THE GATES OF RIGHTEOUSNESS
THE GATES OF RIGHTEOUSNESS
SUNDAY, January 2, 2022
Pastor Carolyn Sissom
Psa. 118:19-21: Open to me the gates of righteousness. I will go through them and I will praise the LORD. This is the gate of the LORD, through which the righteous shall enter…You (Christ) have become my salvation.
“I said to the man who stood at the Gate of the Year, ‘Give me a light that I may tread safely into the unknown.’ And he replied, ‘Go out into the darkness, and put your hand into the hand of God. That shall be to you better than light and safer than a known way.’” (Minnie Louise Haskins, read by King George VI, December 29, 1940, at St. Paul’s cathedral, during the blitz.
This was a very dark day for the future of England. The Blitz was a German bombing campaign against the United Kingdom in 1940-41, during the Second World War. Germany failed to force the surrender of England or to destroy the British war industry. You and I know it was the LORD GOD who moved because of the prayers of God’s people.
Proverbs 29:2: When the righteous are in authority, the people rejoice; but when a wicked man rules, the people groan. 29:16: When the wicked are multiplied, transgression increases; but the righteous will see their fall.
As we seek the LORD for the year 2022, let us know that He has a path of destiny for each one of us and a path of destiny for our nation. Let us walk and live within the gates of righteousness. Yes, I believe the LORD has set at each Gate of the Year angels for the earth, His Kingdom on earth and in Heaven, and in each of our lives personally. The LORD will release his destiny angels for 2022 that he may do his work, his strange work, and bring to pass his act, his strange act (Isa. 28:21). Seek Jesus Christ. Receive him as Lord and Savior. This is the only way of joy, peace and happiness regardless of His judgments in the world system.
Isa. 3:10: Say to the righteous that it shall be well with thee, for they shall eat the fruit of their doings. This is the blessing of the righteous for 2022.
The LORD has set before us a path and His gate of righteousness. You will show me the path of life; in your presence is fullness of joy; at your right hand there are pleasures forevermore (Psa. 16:11.)
As we continue on, the entrance to God’s presence, purpose, well-being and provision is through the gates of righteousness. To enter this gate, our sins must be blotted out so that we are righteous. Otherwise, that gate will be shut and entrance is impossible. Christ is that gate because He, through His cross, makes us righteous.
Many of the prophets are prophesying another difficult year. Surely, we know there will be another political and media battle between the Democrats and Republicans as 2022 will be an election year. There will be more mandates to provoke fear on the people and cripple their power to determine the course of our nation. As we suspect, these plagues are man-made and engineered to create fear and chaos in nations that tyranny and lawlessness will rule under the spirit of antichrist.
But you and I are not under the government of the world system. We serve another government, another King, another Kingdom that is not of this world, the Kingdom of God. It is Christ’s rule that determines the course of our life and not the wicked rulers, powers and principalities. For a Christian, each year which is set before us is a bright new beginning; just as each morning of every day is a bright new beginning. In the light and guidance of the LORD, all the mistakes and mis-steps of our past are forgotten. Under His BLOOD of no remembrance, let us forget our sins and the sins of others.
Psalm 118 speaks of distress of nations compassing around David like bees and with fire and thorns. But David cried to the Lord and asked him to open to him the Gates of Righteousness. Here David is prophetically seeing the gates of New Jerusalem. It is through Christ and Christ alone that all believing children of God enter into the Kingdom of Heaven. We enter in this life by the Spirit and will do so with our bodies when Christ returns or we go to Heaven.
In Faith, there is no Fear of the future of the world system which leaves God out of its reckoning.
Proverbs 11:10: When it goes well with the righteous, the city rejoices, and when the wicked perish, there is jubilation.
“In the sixteenth century, St. John of the Cross said, ‘the more people’s miseries increase, the more God multiplies (His) mercies.’ Today’s hardships have increased to the point that many are living in despair. To counteract this, God is allowing people who are not even religious to see angels! Many ordinary people quickly come to believe in God after these majestic angels appear to them!” In Muslim nations, we hear of salvations because angels have appeared to people in deep trouble.
I learned in my journey of the path of life that we cannot “fix” or “glue together” what is broken in life. The wickedness must be rooted out; not covered over to protect our pride; or even to protect those we love. We cannot rescue our loved ones from the demons of their own folly. We must allow each generation to resist and overcome their own demons; just as we must overcome our demons. Each of us must become strong enough to resist Satan and he will flee from us. We will not be ministers of God, if we allow our feelings for people to rule over what is right. The people will perish because we did not minister to them the truth of their sin. We will be held accountable.
Psa. 139:3: LORD you encompass my path and my lying down and you are acquainted with all my ways.
Those of us who are pressing into the LORD, are expecting the Harvest. As these people come into Christ and receive Him as Savior, there must be a brokenness that will bring them to a genuine repentance. If there is genuine repentance, there must be recognition of sin, and a fear of God. Yes, we are under New Testament Grace, but that is not a license to continue to sin. The LORD gives us “more grace” to overcome temptations whether from within or without. Grace does not give us permission to be disobedient to God’s laws, defiant and insubordinate. As preachers, we must preach the Gospel message that all repentance must be done one-on-one with Jesus Christ. Going to church won’t save us. Hopefully if we are sitting under the preaching of the pure gospel, we will continue on and not drift or backslide. Yes, we are to confess our sins to one another, and pray for one another, but it is Jesus who saves and heals.
Mark 16:15-20: Jesus said to them, go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature. He, who believes and is baptized will be saved; but he who does not believe will be condemned. These signs will follow those who believe: In my name, they will cast out demons. They will Speak with new tongues. They will take up serpents; and if they drink anything deadly, it will by no means hurt them. They will lay hands on the sick, and they will recover.
It is obvious “we the church” are not walking in this power which Jesus intended for His Church to walk in.
Preachers who have sucked money from their congregation are con-artists and the seed they have sown into the people is greed which made the people become beggars, moochers and con-artists. Prov. 11:28: He who trusts in his riches will fall, but the righteous will flourish like foliage. Christians are not victims. We are over-comers. Christians do not seek pity. We decree the triumph of Jesus Christ over all trouble.
Prov. 37:25: The righteous will not be forsaken, nor their children beg for bread.
Proverbs 11:21: Though hand join in hand, the wicked shall not be unpunished, but the seed of the righteous shall be delivered.
Ro. 5:18: Through one man’s offense judgment came to all men, resulting in condemnation, even so through one Man’s righteous act, the free gift came to all men, resulting in justification of life. By one man’s disobedience many were made sinners, so, also by one Man’s obedience many will be made righteous.
Proverbs 15:29: The LORD is far from the wicked, but He hears the prayer of the righteous. We are righteous through the Blood of Jesus Christ. All that concerns us concerns Him. On our path of destiny in Christ, there will be enemies, false accusations, trials, tribulation, life, and death. As we continue following wholly after the LORD, we will become stronger in faith, courage, righteousness, and love. At no place on the journey is there an exit sign. There is no defeat in Jesus. There is no giving up on the LORD’S Kingdom purposes. The Lord will always make His own promise true – Then shall we know if we follow on to know the LORD; His going forth is prepared as the morning… (Hos. 6:3).
The gates of righteousness are our lives that have become a praise to God. The LORD will speak marvelous things about you because he loves the gates of Zion. Zion is where the LORD dwells. We are the Temple and we are the City. When we enter the gates of righteousness, we are allowing the LORD to take residence in our heart. Our life becomes a praise and glory to God.
118: 19-24 – TPT: Swing wide, you gates of righteousness, and let me pass through. I will enter into your presence to worship only you! I have found the gateway to God, the pathway to his presence for all his lovers. I will offer all my loving praise to you. I thank you so much for answering my prayer and bringing me salvation! The very stone the masons rejected as flawed has turned out to be the most important capstone of the arch holding up the very house of God. The LORD Himself is the One who has done this; and it is so amazing, so marvelous to see! This is the very day of the LORD that brings gladness and joy, filling our hearts with glee! O’ God, come and save us again, bring us your breakthrough victory! Blessed is the One who comes to us, the Sent-One of the LORD. From within the temple, we cry, “we bless you.”
Swing wide, O’ gate of 2022, we are looking forward to the ride. So glad to be alive! So glad to be preaching, praising and loving our LORD JESUS CHRIST and one another.
Carolyn Sissom, Pastor
Eastgate Ministries Church
Scripture from NKJV and TPT; poem by Minnie Louise Haskins (1875-1957) and quote by St. John of the Cross (1542-1591).