The Lord Our Righteousness

All right. Well, if you have your Bibles, I’m going to invite you to turn with me to Jeremiah chapter 23. Jeremiah 23, and we’re going to start at verse 5. And before we do, we have been in a series and in a study called the Names of God. And we’ve been talking about the different names used for God, the different attributes of God. Because how many of you know that a name of God is a declaration of who He is?

We see in Scripture, and especially in the Hebrew times in the Old Testament, a name wasn’t just a label. It wasn’t just something you call someone. It was something that you declare over them. The names had significance. They had weight. And when the Lord is speaking and He assigns Himself and says, “This is who I am” — how many of you know He is eternal? He’s the infinite one. He’s forever and always, and He never changes. Scripture says He’s the same yesterday, today, and forever. And so when He says, “This is who I am,” it’s important for us to know those things and understand: if that was true then, that is true today. That’s who He is. And we can rest in that and live out of that.

I want to talk today about the Lord our righteousness. Everybody say, “The Lord our righteousness.”

Am I okay with God?

I wanted to start by asking a question, and it’s probably a question that you’ve all asked yourselves before at some point and in some way. Maybe you’ve never spoken it out loud, but really that question is: am I okay with God? Not really, “Do I believe in God?” Not really, “Am I saved?” But something a little bit deeper, something a little bit more intimate. Like, in spite of all that I’ve done, every decision I’ve made, every fault, every failure, or even everything that I’ve not done — are me and God okay? Are we good?

And I believe that the Lord answers that so loudly in Scripture, but He doesn’t just answer it as a yes or no. He answers it with a name, and that is the Lord our righteousness. Amen.

So I want to start at Jeremiah 23, and we’re going to read verses 5 and 6. And can we do this? Can we read this out loud together? You might have a different translation. That’s okay. If you don’t have your Bible, you can follow on screen, but let’s just fill this atmosphere with the word of God today. Can we do that? Amen. All right. Ready? Go.

“Behold, the days are coming,” says the Lord, “that I will raise to David a Branch of righteousness; a King shall reign and prosper, and execute judgment and righteousness in the earth. In His days Judah will be saved, and Israel will dwell safely; now this is His name by which He will be called: the Lord our righteousness.”

Let me read this back to you one more time. It says, “Behold, the days are coming.” And so this is a prophetic declaration that the Lord is bringing to the people. And He says, “This is what I have to say about what is to come.” God is speaking. He says, “Behold, the days are coming that I will raise to David a Branch of righteousness.” In other words, there was this promise of this Messiah that was to come, a Savior. And He was to come through the lineage of David. And He’s saying, “This is how it’s going to come. This is how I will bring this righteous rule to the earth.” He says, “I will raise to David a Branch of righteousness.”

“A King shall reign.” How many of you know we just said He is our King? Amen. “A King shall reign and prosper, and execute judgment and righteousness in the earth. In His days Judah will be saved, and Israel will dwell safely.” In other words, those who are called by His name, who God has chosen and set apart, will dwell in safety. Somebody say, “Amen.” “Now this is His name by which He will be called: the Lord our righteousness.” Thank you, Lord.

Let’s pray. Lord Jesus, we thank You for Your precious word. Lord, we thank You that it is Your word to us. That it’s not just a book about You, but Lord, it is who You are. Lord, I pray that we would see Your heart today. That our eyes would be opened to Your goodness and to Your love for us, and that You would speak to us by the power of Your Spirit, in Jesus’ name. Amen.

A name bound to our right standing

So again, we see that this is a prophetic declaration. If you don’t know what that means, a prophetic declaration is the word of God that is being spoken forth, and it’s things that have not yet happened but that will come to pass. He’s a God who cannot lie. And Scripture says that every word that He speaks accomplishes the purpose that He sent it to do. And so a prophetic statement like this is an assurance. It is an assurance that brings hope. It is an assurance that brings revelation and understanding.

And here is this hope. The people are longing for this Messiah, for God to deliver His people, to be faithful to His promise. And He says, “Behold, I’m going to send a righteous King, and His name will be the Lord our righteousness.” That word, the Lord our righteousness, in the Hebrew is Jehovah Tsidkenu. Jehovah Tsidkenu. It’s embarrassing how many times I practiced that.

But I want us to just sit for a moment and rest and realize what the Lord actually did when He said this, when He said, “This is who I am: Jehovah Tsidkenu.” This is God speaking to His people, and He’s combining Jehovah, which is the personal name of God, with Tsidkenu, which means “our righteousness.” And I want to just stay here for a moment, because we need to understand the weight of what God did in this moment.

Again, in the Hebrew a name wasn’t just a label. It was a declaration of who you are. And so when God looked across time, and He looked across the centuries through human history, He saw every generation of failure. He saw every generation of falling short. He saw the law that nobody could obey or fulfill. He saw every sacrifice that could not fully take away sin. And God said, “I’m going to send someone, and His name will be the Lord our righteousness.”

Not the Lord who demands righteousness. Not the Lord who inspects your righteousness. He’s the Lord who becomes your righteousness. In other words, in this one statement, in this one declaration, God forever and always bound His own name to your right standing. Think about that. How God staked His identity on your access to Him.

He wasn’t just saying, “I’m the Holy One. I’m the Lord. I’m the King.” Did He say that? Of course. But He said, “I’m your righteousness. I’m your hope. I’m the one who will make it right for you.” Amen. Thank you, Lord.

This is covenant language. This is strong language that the Lord is bringing. This is God who looked at the infinite gap between His holiness and our brokenness, and He said, “I’m not going to ask you to cross this. It’s impossible for you to cross and to fill that gap. And so I’m going to cross it myself.” And the cross is where He did it.

The great exchange at Calvary

I want to read 2 Corinthians 5:21, and this is one of my favorite scriptures. It says, “For He made Him who knew no sin” — talking about Jesus. God the Father made Him, Jesus, who knew no sin; He was perfect — “to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.”

I want us to just take a moment and understand what really happened at Calvary, not as a theology, but as an actual event. I want us to picture Jesus not as just God — He was fully man, and He fully gave Himself. I want us to picture Him as someone who loved you, who called you, who had you in mind. Scripture says, “For the joy that was set before Him He endured the cross.”

I mean, just the night before, He was in agony because He knew what was about to happen. He knew He was going to lay down His life. And He was in the garden, the Garden of Gethsemane, which means “the crushing.” And it was an olive field. It was full of olive trees. And how many of you know when olives are crushed, it produces oil, which we just talked about as a picture of the Holy Spirit? He was crushed so that we could receive the Holy Spirit.

And He’s in the garden and He’s being crushed. And Scripture says He literally begins to sweat blood. This was not a light decision. And He said, “Father, if it is Your will, if there’s any other way, would You take this cup from Me? But not My will, but Yours be done.” He lived in complete surrender.

And so I just want us to understand that when we’re talking about Calvary, we’re talking about someone who endured the torture, the pain, the blood. I was just talking to a friend in our church who works with wood. He’s a legitimate carpenter — not just like, “Oh, I install wood.” No, he works with it. And he was talking about how the scholars believe that the cross weighed about 300 pounds.

Now, I’ve been to Jerusalem. I’ve been to Israel. And I’ve been to where they believe that Jesus was crucified, Golgotha, the hill, and we saw His tomb. And it is a long journey from the city where He was beaten to that hill, and it’s uphill. And when He was scourged, He was whipped. He was ripped open. He was bleeding. I can’t imagine and understand even how He had the strength. I would struggle in my prime. Let’s go there, okay? Because some of you are like, “Yeah, obviously.” No. In my prime, I would struggle to do what He did. But it was out of His love for us. It was for the joy that was set before Him. And you are that joy.

And so Jesus, the only human who ever lived without sin, the only one who never once turned from the Father’s face, He stood in your place. And God treated Him as though He lived your life, as though He had all of your faults, as though He had all of your failures, all of your shortcomings. All of that was put on Jesus when He was nailed to the cross. Somebody say, “Thank You, Jesus.” He took it all on Himself.

Scripture says that the sky turned dark, because the sun refused to shine on what was happening in that moment. It says that the earth shook, which was emphasizing the magnitude of our redemption, this chasm that had to be closed so that we could be with the Lord Jesus. And the God who spoke the universe into existence screamed from a Roman cross, “My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?” What have I done? How do I deserve this? But how many of you know He was forsaken so that you never had to be? Amen.

And so in that moment, in blood and in agony, in the separation that He endured so that you never have to, that great exchange took place. He took your sin and He gave you His righteousness. He made Him who knew no sin to become sin for you, so that you might be the righteousness of God in Christ Jesus.

So now when God looks at you, He doesn’t see the filth, the funk, the failure, the insecurity, the fear, whatever you’re bringing in today. He sees you through the lens of Jesus. And He says, “You are righteous, and you are welcome.” Amen.

Romans 5:8 says this: “God demonstrates His own love” — everybody say “love.” His love was demonstrated to the fullest. The perfect picture of unconditional love is what Jesus accomplished on the cross through the death, the burial, and the resurrection. “God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”

Notice, He didn’t die for you once you got it all together. He didn’t die for you once you started reading your Bible. He didn’t die for you once you recognized, “Man, He really loved me. Maybe I should love Him in return.” He died for you when you were still a sinner. When you were at your worst, that is when Jesus came for you. Amen.

That’s the love of God. That’s the love of Jesus. Not a love that waits for you to be lovable. It is a love that preemptively loves you first. And the reason that we can even love Him in the first place is because He first loved us. It was a love that made us righteous when we had no right to be.

Jehovah Tsidkenu in the courtyard

I want to take a look at Jehovah Tsidkenu in action. This is not a prophecy. I want you to see Him as a person. I say this often, more than you would think: a picture speaks a thousand words, and words can paint pictures, right? A pastor that I have worked with always uses this example. He says, “If I say a pink flying elephant, you see it.” A pink flying elephant, right?

Here’s what I would like for us to do. Right now where we’re sitting, I’m going to ask that you close your eyes. I want to read this story to you, and I want you to imagine Jesus. I want you to see His face. I want you to see His eyes. And I want you to see this situation that He found Himself in when He was standing in a courtyard.

It was the early morning, and Jesus was in the temple courts, and He was teaching. And as He’s teaching, there’s a commotion that begins to arise. And the Pharisees, who were the religious rulers at the time, the ones that were making sure everybody was keeping straight and following the rules — the Pharisees dragged a woman in front of everyone who was caught in the act of adultery. Many believe that she was set up, that they were trying to pigeonhole Jesus, to have Him contradict Himself or be contrary to His words and to the gospel that He was preaching.

And they throw her to the ground. She’s barely clothed. She’s trembling. And she’s thrown on the ground like evidence. And the Pharisees look at Jesus and they say, “The law says that we must stone her. She must be put to death. She must pay for her sin. What do You say?”

Now, the Pharisees did not care about this woman. She was a theological chess piece to them. What they really wanted was to trap Jesus between the law and mercy. You see, they could not understand how the two could be reconciled. She’s a failure. She’s a sinner. She deserves death. But didn’t we read that the righteous one would rule in judgment and mercy?

And so Jesus, being questioned and asked this, starts writing in the dirt. We don’t know what He wrote, but He begins to write in the dirt. And when He stands up, He says one sentence that clears the courtyard. He says this: “He who is without sin among you, let him throw a stone at her first.”

We see in Scripture that one by one they begin to drop their rocks and they begin to leave, starting with the oldest first, down to the youngest. There’s a strong statement there, because the older that I get, the more that I realize just how much I don’t have it together. The ones that had the longest to accumulate their own guilt realized, “Who am I to cast judgment?”

And so now it’s just Jesus and this woman. And here’s what I need you to see, and I want you to see this so clearly. He was the only person in that courtyard who had the right to throw a stone. He was the only sinless one. He was the only one the law would have permitted to execute judgment, to throw the stone, and to be justified. But Jesus looks at her and He says, “Woman, where are your accusers?” And then He says this: “Neither do I condemn you; go and sin no more.”

He didn’t lower the standard

You see — and you can open your eyes — what I love about this is that Jesus didn’t lower the standard. He didn’t actually dismiss the sin. How many of you know living holy to the Lord is a good thing? I’m going to say it again. Living holy to the Lord is a good thing. It is good for every believer to say no to sin. And it is good to walk holy before the Lord, because that is a heart that is devoted to Him, that loves Him, and that chooses to walk with Him. Amen.

He did not lower the standard. He didn’t wave away what she had done. But He did this: He stood between her and the death that she deserved. According to the law, she deserved death. And He absorbed the condemnation, and He became her righteousness right there in the dirt.

And then He did something that the Pharisees could not have done. Not only did He stand between the accusers and her, He gave her a future. He said, “Go and sin no more.” He didn’t give her a new rule. He gave her a new identity. He was saying, “Listen, you are not defined by what just happened to you. You’re not defined by your past failures. You’re not defined by your past successes. You are not what they called you. You are who I say you are. And I say that you are free.”

And church, I believe this is what the Lord is speaking over us today. Whatever you walked in carrying today, whatever voice has been telling you that you don’t measure up, whatever voice has been telling you that you’ve gone too far, that God can’t work with you, that you’re disqualified, that God is done with you — I want you to know that Jesus is speaking over you, and He’s standing between you and that verdict. And He’s saying, “Where are your accusers? Who can condemn you?” And His word is this: “Neither do I condemn you. Go and sin no more.”

Now, I believe that some of you are hearing this and you’re almost like, “It’s too good to be true.” And it is. Let me put it this way. It’s too good to be true for this world, but it’s who He is.

He is here, and He is not here to inspect you

And I believe that the Holy Spirit is speaking to some of you right now. You’re hearing my words, but you’re hearing something different in your heart. How many of you know that’s the Holy Spirit speaking? And my prayer is that every time someone comes up onto the stage and begins to preach the gospel, you don’t hear the words of the preacher, but you hear the words of the Holy Spirit, because that’s what’s going to transform your life. That’s what you’re feeling when you’re like, “Something is different. These aren’t just normal words.” It’s not my power. It’s not my ability. It’s the Lord Himself. It’s the Holy Spirit moving and speaking.

But I want you to know that He is here. He’s in the room. That’s why we start with worship. Oh, what a wonderful thing that is. Where two or more are gathered, Scripture says He’s there in the midst of them. And Scripture says that He inhabits the praises of His people. There are things that happen in the corporate assembly of the church, where we come together in unity and we begin to pour out praise and worship to the Lord.

So many people are duped into thinking that church is about them. They think, “I just don’t really like it,” or “I don’t really feel it.” As Pastor David was just saying, church is not about you. It’s about the Lord Jesus. We don’t come to worship ourselves. We come to worship Him. And hear this: in His goodness, He comes with everything that He is, and He pours Himself out. And how many of you know He is the living water that you need? Amen.

So listen. The best thing that you can do is say, “I’m leaving all of that stuff from my week at the door, and I’m coming to worship Jesus. There is nothing that is going to keep me from declaring that He is good, that He is faithful, that He is King. I’m not going to let any past decision, I’m not going to let any trauma — I’m not going to even let my physical abilities — determine my heart in this moment. It is solely surrendered to the Lord, and it is going to be an offering of worship to Him. And I’m going to declare with my mouth, even if I don’t feel it, this is who He is.”

And Scripture says faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God. When you begin to declare who God is, you hear it. It goes into your heart, and it bears good fruit. Faith comes by hearing. It washes us. His word cleanses. I can go on and on and on. But I believe the Lord is speaking. He’s here. And He’s not here to inspect you. He’s not here trying to condemn you. He’s here to remind you of what His blood has already accomplished.

Some of you have been carrying guilt and condemnation for too long. You carry it around as though it’s almost a badge of honor. Some of you carry it around and you say, “Well, if I forget it, then I’m just being flippant.” The Lord is saying, “Would you look to Me, and would you lay every weight and every burden down?” And the Lord is saying, “That guilt, that shame, it’s not from Me. I finished that on the cross. Look to Me and let it go.”

Others of you have been trying to perform. You’re trying to earn what Jesus has already given freely, and you can never earn it. The Holy Spirit is saying, “Stop striving. My righteousness over your life is not fragile.” How many of you know the blood of Jesus is not fragile? I’m going to say it again. The salvation and the blood of Jesus is not a fragile thing. It is strong.

People sometimes will give their life to the Lord, and they’ll be like, “Am I even saved? Did I even mean that?” When those questions creep in — how many of you know there are voices that speak? There’s the Word. There is God. But there’s also an adversary. And if he can cause confusion or doubt in your heart, he will do that if he can. When you think, “Am I even saved?” I want to encourage you: remember the cross. Remember the blood. His salvation is not weak. It is strong.

Righteousness is about access

And so here’s what changes everything. Actually, let me go here. This is what I believe the church has been missing. And this has been my prayer for this church — it’s always been my prayer, but specifically for about the last two, two and a half years. This has been my prayer for this church: that righteousness is not just about forgiveness. That’s important. Say amen. But righteousness is about access.

I want us to recognize the access that you have to the Lord. Ephesians 2:6 says, “God has raised us up together and made us sit together in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus.” In other words, you don’t need to sit at the gate begging or asking or groveling. There is a position that you have right now. And it says you are seated in heavenly places with Christ Jesus.

Where is Christ Jesus right now? Some of you might be thinking, “Well, now He’s spirit. He’s like an angel.” No, He’s not. He is in the flesh. When He took on flesh, He took it forever. He became man — fully God, but He became man forever. And He walked on this earth for 40 days teaching His disciples. And He says, “I’m going to leave. But when I do, it is to your advantage, because I’m going to send the Holy Spirit. And He’s going to help you, and He’s going to fill you. He’s going to empower you.” Are you guys with me?

And after 40 days, He ascended into heaven in the flesh. And He is seated at the right hand of the Father in the flesh. And Scripture says He is seated there, and He’s been given the name above every name. And He’s interceding for you. That means He’s praying for you. That’s why Scripture says He’s our great High Priest. He’s the one that stands in the gap.

He’s the one that is praying even when you turn your back on Him and you said no. Or, “I’m just going to do my own thing.” Or, “Time out, Lord. I don’t want to be that serious of a Christian. I don’t want to be that sold out. I don’t want to look weird and have people say, ‘Oh, he’s that kind. He’s a Jesus freak.’” No. He never stops praying for you. He never stops having you in mind. Even in the midst of your failure, as you’re actively failing, He’s praying for you.

And because you are righteous in Christ Jesus, you have position with Him in that place. And you can now have boldness to come to the throne of God, into the very presence of God. That is why the Lord gave us this name, Dwelling House. “One thing I have desired, that will I seek: that I may dwell in the house of the Lord, to gaze upon His beauty.” How beautiful is the Lord. There is none like Him.

Hebrews 4:16 says, “Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain” — what? — “mercy, and find grace and help in time of need.” He’s not asking you to come perfect. He’s asking you to come by the blood of Jesus. That is our ticket. Amen. That’s how God wants us to approach Him.

Declaring who He is

So I’m going to ask that we stand together. And man, I lost my time. But the Lord is good. Amen. How many of you are encouraged by the word of the Lord? Thank You, Jesus.

All right, I’m going to ask that we bow our heads. I’m going to read this scripture over you, and we’re going to pray. Romans 8:31 says, “If God is for us, who can be against us? He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all, how shall He not with Him also freely give us all things? Who shall bring a charge against God’s elect? It is God who justifies. Who is he who condemns? It is Christ who died, and furthermore is also risen, who is even at the right hand of God, who also makes intercession for us.”

Who can bring a charge against you? Who is going to condemn? Say, “Thank You, Jesus.” Jesus died for you. He defeated death. He rose again. He ascended to heaven. And now He’s at the right hand of the Father. He is not done with you.

And so with every head bowed and every eye closed, I’m going to ask that we say this together out loud. Just repeat after me, and let’s declare these truths. Even if you’re like, “I still have questions,” that’s okay. The Lord is opening eyes today in this place. I believe He’s speaking by His Spirit. Lord, give us eyes to see what You’ve done.

But say this. Say: I am the righteousness of God in Christ Jesus. I am not condemned. I am not disqualified. I am not defined by my past. The Lord, Jehovah Tsidkenu, is my righteousness. Not my performance. Not my track record. It is Jesus. It is His blood. It is His cross. It is His life. It is His love. I have access to the Father. I have authority in His name. And I stand in the finished work of the cross, today and forever. Amen.

Now let me pray over you. Father, thank You, Jesus, for Your word. We thank You. We stand before You today not in our own righteousness, but Lord, in the righteousness of Your Son, Jesus Christ. Lord, we receive what He has done. We receive what You have done. We receive that great exchange. We receive the name Jehovah Tsidkenu, the Lord our righteousness, over our lives. Holy Spirit, burn this revelation into our hearts so deep that we never go back. We are Yours. We are righteous. We are free, in Jesus’ name. Amen.

Transcribed from the message recording and lightly edited for reading.