Righteous Reign part 5
Identity. If you know who you are then you don't have to try to be somebody else. And if you know who you are you don't have to prove it to anybody else. That's the problem I think we sink into sometimes--we try to prove how good we are by proving how bad someone else is. Jesus said it like this, "Two men went to the Temple to pray. One was a Pharisee, and the other was a despised tax collector. The Pharisee stood by himself and prayed this prayer: 'I thank you, God, that I am not a sinner like everyone else... But the tax collector stood at a distance and dared not even lift his eyes to heaven as he prayed. Instead, he beat his chest in sorrow, saying, 'O God, be merciful to me, for I am a sinner.' I tell you, this sinner, not the Pharisee, returned home justeified before God..." (Luke 18:10-14 NLT). The Pharisee was full of SELF righteousness, and needed to put someone else down in order to prove how "good" he was. But the sinner--and listen, I'm not saying you're a sinner, because sin is unbelief so if you're a believer then by definition you're NOT a sinner--had no illusions about himself. He knew he needed a Saviour. Fast forward to this side of the cross. Fast forward to Jesus finishing the work and taking away the sin of the world. Fast forward to God making us kings and priests to reign on this earth. Now we don't have to beg for mery. We don't have to try to earn acceptance or love. We have been equipped and empowered to BE who we really are. We have been filled with the Holy Spirit--the love receptor--and now we know and believe the love of Christ. Now we know who we really are. Now, instead of trying to earn self-righteousness through our works and labor, we can reign in righteousness. Now, instead of judging things according to appearance (good and evil), we can rule IN judgment. We can execute the judgment (an abundant, everlasting, eternal, Resurrection Life sentence) that was handed down on the cross from Father to Son! Guys... we are lighthouses. The light within shines out when we simply know and believe that it's shining within. When we receive it and release it. When we receive it BY releasing it! And that's what it means to truly reign. Not a king who demands service from others, but a king who serves others! Not putting people down, but lifting people up! There is no condemnation in Christ. It's not my job to modify your behavior. And, really, it's not your job to modify your behavior either. Because behavior modification doesn't work. It doesn't last. It isn't real. It can't come from the outside-in. It has to come from the inside-out. Not self-righteousness that you do, but the righteousness of God in Christ that you ARE! It's an outworking of the indwelling Spirit. It's being filled to overflowing with the love of God--the love that IS God--and filling yourself with the fulness of that love by sharing it with others. Reigning in righteousness is not about what others can do for you. It's about what Jesus has already DONE for you, and what you can do for others because of what Jesus has done for you. It's about taking the gift we've been given and experiencing it by sharing it!