If you would and you wanna follow
along, please turn to Psalm number 40. The 40th Psalm. I have got just about every line
of this Psalm underlined in my Bible. But I'm only gonna read
verses nine and 10 for a start. Psalms 40 verse 9. I have preached
righteousness in the great congregation. Lo, I have not refrained my lips,
O Lord, thou knowest. I have not hid thy righteousness
within my heart. I have declared thy faithfulness
and thy salvation. I have not concealed thy lovingkindness
and thy truth from the great congregation. Let's read verse
11. Withhold not thou thy tender
mercies from me, O Lord. Let thy lovingkindness and thy
truth continually preserve me. I'm gonna stop there. I wanna read you something Scott
Richardson wrote. So you know it's good. Scott
was away. I mean, he was, I still get tickled
when I think about what he wrote there. He said, whenever they
hear me preach, they say, it sounds like an old time preacher.
He says, well, I am. He was. But that doesn't make
it not good. That's the problem with the world.
They think old time means backward. No, it's not backward. Well,
it shouldn't be, put it that way. Sometimes maybe it is, and
that's where they get it from. But this is what he wrote. The
believer is perfect in Christ, but in himself is a poor, feeble
creature, ever liable to fall. Oh, the blessedness of having
one who can manage all his affairs for him at the right hand of
the majesty in the heavens. One who upholds him continually
by the right hand of his righteousness. One who will never let him go.
One who is able to save to the uttermost. One who is the same
yesterday, today, and forever. One who will bear him triumphantly
through all the difficulties and dangers that surround him
and finally present him faultless. before the presence of his glory
with exceeding joy. Blessed forever be the grace
that has made such ample provision for all our sins in the blood
of the spotless victim and the intercession of a divine priest. I like that, I do, I do. Now
the title of my message is I Have Preached Righteousness. which is the first four words
there of verse nine. And I want to preach righteousness
today to you and to myself. I like using this statement.
In the interest of full disclosure, I must tell you that I need righteousness
as much as you do. I know a lot of people seem to
preach like they don't have any problems and they don't have
any shortcomings. I've got plenty. So do they,
but they act like they don't. I'm not gonna preach your righteousness
and I'm not gonna preach my righteousness. But if you are a believer, I'm
gonna do my best to tell you of your righteousness, but that'll
come later. Now I'm not gonna, Keep you long. And I fully affirm right now
that I am not going to get terribly theological. And I'm not gonna have to. Because
David right here, this is a psalm of David. David right here wrote
a couple of verses here explaining righteousness better
than any theologian has. Now this is a messianic psalm.
And a psalm concerning the people of God. That'll come out. But
he starts with these four words in this ninth verse. I have preached
righteousness. Now if you back up to verse six,
it says sacrifice and offering thou didst not desire. Mine ears
hast thou opened. Burnt offering and offering,
sin offering, excuse me, and sin offering hast thou not required. So you wanna know what that's
telling us? I have preached righteousness is not the preaching of burnt
offerings and sin offerings. Although they were necessary.
I mean, don't get me wrong, in the days of David, sacrifices
and offering were made, and rightly so. However, the sacrifices and
the offerings were because of offenses. David said, I have preached righteousness.
The sacrifice and offering is not what he preached. And I'll
tell you this right now. David didn't say, didn't write
here, I have preached law. Now the law is righteous. The
law is holy, just and good, the commandment. But that's not what
David preached. David said, I preach righteousness.
And this is also the words of our Lord Jesus Christ, which
we'll see. Well here, verse seven says this. Then said I, lo, I
come in the volume of the book it is written of me. I delight
to do thy will, O my God, yea, what? Thy law is within my heart. I have preached righteousness. Those are the words of Christ.
Paul wrote that, quoted that verse in Hebrews, talking about
Christ. Lo, I come in the volume of the
book it is written of me to do thy will, O God. So these are, I'll tell you this
right now, these are the words of David, these are the words
of Christ. These are the words of the Lord himself, the Lord's,
I have preached righteousness. He didn't preach the law, he
didn't preach burnt offerings, he didn't preach sacrifices.
And he didn't preach works either. Not yours or mine. Not yours
or mine. I have preached righteousness.
The rightness, the perfection of the Lord, and that the Lord
demands. Because the Lord demands righteousness.
And I have preached righteousness. The Lord himself is righteous. The Lord himself is righteousness. And the Lord Jesus Christ is
called the righteous. The righteous. It's in first
John two and verse one. You don't have to turn there,
I'm just gonna read it. My little children, these things
write I unto you, that ye sin not, and if any man sin, And
if you wanna put in, when any man sin, I don't have a problem
with that. If any man sin, we have an advocate with the Father.
And who is it? Jesus Christ, the righteous. The righteous. Oh my. David preached the Lord's righteousness. Jesus Christ preached the Lord's
righteousness. And I am going to endeavor to
preach the Lord's righteousness. But then he says these three
words, in the great congregation, in the great congregation. Where
is righteousness preached? In the congregation. Righteousness is to be preached
wherever the people of God are. Where they are gathered. God's people are the great congregation. Not because God's people are
great, no, it's because God is great. And he has promised us
where two or three are gathered together, there am I, in the
midst of them. Oh, I like that, I do. And righteousness
is to be preached. Jesus Christ himself read the
scripture, and preach from it in the synagogue, in the gathering. He read the scripture and told
him, this day is this scripture fulfilled in your ears on one
particular occasion. He said he preached the gospel
to the poor. Now how he did it seems to confound
some people because he did speak to them in parables. And he told
us why he spoke to them in parables. And it's the exact opposite of
what most people think. People think he spoke in parables
so that all might understand. I've heard him say that again
and again and again. And yet what do the scriptures
say? He spoke in parables so that
some would not understand. Look it up. It's in Matthew chapter
13 verses 11 through 13. I'm not gonna read it. He told
them, he told his disciples, to you, it's given to know the
mysteries of the kingdom. He didn't stop there. He said,
but to them, to them, it is not given, not given. But smile, God loves you. And that's something else people
say that ain't necessarily so. Jesus preached righteousness
in the great congregation And David said these words wrote
these words. I have not refrained my lips
I have preached righteousness in the great congregation, and
I have not refrained my lips What do we hear from some I Can't
preach that Now usually they're talking about election, but it
goes just as well for God's righteousness. It goes just as well for the
righteousness of Christ. I can't preach that. My people won't understand it.
Actually, I think, now this is just me thinking here, they're
more afraid they will understand it. Because some of them will say,
I can't preach that, that'll split my church. Don't worry,
it will not split God's church. The truth has never split God's
church. If there's any error, if there's
any problem, it's not with this word, it's not with the truth
of God in Jesus Christ, it's with us. It always has been. God's children love the truth. and hate the lie, hate the lie. Walter, I've gotten to the point
where I don't even like sugarcoating. You don't have to be nice. Just
what does the word of God say? I have preached righteousness
in the great congregation and I have not refrained. What? My lips, my lips. What did Isaiah
say? Woe is unto me. I'm a man of
unclean, But not only that, I dwell in
the midst of a people of unclean lips. And God took that coal and put
it right up against his lips. Had the angel do it. But you
know what comes to mind when I read this, which says I've
not refrained my lips, I think of the Apostle Paul, talking
to those Ephesian elders. I'm not gonna turn to it. But
he says, for I have not shunned to declare unto you all the counsel
of God. What was that? Repentance toward
God and faith toward our Lord, Jesus Christ. All the counsel. Whatever God has taught you in
this word, speak. Whatever God's word says, speak. Now I said it last week, think
before you speak, and read before you think. But don't refrain
your lips from the truth of God. There's no need to. What does
it say? Oh Lord, thou knowest. Thou knowest. God knows what David done, David
did, and he knows what Christ has done. What does he say? Lo,
I come to do thy will, oh God. Verses seven and eight. Not only
that, I delight to do thy will. And it's the will of God that
righteousness be preached, the truth be preached, unadulterated
and unrefrained. Burn offering and sin offering
thou is not required. No. but the preaching of righteousness
is required. Verse 10 says this, and this
is a wonderful statement. I have not hid thy righteousness
within my heart. I have declared thy faithfulness
and thy salvation. I have not concealed thy loving
kindness and thy truth from the great congregation. You understand,
God's not worried about people hiding nonsense from the people,
about refraining to speak silly things. He doesn't want you to
refrain from speaking the truth. Do not refrain your lips from
the truth. Understand it says, I have not
hid thy righteousness. Is that David or is that Christ?
And I'm gonna say yes. I'm gonna say yes. Because Christ
certainly didn't hide the righteousness of God. And David wrote it right
here. David wrote it right here. And I'm gonna tell you this,
you or I cannot hide the righteousness of God. I'm not even gonna try,
but you can't hide it. It is beyond the power of man
to hide his righteousness. But some try, some try, because
some For some, the righteousness of God is not hidden, it's avoided,
it's avoided. For some, the righteousness of
God is not disguised, it's actually denied. And for some, the righteousness
of God is not spoken, and when it is, it's distorted. But God's children, God's people,
do not hide his righteousness. And man, the natural man, hates
his righteousness. And here's what David said in
this verse, because here where we started is I have not hid
the righteousness within my heart. The reason David starts there,
well all four of these things, Five of these things are all
related. But, I have not hid thy righteousness. What'd he say? I have declared
thy faithfulness. God's faithfulness is just as
strong and just the same as his righteousness. You understand? Thy faithfulness,
thy salvation. God's salvation, and it is God's
salvation, his salvation, thy salvation, is based upon his
righteousness. God will not be unrighteous in
salvation as he would be in anything else. He's unrighteous in nothing. And God's loving kindness is
based upon, still, his righteousness. There is no loving kindness,
there is no truth without the righteousness of God. It's not your righteousness,
it's the Lord's righteousness. It's not man's righteousness
at all. Because man's righteousness is
of no value. I'm not saying he doesn't have
it. What I'm saying, what man has
is filthy rags in the sight of God. Man has a righteousness. A man's very proud of his own
righteousness. Paul wrote of his brethren going
about, going about, going about to establish their own righteousness. And have not, what, submitted
themselves to the righteousness of God. Matter of fact, There are many garments of salvation
that have been given to the child of God. But it states it very
clearly, there is only one robe of righteousness that we have
been clothed in. Mac, you and I have on the same
robe. If we have the robe of righteousness, you've got the
same robe as David had. There's only one robe of righteousness.
There's only one robe of righteousness. There's only one faithfulness. He is the author and the finisher
of faith. And I particularly leave out
that word. It says our faith, it's in italics. No matter whose
faith, he's the author and the finisher of faith, true faith.
His faith is all. His faithfulness is just as faithful
as his righteousness. I like that. Thy loving kindness,
his mercy and his grace to his people, the sheep of his pasture,
his love and kindness in giving all things, working together
for good to them that love God. That's loving kindness. And it's
all based upon his righteousness. And his truth, his truth is the
truth. He is the way, the truth, and
the life, and no man cometh unto God except by him. Him. Because thy righteousness
is a person. Thy faithfulness is a person. Thy salvation is a person. Thy loving kindness is a person. And thy truth is a person. And I'm gonna tell you right
now, that person is the Lord Jesus Christ. And I got scripture for that.
I told you I was gonna tell you about your righteousness. I am,
here it is. In the scriptures, written by
the Apostle Paul to the Corinthians. If you want to, you can turn
there, it's 1 Corinthians chapter one, verse 30. But, of him are ye in Christ Jesus,
who of God is made unto us wisdom and righteousness and sanctification
and redemption. That according as it is written,
he that glorieth, let him glory in the Lord. This scripture starts
with those eight gracious words. Glorious words. But of him. Okay, what's that mean? Not of
you. It's of him. Now who's the him?
Back up for just a second to verse 27. But God hath chosen
the foolish things of the world. Oh, there we are. To confound
the wise and God hath chosen the weak things of the world.
There we are again. to confound the things which
are mighty, and base things of the world. You know, this just
really doesn't sound real favorable toward us. Well, in and of ourselves,
we're not. Oh, but in him. And things which
are despised hath God chosen, and yea, things which are not,
to bring to naught the things that are, that no flesh should
glory in his presence. So we have God, but God, hath
God chosen, in His presence. So but of Him is God. So if you want to read it this
way, but of God are ye in Christ Jesus. Oh my. You're not in Christ Jesus because
of yourself. It is completely and totally
of God that you are in Christ Jesus. I have preached righteousness. Not your righteousness, but his.
And, wait a minute though. See, he didn't stop there. It
is completely and totally of God that you're in Christ Jesus.
And if anybody says anything different, it's a lie. It's a
lie. And what are they doing? They're
not preaching righteousness. I can tell you that right now.
If they try to add man's righteousness to God's righteousness, They're
not preaching righteousness. Because that statement all by
itself is full of grace and truth, but Paul continues, Christ Jesus
is of God made unto you. Wisdom and righteousness and
sanctification and redemption. Walter, there is imputed righteousness
and there is imparted righteousness. God has made him unto you your
righteousness. Oh, I like that. We are not to
establish our own righteousness. We don't have to. Believers don't
have to. Believers have been given the
righteousness of Christ and they've been given it by God. Why? Because they have been given
him by God. and it's by God, they are in
him. Jesus Christ is our righteousness. He is all we need, all we need,
and to preach Jesus Christ is to preach righteousness, or it's
another gospel, which is not another. He is made unto us by God, wisdom
and righteousness and sanctification and redemption. And by God, we're in him. Now yes, there are things we
will do. We will hear his gospel and we'll believe it. We will. And it says come to Christ. And
you will. After he finds you. When he finds
you and shows you just a bit of the center you are, and of
the righteousness you don't have, you'll come to him. Just as he
said, come unto me, all you who are labor and heavy laden, and
I will give you rest. And yes, I believe that just
as much as you must be born again. Why? Because both things are
true. Why? Christ spoke them both. It's impossible for him to lie.
Because of God are ye in Christ Jesus. And I'm not here to tell
you that this morning. It doesn't get any better than
that. It does not get any better than that than to be in Christ.
It doesn't matter how you feel. It doesn't matter what your circumstances
are. It doesn't matter that you maybe
just had surgery. If you're in Christ Jesus, you've been given
given his wisdom, his righteousness, his sanctification, and his redemption. And as Scott Richardson wrote, what a one we have who will never
leave us and never forsake us. That will never, never leave
anything undone that needs to be done. And will bring us to
himself. faultless before his throne. I want to preach the righteousness
of Christ, because the righteousness of Christ saves sinners to the
uttermost. And to preach Christ is to preach
righteousness, because he, the Lord himself, the Lord, Jesus
Christ, is our righteousness. and the Lord himself has made
him self our righteousness. Ah, I like that. I got something
I wanna read you here, just a verse here. A song by Augustus Toplady. O thou that hearest the prayer
of faith, wilt thou not save a soul from death that casts
itself on thee? I have no refuge of my own but
fly to what the Lord has done and suffered once for me. Slain
in the guilty sinner's stead, his spotless righteousness I
plead. In his availing blood, his righteousness
my robe shall be. His merit shall atone for me
and bring me near to God Then snatch me from eternal death,
the spirit of adoption, breathe, and consolation sin. By him,
some word of his life impart, and sweetly whisper to my heart,
thy maker is thy friend. I like that. His righteousness my road shall
be. You understand, if you're wearing
Christ's robe of his righteousness, the Father, God himself, looks
at you and sees Christ and sees Christ's righteousness in you. What does it say? Christ in you, the hope of glory. And David wrote it. I have preached
righteousness. Not mine, but his. And yet, mine
again. He has given it to his people.
Each and every single child of God is clothed in the robe of
his righteousness. He gives many garments of salvation,
but he gives that robe of righteousness. and that righteousness, his righteousness,
shall stand before God himself in all his righteousness and
holiness and justice because he is a just God and a Savior. Our Heavenly Father, thank you
for this time and this place. Lord, thank you. for thy holiness and thy righteousness
and thy justice and thy mercy and thy grace. And that you have
chosen a people to yourself and are calling them out by name
and clothing them in your son. Lord, it's grace because we do
not deserve it. And it's grace because you give
it. Thank you, Lord. Be with Walter as he comes to
preach here this morning. And be with Paul as he's in Colorado. And others who are not here,
bless them, Lord, as is your will and your way for their good
and your glory. In Christ's name we pray, amen.