Spring Camp Meeting 2017

If I am a Christian, Should I Fear God's Judgment?

Three Angels Broadcasting Network

Program transcript

Participants: James Rafferty

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Series Code: 17SCM

Program Code: 17SCM000023A


00:14 Welcome to 3ABN Spring Camp Meeting 2017,
00:18 Exposing the Counterfeit.
00:24 Hello, I'm Shelley Quinn.
00:25 And once again it is so wonderful
00:28 to welcome you to Spring Camp Meeting,
00:30 this exposing the counterfeit.
00:32 Tell me how have you enjoyed this?
00:34 Have you been blessed? Yes!
00:36 Oh, I'm telling you, I cannot believe
00:38 we are down to our last message.
00:41 But we have saved one of the most incredible topics
00:45 for our last presentation.
00:47 And the topic of the hour is if I am a Christian,
00:52 should I fear the judgment?
00:55 There's so much misunderstanding.
00:57 And even within our own church about this.
00:59 So we want to welcome our pastor
01:03 that is going to give us the message this hour
01:06 is Pastor James Rafferty,
01:07 he is the co-director for Light Bearers Ministry,
01:10 that's his full time job.
01:13 Then he is a part time pastor for the Fall Creek
01:16 Seventh-day Adventist Church in Oregon.
01:19 And he said he...
01:21 I know he travels all the time but he said
01:23 full time at Light Bearers, part time as a preacher
01:27 and a time and a half as a husband.
01:30 You husbands know what he's saying, don't you?
01:33 Well, then our song tonight
01:35 is going to be at the end of his presentation,
01:39 Yvonne Lewis will be singing for us.
01:41 But right now help me welcome Pastor James Rafferty.
01:47 Amen.
01:48 Thank you, Shelley.
01:52 Good evening. Good evening.
01:54 Saints, as I've listened to the messages here
01:56 at 3ABN camp meeting.
01:58 I have been blessed.
01:59 And I've realized that God
02:01 is doing something very special.
02:03 But we're not here by accident
02:06 that we are here by God's providential leading.
02:10 And that He has blessed us with a special appointment
02:14 of the Holy Spirit
02:16 with messages that are bringing to us,
02:18 I think clarity and understanding
02:21 and conviction.
02:22 I'm thinking about John the Baptist and Jesus.
02:27 That's what has come to my mind because in this camp meeting
02:32 we have heard messages that are straight
02:36 and cutting to the heart like John the Baptist.
02:38 But they haven't neglected the focus on Calvary
02:43 and the cross and Jesus.
02:46 And I think that when you look at the ministries
02:49 of John the Baptist and Jesus,
02:51 they were very opposite, weren't they?
02:55 It seemed as though John the Baptist
02:57 was just this hardcore straight testimony preacher
03:00 out in the wilderness eating locusts and honey,
03:05 roped in camels there.
03:07 And then Jesus was more soft-spoken,
03:10 sitting with the publicans in the centers,
03:11 they called Him a glutton.
03:14 And it seemed as though the Pharisees try to divide
03:19 the ministries and the work and even the disciples of Jesus
03:24 and John the Baptist.
03:26 And I thought about that, I thought about that,
03:28 I thought about that and I thought you know what,
03:33 Satan has been trying to divide the work that God is doing
03:38 in this earth ever since the beginning.
03:41 He's trying to divide law and grace.
03:45 He's trying to divide mercy and justice.
03:49 He's trying to divide faith and works.
03:51 He's trying to divide the Old Testament
03:52 from the New Testament.
03:54 But he's not gonna do it. He's not gonna succeed.
03:58 And that's why I've been really blessed here
03:59 at 3ABN camp meeting because I really believe
04:02 that God is bringing it all together again as one.
04:09 That the messages are combining,
04:11 the straight truth and saturating it
04:14 with the love of God.
04:15 And that's what we need to do, you know,
04:16 we need to preach the truth as it is in Jesus.
04:20 We need to preach the mark of the beast.
04:23 I love that presentation by Steve.
04:25 We need to preach about the second coming
04:28 that was a powerful presentation
04:30 by Ed, Elder Ed Reed.
04:33 And that reformation history, you know,
04:36 where he revisited Luther in Wittenberg,
04:39 that was priceless, wasn't it?
04:41 That was worth the whole trip here.
04:44 Priceless gem. We've got to know that history.
04:47 We need to preach the Sabbath
04:50 and we need to preach the judgment
04:51 in the context of the love of God.
04:55 All that needs to come together and be one and harmonize,
04:59 we can't divide Jesus from John,
05:01 law from grace, faith from works,
05:03 justice from mercy, it all needs to come together
05:06 and it is coming together,
05:07 God is bringing it together again.
05:11 So I have this message and it's the closing message
05:15 for our camp meeting.
05:16 It is one that I chose.
05:18 I was given an option, I said I'd love to share that message
05:21 because the message is dear to my heart,
05:23 it is a message that is based on Revelation 14
05:25 and it's a message that we need to understand.
05:27 But the only way we can understand it
05:29 really and truly is to base it in the Word of God
05:32 and to pray for the instruction of the Holy Spirit.
05:37 Can we pray together right now?
05:39 Father in heaven, I just want to thank You again
05:41 this evening for the opportunity that we have
05:43 just to come to Your throne and find grace and help
05:47 in this time of need.
05:48 We are at the end of this camp meeting,
05:52 this meeting after meeting, truth after truth
05:57 saturated with love
06:01 and righteous revelation of truth.
06:05 And, Father, we're just thankful
06:07 that we've had the opportunity to be here, to be alive
06:09 at this time in history and to take in more
06:12 and more of the message
06:15 that is going to lighten Your earth with Your glory,
06:17 the message of this heaven sent.
06:18 And as we close it up now
06:20 and we look at the investigative judgment
06:22 and how it applies to believers.
06:23 I just pray that Your Holy Spirit
06:25 will speak to our hearts again.
06:28 Give us just a little bit more energy,
06:30 a little bit more ability to take in
06:35 more of the truth of heaven.
06:37 Father, we pray, we ask, we plead and we thank You
06:40 for hearing us in the name of Jesus Christ.
06:43 Amen. Amen.
06:45 Revelation 14:6, 7.
06:49 John says that he saw another angel
06:52 flying in the midst of heaven having the everlasting gospel,
06:56 the everlasting gospel.
06:59 Do you know why it's called the everlasting gospel
07:00 in Revelation 14:6?
07:02 Do you know why it's called the everlasting gospel?
07:04 Because this is God's last message for the world.
07:06 And the world in the end of time thinks
07:09 that there was some time in history past
07:12 primarily in the Old Testament
07:14 that people were saved by obedience to the law.
07:19 You might knock on people's doors,
07:20 give a Bible study and talk about the truths
07:23 that we've been talking about here, about the Sabbath,
07:26 the truth of God's law and they would say,
07:27 oh, that's Old Testament, that's Old Covenant.
07:30 We're saved by grace.
07:32 And so God has put this phrase in the very last message
07:35 to the world, the everlasting gospel
07:37 to remind us that no one has ever been saved
07:39 through obedience to the law, ever.
07:43 And that's the question we need to ask people who say
07:45 we're under the new covenant, we're under grace,
07:46 now you see, you need to ask them
07:47 what does that mean that you're saying
07:49 that there are people in the Old Testament
07:50 that were saved by obedience to the law?
07:53 Because Revelation 14 says
07:55 that this is the everlasting gospel.
07:57 Jesus Christ is the only way anyone ever has been saved
08:01 or ever will be saved.
08:03 Amen.
08:04 Having the everlasting gospel preached to those
08:07 that dwell on the earth, every nation and kindred
08:09 and tongue and people saying with what kind of voice?
08:12 A loud voice, doesn't mean they're yelling,
08:15 doesn't mean they're angry, it means they're clear
08:19 and they can be heard and understood.
08:23 That's what happens when you speak
08:24 with a lower voice.
08:26 If you don't have enough voice, people can't hear you.
08:28 Do you understand?
08:29 You have to be able to speak loudly
08:32 so that people can hear what you're saying, right?
08:36 Our tech guys thought it was a problem with the mic
08:38 there for a second.
08:40 They were sweating.
08:43 So the first communication of this everlasting gospel
08:49 is fear God and give glory to Him,
08:54 for the hour of His judgment is come.
08:57 And worship him that made the heaven and the earth
08:58 and sea and fountains of waters.
09:00 That's the everlasting gospel.
09:02 That's good news because the word gospel means
09:04 good news, that's good news.
09:06 And somehow some way through some kind
09:10 of misunderstanding of communication
09:13 the world Christians, believers think
09:18 that the hour of God's judgment is scary bad news.
09:23 How did that happen?
09:25 That's not what it says here.
09:27 Revelation 14:6, 7 tell us
09:30 that the hour of God's judgment is good news,
09:32 not bad news.
09:35 Some time ago a young man came into my office
09:41 with his girlfriend.
09:43 He was a medical student
09:47 going to one of our educational institutions,
09:51 studying to be a doctor.
09:53 And she also was going to the same institution,
09:56 he was an Adventist and she was a Christian.
10:00 He was coming home to visit his parents
10:02 and he invited his girlfriend up
10:04 because he wanted to introduce her
10:06 to his parents and to me.
10:09 You see he intended to marry this girl.
10:12 But before he married her,
10:14 he wanted to make her a Seventh-day Adventist.
10:19 So he came into my office with his girlfriend in tow.
10:25 She walked into my office and before we got
10:27 hardly anywhere she said, "I am a Christian.
10:30 I am not an Adventist,
10:32 I'm not gonna become an Adventist.
10:33 I do not believe in the investigative judgments."
10:37 And she sat down and folded her arms.
10:41 And I looked at him and he looked at me.
10:46 And he said, "That's why I brought her to you."
10:57 And I said, "I would love to study with you
11:01 the investigative judgment."
11:03 See this young man had been in our camp meeting
11:05 the summer before and he had heard
11:06 a series of meetings that we had been doing
11:08 on the three angels' messages.
11:10 And as he heard those meetings,
11:11 he called me aside and he said to me,
11:14 "What is it that you're preaching right here?"
11:15 And I said, "Well, I'm preaching
11:17 the three angels' messages."
11:18 He says, "Well, I've been raised an Adventist,
11:19 I've never heard anything like this before."
11:22 And so he wanted his girlfriend to hear this.
11:25 So I watched and we began this study.
11:29 I'm not going to tell you yet how it ended.
11:33 See at first glance
11:37 the investigative judgment for believers
11:41 seems to be out of place in a gospel setting
11:45 but that's not the case.
11:47 When you look at a Bible verse with me,
11:48 it's found in 1 Timothy, or 1 Peter 4:17.
11:52 1 Peter 4:17.
11:54 See I believe that the investigative judgment
11:57 is good news of the highest order.
12:00 And it can, and any doubt we have about that
12:02 can be categorically wiped away by the gospel of Jesus Christ.
12:07 1 Peter 4:17 says this, "For the time has come
12:11 for judgment to begin," where?
12:14 "In the house of God."
12:16 That's at the house where Christians worship God.
12:21 It's not where unbelievers are. This is God's house.
12:24 This is the house of believers.
12:25 The judgment must begin at the house of God.
12:27 And it first begins with us, now follow this,
12:30 if it first begins with us what will be the end of those
12:33 who do not obey what?
12:35 The gospel of God.
12:39 I think this is very important.
12:41 It doesn't say the law of God, it says what?
12:44 The gospel.
12:45 The judgment for believers is all about the gospel.
12:49 Are you going to obey the gospel?
12:51 Judgment's coming to our house, are we obeying the gospel?
12:56 Good so far?
12:58 All right, let's keep going here.
13:00 Now I want to emphasize or clarify
13:03 that the judgment is a solemn event,
13:05 there's no doubt about it.
13:07 And yet we can see from this verse
13:11 and the verses we read in Revelation 14:6, 7
13:15 that the judgment is connected directly
13:18 with the everlasting gospel.
13:20 It's connected directly with what Jesus Christ has done
13:25 for all the human race.
13:28 1 Timothy 4:10 says, "He is the Savior of all."
13:33 1 Timothy 2:1-6 says,
13:34 "He wants everyone to come to salvation," everyone.
13:41 So really the gospel is calling every individual
13:45 to respond to what God has done for them
13:48 in the person of Jesus Christ.
13:49 That's what the gospel is calling us to.
13:52 Jesus Christ has purchased the human race with His blood
13:55 and the gospel is calling us to respond to the work
13:59 that Christ has done for us, for every individual.
14:03 So the judgment is basically a revelation
14:09 of what we've decided to do with our Savior, with Jesus.
14:13 And the way that revelation works
14:15 is by our words and actions.
14:19 Our words and actions determine what we've done with Jesus.
14:23 So a lot of people say, "Well, we're judged by,"
14:25 how can we be judged by our works
14:26 and saved by grace?
14:28 Well, let's take a look at it.
14:30 Jesus says in Matthew 12:36, 37,
14:34 "That every idle word that men shall speak
14:37 they should give account there of in the day of judgment.
14:40 For by thy words thou shalt be justified
14:43 and by thy words thou shalt be condemned."
14:47 Matthew 12:36, 37
14:49 and Jesus is talking about believers here.
14:51 And that basically settles it for me.
14:53 Everyone has to give an account according to these verses
14:56 Matthew 12:36, 37.
14:58 Everyone has to give an account there of
15:00 in the day of judgments, in the day of judgment.
15:03 So the words of Jesus right here
15:05 and all the arguments on whether or not
15:08 there is a day of judgment for believers.
15:10 It's over, I don't even think we need to spend
15:13 another moment on it, really I don't.
15:16 There are other Bible verses but we don't need
15:17 to spend on that, really what we need to do
15:19 our time this evening,
15:21 the rest of our time this evening
15:22 is actually going to be spent considering that
15:27 if we as believers are going to be judged
15:31 then why, why is there a judgment?
15:38 Not whether or not there is a judgment
15:39 but why is there a judgment?
15:41 Why does God have this day of accounts?
15:44 What's the purpose?
15:46 And how does that relate to the everlasting gospel?
15:49 And I think there are probably more reasons than this
15:51 but there are at least three reasons
15:53 why we're told that God is gonna have a day of accounts.
15:56 Why we're told, Ecclesiastes 12:14
15:59 that God will bring every work into judgment
16:01 and every secret thing whether it's good
16:03 or whether it's evil.
16:05 Our works and our words are gonna testify
16:09 to what we've done with Jesus.
16:12 So reason number one, and Elder Reed was sharing
16:15 how that when truth is, it's clear,
16:19 it's broken down into short parts.
16:22 And I think he started with seven
16:24 and then he went to five.
16:25 And tonight we're doing three.
16:28 Three, reason number one, Romans 14:10-14.
16:32 Now these verses are so powerful,
16:34 these are powerful verses.
16:36 And sometimes we don't give them the credit,
16:38 we don't, we don't use them as we should.
16:41 A lot of times these verses are used
16:43 to oppose the teachings that Adventists propagate.
16:48 So we'll share about the Sabbath
16:49 and people turn to Romans 14 and they'll say, yeah.
16:51 But it says don't judge any man because one day seems,
16:54 one man it seems one day above another,
16:55 another man it seems always the same.
16:57 Let every man be fully persuaded
16:58 in his own mind.
17:00 So it doesn't matter, don't judge me
17:02 and one day I go to church.
17:04 And you guys are legalists anyway.
17:08 You say, wait a minute, didn't you read the text?
17:11 It says, don't judge.
17:14 Right?
17:15 It works both ways, doesn't it?
17:18 Don't let anyone call you a legalist.
17:20 And if they do because you're keeping the Sabbath,
17:22 take them to Romans 14.
17:24 It's our text as much as anyone else's.
17:28 God has given us these verses for a reason.
17:31 Let's read a few of them.
17:33 I want to read verses 10 through 14.
17:35 Romans 14:10-14, "Why do you judge your brother
17:38 or why do you show contempt for your brother
17:40 for we shall all stand before the judgment seat of Christ,
17:42 for it is written as I live says the Lord,
17:44 every knee will bow to me
17:46 and every tongue shall confess to God.
17:48 So then each of us shall give an account of himself to God.
17:52 Therefore let us resolve this not to put a stumbling block
17:58 or a cause to fall in our brothers' way."
18:03 Stop judging one another.
18:07 Isn't that good news?
18:09 You're off the hook, you're free.
18:11 Yeah, there may be some problems
18:13 that are taking place in your church,
18:14 in your community and your, you don't need to judge though.
18:18 God's got a day of accounts,
18:19 he's gonna settle everything up.
18:21 You do not need to take the burden of judging others.
18:25 You know, being on 3ABN is sometimes
18:26 a little bit difficult.
18:31 Not long ago we received a communication in our office
18:35 and it went like this,
18:37 tell James to stop dying his hair
18:41 so dark.
18:45 Now that's just the tip of the iceberg,
18:47 you've got to have thick skin if you're gonna be a preacher,
18:50 especially on 3ABN, it's just the facts.
18:54 So really you know we shouldn't be judging
18:57 one another and I could have gotten in my attitude of,
19:02 "Hey, what right does that person have
19:03 to judge me and demand
19:05 that I stop dying my hair so dark."
19:07 But I didn't.
19:09 Instead my response was, "Please, tell this person
19:14 that James doesn't die his hair.
19:19 That James has never dyed his hair."
19:23 My wife was six years younger than me
19:26 might not appreciate that fact but it's a fact.
19:31 And if James was gonna dye his hair,
19:34 he would probably die it blonde.
19:39 Why not?
19:41 If I'm gonna dye my hair anyway
19:43 and that would definitely relieve this person's query
19:45 because my hair would be lighter.
19:50 So other people might actually complain
19:53 that my hair was too light, you get the point.
19:56 We are off the hook, we don't have to judge others.
20:00 I love the fact that God has a judgment
20:02 because every time I'm tempted to judge another person,
20:05 I'm reminded God has a judgment,
20:07 God has a day of accounts, back up, James, back up.
20:10 Now do what you can not to be a stumbling block
20:12 to this person, get rid of that attitude that you have,
20:15 those thoughts that you have, the way that you feel.
20:18 God is just and merciful.
20:23 And you're going to wish that you could have done more
20:25 when that day of justice comes.
20:28 Not only for others but for yourself.
20:30 Reason number two is found in Matthew 7:21-23.
20:33 Matthew 7:21-23, here's what it says,
20:36 we know these verses probably too well.
20:39 "Not everyone that says unto me,
20:43 'Lord, Lord shall enter into the kingdom of heaven
20:47 but he that doeth the will of My Father
20:49 which is in heaven.'
20:51 Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord,
20:54 have we not prophesied in thy name
20:56 and in thy name have cast out devils
20:57 and in thy name done many wonderful works.
20:59 And then I will I profess unto them, I never knew you,
21:04 depart from me, he that work iniquity."
21:10 In other words there are many people
21:13 who profess faith in Christ who are only professors.
21:18 Now remember, we can't judge, right?
21:22 We can't judge.
21:24 There are many people who are only professing
21:27 to take the name of Christian.
21:30 And these people are doing many wonderful works
21:33 but they are workers of iniquity.
21:35 You know what that means, workers of iniquity.
21:37 It means they're transgressing God's law.
21:40 They do many wonderful works
21:41 but they're transgressors of God's law,
21:43 and the reason they're transgressors of God's law
21:44 is because they don't really know Jesus
21:47 because the laws are transcript of His character.
21:50 They don't really know Jesus, they don't really understand
21:52 the words of Christ in John 14 when He said,
21:55 "If you love Me, keep My commandments."
21:59 They don't really get that.
22:05 What do they get?
22:07 Well, they get the idea that they should be in heaven
22:08 because of their works, that's what they get.
22:12 Let me in look at all the stuff I've done.
22:16 And so reason number two for the judgment
22:17 and this is really important.
22:19 We are not saved by our works, we're not saved by our works,
22:24 it doesn't matter how many wonderful things
22:26 you do for Jesus, you are lost, lost, lost
22:31 without the gift of salvation that comes solely from Him.
22:33 Amen.
22:35 Now reason number three is probably the most significant
22:39 so we'll spend the rest of the time on this one.
22:41 This third reason is found in the Book of Revelation 12:10.
22:46 Revelation 12:10, beautiful picture,
22:48 Revelation 12 of the whole great controversy
22:52 from beginning to end.
22:53 And the salvation that was wrought out
22:55 through Jesus Christ at the cross.
22:58 And then it produces this remnant people
23:00 who keep the commandments of God
23:01 and the testimony of Jesus Christ.
23:04 Revelation 12:10 says,
23:05 "And I heard a loud voice in heaven saying,
23:08 'Now it's come salvation.'
23:09 Speaking of Calvary pointing to the cross and strength
23:12 and the kingdom of our God and the power of his Christ
23:15 for the accuser of our brethren is cast down which accused them
23:20 before our God day and night."
23:24 Seven days a week, 24 hours a day,
23:28 365 days a year, we have an accuser.
23:31 And he never takes a vacation, he never takes a holiday,
23:35 he doesn't observe the Fourth of July
23:38 or your birthday.
23:40 He's on the job all the time, accusing and condemning,
23:45 and accusing and condemning.
23:49 He leads us into sin and then he turns around
23:55 and accuses us for the very thing
23:57 he led us to do.
24:01 This work of Satan is also found
24:04 in the Old Testament, in the Book of Zechariah 3:1.
24:10 Zechariah 3:1, he showed me Joshua the high priest
24:12 standing before the angel of Lord
24:14 and Satan was standing at his right hand to resist him,
24:17 resisting, resisting, resisting.
24:19 Satan is resisting the salvation
24:21 that God has accomplished for us
24:22 in Jesus Christ, he's resisting.
24:25 He points to our failures and he's pointing to our sins
24:28 and he's pointing to our defects,
24:29 he's pointing to all of the things
24:32 that he knows about us, our entire history,
24:34 he is just bombarding us at times,
24:38 bombarding us with the idea that you might as well give up,
24:41 you're not going to make it.
24:43 You've been to this 3ABN camp meeting
24:45 but you're still thinking these negative evil thoughts.
24:48 You're still selfish, you're still un-Christ like,
24:51 you're still impatient.
24:53 Do you see the picture?
24:55 Because the investigative judgment is real
24:58 and it's happening now.
25:01 And soon, I don't know how soon it's gonna transfer
25:04 from the dead to the living.
25:06 And you're preparing for it right now.
25:08 The thoughts and the condemnation,
25:11 the guilt that Satan is trying to press upon you
25:14 is going to intensify as we enter into these end days.
25:18 We need an advocate and that advocate can't be,
25:21 "Oh, I go to church on the right day
25:23 and I believe the right doctrines,
25:24 and I pay tithes and I'm..."
25:25 That can't be our advocate.
25:28 Because the Bible says very clearly in Romans 3:10,
25:31 "As it is written there is none righteous,
25:34 know not one."
25:36 So Satan has a point.
25:38 And there's no way we can defend ourselves
25:40 from his accusations by heaping up good works.
25:43 We already saw that in Matthew 7:20-23,
25:45 it doesn't work.
25:49 Yet unworthy and unrighteous as we are,
25:53 we have one who speaks in our defense.
25:57 Amen.
25:59 1 John 2:1, "My dear children,
26:04 I write this to you so that you will not sin."
26:06 We'll get back to that point in just a second.
26:08 "But if anyone does sin, we have one who speaks
26:11 to the Father in our defense Jesus Christ,
26:13 the righteous one."
26:15 That's the NIV.
26:17 I use that version every once in a while just for clarity,
26:21 but I still have my KJV, you understand.
26:25 Jesus speaking in our defense.
26:27 Now notice this, He doesn't want us to sin.
26:30 Why doesn't He want us to sin?
26:31 Because He knows the guilt and the shame
26:33 and the condemnation that sin brings.
26:35 He knows that we're just loading the weapon
26:37 of Satan against us, He knows that.
26:39 He doesn't want us to go through all that torment.
26:41 He wants us to be free from all that guilt.
26:45 You know how it is, you know how you feel.
26:49 But notice
26:51 and I think you should note this point with care
26:54 that Jesus speaks to the Father in our defense
26:57 from the context of what we read so far,
26:59 not because the Father is against us and Jesus is for us,
27:03 not because Jesus has to persuade
27:04 the Father to love us.
27:06 God so love the world, Jesus says,
27:08 "The Father himself," in John 16:27,
27:11 "The Father himself loves you."
27:12 What we've read here tells us that the reason
27:15 why Jesus speaks to the Father in our defense is because
27:17 we have an accuser
27:19 and Jesus is defending us before a righteous judge,
27:22 a just judge, a fair judge from that accuser.
27:28 He's standing in our defense
27:31 to withstand the accusations of Satan.
27:36 So what the accusations
27:37 does Satan have to do with judgment?
27:39 Well, everything really because see
27:40 rebellion began in heaven and Satan was cast out.
27:43 Now we don't know what God did,
27:44 we don't know the process God went through,
27:45 we don't know how hard He worked
27:48 and moved to draw Satan away from posse,
27:50 but eventually there was nothing else He could do
27:53 and Satan was kicked out
27:55 as a rebel against the law of God,
27:57 the foundation of his throne and character,
28:00 he was kicked out.
28:01 And he brought his deceptions, his misconceptions about God,
28:05 his misrepresentations of the character of God.
28:07 He brought them down to the earth
28:08 and he was able to deceive the woman.
28:11 God doesn't really love you, if He did,
28:15 He wouldn't restrict you from this tree.
28:17 He knows that if you eat this tree you'll be like Him,
28:19 He's withholding from you.
28:22 See it wasn't just about eating a piece of fruit,
28:25 that piece of fruit
28:27 and the taking of that piece of fruit
28:29 and eating that piece of fruit was assimilating
28:33 and accepting a distortion of the character of God.
28:38 That's the issue that God is seeking to correct.
28:42 The meeting we just had, Doug said
28:45 it was one of his favorites, I agree.
28:48 He is disarming the distortions of the character of God.
28:53 That's what the world needs, that's what we need,
28:54 we need to see what God is really like.
28:58 His character needs to be seen as it really is.
29:02 And that's why the hour of His judgment,
29:03 it's not just about us, it's about Him.
29:07 The hour of His judgment includes Him.
29:09 When Mary Magdalene poured that alabaster box of oil
29:14 upon Jesus' feet and began to wipe them
29:17 with the hair of her head, she was accused.
29:22 And do you remember what the accusation was?
29:27 This man if He were a prophet
29:31 would know what kind of woman she is, for she's a sinner.
29:35 Jesus was involved in the accusation
29:37 against the woman and Jesus is involved
29:39 in the accusation against us because He's saving us.
29:43 How can you save them?
29:45 You kicked me out of heaven for violating the law.
29:46 How can you save them?
29:48 That's not fair.
29:49 You're not being just, you're not being righteous God.
29:53 I love the story of Mary Magdalene because
29:56 when the accusations came, you know what Mary did?
29:59 She stood behind Jesus.
30:02 That's what the gospel said, she stood behind Jesus.
30:04 And then Jesus vindicated her,
30:06 Jesus defended her, leave her alone.
30:11 And Jesus said, whatever the gospel is preached
30:15 this also that this woman has done will be preached.
30:20 That's what we're doing tonight.
30:22 We're understanding the story of judgment
30:25 in the context of the gospel in the heart of God.
30:29 And His desire to vindicate us
30:32 because we can't vindicate ourselves,
30:34 no matter how good we become.
30:37 No matter how many veggie links we eat
30:39 and how much soy milk we drink.
30:42 It's true.
30:43 I prefer rice milk personally.
30:46 I guess I need to tell 3ABN that.
30:50 The next time they invite me to camp meeting.
30:57 So when man sinned, God had one or two choices,
31:00 either allow justice to be visited on men
31:04 for breaking His commandments and end it
31:07 or God could do away with His law and His justice
31:11 and sinners live as they please.
31:15 The second option wasn't a real option,
31:18 you understand.
31:20 He chose the first one but He immediately implemented
31:24 the plan of salvation and the second Adam,
31:28 the new head of the race was promised
31:30 and he would be the man that would receive the justice.
31:35 He would be the one upon which our sins
31:39 and our guilt was served.
31:42 Romans 3, again the NIV, verses 25 and 26 say this,
31:48 "God presented him, Jesus, as a sacrifice of atonement
31:52 through faith in His blood,
31:53 He did this to demonstrate His justice."
31:57 What?
31:59 He did this to demonstrate His justice, why?
32:01 Why did God need to demonstrate His justice?
32:03 Because in the controversy, Satan was accusing God,
32:06 that's not fair, that's not just,
32:07 that's not fair, that's not just.
32:09 And so God did this to demonstrate His justice
32:11 because notice this, in His forbearance
32:15 He had left the sins committed beforehand unpunished.
32:19 You realize that from Adam and Eve
32:21 all the way down through time
32:24 that God has left sin unpunished.
32:28 Now I'm saying that in the light of the sermon
32:30 that was just preached where illustrations were used
32:32 like Sodom and Gomorrah.
32:34 But I want to remind you here this evening
32:37 that the destruction that took place
32:41 upon Sodom and Gomorra
32:43 though it was the type of the final destruction,
32:47 was not punishment for their sin
32:49 in the fullest sense.
32:54 Those people will be resurrected.
32:58 You following me? They will be resurrected.
33:01 God has never fully punished sin
33:05 except in the person of Jesus Christ.
33:10 And that is the gospel.
33:13 It's an amazing revelation.
33:16 As Steve said today in that powerful message,
33:20 the finger that wrote the Ten Commandments
33:25 was also on the hand that was nailed to the cross.
33:29 That was such a powerful message.
33:31 Praise God.
33:33 He did this to demonstrate His justice
33:34 because in His forbearance He left the sins
33:37 committed beforehand unpunished.
33:38 He did it to demonstrate His justice at the present time
33:41 so as to be just and the one who justifies those
33:45 who had faith in Jesus.
33:47 God is fair, God is just, God is merciful
33:49 and in the cross mercy and justice meet together.
33:56 Righteousness and peace kiss each other.
33:59 Amazing grace, how sweet the sound
34:01 that saved a wretch like me, I once was lost
34:04 but now I'm found, was blind but now I see, now I see.
34:09 The cross has answered the accusations of Satan
34:13 once and for all.
34:15 God is just and God is merciful.
34:18 And you look at the cross and that's what you see,
34:20 you see them blended together as one
34:23 and they cannot be separated, don't separate them,
34:26 that's what Satan's been trying to do,
34:27 you can't separate them.
34:29 You can't separate the Old and New Testament.
34:31 Some people say the Old Testament
34:32 is full of God of justice.
34:35 And the New Testament is full of God of mercy.
34:39 And they're one.
34:41 And the God of the Old Testament
34:42 is Jesus Christ.
34:44 And the God of the New Testament
34:46 is Jesus Christ.
34:49 And, of course, the Father and the Holy Spirit.
34:52 So in giving His son to pay the price for our sins,
34:56 God has demonstrated that He's just and merciful.
35:01 Psalms 85:10 says that mercy and truth
35:03 have met together and righteousness and peace
35:05 have kissed each other, they've reconciled once again.
35:09 God has been faithful to the principles of justice
35:12 and at the same time He has poured upon the world
35:15 abundant mercy,
35:17 yet Satan still accuses God of being unfair.
35:20 How could you let them be saved?
35:22 They're sinners, they've broken Your law,
35:24 they deserve to die.
35:25 Now these accusations come to all of us.
35:28 The Bible tells us in Revelation 12:10
35:32 and in John 12:31, 32 that these accusations
35:37 no longer have weight in heaven.
35:39 He's been cast out,
35:41 there were questions in the minds
35:42 of the unfallen universe but no more, they see it.
35:45 When the cross was manifested,
35:49 they saw Satan who he really was
35:50 and the disguise was taken away.
35:54 But the world hasn't seen it yet.
35:57 We have a message to proclaim to the world
35:59 that is to reveal the true heart
36:01 and character of God, His justice and His mercy.
36:05 And until then Satan still has a foothold
36:08 in the minds of mankind and this is why
36:10 he's come down to the earth with great power.
36:13 He knows his time is short and he's to block us,
36:17 he's to send his distractions like the frogs of Egypt,
36:19 they need to be in our bedrooms,
36:21 in our kitchens and in our bathrooms,
36:22 they need to be everywhere,
36:24 we need to be distracted from these truths,
36:25 these beautiful truths that set us free.
36:28 And then as we're set free, God uses us as channels
36:31 to set others free.
36:33 So Satan is doing everything he can to distract us.
36:36 So we will not understand this beautiful message
36:39 of salvation.
36:41 Satan comes to accuse.
36:43 And you know how it is, you know how you feel.
36:47 You know the condemnation the guilt
36:49 presses upon your shoulders.
36:51 The Book of Isaiah communicates
36:54 the awesome truth of this gospel message
36:57 in these beautiful words.
36:58 Here they are, Isaiah 54:17,
37:01 "No weapon that is formed against you shall prosper.
37:05 And every tongue that rises against the in judgment
37:10 thou shalt condemn."
37:12 This is the heritage,
37:15 do you know what that word means, heritage?
37:18 Give me another word. The inheritance.
37:22 This is your inheritance, this is the heritage,
37:24 this is the inheritance of the servants of the Lord
37:26 and their righteousness is of me saith the Lord.
37:31 Our righteousness is Jesus Christ.
37:34 And we get that righteousness as an inheritance.
37:37 And because we have His righteousness,
37:39 no tongue is formed us against us
37:41 in the judgment is gonna prosper,
37:43 all the weapons are gonna be destroyed.
37:44 That's why judgment takes place before probation closes.
37:50 'Cause after probation closes, there's no more mediation.
37:52 And in order for us to get through the judgment,
37:54 guess what we need?
37:56 A mediator.
37:58 An advocate.
38:01 Jesus is our defender and He defends us
38:03 with His righteousness.
38:05 He opposes the tongue, the railing tongue of Satan
38:07 and his cohorts, be they men or demons.
38:11 By the fact that he died for us,
38:14 God is merciful, God is just.
38:16 He's going to allow everything to be hurt.
38:19 But he's not really going to trust Satan's record.
38:23 So God keeps a record.
38:27 He keeps an account
38:30 because he wants to be faithful to us
38:34 in advocating and vindicating us
38:36 from Satan's accusations.
38:38 So He keeps an account.
38:41 And in His advocacy He includes not only us
38:48 but the entire world.
38:51 The Bible says in 1 Peter 5:8, "The Satan goes about
38:53 like a roaring lion seeking who he may devour."
38:57 He's seeking to destroy and devour.
38:58 And so we need 'cause that's what John 10:10 says,
39:01 he came to do nothing but to kill and destroy.
39:04 So we need an advocate.
39:07 We need an advocate, but guess who else needs an advocate?
39:11 The entire world.
39:13 Look at these verses with me again
39:15 because they're really powerful.
39:16 1 John 2, we didn't actually read
39:18 verse 2, we just read verse 1,
39:19 but we're gonna read in both now.
39:20 "My little children these things
39:22 that I write unto you that you sin not.
39:24 And if any man sin we have an advocate
39:26 with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous."
39:30 Here's the next verse, verse 2.
39:32 "And He is the propitiation, the atonement.
39:36 He is the atoning sacrifice for our sins."
39:40 But not for ours only.
39:43 Are you still with me? But not for ours only.
39:48 But also for the sins of the whole world.
39:52 You see it's only sacrifice, He's the propitiation,
39:54 He's the advocate, He's the defender
39:57 for the sins of the whole world.
39:59 This is global mediation.
40:01 That's why God ask Christians to mediate for all men,
40:05 for kings, politicians.
40:10 Can I divert here for just a second?
40:13 Without talking about
40:15 whether you're a democrat or republican?
40:18 And tell you right now
40:21 that if you're not praying for the president
40:24 it's because you've been poisoned by the media
40:26 and not instructed by God.
40:31 Even if that president
40:33 would have been Hillary Clinton.
40:35 Our orders come from heaven
40:37 and heaven says in 1 Timothy 2:1,
40:40 "Pray for all men, for kings and those are in authority."
40:44 That's our work, that's our job.
40:46 Those are orders. We're ambassadors for Christ.
40:49 Oh, there are some wicked men out there.
40:52 When Paul wrote that
40:54 he was about ready to be beheaded by Nero.
40:58 Think about it.
41:00 Because if we're not ready, if we're not ready
41:02 to occupy this position is because
41:05 we've been poisoned by the media.
41:07 We need to step out of the world, friends,
41:09 we've got to step out of the world.
41:10 You're gonna have to shut off the news.
41:12 A lot of people tell me, I don't watch TV,
41:13 I just watch the news.
41:16 I think there's some programming on TV
41:18 I'd rather have you watch than the news.
41:21 Because it's just mind control nowadays,
41:23 it's just telling you what to think
41:24 and what to believe and how to act to shut it off.
41:27 Your orders come from heaven.
41:31 That's why God calls us to pray for these,
41:33 for these kings and for those in authority,
41:35 pray for our enemies he says in Matthew 5.
41:37 Pray for your enemies.
41:40 In 1 John, he says we need to intercede, 1 John 5,
41:44 you see any man sin we need to pray for them too,
41:46 the God would give him life for those that sin
41:48 not unto death, there's a sin unto death,
41:49 don't pray for that.
41:53 This is powerful when you think about it.
41:56 Jesus Christ is our advocate in the judgment
41:59 and He wants us to come into the judgment
42:00 with boldness, with boldness.
42:03 That's what it says in 1 John.
42:06 You know the verse I'm talking about,
42:08 1 John 4:14, 16, 17.
42:10 We have and we have seen and we do testify
42:13 that the Father sent the Son to be the Savior of the world.
42:16 And we have known and believed the love that God has to us,
42:19 God is love and He that dwells in love dwells in God
42:25 and God in Him.
42:26 Here in is our love made perfect
42:28 that we may have what?
42:30 Boldness in the day of judgment.
42:33 Why?
42:34 Because as He is so are we in this world.
42:37 Well, how is He? How is Jesus?
42:38 Well, Jesus is perfect, Jesus is sinless,
42:42 Jesus is righteous.
42:43 As He is so are we in this world
42:46 because we have Jesus, we have boldness.
42:49 You don't have to be scared of the judgment,
42:51 you have to begin, but the Bible says he was for,
42:54 come boldly to the throne of God.
42:56 You're gonna receive help and grace in time of meet,
42:59 once you just got it.
43:05 This is good news of the highest ordain.
43:07 I remember I'm in a Bible study with these two,
43:09 these two young people, right?
43:10 I'm having a Bible study with them.
43:12 So at this point I say, I want to give you an illustration,
43:15 I want to give you an illustration
43:16 of how the investigative judgment works.
43:18 Young man raised in a godly home
43:22 through his teenage years, even gets baptized.
43:27 And then as he gets later into his teenage years
43:29 he gets around with the wrong crowd,
43:32 some of his friends are going the wrong way,
43:33 he gets caught up in that.
43:34 And one thing leads to another and pretty soon
43:37 the guy is not only out but he is committing crimes
43:43 that eventually lead him to death row.
43:47 By the way what I'm telling you right now
43:50 is a true story.
43:53 It's a true story.
43:55 Perhaps it's happened more than once
43:56 but I know of this one time.
44:01 The young man dies,
44:04 now because at one time in his life he believed in God,
44:10 his name comes up in the judgment.
44:14 Perhaps it's already come up, I don't know.
44:17 And because he's dead and the time has come
44:20 for judgment to begin in the house of God,
44:21 it begins with the dead.
44:23 And when his name comes up the record,
44:25 now think about this, Satan is that he's less like,
44:28 he's mine, he's mine, he's mine.
44:30 The angels are like, well, wait a minute, you know,
44:32 early because they've got the record.
44:33 That you can't trust Satan's record,
44:34 God doesn't trust Satan's record,
44:36 you know that, right?
44:37 God's got a record, we think, "Oh, God,
44:38 He could track of everything because He's really,
44:40 you know," no, no, want to wait a minute,
44:42 God loves us.
44:44 He's keeping track of everything
44:45 because He wants to vindicate us.
44:47 And He's not trusting Satan's record.
44:50 So his life comes up, page after page turns
44:54 and it gets darker and darker and darker
44:56 and Christ is the advocate, you can't have him,
44:58 you can't have him, you can't have him,
44:59 wait, wait, wait.
45:01 Wait, back up, Satan.
45:04 Gets the last day.
45:07 It's looking pretty bleak.
45:09 The last hour.
45:11 Still dark, the last moment of his life.
45:17 Jesus says, is there anything the angels are looking,
45:20 looking, looking, they come down to the very end
45:23 and one of the angel says, "Well,
45:25 at the very end of his life he did say,
45:30 'Father, no, Lord, remember me
45:36 when you come into your kingdom.'"
45:38 I told you it was a true story.
45:43 And Jesus said, "Good enough, he's in."
45:47 And we know that, don't we? We know that.
45:50 Because Jesus said to the thief on the cross,
45:54 "Today, I promise you,
45:58 you will be with Me in paradise."
45:59 Amen.
46:00 And that is the investigative judgment in a nutshell.
46:03 In a nutshell. That's it.
46:06 Christ will vindicate us when we put our trust in Him.
46:12 And I'm sharing the story with this couple,
46:14 I'm telling them, point by point by point
46:17 how the investigative judgment works
46:19 and why it's the best news on the planet.
46:21 I'm explaining to them that that when I was a young man
46:25 and I lived in England that I really wanted a bike,
46:27 my best friend had a bike and I wanted a bike
46:30 but my mom said, "We're moving to America
46:32 and I don't want to get you a bike
46:33 because we'll have to leave it here."
46:34 And so we moved to America, and we got to America
46:36 things weren't as easy as they had been in England.
46:39 So my mom couldn't buy me a bike right away,
46:41 I still wanted one, you know as a kid
46:42 I'm still kind of bugging her but we moved
46:44 from place to place, we finally settled down.
46:46 I got myself a paper out and I was able to get a bike.
46:48 And when I got that bike,
46:49 that bike went with me everywhere.
46:51 I slept with that bike, I ate with that bike.
46:54 It was in my bedroom at night.
46:56 And I rode that bike,
46:57 it was me and the bike and the bike and me.
46:59 And pretty soon some of the parts of that bike
47:01 need to be replaced, one of the pedals
47:02 kind of broken, there was a few bolts
47:04 that got loose and got lost.
47:05 So I went with my paper out money,
47:07 I went to Sears Roebuck to buy me the parts
47:10 that I needed but I realized in short order
47:13 when I got there that I didn't have enough money
47:15 to buy everything that I wanted
47:16 but being a young man I wanted to get everything
47:18 right then and there.
47:20 I want to get the job done now.
47:22 So I came up with an idea.
47:24 Never done it before my life but I decided
47:28 since I was buying some of the parts
47:31 that I could get away with stealing the rest.
47:34 Because I'd never done it before I was really nervous.
47:38 So I spent quite a bit of time casing out the joint,
47:42 you know, walking up and down the aisles
47:44 making sure people weren't looking at me,
47:46 I was nervous, I was...
47:48 And I imagine that those department guys
47:50 looked at me and thought if anyone's
47:52 gonna steal something this kid is.
47:55 Went to the counter after I stuffed the stuff
47:58 in my coat pocket, paid for my goods,
48:02 started walking out the door and I heard this voice,
48:04 "Young man."
48:07 I ignored it pretended they were talking
48:09 to somebody else, proceeded out the door
48:11 and then I felt a hand on my shoulder.
48:18 Went into the back room in tears.
48:22 Then they called my mom and I really started crying.
48:25 Single parent mother.
48:27 That wasn't gonna work.
48:29 But that was what?
48:33 Forty years ago?
48:35 Has it been that long?
48:36 I was baptized since then,
48:38 accept the Christ as my Savior,
48:39 my sins have been cast in the depths of the sea.
48:41 Surely, they're not gonna come up in the judgment.
48:45 What does the Bible say?
48:48 Every work, whether it's good or evil, why?
48:52 Why?
48:54 Because we have an accuser in the judgment
48:57 and he's going to bring up the entire history
49:00 everything he can against us,
49:02 because he's trying to convince you and me
49:06 that there's no hope for us.
49:08 I don't know if you've experienced this
49:09 but there are times when you're gonna be
49:12 confronted with sins that you thought were forgiven
49:16 and forgotten a long time ago.
49:18 And you're gonna feel guilt over them,
49:19 you're gonna struggle over them.
49:22 But praise God, we have an advocate.
49:24 Amen.
49:25 Do not, do not let go
49:30 of your trust in Him.
49:33 So we finished
49:35 and the young lady was crying, weeping,
49:38 I said, "What's wrong?"
49:40 "I don't want to become an Adventist."
49:45 I said, "What do you mean?"
49:50 She said, "I was raised a Christian,
49:51 I was raised in a Christian home,
49:53 I was raised loving God,
49:54 I went to school with people who love the Lord.
49:56 We praise God, we're just like on fire.
49:57 He an Adventist
50:02 and his friends they go to Nevada
50:04 and they gamble all the time, they drink,
50:08 they do all kinds of stuff and then they want me
50:10 to go to church with them on Sabbath."
50:12 She said, "I'm afraid if I become an Adventist."
50:14 The guy squirming in his seat right now you understand.
50:17 "I'm afraid if I become Adventist,
50:18 I'm gonna become like him."
50:22 Do you get it?
50:24 You see where we are and where we need to be?
50:28 I said to that young lady, I said,
50:31 "Do not reject biblical truth
50:34 because we are failing to live that truth."
50:39 God does not now want to bring a lot of people in the church
50:41 because they would stumble of our backslidings
50:43 but I want to praise God.
50:45 No one who places their trust in the Lamb
50:47 needs to fear the judgment because the judgment
50:50 will bring an end to Satan's accusations.
50:53 So how many of you this evening want to say with me,
50:56 God investigate me.
51:00 Open my record, vindicate me
51:02 before the accusations of the enemy,
51:04 deliver me to me my inheritance,
51:07 the righteousness of Jesus Christ
51:09 and silence the accuser on my behalf.
51:11 If you want to say yes to that, please,
51:13 please raise your hand.
51:15 Praise God. God sees every hand.
51:17 Father in heaven, we're thankful this evening
51:20 for the righteousness of Jesus Christ.
51:21 We're thankful for the message of the judgment.
51:23 We're thankful that You are going to vindicate us
51:25 from the accusations of Satan.
51:27 We're thankful that we depend on Jesus
51:28 and not on ourselves.
51:30 We're thankful that we can have boldness
51:31 in this day of judgment.
51:33 We're thankful that even though we're judged by our works
51:35 because our works testify as to what we've done to Jesus,
51:39 what we've done with Jesus,
51:40 what we've done in responding to Him
51:42 that we are saved by grace.
51:45 And Father calls us to be saved by grace.
51:49 So that when those works appear the first one that appears
51:54 is that we believe with all our heart, mind and soul
51:57 on the Lord Jesus Christ.
51:58 Father we pray this in His name and that everyone say, amen.
52:02 Amen.
52:05 Thank you. Amen.
52:07 Praise God.
53:07 Praise the Lord
53:14 From whom all blessings flow
53:20 For He has washed
53:26 And made me white
53:32 As snow
53:35 I'm redeemed
53:41 From all my sin and shame
53:48 For now and forever
53:56 Praise His holy name
54:03 Praise His holy name
54:10 Praise His holy name
54:17 To God be the glory
54:21 Now and forever
54:24 Praise His holy name
54:53 God is great
54:59 And greatly to be praised
55:06 Above all others
55:14 Let His name be raised
55:21 Saints and angels
55:28 Ever more proclaim
55:34 That He alone is worthy
55:41 Praise His holy name
55:48 Praise His holy name
55:55 Praise His holy name
56:02 To God be the glory
56:06 Now and forever
56:09 Praise His holy name
56:16 Praise His holy name
56:23 Praise His holy name
56:30 To God be the glory To God be the glory
56:37 To God be the glory
56:44 To God be the glory
56:48 Now and forever
56:58 Praise His holy name
57:16 Praise His name
57:23 Praise His name
57:31 To God be the glory
57:35 Now and forever
57:39 Praise His
57:43 Holy name


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Revised 2023-05-02