Inspirational music and encouraging words from a special guest: Evangelist Margarette Jackson speaking on " We Have A Righteous God [Yah]". Evangelist Jackson appears courtesy of the Prince of Peace Ministry in Sacramento Ca. Bishop Bob of Buttafleye Ministry discusses "plank in the Eye" and Buttafleye Youth In Ministry, explain how important it is to "Know who you are".
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1. God’s righteousness gives us his peace
Psalm 85:8-13‘I grew up in an atmosphere of strife’, writes Joyce Meyer, ‘and that was all I ever knew. I had to learn an entirely new way of living. Now I am addicted to peace. As soon as my peace disappears, I ask myself how I lost it and start looking for ways to get it back’ God has promised ‘peace’ (v.8) to his people. This does not necessarily mean outward peace. The pressures, difficulties, trials, battles, and busyness may not disappear. But in all this, God has promised to give us his peace. This peace comes from listening to what ‘God the Lord’ says (v.8). It is very closely connected with righteousness. The psalmist says, ‘righteousness and peace kiss each other’ (v.10b). In the same way that love and faithfulness go together (v.10a), so do righteousness and peace. Peace comes from living in a right relationship with God (Romans 5:1). God, thank you for your righteousness. Thank you that you make it possible for us to walk in the right relationship with you. Help me today and always to keep walking in the right relationship with you and to enjoy the peace that follows from that relationship.
2. God’s righteousness is a gift we receive
Romans 3:9-31We long for peace. We long to be in the right relationship with God and with other people. But how do we receive this ‘righteousness from God’?
Paul continues his argument that no one is righteous on their own. ‘There's nobody living right, not even one’ (v.10b, MSG). ‘They’ve all taken the wrong turn; they’ve all wandered down blind alleys’ (v.12, MSG). Righteousness is the way to peace, but the reality is that ‘the way of peace they do not know’ (v.17).
Paul concludes his argument in this section: ‘And it’s clear enough, isn’t it, that we’re sinners, every one of us, in the same sinking boat with everybody else?’ (v.20, MSG). The two little words that follow are of huge significance: ‘But now…’ (v.21).
Having set out the problem, Paul now moves on to describe God’s amazing solution – ‘a righteousness from God’ (v.21). This righteousness from God cannot be achieved through the law because no one (apart from Jesus) has ever kept the entire law. The Old Testament (the Law and the Prophets) testifies about this and points towards God’s solution (v.21).
‘This righteousness from God comes through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe’ (v.22). This righteousness from God cannot be earned. It is a pure gift that we receive ‘through faith in Jesus Christ’. It is a gift ‘to all who believe’ (v.23).
Paul then uses three images to describe what Jesus’ death on the cross has achieved. Each is like a facet of a diamond. Each image is intertwined with the others:
The law court: the penalty of sin has been paid
We ‘are justified freely by his grace’ (v.24). Justification is an expression from the law court. God is a just judge. He could not ignore our guilt.
He came in the person of his son Jesus Christ to die for us: ‘He did this to demonstrate his justice because in his forbearance he had left the sins committed beforehand unpunished – he did it to demonstrate his justice at the present time, so as to be just and the one who justifies those who have faith in Jesus’ (vv.25–26). He paid the penalty himself.
We are justified ‘freely by his grace’ (v.24). Grace means undeserved love. It is free. There is no merit on our part. We cannot earn it. It is a gift. Therefore, there is no room for boasting (vv.27–31).
Through his death on the cross, Jesus paid the penalty for our every wrong action, word, and thought. The moment we put our faith in Jesus, we are justified. We have nothing to fear. The penalty has been paid. We have received the gift of righteousness from God.
The market place: the power of sin has been broken
The second image Paul uses comes from the marketplace: ‘through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus’ (v.24).
Debt is not a problem confined to the present day; it was a problem in the ancient world as well. If someone had serious debts, they might be forced to sell themselves into slavery in order to pay them off.
Suppose a person was standing in the marketplace, offering themselves as a slave. Someone might have pity on them and ask, ‘How much do you owe?’ The debtor might say, ‘£10,000.’ Suppose the customer offers to pay the £10,000 and then lets the person they’ve paid for go free. In doing so, they would be ‘redeeming’ them and paying a ‘ransom’ price.
In a similar way for us, ‘redemption … came by Jesus Christ’ (v.24). Jesus, by his death on the cross, paid the ransom price (Mark 10:45). In this way, we are set free to have a relationship with God. Our relationship is restored. We receive righteousness from God.
The temple: the pollution of sin has been removed
Paul’s third image in this passage comes from the temple. ‘God presented him as a sacrifice of atonement, through faith in his blood’ (v.25). In the Old Testament, very detailed laws were laid down regarding how sin should be dealt with. There was a whole sacrificial system that demonstrated the seriousness of sin and the need for cleansing from it, as sin was passed from the sinner to the animal, which was then killed.
The writer of Hebrews points out that ‘it is impossible for the blood of bulls and goats to take away sins’ (Hebrews 10:4). The sacrificial system in the Old Testament was only a ‘shadow’ (Hebrews 10:1) of what was to come. The reality came with the sacrifice of Jesus. Only the blood of Christ, the ‘once for all’ (Hebrews 10:10) sacrifice of atonement, can take away our sin and remove its pollution. This is because Jesus was the perfect sacrifice. He alone lived a perfect life. Through his blood, we receive righteousness from God.
Lord, how can we ever thank you enough for the gift of ‘the righteousness from God’ by faith in Jesus. Thank you that we can walk in this right relationship with you as a result. Thank you that it is a free gift, that we do not (and could not ever) earn. Thank you that we receive it by faith. Thank you that it transforms our relationship with you and that you see us as righteous in your sight. Thank you that you forgive our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness. Thank you for your love and mercy revealed to us in Jesus
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3. God’s righteousness challenges us to right living
Amos 3:1-4:13As Amos turned to speak the word of the Lord against Israel, the Lord said, ‘Out of all the families on earth, I picked you. Therefore, because of your special calling, I’m holding you responsible for all your sins’ (3:2, MSG). James L. Mays writes in his commentary on this verse that Israel is the people in whose history God’s desire ‘for righteousness becomes visible in that all their sins are punished.’ The people are condemned in what is almost a law court. ‘ “Hear this and testify against the house of Jacob,” declares the Lord, the Lord God Almighty’ (v.13). It is as if God calls witnesses to testify against his own people. ‘Listen to this, you cows of Bashan grazing on the slopes of Samaria. You women! Mean to the poor, cruel to the down-and-out! Indolent and pampered, you demand of your husbands, “Bring us a tall, cool drink!” ’ (4:1, MSG). The only thing these women lived for was bigger and better parties. They are condemned for their superficiality, self-centered indulgence and their treatment of the poor and needy.
Over and over again God speaks to his people in an attempt to draw them back to him: ‘The fact is, God, the Master, does nothing without first telling his prophets the whole story’ (3:7, MSG). ‘Yet’, he declares, ‘you have not returned to me’ (4:6,8–11). When we understand this Old Testament background, it makes it all the more staggering that the apostle Paul writes, ‘This righteousness from God comes through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe’ (Romans 3:22). Jesus has paid the penalty for us. Lord, thank you that your desire is always that we return to you and walk in the right relationship with you. Thank you that you have now made that possible through Jesus – through ‘a righteousness from God, apart from the law [which] has been made known, to which the Law and the Prophets testify’ (Romans 3:21).
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Praise and Worship
Before praying, you should start with some Praise and Worship songs. You don't need a special songbook, the Bible is already full of songs. I found some of the popular Christian songs in the Bible. What better way to catch the Lord's attention, then by singing His Word in song? You can even say the verses if you can't sing. It's also a good idea to end your prayer time thanking Him for what He's going to do.
Now if you like you can start reading the Prayer Promises. These are Scriptures that promise you that He will hear your prayers and answer them. Reading these builds your confidence and your faith to believe.
The Scripture Prayers
After reading the Prayer Promises, then turn to Praying for the Government, and please pray for your government. Now if you are not in the USA, it doesn't matter, because our heavenly Father knows where you live.
Next is Praying for the Nations and all nations around the world are included in this prayer.
Praying for Jerusalem is a request from God Himself, He said, Pray for Jerusalem
When you Pray for the Missionaries, all missionaries are included, but if you know specifically a missionary's name you can say their name instead of missionaries.
The same goes for Praying For Your Pastor, personalize the prayer by saying his name instead of the word pastor. If you have a reverend or father as they do in the Catholic church, then you can use those words instead of pastor
The next prayer is Praying for Pastor's Family. It's important to pray for their family as well as the pastor, because if the enemy can't get to the pastor, he'll focus on his family. If you belong to a religion where the pastor isn't married, it doesn't matter. He still had a mom and dad and other relatives. They all need to be covered in prayer.
Praying for the Church is very important. Many problems relating to the churches and instances of strife and gossiping can be altered if you will just pray for your church. Or pray for the churches as a whole, the church, the body of Christ.
Praying for Relationships was added because at the time their were many couples having problems in their marriages. When you pray this prayer, you may see a gradual change in your partner, but the main change is what you see happening to yourself. You will change first, mostly in your attitude. And there is a certain peace when you can just release your partner into God's hands, for Him to deal with.
When I wrote Praying for the Children, I actually had my children in mind. I wanted to cover them in prayer before they go off into the world alone. I wanted them to be able to make the right decisions and stay away from all that was evil. I then realized that all children was included in the prayer. If you would like to pray for a specific child, just replacing the word children will personalize it.
The Scriptures Pages
If you are sick or in need of a spiritual healing, praying the Healing Scriptures will help you. Read them everyday, morning noon and night. You need to drench yourself in the Word of God. Not only does it build your faith to believe, it will remind you, when all those aches and pains come, that Jesus took sicknesses and diseases with Him to the cross when He died. Sickness and disease was crucified with Christ on the cross.
I had one lady write to tell me that her friend was in intensive care, and she would go to see her and read the healing scriptures to her every day. The friend in intensive care was healed from hearing the spoken Word. I would even recommend that you make a cassette recording of the scripture prayers, and get a cassette player that has an auto reverse. Put headphones on the patient so the spoken Word of God can continually soak into their mind. I have heard this being done for people that are in a coma.
Scriptures for Needs was written because at the time I was trying to raise money to be a missionary. I looked up every scripture I could find and wrote them down and prayed them every day to remind myself that God will supply my needs, and will make a way where there looks like there is no way. These prayers can build your faith to believe for all that God has for you, and don't forget to send the angels to cause it to come.
When I compiled the Scriptures for Encouragement it was because I was meeting so many people that were depressed and discouraged. I actually looked for prayers to encourage a person, but couldn't find any. These Scriptures will encourage you and build you up in your faith.
In Conclusion
I would like to tell you other different ways I have heard these scripture prayers being prayed. Some people just pray each page by itself. Some people pray in the spirit in between each scripture. Some people enter a praise and worship then begin to pray, and at the end of the prayer, thanking God for the outcome in advance. Which of course is a good idea because that's what faith is, believing you receive it, before you can see it.
Some people just use this booklet as a reference, such as being on a prayer request telephone line, like prayer counselors or prayer warriors, and intercessory prayer . Even if you are waiting in traffic or sitting on a bench in the park, you can take out this booklet and pray. Once you see how these scriptures are put together in prayer, you can look for scriptures yourself about your certain situation and compile a prayer to pray.
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