Series: Psalms Series
Title: Judge the People, Judge Me
Text: Psalm 7: 8
Date: October 27, 2011
Place: SGBC, New Jersey
Psalm 7: 8: The LORD shall judge the people: judge me, O LORD, according to my righteousness, and according to mine integrity that is in me.
I. THE LORD SHALL JUDGE THE PEOPLE
A. All shall stand before the LORD in the day of judgment—the LORD shall judge the people
1. According to our righteousness—fulfillment of the law of God
2. According to our integrity that is in us—God looketh on the inward man, the heart.
Illustration: The judge to the jury—“you are the judge of the facts, I am the judge of the law.”
3. The LORD before we all must stand is the Judge of the facts and the judge of the law—God looks on the heart.
Titus 3: 5: Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost;
4. The righteousness of the believer is not by our works of righteousness
Romans 5: 19: For as by one man’s disobedience many were made sinners, so by the obedience of one shall many be made righteous.
5. The believer’s wholeness—the integrity of the heart—integer—wholeness as opposed to a fraction—is not of our flesh—but by the washing of regeneration and renewing of the Holy Ghost. In the new heart, created in righteousness and true holiness, created in Christ Jesus, Christ in you the hope of glory, Christ is made unto us Righteousness and Sanctification.
Notice the righteousness and integrity is PERSONAL—MY AND MINE. The righteousness of the believer born of the Spirit of Christ is the LORD my Righteousness. The integrity-the wholeness of the new man in the believer—is Christ in you the hope of glory—Christ my Sanctification.
II. CHRISTS PLACE IN BEHALF OF HIS PEOPLE: “Judge the people, judge Me, O LORD,” Christ said, “Judge me according to my righteousness and according to mine integrity that is in me.”
A. Righteousness and Integrity
1. The law of God was broken by a man so justice had to be satisfied by a man. And it was by the Man, Christ Jesus. God sent forth his Son, Christ Jesus to bear the sin of his people to satisfy his justice.
Romans 3: 26: To declare, I say, at this time his righteousness: that he might be just, and the justifier of him which believeth in Jesus.
Isaiah 53: 5: But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with is stripes we are healed. 6: All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and the LORD hath laid on him the iniquity of us all. 7: He was oppressed, and he was afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth: he is brought as a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before her shearers is dumb, so he openeth not his mouth. 8 He was taken from prison and from judgment: and who shall declare his generation? for he was cut off out of the land of the living: for the transgression of my people was he stricken. 9: And he made his grave with the wicked, and with the rich in his death; because he had done no violence, neither was any deceit in his mouth. 10: Yet it pleased the LORD to bruise him; he hath put him to grief: when thou shalt make his soul an offering for sin, he shall see his seed, he shall prolong his days, and the pleasure of the LORD shall prosper in his hand. 11: He shall see of the travail of his soul, and shall be satisfied: by his knowledge shall my righteous servant justify many; for he shall bear their iniquities.
2. When HE MADE HIM SIN FOR US, WHO KNEW NO SIN…the LORD was just in bruising Christ in place of his people. Christ justified his people, by bearing their iniquities in his own body on the tree. That is an amazing mystery! BUT THE LORD’S PEOPLE NOT ONLY HAD TO BE JUSTIFIED FROM THE LAW—WE HAVE TO HAVE PERFECTLY HAVE OBEYED THE LAW OF GOD.
3. What is the fulfillment of the whole law of God?
Luke 10: 25: And, behold, a certain lawyer stood up, and tempted him, saying, Master, what shall I do to inherit eternal life? 26 He said unto him, What is written in the law? how readest thou? 27: And he answering said, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy strength, and with all thy mind; and thy neighbour as thyself. 28: And he said unto him, Thou hast answered right: this do, and thou shalt live.
B. INTEGRITY OF CHRIST’S HEART
1. What is required to fulfill the whole law of God? One must love God and his neighbor to the point of being made sin and dying under divine justice to declare God just and to justify his brethren so that they are freed from the curse of the law and can go free. There is but one who did that—Christ Jesus the Son of God. Christ loved God and his brethren—in the integrity of his heart—to the point that Christ Jesus was made sin—to declare God just and the Justifier—to fulfill the righteousness of the law on our behalf.
Illustration: Christ said, “Take me and let these go free.”
2. Thou all the fury of hell was unleashed on Christ all at once--Christ Jesus held fast his integrity—
Isaiah 53: 7: He was oppressed, and he was afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth: he is brought as a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before her shearers is dumb, so he openeth not his mouth.
3. And doing so Christ not only satisfied the justice of the law, but he fulfilled the spirit of the law of God. The LORD being satisfied with the righteousness of his dear Son, with the integrity of his heart, raised him from the dead—
2 Corinthians 5: 21: For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.
4. This is the righteousness and true holiness of that new man, born of the Spirit of God—Christ is made unto us Righteousness and Sanctification.
5. Christ ever lives to make intercession—
· Every time Satan and his merry band of pranksters tries to point the finger at one of Christ’s own—Christ says of his child: “Judge the people, O LORD, judge ME according to MY RIGHTEOUSNESS and according to MINE INTEGRITY that is in me.”
Illustration: The lawyer and the Samaritan—Do this, show mercy!
Application: The natural man will bite and devour. (Gal 4-6) He will point and accuse. He will use everything the believer holds dear to do so. That is what natural men did to our Lord and his disciples and that is what natural men do today
How every believer abhors that self-righteous old man within us!
Illustration: It is extremely difficult to point the finger and have our hands full.
But by his grace, what does the believer do who is kept by the Spirit of God, as we endeavor to walk in the Spirit—we believe on Christ and when one of our brethren is overtaken in such a fault—we bear the burden of our brethren.
Galatians 6: 1: Brethren, if a man be overtaken in a fault, ye which are spiritual, restore such an one in the spirit of meekness; considering thyself, lest thou also be tempted. 2: Bear ye one another’s burdens, and so fulfil the law of Christ. 3: For if a man think himself to be something, when he is nothing, he deceiveth himself.
In the last day, when King Jesus brings all his elect to congregate before his throne of judgment—do you want to stand in some works of righteousness you have done or in the righteousness of Christ.
Isaiah 54: 17: No weapon that is formed against thee shall prosper; and every tongue that shall rise against thee in judgment thou shalt condemn. This is the heritage of the servants of the LORD, and their righteousness is of me, saith the LORD.
Christ will say of his own: “Their Righteousness is of me”
Romans 8: 33: Who shall lay any thing to the charge of God’s elect? It is God that justifieth. 34: Who is he that condemneth? It is Christ that died, yea rather, that is risen again, who is even at the right hand of God, who also maketh intercession for us.
Amen!