Infinite Fellowship Ministries

The Core Of Righteousness: Sermon By Rev. Geoffrey Muchai

Oh that you would rend the heavens and come down, that the mountains might quake at your presence as when fire kindles brushwood and the fire causes water to boil to make your name known to your adversaries, and that the nations might tremble at your presence! When you did awesome things that we did not look for, you came down, the mountains quaked at your presence.From of old no one has heard or perceived by the ear, no eye has seen a God besides you, who acts for those who wait for him.You meet him who joyfully works righteousness, those who remember you in your ways. Behold, you were angry, and we sinned; in our sins we have been a long time, and shall we be saved? We have all become like one who is unclean, and all our righteous deeds are like a polluted garment.

We all fade like a leaf, and our iniquities, like the wind, take us away. There is no one who calls upon your name, who rouses himself to take hold of you; for you have hidden your face from us, and have made us melt in the hand of our iniquities. But now, O LORD, you are our Father; we are the clay, and you are our potter; we are all the work of your hand.Be not so terribly angry, O LORD, and remember not iniquity forever. Behold, please look, we are all your people.Your holy cities have become a wilderness; Zion has become a wilderness, Jerusalem a desolation.Our holy and beautiful house, where our fathers praised you, has been burned by fire, and all our pleasant places have become ruins.Will you restrain yourself at these things, O LORD? Will you keep silent, and afflict us so terribly? 

Isaiah 64:1-12 (AMP)

For everyone who continues to feed on milk is obviously inexperienced and unskilled in the doctrine of righteousness (of conformity to the divine will in purpose, thought, and action), for he is a mere infant [not able to talk yet]!

Hebrews 5:13 (AMP)

We have one sun at the centre of the solar system. It is the main source of light and energy for all life on earth. The sun enables life to exist on earth.

The sun is perfectly balanced. It is not too close to consume us or too far that we could not derive energy from it.The holiness of God can be compared to the sun. The holiness of God is to us what the sun is to the earth.

We can only look at the sun for so long. If we were exposed to the holiness of God in its truest form, we would be consumed. When God moves in His holiness He executes His righteousness.

Holiness is the divine standard of perfection. It is the infinite quality of God and directs us to His righteousness. Jesus is the righteousness of God.

Our understanding of holiness is limited. It is but a glimpse of His infinite reality. However, God uses the things we see to reveal the things we cannot see such as His nature.

Righteousness is God’s holiness in motion and action. It is the power of God that works within us.

God’s righteousness is like the sun’s energy. It gives life to all living things. It is the force that imprints the glory of God in every created thing.

Christ is the righteousness of God. We cannot relate with God void of His standard of holiness. We need to walk in the righteousness of Christ. In the same light, holiness and righteousness permeates everything that God does. In Him there is no shadow of turning. We can only attain to holiness by walking in righteousness.

Righteousness is conformity to God’s will in thought, action and purpose. Our responsibility is to go to God and be aligned in these three. Righteousness is our affections aligning to the holy affections of God.

And in the course of time Cain brought to the Lord an offering of the fruit of the ground. And Abel brought of the firstborn of his flock and of the fat portions. And the Lord had respect and regard for Abel and for his offering, But for Cain and his offering He had no respect or regard. So Cain was exceedingly angry and indignant, and he looked sad and depressed. And the Lord said to Cain, Why are you angry? And why do you look sad and depressed and dejected? If you do well, will you not be accepted? And if you do not do well, sin crouches at your door; its desire is for you, but you must master it. 

Genesis 4:3-7 (AMP)

Cain and Abel both offered sacrifices to God. God’s response was different.

The offering Cain gave was a product of his perceptions about who God is and what He would accept. Abel, on the other hand, was acquainted with the ways and being of God. Our works and the works of God are on two different levels. Our works are like filthy rags.

The distinguishing factor between Abel and Cain’s sacrifice was their heart positions. Abel’s worship was acceptable. He knew how to worship God with what he had. Cain was not able to worship God with what he had because of a wrong heart position toward God. How does God react to your offering? Is there a disconnect between the words on your lips and the fruit in your life?

Our sacrifice of worship should be from the abundance of our revelation of God.

When God comes down, He comes looking for they that are righteous. They that are in right standing [position] with Him. When God went looking for Adam in Eden, the first thing He observed was that Adam’s position [righteousness] had changed. 

Adam was hiding from God. When our position in God changes [righteousness], our response to Him changes.

After these things, the word of the Lord came to Abram in a vision, saying, Fear not, Abram, I am your Shield, your abundant compensation, and your reward shall be exceedingly great. And Abram said, Lord God, what can You give me, since I am going on [from this world] childless and he who shall be the owner and heir of my house is this [steward] Eliezer of Damascus? And Abram continued, Look, You have given me no child; and [a servant] born in my house is my heir. And behold, the word of the Lord came to him, saying, This man shall not be your heir, but he who shall come from your own body shall be your heir. And He brought him outside [his tent into the starlight] and said, Look now toward the heavens and count the stars if you are able to number them. Then He said to him, So shall your descendants be. And he [Abram] believed in (trusted in, relied on, remained steadfast to) the Lord, and He counted it to him as righteousness (right standing with God). 

Genesis 15:1-6 (AMP)

Abraham had greatly increased in discernment of who God is. He recognized that only God would make him fruitful.

When Abraham perceived the intention of God, he aligned himself in thought, action and purpose. Abraham was deemed righteous because of his alignment to God.

The purpose of God can only be fulfilled to His specifications. This is why Isaac, and not Ishmael, was the Son of promise.

Righteousness is receiving and accepting the truth that God has given to us.

Righteousness is following God’s counsel and walk in His will.

Righteousness is stating “Not my will but Yours be done”. When you tell God to have His way, you have surrendered everything from that point forward to God so that you may lean on the instruction and counsel of God.

When You did terrible things which we did not expect, You came down; the mountains quaked at Your presence. 

Isaiah 64:3 (AMP)

When God is doing something, it is finished before it begins. Everything is already in place. The greatest challenge is our alignment to His thoughts, actions and purpose.

The Lord is in His holy temple; the Lord’s throne is in heaven. His eyes behold; His eyelids test and prove the children of men. The Lord tests and proves the [unyieldingly] righteous, but His soul abhors the wicked and him who loves violence. For the Lord is [rigidly] righteous, He loves righteous deeds; the upright shall behold His face, or He beholds the upright. 

Psalm 11:4,5,7 (AMP)

God tests our hearts. There is no attainment to righteousness without testing. If you have accepted a truth about God, that truth will test your ability to receive the fulfillment of that Word. All revelation we receive has multiple facets and we are to trust God to decode these mysteries. God has given us the ability to access His mysteries & counsel through His Word. The righteousness we receive is based on faith. There is a faith that makes us move mountains and conquer giants, but that word needs to grounded and rooted in our hearts.

There are situations that God leads us to places where we are not able to see. When we face trials God wants us to master the prophetic word He has given us.

When we are tested, God is seeking the measure of faith required to attain the fulfillment of His Word.

God tests His sons to ensure they attain the level of maturity required to handle their inheritance in Him. When a Son is unable to discern the purpose of God, we are considered as immature.

God is calling us to a place of maturity where we are aligned to Him in thought, action and purpose. You will need to deal with strongholds. You will need to have an undivided heart united with the heart of God.

Every member of the Body of Christ needs to be aligned to the Head of the Body – Jesus. Each of us is a representation of the revelation we have received of God. It is our responsibility to accurately articulate this revelation.

The nature we have received from God as sons is our responsibility. We have to be wholly aligned to Him to steward it well. We are constantly graduating from one death to another as God tests our hearts and firms our spiritual beings.

Challenges in life are a given so long as we are aligned to God. Persecution often follows they that are righteous. God’s desire is for us to cry out to Him in light of various tests we face. It is only by Him that His word will be fulfilled in our lives. 

No one can unseat God from His place of authority. What is your position when challenges arise in your life? Are you able to give witness to the hope we have in Christ? Trials serve to check if our faith is indeed established in God.

Job acknowledged the nature & purpose of God even after losing everything. God will never shift in His position as Sovereign Lord. It is the understanding and alignment Job had that enabled him to worship through the trials in his life. 

Every test is an opportunity for us to see God beyond our limitations; to see who He really is; to see Him at work in our lives. In the end, Job realized God was even greater than his initial understanding of Him. He repented for seeing God with a limited perception.

Tests allow us to see God beyond every perception we have ever had of Him. When the trials and tests come, God is ushering us to a dimension where we can see Him face to face as He is.

When trials arise, are we found in the place where we are strong enough to face these challenges? How firm, how strong is your faith?

We cannot attain righteousness without Jesus. We cannot attain the promises of God void of Christ. Will you cry out to God for Him to release the grace and power to overcome the challenge you are in?

It is not the size of your ability that will shift the circumstance you are in, but how you lean on and rely on God. You only need faith as small as a mustard seed.

Even when we fail a test, God is faithful to give us another chance to pass the test.The tests don’t come to shame or punish us. They are to check if the purpose of God has found a home in our hearts.

When the tests and trials come, know that God is ushering you to a dimension where you see Him face to face. A dimension where you see Him for who He is beyond your limitations and perceptions.

Can God trust you to execute the plans in His heart and mind?

The Father [God] is the one who determines whether a Son is mature and worthy of his inheritance. Not the Son. As God tests your character to bring you to the place of inheritance, will you remain in the place of praise & worship?