Behold the days come, saith the Lord that I will raise unto David a righteous Branch, and a king shall reign and prosper, and shall execute judgment and justice in the earth. In his days Judah shall be saved, and Israel shall dwell in safety .... and this his Name where by he shall be called. THE LORD OUR RIGHTEOUSNESS.
Jeremiah 23:5f ... **Psalm 138:2 Thou hast magnified thy Name and thy word above all things
So what is the significance of the Name whereby He shall be called? Why is it important?
The Name of God is our Salvation ... For He shall be called the Lord our Righteousness
They that trust in chariots and horses go down; they that trust in the name of God will stand upright ... Ps 20:8
Acts 4:12 “Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved.” ... We are saved by the Name, the Lord our Righteousness
The Name of God is our Justification
I Cor 6:11 you are washed, sanctified, justified in the Name of Christ ... says St. Paul that is, we are washed, sanctified, justified in the Name, the Lord our Righteousness
The Name of God is our Forgiveness
I John 2:12 I write unto you, little children, because your sins are forgiven you for his name's sake. We are forgiven for His Name’s sake Who is the Lord our Righteousness
The Meaning of God’s Name The Lord Our Righteousness and The calling Him by it
1. God wants us to know the Lord by this Name ... the Lord our Righteousness
His Name is our invocation -- The action of invoking something or someone for assistance or as an authority; to entreat for assistance or great need. …. To invoke His Name is to invoke His righteousness
His Name is that in which we assemble as the Church … St Matthew 18:20 where two or more are gathered together in my Name I am there
2. He is Immanuel - with us (immanu) God (El) .... El is the name for power ... God comes to us, dwells with us in power … "with us God" is "with us God's righteousness"
If He were only among us with the power to execute justice we should be of all people most forlorn. For justice is a professed enemy to all our sins; justice does not give any quarter according to the law. God’s justice is against us … we daily confess that we have sinned against God in thought, word, and deed … We do not presume to come to this the altar of Jesus' Body and Blood trusting in our own righteousness ...
But God has not come among us with power alone ... He comes among us in the power of THE LORD OUR RIGHTEOUSNESS
3. God is with us as our righteousness says Jeremiah.
righteousness satisfies God’s justice, a righteousness discovered in the Name, the Lord OUR righteousness
Righteousness is the branch, Jeremiah says ... and salvation and peace are the fruits growing from it.
peace is the very work of righteousness … pax vobiscum, the Lord be with you … the Lord our righteousness be with you
How astonishing, how marvelous is it that In Holy Communion we duly receive the holy mysteries, the most precious Body and Blood of our Savior Jesus Christ ... assuring us of God's favor and goodness towards us, and that we are very members incorporate in the mystical body of God's Son ... God's favor and goodness come to us, make us partakers of God's righteousness because we partake of the Lord our Righteousness.
II COR 5:21 .... FOR OUR SAKE, HE MADE HIM TO BE SIN WHO KNEW NO SIN, SO THAT IN HIM WE MIGHT BECOME THE RIGHTEOUSNESS OF GOD
JSH+