DOMINION THROUGH RIGHTEOUSNESS

DOMINION THROUGH RIGHTEOUSNESS

Gen. 6:9 These are the generations of Noah: Noah was a just man and perfect in his generations, and Noah walked with God.

Gen. 7:1 And the Lord said unto Noah, Come thou and all thy house into the ark; for thee have I seen righteous before me in this generation. 

Psalm 34:19
Many are the afflictions of the righteous: but the Lord delivereth him out of them all.

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 KJV)

INTRODUCTION
1.What Is Dominion,

Dominon means sovereignty or control.

Dominion. When you are in charge of something or rule it, you have dominion over it. The most famous use of the word occurs in the Christian Bible, when God grants people dominion over other animals. ... It is Biblical-sounding word for having power. A king has dominion over his kingdom.

Dominion is to be in control, to be in charge, to rule, to have authority.
That what the original plan of God for man.

Synonyms: supremacy, ascendancy, dominance, domination, superiority, predominance, preeminence, primacy, hegemony, authority, mastery, control, command, direction, power, sway, rule, government, jurisdiction, sovereignty,  lordship.

–  Dominion is a topic that many of us talk about but few of us really possess.

Dominion in its simplest form is power, authority or control over something or someone.
It is the ability to request or command and expect a fulfillment of that appeal.
To have dominion is to rule, to be in charge.
For a saint of God understanding dominion is crucial to his walk with God.
A lack of understanding in this area could cost him spiritually and naturally too.
Dominion is about knowing who you are in Christ and understanding that in you, through Him is the power to lay hold onto the promises of God and possess them until the day of Christ.
Dominion is understanding that you can do what God said you can do, have what God said you can have and be what God said you can be.

2. What is righteousness?
“Righteousness” and its counterpart, “righteous,” appear 540 times in 520 verses of the Bible. Righteousness is the condition of being in right relationship with the Lord. This can only happen through TOTAL faith and dependence upon Christ.

 The Bible defines “righteousness” as simply doing that which is right (1 John 3:7-10; Acts 10:35).

Righteousness is a gift that comes from the Lord to those who accept what the Lord Jesus Christ has done for them by faith (Rom. 5:17-18).

Righteousness is simply being blameless before God. It also means being without guilt, spot or blemish, being good, upright, pure, and sinless, etc.
Righteousness is from the Greek word "DIKAIOSUNE" which means the quality of being right, just, right standing with God and conformity to the revealed will of God in all respects.
Righteousness is very important and the ancients recognised this. In Job 9:2, Job said "...how can a man be righteous before God?" And Isaiah says "But we are all as an unclean thing, and all our righteousness are as filthy rags..." (Isaiah 64:6). God is so holy and pure and He is no respecter of persons.

The word most often translated “righteousness” can also mean “justice, justness, or divine holiness.” In the broadest sense, righteousness can be defined as “the condition of being acceptable to God as made possible by God.” God’s standard is what defines true righteousness; His power is what enables it. Unless God is its author, we will never possess righteousness. No amount of man-made effort will result in righteousness. To be righteous is to be right with God. A heart that is right with God results in a life that bears “fruit” (John 15:1–2; Mark 4:20). Galatians 5:22-23 lists some of that fruit.

Dominion through righteousness simply means having control through right relationship with God.

We shall be looking at this topic under the following headings.
1. Pursuing righteousness
2. Walking in righteousness
3. The power of righteousness
4. Biblical examples of those who had dominion through righteousness.
5. The benefits of walking in righteousness.
6. How to have dominion through righteousness

I.   PURSUING RIGHTEOUSNESS
What does it mean to pursue righteousness?

 Proverbs 15:9 says, “The LORD detests the way of the wicked, but he loves those who pursue righteousness.”

A common substitute for true righteousness is self-righteousness. Self-righteousness is the opposite of what God desires. Self-righteousness makes a list of rules and checks them off, congratulating itself on how well it is doing compared to others. The Pharisees of Jesus’ day were masters of self-righteousness, but Jesus had harsh words for them: “Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You are like whitewashed tombs, which look beautiful on the outside but on the inside are full of the bones of the dead and everything unclean. In the same way, on the outside you appear to people as righteous but on the inside you are full of hypocrisy and wickedness” (Matthew 23:27–28).

To pursue righteousness means we must recognize that we cannot please God in our sinful state (Romans 8:8). We turn from trying to justify ourselves by our good deeds and instead seek the mercy of God. We desire that He transform our minds (Romans 12:2) and conform us “to the image of His Son” (Romans 8:29). In the Old Testament, men were declared righteous when they believed God and acted on it (Genesis 15:6; Galatians 3:6; James 2:23). Before Pentecost (Acts 2:1–4), people pursued righteousness by keeping God’s Law, seeking holiness, and “walking humbly with God” (Micah 6:8). No one was justified by rule-keeping but by the faith that enabled them to obey God (Romans 3:20; Galatians 2:16).

Likewise, today we are justified by the faith that leads us to Jesus (Romans 3:28; 5:1; 10:10). Those who are in Christ continue seeking God in order to please Him (Colossians 3:1). When we come to faith in Christ, He gives us the Holy Spirit who empowers us to pursue righteousness for its own sake (Acts 2:38). He commands us to “walk in the Spirit” (Galatians 5:16, 25). Walking in the Spirit means we live a lifestyle of total surrender to the Lordship of Jesus Christ. We cultivate the ability to hear God and the habit of obeying His voice in everything.

We pursue righteousness when we pursue the character of Christ and desire holiness more than fleshly indulgence. We avoid the temptation to become self-righteous when we understand that true righteousness begins with godly humility (Psalm 25:90). We remember that Jesus said, “Apart from me you can do nothing” (John 15:5). When we spend time in the presence of God, we become more aware of our own sin and shortcomings.
Pride and self-righteousness cannot remain in the presence of a holy God. Pursuing righteousness begins when a humble heart seeks the continual presence of God (James 4:10; 1 Peter 5:6). The humble, believing heart leads to a lifestyle of righteous action acceptable to God (Psalm 51:10).

II.   WALKING IN RIGHTEOUSNESS

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 KJV)

God wants you to be established in righteousness so that when the storms rage and the billows toss high, you will remain confident, knowing that you will come out, because God is for you. When Jesus said to His disciples, “let us go to the other side”; He had spoken and He was sure of His word. That was why when the storm rose against him, He was comfortably sleeping on a pillow, because He knew that the storm did not have the capacity to alter His word. Here is the difference between those who are established and those who are not. In that storm Jesus was sleeping and the disciples who were being trained were running all around. Even the wind and storm could not wake Jesus up from sleep. It took his disciples to wake him up. Jesus knew that there was no storm that could ever destroy Him. He was indestructible. He made the storm and therefore has dominion over it.

Those who walk in righteousness walk in dominion and lack will not be a problem. Jesus did not panic in the wilderness when He had thousands of people to feed. The scripture says He knew what to do. When you fret about things, it is because you have not taken your place. Beloved, the righteous can never be forsaken. His seed shall not beg for bread. The righteous shall not suffer and will never be moved. The righteous shall inherit the earth, his desire is always good, and his desire shall be granted. He is delivered out of trouble. His seed shall be delivered and he shall flourish like a palm tree. Righteousness delivers from death and the righteous is as bold as a lion. The name of the Lord is a strong tower, the righteous runs into it and is safe.

Whatever the enemy has packaged against your destiny will not stand. Whatever the enemy has prepared and he is fighting you with is terminated.

III.  THE POWER OF RIGHTEOUSNESS
For if by the one man’s offense death reigned through the one, much more those who receive abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness will reign in life through the One, Jesus Christ (Romans 5:17 NKJV).

If you are going to live a life of victory, it is essential that you have a revelation of the fact that you are the righteousness of God.

To be righteous means you have the ability to stand in the presence of Father God without a sense of fear, guilt, or inferiority, and with no consciousness of sin.

If you have made Jesus Christ your Lord, you have already been made the righteousness of God in Him. In fact, you are as righteous as Jesus is, because He gave you His own righteousness.

You may not have known it, you may not have taken advantage of it, but it’s true!

Until you have a revelation of your own righteousness, Satan will reign over you; sin and sickness will be your master. But the instant you know you are the righteousness of God in Christ, and you understand what that righteousness means, Satan is defeated in your life.

With a revelation of righteousness, you will no longer be afraid of circumstances as you face even the most adverse conditions with a sense of authority and dominion. Just as Jesus reigned over sickness, death, and the laws of nature, so you too can now reign in life in Him.

IV.  BIBLICAL EXAMPLES OF THOSE WHO HAD DOMINION THROUGH RIGHTEOUSNESS

1. NOAH
Gen. 6:9 These are the generations of Noah: Noah was a just man and perfect in his generations, and Noah walked with God.

Gen. 7:1 And the Lord said unto Noah, Come thou and all thy house into the ark; for thee have I seen righteous before me in this generation. 

God singled out Noah and his family from destruction because of righteousness.

2. ABRAHAM
Was called a friend of God. He believed God and he was righteous.

3.  LOT

Gen. 18:23 And Abraham drew near, and said, Wilt thou also destroy the righteous with the wicked 24 Peradventure there be fifty righteous within the city: wilt thou also destroy and not spare the place for the fifty righteous that are therein?

Gen. 19:15 And when the morning arose, then the angels hastened Lot, saying, Arise, take thy wife, and thy two daughters, which are here; lest thou be consumed in the iniquity of the city.

2 Pet 2:7 And delivered just Lot, vexed with the filthy conversation of the wicked: 8 (For that righteous mandwelling among them, in seeing and hearing, vexed his righteous soul from day to day with their unlawful deeds;) 9 The Lord knoweth how to deliver the godly out of temptations, and to reserve the unjust unto the day of judgment to be punished: 10 But chiefly them that walk after the flesh in the lust of uncleanness, and despise government. Presumptuous are they, selfwilled, they are not afraid to speak evil of dignities.

A day is coming when God will destroy the earth. Only the righteous will be preserved.
In Noah's time they were 8. That of Sodom and Gomorrah they were 4 at first but only 3 made it.
This end time how many will make it?

4. JOB
Job 1:8 And the Lord said unto Satan, Hast thou considered my servant Job, that there is none like him in the earth, a perfect
 and an upright man, one that feareth God, and escheweth evil?

Job suffered loses.
He lost his properties, animals, children, lost his health, suffered  false accusations. Even the wife asked him to curse God and die.
In chapter 42, God restored back to Job double of all he lost.
There is a chapter 42 of restoration for someone here.
Don't join them to cheat in exams, don't join them in cult activities, don't join them in yahoo yahoo business, whatever you can by deceit will not last long.

ILL. 1. Man who collect bribe to buy a car and lost his peace.

ILL. 2. Man whose store was preserved during a fire outbreak at Onitsha Market. His tithe paying and righteous living delivered him.

5. JOSEPH
Joseph was a man who had dominion through righteousness.
He had opportunity to have affair with Potiphars wife but rejected. At the end. God lifted him to the through. Blessed are those who suffer for righteousness sake...
How many of our youths are pure?
Some when they are promised marriage, they go and start cooking, washing clothes and even start warming the beds of their supposed suitors and most likely the marriage will not hold.
Learn from Joseph.
Those days when one is to get married people police them to make sure they are not seen together. It is not so today. How you make your bed is how you will lie on it. Whatever you sow, you will reap.

6. KING HEZEKIAH
In 1Kings 38:1-6
Hezekiah was told he was going to die. He face the wall and cried out to God, to remember his righteous deeds.
God changed his mind and added 15 more years.
What will you tell God to remember today?
Ask your neighbour "What will God remember you for?"
Have you lived a life of righteousness?
Do you have a right relationship with God?
See what the Bible says about Hezekiah: 2 Kings 18:5
5 He trusted in the Lord God of Israel; so that after him was none like him among all the kings of Judah, nor any that were before him.6 For he clave to the Lord, and departed not from following him, but KEPT HIS COMMANDMENTS, WHICH THE LORD COMMANDED MOSES.

7. KING JOSIAH
King Josiah

2 King. 22:1 Josiah was eight years old when he began to reign, and he reigned thirty and one years in Jerusalem. And his mother’s name was Jedidah, the daughter of Adaiah of Boscath.2 And he did that which was right in the sight of the Lord, and walked in all the way of David his father, and turned not aside to the right hand or to the left.

2 King. 23:25 And like unto him was there no king before him, that turned to the Lord with all his heart, and with all his soul, and with all his might, according to all the law of Moses; neither after him arose there any like him.

2 Chron. 34:1 Josiah was eight years old when he began to reign, and he reigned in Jerusalem one and thirty years.2 And he did that which was right in the sight of the Lord, and walked in the ways of David his father, and declined neither to the right hand, nor to the left.

8. ENOCH
Hebr. 11:5 By faith Enoch was translated that he should not see death; and was not found, because God had translated him: for before his translation he had this testimony, that he pleased God.

9. The priest Zacharias and his wife Elisabeth

Luke 1:5 There was in the days of Herod, the king of Judaea, a certain priest named Zacharias, of the course of Abia: and his wife was of the daughters of Aaron, and her name wasElisabeth.6 And they were both righteous before God, walking in all the commandments and ordinances of the Lord blameless.

God honoured this couple with John the Baptist for walking in righteousness. They had given up hope but their prayers were answered.

10.  SIMEON

Luke 2:25 And, behold, there was a man in Jerusalem, whose name was Simeon; and the same man was just and devout,waiting for the consolation of Israel: and the Holy Ghost was upon him.

God promised him that he will see Jesus before his death.

* What about Joseph Mary's husband who never wanted to disgrace her fiancee?
*Cornelius whose prayer and righteous deeds attracted Peter to him and salvation to his household.
* John the Baptist that Herod feared knowing he was a just man
* etc.

V.  BENEFITS OF WALKING IN RIGHTEOUSNESS

1.  Heaven Guaranteed:
And these will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life.” – Matthew 25:46
The Bible also says in Matthew 13:43 that "...the righteous shall shine forth as the sun in the kingdom of their Father."
Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven – Matthew 5:10

2. Favour: Favour is over-generous preferential treatment. No wonder the word of God says in Isaiah 3:10-11: "say to the righteous, it shall be well with them." Psalm 5:12 also says "For You, O God will bless the righteous with favour. You will surround him as with a shield."
The lips of the righteous know what finds favor, – Proverbs 10:32

3.  Divine Presence: “For God is with the generation of the righteous” (Psalm 14:5).

4.  Deliverance: “Many are the afflictions of the righteous but the LORD delivers him out of them” all (Psalm 34:19). “The eyes of the LORD are on the righteous and His ears are open to their cry” (Psalm 34:15). “In the way of righteousness is life and in the pathway thereof there is no death” (Proverbs 12:28).  The seed of the righteous shall be delivered – Proverbs 11:21
Wealth is worthless in the day of wrath, but righteousness delivers from death.
But the salvation of the righteous is from the Lord; He is their strength in time of trouble – Psalm 37:39

5. Blessed Posterity: “…God is ever merciful, He lends and His descendants are blessed” (Psalm 37:25, 26).
The memory of the righteous is a blessing, but the name of the wicked will rot – Proverbs 10:7

6. Eternal Inheritance: “The righteous shall inherit the land and dwell in it forever” (Psalm 37:29) but “the descendants of the wicked shall be cut off” (Psalm 37:28).

7. Flourish: “The righteous flourish like a palm tree, he shall grow like a cedar in Lebanon” (Psalm 92:12). “He who trusts in his riches will fall, but the righteous will flourish like foliage” (Proverbs 11:28).

8.  Continuous Progressing and Shining: Forward ever, backward never. “The path of the just is as the shining light, that shineth more and more unto the perfect day” (Proverbs 4:18). “For a just man may fall seven times, and rise again: but the wicked shall fall by calamity” (Proverbs 24:16).
Whoever trusts in his riches will fall, but the righteous will thrive like a green leaf – Proverbs 11 : 28

9.  Granted Desire: “The desire of the righteous shall be granted” (Proverbs 10:24).
What the wicked dreads will overtake him; what the righteous desire will be granted – Proverbs 10: 24

10.  Boldness: “The wicked flee when no man pursues but the righteous are bold as a lion” (Proverbs 28:1).

11. Answered Prayers: “The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much” (James 5:16).
For the eyes of the Lord are over the righteous, and his ears are open unto their prayers: but the face of the Lord is against them that do evil – 1 Peter 3:12

12.  Exaltation: “Righteousness exalteth a nation: but sin is a reproach to any people” (Proverbs 14:34).

13. Divine provision:  I have been young, and now I am old; Yet I have not seen the righteous forsaken, Or his descendants begging bread – Psalm 37:25
The Lord will not allow the righteous to hunger. Proverbs 10:3

14. Success.   He holds success in store for the upright, he is a shield to those whose walk is blameless – Proverbs 2:7
Better the little that the righteous have than the wealth of many wicked; for the power of the wicked will be broken, but the Lord upholds the righteous. – Psalm 37:16-17

15. Prosperity.  Whoever pursues righteousness and love, finds life, prosperity and honor – Proverbs 21:21
Adversity pursues sinners, But the righteous will be rewarded with prosperity – Proverbs 13:21

16. Divine protection: The name of the Lord is a strong tower: the righteous runneth into it and is safe – Proverbs 18:10

17. They will not lack.   The lions may grow weak and hungry, but those who seek the LORD lack no good thing – Psalm 34 : 10
For the LORD God is a sun and shield; the LORD bestows favor and honor; no good thing does he withhold from those whose walk is blameless – Psalm 84 : 11

18. Unshakeable
Cast your burden upon the Lord, and He will sustain you; He will never allow the righteous to be shaken – Psalm 55:22
Surely the righteous will never be shaken; they will be remembered forever – Psalm 112:6.

VI.  HOW TO HAVE DOMINION THROUGH RIGHTEOUSNESS?
1.  Why must we receive the gift of Righteousness?
We must receive it so that we will reign in life  and have dominion through Christ.
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.

2.  Can a Man be Righteous before God?
Yes a man can be righteous before God.
God told Noah in Genesis 7:1 "Come thou and all thy house into the ark; for thee have I seen righteous before me in this generation." The Bible speaks of Abraham in Genesis 15:6; "And he believed in the LORD; and he counted it to him for righteousness." Abraham and Noah manifested the fruits of righteousness in their generation. Noah found grace in the eyes of the LORD (Genesis 6:8). Abraham interceded for Sodom (Genesis 18:16-end) and defeated kings.

3.   How Can a Man be Righteous before God?
1.  Believe in the LORD Jesus Christ, and you shall be saved, you and your household (Acts 16:31, John 3:17-18).
2.  By being in Christ. Receive the gift of righteousness made available to us in Christ Jesus (Romans 3:21-23), who became for us wisdom from God and righteousness, and sanctification, and redemption (1 Corinthians 1:30, 2 Corinthians 5:21).
3.   Don't let sin reign in your mortal body or members, (i.e your spirit, soul and body) but present your members as instruments of righteousness to God (Romans 6:12-13, 19) because you have been freed from them by Christ Jesus.

CONCLUSION
When you receive the gift of righteousness, you are receiving the very best gift. If you want to receive the gift of righteousness and have not surrendered your life to the LORD Jesus, accept the LORD Jesus into your life because now is the day and time, tomorrow is not promised or guaranteed. Heaven is real, hell is real. You might have taken an altar call before but you are not in right standing with God, rededicate and recommit your life to Jesus. The LORD is calling you today. Christ has paid the price of righteousness so that you can receive the gift of righteousness and the gift is available to you.

In order for man to be pleasing to God he must be righteous for God is righteous (Matthew 5:6, 48; 6:33; Romans 1:17; Psalm 35:24).
To do that which is right (righteousness) one must know what is right. One can know what is right. It is the word of God, the Bible (Psalm 119:123, 142; John 8:32; 17:17). However, it is not enough just to know what is right, one must do that which is right (Matthew 7:21-23; James 2:17-26; Romans 10:10).

The Bible records many examples of righteous people. Abel was called righteous by the Hebrew writer (Hebrews 11:4). Noah, Daniel, and Job were grouped together as those who were righteous (Ezekiel 14:14, 20). The apostle Peter called Noah a preacher of righteousness (2 Peter 2:5). Abraham was called a righteous man by the apostle Paul (Galatians 3:6). Abraham’s nephew, Lot, was also called a righteous man in 2 Peter 2:7-8. The parents of John the Baptizer were also described as righteous before God (Luke 1:5-6). Even Pontius Pilate, who did not believe that Jesus was the Christ, the Son of God, recognized that He led a righteous life (Matthew 27:19, 24). And indeed He was Jesus Christ the righteous (1 John 2:1).

Balaam prayed to die the death of the righteous in Numbers 23:10.
It should be the goal of all to die the death of the righteous but we must remember; to die the death of the righteous one must live the life of the righteous (Psalm 116:15; Proverbs 14:23; Revelation 14:13).

God expects you to be righteous for you to have dominion. Keep flying on the wings of dominion.

PRAYER

Confession: Through Jesus Christ I have been made righteous. In this righteousness I have authority and dominion over every adverse situation I may face in life. And from my position of right standing with God, I live the life of victory that is mine in Christ.

1. Pray that God will give you the grace to live a life that will glorify Him.
2. Ask God to help you lead a righteous life.
3. Pray that your life will produce fruits of righteousness.