THE SUN OF RIGHTEOUSNESS (Part 1-3)

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Eric Aboadwe
December 20, 2017 ·

THE SUN OF RIGHTEOUSNESS (Part 1)

Our Scripture reading for the Day which the LORD has made is taken from Malachi:

“But to you who fear My NAME the SUN of RIGHTEOUSNESS shall arise with HEALING in His wings; And you shall go out and grow FAT like stall-fed calves. You shall TRAMPLE the wicked, for they shall be ashes under the soles of your feet on the day that I do this,” says the LORD of hosts” (Malachi 4:2-3).

It is a well-known fact according to the Scientists and for that matter astronomers, that the MOON does not produce or make its own LIGHT, but it reflects LIGHT from the SUN. And God actually allowed them to enter into SPACE in order to witness His CREATIVE POWER and the WONDERS of the things which He has positioned in outer SPACE. But it is however unfortunate that most of them are atheists who do not believe in God, and neither do they submit themselves to His SAVATION plan. Therefore they die and perish in the end.

In Genesis, God tells us about the purpose of the SUN and the MOON. Therefore it is written, “Then God made two GREAT lights: the GREATER light to rule the day, and the LESSER light to rule the night. He made the stars also. God set them in the firmament of the heavens to give light on the earth” (Genesis 1:16-17).

When it says here that God made the “LESSER light” to rule the night, we must know that it is referring to the MOON. This “LESSER light” does not produce its own light, but as I said earlier, it reflects light from the SUN which is an established fact according to God’s own plan. It means that without the SUN, the MOON can never radiate light by itself.

Therefore when God says in Malachi that “But to you who fear My NAME the SUN of RIGHTEOUSNESS shall arise with HEALING in His wings,” He wants us to know that every passage of the Bible from Genesis to Revelation speaks about our SALVATION from SIN. Therefore as human, we must know that by nature we are like the MOON which cannot produce “LIGHT” on its own. This is because we were born “DARKNESS” from our mother’s womb, and we commit SINS which are acts of “DARKNESSS.”

As a result of this, we couldn’t produce any “RIGHEOUSNESS” by ourselves, but only “filthy garments” (Isaiah 54:6). However, in the midst of all these, God raised for us His “SUN of RIGHTEOUSNESS” which is JESUS CHRIST to give us His “LIGHT” so that we will reflect His own “LIGHT” of “RIGHTEOUSNESS.”

Therefore just as the SUN transmit it’s rays of LIGHT to the MOON so that it can reflect LIGHT from the SUN, our Lord JESUS also transmitted His “LIGHT of life” to us when He was baptized by John the Baptist in the Jordan River to “fulfill all RIGHTEOUSNESS” (Matthew 3:15). He then died on the Cross to shed His blood, and He resurrected on the third day to complete His transmission of “LIGHT” to the sons of men who live in “DARKNESS.” This is the LIGHT of SALVATION.

That’s why Isaiah says, “...By the way of the sea, beyond the Jordan, In Galilee of the Gentiles, the people who walked in DARKNESS have seen a GREAT LIGHT; Those who dwell in the land of the shadow of death upon them a LIFHT has shinned” (Isaiah 9:1-2). This “GREAT LIGHT” refers to our Lord JESUS who came by the water and blood to give “LIGHT” to the world.

And because our Saviour JESUS is the One who transmitted His rays of “SUN of RIGHEOUSNESS” to those of us who were living in the “DARKNESS” of this world, He said, “I am the LIGHT of the world. He who follows Me shall not walk in DARKNESS, but have the LIGHT of life” (John 8:12). JESUS said this after He transmitted “LIGHT” to the woman who was caught in the very act of adultery (DARKNESS of SIN) as recorded in John 8:3-4.

We have all committed acts of “DARKNESS” as a result of our inability to obey the Law of Moses. Therefore we emitted “DARKNESS” such as evil thoughts, adultery, fornication, murder, thefts, covetousness, wickedness, deceit, lewdness, an evil eye, blasphemy, pride and foolishness which comes from our HEART (Mark 7:21-23).

But the “SUN of RIGHTEOUSNESS” came to our rescue by being baptized by John the Baptist to carry all these SINS upon His shoulders, taking them to the Cross to be crucified, dying for us, and resurrecting from the dead in order to transmit His rays of “RIGHTEOUSNESS” to those of us who could not produce any act of RIGHTEOUSNESS on our own.

God has raised for us “The SUN of RIGHTEOUSNESS,” and those who believe in Him are no more in “DARKNESS,” but rather, they have become “Sons of LIGHT,” who are “not for the NIGHT nor of DARKNESS” (1 Thessalonians 5:5).

Our study continues...................

JESUS is LORD.



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Eric Aboadwe
December 21, 2017 ·

THE SUN OF RIGHTEOUSNESS (Part 2)

We will take our reading once again from Malachi to continue our studies. It says:

“But to you who fear My NAME the SUN of RIGHTEOUSNESS shall arise with HEALING in His wings; And you shall go out and grow FAT like stall-fed calves. You shall TRAMPLE the wicked, for they shall be ashes under the soles of your feet on the day that I do this,” says the LORD of hosts” (Malachi 4:2-3).

In our previous study, we understood from the biblical text that just as the MOON cannot produce LIGHT by itself, but depends on the SUN, we cannot also produce any RIGHTEOUSNESS by ourselves and therefore we depend on CHRIST who is “The SUN of RIGHTEOUSNESS” to reflect His RIGHTEOUSNESS which He fulfilled for us.

As we all know, both the SUN and the MOON have a purpose of illuminating the World from DARKNESS by giving LIGHT to the world. In the same way, when the “The SUN of RIGHTEOUSNESS” also gives us His LIGHT, we must also “SHINE” to give LIGHT to the world.

This is the reason why our LORD told us that, “You are the LIGHT of the world. A city that is set on the hill cannot be hidden. Nor do they light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a Lampstand, and it gives LIGHT to all who are in the house. Let your LIGHT so SHINE before men, that they may see your GOOD WORKS and glorify your Father in Heaven” (Matthew 5:14-16).

When JESUS says we must “SHINE” before men so that they may see our “GOOD WORKS” and glorify our Father in Heaven, He is not talking about showing off our own self-righteousness or GOOD DEEDS of the Law before men. Let us not forget the Words of JESUS when He said that, “No one is GOOD but One, that is, God” (Luke 18:19). He also told us that, “Woe to you, when all men speak WELL of you, for so did their father’s to the false prophets” (Luke 6:26).

In other words, the LORD is telling us not to live our lives to PLEASE men. That’s why the Apostle Paul declared, “For do I now persuade men, or God? For if I still PLEASE men, I would not be a bondservant of CHRIST” (Galatians 1:10). Therefore if our LORD says we must let our LIGHT “SHINE” before men, He is telling us to “SHINE” His RIGHTEOUSNESS fulfilled by His water, blood and the Spirit to the people of the world who live in the DARKNESS of SIN.

As people of the MOON who reflect LIGHT from “The SUN of RIGHTEOUSNESS,” we are supposed to “SHINE” His love of righteousness and His GOOD DEEDS of salvation to the world and not our own good deeds. Even though the Bible tells us that, “Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us DO GOOD to all, especially to those who are of the household of FAITH” (Galatians 6:10), that is not the main purpose of our existence in this world, and that is not what JESUS was saying in Matthew 5:16.

When we have the “opportunity” we “DO GOOD” to our fellow Brethren whenever they need our assistance in anything whether it is financial or any material thing. Not only that, but we also “DO GOOD” to those who are not even born again. This comes in different forms. For example, some of us have met several people from all walks of life from the young to the old who make a request like, “Please I am hungry, I need something to buy food but I don’t have it.” Others also say, “Please I am travelling to this place and that place, but I am locked. Can you please assist me with something for my transport to the city?”

Though we sometimes help our Brethren and people in need, that is not what JESUS was telling us in our reading from Matthew. Let us remember that even if we do GOOD DEEDS by the moral conduct or code of the LAW, the Bible clearly tell us that, “For there is not a JUST man on earth who does GOOD and does not SIN” (Ecclesiastes 7:20). The Bible also tells us clearly that even if we do GOOD DEEDS and we commit SIN by breaking any of the LAW, our SIN cancels our GOOD DEEDS so that we come to square one. This is clearly explained in James 2:10.

Therefore when JESUS says that, “Let your LIGHT so SHINE before men, that they may see your GOOD WORKS and glorify your Father in Heaven,” it means we must spread His “RIGHTEOUSNESS” to the world which He fulfilled by His water and blood. When we do this and the people of the world receives the REMISSION of their SINS, they will “glorify” our “Father in Heaven” for the SALVATION which came by His water and the Spirit.

JESUS who is “The SUN of RIGHTEOUSNESS” gave us His RIGHTEOUSNESS so that we can “SHINE” it to the world. Therefore the people of the “city that is set on the hill cannot be hidden” because we can “SHINE” His RIGHTEOUSNESS through various means such as gospel book distribution, posting and forwarding gospel messages through the various
social media platforms, and preaching it by word of mouth.

Our study continues.......................

JESUS is LORD!




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Eric Aboadwe
December 23, 2017 ·

THE SUN OF RIGHTEOUSNESS (Part 3)

We are still taking our reading from Malachi where it says:

“But to you who fear My NAME the SUN of RIGHTEOUSNESS shall arise with HEALING in His wings; And you shall go out and grow FAT like stall-fed calves. You shall TRAMPLE the wicked, for they shall be ashes under the soles of your feet on the day that I do this,” says the LORD of hosts” (Malachi 4:2-3).

We give THANKS to the Lord of Host for speaking these words to strengthen us with might through His Spirit in the inner-man, so that CHRIST may dwell in our hearts through faith in order to be rooted and grounded in His LOVE which surpasses knowledge; that we may be filled with all the fullness of God (Ephesians 3:16-19).

Brethren, there are still “mysteries” hidden in our Scripture reading above, and the Spirit of the LORD who is our Teacher (John 14:26), will unveil and uncover to us all the “mysteries” therein. But my beloved Brothers and Sisters, we have to live with THANKFUL hearts to the Lord God Almighty for teaching us these things. The LORD has been so GOOD to us.

We must THANK Him the more even if there were to be no more teachings. This is because what He has given us is enough, and we ought to read it over and over again because His “Word” is always alive, fresh, and shaper than any two edged sword (Hebrews 4:12). However the LORD will continue to feed us until He takes us home to rest.

On Day one of our study under this topic, we understood from the Scriptures reference in Genesis 1:16-17 concerning God’s purpose of creating the “SUN” and the “MOON” which is to give “LIGHT” to the people of the world. Today I want us to focus on the “rise” and “setting down” of the “SUN” and the “MOON” and how God used them to teaches us about our SALVATION and how He Himself has become our “ everlasting LIGHT.”

Regarding the “rise” of the “SUN,” we all know that it is not in our own power to make the “SUN” rise in order to bring “LIGHT” from above to ourselves. If God tells us in our Scripture reading that He will let “The SUN of RIGHTEOUSNESS arise,” then we must understand that it is God who made this “SUN” to “arise” on us. I have never seen anybody praying that God should let the “SUN” arise. In fact the Moring rise of the SUN rays which illuminates or brightens the entire world does not occur through prayers, but it does so based on the decree of the Almighty God.

Therefore because we are NOT the ones who make “The SUN of RIGHTEOUSNESS” to “rise” on us, the Holy Scripture says in Romans 10:6 that, “But the RIGHTEOUSNESS of faith speaks in this way, “Do not say in your heart, “Who will ASCEND to Heaven?’” (that is, to bring CHRIST down from above) or, “‘Who will DESCEND into the abyss?’” (that is, to bring CHRIST up from the dead).

We must understand from the above Scripture verse which is telling us about the “mystery” of CHRIST, that just as the “SUN” rises and sets down for a purpose, it is the same for CHRIST. When our LORD was born by the virgin Mary and He received BAPTISM from John the Baptist in order to take all our SINS upon Himself so that “all RIGHTEOUSNESS” will be fulfilled for us (Matthew 3:15), it was the “risen” of the rays of the “RIGHTEOUSNESS” of JESUS on us.

And when He carried the SINS to the Cross and He was crucified to death, it was the “setting down” of the “SUN of RIHTEOUSNESS.” That’s why after the crucifixion of JESUS, the Scriptures says that, “Now from the sixth hour until the ninth hour here was DARKNESS over all the land” (Matthew 27:45). Just sit down and contemplate on the reason WHY there was “DARKNESS” all over the land? WHY was this so? This is because “The SUN of RIGHTEOUSNESS” who is “the LIGHT of the world” (John 8:12) was crucified to die.

Brothers and Sisters and my beloved ones out there who are reading (The True Living Bread & Water), God is using the “risen” and “setting down” of the “SUN” to teach us “mysteries” about the SALVATION of JESUS CHRIST. So let us understand the fact that when Jesus was “setting down” for the entire land to be plunged into “DARKNESS,” it was for a purpose.

He did this so that He will become our “everlasting LIGHT” through His onetime RESURRECTION power. That’s why the Apostle Paul was saying that, nobody should say in his heart “Who will descend into the abyss?’” That is, to bring CHRIST (the SUN of RIGHTEOUSNESS) “up from the dead.” He was LORD even in the grave.

Therefore when JESUS CHRIST our Lord RESURRECTED from the dead, He became our “everlasting LIGHT.” That’s why God tells us in Isaiah, “Your SUN shall no longer GO DOWN, nor shall your MOON withdraw itself; For the LORD will be your everlasting LIGHT, and the days of your mourning shall be ENDED. Also your people shall ALL be RIGHTEOUS; They shall inherit the Land forever, the branch of My planting, the work of My Hands, that I may be glorified” (Isaiah 60:20-21).

WHY did God says that, “Also your people shall ALL be RIGHTEOUS?” This is because when “The SUN of RIGHTEOUSNESS” was baptized, He took away all our lifelong SINS, and He fulfilled “ALL RIGHTEOUSNES.” Our Lord JESUS has therefore become our “everlasting LIGHT” of RIGHTEOUSNESS, and the days of our “mourning” regarding the SINS that we commit in this world has also “ENDED” according to the Word of Prophecy in Isaiah. This is because JESUS has fulfilled all things.

And because we have become RIGHTEOUS by believing in “The SUN of RIGHTEOUSNESS,” God tells us clearly without any doubt or question that we “shall inherit the Land forever.” This “Land” refers to Kingdom of God the CHRIST. God also tells us in Isaiah the reason why we are filled with the “fruit of RIGHTEOUSNESS which is by JESUS CHRIST” (Philippians 1:11). He said it is because we are, “the branch of My planting, the work of My Hands, that I may be glorified.”

Our study continues..........................

JESUS “the SUN of RIGHTEOUSNESS” is LORD!