(light music)
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>>Welcome to "Sabbath School,"
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brought to you by It Is Written.
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We're glad that
you could join us today
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as we continue our journey
through three cosmic messages,
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looking at the
three angels messages'
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in Revelation, chapter 14,
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and how they interact
with the rest of the Bible.
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We're delighted to
have, back again with us,
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the author of
this quarter's lesson,
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that is Pastor Mark Finley.
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We're going to get his
thoughts on lesson number five,
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"The Good News of the
Judgment" in just one moment,
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but let's begin with prayer.
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Father, we thank You so
much for being with us today
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and giving us another
opportunity to dig more deeply
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into Your Word and to understand
these incredible messages.
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We ask that
You'll bless us today
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and we thank You in Jesus' name,
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Amen.
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Pastor Mark, welcome back.
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>>I'm delighted to be back.
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This has been an
enjoyable discussion.
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>>It has indeed, and
we've still got a few weeks left
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of this discussion to go,
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but this week we've got a
really interesting subject.
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It's a title that you might
say is a little bit strange.
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It's "The Good
News of the Judgment."
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Now most of the time
when I meet somebody,
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if I were to tell them
you're about to be judged,
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a smile wouldn't
erupt on their face,
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they'd be a
little bit concerned.
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Why title this one "The
Good News of the Judgment"?
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>>I think because the
odds are stacked in our favor.
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Let me explain
what I mean by that.
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Why is the judgment good news?
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First, Jesus said
in the gospel of John
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that "the
Father judge[s] no man,
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but [He's given] all
judgment [to] the Son."
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So we know that
our judge is Jesus,
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but then in 1 John, chapter two,
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it says, "We have an
Advocate with the Father,
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Jesus Christ the righteous."
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Advocate is our lawyer.
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So let's suppose
you're in a courtroom
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and you're being judged by
the judge, and he judges you,
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then he comes down,
stands by your side,
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and defends your case.
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You would say that's
a conflict of interest,
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you can't have a
judge who's your lawyer,
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but the incredible
good news about the judgment
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is that Christ, who is
my Judge, also is my Lawyer
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and He's doing
everything possible to save me
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and get me into His kingdom.
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>>So that ought to be
encouraging, but again,
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when most people
think about the judgment,
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they think it's a scary thing.
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Doesn't sound
like there's any reason
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for a genuine Christian
to be scared of the judgment.
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>>No, if we are in Christ,
there is no reason to be scared
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of the judgment.
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If we are not in Christ,
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there's plenty of reasons
to be scared of the judgment,
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and the book of Revelation
echoes with this urgency
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of judgment that our lives
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are totally committed to Christ.
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In Revelation, chapter 14,
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that we have been studying
verse six and verse seven,
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"Then I saw another angel
flying in the midst of heaven,
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"having the everlasting
gospel to preach to those
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"that dwell on the earth--to
every nation, tribe, tongue,
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"and people--saying with
a loud voice, 'Fear God...
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give glory to Him, for the
hour of His judgment has come.'"
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So let's pause there.
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You have an urgent end
time message that announces
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that it's no
longer business as usual,
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no longer pleasures as
usual, no longer life as usual,
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that the clock
has struck the hour,
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that we're living in the
climactic hours of earth's
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history, that the hour
of God's judgment has come.
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Now notice the phrase says,
"the hour of God's judgment."
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That's an
interesting expression,
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"the hour of His judgment."
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In the controversy
between good and evil,
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Satan has claimed that
God is unfair and unjust.
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On the cross of Calvary,
Jesus revealed His goodness,
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His grace, and
that He was loving
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and He settled
before the universe forever,
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that God is not a vindictive
judge, wrathful tyrant,
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that He's filled with love,
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but how does that play
out in every individual life?
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How does that play
out in the panorama,
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the conflict
between good and evil?
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The judgment reveals
God's fairness, His justice, His
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mercy. The judgment
really reveals, Pastor, that God
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has done everything He
could to save every human being.
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The hour of His
judgment has come
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and we become
exhibits in that judgment,
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we become
specimens in that judgment,
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we become witnesses,
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or witnesses is a better word
than exhibits for specimens,
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we become witnesses to His grace
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and goodness in the judgment.
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>>So in this judgment,
not only are we finding out
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which direction
we're going, as it were,
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but God to some
extent or another
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is also, His
character, is being tried to see
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whether He did indeed
do everything possible.
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The word "mercy" comes to mind.
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Do we deserve
mercy? Probably not.
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We deserve condemnation,
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and yet if we receive Jesus,
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if He stands as our lawyer,
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if He stands as our
judge, we're hoping for mercy,
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we're praying for mercy.
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Can we expect
that we would get mercy
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if we don't deserve it?
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>>If we deserved it,
it wouldn't be mercy.
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So the answer is yes.
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None of us deserve God's grace.
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The Bible says, "For by grace
are you saved through faith."
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It's the gift of
God, not of yourself.
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A gift is
something I don't deserve,
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and so the mercy
of God in the judgment
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reveals His character of
love and grace and goodness.
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Now Revelation
14 clearly explains
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that we cannot trifle
with His grace or mercy.
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It's not cheap grace,
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it's not this
so-called "soft love"
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that says, "love God
and do whatever you want."
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If you love God,
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you will do what He
wants, not what you want.
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But notice the
phrases that lead us in
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to the idea of the hour
of His judgment has come,
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it says, "fear God."
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The word "fear"
there is "phobeó,"
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and that means have an
attitude of deep respect to God.
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In fact, phobeó is an
interesting Greek word,
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it means take God
seriously, take Him seriously,
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don't play around with Him,
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don't fiddle
with your salvation,
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fear God is a state of mind,
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give glory to Him
in your lifestyle,
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for the hour of
His judgment is come.
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In other words, since we're
living in the judgment hour,
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take God seriously,
commit your life to Him,
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have nothing
between you and Jesus
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and let your life glorify Him;
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glorify Him, whatever you do.
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So the idea of the
judgment hour compels us
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to be deeply committed to
Christ, to search for His truth,
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and to live in harmony by
His grace with that truth.
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>>So we can look forward
to mercy if we are in Him,
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if we have embraced Him
and His sacrifice for us,
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His love for us, He
makes it available to everyone.
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I wanna approach this
gently so that we don't stray
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to the left or to
the right of it too far.
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You could go into
the judgment afraid,
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worried or I suppose
it's probably also possible
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to go in overconfident.
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Where is that healthy
confidence that we need not fear
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without being boastful?
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Is there a happy area in there?
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>>It is the recognition
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that I don't
deserve His mercy or grace.
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It's the recognition
that salvation is all of Him;
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that my sinful, decrepit,
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defiled life is not worthy
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of His merit or salvation.
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I go into the
judgment throwing myself
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into the arms of Jesus.
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As long as I am in
Christ, I have eternal life;
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if I'm outside of Christ,
I don't have eternal life.
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I can be afraid of the judgment
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if I think that the judgment
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is balancing good
works with bad works.
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So if I say, "Okay, I committed
798 good works in this week,
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"but I only
committed 692 bad works,
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"I'm in pretty good shape.
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"Oh, but next week, I
committed 800 bad works
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and 500 good works, I'm not
in good shape." Up, down, up.
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So if I think of the
judgment as a balance scale
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between good works and
bad works, then I enter
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into the judgment either in
one of two problems, arrogant
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because I think I'm
performing so many good works,
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and I enter in with pride,
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or I enter in totally depressed
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because I see my bad
works overwhelming me.
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So the judgment is not good
works and bad works weighed out.
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It's rather, how has
my commitment to Jesus
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manifest itself in good works?
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How has the grace of
God transformed my life?
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Because you will recall
in Ephesians, chapter 2,
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often Ephesians 2:8 is quoted
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without quoting the
rest of the passage.
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So if you look at Ephesians
2, verse 8, and go ahead
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and pick up verse 8,
9, and 10 of Ephesians 2.
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>>Paul writes, "For by grace
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"you have been
saved through faith,
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"and that not of yourselves;
it is the gift of God,
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"not of works, lest
anyone should boast.
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"For we are His
workmanship, created
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"in Christ Jesus for good works,
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which God prepared beforehand
that we should walk in them."
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>>What an amazing passage,
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it really summarizes the gospel,
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its meaning, its significance
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and summarizes how we can
have confidence in the judgment,
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why, because verse 8, "By grace
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you have been
saved through faith."
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So salvation comes by
grace, faith receives it.
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Some people I've
heard were saved by faith.
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No, my faith doesn't save me,
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God's grace does. >>Right.
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>>Faith is a gift God gives me
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to receive the grace of God.
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It says that "not of yourselves,
it's the gift of God,
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not of works, lest
anyone should boast."
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Then it says, "for we
are His workmanship created
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in Christ Jesus for good works."
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So we should never
think that good works
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do not have any
relevance in the Christian life.
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Those who are saved
by grace, through faith,
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are led into a dynamic
relationship with Christ
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in which their works reflect
God's grace and God's goodness.
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Somebody said,
00:11:01.36\00:11:03.39
"My faith in Christ is
so good that it works."
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>>I've heard someone say
00:11:08.46\00:11:09.93
that an apple tree
does not produce apples
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in order to prove
it is an apple tree.
00:11:12.90\00:11:15.20
An apple tree produces apples
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because it is an apple tree.
00:11:16.81\00:11:19.21
So a Christian who
is surrendered to Jesus,
00:11:19.21\00:11:21.81
who is saved by
grace through faith,
00:11:21.81\00:11:23.98
their life will
naturally reflect that
00:11:23.98\00:11:26.45
in the things that
they do or don't do,
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in the lives that they
live, in the works that they do.
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Not saved by works,
00:11:32.45\00:11:33.99
but saved by God's
grace through faith.
00:11:33.99\00:11:36.16
>>Exactly, one of the
things that we bring out
00:11:36.16\00:11:38.63
in the lesson that I
think is quite significant,
00:11:38.63\00:11:42.70
is to try to clear up
some of the misunderstandings
00:11:42.70\00:11:45.53
of this faith and works.
00:11:45.53\00:11:48.27
And in Monday's lesson,
00:11:48.27\00:11:50.24
which we title "God's
Mercy and God's Judgment,"
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I write there
that first paragraph,
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"The cross and
judgment both reveal
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"that God is just and merciful.
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"The broken law demands
the death of the sinner.
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"Justice declares,
'The wages of sin is death.'
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"Mercy
responds, 'The gift of God
00:12:07.82\00:12:10.56
"is eternal life in
Christ Jesus our Lord.'
00:12:10.56\00:12:13.43
"If God's law could [have
been] changed or abolished,
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"it would be totally
unnecessary for Jesus to die.
00:12:16.40\00:12:19.83
Christ's death establishes
the eternal nature of the law."
00:12:19.83\00:12:23.77
Now notice this next sentence,
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"The law is the
basis of [the] judgment."
00:12:25.34\00:12:28.41
Now many people wonder,
00:12:28.41\00:12:30.61
what role do our
works have in the judgment,
00:12:30.61\00:12:33.68
but Revelation is clear.
00:12:33.68\00:12:35.02
Let's go over to
Revelation 20, verse 12,
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Revelation 20, verse
12, and let's read that.
00:12:37.62\00:12:41.32
I know you're gonna
want to take a break,
00:12:41.32\00:12:42.69
but we'll read it
before the break maybe
00:12:42.69\00:12:44.03
and then unpack it
right after the break.
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>>Sure, Revelation, chapter
20, verse number 12 says,
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"And I saw the dead, small
and great, standing before God,
00:12:49.93\00:12:53.17
"and books were opened.
And another book was opened,
00:12:53.17\00:12:55.80
"which is the Book of Life.
00:12:55.80\00:12:57.47
"And the dead were
judged according to their works,
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by the things which
were written in the books."
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So that's a fascinating verse
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and we are going to be unpacking
that one in just a moment,
00:13:06.25\00:13:09.82
you don't want to miss it.
00:13:09.82\00:13:11.39
Before we do
though, I want remind you,
00:13:11.39\00:13:13.59
if you have not yet
picked up the companion book
00:13:13.59\00:13:15.92
to this quarter's lesson,
00:13:15.92\00:13:17.63
you wanna make
sure that you do that.
00:13:17.63\00:13:19.19
It is called "Three Cosmic
Messages" by Pastor Mark Finley.
00:13:19.19\00:13:23.57
You can find this
book at itiswritten.shop.
00:13:23.57\00:13:27.17
That's itiswritten.shop
and it will give you
00:13:27.17\00:13:30.81
much more background,
00:13:30.81\00:13:32.74
a lot more
supporting information, quotes,
00:13:32.74\00:13:35.48
references to what we
are looking at this quarter.
00:13:35.48\00:13:39.38
We're going to be back in
just a moment as we dig more
00:13:39.38\00:13:41.88
into this relationship
between faith and works.
00:13:41.88\00:13:44.82
We'll see you in just a moment.
00:13:44.82\00:13:46.05
(soft music)
00:13:46.05\00:13:48.29
>>You know that
at It Is Written,
00:13:51.49\00:13:53.33
we are serious about the
study of the Word of God,
00:13:53.33\00:13:56.63
and we encourage you to be
serious about God's Word also.
00:13:56.63\00:14:00.80
Well, I wanna share
with you another way
00:14:00.80\00:14:02.90
that you can dig
deeper into the Word of God
00:14:02.90\00:14:05.61
and here it is,
itiswritten.study.
00:14:05.61\00:14:10.68
Go online to itiswritten.study
and you can access
00:14:11.88\00:14:14.92
the It Is Written
Bible Study Guides,
00:14:14.92\00:14:17.92
25 in-depth Bible studies
00:14:17.92\00:14:20.42
that will walk
you through the Bible.
00:14:20.42\00:14:22.99
It's gonna be good for you
00:14:22.99\00:14:24.83
and it's the sort of thing
00:14:24.83\00:14:25.93
that you will want to
tell somebody else about
00:14:25.93\00:14:29.16
so that they can dig
deeper into the Word of God
00:14:29.16\00:14:32.10
and come to know the
things of the Bible intimately.
00:14:32.10\00:14:35.77
As you get into the It Is
Written online Bible Study
00:14:35.77\00:14:39.07
Guides, you'll understand
the prophecies of the Bible,
00:14:39.07\00:14:41.08
the plan of salvation and more.
00:14:41.08\00:14:43.28
So don't forget
itiswritten.study,
00:14:43.28\00:14:48.35
itiswritten.study.
(uplifting theme music)
00:14:51.19\00:14:53.66
>>Welcome back to
"Sabbath School," brought to you
00:14:55.72\00:14:57.83
by It Is Written.
00:14:57.83\00:14:59.93
We are taking a
look at the judgment
00:14:59.93\00:15:02.66
and really why there's no
reason to be afraid of it.
00:15:02.66\00:15:07.30
Pastor Mark, we're looking
at Revelation, chapter 20,
00:15:07.30\00:15:09.80
verse number 12.
00:15:09.80\00:15:11.94
Let me read through that again
00:15:11.94\00:15:13.21
and we've kind of
dissect part of it,
00:15:13.21\00:15:14.74
but let's work
on the second half.
00:15:14.74\00:15:16.48
It says, "And I saw
the dead, small and great,
00:15:16.48\00:15:19.05
"standing before God,
and books were opened.
00:15:19.05\00:15:21.92
"And another book was opened,
which is the Book of Life.
00:15:21.92\00:15:24.79
"And the dead were
judged according to their works,
00:15:24.79\00:15:27.69
by the things which
were written in the books."
00:15:27.69\00:15:31.56
So what
relationship are we finding here
00:15:31.56\00:15:33.43
between faith and works
and how people are saved?
00:15:33.43\00:15:35.93
How's that all work out?
00:15:35.93\00:15:37.27
>>Your good works can never
save you, we're saved by grace,
00:15:37.27\00:15:40.74
but your bad works can
condemn you to eternal loss.
00:15:40.74\00:15:43.91
So, you know, when the
Bible says very clearly
00:15:43.91\00:15:47.21
we're judged according to
our works, what does that mean?
00:15:47.21\00:15:51.88
Does it mean that our
works are meritorious?
00:15:51.88\00:15:54.48
Does it mean that our works
enable us to earn salvation?
00:15:54.48\00:15:57.32
Not at all.
00:15:57.32\00:15:58.55
But when you
really think about it,
00:15:58.55\00:16:00.76
how do you measure faith?
00:16:00.76\00:16:03.99
Is faith
something that's ethereal?
00:16:03.99\00:16:06.70
Can I say I have faith in Christ
00:16:06.70\00:16:09.46
and then go out and
shoplift at a store?
00:16:09.46\00:16:12.83
Can I say I have faith in Christ
00:16:12.83\00:16:15.20
and then go watch something
00:16:15.20\00:16:18.91
immoral on the internet?
00:16:18.91\00:16:20.68
Can I say I have
faith in Christ and say,
00:16:20.68\00:16:22.98
"But wait a minute,
00:16:22.98\00:16:24.28
"I don't want to be
involved in giving it all
00:16:24.28\00:16:27.45
to the cause of Christ"?
00:16:27.45\00:16:30.69
You see, so faith is
not something intangible.
00:16:30.69\00:16:35.76
Faith is a relationship
with God as a friend well-known
00:16:37.13\00:16:40.83
that leads me to do
whatever pleases Him.
00:16:41.90\00:16:44.70
My good works reveal
the depth of my faith,
00:16:44.70\00:16:48.37
so it's obvious that judgment
would be based on works.
00:16:48.37\00:16:52.71
It's not that my works save me,
00:16:52.71\00:16:54.84
but it's my works reflect
whether my faith is genuine,
00:16:54.84\00:16:58.61
whether my faith
is authentic or not.
00:16:58.61\00:17:01.32
>>So it's evidence, as it were.
00:17:01.32\00:17:03.62
>>Yes. >>Okay, very good.
00:17:03.62\00:17:05.25
You draw our attention
00:17:05.25\00:17:06.62
to an interesting statement
00:17:06.62\00:17:09.66
in Monday's lesson
00:17:09.66\00:17:11.96
and it comes from
"Testimonies for the Church,"
00:17:13.16\00:17:16.97
volume 5, on pages 471 and 472.
00:17:16.97\00:17:20.34
I wanna read this
00:17:20.34\00:17:21.57
and then give you an
opportunity to respond to it.
00:17:21.57\00:17:24.47
It says, "The fact
that the acknowledged people
00:17:24.47\00:17:26.47
"of God are
represented as standing
00:17:26.47\00:17:28.34
"before the Lord
in filthy garments
00:17:28.34\00:17:30.61
"should lead to humility
and deep searching of heart
00:17:30.61\00:17:33.72
"on the part of all
who profess His name.
00:17:33.72\00:17:36.18
"Those who are
indeed purifying their souls
00:17:36.18\00:17:38.59
"by obeying the truth
00:17:38.59\00:17:40.06
"will have a most
humble opinion of themselves.
00:17:40.06\00:17:42.86
"The more closely they view
00:17:42.86\00:17:44.39
"the spotless
character of Christ,
00:17:44.39\00:17:46.39
"the stronger will be
their desire to be conformed
00:17:46.39\00:17:49.23
"to His image, and
the less will they see
00:17:49.23\00:17:52.20
"of purity or
holiness in themselves.
00:17:52.20\00:17:54.97
"But while we should
realize our sinful condition,
00:17:54.97\00:17:58.71
"we are to rely upon
Christ as our righteousness,
00:17:58.71\00:18:01.84
"our sanctification,
and our redemption.
00:18:01.84\00:18:04.51
"We cannot answer the
charges of Satan against us.
00:18:04.51\00:18:07.85
"Christ alone can make an
effectual plea in our behalf.
00:18:07.85\00:18:11.79
"He is able to silence
the accuser with arguments
00:18:11.79\00:18:15.39
founded not upon our
merits, but on His own."
00:18:15.39\00:18:19.79
Help us to grasp,
there's a lot in there.
00:18:19.79\00:18:23.37
>>You know, when you were
saying help us grasp that,
00:18:23.37\00:18:26.03
I was about ready
to say, "Pastor Eric,
00:18:26.03\00:18:28.30
we're gonna be studying
this through all eternity."
00:18:28.30\00:18:30.61
You know, when
you think about it,
00:18:30.61\00:18:31.97
it's so broad and you're
so right, there's so much.
00:18:31.97\00:18:36.04
This one sentence
toward the end of the paragraph
00:18:36.04\00:18:38.88
just touches my heart.
00:18:38.88\00:18:40.28
While we should realize our
own sinful condition, we do,
00:18:40.28\00:18:43.79
we realize that
we're weak, we're frail,
00:18:43.79\00:18:46.96
"We are to rely upon
Christ as our righteousness,
00:18:46.96\00:18:51.83
our sanctification,
and our redemption."
00:18:51.83\00:18:54.13
I wanna pause there.
00:18:54.13\00:18:56.06
It's not only that I
rely on Christ to justify me,
00:18:56.06\00:19:01.14
to enable me to stand before God
00:19:01.94\00:19:02.74
just as if I'd never sinned.
00:19:02.74\00:19:04.51
It is not that I rely
on Christ to deliver me
00:19:05.61\00:19:09.91
from the guilt and shame
of sin, and then I work out
00:19:09.91\00:19:14.28
my own salvation on my
own after that, not at all.
00:19:14.28\00:19:17.25
You know, the text that says,
"Work out your own salvation
00:19:18.62\00:19:21.12
with fear and trembling,"
00:19:21.12\00:19:22.66
the following verse in
Philippians 2 says, "For it's
00:19:22.66\00:19:26.03
God "that worketh in you both...
00:19:26.03\00:19:27.60
to do His good pleasure."
00:19:27.60\00:19:30.13
So I am justified
by faith in Christ,
00:19:30.13\00:19:34.94
His righteous covers my past,
00:19:34.94\00:19:36.47
but I'm also
sanctified by faith;
00:19:36.47\00:19:38.31
that same faith that
accepts Christ's death for me,
00:19:38.31\00:19:40.58
that same faith reaches up
to the intercession of Christ
00:19:40.58\00:19:44.28
to receive Christ's power
from me to live in my life.
00:19:44.28\00:19:48.02
So He is our righteousness,
He is our sanctification,
00:19:48.02\00:19:51.52
and ultimately
He's our redemption,
00:19:51.52\00:19:53.02
He is the one that
comes again for us.
00:19:53.02\00:19:55.42
We cannot answer the
charges of Satan against us;
00:19:55.42\00:19:58.53
Christ alone can make that
effectual plea on our behalf.
00:19:58.53\00:20:02.00
So our salvation
is totally dependent
00:20:02.00\00:20:06.60
on our relationship,
00:20:06.60\00:20:08.67
on what Christ has done for us
00:20:08.67\00:20:10.77
and our response
to what He has done
00:20:10.77\00:20:13.27
that develops a
relationship with Him.
00:20:13.27\00:20:15.48
>>And it's a
natural outflow of Christ
00:20:15.48\00:20:18.51
in our hearts is
the lives that we live.
00:20:18.51\00:20:20.82
I've heard some
people say to not
00:20:20.82\00:20:23.39
bother trying to live right,
00:20:23.39\00:20:25.95
not bother trying to
keep the commandments
00:20:25.95\00:20:27.62
if you're trying to do
it under your own power
00:20:27.62\00:20:29.36
because you're just
gonna make yourself miserable
00:20:29.36\00:20:31.23
and everybody
around you miserable.
00:20:31.23\00:20:33.09
I don't think that we can do it,
00:20:33.09\00:20:34.63
in fact, I know that we
can't do it under our own power,
00:20:34.63\00:20:37.33
but with Christ in us,
that's where miracles happen.
00:20:37.33\00:20:40.14
>>It is, and the whole
good news of the judgment
00:20:40.14\00:20:44.47
that both Revelation and Daniel
00:20:44.47\00:20:46.78
are speaking about in
this cosmic controversy
00:20:46.78\00:20:49.28
between good and evil with
tens of thousands of angels
00:20:49.28\00:20:52.11
and cherubims and seraphims
and being some unfallen worlds
00:20:52.11\00:20:56.18
and the whole
universe looking in,
00:20:56.18\00:20:58.35
the whole issue
with the judgment
00:20:58.35\00:20:59.69
is the worthiness of Christ.
00:20:59.69\00:21:02.02
Is Christ worthy?
00:21:02.02\00:21:04.39
Is Christ--
00:21:04.39\00:21:06.59
has Christ provided everything
necessary for our salvation?
00:21:06.59\00:21:10.53
And before a waiting
world, a watching universe,
00:21:10.53\00:21:13.03
in this cosmic
conflict between good and evil,
00:21:13.03\00:21:16.34
it is revealed
that Jesus is worthy.
00:21:16.34\00:21:19.57
He created us, He redeemed us,
00:21:19.57\00:21:21.84
He's our high priest,
00:21:21.84\00:21:23.01
He's coming again for us.
00:21:23.01\00:21:24.98
>>Pastor Mark,
you just mentioned,
00:21:24.98\00:21:26.95
albeit in passing,
Daniel, chapter 7--
00:21:26.95\00:21:29.25
>>Yeah. >>...and Daniel 7
00:21:29.25\00:21:30.49
has a fantastic
judgment scene in it.
00:21:30.49\00:21:32.95
Why don't you open
that up to us a little bit?
00:21:32.95\00:21:34.82
>>Sure. We actually go to that
00:21:34.82\00:21:37.03
in Tuesday's lesson
in Daniel, chapter 7,
00:21:37.03\00:21:40.33
so let me just summarize
for us that judgment scene
00:21:40.33\00:21:44.87
in the seventh
chapter of the book of Daniel.
00:21:46.10\00:21:48.90
We find it here
in Daniel, chapter 7,
00:21:48.90\00:21:51.91
and we're gonna
start there with verse 9
00:21:51.91\00:21:56.24
and I'll just skip
through this chapter.
00:21:56.24\00:21:59.01
Daniel says, "I watched
till thrones were put in place."
00:21:59.01\00:22:02.18
Just to pause there,
00:22:02.18\00:22:03.55
the thrones must be movable
because they're put in place,
00:22:03.55\00:22:07.52
they're movable thrones.
00:22:07.52\00:22:09.46
The supreme court
of the universe sits
00:22:09.46\00:22:12.53
in the Most Holy
Place of heaven's sanctuary.
00:22:12.53\00:22:15.30
The Father and the Son
move together in a unique work
00:22:15.30\00:22:20.30
that's described
as the judgment hour.
00:22:20.30\00:22:22.77
"The Ancient of Days
was seated [the Father];
00:22:22.77\00:22:25.07
"His garment was white as snow,
00:22:25.07\00:22:27.18
"...the hair of His
head was...pure wool.
00:22:27.18\00:22:29.64
His throne [is] a
fiery flame, its wheels,"
00:22:29.64\00:22:32.38
that's the wheels on the
throne, "as a burning fire."
00:22:32.38\00:22:34.35
So the Bible
pictures this unique move
00:22:34.35\00:22:38.19
into the Most Holy Place
of the heavenly sanctuary
00:22:38.19\00:22:40.72
to begin a work of judgment.
00:22:40.72\00:22:43.16
It talks in verse 10
00:22:43.16\00:22:44.49
about "thousand
thousands ministered [un]to Him;
00:22:44.49\00:22:47.13
"ten thousand times ten
thousand stood before Him.
00:22:47.13\00:22:49.60
The court was [set],
and the books were opened."
00:22:49.60\00:22:52.83
So here you have the
sitting of the supreme court
00:22:52.83\00:22:55.87
of the universe with
thousands of heavenly beings.
00:22:55.87\00:22:59.41
But interestingly enough,
00:22:59.41\00:23:00.84
go ahead and pick
up verse 13 and 14.
00:23:00.84\00:23:04.35
>>"I was watching in the
night visions, and behold,
00:23:04.35\00:23:06.65
"One like the Son of Man, coming
with the clouds of heaven!
00:23:06.65\00:23:09.92
"He came to the Ancient of Days,
00:23:09.92\00:23:11.62
"and they brought
Him near before Him.
00:23:11.62\00:23:13.82
"Then to Him was given dominion
00:23:13.82\00:23:15.66
"and glory and a kingdom,
that all peoples, nations,
00:23:15.66\00:23:18.83
"and languages should serve Him.
00:23:18.83\00:23:20.93
"His dominion is an
everlasting dominion,
00:23:20.93\00:23:23.67
"which shall not pass away,
00:23:23.67\00:23:25.20
and His kingdom the one
which shall not be destroyed."
00:23:25.20\00:23:28.34
>>In the beginning of the
book of chapter seven of Daniel,
00:23:28.34\00:23:31.21
you have the four kingdoms,
00:23:31.21\00:23:32.57
Babylon, Medo-Persia, Greece,
and Rome, they passed away.
00:23:32.57\00:23:35.91
Then you have the breakup
00:23:35.91\00:23:37.25
of the Roman Empire and
the rise of the little horn,
00:23:37.25\00:23:39.58
a political religious
kingdom that would attempt
00:23:39.58\00:23:42.08
to change God's law and set up
00:23:42.08\00:23:44.52
a political religious alliance
00:23:44.52\00:23:47.62
that would bring peace to earth,
00:23:47.62\00:23:49.66
which of course it has
tragically failed in doing that.
00:23:49.66\00:23:52.76
But then Daniel looks
away from the horizontal look,
00:23:52.76\00:23:56.16
he looks away from
what's going on on earth
00:23:56.16\00:23:57.93
to the heavenly sanctuary.
00:23:57.93\00:24:00.07
When he sees the
sitting of the judgment,
00:24:00.07\00:24:01.67
he sees the Ancient of Days sit
00:24:01.67\00:24:04.74
and the living Christ
approaches the Ancient of Days.
00:24:04.74\00:24:07.71
Notice the interesting
title of Christ in verse 13.
00:24:07.71\00:24:12.65
It says Jesus is
"like the Son of Man."
00:24:12.65\00:24:15.68
Why the Son of Man?
00:24:15.68\00:24:17.02
Why doesn't it say the
Son of God approaches Him?
00:24:17.02\00:24:19.72
Because this is the Christ
that tabernacled in human flesh,
00:24:19.72\00:24:22.89
this is the Christ
that lived and died for us,
00:24:22.89\00:24:26.70
this is the Christ
who is our elder brother.
00:24:26.70\00:24:31.03
He comes to the
Father, and based upon the fact
00:24:31.03\00:24:35.24
that He has
sacrificed His life for us,
00:24:35.24\00:24:38.34
He is worthy to receive worship
00:24:38.34\00:24:40.04
and worthy to
receive the kingdom.
00:24:40.04\00:24:42.28
So in the judgment, the
righteousness of Christ is
00:24:42.28\00:24:46.18
revealed, the grace
of Christ is revealed,
00:24:46.18\00:24:48.38
and He comes, and the
kingdom is given to Christ.
00:24:48.38\00:24:53.46
>>So Daniel 7 gives
us a beautiful picture
00:24:54.56\00:24:56.29
of the judgment and
Christ's role in it.
00:24:56.29\00:24:58.66
That's not the only
picture of the judgment
00:24:58.66\00:25:00.23
we find in the Bible.
00:25:00.23\00:25:01.00
Over in Revelation 4 and 5,
00:25:01.00\00:25:02.73
we see kind of a similar
picture, a similar scene.
00:25:02.73\00:25:06.20
Share that with us.
00:25:06.20\00:25:07.00
>>We do, in Revelation 4 and 5,
00:25:07.00\00:25:10.91
there's different
interpretations of that passage,
00:25:10.91\00:25:13.61
but in Revelation 4
and 5, one thing is common,
00:25:13.61\00:25:16.14
that it certainly is a
passage of praise and worship,
00:25:16.14\00:25:20.62
and there are many
scholars who believe
00:25:20.62\00:25:23.32
this talks about the
inauguration of Christ,
00:25:23.32\00:25:26.12
that when He ascended to heaven
00:25:26.12\00:25:29.19
this praise was given to Him.
00:25:29.19\00:25:31.63
The point is this,
Daniel 7 points out
00:25:31.63\00:25:34.93
that Jesus is worthy
to receive the kingdom.
00:25:34.93\00:25:37.63
His worthiness to
receive the kingdom
00:25:37.63\00:25:39.60
is based on two things;
00:25:39.60\00:25:40.90
one, He created
the world, but second,
00:25:40.90\00:25:42.87
He leaped into the flames
of this world and redeemed it.
00:25:42.87\00:25:46.71
So we find in
Revelation, chapter 5,
00:25:46.71\00:25:49.61
very similar
language to Daniel 7.
00:25:49.61\00:25:52.78
And even if one interprets this
00:25:52.78\00:25:54.88
as the inauguration of
Christ, when He ascends
00:25:54.88\00:25:57.35
to heaven after His
death and resurrection,
00:25:57.35\00:26:01.49
the truth of the
matter is that all of heaven
00:26:01.49\00:26:04.73
is worshiping Him and He's
worthy to receive that worship
00:26:04.73\00:26:09.76
and the final consummation
00:26:10.57\00:26:13.00
of the plan of salvation
00:26:13.00\00:26:15.34
will ultimately take
place in the judgment
00:26:15.34\00:26:17.37
when He receives His kingdom
00:26:17.37\00:26:19.37
and Satan's hosts
are ultimately defeated
00:26:19.37\00:26:21.84
when Jesus comes again and
after that millennial period
00:26:21.84\00:26:25.08
when the holy city descends.
00:26:25.08\00:26:27.82
But here in
Revelation, chapter 5,
00:26:27.82\00:26:29.85
it says, "You are worthy to
take the scroll," verse nine,
00:26:29.85\00:26:33.59
"to open the seals; for You
were slain, and have redeemed us
00:26:33.59\00:26:37.36
"to God by Your blood out
of every tribe and [nation]
00:26:37.36\00:26:40.90
and people and [tongue]."
00:26:40.90\00:26:41.86
We find that in
Revelation, chapter 14,
00:26:41.86\00:26:44.60
where it says, "The hour
of His judgment has come,"
00:26:44.60\00:26:46.33
the everlasting
gospel goes to every nation,
00:26:46.33\00:26:48.54
tongue, and people.
00:26:48.54\00:26:50.01
So here it says
You've "made us kings
00:26:50.01\00:26:53.07
and priests to...God;
...[we'll] reign on...earth."
00:26:53.07\00:26:55.24
So Christ receives the kingdom
00:26:55.24\00:26:58.51
after the judgment
00:26:58.51\00:27:01.32
and the whole universe sees
the greatness, the goodness,
00:27:01.32\00:27:04.05
the majesty of God.
00:27:04.05\00:27:05.65
They see that He's done
everything He could to save us
00:27:05.65\00:27:08.46
and He's worthy to
receive the kingdom,
00:27:08.46\00:27:11.93
and then it's interesting,
00:27:11.93\00:27:14.83
judgment is passed in
favor of the saints of God.
00:27:14.83\00:27:17.90
>>And that is fantastic news.
00:27:17.90\00:27:20.20
You know, this
week, the title of it was
00:27:20.20\00:27:22.70
"The Good News of the Judgment,"
00:27:22.70\00:27:24.31
and I hope that you have
found some good news there.
00:27:24.31\00:27:26.94
Pastor Mark, thank you for
helping us to find the good news
00:27:26.94\00:27:30.68
and thank you for joining us.
00:27:30.68\00:27:32.55
We pray that your next
week will be a blessed one
00:27:32.55\00:27:34.98
and we look forward to
seeing you again next time
00:27:34.98\00:27:37.45
here on "Sabbath School,"
brought to you by It Is Written.
00:27:37.45\00:27:40.72
(light music)
00:27:41.52\00:27:43.79
(music ends)
00:28:27.17\00:28:28.90