Participants: Pr. John Lomacang
Series Code: ASHF
Program Code: ASHF000101
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00:21 Hello, friends, welcome to A Sharper Focus,
00:24 our Wednesday night Bible study here 00:26 at the 3ABN Worship Center. 00:28 Thank you for taking the time to tune in, 00:30 I hope you have your Bibles. 00:31 And you are prepared for a walk 00:33 through the Word of God together. 00:35 We're continuing on the topic of the judgment. 00:38 And this is a pretty lengthy topic. 00:40 After this lesson study tonight, 00:43 the next phase is going to be the timing 00:45 of the judgment. 00:47 Many people have heard about the judgment, 00:49 but some don't know 00:50 when the judgment is going to begin 00:52 and the phases of the judgment, 00:54 very important in light of the fact 00:56 that we believe 00:57 Jesus is coming soon. 00:59 So get you Bibles, and invite your family and friends 01:01 if you're joining us from one of the local churches. 01:03 Thank you. 01:04 We know that God is going to bless you tonight, 01:06 and we'll tell you in just a moment 01:08 how you can get a copy of the lesson. 01:10 But before we do anything else, 01:11 let's begin with a word of prayer. 01:14 Gracious Father in heaven, 01:16 the judge of all the earth, 01:17 we thank You, Lord, 01:19 tonight that we can speak about a topic 01:20 that does not bring fear to our hearts 01:23 but brings the blessed assurance 01:25 when Jesus is our Savior. 01:27 We pray tonight as we study Your word 01:29 that You will come into our hearts, 01:31 connect us regardless of the distances 01:33 that separate us. 01:34 And may Your Holy Spirit empower us 01:37 to understand what we read, 01:39 strengthen us also, Father, 01:41 to not only be intellectually informed, 01:44 but spiritually strengthened. 01:45 We pray in Jesus' name, 01:47 amen. 01:49 Go to this following website 01:51 to get a copy of the lesson, 01:53 ASF.3ABN.org, 01:57 that's ASF.3ABN.org, 02:00 and download lesson number 28, 02:02 The Truth About the Judgment, 02:05 The Truth About the Judgment. 02:06 And then you can follow along with us. 02:09 On that website, 02:10 you'll also notice that there is a section of tabs 02:13 where you can click for videos. 02:15 If you've missed any of the lessons, 02:16 you can download the lessons from 28 on back to 1 02:20 or videos from, I think, video number 88 02:23 all the way back to number 1 02:25 and conduct the Bible study 02:26 wherever you have the opportunity. 02:28 But tonight, we're going to talk about the judge, 02:30 the judgment, 02:31 and why it is such a vitally important topic. 02:33 But before we do that, 02:35 we're going to sing our theme song, 02:36 and it is called Victory in... 02:39 Victory in Jesus. Let's sing the song together. 02:50 I heard an old, old story 02:54 How the Savior came from glory 02:57 How He gave His life on Calvary 03:01 To save a wretch like me 03:05 I heard about His groaning 03:09 Of His precious blood's atoning 03:12 Then I repented of my sin 03:16 And won the victory 03:20 O victory in Jesus 03:24 My Savior forever 03:28 He sought me 03:30 and bought me 03:31 With His redeeming blood 03:35 He loved me ere I knew Him 03:39 And all my love is due Him 03:43 He plunged me to victory 03:47 Beneath the cleansing flood 03:50 I heard about a mansion 03:54 He has built for me in glory 03:58 And I heard about the streets of gold 04:02 Beyond the crystal sea 04:06 About the angels singing 04:09 And the old redemption story 04:13 And some sweet day I'll sing up there 04:17 The song of victory 04:20 O victory in Jesus 04:24 My Savior forever 04:28 He sought me 04:30 And bought me 04:32 With His redeeming blood 04:36 He loved me ere I knew Him 04:40 And all my love is due Him 04:43 He plunged me to victory 04:47 Beneath the cleansing flood 04:51 He plunged me to victory 04:55 Beneath the cleansing flood 05:01 Amen. 05:03 Little a cappella tonight, but that's okay. 05:05 The song is still just as beautiful, 05:08 Victory in Jesus. 05:11 Now as we transition to our first question 05:14 for tonight, 05:15 the topic is The Truth About the Judgment. 05:19 No one likes to go to court except to be a juror 05:22 or except to come to represent someone else. 05:25 But when anyone is summoned to court, 05:27 it's always an experience of in-trepidation. 05:31 Why am I being summoned? 05:33 What am I being charged with? 05:35 What is piled up against me? 05:37 What is the evidence? 05:38 How am I supposed to react? 05:40 How is the outcome of the trial going to be? 05:44 Is it going to be in my favor? 05:46 Am I going to be acquitted? 05:47 Am I going to be indicted? 05:49 Will I serve time? Will I walk? 05:51 All those questions come into the mind of individuals. 05:54 And now in America, 05:55 we have something called court TV. 05:57 And then the news, day by day, whenever there's a case, 06:00 they just happened to come to the place now. 06:02 They take you stage by stage through trials. 06:06 And America, many of us remember a number of years ago, 06:09 the OJ Simpson trial 06:11 that seemed to have grabbed the attention 06:13 of almost all Americans, 06:14 they were pinned to the television 06:17 as they looked at, 06:18 and hung their feelings and emotions 06:21 on every word from the prosecution 06:24 to the defense team. 06:25 And many were shocked about the outcome. 06:28 But I want to tell you, 06:29 in this judgment, 06:31 there is going to be some shock about the outcome, 06:34 but the evidence is going to be clear 06:36 because the Lord, the righteous Judge, 06:38 is going to be the one presiding in our behalf 06:41 or against those who choose not to take a stand with Him. 06:45 Go with me to a particular text. 06:46 I want you to see 06:48 2 Timothy 4:8. 06:49 I want to begin with this one. 06:51 This is not a part of our syllabus, 06:53 but I'd like to begin with that one 06:55 because Paul the Apostle, 06:58 when he talked about the judgment, 07:01 the words he used here 07:03 in 2 Timothy 4:8, 07:10 4:8, 07:12 words that will bring 07:15 not only information to us 07:17 but that will bring encouragement to us. 07:19 Notice what he says about the Lord. 07:24 In verse 7, I'll begin there, 07:26 he says, 07:27 "I have fought," what kind of fight? 07:30 "A good fight, I have finished the race, 07:33 I have kept the faith." 07:35 Three things he did. 07:37 Fought, finished, and kept. 07:40 But notice what he says in verse 8. 07:42 "Finally, there is laid up for me, 07:45 the crown of righteousness, 07:48 which the Lord," the what kind of judge? 07:51 "The righteous judge." 07:53 So the Lord that we're looking forward to facing, 07:56 if we are His son and daughter, 07:59 if we have lived according to His will 08:01 and His way, 08:03 notice what the benefit is going to be. 08:05 "The Lord, the righteous Judge, 08:06 that crown of righteousness, " 08:08 he says, 08:09 "will give me on that day and not to me only 08:14 but to all who have loved His appearing." 08:17 Now I want to begin with that text tonight, 08:19 love His appearing. 08:21 If you know you've done something wrong, 08:23 you don't love seeing the judge walk out. 08:26 But if you've done something right, 08:28 you love His appearing. 08:30 Here he comes, and you smile. 08:31 Matter of fact, you're actually courteous. 08:33 If the judge comes out and you are the defendant, 08:36 you are on the prosecution side, 08:37 you're there to prosecute someone 08:39 who has done something against you, 08:40 when the judge comes out, you're kind of, 08:42 "Hello, your honor. 08:44 Glad to see you." 08:45 But if you're on the defense, 08:46 you're not happy, 08:48 you don't love His appearing. 08:50 I want to begin tonight with this particular phrase, 08:52 "When you serve the Lord, 08:54 You are not fearful of the judge." 08:55 What kind of judge is He according to this text? 08:58 He's a righteous judge. 09:01 And so if we are living a righteous life, 09:04 then the righteous judge is the one 09:06 that we love His appearing, 09:08 but not everyone is going to love His appearing. 09:10 Go with me to Revelation, 09:12 I'm going to show you something. 09:13 Look at some of the reactions, 09:15 Revelation chapter 6 09:16 show you that 09:17 not everybody's going to like His appearing. 09:19 There are going to be two responses. 09:21 Let me show you the response of those 09:22 that don't like His appearing. 09:24 Revelation chapter 6, 09:26 and look at this verse. 09:29 All right, 09:31 and let's see, 09:32 we'll start with verse 14. 09:35 Verse 14, 09:39 the Bible says, 09:40 "Then the sky," speaking about the coming of the Lord, 09:44 "receded as a scroll when it is rolled up 09:46 or rolled together," depending on what translation, 09:49 "and every mountain and island 09:50 was moved out of its place, 09:52 and the kings of the earth, 09:54 the great men, the rich men, 09:57 the commanders, the mighty men, 10:00 every slave, and every free man," 10:03 what did they do? 10:04 "Hid themselves in the caves 10:08 and in the rocks of the mountains." 10:10 Why did they hide themselves? 10:11 Because they did not blank His appearing. 10:14 What's the word I'm missing? 10:16 They did not love His appearing. 10:18 Because to them, 10:19 He is not the righteous judge. 10:22 He's the judge that's coming to execute judgment, 10:26 so they hid themselves. 10:28 And then it goes on in verse 16. 10:30 And they said to the mountains and the rocks, 10:33 "Fall on us," and what's the next word? 10:36 "Hide us from the face of Him who sits on the throne." 10:40 The judge sitting on His throne. 10:43 They don't like His appearing. 10:44 So they said, "Would you hide His face from us." 10:48 But for those of us who love His appearing will say... 10:51 I'll show you in just a moment 10:52 what our reaction is going to be, 10:53 but let's finish their reaction. 10:55 "Hide us from the face of Him who sits on the throne, 10:58 and from the," what, 11:00 "Wrath of the Lamb, 11:01 for the great day of His wrath has come, 11:04 and who is able to stand." 11:06 That's all judgment language. 11:08 Standing. 11:09 When you come... When the judge comes out, 11:11 we'll all rise. 11:14 When the judge comes, all rise. 11:16 Who will be able to rise? 11:18 In other words, who will be able to... 11:20 You know, if you're guilty, you don't want to stand up. 11:23 It's like, "Do I have to stand up?" 11:25 And they stand up. 11:26 It's really sad when you see people 11:28 that are shackled, and they're chained, 11:30 and they have orange jumpsuits 11:32 or their white and black stripes, 11:34 they stand up as the ones 11:36 who are accused of something that they have done. 11:38 They stand, but in this case, 11:42 the judge who sits on the throne, 11:44 the wicked are saying, 11:45 "Hide us from His face 11:48 because who is able to withstand 11:51 the wrath of the Lamb?" 11:52 That in and of itself is a controversial topic 11:55 because most people are not afraid of lambs 11:59 because lambs are gentle. 12:00 To the Christian, 12:02 to the one who has served the Lord, 12:03 there's a different reaction altogether. 12:06 Now let's go to Isaiah chapter 25. 12:09 Let's look at the other reaction. 12:13 Isaiah chapter 25. 12:15 When it began by laying the foundation. 12:17 Yes, if you're with the Lord, you love His appearing. 12:22 But woe to those who are not with Him. 12:25 Woe to those who are not with Him. 12:29 Yes, verse 9. 12:31 Thank you, Brother Dan. 12:33 Isaiah 25:9, 12:35 when the Day of Judgment comes, 12:37 listen to how the Bible portrays this picture. 12:41 "And it will be said, 'In that day, 12:45 behold, this is,'" together, "'Our God. 12:49 We have waited for Him, and He will,'" do what? 12:52 "'Save us. 12:54 This is the Lord, 12:56 we have waited for Him. 12:57 And we will be,'" what? 12:59 "'Glad and rejoice in His salvation.' " 13:02 Somebody has come to stand up in our behalf. 13:06 And you know why this is going to be said 13:07 is because the saints of all the ages, 13:10 those that have gone through persecution, 13:12 it appears sometimes when you look at... 13:14 Just recently, and I want to just mention this 13:16 in the context of this. 13:18 I think just maybe last week or so, 13:22 the 70th year of the Holocaust was, 13:26 and I don't want to use the word celebrated, 13:27 but it was recognized, you don't celebrate that. 13:30 But the survivors of the Holocaust 13:33 were featured on CNN, 13:36 and we were in Australia down, and then we saw this. 13:38 And it was just day after day after day, 13:40 and they said it was like the 70th anniversary 13:43 of what happened there in Auschwitz. 13:45 And what was so significant about that 13:47 it says because those who have survived, 13:49 many of them are in their 80s, 13:52 and some of them bordering on 90, and they said, 13:54 they don't think that they're going to be around 13:56 for the 80th-year anniversary. 13:59 So it's better that they put a lot of focus 14:02 on this particular event or this particular timeframe. 14:10 When they were liberated from Auschwitz, 14:14 I can imagine them saying, 14:16 "We will be glad and rejoice in our salvation." 14:20 'Cause they were those that were... 14:22 Could have had the same fate as many that lost their lives 14:25 in that terrible camp. 14:27 But when their liberation came, 14:29 they were glad and rejoiced in their salvation. 14:32 So the judgment has a number of reactions to it. 14:36 And I could imagine many of the survivors saying, 14:39 how... Well, let's go to Revelation 6, 14:42 I don't want to... I don't want to say it, 14:44 I want to show it to you, 14:45 okay? 14:48 I want to show it to you, okay? 14:51 Revelation chapter 6. 14:56 Okay. 14:58 And Revelation 6:9 to 11, 15:04 Revelation 6:9 to 11. 15:07 It's terrible as the atrocities were 15:09 at that terrible death camp. 15:12 I could imagine the statement that's going to be 15:15 nestled between verse 9 and verse 11 15:17 is one that many of those 15:19 who are victims or lost family members. 15:22 One was very moving, one guy said, 15:23 "I lost 41 of my 43 family members." 15:26 Forty-one. 15:28 I could imagine this verse. 15:30 Look at verse 9, 15:32 and then we'll go down to verse 10, 15:35 all right? 15:37 "When He opened the fifth seal, 15:39 I saw under the altar, 15:41 the souls of those who had been slain 15:43 for the word of God 15:45 and for the testimony which they held." 15:48 Similar to what Abel's blood crying 15:51 to the Lord from the ground, 15:53 not actual souls, 15:54 but the Lord took note of those who lost their lives. 15:57 And notice what verse 10 brings out, 16:00 "And they cried with a loud voice, saying, 16:02 " what's the next two words? 16:04 "'How long, O Lord, 16:06 holy and true, 16:09 until You,'" what? 16:11 "'Judge and avenge our blood 16:13 on those who dwell on the earth?' " 16:16 So the judgment has a whole lot. 16:19 It's a day of accountability, 16:21 it's a day of reconciliation, 16:22 it's a day when God settles the account 16:24 in behalf of His children. 16:26 And going back to Paul, 16:27 he says, the righteous judge, the saints, 16:31 we have waited for Him, 16:32 but the wicked, 16:34 "Hide us, we don't want to see this moment." 16:37 What a sad day it's going to be. 16:38 They're only going to be two groups. 16:39 So as we've discussed the judgment tonight, 16:41 as we continue on in our discussion, 16:44 it's a sobering topic to consider 16:48 but a blessed one for those who trust in Jesus. 16:50 Now let's look at question number 11. 16:52 Let's go to that one. 16:53 Question number 11. 16:55 And it's on the screen. 16:57 In light of the judgment, 16:59 what are the people of God called to do? 17:03 In light of the judgment, 17:04 what are the people of God called to do? 17:06 2 Corinthians 13:5, 17:09 2 Corinthians 13:5. 17:13 And this is what... 17:17 This action that God calls 17:19 to Christian to participate 17:22 in will keep us in the category 17:24 where we're glad to see the Lord. 17:29 2 Corinthians 13:5, 17:31 and here's the answer. 17:34 Let's read this first one together, it's on the screen. 17:36 The Bible says, 17:37 "Examine yourselves 17:40 as to whether you are in the faith. 17:43 Test yourselves. 17:46 Do you not know yourselves that Jesus Christ is in you? 17:50 Unless indeed, you are disqualified." 17:54 Now why does Jesus Christ not being, 17:56 you know, as disqualify, as Paul says, 17:58 "Christ in you," Christ where? 18:00 "In you is the hope of glory." 18:03 If Christ is not in them, 18:05 they are disqualified. 18:06 And, you know, 18:08 Christ looks at us, 18:10 and He reproduces His character in us. 18:12 If He doesn't see His character in us, 18:14 we are disqualified. 18:15 That means you don't go to the next level. 18:18 That means you don't pass this stage. 18:20 The world is your final stage. 18:23 So the answer is, 18:25 what are we told to do? 18:27 What's your answer? What did you put down? 18:29 Examine yourself, 18:31 test yourself. 18:32 It's important to know where you stand. 18:34 Is Christ in you? 18:36 Is He your hope of glory? 18:39 And then Philippians 2:12. 18:41 Let's look at that one, Philippians 2:12. 18:45 All right. 18:49 Philippians 2:12. 18:50 Paul the Apostle 18:52 wrote so much about the judgment 18:56 because he had his eye-opening experience, 18:58 if I could use that. 19:00 The Lord took his vision briefly, restored it, 19:03 and then from that day on, 19:05 Paul the Apostle became one endeared to Christ. 19:10 I'll read this text and share with you 19:13 how this fits into Paul's relationship 19:15 with Christ. 19:16 But look at Philippians 2:12. 19:18 In light of the judgment, 19:19 what are the people of God called to do? 19:20 And the Bible says, "Therefore, my beloved, 19:23 as you have always obeyed, 19:26 not as in my presence only, 19:30 but now much more in my absence, 19:33 work out your own," what? 19:36 "Salvation with fear and trembling." 19:40 Let me think of it this way. 19:41 And this is probably a small illustration 19:43 compared to the weight of our salvation. 19:45 But when you're about to fly overseas, 19:48 and I'll just use the example, we were recently in Australia. 19:51 As the day is approaching, 19:53 we are checking to make sure everything's in place. 19:56 Do we have that? Do we have that? 19:59 Do we have that? 20:00 Do we have our visa, 20:01 make sure that we have our passports 20:03 before we leave the house 20:04 because certain things have to be 20:06 in order for you to even get on the plane. 20:09 You won't really make your destination. 20:11 So the Lord in essence, saying here, 20:13 that's a moment of working it out, 20:15 a moment of fear and trembling. 20:17 I know of one of our brethren that works here. 20:20 He got all the way almost to St. Louis 20:22 and realized he lost... 20:24 He didn't take his passport. 20:25 Do you think that was a moment of fear and trembling? 20:27 It sure was, 20:29 because he had to come back 20:30 and hightail it back home, 20:33 then turn around and go the same equal distance 20:35 of where he presently was 20:37 and carried all the way. 20:38 Thank the Lord he made it. 20:39 And I would say, 20:42 good thing he didn't meet another judge along the way, 20:46 which could have been 20:47 quite another moment of fear and trembling. 20:49 But the Bible says that we are to work out 20:51 our own salvation. 20:52 What that means is that 20:54 we're not the ones responsible for our salvation, 20:56 but we have to make sure 20:58 that the salvation that we have received 20:59 from Christ is intact. 21:02 As Revelation says, 21:03 "Blessed is he that keeps his garment," 21:06 the garment of righteousness 21:08 is what the Lord is speaking about here, 21:10 that we must keep untattered and unspotted in reference 21:15 to the final judgment. 21:17 Question number 12. 21:19 What admonition 21:21 is given in light of the unavoidable judgment? 21:25 What admonition 21:26 is given in light of the unavoidable judgment? 21:33 A few times, when I was called for jury duty, 21:35 I was able to avoid going, 21:37 and I remember that very well. 21:39 I was in Fairfield, California, 21:42 and I had a trip coming up, 21:43 and it was right at the time, 21:45 and so they said, "Okay, bring your ticket, 21:48 bring your itinerary to the court." 21:50 'Cause a lot of times people make up excuses 21:53 as why they should not appear, 21:55 brought my itinerary, 21:56 and because it was purchased prior 21:58 to the invitation to be a juror, 22:00 they went ahead and allowed me. 22:02 But they said, "You are only allowed three excuses. 22:04 And if you get the third one, 22:05 we don't care what you will be appearing in court." 22:09 And then I read at the bottom 22:11 that you have a certain amount of time in which to respond. 22:14 Have you ever seen that? 22:15 And if you don't respond by that certain time, 22:18 they will put a warrant out for your arrest. 22:21 And I'm thinking, 22:22 I haven't even done anything wrong, 22:24 but they'll serve a warrant 22:26 if you don't respond to be a juror. 22:28 And I'm thinking, "America is tough." 22:31 You're going to help somebody in a trial, 22:34 and if you don't show up, 22:35 they issue a bench warrant. 22:38 Well, you know... Huh? 22:40 You become the one. 22:42 You surely won't appear in court as a juror next time 22:44 because you'll be the defendant. 22:46 I tell you, I responded on time, 22:48 and I've said to people, 22:49 "There are certain notices that you should never ignore. 22:52 If you ignore, there's always some kind of impact to that." 22:55 So look at the answer. 22:57 The unavoidable judgment, James 4:8. 23:00 Here's where the text is found, James 4:8, 23:02 and the Bible reads as follows, 23:05 "Draw near to God," let's say that together. 23:08 "Draw near to God, and He will," what? 23:12 "Draw near to you. 23:14 Cleanse your hands, you sinners, 23:16 and purify your hearts, you," what? 23:21 "Double-minded." 23:23 That's James 4:8, question number 12, 23:27 the first part, James 4:8. 23:29 And the answer is what admonition is given 23:32 in light of the judgment. 23:33 Draw near to God, 23:35 and God will draw near to you. 23:37 The cleansing aspect, 23:38 we often look at the answer as cleanse your hands 23:41 and purify your hearts. 23:42 When you draw near to God, 23:44 you'll know, in comparison, 23:46 you need to cleanse your hands, 23:47 and your heart needs to be pure. 23:50 The responsibility on our part is not... 23:53 Don't focus on the cleansing of the hands first, 23:55 focus on the drawing near to God. 23:58 You never know how dirty you are 24:00 until you stand next to something 24:01 that's a whole lot cleaner than you are, 24:03 right? 24:05 I had on a black suit, 24:07 and my wife had on a nice white sweater. 24:10 And she looks so cute, I put my arm around her. 24:13 And I just sat there during this sermon, 24:15 I just put my arm around her. 24:16 When I removed my arm, 24:18 I was feathered, I was feathered. 24:21 You never know 24:22 how much stuff gets on you 24:24 until you're next to somebody who's a lot cleaner. 24:26 She had on white, I had on black. 24:28 It showed all up. 24:29 And I tell you, that's kind of how it is. 24:31 When we stand next to the Lord, 24:34 we will be able to see in contrast to His purity, 24:37 we'll be able to see the spots on our character. 24:39 So the drawing near to God, 24:41 God is darkness or light? 24:43 Which one is He? Light. 24:45 And I tell you, a lot of stuff shows up in the light. 24:48 That's why in these clubs, they're often dark. 24:51 Places of ill repute, they're dark, 24:53 places of gambling, they're dark. 24:54 If you notice all the focuses of sin, 24:56 they're dark. 24:58 But when you walk in the light as He is in the light, 25:01 you have fellowship with one another, 25:03 and the blood of Jesus Christ, 25:04 His Son, cleanses us from all sin, 25:07 1 John chapter 1, 25:08 I believe it's verse 7. 25:10 So we have to walk in the light, 25:11 then we'll see our condition. 25:13 That's why the drawing near to God 25:14 is so vitally important in the judgment. 25:17 When you draw near, you'll see your need. 25:18 But look at 1 John 3:3, 25:21 1 John 3:3. 25:23 It's the second portion to question number 12. 25:26 1 John 3:3, 25:29 and I'll go ahead and put that on the screen 25:30 for those of you who may be ahead of me already 25:33 'cause you see on the syllabus where we're headed next. 25:35 But here's the answer. 25:37 And the Bible says, 25:38 "And everyone who has this," what? 25:41 "Hope in Him, " that is in Christ, 25:44 "Purifies himself, 25:46 just as He is pure." 25:49 That's an amazing statement. 25:51 It almost sounds like, "Wait a minute, 25:52 why must I purify myself if I am pure?" 25:55 The same thing applies to Peter and Christ. 25:58 Remember when Jesus came and He washed Peter's feet, 26:01 and Peter said, 26:02 "Well, could you just do the whole thing?" 26:05 The Lord says, "Those who are clean 26:08 only need to wash their feet." 26:10 That's the same context. 26:12 The Lord was in essence saying, 26:14 "We already have a relationship, Peter, 26:16 but you're not all clean. 26:18 You got to get it all cleaned up." 26:20 And we all know, after that incident, 26:22 what happened to Peter? 26:23 He denied the Lord 26:25 because there were still areas in his life 26:27 that needed to be cleaned up. 26:29 But let me ask you the question, 26:30 did they get cleaned up after that? 26:32 Yes, because He said to Peter, when you are converted, 26:35 strengthen the brethren. 26:37 And Peter was the spokesperson on the day of Pentecost. 26:40 He was the one telling the Jews what they need to do. 26:43 He said, "Repent," 26:44 because he had purified his heart. 26:46 And nothing sometimes brings you to the place 26:48 of purification. 26:51 Unfortunately, like falling, 26:53 nothing really brings you to the point of your need 26:56 except when you stumble. 26:58 And Peter stumbled in a huge way. 27:00 But I want to make this point of encouragement. 27:03 Even in our stumbling, 27:04 the Lord didn't cast Peter away, 27:06 but Peter met the moment 27:09 where he needed to purify himself. 27:12 And truly, when he was converted, 27:14 the purification took place, 27:16 he was able to strengthen the brethren. 27:18 And, boy, did he preach on the day of Pentecost. 27:20 "Repent, and be converted 27:22 that your sins may be blotted out." 27:24 He understood what that meant very clearly. 27:26 Look at Revelation 16:15, 27:28 the third part to question number 12. 27:30 So the answer in John... 27:32 1 John 3:3 is purify yourself. 27:36 Purify. Stay pure. 27:39 In this world today, 27:40 the devil works on corrupting everything. 27:44 Man, it's not easy to stay pure 27:46 because the music, 27:48 the movies, the television programs, 27:51 the way people dress. 27:53 If you're in some of these major cities, 27:56 I tell you, it's really difficult. 27:58 I don't want to keep talking about Australia too much, 28:00 but some of the portions, 28:03 we were down in Brisbane, Australia, 28:06 and I know they have their own issues too, 28:08 but I said to my wife, I don't... 28:10 I said, "You know what I don't miss? 28:12 I don't miss hearing loud rap music, 28:15 hip-hop. 28:16 I don't miss hearing the... 28:18 at the stoplight." 28:20 And I can almost... 28:21 Here we are in a major city, 28:23 and I'm saying, 28:24 "Did we hear a siren once? 28:26 Maybe I'm not even sure. 28:29 But in some major cities, that's all you hear, 28:31 the loud music, the sirens, the... 28:34 Even out here in quiet little Southern Illinois, 28:37 we could hear the echo of gunshot in the background 28:39 as another deer bites the dust. 28:41 You know, it's just the sounds of earth 28:44 are all around us, 28:45 but the purification is something we know that 28:48 we are all in need of. 28:50 Let's look at this other one. 28:51 What admonition are we given? 28:53 reads as follows, 28:56 "Behold, I am coming as a thief. 28:59 Blessed as he who," does what? 29:01 "Watches and keeps his garments, 29:05 lest he walks," how? 29:07 "Naked and they see his shame." 29:09 So what's the admonition here? 29:11 What would you pick out? 29:15 Watch. 29:16 That's right. Watch. 29:18 Blessed is he who watches. 29:20 When you watch, uh-oh, 29:22 you know the moment. 29:24 You know, you know the moment. 29:25 You're ready when you watch... 29:28 In the terminal, when the plane is coming, 29:29 watch. 29:31 When you're waiting for the mail to come, watch. 29:33 When you know that something is occurring 29:34 that's very important, you watch. 29:36 That's a word of urgency. 29:38 It's not a word of, 29:39 "Huh, I'm waiting." 29:42 Watch. 29:44 And one of the reasons why Jesus gave the word watch, 29:47 He said, "The flesh indeed is..." 29:51 "The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is," what? 29:54 "Weak." 29:55 In Matthew 24, He said that, 29:57 "Watch, for no one knows the day nor the hour." 30:00 Watch, learn the parable of the fig tree. 30:02 Watch. 30:03 If you look at the signs all around us, 30:05 we should be watching, 30:06 watching, and waiting for the coming of our Lord. 30:09 So the answer to Revelation 16:15, 30:11 I'd like to use the word watch 30:13 because the keeping of the garment will occur 30:15 if we are watching. 30:19 Amazing that language is used in Revelation, 30:22 when the garment is what Adam and Eve lost 30:24 in Genesis. 30:26 The Lord does not want us to end up 30:27 like Adam and Eve did, 30:29 He wants us to keep the garments, 30:32 keep the garments. 30:33 They didn't keep their garments, 30:35 and they walked naked. 30:36 And Adam actually said, 30:39 he said, "Why are we hiding?" 30:41 "I was naked, and I was ashamed, 30:44 and I hid myself." 30:46 See those who are hiding themselves 30:49 as we read in Revelation 6:9-11, 30:52 they're hiding themselves from the face of Him 30:54 who sits on the throne. 30:56 Can you tell me why they're hiding? 30:58 Can you tell me why they're hiding? 31:01 'Cause they're naked. 31:02 They don't have the righteousness of Christ. 31:04 The same reason why when Jesus came 31:06 to the marriage supper, and he saw a man, he's, 31:08 "How have you come in here without a wedding garment?" 31:12 And what did they do? 31:13 He's naked, 31:14 can't stay, got to go. 31:17 We have to have on Christ's righteousness 31:20 to make it through the judgment. 31:21 Amen. 31:22 Let's go to question number 13. 31:24 Question number 13, 31:28 "Why is it imperative 31:30 that we keep our lives clean before God?" 31:35 Clean before God. 31:37 Imperative. 31:39 Why is it imperative? 31:40 You know, the word imperative means absolutely necessary, 31:46 means unequivocal, 31:48 means if there's anything you got to do, 31:51 this is it. 31:52 Okay, here it is. 31:54 Psalms 24:3, 4. 31:57 Psalms 24:3, 4. 32:01 All right, here's the answer. 32:04 Bible says, "Who..." 32:07 Notice the question, 32:08 "Who may ascend into the hill of the Lord? 32:13 Or who may stand in His holy place?" 32:18 What's the answer? Let's read this together. 32:21 "He who has," what, 32:22 "Clean hands and" a what kind of heart, 32:25 "Pure heart, 32:26 who has not lifted up his soul 32:28 to an idol nor sworn deceitfully." 32:32 Notice the very thing that we were told earlier. 32:34 Cleanse your hands and purify your hearts. 32:37 Here it is. 32:40 Because your hands 32:42 is an instrument of what you do. 32:44 Your heart is the place where you think, 32:46 your affections. 32:48 It's amazing how 32:50 when the mark of the beast is given, 32:52 it's received in the hand and the forehead, same places. 32:56 The things you do. 32:57 The Lord said, "Make sure 32:58 that your hands are not involved 33:00 in an activity that does not honor God." 33:04 Make sure that your hands are clean. 33:06 A lot of times, when some something's missing, 33:10 and they're looking for this missing item, 33:12 they say, "Make sure you didn't do it. 33:15 Make sure your hands are clean. 33:16 And make sure make sure your hearts are pure. 33:19 When you make sure your hands are clean 33:20 and your hearts are pure, you have nothing to fear." 33:22 Ain't that right? 33:24 But if your hands are not clean and your hearts are not pure, 33:27 you are what the Bible referred to as the "guilty" one. 33:31 But you don't want to be the guilty one. 33:32 We're on question number 13. 33:36 So the answer is in preparation, 33:39 why is it imperative that we keep our lives clean 33:42 before the Lord? 33:44 Okay, tell me. 33:45 So we can stand in the holy place. 33:47 So we can stand in the holy place. 33:51 "Who may ascend in the hill? 33:53 Or who may stand in the holy place?" 33:57 Now when you think about that, 33:58 what's holy about heaven? 34:00 Somebody tell me. 34:02 Let's just answer by saying everything, everything. 34:05 The devil got kicked out, 34:07 there's nothing unholy about heaven. 34:08 Everything about heaven is holy. 34:10 So in order for us to get into this holy place, 34:12 we have to live what kind of lives? 34:14 Holy lives. 34:16 What kind of hands must we have? 34:17 Holy hands. 34:19 When David the Psalmist talks about lifting his hands, 34:22 people today want to lift their hands, 34:24 but David said lift up holy hands. 34:27 See? 34:29 Not just hands, anybody can lift their hands, 34:30 but are those hands holy? 34:32 Is the life holy? 34:33 That's the most important aspects 34:35 of the question. 34:36 What is holy? What is unholy? 34:38 God doesn't just want hands, 34:39 God does not just want hearts. 34:41 He wants what kind of hearts and hands? 34:44 Pure hands and clean hearts. 34:47 So you want to write that down under question number 13. 34:50 All right, let's go to question number 14. 34:52 Question number 14. 34:58 Okay, Praise the Lord, in part of speech. 35:00 In preparation of the judgment, where can we find deliverance? 35:02 You need a pen? 35:04 You got that. There you go. 35:05 In preparation of the judgment, 35:07 where can we find deliverance? 35:09 Go with me to 2 Peter 2:9. 35:12 In preparation for the judgment, 35:14 where can we find deliverance? 35:18 Deliverance is huge when it comes to the judgment. 35:21 You're either delivered 35:23 or you're not delivered. 35:26 How many want to be delivered? Say amen. 35:28 We want to be delivered. 35:30 Yana, catch this for me 35:32 and give it to that young lady next to you. 35:34 We want to all be delivered. 35:36 2 Peter 2:9, 35:38 let's look at what Peter says. 35:40 You know, when you think of the life of Peter, 35:43 you will see that these texts 35:44 are texts of personal experience. 35:47 Think of his life, the kind of life he lived. 35:50 Here's what he says, 35:52 "Then the Lord knows how to do," what, 35:57 "Deliver the godly out of temptation 36:01 and to reserve the unjust 36:03 under punishment for the Day of Judgment." 36:06 He said, "Believe me, the Lord knows how to deliver. 36:10 The Lord knows how to deliver." 36:12 So in preparation for the judgment, 36:13 where can we find deliverance? 36:15 Come, somebody tell. 36:16 The Lord, He knows how to deliver. 36:20 He is the deliverer. 36:23 He knows how to deliver. 36:25 There's only one place we find hope and courage. 36:28 Let me go with you. 36:30 As you write that answer down, 36:32 we're going to go to 1 John 4:17, 36:35 and then I'm going to share another text with you 36:37 in the book of Psalms in just a moment here. 36:40 I'm going to turn to it 36:43 while you're writing your answer in. 36:45 The Lord is our deliverer. 36:49 Okay, let's go to 1 John 4:17, 36:52 for the second part of Question number 14, 36:54 here it is. 36:57 I like this. 36:59 "Love has been perfected among us in this, 37:04 that we may have," together, 37:07 "Boldness in the Day of Judgment, 37:11 because as He is." what else? 37:14 "So are we in this world." 37:16 You know what that talks about? 37:17 That talks about similarity. 37:19 If we're living like Christ, 37:20 we don't have to wait to be like Him 37:21 because as He is, so are we. 37:23 A lot of times, people say, 37:25 "Well, I can't wait till Jesus comes, 37:26 I'll be just like Him." 37:27 Well, this text says, you already are like Him. 37:30 You're just waiting to meet Him. 37:33 Another text in 1 John 3:1, 2, 37:37 Paul, I mean, John the Apostle says it again, 37:39 as he is, "Brethren, now... 37:41 Beloved, now are we the children of God." 37:44 We are His children now. 37:45 We are like Him now in this present world. 37:48 So let's put the answer down. 37:49 In preparation for the judgment, 37:51 where can we find deliverance? 37:53 In Him. 37:55 That's right. 37:56 We can find deliverance in Him 37:59 that we may have boldness in the Day of Judgment 38:01 because as He is, so are we in this. 38:04 We find deliverance in Him. 38:07 And by the way, 38:09 the deliverance comes through His perfect love. 38:12 I was reading a devotion from Oswald Chambers. 38:15 And it was just so beautiful, I never thought of it that way. 38:18 And he narrowed down the text, 38:20 the love of Christ constraineth us. 38:23 Now we know the text is longer than that. 38:25 But he says, "The love of Christ constrainteth us." 38:27 And as I was reading through that, 38:30 it finally clicked on me that 38:32 what he mean by constrain. 38:34 Now let me use the illustration. 38:35 "Because love has been perfected among us," 38:37 in this, the word love is introduced there. 38:40 Let's expand the word 38:42 and help understand what the constraining part is. 38:46 If love constrains us, 38:50 let's think of the word restrain for a brief moment 38:53 and use them in a similar comparison. 38:56 If you're passing by a dog, 38:57 and he's on a chain, and he's vicious, 39:00 why can't he bite you? 39:02 Somebody tell me. 39:04 Because he's restrained by the chain. 39:07 Does he want to do it? 39:08 Yes or no? Yes. 39:10 He's given you every indication, 39:11 the growling, the biting, the snarling of teeth, 39:13 the scratching of the ground. 39:15 In other words, he's saying, "If this chain were not here, 39:18 oh boy, you would be in trouble." 39:21 Now the Lord does not chain us, does he? 39:24 But let me tell you what, 39:25 how beautiful this came to me, 39:26 and I was sharing this with my wife. 39:28 We read this before we went to bed. 39:30 And I thought, "Wow! 39:31 I've heard about God's love, 39:32 but now this gives me a new dimension." 39:34 You know, even after 28 years of pastoring, 39:36 you can still learn something new about God's love. 39:39 Oftentimes, we think of God's love 39:40 is just some kind of little emotional. 39:42 "Oh, I love you. 39:44 Oh, this is powerful." 39:47 But Oswald Chambers said, 39:48 "The love of Christ constrains us." 39:50 And he described it this way. 39:52 He says, 39:54 "We are so captivated by the love of God 39:59 that we don't need a chain to stop us from doing wrong." 40:03 It says, "The love of God has so gripped us," 40:07 he says, "Have you been gripped by the love of God." 40:10 You see, we often love God for what He does for us. 40:13 But he said, "That's not the love that constrains us, 40:16 that's the love that keeps us coming to Him 40:18 because you've done something for it." 40:19 "Oh, I love being around you. Why? 40:21 'Cause you always buy me something. 40:22 Well, I love it when you show up 40:24 because I always have some fun." 40:25 But that's not the love that's talked about here. 40:27 It's a constraining love, 40:28 meaning I am so in love with Christ 40:30 that I can't imagine 40:33 doing something to hurt Him, 40:36 that I can't imagine... 40:37 Beautiful example is Joseph and part of his wife. 40:41 He says, "How?" 40:43 But he said, 40:45 "How can I do this great wickedness and" what, 40:49 "sin against God?" 40:50 That's a perfect example 40:52 of the constraining love of God. 40:54 He said, 40:55 "I know if I were to appeal to my human feelings, 40:59 this is a good situation. 41:01 But I'm so restrained by God, 41:04 I can't do this." 41:06 He's not saying, "I don't want to do this." 41:08 Or "I can't do this." 41:10 He's saying, "How can I do this? 41:12 How can I? 41:13 God loves me so much, how can I do this? 41:15 All that He's done for me? 41:16 How can I? I can't even fathom." 41:19 So when you love God, 41:22 that's what it means by, 41:23 "Love has been," what's the next word? 41:25 "Perfected among us in this." 41:29 So we're not looking forward to... 41:30 We look forward to the Day of Judgment 41:32 because we love the Lord so much. 41:34 We have lived our lives 41:35 that the end of the verse is very true. 41:37 "As He is," what? 41:39 "So are we in this world." 41:41 His love is perfect, 41:42 and it has been perfected in us. 41:44 We can't think of doing anything 41:46 to offend and crucify the Son of God afresh. 41:50 And I tell you, 41:51 that's a serious area of growth for so many Christians. 41:54 Do you love the Lord 41:55 because He asked you to do things that you like 41:58 or you're comfortable to do right now? 42:00 Or are you so constrained by His love that you're saying, 42:02 "Lord, just whatever. 42:04 What can I render toward You? 42:07 What can I render to You 42:08 for all Your benefits towards me? 42:10 What can I do? Just tell me." 42:12 Anyway, 42:14 my little sermon, sermon number three, 42:16 "But the love of Christ constrains us." 42:18 And that's why this text jumps out at me 42:19 'cause the word love 42:21 has taken on a different meaning altogether. 42:22 Why don't you do what you do? Because I love the Lord. 42:25 People say, "Now really give me another reason." 42:28 What better reason could there be? 42:29 Amen. 42:30 There should be no other reason. 42:32 Why do you serve God? 'Cause I love him. 42:33 Why do you go to church? 'Cause I love the Lord. 42:35 Why do you sing? 'Cause I love the Lord. 42:36 Why do you serve? 'Cause I love the Lord. 42:38 That should be the only reason why you do what you do. 42:40 The love of Christ constrains you. 42:43 Number 15. Let's go to that one. 42:46 All right, 42:47 number 15, let's go to that one. 42:53 Who will the presiding judge be in the Day of Judgment? 42:59 Who will the presiding judge be in the Day of Judgment? 43:01 Years ago, 43:03 when I was growing up, I used to think, 43:04 "Man, I don't want to see God. 43:06 Oh, but I love to see Jesus." 43:08 Sometimes people have made God to be the bad guy, 43:11 Jesus to be the good guy, 43:12 and it's kind of like a contending argument 43:14 between the two. 43:15 "Don't do that, Dad." 43:17 "But I want to." 43:18 "But please don't do it, Dad." 43:20 You'll discover something beautiful 43:21 in this particular text. 43:23 Okay, let's go to John 5:22, 43:26 John 5:22, all right? 43:31 "For the Father judges," how many? 43:34 "No one, but has committed," how much? 43:38 "All judgment to the Son." 43:42 He has committed how much judgment? 43:44 All judgment to the Son. 43:49 That's exactly how God is. 43:51 I want to take you now to another text. 43:57 In adding to that, 43:59 we want to go to Psalms 96, 44:01 I want you to see verse 10 and 13. 44:04 Who will be the presiding judge? 44:06 The Son. 44:10 And as we go to the next question, 44:13 you'll see why this court is so beautiful for the saint. 44:15 But look at Psalms 96. 44:18 Psalm 96:10 and 13. 44:24 Verse 10, the Bible says, 44:25 "Say among the nations, 44:28 'The Lord reigns, 44:31 the world also is firmly established, 44:34 it shall not be moved, 44:36 He shall judge the peoples,'" how, 44:40 "'Righteously.'" 44:42 And then verse 13, 44:44 "For He is coming, 44:45 for He is coming to" do what, 44:47 "Judge the earth. 44:49 He shall judge the world with" what, 44:52 "righteousness, 44:53 and the peoples with" what, 44:55 "With His truth." 44:57 And one more text, 44:58 Psalms 7:11. 45:01 Let's look at this one together. 45:02 So you see when His righteousness is done, 45:05 when His judgment is done, 45:06 it's done righteously. 45:09 And He judges them based on what the truth is. 45:13 Psalms 7:11, 45:16 all right? 45:17 Now let's answer the question. 45:20 Who is the judge? Somebody tell me. 45:21 Who's the judge? Jesus is. 45:23 Okay, now you'll see. 45:24 Now the reason I'm showing you this text is because 45:28 the Pharisees had a hard time when Jesus declared Himself 45:32 to be equal with the Father, which meant... 45:34 They said, 45:36 "Well, if you're equal with the Father, 45:39 are you saying you're God?" 45:42 And Jesus didn't respond... 45:46 because if you're equal with the Father, 45:48 you must be God. 45:52 Who's the judge again? Say it again? 45:54 Jesus. Now look at Psalms 7:11. 45:57 Look at Psalm 7:11. 46:02 Okay, "God is a..." 46:03 what kind of judge? 46:05 So who's the judge in that verse? 46:08 Who's the judge there? 46:10 Who's the judge in this text? 46:13 So are they the same? 46:15 Yes, yes. 46:17 And look at the rest of the text. 46:18 I smiled at this for a brief moment, 46:20 not that there's anything to be taken lightly, 46:22 but it says, "And God is angry with the wicked," how often? 46:26 "Every day." 46:29 Man. 46:31 Do you want God to be angry with you 46:32 or happy with you? 46:35 Now I want you to know that this is not an emotional anger, 46:38 God is not sitting somewhere like this. 46:42 God is not an emotion. 46:45 These are principles here. 46:46 The principle... 46:48 God is saying, 46:49 "I'm angry with that, 46:51 but I'm happy. 46:52 I'm angry." 46:54 God is so... 46:56 We cannot encapsulate God in our understanding, 46:58 but God is angry toward wickedness, 47:01 God is angry toward those who are wicked all day long. 47:04 He sees what has taken place in the earth, 47:07 and He knows exactly 47:09 from whom these things have occurred. 47:12 So He's angry with those 47:14 who are perpetrating these wicked things 47:15 in the earth. 47:16 He's angry with them 47:18 all day long, every day. 47:21 Let's go to the next question, question number 16. 47:24 I was comparing the two to show you that God and Jesus 47:28 is the judge. 47:30 Same person, 47:31 He's committed this to the Son. 47:32 So in the Old Testament, when you see God... 47:35 Somebody asked the question, 47:37 "At what point did the name Jesus 47:38 start to be used? 47:40 And when did the word Michael... 47:43 Where does the word Michael come from?" 47:45 As Revelation talks about Michael the Archangel. 47:48 Well, the word Jesus, 47:49 call His name Jesus 47:51 was the name He was given in His condescension, 47:54 but He was always Michael the Archangel. 47:57 He was always the commander of the angels. 48:00 It's not a new name. 48:01 It's a name from eternity. 48:03 He was always the commander of the angels. 48:06 Psalms... I mean, question number 16. 48:08 Here it is. 48:10 "What other role does Jesus fulfill 48:12 in the process of the judgment?" 48:15 Wow. 48:17 1 John 2:1. 48:18 What other role does Jesus fulfill 48:20 in the process of the judgment? 48:23 Okay, here it is on the screen. 48:25 Let's bring it up together. 48:27 I think many of you are already there. 48:29 "My little children," 48:30 there goes the relationship again. 48:32 "These things are right to you 48:34 so that you may not," what, "sin. 48:37 And if anyone sins, we have an advocate with the Father, 48:42 Jesus Christ the righteous." 48:45 What's an advocate? 48:46 Another word for advocate today is what? 48:48 That's exactly... 48:49 So Jesus. 48:51 This is huge. 48:52 Jesus is the lawyer, 48:53 and He is the judge. 48:56 He's your defense attorney, 48:57 and He's the one that decides the outcome. 49:00 Is that a hung jury? 49:02 The court is in your favor. 49:03 There's not one. 49:04 He's not arguing with somebody 49:06 on the other side of the bench saying, 49:07 "Father, please." 49:10 "All right, just for you." 49:12 He's the judge, and He's the advocate. 49:15 So if you sin, you've got a judge 49:17 and an advocate. 49:18 He makes the final decision about your outcome, 49:21 but He also stands with you. 49:22 And I like the way that 1 John 2... 49:24 Let's go there. 49:25 I want to just look at this in more detail. 49:27 1 John chapter 2, 49:29 how beautiful that is 49:30 'cause a lot of times, people say, 49:31 "I don't want to face the judge, 49:33 so I need a good lawyer." 49:35 He's the judge and the lawyer. 49:37 How beautiful that is. 49:39 1 John chapter 2, 49:41 and I'm looking at verse 1. 49:43 Now I'm going to go to verse 2 now. 49:45 I want to go to verse 2. 49:46 This is why I want to turn there. 49:48 So you want to add... 49:49 The answer to the question, 49:51 "What other role does Jesus fulfill 49:52 in the process of the judgment?" 49:53 He's our lawyer, 49:55 He is our lawyer, okay? 49:58 Also our lawyer. But look at verse 2. 50:00 Look at 1 John 2:2. 50:03 And the Bible says, "And He Himself is the," what, 50:07 "propitiation for our sins, 50:09 and not for ours only 50:12 but also for the" what, 50:14 "whole world." 50:16 Now that's powerful. 50:18 How can one man 50:21 provide reconciliation 50:25 for the entire world? 50:28 How could one man 50:30 be substitutionary righteousness 50:33 for the whole world? 50:36 How could one man be imparted righteousness 50:41 for the whole world? 50:43 What in essence is being said by the text is, 50:45 whatever situation you find it, if you need an advocate, 50:48 I'll stand on behalf of the whole world, 50:52 anybody sin, I will represent you. 50:55 Ain't that wonderful news? 50:57 So He's not just saying, 50:58 "I'll represent just My children," 50:59 but hey, His children, verse 1, 51:02 "But I'll include the whole world. 51:04 If you come to Me, no matter who you are, 51:05 I will represent you in the judgment." 51:07 That's the beautiful thing. 51:09 He's not limiting that to just His children. 51:12 That's why I'm going to show you the text. 51:13 Verse 1, children, verse 2, the whole world. 51:16 And there, John 3:16, 51:17 "For God so loved the world." 51:20 There you go. 51:21 He's not just interested in those who know Him, 51:23 He wants everyone to know Him, 51:25 and everyone to have their sins cleansed, 51:28 and everyone to be in His kingdom. 51:30 But you got to come to Him. 51:32 You have to choose Him as your advocate. 51:33 And if you don't choose Him as your advocate, 51:35 He's just going to be your judge, right? 51:38 You're going to meet Him one day, 51:40 might as well have him as your defense attorney. 51:43 And by the way, who's the prosecutor? 51:45 Somebody tell me. 51:47 Satan, the accuser of our brethren, 51:50 not God, 51:52 the accuser of our brethren, 51:54 who accuses us day and night has been cast down. 51:58 Amen to that. Amen. 51:59 He's been cast down. That's why he's upset. 52:02 He's been kicked out of the court, 52:04 and he's outside trying to destroy people 52:07 because he knows he has a short time. 52:10 Okay, number 17, here we go. 52:12 Moving right along. 52:15 "What assurance can we claim 52:17 in light of the judgment?" 52:19 "What assurance can we claim in light of the judgment?" 52:22 Revelation 3:5, 52:25 Revelation 3:5, 52:29 need some assurance, 52:31 need some blessed assurance. 52:34 Here it is, 52:35 Revelation 3:5, 52:39 "He who overcomes 52:41 shall be clothed in," 52:43 what kind of garments? 52:44 "White garments, 52:46 and I will not blot out his name 52:49 from the Book of Life, 52:51 but I will," do what? 52:52 "Confess his name before My Father, 52:56 and before His," What? 52:58 "Angels." 52:59 Now why, why the Father and the angels? 53:03 Everyone sees what we're doing, 53:06 but whose blood is cleansing us? 53:09 The blood of Jesus Christ, 53:11 His Son, cleanses us from all sin. 53:14 So now let's say why the Father and the angels? 53:17 Let's put the whole Great Controversy 53:18 back on the table here. 53:20 Now the Father is not in the dark, 53:23 He's not in the dark, the angels... 53:25 Our angels... 53:27 That's why it says, 53:28 "I will confess his name before My Father, 53:31 and before His angels," 53:32 Brother Hutchinson's angels, 53:33 Sister Zeta's angels, the Yannick's angels, 53:36 Angela's angels, the list goes on and on. 53:38 I will confess his... 53:40 Because the angel said, 53:41 "I've been following 53:42 Brother Hutchinson all his life, 53:44 and I have some questions 53:45 about whether or not he should be in here. 53:47 Yannick, I don't know." 53:49 The Lord says, "Look, Yannick is My son. 53:52 My blood cleanses His sins." 53:55 "All right, if you say so, Lord." 53:57 You see, the issue of the Great Controversy 53:58 is huge. 54:01 The angels that are assigned to us... 54:04 Now this is a sobering thought. 54:07 They are with us when we know it, 54:09 they are with us when we acknowledge it, 54:11 and they are with us when we don't acknowledge it. 54:13 And they are keeping a very exact record 54:15 of our activities. 54:18 And they'll go sometimes and I could imagine, 54:20 then I thought, 54:22 "I hate to write this down, 54:25 but according to this, 54:27 he shouldn't be there." 54:29 And then Jesus says, 54:32 "If anyone sins, 54:34 you have an advocate with the Father, 54:36 Jesus Christ the righteous. 54:37 If you confess your sins, 54:39 I am faithful and just to forgive you your sins 54:42 and cleanse you from all unrighteousness." 54:44 So now when the blotting out, 54:47 I will not blot out his name, 54:49 our activities say to the angels, 54:52 his name shall be blotted out, 54:53 but the blood of Jesus says, 54:55 "His sins should be blotted out." 54:57 Amen to that? 54:58 Don't blot out my name, blot out my sins. 55:02 And that's the beauty of Jesus. 55:04 According to the way we live, sometimes, the name... 55:07 The angel says, "You need to blot his name out." 55:10 But when you have Jesus Christ as your advocate, 55:12 then He always says, "No, I'm blotting his sin out." 55:15 Martin Luther talked about a dream once, 55:17 the Reformer Martin Luther, 55:18 he said he was tormented in this dream. 55:20 I remember reading that years ago. 55:23 And he said, he tossed, and turned, and in a dream, 55:26 there was a battle between the Lord and the devil, 55:29 and the devil took out a scroll 55:31 and rolled it out before the Lord 55:33 and showed the Lord all of Martin Luther's sins. 55:37 And he said it was a dream of agony, 55:40 but he continued to look closer. 55:42 And the Lord over every one of the sins, 55:44 He saw the word stamped, blotted out, blotted out. 55:48 Come on, blotted out. 55:50 Amen, someone? 55:51 Blotted out, forgiven, forgiven, forgiven. 55:54 That is our only hope. 55:56 Our names won't be blotted out, 55:59 but our sins will be blotted out. 56:01 We're going to talk about that in the context of the judgment. 56:04 When do your sins get blotted out? 56:06 If your sins are being forgiven every day, 56:09 they go before us 56:10 as was the case in the sanctuary services, 56:13 they go into the most holy place, 56:15 but when do they get blotted out? 56:17 When does that cleansing take place? 56:19 That's another part of the judgment 56:20 that we must understand. 56:22 And I think we'd get one more in before our time is done. 56:24 Number 18, since it's a single question, 56:26 let's just get this one in before our time is done. 56:29 How do we know 56:31 that we can have victory in the judgment? 56:34 How do we know 56:35 that we can have victory in the judgment? 56:40 Beautiful question, 56:42 number 18. 56:43 Revelation 12:10, 56:45 Revelation 12:10. 56:48 And here it is. 56:50 "Then I heard a loud voice saying in heaven." 56:53 Now this loud voice is the voice of good news. 56:56 "Now salvation, and strength, 57:00 and the kingdom of our God, 57:02 and the power of His Christ have come, 57:06 for the accuser of our brethren, 57:09 who accuse them before our God day and night has been," what? 57:13 Say it. "Cast down." 57:15 Let's use the word kicked out. 57:18 The judge said, "Enough. 57:21 Case dismissed." 57:25 In behalf of the saints, 57:26 Daniel 7:25 says, 57:29 Judgment was made... 57:30 We're going to look at that next week. 57:31 Judgment was made in favor of the saints, 57:34 and the devil was kicked out, 57:35 didn't like that 57:37 so we can have victory. 57:38 Write this down. 57:39 How do we know that we can have victory in the judgment? 57:41 Why? 57:42 Because the accuser has been cast down. 57:45 Write that down. Amen to that. 57:48 He's been evicted, he's been put out. 57:51 Friends, you know, this topic of the judgment is one 57:53 that is of great consideration. 57:54 It's not a fearful topic. 57:56 If it doesn't make sense to you, 57:57 keep studying God's Word because one day, 58:00 I know it'll come into A Sharper Focus. 58:03 God bless you. |
Revised 2019-05-23