HOLY SPIRIT TEACHINGS
Judgement is Part of Righteousness
Psalm 119:75 “I know, O Lord, that Your judgments are right & righteous, & that in faithfulness You have afflicted me.”
Hebrews 12:10 “For [our earthly fathers] disciplined us for only a short period of time & chastised us as seemed proper & good to them; but He disciplines us for our certain good, that we may become sharers in His own holiness.”
Matthew 6:33 “But seek (aim at & strive after) first of all His kingdom & His righteousness (His way of doing & being right), and then all these things taken together will be given you besides.”
A judgment is a formal opinion formulated after deliberation from the tribunal. Of course, these opinions that are made in the heavenly court are based on Truth spoken into existence by the Father who is always right (as stated in Psalm 119:75). According to the court of justice in the heavenly realm (which IS the supreme court); the tribunal entails the bench seat (where the Father God resides), the judging body (which includes the heavenly Sanhedrin Revelation 5:5 headed by the High Priest, Jesus Christ seated at the Father’s right hand, Hebrews 9:11-15), and the court of justice (which consists of the Mosaic Law & the Prophets – the Old & New Testament, the Living Word of God living in, with, & among the people, or the presence of the Godhead fulfilled in His holy temples – chosen vessels, or people ordained by God to carry out His will on earth as in heaven Matthew 23:34). In all, the opinions or decisions made are based off the testimony of these parts of the kingdom working together as One in Him, agreeing with the Father of all, the Judge (Psalm 7:11; Psalm 58:11; Psalm 75:7; Isaiah 33:22; Hebrews 12:23; James 4:12); His Son Jesus as High Priest; and His Holy Spirit working as a witness to those that abide and are led fully by Him, on the earth and in heaven (Romans 8:14-16; Isaiah 55:4; 1John 5:6-8). The fullness of the Godhead is His kingdom, and this is what Jesus died for, to bring to us this gift so that we may be able to possess it within us fully and completely matured (1 John 4:2-17). This is the government of God, or the kingdom working together as three in One (Father, Son, Holy Spirit) to fulfill and execute all that is good and right. The Lord says in Matthew 6:33, to aim and strive first of all after His kingdom, which IS this. If we are to truly walk in righteousness, then we must first possess the full kingdom within us.
“If I had not come & spoken to them, they would not be guilty of sin [would be blameless]; but now they have no excuse for their sin. Whoever hates Me also hates My Father. If I had not done (accomplished) among them the works which no one else ever did, they would not be guilty of sin. But [the fact is] now they have both seen [these works] and have hated both Me and My Father. But [this is so] that the word written in their Law might be fulfilled, They hated Me without a cause. But when the Comforter (Counselor, Helper, Advocate, Intercessor, Strengthener. Standby)comes, Whom I will send to you from the Father, He [Himself] will testify of Me. But you also will testify & be My witnesses, because you have been with Me from the beginning.”
If Jesus would not have come, the people would not have known they were not walking with God. The people did not know the difference between right and wrong, or did, and thought since many were participating in wrongdoing, they were alright in their ways and could get away with what they were doing. They were rebellious and lacked the fear of God for acting in their disobedience and did not understand where they stood with Him, that they were in terrible danger – in death, or separated from God in their sin. The people were condemning themselves by their sinful acts. So, the Father sent His only Son Jesus, to interfere with this process and get them back on track to walking rightly with the Father. He came to show them the right way of walking with God, and to help save them from eternal death. Jesus came to save, but also He came to show the difference between right and wrong (John 9:39). He walked in righteousness (or right standing with God the Father always), following the order of the Priest of Melchizedek (Hebrews 6:6-9; Psalm 110:4). The way Jesus walked was quite a difference from everyone else on the earth at that time. And, by His actions and deeds He showed all that they were guilty of sin because Jesus walked in good acts and deeds led by His Father (John 6:38-55), and the people rejected what He did. They hated Him because He followed His Father in heaven, and not men & traditions of men. They wanted Him to follow Abraham, and Jesus kept emphasizing that it is best to follow God the Father, and not man. He also pointed out that the father they spoke of, Abraham, was just a man, but he too followed the same Father Jesus did – by and through faith (Hebrews 10:38-39; Hebrews 11; Genesis 12:1-8).
The people had forgotten the importance of each man’s relationship with God, and instead had subjected it to a repetitious, methodical act of religious traditions performed by what men perceived as ‘right’ instead of what God perceived as right. They lacked the counsel of God (listening to His voice by faith) in their walk. And, the Lord says that , “My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge; because you have rejected knowledge, I will also reject you that you shall be no priest to Me; seeing that you have forgotten the law of your God, I will also forget your children,” Hosea 4:6). This was the danger they walked in because they rejected the counsel of God on all matters (Proverbs 3:5-6). They would be rejected by God and so would their children as a result. Instead of loving the Lord God with all their heart, with all their soul, and with all their mind, and with all their strength (Deuteronomy 6:5; Matthew 22:37-38), they were just caught up in laws without Him directing them in them – the laws HE created. They were giving their own interpretations of the laws of God, and not walking in them themselves, in the way the Lord had directed them in the beginning – in HIS leading. By this mistake, they were unable to appropriately minister to others and help them in their own walks with the Lord (Leviticus 19:18; Matthew 22:39). According to the Lord, they were not walking in His judgments (or His leading), but their own.
A fully matured Christian will learn to and appreciate the judgments of God. As they continue to grow in their walk, being led by the Spirit they will experience judgments in their own intimate moments with the Lord. Hearing the Lord will increase, discernment will increase, and judgments will be a regular part of a matured Christian’s lifestyle. As stated earlier, judgments are opinions agreed in unison with the righteous kingdom of God. So, as we agree on every submitted act of faith we carry out by His leading, we also agree to His righteous opinions – disregarding all opinions we may have of our own, in the flesh. We deny ourselves in the fleshly nature, and instead subject it under the ruling of God the Father’s counsel, so that righteousness and goodness of His kingdom abound on earth as in heaven. This results in our active role as truly ruling and reigning WITH Him (we are agreeing with His plans), in heavenly places (2Timothy 2:10-13; Ephesians 2:6-10; Ephesians 3:10-20).
At times of judgment, we may experience intense suffering and difficult to understand, places of loneliness or humiliation (Acts 8:32-33; Isaiah 53:7-12; Matthew 10:16-42). These times are important because they bring us to a deep closeness in and with Jesus. This is all part of the Father’s plan in helping us to grow to be more like His Son (Romans 8:28-39). The sufferings, persecutions, prophetic strange acts, and humiliations increase His character in us as He reflects outwardly in these situations, according to His Word. This proves His Word to be true and also fulfills the Scripture, “So let us seize and hold fast and retain without wavering the hope we cherish and confess and our acknowledgment of it, for He Who promised is reliable (sure) and faithful to His Word,” (Hebrews 10:23). Like Him, we too, are predestined to fulfill His Word in us. Greater faith will be imparted more and more into us, by Him, in order that He may be glorified in and through these situations to those around us. The Hope, Jesus, will manifest outwardly and will maintain inwardly without faltering (the peace that surpasses all understanding, Isaiah 26:1-4; Philippians 4:7-9). As we walk from glory to glory in Him, He delivers us out of it all, to prove to everyone that He has overcome the world and will overcome in us (John 16:33; 1John 5:4-6) – to God be the glory, and may His Son Jesus be known to all as King of kings.
“Blessed are those who have been persecuted for the sake of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.”
“Blessed are you when people insult you and persecute you, and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of Me. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward in heaven is great; for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.”
“You are the salt of the earth; but if the salt has become tasteless, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled under foot by men. You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden; nor does anyone light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on the lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house. Let your light shine before men in such a way that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father who is in heaven. Do not think that I came to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I did not come to abolish but to fulfill.”
“For the eyes of the Lord are toward the righteous,
And His ears attend to their prayer,
But the face of the Lord is against those who do evil.”
Who is there to harm you if you prove zealous for what is good? But even if you should suffer for the sake of righteousness, you are blessed. And do not fear their intimidation, and do not be troubled.