Do you wear a cross? Tonight I invite you to wear THE
cross, the Cross of Righteousness. I could also say the Cross of
Justification, because in the Bible both righteousness and justification
are from the same Greek word. Both words carry basically 2 meanings that
fit together. Being righteous is first of all a matter of being in "the
right relationship (to God)", but it is also the way we should behave.
Being righteous we should act righteously. Being just is the same way. It
first describes our relationship to God and then also describes the way in
which we behave – justly (as in "He is a just man). This certainly is a
description of God himself: He is righteous and is just in all he does.
Both are from the language of the court system – the
"justice system". Some people go to court at the plaintiff. They want
justice served. They want the court to rule in their favor and punish the
evil person and make restitution. Other people, namely the accused go to
court asking not for justice but for mercy if they are found guilty. They
plead the mercy of the court. In the court of God’s Law, we are the ones
standing under the righteous anger of God. God will punish sin,…and we
have sinned. Our only plea is for mercy. Mercy is asking God to not give
us what we deserve.
People spend a significant amount of their conversation
trying to justify their actions. Congress spends millions of man hours
calling other people into account for their actions. "Did you do what was
right?" Did you build according to the expected standard?" "Did you say
and do all those things that you are accused of?" The accusations go on
and on. They are all accusations searching for justice and righteousness
even though it is human justice and civic righteousness. Before God’s
standard of justice, who could stand? Indeed, the biblical writers ask
that very question.
Saint Paul wrestled with this question also: How can we be
justified before God? It looked hopeless. We have no excuses. We all have
sinned and fallen short of the glory of God (Rom 3:23). Not one person is
innocent and God will not be partial to anyone. God does not grade on a
curve. Trying to plead our case by pointing to our performance in keeping
God’s Law will only make matters worse. No one could look righteous on the
basis of keeping the Law of God. Jesus quoted God speaking in the Old
Testament: "Be perfect as I the Lord your God am perfect." And Jesus also
said that "unless your righteousness exceeded that of the Pharisees you
will certainly not enter the Kingdom of Heaven. This does not look good.
But Paul saw one great door open to us all – the door of
God’s mercy. That door opens when we look at the cross of Christ. Paul
writes in Romans 3, "But now a righteousness from God apart from the law
has been made known to which the Law and the Prophets testify. This
righteousness from God comes through faith in Jesus Christ to all who
believe…. Believers are justified freely by his grace through the
redemption that came by Christ."
We were doomed, but God intervened. The justice of God had
been fully met by the righteousness of Jesus Christ. This is the scene in
court: Jesus takes on your guilt and sin and the punishment for it all,
while you go free having received the righteousness of Christ himself.
Remember that righteousness has to do with your relationship to God. Here,
you receive a new and right relationship to God through Jesus Christ. Your
sins could only bring condemnation, but your faith in Jesus has brought
acquittal and freedom. Christ’s righteousness has been applied to you even
though you are guilty. All of this is received by faith; you did nothing
to earn or deserve this. All this has been done by Christ.
Tonight I invite you to wear this cross – the Cross of His
Righteousness. How easy it would be for us – how comfortable – to wear our
own righteousness. How freely we could parade it before people wishing
others to see how right we are, how pure and how faultless we speak and
how impeccable our motives. And how wrong we would be to wear that article
of clothing. The world does not need any more people acting "holier than
thou". Christ has removed our names from the ranks of people who feel the
need to personally parade their personal holiness. From now on it is only
his holiness and his righteousness. You have heard the Bible truth that
"all of our self-righteous deeds are as filthy rags." (Isaiah 64:6). Jesus
offers us something much better to wear. It is his "robe of righteousness"
(Is 61:10) and the cross that goes with it – the Cross of His
Righteousness.
Paul went on to write in Chapter 8 of Romans some amazing
conclusions based on this Cross of Righteousness. "Therefore (he writes),
there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. The case
about you as a sinner is closed forever! Your sins have been atoned for
and justice has been served. You are free to go. Paul says that because of
Jesus and his death on the cross, "the righteous requirements of the Law
have been fully met in us who live by the Spirit." Rom 8:4).
Now tell me; how will you look coming out of that court
room? What could be on your face but sheer joy at being set free and sheer
awe at the grace of God. What does it feel like to have a huge weight
lifted from your shoulders? And what is now your outlook as a great cloud
of doom has been whisked away? And what is this wonderful glow of
admiration you have for Him who loved you to the end? You want to give
Jesus all the honor and glory he deserves.
It is that look and that outlook that you will have as you
wear this cross – the Cross of Righteousness. God looks at you now through
that cross of Christ and he sees you as righteous. How then can anyone
else accuse you? How can you act in any other way than as one who is free
– no longer looking over your shoulder for more judgment to fall. And God
would want us to have those same eyes when we look at ourselves and when
we look at others.
We see the sinner – yet see Christ in others. We see their
failures – yet see faith. We approach people not in judgment but in grace,
not with righteous demands but in mercy. God wants us to wear that cross
and let people see that cross in us.
