Robed in Righteousness
Christmas • Sermon • Submitted
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· 13 viewsA sermon for the First Sunday aftetr Christmas
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Few days in life are filled with overwhelming joy. The births of my children were such days, as were, in an even deeper sense, the births of my grandchildren. Another day of joy preceded those five birthdays. The day was September 24th, 1977, the day Susan and I were married. I am so grateful, in large part because I have no idea why she favored me. I certainly did not—and do not—deserve such a fine woman. So, that entire wedding day was a joy to me, hour after hour of joy that rolled into a week of honeymooning when I got to spend uninterrupted time with Susan—all alone, shared with no one else. I’m selfish that way.
Our life together has been a sort of unending day of joy, simply because we each remember that we are loved by the other. When times get difficult, as they sometimes do, I remember that Susan loves me—whether I deserve it or not.
There is a similar day on a spiritual level for Christians. That day can be an uninterrupted honeymoon, day after day of joy and peace, whether we deserve it or not. I am speaking on a spiritual level, and will explain. But first let us pray… Amen
Grace and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. Amen
The prophet Isaiah speaks of this day of joy in our first lesson today. He describes a wedding day, where the object and source of one’s joy is not a typical spouse, but the Lord God. And he gives his bride many gifts.
When Susan and I were married, there were so many gifts given to us. This is back before gift registries—or at least before I had ever heard of such a thing—but people seemed to know what this poor couple needed. I remember Susan opening gift after gift, and being pretty amazed by the whole thing. I’d never heard of wedding gifts before either. In fact, I was off the charts in the stupid category when it came to all things weddings. But there she was, opening all of those gifts—and they were for both of us. Frankly, I don’t remember a lot of them. It’s funny, I remember a lamp, something made of pewter, and lots of cash. Beyond that, I recall our friend Joe took photos of the whole affair and gave them to us in an album. Did I mention cash?
Susan and I were so poor that we didn’t know how poor we were. We didn’t really have any experience yet to compare levels of poverty. But we were blessedly rich in another category of need. We were poor in spirit.[1] We knew that we loved Jesus and needed him. Because of that, we had each received another gift—one of those gifts that keeps on giving. Jesus gave us himself. Like an ancient bridegroom, he wrapped these poor creatures in the gift of his own robes. We were covered with Jesus like a babe swaddled and laid in the manger. We were poor, but we were secure in Christ’s family.
Where we had been poor beyond measure spiritually, we were given his wealth of righteousness. Everything that was his became ours—and yours too—when we were bonded with Christ Jesus in baptism. And when we affirm our baptism day by day, gladly receiving his garments of salvation, we know how rich we are. Rich in salvation. Rich in righteousness.
We know we could not have done this ourselves. Many of us have tried. And failed. It is the Lord alone who has caused this righteousness. The prophet tells us it is so. The Word does elsewhere too, as does the Spirit bearing witness with our spirits.[2] And experience also shows us that we cannot contrive our own righteousness. It is a pale substitute for the righteousness necessary to live eternally in the presence of the Father. You must get to the point where you admit your poverty of spirit. It helps to know that when the judgment day arrives that Jesus spoke of, you and I will be required to give an account.[3] Every word we spoke (or didn’t), every action done (or undone), every thought imagined (or not thought) will be judged against the standard of Jesus Christ. How will you measure up then?
If you come, robed in your own righteousness, the response will be something like, “Is that all you’ve got?” It will be that whole sheep and goats business[4] that Jesus said would happen in the end at an unknown day and time. The sheep, his righteous people, true believers, will go to his right—a place of privilege—and the goats will be separated away to the left.
People who try to be righteous by doing good deeds or going to church or supporting missions are not righteous because they did those things, any more than goats are sheep. Doing good works, going to worship, giving to and praying for missionaries are terrific things, but they don’t make you righteous. You should do good deeds and go to church and support missions, but not because you hope they’ll wrap you up in a righteous bundle fit for heaven.
You are properly outfitted for heaven when you’re dressed like Christ instead of flaunting your religious threads. In order to get into heaven, you have to look like Jesus; you have to bear his name. This is just like Susan has my name, and so, whether she likes it or not, she is known as a Ryman. You who believe are now known by Christ’s name. He has given you a new name, his name; you are a Christian. By virtue of your marriage to the Lamb, you have a new status and so, a new name.
Our New Testament lesson speaks of all this in a different way, with another legal relationship, this time not a bride but a son. We are no longer slaves to the law, or slaves to any kind of self-righteousness. We are now sons—not lesser sons but sons who will receive a full inheritance.
Times have changed. In western countries we no longer think this way. Daughters were not thought of as inheritors of their fathers’ estates. Lest you think this is sexist, neither were lesser sons, and the servants in the household were not considered in the least. The oldest son got the goods, whether he deserved them or not, and lesser goods may have been given to lesser sons and daughters, while nothing was given generally to slaves.
When the Jews were under the law, they were lesser sons. We Gentiles, the nations or peoples other than the Jews, were the slaves. But when Christ came, he redeemed us so that may all be sons. We are no longer slaves; we are full sons who will receive a full inheritance. We are not longer daughters, we are sons. We are no longer lesser sons but sons who will receive the Father’s full inheritance for us—whether we deserve it or not. And we do not. That’s the point.
We get an eternal inheritance because the Father favors us for Christ’s sake. We get an eternal inheritance because of our relationship to the Son of the Father, whether you want to think of it as being a bride of Christ the groom, or as joint heirs, brothers of the firstborn Son of God.
We are beneficiaries of Christ’s righteousness because God sent redemption to his people,[5] not because we worked hard to get it or somehow deserve it. Like Simeon and Anna in the temple, we too have seen the salvation of God, the Light of the World. a burning torch[6] brightly revealed to us Gentiles too. We have also seen the Son, the Babe, born into a dark world to be its illumination. He will be the rising of many, and a stumbling stone[7] for many too. But he is foremost the One who has the full favor of God,[8] favor he shares with his Brethren—with all those who believe in him, whether they deserve it or not.
[1] Matthew 5:3
[2] Romans 8:16
[3] Matthew 12:36
[4] Matthew 25:31-33
[5] Psalm 111:9, John 3:16
[6] Isaiah 62:1
[7] Matthew 21:43–44
[8] Luke 2:40