Participants:
Series Code: HHJ
Program Code: HHJ000008S
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00:01 Music...
00:15 Welcome back to our continuing study on the judgment. 00:19 The hour of God's judgment is come. 00:21 We're going to be looking in this second presentation 00:24 specifically at some verses in the book of Matthew, 00:28 Matthew chapter 7 verses 21 through 23 00:31 and these verses are going to be vital for us to understand 00:35 why God has a judgment 00:38 especially in relation to professed Christians 00:40 so, let's pause for a moment 00:42 and just ask the Holy Spirit to be with us in prayer 00:44 and then we'll get right into our study. 00:46 "Father in heaven, we just want to thank you again 00:47 for this opportunity to study your Word 00:50 and to study the theme of the judgment. 00:52 We know it's an important theme. 00:53 We know the Bible tells us there's going to be a judgment 00:56 and that we are in the hour of Your judgment 01:00 and we're just praying 01:01 that You will guide us with Your Holy Spirit, 01:03 that You will touch our minds and hearts 01:05 in a way that will help us to awaken 01:07 to the importance of being ready for that judgment 01:11 and knowing what to do to make it through the judgment, 01:14 how we can rely upon Christ and His righteousness 01:17 in the judgment 01:18 so guide our minds and our hearts we pray, 01:20 in Jesus' name, amen. " 01:23 So, in our first session, we talked about 01:26 the importance of not judging others. 01:29 We looked at Romans chapter 14 primarily 01:33 and we learned that 01:34 one of the main reasons why God has a judgment 01:37 is so that we will stop judging one another... 01:40 that only God can read the heart... 01:43 we looked at Romans 14 and Acts 15 verse 8 01:47 that God reads the hearts... we don't read hearts, 01:51 we compared that to some Old Testament insight from 01:55 the book of Hebrews chapter 11 01:56 where God talks about all of His faithful people 02:00 in the Old Testament, like Abraham and Moses 02:03 and Samson who messed up big time... 02:05 they made some big mistakes 02:07 and some of them, we've even questioned, 02:09 "Hmmm... did they make it?" Their lives looked so bad 02:12 and yet we realize that there they are 02:14 in the Hall of Faith chapter of Hebrews chapter 11 02:17 and that's because God knows their heart 02:20 and God understood where they were in their situation... 02:24 circumstance... 02:25 and so He has them in the Hall-of-Faith Chapter 02:29 with none of their errors... none of their mistakes... 02:31 none of their sins being mentioned 02:33 and that's one of the most beautiful things 02:35 about Hebrews chapter 11. 02:37 It gives a record of God's people without their mistakes 02:40 and if you want to know what it looks like 02:43 to be in the judgment as a believer... 02:45 hiding behind Jesus just read Hebrews chapter 11. 02:49 It's a powerful testament 02:51 to what it looks like to stand in the judgment 02:53 and then we noted also 02:54 that the judgment is also all about obeying the gospel. 02:58 We looked at 1st Peter chapter 4 verse 17 where it says 03:01 that judgment first comes to the house of God 03:04 and it first comes to us, 03:05 what will be the end of those who don't obey the gospel? 03:08 So, obedience is huge in the judgment, 03:11 obedience to the gospel is huge in the judgment. 03:15 So, that's the summary, a short summary 03:18 of our first session, 03:19 now, we're going to look in the second session 03:21 at what it means to be in the judgment 03:24 as a professed or fake Christian. 03:27 This is another reason why God has the judgment. 03:29 We're going to look at Matthew chapter 7, 03:31 let's just open our Bibles there to Matthew chapter 7 03:33 and let's look now in Matthew 7 03:35 beginning with verse 21, 03:37 so, Matthew chapter 7 beginning with verse 21. 03:40 Jesus is speaking here and He says, 03:43 Verse on screen... 04:16 So, we got this pretty clear declaration 04:21 from Jesus in relation to people 04:23 who profess to be following Him but who are workers of iniquity. 04:30 The way it lays out there 04:31 in Matthew chapter 7 verses 21 to 23 04:34 is basically... there are these people who call Jesus, "Lord" 04:37 so, they call Him "Lord" 04:39 which means they profess to be followers of Christ. 04:41 I don't know if you've ever met people like that, 04:43 they... they profess to be followers of Christ, 04:45 they, even, as preachers and pastors they ask for... 04:50 for money but... but you learn in time that they're hypocrites. 04:53 A lot of times, people like this 04:55 are asking you for money 04:58 and telling you what to do... 05:00 they... they... they are... keep telling you how to live 05:03 but they don't live that way. 05:04 They keep telling you to give but they don't give, 05:06 they take and, we sometimes get frustrated, 05:10 remember, we've already learned that it's not our place to judge 05:13 that's God's place 05:15 but the reason why God has a judgment 05:17 is because there are people like this. 05:19 There are people who are stepping in 05:21 and doing the very things that are outlined 05:25 in verses 21 to 23 of Matthew chapter 7. 05:28 They are fulfilling the words of Christ, 05:30 they do many wonderful works in His name 05:33 and sometimes it's... it's... it's hard for us, 05:35 it's confusing for us because we think, "Wow, 05:37 these are great Christians, look at all the... 05:39 the good things they're doing in Christ's name... " 05:40 and yet, Jesus says, "I don't know you... " 05:44 and then He says, "You are workers of iniquity, 05:47 depart from me, you workers of iniquity. " 05:50 Now, these are serious verses 05:51 and I think it's important for all of us... 05:54 for any professing Christian to try to understand 05:57 if these verses apply to us... 05:59 we need to examine ourselves. 06:02 Paul says in... in 2nd Corinthians 13:5, 06:04 and see if we're in the faith 06:06 and make sure we're not a reprobate. 06:07 So... so do these verses apply to us? 06:09 There are some key elements that we can look at, now, 06:11 one of the things we need to note right away 06:14 is that these are professing Christians 06:16 so, if you're a Christian, take note, 06:17 they do many wonderful works in Christ's name 06:20 so, you're not off the hook yet 06:21 if you do many wonderful works 06:23 but then it goes on to say that they are workers of iniquity. 06:28 Now, that's the key for us to understand 06:30 because that's going to differentiate 06:32 between true followers of Christ 06:34 and professed followers of Christ. 06:37 Professed followers of Christ and true followers of Christ 06:40 will both be saying, 06:42 "We believe in you Lord, Lord... Lord... " 06:43 they'll be calling Jesus, "Lord. " 06:45 True followers of Christ and professed followers of Christ 06:48 will both be doing many wonderful works, 06:51 they should be doing many wonderful works, 06:53 if you are a follower of Jesus, 06:55 you should be doing many wonderful works. 06:57 If you're a follower of Jesus, 06:58 you should be doing things for Jesus, 07:00 so, so far, there's no difference 07:03 between those who profess and those who are true 07:05 but then it goes on to say... 07:07 Jesus says, "I never knew you, so depart from me 07:12 ye who work iniquity. " 07:13 So, true followers of Christ are not workers of iniquity, 07:16 professed followers of Christ are workers of iniquity, 07:19 what does that mean? 07:21 Well, the word "iniquity" in the Greek means, 07:25 "Illegality or violation of law, wickedness. " 07:29 Illegality, violation of the law or wickedness 07:34 and that, of course, is how we can identify a fake Christian. 07:38 Fake Christians may be doing many wonderful works 07:41 or they may profess to follow and believe in Jesus 07:43 but they lie... they steal... they are sexually immoral... 07:48 they are idolaters... murderers... 07:51 they're covetous... 07:53 all of these are characteristics of fake Christians 07:56 who are workers of iniquity or violating laws 08:01 specifically, God's law. 08:03 You'll notice this in another verse, 1st John chapter 3 08:07 and verse 4, 08:08 let's just look there in 1st John chapter 3 and verse 4, 08:11 what's really interesting about this verse 08:15 is not only that it defines iniquity... 08:18 it defines lawlessness 08:21 but the same word is used here 08:24 as is used in Matthew chapter 7 verse 23. 08:29 The same word that Jesus used in Matthew 7:23... 08:33 iniquity... workers of iniquity... 08:35 the same Greek words used here 08:37 in 1st John chapter 3 and verse 4. 08:39 1st John 3 verse 4 says, 08:43 "Whosoever commits sin transgresseth also the law... " 08:47 I'm reading from the King James... 08:48 "for sin is the transgression of the law... " 08:50 and that phrase, "transgression of the law" 08:52 is the same phrase... the same Greek 08:54 that is used for "workers of iniquity" 08:57 in Matthew chapter 7 and verse 23. 09:00 So, we see a direct connection here, 09:02 Jesus says, "You're workers of iniquity" 09:04 and that means, you are transgressors of the law 09:08 the law of God is being transgressed 09:11 by professed Christians, what do you know? 09:14 So, there's professed Christians who do many wonderful works 09:17 but they transgress God's law. 09:21 Now, why is that? 09:22 Why is it that many professed Christians transgress God's law? 09:26 Well, there are several reasons for that. 09:28 I was raised in a Christian home so to speak, 09:31 went to church every Sunday, 09:32 said my prayers every night, 09:34 as I got older, even when I was strong, 09:37 I would pray some rote prayers 09:40 but I never really knew Christ as my personal Savior. 09:45 I didn't have a born-again experience with Him 09:47 and I definitely wasn't keeping His law. 09:49 I was a professed Christian that was violating the law of God 09:53 in many different ways 09:55 and so, that was my experience. 09:57 I believed in God, 09:59 I believed that I would go to heaven 10:01 but I really didn't have a relationship with God 10:02 so, I can really relate to these verses. 10:04 This warning in Matthew chapter 7 10:07 and this is why I was in that kind of a situation. 10:11 Some Christians have actually tossed the law of God, 10:16 my situation was that I felt that the law of God 10:20 wasn't significant... I would just go to Confession 10:24 and give my sins over to the Priest 10:26 and I would just go on with my life... no big deal. 10:30 I was never taught about keeping the law of God per se, 10:33 so, some Christians have tossed the law of God. 10:35 Some Christians have changed the law... 10:38 the law is still there but it's a law of "Love" 10:42 rather than God's specific Ten Commandments... 10:45 it's a law of "Love" and you just do what is right 10:48 but who knows what that is 10:50 or who knows what that looks like. 10:51 Some Christians believe that they are saved by the law 10:55 and that's why you have these many wonderful works in there 10:59 because some Christians believe that... 11:01 that they're saved by their obedience to the law 11:04 rather than saved by grace through faith in Jesus Christ 11:07 and this becomes difficult also because 11:11 when you take away the salvation of... of Christ... 11:14 the grace of Christ, 11:16 you find yourself in a situation where you become legalistic 11:18 and legalism... it's impossible to keep the law 11:22 when you're in a legalistic situation. 11:23 One classic example of this is 11:26 a time when I traveled to Pakistan. 11:29 Now, Pakistan is a Muslim nation... Islam 11:32 and they are outwardly very controlling of morality. 11:38 When I first landed in Pakistan, I didn't see any women 11:43 because they're supposed to be covered... 11:45 they're supposed to be veiled, 11:46 women aren't supposed to be on the street... 11:48 you're not supposed to see them 11:49 and so, you know, 11:50 you have to do all of these different things 11:53 in... in order to... in other words, 11:55 you know, morality is... is enforced by law 11:59 and when you... when you... when you're in Pakistan... 12:02 what you realize after a while, 12:04 there's just a lot of people that are very moral outwardly 12:06 but behind the scenes, there's a lot of immorality taking place 12:08 and that's the way it is in many situations... 12:12 in many religious experiences, not just in... in Islam 12:16 but in Christianity and all the... 12:17 if you are legislating law, 12:20 if you don't have the gospel, you don't have the power 12:22 and so, you're going to see that behind the scenes, 12:24 when... when the doors are closed... 12:26 when the pastor goes home from church and the family and... 12:30 and behind closed doors, 12:31 you're going to see a lot of immorality take place 12:33 without the gospel. 12:35 So, you have these three things... you have... 12:36 you have some Christians who have tossed the law, 12:38 "Oh yeah, the law was fulfilled, 12:39 Christ fulfilled the law... 12:40 the law has been done away with... 12:42 the law was nailed to the Cross... " 12:43 talking about God's moral law now, that's the way they think, 12:44 it's not true, that's the way they think, 12:46 yet some Christians are kind of changed the law... you know, 12:48 "It's this... it's that... 12:49 it's, you know, do what you think is right 12:51 or, you know, we don't have to go by the pre... " 12:53 and then you have some Christians who think 12:55 they're saved by the law... all leads to the same thing, 12:57 it all leads to the same thing. 12:59 You lose the power of the gospel 13:01 whenever you undermine the law of God, 13:03 so, for those Christians who do many wonderful works 13:06 but transgress God's law, do it for many different reasons 13:10 and we... we want to look now at what the Bible actually teaches, 13:14 how does the law relate to the judgment? 13:19 What does the Bible teach 13:20 and how does that relate to the judgment 13:22 in relationship to the law? 13:23 So, we want to look now at what part the law has 13:27 in relation to the judgment... relation to the gospel... 13:29 what does the Bible say? 13:30 The first verse, I think, we should go to 13:32 is found in Galatians chapter 3 and verse 24... 13:35 Galatians chapter 3 and verse 24, 13:38 now, these... this verse, 13:40 these verses that we're going to be looking at... 13:41 these next few verses... 13:43 most of them come from the Apostle Paul 13:45 and Paul was dealing with legalism, 13:47 in fact, Paul confesses that he was a Legalist. 13:51 In Philippians chapter 3, he talks about 13:53 how he was a Pharisee of the Pharisee... 13:55 born... you know... circumcised on the 8th day... 13:59 born of, you know, the Tribe of Benjamin 14:01 and in the law he was blameless and... 14:04 and yet he was persecuting Christians and killing them 14:06 and leading them to their death 14:08 or leading them to prison but he... 14:10 he thought that he was blameless 14:11 because his focus was on law obedience 14:14 being saved by the law rather than being saved by grace 14:17 and so, Paul is dealing with that 14:20 in a lot of his letters to the churches, 14:22 he's talking to the issue of legalism 14:25 and this is another instance... 14:27 his letter to the Galatians is another instance 14:29 where he's talking to the issue of legalism, 14:32 so, we begin in verse 24 and we'll continue on from there 14:35 and just see what it is that Paul was saying about the law 14:38 and where it fits in the context of the gospel. 14:41 Verse 24, he says, 14:46 verse on screen... 14:51 So, the law's our schoolmaster to bring us unto Christ 14:53 that we might be justified by faith. 14:55 Now, there is... notice verse 25, 14:56 verse on screen... 15:02 Okay, this is really interesting because a lot of times 15:07 we think, "Well, if the law is bringing us to Christ, 15:11 and after we come to Christ, we don't need the law, 15:14 then, we can do away with the law... " 15:17 but that's not what Paul's saying here, 15:19 Paul isn't saying that once we come to Christ, 15:22 we do away with the law, 15:23 Paul is saying that once we come to Christ, 15:25 we're no longer under the law 15:27 and that's a key phrase that Paul uses not only in Galatians, 15:31 in his letter to the Galatians but in his letter to the Romans. 15:34 A lot of people think to be under the law means 15:37 that you are obligated to obey the law 15:39 and therefore, when you come to Christ, 15:41 you're no longer obligated to obey the law. 15:43 That's not what it means at all... 15:45 to be under the law means 15:47 to be under the condemnation of the law 15:50 and we're going to see this in our next verse, 15:52 if we want to open our Bibles now 15:54 and turn to Romans chapter 3 and verse 19 15:56 and we'll connect this verse in Romans 3 verse 19 16:00 with Galatians 3:24 and 25 that we just read, 16:04 so, Romans chapter 3 and verse 19 16:07 is really going to nail it for us now, 16:09 as far as what it means to be under the law. 16:12 There are other verses too, Romans 6 is good on this, 16:14 the whole book of Romans is really powerful on this point 16:17 but Romans 3:19, 16:18 "We know now... " excuse me... 16:20 "Now we know that what things soever the law saith, 16:23 it says to them who are under the law... " 16:27 oh, there's that phrase again, what does it mean? 16:29 "that every mouth may be stopped, 16:30 and all the world become guilty before God. " 16:34 Okay, here's what it means to be under the law. 16:37 To be under the law means to be 16:39 under the condemnation of the law. 16:40 To be under the law means to become guilty before God, 16:43 that's the purpose of the law. 16:45 The law brings us to the place 16:47 where we become guilty before God, 16:49 that's what it means to be "under the law" 16:51 it means to be under the condemnation of the law 16:54 so when we go back to Galatians, 16:56 when we read what Paul says there, 16:58 when he says, "The law's our schoolmaster 17:00 to bring us to Christ... " 17:01 so, the law condemns us... 17:03 the law causes us to become guilty... 17:05 the law shows us where we've transgressed, 17:07 the law shows us where we've fallen short of God's glory, 17:09 the law shows us that we're sinners 17:11 and when we come to that place 17:13 where we're under the condemnation of the law, 17:15 where we're guilty before God, 17:16 then, we need Christ, so... 17:18 so that's how the law leads us to Christ, 17:20 the law leads us to Christ by showing that we need a Savior, 17:24 we need Jesus... we need help... 17:26 that's what the law does 17:27 and once we come to Christ, and we're justified by faith, 17:31 we're no longer under the condemnation 17:33 and guilt of the law, does it make sense? 17:35 Of course, we're not under the condemnation 17:37 and guilt of the law when we come to Jesus, 17:39 because Jesus cleanses us, Jesus forgives us, 17:42 Jesus accepts us, Jesus justifies us, 17:45 we stand before God just as if we've never sinned, 17:47 and so, the condemnation of the law now is erased, it's gone 17:51 but the law itself isn't gone, the law itself is still there. 17:54 It's kind of like that experience I had 17:55 when I was pulled over by a Police Officer 17:57 on my 17th birthday. 17:59 I was driving a 1966 Pontiac GTO 389 four barrel 18:04 out of the factory... it was called a... a "Muscle Car" 18:06 and as I was driving my friend home that evening, 18:10 there was a police officer, 18:12 I remember exactly where we were sitting, 18:14 25th and Grand Boulevard 18:16 and he pulled me over 18:18 and the reason he pulled me over is because 18:20 even though I had four headlights 18:21 in the front of my car, only one of them was working 18:24 and then as he circled my prized jalopy a few times, 18:27 he noticed that I had bald tires, 18:28 I had no muffler, 18:30 my signals weren't working 18:31 and he proceeded to write me a big fat ticket. 18:35 Now, I knew he was going to nail me 18:36 because I had no respect for police officers back then, 18:39 my friend and I... he had a 1967 Firebird 326... 18:43 it was black with orange and yellow flames 18:45 coming up from there, 18:46 we used to race at speeds exceeding a 100 miles an hour, 18:48 we didn't care about police officers, 18:50 we didn't respect police officers 18:51 and my friend got a bunch of tickets... 18:53 this was only my second or third ticket 18:55 but I was still really nervous about it 18:57 especially because, you know, it was my birthday 19:00 and when he came back to my vehicle, 19:02 he told me how much this ticket was going to cost... 19:05 he showed me all the things that he was writing up for me 19:08 and then he said something amazing, 19:09 he said, "But I notice that it's your birthday... " 19:12 I said, "Yeah, yeah, it is my birthday, yeah, July 5" 19:15 "and, therefore, I'm going to... " 19:19 here it comes... 19:20 "I'm going to not write you this ticket, 19:23 I'm going to forgive you for this violation, 19:25 I'm not going to write you up tonight... " 19:28 and I was so thankful... 19:29 my whole attitude toward police officers changed, 19:32 I was guilty of violating the law... he caught me... 19:35 there was no way out of it, 19:36 I had all these violations, 19:38 five different violations on this one vehicle, 19:40 and I was... I was transgressing the law of the land 19:44 and there was no way I could say, 19:45 "Now, wait a minute, there's... " 19:47 no, there was nothing I could do... 19:48 guilty, guilty, guilty... and he forgave me 19:50 and as he forgave me, he said this... 19:53 he said, "But... " he said, 19:55 "I want you to take this poor excuse for a car home 19:57 and I don't want to see it on the road again 19:59 until you get it fixed... " 20:01 and guess what? That's exactly what I did, 20:03 I took this car home 20:04 and I didn't drive it again until I had tires on it, 20:06 until I had the muffler fixed so I had... 20:08 so, it was where it needed to be 20:10 and I did that out of respect, 20:11 I did that because I appreciated 20:14 that this officer had forgiven me, 20:16 he had extended to me grace... 20:18 he had extended to me mercy 20:19 and that's exactly how the gospel works. 20:22 The law convicts us, 20:25 the law find us guilty, 20:27 the law condemns us, 20:29 that's the job of the law, that's the purpose of the law, 20:31 the police officer didn't say, 20:33 "Well, you know, you've got all these violations 20:34 but, yeah, I think I'll just throw the law out tonight, 20:37 I think we must get rid of the law... " 20:38 no... the law was still there, 20:40 the law stood... 20:41 but I was extended forgiveness, I was extended grace 20:43 and then I came in harmony with the law, 20:46 I fixed my car to comply with the standard of the law, 20:51 the driving standards of the law 20:53 and this is what Paul is saying, 20:55 he's saying in Galatians chapter 3:24 and 25, 20:58 the law's like a schoolmaster, it's like a teacher, 21:00 it brings us to Jesus, 21:02 it teaches us that we're sinners, 21:04 it teaches us that we're transgressors, 21:05 it teaches us that we're guilty, 21:07 it brings... it leads us to a Savior. 21:09 Now, Paul is picking up the same theme again here 21:12 in Romans chapter 3... this first verse we already read 21:15 in verse 19 that we would... 21:17 the law convicts us... 21:20 it speaks to us so that every mouth is stopped 21:22 so, all excuses are stopped and we become guilty before God 21:26 and then it says as the whole world becomes guilty before God, 21:29 I want you to notice now verse 20, 21:30 verse on screen... 21:37 Did you get that? 21:44 The law is what reveals to us what sin is 21:47 and Jesus Christ came to save sinners 21:50 and so, it makes sense doesn't it 21:52 that Jesus Christ is the One who can justify us 21:58 from the violation of the law. 21:59 Jesus Christ is the One that can cleanse us 22:02 from the transgression of the law. 22:04 The law leads us to Jesus... 22:05 it's like a schoolmaster leading us to Jesus, 22:08 but the law can't cleanse us, the law can't justify us, 22:10 we can't be saved or cleansed by obedience to the law, 22:13 we can only be saved by the righteousness... 22:16 the perfect righteousness of Jesus Christ 22:18 and so, Paul concludes this whole idea in Romans chapter 3 22:21 and verse 31. 22:23 This is what he says in Romans chapter 3 22:25 and verse 31 in conclusion, 22:27 verse on screen... 22:35 so, do you see the point he's trying to make here? 22:38 It's really a powerful point. 22:39 Do we then make void? 22:40 Do we then do away with... 22:42 do we then toss out the law of God through faith? 22:46 "No, no, we don't make void the law of God, 22:48 God forbid... " that's strong language... 22:50 "God forbid that we should make void the law of God 22:54 through faith, no, we establish the law. " 22:55 Why do we establish the law? 22:57 Why does the law need to be established? 22:59 This is the point that Paul is making in the previous verses. 23:03 This is the point that Paul is making in Galatians chapter 3, 23:07 the reason the law needs to be established 23:09 is, so that we can be led to Jesus. 23:11 The reason why the law needs to be established is 23:14 so that we can become guilty or at least aware of our sins 23:18 so that we can give them to Jesus. 23:20 Paul says in Romans chapter 7 for example... 23:22 just over a couple of pages in your Bible, 23:25 Romans chapter 7 and look here... 23:27 Romans chapter 7 at verse 7... Romans 7:7, 23:31 "What shall we say then? Is the law sin? God forbid. " 23:35 There's the strong language there... "God forbid... " 23:38 "Nay, I had not known sin, but by the law: 23:42 for I had not known lust, 23:44 except the law had said, 'Thou shalt not covet. '" 23:47 And that's our problem today. 23:49 Our problem today is that 23:51 because we have done away with the law... 23:54 because Christians have done away with the law... 23:56 because Christians have nailed the law to the cross... 23:59 because Christians have said the law is not valid anymore... 24:01 because Christians have... 24:02 have lacked clear identity of what the law is... 24:07 because... because Christians are... 24:09 are waffling on the law of God 24:12 and the Ten Commandment law of God, 24:13 there are people who don't have a knowledge of sin, 24:15 a lot of people don't think they're sinners anymore, 24:18 they think they're pretty good people 24:19 and the reason why we think we're pretty good people 24:21 is because instead of looking at God's law, 24:23 we're looking at each other 24:25 and we're thinking, "Well, I'm better than the next guy, 24:27 I'm better than that guy down there, 24:28 I'm better than my neighbor, oh, that guy is a terrible guy" 24:30 we're watching Social Media and we're seeing 24:31 some real terrible people out there, 24:33 we look at the World News 24:35 and we look at all the terrorism 24:37 and terrible stuff that's going on 24:38 and we think, "Well, I'm not a bad person, 24:39 look at how bad they are... " 24:41 but if we would allow the law to be established, 24:43 we would realize that all of us are sinners... saved by grace 24:47 and we recognize that the only solution to our dilemma 24:52 to our guilt... is Jesus, 24:54 so, basically what we see happening here 24:57 is the law is being tossed 25:00 and in tossing the law and undermining the law 25:02 and weakening the law, we're weakening the gospel. 25:04 We're weakening our need of Jesus, 25:06 that's why a lot of people say, "Well, you know, 25:08 those Christians... aaah... aaah, I don't need Jesus, 25:10 I mean, I'm a good person, you know, 25:12 I live a good life, I mean, even though those Christians... 25:14 they're kind of hypocritical, I don't need that... " 25:16 but remember now, we're looking at fake Christians 25:18 we're understanding that, but that doesn't... 25:19 that doesn't remove our responsibility 25:22 from investigating what the Bible has to say. 25:24 Just because you come in contact with a fake Christian, 25:26 doesn't mean... 25:28 in fact, it obligates you, 25:29 if you think Christians are hypocrites, 25:31 well, why do you think that? 25:32 You think that because you're a better person? 25:34 Well, then you need to show them 25:36 what it means to live a better life... to be a better person 25:40 and the only way that can really happen is 25:42 if you're aware of the principles of God's law... 25:44 the principles of His character, who He is 25:46 and the only way you can become aware of that 25:48 is to see that in His Word. 25:51 In the Word of God, we have a clear path to salvation 25:55 and that path involves being convicted 25:57 and becoming guilty under the law 25:59 and then being freed from that guilt through Jesus Christ. 26:02 That's why Jesus says, you know in John, 26:04 "I am the way... the truth and the life 26:07 no one comes to the Father but by me. " 26:09 He's not making a statement in John 14:6, 26:12 He's not making a statement that is, you know, 26:15 unique to anything else he says in Scripture, 26:18 He's just giving a summary to the reality of the gospel. 26:22 There's no way we can save ourselves, 26:24 there's no one else that can save you... 26:26 there's no other religion that can save you from sin, 26:28 the only way we can be saved is through Jesus Christ 26:30 so, we need to come to Him and that's what the law does. 26:33 The law leads us to Jesus 26:35 that we can be justified by faith. 26:37 Look at this in 1st John chapter 1, 26:39 there's a few verses here that I just love, 26:41 1st John chapter 1 26:43 and we'll start with verse 8, 26:44 I call this in 1st John chapter 1, the gospel sandwich. 26:49 This is the gospel sandwich, I mean, 26:51 there's just so much gospel in these verses right here 26:54 that we can have no doubt 26:56 as to where we're supposed to land in all of this. 26:59 In 1st John chapter 1 and beginning with verse 8, 27:02 we have the 1st piece of the gospel sandwich. 27:04 We have the first piece of bread you got a piece of bread 27:06 and then you got the filling 27:08 and then you got another piece of bread... 27:09 that's a good sandwich. 27:11 You know, my wife knows that I'll eat anything in a sandwich, 27:13 even salad... I'll eat salad as, put lettuce and some tomatoes, 27:16 and some onions and whatever in between two pieces of bread, 27:18 I'm going to eat it. 27:20 If you put it in a bowl... I don't know 27:21 but put it between bread, I'm going to eat it, 27:23 I love sandwiches, 27:24 so, 1st John chapter 1 and let's start with verse 8, 27:28 "If we say that we have no sin... " 27:31 what then, "we deceive ourselves, 27:35 and the truth is not in us. " 27:37 "If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, 27:39 and truth is not in us... " 27:40 so, here's the first piece of the gospel sandwich. 27:43 There's no way that we can say that we don't have sin. 27:46 We are sinners... 27:47 we are lost... we are fallen... 27:49 there's not one of us that can say, "We have no sin... " 27:51 and the good news about that is, 27:53 you know, many times we're overwhelmed by our sins, 27:55 we're like, "Man, I'm so sinful, 27:56 there's no way I'm going to make it, 27:58 I'm such a bad person... such a terrible person. " 27:59 Hey, God understands that, God knows that, 28:02 look right in His Word He says, 28:04 "Don't say you're not a sinner, 28:05 it's obvious... and I know you're a sinner, so... " 28:08 anyone who says he's not a sinner is self-deceived, 28:10 like, you know, he's just self-deceived 28:13 and that is a basis of the gospel sandwich. 28:16 We don't have to feel bad for being a sinner, 28:20 we don't have to feel bad before God 28:22 for the revelation of what we are. 28:24 Now, what actually we should feel bad about 28:28 is if we fail to follow the next Bible verse 28:31 in 1st John chapter 1 and that's verse 9, 28:35 "If we confess our sins, 28:37 He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, 28:40 and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. " 28:43 Now, that's the filling of the gospel sandwich... 28:45 isn't that beautiful? 28:47 "If we confess our sins, 28:48 He's faithful and just to forgive us our sins. " 28:50 God will forgive our sins if we confess them 28:53 and the devil knows that... 28:54 the devil knows that 28:56 and so, what we find is the devil is trying to stop us 28:58 from confessing our sin 29:00 and the best way for him to do that 29:04 is to destroy the definition of sin. 29:06 If he can destroy the definition of sin, 29:09 then he can stop us from confessing our sins... 29:11 see, the issue with God 29:13 is not that we would realize that we're sinners, 29:16 you know, Satan wants us to feel overwhelmed 29:18 with the idea that we're sinners... 29:19 we want to justify ourselves, 29:21 we want to pretend we're not sinners... 29:22 and if we can justify ourselves and pretend we're not sinners, 29:24 then we think, "Oh, we're going to be okay. " 29:26 No, don't do that... 29:27 the Bible says, "If you say you haven't sinned, 29:29 you deceive yourself. " 29:30 So, don't do that, 29:31 simply recognize that yes, the law of God is in place 29:34 to bring us guilt and condemnation 29:37 so that we can be led to Jesus who justifies us. 29:40 That's the... that's the whole process right there, 29:42 it's just that simple 29:44 and so, if we confess our sins, He's faithful... He's just. 29:48 Why is he faithful? 29:49 Well, because He's never failed, 29:52 none of His promises have ever failed, 29:53 why is He just? 29:55 Because He died for our sins... the just for the unjust, 29:58 He's faithful... it's the right thing to do, 30:00 justice is fair. 30:02 He's not just forgiving us 30:04 because He's merciful and gracious, 30:05 He's forgiving us because He's fair... 30:07 fair is fair... 30:08 Jesus died for the sins of the world, 30:11 Jesus took the whole weight of the sin of the world 30:12 upon Himself, 30:14 if we confess our sins, it's only fair 30:16 that He forgives us because it's not... 30:18 He doesn't want double payment, 30:20 He doesn't want Himself to pay for our sins 30:22 and us to pay for our sins, so it's only fair... 30:24 it's only just... it's only right... 30:26 He will faithfully and justly forgive us our sins... 30:30 notice what else it also goes on to say, 30:32 "And cleanse us from all unrighteousness... " 30:34 so, how does He do that? 30:35 You know, when I was a kid, I was convinced... convicted... 30:39 of certain sins and when I went to Confession, 30:43 at that point... at that time in my life, 30:46 it was to a man... 30:48 but now I know I can confess my sins directly to God, 30:50 in fact, that's the only you should ever confess your sins... 30:52 just directly to God. 30:54 When I confess my sins... 30:56 but then, there are some sins I don't know about. 30:58 There are some things... sins that I'm not aware of 31:00 for years I was going to church every Sunday, 31:04 I had no idea the Bible taught that the 7th-day Sabbath... 31:09 the Sabbath of the Lord is on Saturday. 31:11 If fact, I thought that was weird when I first heard that, 31:13 I thought, "What? No one goes to church on Saturday... 31:15 that's not what the Bible teaches, 31:16 no way could the Bible teach... " 31:18 and, of course, I didn't know anything about 31:19 what the Bible taught at that time in my life. 31:21 So, I had to go back and I had to study... research this 31:24 and research... "Well, how did this all change? 31:26 What happened?" 31:27 And sure enough, I found out that... 31:29 that the day was changed from Saturday to Sunday by man... 31:32 not by God... 31:34 that God has always honored... blessed... 31:37 sanctified and kept the seventh-day Sabbath... Saturday 31:41 and when I realized that, I thought, 31:43 "Whoa, so He's not only going to forgive my sins 31:46 but He's going to cleanse me from all unrighteousness, 31:48 He's going to show me other areas 31:50 where I didn't understand or I didn't know... 31:52 He's going to show me those areas 31:54 and He's going to lead me in a way... 31:55 He's going to cleanse me from all of that. 31:57 You see, we shouldn't be afraid of the law, 31:59 we shouldn't be afraid of being convicted, 32:00 we shouldn't think that, 32:01 "Well, if the law is... is telling me to do something 32:04 and I'm violating that law, 32:05 then I need to get rid of that law. " 32:07 No, you don't want to do that 32:08 because you're still going to be violating the law. 32:11 It's like driving down the road at a 100 miles an hour 32:15 and the Police Officer pulls you over 32:16 and you get a ticket 32:18 and so, the next time you go down that road, 32:20 you see the speed sign, you say, 32:21 "I'm going to take that thing down. " 32:23 So, you take down the Speed-Limit Sign... 32:24 this 55-Mile Speed-Limit sign... 32:26 and the next time you drive down that road 32:27 at a 100 miles an hour, the Police Officer pulls you over 32:29 and you say, "Why are you pulling me over?" 32:31 He says, "Because you're driving too fast... " 32:32 and you say, "Well, where's the Speed-Limit Sign?" 32:34 "Well, I don't know what happened to the sign 32:35 but it's 55 miles an hour. " 32:37 That Police Officer is not going to be convinced in any manner, 32:41 shape or form that it's... 32:42 the speed limit is now 100 miles an hour 32:44 because someone took down the sign. 32:45 You can't change God's law and think that sin disappears. 32:48 It doesn't disappear. 32:50 God's law identifies it 32:52 and changing God's law only deceives us. 32:54 It leaves us in a place where we don't feel like we've sinned. 32:56 We haven't sinned... "I haven't sinned... 32:58 I didn't know the speed limit sign was... 33:00 that was not... there was no sign in there... " 33:01 oh... now wait a minute, you have sinned 33:03 and you're deceiving yourself if you think you haven't sinned 33:06 and you need to go to the law of God that identifies sin 33:08 because sin is transgression of God's law 33:10 1st John chapter 3 verse 4, 33:12 so, if we confess our sins, 33:15 He's faithful and just to forgive us our sins 33:17 and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. 33:19 Now, notice this part, this is really powerful too, 33:21 verse 10... 33:22 here's the other piece of bread for the gospel sandwich. 33:26 "If we say that we have not sinned, we make Him a liar... " 33:30 and here's the key part, "His word is not in us. " 33:33 Okay, "His word is not in us... " 33:36 so, the Word of God is where we're discovering the truth 33:41 about the gospel and the law of God. 33:43 The Word of God is what is leading us to understand 33:46 what part... what role the law plays in the gospel... 33:50 it leads us to Jesus so we can be justified, 33:51 it convicts us of sin, 33:53 it points out sin and it brings us to a place 33:55 where we're guilty before the law 33:57 so that we can be justified by... 33:58 freely by His grace and saved by His grace. 34:01 So, if we say we have not sinned... 34:03 a lot of people will say, "Well, I haven't sinned... 34:05 just because I'm going to church on the wrong day, 34:08 it's not a violation of... that's not sin... is it?" 34:10 Well, actually the Ten Commandments outline what sin is 34:13 and one of the Commandment says, 34:15 "Remember the seventh day to keep it holy. 34:17 Six days shalt thou labor and do all thy work: 34:19 But the seventh day is the Sabbath of the Lord thy God... " 34:20 and then it points us back to Creation... 34:22 in six days the Lord made heaven and earth 34:24 and the sea and all that in them is 34:25 and He rested on the seventh day 34:27 and blessed it and sanctified it. 34:28 Wherefore, the Lord God commanded you 34:30 to keep the seventh day. " 34:31 This is where we get the truth from the Word of God 34:34 and so, if we say we have not sinned, 34:36 we're making God a liar 34:38 and His Word is not in us. 34:40 That's what this gospel sandwich is telling us. 34:42 It's... it's vital for us and God... 34:44 you might think, "Well, God is hitting us pretty hard 34:46 right here in these three verses, 34:48 I mean, God is... " 34:49 but the reason why God is doing this 34:50 is because He doesn't want us to be deceived. 34:54 He doesn't want us to neglect to confess our sins. 34:57 There's a... there's a... there's an "If" there, 35:00 there's a condition there, 35:01 if we don't confess our sins, guess what happens? 35:04 He's not faithful to... to... to forgive us our sins 35:07 and cleanse us from all unrighteousness. 35:09 He's not faithful and just to forgive us. 35:11 If we don't confess, how can He forgive? 35:12 We haven't confessed, there's a condition in there, 35:14 and the condition is: confess. 35:15 Not justify... not excuse... not pretend... 35:18 but confess. 35:19 Confess your sins 35:21 and you just give that sin to Jesus 35:23 and He cleanses it... He forgives it 35:24 and He cleanses you and justifies you. 35:26 That is the process that God wants us to walk through 35:30 so that we are no longer transgressors of His law, 35:33 1st John chapter 3 verse 4 is the context... 35:36 that larger context of what we've been reading 35:39 in 1st John chapter 1, 35:41 "Whoever commits sin, transgresses the law 35:43 for sin is transgression of the law. " 35:45 So, John is being really clear here 35:48 as the connection between the law and the gospel... 35:53 the law and the gospel... 35:55 vital connection right here so, basically what's happening is... 35:58 is that to do away with the law 35:59 is a subtle attack on the gospel. 36:01 It's a subtle attack on the gospel do away with the law 36:04 because when you do away with the law, 36:05 you actually do away with the gospel. 36:07 Now, what does this have to do with the judgment? 36:11 Well, remember, 36:12 we've been talking about professed Christians... 36:14 professed Christians who do many wonderful works, 36:16 they cast out devils, they heal, 36:18 they do many wonderful works in Your name 36:21 and He says, "I don't know you... " 36:22 "Why don't You know me?" 36:23 "Well, because you're workers of iniquity. " 36:25 "Oh, iniquity... " which is transgression of God's law. 36:27 There are a lot of Christians who have transgressed... 36:30 who are transgressing God's law, 36:32 who have transgressed God's law 36:33 and yet they profess to be followers of Christ 36:36 and they do many wonderful works. 36:37 That's the context of what we're reading here. 36:39 Remember, our first study together... 36:41 it was emphasized that we shouldn't judge one another, 36:45 Romans chapter 14... 36:47 "One person's persuaded to keep one day, 36:49 another person keeps every day, 36:51 one person eats this... another person eats that... " 36:52 let's not judge one another, 36:54 we'll all stand before the judgment seat of Christ, 36:56 so, it's really important here. 36:57 People sometimes misunderstand Romans chapter 14 37:01 but in principle, it's really clear. 37:03 It's not saying that we should forget about the law 37:06 and pretend that it doesn't exist 37:08 because we don't want to judge people, no... 37:09 what it's saying is... 37:10 is that we need to let people be fully persuaded 37:12 in their own minds, 37:14 we're not supposed to judge anyone else 37:15 for their obedience to or lack of obedience to the law 37:18 but it doesn't mean we shouldn't teach what the Bible says. 37:21 The Bible says, "The law of God is the standard in the judgment" 37:26 that sin is transgression of the law 37:28 and the law of God is what leads us to Jesus 37:30 so we can be justified by His grace freely 37:33 and that until we get justified, we're under condemnation, 37:36 we're under the condemnation of the law 37:38 but as we get conviction... 37:41 as we realize that the law is pointing us to Jesus, 37:44 as we realize that we are sinners, 37:46 we come to Jesus and whoever comes to Jesus... 37:48 He will no wise cast out. 37:50 That's the whole point 37:52 of the law in connection with the gospel. 37:55 How does that relate to the judgment? 37:57 Well, we know... it's interconnected very closely 38:01 because the judgment is all about obeying the gospel 38:04 and the only way you can obey the gospel 38:06 is to understand that the law is leading us to Jesus... 38:09 that's the foundation of the gospel 38:12 so, you've got to understand how the law connects 38:14 in the context of the gospel in the judgment 38:17 because you don't want to step into the judgment 38:19 and be fulfilling the verses in Matthew chapter 7 38:22 verses 21 to 23. 38:23 Now, we want to understand the law of God, 38:26 in other words, what we want to look at here is 38:28 James chapter 2, 38:29 James chapter 2 and verse 10, 38:31 we touched on this already but we want to go back to it now 38:34 as we summarize, James chapter 2 and verse 10, 38:38 James is speaking here about the law of God. 38:42 Sometimes, Christians will go in and say, 38:44 "Well, this is the law of Love. " 38:46 Notice what James says here, 38:47 verse on screen. 39:18 So, you want to notice what James is saying here 39:20 because it's really important. 39:22 As we transition through this whole process of understanding 39:26 the place of the law, 39:27 we need to recognize that we're coming in contact 39:30 with a subtle enemy, the devil, 39:31 who's been at his work for 1,000s of years 39:33 seeking to deceive the whole world. 39:35 Matthew 24 end-time chapter Jesus warns about being deceived 39:38 three different times. 39:40 In the book of Revelation, the prophetic book... 39:43 the symbolic book... deception is everywhere... 39:46 he deceives... he deceives... he deceives... he deceives... 39:48 especially in Revelation 13 39:50 when we come to the Mark of the Beast 39:51 and we see how it is 39:53 that he's going to try to deceive the whole world 39:55 in these end days 39:57 and here's one of the key elements, 39:59 here's one of the key plans that he uses to deceive. 40:01 In James chapter 2 as we read, it says, 40:06 "If you break one... if you keep the whole law 40:09 and yet offend in one point, you're guilty of all. " 40:11 So, I know a lot of Christians who will keep nine commandments. 40:14 Yeah, I know a lot of Christians who will keep nine commandments. 40:17 Like, yeah we... we believe in the law, 40:19 we... we believe in the law, I mean... 40:21 most of it has been repeated in the New Testament 40:23 so, we believe in the law, 40:25 we believe we shouldn't commit adultery 40:26 and we believe we shouldn't steal, 40:27 we shouldn't lie and shouldn't have idols... 40:29 we believe that... 40:30 we believe that we shouldn't take God's name in vain, 40:32 you know, we believe we shouldn't have any other gods" 40:33 but then there's one part of the law 40:36 that they kind of... yeah... 40:39 "Well, I'm not sure about that... " 40:41 and that's the Sabbath... that's the 4th Commandment... 40:44 the 4th Commandment... 40:45 and so, the devil is just having a heyday here 40:48 and this is why God inspired James to write this. 40:51 He inspired James to write this 40:53 because He knew that in the end of time especially 40:55 there will be a bunch of Christians 40:56 who'll be keeping all of the law but one... 40:59 every commandment but one 41:00 and so He says, "Now, if you keep all the law 41:03 and yet you offend in one, you're guilty of all of it... " 41:07 and then He goes on to say 41:08 and you need to be careful here 41:10 because you're going to be judged by that law... 41:12 you're going to be judged as workers of iniquity 41:13 by that law. 41:15 That's what the New Testament tells us... 41:17 we're going to be judged by the law... 41:19 the law is part of the judgment 41:20 because the law is the standard of God's character... 41:24 it's the standard of God's kingdom. 41:26 Jesus summed it up in Matthew 22 and He said 41:29 that loving the Lord your God 41:31 with all your heart, mind and soul 41:33 and loving your neighbor as yourself 41:34 is the fulfillment of the law, Matthew chapter 22 41:39 verses 26 through 30 41:41 so, what we need to recognize is 41:43 that Jesus has... or is that 36 through 40... 41:45 Jesus hasn't done away with the law, 41:47 Jesus has fulfilled or established the law of God 41:52 as the standard 41:53 but that standard can't be met by human beings... 41:55 by fallen human beings... 41:56 we have to have a sin bearer... 41:58 we have to have a mediator... 42:00 we have to have someone who justifies us 42:02 but as we go to Jesus, we get cleansed... 42:04 does that mean that we are free now to transgress God's law? 42:07 No, because then we just come under the law again, 42:09 we come under the condemnation of the law once more, 42:12 it's like that Police Officer pulls me over... 42:13 he doesn't give me a ticket 42:15 even though he writes up the violation... 42:16 he gives me grace... he gives me mercy 42:18 and then I turn around 42:19 and I go out and I do the same thing all over again 42:21 and again and again and again 42:22 and that's what some Christians do... 42:24 that's what some people do 42:25 and that's why they're identified 42:27 in Matthew chapter 7 verses 21 to 23. 42:30 They're identified there as workers of iniquity... 42:32 people that Jesus doesn't know. 42:34 So, when we only look at this New Testament... 42:37 the law of Liberty is going to be our standard... 42:40 Old Testament... Ecclesiastes... 42:42 we looked at this in our last meeting 42:43 but let's look at it again as we close up here 42:46 Ecclesiastes chapter 11 or chapter 12... 42:50 Ecclesiastes chapter... 42:52 the very last chapter of Ecclesiastes... 42:55 right after the book of Proverbs, 42:59 Ecclesiastes chapter 11 or 12, excuse me, 43:03 verses 13 and 14, 43:06 Solomon's speaking again, he says, 43:09 "Now, let's hear the conclusion of the whole matter... " 43:11 here's a guy who went through everything in life... 43:13 he experienced the good, the bad, the ugly. 43:15 "Here's the conclusion of the whole matter: 43:17 Fear God, and keep His commandments: 43:19 keep His commandments: 43:21 for this is the whole duty of man. 43:23 For God shall bring... " verse 14... 43:25 "God shall bring every work into judgment, 43:28 whether it be good, or whether it be evil. " 43:31 God shall bring every work into judgment, 43:33 and every secret thing... 43:35 whether it be good or whether it be evil. 43:37 So, it doesn't matter where we are in our lives, 43:41 God knows all of us, 43:42 He knows everything we're going through, 43:44 He knows all the secrets of our hearts, 43:45 He knows everything 43:46 and He's going to bring it all in the judgment, 43:48 so, the conclusion is to keep the commandments of God. 43:50 Why? Because they are the standard, 43:51 but you say, "I just feel convicted of my sin when I... 43:54 when I see the commandments, I feel like I'm just a sinner. " 43:57 Well, that's okay because if you confess your sin, 43:59 then, Jesus is faithful to forgive your sin 44:02 and to cleanse you from all unrighteousness. 44:04 So, it's okay if you feel yourself a sinner, 44:06 the problem is... if you don't feel yourself a sinner, 44:08 because if you don't feel like you've sinned, 44:10 guess what you're doing? 44:11 You're deceiving yourself and the truth is not in us. 44:14 So, that's what we need to be aware of the place of the law 44:18 in leading us to Jesus. 44:20 Now, I want us to... 44:21 let's just look at a way we can summarize this 44:24 because there is a summary of this 44:25 in the context of Revelation chapter 14 44:27 and I love the parallels between Revelation chapter 14 44:31 and Romans chapter 3. 44:34 Romans chapter 3 is just this powerful gospel narrative 44:37 I mean it just... it just explodes with gospel truths, 44:41 it talks about the place of the law, 44:43 talks about how we don't do away with the law... 44:45 that the law is established... 44:47 it talks about how there's no way that the law can do anything 44:50 but make us guilty... that's what the law does... 44:52 we're just guilty before God, now, I understand, 44:55 we don't want to feel guilty, people don't want to feel guilty 44:57 but the law brings us to that place of guilt 45:00 so that we can feel our need of Jesus... 45:02 the Law doesn't bring us there just to leave us there, 45:04 it brings us there because it wants us 45:07 to feel our need of Christ, 45:09 it wants to lead us to Jesus, 45:11 so, Romans chapter 3 is this beautiful gospel explosion, 45:16 this beautiful gospel truth... 45:18 we'll parallel that with Revelation 14. 45:20 Now, a lot of Christians don't like to go 45:23 into the book of Revelation but let me tell you, 45:25 the book of Revelation is a powerful 45:27 revelation of Jesus Christ. 45:30 That's what the book starts as, Revelation 1 verse 1, 45:33 the revelation of Jesus Christ. 45:35 I see the book of Revelation as the fifth gospel of the Bible, 45:37 just like Matthew, Mark, Luke and John talk about Jesus, 45:40 Revelation also focuses on Christ 45:43 and if you look at Revelation from that perspective, 45:45 you're going to find over and over again 45:47 the salvation theme. 45:48 You're going to find this gospel theme 45:51 and I want to prove that. 45:52 Revelation chapter 14 verses 6 through 12, 45:56 is almost a perfect parallel to Romans chapter 3, 46:00 if you can compare the two, 46:02 if you compare Revelation chapter 14:6 to 12 46:04 with Romans chapter 3 starting with verse 19 46:07 and we read all the way through to verse 31, 46:10 you're going to see an almost perfect parallel. 46:12 It's not... the words aren't identical 46:14 but the truths that are being spoken there 46:16 are almost identical, 46:18 so, what happens here in Revelation chapter 14 verse 6, 46:22 "I saw another angel flying in the midst of heaven 46:25 having the everlasting gospel. " 46:27 See, that's what Paul is talking about in Romans chapter 3, 46:30 he's talking about the everlasting gospel. 46:32 He's been expounding upon it, he begins in Romans 1 46:34 and talks about how he's not ashamed of the gospel 46:37 for... for in the gospel, the righteousness of Christ 46:39 is revealed... Christ's righteousness 46:41 and so, Romans chapter 3 is a further expansion on that gospel 46:47 Revelation 14 verse 6, 46:49 there's an angel flying in the midst of heaven... 46:51 has the everlasting gospel. 46:53 Now, you know why it's called the everlasting gospel? 46:56 This phrase is unique... it's unique in Revelation 14, 46:58 you won't find that phrase, "everlasting gospel" 47:00 anywhere else in the Bible, 47:02 not in the Old Testament, not in the New Testament. 47:03 The reason why that phrase is there 47:05 is because of the very dilemma that we've been talking about. 47:08 Christians in the end of time doing away with God's law... 47:10 Christians who are going to come in the judgment 47:13 and be called: Workers of Iniquity. 47:15 Christians who will come in the judgment 47:17 having done many wonderful works and even trying to persuade God, 47:21 "Let us in... let us in... we've done many wonderful works" 47:23 Friends, please, I don't want you to be those Christians, 47:25 I don't want to be one of those Christians. 47:27 I don't want to plead my wonderful works for salvation, 47:30 we can't be saved for our wonderful works... 47:31 we can only be saved by Jesus 47:33 and the only way Jesus can save us from sin 47:35 is through the standard of the law. 47:38 The law leads us to Jesus so we can be justified. 47:41 The law reminds us of what sin is 47:44 "I wouldn't have known sin, but by the law. " Romans 7:7. 47:47 The law brings us guilty... makes us guilty before God. 47:49 Romans chapter 3 verse 19. 47:51 The law is your friend... it's your mirror. 47:53 You wake up in the morning and you're like, 47:55 "Man, I got to get to work. " 47:56 You look in the mirror, 47:57 you see if you need a little shave or a little trim, 47:59 your hair needs to be straightened out, 48:00 you know, you see where your oddities are 48:02 but the mirror doesn't fix them, right? 48:04 And it's the same with the Bible... 48:06 it's the same with the gospel. 48:07 We look in the mirror of God's law 48:09 and it shows us who we are 48:11 but Jesus is the only one that can change us, 48:13 Jesus is the only one that can cleanse us. 48:16 Jesus is the only one that can make us whole... 48:17 that can heal us. 48:19 The everlasting gospel is identified in this verse 48:23 primarily because of the very issue 48:24 we're talking about today. 48:26 This is God's last message for the world, 48:28 Revelation 14 contains what we call the Three Angels Messages 48:32 and this message is going to all the world 48:35 and what is it saying? It's saying, 48:36 "There's only one way anyone ever has been saved 48:39 or will be saved, 48:40 it's the everlasting way of salvation, 48:41 it's the everlasting gospel and that's through Jesus. 48:44 In the Old Testament, God's people looked forward 48:47 from the Old Testament you look forward to the Cross. 48:50 How did they see the Cross in the Old Testament? 48:52 Through the lamb... the sacrifice of the lamb... 48:55 the sacrifices of the lamb in the sanctuary. 48:58 That lamb typified Christ. 48:59 New Testament Christians... we look back at the Cross, 49:02 we look back to what Christ has accomplished for us 49:05 in fulfillment of those typical services in the sanctuary. 49:08 We see the Lamb of God 49:10 just taking away the sins of the world. 49:12 Everyone is looking to the Cross in the Old and the New Testament 49:15 we're all looking to the Cross, 49:16 it's the everlasting gospel. 49:18 Some people will say, "Well, in the Old Testament, 49:20 you know, we're saved by the law 49:21 and that seems to be what you're saying, 49:23 you're saying, "You know, Pastor Rafferty, 49:25 you're saying that we're saved by the law. " 49:27 I'm not saying we're saved by the law, 49:28 I'm telling you, we're not saved by the law. 49:30 Just because God calls us to keep the law... 49:32 just because God calls us in obedience to His law, 49:35 doesn't mean we're saved by that law... 49:36 no, we are saved by grace through faith alone, 49:39 it's not by works lest anyone should boast 49:42 but we are His workmanship created unto good works... 49:45 that God has ordained that we should walk in them, 49:47 you see, we're not to be workers of iniquity... 49:49 we're not to be transgressing God's law 49:51 but we are saved by obedience to the law... 49:53 obedience to God's law is the fruit of our salvation 49:56 and it's the very fruit that's going to be looked at... 49:59 examined in the judgment by God. 50:01 Did they have the fruit? 50:02 Were they really my followers? 50:04 Did I really know them? 50:05 Was I really connected with them 50:07 or were they workers of iniquity? 50:08 Their fruit is going to be examined, 50:09 we'll talk more about this in our next presentation, 50:11 so, when you look at the everlasting gospel 50:14 in Revelation chapter 14 and verse 6, 50:17 it's speaking to this very issue because people will say, 50:19 "Oh, if you believe in keeping God's law, 50:22 then, you're Old Testament... you're Old Covenant. 50:25 No, that's not what Revelation 14 verse 6 says, 50:28 Revelation 14:6 says, 50:29 "This is the everlasting gospel. " 50:30 In other words, there has never been a time 50:33 in the Old Testament and in the New Testament 50:36 when people have been saved by the law. 50:37 "Oh, wait... wait... wait a minute, no... no... no... 50:39 in the Old Testament they were saved by the law. " 50:40 No, they were not saved by the law. 50:41 "No, no, no... " you say, 50:43 "all those guys... they... they all made a covenant with God, 50:46 they were supposed to keep His law to be saved. " 50:47 No, that was not the way they were saved in the Old Testament. 50:50 The Old Testament was... 50:52 just as the New Testament is pointing to Jesus Christ, 50:55 the law of God had the same place in the Old Testament 50:57 that it had in the New Testament. 50:59 It was to be the fruit of their obedience 51:01 as they looked to the Lamb for their salvation. 51:03 So, there's no one that ever has been saved 51:06 or ever will be saved by obedience to the Law. 51:08 It's the everlasting gospel, 51:10 that's why the phrase is there, it's the everlasting gospel 51:12 and this gospel has to go to all the world... 51:14 to every nation... kindred... tongue and people 51:16 saying with a loud voice... 51:18 this angel speaks out with a loud voice, 51:20 "Fear God, and give glory to Him; 51:22 for the hour of His judgment is come. " 51:24 Now, you say, "How can the hour of judgement be good news... 51:27 how can it be under the heading of the everlasting gospel?" 51:30 Well, we've just been talking about that 51:31 and we'll continue to talk about that. 51:33 The first reason why we know the everlasting gospel is good news 51:36 is because it leads us to Jesus, right? 51:42 The... the hour of judgment is part of the everlasting gospel 51:46 because it leads us to Jesus 51:48 that we can be justified by Him, the... the hour of judgment 51:53 identifies our condition... our guilt 51:56 and leads us to Christ. 51:58 So, the everlasting gospel contains this phrase, 52:00 "the hour of God's judgment" because 52:01 first and foremost, we need to rely on Jesus for our salvation, 52:04 the everlasting gospel reminds us not to judge other people 52:07 and remember, as we go through this, 52:08 we're not judging others... that is key... number one 52:12 in our... in our understanding of the hour of judgment. 52:15 Under the gospel... the everlasting gospel... 52:18 the everlasting gospel has to go to every kindred, nation, 52:21 people and tongue... 52:22 the hour of God's judgment calls us not to judge others 52:25 but it calls us to be guilty before God 52:27 so that we can have freedom from Matthew chapter 7:21-23 52:31 and find justification in Jesus Christ. 52:34 "Worship Him that made heaven, and earth, and the seas, 52:36 and the fountains of waters... " 52:37 so, then it goes on here and the parallel is amazing 52:40 between Romans 3 and Revelation 14. 52:43 It goes on here to describe the fall of Babylon... 52:46 the fall of this false system and in Revelation or excuse me, 52:50 Romans chapter 3 it goes on to describe the uselessness 52:53 of being justified by our works. 52:55 It goes on to describe... Paul says, 52:57 "There's no way you can be justified by your works, 52:59 there's no way you can be saved by your works, 53:00 you've got to go to Jesus 53:02 and so, when you parallel the two, 53:04 Babylon's fall is synonymous with the idea 53:08 of being saved by your works 53:10 and all of that coming to an end. 53:11 I don't know how many of you have experienced that 53:14 where you've tried to do your best, 53:16 you've tried to merit God's favor by your works, 53:19 Martin Luther went through that experience, 53:20 he was... he was whipping himself... 53:22 climbing the stairs on his knees, 53:23 and many of God's people in times past... 53:27 through the Dark Ages 53:28 and even today many people try to merit God's favor, 53:30 they try to do good things to get on God's good side, 53:33 it doesn't work... doesn't work, 53:34 all of the is going to fall when the gospel is preached. 53:37 We can't merit God's favor. 53:39 You come to Him just the way you are. 53:40 There's nothing good you can do, 53:42 you can't be on probation for a while and try to say, 53:44 "Well, you know, I've done X... Y and Z... 53:46 maybe God likes me now. " 53:47 No, God loves you... He loves you and always has loved you 53:51 and He wants you to come to Him just the way you are 53:54 and it's His glory to just encircle you 53:56 in the arms of faith and to heal your wounds 53:58 and bind up your wounds 53:59 and heal you through... through the merit of Jesus, 54:02 but then it goes on... 54:03 it's really powerful here, 54:05 it goes on to identify in Revelation chapter 14 verse 12, 54:09 those who keep the commandments of God. 54:11 "Here is the patience of the saints, 54:13 here are they that keep the commandments of God 54:15 and have the faith of Jesus. " 54:17 So, we see the parallels here as you move through 54:20 Romans chapter 3 and Revelation chapter 14, 54:24 as you move through them here, 54:25 you're going to find that they are basically the same. 54:28 They are calling the whole world into judgment... 54:32 they're calling the whole world to be convicted of sin, 54:36 they're calling the whole world to put their reliance on Christ 54:39 they're calling the whole world to be justified by His grace 54:42 and they're calling the whole world 54:44 to keep the commandments of God. 54:45 This is the... the final verse that we're going to look at here 54:49 in Revelation 14:12 54:51 and it's the same thing in Romans chapter 3, 54:53 Paul says, "God forbid that we should make void the law. " 54:57 We shouldn't make void the law, we ought to keep the law... 55:00 the law of God is vital... a vital part of our salvation, 55:04 it's a vital part of the process of our salvation. 55:06 So, in closing, let's just look at this... 55:09 in summary, let's just look at this, 55:11 another reason for the gospel is because 55:13 first of all, there are fake Christians, 55:15 we know that... 55:17 we ourselves have been fake Christians 55:18 and there's only one remedy for a fake Christian 55:21 and it's not to try harder... 55:22 it's not to feel overwhelmed with your guilt 55:25 and go into a guilt trip, 55:26 it's not to put ourself in a situation 55:29 where you just turn away from Christ 55:30 and to walk back out into the world. 55:32 When you realize you're a fake Christian, 55:34 all of us are going to feel that way from time to time, 55:36 when you realize you're a fake Christian, 55:39 the thing to do is to flee to Jesus... 55:41 it's to go to Jesus... it's to let that law 55:44 which is more than just even... it's broader in principle 55:47 than these ten precepts... the Ten Commandments 55:50 because they go much deeper than... 55:52 you know, Jesus said, "You know, you've heard, 55:54 'Thou shalt not commit adultery,' 55:55 but I say... and if you look at a woman to lust after, 55:58 you've heard that you should not kill or murder, 56:00 but I say unto you, 56:01 'If you hate your brother in your heart... '" 56:03 see... they go much deeper than even those outward actions, 56:06 and when we realize, "Man, I lust after women... " 56:08 "Man, I lust after men... " 56:09 "Man, you know, I hate people 56:11 even though I'm not killing people, I hate people... " 56:13 and we judge people because they murdered someone 56:14 and we ourselves have hatred in our heart... 56:16 when we realize that... 56:18 when we realize the fakeness of our experience, 56:20 we take that to Jesus... 56:22 we have to take that to Jesus 56:23 and as we take that to Jesus, 56:25 He cleanses us... He cleanses us, 56:27 so, we don't do away with the law, 56:30 that's the second part of our sermon... 56:32 fake Christians do away with the law, 56:33 we can't do away with the law... 56:35 the law has to be established 56:36 because the law is the thing 56:37 that leads us to our need of Jesus, 56:39 the law is the thing that... that... 56:41 that is the... the... the principle... 56:43 the standard that leads us again and again to Jesus Christ 56:46 and so, that's the final point 56:48 that we want to look at here 56:49 and that is, Galatians 3 verse 24 in our summary 56:53 leads us to Jesus. 56:54 Fake Christians need the law of God 56:57 to lead them to Jesus. 56:58 The world needs the law of God 57:00 to lead them to Jesus. 57:02 All of us need the law of God to lead us to Jesus. 57:05 Satan's attack against God's law is a subtle attack 57:08 against the Gospel... 57:09 seeking to undermine the Gospel 57:11 and stop us from finding Jesus... 57:14 it's time for us to lift up the law 57:16 as a standard in the judgment 57:17 so, that we can find Jesus at the end of that law 57:20 so that we can be convicted... 57:21 find ourselves as sinners... 57:23 find ourselves justified and forgiven by a Savior 57:26 who longs to cleanse us... 57:27 longs to embrace us... longs to justify us 57:29 and longs to have us in the kingdom with Him. 57:32 Let's pray together as we close up, 57:34 "Father in heaven, thank you so much 57:36 for helping us to understand 57:38 the place of the law in the judgment. 57:39 Thank you for identifying what it means to be a fake Christian. 57:42 I know that many of us who are listening to this message, 57:45 myself included have found ourselves 57:47 in that situation. 57:49 We found ourselves hollow inside 57:52 and in need of the righteousness of Jesus Christ 57:54 and we're so thankful for the gospel that... 57:56 that we don't stand before the law without a mediator... 57:59 that we can come directly to Christ 58:01 that if we confess our sins, 58:03 He's faithful and just to forgive us of our sins 58:05 and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. 58:07 Father, may we not deceive ourselves... 58:10 may we not call You a liar 58:11 but may we honestly recognize what sin is... 58:14 transgression of Your law... the Ten Commandments... 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Revised 2021-02-22