Participants: Pr. John Lomacang
Series Code: ASHF
Program Code: ASHF000098
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00:18 Hello, friends.
00:20 Welcome to another Wednesday night Bible study 00:22 here at the 3ABN Worship Center. 00:24 We thank you for tuning in to A Sharper Focus, 00:27 as we continue our study 00:28 on the truth about the judgment. 00:31 And so for the next hour or less, get your Bibles, 00:34 invite your family and friends, 00:36 and if you're joining us from one of the local churches, 00:39 we thank you for tuning in. 00:40 We hope that this time together in the Word of God 00:43 could be a time of building relationships 00:45 with each other as well as with the Word of God. 00:50 In just a few moments, I'll tell you how to get a copy 00:52 of the lesson that you can follow along with us. 00:54 But before we do that, 00:56 let's begin with a word of prayer. 00:58 Gracious Father in heaven, 01:00 we thank You for the opportunity 01:01 to study Your Word. 01:03 Lord, we know that whenever we open the Bible, 01:05 we open a very holy book. 01:08 And unless the Holy Spirit leads us, 01:10 we may gain intellectual knowledge, 01:12 but there won't be a change in our lives. 01:14 And so, Lord, lead us tonight, not only to be furnished 01:17 with more knowledge, but we pray 01:19 that You'll give us the power 01:21 to live in harmony with what we learn. 01:23 We ask in Jesus' name, amen. 01:27 For a copy of the lesson, go to this following website, 01:31 ASF.3ABN.org 01:35 and download Lesson Number 28, 01:38 "The Truth about the Judgment." 01:40 "The Truth about the Judgment," 01:42 and that's what we're gonna be studying tonight. 01:44 Now we have already started this lesson, 01:46 and we're gonna begin at Lesson Number 11. 01:48 But before we go to that, 01:49 we're gonna have our theme song. 01:52 And we're gonna begin our night 01:55 with the song "Victory in Jesus." 01:58 So if you know the song and you want to sing along 02:00 with us, you can, but here's our theme song. 02:11 I heard an old, old story 02:15 How the Savior came from glory 02:19 How He gave His life on Calvary 02:22 To save a wretch like me 02:26 I heard about His groaning 02:30 Of His precious blood's atoning 02:34 Then I repented of my sin 02:37 And won the victory 02:41 O victory in Jesus 02:45 My Savior, forever 02:49 He sought me and bought me 02:53 With His redeeming blood 02:56 He loved me ere I knew Him 03:00 And all my love is due Him 03:04 He plunged me to victory 03:08 Beneath the cleansing flood 03:11 I heard about a mansion 03:15 He has built for me in glory 03:19 And I heard about the streets of gold 03:23 Beyond the crystal sea 03:27 About the angels singing 03:30 And the old redemption story 03:34 And some sweet day, I'll sing up there 03:38 The song of victory Key change. 03:42 O victory in Jesus 03:45 My Savior, forever 03:49 He sought me and bought me 03:53 With His redeeming blood 03:57 He loved me ere I knew Him 04:00 And all my love is due Him 04:04 He plunged me to victory 04:08 Beneath the cleansing flood 04:12 He plunged me to victory 04:16 Beneath the cleansing flood 04:22 Can we say amen to that? Amen. 04:24 That is our only hope, 04:26 to be plunged beneath the cleansing blood. 04:30 That's where we find victory in Jesus. 04:35 Now we've had a continual walk through this topic, 04:39 we are on question number 11. 04:41 But what I'd like to do is have you open your Bibles 04:44 to 1 Peter 4:17, 04:47 1 Peter 4:17. 04:50 And as I lay the foundation for this particular verse, 04:54 you know, when you think about the purpose of the judgment, 04:57 you think about, "Well, why would the Lord 04:59 want to have a judgment anyway?" 05:02 Anytime a person is called to a judgment or to court, 05:06 it is for the purpose of examination. 05:07 In other words, the purpose, 05:09 the person may be accused of something 05:11 or may be guilty of something. 05:13 In some cases, they may have gotten something 05:14 as simple as a traffic ticket 05:16 or some kind of parking violation. 05:19 It can go all the way up to, 05:21 unfortunately, murder or homicide. 05:24 Any particular crime 05:25 can cause us to appear before a court. 05:29 In the context of this particular verse, 05:31 though, 1 Peter 4:17, 05:35 the Bible lets us know 05:36 where the judgment is going to begin. 05:39 Now the reason why it's gonna begin here, 05:41 and you'll see this as we go further through the lesson, 05:44 is because 05:46 "If you're not claiming to be connected to me, 05:50 then there's really no reason for me to examine what you do. 05:53 And if there is no relationship, 05:55 then I have no reason to expect anything from you." 05:59 But because there is a relationship 06:02 and there is an expectation in that relationship, 06:05 the Lord begins with those who claim 06:07 to have a relationship with Him. 06:09 For example, I will not expect anything 06:11 from any other woman 06:13 but my wife because we have a relationship. 06:15 If she asks something of me or I ask something of her, 06:17 we have a relationship obligation to fulfill 06:20 because we made a covenant with each other. 06:22 In the very same way, we made a covenant with God, 06:25 we have a relationship obligation. 06:27 So to say I have a relationship 06:28 but I'm not fulfilling the obligations 06:30 of that relationship, 06:31 the Lord brings into examination 06:34 whether or not my declaration is in harmony with my actions. 06:38 So let's look at 1 Peter 4:17, and notice what the Bible says. 06:42 1 Peter 4:17, 06:45 and it says, "For the time has come 06:48 for judgment to begin at the," where, "at the house of God. 06:53 And if it begins with us first, 06:57 what will be the end of those who do not obey 07:01 the gospel of God?" 07:03 And look at verse 18. 07:04 "Now if the righteous one is scarcely saved, 07:10 where will the ungodly and the sinner appear?" 07:13 You know, when I read that verse, 07:16 that says the word "scarcely saved," 07:18 I think of, my wife and I, a number of years ago, 07:22 on our way to Australia, and we were going 07:24 but we did not know we needed a visa. 07:27 And what that means in America is you have to have a visa, 07:30 not a credit card, but a country visa to get 07:33 into certain places around the world. 07:35 And we lived in California at the time. 07:37 And when we got to the airport, 07:39 the ticket counter, the agent said, 07:41 "Where's your visa?" 07:42 We said, "We don't have a visa." 07:44 They said, "Well, you cannot gonna go 07:46 to Australia without a visa." 07:48 I said, "Well, how could we get a visa?" 07:49 They said, "Well, you could wait till 07:51 Monday morning." 07:52 I said, "It's already a day ahead in Australia, 07:55 and I'm the speaker there and I have to be there 07:57 by a certain time, I need to leave today." 07:59 They said, "We'll, you're not going to Australia. 08:01 You could leave, 08:02 but the furthest you're gonna get is Hawaii." 08:04 I said, "Well, is there a consulate in Hawaii? 08:06 American embassy?" 08:08 They said, "Yes." 08:09 They said, "But the chances are you might not get it." 08:11 I said, "Well, if I'm gonna be stuck, 08:13 I want to be stuck in Hawaii." 08:16 And so I said, 08:17 "Is there an Australian embassy?" 08:19 They said, "Yes, there's one there." 08:20 I said, "Okay, great." 08:22 So we went there, and praise the Lord, 08:23 in a matter of five hours before our next flight left, 08:27 because it was a long layover, we were able to get our visa. 08:31 But here's the point. 08:32 We scarcely got on that plane because we stood at the counter 08:35 and tried to convince the agent, 08:37 "Please let us on the plane." 08:39 She said, "Why? 08:41 You don't have a visa, you can't go." 08:43 I said, "We'll chance it." 08:47 And we chanced it, we got to Hawaii, 08:48 praise the Lord. 08:50 So we were the last ones to get on board. 08:52 We scarcely made it on that plane. 08:54 When we got on there, perspiring and out of breath... 08:58 We were in coach, 08:59 we were not even in first class. 09:00 But only those in first class are offered something to drink 09:03 before the plane takes off. 09:05 But the flight attendant who's looking at us says, 09:07 "Would you like something to drink?" 09:09 We went, "Yes." 09:10 We were exhausted, we barely made it. 09:13 But now if we, who are on the plane, 09:17 who are on the ticket manifest, scarcely make it on board, 09:21 what about those 09:22 whose names are not on the manifest? 09:24 They're not gonna make it. 09:26 So this is why the judgment begins at the house of God, 09:28 their names are on the manifest, 09:30 and the manifest, in this case, is the Book of Life. 09:35 And if we who are on the Book of Life 09:37 scarcely make it, 09:39 what will those whose names are not on the Book of Life, 09:41 where will they appear? 09:43 They won't appear 09:44 on the right side of the judgment. 09:46 They will be on the outside. 09:48 And in this case, when the plane takes off, 09:51 only those who are on board 09:52 are gonna make their destination. 09:54 The purpose of this lesson is to find confidence 09:56 that we are on the right side of the wall, 10:00 that we are in the proper standing 10:02 so that when the judgment is over, 10:04 our names are on the manifest, or more specifically, 10:07 our names are in the Book of Life. 10:08 Amen to that? Amen. 10:10 So let's begin with question number 11. 10:12 Let's begin with question number 11. 10:14 And this question fits into what my wife 10:16 and I failed to do 10:18 when we were on our way to Australia. 10:19 Now we've had... 10:21 Since then, we've been to Australia many times, 10:23 and now we know you need a visa to go to Australia. 10:27 Look at question number 11, question number 11. 10:32 And here it is. 10:33 In light of the judgment, 10:35 what are the people of God called to do? 10:39 In light of the judgment, what are the people of God 10:42 called to do? 10:44 Go with me to 2 Corinthians 13 10:47 and let's look together at verse 5. 10:49 2 Corinthians 13:5. 10:51 And the text will appear on the screen, 10:54 and also on the screen, here. 10:57 Now this verse is so indicative of what everybody 10:59 that is going to travel 11:01 outside of the country needs to do, 11:03 make sure that your documents are in order. 11:05 But this is even deeper than documents, all right? 11:09 Here is the text, 2 Corinthians 13:5. 11:14 Since this is our first one on the screen, 11:16 let's all read this together. 11:17 Are you ready? Here we go. 11:19 The Bible says what? 11:20 "Examine yourselves 11:23 as to whether you are in the faith." 11:26 Together. 11:28 "Test yourselves. 11:30 Do you not know yourselves that Jesus Christ is in you? 11:34 Unless indeed you are," what, "disqualified." 11:38 If Jesus is not in you, 11:40 then you can't even ask to come in. 11:43 You can't say, "I want to come in." 11:44 They'll say, "Well, Christ is not in you. 11:45 Why? 11:47 Why are you asking that question?" 11:48 And so the Bible is, in essence saying 11:49 examine yourself, test yourself. 11:52 This is the hour of self-examination. 11:55 This is the hour of self-test. 11:57 You know, but the easiest thing about it is, 11:59 because of human nature, 12:01 it's easy to look at somebody else and say, 12:03 "Well, I don't think they're gonna make it." 12:05 Or "If you knew what I know about that person, 12:08 boy, you'll question whether or not they can make it." 12:11 Right now the Lord is saying 12:12 that we need to clean our own mirrors, amen? 12:14 Amen. 12:15 We need to examine our own lives 12:17 to see what's in there, 12:18 to see what's going on in our hearts. 12:20 We need to test ourselves. 12:22 And you think about tests. 12:24 I remember, a number of years ago, 12:26 there was a test being held that I could not go to 12:29 because it was held on Sabbath morning. 12:31 I saw it, it was being held on Sabbath morning, 12:33 and I wasn't gonna go to take the test, 12:36 it was an SAT. 12:37 And so I got a permission to not take the test 12:40 that particular day. 12:42 Another day was chosen for me. 12:44 And when I came to take the test, 12:45 I was the only one there. 12:47 I was the only one there. 12:49 But there was an examiner, and there was just me, 12:51 and I was in this whole big classroom. 12:52 Now when the test was taken with all the other students, 12:55 he sat in the classroom. 12:56 And he said, 12:58 "Why weren't you here for the test?" 12:59 I said, "Well, religious reasons. 13:02 Sabbath, I go to church, could not have been here. 13:04 I was not going to be here. 13:06 That's the Sabbath that I honor." 13:07 He said, "All right." 13:09 And he sat me down, 13:10 gave me the papers, and everything, 13:12 then he closed the door and left. 13:14 When he came back, I said, 13:17 "Why did you leave me in the room by myself?" 13:18 He said, "If I can't trust a Christian, who can I trust?" 13:22 And I thought, "Wow, that's a good... 13:23 That's a good statement. 13:25 If I can't trust a Christian, who can I trust?" 13:26 He said, "You're not gonna cheat, 13:27 there's nobody else in here to cheat with. 13:29 You're not gonna cheat, it's just you." 13:30 And I thought, "Wow." 13:32 Examine yourself. 13:34 If there's an honest heart, you can be trusted to be 13:38 in any circumstance, in any situation, 13:40 and not have to be concerned about it. 13:42 So the Bible says, let's write that down, 13:43 2 Corinthians 13:5. 13:46 Two things you want to write, examine yourself, 13:49 test yourselves. 13:50 Examine yourself, test yourself. 13:53 And, you know, this is important 13:54 because there's so many things 13:56 that are in the Christian life that people... 14:00 It's almost like when people become Christians, 14:02 they become, and I'm gonna use this phrase, 14:04 not a blanket statement, 14:05 but so many Christians become minimalist. 14:08 Now what I mean by that is they want to do the least 14:11 it takes to be saved rather than saying, 14:15 "What can I render to the Lord 14:17 for all His benefits towards me?" 14:20 You know, somebody is as good to us as the Lord is, 14:22 you don't say, 14:23 "What's the least I could do to be saved?" 14:25 You say, "Lord, just tell me, whatever... 14:27 What do you want me to do?" 14:29 If somebody has paid for your sin, 14:31 if somebody is building you a mansion, 14:33 at his cost, if somebody is offering you eternal life, 14:38 if somebody is saying, "You'll never be sick again, 14:41 you'll never worry about death and heartache 14:43 and hunger and suffering, 14:45 and you'll never have to worry about being separated, 14:47 you'll never have another cure in your life for eternity." 14:52 Now if Donald Trump said, "I'll buy you a house," 14:54 you'll say, "What can I do to show my gratitude?" 14:58 But the Lord is saying, "House? 14:59 I'm giving you a mansion, 15:01 and I'm giving you access to all the other worlds 15:03 that are out there." 15:05 Amen, someone? Amen. 15:06 So let's not be minimalist. 15:07 And the reason I bring this up here 15:09 is because it's important, 15:10 some people kind of like churches kind of 15:12 on the list way down there, you know. 15:14 "I'll show up, but I ain't staying long." 15:19 How long is it going to be before it ends? 15:21 But if you got a football game, 15:22 "Oh, they're going in overtime. 15:24 Oh, good." 15:26 Four hours in the freezing cold snow blowing. 15:31 They're not going anywhere, but in the comfort... 15:33 So let's not be minimalist. 15:35 Let us look at the activities in our lives 15:37 that will enhance our growth 15:40 and participate in those activities. 15:42 Look at the very next one. 15:43 Here's what the Bible says. 15:44 We're going now to Philippians 2:12, Philippians 2:12. 15:48 In light of the judgment, 15:49 what are the people of God called to do? 15:51 Look at this one. 15:53 Look at this one. 15:54 Okay, Philippians 2:12. 15:57 Let's bring it up on the screen. 15:58 Here it is. 15:59 And the Bible says, "Therefore, my beloved, 16:03 as you have always obeyed, 16:07 not as much in my presence only, 16:10 but now much more in my absence." 16:13 Let's read the rest together. 16:14 "Work out your own salvation with," 16:18 what, "fear and trembling." 16:20 Let's think of it. 16:22 Let's go back to my initial story. 16:25 "Do you have your visa?" "Yes." 16:27 "Do you have my visa?" "Yes." 16:28 Check the dates for the ticket departure 16:30 'cause we got, I mean, about a year ago, 16:32 we got stuck in India. 16:34 We got stuck in a city, we went to the airport. 16:37 And thank God for a credit card. 16:40 We got stuck in an airport in India 16:41 because of the illness. 16:43 We were supposed to be in another city to leave. 16:44 And so they bought us new tickets 16:46 to get to our destination. 16:48 But they didn't remember that we got stuck in a city 16:51 because of illness. 16:52 They were thinking that we were leaving 16:54 from another destination. 16:55 They had the... 16:57 They were thinking we were leaving 16:58 from another location. 17:00 They had the destination correct. 17:01 But they had the city of departure incorrect. 17:03 So here we are, we go to the airport. 17:06 And I walk up to the terminal. 17:08 And the guy, an India guy says, 17:10 "Are you Indian?" 17:11 I said, "I'm not Indian." He said, "Look Indian to me." 17:13 And I said, "I am not Indian." 17:15 He said, "Are you sure you're not Indian?" 17:17 "I'm not Indian." 17:18 I was not gonna joke around that day. 17:20 "I'm not Indian, I'm American." 17:22 You know, just, I want to make sure. 17:24 And he said, "Look Indian to me." 17:26 So I said, "All right." 17:27 So he said, "Let me see your ticket." 17:29 See, in India, they don't even let you 17:30 into the terminal unless your ticket has it... 17:32 for that departure, that day. 17:33 You say goodbye to your folks outside the airport, 17:36 nobody goes in, lest everything is in order. 17:38 Checked the passport. "Okay." 17:40 Checked the ticket. 17:42 He said, "You're not going anywhere today." 17:44 I said, "But we have a ticket." 17:45 He says, "Look at the location. 17:48 You're leaving from a different city, 17:49 not here." 17:51 "So what do we do?" 17:52 "Buy a ticket?" 17:53 I'm thinking, "How much is that gonna cost? 17:57 Who do we call?" 17:58 The only phone number we had was to God. 18:01 "Lord, help us." 18:03 We had no one's phone number. 18:04 Not only that, we didn't even have a phone. 18:07 So here we are standing over there. 18:08 Angie said, "How did that happen?" 18:10 I said, "Honey, I don't know. 18:12 I have no idea how that happened." 18:15 And so people are waiting on us the other side 18:17 but we're not even gonna leave where we are. 18:19 So thankfully, we walked up to the window, 18:21 and we took out our credit card. 18:23 "We need two tickets, how much is that going to be?" 18:26 "Well, where are you going?" 18:27 Thankfully, it was not too expensive. 18:29 And I thought, "Oh, thank You, Lord." 18:32 You see, we were working out our own salvation 18:35 with fear and trembling. 18:37 We were saying, "Are we gonna make it?" 18:39 That's what we have to do in these last days. 18:41 We got to look at ourselves and say, "Lord, 18:43 I don't want to be left out. 18:44 I want to make sure that everything about my departure, 18:46 that the blood of Jesus Christ has covered my sin," amen? 18:49 Amen. 18:50 "That I am on the Book of Life, that my departure, 18:52 my point of destination is heaven, 18:56 and that everything that needs to be in order." 18:58 I've confessed my sins. 18:59 I've put away all the evils in my life. 19:01 I've cleaned up, by God's grace, 19:03 cleaned out all the things that may hinder me 19:05 from departing from the right city 19:07 and get into the right destination. 19:09 I've worked out my fear. 19:10 I've worked out my salvation with fear and trembling." 19:13 And I'll tell you, when you think about it, 19:15 it'll make you fear, it'll make you tremble 19:17 because when those who are not saved 19:19 come up in the wrong resurrection, 19:21 there's going to be a whole lot of trembling. 19:23 There's going to be weeping and gnashing of teeth. 19:25 So we want to work out our own salvation. 19:27 Can you say amen to that? Amen. 19:28 So write that down. 19:30 In light of the judgment, what are the people of God 19:32 called to do? 19:34 Work it out. 19:35 Work out your own salvation. 19:38 Don't worry about anybody else. 19:41 Don't look at people and their faults. 19:43 God is working on them in a different timetable, 19:46 in a different method. 19:47 You got to say, "It's me. It's me. 19:48 It's me, O Lord, standing in the need of prayer." 19:52 All right, go to question number 12. 19:55 Here it is. 19:57 What admonition is given in light 19:59 of the unavoidable judgment? 20:02 What admonition is given in light 20:04 of the unavoidable judgment? 20:07 That's unavoidable. 20:09 You know, everybody's name is listed 20:11 in one place or the other. 20:13 We will all appear before the judgment. 20:14 See, we learned that in the prior lesson. 20:17 Everybody's called. 20:18 Go to James 4:8. 20:21 James 4:8. 20:23 Look at that together. 20:25 And this is a very important text 20:27 because in this world, 20:29 there's a battle for our minds. 20:31 One day, we could have our mind on God, 20:33 the next day, our mind on something else, 20:35 and then the next day, our mind there, 20:38 this text is powerful. 20:39 This text is powerful. 20:41 Okay, here it is. 20:43 James tells us, 20:45 "Draw near to," together, "God 20:48 and He will draw near to " what, "you. 20:51 Notice, you have to make the first action. 20:53 Next thing, 20:54 "Cleanse your," what, 20:56 "hands, you sinners, and," what, 20:58 "purify your hearts, you," what, 21:01 "double-minded." 21:03 Now James, 21:04 the reason why he uses the phrase double-minded, 21:06 in James 1, he says, 21:08 "A double-minded man is unstable in all his ways." 21:13 In other words, 21:15 tell me which one you are today, Terry. 21:16 Are you the Christian Terry or the secular Terry? 21:19 See, that's what the Bible means 21:20 by double-minded. 21:21 You want to party or you want to worship? 21:23 Which one is it? 21:24 You want a drink or you want some water? 21:26 Which one is it? 21:27 See, the double-minded. 21:28 So what happens is many of us 21:30 with all these temptations around us, 21:31 we're not examining the choices we make moment by moment. 21:33 So we'll say, "Oh, three days this week, 21:35 I was in the world. 21:36 Hopefully, for the next four days, 21:38 I'm in the Lord." 21:39 No, that doesn't have to be the case. 21:41 If we, day by day, make these decisions, 21:43 our minds could be single-minded, 21:46 not double-minded. 21:48 Now I want to do a survey, 21:50 everybody should raise their hands 21:51 in one or the other. 21:53 How many of you know what it means 21:54 to have a mind battle? 21:58 Really, 21:59 really, really. 22:01 Especially, when the flesh gets involved, 22:02 the flesh says, "Oh, come on, Yannick. 22:04 Oh, you don't want to miss this one." 22:06 And Yannick says, 22:08 "But it's not a good thing to do." 22:09 "But, Yannick, don't worry about that right now. 22:11 Just do it right now and later..." 22:13 Like one radio announcer in California said, 22:15 "It's better to ask for forgiveness than 22:17 to ask for permission." 22:19 Don't believe that. 22:21 You better ask for permission 22:23 and now just think of God 22:25 as a God who extends cheap grace. 22:28 We have to cleanse our hands. 22:30 We have to make a decision to draw near to God. 22:32 This is very important 22:34 because God doesn't force Himself 22:35 where He's not invited. 22:37 You see? 22:38 He doesn't force... Okay, you want to... 22:39 "Okay, good. 22:41 Now that you made the move towards Me, 22:42 I know that's where you want to be." 22:45 Then cleanse our hands, 22:47 purify our hearts, 22:49 and become single-minded. 22:50 All right, write that down. 22:52 What admonition is given 22:53 in light of the unavoidable judgment? 22:55 Draw near to God. Put that there. 22:57 And you could put the whole text, 22:59 but drawing near to God, 23:00 all the other things will happen. 23:01 If you're in the presence of God, 23:03 you'll know your hands need to be cleaned, 23:04 you'll know your heart needs to be purified, 23:07 and you'll know that 23:08 your mind needs to be single towards God. 23:10 Matter of fact, the Apostle says, 23:13 "He will keep us in perfect peace 23:15 whose mind is," what, "stayed on Him." 23:18 That's single-minded. 23:19 If your mind is stayed on God, you won't be like that. 23:22 How many of you drive down the highway like this? 23:25 I mean, you might check your left and right, 23:27 but for the most part, where are you looking? 23:29 Right in front of you. 23:31 Got to check all your mirrors. 23:32 You got three mirrors, 23:33 you got to check them for safety. 23:35 But for the most part, 23:36 don't spend all the time looking behind you 23:38 if you're going forward. 23:39 Look at the next one. 23:41 1 John 3:3, 1 John 3:3, 23:44 these are all judgment texts. 23:46 1 John 3:3. 23:50 Okay, here it is. 23:53 And it reads as follows. 23:55 "And everyone who has this hope in Him," 24:00 that is in Christ, does what, 24:02 "purifies himself just as He is," what, 24:06 "just as He is pure." 24:07 Now this almost sounds like an oxymoron. 24:09 It says, "Well, you are pure, 24:11 but you have to purify yourself." 24:12 What that does is very important. 24:14 He says, "God has cleaned you up. 24:16 Stay that way." 24:18 That's what he's in essence saying. 24:19 You know, when a parent goes out 24:21 and the house is clean, 24:22 Mom says, "I've cleaned the house, 24:24 I've vacuumed the floor. 24:25 Please keep it that way." 24:27 The Lord has cleansed us. 24:29 You may remember the interchange 24:31 between Peter and Jesus. 24:33 When Peter found out that this washing of his feet 24:37 would be an example of being cleansed, 24:39 Peter said... What did he say? 24:41 "Wash my whole body." 24:43 The Lord says, "You're already clean." 24:45 That's what He meant. You're already clean. 24:48 If you're already clean, you don't need the whole thing. 24:51 That's what the Bible is in essence saying, 24:52 we are already clean. 24:54 But sometimes, our feet get dirty. 24:58 And He's saying, "Clean it off." 25:00 If you've made the decision today 25:02 to walk in the wrong direction, 25:03 clean off your feet, 25:05 your life is not supposed to go that way. 25:06 Clean your feet off. 25:07 That's what it means by... 25:09 Just as God has purified us, 25:10 make sure that you don't move in a dirty direction. 25:14 Keep your feet clean before the Lord. 25:17 Okay, look at the next one. 25:19 Revelation 16:15. 25:21 Revelation 16:15. 25:23 Wow. 25:26 Revelation 16:15. 25:28 These are all things that we do 25:30 in light of the judgment. 25:32 We know it's coming. You know, it's like a storm. 25:34 They say, "It's coming." 25:36 Winter, "It's coming." 25:38 Spring, "It's on the way." 25:40 Things that are part of our life regiment 25:42 when we know a specific event, 25:44 or a specific season, or a specific holiday, 25:47 or a specific time of the year, 25:49 or we're about to take a particular trip, 25:51 we know that there are preparations 25:52 that must be made. 25:54 Here's another one that we are told must be made. 25:56 Revelation 16:15. 25:58 Now this is really important because this says... 26:00 You don't know when it's gonna happen, 26:02 but look at what we must do. 26:04 "Behold, I am coming as a," what, "thief. 26:07 Blessed is he who watches 26:10 and keeps his garments, 26:13 lest he walk," how, 26:15 "naked and they see his shame." 26:18 That's a very important text 26:19 because the garment 26:20 is the righteousness of Jesus. 26:22 Now that garment gets stained, 26:24 you know, it reminds me of a good friend of mine, 26:27 I won't mention her name on air, 26:28 but she was a... 26:30 She won Miss Teenage Idaho 26:32 a number of years ago. 26:33 And on the day 26:35 when all the contestants were being interviewed 26:37 for the part that they were gonna play 26:40 in this teenage beauty pageant, 26:44 she was eating a chocolate ice cream 26:46 and it spilled on her dress. 26:50 And she was sitting in front of the judge, 26:52 and she said, 26:54 "I just could not look at that stain. 26:56 I knew they saw it, 26:58 but they gave me points 27:01 because he said, I sat in front of them 27:03 and talked to them as if there was no stain 27:05 on my dress." 27:06 And just to finish the story, she won the beauty pageant. 27:10 And then she went on to run for Miss Idaho 27:12 in the Nationals. 27:14 But it is saying, 27:16 the garment that God has given to us, 27:18 it's a very important garment. 27:19 It's not just saying 27:21 that you're gonna lose that garment 27:22 but the whole thing of it. 27:24 If you look at the story of Adam and Eve, 27:25 what happened when they sinned? 27:26 They lost their garment. 27:28 They were so complacent about the... 27:31 They were complacent. 27:33 And let me just make this point. 27:34 Complacency could turn out to intent. 27:39 If you're not careful, 27:40 complacency could result 27:42 in the very same outcome as a person 27:45 who intentionally doesn't want to follow the Lord. 27:48 Follow that very carefully. 27:49 They were complacent about the commands 27:51 that God had given to them. 27:52 They didn't treasure it enough. 27:53 So they didn't say... 27:55 I'm sure that Adam and Eve didn't say, "We want to die." 27:58 I'm sure they didn't say that. 27:59 They figured, 28:01 "Well, not going to be such a big deal. 28:03 We'll just get through this. 28:05 We'll make it..." 28:06 Look at that one decision, complacency, 28:08 not taking God at His Word. 28:09 Complacency ended up in the very same context 28:13 as if they said, "We want to die." 28:15 And I'm sure they never began that day with the intent 28:19 that when this day is done, 28:21 they want a separate relationship, 28:22 and they want to die. 28:24 So this text is saying, 28:26 "Believe me, there's a blessing if you watch, 28:30 if you keep your garments." 28:31 Why should we watch? 28:33 "Because our adversary, the devil, 28:36 walks about like a roaring lion," 28:38 what's the rest of it? 28:39 "Seeking whom he may devour?" 28:41 Be sober, be vigilant. 28:43 That's what this is really all about. 28:45 You don't want to end up in the judgment 28:46 like that man in Matthew 25. 28:48 The Lord came into examine all the guests. 28:50 He says, "Where's your wedding garment? 28:52 How did you get in here without a wedding garment?" 28:55 And you know what, he had no reply 28:57 because when the judgment comes, 28:58 there'll be nothing you can say. 29:00 There'll be absolutely nothing 29:02 that we can say to excuse our condition. 29:04 It's very sober, very... 29:05 You know, when I teach this lesson, 29:08 you know, my belt gets tightened up. 29:11 Do you all feel the same way? 29:13 I mean, I'm not just teaching the lesson. 29:14 I'm talking to myself because in an activity 29:16 and a life filled with activity, 29:18 we got to pause sometimes and say, 29:20 "Well, how about your garment?" 29:22 You know, I'm not just teaching the lesson, 29:25 I'm being taught by the Holy Spirit 29:28 to take that self-examination, that self-test, 29:31 so that I could know that I'm not just teaching you, 29:34 and I myself become a castaway. 29:36 That's not my desire. 29:38 Amen? Amen. 29:40 So here it is. What do you do? 29:43 Watch, watch. 29:47 Keep your garment. 29:50 The Lord cleansed it. 29:51 Keep it that way. 29:52 Number 13. Let's go to the next one. 29:55 What a sobering lesson. 29:57 Wow. 29:58 Sobering lesson. 30:00 Number 13. 30:03 Why is it imperative that we keep our lives 30:07 clean before God? 30:09 Why is it imperative that we keep our lives 30:13 clean before God? 30:16 I've been to so many weddings, I performed many weddings. 30:19 I've only been in one wedding of my own. 30:21 Amen, honey? Amen. 30:23 We have only been in one wedding. 30:24 Not saying that people that have been married 30:25 more than one is... 30:27 You know, God forgives and praise the Lord for that, 30:29 and circumstances come. 30:30 But when you think about the garment aspect 30:34 of the imperative nature of what it means 30:36 to be prepared for that great and glorious event, 30:39 you think it's a significant thing. 30:41 It's not something we could lightly handle. 30:43 And when you think about a wedding, 30:47 very rarely do you see people come into weddings 30:50 dressed like they're gonna go play tennis. 30:54 Matter of fact, a wedding is an event 30:57 where people tend to wake up that day 30:59 and make sure that their shirts are ironed, 31:02 and that they have on a nice dress. 31:05 It could be simple, but they make sure 31:06 that everything is neat and put together, 31:08 guys tend to make sure that day they have on a tie. 31:12 They want to fit into the environment 31:15 because they know that, especially if you're invited 31:17 to an upscale wedding or one of these elite weddings. 31:21 We went to a wedding once and when we found out later, 31:23 we almost... 31:24 Matter of fact, I don't know if we went to this one or not, 31:26 but I found out that the flowers alone 31:28 cost $25,000, the flowers alone. 31:32 If I spend that much on flowers, 31:34 honey, hit me in the head with a sledgehammer. 31:36 I mean, can you imagine at the end of the day, 31:38 we're gonna throw these flowers away 31:39 and you'll be that much broke. 31:42 Anyway, some people have that kind of money, I don't. 31:45 But look at the text, the importance 31:46 in the imperative reason why we have to keep 31:50 our lives clean before God 31:52 because there's something 31:54 that we must do in order to get in, all right? 31:56 We just can't get into every place in any condition. 31:59 Here it is. 32:00 Psalms 24:3-4. 32:04 "Who may ascend into the hill of the Lord? 32:09 Or who may stand in His holy place?" 32:13 This goes back to James about the clean hands. 32:16 Let's read the rest. 32:17 "He who has," what, "clean hands and a," 32:20 what kind of heart, "pure heart, 32:23 who has not lifted up his soul to an idol, 32:28 nor sworn deceitfully." 32:31 Wow. 32:32 That's a huge list. 32:34 In other words, if you wanna stand here, 32:38 you got to be clean to stand here. 32:40 You have to have clean hands and what kind of heart? 32:43 Pure. 32:45 So you have to be clean on the outside and where else? 32:47 On the inside. 32:49 Some people are clean on the outside, 32:52 and they could put a good exterior. 32:55 But God is saying, "Ah, wait." 33:01 Scanning the human heart. 33:03 "Oh, sorry, you look good, 33:05 but there's something wrong here." 33:06 We've got to examine not only 33:08 what we look like on the outside, 33:09 but we have to make sure our hearts are clear 33:11 before God. 33:13 And that's why He says, "If your hands are clean 33:14 and your heart is pure, 33:16 you won't lift up your soul to idols 33:18 because they won't have any place in your life." 33:19 And you won't be a person whose words cannot be trusted. 33:22 You will not swear deceitfully. 33:24 In other words, your yes will be yes, 33:26 your no will be no, 33:27 your words will be words of honesty. 33:29 Amen? Amen. 33:31 So what's the answer here? 33:33 Clean hands, pure hearts. 33:36 Clean hands, pure hearts. 33:40 Wow. 33:42 Number 14, number 14. 33:48 In preparation for the judgment, 33:51 where can we find deliverance? 33:55 Where can we find deliverance 33:57 in preparation for the judgment? 33:59 Where can we find deliverance? 34:01 You know, when you think about it, 34:02 I've known people that have had lawyers 34:05 that were just not good at all. 34:07 But they put all their money in their lawyers, 34:09 and they said, 34:11 "Are you gonna fight for me?" 34:12 "I got it, don't worry, I got it." 34:14 "Are you gonna really represent me?" 34:15 "Don't worry about it. You hired me, I'm gonna help." 34:18 And the lawyer did so little. 34:20 And that person ended up being convicted 34:23 because the lawyer just did not do the work 34:25 that they were paid to do. 34:28 You know, there's something called discovery? 34:30 If that lawyer is not working hard 34:32 for his or her money, 34:33 then you could be in serious trouble. 34:35 That's why this text is a very encouraging one. 34:37 In preparation for the judgment, 34:39 where can we find deliverance? 34:41 And we're gonna go to 2 Peter 2:9. 34:44 2 Peter 2:9, here it is, okay. 34:48 The Bible says, 34:50 "Then the Lord knows how to do," 34:53 what's the next word, "deliver the godly," 34:56 amen to that? 34:58 He knows how to deliver the godly out of what? 35:01 "Temptation and to reserve the unjust under punishment 35:07 for the day of judgment." 35:08 So when the day of judgment, 35:10 the reservation is made for the unjust, 35:13 there's a reservation for them to be judged. 35:16 But for us, God delivers us out of temptation. 35:21 That's important. 35:22 Because you know what, you don't always have to just 35:23 pray for forgiveness, 35:25 we have to take hold of the power 35:26 that is able to deliver us from temptation. 35:30 You wanted that prayer, when the Lord said, 35:32 "Pray after this manner." 35:34 And it says, "Deliver us from evil." 35:37 See, "Deliver us from evil. 35:39 Lead us not into temptation." 35:40 You wonder, "Why did they include that?" 35:43 When God doesn't tempt anyone nor is He tempted by... 35:47 Why would they say, "Lead us not into temptation?" 35:50 What they were asking the Lord then? 35:52 And when I looked this up, it was so beautiful. 35:53 They were saying, 35:55 "Lord, please don't ever leave us 35:56 because if You leave us, where else can we go? 35:59 Our path would not be guided." 36:02 And the disciples following Jesus, 36:04 He never led them into temptation. 36:07 And they were saying, "Lord, don't leave us. 36:09 Don't leave us because if you leave us, 36:12 where will it lead us?" 36:13 It may lead us into temptation. 36:14 And what happened? 36:16 That's exactly what happened to Peter. 36:17 When he departed from the Lord, where did his feet go? 36:20 Right at the temptation. 36:22 And what happened? Did he fall? 36:23 Yes, he did because he followed the Lord, 36:25 as the Bible says, 36:26 "He followed the Lord at a distance." 36:30 So here's the answer. 36:32 In preparation for the judgment, 36:33 where can we find deliverance? 36:35 In who? Say it again, in the Lord. 36:39 In the Lord, no one else. 36:41 In the Lord. 36:43 Wow. 36:45 And when we find deliverance, you don't have to stand 36:47 in the judgment fearful 'cause people think about, 36:50 "When is the judgment?" 36:51 Now. 36:53 It's going on right now. 36:56 Lot of people don't think of the judgment 36:57 in the world until, like, April 15 or October 15. 37:02 Tax time. 37:03 "What's going on?" "Tomorrow." 37:05 And some people wait till midnight, 37:07 like 5:00 to midnight, they mail their taxes. 37:10 I just can't understand that. 37:11 Why would you want to be in a long line 37:13 fighting to get your taxes mailed at almost midnight? 37:17 Mail it at noon. 37:18 Don't do that. 37:20 How much interest are you gonna get 37:21 between 6pm in the evening and midnight, 37:23 lest you're paying a whole lot of money? 37:25 You're not gonna get but 3 cents interest, 37:27 just distress yourself, somebody say amen. 37:30 Amen. 37:31 But the Lord knows how to deliver the godly. 37:34 The godly don't have to fall into temptation. 37:37 But for those who are not following the Lord, 37:39 they have a reservation, and none of us want to partake 37:42 of that reservation. 37:44 Look at 1 John 4:17. 37:47 1 John 4:17, in preparation, where can we find deliverance? 37:50 Look at this. 37:52 "Love has been perfected among us in this," 37:56 oh, this is so beautiful, "that we may have," 37:59 what, church, 38:01 "boldness in the day of judgment 38:03 because as He is, 38:07 so are we in this world." 38:10 You got to grab the end of that text. 38:11 First of all, what's beautiful about this text, it's saying, 38:14 "We're gonna have boldness in the day of judgment." 38:16 You know, the word there "boldness," 38:18 it doesn't mean arrogance. 38:19 It means confidence. 38:22 It means confidence. 38:23 It's like when you call your puppy, 38:25 if that puppy knows you feed them 38:26 and you give them a nice, comfortable bed, 38:29 and you wash him up, 38:30 and take them and get their haircut 38:32 every now and then, if that puppy knows that 38:33 you let him sleep at the foot of your bed, 38:35 and he could jump on any couch in the house, 38:37 and you say, "Hey, puppy," 38:39 he's gonna run right into your arms, 38:41 no fear, he's gonna have boldness, 38:43 he'll run through a crowd. 38:44 If you whistle, he'll hear your voice and come to you. 38:46 When we know that God is the one that loves us, 38:50 we can run to Him, we can come to Him 38:54 in great confidence. 38:55 And that's what this is being, 38:56 that's what this is emphasizing. 38:58 Love has been perfected among us in this. 39:00 When you have a perfect love, 39:02 what does the Bible say about perfect love? 39:03 What does it do? 39:05 It casts out all fear. 39:06 You can run to Him. 39:08 So if this love has been perfected among us, 39:10 that's why we have the boldness because we're not afraid. 39:12 We can run to Him, as the apostle says, 39:15 we can run to Him and say, "Abba, Father," 39:18 that's a term of affection. 39:20 Not say, Lord, God, 39:24 those are terms that are legal and beautiful in there, right? 39:27 But when you say Abba, Father, terms of affection, 39:30 you can run to Him in the day of judgment. 39:33 We can all have boldness, we can have confidence 39:35 because as He is so are we in this world. 39:38 In other words, we are just like each other. 39:41 He lives in us so much that even though 39:43 we haven't been delivered out of this world yet 39:45 we are like our Father in this world. 39:47 Who better to be around 39:49 than somebody that's just like you? 39:51 Isn't that right? 39:53 He wants to be with us. 39:54 We want to be with Him 39:55 because that love has bonded us together. 39:58 So write that down. 40:00 In preparation of the judgment, where can we find deliverance? 40:04 Where can we find deliverance? 40:06 In His perfect love, in His perfect love. 40:11 Not in boldness, but we can find deliverance 40:13 in His perfect love. 40:17 Wow. 40:18 Now we're gonna transition into another phase 40:21 of the lesson. 40:26 Years ago, I remember people... 40:27 Matter of fact, when I was a young man, 40:29 I thought that God is the judge, 40:31 and that Jesus will be fighting 40:32 against the Father to get me in. 40:35 "Father, please let him in." 40:37 "No." 40:38 "Please let him in." "No." 40:40 And after I studied the Bible, I was so enlightened 40:43 that the Father and the Son 40:45 are not on opposite sides of the judgment. 40:48 Come on, say amen. Amen. 40:49 They're in this thing together. 40:52 And that gave me such confidence 40:53 because people have the concept. 40:56 And some parents 40:57 do an injustice to their children. 40:59 "God's gonna get you. 41:01 God's watching you." 41:03 And they use God as a whipping stick 41:05 to almost place fear in their hearts, 41:07 rather than say, "You know what, 41:08 the Lord loves you. 41:09 He wouldn't want you to do that." 41:11 That's so much more positive. 41:12 Rather than say, "I know God saw you. 41:14 You could lie to me, but God's got you. 41:16 He's got His eyes on you." 41:17 And I grew up with that kind of mentality, 41:20 not in my home, 41:21 but I heard that and it echoes in our heads. 41:25 Sometimes, like, "He caught you 41:27 and you're gonna see it in the judgment." 41:29 And some people even say to people that they don't like, 41:31 "You're gonna have to answer for that." 41:34 Well, they're, in essence, saying is they're hoping that 41:35 God beats you up for them. 41:37 That's not how God is. 41:39 Isn't that wonderful? 41:40 That's not who God is. 41:41 But look at what happens here, 41:43 who is, according to the question number 15, 41:45 who will the presiding judge be in the judgment? 41:49 Or in the judgment, 41:50 who will the presiding judge be? 41:52 Right? John 5:22. 41:55 John 5:22. 42:01 Here it is, here it is. 42:05 Okay. 42:06 "For the Father judges," how many, 42:09 "no one, 42:11 but has committed all judgment to the Son." 42:15 Now do you wonder why? 42:17 Do you wonder why? 42:19 I got to tell you why. 42:20 Can I tell you why? Yes. 42:22 Has the Father been tempted? No. 42:25 Has the Son been tempted? 42:27 Yes. Yes. 42:28 He was tempted in all points just as we are. 42:33 And we have a high priest who is touched 42:37 by the feelings of our weaknesses. 42:40 He knows what we're going through. 42:43 That's who you want to represent you? 42:45 Can you imagine a lawyer representing you 42:46 that's never done anything wrong? 42:49 Where are you from? 42:52 Jesus was in the same pathway. 42:54 He did not fall to the temptation, 42:56 but He understands, He understands our weaknesses, 42:59 He understands our infirmities, 43:01 He understands the frailty of humanity. 43:03 So therefore, 43:06 the Father doesn't take upon Himself 43:09 because He hasn't had the experience 43:12 that the Son has. 43:14 So if anybody ever says to you, 43:15 "Well, I think the Father and the Son 43:17 are the same person." 43:19 Give them this text. 43:21 The Father does not judge, but the Son does, 43:24 showing that there is the Father, 43:26 and there is the Son. 43:29 So who's the judge? 43:31 Wow, you're gonna get excited in just a moment. 43:35 Write that down. 43:36 Who will the presiding judge be in the judgment? 43:41 Who will the presiding judge be in the judgment? 43:44 Oh, you're gonna get excited in just a moment, 43:48 when you look at the next question. 43:50 Write the answer down, Jesus. 43:51 Now we go to question number 16. 43:53 Question number 16. 43:55 All right. 43:58 I'm tickled by this very next question. 44:00 I'm already excited because of the question itself. 44:04 What other role does Jesus fulfill 44:08 in the process of the judgment? 44:12 Oh, I tell you. 44:13 Didn't that make you smile? 44:15 I see some of you are smiling, 44:16 you theologians are already smiling. 44:17 You know where we're going with this. 44:19 What confidence? 44:21 This text already said to you yes! 44:25 I got the whole judicial team on my side. 44:29 Wow. 44:31 Okay, 1 John 2:1. 44:32 Here it is. 44:34 1 John 2:1. 44:36 Man, my contacts are cloudy tonight. 44:39 But that's okay. 44:40 We'll make it. 44:41 1 John 2:1. 44:43 Look at this one. 44:44 I love this. 44:45 And this is done in the context 44:47 of the Abba-Father relationship. 44:48 Let's read this together. 44:50 Ready? 44:51 "My little children, these things I write to you 44:55 so that you may not," what, "sin. 44:58 And if anyone sins, 45:01 we have an Advocate with the Father, 45:04 who is Jesus Christ the righteous." 45:08 Amen? Amen. 45:10 You know what advocate is? 45:11 Lawyer. 45:13 He is the judge and the lawyer. 45:17 How do you pull that off, Yannick? 45:19 Wait a minute. 45:20 I thought the judge is supposed to be over there 45:21 and the lawyer is supposed to be over here. 45:23 Are you in his case to the judge? 45:25 Oh, well, we got a judge, 45:27 and a lawyer, and His name is Jesus. 45:29 Come on, somebody. 45:30 The same one who is going to decide our fate 45:34 is the one who defends us in the judgment. 45:37 And you'll find out why He defends us. 45:39 When we stand with Him, 45:41 we are standing not only 45:42 in the beauty of His righteousness 45:44 and in the confidence 45:46 that we find in knowing Him as our Savior. 45:48 But He says, "I know you stumble, 45:51 but don't worry about it. 45:52 I'll defend you. 45:53 I'm gonna bring your case in the judgment. 45:56 I will examine." 45:58 And there's something that if you do this, 46:01 and you know the text, 46:02 "If we confess our sin, He is," what, 46:05 "faithful and just to forgive us of our sin 46:08 and to," do what, 46:09 "cleanse us from," how much, 46:10 "all unrighteousness." 46:14 And a number of years ago, I got this picture in my mind 46:16 when I was studying the Book of Revelation. 46:18 I have, like, four little booklets, 46:20 I got to find them again. 46:21 I have so many books still in boxes. 46:25 Anyway, you don't need to know about that. 46:26 But I was studying about Revelation 46:30 and the process of deciding a person's faith 46:35 in the judgment in the Romans' courts. 46:38 And it was a scary process 46:41 because if the jury couldn't come up with the verdict, 46:44 it was up to the person that was accused 46:46 to decide his or her own fate. 46:50 Isn't that scary? 46:51 Now if they just said, 46:52 "Now what would you like to be?" 46:54 "I want to be innocent." 46:55 You see, the phrases, 46:56 if you are innocent, 46:59 you don't cry for mercy, you cry for justice. 47:02 But if you're guilty, you ask for what? 47:04 Mercy. 47:05 So anyhow, the way they did this 47:07 was they brought out a bag of some sort. 47:10 I never saw one, I just read the description 47:12 in Roman history. 47:14 And in the bag, 47:15 there was a white stone 47:17 and there was a black stone. 47:20 And if you put your hand, Donald, in the bag, 47:23 here you are the accused, waiting before the court, 47:26 hung jury, they did this, 47:27 you've got to pick one of those stones. 47:29 If you pick a white one, you're free. 47:32 If you pick a black stone, 47:33 you are going to be crucified. 47:36 Can you imagine the interpretation? 47:39 Can you fathom the intensity of the pressure 47:41 that you're under? 47:44 Until I read the text. 47:46 Jesus said, 47:48 as our advocate, 47:50 "I will give you a white stone, 47:55 and then with a new name on it." 47:56 Come on, somebody. Amen. 47:59 That's a Hallelujah sermon right there all by itself. 48:02 He says, "Here, here, here, 48:06 here's a white stone, don't you worry about that bag, 48:08 just put your hand and you hold that stone. 48:10 And when time comes, just pull out the stone 48:14 and open your hand." 48:16 Praise God for that? Amen. 48:17 You see, He not only defends us in the judgment, 48:21 He declares us by His righteousness, 48:23 pure and clean. 48:25 And when the time comes, where we are being so accused, 48:29 and the accuser is standing right there, 48:31 licking his lips over the possibility that 48:34 I may be hanging from a tree later on this afternoon, 48:38 God, Jesus looks at the accuser just so confidently. 48:45 And He puts His hand on our shoulder and says, 48:48 "My son, don't even fear." 48:51 Here's the white stone. 48:54 Don't have to worry. 48:55 And you put your hand in the bag, 48:57 and your heartbeat is so calm. 48:58 And the judge wonders or the court wonders, 49:01 "Why is he not sweating? 49:02 Why is he not crying at this point?" 49:04 And you pull out 49:05 and that white stone represents the purity of Christ? 49:08 What do you say? Amen. 49:09 When I read that, 49:11 these texts, you see, 49:14 you can teach the judgment and scare people to death. 49:18 Right? 49:19 You can put out all those texts. 49:20 There will be weeping and gnashing of teeth, 49:23 you know, the unquenchable fire, 49:24 they're all there. 49:26 But I wanna instill within you, 49:28 I wanna bring to you the beauty of the Christ, 49:30 who wants to be our advocate in our judge in the judgment. 49:33 Amen? Amen. 49:34 I don't want you to walk away 49:36 fearful to death 49:38 because if the love of God has been perfected in us 49:40 as the scripture just said, 49:42 we should not be a people filled with fear, 49:43 we should have boldness in the day of judgment. 49:45 We should say, "Bring it on! 49:47 I can't wait to get out of this world 49:50 because Christ is the one working in us, and on us, 49:52 and through us every day, 49:54 getting us ready for such a glorious event." 49:56 And that's why I like this, my little children. 50:00 He doesn't say, 50:03 "Donald 50:05 or sinner." 50:06 He doesn't say, "Mr. Dinzey." 50:09 He says, "My son, 50:11 My daughter, 50:14 let Daddy handle this." 50:17 Wow. I got to move on. 50:18 I don't want to get too locked into that. 50:20 It could be emotional when you think 50:21 how beautiful God is to us. 50:24 Number 17. 50:26 Number 17. 50:29 What assurance can we claim 50:32 in light of the judgment? 50:36 What assurance can we claim 50:38 in light of the judgment? 50:41 This is blessed assurance. 50:43 This is divine insurance. 50:45 Go with me to Revelation 3:5. 50:48 Revelation 3:5. 50:52 Wow. 50:54 And, you know, 50:55 as we're thinking about this lesson, 50:57 I think somewhere in our minds, 50:58 we have to just insert the question, 51:00 "What am I willing to give up for salvation? 51:03 What am I willing to hold on to, 51:05 to lose out on all these wonderful blessings? 51:08 And you know what, I tell you, 51:09 if you go through the inventory of the world, 51:10 you come up with nothing. 51:12 There's nothing that is worthy 51:14 to take the place of the glory 51:16 that will be revealed after this. 51:18 Look at Revelation 3:5, here's the answer. 51:21 Revelation 3:5. 51:23 And the Bible reads as follows, 51:25 "He who," does what, 51:26 "overcomes shall be clothed in," 51:30 what kind of garments, 51:31 "white garments," and I like this, 51:33 "and I will not blot out his name 51:37 from the," what book, 51:39 "from the Book of Life, 51:42 but I will confess his name before My Father 51:46 and before His," what, 51:48 "and before His angels." 51:50 So you see, we've got angels, right? 51:53 Now why is it important for the Lord 51:55 to speak to our angels? 51:57 'Cause the angels have seen everything we've done. 52:01 And I want you to get this. This is a very important point. 52:03 You see, the angels were there 52:05 when the Great Controversy began. 52:07 They saw Lucifer 52:10 be downgraded to Satan. 52:12 They saw the other angels that took his side 52:15 and got kicked out. 52:17 And they're saying to Jesus... I'm just... 52:19 This is my supposition, 52:21 but it's the thought that came to my mind. 52:22 They're saying, 52:24 "You sure you wanna let him in here 52:27 after all I've seen him do? 52:30 Think about that. 52:31 You sure? 52:32 I mean, Lord, 52:34 I've been following him all his life. 52:36 You sure you wanna let him in here 52:40 after all I have seen?" 52:43 That's why the Lord confesses our name 52:46 before the Father and before the angels. 52:48 Now what does that mean, confess our name? 52:52 You know what that means? 52:53 That means represent our name. 52:57 The name comes up, 52:59 Richard Hutchinson. 53:02 "Who will make... Who will declare Richard Hut? 53:04 Who will stand in his behalf?" "I will." 53:07 "And what is your name?" 53:08 "I'm Jesus Christ, the righteous. 53:10 I'm a representative of Richard Hutchinson." 53:12 Amen? Amen. 53:14 That's what that is, confessing. 53:16 "Who is here to represent John Dinzey?" 53:18 "I am." "And what's your name?" 53:19 "Jesus Christ, the righteous." 53:22 "And what are you doing?" 53:24 I'm declaring my righteousness in his behalf. 53:28 His debt is covered by My righteousness." 53:32 That's what it means by confessing. 53:34 He is the one standing. 53:36 So when the angel said, "But I'm not sure," 53:38 the Father says, 53:40 "It's already taken care of." 53:41 And He shows him, you remember, the Zachariah and the angel? 53:45 Remember that? 53:46 See, when your minds are... 53:48 When the Holy Spirit get involve, 53:49 he starts locking us together. 53:51 Zachariah, there he was in his filthy garments. 53:54 There he was in his filthy garments, 53:56 and the devil goes like, "Yes!" 53:57 And when he cleaned up Zachariah, 54:00 he turned to the devil and said, 54:01 "You're just upset 54:03 because he's a brand plucked from the fire." 54:06 Amen? Amen. 54:07 We are all brands plucked... 54:09 Joshua, we are all brands plucked from the fire. 54:14 Praise God for that. 54:16 And He says to the devil, "So what? 54:17 Go ahead and pal. 54:19 I don't really care 54:20 because your time is short anyhow." 54:22 Wow. This is beautiful. 54:24 He confesses our name. 54:25 You wanna write that down. 54:26 What assurance can we claim in the light of the judgment? 54:29 He confesses our name. 54:32 He is our surety. 54:34 Praise God from whom all blessings flow. 54:38 Wow. 54:42 And this is all in His book. 54:45 I couldn't make up a lesson this good. 54:48 This is something that was divinely 54:49 put together by God. 54:50 Wow. 54:52 All right, here it is. 54:53 How do we know 54:55 that we can have victory in the Judgment? 54:57 How can we know? 54:59 Revelation 12:10. 55:00 How can we know 55:02 that we can have victory in the Judgment? 55:07 How do we know that we can have victory 55:09 in the Judgment? 55:10 Number 18. 55:12 Revelation 12:10. 55:14 I'm gonna move right along 55:15 because of the interest of time. 55:16 Here it is. 55:18 "Then I heard a loud voice 55:23 saying in heaven, 55:25 'Now salvation, and strength, 55:28 and the kingdom of our God, 55:31 and the power of His Christ have come, 55:35 for the accuser of our brethren, 55:39 who accused them before our God day and night," 55:43 what's the verdict, "has been cast down." 55:46 Amen. 55:47 Now I don't know if you've noticed that, 55:49 but just get the picture of the gavel coming down. 55:52 "You are to blame, not them. 55:55 You are going down, not them." 55:57 The verdict, the accuser. 55:59 "But wait... No, I've heard enough. 56:02 In the judgment, I've heard enough." 56:04 The accuser has been cast down, not the accused. 56:08 Praise God for that. 56:10 And we've been accused of a lot of things, 56:12 but the accuser is cast down, not the accused. 56:15 Don't ever get those mixed up. 56:17 The Lord stands on behalf of the accused, 56:20 but He stands against the accuser. 56:22 Praise God for that. 56:23 Can we get one more? I think we can get one more. 56:26 I'm gonna try my best. 56:28 Here it is. 56:29 What makes it possible to stand confident 56:32 in light of the judgment? 56:34 Romans 8:1-2. 56:36 What makes it possible to stand confident 56:39 in light of the judgment? 56:41 Romans 8:1-2. 56:44 And here it is. 56:45 Let's look at this beautiful text together. 56:47 Paul the Apostle knows 56:48 anybody who's walked in the footsteps of humanity, 56:51 anybody who's been on this earth long enough knows 56:55 how beautiful this text is 56:57 because the end result, if you're not for Jesus, 56:59 there's the condemnation, but let's read this. 57:01 "There is therefore," what, 57:02 "now no condemnation to those who are," what, 57:06 "in Christ Jesus, 57:07 who do not walk according to the flesh, 57:09 but according to the," what, 57:11 "Spirit." Why? 57:13 "For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus 57:17 has made me free from the," what, friends, 57:20 "law of sin and death." 57:22 I'm gonna wind up with this explanation. 57:24 The devil cites the law of sin and death. 57:27 He said, "But, Father, his corrupt nature, 57:29 he is human, he is mortal, he is corruptible." 57:33 That's the law of sin and death. 57:34 But the Father says, "Oh, 57:36 I'm gonna cover him with immortality. 57:37 I'm gonna cover him with incorruption. 57:39 I'm gonna cover him with My purity 57:41 because he's walking in the Spirit. 57:43 He's not walking according to the flesh." 57:45 See, how you walk has everything to do with 57:47 where you end up in the judgment. 57:48 So for those of you who are wondering 57:50 whether or not 57:51 you are prepared for the judgment, 57:53 just make this decision 57:54 to make your life a daily walk with Christ, 57:57 a daily one-to-one relationship. 57:59 And if it doesn't make sense, keep on studying 58:01 because one day it will come into a sharper focus. 58:04 God bless you. |
Revised 2019-06-20