Participants: Pr. John Lomacang
Series Code: ASHF
Program Code: ASHF000005
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00:19 Hello, friends, and welcome to another a Sharper Focus,
00:24 Wednesday night Bible study, time for prayer 00:27 and time for getting into it with the Lord 00:30 and with the Holy Spirit. 00:31 And our local audience would like to welcome you. 00:33 Let's all say, welcome. Welcome. 00:36 You have been welcomed by the people in Thompsonville, 00:38 the biggest little city, we believe in the mid west. 00:41 Some may argue differently, but we believe 00:43 that the Lord is changing lives and transforming lives 00:46 all around the world by what's taking place 00:48 in this little town and if you are in driving distance, 00:52 we'd like to invite you to come and join us 00:54 for our Wednesday night Bible study and prayer time. 00:57 And we are continuing tonight on the topic of, 00:59 "How to Live a Spiritual Life in a Natural Body." 01:03 But if you would like to follow us, 01:04 you can go to the following website. 01:06 We have website for our program, 01:09 it's called--don't type in www, you won't find it. 01:13 Type in ASF (A Sharper Focus).3ABN.org 01:18 and click on study guides and download study guide 002, 01:23 and the title is, "Justification." 01:24 That's ASF.3ABN.org, click on study guides 01:29 and download the lesson entitled, 01:32 "Justification," that's 002. 01:36 Also, we have a twitter page. 01:37 You can go to a Sharper Focus at twitter.com. 01:40 We also have a Facebook page, 01:42 which is a Sharper Focus 3ABN on the Facebook page. 01:46 Post your questions and your comments 01:48 and we will try to address those as they come in to us. 01:52 But if you are at home, just get your Bibles, 01:55 get your pens, get your lesson if you download that, 01:58 but if you're one of those techie people, 01:59 follow on your iPad if you want to do that. 02:02 But invite your friends and family members, 02:04 so we can invite the presence of the Lord 02:05 to continue with us as we study, 02:08 "How to Live a Spiritual Life in a Natural Body." 02:11 Let's all pray together. 02:13 Our gracious Father in heaven, 02:15 we thank you once again for the opportunity. 02:18 Sometimes they are few and far between, 02:21 but the pause in the middle of our week, 02:23 it defines spiritual strength and direction 02:26 is such a vitally important thing 02:28 as it relates to our spiritual growth. 02:31 We have recognized that we are not able of ourselves 02:35 to be righteous in any particular. 02:37 And so far that we thank you for Jesus Christ 02:40 and we thank you for His righteousness. 02:42 But tonight, guide us through the study of your word 02:45 and help us to understand more clearly, 02:47 how truly we can look at Christ our righteousness 02:50 and rejoiced that each one of us 02:52 can be made complete in Him. 02:54 In Jesus name we pray. Amen. Amen. 02:57 Now we're gonna to do something 02:58 a little differently tonight 02:59 because people have requested that 03:01 and I think it would be a good thing. 03:02 We're gonna begin tonight with a song, 03:04 the words may not appear on your screen, 03:07 but our local audience is gonna sing a song, 03:09 "Seek ye first the kingdom of God 03:11 and His righteousness and all these things 03:14 will be added to you." 03:15 If it's familiar with you, you can sing along with us. 03:18 Let's sing that song together tonight. 03:26 Seek ye first the kingdom of God 03:34 And His righteousness 03:41 And all these things shall be added unto you 03:47 And we say, Hallelu, Hallelujah 03:54 Ask and it shall be given unto you 04:02 Seek and ye shall find 04:09 Knock and the door shall be opened unto you 04:15 We sing, Hallelu, Hallelujah 04:23 Seek ye first the kingdom of God 04:30 And His righteousness 04:37 And all these things shall be added unto you 04:44 Hallelu, Hallelujah 04:51 Hallelu, Hallelujah. 05:03 Ain't that wonderful? Amen. Amen. 05:05 You know that's actually Mathew Chapter 6 and verse 33, 05:09 which in fact says, 05:10 "Seek ye first the kingdom of God 05:12 and His righteousness 05:15 and all these things shall be added unto you." 05:18 And so often people, even sometimes Christians, 05:22 they seek all the things first. 05:23 But the whole focus of our study from week to week 05:25 is to seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness 05:30 and whatever you need will be added to you. 05:33 Tonight, we're gonna be talking 05:34 about the topic of justification, 05:38 the power of justification. 05:41 Now for those of you who are following along, 05:43 somebody may ask the question, 05:45 "Hey, but what about question number 24 05:49 in lesson number one? 05:51 What about question 24 in the lesson 05:54 about Victorious Living?" 05:56 And that question I'll just mention it to you, 05:58 if you want to fill that in, the question was, 06:00 how can we define the act of justification? 06:04 How can we define the act of justification? 06:07 And if you have the syllabus, 06:08 you'll notice that the three words or the four words, 06:11 "We are saved by" and then there are two blank spaces. 06:16 "We are saved by" and let me give you the answer, 06:19 we are saved by Christ's work. 06:24 We are saved by Christ's work. Amen. 06:28 Not by our work. 06:31 Because the Bible says, 06:32 "We are saved by grace through faith, 06:34 and that not of ourselves is the gift of God, 06:36 not of works lest anyone should boast." 06:39 We are saved by Christ's work. 06:43 And tonight, we're gonna be talking about 06:45 what that work is and how that work can be applied 06:49 to our lives in a wonderful way? 06:51 So if you have lesson number two, which is entitled, 06:54 "The Process of Justification," 06:56 and you should have that in your hand. 06:59 We'll follow along tonight. 07:01 How many of you have heard the phrase, 07:03 a fight to the death? 07:04 Have you heard that before? 07:06 You know when you hear that phrase, 07:07 sometimes you think about two gladiators 07:09 or two sword fighters or two people in a ring. 07:12 In modern times, you know, we don't watch things 07:16 that people fight to the death. 07:18 In most cases, those are fictional shows 07:22 where they show gladiators, 07:24 but you can envision how must've been in Roman times 07:27 where the gladiator would enter the ring 07:29 and they would fight and the only one 07:30 that came out is the one that lived. 07:33 But when you think about the Christian life, 07:37 there is a fight to the death. 07:42 You see everyone wants to-- let me use the phrase, 07:45 everyone loosely, those who wanted to be baptized 07:48 often think of baptism as entering into fellowship, 07:52 joining a church, having their membership added to the role. 07:57 But I'm gonna begin tonight with a scripture 07:58 that's not on our syllabus 08:00 and I want you to see how important it is 08:03 to understand that to first and into this righteous life, 08:07 there is a fight to the death. 08:10 There are two people that are battling each other, 08:13 but I want to thank the Lord tonight that 08:14 Jesus has already won. 08:15 Can you say amen to that? Amen. 08:17 So this, but this battle-- this fight that takes place 08:20 is not just the battle that Jesus won on the cross, 08:23 but this is a battle in us. 08:25 And this battle is not a one time battle. 08:27 This battle happens how often? How do you think? 08:29 Everyday, all day long. Everyday, all day long. 08:34 Those of us who know how difficult it is, 08:36 they say everyday, all day long battle. 08:38 But I'm gonna show you in the Bible. 08:39 Go with me to Romans Chapter 6. 08:41 Romans Chapter 6, we're gonna see this, 08:43 "Fight to the death." 08:44 And by the way when you think about the fight to the death, 08:47 you don't think about it this way, 08:49 the man that lives in the gladiator's fight 08:53 is the man that leaves the ring. 08:54 Ain't that right? 08:57 But in the Christian life, the man that dies 09:01 is the man that walks away free. 09:03 You follow this very carefully. 09:05 It's an amazing dichotomy, how it's different, 09:08 because the spiritual world and the natural world 09:10 are really opposite to each other. 09:12 Romans Chapter 6. 09:13 Look with me to verse 1 and 2 to start. 09:15 Romans 6, verse 1 and verse 2. 09:19 And Paul, as he often does-- 09:21 you know what I like about Paul's writings, 09:23 sometimes he asks questions as though the people 09:25 he is talking to should already know the answer. 09:27 He says, "what?" 09:29 And if you read that in Greek, 09:30 he's like, he's surprised, "what." 09:33 He is looking at Christians who should be going 09:35 in a different direction, 09:36 so he begins with the phrase or the word, 09:38 "what" and that's what he says, "what?" 09:41 What shall we say then? 09:43 Shall we continue in sin that what may abound? 09:47 That grace may abound and he answers 09:51 emphatically "together" certainly not. 09:55 How shall we who died to sin live any longer in it? 10:01 How shall we who died to sin live any longer in it?" 10:06 Now when you think about dying, 10:07 you don't think about living after that. 10:09 At least the gladiator who died does not walk home. 10:13 The one who won is the one that walks home. 10:16 There's a battle that Paul outlines 10:18 here in Romans Chapter 6. 10:20 And he talks about this old man that wants to fight. 10:23 But the fight does not begin until the person 10:27 who is captured by this old man 10:29 desires to be set free. 10:31 Until there is a desire to be set free, 10:34 until there is a desire to be released from the bondage 10:37 or the chain that holds you, there is really no battle. 10:41 Let me make it even clearer. 10:43 There is no battle for people 10:44 that are living just for the world. 10:47 There is no battle. 10:48 They get up, they live for the world. 10:50 They have "fun" as they say it. 10:52 There's no struggle. 10:54 They drink like the world, they speak like the world, 10:58 they entertain like the world, they do everything. 11:00 And one of the reasons why Christians are so often shock 11:03 and we say, how can they do that? 11:06 How could anybody do that? 11:08 They are completely not even desiring to be set free. 11:12 They are completely under control by that old nature, 11:15 that nature that they got from Adam. 11:16 And Paul talks about that nature 11:18 in Romans Chapter 6 as the "old man." 11:21 But now let's go to verse 7, because Paul introduces, 11:25 "How could we leave that way if we've died 11:27 to what was formally behind us?" 11:29 He says in Romans Chapter 7-- 11:31 Romans Chapter 6 and verse 7, all right? 11:35 For he who has, what's the next word? Died. 11:39 "For He who has died has been freed from sin." 11:43 You know another way to say that and sometimes 11:46 you don't get this, but I want to give you a word 11:48 to really give you something to rejoice about, 11:50 "He who has died has been cleared from sin." 11:57 So in other words, if you look at your record, 11:59 let's just say you gave your life to the Lord 12:01 when you're 25 years old. 12:03 Those 25 years behind you are years 12:07 filled with sin and transgression 12:09 and temptation and all the things you've done wrong. 12:12 And so when you come to the point 12:14 where you enter into that relationship with Christ, 12:16 you accept Him as your Lord and savior. 12:18 Then you go down to the watery grave of baptism, 12:22 that's the burial, that signifying the death. 12:26 When you come up, you come up cleared of all the things 12:29 you've done before. Amen. Amen. 12:31 You come up completely cleared. 12:34 And I don't know of anybody who has ever been in debt 12:37 would like to be cleared of debt. 12:41 Everybody who has something that they owe 12:43 would like to be cleared of that thing that they owe. 12:46 But when you look at 25 years of sin or 30 years 12:50 or 40 years or 15 years or however long it's been, 12:53 there is no possible way for you 12:55 to be able to clear your own record. 12:58 Let me use this illustration, 12:59 there is no way to clean 13:03 a dirty window with a dirty rag. 13:06 Because our righteousness is as, what? Filthy rags. 13:11 There's no way to wipe oil off the car 13:14 if the rag has nothing but oil on it. 13:17 So we're stained by sin. 13:20 So when you come to Christ and He accepts you 13:22 and He starts clearing your life 13:24 that will give you a reason to rejoice 13:27 because you are not only freed from the power of sin, 13:31 but you're cleared from all of the stains of sin, amen. 13:35 But let's go on because verse 11 contributes to this 13:38 and I'm jumping around because 13:39 that's not the main focus tonight. 13:41 But you know what, I need to just go ahead 13:43 and add a few more verses before verse 11. 13:45 Go to verse 8, Roman 6, verse 8, 13:49 because this is added also to the topic of death. 13:52 Now if we died, how? With Christ. 13:55 We believe that we shall also, how? Lived with Him. 13:59 That living with Him is not just talking 14:00 about the kingdom to come. 14:02 That living with Him is talking about, when? 14:04 Now, right now. 14:07 And then verse 9, Knowing that Christ 14:11 having been raised from the dead dies no more, 14:16 death no longer has dominion, over who? 14:20 Over Him, for the death that He died, 14:23 He died to sin once, for how many of us? For all. 14:27 But the life that He lives, He lives to God. 14:30 In the very same way when we die to sin, 14:34 the life we live is the life we live to God. 14:37 And we can live a righteous life to God 14:40 on our own because we still have something that's mortal. 14:45 We still have a dirty rag to deal with everyday. 14:47 But let's go on to verse 11, here is the one. 14:50 And this is by faith, this is strictly by faith, 14:53 but also by accepting what Christ has done. 14:56 Likewise you also, what is the very next word? 14:59 Reckon or consider yourselves to be what? 15:03 Dead indeed to sin, but alive to God, how? 15:08 In or through Christ, Jesus our Lord. 15:13 We cannot live through anybody else. 15:15 As a matter of fact let me just emphasize this further. 15:18 If you go to a funeral 15:22 and I think each one of us has. 15:24 If you go to a funeral, 15:28 does not follow you home, right? 15:32 Aren't you glad? 15:34 But when we go to the cross, 15:38 who you are prior to that 15:41 doesn't follow you home either, why? 15:47 Galatians 2:20. Let me repeat it. 15:50 I have been crucified with Christ 15:54 nevertheless I live, but who? 15:59 Yet it is no longer I who live, but what? 16:03 Christ who lives in me 16:05 in the life I now live in the flesh, 16:08 I live by faith in the son of God 16:10 who loved me and did what? 16:11 Gave himself for me. So here's the point. 16:15 We need a spiritual respirator 16:18 after we give our lives to Christ 16:20 because that body of sin has been done away with 16:23 that man of sin has been killed. 16:26 He is not out of existence yet. 16:28 We're gonna talk about that 16:29 under the topic of sanctification. 16:31 He's not out of existence yet. 16:33 So we have to maintain a day by day 16:36 relationship to keep him dead. 16:38 So let's go ahead and go to question number one now, 16:40 very vitally important to lay that foundation. 16:42 When we're in Christ, all the old things have passed away, 16:46 behold all things are become new. 16:48 That is second Corinthians 5 and verse 17. 16:52 But now let's look at question number one. 16:55 Question number one. Here it is. 16:57 "What does the Bible reveal that informs us 17:00 that we need deliverance?" 17:03 "What does the Bible reveal 17:04 that informs us that we need deliverance?" 17:07 Romans 3 verse 23. If you are theological, 17:11 you know the answer already. 17:12 All right, are you ready? Here we go. 17:15 "For all have sinned and fall 17:20 short of the glory of God." 17:23 I used to have fun with the long jump 17:25 when I was in track and field in high school. 17:28 Do you know what the long jump is? 17:30 It's a sandbox, at least soft dirt. 17:34 Sometimes when we used to do the long jump 17:36 on cold days that was hard dirt. 17:38 But it's a sandbox, a very, very soft dirt 17:41 and what you try to do is you try to jump 17:43 as far as you could 17:46 to compete against the jump of the other person. 17:50 And if you're able to clear that sandbox altogether 17:53 not even put a footprint in that sand, 17:55 you're really good, but I have never met anybody. 17:59 I have not met anybody who ever cleared 18:01 that sandbox completely. 18:03 Every one of them fall short. 18:07 In the very same way, 18:08 we can try with all the effort. 18:09 I mean you can run as hard as you can as a Christian. 18:12 You can be running in the Christian life 18:13 with all the energy. 18:14 You can be trying as hard as you could, 18:16 but the bottom line is when you leave your feet 18:18 and try to clear what we call sin, you never clear it. 18:21 You always fall short of the glory of God. 18:24 That's why Jesus, He makes up the gap. 18:28 He closes the gap between a sinner and the savior. Amen. 18:32 How does He do it? 18:34 There's one mediator between God and man 18:36 and that's the man, who? Christ Jesus. 18:39 With this hand, he connects humanity to divinity. 18:43 And with this hand, 18:44 he connects divinity to humanity. 18:46 There's only one mediator. 18:48 There's no other name given among men 18:50 whereby we must be saved than the name of Jesus. 18:53 So he's the one that makes up the difference 18:55 between us falling short or more specifically, 18:57 let me make it very clear because 18:58 I don't want you to think 18:59 that I'm talking about our effort 19:01 plus His little input makes salvation. 19:05 I'm making the point that we have no effort on our part 19:08 that can ever contribute to His righteousness. 19:12 In other words, we could never clear that again. 19:14 We'll always fall short, so, you know, 19:17 there's no need to go out with a measuring stick and say, 19:19 "Uh, I just missed His righteousness by four inches." 19:25 There is no sense to do that because we can never get it. 19:27 You know the gap between earth and heaven. 19:30 I think I like the way that Jesus says to disciples, 19:32 He said, "Where I'm going, you cannot come." 19:35 That's the gap. But he'll come back to get us there. 19:38 So tonight we simply see the reason 19:41 why everyone of us needs deliverance 19:43 is because we have all fallen, how? 19:45 Short of the glory of God. 19:47 But let's go to question number two. 19:49 And we're gonna spend a lot of time 19:50 tonight in Romans Chapter 3 because Romans Chapter 3 19:53 is the chapter that really wonderfully defines 19:55 who we are and who we can be in Christ? 19:58 Romans Chapter 3, let's go to the question first. 20:02 "How does the Bible describe 20:04 the transaction to the pardon sinners?" 20:07 There's a transaction. 20:10 A transaction often includes some kind of monitory-- 20:16 some kind of monitory fund. 20:18 There's always something included in transaction 20:21 that pays for something. 20:23 But here is the answer, Romans 3 and verse 24. 20:27 Look at the transaction. 20:29 "Being justified," let's say the next word together. 20:33 "Freely by His grace through the redemption 20:38 that is in Christ Jesus." 20:41 How are we justified? Freely. 20:45 Now what I want to get this is it. 20:46 Here it is. Just look at that hand again. 20:48 The hand that reaches down from God to man, 20:51 there is no charge for that, 20:52 because the hand that reaches from man to God is expensive. 20:57 We're not redeemed by corruptible things 20:59 like silver and gold, 21:00 but the precious blood of Christ 21:02 as that of a spotless lamb. 21:04 So this arm is the expensive arm, 21:06 but when it reaches down the man 21:07 there's no charge. Amen? Amen. 21:10 He doesn't charge us to connect us to God 21:12 because as the song writer say, 21:14 "Jesus paid it all. All to him I owe." 21:18 So you begin to see the Bible describes 21:21 the transaction to pardon sinners 21:22 as we're justified freely. 21:25 Salvation is free to us. 21:27 The hand that reaches down to connect to man, 21:29 but on this hand that reaches up 21:30 to connect the God it's expensive 21:32 because Jesus gave up everything in heaven. 21:36 How many of us will do that 21:37 for just somebody that we didn't know, 21:40 somebody that wouldn't appreciate it. 21:42 And when you think about how Jesus did that the Bible says, 21:44 in that while we're yet, what? 21:47 Sinners. Christ died for us. 21:48 So he didn't say, well, Mike, when you get it together, 21:54 I'll come down and die for you. 21:56 And then if that was the case, you say, Mike, 21:59 you know, it's not my fault, 22:00 you just never got it together. 22:02 But God's love for us is so great, friends. 22:04 I want to emphasize this. God's love for us is so great. 22:08 He saw us under the bondage of an enemy 22:13 that hated him and that hated us. 22:16 And wanted to do nothing more than torment 22:18 and torture his children and hold them in bondage and fear. 22:21 But I like it when Jesus sets us free, 22:23 The Bible says when He sets us free 22:25 He doesn't even allow 22:27 the spirit of fear to continue. 22:30 For God has not given us 22:31 the spirit of fear but of what? 22:34 Power. What else? Love and what else? A sound mind. 22:38 He takes away not just our record, 22:40 but He clears us, I'm excited. 22:44 He clears us of all the things that held us fearful. Amen. 22:50 Praise be His name. Question number three. 22:54 So if you put the answer for number two, 22:56 the transaction to pardon the sinner justified freely. 23:00 That is to us. Question number-- 23:03 let me read this quotation by the way. 23:05 This is between question two and question three, 23:09 very, very powerful. 23:10 This is from the book, Christ Triumphant. 23:13 Page 150, paragraph 3. 23:15 Follow me carefully, "As penitent sinners, 23:20 contrite before God, 23:22 discern Christ's atonement in their behalf." 23:25 In other words, as they come to grips with it 23:28 and accept this atonement as their only hope 23:31 in this life and the future life, 23:34 their sins are, what? Pardoned. 23:38 This is justification by faith. 23:42 Pardon and justification are one 23:45 and the same thing, amen. 23:48 Pardon and justification are one and the same thing. 23:52 Now I don't-- what I'm going to do tonight 23:54 is I'm going to add some greater context to that 23:57 because you know, sometimes you think 24:00 when we say to somebody, Uh, it's okay, I'm sorry. 24:02 I'm sorry. Okay, you are pardoned. 24:05 It's not the same thing. It's not that simple. 24:09 Because there's an obligation that comes along, 24:11 there's an obligation that comes along 24:13 with our connection to Christ. 24:14 There's a great obligation that comes into that gap 24:17 and allows us to see 24:19 where we are in relationship to where Christ is. 24:23 So pardon is not as simple as, 24:25 "Uh, Hannah, that's okay, don't worry about it." 24:28 It's a great transaction, 24:30 but what this quotation says that excites me is, 24:34 when you sit down and you contemplate 24:36 what Jesus has done for you, 24:37 when you think carefully 24:39 that you could never have done it for yourself, 24:43 when you think about all the glories that revealed, 24:45 all the hope that's revealed, 24:47 all of the heaven that's being prepared for us 24:49 and you think what could I do to get there 24:51 and you come up with a conclusion, 24:52 there is nothing I can do and then someone says, 24:55 "John Dinzey, I'm not only paying for your past, 24:59 I'm giving you power for the present, 25:00 assurance for the future, 25:02 and the promise of eternal life." 25:04 That gives you reason to say hallelujah. Amen. 25:07 He says this world is bad as it is getting. 25:09 It's not your final frontier. 25:12 As they used to say on Star Trek years ago. 25:14 It's not your final home. 25:15 Even Abraham who is a friend of God 25:17 and his works brought him into relationship, 25:21 his works verified that he accepted 25:23 the justification of Christ, 25:25 and because of that he said, wait a minute, 25:27 I'm looking for a city which had foundations 25:29 whose builder and maker is God. 25:31 He realized that what Jesus had done for him. 25:34 What Jesus would do for him 25:36 going and looking to the cross, 25:37 would give him the glory of leaving this world one day. 25:40 But there's another quotation from the very same book, 25:43 I wanna continue to talk about justification. 25:45 Look at the screen. 25:47 Christ Triumphant, page 150, but now paragraph 4. 25:50 It reads as follows. 25:52 "Justification is the opposite of," what? 25:56 Condemnation, if you ever felt condemned, 25:58 you know what that means. 25:59 "God's boundless mercy is exercised toward those 26:03 who are wholly undeserving." 26:07 You don't deserve it. 26:08 "He forgives transgressions 26:11 and sins for the sake of Jesus 26:15 who has become the propitiation for our sins, 26:20 the payment, the substitute. 26:22 Through faith in Christ, 26:24 the guilty transgressor is bought into, what? 26:28 Favor with God and into the strong hope of life eternal." 26:35 Wow. I want to say thank God for that. 26:38 But I want to emphasize something, 26:40 he has brought into the strong hope of life eternal. 26:43 Let me emphasize what that means? 26:45 When God led the children of Israel out of Egypt, 26:49 they were not immediately in the promise land. 26:51 As a matter of fact, you read the Bible you see 26:53 that many of them did not make it. 26:55 He did not require them to do anything 26:57 except his freedom to get them out of Egypt, right? 27:02 Come on out. Matter of fact, even some Egyptians came out. 27:06 So the coming out process was extended to everyone 27:10 who accepted God's deliverance. 27:13 And they had the hope of going in. 27:16 This is very important. 27:18 Because this thought I'm communicating 27:21 debunks the attitude 27:22 or the teaching of once saved, always saved. 27:26 How you live between the exit of Egypt 27:29 and the border of the promise land determined 27:31 whether or not the hope of eternal life 27:34 became the reality of eternal life. 27:36 That's very vitally important 27:38 because a lot of people get baptized. 27:40 And you know what happens? 27:41 After they get baptized, 27:42 they go back to living the way they did before. 27:44 They go back to their old life and doesn't really matter 27:46 because some how maybe they don't believe 27:48 in once saved always saved, 27:49 but somehow they dismissed 27:51 the idea that I just left Egypt. 27:54 There is a journey ahead of me. 27:56 Unfortunately in the case of the Israelites, 27:57 it was much longer than God intended, 27:59 but in our lives, whether it's 15 years or 10 years 28:02 or some people have been Christians 28:03 60 years or 70 or more, 28:05 however long it is, it's a day by day journey. 28:09 It's a humbling reality to know that 28:10 when you wake up everyday, 28:12 you got to take one more step in this journey 28:14 advancing toward the promise land. 28:16 And as the song writers says, 28:17 "We see the gleams of the golden morning." 28:19 We know that one day 28:20 we will enter the promise land. 28:21 But how you lived down here says whether or not 28:24 you accept the great pardoning process and value 28:31 and salvation that comes through being justified. 28:35 You know, for somebody--Larry-- 28:38 I may use Larry as an example. 28:39 Larry is one of the nicest guys we have around here. 28:43 You don't have to ask Larry to do whole lot. 28:44 Larry just gives and gives and gives of himself. 28:49 But one thing Larry can't do is buy salvation. 28:52 So the Lord says to Larry. 28:54 You could look Larry nowadays 28:55 and you'll never think that 28:56 Larry used to be a motorcyclist, 29:00 a wild person, who lived a completely different life 29:03 to what he lives now and you look at his life and say, 29:05 how on earth did you get from where you are 29:08 or where you are today. 29:09 We got to say he went 29:10 to the curtain of God's justification. 29:13 God could not always save you, but he changes you also. 29:16 But if Larry sat down and said, okay, Lord, 29:18 I'm changed the whole. 29:19 Lord, I think I got it from here then all that debt. 29:23 All that debt is piled back on him. 29:29 Then he realizes, wait a minute. 29:30 Why are you giving that back to me? 29:32 He said, because you have said you have it from hereon now. 29:35 Remember the story of the man who owed so much, 29:38 he couldn't pay it. 29:40 And I can't remember all the amounts he owed, 29:42 but if you think about how much he owed. 29:44 He said to the person that he owed, 29:46 he said, just give me some more time 29:49 and I will pay for it. 29:50 But when you go home and do a Bible study 29:52 on that particular sermon, 29:53 I believe this is in the book of Matthew. 29:55 He owed a many, many, many, many thousands of talents. 29:59 Give me some time and I will pay for it. 30:01 I did some research into the story. 30:03 And based on the cost of a talent, 30:06 it would have taken that man 340 years 30:09 to work off that debt. 30:11 Well, you know what? He couldn't live 340 years. 30:14 But that's 340 years if he did nothing 30:16 but just work to pay the debt, 30:19 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year. 30:23 He could not afford to pay that debt. 30:25 But what happened in the transaction, 30:27 he was forgiven that debt, amen. 30:29 Amen. That represents us. 30:31 But on the flip side of that 30:32 and the reason I mentioned is here 30:33 because we have to understand 30:34 what God has done for us through Christ, 30:37 we have to be willing to do for others. 30:40 Very important point here. 30:41 So he goes now to a friend who owes him very little 30:45 and he demands a payment. 30:48 Matter of fact, he wants to torment this man 30:51 for what he owes him and the person, the king, 30:54 that just pardoned him hears about it and says, 30:57 Uh, you unworthy, you--what's that word, 31:02 come on give it to me? 31:04 You unthankful person and he gets him 31:07 and he throws him in jail. 31:09 Well, you know what that means? 31:10 If the lord is willing enough to forgive us 31:13 for all that we have done, all that we have done, 31:15 we have to be willing to forgive people 31:17 for the little they have done to us. 31:21 Because we cannot buy our own salvation. 31:23 Look at the next question. 31:24 Question number three. Very important. 31:27 Very important. Question three. 31:28 "How did David the patriarch express 31:32 the joy of justification?" 31:34 I left this for the heels of that story 31:36 because it's very powerful. 31:38 How did he express the joy of justification? 31:41 Psalms 32, verse 1 or Psalm 32 verse 1. 31:45 You know when it's one verse, people say Psalm. 31:47 And when it's many verses, they say Psalms. 31:50 You could settle that argument. 31:51 I kind of go Psalm or Psalms depending. 31:54 But here it is. 31:55 Psalm 32, verse 1 and it reads as follows. 31:58 Let's read this together because this is beautiful. 32:00 Are you ready? Here we go. 32:01 "Blessed is he whose transgression is forgiven, 32:06 whose sin is covered." 32:10 Ain't that wonderful? 32:12 The word blessed is a powerful word that says-- 32:14 The word, "blessed" not only means happy, 32:16 but it means exuberantly happy, 32:19 that's why I asked the question, 32:20 how did David expressed the joy? 32:25 When you look at the life of David, 32:27 you are amazed and if we were today, 32:30 if we had somebody in our congregation 32:32 that did what David did. 32:35 Men alive the general conference will hear about it. 32:39 Am I telling the truth? Yes. 32:40 That would be on Facebook, on Twitter, on Youtube. 32:46 We would try to dig up all of his records 32:49 and when he steps up to the pulpit 32:50 to sing a song, that's him. 32:52 Am I telling the truth? That's how condemning we are. 32:55 That's how sure we are on forgetting 32:57 what people have done. 32:59 But after Lord cleaned 33:00 David heart out, his heart out, 33:02 after he faithfully repented off 33:04 his sins, search me. 33:06 Oh, God, see if there be any wicked way in me. 33:10 He prayed take not your Holy Spirit, 33:12 restore to me the joy of your salvation. 33:15 He repented, he fervently repented 33:19 and that was a sincere repentance. 33:20 Even though he still had to grow 33:21 on the human aspects after that, 33:23 he so sincerely repented that he wrote this text, 33:27 "Blessed is he whose transgression is forgiven, 33:31 whose sin is coered." 33:33 Mind you, people still knew that he had killed Uriah. 33:37 Mind you, he was still with the woman 33:41 whose man he stoled-- 33:45 whose woman he stole her from-- 33:47 how you put that. 33:48 He stoled her from a man and killed the husband. 33:50 He was still with her. 33:52 They had a child that died, but God was forgiving 33:54 and He blessed them with another child. 33:56 The result of our sin continues some times, 34:00 but thank the Lord that the stain of it 34:06 in the side of God does not continue. 34:08 Somebody asked me, well, what if God-- 34:10 is there anything I can do that God cannot forgive me of? 34:12 And I said, "Yes, there is something you can do." 34:14 And that's to resist 34:16 the work of the Holy Spirit in your life. 34:18 Outside of that there's no category 34:19 that God can't forgive. 34:21 So David was happy, he rejoiced. 34:24 But here's question number four. 34:26 "How effective does Isaiah reveal 34:29 the righteousness of Christ to be?" How effective? 34:33 We are gonna go to Isaiah 1 and verse 18, 34:35 "How effective does Isaiah reveal 34:38 the righteousness of Christ to be?" 34:40 Before I get into the intricacies of breaking down 34:42 what justification really is. 34:43 I wanna help you see how completely, 34:45 how wonderful God does a job. 34:48 About three or four years ago, 34:49 my wife and I, we'd bought a Honda, 34:52 a nice new Honda for our 25th anniversary, 34:55 silver and we were going to someone's house 34:58 during the Christmas season. 34:59 And it was on the Saturday night 35:00 and the roads were dark 35:02 and we were riding on one of those-- 35:03 driving on one of those two lane roads 35:04 in the backwoods of Thompsonville. 35:06 And we saw a large deer on the side of the road, 35:09 but he had paws and big old antlers, 35:13 and so we continued our speed as we were going along. 35:18 Just then as we got close to him, 35:19 he lowered his head, darted across a single lane 35:23 and rammed right into our vehicle. 35:25 All the airbags deployed. Axle got broken. 35:30 Thank the Lord, the angels kept the car straight. 35:32 Praise God for that. 35:34 $10,500 in damage, not too many months 35:38 after we got the car. 35:40 Awful, uh, and we had to leave that vehicle right there. 35:45 They came with a tow truck and picked it up 35:48 and we went to the site and saw 35:50 all the terrible damage in the light of the daylight, 35:52 went to the body shop and saw how horrible things were. 35:55 And you know, when we looked at the car our-- 35:58 my appeal then was this. 36:01 Could you just give us a new one? 36:04 Because it just-- I mean I don't know 36:06 how you gonna fix that from front, left, center, 36:09 all way to the back that deer trembled 36:11 all along the side of our car, banging up, everything. 36:13 All the airbags from the left, 36:16 all the way to the back, everyone of them deployed. 36:19 Even the seat airbag, everything was messed up. 36:21 And I said, there's no way I could be-- 36:24 I know there're people that could do this stuff, 36:26 but not this. 36:28 And they said, "We could fix it." 36:32 Now I drive that car, my wife drives that car 36:34 and we look at that thing and we say, 36:35 "Where was the damage?" 36:38 I don't remember where the damage was. 36:39 I mean, intellectually I do, 36:41 but you can't see any traces of how it was before. 36:44 And I thought and I said to the body shop, 36:46 "Man, you guys did a good job. 36:48 You did really good job. 36:50 Now here's my point, if man can do that for a car, 36:53 how completely can Jesus do it for us? 36:57 Look at Isaiah. Isaiah 1, verse 18. 37:00 Notice what he says, I like this. 37:02 He invites us, He says, what? 37:04 Come now and let us reason how together, saith the lord. 37:08 That's a great invitation. 37:10 Though your sins be as, what? Scarlet. 37:14 They shall be as white as snow, 37:18 though they be red like what, crimson, 37:22 they shall be how, as wool. 37:24 Ain't that wonderful? 37:25 He is saying, you had a terrible accident, 37:27 it's called the Adam crash. 37:29 Adam crashed in the Garden of Eden, 37:31 passed on a messed up vehicle to everybody 37:33 that was born into this world 37:35 and he went driving around wondering 37:37 how to get our vehicles fixed. 37:39 Because the Lord say, you are not taken 37:40 that messed up vehicle to heaven. 37:42 So Jesus comes down and he opens a body shop. 37:46 And he gets rid of our mortal body 37:49 and gives us a hope of his immortal body. 37:50 Can you say, amen? Amen. 37:52 He says those who bore the earthly 37:54 will one day bear the heavenly 37:56 and we look at ourselves and we say, 37:57 how is that gonna happen? 37:59 And then he says to us, 38:01 "Janice, it does not yet appear what you shall be." 38:05 Praise the Lord. 38:06 "But we do know when I'm done you'll see me 38:11 as I am because you be just like me." 38:14 Ain't that wonderful news? 38:15 That's what Jesus wants to do for every one of us. 38:17 He wants to clean us up so wonderfully that 38:20 so when you see your brother and sister stumbling, 38:23 don't write 'em off because God hasn't written you off. 38:26 He is working on us to fit us into his righteous kingdom 38:29 and he is saying to us, you can't do it without me. 38:33 What also amazed me is when I went to the body shop, 38:36 I looked in the back of that body shop 38:38 and I saw cars everywhere. 38:41 I mean, wind shields, roofs crushed in and I said, 38:46 now are those cars gonna be junk? 38:48 No, they're all in line to be fixed. 38:51 And I am thinking, man these guys are good. 38:53 And I looked at my Lord and said, 38:54 he is a lot better than they are, amen. 38:56 Because no matter how we were 38:58 through his diligent labor, 39:01 the cross, the body shop of humanity, 39:04 the cross, the blood shed 39:06 to cover our filthy righteousness. 39:08 Praise the Lord for that. 39:09 But it continues because here is the next question. 39:12 I am gonna drive this point home. 39:15 Question number five. 39:16 "How completely does the righteousness of Jesus 39:22 cover our sin?" How completely? 39:24 And I want you to notice I used the word, 39:26 S-I-N because I am not talking about S-I-N-S. 39:30 This is very important to understand. 39:32 For those who think I'm talking about marijuana 39:34 and drug abuse and stealing and pornography 39:37 and sexuality and all these things, 39:39 I'm not talking about that, those are sins, 39:41 those are itemized things that the fallen nature falls into. 39:45 But how completely does the righteousness of Christ, 39:48 Jesus cover our sin. 39:50 Here is how completely and the sin I'm talking about 39:52 is the broken nature that we got from Adam. 39:55 First John 1:9, here it is. 39:59 If--what's the first word? "If we confess our sins, 40:04 He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins 40:09 and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness." 40:15 Praise the Lord for that. 40:16 Not a partial cleansing, I've had my teeth cleaned before. 40:19 Anybody over here had your teeth cleaned at a dentist? 40:23 I read a story of a guy who said, 40:24 he really likes his dental hygienist, 40:27 so when he went to the-- before he went to the dentist 40:30 he will sit and eat a whole bag of Oreo cookies. 40:33 I mean Oreo cookies will really mess you up. 40:35 I mean really, if you've done that before it just, 40:38 it just stains everywhere. 40:40 But none of those stains existed 40:42 after he got a thorough cleaning. 40:44 In the very same way, 40:45 if we take our broken stained lives to Christ, 40:48 He so completely covers us. 40:50 The Bible says, He cleanses us from, how much? 40:53 All, A-L-L, all, all unrighteousness. 40:57 And that's the reality of this world. 40:59 You know we look at all the conditions of the world 41:01 politically and religiously and every other dichotomy 41:05 that exists in our world, but the only real issue, 41:07 let me just pause for a moment. 41:09 The only real issue, look up real quick, 41:12 the only real issue is not the gas prices, 41:17 not who's gonna be the next president, 41:19 not whether or not real estate is gonna go back up. 41:21 The only real issue in this life is, 41:24 are we going to accept the salvation 41:27 that Jesus offers to us? 41:31 Because He didn't come to save houses 41:32 and lower oil prices and get the right president. 41:37 He came to save sinners. What's the mission of Jesus? 41:41 For the son of man has come to seek 41:43 and to save that which was lost. 41:46 That's the mission of Jesus. 41:47 That's the only real issue in his life. 41:49 Everything else will be handled in time. 41:50 Everything that's an issue now 41:52 may not be an issue in four years. 41:55 But the real issue that will continue on 41:56 until sin is eradicated is whether or not 41:59 we'll accept the righteousness of Christ. 42:01 Question number six, Question number six, 42:05 and I like the way I put this. 42:06 You know I must-- some creatives here, 42:08 when I'm studying this lesson, 42:09 you know it's nice about this 42:11 I get the blessing of this lesson, 42:12 when I study it and then when I present it to you, 42:16 I get a double blessing. 42:17 I cut the tree down and I get the warmth of the firewood. 42:22 What makes the gospel "Good News?" 42:24 What makes it good news? 42:27 Romans 1 verse 16 and verse 17. 42:30 What makes it good news? I like this. 42:34 When Paul writes he begins the story 42:37 or the book to the Romans, he writes this way. 42:40 Romans 1 verse 16 and verse 17. 42:43 And he says, For I am not ashamed 42:48 of the gospel of Christ, but now get this, 42:52 for it is the, what's the next word? 42:55 Power of God to salvation for everyone who believes, 43:00 for the Jew first, and also for the Greek, 43:05 For in it, the righteousness of God is revealed, from what? 43:10 Faith to faith, as it is written together, 43:14 "The just shall live by faith." 43:18 Just shall live by-- so Paul says, 43:20 "I'm not ashamed of the gospel of Jesus Christ 43:22 because I know what it did for me." 43:24 Now what was Paul's name before Paul? 43:28 Saul. Right, okay. 43:30 This is something that's gonna happen 43:31 when we get to heaven. 43:32 Each of us is gonna have a new name. 43:35 The Lord illustrated that through 43:36 changing Saul's name to Paul. 43:38 He didn't want even the former things. 43:41 You know what's nice about that, 43:43 the Lord not only saves us, 43:46 but He enters us into a witness protection program. 43:51 Who is that? That's Paul. 43:53 Oh, he looked like Saul. Oh, so it's not Saul. 43:57 No, that's Paul. 43:58 Oh, okay because he sure does look like Saul. 44:01 That's not Saul, that's Paul. 44:03 Ain't that wonderful, did you get that? 44:05 That's not Greg-- that's not Mike, that's Greg. 44:08 He surely looks like Mike, no his new name is Greg. 44:11 He is the one married to Jill. 44:13 You mean to Julie. No, that was her former name. 44:17 She's now Jill. That's our local church joke here. 44:22 God not only changes your life, 44:24 but He gives us a new name, hallelujah to that, amen. 44:27 We're all gonna have a new name, 44:29 his name will be written on our foreheads. 44:31 He's gonna have a new name, we're gonna sing a new song. 44:34 He's come to make all things new, 44:35 a new Heaven and a new Earth, a new life. 44:37 But that new life is not just when we get there, 44:40 that new life is, N-O-W. 44:43 That's why the next question is so vitally important, 44:46 so vitally important. 44:48 "What role do we play in the act of Justification?" 44:51 Question number seven. 44:53 "What role do we play in the act of Justification?" 44:57 You know a lot of people say, well, what can I do? 44:59 You know when somebody gives you a gift you say, 45:01 well, what can I do? Accept it. 45:03 Well, is there anything I can do for you? 45:05 And you know sometime the greater the gift 45:07 the more expensive it is we say, 45:08 "Oh, I'm forever indebted to you." Am I right? 45:12 And I'll tell you, if the Lord explains to us, 45:14 how much He paid for us when we get to heaven. 45:17 We're gonna need eternity to pay Him back. 45:19 And still we'll never be able to do that. 45:21 But what role do we play in the act of justification? 45:24 Here it is, Romans 5, verse 6 to 8, 45:27 Romans 5 verse 6 to 8. 45:33 Okay. 45:37 Okay, that's okay. 45:40 Let's just go to Romans 5 verse 6 to 8. 45:43 Okay, that's humanity. 45:46 Thank the Lord for divinity, amen. 45:49 Romans 5 verse 6 to 8. 45:51 So good that those of you're watching 45:52 have the right syllabus. 45:54 Here we go, how completely does-- 46:05 what role do we play in the act of justification? 46:09 Okay Romans 5 verse 6 to 8. Are you ready? Here it is. 46:12 This is, for when we were, what? 46:15 Still without strength, in due time Christ did, what? 46:21 Died for the ungodly. 46:24 For scarcely for a righteous man will one die, 46:29 yet perhaps for a, what? 46:31 Good man someone would even dare to die. 46:35 But get this, this is the part we play. 46:38 But God demonstrates His love towards us, 46:42 in that while we were, what? 46:45 Still or yet sinners, Christ did what? Died for us. 46:49 What part do we play? What part do we play? 46:53 Absolutely none, because who did the dying? 46:55 Jesus. Who did the sinning? We did. 46:59 So notice this, while we were yet, 47:02 while we were still in sin, Christ died for us. 47:07 Now that's amazing because you know sometimes 47:09 if you think about this in the context of a family-- 47:12 have you heard of a will, a will? You've heard that? 47:15 You know last will and testament? 47:17 Well, the last will and testament of Jesus 47:19 was ratified at the cross by His shed blood. 47:24 And it was also passed on from generation to generation 47:26 that will come after Him. 47:29 So let's say somebody is born into your family 47:31 and this is the case in many families. 47:33 Sometimes a person may say, 47:35 "I come from a second generation Christian family," 47:38 second generation Baptist, third generation Adventist, 47:41 second generation Pentecostal. 47:42 It's almost like they're saying that 47:45 righteousness and spirituality can go 47:46 from generations to generations, but it can't. 47:50 As the Bible says I believe is in Ezekiel. 47:52 It says though Daniel, Job and Noah were in it, 47:55 they shall need to save son or daughter 47:57 by their righteousness. 47:59 Everybody has to find that righteousness. 48:01 But here is my point, somebody is born in the family 48:04 and when they get to the age of 18, 48:07 you say to them, did you know 48:08 that you're great grandfather 48:11 put you in his will before you were born? 48:15 He said when my great grandson is born 48:18 and that was before the woman 48:21 who gave him birth even was married, 48:25 that got married by God's grace, had a son, 48:28 and then the will now was in effect. 48:30 "When my great grandson is born, 48:32 when he hits 18, I've laid aside 48:34 ten million dollars for his education." 48:37 So here is this guy born into the family, 48:40 doesn't even know his great grandfather, 48:42 great grandfather died before he was even born. 48:45 But you sit him down and say, 48:46 today is your 18th birthday, 48:47 I've been waiting for this day to tell you something. 48:50 And he says, mom, I need $50 to go to mall. 48:52 She says, just relax I need to tell you something. 48:55 But mom the mall is gonna closed. 48:57 Relax, I need to tell you something. 49:01 But I need $50. Relax, I need to tell you something. 49:06 Your great grandfather whatever name is, 49:10 the first had your name in his will 49:13 under simply the title grandson. 49:17 And he put aside some money for you 49:18 that when and if you're born, 49:22 this money will be yours when you hit 18. 49:24 Mom, is it $50? No, son, it's 10 million. 49:31 Do you think he is concerned about 49:33 whether or not the mall is gonna close? 49:35 Absolutely not. He says, mall is gonna close, 49:37 I'll buy me a mall, I'll build me a mall. 49:42 Mom, are you serious? Mom, are you serious? 49:46 Let me show you the will. 49:48 Brothers and sisters, here's the will of God. 49:52 It's ratified, it's written down, 49:54 and if you don't believe it, for God's soul of the world, 49:58 here's the will that He gave his, what? 49:59 Only begotten son that whosoever 50:02 believeth in Him, what? 50:04 Should not perish, but have what? Everlasting life. 50:07 Ten million dollars is nothing 50:10 when you compare that to eternity. 50:11 I'm discovering nowadays you can spend 50:13 10 million dollars, but with all that money you have, 50:16 you cannot buy eternity because it's not for sale. 50:19 It's a free gift. But look at the next question. 50:23 Question number eight, Question number eight. 50:27 "Speaking of Jesus, how does Paul describe 50:31 the provisions of Justification?" 50:34 How does Paul describe 50:36 the provisions of Justification? 50:39 Romans Chapter 3, verse 25 and 26. 50:43 Romans Chapter 3, verse 25 and 26. 50:47 How does he describe the provisions of Justification? 50:51 Here's what the Bible says, 50:55 whom God set forth as a propitiation by His blood, 51:01 through faith, to do what? 51:04 To demonstrate His righteousness, 51:07 because in His forbearance 51:10 God had passed over the sins 51:13 that were and get this previously committed. 51:17 To demonstrate at the present time, His what? 51:21 His righteousness that He might be just 51:25 and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus. 51:30 That's a whole lot, isn't it? 51:32 But I want to break this down by simply saying this. 51:36 Reading the question again, "Speaking of Jesus, 51:38 how does Paul describe the provisions of Justification? 51:43 Jesus provides for sins that were previously, 51:47 come on let's say this together. 51:48 What's the word? Previously committed. 51:52 He not only makes provision for that, 51:55 but He's also the justifier, 51:57 He's just and he's also the justifier. 52:00 What I want you to write down 52:02 and this is what I want you to write down. 52:03 Write down, He is just and He is the justifier. 52:08 This is gonna open up really wonderful 52:10 like an artichoke right here. 52:12 We may not get all of it tonight, 52:13 but this is gonna open up amazingly. 52:15 Because when you think about, 52:17 let me put the context together. 52:19 When a person is in court and they have been accused 52:23 of committing a crime, until they admit 52:27 that they are guilty, they don't need mercy. 52:33 Do you follow me? 52:35 If they are not proven guilty, they don't think about mercy. 52:42 So lot of people today 52:44 although they are caught in the crime, how do you plead? 52:47 What do they often say? Not guilty. 52:50 When they plead not guilty, 52:51 you know what they want, they want justice. 52:54 If they are not guilty, justice demands 52:55 that they are what? Set free. 52:58 But when they are proven guilty, 53:00 has the jury reached the verdict, 53:04 all the angels that haven't look down on our record 53:06 and they say, as to the crime 53:09 and the first entitlement in the books of Heaven. 53:13 Sorry, Yannick. Yannick is declared guilty. 53:18 As to account number two in the provision 53:21 of the heavenly record, Yannick is declared guilty. 53:26 And he stands there completely flabbergasted 53:29 as to what I'm gonna do. 53:31 How am I gonna make my way through this. 53:33 I'm ending this program with a cliffhanger 53:35 because you have to comeback to find out 53:37 how Yannick is gonna be set free? 53:39 Until next week he's gonna be in the sad mode 53:42 because he knows, by the way everyone of us knows 53:46 that when the records are read 53:47 and when our records are read, 53:48 we're all guilty, what do you say? 53:50 Amen. Every one of us is. 53:51 But how does God remain just 53:54 a person who upholds his law 53:56 and sets the guilty free at the same time. 53:58 That's powerful thing to do. Amen. 54:01 Look at Romans Chapter 3, verse 21. 54:03 Question number nine. 54:04 I think this may be our last question for the night 54:06 because the other one goes to specific phases. 54:09 "How can Jesus be 'Just' 54:13 and the 'Justifier' at the same time?" 54:17 Because what's that doing is that puts Jesus 54:21 in the seat of the judge which He is, also in the seat 54:24 at the defense attorney, 54:27 because the defense attorney wants to do what? 54:28 Set you free. The judge wants to what? 54:31 The judge wants to do what? 54:33 Come on, tell me, the judge wants to do what? 54:36 The only role of the judge is to follow the law. 54:42 Because sometimes you can say the judge wants 54:43 to condemn you, the reason I ask that question 54:44 is because sometimes when you say, "Oh, great judge." 54:49 We think of him as wanting to condemn us. 54:50 His only role is to make sure and do everything 54:53 in harmony with the law. 54:55 That's why when people say 54:57 that the law of God is done away with. 54:59 You cannot have mercy, you cannot have justification, 55:03 you can't even be saved if there is no law. 55:07 Because if there is no law, there is no sin, 55:09 from what do you need salvation? 55:12 So when a church teaches that God's law has been 55:14 nailed to the cross, you need to leave that church 55:16 because you are lost. 55:18 Because they're preaching 55:20 a message that has nothing behind it. 55:25 It's not even a balloon with air in it. 55:28 But how can Jesus be just and justifier at the same time. 55:31 Romans 3, verse 21 to 22. 55:35 But now the righteousness of God, 55:39 what's the next word? 55:41 Apart from the law is revealed, 55:44 being witnessed by the Law and the Prophets, 55:48 even the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ 55:55 together to all and on all, who do what? 55:59 Believe. For there is what? No difference. 56:03 Now let me break that down because some people say, 56:05 "Uh, what did that mean?" 56:07 What did that in fact mean? 56:10 He is not only, you see the righteousness 56:13 that He is talking about that's apart from the law. 56:17 When the ceremonial law was carried out 56:20 throughout the ages before Christ came in 56:22 and became the Lamb of God. 56:24 You read the Book of Hebrew's Chapter 8, 56:26 Hebrew's Chapter 9, Hebrew's Chapter 10. 56:28 And the Bible says, 56:30 "Sacrifice and offering, I would not." 56:35 The blood of bulls and goats can never take away sin." 56:38 But that is what was witnessed by the law 56:42 and the prophets, they saw that. 56:44 But now Jesus says 56:47 my righteousness is apart from that. 56:50 Meaning that does not dictate my righteousness. 56:54 We are dictated by the faith that is in Christ Jesus. 56:57 So continue to tune in because we'll go back 57:00 and show you a Sharper Focus in the future. 57:02 God bless you. 57:08 Oh, I have a minute left, we'll praise the Lord. 57:11 I thought I had no time left. 57:13 I have justification. 57:16 Let me make myself very, very clear. 57:19 Jesus saves us apart from the commandments, 57:25 He saves us apart from the ceremonial law, 57:29 He justifies us, and He remains 57:33 just at the same time. 57:36 I want you to think about next week, 57:38 think about that because somebody may be saying. 57:40 Wait a minute. 57:41 Are you saying, Pastor John, that we don't need 57:45 to keep the commandments to be saved? 57:47 That's not what I'm saying. 57:49 The commandments remain firm, 57:51 the righteousness of Christ remains firm. 57:54 He is the justifier and He is also just. 57:56 May God bless you, until we see you next week. |
Revised 2014-12-17