Participants:
Series Code: SCM
Program Code: SCM250016S
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00:01 The hour is urgent, as darkness is dispelled by the light of
00:07 God's Word. 00:08 A new day begins. 00:10 Jesus, the light of the world is shining. 00:14 Prepare your hearts to proclaim the final cry. 00:17 This is 3ABN Summer Camp Meeting. 00:23 Hello, family, and happy Sabbath. 00:26 What an incredible blessing to be in the House of the Lord 00:30 today, to be opening up the Word of God here at 3ABN Summer 00:35 Camp Meeting, preparing to proclaim the final cry. 00:40 This is a special edition of 3ABN Sabbath School Panel, 00:45 because we have our brothers and sisters here. 00:47 We're worshipping together, and we have you at home who are 00:52 joining us as well. 00:53 And I am today with a brethren in this August ceremony. 00:57 Is that what you would call it? 00:59 August assembly. 01:00 And I learned a new word from Pastor Ryan Johnson. 01:03 I am a sister in. 01:05 Yay. 01:07 I love that. 01:08 I always used to say brothers and sisters, and one time on 01:10 Sabbath school he said the brethren and sister in, and I 01:13 just said I never knew I was a sister in. 01:15 So I love that. 01:16 Yay. 01:17 We are on lesson number 10 of our Sabbath school. 01:22 This title for the whole quarter was actually kind of 01:25 complicated for us when we recorded it. 01:27 Allusions, images, symbols. 01:31 How to study Bible prophecy. 01:34 And lesson 10 is upon whom the ends have come. 01:40 Most of the lesson will be looking at stories from the Old 01:43 Testament that give us details about end time events. 01:48 I want to have each one of our, want to introduce each one of 01:53 our Sabbath School Panel family, Pastor Ryan Johnson. 01:57 Good to have you here. 01:58 It's wonderful to be here. 01:59 Thank you so much, Sister Jill. 02:01 I have Monday's lesson in which we will be looking at the 02:05 ministry of Noah. 02:07 We're going to be making some comparisons throughout the word 02:09 and seeing how Noah's day compares to our day and what 02:14 the take home message is. 02:16 Amen. 02:16 In the middle, Pastor John Lomacang. 02:20 I have Tuesday, the story of Sodom and Gomorrah. 02:22 I'll be making a comparison to how God dealt with sin then and 02:26 how God is going to deal with sin today. 02:29 Next to Pastor John, Brother Pastor John Dinzey. 02:35 Thank you. 02:36 It's a blessing to be here. 02:37 I have Wednesday. 02:40 It is Wednesday. 02:41 Yeah. 02:42 It is Wednesday. 02:46 is good news. 02:48 If you didn't have Wednesday, we have a little problem. 02:50 We did this once on Sabbath School Panel. 02:52 I was sitting next to Pastor John Lomacane and all of a 02:55 sudden when I started my day, he looked at me a little 02:57 confused and I discovered later that he had studied my day. 03:00 And then this is the giftedness of how when these brothers 03:05 study the word. 03:07 While I was doing my day, he quickly figured out his day and 03:10 when he opened his mouth, you wouldn't have known that he 03:12 hadn't studied it. 03:14 So that's the power of the word. 03:15 When we spend time in the word and put the word inside, the 03:18 word comes out through the power of the Holy Spirit. 03:22 Last but not least, Pastor James Rafferty. 03:25 Hi to you all and everyone here. 03:27 Praise God. 03:28 Be here. 03:29 I have Thursday's lesson. 03:30 Picking up where Pastor Dinzey left off, we're looking at the 03:33 pre -advent judgment which I think is kind of providential 03:35 because we're releasing this book on the investigative 03:38 judgment, Silence in the Accuser, this camp meeting. 03:42 And I just happen to be dealing with the same subject that this 03:45 book covers. 03:46 So it's going to be a good study. 03:47 Amen. 03:47 That's wonderful. 03:48 Before we go any further, we want to go to the Lord in 03:50 prayer. 03:52 Yes, of course. 03:53 Let's bow our heads. 03:58 open your word, as we gather around the light, as it were. 04:02 Please, Lord, open our hearts and let us be ready to receive 04:05 your Holy Spirit and let us be closer to you as we get closer 04:09 to each other. 04:10 In thy name we pray. 04:11 Amen. 04:12 Amen. 04:12 Let's start with a memory text. 04:14 The crew has it all ready. 04:15 They're going to put it on the side screen and we can repeat 04:18 it together. 04:19 Our memory text is 1 Corinthians chapter 10 verses 04:25 11 and 12. 04:27 Let's say it together. 04:29 Now all these things happened to them as examples, and they 04:34 were written for our admonition, upon whom the ends 04:39 of the age have come. 04:41 Therefore, let him who thinks he stands take heed, lest he 04:47 fall. 04:51 So turn with me to the book of Revelation chapter 6. 04:54 The title of Sunday's lesson is The Wrath of the Lamb. 04:59 This is a heavy topic, and it sometimes can be a difficult 05:03 topic. 05:08 It is really the cry of the lost when Jesus comes. 05:14 That's what we're studying today. 05:16 The cry of the lost when Jesus comes, and we want to look at 05:21 why are they lost? 05:23 What do we know about the lost? 05:26 And then we want to look at how we can ensure we don't have to 05:30 be in that group. 05:31 And we can be saved. 05:34 We don't want this to be, it is a heavy topic, but we don't 05:36 want it to be a dark topic because it doesn't have to end 05:39 there. 05:43 We can come out of that category and enter the category 05:46 of the saved with having assurance of salvation. 05:49 We're in Revelation 6. 05:51 This is the sixth seal that brings us right up to the 05:55 second coming of Christ. 05:56 And we look at this, the cry of the lost, Revelation 6 verse 06:00 15. 06:06 commanders, the mighty men, every slave and every free man, 06:10 hid themselves in the caves and in the rocks of the mountains 06:14 and said to the mountains and rocks, what are those three 06:17 words? 06:18 Fall on us and hide us from the face of him who sits on the 06:24 throne and from the wrath of the lamb, for the great day of 06:26 his wrath has come and who is able to stand. 06:30 Now, if you keep reading, you get to Revelation chapter seven 06:33 and you discover who's able to stand. 06:35 The sealed are able to stand, but that's not the focus of 06:39 this study. 06:40 So we won't get there, but there is hope. 06:42 But the cry is the rocks hide us. 06:45 Jesus is coming again. 06:47 Hide us. 06:48 We're afraid. 06:50 Hide us from the holiness of God who's coming again. 06:54 Hide us. 06:55 So I want to ask you, what do we know about the lost? 06:58 We don't often ask that question. 07:01 I would submit to you there's at least six things that we 07:04 know about the lost. 07:05 Number one, they have knowledge of Christ. 07:09 Really? 07:11 The lost have knowledge of Christ? 07:13 They called them, in this passage, the lamb. 07:16 Hide us from the face of him. 07:18 The lamb. 07:19 They have a knowledge of Christ. 07:21 You know, if you look at Matthew 24 verse 14, what does 07:24 that verse say? 07:29 as a witness to all nations and then the end will come. 07:31 That tells us just before the second coming of Jesus, the 07:34 whole world will have heard the gospel. 07:36 The whole world will have knowledge of Jesus. 07:40 So the lost have knowledge of Christ. 07:43 Number two, what do we know about the lost? 07:45 They have some knowledge of prophecy. 07:49 How do we know that? 07:50 They said the great day of his wrath has come. 07:54 How do they know about the day of wrath? 07:56 How do they know about the day of judgment? 07:58 How do they know about the second coming of Christ? 08:00 The great day of his wrath has come. 08:03 The third thing I see, they have some knowledge of what is 08:08 needed to endure. 08:10 Why is that? 08:11 They said, who is able to stand? 08:14 Who shall be able to stand? 08:16 That means they have some knowledge that their 08:20 righteousness is not enough. 08:21 And the holiness of God, seeing that, recognizing that they are 08:28 not enough. 08:29 The fourth thing I see, they had knowledge, but they never 08:34 knew Christ. 08:36 You know, there's a difference. 08:37 We can have an intellectual assent to the truth. 08:41 We can think we know the word of God, and yet we have never 08:45 met Jesus. 08:46 If you think about the parable of the wise and the foolish 08:49 virgins, we find that in Matthew 25. 08:52 And what happens to the foolish virgins? 08:54 They say in verse 11, they come to the Lord and say, open to 08:58 us. 09:00 And they say, let us in. 09:02 Open to us. 09:02 And what does he say? 09:05 I never knew you. 09:08 Seriously. 09:09 They thought they had knowledge. 09:12 They thought they had an intellectual understanding. 09:16 And yet they never knew Christ. 09:20 He never knew them. 09:24 It matters whether you and I have met Jesus Christ. 09:28 It matters whether we have an intimate heart knowledge of 09:33 God. 09:34 And he knows us. 09:36 The fifth thing I see, they had knowledge of Christ, but they 09:40 never let the gospel change them. 09:43 They never let Jesus change them to the point of loving 09:48 other people. 09:50 You know where I see that? 09:51 I see that in Matthew 25 as well. 09:54 You know the sheep and the goats, that whole separation 09:57 that Jesus did. 09:58 And the sheep are on one hand and the goats are on the other. 10:02 And remember, the goats represent the lost, Pastor 10:04 Ryan. 10:05 And the lost, he says to them, depart from me. 10:08 You cursed. 10:09 Depart from me. 10:10 You're not going to spend eternity with me. 10:12 And verse 42, what is the barometer? 10:15 Whether they know Jesus? 10:16 It's how they treated other people. 10:19 It's how they loved other people. 10:21 What does it say? 10:22 I was hungry and you didn't give me food. 10:24 I was thirsty and you didn't give me anything to drink. 10:29 I was a stranger and you did not take me in. 10:32 I was naked and you didn't clothe me and I was sick. 10:35 And you didn't visit me in prison. 10:37 And they will say to the Lord, when did all these things 10:42 happen? 10:43 When did we not clothe you? 10:45 When did we not give you food? 10:47 When did we not give you water? 10:49 When did we not give you shelter? 10:51 And he says, inasmuch as you did not do this to the least of 10:55 these, you did not do it unto me. 10:58 So that shows how we treat each other. 11:03 As brothers and sisters in the church and outside of the 11:09 church is an indicator of our walk with God. 11:13 It's an indicator of whether we've really known Jesus and 11:18 whether we've really experienced Jesus. 11:22 I know a quick story. 11:25 I was going to Kroger here in West Frankfurt going grocery 11:28 shopping. 11:30 And I passed a lady with a cardboard sign. 11:33 You ever pass somebody like that? 11:36 And it says, hungry, need food. 11:40 And you know what Jill did? 11:42 I drove by. 11:44 And I remember for a whole week, Pastor John, that 11:48 bothered me. 11:49 For a whole week, I thought about, you know, when you 11:52 initially drove by, what do you think? 11:54 Well, maybe they're on drugs. 11:56 Well, maybe it's a scam. 11:57 Well, maybe, you know, these justifications we do. 12:00 And it bothered me the whole week that I had passed by 12:04 someone in need because of whatever rationalization I had 12:09 done in my own heart and mind. 12:11 It matters whether we love other people. 12:15 The sixth thing I see is that the lost had knowledge, but 12:21 they chose never to walk in obedience. 12:24 We need to walk in obedience. 12:26 Matthew 7, 21, not everyone who says to me, Lord, Lord, will 12:30 enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of my 12:33 Father in heaven. 12:35 And then later he says, depart from me, you who practice 12:37 iniquity. 12:38 It matters whether you and I are willing to walk in 12:42 obedience. 12:44 So what do we know about the lost? 12:45 We know that knowledge, intellectual assent to the 12:48 truth will not save us. 12:50 We know that knowledge without love will not save us. 12:53 We know that knowledge without obedience will not save us. 12:57 We know that knowledge without inward transformation will not 13:00 save us. 13:01 So we don't want to end there, Pastor James. 13:04 We want to go to hope. 13:05 So let's look at how can we be saved? 13:09 Now, I know you could do many scriptures, but I want to give 13:11 you an ABC just because I like ABCs. 13:14 So the A is ask. 13:16 That's the first key. 13:17 Ask. 13:18 Ask for his forgiveness. 13:20 First John one nine. 13:22 If we confess our sins, he's faithful and just to forgive us 13:25 our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. 13:29 Now you might say, wait a minute. 13:31 I thought all could be saved because of Jesus on the cross. 13:33 And that is true, but all are not saved because all have not 13:37 accepted the substitutionary atonement of Jesus on the 13:41 cross. 13:45 Spirit. 13:50 Jesus, I want to be your child. 13:54 And I'm asking for that forgiveness. 13:56 So the first key is A, ask. 13:58 The second key is B, believe. 14:02 What do we believe in? 14:03 John three 16. 14:05 Believe that God so loved the world that he gave his only 14:09 begotten son that whoever believes in him should not 14:14 perish, but have everlasting life. 14:17 Believe and accept by faith his substitutionary death. 14:23 Believe that the blood of Jesus can cleanse us from all sin. 14:27 First John one seven. 14:29 Believe in your heart that Jesus, God has raised Jesus 14:33 from the dead and you will be saved. 14:35 That's Romans 10 verse 19. 14:38 Now you might say, wait a minute, Jill, the devils 14:40 believe and tremble and they're not saved. 14:42 That's because there's a C. 14:44 There's A, ask for forgiveness. 14:46 This is repentance. 14:47 Respond to the drawing of Jesus. 14:49 B, believe. 14:50 Accept that righteousness by faith. 14:53 C is choose. 14:56 Choose to walk in obedience. 14:59 And you might say, but wait a minute, I thought it was all 15:01 faith. 15:02 And yes, it is faith. 15:03 But you and I have a choice to make every day. 15:06 Every day we make a choice for Jesus. 15:09 What are the choices that we make? 15:11 And these choices are the result of being saved. 15:16 What are the choices we make? 15:17 We choose every day whom we will serve. 15:20 That's Joshua 24 and 15. 15:22 We choose every day to look at Jesus. 15:26 That's 2 Corinthians 3, 18. 15:28 We choose every day to allow God to make us a new creation. 15:33 That's 2 Corinthians 5, 17. 15:35 We choose every day to put on Jesus Christ and not to make 15:39 provision for the flesh. 15:41 That's Romans 13, 14. 15:43 We choose every day to allow the old nature to be crucified 15:47 and to rise in newness of life. 15:51 We choose every day to crucify the flesh with its passions and 15:55 lusts. 15:56 We choose every day to walk in the Spirit. 16:00 We choose every day to walk in kindness and forgiveness toward 16:04 others. 16:06 We choose every day to put on the armor of God that you and I 16:11 can stand in the last day. 16:14 Do you want to stand in the last day when Jesus comes 16:16 again? 16:17 Stand in the knowledge that you are forgiven. 16:21 Stand in the knowledge that you believe in Jesus and he belongs 16:25 to you. 16:26 Stand in the knowledge that you choose every day to follow 16:29 Jesus. 16:31 Amen. 16:31 Thank you so much, Sister Jill. 16:33 Man, that was really sobering, the difference between just 16:37 having knowledge and having a relationship. 16:40 Wasn't that something, friends? 16:42 You know, I would like to touch base here with our memory text, 16:47 if I could. 16:50 This again is 1 Corinthians chapter 10 and I'm going to 16:54 begin verse 11. 16:55 It says, Now all these things happened unto them for in 17:01 samples or examples and they are written for our admonition 17:05 upon whom the ends of the world are come. 17:11 Wherefore, let him, let her, she, that thinketh he standeth, 17:17 take heed, lest he fall. 17:19 The things that have taken place, they are there as 17:23 examples. 17:27 as the patriarchs were going through with the Lord, did they 17:31 know they were also going through for the ages? 17:36 Hmm, it also sobers us as we go through understanding the 17:42 example that we may set for those who are looking at us, 17:45 amen? 17:47 Well, I'm Pastor Ryan Johnson and I have Monday's lesson and 17:50 we're going to be looking at the ministry of Noah. 17:53 We're going to be looking at his story as a construct, 17:57 whereby we may compare the things that are taking place 18:00 now with the things that are taking place, that were taking 18:04 place then. 18:05 Why do that? 18:06 Why even bother? 18:07 Well, let's see if we can give some credibility to doing this 18:10 at all. 18:13 I hope you have your Bibles with you. 18:14 I'm old fashioned. 18:15 I like to feel the pages in my fingers. 18:18 We're going to Matthew 24 and it says in verse 1, And Jesus 18:21 went out and departed from the temple, and his disciples came 18:25 to him, for to show him the buildings of the temple. 18:28 And Jesus said unto them, See ye not all these things? 18:33 Verily I say unto you, there shall not be left here one 18:36 stone upon another, that shall not be thrown down. 18:40 Jesus makes a prophecy, and here is the veracity of the 18:43 word. 18:46 And did it take place? 18:47 It did take place. 18:48 So we are talking about a Jesus that tells the truth. 18:52 Alright, so let's see what else he says. 18:55 And then they asked him, right there, as he sat upon the Mount 18:59 of Olives, verse 3, the disciples came to him privately 19:01 saying, Tell us when these things shall be, and what shall 19:05 be the sign of thy coming, and of the end of the world? 19:08 And some translations say the end of the age. 19:10 That is a fine question. 19:12 And Jesus answered and said, looking with prophetic vision, 19:18 all the way down to where we sit right now at camp meeting. 19:23 He said, take heed, that no man deceive you. 19:27 Have mercy. 19:28 Now let's go on to verse 36. 19:30 Jesus is talking, he says, But of that day and hour knoweth no 19:33 man, nor the angels of heaven, but my Father only. 19:36 And here it is, but as the days of Noah were, so shall also the 19:41 coming of the Son of Man be. 19:43 For as in the days that were before the flood, they were 19:46 eating and drinking and marrying and giving in marriage 19:49 until the day that Noah entered into the ark, and knew not 19:53 until the flood came and took them all away, so also shall 19:57 the coming of the Son of Man be. 19:59 Jesus introduces it into conversation. 20:02 We should be looking at how it was in the days of Noah. 20:05 Now is there anything wrong with getting married and taking 20:07 a drink? 20:09 A drink of... 20:10 Depends on what you drink. 20:14 Anything wrong with quenching your thirst in a godly way? 20:18 No, there is not. 20:19 So what's going on here? 20:20 You know, back when I was in grad school, we studied the 20:23 forms of the nervous system, and you have this 20:26 parasympathetic nervous system, and you have this sympathetic 20:29 nervous system, and some of us know it as fight or flight, or 20:32 rest and digest. 20:34 When you're resting and digesting, you're hanging at 20:36 home having potluck, I love potluck, with your family on a 20:40 Sabbath afternoon. 20:41 You're in a whole different frame of mind. 20:43 But if you were eating dinner, and a wolf came into the dining 20:46 room, or a lion, you wouldn't be thinking about that veggie 20:52 burger anymore, would you? 20:53 You would go into a completely different mindset. 20:56 You would go from physiological rest and digest into 21:01 physiological fight or flight. 21:03 Now what Christ is talking about here is not us remaining 21:07 in a state of stress. 21:09 I just used that as an example. 21:11 But staying in a state of vigilance, the people in the 21:15 days of Noah were leaning back as though nothing was coming 21:18 upon them. 21:20 This was the spiritual mentality that they had until 21:23 the flood came and swept them away. 21:25 So if Jesus says it's worth looking at why don't we have a 21:28 look? 21:29 Well, let's go on to Genesis. 21:31 We're going to Genesis chapter 6. 21:33 I'll get that in a second. 21:37 And here we see some comparisons. 21:40 Now, it says in 2 Peter chapter 3 and verse 5, just go on to 21:45 Genesis 6, that in the last days people would argue that 21:50 there was no flood. 21:52 Have we seen this take place? 21:55 Was there a flood? 21:56 Yes. 21:58 You know, scientists say if evaporation, the clouds in the 22:02 air, comes from the water on the ground, then we have a 22:06 problem with conservation of mass. 22:08 You cannot evaporate enough water to cover all the land if 22:13 there isn't enough water to begin with to cover all the 22:16 land. 22:20 and then condensing it into a pot of water. 22:23 They say that cannot take place, and that kind of makes 22:25 sense. 22:31 of the earth, were broken up. 22:33 And now what it says, I want to read you something right quick. 22:36 This is an article that I came across, excuse my fumbling 22:39 around here, and I wanted to find this and read it to you. 22:45 This is from Time Magazine. 22:47 You see that, Pastor? 22:49 There is a huge underground ocean that could explain the 22:53 origin of seas. 22:54 Just recently discovered by geologists, here's another one. 22:58 The underground ocean, what you should know, in the depths of 23:02 the earth, 640 kilometers below the surface, lies a colossal 23:07 ocean, a hidden and unexplored world that challenges our 23:11 understanding of the planet. 23:13 They have found water underground. 23:16 How much water? 23:17 They say three times the volume of the oceans that we have. 23:22 God knew what he was doing. 23:24 When the Bible said, the fountains of the deep were 23:27 broken up, there was water that man didn't even know was there, 23:30 covered everything. 23:34 And again, the word is proven true. 23:37 But what is the danger of not believing in the flood? 23:40 Well, here's one. 23:42 If you don't believe in the flood, and Jesus makes the 23:45 admonition, as it were in the days of Noah, what does that 23:48 mean to you? 23:51 Hmm. 23:52 Let's make some comparisons. 23:54 In Genesis chapter 6, it says in verse 5, and God saw the 23:59 wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every 24:02 imagination of the thoughts of his heart were evil 24:06 continually. 24:07 Let's go quickly to 2 Timothy chapter 3. 24:24 This is what the word says. 24:25 It says, This know also that in the last days perilous times 24:29 shall come, for men shall be lovers of their own selves, 24:32 covetous, boasters, proud blasphemers, disobedient to 24:36 parents, unthankful, unholy, without natural affection, 24:40 truce -breakers, false accusers. 24:43 Sounds a mess, doesn't it? 24:44 Incontinent, fierce, despisers of those that are good. 24:47 Doesn't that sound like what was described in Genesis when 24:51 the spiritual state was described when it said every 24:56 single imagination and thought was evil? 24:58 That is how it is today. 24:59 Jesus knew what he was talking about when he was talking about 25:04 the story of a scam. 25:06 Like recently, Sister KP and I were talking about the toll 25:10 booth scam. 25:10 Anybody get that one there? 25:12 Yeah, and a new scam comes forward and they have to warn 25:15 you and you're thinking who thinks of this stuff? 25:20 We think of this stuff. 25:22 This is what happens when every thought and imagination is evil 25:26 continually. 25:27 Let's go back to Genesis chapter 6. 25:29 What else does it say? 25:30 And then it says in verse 6 The Lord has made man on the earth 25:35 and it grieved him at his heart and the Lord said I will 25:40 destroy man whom I have created from the face of the earth both 25:46 man and beast and the creeping thing and the fowls of the air. 25:51 Let's turn quickly to 2 Peter chapter 3. 26:00 And this is what it says there in verse 9 The Lord is not 26:04 slack concerning his promise as some men count slackness but is 26:09 long -suffering to usward not willing that any should perish 26:14 but that all should come to repentance and even though we 26:19 are timed I'm going to take a minute just a few seconds 26:24 really and just pause right there because was washed away. 26:35 But it says right here that the Lord is not willing that 26:37 anybody should be lost. 26:40 Appreciate the character of God. 26:42 It is with sorrow that he must remove sin from the earth. 26:47 But let's go ahead and read. 26:48 It says in verse 10, but the day of the Lord will come as a 26:52 thief in the night in the which the heavens shall pass away 26:56 with a great noise and the elements shall melt with 27:00 fervent heat the earth also and the works that are therein 27:04 shall be burned up just as in Genesis where the flood would 27:09 come and wash everything away we are told there that fire 27:14 will come. 27:15 There's a whole song. 27:16 You know this song, Pastor Loma King, it won't be water but 27:19 fire next time. 27:21 We see the similarity there as it were in the days of Noah. 27:24 Let's quickly go back to Genesis chapter 6 and I want to 27:28 point something else out. 27:29 I have a few here but I think this is more important. 27:32 If you look at verse 22 it says thus did Noah according to all 27:37 that God commanded him so did he. 27:40 Well what was it that God commanded him? 27:42 In verse 14, make thee an ark. 27:45 The ark is salvation. 27:47 Does the Lord offer us salvation today? 27:50 Yes, in the three angels message doesn't it say having 27:53 the everlasting what? 27:56 Gospel. 28:01 but Noah did all according to what the Lord commanded him and 28:05 I had to think about it. 28:06 Noah didn't build that ark by himself. 28:10 Noah had help. 28:12 There was church board, deacons. 28:16 There were bright lights. 28:17 What happened to all those people? 28:20 Well some of them fell asleep. 28:22 Do we see that taking place today? 28:25 The Lord is putting some of us to sleep as the closing hours 28:28 come upon us and some of them fell away. 28:34 Are we seeing that today? 28:37 You know I want to do as Sister Jill did. 28:39 I don't want to end on that. 28:41 We need to end with some hope. 28:43 I need hope. 28:45 Thank the Lord there is hope. 28:47 Of all of the comparisons that we have made this is the one 28:51 that I want us to remember the most. 28:54 Go back to Genesis chapter 6 and verse 8. 28:59 All of the thoughts were evil continually. 29:02 The earth was corrupt before the Lord. 29:05 It repented the Lord that he had made man and woman on the 29:08 face of the earth but it says in verse 8 that Noah found 29:13 grace in the eyes of the Lord. 29:17 Take this with you. 29:19 Yes the end is coming. 29:21 Yes the thoughts are a mess. 29:23 Yes we see the weather going crazy and the world is 29:27 contracting like a woman in labor pains but we can find 29:31 grace in the eyes of the Lord. 29:33 And if there is anyone that is absolutely terrified of the 29:37 judgment. 29:40 just wondering have I been judged? 29:42 Is it my time? 29:44 You haven't been reading the right part of the gospel. 29:46 We can find grace and with grace we are okay. 29:54 God be with you. 29:55 Pastor Lobeke. 29:57 Wow 13 minute sermon. 29:59 Praise God. 29:59 Can you say amen. 30:01 Conviction. 30:02 Conviction. 30:06 And Tuesday is a somber lesson. 30:11 The story of Sodom and Gomorrah. 30:14 You know when Peter looks at the last days he looks back to 30:19 find a reference to look forward and he holds out Sodom 30:23 and Gomorrah as a description of the climate of the last 30:27 days. 30:28 Now Sodom and Gomorrah were cities that were located in the 30:31 particular region of the world but Peter holds it out as the 30:36 condition of the world. 30:38 Not a region of the world but a condition of the world. 30:45 He also points out that God's judgments on the wicked of the 30:48 past is a divine example of how God will judge the wickedness 30:54 of the future. 30:56 As you describe and study the circumference of 2 Peter 31:00 chapter 2, theologians say that 2 Peter chapter 2 is part of a 31:07 larger argument. 31:09 That Peter is authenticating the argument of God that God is 31:14 both a God of justice and a God of judgment. 31:18 And we often overlook God's judgment and justice. 31:22 Now God could not be a judge of justice and judgment if he was 31:27 not a God that's fair. 31:29 He gives every one of us an opportunity to choose our road. 31:32 He says in Deuteronomy 30 verse 19, I place before you two 31:36 roads, life and blessings and death and cursings. 31:38 And he's so loving of us. 31:41 He said therefore choose life. 31:43 He tells us the that is for our benefit. 31:47 But 2 Peter chapter 2 pulls an entire plethora of description 31:52 from the past to reflect it on the screen of the future and 31:56 says this is how it was and this is how it's going to be. 31:59 So let's break down what the fame of Sodom and Gomorrah is 32:04 causing to be reflected on the world today. 32:07 Sodom and Gomorrah are cities that have famous reference 32:10 today. 32:12 You know I don't know anybody that would say well I'm on my 32:14 way to Sodom. 32:16 Now in New York City, you may not know this, but there's a 32:20 train that you can take to Babylon. 32:23 It's out on Long Island. 32:25 And I was in New York not too long ago. 32:27 My wife and I and somebody said well if you want to get to this 32:30 particular region out on Long Island you have to look for the 32:32 train to Babylon. 32:34 It felt strange getting on the train to Babylon. 32:37 But today the world is on the train to Babylon and Sodom and 32:41 Gomorrah. 32:42 And oftentimes we don't understand the circumference of 32:46 the sin of Sodom and Gomorrah. 32:47 Let me begin with one that you may have not seen before. 32:51 Ezekiel chapter 16 verses 48 and 49. 32:55 What were the sins of Sodom and Gomorrah? 32:58 Let me outline them and then you'll see them in the 33:02 Injustice, pride, they lived the lives of excess, idolatry, 33:10 and they ignored the needs of the needy. 33:14 Ezekiel 16 verse 48. 33:16 The Lord says, As I live, says the Lord, neither your sister 33:21 Sodom nor her daughters have done as you and daughters have 33:25 done. 33:26 Verse 49. 33:27 Look, this was the iniquity of your sister Sodom. 33:33 She and her daughter had pride, fullness of food, and abundance 33:40 of idleness. 33:41 Neither did she strengthen the hand of the poor and the needy. 33:47 Those are the things we often overlook about Sodom and 33:49 Gomorrah. 33:52 also. 33:53 But she was a city of injustice, pride, excess. 33:58 Are we living in a world like that today? 34:00 You can't get enough. 34:03 Idolatry, sitting down to eat and drink and rising up to 34:06 play. 34:10 future to enjoyment of the present. 34:14 Also ignoring the needy. 34:15 And this is not saying, as Jill mentioned, driving by a person 34:18 with a sign. 34:19 I remember that very example. 34:20 I remember being on San Francisco and there was a man 34:23 sitting down in front of Macy's. 34:24 He says, I'm not going to lie. 34:26 I need the money for beer. 34:28 He was honest about it, but we didn't give him anything. 34:31 But he just gave us a thumbs up. 34:33 I need the money for beer. 34:34 But the world today is a place of injustice, pride, excess, 34:37 idolatry, and ignoring the needs. 34:40 But now let's dive into the cesspool of Sodom and Gomorrah. 34:44 Genesis chapter 13 and verse 13. 34:48 The Bible says, but the men of Sodom were exceedingly wicked 34:51 and sinful, and notice, against the Lord. 34:54 Not just against each other, but against the Lord. 34:58 Every sin is against the Lord. 35:02 Verse 19, chapter 19 verse 5. 35:05 And they called to Lot and said to him, now this is an amazing 35:09 picture. 35:10 Lot is protecting his family from the passions of the men of 35:14 Sodom. 35:15 And he's locked his doors and they are beating on his doors, 35:18 trying to gain access to have an immoral relationship with 35:22 the angels that came to rescue Lot and his family. 35:28 The Bible says, and they called to Lot and said to him, where 35:31 are the men who came to you tonight? 35:34 Bring them out to us that we may know them carnally. 35:38 Brethren, that's the world today. 35:39 That's not just in a region of the world, that's the world 35:41 today. 35:43 What do they do? 35:45 Look at Romans 1 verse 24. 35:47 It was not just the men. 35:49 Romans 1 verse 24. 35:51 Therefore God also gave them up to uncleanness in the lust of 35:56 their hearts to dishonor their bodies among themselves. 36:01 Look at verse 26. 36:03 For this reason God gave them up to vile passions, for even 36:08 their women exchange the natural use for what is against 36:11 nature. 36:12 Women, likewise verse 27, likewise also the men, leaving 36:17 the natural use of the woman burned in their lusts for one 36:22 another. 36:23 Men with men committing what is shameful and receiving in 36:27 themselves the penalty of their error which was due. 36:32 Today society makes it seem acceptable for women to be with 36:36 women and for men to be with men. 36:38 I remember a young person a couple years ago said to me, 36:42 now because I investigate doesn't mean that's who I am. 36:49 Now they said because I might kiss somebody of the same 36:51 gender doesn't mean I'm that way. 36:54 And I said that's exactly what it means. 36:55 You cannot drink alcohol excessively and not say you're 36:58 an alcoholic. 37:00 And the devil is trying to convince people that you could 37:02 dabble in sin but not be affected by sin. 37:05 It's not possible. 37:07 It's not possible to experiment with sin and not receive the 37:11 just judgments of God. 37:13 And so Jude now reaches into Peter's back pocket and says 37:16 let me summarize it for you Peter. 37:18 Jude chapter 1 and verse 7. 37:22 What were their sins? 37:24 As Sodom and Gomorrah and the cities around them in a similar 37:29 manner to these, it was not just Sodom and Gomorrah but the 37:33 cities around them were affected by the sins in the 37:36 city of Sodom and Gomorrah having given themselves over to 37:41 sexual immorality. 37:43 Not just men with men and women with women but men with women 37:46 who were not theirs and women with men who was not theirs. 37:50 And gone after strange flesh. 37:52 Let me pause on that for a moment. 37:53 Why strange flesh? 37:55 This is vitally important. 37:56 You see when man and woman come together they complete the 37:59 image of God on the human race. 38:01 When a man is with a man, he distorts the image of God on 38:05 the human race. 38:06 When a woman is with a woman, she distorts the image of God 38:09 on the human race. 38:10 In the book of Genesis the Bible says God gave his 38:13 maleness to man and his femaleness to woman. 38:17 So when man and woman come together in marriage, they 38:21 complete the image of God on the human race. 38:24 So this sin is a deformity, a distortion, a destruction of 38:30 the image of God in the human race. 38:32 It's not just about sexual sin but it's destroying the image 38:36 of God on the human race. 38:38 The Bible says having given themselves over to sexual 38:42 immorality and gone after strange flesh are set forth as 38:48 an example suffering the vengeance of eternal fire. 38:53 The fire in its results were eternal. 38:56 Sodom and Gomorrah are not burning today, but there are 38:59 some Sodoms and Gomorrah that are going to be burning 39:01 tomorrow. 39:03 But God is saying I dealt with them this way in the past, I'm 39:05 going to deal with them this way in the future. 39:08 Genesis 19 verse 24 and 25, what did God do? 39:12 Then the Lord rained fire and brimstone on Sodom and Gomorrah 39:16 from the Lord God out of the inhabitants of the cities and 39:28 what grew on the ground. 39:31 He didn't just burn up the works of the cities, he burned 39:34 up the evidences, the DNA even in the grass. 39:38 He said nothing about this sin will survive Sodom at all. 39:42 So here's the question. 39:44 Now I'm going to just hit you with this today. 39:45 Since God did not affirm the LGBTQ agenda in the past, can 39:53 the Christian church affirm the LGBTQ agenda today? 39:58 You need to get this book and share it around because a lot 40:01 of people look at this book and say, well, it's a book of 40:03 judgment on the LGBTQ agenda. 40:05 No, it's a book of exposure of the sin that God does not 40:08 endorse, but it also tells us how we can get out of it. 40:12 You see, the gospel is not a gospel of conformity, but a 40:18 gospel of conversion. 40:20 If we don't preach the redemptive gospel, we are 40:22 preaching the conforming gospel. 40:25 God does not hate the sinner. 40:27 God loves the, God does not hate the sinner. 40:31 He loves the sinner, but he hates the sin. 40:34 That's why as Pastor Red here, he's long suffering toward us, 40:39 not willing that any should perish, but there are those 40:42 that are going to perish. 40:43 If you remain in sin, you will perish. 40:47 Sin of immorality on any level, LGBTQ on any level. 40:51 So, brethren, we cannot affirm that. 40:54 And there are Christian churches nowadays that are 40:56 setting up chapters on their campuses. 40:58 There are some churches and clergy that are openly gay and 41:01 lesbian and everything else. 41:03 And they're saying, well, God is the God of mercy. 41:05 He is, but God is also a God of judgment and justice. 41:10 And if the cities of the past did not survive, cities of the 41:13 future will not survive. 41:15 God will deal with them the very same way. 41:16 So now we get to the last part, 2 Peter chapter 2, verse 4 to 41:20 9. 41:22 For if God did not spare the angels who sinned, but cast 41:25 them down to hell and deliver them into chains of darkness to 41:28 be reserved for judgment. 41:30 Now, Peter is pulling it all together. 41:32 If he didn't do that and did not spare the ancient world, 41:35 but Noah saved Noah, one of eight people, a preacher of 41:39 righteousness, bringing in the flood on the world of the 41:42 ungodly and turning the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah into 41:45 ashes, condemning them to destruction, making them an 41:49 example to those who afterward would live ungodly. 41:53 He said, look at what happened in Sodom. 41:55 I'm not changing. 41:57 This is not going to happen in the kingdom. 41:58 Somebody ought to say amen. 42:00 This is not going to happen. 42:01 We need to love. 42:02 Let me tell you something. 42:03 I have some family members struggling with this. 42:06 They know Uncle John don't stand for it. 42:09 I'm thanking God that some of my family members are now 42:11 starting to read their Bibles, understanding that there is a 42:14 different direction in life. 42:15 Come on, say amen somebody. 42:17 You got to love them, but don't leave them where they are. 42:21 Show them the redemptive grace of Christ in your own life, but 42:25 make it clear. 42:27 This is not God's way. 42:28 This is not my way. 42:29 God can change you. 42:31 God can save you. 42:33 Verse 7, And deliver the righteous, righteous lot who 42:37 was oppressed by the filthy conduct of the wicked. 42:40 He hated what he saw, for that righteous man dwelling among 42:44 them tormented his righteous soul from day to day by seeing 42:48 and hearing their lawless deeds. 42:50 But as Jill and as Pastor Johnson ended on a positive 42:54 note, I need to do the same. 42:56 Is there any hope for us? 43:00 Isaiah 1 verse 9, Unless the Lord of hosts had left to us a 43:06 very small remnant, we would have become like Sodom. 43:12 We would have become like Gomorrah. 43:14 God has a remnant. 43:17 Praise the Lord. 43:19 Amen, amen. 43:23 far to hear each and every one of you. 43:25 I have Wednesday, the judge of all the earth. 43:30 Let's go into Genesis chapter 18. 43:33 Something interesting happens before the destruction of Sodom 43:36 and Gomorrah in the plains of Mamre. 43:39 And there God comes walking down the desert along with two 43:47 other individuals that we understand are angels. 43:51 And they were walking and it appeared that they were going 43:55 to continue walking. 43:56 Abraham saw them and he ran to them and invited them into his 44:00 home. 44:01 And it is very interesting what takes place here because it 44:06 lets us know something about God. 44:08 And this is one of the places in the scriptures you can go to 44:12 understand more of the mercy of God. 44:15 Amen. 44:17 In Genesis 18, let's begin in verse 16. 44:20 Then the men rose from there and looked toward Sodom. 44:24 And Abraham went with them to send them on the way. 44:28 And the Lord said, shall I hide from Abraham what I am doing? 44:33 Since Abraham shall surely become a great and mighty 44:37 nation, and all the nations of the earth shall be blessed in 44:40 him. 44:42 Now please listen carefully to the next verse, the way God 44:45 talks to Abraham because Abraham understands something 44:49 about God himself and God is telling something to him about 44:53 whom he has become through his grace. 44:57 For I have known him in order that he may command his 45:02 children and his household after him that they keep the 45:06 way of the Lord and to do righteousness and justice that 45:12 the Lord may bring to Abraham what he has spoken to him. 45:16 Well what is righteousness? 45:19 Righteousness is right doing. 45:21 And it has to do with keeping God's commandments. 45:24 And God says to Abraham, I know you. 45:27 You keep the commandments. 45:29 And he also spoke of him that he would do justice. 45:35 Abraham would do justice. 45:37 Genesis 18, 20. 45:38 And Lord said, because the outcry against Sodom and 45:42 Gomorrah is great, and because their sin is very grave, I will 45:47 go down now and see whether they have done all together 45:50 according to the outcry against it that has come to me. 45:54 And if not, I will know. 45:57 Then the men turned away from there and went toward Sodom. 46:00 But Abraham still stood there before the Lord. 46:04 Now did the Lord say that he was going to destroy Sodom and 46:08 Gomorrah at that point? 46:11 No. 46:14 Abraham understood that. 46:16 And he says in Genesis 18, 23. 46:18 And Abraham came near and said, would you also destroy the 46:23 righteous with the wicked? 46:25 That's a good question. 46:27 And this helps us to understand something about God. 46:30 Notice what Abraham says. 46:32 Suppose there were 50 righteous within the city. 46:36 Would you also destroy the place and not spare for the 50 46:39 righteous that were in it? 46:42 Far be it from you to do such a thing as this, to slay the 46:49 wicked, to slay the righteous with the wicked, so that the 46:52 righteous should be as the wicked. 46:54 Far be it from you. 47:02 That's very interesting. 47:04 That's very interesting. 47:06 So Abraham knows something about God that he will not 47:10 destroy the righteous with the wicked. 47:14 Abraham doesn't know how many people live in Sodom and 47:17 Gomorrah. 47:18 I don't know how many there were. 47:19 I don't know if anybody knows. 47:21 Surely at least over 100,000. 47:23 We don't know. 47:25 But Abraham says, if there are only 50 righteous, would you 47:31 destroy it? 47:33 And the question I bring to you now is, well how does Abraham 47:37 know that God, the judge of all the earth, will not slay the 47:42 righteous with the wicked? 47:43 How does he know that? 47:45 Well what do we see before Genesis chapter 18? 47:48 Well we look into Genesis and we see God's dealing with Adam 47:53 and Eve. 47:56 Amen. 48:00 merciful to them. 48:01 How about the flood? 48:04 Did God extend mercy? 48:06 Did God look at the earth and say, look how wicked these 48:09 people are? 48:10 Their thoughts are only evil continually. 48:13 Destroy them right away? 48:15 No. 48:16 He asked Noah to build an ark and for 120 years, we 48:21 understand, God extended mercy, opportunity for people to 48:27 repent. 48:29 But unfortunately, how many were saved? 48:33 Only eight people. 48:35 God did not destroy the righteous with the wicked. 48:38 The righteous were in the ark. 48:41 And today we have the same opportunity. 48:44 A message is going out. 48:47 A message is going out. 48:49 Repent for the kingdom of God is at hand. 48:53 So people have choices to make today. 48:55 So what else do we see in the Bible? 48:57 Well we see the Tower of Babel. 48:59 People had become wicked. 49:01 They wanted to do their own thing. 49:02 They didn't want to listen to God's counsel. 49:05 Was God merciful then? 49:07 Absolutely. 49:08 So God had also extended mercy to Abraham and Sarah. 49:13 And so he knew that the God, the judge of all the earth, 49:17 would do the right thing. 49:18 But still he asked. 49:20 And so verse 26, so the Lord said if I find in Sodom 50 49:25 righteous within the city, then I will spare all the place for 49:30 their sakes. 49:32 Amen. 49:33 And so I have thought about that sometimes. 49:36 I say I'm in a plane and not that I'm going to say I'm the 49:39 only one righteous in this plane. 49:41 But has God spared airplanes and trains and buses because 49:47 God's righteous people were there? 49:49 Absolutely. 49:51 The question is has God spared the United States of America 49:54 because there are some righteous people here? 49:57 Yes. 49:58 I would say yes. 49:59 And so then in verse 27, then Abraham answered and said, 50:04 Indeed now I am, but dust and ashes have taken upon myself to 50:09 speak to the Lord. 50:10 Suppose there were five less than the 50 righteous. 50:14 Shall you destroy all the city for the lack of five? 50:18 So he said, If I find there 45, I will not destroy it. 50:23 Wow. 50:23 Isn't God merciful? 50:25 And Abraham kept talking and went all the way down to 10 50:29 people. 50:31 Wow. 50:32 Is God merciful? 50:34 Yes. 50:35 If there were only 10 righteous people, God would have spared 50:41 Sodom and Gomorrah. 50:43 And today you could visit potentially Sodom and Gomorrah. 50:48 And Sodom and Gomorrah was a beautiful place, by the way. 50:50 It's compared to as the garden of God. 50:54 It was beautiful place compared to the garden of God. 50:58 Must have been a beautiful place. 51:00 But the corruption of the people of Sodom, yes, as Pastor 51:05 Loma King has said, has brought to them the judgment. 51:09 And this is a message for people today. 51:12 You know, there are people that say everyone in the world will 51:16 be saved. 51:17 No one will be destroyed. 51:21 People think that because God is love. 51:23 God loves everyone. 51:25 But we see that the Bible tells us that he has mercy to 51:29 thousands, but will no means clear the guilty. 51:33 So God will judge everyone according as their work has 51:38 been. 51:39 And he will destroy the wicked. 51:43 So in Genesis 18 32, I like to read this to you. 51:47 Then he said, let not the Lord be angry and I will speak. 51:50 But once more, suppose 10 should be found there. 51:53 And he said, I will not destroy it for the sake of 10. 51:58 Praise the Lord. 51:59 So we know the Lord is merciful. 52:01 He has extended mercy to us. 52:04 And so I like to read to you now from Psalm 67 verse 4, 52:10 marvelous scripture. 52:12 It says, Oh, let the nations be glad and sing for joy. 52:20 Why? 52:21 For you shall judge the people righteously and govern the 52:26 nations of the earth. 52:28 The Lord will govern the people righteously. 52:34 And just as not one righteous person died during the flood, 52:41 not one righteous person will die when the execution of the 52:50 final judgment takes place. 52:52 Because everyone has an opportunity. 52:55 But do all repent? 52:57 Not everyone repents. 52:59 And you know, God has given us 10 commandments. 53:01 That's what he's going to use to judge everyone. 53:05 I was driving in Chicago after church one night, Saturday 53:09 night. 53:10 I was going down the highway to go home. 53:13 And as I traveled about two miles into the highway, there 53:17 are those lights that people don't like to see when they're 53:20 driving. 53:22 And the sirens went off and I said, and it came right behind 53:27 me, the police. 53:28 Anybody had that happen before? 53:31 Two people. 53:32 Congratulations. 53:36 time people. 53:38 But he stopped me. 53:40 I looked quickly at my speed because I said, well, what 53:43 could be? 53:44 And I was going 54 miles an hour. 53:47 I said, the speed limit is 55. 53:48 I'm fine. 53:50 Well, maybe one of my lights is out and he's going to just give 53:52 me a warning. 53:53 And of course I stopped the vehicle. 53:55 He came by and do you know why I stopped you? 54:00 Yeah, that's a good question, isn't it? 54:02 I said, well, I don't because I saw my speed. 54:07 He says, you are going 54 in a 45 mile an hour speed zone. 54:14 It's 45, I said. 54:16 I have been down this road many times. 54:18 It's 45. 54:19 And he said this, it's been changed. 54:25 Last month it was changed. 54:28 Wow. 54:29 I was shocked. 54:30 I was shocked. 54:32 God's law does not change. 54:34 It remains the same. 54:36 And for all those people out there that think the Sabbath 54:38 has changed, God's law does not change. 54:43 It is eternal. 54:45 It has been made by a righteous God and it does not change. 54:49 And we will be judged by it. 54:51 We will be judged by it. 54:54 And so I went to court because the police said, hey, I see 54:59 that you haven't had a ticket. 55:01 And who knows how many years he says, if you sign here, you 55:05 won't, I won't take your license away. 55:06 And if you promise to go to court, I'm not going to show 55:10 up. 55:11 You'll be dismissed. 55:12 I said, really? 55:14 I'll sign there. 55:16 I signed there and you know something happened. 55:19 I went to court and one case after another was judged. 55:25 And I said, man, this is taking a long time. 55:28 When is my turn? 55:29 Because I'm thinking they're going to dismiss my case. 55:32 And I heard people being charged this money and that 55:34 money and that amount of money. 55:36 And I said, well, I think I'm going to be okay. 55:38 I don't see the police here. 55:39 I'm going to be fine. 55:41 But then they started, okay, the rest of you are here 55:45 because you have gone over the speed limit, gone through red 55:48 lights, gone through stop signs. 55:50 And your name is now going to be called. 55:52 A bunch of people lined up over there on that side. 55:55 And I don't know how many there let's say. 55:59 And he gave us a nice speech about those signs are there to 56:05 protect you. 56:06 Obey the speed limit, obey the law. 56:09 And he says, today I feel good and I'm going to just forgive 56:13 everybody. 56:15 And he said, and obey the law because I have a good memory. 56:21 And if I see any of your ugly faces here again, you will be 56:27 punished according to the full extent of the law. 56:31 And everybody said, thank you, judge. 56:33 Thank you, judge. 56:35 God is merciful. 56:36 Everyone has the opportunity to repent. 56:38 Let us repent and accept God's mercy. 56:41 Amen. 56:42 Amen. 56:42 Amen. 56:43 Thank you, Pastor John. 56:45 Pastor James Rafferty here. 56:46 I have Thursday's lesson. 56:47 The quarterly is dealing with the pre-advent judgment, 56:50 primarily focusing in Daniel chapter 7 and the vindication 56:54 of God's people in the judgment. 56:56 That's what it's all about. 57:01 but he didn't go to 8. 57:03 That just was a new thought to me. 57:04 He didn't go to 8 because he knew the flood. 57:07 He knew. 57:08 So 10. 57:09 He's getting close. 57:11 When we look at the quarterly this week on this week's 57:15 lesson, the focus of the quarterly is the vindication of 57:17 God's people in the investigative judgment. 57:20 And that's a really good focus because a lot of times we're 57:24 afraid of the investigative judgment. 57:26 That's why we've written this book here at 3ABN. 57:28 We've got this book available, Silencing the Accuser, because 57:30 the primary focus of the judgment for God's people and 57:36 for God is vindication. 57:38 The primary focus of the judgment for those who are 57:42 professed followers of God, but not really following God, is 57:46 going to be a sentence of condemnation and a revelation 57:51 of the iniquity that they've been covering up. 57:54 Have you ever been hurt by someone who professes to be a 57:57 follower of God, but they're not really a follower of God? 58:00 And God asks you, in relation to that person, to forgive 58:04 them, to turn the other cheek, to go the extra mile. 58:07 And that can be difficult for us to do. 58:09 Probably some of the greatest challenges we face in life is 58:12 to do that. 58:13 However, God brings to us this revelation of judgment so that 58:18 we can be empowered to do that. 58:21 Does that make sense? 58:23 See, sometimes we forget that God has everything in hand, 58:27 that he is, that what a person sows, that's what they're going 58:31 to reap. 58:32 That God is going to bring everyone into account and we 58:36 can trust him in the judgment. 58:39 That we don't have to take these things into our hands. 58:43 And I love that about this message of God's investigative 58:47 judgment. 58:51 Revelation, is part of the everlasting gospel. 58:54 Revelation chapter 14, right, verse 6, I saw another angel 58:57 flying in the midst of heaven, having the everlasting gospel, 58:59 to preach unto them, to dwell on the earth, to every nation, 59:01 kindred, tongue, and people, saying with what kind of voice? 59:04 A loud voice. 59:06 So good news communicated clearly, you're not yelling at 59:10 people on street corners with bull horns, right, communicated 59:15 clearly, fear God and give glory to him for the hour of 59:19 his judgment has come. 59:21 It's good news. 59:23 The judgment is good news. 59:24 And sometimes we forget that. 59:27 You know, Jesus said in John chapter 12, verses 36 and 37, 59:32 that every idle word that men shall speak, they shall have to 59:37 give an account thereof in the day of judgment. 59:39 Every idle word. 59:41 Now, I don't know about you, but I've spoken some idle 59:44 words. 59:45 But I'm so thankful because I have a savior that's told me 59:49 that if I sin, I have an advocate with the Father, Jesus 59:53 Christ the righteous, 1 John 2, verse 1. 59:56 And he is the advocate not only for my sins, but also for the 01:00:00 sins of the whole world. 01:00:02 That's the good news, the everlasting gospel, Revelation 01:00:05 chapter 14, telling us it goes to all the world. 01:00:08 The whole world has an advocate. 01:00:11 Now, we've got to understand that Jesus is not advocating 01:00:14 before the Father because the Father is against us and Jesus 01:00:18 is for us and Jesus is trying to convince the Father, right? 01:00:21 To be as loving as he is. 01:00:23 No, no. 01:00:27 it might be chapter 12 and verse 37. 01:00:29 I think it's 16, 27. 01:00:31 If you read the gospel of John, you're going to find this 01:00:33 verse. 01:00:36 That the Father himself loves you. 01:00:40 The Father himself loves you, right? 01:00:42 And Jesus says in John 14, now I know this is verse 9, if 01:00:46 you've seen me, who else have you seen? 01:00:48 The Father. 01:00:51 son. 01:00:53 So why is Jesus defending us? 01:00:56 What is he defending us from? 01:00:59 Well, I'd like to suggest four reasons for the judgment that 01:01:02 are outlined in this book. 01:01:04 Reason number one is found in Romans chapter 14, Romans 01:01:08 chapter 14. 01:01:10 And look with me in verses 12 through 13, excuse me, verses 01:01:14 10 through 13 of Romans chapter 14. 01:01:16 It's going to be easier for me to open this little booklet 01:01:18 than it is to leaf through the Bible. 01:01:20 So I'm just going to use this little booklet here and be sure 01:01:25 and get a copy of this before you leave for yourselves and 01:01:27 then get at least five or ten copies for all the people you 01:01:31 want to share it with. 01:01:32 But why do you judge your brother or why do you show 01:01:34 contempt for your brother? 01:01:37 For we shall all stand before the judgment seat of Christ. 01:01:41 For it is written, as I live says the Lord, every knee shall 01:01:44 bow to me and every tongue shall confess to God so that 01:01:47 each one of us shall give an account of himself to God. 01:01:50 Let us therefore, what does therefore suggest? 01:01:54 What's gone before? 01:01:56 Based on this fact that we're all going to stand before the 01:01:58 judgment seat of Christ, everyone's going to give a 01:01:59 reason before. 01:02:00 Let us therefore, not what? 01:02:03 Not judge one another anymore. 01:02:06 Talk about good news. 01:02:10 Can you imagine what it would be like if every person in this 01:02:15 room left camp meeting and followed this injunction from 01:02:19 Paul? 01:02:20 Can you imagine what that would be like? 01:02:22 The freedom we would have? 01:02:24 Don't judge anyone anymore? 01:02:26 Whoo! 01:02:27 This world would be turned upside down if we follow this. 01:02:31 Now the only way we're going to be able to follow this is by 01:02:35 not dumping the investigative judgment in the garbage can. 01:02:39 We just can't dismiss the investigative judgment. 01:02:42 The investigative judgment is great news. 01:02:43 It's very practical. 01:02:45 If you believe that God is going to hold everyone to an 01:02:48 account, everyone's going to stand before the judgment seat 01:02:50 of Christ, you are off the hook. 01:02:53 You can now love people in a capacity that you've never been 01:02:57 able to love them before. 01:02:59 That's good news and that's what, in a sense, that's what 01:03:02 Christ is waiting for. 01:03:04 I remember I was talking with a brother. 01:03:05 He was an Adventist and then he was an Adventist and then he 01:03:08 was an Adventist and then he was an Adventist and then he 01:03:10 was an Adventist and now he's not an Adventist anymore. 01:03:12 But he's a Christian. 01:03:13 He's a Christian. 01:03:14 And he brought this up to me. 01:03:16 He said, you Adventists, you guys, because Romans chapter 14 01:03:20 talks about certain days that you keep and certain foods that 01:03:24 you eat and don't eat. 01:03:25 And he said, you Adventists are violating Romans chapter 14 and 01:03:28 you're legalists because you keep this certain day and it 01:03:30 doesn't matter what day we keep and you eat this certain food 01:03:32 and don't eat this other food and it doesn't matter what food 01:03:34 we eat. 01:03:35 You're legalists. 01:03:37 I said, wait a minute, brother. 01:03:39 Romans chapter 14 tells me that I'm not supposed to be judged 01:03:44 by you. 01:03:49 That's what Romans 14 tells me. 01:03:51 And you're calling me a legalist. 01:03:53 Romans 14 says that let every man be fully persuaded in his 01:03:56 own mind. 01:03:59 You need to give me that. 01:04:01 And I'm fully persuaded it's better for me to eat a 01:04:04 vegetarian diet. 01:04:05 You need to give me that. 01:04:06 Don't judge me. 01:04:06 I'm not going to judge you. 01:04:09 This is the principle that I think pervades the gospel of 01:04:15 Jesus Christ. 01:04:16 We have no right to judge other people on what they they keep 01:04:19 or don't keep and what food they eat or don't eat. 01:04:21 God is going to take that into account. 01:04:24 The second reason for the judgment is found in Matthew 01:04:26 chapter 7 verses 21 to 23. 01:04:28 Now Sister Jill touched on these verses earlier, but we're 01:04:31 going to look at them again here. 01:04:33 They're the verses where Jesus says, not everyone that says 01:04:37 unto me, Lord, Lord, is going to enter into the kingdom of 01:04:39 heaven. 01:04:40 There are many that say, Lord, haven't we done this? 01:04:42 And Lord, haven't we done that? 01:04:43 We've done many wonderful works in your name. 01:04:45 And he's going to profess unto them, I never knew you. 01:04:46 Depart from me, he that work iniquity. 01:04:50 Now remember, we don't judge. 01:04:52 Christ is the one saying those words, not us, right? 01:04:56 But again, we need to recognize the principle that's found in 01:04:59 these verses. 01:05:00 What are these people doing? 01:05:02 They're working iniquity while professing to be followers of 01:05:06 Jesus. 01:05:08 Jesus says, I'm going to take care of that. 01:05:10 And by the way, they're also saying that they deserve heaven 01:05:13 because of the many wonderful things they do. 01:05:14 That's righteousness by works. 01:05:17 They don't have the gospel. 01:05:18 They're not depending on Christ's righteousness. 01:05:20 They're depending on their own works. 01:05:21 But the next reason I think is the most significant one. 01:05:25 And it ties us to Daniel chapter 7, which is where the 01:05:28 quarterly really lands. 01:05:29 This one we're going to look at is found in Revelation chapter 01:05:32 12 and verse 10. 01:05:35 I heard a loud voice in heaven saying, now has come salvation 01:05:37 and strength and the power of our God in this Christ, because 01:05:39 the accuser of our brethren is what? 01:05:42 Cast down which accused them before God. 01:05:45 24, 7, 365. 01:05:48 The 24, 7, 365 guy. 01:05:51 That's who we're really fighting. 01:05:53 It's not flesh and blood. 01:05:54 It's principalities and powers and spiritual wickedness in 01:05:57 high places. 01:05:58 And that spiritual wickedness empowers the little horn, 01:06:02 empowers the sea beast. 01:06:04 And this religious power rises up to accuse, to make war 01:06:08 against God's people who keep the commandments of God and 01:06:11 keep the faith of Jesus. 01:06:15 Christ's faith in us, Christ's belief in us. 01:06:17 They hold on to that because that's the only thing that's 01:06:19 going to get them through. 01:06:20 And this little horn power is accusing us of violating his 01:06:25 commandments, the change that he's made. 01:06:28 You know, in the end of time, that's what's going to happen. 01:06:30 You know that, right? 01:06:31 God's people are going to be hated because they didn't go 01:06:34 along with this man-made system and this man-made power. 01:06:38 We're going to be accused, but God is going to vindicate us in 01:06:44 the judgment. 01:06:45 He's going to make a decision in favor of the saints. 01:06:50 Now we can't defend ourselves. 01:06:52 We can defend Christ and we need to defend Christ, but we 01:06:55 can't defend ourselves from the accuser. 01:06:58 We can't. 01:06:58 We're guilty as charged. 01:07:00 You were going 54 into 45, brother. 01:07:05 And it doesn't matter what the police officer said. 01:07:09 That judge could have thrown the book at you. 01:07:13 We are guilty and we need a savior. 01:07:16 And that brings us to the final picture that we have, and that 01:07:19 picture is found in Luke chapter 7. 01:07:21 It's a story that's found in all the Gospels. 01:07:23 It's the story of the woman and the alabaster box. 01:07:26 But I like Luke 7's rendition because it says there that when 01:07:30 she heard that Jesus was at this feast at Simon's house and 01:07:34 Simon was a Pharisee who'd been cured of leprosy, but he was 01:07:37 still working the night shift for the 24-7-365 guy. 01:07:44 When she found that out, she went into that gathering with a 01:07:50 reputation equal to Rahab's, and she poured out that box of 01:07:58 ointment upon Christ's head and wiped his feet with her tears 01:08:03 and with her hair. 01:08:06 The Bible says in this rendition of the story that she 01:08:09 stood behind Jesus. 01:08:12 You know in the woman, a woman in Bible prophecy represents a 01:08:15 church. 01:08:21 yet being accused by Simon who was working night shift for the 01:08:25 24 -7-365 guy. 01:08:28 This woman, this woman, but before he says that, he says 01:08:33 this man, notice this man if he were a prophet would know what 01:08:38 kind of woman this is for she is a sinner. 01:08:41 When you look at the judgment, you've got to realize that God 01:08:43 is in the judgment with us. 01:08:46 The hour of his judgment has come. 01:08:48 When we are accused, he is accused because he's saving us 01:08:51 by his grace, and the accuser doesn't like that. 01:08:55 And I love the way this story runs down because Christ 01:08:59 actually steps beyond Mary. 01:09:01 He's not worried about her. 01:09:03 He's got her back. 01:09:05 Mary is taken care of. 01:09:09 Her works testify that she is sold out for Jesus, sold out 01:09:14 for Jesus. 01:09:16 But how can Jesus reach Simon? 01:09:18 How can he reach the Pharisee? 01:09:20 How can he reach the Pharisee and us? 01:09:22 What can he do to reach Simon? 01:09:25 And so he tells that story of the two debtors. 01:09:29 And of course, as he tells the story, he makes the 01:09:33 declaration, leave her alone. 01:09:36 I love that, don't you? 01:09:37 That's the declaration of the judgment. 01:09:39 Leave her alone. 01:09:41 And God is going to say that. 01:09:43 Daniel 7 tells us, he says, a judgment is made in favor of 01:09:46 the saints. 01:09:50 alone. 01:09:51 That's us. 01:09:51 That's the woman. 01:09:52 That's the church. 01:09:53 Leave her alone. 01:09:54 She has wrought a good work on me. 01:09:57 And then he seeks to reach the Pharisee. 01:09:59 And I love the fact that the woman worked with Christ to 01:10:03 reach the heart of Simon. 01:10:05 That's our job. 01:10:05 That's our calling right now. 01:10:08 Amen. 01:10:09 Thank you so much, Pastor James and Pastor Johnny, Pastor John 01:10:13 and Pastor Ryan. 01:10:14 I'm so grateful, aren't you? 01:10:16 We stand behind Jesus in the judgment. 01:10:20 He has our back. 01:10:21 That's beautiful. 01:10:23 I want to give each one of you a moment for a final thought. 01:10:26 Yes, the judgment is coming, but we may find grace in the 01:10:29 eyes of the Lord. 01:10:31 Amen. 01:10:33 A sobering thought on Sodom and Gomorrah, Mark 6, 11. 01:10:36 When the gospel is being preached and we reject it, the 01:10:39 Lord says, it will be more tolerable for Sodom and 01:10:43 Gomorrah in that day than for that city. 01:10:46 Our joy today is to accept the gospel so that the judgment of 01:10:51 Sodom and Gomorrah is not on us. 01:10:53 Amen. 01:10:54 Amen. 01:10:57 God is not willing that any should perish, but that all 01:11:00 should come to repentance. 01:11:02 And we have the opportunity to repent. 01:11:04 Jesus has died on the cross for us so that we can have 01:11:08 salvation. 01:11:08 Praise God. 01:11:09 Amen. 01:11:10 Amen. 01:11:14 the Old Testament and in the New Testament of the judgment. 01:11:17 The judgment is to be made in favor of the saints. 01:11:20 We have nothing to fear in the judgment, but perhaps we as 01:11:23 Seventh -day Adventists have not comprehended that and 01:11:26 therefore not emphasized that in the message of the three 01:11:29 angels in the everlasting gospel. 01:11:31 I would encourage you get a copy of this book, read it 01:11:34 through and see if we can't come to the world starting with 01:11:38 ourselves with a different emphasis on the message of the 01:11:42 investigative judgment. 01:11:43 Amen. 01:11:44 That's such a beautiful thing. 01:11:45 I remember growing up in the Seventh-day Adventist church 01:11:48 myself, being afraid of the judgment, being terrified. 01:11:51 When my name comes up, will I be right before the father? 01:11:56 You and I do not have to be afraid. 01:11:59 We can have assurance of salvation, assurance that our 01:12:04 God, that Jesus is our advocate and our defense. 01:12:08 I love that. 01:12:09 He says in John 6 37, whoever comes to me, I will never cast 01:12:15 out. 01:12:16 So just accept Jesus today. 01:12:17 Those of you at home and those of you here as well, if you're 01:12:21 feeling that fear, we can have joy and assurance in the 01:12:25 judgment. 01:12:26 I want to invite you at home in 15 minutes. 01:12:29 We go live with the divine worship service from this stage. |
Revised 2025-06-09