Gregory Dickow - Knowing Your Rights
Now, most of us are not like David, most of us having failed to that level, but even if you have God still turn David's life around, even if you have blown it beyond compare, God can still pick up the pieces and you can't unscramble the eggs. But God can you can't unscramble your eggs. But God can. That's how good God is. That's how good God is. No matter how far you fall and you have the right to get back up, you have the right to get back up no matter how far, no matter how many times you fall in, you know, Proverbs 24, 16 says a righteous man falls seven times, but he gets back up. A righteous man may fall seven times. Seven is the number of perfection. That means you might have perfectly fallen. You might have fallen completely. It's the number of completion. You might have fallen to the point where you have completely fallen in every way.
And the Bible says a righteous man gets back up. You have the right to get back up. And we need to know our rights, because if you don't know your rights when you fall, if you don't know your rights, when you fall, you will stay condemned. If you don't know your rights, when you sin, if you don't know your rights, when you're a mess, if you don't know your rights, when you mess up, then you will probably make things worse. That's why we have to know our rights. You know, as an American citizen, if you are an American citizen here, you have certain rights as an American citizen. Now, you may not be exercising those rights. For example, you have the right to vote. You might not you might not have voted, but you had the right to vote. So you can never say, well, I don't. I just I just can't stand what's going on in America today. But you didn't use your right.
See, you can't say I just can't stand being sick all the time. Well, you don't have to be a victim of sickness once you know that you have the right to healing. You see, when you know you're right, you're no longer a victim. When you know your rights, you no longer complainer. When you know your rights are no longer a whiner. When you know your rights, you're no longer you no longer settle for a mediocre life. When you know your rights, you don't stay down when you fallen down and. You might have gone down, but you get you get to get up, you have one of your rights is the right to get up. Well, I'm a little ahead of myself, but that's good because I'm going to catch up to myself in just a second here. Just hang in there now. Go over to with me to John, chapter one, verse 12. No, you're right. Everybody say no, you're right.
See, there are certain rights that you have as an American. There are certain rights you have if you're a Brit, if you're British, there are certain rights you have in your country where you're from. And there are certain rights that we have as sons and daughters of God. So he says, but as many as received him. To them, he gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe in his name. Now, who are these rights for those who want? To as many as received him, he gave them the right to become children of God, to those who believe in his name, what's his name? Anybody believe in that name? Anybody believe Jesus died for your sins and rose from the dead? Then you have been given the right to become a child of God. And another translation of this verse says to as many as received him to them. He gave them the rights of the children of God. He gave them the rights of the children of God.
So children have the rights that their parents give them. So in my in my family, my children have certain rights that my neighbor's kids don't have from me. And the neighbor's kids have certain rights from their parents that that my kids don't have my kids have rights based on their father and their mother, their parents. And so we have rights as children of God. And and once you realize what God is like, once you realize that he gives us rights as children of God, then you begin to not only expect those things, but you begin to to to you begin to realize or experience those things. And to many Christians are living below their privileges. They're living below their rights. You have certain rights and you should learn to exercise those rights and expect those rights and live like those are your rights, because that's what they are. But it's our ignorance in knowing our rights and our inability to learn how to exercise those rights that are keeping us from experiencing all that our Heavenly Father intended for us.
So now where did we get these rights? He said to as many as received him to them. He gave the rights to become children of God. And if you go over to Second Corinthians five twenty one, we see how we obtain these rights in second Corinthians five. Twenty one. Look at what he says. It says, for he who knew no sin, he who knew no sin was made to be sin for us. Who is that? Who is he talking about there? Jesus knew no, Jesus never sinned. So the father made Jesus something. He made him to be sin for us so that we would be made something. He was made something so that we would be made something. This is called an exchange. This is called an exchange. There is an exchange that takes place. It's not mixed. It is a complete exchange.
If you got a certain gift at Christmas that you didn't like, somebody gave you something and it didn't fit or it wasn't your style. You take it back to the store. And what what do you get to do? You get to exchange it. You don't keep both. You don't cut both in half and take half one and half of the other. You exchange it completely. You have one or the other. And when it comes to what the scripture is talking about, you're either one or the other. You're either a sinner or you are the righteousness of God. And we're all born as sinners. And that's why Jesus became sin for us so that we could become something brand new. And what is he say? We become we become the the righteousness of God. What does that mean? It means two things. Quite simply, the righteousness of God means we have the right we are in right. Standing with God. We're right with God. And number two, it means we have the rights of God.
We have certain rights that he gives us God given rights. And we are in right standing with God. We are right with God. So when a preacher says, you better stop smoking and you better stop cussing and you better stop drinking if you want to be right with God, that sounds right. But it's not right because stopping those things or quitting those things are definitely healthier for you. But those things do not make you right with God. Only one thing makes you right with God. Jesus became sin so that you could become the righteousness of God. That's it. Nothing less and nothing more makes you righteous. Now, religion has told us, well, this if you do this better, that makes you more righteous. No, you cannot be more righteous than you are today. You cannot be more of a sinner when you're born and then than what you are.
We're all sinners. We've all sin and falling short of the glory of God. We're all born into this world as sinners. And that's why we need to be born again. And when you're born again, you are made something new. And what is that? You become the what righteousness of God. You become the what I want every. I need to say this on the screen, it's an open book test, you when when you when you get born again, Jesus takes your sin, he becomes sin for us on the cross. And you become what? The righteousness of God in him. What do you become? You become you come what the righteousness of God in him. Which if we really got a hold of this and if we just us knew our rights as children of God, we would change this world. Because every time you prayed, you'd know it was going to happen. Every time you gave you know, a harvest is coming. Every time you forgave somebody, you'd know that you'll there's nothing holding you back from all the freedom that God gave you and paid for you to have. Every time that we ever gathered together, we would expect miracles.
We wouldn't be like we wouldn't be begging and pleading and making deals with God. He's chosen gladly to give you the kingdom. There is no deal you have to make with God. We do not have to make promises to God to get God to keep his promises to us. God keeps his promises to us because he swore in his own blood to keep his promise to you. You're the righteousness of God, that means you have rights. Well, what rights do you have? Let's go through a few of them. I know we went through some of these last time, but we need to hear this over and over again because you've got to expect these things to happen in your life. You've got to believe for these things and expect these things in your life and know that these are your rights.
Because, look, are aren't you ready to give up your life of struggle? Aren't you ready to give up a life of fretting about the future and worrying about what's going to happen and and living in the highs and lows and never feeling like you're pleasing to the Lord and never feeling like you're a prude and never feeling like you've done enough and always feeling like there's something missing. Aren't you aren't you ready to give up that kind of life and start living a life where you're having the joy and the time of your life? And when you pray, man, miracles happen. And when you speak to mountains, they move. And when you lay hands on the sick, they recover. And when you command the devil to go, he leaves. He goes running.
Aren't you ready to give up? Aren't you ready to give up that religious life where you got to make deals and make arrangements with God and God? I'll treat this person right. If you do this for me, God doesn't want you to treat somebody right so that God will do something for you, because then you're treating a person as the object of your selfishness, like I'll treat this person right. Lord, if you do this for me, God doesn't want you to treat people right to get him to do something for you. We should treat people right because we value them, because we value ourselves and therefore we value them. You know, why would anybody hurt somebody else? Well, it's really simple, they don't value that other person's life. And why don't they value that other person's life? Because they really don't value their own? Because if you really value your life, if you really believe in your worth, then you'll believe in other people's worth and then their life will not become minimized.
And something that is easy to dismiss. And you won't be so easily dismissive of yourself, oh, I don't deserve this, and yeah, you're right, we don't deserve anything. That's why God gives us rights. God gives you right. You have certain rights because you you know what, I have certain rights in this country because I was born here, I have certain rights in this country because I'm a citizen. And that's just an example, and that's not perfect in any country, right? There's many flaws to that. But in the Kingdom of God, once you're born again, you have rights in this kingdom and it's up to you to know those rights. And to. Access those rights. OK, so we know what they song five, first 12. Look at what it says for you, oh, lord, will bless the who, the righteous, who's the righteous, why are we the righteous?
So you have to you have to have this understanding in your mind so that you can fight the condemnation when you blow it. Oh, I don't have a right. I'm not righteous anymore. Yes, you are. Your God made you that you don't become righteous because you do everything right. You don't lose your righteousness because you do anything wrong. You've been made this and no one can take it from you, so what who will God bless the righteous and what will you bless them with favor will surround them like a shield, favor, favor that. What is favor. That's free gifts, favors, free doors opening that no man can close favor. Is God opening the door that no man could close favors you get in the job. You didn't deserve favors. You get the advancement, you get in the promotion. You say, well, I didn't really deserve that. Exactly. That's why it's favor.
When you say, well, when you say to somebody, will you do me a favor? It's really not usually a favor. You say, will you do me a favor? Because if you do this for me, I'll do this for you. That's not a favor. That's a trade. And you can trade anything you want with people, but you can't trade with God. You can only trade one thing. My sin for his righteousness. And now you're now you're now you're cooking. OK, now you're cooking, now you have rights. What do you have the right to favor? You'll say, Lord, if I do this and if I do this and if I do this, can I get your favor? No, you can't get God's favor by doing anything. You get God's favor by being righteous. And you can't use that word in any other way than what it means, it means to be made right with God and to have the rights that your God given rights favors a God given right healing is a God given right.
Look at Malachi 4:2. But for you to who fear my name. The son of righteousness. The son of what righteousness shall rise with what? Healing in his wings. So righteousness has healing with it. So you say, Oh man, I really blew it. I don't deserve to be healed. I'm sick. It's that season. It's that time of the year. I always get the flu. I always get this. My back always hurts. You know, my parents had heart disease. I'm going to get it. I've had my parents had diabetes. I'm going to get it. My parents had dementia. I'm going to get my grandparents. Hey, wait a minute. Stop it and stop claiming your human rights as sons and daughters of your parents and start claiming your divine rights as sons and daughters of God. Healing is a right, it's your right, it's a gift from God, but it's also your right to receive that gift. What if I blow it? What if I make a mistake?
We all make mistakes and we all blow it. That doesn't make us less righteous. God made us righteous. He would have to make us unrighteous. And he's not doing that because he already made the exchange. Whoo! Somebody's got to say, man, here today, listen, you have the right to being fearless, you have the right to live a fearless life. Look at Proverbs 28, verse one, the wicked flee when no one pursues them but the righteous, the who, the righteous are what bold as a lion. You're bold. You have the right to be bold. You have the right to be fearless. You have the right to to to make the devil flee the Bible, to submit to God, resist the devil and he will flee. You have this right for the wicked, the enemy, the devil to flee from you without you having to chase them. Just be righteous. You are righteous in Christ, just know that you're the righteousness of God in Christ. We need to wake up every day expecting victory.
Yeah, but I don't deserve it. Exactly. You don't deserve it, but Jesus deserves it. And he made an exchange with you and said, every right I have, I give to you. And every wrong you have, I pay for it by becoming sin. Jesus said that Jesus did that. Well, see, I have the right say I have the right to victory. You have the right to peace. Isaiah, 30 to verse 17, look at what it says, Isaiah thirty two, verse 17. You have the right to peace. The work of righteousness will be peace. And the effect of righteousness, quietness and assurance. Look at this in the amplified Bible, I think is pretty powerful in any version, but look at the amplified Bible, he says, and the effect of righteousness will be peace. Internal and external, and the result of righteousness will be quietness and confident trust forever.
Now, look, this is your right. Matt. How do we access our rights? I could go on and on. There's so many more of our rights you can look at any time you find the word righteous in the Bible. That's your right in Christ. But how do we access it? Well, simply we receive it. Right, we receive it through the abundance of grace Romans five 17, through the abundance of grace and the gift of righteousness, we reign in life. So we we receive it. Those who receive those who receive the abundance of grace and the gift of righteousness, those who receive it.
So number one, we simply receive it. How do you receive anything from God by faith? Yes, I receive it by faith. I just accept it because God said it. Number two, we believe, we believe look at what it says in Romans ten, verse nine, if you confess with your mouth, Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you'll be saved. Verse 10. Look at this. He says four with the heart man believed until righteousness and with the mouth confession made under salvation. So, how do we access this righteousness, believe, believe and realize this is what spiritual warfare is? It's to get you to stop believing this. It's to get you to stop believing this, and the third thing we do.
Number one, we receive it. Number two, we believe it and don't let any don't let any devil talk you out of it. No one receive it, no to believe it. And number three, speak it. Look at what he says in Romans ten, verse six, go back a few verses. Romans, chapter ten, verse six, he said, and this righteousness of faith speaks. The righteousness of faith speaks. It speaks. So we need to say it. We need to declare I am the righteousness of God. Therefore, I exercise my right to healing. I exercise my right to blessing. I exercise my right to the favor of God. I wake up expecting it. Therefore I say it. I decree a thing. And it is so.