Participants: John Lomacang
Series Code: ASHF
Program Code: ASHF000094
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00:20 Hello, friends,
00:21 welcome to another Wednesday night 00:23 Bible study here at the 3ABN Worship Center, 00:25 also known as the Thompsonville 00:27 Seventh-day Adventist Church. 00:29 Thank you for tuning in. 00:30 As we continue our study tonight 00:32 in the Word of God, 00:33 we are hoping to finish the topic 00:35 on "The Truth about God's True Church" 00:39 and begin a new lesson 00:40 on "The Truth about the Judgment." 00:42 And so take the next hour with us. 00:45 It's actually gonna be less than an hour 00:47 so you should have no excuse for not staying tuned in. 00:50 Get your Bibles, invite your family and friends 00:52 if you're joining us from church. 00:54 We thank you for tuning in tonight. 00:56 And we know that God has 00:57 a wonderful and powerful message 00:59 in store for every one of us. 01:00 Can we say amen to that? 01:02 The Lord always speaks to His people 01:04 when we gather together. 01:05 So tonight, before we do anything 01:07 before we even have our theme song, 01:10 join us as we go before the Lord in prayer. 01:13 Let's pray. 01:15 Gracious Father in heaven, we thank You that tonight, 01:19 we can come to You and ask for Your Holy Spirit 01:22 to be our teacher and our guide. 01:25 We can ask for You to enlighten our minds 01:27 and as we open Your Word, 01:29 may the page come alive to us. 01:33 May the message not only be intellectually understood, 01:36 but maybe spiritually discerned. 01:39 Be with us, Father, 01:40 and may all the blessings we receive 01:42 give You honor and glory. 01:43 We pray in Jesus' name. 01:44 Amen. 01:46 What time is it? It's time for our what? 01:49 Time for our theme song. 01:51 Let's sing this song together, 01:53 "Victory in Jesus." 02:03 Are you ready? 02:04 I heard an old, old story 02:08 How the Savior came from glory 02:12 How He gave His life on Calvary 02:15 To save a wretch like me 02:19 I heard about His groaning 02:23 Of His precious blood's atoning 02:27 Then I repented of my sin 02:31 And won the victory 02:33 Together. 02:35 O victory in Jesus 02:38 My Savior forever 02:42 He sought me and bought me 02:46 With His redeeming blood 02:50 He loved me ere I knew Him 02:53 And all my love is due Him 02:57 He plunged me to victory 03:01 Beneath the cleansing flood 03:05 I heard about a mansion 03:08 He has built for me in glory 03:12 And I heard about the streets of gold 03:16 Beyond the crystal sea 03:20 About the angels singing 03:24 And the old redemption story 03:27 And some sweet day I'll sing up there 03:31 The song of victory 03:34 Key change. 03:35 O victory in Jesus 03:39 My Savior forever 03:42 He sought me and bought me 03:46 With His redeeming blood 03:50 He loved me ere I knew Him 03:54 And all my love is due Him 03:58 He plunged me to victory 04:01 Beneath the cleansing flood 04:05 He plunged me to victory 04:09 Beneath the cleansing flood 04:15 Amen. 04:17 You know, I said beneath the cleansing blood, 04:18 flood, same thing. 04:20 The cleansing flood is the cleansing blood. 04:22 Amen? 04:24 Well, we are gonna continue tonight 04:25 on our topic, 04:27 The Truth about 04:28 God's True Church. 04:32 There is so much being said nowadays 04:33 and this topic has fascinated me 04:36 not that we could cover it in great, great detail. 04:39 But we have covered up to question number 16 04:42 thus far and tonight, 04:44 if you'd like a copy of the lesson, 04:45 go to this following website 04:48 asf.3abn.org 04:52 and download lesson number 27 04:55 and then 28 04:57 because if we get through these questions quickly enough, 05:00 we'll begin a new lesson 05:01 on The Truth about the Judgment. 05:03 The Truth about the Judgment, 05:04 download the lessons from that website asf.3abn.org, 05:09 don't put www, 05:11 and you'll have a copy of the lesson for tonight. 05:13 Now let me begin by talking about the word love. 05:16 Love has been one of the most misused words 05:21 in the English language. 05:23 It means more things in the Greek than it does 05:25 in the English language, 05:26 or one of the texts in the Bible 05:28 when Jesus had a conversation with Peter. 05:31 And He said, "Peter, do you love Me?" 05:33 And Peter said, "I love you." 05:36 And then He said, "Peter, do you love Me?" 05:38 And he said, "I love you." 05:40 And you would wonder, 05:41 why would Jesus keep asking Peter, 05:44 do you love Me when he said I love you? 05:46 Well, the English language has such limitations. 05:49 Jesus asked Peter, "Peter, do you agape me?" 05:52 And Peter said, "Lord, I philia you." 05:55 That means I love you like a brother. 05:56 I don't love you unconditionally next yet. 05:59 He said, "Peter, do you agape Me?" 06:01 Do you love Me unconditionally? 06:02 He said, "No, I philia you." 06:04 I love you like a brother. 06:06 And then He said, "Peter, if you philia Me, 06:09 if you love Me like a brother, feed My sheep." 06:12 See the English language is so limited 06:14 when it comes to love. 06:15 You know people today, they say, 06:17 "Oh, I love your scarf." 06:19 "I love that jacket." 06:20 "I love the way that taste." 06:22 "Woo! I love that fragrance." 06:24 "Aye! I love that car." 06:25 And it's so misused today. 06:27 When you ask people, "Do they love the Lord?" 06:30 It kind of blends into hot chocolate, 06:33 a car, or the taste of a donut. 06:36 We've got to get back to the true meaning of love. 06:39 Come on, say amen to that. Amen! 06:40 Because love has been so misused 06:42 that when you say, "Do you love Lord?" 06:43 People say, "I love the Lord." 06:45 But the test is not in how, what you say, 06:47 the test is in what you mean. 06:49 Right? 06:51 So we should say I like that donut. 06:53 Now when I say I love my wife, that's the appropriate way. 06:57 If I say, "Honey, I like you like a sister." 06:59 She'll say, "Something wrong." 07:01 Is there something wrong because some people nowadays, 07:04 you know, some people say I, you know, 07:06 I know we're married, but I love him like a brother. 07:09 I say you married him for the wrong reason. 07:11 You know, you got to love him like a husband, 07:13 love her like a wife, 07:14 love Jesus, for the love He is worthy. 07:18 But don't put the love for Jesus 07:20 and love for donuts on the same platform. 07:22 Amen? 07:23 Today as we begin with question number 17. 07:26 This is the reason why I lay the foundation 07:28 because there are many Christians today, 07:30 they say, "I love the Lord." 07:32 But He says, "How much?" 07:34 Let's go to the question for tonight. 07:37 Question for tonight. 07:39 How do we know 07:40 that God's Ten Commandments are love centered? 07:46 How do we know that God's Ten Commandments 07:49 are love centered? 07:51 I am just sometimes beyond reason 07:54 when people say 07:56 when you mentioned the commandments, 07:57 it goes right away in the minds of even many Christians, 08:00 are you those guys that are bound? 08:04 Bound, bound, bound, 08:08 let's read the text and see how bounding it is? 08:12 Let's see what bounds it? 08:14 What binds it? 08:15 I'm not messing with the English language. 08:16 But here it is. 08:18 John 14:15. Look what the Bible says. 08:20 And I'd like us to begin by reading this together. 08:21 Are you ready? 08:23 "If you love Me, keep My commandments." 08:27 How could such a beautiful statement of Jesus 08:31 be distilled down to legalism? 08:34 It always amazes me. 08:36 You know, you... 08:38 That was nailed to the cross. 08:40 When Jesus said, "If you love Me," 08:43 He didn't mean beyond the cross. 08:45 He meant up to the cross. 08:47 No, He didn't. 08:48 He meant love Me before the cross, 08:51 at the cross, and after the cross. 08:53 Amen? 08:54 And so today when people think of the commandments of God, 08:57 that's why this topic is appropriate, 08:59 The Truth about God's True Church. 09:02 If you're in a church that teaches 09:03 that the commandments of God are irrelevant, 09:06 get your Bible and run to the hills 09:10 'cause you're in a wrong place. 09:13 It's not about the music. 09:15 It's not, there are so many people 09:16 who love music nowadays. 09:18 They are more in love with the feeling 09:20 that music brings than in the obedience 09:22 that God's Word requires. 09:25 Some people wanna raise their hands 09:26 but lower their standards. 09:28 You cannot raise your hands and lower your standards. 09:32 You got to raise your standards. 09:33 And if your hands go up at the same time, 09:35 hey, that's an extra, 09:36 but you don't raise your standard. 09:38 Raise your hands and lower your standards. 09:41 The Lord says, "If you love Me," 09:42 and the word love there doesn't mean, 09:44 Lord, I love the way You look today. 09:47 Lord, I love that miracle You performed. 09:49 This is agape love. 09:52 In other words, 09:53 is there anything that the Lord can do 09:55 that will keep us from loving Him? 09:58 Is there anything that He can require of us? 10:01 Then we'll say, "Ah! 10:02 Well, you know, Lord, 10:03 that love I have for You just went down the drain." 10:06 Absolutely not. 10:07 But so many Christians are taught 10:09 by churches, by pastors, by leaders, 10:11 by doctors of theology, 10:14 how on earth can you have a doctor of theology 10:17 and teach someone 10:18 that God's commandments are irrelevant? 10:21 That shows you that they got a degree, 10:25 but they're gonna face the third degree 10:28 if they don't get that right. 10:31 That's why the lesson the judgment 10:32 is right after this. 10:34 We got to be careful what we teach 10:35 and what we believe. 10:37 So if you love Me... 10:38 Now what's the basis of this? 10:39 If you what? 10:41 Love me. 10:42 Love is the first thing. 10:44 Matter of fact, the things we do for love, 10:46 you heard that song, 10:48 you know, heard that the things we do for love. 10:50 The Lord is not asking you to do anything for love. 10:53 He's asking you simply to be obedient to Him. 10:55 He's not saying walk on your hands. 10:57 He's not saying stand out on the rain. 10:59 He's not saying flog yourself or do 100 pushups. 11:02 He's not asking you to do any strange thing. 11:05 He simply saying, "If you love Me, 11:07 I need some proof." 11:08 Right? 11:10 How many people that you say you love them, 11:11 but you don't ever show any evidence of that? 11:14 You see the evidence of God's love 11:15 is what you are willing to be obedient to. 11:18 If you love Me, together, keep My commandments. 11:22 Let's go to the next text. 1 John 5:2-3. 11:27 1 John 5:2-3. 11:30 I mean, the reason why I sometimes answer questions 11:33 that sometimes people here are not asking 11:35 is because I know the arguments, 11:37 after being a pastor going on 28 years now 11:39 giving Bible studies for longer than that, 11:42 man, there's so many arguments that come up, the people, 11:45 the countenance of some people change 11:47 when you mentioned the commandments. 11:49 Ah! 11:50 It's a reaction that says to me, 11:52 it's not love that's behind that, 11:54 it's fear that's behind that or some other motive. 11:57 I can't judge because I don't know them personally, 12:00 but notice what the Lord says. 12:02 That reminds us 12:03 that His commandments are love centered. 12:05 1 John 5:2-3, 12:09 look at what the Bible says. 12:11 "By this we know that we," what? 12:15 "Love the children of God, 12:18 when we love God and," what? 12:21 "Keep His commandments." 12:24 Continuing, "For this is the love of God, 12:27 that we," do what? 12:29 "Keep his commandments. 12:31 And His commandments are not," what? 12:34 "Burdensome." 12:36 Grievous. 12:37 Another word King James Version, grievous, 12:39 New King James, burdensome. 12:41 So when you say to somebody, 12:42 you're under the burden, you're under the bondage. 12:45 It's not. 12:47 It's not burdensome. 12:49 Imagine. Oh! 12:52 Oh, I got to keep the commandments. 12:54 What am I gonna do? 12:57 God's not putting 100 pound bag of potatoes on your back. 13:00 He's simply saying, 13:01 "If your heart is a heart filled with love for Me," 13:04 but I want you to notice what He said in verse 2, 13:06 this is powerful. 13:08 If you could bring verse 2 back up on the screen for me, 13:09 I want you to, I want you to see that 13:12 both the first four and the last six commandments 13:15 are summarized in this verse. 13:17 Look at verse 2, again, 13:19 "By this we know that we love the children of God, 13:23 when we," do what? 13:24 "Love God and keep His commandments." 13:27 Okay, thank you for that. 13:28 Now watch this. 13:30 If you love God, 13:32 whom you don't see, 13:34 then you can get to the place 13:35 where you love those that you do see. 13:39 He said, "We know that we love the children of God." 13:43 When? 13:44 If we love God, and keep His commandments, 13:48 when we love Him, we will love them. 13:51 Some people will say, 13:53 "Well, all you got to do is love your neighbor. 13:56 You don't have to keep the commandments." 13:58 But you can't love your neighbor 14:02 unless you keep the commandments 14:04 because the commandments are love. 14:07 This is the love of God. 14:09 Look at second, so write this down. 14:11 John 14:15. 14:13 How do we know that God's Ten Commandments 14:15 are love centered? 14:17 If you love Me, write that down. 14:18 If you love Me, that's the answer. 14:20 Second one, 14:22 1 John 5:2-3. 14:24 How do we know that God's Ten Commandments 14:26 are love centered? 14:27 When we love God and love His children. 14:30 When we love God and love His children, 14:33 and when it's not a burden. 14:36 Did you hear that? When it's not a burden. 14:39 You know, what a burden is? 14:41 When you're asking too much. 14:44 On the contrary, the Bible says 14:46 what shall I render to You, Lord, 14:48 for all Your benefits toward me? 14:52 What can I do? What else can I do, Lord? 14:54 Okay, okay, what else can I do, Lord? 14:56 Is there anything that we would not be 14:58 willing to do for Jesus that He's not done for us? 15:02 When somebody saves your life, 15:03 and, you know, I think sometimes 15:05 that whole concept of saved 15:07 is so best in other words, that's so misused, 15:09 love and saved, 15:11 I'm saved, from what? 15:14 Let's get that right. 15:15 You got to understand how to answer that. 15:17 You're saved. Saved from what? 15:18 If you are Christian, you're saved 15:20 from the penalty of sin. 15:22 You no longer on death row, 15:23 but you're not saved from the power 15:26 unless you accept the indwelling Holy Spirit. 15:29 When you accept the indwelling Holy Spirit, 15:31 then only can you be saved from the power of sin. 15:35 And one day when Jesus comes 15:36 we'll all be saved from the presence of sin. 15:39 So when you say you're saved. 15:40 Some people say, are you saved? 15:42 I was saved on March 4th 1983. 15:46 Have you been saved since then? 15:49 What do you mean? 15:50 If you only been saved on that day? 15:52 What about saved after that day? 15:55 Amen, somebody? 15:57 Let me ask the question. 15:58 How often are you tempted? 16:01 How often? Everyday. 16:03 Which means we all have to be saved 16:04 from the power of sin. 16:06 And let me ask a question, 16:08 maybe I can get a resounding answer to that. 16:11 Is sin powerful? 16:12 Yes. 16:16 It is powerful. 16:17 It is powerful, 16:19 but who's more powerful than sin? 16:21 Jesus. 16:22 Okay, I just want to make it clear. 16:23 Let's not glorify sin. 16:25 Let's glorify the Savior. 16:27 Jesus is more powerful than sin on any day. 16:31 He's able to save to the uttermost, 16:33 those who come unto God through Him, 16:36 seeing that He ever lives to make intercession. 16:38 You know what intercession is? 16:40 He steps between you and the sin. 16:42 He steps between us 16:44 when the sin wants to hit you, Jesus steps. 16:46 No, when the sin wants to bring you down, 16:48 you call on Jesus. 16:49 He steps in. He's the intercessor. 16:53 He's the mediator. 16:55 He keeps our name before the Father. 16:57 So this whole idea that 16:59 His commandments are some difficulty, 17:01 just doesn't even match. 17:02 Let's look at the third text. 17:03 2 John 6. 17:05 2 John 6, since there's only one chapter. 17:09 2 John 6. 17:11 This, the Bible is so clear. 17:14 Oh, it's amazed, the Bible is so clear. 17:17 Here's the verse, 17:18 well, I'll bring it on the screen. 17:20 It says, "This is love, 17:22 that we walk according to," what? 17:25 "His commandments. 17:27 This is the commandment, 17:29 that as you have heard from the beginning, 17:32 you should walk in it." 17:34 So how long has it been around? 17:36 From the beginning. 17:38 That means not only from the beginning of time, 17:41 but the Lord says, ever since I told you this, 17:43 I'm not gonna tell you anything new. 17:45 The same thing I told you when I met you 17:49 is the same thing I'm telling you now. 17:51 I'm not changing my tune. 17:52 Some people want Jesus to change His tune. 17:54 And so they say, 17:56 "Well, He nailed the law to the cross." 17:58 No, the law nailed Him to the cross. 18:01 The wages of the sin is what? 18:03 Death. Death. 18:04 What is sin? The transgression of the law. 18:07 If Jesus nailed the cross, the law to the cross... 18:09 If He nailed the law to the cross, 18:11 He didn't have to be nailed to the cross. 18:13 But because the law 18:14 could not be nailed to the cross, 18:16 Jesus had to be nailed to the cross. 18:17 The law required death. 18:19 The wages of sin is what? 18:21 Death. 18:22 If He could have changed it, Sister Zeta, 18:25 He could have said, you know what? 18:27 Let me get rid of this so I don't have to die. 18:28 Come on, how many of us would have done that? 18:30 If I could just get rid of this, 18:32 I won't have to die. 18:33 Like some of us, 18:34 if we just get rid of this parking ticket 18:37 or if we get rid of this thing that's in our way, 18:39 we would prefer to get rid of something 18:42 than let it take us to hardship. 18:44 But Jesus chose not to do that. 18:45 The law cannot be abrogated. 18:48 A big word for many, He can't get done away with. 18:50 You know why? 18:52 Because the commandments reflect the character of God. 18:56 It's His character. 18:57 It is our Magna Carta. 18:59 It is heaven's constitution. 19:01 If you try to get rid of the constitution, 19:03 you know, matter of fact, the government falls 19:05 when the constitution is null and void. 19:07 When the laws of that land had been... 19:11 Let me use the word here, repudiated. 19:14 When the laws of the land are repudiated, 19:17 you got to bring in martial law 19:19 because everything is chaos. 19:21 God is not gonna have chaos in heaven. 19:23 Amen, somebody? 19:24 But His church, His church on earth 19:27 is reflecting to the world 19:28 what kind of government God will have 19:31 by our love for one another, and by our love for God, 19:34 and it's all encapsulated in the Ten Commandments. 19:38 The first four, love for God. 19:40 The last six are love for our fellowmen. 19:43 I don't know why. 19:45 I mean, I know the answer. 19:46 I'll tell you, you know, 19:48 but it's amazing to me that Christians 19:49 that claim they are saved 19:52 and the commandments are done away with, 19:53 I just cannot help but ask, why do you need to be saved. 19:57 If you believe the commandments are done away with, 20:00 you don't need to be saved 'cause there's no sin. 20:03 Right? 20:04 I mean, you go to the Autobahn in Germany, 20:06 you're not gonna be looking for police to catch you 20:07 with a radar detector or radar 20:11 because they don't have radar on the Autobahn. 20:14 Open that carburetor and push that gas pedal down 20:18 'cause there are no police gonna stop you on Autobahn. 20:21 Matter of fact, on the Autobahn, 20:22 if you going too slow the other drivers get upset. 20:27 But in God's government, 20:28 there are limitations and there are parameters. 20:30 Don't think of the commandments as a burden. 20:33 Think of the commandments as a parameter, 20:35 as the government of God, 20:36 is the character of God, 20:38 as the principles by which we will live 20:40 throughout eternity. 20:41 See, think of it as the fence 20:45 that if you under the fence, 20:48 it'll keep all those unwanted factions 20:51 on the other side. 20:53 Think of it as the yellow line. 20:54 You could drive down the road, if you ignore the yellow line, 20:56 well, that's a tragic thing. 20:58 So the commandments of God, 20:59 God's Church will keep His commandments. 21:02 Amen? 21:04 Now I mentioned a moment ago. 21:05 Let's go to very next question. Question number 18. 21:07 I mentioned a moment ago as we go to this question 21:09 that one of the things that are 21:12 so vitally important is, 21:16 this next question tells you why you have to be sure 21:18 that you're in the right place 21:20 because if you're not in the right place, 21:22 you are part of Babylon. 21:23 We're gonna do a lesson on Babylon one day. 21:26 If you're not in the right place, 21:27 you can be fooled by the wine of Babylon. 21:31 You see the wine of Babylon, you know, wine does? 21:34 I used to be a casual drinker, I would never go to the store. 21:36 And this is before I became a Christian. 21:38 This is before I got baptized years ago, 21:40 when I was a disc jockey in New York City. 21:41 I was a casual drinker, 21:43 meaning I didn't go and buy hard whiskey. 21:45 I never bought beer, 21:47 but I was one of those guys that bought mixed drinks. 21:49 You know, it's sweet, 21:51 but the alcohol is still in there. 21:54 There are some people 21:56 that think the message is sweet. 21:59 But if you are ignoring God's law, 22:00 the alcohol is still in there. 22:05 It may sound sweet, 22:07 but if God's law has been taken out, 22:09 the alcohol is in there. 22:11 And what it does in Babylon, it inebriates. 22:14 The word inebriate means 22:16 you are unable to differentiate between right and wrong. 22:18 The one thing that a person can do 22:20 when they get rid of God's law, 22:22 as a person that has been inebriated or drunk 22:25 is they can't walk a straight line. 22:28 So that's why the Lord says, 22:30 "Straight is the way and narrow is the path 22:32 that leads to eternal life." 22:33 Not restrictive at any means. 22:36 But you have to be careful. 22:37 You got to walk a straight line. 22:39 Amen, somebody? 22:40 Lord say don't live no crooked life 22:41 and trying to make it into the kingdom. 22:43 You got to walk a straight line 22:44 and the commandments of God are the parameters 22:45 by which we walk. 22:48 The Lord says, "I have no greater joy 22:49 than to hear that My children walk in truth." 22:51 Matter of fact, before we bring the question up, 22:52 go to 2 John Chapter, was only one chapter. 22:56 But 2 John, 22:58 uh... 23:01 Yeah, let's look at verse 4. 23:02 2 John 4. 23:04 This is wonderful. 23:07 See, 2 John 4, 23:10 "I rejoiced greatly 23:11 that I have found some of your children," 23:14 doing what? 23:15 "Walking in truth, 23:17 as we received commandment from the Father." 23:19 So the Lord wants His children to do what? 23:23 Walk in truth. 23:24 In 1 John, He says, "I have no greater joy 23:27 than to hear that My children walk in truth." 23:30 You cannot separate, that is vitally important 23:31 that you know that where you are is a place 23:34 where the commandments of God are kept. 23:36 And you know what? Let me just make this point. 23:38 When you apply that litmus test to Christianity, 23:44 and you think it's hard to find out 23:45 what God's true church is, 23:47 you'll eliminate 90% of them. 23:51 Am I telling you the truth? 23:53 Not that they're not great, wonderful Christians. 23:55 That's why this next text is so vitally important. 23:58 You'll eliminate 90% 24:00 of the so-called "True churches," 24:03 if you just apply that litmus test. 24:06 Look for the commandments of God, 24:07 and if they're missing, ask the pastor, 24:10 "Pastor, does your church keep the Ten Commandments?" 24:13 That's been nailed up, later. 24:16 If he starts that's been nailed then for the Jews only, 24:19 I'm out of here. 24:20 That's why this next question is vitally important. 24:22 Here it is. 24:23 What additional message would God's last day church proclaim? 24:28 What additional message would God's last day 24:31 church proclaim? 24:32 Go to Revelation Chapter 18. 24:35 Revelation Chapter 18. 24:36 You know, 24:38 we are living in the time where the lines of demarcation, 24:41 that means you could hardly tell. 24:44 Sometimes, the truth lies so close, 24:47 sometimes error reflects tries 24:50 to take on the character of truth so closely 24:54 that the Bible says if possible, 24:56 speaking of the deception, 24:57 if possible, 24:58 he will deceive the very elect. 25:01 Thank God for if 25:03 because the very elect are shielded from deception 25:07 because they are the Word of God as Psalms 91, 25:11 "Your truth shall be my shield and my defense, 25:14 or my shield and my buckler." 25:16 When error comes, I've got a shield, the truth, 25:19 the truth of God's Word and His commandments are truth, 25:21 but look at Revelation 18. 25:23 And let's go ahead and begin with verse 1 25:25 just to give the full context. 25:27 Sometimes, when you don't do the context, 25:30 it becomes pretext. 25:31 Let's look at this. 25:33 Revelation 18:1, 25:34 "After these things I saw another angel 25:36 coming down from heaven, having the great authority, 25:38 and the earth was illuminated with his glory. 25:41 And he cried mightily with a loud voice, saying, 25:43 'Babylon the great is fallen, is fallen, 25:45 and has become the habitation of demons, 25:47 and a prison for every foul spirit, 25:49 and a cage for every unclean and hated bird! 25:54 Here's the reason for all nations have drunk 25:56 of the wine of the wrath of her fornication, 25:58 the kings of the earth, that's political leaders, 26:01 have committed fornication with her. 26:03 And the merchants of the earth have become rich 26:06 through the abundance of her luxury.'" 26:09 Now verse 4, here is on the screen. 26:11 "And I heard another voice from heaven saying together, 26:15 'Come out of her," what? 26:19 "My people, lest you share in her sins, 26:22 and lest you receive of her," what? 26:25 "Plagues.'" 26:26 Now let's just pause and think about that. 26:28 A moment ago, we define what sin is. 26:30 What is sin? 26:31 The transgression of law. 26:33 Lest you share in her transgression her sins. 26:37 She is a system that continues to transgress 26:41 because there could not be sin in Babylon 26:45 if God's commandments were being honored. 26:49 Lest you share in her sins, what is the share in her sins? 26:53 What's the wages of sin? 26:54 Death, that's the only share you get, you don't get... 26:57 I said this not too long ago 26:59 and I was saying this to David Butler, 27:01 I was preaching a few weeks ago. 27:04 Some people think that hell is gonna be an endless party. 27:11 Some people think the hell is gonna be an endless drink 27:14 or endless clubs. 27:17 No, everything comes to an end in hell. 27:21 And I'm amazed 27:22 how when the Lord is saying to His people 27:24 come out of darkness into this marvelous light. 27:28 Come out of Babylon, My people. 27:30 See today as I'm proclaiming this message, 27:33 there are many of you that are agitated by it 27:35 and you're saying, I think I'm in the wrong place 27:37 'cause I remember somewhere pastor said 27:39 that the commandments were nailed to the cross. 27:41 I better check this thing out. 27:44 If you check it out, 27:45 let God's Word be your final guide. 27:47 Don't put any clergy between you and your salvation. 27:52 If they speak not according to this word, 27:54 to the law and to the testimony, 27:55 if they speak not according to this word, 27:58 it is because there is how much light? 27:59 No light. 28:01 Don't get fooled by the garb 28:05 because people nowadays anybody could be a preacher. 28:10 You know, got the holy garb, 28:12 you go to the nearest Christian bookstore 28:14 and buy all the Christian garb, 28:15 you get yourself a robe, collar, 28:18 you know, you could look religious and holy, 28:20 but the Bible says 28:22 God does not look at the outer appearance, 28:23 He looks at the heart. 28:25 Amen? 28:26 It's what's going on on the inside. 28:28 Come out of her. 28:29 God is saying that His people are in many places 28:31 that He doesn't want to be. 28:32 He's calling them out. 28:34 Is your church proclaiming Revelation 18, 28:36 the message to come out of Babylon, 28:38 the second angel's message, Babylon is fallen. 28:41 Now let me just make a point here, 28:43 which fits right here. 28:44 So answer the question, 28:46 what additional message 28:47 would God's last day church proclaim? 28:49 Come out of Babylon. Come out of Babylon. 28:52 The word Babylon means confusion. 28:54 Matter of fact, 28:56 we were just taping some Bible stories. 28:59 Miss Brenda was doing Bible stories 29:01 for the last three weeks and they, 29:03 did they do the Tower of Babel? 29:04 Yeah. 29:06 Now Babel, another word for Babel, actually is babel. 29:08 It's what babies do. 29:10 You don't know what they're saying. 29:13 And they don't know what they're saying. 29:14 They know what they mean intellect, 29:16 they know what they're trying to communicate, 29:17 but it's as... 29:21 They don't know what they're saying, 29:22 and neither do you. 29:23 What the Lord in essence is saying to us, 29:25 as you'll be in a church 29:28 where even preachers are so inebriated by darkness, 29:31 they don't even know what they're saying. 29:33 All you got to do is peruse YouTube 29:35 and see some of the craziest sermons 29:36 on earth. 29:38 Some of them that I'm amazed that some of those preachers 29:40 that say what they do is still alive. 29:43 God is a God of mercy, isn't He not? 29:45 So He's saying to preachers and leaders alike, come out. 29:48 Matter of fact, let me show you something. 29:51 Thank you, Lord, for tapping me on the shoulder. 29:53 Go with me to Corinthians. 30:00 2 Corinthians Chapter 11. 30:06 2 Corinthians Chapter 11. 30:09 What we don't know is 30:10 sometimes we underestimate the power of Satan. 30:14 Now... 30:18 You can go to an army surplus store 30:21 and buy an entire military uniform. 30:25 What do you wanna be? 30:26 Army, Navy, Air Force, Marines. 30:28 What do you wanna be? 30:29 Army surplus means they have a surplus. 30:32 You can buy the cap, 30:33 you can buy all the outfits of police. 30:35 Matter of fact, there was a story of a guy 30:37 that had done that in the state of Georgia. 30:39 He was pulling people over, 30:40 he had on the entire outfit of a police. 30:43 So all he did was put in his unmarked car 30:46 a rotating red light. 30:47 And so what had happened was the people of that town 30:50 hearing about this were afraid to stop 30:53 and there was one lady 30:54 that a real police was following her 30:56 and she chose not to stop, 30:57 she was gonna keep on driving 30:58 until she stopped at the police station. 31:00 But he pulled her over before that. 31:02 And she had, they had this argument. 31:04 She said, "I thought you were that guy 31:05 that was pulling people over." 31:07 He was robbing them and crimes have been committed, 31:10 he would pull them over late at night. 31:12 Who would not stop 31:14 if they saw police light behind them 31:15 and a guy walking up to them in a uniform 31:17 that looked just like a police? 31:18 Roll your window down, sir, roll your window down, ma'am. 31:21 And then the crime will be committed. 31:23 Well, that's what the devil has done nowadays. 31:26 He has gotten the whole outfit down pat. 31:30 But be careful. 31:31 He's got a red light and he's coming after you. 31:33 Make sure that you stand on truth 31:35 so they won't be able to get you. 31:36 Notice 2 Corinthians 11:13. 31:39 Look what the Bible says, 31:41 "For such are false apostles," 31:45 you could read the context to find out, 31:47 "deceitful workers," what are they doing? 31:50 "Transforming themselves into apostles of Christ." 31:55 You've heard the phrase Transformers, 31:56 the kids have that game, he used to look like a cop 31:58 and all of a sudden you bended it up 32:00 and all of a sudden becomes a big old transformer. 32:03 Look at what they do, who's behind it? 32:05 "And no wonder or no marvel, 32:08 "For Satan himself," verse 14, 32:11 "transforms himself into," what? 32:15 "An angel of light." 32:16 Be careful when you say 32:18 you had an encounter with an angel. 32:23 Because if he preaches any other gospel, 32:25 by the way, 32:26 angel encounters are not common. 32:28 If you have an encounter with an angel 32:30 and you feel weird, 32:31 you better start praying. 32:33 But look at verse 15. 32:34 "Therefore it is no great thing if his," what's the next word? 32:39 "If his ministers also transform themselves 32:43 into ministers of righteousness, 32:46 whose end will be according to their," what? 32:48 "Works." 32:50 We gonna talk about that in the judgment, 32:51 the next lesson. 32:52 So be careful, don't get caught up 32:54 in the outward appearance 32:55 because I tell you what? 32:58 I've looked at some of the major religions 33:00 of the world. 33:01 And believe me, some of the garb 33:03 and some of the outfits that they wear, 33:04 they look ecclesiastical. 33:06 They look very holy. 33:08 And they... 33:14 I don't want to belittle, but it could sound holy. 33:17 It could be even reverend. 33:18 You know, if reverence is what's gonna get you, 33:20 the devil can make an unholy place 33:22 seem really reverend. 33:24 Don't get pulled 33:26 and let the Word of God be your measurement. 33:27 What do you say? 33:29 Here's the reason why? 33:30 So question 18 is, 33:33 what's the message? 33:34 Babylon, come out of her? 33:36 Let's go to question number 19. 33:38 We just have a few more. 33:39 I think we will get to the judgment tonight. 33:41 It's pretty close. I think we're gonna get there. 33:44 And lot of people talk about angels. 33:47 We're gonna do a specific lesson on that. 33:50 Encounters of a Third Kind, 33:54 just to let you know, there's so many things 33:55 that people nowadays 33:57 think their mother visited them 33:58 or, you know, they got a message 34:00 from a psychic that confirmed that he was or she was talking 34:03 to their dead loved ones is foolishness. 34:07 But people are being fooled by it. 34:09 Question number 19. Here it is. 34:11 How do we know that Jesus has followers 34:14 in other churches? 34:15 How do we know that? 34:16 Let's go to John 10:16. 34:18 This is a beautiful chapter. 34:20 This is the chapter 34:22 that depicts Jesus as the Shepherd 34:24 and as the Door. 34:26 He's the Shepherd and He is the Door. 34:29 What kind of Shepherd is Jesus? 34:31 Somebody tell me? Good Shepherd. 34:32 He's the Good Shepherd. He's the Good Shepherd. 34:36 He doesn't beat His sheep. 34:40 Okay, John 10:16. 34:42 Here we are. 34:46 The Bible says, 34:47 "And other sheep I have which are not of this," what? 34:53 "Fold, them also I should bring," 34:56 what's the next word? 34:58 Say with me, must, 35:00 "them also I must bring, and they will hear My voice, 35:05 and there will be one flock and," what? 35:08 "One shepherd." 35:10 I want you to know the emphatic nature 35:12 of that text. 35:14 Other sheep I have which are not of this fold, 35:19 the emphasis and, you know what? 35:20 Those who are searching the Word of God, 35:22 they will follow the voice of the shepherd. 35:23 Amen? Isn't that wonderful? 35:25 We have many right in this, right in, 35:27 we have in our church right in this room tonight. 35:29 We have people that are walking in every week. 35:32 I heard something on 3ABN that kind of troubled me, 35:34 I wanna follow it up. 35:36 I wanna also tell you, 35:37 don't ever get discouraged 35:39 whenever you begin to investigate truth 35:40 because there is no greater 35:43 second attack by Satan, 35:47 like the attack that happens 35:48 when you decide to investigate truth. 35:51 Be very careful not to get discouraged 35:53 when your aim is to investigate the truth of God's Word. 35:56 But notice what he says. 35:58 Other sheep I have which are not of this fold, 36:00 them also I must bring. 36:03 He didn't say, might bring. 36:05 In other words, God is not content 36:06 for His people to remain in the wrong place. 36:10 Amen for that? 36:11 He wants them to be where He is. 36:13 Matter of fact, He said that in John 14, 36:15 that where I am there you may be also. 36:18 I'm coming back to get you, 36:19 but I got to get you out of there, 36:21 so I can get you into there. 36:23 Don't get enamored by the beautiful programs 36:25 and the stained glass window 36:27 and the massive community outreach 36:28 and all the good things that are happening 36:30 because you could be so busy doing things 36:33 and leave out the essentials. 36:35 You could be very busy doing things. 36:38 I know how that is. 36:39 Sometimes they get so busy 36:41 doing everything else, they go, oh, 36:43 got to get my sermon information 36:44 to Celestine. 36:46 You know, you can get so busy that the essential things. 36:49 Essential, sometimes eating could be essential. 36:54 My wife calls me, "Did you eat yet?" 36:56 "Oh, forgot." 36:57 "Do you know what time it is?" 37:00 "Okay, I'm gonna go eat." 37:01 Essential, the Word of God study it, essential. 37:06 What word did I just use? 37:07 Essential imperative, 37:09 a more emergency minded word. 37:13 I must bring and they will hear My voice, 37:16 the emphasis. 37:18 I must bring them, they will hear, 37:20 and there will be one flock and one Shepherd, emphatic. 37:24 So write that down. 37:26 How do we know that Jesus has followers 37:27 in other churches? 37:29 He has other sheep. 37:31 When you read the story in Mark Chapter 4 37:32 about Jesus getting in the boat with His disciples, 37:35 the Bible says, 37:37 Jesus had followers on other ships. 37:41 But when the storm hit, it drove them into proximity. 37:45 They were all in the same storm together. 37:47 That's what's happening in the world today. 37:49 All this stuff about ISIS and Ebola. 37:51 Everybody's affected by this push 37:53 for all the states to accept same sex marriage. 37:57 Isn't it ridiculous? 37:59 It's ridiculous. 38:00 And these cut loose politicians that are demanding 38:03 that pastors handing their sermons. 38:05 You can come and listen to my sermon. 38:08 You come here, you're gonna hear the truth. 38:09 Amen, somebody? 38:10 I'm not fearful of any politicians. 38:12 I have, as I said to a Prime Minister once 38:14 as I was sitting in his residence 38:16 in one of these countries, I won't name it. 38:17 As I was sitting in his residence, he said, 38:19 "How come you're not afraid right now?" 38:21 And I paused and I said, 38:23 "With all due respect, Prime Minister so and so, 38:26 I have to answer to an even higher authority." 38:29 And he looked at me with very stoic face 38:31 and then he smiled, he said, "I like that." 38:35 We do not fear man. 38:38 As the apostle says in Acts Chapter 5, 38:40 we are to obey God rather than man. 38:45 All right, let's go to question number 20. 38:47 Here it is. 38:49 In what way does the Bible say that Jesus has only one church? 38:54 Let's go to 1 Corinthians Chapter 12 to begin. 38:57 In what way does the Bible say 38:59 that Jesus has only one church? 39:03 I know English teachers 39:05 when I was taking English there in Orlando, Florida, 39:08 in Seminole Community College. 39:12 That's the incorrect context 39:16 'cause the Bible doesn't say. 39:19 But the reason why I put say 39:21 because Jesus speaks through the words. 39:24 So let me correct the English teachers tonight. 39:26 When the Bible, and I read the Bible, 39:27 it speaks to me. 39:28 Amen? It's the voice of God. 39:30 So if it speaks, it will say, this is the way. 39:34 He said, "You will hear a voice behind you saying," what? 39:36 "This is the way, walk ye in it." 39:38 And I would say today that ever present voice 39:40 is the Word of God. 39:42 The Holy Spirit for those who believe 39:43 in spiritual impressions, 39:45 don't ever let spiritual impression push you 39:47 away from the revealed Word of God. 39:51 There are those who say, oh, but a God impressed me. 39:54 He does not. 39:55 He never impresses you against His Word. 39:58 1 Corinthians 12:13. 40:00 In what way does the Bible say that Jesus has only one church? 40:02 Here it is. 40:05 "For by one Spirit 40:06 we were all baptized into," what? 40:10 "One body, whether Jews or Greeks, 40:13 whether slaves or free, 40:17 and have all been made to drink into," what? 40:20 "One spirit." 40:22 One Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God, 40:25 one Father of all, one spirit. 40:27 The Bible warned and even Paul the Apostle, one gospel. 40:30 He said, even if an angel comes and preaches any other gospel, 40:33 let him be anathema, let him be a cursed. 40:36 You cannot come up with another gospel, 40:39 one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God, 40:40 one Father of all, one spirit, one body. 40:44 So here it is. 40:45 In what way does the Bible say that Jesus has only one church? 40:48 The answer is very clear. 40:51 We were all baptized into what? 40:54 One body. 40:55 Now this is powerful. 40:56 There are some people that get baptized 40:58 and they asked the question, 40:59 do I need to join the church? 41:01 No. 41:02 Well, am I gonna give you a football uniform 41:04 for you to play by yourself? 41:07 I don't wanna be little this idea. 41:08 But there are some people that think 41:10 that they could be Christians all independently. 41:12 They want to turn into Christian monks 41:14 hide off somewhere waiting for Jesus to come 41:16 like they're isolating themselves 41:18 from everybody else. 41:19 What they don't know is they struggle 41:22 just as much as everybody else. 41:23 The Lord adage of the church daily 41:25 and this is a very important concept. 41:27 Because the Bible says iron sharpens what? 41:30 You need some tough fork in the church to sharpen you. 41:34 And they need you to sharpen them. 41:36 You'll never know how much of a Christian you are Terry, 41:38 until somebody challenges your Christianity. 41:42 And they'll never know how much of a Christian they are 41:44 until you challenge their Christianity. 41:46 We must all grow together. 41:48 Let them grow together. 41:49 Jesus said to Peter, 41:51 let them grow together until the what? 41:53 Harvest. 41:54 So that there's one body, one spirit, 41:56 so don't think that, well, you know, 41:58 those brethren there they have issues, 41:59 they've problems, just like your problems. 42:03 The Lord is working on all of us. 42:04 Every one of us is under construction. 42:06 We are not done yet and praise the Lord. 42:08 He hasn't finished His work yet on us. 42:11 Let's look at Colossians 3:15. 42:13 So the answer is one body 42:15 for verse 12 and 13 of 1 Corinthians, 42:17 but now Colossians 3:15. 42:19 Here it is, Colossians 3:15. 42:23 The Bible says, "And let the peace of God 42:26 rule in," what? 42:28 "Your hearts, 42:29 to which also you were called in," what? 42:34 "One body, 42:37 and be thankful." 42:40 Now some people think 42:43 that there are functions in the body of Christ 42:46 that are more important than other functions. 42:49 If you ever think that your pinky is not important, 42:52 hit it with a hammer. 42:54 Can you identify? 42:56 I've done construction work that is in the minimum, 42:58 I'm not a construction worker. 43:00 But I've used the hammer before, 43:01 and in a brief moment, 43:05 missed the nail and found the fingernail. 43:09 And although it's so small, the whole body goes, 43:11 oh, there's nothing in the church. 43:14 There's nobody in the church more important than the other. 43:17 The only one that is above all of us is Jesus. 43:20 So we're all called into the body. 43:22 That's where the work gets done. 43:24 Have you ever heard of the body shop, 43:26 we are to start calling the church, the body shop, 43:28 working on us. 43:30 Working on us, getting all our dents out, 43:32 giving us a new coat of paint, the righteousness of Christ. 43:35 Got to be there. 43:37 You can't have a car miles away from the body shop 43:40 and expect it to get fixed. 43:42 No, this is the mechanic. 43:43 Jesus is working on everything in our lives 43:45 that need to be ready for His Second Coming. 43:49 So the answer is, Colossians 3:15. 43:52 We were called into how many bodies? 43:54 One body, there's only one body. 43:56 Today we have a multiplicity of it, 43:57 different locations, different teachers, 43:59 different teachings, different creeds, 44:01 different philosophies. 44:03 And there's a push nowadays, 44:04 you know, that Rome has been pushing very hard. 44:06 The Vatican's pushing hard. 44:07 Pope Francis is pushing very hard 44:09 for everybody to come together. 44:10 They're begging for unity. 44:12 But here's my point. 44:13 There is no unity 44:15 when the truth of God's Word is not involved. 44:17 You cannot be unified, 44:19 you might get together and have the same mind. 44:22 But if I have to throw out the truth of God's Word 44:24 to be unified with you, 44:25 then I don't need to have that kind of unity. 44:27 If it's just me and God, I'll have unity with Him, 44:29 but not with anyone 44:31 who wants to throw the truth of God's Word out. 44:33 Question number 21. Here it is. 44:35 Then we'll transition. 44:38 What assurance has Jesus given 44:40 to His commandment keeping church? 44:43 What assurance has Jesus given 44:46 to His commandment keeping church? 44:50 And by the way, let me just add this, 44:52 this assurance is to anyone 44:54 who accepts the Lord 44:55 as their Savior, 44:59 as his or her Savior anyone? 45:01 Revelation 12:11. 45:03 The only assurance that we all have 45:05 sometimes I call this the blessed assurance 45:07 because it really is when you think about the text, 45:09 Revelation 12:11. 45:12 And the Bible reads, 45:13 "And they overcame him by the," what? 45:17 "Blood of the Lamb 45:18 and by the word of their," what? 45:20 "Testimony, and they did not love 45:21 their lives to the death." 45:23 Now for those of you that have read this text 45:24 over and over and over again, 45:26 I ended with this one 45:29 because the word love is involved in this. 45:31 I began by saying love has been misused. 45:34 This is really love. 45:37 If you rather die 45:39 than disobey God, that's love. 45:42 He said they did not love their lives, 45:43 even if it meant death. 45:46 And when you think about the Dark Ages 45:47 and the millions of Christians that lost their lives 45:49 in the persecuted church in the New Testament, 45:51 that's the reason why they died. 45:54 They were more determined to be obedient 45:57 than to get rid of any one of the commandments 45:59 and compromise. 46:02 But there are churches today, they say, let's compromise 46:06 and still keep Christianity an oxymoron compromised. 46:10 Christianity, there is no such thing. 46:13 And, you know, thank you, honey. 46:15 And the reason why they became faithful 46:17 is because they were not looking 46:19 for a better funeral. 46:21 They were looking for a better resurrection. 46:23 Read Hebrews Chapter 11. 46:25 And you see, 46:26 that's what drove those during times of persecution, 46:30 to rather give their lives 46:32 than to give up the truth of God's Word. 46:34 And that's the big issue today. 46:36 Truth is the word that's pushed out, 46:38 today it's more like programs, 46:40 and is your hour, this is your time. 46:42 This is where your portfolio is gonna come to fruition. 46:45 This is where you're gonna spread your wings. 46:47 Well, you know what? 46:48 You'll spread your wings. 46:50 But if you're not keeping the commandments of God, 46:52 you won't be able to fly into the New Jerusalem. 46:55 You have to be obedient to the Word of God. 46:57 What do you say? 46:59 Perfect time to transition 47:01 because this leads us right and I don't know 47:02 how many questions we'll get in. 47:04 But let's now begin the new lesson, 47:06 The Truth about the Judgment. The Truth about the Judgment. 47:11 The Truth about the Judgment. 47:14 Wow! What a lesson? 47:19 This is another subject 47:20 you don't hear preached on television, 47:23 at least not on while you hear it on 3ABN. 47:27 But you don't hear this in common Christianity nowadays 47:31 or nominal Christianity because it's a topic 47:36 that pulls you forward and said, 47:37 "Did you know that this is coming?" 47:40 It's like, I'm not gonna minimize it 47:42 but those of us who have to pay taxes, 47:45 nobody likes April 15 and nobody likes October 15. 47:49 Amen, somebody? 47:51 Those are two dates in the year that we don't like 47:53 because we're usually more broke after that. 47:55 Am I telling the truth, Mike? 47:56 And we say, "Oh, no two more days 48:02 before I have to send money to the IRS." 48:05 Now some people sent it earlier, 48:06 but the deadline is the deadline. 48:09 You know what? 48:10 In the economy of God, 48:11 there was a yearly deadline, let me lay the foundation. 48:15 It was called a Day of Atonement. 48:18 Up until that point, your sins were forgiven. 48:22 But on that day, they were blotted out. 48:26 That's what Paul talked about 48:27 the time of refreshing from the presence of the Lord. 48:30 You are refreshed. 48:31 Why was it a time of refreshing? 48:33 Oh, they say because you are what? 48:37 We were clean. 48:38 It's refreshing to be clean. 48:40 If you've ever been really dirty before, 48:42 for those of us who live out here in the Midwest, 48:44 and sometimes we're outside in the rain and the mud. 48:47 You know, I remember helping someone build a house 48:49 and we had to do it that particular day. 48:51 We had to put the trusses up 48:53 and it just happened to rain that day. 48:55 That was the only day that the trailer truck 48:57 had deliver the trusses 48:59 and he said the rain is not gonna hurt the wood 49:01 but I cannot stay beyond today. 49:03 And there we were, the mud was getting more muddy. 49:07 And the rain I had on two rain coats, 49:09 had on pants with a pair of kind of pants 49:13 over the pants. 49:14 But the kind of pants that don't get wet too much 49:16 because if you just wore jeans in a rain, man, 49:18 after a while you'll be gaining weight 49:19 just from all the water it retains, 49:21 and had booze and I was stuck in the mud, 49:23 and we were out there in the rain. 49:25 And I was thinking, oh man, why do they have to be today? 49:28 A very unpleasant day, 49:30 couldn't wait until the rain past. 49:33 You see, there were those who knew 49:34 that there was this day coming, 49:36 to some that were not prepared for it, 49:38 it was a very unpleasant day. 49:40 But for those that were preparing for it, 49:42 it was a glorious day. 49:45 You had the Feast of Trumpets reminding you 49:48 that the Day of Judgment is coming. 49:49 You had the Day of Atonement, 49:51 then you had the Feast of Tabernacles, 49:53 the celebration. 49:54 There is going to be a celebration one day, 49:56 they feasted for seven days. 50:00 The Feast of Tabernacles, they tabernacle with God. 50:03 You see, the text that reminds us 50:04 of the tabernacle of God is when Jesus says, 50:08 "In My Father's house are many mansions," 50:10 that's the word, 50:12 but if you think of the Feast of Tabernacles, 50:14 they had many dwelling places, these little tents 50:17 where people gathered and celebrated for seven days. 50:20 That was they were tabernacling together, 50:22 a lot of us want to go to heaven for the mansions. 50:24 I just wanna go to heaven. 50:29 Sleeping bag would do me just fine. 50:31 It's being in the presence of Jesus 50:32 that makes all the difference. 50:34 So when you think about the judgment 50:36 when the Day of Atonement came, 50:39 and the services were completed, 50:42 only those whose sins were blotted out, 50:46 could go beyond that particular point, 50:49 and participate in the Feast of Tabernacles, 50:53 but if your sin was not blotted out, 50:56 you are omitted from the celebration. 51:00 But if your sins were blotted out, 51:02 come on in the celebration, 51:05 and that's what the language of Revelation is. 51:07 Blessed are those who are called 51:08 to the marriage supper of the Lamb, 51:10 the Feast of Tabernacles. 51:11 That's the kind of language that's there. 51:13 The day of celebration, the day of feasting. 51:17 What made that day so special 51:19 was they knew that they were completely covered 51:21 in the righteousness of Christ, 51:23 because their sins were blotted out. 51:27 So many churches nowadays, 51:28 transitioning from one topic to the next. 51:30 So many churches nowadays, so many ministries nowadays, 51:33 so many religious movements nowadays 51:35 don't talk about the judgment. 51:38 It's like it's coming. 51:40 Matter of fact, 51:43 I am not gonna belittle the judgment, 51:45 but if the judgment were Christmas, 51:48 they will start three months earlier. 51:50 Christmas is coming. 51:52 I wish people were as concerned 51:54 about warning the world of the judgment as these stores 51:57 are letting the people know Christmas is coming. 52:00 We got to let people know that judgment is coming. 52:02 The judgment is not something that's gonna be omitted. 52:05 But we'll see in this lesson, 52:07 why it is so important to be prepared 52:09 for the judgment. 52:11 It's a day of celebration for those that are prepared, 52:14 but it's a day of mourning for those that are unprepared. 52:16 Let's begin with the first question. 52:18 And this question kind of leads us 52:20 back to one of the questions 52:21 we asked in the prior lesson. 52:23 But it is vitally important to bring out the point that 52:26 question number one asks. 52:28 Here it is. Revelation. 52:29 I mean, question number one. 52:32 What does the first angel's message 52:34 of Revelation bring into view? 52:37 What does the first angel's message 52:39 of Revelation bring into view? 52:42 I forgot my apostasy but you get the point. 52:45 What comes into view 52:47 under the first angel's message, 52:48 Revelation 14:7. 52:51 Revelation 14:7. Here it is. 52:55 "Saying with a," what kind of voice? 52:57 "Loud voice," 53:00 together, "Fear God, and give," what? 53:03 "Glory to Him, 53:05 for the hour of His judgment has come 53:09 and worship Him who made," what? 53:11 "Heaven and earth, the sea and," what? 53:14 "Springs of waters." 53:15 Or fountains of waters 53:17 depending on the translation that you have. 53:18 There's a judgment hour coming. 53:21 And it's not gonna be as minimal 53:23 as October or April 15th. 53:26 It's not gonna be as minimal as December 31st. 53:30 It's a day that catches the entire world 53:33 at the stage of accountability. 53:38 What you'll discover after this lesson is over 53:40 that the judgment is not a fearful topic. 53:45 But it's a very imperative topic. 53:46 It's a very necessary topic. 53:48 It's a sobering topic. 53:49 It's one that will wake you up 53:51 and say, Okay, all right, all right. 53:54 If I can't avoid it, I need to get ready for it. 53:56 Right? Doesn't it make sense? 53:59 If somebody says the storm is coming. 54:01 You can bury your head under the pillow, 54:02 the storm will just come and catch you unprepared. 54:05 You cannot bury your head, you can't turn the sound off. 54:08 You can't change the channel, the judgment is coming. 54:15 Fear God doesn't mean to tremble and be nervous. 54:18 It means to honor Him, revere Him, worship Him. 54:21 And I wanna add also, 54:23 if there's anybody you need to fear, 54:24 it needs to be God. 54:26 Godly fear. 54:28 People sometimes don't fear God and they use His name 54:31 in all kinds of unusual and ungodly ways. 54:34 So the answer, 54:36 what does the first angel's message 54:37 of Revelation bring it to view? 54:39 The hour of His judgment, write that down. 54:42 The hour of His judgment, 54:45 brings it into clear focus. 54:48 The hour of His judgment. 54:51 I'm gonna go quickly in the interest of time 54:53 to question number two. 54:54 Here it is. 54:55 How many people does the Bible reveal 54:57 will be judged? 54:59 How many people will the Bible reveal? 55:01 Does the Bible reveal will be judged? 55:03 2 Corinthians 5:10. 2 Corinthians 5:10. 55:08 It's kind of like being in high school. 55:11 But the only difference with this 55:13 is you could drop out of high school 55:15 and not be judged, 55:17 but you can't drop out of the judgments. 55:19 Right? It's coming to everybody. 55:22 Here it is. 55:23 2 Corinthians 5:10. 55:26 Notice what the Word of God says. 55:27 Here it is. 55:29 "For we must," together, 55:32 "all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, 55:37 that each one may receive the things done in the," what? 55:42 "Body, according to what he has done, 55:45 whether good or bad." 55:48 It's amazing how the body is used in the context. 55:51 People today abuse their bodies. 55:53 If you look at some of the major sins of the world, 55:55 it's the blatant abuse of the body. 55:57 That's not just meaning 55:59 how we physically handle our body, 56:01 but you can't do any sin outside the body. 56:04 Everything that you've done, 56:06 what that simply is saying, 56:07 everything you've done while you are alive 56:09 will be judged. 56:14 You must all appear. 56:15 There's not a name 56:16 that's gonna be stricken from the record, 56:18 we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ. 56:21 And whatever is good, or whatever is bad 56:24 is gonna go before us in the judgment. 56:26 I think we can get one more in here. 56:27 I think we can get one more. 56:29 Question number three, let's move very quickly. 56:32 So how many people will appear? 56:34 All, everyone. 56:36 Everyone. 56:37 You can't turn up the rap music loud enough 56:40 to get rid of this one, we must all appear. 56:42 Here it is. 56:44 What does the Bible reveal 56:46 will be the standard of Judgment. 56:48 What does the Bible reveal 56:49 will be the standard of Judgment. 56:51 A short but to the point text, 56:53 James 2:12. 56:55 What does the Bible reveal 56:56 will be the standard of Judgment? 56:58 Here's the Apostle James and this is what he says. 57:01 Let's read this closing text together. 57:03 Are you ready, everyone? 57:04 Here it is on the screen. 57:06 "So speak and so do 57:08 as those who will be judged by the," what? 57:12 "Law of liberty." 57:14 Catch that, 57:15 not law of bondage, 57:19 but the law of liberty. 57:21 Jesus sets us free. 57:22 Paul the Apostle says, stand fast in the liberty. 57:28 We got the Statue of Liberty. 57:31 Calvary is our Statue of Liberty. 57:33 Jesus is our propitiation, 57:37 He is our substitute. 57:38 He is our assurance, 57:40 but just assure as Jesus lives, 57:43 everyone will have to come 57:47 before the judgment bar of Christ. 57:50 So, friends, here it is. 57:51 There's a judgment day coming. 57:53 And the question is, as we think about 57:54 that judgment day, 57:56 what are we doing to prepare for that? 57:58 Let me encourage you as you study God's Word, 58:00 maybe it doesn't make sense and I believe 58:01 one day it will come into A Sharper Focus. 58:04 God bless you. Let us pray. |
Revised 2019-07-05