Christ—Our Righteousness

Bible Studies for Life Sunday School lesson originally published here at the Biblical Recorder.

Focal Passage: Jeremiah 33:3-8; 14-16

In Jeremiah 33, the Lord makes a great many claims: “I will answer you” and “will tell you,” “I shall strike down,” “I have hidden my face,” “I will bring it to health and healing,” “I will heal them and reveal to them,” “I will restore” and “rebuild,” “I will cleanse them,” I will forgive,” “I will fulfill the promise,” “I will cause a Righteous Branch.” Finally, Jeremiah declares that Jerusalem will be called, “The Lord is our righteousness.” I hope the pattern is obvious. The Lord is the active agent when it comes to righteousness. We are like the people of Israel. We have been given commands and expectations, but we consistently fail. We are certainly to strive toward righteousness. No doubt the Scripture teaches that God expects holiness. But we must acknowledge that we have no hope of earning the righteousness we desperately need. When we examine our lives against the expectations of righteousness that God has for us, we can grow depressed and discouraged. Thankfully, the Lord does not leave us wandering in hopelessness. He acts, answers, heals, forgives, fulfills and provides a Righteous Branch. The Righteous Branch is none other than the Lord Jesus who is the incarnated fulfillment of God’s righteousness for us. Jesus came to do what we could not. He obeyed God’s Law, kept every standard and fulfilled every expectation. He did what we could not do. Because he is Righteous, he could take our place. He became our substitute, carrying our sin on the cross and transferring his Righteousness to us. Again, I hope the pattern is obvious. Jesus is the active agent with regard to righteousness. We cannot hope to earn God’s approval. But we can receive it. We should heed the Lord’s command to Jeremiah, “Call to me.” If we will call upon the Lord, we can receive the Righteousness without which we cannot know the Lord.

Our Shepherd

Bible Studies for Life lesson originally published here at the Biblical Recorder.

Focal Passage: Psalm 23:1-6

Our youngest son, Nathan, was a difficult baby. He had colic along with an irritable stomach. Eventually, we had to give him nutramigen baby formula for him to eat. If you’re not familiar with nutramigen, that’s ok. Think of it as liquid gold. At least that’s what it seemed like when we paid for it. Anyway, I can remember fighting with him to eat. We knew what was best for him even if he didn’t want to eat. I think David had something similar in mind when he penned the verses of his most influential psalm, “The Lord is my shepherd…” As a shepherd, David knew that his sheep were entirely dependent upon him. They required green pastures and still waters (sheep will not drink from moving streams). But more than provision, the Lord our Shepherd guides us. He guides us to places of provision and protection. Our Shepherd also leads us in the “paths of righteousness for his names’ sake.” David understood leadership. It was his responsibility to lead and guide his sheep. But when David comments about God’s leadership, he reflects on God’s purpose. As sheep, we don’t know what is best or where we need to go. We tend to wander and drift. But God leads and guides us, and notice why. He guides “for his name’s sake.” God guides us because he’s redeemed us. We are the recipients of his love, the bearers of his name. So he guides us because we reflect his reputation and glory to the world. The Lord “leads us in the paths of righteousness” because the only way we can walk in righteousness is by him and through him. When we walk in righteousness, it becomes obvious to others that we are walking with wisdom and purpose. Would you join David? Would you follow the leadership of your Shepherd in the paths of his righteous word for the sake of his glorious name?