The Challenge Of True Righteousness

“Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be filled.” Matthew 5:6

Jesus Christ, in His discourse commonly called the Sermon on the Mount, made it unmistakably clear that righteousness is not optional for the believer.It is the very condition of a life that seeks the approval of the Father.

Jesus declared for all to hear and understand that righteousness must be pursued. It must be desired. It must become the deep cry of the believer’s heart. The Holy Spirit reveals that Jesus Christ Himself must be the standard of acceptability in the life of every professing believer.

And Jesus answering said unto him, Suffer it to be so now: for thus it becometh us to fulfil all righteousness. Then he suffered Him. Matthew 3:15.

The believer is not called merely to admire Christ, but to follow His example. Just as Jesus ministered through righteousness, so must every disciple who claims His Name. The words of Jesus confront every heart with a searching question: Do we truly hunger and thirst for righteousness, or are we satisfied with outward religion?

Jesus laid tremendous emphasis upon the believer possessing a continual yearning for righteousness, a longing for deeper fellowship with the Father and a greater conformity to His will. This hunger is not a passing emotion. It is the evidence of possessing  spiritual life.

Righteousness, the state of being acceptable before the Father and walking in the delight of His heart, can never be bought, earned through human effort, or manufactured through religious appearance.

It is imparted to those who are true believers in Jesus Christ. 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. ( Romans 5: 17)

Years ago, the Lord impressed these words deeply: “I want you to have an insatiable hunger and an unquenchable thirst for more of Me.”This is the cry the Father seeks in His people.

Righteousness Will Bring Persecution.

Jesus never concealed the cost of righteousness. He warned plainly that those who walk in true righteousness will face opposition. “Blessed are they which are persecuted for righteousness sake: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are you, when men shall revile you, and persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for My sake. Rejoice, and be exceeding glad: for great is your reward in heaven: for so persecuted were the prophets which were before you.”  Matthew 5:10–12

The prophets of old were persecuted because the call of the Father rested upon their lives. The ways of God have always conflicted with the spirit of this world. Every believer must understand this truth: Whenever a believer desires to progress in their walk with the Father,  resistance will arise.

The world system is alien to the will of the Father. Its pressures continually attempt to choke, corrupt, and abort the purposes of the Father in the believer’s life. The enemy of our souls seeks to hinder the work of righteousness within us. His aim is not merely outward trouble; his goal is to destroy the Word of God from taking root in the believer’s heart.

The battle is always against the Word. This is an important truth for every believer to understand: the enemy fights the Words of Jesus Christ. Jesus Christ perfectly revealed this reality in the Parable of the Sower.

“When anyone hears the word of the kingdom, and understands it not, then comes the wicked one, and catches away that which was sown in his heart.”  Matthew 13:19

Did you notice what Jesus Christ actually declared? This is of tremendous importance; no devil, no amount of demonic activities can successfully prevail against the Word of Jesus Christ in the lives of people, if they are grounded deep and firm with a full understanding of the Word.

Christ warned that tribulation and persecution arise because of the Word. “For when tribulation or persecution arises because of the word, immediately he stumbles.”  Matthew 13:21

The enemy knows the power of the Word of God. He knows that if the Word is received, understood, guarded, and obeyed, it will produce fruit unto righteousness. This is why the believer must not merely hear the Word, but retain it, protect it, and allow it to govern their life.

“But he who received seed on the good ground is he who hears the word and understands it; who indeed bears fruit. Matthew 13:23”

The enemy cannot prevail against the Godhead, but he continually attempts to weaken believers through condemnation, fear, compromise, and distraction so that the Word becomes unfruitful. The challenge before every believer is this: Will the Word survive in our hearts when persecution, pressure, and temptation arise?

There Are Two Forms Of Righteousness.

Jesus Christ issued one of the most sobering warnings ever spoken concerning righteousness. “For I say unto you, that except your righteousness shall exceed the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, ye shall in no case enter into the kingdom of heaven.”  Matthew 5:20

Two forms of righteousness stand before humanity. One is accepted by Almighty God. The other is rejected. One is rooted in humility, repentance, and obedience to the Father. The other is rooted in outward appearance, self-exaltation, and religious performance.

Jesus knew the righteousness practised by the Pharisees, and He exposed it completely. “Even so ye also outwardly appear righteous unto men, but within ye are full of hypocrisy and iniquity.”  Matthew 23:28

The Pharisees looked righteous before men. Their robes, ceremonies, and public displays created an image of holiness, yet their hearts remained far from the Father. Their righteousness was external, not internal.

Their lives sought the praise of men rather than the approval of the Father. “Ye are they who justify yourselves before men; but God knows your hearts: for that which is highly esteemed among men is abomination in the sight of God.”  Luke 16:15

What a fearful warning to every generation. A person may appear spiritual before men and yet remain unacceptable before God.

The Danger Of Trusting In Self-Righteousness.

Jesus revealed the tragedy of self-righteousness through the parable of the Pharisee and the publican. “The Pharisee stood and prayed thus with himself, God, I thank thee, that I am not as other men are…”  Luke 18:11

The Pharisee trusted in his works, his fasting, his giving, and his outward morality. Yet there was no humility before Almighty God. The publican, however, stood broken before the Father. And cried out: “God be merciful to me a sinner.”  Luke 18:13

Jesus then declared: “I tell you, this man went down to his house justified rather than the other.”  Luke 18:14 The Pharisees trusted in themselves that they were righteous, but their hearts were not right before God.

This is very important to understand: true righteousness is never proud, it will never exalt or lift itself above others. True righteousness bows before the Father in humility, repentance, dependence, and surrender.

This is of utmost importance. The words of Jesus Christ still confront every professing believer today. Will we pursue the righteousness that comes from intimacy with the Father, obedience to His Word, and humility before Him? Or will we settle for a righteousness that merely appears acceptable before men?

The righteousness approved by the Father is not an outward performance. It is the life of Christ formed within the believer through surrender, obedience, and continual fellowship with the Father. The Father is not searching for religious appearance. He is searching for hearts that hunger and thirst after righteousness.

Only the righteousness that is born from truth, humility, and obedience will endure before the throne of Almighty God.