The Holy Spirit is Guiding Us, Even When It Seems Like a Set-Up

Throughout the Bible, both Old and New Testaments, God's people face unjust trials and convictions many times.

Yet the LORD leads all of them out of those dark times into greater light, glory, freedom, and blessing--not just for themselves, either, but for others, too.

With all of this in mind, I found this passage in Genesis 37:

12And his [Joseph] brethren went to feed their father's flock in Shechem. 13And Israel said unto Joseph, Do not thy brethren feed the flock in Shechem? come, and I will send thee unto them. And he said to him, Here am I. 14And he said to him, Go, I pray thee, see whether it be well with thy brethren, and well with the flocks; and bring me word again. So he sent him out of the vale of Hebron, and he came to Shechem.

Here, we have a perfect picture of the Lord Jesus Christ, sent by his Father to visit His Brethren, the Jewish people.

"He came unto his own, and his own received him not." (John 1:11)

Now here's the part which stands out about the Holy Spirit:

15And a certain man found him, and, behold, he was wandering in the field: and the man asked him, saying, What seekest thou? 

This "Certain man" is not named, just like the servant who found a bride for Isaac (Genesis 24), and just like the servant who attended to Joseph's commands when he stood in Pharoah's stead (Genesis 40)

16And he said, I seek my brethren: tell me, I pray thee, where they feed their flocks. 17And the man said, They are departed hence; for I heard them say, Let us go to Dothan. And Joseph went after his brethren, and found them in Dothan.

Throughout the Old Testament, any reference to an unnamed servant is a type of the Holy Spirit. He helps the types who represent Jesus, and as an unnamed servant, he does not draw attention to himself:

"Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth: for he shall not speak of himself; but whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he speak: and he will shew you things to come." (John 16:13)

So, here we have an unnamed person telling Joseph to find his brothers in a clear location.

This man guided Joseph to his bitter, envious brothers, who sold him into slavery, then lied to their father to make him believe that Joseph had been killed by a wild animal.

It would seem that the Holy Spirit, or in the case of the above account the unnamed man, lead Joseph into a trap.

In truth, we all know that this guidance, this direction led to Joseph's massive promotion and glory.

When Joseph later revealed himself to his brothers in Egypt, he comforted them:

"Now therefore be not grieved, nor angry with yourselves, that ye sold me hither: for God did send me before you to preserve life." (Genesis 45:5)

and also

"And God sent me before you to preserve you a posterity in the earth, and to save your lives by a great deliverance." (Genesis 45:7)

Even when the brothers once again attempt to deceive Joseph, fearing that he would turn on them after their father Jacob died, Joseph would say to them:

"19And Joseph said unto them, Fear not: for am I in the place of God? 20But as for you, ye thought evil against me; but God meant it unto good, to bring to pass, as it is this day, to save much people alive. 21Now therefore fear ye not: I will nourish you, and your little ones. And he comforted them, and spake kindly unto them." (Genesis 50:19-21)

When the outcomes seem dire or doomed, and yet you were guided by the Holy Spirit and His peace (Colossians 3:15), just bear in mind that the Holy Spirit is indeed setting you up--setting you up to succeed!

Righteousness is Where We Are, Regardless of The Attacks

I was meditating on this revelation today.

For the longest time, I would work so hard to ignore or undo bad thoughts, bad feelings, bad memories.

If I remembered something that made me mad, angry, or I felt upset that some event or circumstances transpired a way that I wish had not happened, I would feel so bad that I was remembering that sentiment again.

Then I learned about what it means to be established in righteousness. This status we have in Christ Jesus cannot be asailed, no matter what happens to us, what happens around us.

"In righteousness shalt thou be established: thou shalt be far from oppression; for thou shalt not fear: and from terror; for it shall not come near thee." (Isaiah 54:14)

We are established in His righteousness (Isaiah 54:17)

In fact, we are made the righteousness of God in Christ!

IN HIM!

That's where we are today, and all the blessings that come upon the righteous, come upon us because of Jesus.

I started to realize more and more that it didn't matter what I was feeling, what I was thinking, where I was going, or what was happening to me.

I have been made the righteousness of God in Christ Jesus (2 Corinthians 5:21).

That's where I am, and that's where I shall rest and remain blessed, no matter what happens to me.

With that, I both know and believe that I am defended, protected, prepared to be overcome, no matter what attacks may come my way!

Stop Trying to Be Righteous: You Have Been Made the Righteousess of God in Christ

"For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him." (2 Corinthians 5:21)

I have been meditating so much on Isaiah 54:14:

"In righteousness shalt thou be established: thou shalt be far from oppression; for thou shalt not fear: and from terror; for it shall not come near thee." (Isaiah 54:14)

It's not enough to know about righteousness.

It's not enough to know that we have received righteousness.

It's not enough to know that we are made righteousness.

We need to be ESTABLISHED in it.

No matter what happens in our lives, no matter how much we fail, no matter how many times we fall, no matter how bad the circumstances may become in our lives, no matter how many failures and bad circumstances occur in the world around us, or even in our own homes.

We need to recognize that we are righteousness, and not righteous based on our own efforts.

Isaiah dispenses with that narrow-minded arrogance summarily:

"But we are all as an unclean thing, and all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags; and we all do fade as a leaf; and our iniquities, like the wind, have taken us away." (Isaiah 64:6)

Notice that the word "righteousness" is in the plural form, indicating not just man's works, but the plural of majesty. The most superlative of man's righteousness is nothing but filthy, soiled rags to God.

We have God's righteousness (Isaiah 54:17):

And yet it's even more than having something.

We are defined by God's righteousness, and we are reborn, redefined as the righteousness of God in Christ Jesus!

We are not just as righteous as Christ Jesus, who sits at the right hand of God the Father, but we have been made "The Righteousness of God" because we are now in Christ Jesus.

For this reason, among many others, John would write in his First Epistle:

"Herein is our love made perfect (lit. love perfected among us), that we may have boldness in the day of judgment: because as he is, so are we in this world." (1 John 4:17)

Now, here's the new learning point, the new departure point for faith.

We don't claim "I am the righteousness of God in Christ" to make it a reality. We claim this out loud to affirm what we have been made in Christ Jesus. This confession is not "name it and claim it", but rather "Name it, because it is so." Paul writes to the Romans:

"And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God." (Romans 12:2)

It's about renewing our minds to the truth of who we are in Christ, regardless of what people say or do to us.

So stop trying to make yourself righteous, whether by works or confession. Rest in the truth of your new identity in Christ, and let His righteousness take hold of you at every level of your being.

His Covenant of Peace Will Never Decay or Fall Away

"For the mountains shall depart, and the hills be removed; but my kindness shall not depart from thee, neither shall the covenant of my peace be removed, saith the LORD that hath mercy on thee." (Isaiah 54:10)

This is an incredible promise for those who believe in Jesus.

Not only will the kindness, the chesed of our Daddy God never leave us, but His covenant, the covenant of HIS peace will never be removed.

That word "remove" is mot, which speaks of decay, shaking away, or falling away, like falling on hard times.

When does this word first appear in the Bible?

"And if thy brother be waxen poor, and fallen in decay with thee; then thou shalt relieve him: yea, though he be a stranger, or a sojourner; that he may live with thee." (Leviticus 25:35)

The first mention of "decay" is in reference to a brother in the nation of Israel who has fallen into great need, who has slipped or faces hard times.

Even under the Old Covenant, God commanded the Israelites to help their fellow Israelite brethren, not to stand far away and do nothing.

Today, we can rest assured that our First of Many Brethren, Jesus Christ (Romans 8:29) will take care of us.

We can rest assured that the Covenant of God's peace will not fall away. It's an unshakable covenant which we cannot break, since the enforcing close does not depend on us!

"10For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, saith the Lord; I will put my laws into their mind, and write them in their hearts: and I will be to them a God, and they shall be to me a people:

"11And they shall not teach every man his neighbour, and every man his brother, saying, Know the Lord: for all shall know me, from the least to the greatest.

"12For I will be merciful to their unrighteousness, and their sins and their iniquities will I remember no more." (Hebrews 8:10-12)

God the Father has been propitious to our unrighteousness, in that He sent His Son to die for our offenses, and then to be raised for our justification (Romans 4:25)

I don't think Paul the Apostle could have made it clearer:

"For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him." (2 Corinthians 5:21)

We can rest assured that this Covenant of Peace will never decay, never fall away. Jesus fulfilled the Old Covenant, and that is the covenant which decays and falls away (Hebrews 8:13).

Also, notice that God does not assure about any covenant. This the Covenant of His Shalom peace!

His peace, His provision, His protection, His prosperity, His purpose.

And it will never decay or fall away!

Like a Pillar of Cloud and Fire, God's Grace Will Never Depart From Us

"For the mountains shall depart, and the hills be removed; but my kindness shall not depart from thee, neither shall the covenant of my peace be removed, saith the LORD that hath mercy on thee." (Isaiah 54:10)

First, let's look at that word "kindness", which is "chesed" in Hebrew. This word speaks of God's covenant loyalty to Israel, and thus to all of us who are in Christ Jesus! (Romans 8:15-17)

Becaused we have His Righteousness (2 Corinthians 5:21), we can rest assured that God will not stopping being gracious to us!

Check out that word "Depart", which is "mosh" in Hebrew.

Where does this word first appear in the Bible?

"He took not away the pillar of the cloud by day, nor the pillar of fire by night, from before the people." (Exodus 13:22)

"Took not away" is the same word.

Notice that it was the full Abrahamic Covenant of grace under which the Israelites were walking at this time.

This pillar is a picture of our Lord Jesus, whose shade protects us from the heat, and whose fire protects us from the cold:

"Behold, he that keepeth Israel shall neither slumber nor sleep.

"The LORD is thy keeper: the LORD is thy shade upon thy right hand.

"The sun shall not smite thee by day, nor the moon by night.

"The LORD shall preserve thee from all evil: he shall preserve thy soul. "(Psalm 121: 4-7)

We need to understand that because we are in Christ, because God has cut the New Covenant for us through His Son, we need never worry about His grace, His favor leaving us!

"10For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, saith the Lord; I will put my laws into their mind, and write them in their hearts: and I will be to them a God, and they shall be to me a people:

11And they shall not teach every man his neighbour, and every man his brother, saying, Know the Lord: for all shall know me, from the least to the greatest.

12For I will be merciful to their unrighteousness, and their sins and their iniquities will I remember no more." (Hebrews 8: 10-12)

That's what kicks in the New Covenant, that His mercy endures forever, that the blood of Jesus cleanses us from all sin (1 John 1:9), and therefore He will remember our sins no more.

God's grace covers us, protects us, warms us, safeguards us, provides for us.

And we should rest assured that His grace, like that Pillar of Cloud and Fire, will never depart from us.

I Need God's Favor Even Where I am Familiar

This Monday, I returned from an extended weekend stay in Arizona.

It's a great place, not as desert-y as I had feared.

It's really nice!

There is a great deal of desert, sure, but I saw so many homes with their own set of greenery. Phoenix, Arizona is a huge city. It takes 30 minutes on a major freeway to get from one of the city to another city.

And that's if there is no traffic to contend with!

I noticed that I meditated on God's Word a great deal. It seemed like every moment of the day, I was chewing, muttering, marinating in one or many sets of Scriptures.

It was a very fulfilling time that I shared with friends and fellow patriots there in the Phoenix area.

Then I came home, and I realized something:

What is preventing me from meditating at length here in my own home town, my own city? What has been holding me back from thinking that I do not need to ask for God's favor here in the place where I live, where I have called home for the last three decades?

For a long time, when by myself or walking about boldly yet singly in public, I would think out loud, let my mind wander and wonder onto so many topics.

I never really got settled. It was so easy to get upset about past slights or future fears. After five days of staying at someone else's home in another state, after the habit of repeating and meditating on God's Word in different passages, I found that my mind was clearer, and opportunities began to appear in great number.

I can ask for God's favor and receive His grace for every day. Why was I not doing that when back at home in the South Bay?

Just because I know the South Bay, just because I have lived in Torrance for the greater part of my life, that does not mean that I do not need God's grace, His favor for facing different challenges and issues from day to day, or from hour to hour.

I need His grace, I desire His favor wherever I go, whatever I do.

The five day excursion in Arizona really opened my mind, my heart to seeing more of Jesus and receiving more of his abundant gifts of righteousness and grace (Romans 5:17).

I want my loving Daddy God to surprise me every day. For the last four days back home, I have found myself really appreciating everything that I have lived in, that I have enjoyed for this great length of time.

What can I say? I need God's favor even in places with which I have been so familiar all of these years. Yes, I may know that so many things close to me are relatively the same, but who knows what may happen upon me when I trust His favor?

I want to get into the habit now more than ever, just as Ruth did when she joined with Israel:

"And Ruth the Moabitess said unto Naomi, Let me now go to the field, and glean ears of corn after him in whose sight I shall find grace. And she said unto her, Go, my daughter." (Ruth 2:2)

Ruth landed in the perfect field:

"And she went, and came, and gleaned in the field after the reapers: and her hap was to light on a part of the field belonging unto Boaz, who was of the kindred of Elimelech." (Ruth 2:3)

She trusted in God's favor. She believed in the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, the same God who sent His Son to die on the Cross for us, to grant us His rightoeusness, His life, and His standing.

In the same way that Ruth trusted God's favor and found herself not just by chance, but by "her hap", in not just a good field, but the field belonging to her Kinsman-Redeemer.

Let's not hold back God from blessing us beyond what we ask or think (Ephesians 3:20). Let's ask God to continue to show us through His Son how much He loves us! (Ephesians 3: 17-19).

Does God Ignore Our Prayer? No, He Answers Beyond What We Asked!

The last two weeks presented some incredible trials to me.

I had no idea what to think, how to respond.

I had prayed so diligently for a certain outcome in one very dire situation, and it never came to pas. The exact opposite occured, which had really unsettled me. I didn't know what to think!

God, why didn't you answer my prayer? Those were the thoughts circling through my mind, but I didn't cave to unbelief.

I sure didn't understand what was going on, though.

Then I realized ... God's delays are part of God not just answering our prayers, but going above and beyond what we have asked!

"Now unto him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us," (Ephesians 3:20)

I am sure that Abraham and Sarah prayed, struggled, and wondered if God cared for them.

Their son was not only a champion, but was blessed wherever he went.

"The man began to prosper, and continued prospering until he became very prosperous" (Genesis 26:13)

Jacob wanted his son back. Jacob discovered that not only was his son Joseph alive, but he was the ruler over all Egypt, and through his new position, maneuvered into place by Almight God, Joseph saved many lives!

"Now therefore be not grieved, nor angry with yourselves, that ye sold me hither: for God did send me before you to preserve life." (Genesis 45:5)

and

"But as for you, ye thought evil against me; but God meant it unto good, to bring to pass, as it is this day, to save much people alive." (Genesis 50:20)

Then let's consider Mary and Martha, and their cry for Jesus to heal their brother Lazarus.

He delayed coming to them, and Jesus did so because He loved them:

"5Now Jesus loved Martha, and her sister, and Lazarus. 6When he had heard therefore that he was sick, he abode two days still in the same place where he was." (John 11:5-6)

WOW!

The two sisters, sisters whom Jesus loved, got "the hand"?

Not at all.

Jesus over-answered their prayer.

Martha and then Mary saw Jesus as "The Resurrection and the Life" (John 11:25)

Mary and Martha witnessed Jesus bring their brother back from the dead!

"43And when he thus had spoken, he cried with a loud voice, Lazarus, come forth. 44And he that was dead came forth, bound hand and foot with graveclothes: and his face was bound about with a napkin. Jesus saith unto them, Loose him, and let him go." (John 11:43-44)

Lazarus was not just healed, Lazarus was not just made whole, Lazarus was brought back to life!

And then!

"45Then many of the Jews which came to Mary, and had seen the things which Jesus did, believed on him." (John 11:45)

I would not be one bit surprised that Mary and Martha was glad that Jesus did not answer their prayer, which was:

"21Then said Martha unto Jesus, Lord, if thou hadst been here, my brother had not died." (John 11:21)

In the next chapter, we see Martha serving without grumbling, for the Resurrection and the Life, with his brother resurrected back to life sitting at the same table!

"1Then Jesus six days before the passover came to Bethany, where Lazarus was which had been dead, whom he raised from the dead. 2There they made him a supper; and Martha served: but Lazarus was one of them that sat at the table with him." (John 12:1-2)

Jesus more than answered their prayer, didn't He?

Don't doubt when God delays, or when God doesn't seem to answer your prayers.

Point of fact, He is preparing to "over-answer" them, beyond what you asked!

Why God Allows Delays: That More Believe On Him, And We Receive Greater Glory

I have written on this subject many times, and I have no qualm revisiting this matter.

We face trials of many kinds: friends move away, loved ones die. We lose a career, or we face other hardships.

In spite of it all, however, we need to understand that God loves us, and He is loving us through the most trying, difficult struggles in our lives.

When Lazarus, the brother of Mary and Martha, was sick, Jesus did not go right away to heal him:

"Now Jesus loved Martha, and her sister, and Lazarus. 6When he had heard therefore that he was sick, he abode two days still in the same place where he was." (John 11:5-6)

Jesus loved Mary and Martha; therefore, He delayed coming to them.

What's going on here?

Jesus explains to His disciples:

"15And I am glad for your sakes that I was not there, to the intent ye may believe; nevertheless let us go unto him." (John 11:15)

He wants us to believe on Him, for that is the work of God (John 6:29), and Jesus goes out of His way to help us believe on Him too!

The account of Lazarus coming from the dead is powerful, but then see what happened once Jesus raised him from the dead:

"45Then many of the Jews which came to Mary, and had seen the things which Jesus did, believed on him." (John 11:45)

Not a few, not some, buy MANY Jews believed in Jesus after Lazarus was raised from the dead.

While Mary and Martha wanted to be spared the separation from their brother, Jesus was invested in the bigger picture:

"For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life." (John 3:16)

Jesus wants ALL of us to have life. There's more at stake than our own piecemeal comfort.

There's more!

It's so easy to read through this passage without really meditating on what is taking place here:

"1Then Jesus six days before the passover came to Bethany, where Lazarus was which had been dead, whom he raised from the dead. 2There they made him a supper; and Martha served: but Lazarus was one of them that sat at the table with him." (John 12:1-2)

Can you imagine what must have been going through Martha's mind when she was serving Jesus and her brother--raised from the dead!--at the same table?!

Jesus, the Resurrection and the Life, was seated in her home, and she not only received her brother back from the dead!

Notice also that Martha was not full of cares or worries this time. Unlike in Luke's account (Luke 10:38-42), in which she complained that Jesus was not ordering her sister Mary to help her, Martha happily serves Jesus and her brother. It's easy to serve others when you know that you have been served in the greatest way possible.

What love!

"19 We love because he first loved us." (1 John 4:19, NIV)

Notice also the greater glory accorded to Mary:

"3Then took Mary a pound of ointment of spikenard, very costly, and anointed the feet of Jesus, and wiped his feet with her hair: and the house was filled with the odour of the ointment. 4Then saith one of his disciples, Judas Iscariot, Simon's son, which should betray him, 5Why was not this ointment sold for three hundred pence, and given to the poor? 6This he said, not that he cared for the poor; but because he was a thief, and had the bag, and bare what was put therein. 7Then said Jesus, Let her alone: against the day of my burying hath she kept this." (John 12:3-7)

Mary received great honor in preparing Jesus for His death and burial.

In Mark's account, Jesus announces the great honor that will be accorded to Mary:

"9Verily I say unto you, Wheresoever this gospel shall be preached throughout the whole world, this also that she hath done shall be spoken of for a memorial of her." (Mark 14:9)

Imagine if Jesus had healed Larazus before dying ... then Mary would have had no occasion to anoint Jesus' feet and receive such greater honor!

And not just glory for Mary:

"Much people of the Jews therefore knew that he was there: and they came not for Jesus' sake only, but that they might see Lazarus also, whom he had raised from the dead." (John 12:9)

Lazarus became a celebrity of sorts, but more importantly a living--yes, living--testimony to God's grace.

What greater glory can one receive? God heals us, blesses us, and then we receive glory and blessing from others because of what Jesus did for us?

Lazarus would have been deprived of all of this if he had not died, and Jesus had not raised him from the dead!

Jesus loved Mary and Martha.

He wanted to honor them, He wanted them to believe on Him, and He wanted many others to believe on Him, too, since that's what He is all about--saving as many as He can.

He wants to bless us, and those blessings can't happen if He answers our immediate requests right away. There's a bigger picture, and He wants us to feature in it.

Don't fret or fear if there are delays. God is doing great things for you, and for many others.

Established in Righteousness: What Does That Mean?

What does it mean to be established in righteousness?

It means that righteousness, our righteous standing, is a fixed truth, something that is part of who we are.

Righteousness defines who we are, and it is not something that can be taken away by any circumstance or feeling. This status of being righteous, being righteousness, before God the Father in Christ Jesus.

One preacher shared:

"Jesus did not just take our sin. He became sin."

Why is that distinction so important? If someone takes something from you, they can give it back to you at some other time. If someone becomes something that belongs to you, that object, that "thing" if you will can never be returned to you.

How about that?

Consider what Paul the Apostle wrote to the Corinthians in his Second Epistle:

"For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him." (2 Corinthians 5:21)

Jesus became sin, and He bore our sins in His body (1 Peter 2:24).

We became the righteousness of God in Him!

We become, we are made a new creature in Christ Jesus! (2 Corinthians 5:17)

For a long time, I meditated on righteousness as something that is outside of me, i.e. something that I receive and keep receiving, certainly, but something that as a status comes from outside to within me. (Romans 5:17).

However, Isaiah prophesies "In righteousness you shall be established."

If the only way that righteousness enters us is through receiving and receiving again, then we are not established in it.

But we are established in His righteousness today, because Jesus accomplished the Great Exchange at the Cross.

This righteousness, and all the blessings attached to it, having nothing to do with our circumstances or other outcomes around us.

Our standing before God in Christ Jesus has nothing to do with us at all!

Righteousness is a gift:

"For if by one man's offence death reigned by one; much more they which receive abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness shall reign in life by one, Jesus Christ." (Romans 5:17)

It's a gift, and we need to be conscious of this incredible gift, that we keep on receiving it, even when we fail, when we fall, when we flip out or fess up to wrongdoing of any kind.

This Gift of Righteousness defines who we are in Christ Jesus!

"[H]e that doeth righteousness is righteous, even as he is righteous." (1 John 3:7)

To do righteousness, within the context of this passage, is to seek the Blood of Jesus to establish us from all sin and in His righteousness, i.e. to believe on Him!

Then what follows:

"Herein is our love made perfect, that we may have boldness in the day of judgment: because as he is, so are we in this world." (1 John 4:17)

Christ Jesus is made our righteousness (1 Corinthians 1:30)

For a long time, however, I was not fully established in this. I was still worried that I would be punished for my sins in some fashion--In that regard, I was not established in His righteousness.

There were tough times, when it seemed that nothing was going right, and I would yell at God, wondering why He wasn't doing anything -- at least, so it seemed. I was not established in righteousness then because I was still evaluating my position based on my circumstances.

"How could I be in this difficulty now? I thought I was passed this!"

When I realized that all of my sins have been forgiven, put away, and that no matter what is happening at that moment, I am still righteous before God, everything in my life just changed without any trouble.

This status of being the righteousness of God in Christ had been in place with me ever since I believed in Jesus and made him Lord and Savior of my life, because He became my life. Gosh, there is so much about our inheritance through Christ Jesus that we have to learn.

There is so much that I had to unlearn, too.

I was the righteousness of God in Christ when I was working at the grocery store. I was the rightoeusness of God in Christ when I was a teacher in different classrooms all over Los Angeles County.

I was the righteousness of God in Christ Jesus when I was 13 years old and claimed Jesus as my Lord and Savior. Even then, as a young boy almost out of Seventh Grade.

I was the rightoeusness of God in Christ Jesus when my mother left me at the Torrance airport.

I was the righteousness of God in Christ Jesus, with perfect standing and honor before my Daddy God when I was arrested in Huntington Park, California ... for no good reason.

I was the righteousness of God in Christ when I failed student teaching the first time.

I have not only been the righteousness of God in Christ, but I have been a long-standing heir of so many promises in Christ Jesus, because ...

"And if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ; if so be that we suffer with him, that we may be also glorified together." (Romans 8:17)

And the sufferings?

"For I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us." (Romans 8:18)

They are a mere nothing.

No matter what the sufferings may be, I am the righteousness of God in Christ.

And THAT is what it means to be established in righteousness! (Isaiah 54:14)