WEBVTT 00:00:00.490 --> 00:00:02.830 I'm going to ask you to take your hymnals now 00:00:02.830 --> 00:00:06.009 and turn to 228. We're going to thank you. Please 00:00:06.009 --> 00:00:13.089 be seated. Our Lord the Judge shall come, we 00:00:13.089 --> 00:00:15.890 have sung. Would you open your Bible with me 00:00:15.890 --> 00:00:22.070 please to Jeremiah chapter 32. Jeremiah knew 00:00:22.070 --> 00:00:29.329 the God whom he worshipped. Jeremiah's God is 00:00:29.329 --> 00:00:33.600 our God. There is not one God of the Old Testament 00:00:33.600 --> 00:00:38.500 and another God of the New Testament. The God 00:00:38.500 --> 00:00:42.579 that Jeremiah knew is the God that you and I 00:00:42.579 --> 00:00:49.600 know. Jeremiah knew his God well. I hope that 00:00:49.600 --> 00:00:54.600 we know our God well also. This summer we have 00:00:54.600 --> 00:00:57.700 devoted our study on sunny mornings to Jeremiah 00:00:57.700 --> 00:01:01.740 32 and Jeremiah's prayer because it helps us 00:01:01.740 --> 00:01:04.500 not only to understand what he knew about God, 00:01:04.780 --> 00:01:09.040 but it instructs us in what we should know about 00:01:09.040 --> 00:01:13.359 God. And of course that's the purpose of the 00:01:13.359 --> 00:01:17.900 whole Bible. The Bible is given to us as God's 00:01:17.900 --> 00:01:23.659 self -disclosure. so that in its words and ideas 00:01:23.659 --> 00:01:30.200 God reveals Himself to us. This is a generation 00:01:30.200 --> 00:01:33.939 of much knowledge. I heard someone say a few 00:01:33.939 --> 00:01:40.859 years ago that 90 % of our accumulated knowledge 00:01:40.859 --> 00:01:46.340 we have learned in the last 20 years. That is 00:01:46.340 --> 00:01:52.430 phenomenal. But while this generation has much 00:01:52.430 --> 00:01:56.989 knowledge available, it is increasingly ignorant 00:01:56.989 --> 00:02:01.590 of God. And there is no knowledge that is more 00:02:01.590 --> 00:02:05.870 important than that knowledge. Jeremiah chapter 00:02:05.870 --> 00:02:23.020 9 says, But let him who boasts boast in this, 00:02:24.099 --> 00:02:29.039 that he understands and knows me, that I am the 00:02:29.039 --> 00:02:33.740 Lord who exercises lovingkindness, justice, and 00:02:33.740 --> 00:02:38.900 righteousness on earth. For I delight in these 00:02:38.900 --> 00:02:45.900 things, declares the Lord." God says, I delight 00:02:45.900 --> 00:02:50.919 in lovingkindness. justice, and righteousness. 00:02:52.560 --> 00:02:55.780 Those words link up with the theme that comes 00:02:55.780 --> 00:02:59.960 out of our text for today, where we learn that 00:02:59.960 --> 00:03:05.360 God is a just God, that he has established his 00:03:05.360 --> 00:03:11.099 universe on the principle of justice, that he 00:03:11.099 --> 00:03:14.120 has instituted the concepts of right and wrong. 00:03:14.639 --> 00:03:17.979 and that he has defined right and wrong according 00:03:17.979 --> 00:03:24.819 to his own character, not the whims of man. And 00:03:24.819 --> 00:03:27.939 he has given to man, uniquely from all other 00:03:27.939 --> 00:03:33.219 creatures, a sense of conscience and morality 00:03:33.219 --> 00:03:41.759 to know right and wrong. And God holds responsible 00:03:41.759 --> 00:03:46.340 all men for their behavior. as measured by his 00:03:46.340 --> 00:03:52.860 rule. Dr. Paul Enns writes in the Moody Handbook 00:03:52.860 --> 00:04:16.839 of Theology, Since God's law reflects God's standard, 00:04:17.560 --> 00:04:20.420 then God is righteous and just when he judges 00:04:20.420 --> 00:04:25.420 man for his violation of God's revealed law. 00:04:28.620 --> 00:04:31.240 Jeremiah's understanding of the justice of God 00:04:31.240 --> 00:04:35.180 is reflected in our text for today, which is 00:04:35.180 --> 00:04:43.800 verse 19 once again of Jeremiah 32. where Jeremiah 00:04:43.800 --> 00:04:47.100 writes, great in counsel and mighty in deeds, 00:04:47.980 --> 00:04:52.019 whose eyes are open to all the ways of the sons 00:04:52.019 --> 00:04:58.220 of men. Let me repeat that. Whose eyes are open 00:04:58.220 --> 00:05:04.300 to all the ways of the sons of men, giving to 00:05:04.300 --> 00:05:08.199 everyone according to his ways and according 00:05:08.199 --> 00:05:17.230 to the fruit of his deeds. God is mighty in His 00:05:17.230 --> 00:05:21.529 reward. That truth, as we will see this morning, 00:05:22.089 --> 00:05:28.009 is too edged. That God knows all and rewards 00:05:28.009 --> 00:05:34.009 accordingly should comfort the righteous and 00:05:34.009 --> 00:05:41.490 terrify the wicked. There are two basic ideas 00:05:41.490 --> 00:05:43.930 that Jeremiah reflects regarding the justice 00:05:43.930 --> 00:05:48.199 of God. They are simple and yet they are profound. 00:05:50.199 --> 00:05:53.079 The first idea is this, that God has determined 00:05:53.079 --> 00:05:59.519 a time of judgment. That's presupposed in what 00:05:59.519 --> 00:06:05.879 Jeremiah says. God gives to everyone, He recompenses 00:06:05.879 --> 00:06:10.459 to everyone according to His deeds based upon 00:06:10.459 --> 00:06:17.160 what God has seen and He sees all things. There's 00:06:17.160 --> 00:06:21.600 a law of compensation that operates in God's 00:06:21.600 --> 00:06:28.860 world. We work and we are paid. We sow and we 00:06:28.860 --> 00:06:34.819 reap accordingly. We act and we are rewarded. 00:06:36.980 --> 00:06:40.680 Whatsoever a man sows, he shall reap, the Bible 00:06:40.680 --> 00:06:45.350 says. It is an undisputed principle. In the workplace, 00:06:45.750 --> 00:06:50.310 it's called salary. In agriculture, it's called 00:06:50.310 --> 00:06:55.470 harvest. In human behavior, it's called judgment. 00:06:58.310 --> 00:07:01.709 Paul Enns again writes, God's justice on the 00:07:01.709 --> 00:07:05.209 positive side is termed remunerative justice, 00:07:06.310 --> 00:07:09.990 which dispenses reward to the obedient. On the 00:07:09.990 --> 00:07:14.060 negative side, it's termed retributive justice, 00:07:14.920 --> 00:07:19.339 an expression of divine wrath in which God punishes 00:07:19.339 --> 00:07:27.800 the wicked. On one magnificent day the Apostle 00:07:27.800 --> 00:07:32.480 Paul stood before the wisest men of the world 00:07:32.480 --> 00:07:39.180 in his day. He was in the city of Athens on the 00:07:39.180 --> 00:07:43.680 outcropping of a hill. that was termed Mars Hill. 00:07:45.279 --> 00:07:48.399 It was there these men gathered to debate this 00:07:48.399 --> 00:07:51.379 and that and to listen to speeches and to do 00:07:51.379 --> 00:07:55.360 the elite, intelligent, intellectual things of 00:07:55.360 --> 00:08:02.920 their day. The Apostle Paul gained the privilege 00:08:02.920 --> 00:08:09.829 of speaking to them. Somewhere in his message 00:08:09.829 --> 00:08:11.870 to them, I don't know where it was, it became 00:08:11.870 --> 00:08:17.470 the end. It became the end. He said regarding 00:08:17.470 --> 00:08:22.290 this God who has created everything and who gives 00:08:22.290 --> 00:08:30.009 us breath and life and being and this God who 00:08:30.009 --> 00:08:35.950 causes all men to rise up or to fall. He says 00:08:35.950 --> 00:08:41.009 regarding this God he has fixed a day He has 00:08:41.009 --> 00:08:45.049 fixed a day in which he will judge the world 00:08:45.049 --> 00:08:50.529 in righteousness Through a man whom he has appointed 00:08:50.529 --> 00:08:53.929 Having furnished proof to all men by raising 00:08:53.929 --> 00:08:57.070 him from the dead that was the point that they 00:08:57.070 --> 00:09:00.929 cut him off They said enough of this and they 00:09:00.929 --> 00:09:03.590 began to argue and dispute regarding the resurrection 00:09:03.590 --> 00:09:09.490 of the dead But Paul delivered his point, and 00:09:09.490 --> 00:09:12.389 his point is that the Creator God holds all men 00:09:12.389 --> 00:09:16.110 responsible, even those who are ignorant intellectuals 00:09:16.110 --> 00:09:20.970 who refuse to acknowledge Him. And He has fixed 00:09:20.970 --> 00:09:27.909 a day. It's on God's calendar. And He has appointed 00:09:27.909 --> 00:09:32.210 the Judge. And we know who the Judge is because 00:09:32.210 --> 00:09:35.009 God raised Him from the dead, and there's only 00:09:35.009 --> 00:09:41.730 one. And that's Jesus Christ. And God is going 00:09:41.730 --> 00:09:48.190 to judge. Jesus, too, spoke of the judgment. 00:09:50.269 --> 00:09:52.529 There are those who like to manufacture some 00:09:52.529 --> 00:09:54.750 sort of image of Jesus that He was only meek 00:09:54.750 --> 00:09:57.450 and mild and loving and forgiving and never said 00:09:57.450 --> 00:10:00.210 anything harsh and never spoke of judgment or 00:10:00.210 --> 00:10:08.289 of hell. That is an imbalance. in one's vision 00:10:08.289 --> 00:10:13.409 of Jesus. Jesus was loving and forgiving and 00:10:13.409 --> 00:10:15.690 spoke many wonderful things, but he also was 00:10:15.690 --> 00:10:19.289 very clear in announcing judgment. In the book 00:10:19.289 --> 00:10:21.909 of Matthew, no fewer than four times, he used 00:10:21.909 --> 00:10:25.450 this very phrase, the day of judgment, the day 00:10:25.450 --> 00:10:29.169 of judgment. And time and time again, he spoke 00:10:29.169 --> 00:10:35.750 of that day, that day, referring to this day 00:10:35.750 --> 00:10:41.200 of judgment. And so Jeremiah understands a very 00:10:41.200 --> 00:10:46.500 basic premise that our generation has laid aside, 00:10:46.559 --> 00:10:49.679 and that is that God has determined a day of 00:10:49.679 --> 00:10:53.080 judgment. And if you were to stand in the university 00:10:53.080 --> 00:10:59.000 classrooms of our generation, they too would 00:10:59.000 --> 00:11:01.779 begin to scoff and laugh when you spoke of a 00:11:01.779 --> 00:11:05.480 day of judgment and of the man who will stand 00:11:05.480 --> 00:11:09.190 in judgment on that day whom God has raised from 00:11:09.190 --> 00:11:14.470 the dead. There are a couple of thoughts I want 00:11:14.470 --> 00:11:18.629 to share before I go on and that is this day 00:11:18.629 --> 00:11:23.309 of judgment that is appointed may not be as soon 00:11:23.309 --> 00:11:27.669 as we might wish when we see the evil in our 00:11:27.669 --> 00:11:35.019 world. There are things that have happened to 00:11:35.019 --> 00:11:38.279 friends of mine and to people that I love and 00:11:38.279 --> 00:11:42.200 some whom I've discipled, wicked and evil things, 00:11:45.580 --> 00:11:52.740 done purposely. And I have said, God, why? Why 00:11:52.740 --> 00:12:01.240 do you allow this to go on? And when we see God's 00:12:01.240 --> 00:12:09.259 servants who are held captive year after year, 00:12:09.279 --> 00:12:14.399 and we pray. And we say, God, why? Why doesn't 00:12:14.399 --> 00:12:20.659 judgment come? And we hear of the heinous crimes 00:12:20.659 --> 00:12:26.480 committed in our community. And we say, where 00:12:26.480 --> 00:12:31.200 is judgment? It brings me to this thought that 00:12:31.200 --> 00:12:34.039 this judgment day may not come as soon as we 00:12:34.039 --> 00:12:43.580 might wish. But friends, it is coming. Don't 00:12:43.580 --> 00:12:48.200 lose sight of that. God has established a principle 00:12:48.200 --> 00:12:53.259 of compensation in our universe. There is justice 00:12:53.259 --> 00:12:57.139 that is at work even though at times it seems 00:12:57.139 --> 00:13:03.700 to work very slowly. Brings me to a second thought. 00:13:03.779 --> 00:13:07.639 This judgment that I am speaking of this morning 00:13:07.639 --> 00:13:10.379 will occur in conjunction with the coming of 00:13:10.379 --> 00:13:15.480 Christ. Jesus said in Matthew 16 verse 27, for 00:13:15.480 --> 00:13:18.139 the Son of Man is going to come in the glory 00:13:18.139 --> 00:13:24.779 of his Father with his angels and will then recompense 00:13:24.779 --> 00:13:30.600 every man according to his deed. By the way, 00:13:30.759 --> 00:13:33.450 when Jesus made that statement. He was quoting 00:13:33.450 --> 00:13:39.110 from Psalm 62 and verse 12, where it says that 00:13:39.110 --> 00:13:42.330 Yahweh is going to judge every man according 00:13:42.330 --> 00:13:46.169 to his deeds. So do you see what Jesus was saying? 00:13:47.590 --> 00:13:51.149 He is saying, I am the Yahweh of the Old Testament. 00:13:51.289 --> 00:13:54.450 I am the Lord of the Old Testament and I am the 00:13:54.450 --> 00:13:56.909 one who will judge every man according to his 00:13:56.909 --> 00:14:04.019 deeds. God is mighty in reward both to the good 00:14:04.019 --> 00:14:07.919 and to the evil, both to the righteous and unrighteous. 00:14:09.940 --> 00:14:13.620 And God has determined a day of judgment. But 00:14:13.620 --> 00:14:17.740 my second thought is this this morning. The second 00:14:17.740 --> 00:14:21.220 basic idea that Jeremiah had grasped is this, 00:14:21.299 --> 00:14:24.399 that the future judgment will include every person. 00:14:26.059 --> 00:14:29.500 It's not a general judgment of all men. It is 00:14:29.500 --> 00:14:33.139 that every person individually will stand before 00:14:33.139 --> 00:14:38.179 God. In Jeremiah 17 verse 10, I the Lord search 00:14:38.179 --> 00:14:43.779 the heart, he says. I test the mind even to give 00:14:43.779 --> 00:14:48.399 to each man according to his ways, according 00:14:48.399 --> 00:14:53.940 to the results of his deeds. The righteous man 00:14:53.940 --> 00:14:57.889 will appear in judgment. the believer in Jesus 00:14:57.889 --> 00:15:00.470 Christ will appear in judgment. You, if you are 00:15:00.470 --> 00:15:05.690 a Christian, will appear in judgment. It says 00:15:05.690 --> 00:15:09.470 in 2 Corinthians 5 -10, for we must all appear 00:15:09.470 --> 00:15:14.669 before the judgment seat of Christ, that each 00:15:14.669 --> 00:15:18.090 one may be recompensed for his deeds in the body 00:15:18.090 --> 00:15:20.190 according to what he has done, whether it be 00:15:20.190 --> 00:15:23.590 good or bad. Literally it says, whether it be 00:15:23.590 --> 00:15:30.399 good or good for nothing. We will all stand before 00:15:30.399 --> 00:15:32.779 the judgment seat of Christ and thank God it 00:15:32.779 --> 00:15:39.039 will not be to give answer for our sin For if 00:15:39.039 --> 00:15:41.820 we have believed in the Lord Jesus Christ our 00:15:41.820 --> 00:15:45.360 sin past present and future all of it Has been 00:15:45.360 --> 00:15:48.320 nailed to the cross and we bear it no more. Praise 00:15:48.320 --> 00:15:53.440 the Lord. Praise the Lord. Oh my soul It is under 00:15:53.440 --> 00:15:58.759 the blood of Jesus Christ But there is an element 00:15:58.759 --> 00:16:01.539 of judgment that we will face as an examination 00:16:01.539 --> 00:16:05.919 of the works of our lives. It is possible for 00:16:05.919 --> 00:16:08.580 us to live so that our deeds are good, they are 00:16:08.580 --> 00:16:11.399 beneficial, they mean something, they edify, 00:16:12.519 --> 00:16:17.059 they assist, they help, they build up. Or we 00:16:17.059 --> 00:16:24.720 can live so as to live for nothing. We believers. 00:16:26.539 --> 00:16:29.759 Our lives can have the line drawn under them 00:16:29.759 --> 00:16:35.480 and the line be added up so that it says good 00:16:35.480 --> 00:16:43.039 for nothing. Zero. And we will receive recompense 00:16:43.039 --> 00:16:48.820 from the Lord accordingly. That ought to be a 00:16:48.820 --> 00:16:51.039 terrifying thought to all of us. It was at least 00:16:51.039 --> 00:16:54.990 to the Apostle Paul. Because after saying those 00:16:54.990 --> 00:16:57.429 words he went on to say knowing therefore the 00:16:57.429 --> 00:17:05.289 terror of the Lord We persuade men There is a 00:17:05.289 --> 00:17:08.710 truth that has been I think over articulated 00:17:08.710 --> 00:17:11.970 in our day and that is that we don't believe 00:17:11.970 --> 00:17:21.089 In a Christianity of works That we as believers 00:17:21.089 --> 00:17:24.960 are not on a treadmill trying to prove ourselves 00:17:24.960 --> 00:17:31.960 to God. And of course, there is an element of 00:17:31.960 --> 00:17:35.200 truth to that. God accepts us as we are in Jesus 00:17:35.200 --> 00:17:39.920 Christ. But I say it's been over -articulated 00:17:39.920 --> 00:17:43.539 in the sense that we've sort of bought into the 00:17:43.539 --> 00:17:46.000 idea, well, it doesn't make any difference how 00:17:46.000 --> 00:17:52.670 I live. That I can live the way I want to And 00:17:52.670 --> 00:17:55.509 in the end, it doesn't make a hill of beans of 00:17:55.509 --> 00:18:03.630 difference. And that simply is not true. God 00:18:03.630 --> 00:18:06.049 is going to hold us accountable for the way that 00:18:06.049 --> 00:18:11.250 we live our lives. And we shall each one appear 00:18:11.250 --> 00:18:15.349 at the judgment seat. That term Bema seat, the 00:18:15.349 --> 00:18:18.130 judgment seat that Paul uses was well known in 00:18:18.130 --> 00:18:22.559 Athens or in Corinth. The letter that was written 00:18:22.559 --> 00:18:26.519 to Corinth contains that phrase. It was a seat 00:18:26.519 --> 00:18:32.839 in the public square where a number of things 00:18:32.839 --> 00:18:35.779 occurred, including rewards being given to athletes 00:18:35.779 --> 00:18:40.140 at games. We are all interested, I suppose, in 00:18:40.140 --> 00:18:44.779 the Olympics and watching the world's best receive 00:18:44.779 --> 00:18:49.970 the gold, the silver, and the bronze. And they 00:18:49.970 --> 00:18:52.970 stand before the gathered thousands and someone 00:18:52.970 --> 00:18:56.470 places around their neck or into their hands 00:18:56.470 --> 00:18:59.150 the coveted metal for which they have worked 00:18:59.150 --> 00:19:03.589 so arduously. Well, that is the idea here. Paul 00:19:03.589 --> 00:19:06.049 says there is something to be gained from the 00:19:06.049 --> 00:19:10.609 Lord. There is a metal, as it were, to be gained, 00:19:10.769 --> 00:19:14.509 a crown to be gained from Him if we live well. 00:19:17.099 --> 00:19:21.299 But if we do not, we suffer loss. Not loss of 00:19:21.299 --> 00:19:31.319 salvation, but loss of the reward. There are 00:19:31.319 --> 00:19:34.559 eternal rewards to be gained or lost, according 00:19:34.559 --> 00:19:38.880 to a believer's works. But the wicked will also 00:19:38.880 --> 00:19:44.180 stand before judgment. 2 Thessalonians 1 verses 00:19:44.180 --> 00:20:08.680 5 through 7 says, So as there is eternal reward 00:20:08.680 --> 00:20:13.299 to be gained for the righteous. There is an eternal 00:20:13.299 --> 00:20:18.819 hell to be avoided by those who are lost That 00:20:18.819 --> 00:20:22.779 hell is the destiny of those who do not repent 00:20:22.779 --> 00:20:26.339 of their sin and believe on the Lord Jesus Christ 00:20:26.339 --> 00:20:31.180 Now there are some phrases in the scriptures 00:20:31.180 --> 00:20:34.440 that lead a few to believe that the future judgment 00:20:34.890 --> 00:20:37.710 will occur all at the same point. In other words, 00:20:37.730 --> 00:20:39.970 there's going to be a general resurrection and 00:20:39.970 --> 00:20:42.670 everybody will stand there and God will judge 00:20:42.670 --> 00:20:45.029 everybody at one time. That is not the case. 00:20:46.289 --> 00:20:48.349 The Scriptures indicate that in the future there 00:20:48.349 --> 00:20:52.769 is a series of judgments that will eventually 00:20:52.769 --> 00:20:58.910 entail everyone. Let me just give to you quickly 00:20:58.910 --> 00:21:01.730 the five of the major judgments that are still 00:21:01.730 --> 00:21:05.039 in the future. Number one, It is the judgment 00:21:05.039 --> 00:21:09.079 of the Church. That is, the judgment of those 00:21:09.079 --> 00:21:12.039 who believed on Christ in this age from the time 00:21:12.039 --> 00:21:14.980 of Pentecost until the Lord raptures or catches 00:21:14.980 --> 00:21:19.480 out the Church. 1 Corinthians 3 describes that 00:21:19.480 --> 00:21:22.839 judgment. That will take place when we will be 00:21:22.839 --> 00:21:27.980 examined before the Lord. The second judgment 00:21:27.980 --> 00:21:30.680 will be a judgment of the Antichrist and the 00:21:30.680 --> 00:21:33.630 false prophet, two of the leading figures. in 00:21:33.630 --> 00:21:36.130 the time of rebellion at the end of this age. 00:21:38.789 --> 00:21:42.609 When those seven years of tribulation are ended, 00:21:43.349 --> 00:21:45.910 the Antichrist and the false prophet will have 00:21:45.910 --> 00:21:49.549 a special judgment. And the two of them, according 00:21:49.549 --> 00:21:52.569 to Revelation chapter 19 and verse 20, will be 00:21:52.569 --> 00:21:58.490 cast into the lake of fire. And they will be 00:21:58.490 --> 00:22:01.009 the only inhabitants of the lake of fire for 00:22:01.009 --> 00:22:08.109 a thousand years and more. The third judgment 00:22:08.109 --> 00:22:11.829 will occur at the end of the tribulation and 00:22:11.829 --> 00:22:14.509 before Christ's reign in the millennium when 00:22:14.509 --> 00:22:20.450 all of the other saints will be judged, including 00:22:20.450 --> 00:22:22.990 those of the Old Testament who will be resurrected 00:22:22.990 --> 00:22:26.109 to stand before the Lord and those tribulation 00:22:26.109 --> 00:22:31.730 saints who have died. They will be judged. before 00:22:31.730 --> 00:22:34.549 the millennium begins, as will the believing 00:22:34.549 --> 00:22:38.210 Gentiles who are still alive in that day, and 00:22:38.210 --> 00:22:40.970 the believing Jews, those Jews who have believed 00:22:40.970 --> 00:22:45.730 in the tribulation and are still alive. And so 00:22:45.730 --> 00:22:47.789 if you're tracking with me, you see that all 00:22:47.789 --> 00:22:50.049 of the righteous, all of those who believed in 00:22:50.049 --> 00:22:52.430 all of the ages, will before the millennial reign 00:22:52.430 --> 00:22:56.549 of Jesus Christ be judged for their works and 00:22:56.549 --> 00:23:03.029 rewarded accordingly. The next judgment is the 00:23:03.029 --> 00:23:07.190 judgment of the devil and his angels. In Christ's 00:23:07.190 --> 00:23:10.049 reign, the devil and his angels will be held 00:23:10.049 --> 00:23:12.289 captive in the bottomless pit. They will not 00:23:12.289 --> 00:23:17.369 be able to work as they do now. But at the end 00:23:17.369 --> 00:23:21.490 of the thousand years, they are loosed. And there 00:23:21.490 --> 00:23:24.869 is one final rebellion that they foment upon 00:23:24.869 --> 00:23:30.009 the earth against God. And God intervenes and 00:23:30.009 --> 00:23:33.230 brings that to an end. And as He does that, it 00:23:33.230 --> 00:23:36.849 says that He casts the devil into the lake of 00:23:36.849 --> 00:23:39.650 fire where the beast, that is the antichrist, 00:23:39.930 --> 00:23:44.289 and the false prophet are. A thousand years after 00:23:44.289 --> 00:23:46.730 they were cast there, they're still there in 00:23:46.730 --> 00:23:50.029 torment. They have not been annihilated. And 00:23:50.029 --> 00:23:55.210 now the devil joins them. And then there will 00:23:55.210 --> 00:24:00.880 be the resurrection of all the lost. who will 00:24:00.880 --> 00:24:03.279 stand before God in what is called the Great 00:24:03.279 --> 00:24:08.359 White Throne Judgment. Jesus Christ sits on the 00:24:08.359 --> 00:24:10.720 throne and before His face the earth and heaven 00:24:10.720 --> 00:24:15.420 flees away. And the books are opened, the books 00:24:15.420 --> 00:24:19.299 of the works of their lives. And the Book of 00:24:19.299 --> 00:24:24.500 Life is there. And if their names are not found 00:24:24.500 --> 00:24:27.920 written in the Book of Life, They are judged 00:24:27.920 --> 00:24:31.779 according to the works of their lives and then 00:24:31.779 --> 00:24:34.480 their eternal destiny in the lake of fire is 00:24:34.480 --> 00:24:42.539 determined and judgment is carried out. My point 00:24:42.539 --> 00:24:46.059 is that there is not one of us that will escape 00:24:46.059 --> 00:24:51.500 the judgment of God. We will be judged at one 00:24:51.500 --> 00:24:59.940 time or another by the living God. My closing 00:24:59.940 --> 00:25:08.579 thoughts are these. Judgment for sin can be avoided 00:25:08.579 --> 00:25:14.480 only by the cross. The reason for that is that 00:25:14.480 --> 00:25:18.759 God has poured out His retribution and His wrath 00:25:18.759 --> 00:25:26.680 for sin upon His Son at the cross. And if one 00:25:26.680 --> 00:25:29.700 would escape personal responsibility for his 00:25:29.700 --> 00:25:33.059 sin and personal judgment for his wicked deeds, 00:25:33.339 --> 00:25:36.660 he must come to the cross and there repent of 00:25:36.660 --> 00:25:42.680 his sin and receive the Savior as an act of faith. 00:25:43.000 --> 00:25:48.799 And in doing so, he is delivered from the judgment 00:25:48.799 --> 00:25:54.970 for his own sin. Have you done that? Have you 00:25:54.970 --> 00:25:57.490 received that gift of grace that God offers to 00:25:57.490 --> 00:26:02.970 you at the cross? Do not press ahead in your 00:26:02.970 --> 00:26:06.549 life bearing the load of your sin only to face 00:26:06.549 --> 00:26:09.029 the judgment bar of God at the great white throne 00:26:09.029 --> 00:26:13.750 judgment. There is no escape for responsibility 00:26:13.750 --> 00:26:17.710 for what you've done. Either you must personally 00:26:17.710 --> 00:26:21.440 bear the eternal judgment for it. or you must 00:26:21.440 --> 00:26:24.079 recognize that the Savior has borne it on your 00:26:24.079 --> 00:26:30.500 behalf. And in turning from your sin and receiving 00:26:30.500 --> 00:26:35.319 Him, find escape from your responsibility and 00:26:35.319 --> 00:26:42.700 salvation and rescue. The second thing I want 00:26:42.700 --> 00:26:44.720 to say in closing is this, that whatever you 00:26:44.720 --> 00:26:47.180 as a believer do in the name of Jesus Christ 00:26:47.180 --> 00:26:52.210 is noted. There is nothing that God does not 00:26:52.210 --> 00:26:59.170 see. Last Sunday after the team had finished 00:26:59.170 --> 00:27:01.970 its work in Guatemala, we were gathered for a 00:27:01.970 --> 00:27:08.289 brief service in a quiet spot in the city of 00:27:08.289 --> 00:27:15.250 Antigua. And I had decided what I wanted to read, 00:27:15.250 --> 00:27:18.009 but I found myself nearly incapable of reading 00:27:18.009 --> 00:27:21.819 it. because I had seen the labor of these men 00:27:21.819 --> 00:27:27.720 and women on the team. And these are the words 00:27:27.720 --> 00:27:35.519 that the Lord led me to read to them. The King 00:27:35.519 --> 00:27:37.960 will say to those on his right, come you who 00:27:37.960 --> 00:27:40.680 are blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom, 00:27:41.339 --> 00:27:43.680 prepared for you from the foundation of the world, 00:27:43.720 --> 00:27:46.700 for I was hungry and you gave me something to 00:27:46.700 --> 00:27:50.420 eat. And I was thirsty, and you gave me drink. 00:27:51.140 --> 00:27:54.759 I was a stranger, and you invited me in. Naked, 00:27:54.799 --> 00:27:57.079 and you clothed me. I was sick, and you visited 00:27:57.079 --> 00:28:00.500 me. I was in prison, and you came to me." And 00:28:00.500 --> 00:28:02.779 the righteous will answer the king, saying, Lord, 00:28:02.859 --> 00:28:07.079 when did we see you hungry? When did we feed 00:28:07.079 --> 00:28:14.309 you? When did we give you to drink? When did 00:28:14.309 --> 00:28:17.190 we see you a stranger and invite you in or clothe 00:28:17.190 --> 00:28:21.849 you? And when did we see you sick or in prison 00:28:21.849 --> 00:28:26.650 and come to you, Lord? And the king will answer 00:28:26.650 --> 00:28:29.930 and say to them, truly I say to you to the extent 00:28:29.930 --> 00:28:34.150 that you did it to one of these brothers of mine, 00:28:34.809 --> 00:28:39.670 even to the least of them, you did it to me. 00:28:42.480 --> 00:28:45.859 And I was overwhelmed as I thought of how this 00:28:45.859 --> 00:28:52.000 magnificent team had served some of the most 00:28:52.000 --> 00:29:01.019 poor and the most needy of God's people. They 00:29:01.019 --> 00:29:04.680 had done it unselfishly. But they had not only 00:29:04.680 --> 00:29:07.660 served them in doing that, they had served the 00:29:07.660 --> 00:29:10.700 Lord Jesus. You remember that yourself, will 00:29:10.700 --> 00:29:14.589 you? that every cup of cold water you give in 00:29:14.589 --> 00:29:18.930 His name is noted. You're not only meeting the 00:29:18.930 --> 00:29:21.549 need of another person, you're not only encouraging 00:29:21.549 --> 00:29:28.710 that one, you are serving Jesus Himself. And 00:29:28.710 --> 00:29:34.529 one day, the righteous Lord will reward you for 00:29:34.529 --> 00:29:40.920 your work of love. My closing comment is this, 00:29:40.960 --> 00:29:47.460 that we'll be glad in that day that we did what 00:29:47.460 --> 00:29:52.859 we're doing for Christ now. We'll be glad in 00:29:52.859 --> 00:30:00.119 that day that we're doing now what we did. And 00:30:00.119 --> 00:30:02.099 if we're not doing now what we ought to be doing, 00:30:02.119 --> 00:30:05.500 then we better get with it. Because there's a 00:30:05.500 --> 00:30:07.799 day coming when we will stand before the Lord. 00:30:09.160 --> 00:30:14.119 and the righteous judge will recompense to each 00:30:14.119 --> 00:30:20.240 of us according to our works. It will be worth 00:30:20.240 --> 00:30:23.220 it all, says the songwriter, when we see Jesus. 00:30:24.279 --> 00:30:28.019 Life's trials will seem so small when we see 00:30:28.019 --> 00:30:31.900 Christ. One glimpse of His dear face, all sorrow, 00:30:32.059 --> 00:30:37.380 will erase. So bravely run the race until we 00:30:37.380 --> 00:30:42.670 see Christ. Run the race this week keeping your 00:30:42.670 --> 00:30:46.289 eyes on Jesus the author and finisher of your 00:30:46.289 --> 00:30:51.009 faith And if you do not know Jesus Christ this 00:30:51.009 --> 00:30:53.450 morning, let me close by just telling you about 00:30:53.450 --> 00:30:57.049 Charles Finney Who was near the end of law school 00:30:57.049 --> 00:31:00.190 in the state of New York when one day in his 00:31:00.190 --> 00:31:04.170 office? He seemed to hear the voice of God say 00:31:04.170 --> 00:31:08.859 to him Finney What are you going to do? when 00:31:08.859 --> 00:31:12.960 you finish your course of studies. And Finney 00:31:12.960 --> 00:31:14.980 said, well, I'm going to hang up a shingle and 00:31:14.980 --> 00:31:19.720 practice law. And the Lord said, well, what then? 00:31:22.140 --> 00:31:26.579 Finney said, I'm going to get rich. And the Lord 00:31:26.579 --> 00:31:31.279 said, well, what then? And Finney said, well, 00:31:31.539 --> 00:31:36.299 I'm going to retire. And the Lord said, well, 00:31:36.380 --> 00:31:43.160 what then? And Finney said, I guess I'm going 00:31:43.160 --> 00:31:53.539 to die. And the Lord said, what then? And Finney 00:31:53.539 --> 00:31:55.740 ran out of his office into the woods and spent 00:31:55.740 --> 00:32:01.539 the whole day seeking God and came back a transformed 00:32:01.539 --> 00:32:05.440 convert in Jesus Christ when he recognized that 00:32:05.440 --> 00:32:09.309 for every one of us Death is appointed, and after 00:32:09.309 --> 00:32:18.470 that, the judgment. Let's pray. Perhaps you need 00:32:18.470 --> 00:32:20.349 to seek the face of the Lord this morning for 00:32:20.349 --> 00:32:24.509 your own salvation, my friend. If the Lord were 00:32:24.509 --> 00:32:27.630 to ask you that series of questions, what then? 00:32:27.710 --> 00:32:33.630 What then? What then? Are you prepared to stand 00:32:33.630 --> 00:32:37.480 before Him? The prophet Amos said, Prepare to 00:32:37.480 --> 00:32:44.079 meet thy God. Have you trusted Jesus Christ as 00:32:44.079 --> 00:32:48.920 your Savior? If not, will you do it? And say, 00:32:48.960 --> 00:32:52.680 Lord Jesus, I acknowledge my sin. I believe that 00:32:52.680 --> 00:32:55.339 you died for my sin on the cross. I believe that 00:32:55.339 --> 00:32:57.900 you rose again from the dead, and I receive you 00:32:57.900 --> 00:33:02.900 as an act of faith into my life to be my Lord 00:33:02.900 --> 00:33:08.680 and my Savior. It is that act of faith, my friend, 00:33:08.920 --> 00:33:13.359 that will cause you, allow you to escape responsibility 00:33:13.359 --> 00:33:18.660 for the guilt that is on your soul. And if you 00:33:18.660 --> 00:33:21.440 neglect it, if you ignore it, if you reject it, 00:33:21.559 --> 00:33:26.740 you do so to the peril, the eternal peril of 00:33:26.740 --> 00:33:33.799 your soul. So receive Him today. And if that 00:33:33.799 --> 00:33:36.059 is your desire, would you indicate it just by 00:33:36.059 --> 00:33:40.259 lifting your hand and putting it down? And saying, 00:33:40.440 --> 00:33:43.140 Dear God, I do not want to stand before you in 00:33:43.140 --> 00:33:47.240 judgment and be responsible for the evil of my 00:33:47.240 --> 00:33:52.200 life. But today I receive Christ as my Savior. 00:33:53.960 --> 00:33:55.799 Would you lift your hand and put it down? Is 00:33:55.799 --> 00:34:04.759 there one? Let's stand together, please. Father, 00:34:04.900 --> 00:34:07.319 I pray that this reminder this morning of what 00:34:07.319 --> 00:34:10.139 Jeremiah knew about you and what we also need 00:34:10.139 --> 00:34:13.639 to know, that you are a God who is mighty in 00:34:13.639 --> 00:34:18.079 reward, will encourage us in our service. May 00:34:18.079 --> 00:34:20.619 we be willing to press on and to run the race, 00:34:20.960 --> 00:34:25.579 whatever it means for us, knowing that on that 00:34:25.579 --> 00:34:30.400 day we shall receive from your hand according 00:34:30.400 --> 00:34:34.030 to our deeds. And may on that day our hearts 00:34:34.030 --> 00:34:39.190 be filled with joy because we have been faithful 00:34:39.190 --> 00:34:45.530 and obedient now. In Jesus' name I pray, amen.