I'm gonna ask you to take your
Bibles and turn with me to the book of Proverbs. Proverbs chapter
29. Proverbs 29. I'd like to look at one verse
of scripture, verse seven. Proverbs 29, seven, the righteous
considereth the cause of the poor, but the wicked regardeth
not to know it." Now, according to our passage
today, the righteous is none other than the righteous judge
himself, the Lord Jesus Christ. This passage You'll see, because
of the wording, it's actually a courtroom scene. I've entitled
this, A Righteous Judge in a Fair Trial. And the righteous here, the scripture
says, the righteous considereth the cause, that is, the plea. It's a plea, that's what that
word means, the cause. It's like an umpire that makes
a call on a play. He calls it the way he sees it,
the way it is. He's the umpire. And the righteous
considereth the cause, the scripture of the poor. He considers their plea. He considers all the evidence.
that's brought before him. These poor, those that are weak,
thin, needy, those, actually one of the definitions of that
word poor is like those dangling like a door hanging off of its
hinge. They're just hanging on. And he's the judge that the poor
need. that know something about their
spiritual state, the state of poverty. They know something
about their inability to pay the liability that they've incurred. They only have one hope. They
need mercy. And the righteous, the righteous,
the righteous considereth of the cause, considereth, he knows,
he beholds, he considers, he knows. Now to find a judge like
that in this world, it's not rare, really, it's not rare to
find a righteous judge, it's impossible, not even possible
to find a righteous judge. Scripture says, Romans 3, 10
to 12, there's none righteous. No, not one. There's none that
understandeth. This judge knows. He's the righteous
judge. He knows. There's none righteous. No, not one. There's none that
understandeth. There's none that seeketh after God. This judge
does. He's righteous. He's righteous. They're all gone
out of the way, they're all together become unprofitable, there's
none that doeth good, no not one. But forgetting all the earthly
days in court, all the crimes or charges that might be levied
against us, I want to talk about that day in which reckoning is
coming and all the cases of all the men and women that have ever
lived on this earth, all of them, everybody. Everybody is gonna
be at court that day. Everybody's gonna be in court.
You may never have been in court in this world. Some of you, if
you're not tied in personally, you know your family is, and
they have court dates, and they have court. And maybe you've
never been in a courtroom. See all the evidence brought
in, But in this day, everybody's gonna be there. And everybody's
gonna be considered. Everybody's gonna be considered.
The righteous, the righteous judge is going to consider the
cause, the plea of all men. Now our passage today, it starts
off, and actually there's two groups here. The righteous, considereth
the cause of the poor, but the wicked regardeth not to know
it. So I know there's two groups
here. There's the poor and the wicked. There's two groups, poor
and the wicked. And here we are, they're going
to stand before the judge. Let me hold your place there,
you've read this, but Matthew 25, verse 31 to 33 gives us how this courtroom's gonna be
laid out. Here's the day of court. Here's the day of reckoning.
Matthew 25, 31, 33, when the Son of Man shall come in his
glory and all the holy angels with him, then he shall sit upon
the throne of his glory, and before him shall be gathered
all nations, and he shall separate them one from another as a shepherd
divides his sheep from the goats, and he shall set the sheep on
his right hand, but the goats on the left. So there's gonna
be a separation of these two groups. It's gonna be the poor
and the wicked, the sheep and the goats. God's elect and reprobate. There's only two groups in this
world. Everybody's one or the other.
So here's the separation. Now listen, all the evidence
is gonna be brought in. In that day, the righteous, the
righteous judge, everything's gonna be laid out on the table.
Let me say it like that. The books are gonna be opened in the book. It's all gonna happen, and you
rest assured, and listen to me, listen to me. I'm telling you
what this book says, and I'm telling you that there is a day
coming when everything is going to be opened up, the books of
men's works and the book of life. And as the judge is going to
righteously consider all of the evidence, he's going to consider
the cause, the plea of both groups, and rest assured, His decision
is gonna be based upon that which is fair and right and true and
holy and just. It's going to be fair. It's gonna be a fair trial. There's no plea bargaining. There's no one, two, three. Number
three, you're out, no. This is gonna be fair, it's gonna
be fair. All men are gonna be judged according to their true
state toward God. The judge now is gonna begin,
our scriptures, it starts off, the righteous considereth the
cause of the poor. So I'm gonna start where the
scripture starts. He considereth the plea. You go into a courtroom and judge
says, how do you plea? How do you plea? Okay, well,
he's gonna consider the cause, the plea of those on his right
hand, and here's their plea. Guilty, your honor. Guilty. Well, the judge, scripture says,
the righteous considereth the cause, he considereth the plea. Now, let's consider the evidence.
Let's consider the evidence. Because in that day, the judge
will. He gonna consider the evidence. All the evidence gonna be there.
Well, as he considers the cause, the plea of the poor, books are open in the book. And
he says, according to absolute righteousness, he said, well,
I see here that in the book of God's mercy, in the book of God's
grace, in the book of life, I see concerning you that are, you're
the poor, okay? Well, it says here, according
to the evidence, blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs
is the kingdom of God. You see, the righteous judge
is gonna judge according to the books, in the book And he knows
that their plea, he asked them, what's your cause, what's your
plea? I'm gonna consider your plea. How do you plea? Guilty, I'm
guilty, I'm guilty. Okay, well, he said, I understand
your plea is based upon what you see in yourself. Yes, your honor, I see in me,
I see in my flesh there dwelleth no good thing. Well, the righteous judge, considering
God's will and purpose, he's a righteous judge. And considering the will and
purpose of God concerning these poor, according to God's everlasting
covenant of grace, written in the book, he's opening the book,
the book of life, and he said, I see here, I see that that your
names are written in the book of life before the foundation
of the world. And the way I see it, based on
the evidence that I've got here, God's evidence, I see that you're
heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ. He said, I see here that it's
not based on any goodness or merit within yourself. I see
it in yourselves. I see that you are poor and needy
and helpless You're poor in knowledge, you're poor in ability. You have
no ability whatsoever to reconcile yourself back to God. I see here
that you see in yourself that you have nothing to pay. That's
right, Your Honor. I don't have anything. I have
nothing. I have nothing. I see here that based upon the
gift of God, faith that you've been given, that you have only
one in which you can trust, and it's not yourself. I see that.
Yes, sir. I'm a guilty, no good, low-down
sinner, and I know it. And I don't have anything to
offer you of myself. Well, the evidence shows, as
the righteous judge considers Her name's being written in the
book of life before the foundation of the world. He said, I see
here, according to this book, this book that was written of
God, I see here that God has everlastingly loved you. Jeremiah 31.3, the Lord, Jehovah,
hath appeared of old from afar unto me, saying, yea, I've loved
thee with an everlasting love. Therefore, with lovingkindness
have I drawn thee. That is, therefore, have I extended
my lovingkindness unto you. And because Almighty God loved
them, not based on anything that he saw, he sees the evidence. The righteous judge, he sees
the evidence. He said, I see where God Almighty looked down
and saw that there were none righteous, no, not one. that
no one ever sought him of themselves. Yes, sir, that's me, I never
did. No, for myself, I was doing quite well thinking that I was
something. And I wasn't seeking him, and
he stopped me and arrested me. I realized later, judge, that
God loved me. I see where your chosen vessels
of his mercy I see here where God chose you in his blessed
son before the foundation of the world that you should be
holy and without blame before him in love. This glorious act
of mercy and compassion was according to the purpose and good pleasure
of the Father's will. That's what I say. Judge, If I've got any hope whatsoever,
the only hope that I've got is that God loved me first. But
I'm gonna be honest with you, I didn't love him. No, I'm guilty,
I am guilty. Well, considering the evidence,
I'm considering your plea and I'm considering the cause here,
I'm considering That which is shown before me according to
God's good pleasure insists here that before the foundation of
the world, turn to Hosea 2. It's right after Daniel. Shows
here to me that before the foundation of the world, Hosea chapter 2,
that the Son of God, the Father's only begotten Son, the one in
whom he was well pleased, says here that you were betrothed
unto him everlastingly as his wife. That's what the evidence
shows. Hosea chapter two, verse 16, 19. It shall be at that day,
saith the Lord, saith Jehovah, thou shalt call me Ishi, my husband,
She'll call me no more. Baalai, my Lord. For I will take away the names
of Balaam out of her mouth, and they shall no more be remembered
by their name. And in that day will I make a
covenant with them, with the beast of the field, with the
fowls of heaven, the creeping things of the ground. I will
break the bow, the sword, the battle out of the earth, and
will make them lie down safely. Joe's here that the son of the
Father's delight, the one in whom he's well pleased, was betrothed to you in holy
matrimony, that he united himself with you before the foundation
of the world, that you're his bride. The evidence
shows here that this marriage never began. That this marital
union of the father's son is never gonna be dissolved. It's a union in righteousness. For his righteousness, the righteousness
of the son, the one that the father confessed, this is my
beloved son whom I'm well pleased. You hear him. Shows here that
His righteousness is actually your righteousness. Shows here that you've been robed
in His righteousness, that whatever belonged to Him is yours because
of your union with Him. Says here, according to God's
word through the prophet Hosea, it was a union in righteousness
and in judgment. Shows here that your husband
that betrothed you unto him before the foundation of the world,
before time ever was, says here that it was established in righteousness.
It shows here that the father saw The Lamb slain before the
foundation of the world and in time, that which God eternally
saw, actually came to pass, shows here that your husband bore all
of your guilt in his own body and paid your debt in full by
the shedding of his own blood. The evidence shows that he paid
your demand that the law had levied against you. He paid the
law's demand and he died in your stead. Also shows that the evidence
of this marriage is established in loving kindness and mercies.
The evidence shows that not a single atom, not a single atom of God's
demand for righteousness has been relaxed. There's been nothing
swept under the rug. Everything's been brought out.
It goes here that your husband never ceased to love you, even in your fall in Adam. And
he came into this world and redeemed you by blood, brought you back,
brought you back. It says here that he who knew
no sin and has answered every demand of God's justice and righteousness,
it says here that he wants You, his will is that he want you,
he wants you to be where he is. That you might be able to behold
his glory. That's what it says, his will
is. He's done, bought and paid everything. Based upon all the evidence,
I hear you plead. I see what you say, I hear what
you say. I know what you see in yourself. And based upon the
evidence that's been shown that he's borne all your guilt, you
have no debt before the law, your righteousness is not the
filthy rags in which you were born, shows here that you're
robed in his perfect righteousness, and I've now considered the cause,
I've considered the plea, and I'm gonna make my judgment. There's therefore now no condemnation. To them which be in Christ Jesus,
to them who walk not after the flesh but after the spirit, you're innocent. You're innocent. No charge. No charge. No charge. No charge. No charge. Last half of that verse says
this, but the wicked regardeth not to know it. The righteous
consider it the cause of the poor, but the wicked regardeth
not to know it. The righteous judge considers
the cause of pleas of those on his left hand. How do you plea? Innocent, your
honor. innocent. Well, the righteous judge is
going to ask, on what do you base your plea? Turn over to
Matthew 7. What do you base your plea upon?
Matthew 7. Judge, Matthew 7, verse 22. Judge, we prophesied your name. Thy name cast out devils. In
thy name, we've done many wonderful works. Those on the left hand that are
pleading their innocence are as they who, like the Pharisee,
and there were two men that went into the temple to pray. Those
on their left hand prayed thus with themselves, God, I thank
thee that I'm not as other men are. Extortioners, unjust, adulterers,
or even as these, that publican right there, like those over
there on your right hand. We're not like them. We're innocent. Well, the righteous judge considers
the evidence of God's word. Because their plea is based on
what they've done, on their free will decision, on being baptized,
on walking down the aisle, on speaking in tongues. We've done
all these marvelous works. And the righteous judge who now
is going to base his judgment. Turn over to John 12. He's gonna
base his judgment. Let me show you where he's gonna
base it on. John chapter 12. He's gotta have a basis, and
here's what it is. He said it is. John 12, John 12, 47 and 48. John
12, 47, 48. If any man hear my words and believe not, I judge him not, For I came not to judge the world,
but to save the world. He that rejecteth me and receiveth
not my words hath one that judges him. The word that I have spoken,
the same shall judge him in the day. Well, the judge, based on
this book, based on this book right here, the judge hears their
plea. their cause, their plea. We've
done many mighty works in your name. We cast out devils. We
preached in your name. We have witnessed in your name.
We have done all these things. We're soul winners. I've led
I don't know how many, Judge, to you. I've got them down on
their knees and I've led them through the Roman road and I've
done all these things. According to the word, Titus
3.5, the judge says, well, but my judgment is based on this.
Titus 3.5, not by works of righteousness that we've done. According to
his mercy, mercy, mercy, he saved us. But scripture says, in closing,
those on his left hand, The wicked regardeth not to know. The wicked distinguish not. They have no understanding. That's
what, when it says they regardeth not, they don't have any understanding
of what is it gonna take to be just before God. They're gonna stand before God
Almighty He said, many will say to me in that day, many. How
many you think that is? Many. Lord, Lord, and the books are
gonna be open, the books of their work, and their name is not written
in the Lamb book of life. Why? Because they left this world
trusting in themselves that they were righteous. I can tell you this, everyone,
leaves this world, having been brought to a knowledge of what
they are. I'm guilty before God and I have
nothing to pay. Everyone that leaves this world
and has come by the grace of God to the realization, I am
a sinner against God and I can do nothing. Lord, save me, I'm
gonna perish. Everyone. that God Almighty has
given knowledge of themselves to look to the Lord Jesus Christ
and have no confidence in their flesh, no confidence in their
flesh. Everyone has been given to the
Son, and they're coming to Him. All that the Father giveth shall
come to Him. And Him that cometh to me as
the judge, I will in no wise cast out. Lord have mercy upon us today
for Christ's sake. Amen. Let's take a break.