But you turn back to Daniel chapter
12. Now, this verse is used to encourage
people to witness, and if you do that, perhaps you will shine
brighter in glory. I have read many people use it
that way, and obviously that's not what it means, but Look at
verse three, and they that be wise shall shine as the brightness
of the firmament, and they that turn many to righteousness as
the stars forever and ever. And this verse has been used
as an encouragement to seek to be used by God to bring people
to a saving knowledge of Christ. And my marginal reading says
wise means teachers, and that could be the meaning, I don't
think it is. But they will quote that scripture,
he that winneth souls is wise, found in Proverbs, and they that
are wise turn many to righteousness, and they're going to shine in
glory like stars. Now, while I want to be a fisher
of men, I do. The Lord said, follow me and
I will make you fishers of men. I want to be a fisher of men. And I know you want to be a fisher
of men. But nowhere in that verse does it say that the one who
turns many to righteousness is going to achieve some higher
position in glory and some brighter burning. That kind of thinking
is offensive and contrary to grace. It's another form of salvation
by works. Look what I've done. Look how
many people I've influenced. Look how many people I have influenced
to believe the gospel. I'm going to shine above the
brightness of the firmament and I'm going to be like a star. That kind of thinking I repeat
is offensive It is salvation by works and nothing more. It's self-glorification. Like
I said, we are desirous to turn many to righteous. We are desirous
to be fishers of men, but that kind of thinking, no. So what
is this verse saying? What is this verse saying? Now,
the time is after the resurrection. Look in verse two. And many of
them that sleep in the dust of the air shall awake. Some to
everlasting life and some to shame and everlasting content.
This is after the resurrection. And they that be wise shall shine
as the brightness of the firmament after the resurrection. And they
that turn many to righteousness as the stars forever and ever. They that be wise. Look down in verse 10. of this
same chapter, many should be purified and made white and tried,
but the wicked should do wickedly and none of the wicked shall
understand, but the wise shall understand. Now the wise is a
reference to everybody who is wise to salvation. It's talking about every believer.
You know, the scripture always divides men into two groups.
The saved and the lost. Those who believe, those who
do not believe. The wicked and the righteous. The wise and the foolish. Every believer is wise in God's
sight. God has made them so. Christ
has made unto them wisdom. Now, every believer, and I'm
looking at some people that God would say they're wise, every
believer. This is not a super group above
the rest. This is every believer. And God
would say they're wise men and women. I love that scripture
when the wise men come from the East and say, where is he that
is born King of the Jews? For we have seen star in the
East and are come to worship him. Wise men, wise women still
are come to worship him. Now, would you turn to Matthew
chapter seven for a moment? We're going to look at several
scriptures tonight. Matthew chapter seven. and see
if we can understand who these wise men and women are. Therefore, verse 24, Matthew
chapter seven, verse 24. Therefore, whosoever heareth
these sayings of mine and doeth it, I will liken him unto a wise
man, which built his house on a rock. And the rain descended,
and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon the
house, and it fell not. For it was founded upon a rock. And everyone that heareth these
sayings of mine, and doeth them not, shall be like unto a foolish
man, which built his house upon the sand, and the rain descended,
and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that
house, and it fell, and great was the fall of it." Now, here
our Lord tells us who the wise man is, and who the foolish man
is. The one who hears these sayings
of mine and doeth them, he's the wise man. The one who hears
these sayings of mine and doeth them not, he's a fool. He's a foolish man. Here's one of his sayings. Pharisees and the people who
would end up leaving him came up to him and said, what must
we do that we might work the works of God? Good question. And he said, this is the work
of God that you believe on him whom he has sent. A wise man
does that. A foolish man doesn't. A wise man looks to Christ only. He believes on him whom God had
sent. You believe God sent him and
you believe that he is God's son and that he did what the
Father sent him to do and you're relying completely on him. The
foolish man, not so. He sees no need. And then the
Lord gives us a picture. Two houses. I don't know that
one looked better than the other. It could be that the one without
the foundation looked better than the one that didn't have
the foundation. They had more money to spend because they didn't
have to do foundation work. But two houses and the difference
between those two houses is in something you could not see. One was on the foundation, the
rock. The other was built upon the
sand. Now, the foundation is what,
is who? I shouldn't even say is what,
is who? Jesus Christ himself. He is the foundation. He is the difference. What was
the difference between those two houses? Who was the difference
between those two houses? Jesus Christ himself. Now you couldn't see it outwardly.
You don't see the foundation. But that one house was on the
foundation. Christ did a security for that
one. Christ represented that one. Christ worked out righteousness
for that one. Christ paid for the sins of that
one. Christ was raised from the dead for that one. Christ is
the foundation. He himself. Other foundation
can no man lay than that which is laid, which is Christ Jesus
the Lord. He is the foundation. The foundation of God stand is
sure, having this seal, the Lord knoweth them that are his. The foolish see no need of this
foundation. They've got a beautiful superstructure,
looks good, but they see no need of this foundation. Now the winds
are gonna come. The rain is gonna come. The floods
are going to come up. One house stands secure. The one on the foundation. And
the one that's not on the foundation is swept away. Now that's wisdom.
That's foolishness. Turn with me to Matthew chapter
25. Verse one, then shall the kingdom
of heaven be likened unto 10 virgins, which took their lamps
and went forth to meet the bridegroom. And five of them were wise and
five were foolish. They that were foolish took their
lamps and took no oil with them, but the wise took oil in their
vessels with their lamps. While the bridegroom tarried,
they all slumbered and slept. Now picture this in your mind.
10 virgins, five wise, five foolish by the Lord's testimony. Now
what was the difference between these virgins? Do you know it's
nothing you could see outwardly? Some had oil in their lamps,
others didn't. But you couldn't tell by looking.
And they all, all 10 of them slumbered and slept. And that's
not a good thing. They all look like dead people. That's what they all look like.
Do you ever look like a dead person? As a believer, do you
ever look like a dead person? All of these people look like
dead people. There they were asleep. But there
was a difference. One had oil, the oil of God's
grace, that's what oil represents, the grace of the Holy Spirit.
One had oil, one had Christ, the other didn't. Verse six,
And at midnight, there was a cry made. Behold, the bridegroom
cometh. Go ye out to meet him. Then all those virgins arose
and trimmed their lamp. And the foolish said unto the
wise, give us of your oil. Far lamps are gone out. They
saw they didn't have any oil. But the wise answered, saying,
not so, lest there be not enough for us and you. But go ye rather
to them that sell and buy for yourselves. And while they went
to buy, the bridegroom came, and they that were ready. went
in with him to the marriage and the door was shut. Afterwards came also the other
virgin saying, Lord, Lord, open to us. But he answered and said,
verily I say unto you, I know you not." Wow, what was the difference? The oil, grace, Christ Jesus,
the Lord. Let me show you a passage of
scripture from the Old Testament turned to Jeremiah 9. Paul quotes this in 1 Corinthians
1, but let's see what's said. Matthew 9, beginning in verse
23. Thus saith the Lord, let not
the wise man glory in his wisdom, neither let the mighty man glory
in his might. Let not the rich man glory in
his riches, but let him that glorieth glory in this, that
he understandeth. That word understandeth is the
same word translated wise in our text. Wisdom is true understanding,
God-given understanding and the only way you'll have it is if
God gives it to you. This is not something you can
figure out. This is not something that has you get it because you
have a higher IQ than somebody else. It's because God in his
mercy has revealed this to you and you got some understanding.
The natural man doesn't have this understanding. The foolish
man doesn't have this understanding. And the only reason you have
it is because God in his grace gave it to you. Now let's go
on and see what he says. Verse 24. But let him that glorieth
glory in this, in that boasts, let him boast in this, that he
understandeth and knoweth me. That I am the Lord. which exercise,
which does, which makes. It's the same word used when
God made the heavens and the earth for creation. It's the
same word. I am the Lord which exercise
these three things, loving kindness, judgment, and righteousness in
the earth. For in these things I delight,
saith the Lord. Now think about what he says.
What is loving kindness? Well, somebody once said, that's
the Old Testament word for grace. And I believe it is. Have mercy
upon me, O Lord, according to thy loving kindness, according
to thy grace. The next word he mentions is
judgment. I exercise grace, I exercise
judgment. And what is that with the cross?
Oh, the judgment that took place on Calvary's tree when the sins
of God's elect were judged, paid for, and put away. And what happens
as a result of that? Righteousness. Righteousness. Grace, judgment, righteousness. And the Lord says, in these things
I delight. Grace, judgment, and righteousness. And you know what? Everyone that's
wise delights in those things too. You delight in salvation
being all by grace. You delight in what Christ accomplished
on Calvary's tree and you delight in actually being made righteous
before God. That's what you delight in. Now
let's look at the way Paul quoted this in first Corinthians chapter
one. First Corinthians chapter one. Verse 26, for you see your calling
brethren. He's going to get to this quotation
from Jeremiah 9 in a moment. But he says, for you see your
calling brethren, how that not many wise men after the flesh.
You know, there are wise men after the flesh. They know how
to make money. They know how to build buildings.
They know how to organize people and they do great things. There
are wise men after the flesh. Not many wise men after the flesh,
not many mighty people of great ability, not many noble, no high
born are called. But God has chosen the foolish
things of the world to confound the wise. And God has chosen
the weak things of the world to confound the things which
are mighty and the base things of the world and the things which
are despised that God chosen. Yay. And things which are not
nothing. to bring to nothing the things
that are, that no flesh should glory in his presence. But of
him are you in Christ Jesus, who of God is made unto us wisdom
and righteousness and sanctification and redemption, that according
as it's written, Jeremiah 9, he that glorieth, let him glory
in the Lord. Now think about what he says
here. Christ Jesus, is made unto me and every believer, every
wise person that looks only to him, he's made unto me wisdom. You know what that means? That
means in Christ, I'm wise and God desires fellowship and communion
with me. I'm fit for fellowship with the
living God. In Christ, he's made unto me
righteousness. You've got to be perfectly righteous
to have fellowship with God. He won't have anything to do
with you or me if we're not perfectly righteous. Christ has made into
me righteousness. Christ has made into me sanctification,
holiness. God is only going to have fellowship
with someone who's holy. Christ is my holiness before
God. Christ is my redemption. He's
my full deliverance. And here's what every believer
does. We glory in Him. He that glorieth, let him glory
in the Lord. Same thing Paul meant when he
said in Galatians chapter 6, God forbid that I should glory,
that I should boast in, that I should have confidence in anything
save the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ. He's all I have confidence
in. I don't have confidence in me. I don't have confidence in
you. I got confidence in Him. Every believer. This is what
wise people do. They look to Christ only. Philippians 3.3, we are the circumcision,
which worship God in the spirit. We know the only way we can worship
God is by his spirit given to us. We rejoice, we glory in Christ
Jesus. Now folks who worship God, here's
what they do. They glory only in Christ. They look nowhere else. And we
have no confidence in the flesh. Folks who rejoice in Christ Jesus,
have no confidence in the flesh. Now that is the truly wise person. Now, here's what is so amazing
about these wise people. They shall shine as the brightness
of the firmament. Why? Because they're clothed
in Christ. Not because they're smarter than
somebody else. This shining forth is not because they affected
more lives and brought more people to a knowledge of Christ. That's
not it at all. This shining that every believer has, and I love
the way the Lord says in Matthew 13, 43, then shall the righteous
shine forth as the sun. Every believer is gonna shine. Beautiful. Perfectly conformed
to the image of Christ. And this is what's gonna take
place after the resurrection. You know the way you feel about
yourself right now? Then you won't feel that way
anymore. You're gonna know you're clothed
in the beauty of Christ and you are going to shine as the sun. And that shining is the cause of the merits of Christ
being your merit. You don't have to worry about
some kind of believer's judgment where believers are going to
be judged for their sins on the earth. Somebody that believes
that doesn't believe the gospel. That's just all there is to it.
They don't really have any understanding of the gospel. Every believer
is going to shine like the sun. Now back to our text. Look what
he says next. The wise man is the man who looks
to Christ only. And he will look nowhere else. He's been taught of God. He's
been taught who God is. He's been taught who he is. And
he is taught that the only way of salvation is Christ Jesus
the Lord. And he won't look any other way.
Now that's wisdom. That's wisdom. Somebody who looks to their works
in any way is a fool. It's a fool's errand. But someone
who looks to Christ, that's somebody who God has made wise. who God desires fellowship and
communion with, who is fit for fellowship and communion with
God, a truly wise man. And then look what it says next
in verse three. And they that be wise shall shine as the brightness
of the firmament and they that turn many to righteousness as
the stars forever and ever. Now, For me to understand this, I'm gonna have to understand
what righteousness is in the first place. Many with no understanding of
the gospel will speak of this as righteous living, holy living,
wholesome living. I've influenced people to righteousness. I've turned people to where they're
living differently. Holy living, righteous living. Someone that even thinks that
way doesn't understand what holiness is in the first place. They don't
understand what righteousness is in the first place. That kind of thinking betrays
an ignorance of righteousness and what the gospel is. And this
word righteousness in our text is found 41 times in the Old
Testament. And 23 of those times, it is
translated justified. Justified. Now, when you're justified,
if you're justified in a court of law, what does that mean?
It means you didn't do anything. You're not pardoned. It means
you're not guilty. You've never done whatever it
is you've been accused of you didn't do it. You were perfect
before the law. Job said, how can a man be justified
with God? That's the same word. How can
a man be justified with God and how can he be clean which is
born of a woman? That's the question of the ages.
How can a man, a sinful man born of woman, how can he be justified
before God? How can he be clean to where
God sees no sin? How can he be clean, which is
born of woman? Now, once again, if you're justified,
that means you've never done anything wrong. Who shall lay
anything to the charge of God's elect? It is God that has forgiven
them. No, they are forgiven, but that's
not what the text says. It's God that justified them. Now, someone would ask me, what
is the most important parable of all the parables in the Bible? Here's what I would say. Now,
just because I say it doesn't mean it is, I realize that. But if
someone would ask me what is the most important, significant
parable in all of the scripture that the Lord gave during the
New Testament, I would say the parable of the Pharisee and the
publican. Turn with me for a moment to
Luke chapter nine. I mean, Luke chapter 18, beginning
in verse nine. And I hope you'll see why I say
that this is the most significant of the parables. Now, it's me
saying it, and I realize that for a man, you know, who are
you to say one's more important than the other? I realize that.
And I guess, you know, one's not more important than the other,
but let me show you why I say this. Look, beginning in verse
nine. And he spake this parable unto
certain which trusted in themselves. that they were righteous. Now, if you have any personal
righteousness, you know what that means you are? Self-righteous. It really is that simple. If
you believe before God that you have any personal righteousness,
That makes you self-righteous. Any righteousness that comes
from yourself is self-righteousness. And you know what happens with
everybody who is infected with this disease of self-righteousness? And we all are. They despise others. They can always find somebody
that they're more godly than, that they're more blessed than,
that they're more righteous than. It goes with the territory. Now
let's go on reading. Verse 11. Verse 10. Two men went up into the temple
to pray. The one, a Pharisee, a religious
man, a moral man. and the other a publican, what
the Pharisee would have called an immoral and worthless man,
a wicked man. The Pharisee stood and prayed
thus with himself. That's so important. He thought
he's praying to God, but he wasn't. He's praying to himself. His
prayers didn't get any farther than the ceiling. God wasn't
hearing his prayer. Oh, he heard it. He heard it,
but not within favor, not with grace, not with mercy, but in
wrath. The Pharisee stood and prayed
thus with himself, God, I thank thee. He was giving God the credit. I
thank thee that salvation is by grace. I thank thee for the
blood of the Lord Jesus Christ. I thank thee for the righteousness
of Christ. Nothing like that. I thank thee that I am not as
other men are. And he names three sins. I'm not an extortioner. I'm not unjust. I'm not an adulterer. Now, let me say that he was all
three of those things. He might not have known it. He
may have thought he wasn't guilty of these sins. He was blind to
who God is, blind to who he was, but he was guilty of these sins,
although he claimed to be innocent from them. Anytime somebody claims
to be free from something, write it down, they're guilty. I'm not like this publican. I
fast twice in the week, and I give tithes of all that I possess. And the publican, standing afar
off, unlike the Pharisee who stood near, would not lift up
so much as his eyes unto heaven. but smote upon his breast saying,
God be merciful. And that word merciful is actually
propitious. He's asking the Lord to do something
about his sin. Be propitious toward my sin. Do something about my sin. Cause
it to not be. There's nothing I can do about
that. Yes, mercy is implied in the word, but he's asking for
more for mercy, more than mercy. Be propitious. Do something about
my sin. Put it away through the sacrifice. Verse 14, I tell you, I love
it when the Lord says I tell you. There's something powerful
about that. I tell you, this man went down to his house. What? Justified. Not guilty. Perfectly righteous
in God's sight. Rather than the other, For everyone
that exalts himself should be abased, and he that humbles himself
should be exalted. Now, what I think is interesting
about this verse, he gives us this glorious fact. This man went down to his house
justified, rather than the other. And the entire Bible is a commentary
on this parable, how this can be so. Everything in the Bible
points to let us know how this man could be justified before
God. Now there's several scriptures
I want you to look at it. Turn with me to Psalm 40. Psalm 40. First, let's establish who is
speaking here. Remember in the Psalms, It's
always the Lord's first. When Paul was reading Psalm 1,
the blessed man, who's the blessed man that has not walked in the
counsel of the ungodly, nor stood in the way of sinners, nor sit
in the seat of the scornful, but his delight is in the law
of the Lord. And upon his law, he does continually meditate
day and night. Now that's first of all, the
Lord Jesus Christ. He is that blessed man. And in all 150 Psalms, we're
going to get the true meaning of it. If we see first, yes,
it's David speaking, but first, these are the words of the Lord.
And this is quoted in Hebrews chapter 10, he says in
verse six, sacrifice and offering that is not desire. Mine ears
has thou opened, burnt offering and sin offering, thou is not
required. Then said I, lo, I come in the volume of the book. It's
written of me, I delight to do thy will. Oh my God, yea, thy
law is within my heart. That's the Lord Jesus, isn't
it? And it's quoted in Hebrews chapter 10 as being the very
words of the Lord. Now the Lord describes his preaching
in verse nine. I have preached, what? Righteousness. That's the same
word in our text. Daniel chapter 12, verse three.
I have preached righteousness in the great congregation. Lo,
I've not refrained my lips, O Lord, thou knowest. I have not hid
thy righteousness within my heart. Now, what was the preaching of
the Lord? Thy righteousness. In Psalm 71 verse 16, David said,
and the Lord said, I have made mention of thy righteousness,
even thine only. Now, why would he say, even thine
only? Because his righteousness is
the only righteousness there is. Now, when that Pharisee who trusted
himself that he was righteousness, that he was righteous and despised
others, his righteousness was delusional. It wasn't real. It was based on a lie. His righteousness
is what Isaiah would call filthy rags. You want to present filthy
rags to God? Think he'll accept something
like that? I wouldn't do it if I was you. Now, these people
who it says turn many to righteousness is nothing more than the preaching
of the gospel. The emphasis not being on the
preacher, but the message. The preaching of the gospel,
like Noah. Like Noah. Noah was a preacher
of righteousness. Whose righteousness? Was he saying,
y'all need to get your life straightened out and give up your sin and
straighten up and then come into the ark? No. He was saying there's one place
of safety and security and only one, in the ark. Outside of the
ark, there is nothing but wrath. The scripture says, in the Lord
shall all the seed of Israel be justified. There's the word,
same word. In the Lord shall all the seed
of Israel be justified and glory. Now I'm gonna ask you to turn
to about three or four more scriptures and we're not gonna spend much
time on them, but I want you to see these. Turn with me to Romans
one. Verse 16. For I am not ashamed of the gospel
of Christ, for it is the power of God unto salvation, to who? To everyone that believeth. It's
not the power of God to salvation to somebody who doesn't believe,
but it is to everyone that believeth, to the Jew first and also to
the Greek. For therein, in the gospel, is
the, what? righteousness of God revealed. Now, if you ask the average religious
person in Lexington, Kentucky, if you go out on the street,
then you'd say, what does the gospel reveal about God? How would they answer that question?
His love. The love of God. That's the way
everybody would answer that doesn't understand the gospel. And indeed,
the gospel does reveal the love of God. But what is the word
that Paul uses? the righteousness of God. I turned to Romans chapter 10. Verse one, brethren, my heart's
desire and prayer to God for Israel is that they might be
saved. Now two things, they were not saved and Paul desired for
them to be saved. I desire to be saved, and I desire
you to be saved, and I desire everybody I come in contact with
to be saved. Paul desired their salvation,
but he didn't say they're saved. He said they're not saved. For I bear them record that they
have a zeal of God, very zealous, even the God of the Bible, but
not according to knowledge. For they being ignorant of God's
righteousness. They're ignorant of his righteous
character. And that is seen in how they
don't believe themselves to be completely and totally depraved. If you have any idea of how God
is, that is how you'll see yourself. And if you don't see yourself
that way, it's because you've never seen the righteousness
of God. They're ignorant of God's righteous character. They're
ignorant of God's righteousness in their damnation. Every objection
to the gospel, men have all kinds of objections. How can it be
fair for God to love one and not love the other? How can it
be fair for Christ to die for one and not die for other? All
those objections men give to the gospel, you know why they
give them? Because they've never really
seen God's righteousness in their personal damnation. You see,
if you ever see that, all these objections will dissipate. They
will not continue. And they've not seen God's righteousness
in their salvation. They've never seen how God can
be just and righteous, and through the work of Christ on the cross,
save them in a way that honors his righteousness, how he can
be just and justify the ungodly. They're ignorant of God's righteousness,
his righteous character, his righteousness in their damnation,
and his righteousness in their salvation. And what happens when
someone's ignorant of God's righteousness? They go about to establish their
own righteousness that they think recommends them to God and that
they think makes God need to respond to them. And they've
not submitted themselves under the righteousness of God for
Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to everyone
that believes. Romans 4. What should we say then that
Abraham, our father, is pertaining to the flesh, I think? For if
Abraham were justified by works, by anything he did, he hath whereof
to glory. He can say, at least I did this.
I made myself different from somebody else. I'm like that
Pharisee in the temple. Lord, I thank you that I'm not
as other men are. You've given me a glorious free
will, and I've exercised it in a proper way, and thus I am saved. Therefore, I get some of the
glory. but not before God. For what
sayeth the scripture, Abraham believed God, and it was counted
unto him for righteousness. Now, to him that worketh is the
reward, salvation, eternal life, not reckoned of grace, but of
a debt that God owes you and pays you for what you've done.
But to him that worketh not, You know when you're working
on it? When you believe there's nothing you can do. When you
believe that in and of yourself, you're nothing but sin. To him
that worketh not, but believeth on him that justifieth the ungodly. Do you believe on him that justifies
the ungodly? His faith is Catholic. for righteousness, even as David
also described the blessedness of the man unto whom God imputeth
righteousness without works, saying, blessed are they whose
iniquities are forgiven, whose sin are covered. Blessed is the
man to whom the Lord will not impute sin. Now this is why Paul
said, oh, that I may win Christ and be found in him, not having
my own righteousness. Don't want to have anything to
do with that. But that which is through the faithfulness of
Christ, the righteousness which is of God by faith. Now one final
scripture, turn to 2 Corinthians 11. Now these people who turn
many to righteousness are going to shine as the stars eternally. And this is talking about every
believer, every believer. But look at this 2 Corinthians
chapter 10, I'm sorry, 2 Corinthians chapter 10. Verse 3, for though we walk in
the flesh, and we do, don't we? We're keenly aware of that. We
do not war after the flesh. We don't use fleshly armor, fleshly
weapons. For the weapons of our warfare
are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strongholds,
casting down imaginations, reasonings, and every high thing that exalts
itself against the knowledge of God and bringing into captivity
every thought to the obedience of Christ. Now, if you will look
at other translations, you'll read where they see bringing
every thought into obedience to Christ. That's what most of
the other translations say. Making it to where every thought
is going to submit to obeying him. Now, that'd be a good thing,
wouldn't it? But that's not what it says.
It says every thought is to brought, is to be brought into captivity
to the obedience of Christ. What's the obedience of Christ?
The righteousness of God. the law keeping of Christ. And
any thought that you have that would diminish His obedience
and His righteousness being the only righteousness you have is
to be thrown down. It's exalting itself against
the knowledge of God. There's only one righteousness.
His. When people use the term imputed
righteousness, the Bible never uses that term. There's righteousness
imputed, but there's only one righteousness, His. I don't care if you're talking
about the new birth, there's one righteousness, His. And it's only those who have
his righteousness. Now here's what a wise man does.
A wise man knows and believes that the only righteousness there
is, is his. And all they want to point men
to is his righteousness. Not straighten up and try to
live right. I'm all for everybody straightening
up and living right, but that's not the point. The point is,
His righteousness is the only righteousness. And every wise
man knows that. And a fool, it's not even important
to him. It's a dull and uninteresting
subject. Give me something that'll teach
me how to live. My soul, if this doesn't teach
you how to live, nothing will. Let's pray. Lord, make us wise unto salvation
and make us to cleave to the righteousness of thy dear son
as our only righteousness. And Lord, cast down every imagination
and high thing that exalts itself against this precious knowledge
that your righteousness is the only righteousness. there is,
and the only righteousness by which we're justified in your
sight. How we thank you for your righteousness.
Now bless this message for Christ's sake, in his name we pray, amen.