Facing the Day of Judgment God's Way

Driving home: I want to preach to you on God's way, God's way of facing the day of judgment without terror and dread of its consequences.

Paul's mind 'implodes' with the weight of what he's been writing about God's grace, leading him to rhetorical questions, analogous to the sermon's opening.

For guilty, hell-deserving sinners. And he has demonstrated and explained how God has in the person and work of Jesus Christ and by the ministry of the Holy Spirit made it possible for boys and girls, men and women of any background, of any particular enmeshing in this or that sin, he's made it possible that they might be right with God, given a just title for heaven, and be given a personal fitness for heaven. That's what Paul has been expounding in chapter after chapter. And when he's done, it's as though his own mind implodes with the weight of what he's been writing and he backs off and sa...

8:10 - 9:36 Read in full sermon

Driving home: I want to preach to you on God's way, God's way of facing the day of judgment without terror and dread of its consequences.

The passage is set in the 'theater of the divine courtroom,' where God is the infallible judge, illustrating the solemnity and finality of judgment.

and thinking to reflect upon the right answer. Just as I began this morning with a rhetorical question, I began with a question calculated to force you to think and to reflect upon this great and weighty issue. And as he begins to do that in this passage, he brings us immediately into the theater of the divine courtroom. When we come to verse 33, we find the apostle with this question, who shall lay anything to the charge of God's elect?

9:36 - 10:15 Read in full sermon

Driving home: He said there is not one mouth that appears in God's courtroom that if he or she is dealt with in terms of the reality of his or her sin, not one mouth that is not stopped. A piece of duct tape is over the mouth. There i…

The image of 'duct tape' over every mouth in God's courtroom illustrates that no one can plead innocence or offer a defense against their sin.

No, in no wise, for we before laid to the charge both of Jews and of Greeks that they are all under sin. And then he marshals texts from various parts of the Old Testament, and then his summary statement, verse 19, now we know that what things soever the law says it speaks to them that are under the law. Now notice the particularity that every mouth may be stopped and all the world may be brought under the judgment of God. He said there is not one mouth that appears in God's courtroom that if he or she is dealt with in terms of the reality of his or her sin, not one mouth that is not stopped. ...

14:28 - 15:28 Read in full sermon

In this part of the sermon: Positively, God's way focuses on Christ Jesus, a unique historical person with an exclusive office and function. Martin explains the significance of the names 'Jesus' (Jehovah…

Martin shares a personal anecdote about his middle name, Albert, and his father's desire to honor Grandpa Newton, contrasting it with the functional significance of 'Christ Jesus' as titles.

Christians Christians Christ emotional attachment between a grandfather who was Grandpa Newton, and he only had daughters, and my father wanted to make him happy that the Newton name wouldn't die with him, so if it got stuck with me, it'll die with me. I did not give the name Newton to my son. But it had some significance, and my father's middle name was Albert. He thought it was the height of pompous pride for a man to make his son a junior, so he just gave me his middle name. And so there's some significance, but there is no significance in terms of identifying me in office or function. But ...

22:48 - 23:56 Read in full sermon

In this part of the sermon: Positively, God's way focuses on Christ Jesus, a unique historical person with an exclusive office and function. Martin explains the significance of the names 'Jesus' (Jehovah…

The story of Joseph wrestling with Mary's pregnancy and the angel's instruction to name the child Jesus illustrates the divine origin and saving purpose of Christ's name.

Remember when it was given to him? Well, Joseph is scratching his head. What shall I do? Mary, this noble, pure woman to whom I'm engaged, she's pregnant.

24:41 - 24:51 Read in full sermon

The point: If you are unconverted, you must have personal dealings with Christ Jesus, the unique historical person with an exclusive office and function, to experience God's way of contemplating judgment without dread and terror.

This acronym, 'Jesus just exactly suits us sinners,' is used to convey the perfect suitability of Christ's person and work for humanity's sinful condition.

I love the little acronym that I heard years ago. Jesus just exactly suits us sinners. Trivial and trite, but blessedly true. He would not exactly suit us sinners.

27:02 - 27:22 Read in full sermon

Driving home: It is Christ Jesus that died for me. Not some innocuous, undefined death, but death for the anathema of God. That that will fall on your head if you do not get into the Christ upon whom it fell.

Martin quotes a hymn to beautifully and soundly capture the sweep of Christ's substitutionary death, bearing the load, curse, and wrath for believers.

in our hymnody, and I know of no hymn that captures the sweep of it more beautifully and more soundly than one of my favorite hymns. O Christ, what burdens bowed thy head, our load was laid on thee. Thou stoodest in the sinner's stead, didst bear all ill. For me, a victim led, thy blood was shed. Now there's no load for me. Death and the curse were in our cup. O Christ, was full for thee, but thou hast drained the last dark drop. Tis empty now for me. That bitter cup, love drank it up. Now blessings draft for me. Jehovah

33:31 - 34:23 Read in full sermon

Driving home: I like to think of the empty tomb with my funny imagination as God's echo chamber and amen room to the cry of Christ's triumph from the cross.

Martin refers to John Bunyan's experience of his burden rolling off and into the open tomb, illustrating the removal of sin's guilt through Christ's resurrection.

Vindication of His person, validation of His work, so that when I look by faith and by sanctified imagination into that empty tomb, I can with bunion say, that burden on my back, what happened? It came off. It came off and rolled down and went into the mouth of the open tomb. And I saw it no more.

37:46 - 38:14 Read in full sermon

Driving home: I like to think of the empty tomb with my funny imagination as God's echo chamber and amen room to the cry of Christ's triumph from the cross.

The empty tomb is described as God's 'echo chamber and amen room' to Christ's cry 'It is finished!', signifying God's validation of Christ's completed work.

Hallelujah. I saw it no more. Raised for our justification. I like to think of the empty tomb with my funny imagination as God's echo chamber and amen room to the cry of Christ's triumph from the cross.

38:14 - 38:33 Read in full sermon

Driving home: No more sacrifice. He doesn't rise up and cut himself up into a million pieces and appear on every Roman Catholic altar today. He is seated. He is seated. One sacrifice for sin forever.

The analogy of cockroaches trying to stop Martin from entering his home illustrates the utter futility of nations and earthly powers attempting to thwart God's sovereign rule through Christ.

He that sits in the heavens shall laugh. I've used the illustration. There's three or four little cockroaches should meet me on my front stoop when I go home today. Rear back and their hind legs and say, hey, buddy, what you doing going in this place?

44:49 - 45:02 Read in full sermon