Zadok Discipleship Course

Zadok Discipleship Course - Armed for War

44

The Breastplate of Righteousness - Pt. 2

Righteousness, Filling, and the City

Matthew 5:6 • Matthew 6:33 • Proverbs 11:10-11 • 2 Chronicles 7:14

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"Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be filled." Matthew 5:6

The filling of the Holy Spirit is connected to hunger and thirst for righteousness - not hunger for blessings, power, or recognition. This explains why so many who have attended so many meetings remain so empty: they are hungry for the benefits but not for the character. People pursuing the gifts of God rather than the God of the gifts will not be filled.

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"Seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you." Matthew 6:33

Jesus is saying: do not make provision your pursuit. Your Father knows you need it. Pursue righteousness. Seek holiness first. And everything else follows. Obedience is better than sacrifice. God wants the obedience; the sacrifice alone does not impress Him.

Righteousness and the City

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"By the blessing of the influence of the upright and God's favor [because of them] the city is exalted, but it is overthrown by the mouth of the wicked." Proverbs 11:10-11 (AMPC)

The righteousness of God's people affects the city around them. This is 2 Chronicles 7:14 in practice: "If My people who are called by My name will humble themselves, and pray and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven … and heal their land." Whose wicked ways? God's people's wicked ways.

★ Sodom and Gomorrah - The Power of Ten Righteous

Cities believed to contain over two hundred thousand people. God was willing to spare all of them for the sake of just ten righteous. Ten people genuinely pursuing righteousness could have turned a city of two hundred thousand away from judgment. But He could not find even ten.

That is the power of righteousness. That is why the devil fights it so relentlessly - because it has power to transform everything around it.

Fill in the Blanks

The filling of the Holy Spirit is connected to hunger and thirst for , not hunger for blessings or power.
Matthew 6:33: Seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be to you.
2 Chronicles 7:14: God will heal the land if His people turn from their ways.
God was willing to spare Sodom and Gomorrah (200,000 people) for just righteous people.
✎ Reflection

The Seed Inside You

1 John 3:9 • 1 Peter 1:23 • The Oak Tree Illustration

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"Whoever has been born of God does not sin, for His seed remains in him; and he cannot sin, because he has been born of God." 1 John 3:9

This verse is not saying a born-again believer never struggles. It is saying that when you are born again, God places His seed inside your spirit - the seed of His Son. Just as a biological seed carries all the genetic information needed to reproduce an exact duplicate of the original, the seed God places in you carries all the spiritual DNA, all the information, everything needed to reproduce the nature and image of Christ inside of you.

★ The Oak Tree and the Acorn

In the backyard: beautiful southern red oak trees. They produce acorns. Inside that small, seemingly unremarkable acorn is all the genetic code necessary to produce an exact duplicate of the original. Nothing is missing from the acorn. The information is complete. The capacity is full. The only question is whether the conditions are right for it to grow.

"God is saying: I have put inside of you the seed of My Son. In that seed is all the spiritual genetic code necessary to reproduce inside of you an exact duplicate of the original."

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"Having been born again, not of corruptible seed but incorruptible, through the word of God which lives and abides forever." 1 Peter 1:23

The seed is incorruptible. It cannot decay. It cannot be defiled. It carries the fullness of what is needed. The image of God, the seed of holiness, the seed of righteousness, is already inside the spirit of every born-again believer right now. It is already in there. The only question is whether you are giving it conditions to grow.

Fill in the Blanks

When born again, God places His inside your spirit - the seed of His Son.
Just as an acorn contains all the genetic code for a full oak tree, the seed God places in you is - nothing is missing.
1 Peter 1:23: born again of seed, not corruptible seed - through the living Word of God.
The seed of holiness is already inside the spirit of every believer - the question is whether you are giving it room to grow.
✎ Reflection

The Seed Must Die to Grow

John 12:24 • Luke 9:23 • Galatians 2:20 • Ephesians 4:22-24

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"Unless a grain of wheat falls into the ground and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it produces much grain." John 12:24

The seed of Christ that is inside you will not break forth automatically. The self must die. John the Baptist: "I must decrease so that He can increase" (John 3:30). When you die to self, you give the seed room to grow. You give the image of Christ room to come out and take over.

The Cross Command

"If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow Me." (Luke 9:23) - Self-denial is not a one-time event but a daily posture.

The Galatians Declaration

"I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me." (Gal. 2:20) - Death to self creates room; Christ then takes over and lives through you.

Not me performing righteousness out of willpower. But dying to self so that the seed of Christ already inside me has room to grow, mature, and produce the fruit of His nature.

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"Put off … the old man which grows corrupt … and be renewed in the spirit of your mind, and … put on the new man which was created according to God, in true righteousness and holiness." Ephesians 4:22-24

Stop telling yourself you cannot live holy. Stop telling yourself you cannot live righteous. Jesus, who knew no sin, was made to be sin so that we might become - not just positionally, not just in some mystical status, but literally - the righteousness of God in Christ Jesus.

Fill in the Blanks

John 12:24: unless a grain of wheat falls into the ground and , it remains alone; but if it dies, it produces much grain.
John 3:30: "I must so that He can increase."
Luke 9:23: deny yourself and take up your cross - self-denial is a daily posture.
Galatians 2:20: I have been with Christ - when I die, Christ has room to live through me.
✎ Reflection

The Metamorphosis

Romans 12:1-2 • 2 Corinthians 3:18 • 2 Corinthians 5:17

The Word "Transformed"

Romans 12:2 uses the Greek word metamorpho - where we get "metamorphosis." Not an improvement. Not an upgrade. A total transformation from one form of being to another entirely.

★ The Caterpillar and the Butterfly

A butterfly is not a skinny caterpillar that grew wings. Everything that the caterpillar was ceases to exist as it was. The heart ceases. The brain ceases. The circulatory system, the organs, every cell - all broken down and dismantled.

Then the genetic code that was inside the caterpillar all along takes over. A whole new creation comes forth - a new heart, new brain, new circulatory system. New wings for flight. A new way of feeding. A new freedom and a completely different purpose and destiny. Not a patched-up version of the old. Something entirely new, formed according to what was always encoded inside.

"If anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new." (2 Cor. 5:17)

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"But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as by the Spirit of the Lord." 2 Corinthians 3:18

As we pursue holiness, God opens our eyes to see Jesus. As we see Jesus, we are transformed more into His image. We take on more of His nature, more of His holiness. As we walk in that greater dimension, He opens our eyes more. We see more of Him. We take on more of His nature. Glory to glory to glory. Progressive transformation. Increasing likeness. A metamorphosis that never ends until we stand before Him complete.

Fill in the Blanks

Romans 12:2 uses the Greek word - the same word from which we get "metamorphosis."
A butterfly is not an upgrade of a caterpillar - it is a total according to the genetic code that was always inside.
2 Corinthians 3:18: beholding the glory of the Lord, we are being transformed from to glory by the Spirit of the Lord.
2 Corinthians 5:17: if anyone is in Christ, he is a creation - old things have passed away.
✎ Reflection

Grace Reigns Through Righteousness - The Benefits

Romans 5:21 • Matthew 7:22-23 • Isaiah 54 • Psalm Survey

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"So that as sin reigned in death, even so grace might reign through righteousness to eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord." Romans 5:21

Grace does not reign in opposition to righteousness - grace reigns through righteousness. The idea that "because we are under grace, holiness doesn't matter" is dismantled here. Grace empowers righteousness. Righteousness is the channel through which grace grows.

⚠ Matthew 7:22-23 - The Sobering Warning

"Many will say to Me in that day, 'Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in Your name, and done many wonders in Your name?' And then I will declare to them, 'I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!'" Do not judge by the works performed. God looks at the heart. The gifts can flow, the ministry can appear impressive, and God can still say: "I never knew you." He is looking for alignment with His character.

The Benefits of Walking in Righteousness

Isa. 54:14,17
No weapon formed against you shall prosper. Oppression far from you. Terror shall not come near you. Heritage of the servants of the Lord.
Ps. 5:8
Righteousness makes your path straight. Walking in it means never being out of His will.
Ps. 17:15
You will see His face in righteousness and be satisfied when you awake in His likeness.
Ps. 23:3
He restores your soul and leads you in paths of righteousness for His name's sake.
Ps. 85:13
Righteousness goes before Him and makes His footsteps your pathway - He orders your steps.
Ps. 89:16
In His righteousness you are exalted - rejoicing all day long in His name.
Prov. 12:28
In the way of righteousness is life, and in its pathway there is no death.
Isa. 42:6
The Lord holds your hand in righteousness. Nothing and no one can take you from His hand.
Mal. 4:2
The Sun of Righteousness arises with healing in His wings - healing of all the enemy has broken, stolen, or destroyed.

Fill in the Blanks

Romans 5:21: grace reigns through - not in opposition to it.
Matthew 7:22-23: those who performed miracles in His name but practiced will hear: "I never knew you."
Psalm 85:13: righteousness goes before Him and makes His our pathway.
Malachi 4:2: the Sun of shall arise with healing in His wings.
The breastplate of righteousness is put on not by declaring it, but by it.
✎ Reflection

Lesson 44 Practice Test

The Breastplate of Righteousness - Pt. 2
Complete all sections. Parts A-D are auto-graded (21 points total). Part E is personal application and ungraded. Click "Submit & Grade My Test" when finished.
Part A - Multiple Choice (2 pts each • 10 pts total)
1. According to the lesson, why do many people who attend many meetings remain empty?
2. What does the seed illustration (1 John 3:9) teach about the born-again believer?
3. What does the metamorphosis illustration teach about spiritual transformation?
4. What does the lesson teach about the relationship between grace and righteousness (Romans 5:21)?
5. What is the significance of Matthew 7:22-23 in the context of this lesson?
Part B - True / False (1 pt each • 6 pts total)
1. God was willing to spare Sodom and Gomorrah (200,000+ people) from judgment for the sake of just ten righteous people.
2. The lesson says the seed God places in the believer at new birth is corruptible and must be protected from spiritual decay.
3. According to the lesson, the seed of Christ grows when the believer dies to self and gives it room.
4. The lesson teaches that a butterfly is simply an improved or upgraded version of a caterpillar.
5. Proverbs 12:28 says: "In the way of righteousness is life, and in its pathway there is no death."
6. 2 Corinthians 3:18 says we are being transformed from glory to glory as we behold the glory of the Lord with unveiled face.
Part C - Fill in the Blank (1 pt each • 5 pts total)
1. Matthew 5:6: "Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be ."
2. 1 Peter 1:23: born again "not of corruptible seed but , through the word of God."
3. John 12:24: unless a grain of wheat falls into the ground and , it remains alone.
4. Galatians 2:20: "I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but lives in me."
5. Romans 5:21: grace reigns righteousness to eternal life through Jesus Christ.
Part D - Short Answer (1 pt each • 3 pts total)
1. What does the seed illustration (1 John 3:9 / acorn) teach about what God has already placed inside every born-again believer? What is the one condition the lesson says determines whether the seed grows?
2. Explain the metamorphosis illustration. Why is a butterfly a better image of Christian transformation than simply an "improved caterpillar"?
3. The lesson says God was willing to spare 200,000 people for ten righteous. What does this reveal about the power of righteousness and why the devil fights it so relentlessly?
★ Part E - Personal Application (Ungraded)
1. The seed of Christ is already inside you. The information is complete. The only question is the conditions. What specific condition are you creating or allowing that is stunting the growth of the seed? And what is one deliberate step you will take this week to give it more room?
2. The metamorphosis requires dying - not improving. Identify one specific area where you have been trying to improve the caterpillar (manage, discipline, or improve the old nature) rather than letting the new creation emerge through death to self. What would dying to self look like in that area?
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Part A - Multiple Choice (10 pts)-
Part B - True / False (6 pts)-
Part C - Fill in the Blank (5 pts)-
Part D - Short Answer (3 pts)-

"Die to self. Give the seed room to grow. Walk in righteousness. Take your place in the army of God marching under one banner: Holy unto the Lord."

- Dr. Steve Foss • Lesson 44 • Zadok Discipleship Course
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