Chuck Smith emphasizes the prophetic message of Jeremiah 23:5, highlighting the failure of Judah's kings to lead righteously, which has resulted in national disaster. He points to the hope of a coming righteous king, Jehovah Tsidkenu, who will embody true righteousness and restore the nation. Smith explains that righteousness is not easily attained and contrasts the challenges of being right with the ease of being wrong, ultimately affirming that Jesus is our righteousness through faith. The sermon underscores the importance of recognizing God's eternal nature and the need for righteous leadership in society.

"JEHOVAH TSlDKENU" Intro: Jeremiah has been speaking out against the Kings of Judah. Their failure to shepherd the people has led to national disaster. The failure of the nation is traced back to the failure of its leaders. I. A BRIGHT DAY IS COMING. A. Each prophet seemed to look across this period of darkness to the new day. 1. That is why the Bible is a book of hope. a. The hope of a better tomorrow. b. The hope of a better life. c. The hope of the kingdom age. B. A king shall come. 1. A righteous branch from David. a. The present kings were descendants of David - Unrighteous and corrupt. 2. A monarchy is the most efficient form of government. a. A democracy the most inefficient. b. The only problem with a monarchy is the monarch. 1. Very few men can reign with the people's needs their primary concern. 2. Most bask in the luxury of the position and use it for self-interest. 3. Greed is the primary destroyer of any form of government. II. HIS NAME SHALL BE CALLED "JEHOVAH TSIDKENU" OR "THE LORD OUR RIGHTEOUSNESS" A. This is a prophesy of the second coming of Jesus Christ. 1. His name shall be called Jehovah-Tsidkenu. 2. The name Jesus is the Greek form of Joshua - which is a contraction of Jehovah shua. 3. "Jehovah" or "Yahweh" is the name of the eternal, personal God revealed in the O.T. a. When God spoke to Moses from the burning bush. b. "The self-existent One" - "the becoming One" - "I AM". c. God becomes to you what you need. B. Righteousness is the act of being or doing right. 1. From our innate concepts - right is good, wrong is bad. a. It is more desirable to be right, so we seek to be right. 2. We discover being right isn't easy. a. Many times it's easier being wrong than right. 1. The truth is not always easy to tell. b. Sometimes we don't try to be right. c. Sometimes even when we try we are wrong. 3. I have difficulty living with myself when I am wrong - I feel guilty, miserable. a. I fall in love with my psychologist because he showed me what I did was right under the circumstances or he gives me pills that make me not care. 4. The latest endeavor of man is to remove all rules or criteria of wrong or right. No absolutes - it's all relative - it depends entirely on the situation. a. In this state, life has no content - we have no purpose or value. b. Man's mind is thus conditioned to submit to a dictator - the antichrist. C. Righteousness can be affected by works or faith. 1. If by works - then Jesus is the standard. 2. If by faith - then Jesus is our righteousness. a. I am now in Christ.