* Righteousness essentially means “right relationship with God.”

* Apart from Jesus, we can never be in right relationship with God.

* This verse tells us that we can become “His” righteousness.

* Matthew 6:33 - “But seek first His kingdom and HIS righteousness…”

* It doesn’t say anything about “our” righteousness.

* We can never be in right relationship with God because of sin.

* But if Jesus could give us His righteousness then we could be right relationship with His Father.

* This couldn’t happen unless there was a divine “switch” that could take place, where we take his right relationship and He takes our wrong relationship (sin).

* This is what happened at the Cross!!!!

* We only get His righteousness through the Cross.

* We become righteous with two Crosses:

* 1) Christ’s cross - we accept His death on our behalf for the forgiveness of our sins.

* 2) Our cross - we have to pick up our Cross and remain in a place of death (dying to ourselves).

* Our cross is a sign of His Cross!