The Names of God Lesson 10 - Fairhaven Baptist Church

The Names of God

Lesson 10

Jehovah Tsidkenu

The Lord Our Righteousness

Text: Jeremiah 23:1-8 & 33:14-16

Intro: We are moving from the time of the Kings, into the time of Exile for Israel. The book of Jeremiah is not a pleasant book to read. It is a book of judgment, a book of Mourning. Jeremiah prophesied during the time of the last King of Judah, from about 640 B.C. To about 586 B.C. One can only imagine the concerns of the people, and the questions. After all, they had survived longer than the Northern Kingdom, God had protected them by sending an Angel to destroy 185,000 in one night (II Kings 19). Yet now, the Nation is being defeated, and torn apart.

So let’s get into tonight’s study and see God as our righteousness.

Background,
1. The Prophet Jeremiah,
  1. The End of the Kings,
    1. As I said in the introduction, this was an era in the time of Israel, that moved them out of the time of the Kings into exile and bondage.
      - The Babylonians took Israel in about 597 B.C. When Nebuchadnezzar took vengeance on
    2. This was all brought on by Political decisions,
      - Josiah, the godly king of Israel, the one that lead them into revival, and tried to restore proper worship in Israel died.
      - The last 4 kings of Israel only lasted about 20 years,
        
        the succession is: Jehoahaz, Jehoiakim, Jehoiachin, Zedekiah,
    3. the quick of it is:
      - as political powers do, there was war and contention between the falling Assyrian empire and the rising Babylonian empire.
      - Pharaoh- Nechoh went to the aid of the Babylonians,
        
        but against the advice of Jeremiah, the good king Josiah went up against Egypt, which lead to his death.
      - After his death, Israel quickly returned to their wicked ways.
      - He was replaced by Jehoahaz, who was soon taken captive by Egypt (II Kings 23) one can only think of how the Egyptians felt about this.
      - This put Jehoiakim on the throne. He was hostile to God’s word and Jeremiah.
        
        He burned the scrolls of Jeremiahs prophecies (Jeremiah 36)
      - He was later replaced by Jehoiachin, He was taken in the first invasion, which put Zedekiah on the throne,
      - Zedekiah was also an ungodly man who rejected the Prophet Jeremiah.
      - He was later lead off By Nebuchadnezzar to Babylon after destroying the city of Jerusalem, the temple, and blinding him.
    4. This was the last recognized King of Israel.
  2. Jeremiahs Message,
    1. As I said, Jeremiah had a hard time to preach,
      - the political world was changing, the once powerful nation of Israel was not captive, there was no king over Israel?
        
        This last point, no king in Israel, why would it be so discerning to the people?
        
        II Samuel 7:12-16 “And when thy days be fulfilled, and thou shalt sleep with thy fathers, I will set up thy seed after thee, which shall proceed out of thy bowels, and I will establish his kingdom. 13 He shall build an house for my name, and I will stablish the throne of his kingdom for ever. 14 I will be his father, and he shall be my son. If he commit iniquity, I will chasten him with the rod of men, and with the stripes of the children of men:15 But my mercy shall not depart away from him, as I took it from Saul, whom I put away before thee.16 And thine house and thy kingdom shall be established for ever before thee: thy throne shall be established for ever. 17 According to all these words, and according to all this vision, so did Nathan speak unto David. ”
        
        So how long was Israel suppose to have a King?
        
        For Ever.
      - So here you have a people who have:
        
        suffered a split in a Nation,
        
        watched their godly king get killed,
        
        watch as two of their kings are drug off captive,
        
        Watch their homes destroyed, their city destroyed, and their family carried off captive.
        
        What would you be thinking?
  3. Jeremiah preached Judgment,
    1. during the first section of the book of Jeremiah, he denounces the priest, the people and the princes fro their sins.
      - One of the key words during this section is “Backslide”
        
        the nation had turned their backs on God.
      - Because of the prophecies of Jeremiah, he was called a traitor and persecuted.
      - See 2:8,26; 4:9; 5:31; 6:14; 14:13-16; 18:18; 23:9-40; 26:8-19; 27:9-16; and Chapter 28.
        
        The reason the Nation had suffered was simple, they had not stayed to God’s Standard.
    2. But as usually is, God doesn’t only pronounce judgment without also promising hope.
  4. Jeremiah preached Restoration,
    1. Jeremiah had more than a message of judgment, we can take a lesson from this,
      - what good does it do to tell people God is fed up, and is going to destroy, if we don’t at the same time tell of the promise of redemption, and restoration.
    2. Jeremiah prophesied that after the exile, Israel would be restored,
      - He also spoke of a time when they would be a Nation again, and the throne would be sat on.
      - That God would reestablish the king.
Meaning
1. The Lord Our Righteousness,
  1. The Positive Aspects of this Message,
    1. I Will Gather the remnant out of all countries, vs.3
    2. They shall be fruitful and increase, vs.3
    3. I will set up Shepherds over them, vs.4
      - to tend a flock.
    4. They shall be feed, Vs.4
    5. They shall not fear, of be dismayed, vs.4
    6. neither shall they be lacking, vs.4
    7. I will raise unto David a “righteous Branch” vs.5
      - notice the capitol letter on branch, that’s not an accident.
      - This is a direct reference to the linage of David to Jesus.
    8. “and a King shall reign and prosper” Vs.5
      - His duty (the king) to execute judgment and justice.
    9. In His day, Judah shall be saved, and Israel shall dwell safely. vs.6
      - this one that is coming shall do this,
      - restoration is coming.
  2. Righteous,
    1. to be right, just, it is a carpenters term for straight and level.
      - To be perfect.
    2. What is God’s standard?
      - Complete righteousness,
        
        batting a 1000,
      - Ty Cobb holds the best batters average over a career at .366
      - the last person to reach .400 was 1941 Ted Williams (.406)
        
        that means that the best batters in history only got on base 4 times out of 10,
        
        less than half the time.
    3. The standard of Christ is 1,000 %, never missing the mark.
    4. This was something Israel should have know they did not achieve,
      - after all the message of Jeremiah was very direct in the fact, the things that had happened, were because of their sins.
      - They fell short of the will of God.
    5. Righteousness is to be perfect,
    6. Notice also who’s righteousness it was, “OUR” vs.6

Application,
1. Jehovah is “OUR” Righteousness,
  1. Why do we need Christ as our Righteousness?
    1. Romans 3:23 “For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;”
    2. I John 1:8 “If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.”
      - none of us bat a 1,000, we have all fallen short.
        
        Think about it in this context, Ty Cobb, one of the greatest batters ever to play only hit 366, and the Standard of God is 1,000, everyone is short,
        
        and it is true, that some are short by a little and others by a lot, but back to the reference I made about a chain holding up up over a pit, with some of the links in the chain big and others smaller, which one needs to break in order for us to fall? Any of them,
      - James 2:10 “For whosoever shall keep the whole law, and yet offend in one point, he is guilty of all.”
    3. All it takes for us to fall short of the glory of God is one miss, and we have all done that,
    4. if we try to do it through our own righteousness, this is what the bible says:
    5. Isaiah 64:6 “But we are all as an unclean thing, and all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags;”
  2. Jesus our Righteousness, the Amazing Transferal,
    1. II Corinthians 5:21 “For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.”
      - See the trade there,
        
        Jesus becomes sin for us, that we can take on “His righteousness”
      - I Corinthians 1:27-30 “But God hath chosen the foolish things of the world to confound the wise; and God hath chosen the weak things of the world to confound the things which are mighty; 28 And base things of the world, and things which are despised, hath God chosen, yea, and things which are not, to bring to nought things that are: 29 That no flesh should glory in his presence. 30 But of him are ye in Christ Jesus, who of God is made unto us wisdom, and righteousness, and sanctification, and redemption:”
    2. Where did this transferal of sin and righteousness originate?
      - Exodus 34:7 “Keeping mercy for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin, and that will by no means clear the guilty;…”
      - the word there for “forgive” is the Hebrew word NASA,
        
        it means to lift, help, yield, exchange
        
        it is made of the Hebrew Letters Nun, Shin, Alef,
        
        Nun- seed, actively,
        
        Shin- consume, destroy, eat
        
        Alef- strength, power
        
        put those three together, we get a picture of how God deals with our sin,
        
        He actively consumes it with power.
    3. In return, it is replaced with His Righteousness,
      - much like the prodigal son stood there under the blessings of the Father, covered with the robs of His father, covering the dirt and grime that was on him.
      - We stand in the presence of God covered with the righteousness of Jesus Christ covering all our iniquities,
  3. Do we depend on our own righteousness?
    1. Do we think we are pretty good, and do not need the help of God?
      - This applies for salvation as well as Christian living,
        
        We need Jesus to help cover us on a daily basis.