey, will you get off that trash? You know, our ears aren’t garbage pails. Get up there and tell us all you were a dirty, rotten, depraved sinner and that’ll be enough. We’ll understand. And then move on and tell us how wonderful the Lord is. You understand what I’m saying? We have no righteousness of our own. You know, it’s a generation that’s so much into themselves that’s programming us to think this way. Somehow we’re getting better, man. I went to church. You know, I only missed two Sundays all year. Well, terrific. But let me tell you, if you went every day, you’re not any more righteous than the day you received Christ. You say, oh, I’m so glad to hear that because I really wanted to skip for about six months. Now, there’s all kinds, aren’t there, in the body of Christ? So I’m going to ask the question now, why is this righteousness of God so important to me? It’s extremely important. And I want to give you seven things. One, the righteousness of God establishes the validity of all God says. Do you ever think about it? Turn to Isaiah 45. Isaiah 45. Why is his righteousness so important? Because it establishes the validity of all that he says. How can I trust him if he’s not righteous? Isaiah 45, verse 22. God says, look to me and be saved, all you ends of the earth. For I am God and there’s no other. I have sworn by myself, the word has gone out of my mouth in righteousness. And shall not return. That to me every knee shall bow, every tongue shall take an oath. He shall say, surely in the Lord I have righteousness. In the Lord I have righteousness and strength. To him men shall come. All shall be ashamed who are incensed against him. In the Lord all the descendants of Israel shall be justified. and shall glory now this whole text talking about the salvation God will bring to his people is all based on the fact that you can count on his word he said I’ve sworn by myself and just so you know how important that is the word that goes out of my mouth always goes in righteousness always God’s righteousness that he always does right establishes the validity of everything he says to us and by the way because we’re not always right That’s why human opinion is always a little shaky. You ask somebody something, you know, you’ve got to figure out whether I should trust them or not. If they were always right and always just and always fair, then you could definitely accept everything they said as being the truth. Number two, the righteousness of God is so important because it also explains the justice of God in judging us. A lot of people think God’s unfair in that. This deals with both non-believers as well as believers. Turn to Psalm 50, please, and look at verses 4 to 6. The righteousness of God is so important because it explains the justice of God in judging us. No matter whether you’re a believer or an unbeliever, nobody can accuse God of being unfair to them. He’s going to judge you righteously. Psalm 50, verse 4. says he shall call to the heavens from above and to the earth that he may judge his people. Gather my saints together to me, those who made a covenant with me by sacrifice. Let the heavens declare his righteousness, for God himself is what? What does it say? He’s judge. Because of the righteousness of God, then God is always just. No one can ever accuse Him of being unfair. Acts 17.31 says He will judge the world in righteousness. Turn to Revelation 16. Revelation 16. When the final plagues from God’s judging hand fall in the tribulation period… Those seven last terrible plagues. It’s interesting the emphasis on the justice and righteousness of God. Because some people think that he’s not righteous in what he’s going to do. It says in verse 5… Well, verse 4 tells you, “…the third angel poured out his bowl on the rivers and springs of water, they became blood. I heard the angel of the water saying, You are righteous, O Lord, the one who is and who was and who is to be, because you have judged these things. For they have shed the blood of saints and prophets, and you have given them blood to drink, for it’s their just or righteous due.” And I heard another from the altar saying, Even so, Lord God Almighty, true and righteous are your judgments. Isn’t it interesting to describe the fairness and justice of God? It takes one of the judgments that turns water into blood and say, You know, it’s clear to me, the angel says, that God is righteous and just because… In fact, the people who are experiencing that have taken the lives of people who love the Lord and shed their blood. So turn their drinking water into blood. That is justice. Eye for an eye, tooth for a tooth, life for a life, says Exodus 21. Listen to me. I don’t really want justice from God. You know, I’ve thought about this a long time. I don’t want God to be just with me at all. I really don’t. But I know he will be. But I don’t want him to be. I’m not interested in God being fair. I’m not screaming at God saying, thanks a lot. I mean, why don’t you be fair with me? I mean, look at all I’ve done for you. I don’t even want to say the word. I don’t want to slip it out lest I get what I deserve. I don’t want what I deserve. I want what I don’t deserve. I want mercy. I want forgiveness. I want grace from God. If I get what I deserve, I’m going to be in hell. The gospel tells me that God, because He’s a just God, isn’t going to sweep my sin under the rug, in case you thought that. God must judge sin. And the gospel says that God was so righteous, He judged it all in the death of His Son, Jesus Christ. All the wrath of God against sin, John 3 says, was laid on Jesus Christ. And if you reject Jesus Christ, his only answer to our sin, if you reject that, you deserve hell, brother, sister, you deserve it, no matter what you say. God has provided for you the only answer. If you say, no, no, no, no, God, let me earn it, it’d be impossible. You never could. You can never atone for all that’s wrong with you. God took care of the whole thing. And if you reject that, there isn’t any other message. There isn’t any other hope. How wonderful is the righteousness of God. Turn to Hebrews 6.10. It not only establishes the validity of all that God says, and explains the justice of God in judging us, but I like this. The righteousness of God encourages us in knowing that God will never forget what we have done. Because God is just and fair, He will never forget. Have you ever noticed how many people forget? They just forget. You do something nice, they forget. Say thank you. You ever notice how that affects you? You’re talking at home. You say, well, you know, we sent them a gift. It’s been four weeks now. We haven’t even heard from them. Maybe that person on the other end is saying, you know, I know we thanked them. Didn’t we thank them, John? I don’t remember. Did you do it? You know, if we didn’t thank, you know how we probably, this is going to end our relationship. Now, I don’t know if you people go through this kind of stuff. But, you know, people in other states do. See, righteousness on a human standpoint, we’re all, it’s like a giant ledger. We’re all trying to balance it out. Did they send us a card last year? What has that got to do with you sending one this year? Well, because they did last year. You’ve got to even it out. You know, debit, credit. Amen? Well, that’s a pretty expensive gift they gave. Well, we should give something a little more expensive. I mean, after all, a piece of candy? Come on. What are we trying to do? You know, it’s like all of life is built on this system. And you know, I just love the fact that God is so just and fair, He’s never going to forget what we’ve done. Even though a thousand people forget, and nobody said thank you, and they don’t know what you did, God does. You’ll never forget. I love this verse. Many of you know that my wife, thinking I needed this encouragement, cross-stitched this in a beautiful plaque, and I love to look at it. Hebrews 6.10, God is not unjust to forget your work and labor of love which you’ve shown toward his name, in that you’ve ministered to the saints and do minister. You not only did it in the past, you’re still keeping on keeping on. I know some people that want to quit because there’s no appreciation around here. You know that? Somebody worked in an area and… Man, I’ll tell you, does anybody know I changed diapers here in the nursery at the 11 o’clock hour? I bet nobody has ever known. I bet they don’t even know my name. They got a computer. They ought to have it on the computer. You know, I have been in that department for three months and haven’t heard one person say thank you. I’m not going back. Hey… God is not unjust to forget what you have done. Every cup of cold water given in his name will receive a reward.
SPEAKER 02 :
That’s Bible teacher and author David Hawking, and this is Hope for today. David will be back in a moment or so to put the finishing touches on our study time, so stay with us for that. First though, Matt’s here, and we’re going to share a few study resources we think you’re really going to benefit from. Jim, we believe our Attributes of God radio series is addressing a critical, critical need in the church today. There is a tremendous misunderstanding of the nature, work, and attributes of God, the God of the Bible. Man, it’s almost like Satan is working overtime to steer folks down that wide path that leads to destruction. Yeah, think about your friends, your people at work, neighbors, maybe even family members. I mean, how do they understand God? I want to know what the Bible says about God. separating fact from the multiplicity of errors that we see and hear daily from the world regarding God’s nature, work, and attributes. And that’s what this radio series is all about. The greatness of God, the sovereignty of God. The power of God, the fear of God, praise of God. The holiness of God, the worship of God. Hallelujah to our God, the incarnation of God. The triunity of God, the righteousness of God, faithfulness of God. The mercy of God. Aren’t we grateful for God’s mercy?
SPEAKER 01 :
Amen.
SPEAKER 02 :
The Patience of God. Wow. He is in the love of God, the glory of God. Those are 16 messages total, Jim, about two months on radio. And we’re going to help you save everything you’re hearing in this series for future use, review, and sharing. The Attributes of God radio series at 16 audio messages on MP3 CD is just $20. And to help you get the most from our radio series and future study, add David’s original sermon notes and outlines for the Attributes of God series. The complete sermon note pack is just $10. Well, we also want to tell you about our featured book for the month of May. And this is David’s book called The Beginning, From Creation to the Flood. This is available for just $15. And this is not religious fluff on Genesis. It is a strong, engaging, in-depth study of the opening chapters of the Bible. Chapters, by the way, that this world loves to distort, dismiss, or explain away. crucial chapters. David takes you from creation to the flood with a powerful study that opens up the text, strengthens your confidence in God’s Word, and reminds you that the book of Genesis is not optional, it is foundational. And again, the title, The Beginning, From Creation to the Flood. Get this or any of our study tools that we’ve mentioned today by calling 800-75-BIBLE. That’s in the U.S. or 888-75-BIBLE in Canada. And Bible is 24253. You can also order on our website, davidhawking.org. And just before David returns, think about this. There are people listening right now who are living in desperation. Desperation. Some are confused and some are weary. And maybe that’s you. Some might be hanging on by a thread and some do not know Christ at all. And yet God is pleased to use hope for today. And we give him all the glory to put the truth of his word right in front of them. He uses it to strengthen believers, to warn the wandering, to encourage the broken, and to point people to Jesus Christ. That is why your support matters. It helps keep this broadcast on the air and online so that the Word of God can keep going out to people who need real hope, real truth, and real help that is only found in Scripture. To make a donation, write to Hope for Today, Box 3927, Tustin, California, 92781. In Canada, it’s Hope for Today, Box 15011, R-P-O, Seven Oaks, Abbotsford, B.C., V2S, 8P1. Or again, call us at 875-BIBLE in the U.S., 888-75-BIBLE in Canada. And again, online at davidhawking.org. And here’s David.
SPEAKER 01 :
Well, I hope you’re enjoying our study of the attributes of God, and certainly the issue of the righteousness of God is fundamental to our salvation and our understanding of the Christian life. The Bible teaches that we will not be made righteous until the second coming, until our own resurrection. The fact is… that it is not by anything that we have done, it is not by our merit or performance, any of that, that we are saved or sanctified. We are set apart by the work of God, set apart from the power of sin to control us. And true, one day when we are resurrected, we’ll be set apart from the very presence of sin. No more trouble with sin anymore. But right now in our life as Christians, we have a constant struggle with sin and its desire to control us. The demons of hell want to defeat us. But please understand that it’s our position that is the crucial issue here. Jesus Christ is our righteousness. 1 Corinthians 1.30 makes that clear. We have no reason to boast before God. We are not made righteous, even though many religious groups say that, that by what we do or don’t do, we are made righteous before God. That is not biblical Christianity. The teaching of the Bible is we are declared righteous. We will not be made righteous. until the second coming and our own resurrection. Now, the righteousness of God is seen in the death of our Lord. When our Lord Yeshua died on that cross, it was the righteousness of God that was settling the sin issue. The true gospel says that Christ died for our sins, 1 Corinthians 15. Now, the question people often ask, did he die for everything I did in the past? Yes. Did he die for the sins I’m going to commit in the future? Yes, he did. Well, then why would I ever have to confess or repent? Because that deals with our hard attitude toward God and our recognition that without His righteousness, we aren’t going to make it, folks. If you have not personally come to believe that God declared you righteous because of your faith in Yeshua, it’s time to do it right now.
SPEAKER 02 :
Amen. Well, next time, David continues in our series on the attributes of God, and we’ll see you then right here on Hope for Today.
