03/03/13

Can we come before God?

Job 11:4 - For thou hast said [to God], My doctrine is pure, and I am clean in thine eyes.


In today's message we read the friend of Job reprimands Job for considering himself a righteous person for he thought he knew things of the Kingdom of God and according to what he knew he did right.

On one hand we have God calling Job righteous yet on the other hand we also have God stating the righteousness of man are like rags and none were found righteous or worthy until the coming of Jesus. We see at the end Job was also corrected by the Lord for considering himself righteous and had lost the favour of God but by Job humbling himself and lifting (praying for) his friends he was against considered righteous and again he came into the favour of God.

We also have religious people who consider themselves righteous and Jesus referred to them as white washed tombs. Which meant they did works of 'righteousness' or made themselves look righteous but those were dead works like the spirit inside them [hypothetically].

What then is righteousness?

Righteousness simply means doing right. Like faith does not mean just believing but means believing in that which is unchanging and there is nothing that the same forever other than God and His Word. Therefore faith means believing in God and His Word. We can have hope or trust in people or things of the world but not faith.

Similarly righteousness also has to do with doing right according to something or someone. We may be righteous according to the world for the world may see us doing right according to its eyes. Thus when we call ourselves or are referred to as righteous we need to note according to whom.

The Pharisees were called righteous people by the Jews because they did the traditions of Jews as to what the Jews understood of the words given by Moses or other Prophets. Jesus and the Apostles rebuked the Jews for having no understanding of what Moses spoke or what the other Prophets spoke. So we see righteousness is not only dependant on according to whom but also according to the understanding of the person or his words.

The book of Job is the oldest book of the Bible. Job was before Moses and yet we see Job had great knowledge of the Kingdom of God. Job was blessed with great wisdom such that by understading creation which was done according to the image of the things of the Kingdom of God, Job could understand the things of the Kingdom of God [what I call Bible Image Study]. That is why we see this books hold names of lots of animals, birds, stars etc...

In today's message we see Zophar the friend of Job first attends to the limitation of the knowledge of Job before reminding Job about his problem with righteousness. Zophar tells Job about the never ending wisdom and knowledge of God and what we know is not even a fraction of the wisdom of God.

In my last post we saw man and Angels can know only what God has spoken or what is given unto us. That is why Jesus (who was God who humbled and came as man), as man was limited in His knowledge and did not know the hour when the end would come for He knew only that which is given or spoke by God. Paul too says he knew in part and preached in part and as he knew more the parts changed and grew greater.

It was just last week I was surprised to learn that we are called righteous not according to God but according to the Son of God who came as man. According to God we stand no comparison but are saved and can come before God with boldness because He does not require us to meet His standard of righteousness (which we cannot for we cannot know beyond the Word of God) but has called us to meet the standards of Jesus the Son of Man.

Jesus tells us on Judgment Day we will be judged not by God but by man or Son of man Jesus according to the Word of God given unto man.

God is telling us we are unworthy to come before Him but because of His Son we can come boldly before Him and it is only because of His Son we too are called righteous and Family. We call Gos Father and one can come before one's Father any time.


[ Prayer Starter ]
Lord, we are sinners and corrupted with the things of this world. But the Day we accepted Jesus as our Saviour, Lord and Master and received your Spirit, the work of change has started in us. Today when we come before You it is not for who we are but only because of your Son Jesus we can come before You. He has made a way to You and we thank You for that Way. Holy Spirit take us more and more closer to our Father...

This prayer we make in Jesus' Name, Amen.


[ Reference Scriptures ]
Job 11:4-14
4 For thou hast said, My doctrine is pure, and I am clean in thine eyes.
5 But oh that God would speak, and open his lips against thee;
6 And that he would shew thee the secrets of wisdom, that they are double to that which is! Know therefore that God exacteth of thee less than thine iniquity deserveth.
7 Canst thou by searching find out God? canst thou find out the Almighty unto perfection?
8 It is as high as heaven; what canst thou do? deeper than hell; what canst thou know?
9 The measure thereof is longer than the earth, and broader than the sea.
10 If he cut off, and shut up, or gather together, then who can hinder him?
11 For he knoweth vain men: he seeth wickedness also; will he not then consider it?
12 For vain man would be wise, though man be born like a wild ass's colt.
13 If thou prepare thine heart, and stretch out thine hands toward him;
14 If iniquity be in thine hand, put it far away, and let not wickedness dwell in thy tabernacles.

Matthew 16:27 - For the Son of man shall come in the glory of his Father with his angels; and then he shall reward every man according to his works.

Matthew 19:28-30
28 And Jesus said unto them, Verily I say unto you, That ye which have followed me, in the regeneration when the Son of man shall sit in the throne of his glory, ye also shall sit upon twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel.
29 And every one that hath forsaken houses, or brethren, or sisters, or father, or mother, or wife, or children, or lands, for my name's sake, shall receive an hundredfold, and shall inherit everlasting life.
30 But many that are first shall be last; and the last shall be first.

Luke 9:56 - For the Son of man is not come to destroy men's lives, but to save them.

John 3:14-15
14 And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of man be lifted up:
15 That whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have eternal life.

John 5:22-29
22 For the Father judgeth no man, but hath committed all judgment unto the Son:
23 That all men should honour the Son, even as they honour the Father. He that honoureth not the Son honoureth not the Father which hath sent him.
24 Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that heareth my word, and believeth on him that sent me, hath everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation; but is passed from death unto life.
25 Verily, verily, I say unto you, The hour is coming, and now is, when the dead shall hear the voice of the Son of God: and they that hear shall live.
26 For as the Father hath life in himself; so hath he given to the Son to have life in himself;
27 And hath given him authority to execute judgment also, because he is the Son of man.
28 Marvel not at this: for the hour is coming, in the which all that are in the graves shall hear his voice,
29 And shall come forth; they that have done good, unto the resurrection of life; and they that have done evil, unto the resurrection of damnation.
30 I can of mine own self do nothing: as I hear, I judge: and my judgment is just; because I seek not mine own will, but the will of the Father which hath sent me.

John 12:30-34
30 Jesus answered and said, This voice came not because of me, but for your sakes.
31 Now is the judgment of this world: now shall the prince of this world be cast out.
32 And I, if I be lifted up from the earth, will draw all men unto me.
33 This he said, signifying what death he should die.
34 The people answered him, We have heard out of the law that Christ abideth for ever: and how sayest thou, The Son of man must be lifted up? who is this Son of man?

Revelation 1:13-20
13 And in the midst of the seven candlesticks one like unto the Son of man, clothed with a garment down to the foot, and girt about the paps with a golden girdle.
14 His head and his hairs were white like wool, as white as snow; and his eyes were as a flame of fire;
15 And his feet like unto fine brass, as if they burned in a furnace; and his voice as the sound of many waters.
16 And he had in his right hand seven stars: and out of his mouth went a sharp twoedged sword: and his countenance was as the sun shineth in his strength.
17 And when I saw him, I fell at his feet as dead. And he laid his right hand upon me, saying unto me, Fear not; I am the first and the last:
18 I am he that liveth, and was dead; and, behold, I am alive for evermore, Amen; and have the keys of hell and of death.
19 Write the things which thou hast seen, and the things which are, and the things which shall be hereafter;
20 The mystery of the seven stars which thou sawest in my right hand, and the seven golden candlesticks. The seven stars are the angels of the seven churches: and the seven candlesticks which thou sawest are the seven churches.


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