The Righteousness of the Fathers
ROMANS 5:17-19
17 For if by one man's offence death reigned by one (that was Adam); much more they which receive abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness shall reign in life by one, Jesus Christ.) (notice that righteousness is a gift of God to you, it is not what you’ve done but what he has already done for you, you just receive it by believing that it is for you, which it is)
18 Therefore as by the offence of one judgment came upon all men to condemnation; even so by the righteousness of one the free gift came upon all men unto justification of life.
19 For as by one man's disobedience many were made sinners, so by the obedience of one shall many be made righteous.
We see a principle here of one man righteousness or unrighteousness affecting so many others.
LAMENTATIONS 5:7
7 Our fathers have sinned, and are not; and we have borne their iniquities.
MATTHEW 10:41
41 He that receiveth a prophet in the name of a prophet shall receive a prophet's reward; and he that receiveth a righteous man in the name of a righteous man shall receive a righteous man's reward.
The Righteousness of the Fathers – Bible Study
EXODUS 3:6a
6 Moreover he said, I am the God of thy father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.
Notice how that God is acknowledging the fathers that kept his word, and that is what caused the blessings to come down upon their children.
THE.FAITH.OF.ABRAHAM_ LA.CA WEDNESDAY_ 59-0415E
E-57 …How ought you people to live. If your sins are visited to the children, what about your blessings?
Last week we took the subject out of the bible “The Sins on the Parents are visited on the children” and we saw how that all through the bible this principle showed itself out in the lives of the children of the fathers, but then we also saw how God honoured and blessed the children of those fathers who kept his word for their time.
NUMBERS 14:18 - New International Version
The LORD is slow to anger, abounding in love and forgiving sin and rebellion. Yet he does not leave the guilty unpunished; he punishes the children for the sin of the parents to the third and fourth generation.'
If a man sows sin in his life, more often than not that sin will come out somewhere and bring a curse on his children and their children, that is a principle of God and a fact of life, because whatsoever a man sows that shall he reap.
We saw that Gehazi’s sin brought the sickness of leprosy upon himself and upon his offspring through his seed.
We also saw how that when Ahab sinned that God spared him at that time because he humbled himself – but then evil would eventually come upon his children house.
I KINGS 21:29
29 Seest thou how Ahab humbleth himself before me? because he humbleth himself before me, I will not bring the evil in his days: but in his son's days will I bring the evil upon his house.
We saw last week how that Hezekiah’s sin brought terrible suffering to his children and his children’s children – and the strange thing was that he seemed quite happy about it because the punishment of his sin wasn’t going affect him while he was alive.
II KINGS 20:16-19
16 And Isaiah said unto Hezekiah, Hear the word of the LORD.
17 Behold, the days come, that all that is in thine house, and that which thy fathers have laid up in store unto this day, shall be carried into Babylon: nothing shall be left, saith the LORD.
18 And of thy sons that shall issue from thee, which thou shalt beget, shall they take away; and they shall be eunuchs in the palace of the king of Babylon.
19 Then said Hezekiah unto Isaiah, Good is the word of the LORD which thou hast spoken. And he said, Is it not good, if peace and truth be in my days?
Achan sinned by taking a golden wedge and a Babylonish garment when the commandment of the Lord was against it.
JOSHUA 7:20-25
20 And Achan answered Joshua, and said, Indeed I have sinned against the LORD God of Israel, and thus and thus have I done:
21 When I saw among the spoils a goodly Babylonish garment, and two hundred shekels of silver, and a wedge of gold of fifty shekels weight, then I coveted them, and took them; and, behold, they are hid in the earth in the midst of my tent, and the silver under it.
22 So Joshua sent messengers, and they ran unto the tent; and, behold, it was hid in his tent, and the silver under it.
23 And they took them out of the midst of the tent, and brought them unto Joshua, and unto all the children of Israel, and laid them out before the LORD.
24 And Joshua, and all Israel with him, took Achan the son of Zerah, and the silver, and the garment, and the wedge of gold, and his sons, and his daughters, and his oxen, and his asses, and his sheep, and his tent, and all that he had: and they brought them unto the valley of Achor.
25 And Joshua said, Why hast thou troubled us? the LORD shall trouble thee this day. And all Israel stoned him with stones, and burned them with fire, after they had stoned them with stones.
Notice - Judgement was brought upon his entire house because of his sin (one Father’s sin brought judgement and death upon his entire family) – Achan’s entire “kingdom” was destroyed because he sinned against the Lord by not keeping the word for that season, and because of his unrighteousness, his entire kingdom and offspring was destroyed.
If sin can bring about such a cursing to an entire family because of one man’s unrighteous, what about the blessings that that God will send down to a righteous father’s children because he is a believer of the word for the age.
I SAMUEL 13:11-13
11 And Samuel said, What hast thou done? And Saul said, Because I saw that the people were scattered from me, and that thou camest not within the days appointed, and that the Philistines gathered themselves together at Michmash;
12 Therefore said I, The Philistines will come down now upon me to Gilgal, and I have not made supplication unto the LORD: I forced myself therefore, and offered a burnt offering.
13 And Samuel said to Saul, Thou hast done foolishly: thou hast not kept the commandment of the LORD thy God, which he commanded thee: for now would the LORD have established thy kingdom upon Israel for ever.
God is showing how a man’s kingdom is established - It is by keeping the word of the Lord, that is what establishes a man’s household or kingdom, but what brings destruction on a man’s kingdom is when he fails to keep the word.
I CHRONICLES 10:13-14
13 So Saul died for his transgression which he committed against the LORD, even against the word of the LORD, which he kept not, and also for asking counsel of one that had a familiar spirit, to enquire of it;
14 And enquired not of the LORD: therefore he slew him, and turned the kingdom unto David the son of Jesse.
When Nebuchadnezzar failed to heed the warning that God sent to him in a dream, and he failed to obey the advice of Daniel the prophet and humble himself, he lost his kingdom for a season.
And so God doesn’t change the way he deals with man, if he acted a certain way in dealing with man in a certain situation, then he will always act that same way because he doesn’t change his mind about his word.
WHY.ARE.WE.NOT.A.DENOMINATION_ JEFF.IN V-11 N-7 SATURDAY_ 58-0927
78 … Did you know your grandmammy was a--a flapper, and your mammy a chorus girl, and that's the reason you're a striptease today? It's certainly. What will your children be? Yes, sir. God said He'd visit the iniquity of the parents upon the children and their children, to three and four generations.
79 And did you realize, my brother, every time you do that which is right, that'll be visited on your children?
TESTIMONY_ CHICAGO.IL WEDNESDAY_ 53-0902 - from last week
…And I said, "Let me have your hand just a minute. I want to hold your hand while I pray for you." I said, "You bow your head now." And she did. And I prayed something like this.
E-44 I said, "O dear God some nineteen hundred years ago an old rugged cross come dragging down through Jerusalem, dragging out the bloody footprints of the Bearer. On the road up to Calvary, the weight was so heavy, the big old cross on His little weak shoulders, it rubbed it till He fell under the load. Then along come Simon, the Cyrene, colored man and picked it up and helped Him bear the cross." I said, "Lord Jesus here's one of his children tonight, staggering here in total blackness and darkness. She can't see her hand before her. Lord, You know what it meant for that man to take that load off of Your shoulder that day and to help You to bear that cross." I said, "God, You bore her sickness at the same time You was bearing that cross up yonder." I said, "I ask Thee now..." And just about that time something come over me; I knowed it had happened. I knowed it was gone.
II TIMOTHY 1:2-5
2 To Timothy, my dearly beloved son: Grace, mercy, and peace, from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Lord.
3 I thank God, whom I serve from my forefathers with pure conscience, that without ceasing I have remembrance of thee in my prayers night and day;
4 Greatly desiring to see thee, being mindful of thy tears, that I may be filled with joy;
5 When I call to remembrance the unfeigned faith that is in thee, which dwelt first in thy grandmother Lois, and thy mother Eunice; and I am persuaded that in thee also.
Notice again – what was deposited in Timothy, Paul traced it back as coming from his grandmother, then to his mother, and then into him.
There was a faith in Timothy’s grandmother that pleased God and it came out into her third generation to Timothy – and then that brought a great blessing to many others.
THINGS.THAT.ARE.TO.BE_ RIALTO.CA V-4 N-6 SUNDAY_ 65-1205
31 You were all pre-planned by God. Nothing happens by chance, with God. He knows all about it. It's all pre-planned, planned for many generations back, so that you could be here tonight. Did you know that?
We saw this last week – that by the grace of God, the reason that we believe the things that we believe is because of the righteousness of someone else that has gone on before us somewhere back in out lineage. The righteousness of the fathers is visited on the children.
ACTS 11:7-15
7 And I heard a voice saying unto me, Arise, Peter; slay and eat.
8 But I said, Not so, Lord: for nothing common or unclean hath at any time entered into my mouth.
9 But the voice answered me again from heaven, What God hath cleansed, that call not thou common.
10 And this was done three times: and all were drawn up again into heaven.
11 And, behold, immediately there were three men already come unto the house where I was, sent from Caesarea unto me.
12 And the Spirit bade me go with them, nothing doubting. Moreover these six brethren accompanied me, and we entered into the man's house:
13 And he shewed us how he had seen an angel in his house, which stood and said unto him, Send men to Joppa, and call for Simon, whose surname is Peter;
14 Who shall tell thee words, whereby thou and all thy house shall be saved.
15 And as I began to speak, the Holy Ghost fell on them, as on us at the beginning.
ACTS 16:26-21
26 And suddenly there was a great earthquake, so that the foundations of the prison were shaken: and immediately all the doors were opened, and every one's bands were loosed.
27 And the keeper of the prison awaking out of his sleep, and seeing the prison doors open, he drew out his sword, and would have killed himself, supposing that the prisoners had been fled.
28 But Paul cried with a loud voice, saying, Do thyself no harm: for we are all here.
29 Then he called for a light, and sprang in, and came trembling, and fell down before Paul and Silas,
30 And brought them out, and said, Sirs, what must I do to be saved?
31 And they said, Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved, and thy house. (House = race, descendants of one) The righteousness of the fathers is visited on the children.
Opening scripture
ROMANS 5:17
17 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.
**One man’s conduct affecting the blessing or cursing of many to come.
***This principle applies also to a prophet’s people that he gives birth to by the word for the age.
THE.REJECTED.KING_ JEFF.IN V-2 N-23 SUNDAY_ 60-0515M
21-4 …And here come women and men from both sides just in the bloom of youth, screaming. And one woman was standing there, and she screamed, "Oh, my precious brother. Oh, we are so happy to see you here."
I said, "I don't understand this."
And then that voice that was speaking from above me, said, "You know it is written in the Bible that the prophets were gathered with their people."
And I said, "Yes, I remember that in the Scriptures."
Said, "Why, this is when you will gather with your people."
I said, "Then they'll be real, and I can feel them."
"Oh, yes."
I said, "But I... There's millions. There's not that many Branhams."
And that voice said, "They're not Branhams; them's your converts. That's the ones that you've led to the Lord."
***Look at the blessing that Noah brought upon his children because of his obedience to the word for his day – he took them all with him into the new earth just as our prophet will do with all the ones who stand with him with the message of this hour.
But in contrast, look at the judgement and cursing of those who were under the false prophet of Revelation 16 and where they end up.
Opening scripture
MATTHEW 10:41
41 He that receiveth a prophet in the name of a prophet shall receive a prophet's reward; and he that receiveth a righteous man in the name of a righteous man shall receive a righteous man's reward.
Obedience to a prophet’s message brings you into the blessing and reward of that prophet.
A righteous man also has a reward.
- At the time of judgement in Noah’s day, righteous Noah applied the Token by obedience to the revealed word for his day, and his reward and blessing was the salvation of his household.
- In the time of the judgement at the first Exodus, it was the father who applied the blood over his house for the protection of his household, and his reward was the saving of his firstborn whom would carried the blessing on to his offspring.
- In the time of the judgement of Jericho, Rahab (a type of the bride of this hour) applied the token to her house, and her reward was the salvation of her household
We are also living right now in a time of judgement – and so by our obedience to the prophet and the message that God has sent to us in this hour, not only will we save ourselves, but we will also bring great blessing upon to our children, because God cannot act any different with us to how he has always acted in the bible.
This knowledge is what gives us confidence and peace in this hour.
The Righteousness of the Fathers