Dear Church,
 
It is vital for us to understand the ultimate origin of righteousness and the ultimate origin of sin in our life. The origin of righteousness is Jesus – not us, and the origin of sin is our own heart. We can be easily deceived and very impressed by our own self-generated righteousness that originates in our own evil heart. The writer of Hebrews talks about this.
 
Hebrews 5:11-13

¹¹ We have much to say about this, but it is hard to make it clear to you because you no longer try to understand. ¹² In fact, though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you the elementary truths of God’s word all over again. You need milk, not solid food! ¹³ Anyone who lives on milk, being still an infant, is not acquainted with the teaching about righteousness.
 
The Hebrew believers were unskilled or not acquainted with the doctrine of righteousness. They had no problem distinguishing between good and evil, but they were not able to discern between what is intrinsically good, with its origin in God, and the evil in the “good” with its origin in self or flesh. In other words, nothing I do as Pastor Mathews will make me spiritual nor make my activity as a Pastor righteous if it is outside an attitude of total dependence upon Christ. Now, if it is outside my dependence on Christ, in my very act of pastoring I am committing sin.  As far as I am concerned, only what Christ is and what Christ does through me is righteousness. Why? Because Christ is our righteousness. Thus, it becomes important for all of us to have an unrelenting attitude of dependence on Jesus.  That it is only in this attitude we can experience the fullness of Christ in our lives.  It is only in this attitude that Christ will conquer darkness through Immanuel church. 
 
Happy 4^th of July tomorrow!
 
Be Encouraged,
Mathews