What He Will Do with His Own, Part 3

Introduction and Review of Christ's Return

0:01 The following sermon was delivered on Sunday morning, August 5th, 2001, at the Trinity Baptist Church in Montville, New Jersey. For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God. So wrote the Apostle Paul by the inspiration of the Spirit of Truth, and so it shall be. All of human history, in all of its complexity, is moving steadily and inexorably to that very hour, that very minute, that very second, when the glorified Jesus will split the air with his shout as a triumphant warrior, when the archangel shall add his amen with his voice to the shout of Jesus, and when the shout and the voice will have added to them the trumpet of God, then all of the events which Scripture says will cluster around the coming of Christ

1:23 as prophesied in the Scriptures will unfold between your eyes and mine. In my eyes, before the eyes of each and every one of us, for our eternal blessing or our eternal cursing. And during the past few weeks, this wonderful yet sobering theme of the return of Christ has occupied our attention in the ministry of the Word, in which I have been seeking to open up what is a very mundane and bland title, The Return of Christ. In New Testament belief and experience, and realizing that summer time is vacation time, and there's a disruption in the normal rhythms of life. Let me take just a few minutes to look back with you, particularly for those who've not been with us or have had their time in this series interrupted with vacation and other distractions. Let me take just a few minutes to look back with you and identify the ground that we have covered in this series, study. We began by looking at six texts in the New Testament which clearly teach that eagerly awaiting and loving the return of Christ was an essential element of ordinary or normal

2:47 New Testament Christian experience. We then considered from the scriptures four reasons as to why believers in a healthy spiritual state do long for and eagerly await the return of Christ. And then thirdly, we began to address what I've called some crucial issues relative to the return of Christ, matters concerning which believers, if they are to be the kind of believers described in Ephesians 4, who are not tossed to and fro by every wind of doctrine and bait for every sleight-of-hand Bible teacher, matters concerning which we must have well-settled, biblically informed understanding and convictions. And the first was this, as to the event of our Lord's return, it is certain. To rip from our Bibles every affirmation, just to say in the New Testament alone, not to mention the many old ones, but to rip from our Bibles every affirmation, just to say in the New Testament not to mention the many old ones, but to rip from our Bibles every affirmation, just to say in the Old Testament references, to tear away those passages of Scripture which can have no other reasonable interpretation but that the same Jesus, who was taken up from the eleven into heaven,

4:09 shall so come in like manner, would leave our Bibles in tatters. And so as to the event itself, it is certain. Secondly, as to the place of our Lord's return in redemptive history, it is central and it is climactic. There is no other epoch of redemptive activity awaiting beyond the second coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. From his first coming to his second coming are described in the Bible as the last days. And the last moment of the last days is the return of Christ and all the events that cluster around it. And then having seen that as to the event, it is certain, as to its place in redemptive history, it is central and climactic, we then saw that as to its time, for us it is always imminent, near at hand, indefinite, and unknowable, so that every succeeding generation of the people of God have biblical warrant to live in the expectations

5:25 and in the yearning for the return of Christ. Then we came to the fourth category of concern with regard to the basic matters related to the Lord's coming, and I stated it this way, as to the events connected with our Lord's return, they are clearly revealed and manifold. They are not, some of them, easily understandable, but they are clearly revealed, and they are manifold, and so they are clearly revealed, and so they are manifold, and so they are clearly revealed, and so they are manifold. And so I suggested that in trying to absorb the full testimony of Scripture regarding the events in connection with the return of our Lord Jesus, we ought not to think in terms of coming up with a mathematically accurate list, one to fifteen, this, then this, then this, then this, this before that, that before this, it can only end up in confusion. The Bible does not set the doctrine of the Lord's return before us in that way. We saw from a careful study, 1 Thessalonians chapter 4 and 2 Thessalonians chapter 1, that the biblical writers will emphasize certain aspects of the return of Christ and the events connected with it as opportunity in pastoral concern elicits highlighting this, that, or the other aspect.

6:45 And there is no passage that sets before us what is purported to be by the biblical writers a strict chronological unfolding, of all of the events connected with the return of Christ. So I suggested the image of a pie, the whole circle being all of the events that will occur in conjunction with the Lord's return, and thinking of that pie in terms of three main slices, what he will do for his own, what he will do to his enemies, and what he will do to the created order. Or think of it in terms of a cluster of grapes, the coming of Christ is the stem, and all of the various events cluster around his coming, but there is no passage of scripture that gives us this specific numerical alignment of all of those events. Well, with that perspective, we have for several weeks now been feasting our souls on biblical truth relative to the issue of what the Lord Jesus will do for his own people. I have described them again and again as for those who are in Christ. For the term, the little prepositional phrase, in Christ is the most biblically significant phrase in the description of what a true Christian is.

8:08 A Christian is one who is in Christ. He is united to Christ from the divine perspective by the indwelling of the Holy Spirit. He shares in common life with Jesus, and by the embrace of faith from the human perspective, believers are those who are in Christ. And so we have been considering together, what does the scripture say will happen to those who are in Christ at the return of Christ?

Believers' Participation in Final Judgment

8:40 And we have looked at several things, and we're going to carry on with that this morning. We have seen that all who are truly in Christ shall at the coming of Christ be fully conformed to the image of Christ forever to be with Christ. That's glorification. Secondly, at the coming of Christ, all who are truly in Christ shall be brought to the judgment seat of Christ to be openly identified, vindicated, and confessed by Christ and to receive the rewards of grace from Christ.

9:17 That was the focus of our study two Lord's Days ago. Now this morning, and God willing, if the pipes hold up for this evening, we're going to focus our attention on the fourth and fifth activities and realities that comprise what Christ will do for his own at his return. Having looked at these three things that I've given you by way of review, we come now to number four. We pick up our Bibles with this question.

9:49 What will Jesus do for me and with me and for and with all his people at his return? The answer of Scripture, along with the three things we've already considered, is this. At the return of Christ, all who are truly in Christ will share with Christ in the final judgment executed by Christ upon wicked and unbelieving men and fallen angels. Now let me run it by you again.

10:26 At the return of Christ, all who are truly in Christ will share with Christ the final judgment executed by Christ upon all unbelieving and wicked men and fallen angels. Now when you hear that, and some of you are hearing it for the first time, you say, wait a minute. Maybe something other than the preacher's vocal cords have been affected. Did I hear him say that I, a mere mortal, who left to myself would appear at the judgment only to have the litany of my sins read out before me and be consigned to everlasting darkness that I will actually share with Christ? In his judgment upon unbelieving and wicked men and even fallen angels? Yes, you heard me right. You heard me right.

11:27 And I trust I shall persuade you from the scriptures that this is not overstating the case, but simply a convenient way of condensing several portions of the word of God. Now, we've already established in this series that all judgment in the last day has been assigned to the Lord Jesus. I hope you are clear and settled in your conviction of that fact. All judgment in conjunction with the last day has been assigned to the Lord Jesus.

11:57 John 5, 22. God has given all judgment unto the Son because he is the Son of Man. Acts 17, 31. God has appointed a day in which you'll judge the world in righteousness by that man whom you love.

12:15 Whom he has ordained and has given witness unto all in that he raised him from the dead. So I trust we are all settled in that persuasion. All judgment has been given unto Christ. Furthermore, we have seen that Christ's action as the universal judge is an event which accompanies his return in power and glory at the end of the age.

12:43 Not only does the Bible clearly teach that Christ will be the judge, but that he will judge with final judgment in conjunction with his second coming. Matthew 25, 31. When the Son of Man shall come in his glory, then, adverb of time, then he shall sit upon the throne of his glory and there shall be gathered unto him all the nations. So that it is at the second coming that he will sit upon his throne to administer this final judgment.

Exposition of 1 Corinthians 6: The Problem, Solution, and Rationale

13:21 2 Thessalonians 1, 7 and following we saw another passage for those of you who take notes, Revelation 11, 15 to 18, which ties together the return of Christ, the reward of the saints, and the judgment of the wicked. And there is no way that one can squeeze a lengthy epoch in between those events that cluster around the return of the Lord Jesus. However, the Scriptures do assert that true believers will be given both the privilege and the awesome responsibility to share with Christ in the execution of final judgment upon unbelievers and wicked men and upon fallen angels. And there is a watershed passage which makes this unmistakably clear. Turn with me now, please, to 1 Corinthians 6. I had originally intended of reading the first 11 verses before we prayed and turned to the Scriptures, but in the interest of sparing my pipes, we turn to it now.

14:33 And I want you to think through the relevant parts of this passage with me under three simple headings. The problem identified, the solution proposed, and the rationale or reason given. What is the problem in this particular passage? Paul is aware of some of the problems in the Corinthian church.

14:52 Well, he identifies it very clearly in verse 1, verse 6, and 7a. Dare any of you, having a matter against his neighbor, go to law before the unrighteous and not before the saints? Verse 6. But, brother, brother goes to law with brother, and that before unbelievers.

15:16 Nay, already it is altogether a defect in you that you have lawsuits one with another. So the problem is clearly identified. You don't need to know a word of Greek. Any reasonably good translation will help you to identify the problem.

15:34 There at Corinth, you had believers, brothers and sisters in Christ, part of the Corinthian assembly, who were going before heathen pagan judges and pagan courts in order to settle matters of dispute between these brothers. One was accusing another of taking something from him, property or goods, or withholding something that was his due. But whatever it was, they are going before non-Christians in a pagan court, carrying with them the name of Christ into that setting, and allowing this shameful unwillingness to sort these things out on their own, or as Paul later says, take it on the chin. Be defrauded, but the name of Christ is more precious than your deed to a piece of land or a few shekels in your pocket. So the problem identified is believers going to law with one another in a context of heathen pagan courts. Judges.

16:39 Now what's the solution proposed? Verse 5 and verses 7 and 8. I say this to move you to shame. What cannot there be found among you?

16:50 One wise man who shall be able to decide between his brethren? Then verses 7 and 8. It's already a defect. You have lawsuits one with another.

17:01 Why not rather take wrong? Why not rather be defrauded? Nay, but you yourselves do wrong in defraud, and that your brethren. What's the solution proposed?

17:13 It has two prongs to it. Or really you could say a third. And here is the solution proposed. Find a wise brother in the assembly who can sit down with you, listen through to the facts, hear one side and then the other, and make a righteous judgment that will carry the conviction in the conscience of the parties involved that the matter has been wronged.

17:37 Righteously settled. Paul's proposed solution is settle this by means of using the deposit of grace and fairness and judgment that is already in the church in the person of at least one wise brother. The other part of the solution is he says drop your case. There's something more important than standing on your rights.

18:03 Why not be willing to be defrauded? So what? Leave someone to the day of judgment. God's honor and the praise of Christ is more important than your deed to that hunk of land or those shekels in your bank and in your pocket.

18:18 So the solution proposed by the apostle is get a wise brother to sit and adjudicate the matter, drop the matter, and then there's a veiled hint in which he says stop doing the things that provoke one another to this. Stop doing anything that would cause a brother. To want you to go to court with him. So we have the problem identified.

18:40 Believers going to litigating between believers before unbelieving judges. The solution proposed, find a wise brother among you now. Thirdly, notice the rationale given for this. What moves Paul to have this conviction that surely someone there in the Corinthian church indwelt by the Spirit subject to the rule of Scripture will be able to adjudicate.

19:08 Now he gives us the rationale. Go back to verse 1. Dare any of you having a matter against his neighbor go to law before the unrighteous and not before the saints? Or do you not know that the saints shall judge the world?

19:26 And if the world is judged by you, are you unworthy to judge the smallest matters? Do you not know that we shall judge angels? How much more things that pertain to this life? You see Paul's rationale now that precipitated him to give the proposed solution?

19:53 He argues from the greater to the lesser. He is saying if a man's legal competence legitimately paves the way for him to sit in the Supreme Court in Washington, could we not assume he was confident to sit in the county court in New Jersey? He's arguing from the greater to the lesser. And as he's going to press these Christians at Corinth to take his proposed solution to heart and implement it, he wants them to know that this is not just a convenient expedient.

20:32 There are deep theological reasons for his counsel. And the theological reason is, he says, don't you know, apparently this is something that was an issue that Paul included in his eighteen months of ministry among the Corinthians. Just as writing to the Thessalonians after being among them a short time, he can say to them, while we were with you, we taught you about the great apostasy and the emergence of the man of sin. We told you these things in our preaching.

21:08 And here, obviously assumes that this is something that is within what we would call the well of assumed and corporate spiritual understanding and convictions. And he's saying, look, don't you know, bring that which you have been taught and in which you've been instructed, bring it out of the depths of mere convictions and understanding that lie there dormant. Bring it forward and let it cast its regulative light upon this problem. That's what I'm doing, Paul says.

21:44 Do you not know that the saints shall judge the world? And if the world is judged by you, clearly teaching that believers in some way or other are going to participate in the judgment of the world. Then he goes on to say in verse three, know you not that we shall judge angels. And obviously that would be fallen angels.

22:15 For we read in Jude six and in the parallel passage in second Peter that those angels that joined in that prehistoric rebellion in heaven, Jude chapter six, angels that kept not their own principality but left their proper habitation, he hath kept in everlasting bonds under darkness unto the judgment of the great day. And Paul says saints are going to participate in that judgment that is made with respect to fallen angels. Now, the questions arise. In what way will we, who ourselves are going to appear before the judgment seat of Christ to be identified? To be vindicated? To be confessed? To receive the rewards of grace? In what way will

The Nature of Believers' Judgment: What it Will and Will Not Mean

23:15 we share with him in the judgment made upon unbelievers and wicked men and upon fallen angels? Well, in terms of my present understanding of the scriptures and my rooting around in my available commentaries and systematic theologies, we can say what it will not mean with great dogmatism. It certainly does not mean that we will participate in laying bare the secrets of men's hearts in the day of judgment. Paul says in Romans 2 16, in the day when God shall judge the secrets of men's hearts according to my gospel, God is not going to impart to us temporary omniscience that we might probe the secrets of the hearts of unbelieving and wicked men and thereby demonstrate that the forthcoming sentence, depart from me ye cursed, you workers of iniquity, was a valid judgment even in those whose outward life was very respectable in religious and orthodox, but in the chamber of their thoughts there was a den of pollution. We'll certainly not share in a temporary exercise of omniscience. We won't judge with Christ in that sense, and surely when Matthew 12, 36 says every idle word that men shall speak they shall give an account thereof in the day of judgment, referring

24:42 to those evil men who outwit the Lord of their evil heart, bring forth evil things, the Lord is not going to give us a temporary ability to retrieve all of the words spoken by unbelieving and wicked men and women which validate the judgment of the judge that they are wicked and ought to be cast into hell. In what way then will we share in the judgment? We will not be given even a temporary possession of those attributes that are unique to God, God the Father, God the Son, God the Holy Spirit. So what can we safely say?

25:24 Well, I believe this is what we can safely say, and I want you to look at one text with me and then we'll look at several others as a background to this. In John chapter 5 where our Lord Jesus says that all judgment has been delivered unto him, the authority to judge has been conferred, John chapter 5 verse 22, for neither does the Father judge any man but he has given all judgment unto the Son, why? That all may honor the Son even as they honor the Father. Verse 27, and he the Father gave him the Son authority to execute judgment because he is the Son of Man. Here we have two reasons as to why Christ will appear in the last day as the judge. Verse 22 says the Father has given all judgment to the Son to this end, that all may honor the Son as they honor the Father. That is, Christ function as judge in the last day will be the climactic vindication of his true identity as God the Son, the Messianic King, and he is given this right because verse 27, he is a Son of Man.

26:50 That's the Messianic title. He came out of heaven taking to himself a true human soul and body. He lived in our condition. He died under not only the rejection of men but the curse of God.

27:06 And according to Philippians 2 as the reward of his obedience as Son of Man as Messiah in reward of his obedience, God has highly exalted him and given him a name above every name, given him a position and a title and functions as Messiah that are the reward of his sufferings. What he is as the eternal word, as eternal God, God the Son, nothing can be given to him as reward. All of that is his by right. But in his role as Messiah Son of Man, suffering servant, he is humbled, he is exalted, he is given this position. Now, if that is true, and I believe these texts and many others affirm that, now notice what Christ says he's going to do with the throne and the functions upon that throne given to him as a reward of his obedience. Can't keep the pipes quiet at this. Revelation 3 and Revelation 2 listen to what Jesus is going to do with that position.

Promises to Overcomers: Sitting on Christ's Throne and Ruling Nations

28:22 He's not going to have a custom made seat with only a half a centimeter left and right on which to sit. Listen to what he says. Put yourself in the place of the saints of God in Asia Minor. Persecution has already been let loose upon many of the churches. It's evident in the seven letters to the seven churches. Some have already been martyred and the world is bearing its fangs against the seed of the woman and his followers. And the Lord Jesus in all seven letters to the seven churches gives wonderful promises to those who are not intimidated. To those who do not back off and go with the flow and cave in but overcome. And you have

29:09 seven promises to overcomers that is true believers. Those who are in Christ must overcome and they shall overcome. And notice two of those promises chapter 3 and verse 21. He that overcomes I will give to him to sit down with me in my throne as I also overcame and sat down with my father in his throne.

29:44 Do you see the parallel? He says I'm on a throne and I'm here by my father's invitation. And my father's invitation is predicated upon my fidelity to my task. I overcame all of the opposition of men.

30:04 All of the unleashed fury of hell. I overcame even the holy disposition in my soul that would have moved me away from the cross. Oh my father if it is possible let this cup pass from me. But he overcame and said nevertheless not my will but thine be done.

30:29 And he threw himself into the jaws of his father's unleashed fury until he was swallowed up in death. But Easter morning came and he burst the bonds of death. And forty days later he's taken back into heaven and the father says my son you overcame. Here is the place of your reward. Sit at my right hand. Now a few years later there's some poor frail natively cowardly timid saints. And they're in the thick of opposition from without and from within the world and even declension in the various churches lukewarmness in this particular church. People entering a state where they frown at any kind of holy passion. Call it fanaticism

31:23 and excess. Not hold hot or cold. And Jesus said among them there are those who will overcome the pull to this kind of bland unimpassioned relationship to me and my truth and my cause. And here's my promise to you. And I want you to understand that this is my promise to you him that overcomes I will give to sit down with me in my throne even as. Here's the paradigm. Here is the parallel. Even as I also overcame and sat down with my father in his throne. Now go back to chapter two. We're trying to answer the question since we're going to judge the world and judge angels in what way we've excluded what it will not mean. We're trying to at least walk around and get at least as near as the Bible will take us as to what it will mean. Chapter two of Revelation 26 and 27.

32:31 The Lord speaking to the church at Thyatira again beset with enemies without and within false teaching. Verse 25 Nevertheless that which you have hold fast till I come. Hold fast live in the expectation that the next great event in redemptive history is my return in power and in glory. Hold fast till I come.

33:00 And do you want to be strengthened in your resolve to hold fast? Here's a promise on which to feed your soul. It's loaded with the full range of spiritual vitamins and minerals. This will make you strong.

33:14 Here's the promise. To him that overcomes and keeps my works unto the end to him will I give authority over the nations and he shall rule them with a rod of iron as the vessel of the potter are broken to shivers as I also have received of my Father. He said I have received from my Father a position of exaltation from which I will govern the nations and notice now the governing has a peculiar reference. It is that governing with respect to final judgment that will leave them as a potter's vessel dast upon a concrete floor. Fulfillment of Psalm 2. Now when you bring both passages together what do you find? You find Jesus saying to his people what I did and what I've received as the reward for what I did I've done it all for you my people that I might confer as much of it upon you as what you are as a creature and what I am as God will allow nothing more

34:42 but bless God nothing less he cannot say to him that overcomes I will give omniscience I will give infallibility but he can say I'll widen my throne and make a place for you to sit with me and when I engage in the final climax of a prophetic act by which my identity as son of man and Messiah is vindicated and displayed before the moral universe I'll make it plain I did it all not for my sake but for you my people dear people of God I found it hard at my desk to say Lord that's too good to be true I found it hard to believe this but what other meaning can you attach to these words of Jesus to him that overcomes this is what I will give sit with me in my throne rule with me over the nations bash them in pieces like a potter's vessel well having said this much in answer to the question in what way will we join with Christ in the final judgment executed by Christ upon unbelieving and wicked men and fallen angels I can do no better than to quote

36:10 my good friend the Lutheran commentator Lenski quote in what this judging consists in promulgating or confirming the verdict or in otherwise assisting we must leave until the great act takes place I can tell you no more than what God's revealed but my dear child of God and my brother and sister ain't that enough to cause you to say I'm ready for this world to spew me out as dung don't spew dung trample me underfoot as dung spew me out as a sour meal that's gone rancid in the belly in the knowledge that one day I'll sit with him upon his throne and in a way consistent with not robbing him of glory nor imparting to me any attribute of deity I will join in the judgment on this unbelieving impenitent wicked world and even share in the vindication of God in the casting of wicked angels into hell know you not that we shall judge the world don't you know that we shall judge angels

Application 1: Church Discipline and Boldness in a Pagan World

37:38 child of God you and I should be well grounded in a biblically based understanding of what our Lord is going to do for us and with us when he returns he will not only glorify us he will not only by his grace and power identify us vindicate us confess us give us the reward of grace but he will also invite us to share with him in the judgment he executes upon unbelieving and evil men and upon fallen angels now that's all I can say with biblical grounds about the thing itself now what does it say to us what in the world can be the practical visceral day by day implications of this reality well certainly one of them is exactly what Paul sets before us if the Corinthians were thinking Christianly they would never have dared to go into a heathen court with one another when one brother said to the other look if this isn't settled I'm going to judge so and so down there and I'm going to settle this issue Paul said you should have immediately said you mean you would take me to law

39:06 but no no brother we can't do that you and I are slated to judge the world and judge fallen angels surely we can sort this out in our assembly there is a wise and righteous and just and experienced man who can come in and adjudicate this matter should we not trust to the dynamics of grace to work out this problem should we not both have a passion for the honor and glory of Christ that we would not denigrate the salvation of Christ by appearing before wicked judges evil unbelieving men possibly even the sort of unofficial courts that were set up in local synagogues it may be that that Paul has in mind some of the commentators suggest this but whatever it is he said your thought of the honor of Christ and the deposit of grace from Christ that is in you now is there no wise man among you can there not be found one the spirit of God dwells in all of you you have the light of scripture to guide you think in terms of who you are and what you're going to be when Christ comes and you won't be going to law one day with the help of another now I bless God that to my knowledge in what will be forty years of ministry among you people God willing next spring I've never known a brother to go to law with another brother in this place unless there's an incident I've racked my brain

40:33 thought back over the years and I bless God for that but if it could happen to churches founded by the apostle Paul I'm not so stupid as to think the day might not come when one of you would be tempted not talking about a Christian going to a law court in a legitimate concern with an unconverted person sometimes that may not only be your right it may be your duty for Caesar is there with the sword to punish evil doers and there are times when the only way you can align yourself with God is to go to a court of law on an issue but among brethren may it never be named among you people here until the Lord himself returns but I want to draw out a couple of other citations as we bring this to a close this morning and the first one is this in the light of the fact that we the people of God will share with Christ in his judgment upon the unbelieving and evil world of men and fallen angels this should help us in being bold in taking God's side against the world as we live among and before the ungodly this truth that when Christ returns there's going to be room on his throne for the humblest of his overcoming saints I say should help us

42:01 to be bold in taking God's side against the world as we live among and before the ungodly now you young people young adults and children listen carefully what the old man wants to say to you as your society our society becomes more and more pagan and that's what it's becoming not just irreligious but pagan it's exchanged the living and the true God for stones and all the popular gimmick magazines now you can buy all kinds of collections of stones to rub them to help you have good vibes and good karma and all of the proliferation of new age mental courses offered in the business world etc we become more and more pagan more and more lawless more and more aggressive in its determination to cast off all semblance of biblical morality and common decency the pressure is mounting any of you parents say oh well every generations the same the kids are just facing what we face you're not living with reality this generation of kids being reared before our eyes is facing things some of us never faced specifically and in terms of the whole ethos of our society so you young men and women hear me now as

43:28 this society becomes more and more pagan more and more lawless more and more aggressive in its determination to silence its conscience by casting off all semblance of biblical morality and common decency the pressure to be silent for fear of job security for fear of social unacceptability now listen carefully kids the fear perhaps of martyrdom itself you're going to be tempted to cave in to the world's judgment of you we are already judged as being socially unacceptable because we're not politically correct to come out and say men and women who abandon what nature itself teaches them about who they are male or female and willfully deliberately engage in homosexual and lesbian practices are under the judgment of God we're already rejected as politically insensitive and an undesirable commodity in a society that is to be marked by love and total acceptance and goodwill we're already marked folks but the law does not yet allow the expression of that marking to take its more violent turns but unless God visits this nation in power by the spirit through the preached gospel that opposition will get more and more bold

44:56 there are some families that recently fled Canada to come to the states because the state moved in to take away their children because they biblically disciplined them with a rod it's in the latest world magazine we're moving there now in the light of that you young people that profess to have laid hold of Christ you need to get hold of this teaching and have it percolate in your heart it matters not what judgment the world makes of me or what sentence it lets loose upon me for its judgment whether social ostracization loss of job unwillingness to hire you because you won't go with the flow of the moral climate in the office in the firm whatever it is or as some young people right now while we meet who are laying down their lives in martyrdom some in the Sudan some in Indonesia some in other parts of the world and the threat of that hangs over the head continually in Pakistan and in other Islamic countries dear young people you need to have this truth embedded in your soul it matters not what judgment they make of me I shall sit with Christ in judgment upon them if they do not repent

46:23 and flee to Christ if that is not to be a motivation why does Christ give it to his suffering people in those two letters to the seven churches it's not of indicative disposition it's one that prays with Stephen while the stones pummeling upon him Lord Jesus lay not this sin to their charge but in the confidence if they are not penitent and do not flee to Christ you will be vindicated in that day when you share with Christ in the act of judgment upon the unbelieving the impenitent and the wicked whatever the full significance of those evil powers represented by first the dragon in revelation twelve and the beast in revelation thirteen there's a common denominator in their activity and you see that common denominator in revelation twelve seventeen and thirteen six and seven look at it whatever powers of evil are represented by first the dragon in chapter twelve and the beast here's their common cause twelve seventeen and the dragon waxed angry with the woman and went away to make war with the rest of her seed that keep the commandments of God and hold the testimony

47:53 of Jesus it's no longer the live and let live climate that we've enjoyed for several centuries in this country when the dragon has his way the evil powers represented by the dragon have their way it's no longer live and let live it's a we live if they die aggressively declaring war on the rest of the woman's seed who are identified as those who keep the commandments of God and they hold to the testimony of Jesus that is the word concerning Jesus as the own saviour of sinners and the more our country falls before the God of pluralism and multiculturalism and the idea that whatever anyone chooses to worship is as good as the object of the worship of another to hold to the testimony of Jesus I am the way the truth the life no man comes to the father but by me the dragon will be after you my friend and for you to keep the commandments of God and to say it's God who has said we shall have no other gods before him it is God who has said we shall worship him only in the way

49:20 of his appointment it is God who has said we shall not take his name in a vain light in frivolous way it is God who says I've marked out one day in every seven day cycle for myself it is God who has established the authority of parent and teacher and government it is God who made you with your sexual capacities and said you shall not commit adultery you shall not steal you shall not murder you shall not bear false witness you shall not covet and you cherish the commandments of God and the dragon is after you and in that setting we need among many other things to settle our hearts in this wonderfully revealed truth though there is much mystery that still surrounds it my Lord Jesus has made a place for me and the world will be there and I shall be with him you see that's why Paul could say when some of these Corinthians were going around behind his back and sniping and lying and he took he took a lot from these false apostles he said in first Corinthians 4 3 to 5 he said look he said I don't know anything against myself I'm not living with any conscious controversy with God but this does not ultimately justify me for he that justifies me is the Lord therefore judge nothing before the time come when the Lord himself will come

50:48 and shall make manifest the counsels of the heart then shall each man have his praise from God and in that context he said it's a very little thing with me if I be judged of you he didn't say it's nothing he says it's a little thing now you'd be inhuman if you didn't feel some twinge of pain when you feel yourself socially ostracized by neighbors because of your Christian convictions by your friends at school some of you going away to college and that desire to be accepted in the new circle will be a very strong one and when you begin to make known the level of your Christian convictions you'll feel distance coming between not you and not a few it's in that setting that you need to say it's a little thing if I be judged of you the time is coming when not only will the Lord judge me and I shall receive his praise but I will share with him in his judgment upon the world that's the first line of application but there's a second one and I've already alluded to this but I want to focus in on it the truth that we shall share with Christ in the judgment executed by Christ underscores how we must look upon that false humility and veiled unbelief in the presence of the amazing privileges procured for us by Jesus Christ and secured to us because of our union

Application 2: Rejecting False Humility and Embracing Union with Christ

52:15 with him I'm sure there's some of you who sat there this morning as I sat at my desk saying Lord this is too good to be true there's got to be a little escape clause somewhere that this is figurative that this is sanctified hyperbole the Lord's overstating the case just to make us feel good as I pondered those texts I said no Lord Jesus you speak truth and when you said to him that overcome it I will give to sit with me on my throne as I also overcame and have sat down on my father's throne Lord Jesus whatever that means you meant it you have a throne that you earned by your suffering but now listen he did not earn it for himself alone but for all who are in him and that's why the doctrine of union with Christ is such a precious doctrine Christ's death was in the place and on the behalf and in covenantal union with his people so the scripture does not scruple to say surely as he died we died in him and with him I have been crucified with Christ Galatians 2 do you not know as many of us as have been baptized into Christ were baptized into his death we were buried therefore with him by baptism into death that like as Christ was raised from the dead we should

53:43 walk in newness of life Paul says but God who is rich in mercy for his great love wherewith he loved us even when we were dead in our trespasses hath quickened us together with Christ and raised us up to sit with Christ in heavenly places if then you be raised with Christ Colossians 3 the verses are many and this truth that we've looked at this morning is just another facet of that grand and glorious reality that all that Christ has won by his life and death he has won for us if you are sons Paul says then heirs of God God is our inheritance joint heirs what with Christ all that he gets as his inheritance I get in union with him and it is pious humility and veiled unbelief that says but I'm not worthy of that who in the world ever said you were maybe behind your professions of unworthiness and sinfulness there's a subtle pride that catches you when you

55:09 stand before some of the dimensions of the graciously provided gifts and privileges of the people of God you say that can't be for me I'm not worthy why don't you think you're worthy if you settle this issue at the cross in your initial embrace of Christ you have forever settled there ain't nothing of any worth in you in you that is in your flesh dwells what how many good things no no no good thing and so if God in grace is coming to beggars who have the stench of death about them and uniting them to his son why should we marvel that he says the grace that can do that and confer with him all things he that spared not his own son but delivered him up for us all how shall we not with him also freely gratuitously give us all things am I making any sense or am I just preaching to bless my own soul this morning it's veiled unbelief child of God and it's false and pseudo humility it is God glorifying faith that says Lord Jesus I wouldn't have thought it out of a million years but you and the Father and the Holy Ghost planned it before the worlds were born and Lord Jesus you died

56:39 to give me all of this and I'm not going to insult you by saying I'm not worthy you know far better than I my unworthiness but Lord I'm not going to dishonor you by shriveling in unbelief and mock humility but I'm going to say oh Lord Jesus how could you do this for me I don't believe your word this is what you've pledged to do give me grace in your strength to overcome and then experience will exegete what the preacher could only point to and talk about in fumbling mumbling human terms and you'll sit next to him and say Lord Jesus it's a thousand times better than I imagined it could be when I heard it preached we'll say with the queen of Sheba the half has not been told and then my final application to you dear unsaved men and women boys and girls think of what this truth means we sit here today in a non-threatening context I didn't see anyone walk in this morning even those of you who came in late that I could see come in and that's not a slap at you I'm just using this illustration I didn't see anyone come through that back door trembling looking around like a scared animal there was no terror you came in sat down a friendly usher showed you to a seat there was nothing terrible about the context of our meeting there's been nothing threatening

Application 3: Warning to Unbelievers and Final Prayer

58:06 in our meeting we've sung, we've heard the piano help us in our praise I sought to speak to you as one human being to another I stand here none of you is trembling that I'm going to come down and grab you and bash your brains out and throw you on the floor nothing threatening nothing intimidating about this gathering today but do you realize that perhaps next to you to the left or the right in the pew in front of you there's a fellow mortal who's going to sit with Christ in the last day in which everything will be intimidating everything will be threatening so threatening that when John describes that day in Revelation 6 he says all the way from kings on their throne to galley slaves they'll be praying to rocks and stones to fall on them and to hide them in the place of him that sits upon the throne and from the wrath of the Lamb and sitting on that throne with Christ effecting your judgment will be some men and women, boys and girls who sit here today I tell you that sobered me sitting at my desk Lord Jesus I stand behind the pulpit to entreat, to invite to plead, to persuade to entice that sinners might run to you while the day of salvation

59:32 is still upon us but oh Lord a day is coming when there'll be no more inviting no more entreating no more begging Paul uses the word in 2 Corinthians 5 not only we entreat but we beg you it's the verb to beg there'll be no begging pleading, entreating go to Christ, own your sin embrace him as the mighty sufficient, all powerful righteous savior he is my unconverted friend you will either turn from your sin and flee to Christ or in that day you'll remember and one of the aspects of the terror of hell the worm that dies not will be your ability to remember this day when a preacher told you from the Bible that the saints are gonna judge unbelieving evil men and women and part of the terrors of your eternity will be the remembrance of another day of entreaty, pleading warning lost and forfeited never never to be regained

60:54 let's pray oh our Father your word has set before us things that stretch our minds and overwhelm our hearts and yet we acknowledge that the reality will be far more overwhelming than speaking of them and so we earnestly pray that in this very place today there would be some who would run to Christ embrace Christ and by the mighty work of the spirit be united to Christ that in Christ they would have with us all of these marvelous blessings which shall come to their full expression in the day of his glorious return we pray as well for your people Lord forgive our groveling unbelief forgive us we pray for our pseudo humility that has denigrated all of the riches of your grace to us in Christ help us Lord to lay hold with fresh actings of faith upon that which you have said is true of us now and will be true of us in that day give us we pray overcoming grace give us persevering grace that we

62:22 may run well to the end and have the fulfillment of the promise of our Lord Jesus be thou faithful unto death and I will give you the crown of life thank you Father for your presence I thank you for helping my vocal chords that I've been able to preach without any impediment Lord you are good to your people we thank you thank you for your presence we pray now that the Holy Spirit will seal the word to every heart to our blessing and not to our cursing Amen