When I started my doctoral program at The Master's Seminary, there was a ritual. It was all hush-hush.

They walked the first years into a dark room with red lights.

And our professor stood up and handed us a red tie as a gift and said, "Up until now, you were just boys. But now, with this red tie, you are men — to preach expository sermons."

All in fun, of course.

But what I remember most is what we were wearing before that night.

Every man wore his own tie.

And friend, every one of us walks into God's presence wearing one too.

Ask most people what makes a person righteous, and you will get some version of the same answer:

Doing the right thing.

Be honest. Work hard. Treat people well. Go to church.

But here is the problem. The Pharisees did the right thing all day long. And Jesus said it was not enough.

So what is righteousness, really? And where would a person ever get it?

Today we go to a chapter where God looks over His people for the answer and cannot find one single man who has it.

If you were planning to bring a man down, how would you begin?

Most of us will begin with a frontal attack. A sudden blow.

But the most dangerous attack in human history did not begin with a sword.

It began with a question.

And that same question is still being whispered in our kitchens, bedrooms, workplaces, and in the quiet places of your own mind. If you learn to recognize it, you will understand why God hands His soldiers a belt of truth before He hands them anything else.