KEY SCRIPTURE: Romans 5:17 ” For if by one man’s offence death reigned by one; much more they which receive abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness shall reign in life by one, Jesus Christ.)”

We have learnt that we reign in life by abundance of grace and the gift of righteousness. In our study for today we would consider the gift of righteousness.

This time,  it is ‘the’  ‘gift of righteousness’: this is a definite specific gift which is the same in quantity and quality for all who receive it Righteousness is God’s nature that He imparts to our spirit to live right(Rom 3:21&22).  2nd Corinthians 5:21 reads “for He has made Him (Jesus) to be sin for us who knew no sin, that we might be made the righteousness of God in Him”. This is a divine exchange. This transaction went on legally in the spirit and became effectual the very day we made Jesus Lord over our lives.

It is God’s nature, and one can’t increase or decrease it. Righteousness gives us a right standing before God.  Romans 4:25. Says “He was delivered for our offences and raised again for our justification”: The word justification also means righteousness. The very nature with which the Lord resurrected, is what we have presently. That is a nature without sin, without a past. It is a perfect righteous state.  No devil can hold any accusation against us. Settle quickly with the Lord any slips or shortcomings.

The Bible informs us that although we were enemies in our minds by wicked works, yet God has reconciled us in the body of the flesh of our Lord Jesus.  Through death He has presented us Holy and unblameable and unreproveable in his sight.  (Colossians 1:21, 22). This is righteousness. We have been made Holy, unblameable and unreproveable.

“The wicked flee when no man pursueth: but the righteous are bold as a lion”. By this righteousness, stand boldly before any condition , knowing that God is behind every word you say(Jeremiah.1:12).  Give every command in boldness.  The devil cannot resist.

Demons are smart to accuse and place defiling thoughts in the minds of people. Resist such thoughts and accusations.  Don’t allow any thoughts of unworthiness to stay in your mind.  You are the righteousness of God in Christ.Jesus.

 CONFESSION

I am the righteousness of God in Christ Jesus.  God imparted His nature of righteousness to me.  I have a perfect standing before God every moment. No devil can resist my authority for it is the very authority of Jesus.

FURTHER STUDIES

Isaiah 54:17 ” No weapon that is formed against thee shall prosper; and every tongue that shall rise against thee in judgment thou shalt condemn. This is the heritage of the servants of the LORD, and their righteousness is of me, saith the LORD”.

Proverbs 28:1 ” The wicked flee when no man pursueth: but the righteous are bold as a lion”.

KEY SCRIPTURE: John 3:31 ” He that cometh from above is above all: he that is of the earth is earthly, and speaketh of the earth: he that cometh from heaven is above all”.

The Lord Jesus came from above and therefore is above all. The word ‘born again’ means to be born from above. We are also above all. Refuse to be dominated by evil.

Our Lord Jesus reigned in life. The word reign comes from the Greek word, which means “To be king”. To reign, therefore means to be a king. We must reign as kings. In this life. Kings rule by commands and decrees. Jesus did the same. He commanded the sea to be still, He commanded the fig tree to die (Mark 11:14) He commanded blind eyes to open. Start doing the same. (Mark 11:23)

How did the Lord Jesus reigned in this life?  He knew who He was. He knew what He had.  He knew He was righteous and the devil had nothing in Him. John 14:30 reads ” Hereafter I will not talk much with you: for the prince of this world cometh, and hath nothing in me”.

. Jesus knew He was the righteousness of God.  You can’t amount to anything special for God if you don’t know the level of investment God has made in you as well as the fact that you are God’s righteousness. (2nd Corinthians 5:21). The Lord knew the Father had given Him all authority over the devil. In His mind Satan was fallen or defeated.  Luke 10:18 “And He said unto them I beheld Satan as lightening fall from heaven”.

One other thing the Lord did to establish a very strong faith in the Father was that, He always declared who He was.  He made statements like, “I am the light of the world” (John 8:12), I am the way, the truth, and the life (John 14::6). I am the resurrection and the life (John 11:25), and many more.  Beloved these declarations established perfectly in His heart and mind who He was. He never encountered the enemy with an inferior attitude. He always felt superior to the enemy. He also saw every condition, no matter the severity of it, as something to be overcome.

We have to learn from His example. We must continually declare what the grace of God has made us.  We must declare our superiority over the devil.  (Luke 10:19). We must confess we are the righteousness of God and that we have a perfect standing before the Father. A man’s words will bridle his actions James 3:2.

Don’t stop saying who you are. These words which are perfectly in line with the scriptures establishes your superiority over the devil and His demons.

The Lord was a man of prayer.

 PRAYER ALWAYS SATURATES YOU WITH THE PRESENCE OF GOD.

 CONFESSION

I am a joint heir with Jesus. Whatever belongs to the Lord belongs to me.  I am superior to the devil. I am born from above and therefore l am above all. I am reigning in life.

FURTHER STUDIES.

Romans 8:17 ” And if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ; if so be that we suffer with him, that we may be also glorified together”.

Ephesians 2:10 “For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them”.

KEY SCRIPTURE: Romans 5:17 – For if by one man’s offence death reigned by one; much more they which receive abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness shall reign in life by one, Jesus Christ.

The Lord Jesus reigned in life by the power of God and the righteous nature. I did not say the gift of righteousness. The Lord was righteous by birth. His righteousness was imparted by the Holy Ghost. The Lord did not have a human father. (It is the father that imparts the nature of the baby).  He therefore did not have a sinful nature or the Adamic nature.  1st Corinthians 15:47 “The first man is of the earth, earthy, the second man is the Lord from heaven”. Our Lord’s nature was given to Him by the Holy Spirit, making Him an heavenly personality. By these two things the power of God (abundance of grace) and the righteous nature He reigned in life.

Please note this, the Lord Jesus did not live in this life as God. He put aside His reputation or glory as God and took the form of a man (Philippians 2:7″ But made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men :). Now consider what He said in John 17:5 “And now, O Father glorify me with THINE OWN SELF with the glory which I had with thee before the world was”. After His work on the earth He requested the Father to glorify Him with the glory or reputation He put down that Philippines 2:7 talked about.  This was the glory He had with the Father “with thine own self with the glory which I had with thee before the world was”. Dear brother or sister, let this settle the question about the deity of our Lord Jesus once and for all.  Jesus is God, He is not inferior or second to the father. He became man and did not walk on the earth in His capacity as God. He depended on God.  In a sense He received abundance of Grace just as we do. John 3:34 “For He whom God hath sent speaketh the words of God, for God giveth the Spirit without measure unto Him”. Our Lord Jesus depended on the Holy Spirit and He received an abundance of the Spirit that is not by measure.

By these explanations we realised that the Lord Jesus received an abundance of the Spirit. This is equivalent to an abundance of grace. For Grace is the supply of the Spirit working in us to do all that God calls on us to do.

He reigned therefore by making faith declarations based on these two provisions, abundance of grace and the righteous nature He had.

 All those who will reign in life must receive abundance of grace and the gift of righteousness, and also make faith declarations with corresponding actions.

CONFESSION

I have received abundance of grace and the gift of righteousness, so I reign in life. I dominate the evil power that torment men, sin ,disease and poverty.

FURTHER STUDIES.

Luke 10:19 ” Behold, I give unto you power to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy: and nothing shall by any means hurt you”.

Mark 16:17-18  ” And these signs shall follow them that believe; In my name shall they cast out devils; they shall speak with new tongues;

They shall take up serpents; and if they drink any deadly thing, it shall not hurt them; they shall lay hands on the sick, and they shall recover”.

KEY SCRIPTURE: Romans 5:17 ” For if by one man’s offence death reigned by one; much more they which receive abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness shall reign in life by one, Jesus Christ:”

Life to many people is a mystery, To say life is a mystery, they mean one cannot determine what life may bring to him or her.  They believe the evil one can have his way any day.  The question is, is this the way God meant life to be?  What is the essence of our salvation if man is still under the control of the devil?

Please I have good news for you. The kind of life God our Father intends for all men to lead on the earth is what our master Jesus demonstrated. Hebrews 12:2a says “Looking unto Jesus the author and the finisher of our faith…..” The Lord Jesus is the author or the designer, the initiator and better still the one who showed us what our faith is.  He is also the finisher of our faith.  When we talk about faith in this context we are looking at faith as a lifestyle.

 God’s idea of living on the earth is manifested in our Lord Jesus.  The book of Romans 8:29 reads “For whom He did fore know,  He also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of His Son, that He might be the firstborn among many brethren”. We have been called, to be like our big brother, Jesus.

Jesus is our grand example. The apostles demonstrated a great followership of the master, yet they are not the ultimate example in the eyes of the Father.  Our Lord Jesus is our main example to pattern our lives.

Do not be deceived, no other person should be your focus, but the master Himself. The Lord REIGNED IN LIFE. He was a master in every aspect of His life. He knew God. He was never intimidated. He never told a lie. He never shrank from pain. He was never afraid.

He was always in charge. Even in death, the Lord was a master. What made Him reign in life? The answer is in our key scripture. “Those who receive abundance of grace and the gift of righteousness shall reign in life by one Jesus Christ”.

Jesus reigned by God’s supernatural power and a nature of righteousness. (To be continued).

CONFESSION

Our Lord Jesus is my grand example of how I must live. As He reigned in life so have I also received the same ability to reign in life. I am reigning in life.

FURTHER STUDIES.

Ephesians 3:10 “To the intent that now unto the principalities and powers in heavenly places might be known by the church the manifold wisdom of God,”

Psalms 110:2 “The LORD shall send the rod of thy strength out of Zion: rule thou in the midst of thine enemies”.

KEY SCRIPTURE: Psalms 119:130 “The entrance of thy words giveth light; it giveth understanding unto the simple”.

In our first part of the above topic we learnt that Ezra prepared his heart to seek the law of God and then to do or practice it,(Ezra 7:10)  after which he would teach others.

 We said the best way to teach is by a good example.

Like Ezra we must teach and preach the word of God. In this day of the prevalence of error, we must present the truth which is the light of God (Psalm 119:130).  Apostle Paul admonished Timothy to “Preach the word, be instant in season, out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort with all longsuffering and doctrine”. Christians must not be silent. Preach the word in season and out of season.  That is, when the conditions are good as well as when things are not favourable. Deception is gradually flowing into the whole world. In these last days, hell has vomited out every kind of unclean thing to defile humanity.  We must not look idle.  The light must be spread across the globe. If it would take money, our strength, even our very lives, it is worth it.  The deception must not be allowed to stand.

It is rather disheartening to have world bodies and major economic power blocks legalise homosexuality, bestiality, incest, and outright atheism. We must not condemn them, but prayerfully present the truth of God’s word to such people. It is not eloquence that will break the power of darkness, but the power of God released through the agency of love.

 A heart of love is always a container of God’s power in us. Present the truth in love and you would be surprised at the outcome of your work.

The Lord Jesus showed himself alive to the disciples for a period of forty days after His resurrection with one message that they go to the whole world and preach unto every creature. (Matt 28 :18-20) The Bible presents the gospel, and that is the only truth to save those who would believe. The bible has historical relevance. It has survived the attack of kingdoms, ideologies and it still reign as the only book that is widely circulated and read.  It has transformed, individuals, communities and a whole nation. Be very passionate in presenting it. Be prayerful and do it with skill.

Stand for the truth of the bible.

    CONFESSION

I am sold out to the truth of the gospel. It is the power of God unto salvation to everyone who believes. I would preach it where ever I am till the whole earth is filled with the knowledge of our Lord.

FURTHER STUDIES.

Matthew 28:19-20 ” Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world. Amen”.

2 Timothy 4:2-3 ” Preach the word; be instant in season, out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort with all longsuffering and doctrine. For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears”

KEY SCRIPTURE: Ephesians 5:13 “But all things that are reproved are made manifest by the light: for whatsoever doth make manifest is light”.

In our introductory study we realised among the many positive significances of light is that, light is also a revealer of all that is hidden.

We are the light of the world and our presence in every place or situation should mean an end to darkness, that is deception,  lies and satanic works.  Light shines in darkness,  and darkness can never stop it (John 1:4,5). Our world is under the spell of the evil one,  whose weapon is deception,. Revelation 12:9a “And the great dragon was cast out, that old serpent called the Devil and Satan, which deceiveth the whole world…..”. Our world gropes in satanic darkness. The devil’s darkness has permeated almost every fibre of life.  Even the church of God is having its share of the influence of devil’s lies and deception. I was shocked to hear that the Pope is advocating for a modernised bible.If this is true,then it is one of the ways Satan seeks to deepen his deception amongst men. (Rev 22:19)

Before we can talk about exposing the darkness (deception)  of the devil all around us,  we must first secure ourselves from not being engulfed in Satan’s darkness.(deception) Jesus shows us how. In John 8:12 “Then spoke Jesus again unto them saying, I am the light of the world,  he that follows me shall not walk in darkness but shall have the light of life”. We must follow the Lord totally.  This is done by making  sure that whatever we do is in line with the word of God.  Always approach the scriptures with an opened, objective mind.  Reading and studying  with all sorts of preconceived ideas will not help you to identify the truth from the Holy Spirit’s point of view.

The first thing to do to expose errors or deception is to practice the truth of God’s word. Ezra 7:10 “For Ezra had prepared his heart to seek the law of the Lord,  and to do it,  and to teach in Israel statutes and judgement”. There is no better teaching than a good example.  Ezra prepared his heart to seek and to do the law.

Practice the truth and those pretenders would be enlightened.

 CONFESSION

I am the light of the world,I walk in the light by doing the word of God. By my testimony those in darkness are enlightened

FURTHER STUDIES.

John 8:31-32 ” Then said Jesus to those Jews which believed on him, If ye continue in my word, then are ye my disciples indeed; And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free”.

Acts 20:32 ” And now, brethren, I commend you to God, and to the word of his grace, which is able to build you up, and to give you an inheritance among all them which are sanctified”.

KEY SCRIPTURE: Genesis 1:28 ” And God blessed them, and God said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it: …..”

Healing Evangelist T L Osborn, once said when you find a need and meet it ,that is success, and it will bring to you  your portion of the blessings of this life.

Solving problems is shining. Solving problems means rendering a unique service to some people. This brings us prosperity. We have been talking about, the fact that, we are the light of the world. We must therefore bring solutions to specific needs of our world.

In our key scripture God has blessed every one of us to be fruitful .Fruits are unique products that come from you to meet the needs of others. Don’t just follow what everyone is doing. Look out for a particular need in the society, the nation or even a global one and attend to it, praying and meditating about it. Do not accept that anything is impossible. You are in partnership with the almighty God and with Him all things are possible (Mark 9:23) .You may even fast ,pray and seek God for ideas.

It may take some time, but there would be a sweet solution. When Joseph brought an answer to a prevailing problem, it changed his status and his family was saved from hunger .Our world have been made easier by the many who found solutions to daunting problems. As they brought solutions to many their financial status has also changed for the better. Do all these to bring glory to God (John 15:8)

Dear child of God prepare yourself to be the light of the world that God has made you. Like Daniel, Joseph, David and our Lord Jesus, don’t hide yourself, decide to be a blessing by blessing many people. There are academic challenges, technological, agricultural, psychological, even political, leadership, commercial, fashion, environmental, health and what have you. All these are waiting for your solutions.

 REMEMBER ANY WAY YOU SHINE, IT INCREASES YOUR POTENTIAL TO INFLUENCE OTHERS WITH THE GOSPEL..

CONFESSION

God has made me fruitful. I have solutions to give my world. As I bring solutions many are blessed and I also prosper.

FURTHER STUDIES

John 15:8 ” Herein is my Father glorified, that ye bear much fruit; so shall ye be my disciples”.

Mark 9:23  “Jesus said unto him, If thou canst believe, all things are possible to him that believeth”.

KEY SCRIPTURE: Daniel 2:16  Then Daniel went in, and desired of the king that he would give him time, and that he would shew the king the interpretation.

Light is always a solution to every problem it is introduced to.

As the light of the world, we must bring solutions to the crisis of this life .The story of Daniel shows us how Daniel went about solving a problem that would have ended the lives of others and himself.

There are so many problems that have engulfed humanity and some of them are taking lives of some Christians.  No, this ought not be so, we are the light and should never be consumed by any darkness no matter how dark it may be. (John 1:4,5).

 In Daniel chapter 2, King  Nebuchadnezzar had a dream which he forgot and demanded that the wise men and astrologers tell him the dream with the interpretation   The wise men admitted this was an impossible demand.

Daniel 2:11.” And it is a rare thing that the king requires, and there is none other that can show it before  the king, except the gods, whose dwelling is not with men”. This man said the truth from the natural mind and understanding but that was not the whole truth.

The Almighty God dwells with some people that is the new man in Christ. The Christian does not just have God dwelling in Him, but his very spirit is one with God.   (1 Corinthians 6:17). God dwells with us.

Daniel was added to  the rest to be killed, but he requested to seek audience with the king. .

Dear child of God you must believe in the presence of God in you, such that you must not allow what destroys the world to destroy you. You are a solution and should not be a victim.

 In vrs 16 Daniel sort for time to come back with the answer. What was Daniel going to do with the time he requested?. He went to seek the face of God with his brothers, inquiring that God tell them the secret. Many children of God pray and don’t expect responses from the Spirit of God (Matt 7:7&8).

There are countless problems facing our world and peculiar locations. Like Daniel we must seek God’s face for the solutions to these problems and our Lord would show us the way out.

Take time to reason with God about these challenges that face our world. God has promised to answer if we seek His face for the answers. We are the light of our world, and must bring definite and practical solutions to our world.

 . CONFESSION

 The problems of the world are not meant to destroy all of us, I am light to provide a solution to these problems. I avail myself to the Holy Ghost to provide answers.

FURTHER STUDIES.

Matthew 7:7-8 ” Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you:

For every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened”.

John 15:5 ” I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing”.

KEY SCRIPTURE: Daniel 1:8 ” But Daniel purposed in his heart that he would not defile himself with the portion of the king’s meat, nor with the wine which he drank: therefore he requested of the prince of the eunuchs that he might not defile himself”.

One example  in the bible about being a light in the world is Daniel.  We would consider what made Daniel to be so unique in manifesting the glory of God, even in a foreign land.

1. DEVOTION

 Daniel was doggedly devoted to the Lord. In our key scripture the bible said “He purposed in His heart not to defile Himself with the portion of the king’s meat”. You cannot shine  for God without God’s commitment to you.  Holiness of life is the glue that attracts the presence of God to a man. (Matthew 5:8. “Blessed are the pure in heart,  for they shall see God”). It always takes the power of God upon the life of an individual to make him or her do amazing things.

 GET DEVOTED TO GOD AND GOD WOULD BE DEVOTED TO YOU.

2. A MIND TO EXCEL.

Daniel was not only devoted to God by prayer, holiness of life,  he had a mind to excel.  Daniel 6:3 reveals that,  “then this Daniel was preferred above the presidents and princes,  because an excellent Spirit was in him….. “. To have an excellent spirit ,is not just to have the Holy Spirit, but to have an attitude of excellence. To be disciplined and committed to details. Doing things right every time. Listen to what his detractors  said about him in chapter 6 vrs 5″. Then said these men, we shall not find any occasion against this Daniel except we find it against him concerning the law of his God”. They could not find any occasion of error. Daniel was punctual.  He did not cut corners or falsify figures, neither did he give bribes..  He never compromised on any grounds. His work was simply excellent. You cannot shine, if  you are not positively different from the rest .  Decide to excel by being positively different .

3. A MAN OF FAITH IN GOD.

Faith in God is always the means to greater works.  It is this greater works that make you stand out (John 14:12).  Daniel’s faith in His God was unflinching even at the peril of His life.  Daniel 6:10 reveals to us that,  although Daniel knew that the decree had been signed that, anyone who asked a request from  any other God, would be thrown into the lion’s den, he went ahead and prayed. He was thrown into the lions’ den, yet God honoured his faith by saving him..

 God would honour your  faith to show  His glory.

CONFESSION

By Daniel example, I commit my life to revealing the glory of God in my day.  The Spirit of the Lord is actively working through me,  I am making a great impact on this world.

FURTHER STUDIES.

John 14:12  “Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me, the works that I do shall he do also; and greater works than these shall he do; because I go unto my Father”.

Matthew 5:16 ” Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven”.

The bible in one year.

Deuteronomy 23:1-25:19,  Luke 10:13-37, Psalm 75:1-10, Proverbs 12:12-14