Ministering: Tobi Thompson

Date: 15th January 2024

Topic: Being Established in Righteousness

Father, thank You for opening the eyes of our understanding, in Jesus’ name… Amen.

Good evening, everyone once again, welcome to Bible study.

Tonight, we would be looking at something I’ve called BEING ESTABLISHED IN RIGHTEOUSNESS.  It’s nothing new but I’m giving a fresh perspective of the dealings of the Holy Spirit in and with us.

Oftentimes, when many of us hear the phrase “dealings of the Holy Spirit”, it’s usually accompanied with a lot of pain, restrictions, consecration etc., and which is absolutely fine.

However, the dealing of the Holy Spirit is not something that should be projected as something to almost want to run away from.

Infact some have jokingly said or maybe they were serious, “Ah, Lord I don’t want to be tried by fire”… Really? These things ought not be so.

I personally have chosen to rejoice in ALL of the Spirit’s dealings with me, because chastisement is a proof of LOVE.

Anyway, that’s not what I’m here to talk about. So, let’s proceed, our foundation text is taken from the book of Isaiah.

Isaiah   54:14   NLT  
[14] You will be secure under a government that is just and fair………..

  Isaiah   54:14   NKJV  
[14] In righteousness you shall be established.

The book of Isaiah is a major book that spoke explicitly about all that happened in the life of Jesus Christ, and His work of ministry i.e. His birth, life, death and resurrection.

Infact when you take a look at the New Testament, the prophet Isaiah was one of the most quoted prophets.  In one of his prophetic dispensing, the Lord had spoken about how by the death and ultimately the resurrection of His Only Begotten Son, He was going to establish His people in righteousness.

You know, there are some things in the Scriptures that are not prayer points, they are statement of facts e.g.

“You are the light of the world” is not a prayer point. It is statement of fact or rather, truth! To be praying “God make me light” is ignorance.

Likewise, “let your light so shine before men……” is not a prayer point. It’s an instruction to just…. SHINE.

So, God saying He was going to establish His people in righteousness is not something that is a prayer point, it is a fact!  It’s His desire, that’s what He wants and that’s what He will do.

The question is how has God chosen to achieve this??

Let me show us the New Testament rendering of this portion of Isaiah:

II Corinthians   1:20 – 22   NKJV  
[20] For all the promises of God in Him are Yes, and in Him Amen, to the glory of God through us.

[21] Now He who establishes us with you in Christ and has anointed us is God,

[22] who also has sealed us and given us the Spirit in our hearts as a guarantee.

Notice here, Paul says, God establishes us IN CHRIST, which is the fulfilment of Isaiah’s word that God would establish us in righteousness.

The way God chose to do this was by the GIVING OF THE HOLY SPIRIT.

The Holy Spirit is not just a seal and a guarantee, He is also our Teacher:

  1 John   2:20/27   NLT  
[20] But you are not like that, for the Holy One has given you his Spirit, and all of you know the truth. 

[27] But you have received the Holy Spirit, and he lives within you, so you don’t need anyone to teach you what is true. For the Spirit teaches you everything you need to know, and what he teaches is true—it is not a lie. So just as he has taught you, remain in fellowship with Christ.

The process of this teaching and learning is actually called DISCIPLESHIP.

What Discipleship is supposed to produce in us are things like: a ready heart to obey God, a large depth of intimacy with God, the fruit of the Spirit, a heart yielded to the things of the Spirit, etc.

Now, when you look at the New Testament, next to salvation, discipleship is one of the most emphasized! And yes, I’ve talked about the Holy Spirit, but the truth of the matter is that the Holy Spirit disciples us through MEN.

A Man discipled the first set of disciples. The Man Jesus.

What did Jesus ask these men to do?

  Matthew   28:19   NKJV  
[19] Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 

Let’s go further into the epistle to the Ephesian church:

Ephesians   4:8 – 11   NKJV  
[8] Therefore He says: “When He ascended on high, He led captivity captive, And gave gifts to men.” [9] (Now this, “He ascended”—what does it mean but that He also first descended into the lower parts of the earth?

[10] He who descended is also the One who ascended far above all the heavens, that He might fill all things.)

[11] And He Himself gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers, 

Why???

Ephesians   4:12 – 14   NKJV  
[12] for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ,

[13] till we all come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ;

[14] that we should no longer be children, tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, in the cunning craftiness of deceitful plotting,

Do you see that???

You see, the depth of God many of us desire has actually been deposited in men/a man. If Jesus never taught the disciples, they wouldn’t have been established in Righteousness and the list goes on and on…

It is impossible to have a deepened relationship with the Holy Spirit without a man guiding you.

Now understand me, discipleship is not man-worship neither is it “conforming a man to be like another man”.  The book of Ephesians says it is a conforming to a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ.

The interesting thing is that, even the Holy Spirit conforms us to Christ.

  John   16:13 – 15   NKJV  

[13] However, when He, the Spirit of truth, has come, He will guide you into all truth; for He will not speak on His own authority, but whatever He hears He will speak; and He will tell you things to come. 

[14] He will glorify Me, for He will take of what is Mine and declare it to you. 

[15] All things that the Father has are Mine. Therefore, I said that He will take of Mine and declare it to you.

We thank God for the Holy Spirit who is also God, but He knows that the Father has highly exalted JESUS and He helps us keep our gaze on Him.

If you see a man who has chosen to be the “lord of your life”, run o!!!

See what Apostle Paul said, as in, the highly esteemed Apostle Paul,

  I Corinthians   11:1   NKJV  
[1] Imitate me, just as I also imitate Christ.

This is how we are established in righteousness, that we are led by men who have chosen and are yielded to the Lordship of CHRIST ALONE.

This is how we are deepened even in our personal devotion with God, by men who know that “not us but CHRIST ALONE”

Discipleship is God’s plan, it is God’s way…yield to His way, yield to His plan.

If you don’t have a local church, ask the Holy Spirit to lead you!  There are many more things I would like to say but I’m limited by writing, but you must choose to be established in righteousness.

Enjoy the rest of your evening. God has blessed you.