The Judgement on Trial

Father, God, thank you that we worship a just God

who loves us more than he loves himself. That you're

the humble God of eternity. Help us to live, to obey,

to not be presumptuous in our life with you in

Jesus's name, Amen. Recently I was asked the question a

good one. I like good questions. Why is it necessary

to have an investigative judgment? I mean, of you aware

of the term investigative judgment, I mean the concept derived

from scripture came as a direct result of prophetic study

in the eighteen hundreds, and people realize the books were

open in Daniel seven, the judgment set and the question

is what happens in that heavenly judgment? And it was

discovered in the pre advant judgment that the righteous dad

from Adam to the end are judged. So as it

says in the seventh Trumpet that God should give his

reward his servants, the prophets and saints, and those who

fear his name will small and great. God has a

time set aside before the Second Coming to reward the saints.

How do me if you like getting rewards when you

have a credit card or you get rewards in the

mail from Best Buy you like cashing into your rewards? Well,

the investigator judgments about cashing in on your rewards because

God has a day set in which you will judge

the world by Christ Jesus. Since kind of a long

stretched out day. Really, so the question was asked, why

is it necessary to have an investigati judgment? Doesn't God

know who will be saved? They say, why does he

need a judgment to figure out who will be saved

or lost? Of course, the assumption is he has to

figure it out. Why does he have to open the

books and check us all out? Even though the Bible

says he opens the books? And so we really need

to answer that question, you said, We often assume that

we are the ones on trial in the Bible. Right, Oh,

God's looking at me, The universe is looking at me.

We often assume that the whole universe rotates around us,

our world, our struggles, our sins, our victories. You know

the problem with final generation theology, and I'm gonna be

very frank with you, which has come into the Abentist

church in some places, is that it puts the whole

onus on the person's victory rather than Christ's victory at

the cross. See you and I do not vindicate and

win the great controversy. And when the great controversy at

the time of the End, that happened at the cross.

At the Cross, the victory of God was stamped for

time and eternity, so that Hebrews one three could say

that Christ set down at the right hand of God,

having accomplished the expiation for our sins. You can never

diminish from that with any victory God gives us at

the time of the end. Our victory is a derived

victory that comes from His victory. But it may come

as a surprise for you to discover that God is

the one who has been dragged into court, and that

in the judgment of the Bible, the judgment scenes of

the Bible, God himself is on trial. In the Book

of Romans, Paul speaks to the fact that the struggle

with evil in our struggle to save ourselves, and we

have to surrender that. But even in the proclamation of

the Gospel, the revelation of who God is, how God

saves that God himself has been dragged into court to

defend himself from the accusations of Satan. And from the

accusations of Satan's followers, and even from the questions and

concerns of those who want to get it right. Terms

with me Romans three, verse three, verse four, amazing passage

found in the Book of Romans. The question is asked,

what if some were unfaithful? Does their faithlessness nullify the

faithfulness of God? By no means? Let God be true

though every man be false? As it is written. And

here's the clincher, that thou mayest be justified in thy

words and prevail when thou art judged. She's speaking of God.

So God has to win the court case for God

to be the king of the universe for all eternity.

I mean, what good is it if God is God

and no one likes him, if people can't worship him.

By the way, thank you for being here from the

Mega Clinic were it's just so glad you came to

church today. I had to take note of that. Brother,

We're glad you're here. Me get my thought back there,

But I'm glad I agree with you. God himself is

on trial in the Gospel, God who was Christ. And

some people might think that's a radical thing to say,

it's not when you look at the Angel of the

Lord in the Old Testament, it is the Lord. He

is Yahweh, He's called God. The Lord talked to Abraham.

And when that Lord who met him there at the door,

it was Jesus, was the pre existing Christ. It was

God manifested as the messenger of the Covenant. God who

was Christ, took Abraham a little walk before the destruction

of the cities of Sodom Gemorah. He had just dined

with him at his tent with two others angels, two

angels and the pre existing Christ, who was recognized as

God and the Lord by Abraham. And in that walk

he revealed to Abraham that he was going to destroy

the cities of Sodom Goemor because of their wickedness. He

trusted Abraham with the knowledge of the Divine Council to

know why he was doing it. He opened the door

to the judgment scene, and he brought Abraham into the

decision base. I mean, this is an amazing picture we

never see in the world religions where any God would

bring a creature like us into the framework of deciding

why and how and what would happen and whether it

was right or wrong. Abraham is suddenly elevated to the

Divine Council in Genesis eighteen sixteen, and says, then the

men set out from there, and they looked towards Sodom,

and Abraham went with them to set them on their way.

And the Lord said, shall I hide from Abraham what

I'm about to do, Seeing that Abraham shall become a

great and mighty nation, and all the nations of the

earth shall bless themselves by him Verse nineteen. No, For

I have chosen him that he may charge his children

and his household after him to keep the way of

the Lord by doing righteousness and justice, so that the

Lord may bring to Abraham what he has promised to him.

He says, Look, I'm going to open up my understanding

to Abraham so his children will be an enlightened future.

They'll have a future that's enlightened that generations to come

will understand the Covenant, the way of the Lord. So

God brought Abraham into the Divine Council so his children

and future generations would learn to obey it matters that

matter to God, and to understand what true justice and

righteousness mean to God. We live in a time when

we have a generation that cares about social justice. Am

I right? They care about things being fair. That's a

good thing. But to really get it right, we have

to understand what justice and righteousness are from God's perspective. Correct.

We shouldn't say, well, it doesn't matter. You shouldn't be

thinking that right now. The Boomers weren't that concerned about that,

nor were the exers, but the millennials were very much

in tune with the idea of social justice. So God

is trying to tell Abraham, I'm going to teach you

why it matters that we live upright Lives Verses twenty

twenty one continues. Then the Lord said, because the outcry

against Sodom Igamoor is great and their sin is very grave,

I will go down verse thirty one. I will go

down and what does the text say to see whether

they have done altogether according to the outcry which has

come to me, And if not, I will know that

is an investigative judgment, isn't it. I'm going to check

them out. I'm going to see why they're doing this.

I'm going to see if it's as bad as I hear.

Now he's doing this for Abraham's benefit. He already knows,

but he's he's acting out the inquiry for the basis

of those that are around him. God has brought Abraham

into the Divine council before final judgment on those wicked cities.

There is clearly an investigative judgment to check them out.

Abraham was moved with pity when he heard this, because

his nephew Lot and his family lived in that wicked

city complex of the plain. Don't think for a minute

that God will allow evil to continue forever. He knew

that that God was serious, that he was going to

mark it off and end it. And Abraham was suddenly

concerned because he was sure that there must be some

righteous people down there, including his family, who don't deserve

to die with the wicked of the city. And suddenly

he wasn't Sadom of Gomorah that was on trial anymore.

Was God in Abraham's mind, who was on trial? What

are you going to do? God, how are you going

to handle this situation? He asked God a penetrating question,

look at verses twenty two and twenty three. So the

man turned from there went towards Sodom, but Abraham stood

there before the Lord. Then Abraham drew near and said,

wilt thou indeed destroy the righteous with the wicked? Have

you ever asked that question? Why would God let good

people go down with bad people? Can't he tell the difference?

This is the question of theodicy, of the justification of God.

How can an all powerful, all knowing God allow evil?

Can't he use his power to stop it? They live

in the same city. God, How can you destroy a

city with good and bad people in it? What are

you doing to prove that you are a good God?

Open up with me. I'm in a crisis mode in

my relationship with you. He said, what if there are

fifty righteous in that city? Will you destroy the whole city?

If there are fifty righteous people in it? God said no,

if there're a fifty, I will not destroy it. He

got a little relief, but then he began to thank

real hard. He knew that that was a bad town. Now.

He said, I pray thee forty five people in the city,

And God said no, not even if there are forty

five people, will I destroy it. So every time Abram

asked God the question, he said, Please, don't be angry

with me as I ask another question. You ever ask God?

A question. You feel like he's mad at you, like

why would you ask questions? And he says, what about thirty?

What about twenty? Finally, ten, Ten's a safe number, isn't it.

Ten is the number of God's law. Ten people, maybe

ten good people down there. He was counting Lot's family

on his hand. Surely, if there are only ten, you

will spare the whole place. In verse three two, God said,

for the sake of the ten, I will not destroy it.

Isn't that good? But what if you're the ten? What

if you're the ten? That's not good? Is it? And

the story progressed. As the story progressed, the two angels

went down to Sodom, and they found Abraham's nephew lod

there at the gate, and they lodged with him and

his family for the night. They stayed in his home,

and the even men of that city attacked the house.

And I'm not gonna go and do saying what they

did horrific attempts to hurt those people, And the angels

blinded them all, and they took a Lot and his

wife and his two daughters out of there. It turns

out there was only one righteous man in Sodom. There

weren't ten and he wasn't perfect himself. That's a fact.

He was righteous why because he was trying to do

the right thing. He had a relationship with God. He

was imperfect because he had a dysfunctional family. He wasn't

really right in there as a father figure for his children,

his wife and him. They weren't really in sync spiritually.

This man was God's man, but he was not a

perfect man. Can God save imperfect people who put their

faith in Him at the end of time? Yes? Or no?

If lad is the example, yes he can. This is

what's wrong with final generation theology. It ignores the Bible. See,

God will save anyone who calls on the name of

the Lord at the time of the end. He's not

going to have some do good generation that looks better

than everybody else, kind of showing off that they won

the great controversy. That arrogant view is unsustainable with the scripture,

and it's really warped prophetic understanding to where it's robbed

us of the beauty of the investigative judgment. That God

will take people like you and me who have placed

their faith in Jesus, who are growing and struggling, and

he will confess their names before his father and the

holy Angels and claim them for all eternity. Because of

the cross, the judgment does not put the cross on trial.

The judgment reaffirms the victory of Christ on Calvary's cross.

He wasn't perfect, His children were a mess, unconverted children.

His wife was worldly and self willed. When the night

was over, the angels quickly took them out of the

city by the hand. Beautiful picture and the fire rained

down from heaven and God's glory on the cities of

the plain. It became a lesson for all time that

you don't fool around with God's mercy and justice. Justice

comes in the end, and it's fierce and final, but

mercy is long, long, patient and Genesis nineteen fifteen. When

morning dawn, the angels urged Lot, saying, arise, take your wife,

your two daughters who are here, lest you be consumed

in the punishment of the city. But he lingered, so

the men seized him, his wife, and his two daughters

by the hand, the Lord being what does it say

in the Bible, the Lord being merciful to him. That

is the character of God bleeding through in the story,

and they brought him forth and set him outside the city.

Why are people going to be saved at the second

Coming because they suddenly got so perfect looking that they

can show off to the universe, or because they have

surrendered to the Lord and God's mercy surrounds them. See

it's the latter. God will have a people. God will

have a people who are fully committed. But he will

have a people even if they're weak. They're his people.

He will hold them through difficult times. So the Lord,

being merciful to him, they brought him forth and set

him outside the city. And when they had brought them forth,

they said, flee for your life. Do not look back

or stop anywhere in the valley. Fleet to the hills

lest you be consumed. That's good advice. I mean, don't

hang around sodom in your life. Don't have sodom in

your home. Get it out of your entertainment center. Focus

on scripture, friends, growth. Don't be a Christian that's affiliate

with sodom. Toamar a lot obeyed the Lord and his

wife look back, you know the story, and she became

a what I'm quizzing you a pillar of salts. Now

I don't know what kind of salt. It was. Sodium chloride,

a potassium chlorate, who knows? It was some kind of salt, right,

magnesium sulfate. Could have been epsom salts. There's all kinds

of salt, aren't there. I mean, don't put epsom salts

on your food. Okay, whatever you do, don't do that.

That night, the cities of the plain were consumed with

the same kind of fire that is coming on the

world in the Second Coming of Christ. They were engulfed

with holy fire from heaven. That story became a lesson

for the future and end of the world based on

the Book of jude An eschatological lesson that would lead

us to what will transpire the second Coming of Jesus.

Notice that the Bible says the Lord was merciful when

they lingered, and they took them by the hand out

of there no pushing, no shoving, leading people with dignity

to safety. Justice and mercy were in play that day,

and mercy found the few that could be saved, even

though they were flawed. Am I right? Am I reading

the story right? Okay? Abraham didn't know all this. He

stood from Afar and watched the cities go up in flames.

He saw the smoke of sinning. Look at verse twenty

four Genesis nineteen, that the Lord reigned on Sodom, Magamore brimstone,

and fire fell from the Lord out of heaven. The

Hebrew is very insistent, and came out of the Lord,

from the lords. It was Chicaina, holy fire like second

coming kind of fire that wiped out Sodom, Gomorrah, and

he overthrew those cities. Hebrews twelve twenty nine says, our

God is a consuming fire, God's glory, God's fire, eternal fire,

because God is eternal, hit that city, and he overthrew

those cities and all the valley and all the inhabitants

in the cities and what grew on the ground. But

Lot's wife behind him looked back, and she became a

pillar of salt, pillar of salt. The Jewish historian Josephius,

who lived in seventy a d. At the time of

the fall of Jerusalem, wrote that he had visited that site,

had seen the pillar of salt, had seen Lot's wife,

and that's why Jesus could say appropriately remember Lot's wife.

Because many people in the crowd that he was talking

to knew where that pillar of salt was at Many

saw her frozen salt like form for hundreds of years

later Verses twenty seven, twenty eight. And Abraham went early

in the morning to the place where he had stood

before the Lord. And he looked down towards Sodom and Gomorah,

and toward all the land of the valley, and behold

and lo, the smoke of the land went up like

the smoke of a furnace. I wonder what went through

Abraham's mind that day when he saw the city annihilated.

He had previously fought a battle to rescue the people

of the city. Kings of Chinar had come down. He

got together a small army. He defeated the mighty kings

of the North. He saved Lot and the kings of Sodom,

the families, and it was a wonderful thing. Melkazedek met

him shortly after. But now it looked like they had

all died in the flames. Abraham had engaged God at

a high level before all this happened. Genis eighteen twenty five.

Here's what Abraham said to God. Be it from thee

to do such a thing, to slay the righteous with

the wicked, so that the righteous fair as the wicked.

Far be that from thee shall not the judge of

all the earth. What is the question do right? Why

is there an investigative judgment to figure out which Christians

have hung on to Christ and which ones have surrendered

him to the world. Because the judge of all the

earth will not destroy the wicked with the righteous. There

is a drawing of the line, a discerning of loyalties,

and the Bible teaches that when that great judgment starts

in heaven before the coming of Christ, to make up

the fifth glorious Kingdom of Daniel, the books are opened,

and we are told in macr Revelation the dead are

judged by those books, and God will come with his

reward for those who remain faithful to him. We need

an investigative judgment because it vindicates the character of God.

It draws us closer to God at the time the end.

It shows that God is not an arbitrary God, and

that mercy is there for people who have clung to Jesus.

Abraham put the judge of all the earth on trial

in his own mind, like we do at times. He

put the judgment on trial, the judgment, that is, God's

on trial. Shall not the judge of all the earth

do right? Is that a good question to ask? Is

it a fair question to ask? Should we castigate people

for asking that question? Shame on you for asking that question. No,

I've heard some Christians say, you don't ask questions from God,

you don't question the Almighty in his ways. What right

do you have to challenge his ways and scrutinize his plans?

And that comes heavy out of the Calvinist tradition, the

predestination tradition. It's very heavy, and some mainline radio preachers

today who will say that kind of thing, but it's

not the Bible. And some of these well meaning Christians

will say God's ways are not for us to know. Well,

that sounds noble. I've talked to ministers in some other nominations,

a few in ours who cannot imagine the need for

an investigative judgment where God opens the books for all

eyes in heaven to see why he will save some

and why he will not save others. But when you

read the story of Abraham, it's clear God works this way.

He divides. There is a discerning of who is righteous

and who is not. The Bible teaches us clearly that

we have a God who acts in such a way

that he opens up his will his purpose to the

intelligent minds of his universe, so that they can understand him,

appreciate him, love him, and fall down and worship him

without being terrorized by his power. God could call the

shots on his own, but he doesn't do that. In

the Divine Counsel. His will becomes the will of the universe,

so that all his heavenly children can stay together for

all time and worship him without fear and understand his ways.

Revelation twelve ten and eleven is the center of the correlation,

describes war in heaven between Michael, who is the pre

existent Christ, God and Angel form, and the devil and Satan.

And at the cross it says, now has come the

kingdom and the glory and of our Christ of God.

For the accuser of our brethren has been thrown down.

And they say the accuser of our brethren because they

have locked into the human race as part of the

heavenly family. See the Divine Council is engaged with the

Divine victory and the Divine Counsel God's will becomes the

will of the universe. God could have destroyed evil easy,

but he didn't think what happened before Adam and Eve sinned.

He warned Adam that if they should eat of the

fruit of the Tree of the Knowledge of good and

evil and the Hebrew, in that day, you will die.

It's emphatic language. You're gonna die. You do it dead,

you know, the lightning bolt kind of thing poof you

know now Genesis two sixteen and seventeen. And the Lord

commanded the man, saying, you may freely eat of every

tree of the guard, and freedom is based on God's will.

But of the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and

evil you shall not eat. This is the first commandment

in the Bible. For in the day that you eat

of it, what does he say, you will die? Let's

analyze that. I've heard people try to explain away verse

seventeen all kinds of creative ways. Theologians always try to

reinterpret a clear verse because they don't like what it's saying.

Some will say that God meant that they would begin

to die that day. That's one of the ways people

get around that. Others will say, well, they died spiritually,

that day. Others will say that death is a metaphor

for a life of decline that ultimately leads to death.

But God was clear and unambiguous. In that day you

eat of this fruit, in that day you die. Well,

guess what. They didn't die that day, and that's the

most obvious thing in the story. They live to see

another day. God killed the first animals to clothe them

the lamb slain from the foundation of the world, and

he sent them out of the garden alive but mortal,

and bound to eventually return to the dust of the earth.

But when the sun set that day, they were alive,

and God looked to be the liar. That's how the

Bible starts. For four thousand years plus, God looked to

be the liar. He didn't administer divine judgment that day,

as he had promised to add him mercy interposed and

postponed the judgment. Satan has a way of scandalizing God's mercy.

On one side, the devil will accuse God of being arbitrary, unforgiving,

and severe, And on the other side he will accuse

God of unfairness, to be an untrue to his promise

to be just and to destroy evil and to treat

human beings different than how he treated the angels. Paul

tells us that the power of sin is the Law

on one Corinthians fifteen, and that the law kept everyone

in the great because it only takes one sin to

send you to the grave for all time with no resurrection.

That's why no one had a right to be resurrected

before Jesus. That's why when the pre existent Christ resurrected Moses,

it is found in the Book of Jude Michael. Michael

is you can't resurrect people unless you're God. That's just

the baseline. And Michael is God. He's not a creative being,

as the Jehovah's Witness Church would teach. And I interacted

with a very nice Jehovah's witnessman at Guitar Center this week,

and I just tried to direct his attention Isaiah forty

four to six, where God the Father is called Yahweh,

Jehovah the King of Israel, and his redeemer, who's Jesus,

is called Jehovah, Lord of Hosts. I said here and

even in your Bible, it's clear what does the word

anne mean. It just had a hard time, looking at

his own translation, they had got it right. In that

New World Bible or whatever it is. When the pre

existent Christ, it was God an angel form resurrected Moses

shortly after he died. The devil was there at the

tomb to scandalize his resurrection and to make accusations against God.

It's recording the book of Jude. What right do you

have to resurrect Moses after he sin? Now, how do

we know he's resurrected because he had stood on the

mount of Transfiguration with Jesus and with Elijah, who was

taken to Heaven without ever dying. So here it is

shortly after he died. The contest for his body is

going on. You had to leave him in the grave

to be just and fair. The Lord Jesus didn't even

argue with him, as Michael look at Jude verse nine.

But when the archangel Michael, now the word archangel means

ruler of the angels. Archos is ruler, ruler of the

angel continue with the devil disputed with the body of Moses.

He did not presume to pronounce the reviling judgment upon him,

but said, the Lord rebuke you. Now, how do we

know that Christ is the Archangel. Remember one Thessalonians four.

I don't have it on the screen. The Lord himself

should descend from heaven with the cry of command, with

the voice of the alrighty, now that Jesus has the

voice of the Archael, that means he's Michael. And you know,

if you can't connect gods like that, then you might

as well throw out all the first Thessalonians four. See

Michael is the great Princes charge of God's people. In

Daniel twelve to one, Jesus is the good Shepherd. So

Christ has three natures. He's God, he condescended to be

the angel of the Lord in the Old Testament. Who

is Jehovah aahwah. The reformers got that right, Calvin Luther, Wesley,

Charles Spurgeon. It's the modern batch of Bible students who

can't read their Bible clearly. And Christ had that form.

He was the guardian protector of the Jewish nation. So

here he is fighting for the body of Moses, and

he says, the Lord, rebuke you. For four thousand years

of human history from Adam and Jesus Satan rebuked God

and shook his fist at him, crying foul play all

the way. You're a liar God and inconsistent God, and

arbitrary God. To do it anyway you want to kind

of God. In Relation twelve ten, the Bible says he

accused God's people day and night. For centuries of the cross,

no man or woman had passed the test of a

perfect life, so that Eden's starr would open again by

rights because everyone had sinned. The wages of sin is death.

You stay on the grave, and why would he resurrect Moses?

You're breaking your rules. God. Enoch was taken to heaven

on loone that one day God would find a way

to keep him there by atoning for his sins. He

never died. Elijah was taken to heaven alone with the

same contingency plan and play, and Moses was resurrected and

taken to heaven with much objection from Satan, who cried

foul play, no right to claiming back from death. Abraham

asked God the question we ask and ask when we

face challenges that make no sense in our lives. Shall

not the judge of all the earth do what is right?

And Satan and many humans also have claimed that God

as the real monster in the story who gets his

way any way he wants to Who needs a leader

like God? Friend, we worship of God? Who's on trial?

Is that evident? In the Old Testament, God called the

hills and the mountains to testify because his own people

wouldn't testify right for his character. God has been in

court for a long time, with all of us with

a gabble in our hands. He's been condemned in one

human mind after another, for one century after another. And

Psalms twenty four of the question is asked, who shall

as sind the hill of the Lord? And who shall

stand in this holy place? And then the answer is

given a person with clean hands, pure heart. You got

to be perfect to get up there. And no human

being had met the test and had qualified to sind

the hill of the Lord until Jesus came. Jesus was

born into this world to save the world, to be

the hope of the world, the universe. He was born

to save the universe from sinning, and to save us

from sins. Christ came into this world to identify with

every one of us as man, but as God, to

bridge the gap, to be the latter. Jacob's latter the

true One, to unite heaven and earth, angels and men,

and God into the cosmic family that would never sin again.

And when Jesus was baptized, John the Baptist saw him,

he recognized him. The Holy Spirit moved on him. He said,

behold the lamb of God, who takes away the sin

of the world. How can one man take away the

sin of the world. How can one man become the

divine sponge that absorbs all our guilt to give us

his righteousness highly undeserved? How can one man fix the

mess of centuries in a day? How can one man

save me and you? When Jesus was baptized at the

River Jordan, Jesus made a decision to go to the

judgment for every one of us to die the final

death in our place that is hotter than the lake

of Fire at the end of the millennium I cannot

be quantified. Jesus lived his whole life knowing that he

would come to the day when he would die as

supernatural death to save every human being from Adam to

the end. In principle, he would absorb the human race

into himself, and whatever ugly things are there, it would

become his ugly thing, and he would deal with it

until there was nothing left to condemn. When Jesus began

to suffer for our sins in the garden begausemite that

means the oil press in Aramaic, Jesus experienced the accumulated

guilt of centuries and centuries yet to come focused into

him in a point in time. Time stood still as

he began to suffer many lifetimes. It all settled on

his head and into his heart. Isaiah says, God has

caused to meet in him all our sins. It ripped

him from the bosom of the Father. He was taken

from the bosom of the Father. The relationship that had

always been one was now being torn apart as the

Holy Spirit was pressed out of him. That's what kissemine

means the oil press. And on the cross, it all

came together when he became the god forsaken God. When

Calvary's cross, Jesus was the god forsaken God. My God,

my God, why have you forsaken me? As Jesus died

for our sins, friend, God gave him no answer. On

that cross, that is the best definition of our hell.

Jesus didn't come down from the cross. When he got

no answers from God, he didn't say, well, you're not

answering my questions, that's it. No, he stayed through in

the darkness by faith. He trusted him all the way,

and he died for you and me in the darkness

of the cross. Jesus died for the sins of the

whole world, with no hope of a future for him.

It says it was darkness over the cross until the

night there or the word darkness does good to us.

Mental darkness is the Greek meaning of that. And heaven

saw that for the first time in the history of

the world since atom They saw a righteous man, unjustly

dying for the unjust and the unrighteous, an illegal act

that was breaking the notion of what it means to

have a law, and seeing mercy inside the cracked thing

that pours light out. That's how Peter phrases it, the

righteous dying for the unrighteous. Peter knew Jesus personally, so

you must have known how bad it was for Jesus

to suffer. Peter says that Jesus bore our sins in

his body on the tree. All of us. I don't

know what that means. But that's profound. As good as

the law is, hear me. Now, the law cannot produce

a righteousness that can save us. Did you hear me?

As good as it is, it cannot produce a righteous

that can save us. Only God can do that. Somehow.

It takes God's righteousness. When you read the Book of Romans,

it's clear that the Gospel is the Gospel of God.

That's the key phraseology God, God, God, and God's righteousness

appears in Romans three. And Jesus is God somehow kind

of way that gets it done without doing away with

his law. Doing what the law cannot do, God provides

a righteousness. Look at Romans three nineteen. Now we know

that whatever the law says, it speaks to those who

are under the law, so that every mouth may be

stopped and the whole world may be held accountable to God.

So what's the purpose of the law. It's to make

us guilty. That's one of the purposes. It's also a

righteous standard verse twenty. For no human being would be

justified in sight by works of law. Since through the

law comes the knowledge of sin. You've got to have

the law, or we don't know what sin is. God's

not doing a way with the law, but it can't

save us. Friend, the law is a perfect standard, and

yet the law itself cannot save us, single one of us.

The law is righteous, and yet the law can't make

us righteous. The law is free from sin, and yet

the law can't free us from sin. The law can

never be changed changed, as it convicts us everyone of sin,

as we cannot change ourselves to obey the law, and

thus the law is bankrupt. For a righteousness that's good

enough for the judgment day, we can't make it through

the scrutiny of the judgment day. Just because of the law.

God has provided in Jesus a right now righteousness that

is lawful that is good enough for the judgment day

even though it's not the law, and it's good enough

for every day of your life, so you can be

accepted by God as you grow. It is a righteousness

that comes from God, that belongs to God, that is

apart from law, even though the law points to it

points to it because we need another righteousness that will work.

A righteousness that satisfies the just requirements of the law

does not do away with it, but it gives us

a right standing with God. So we are accepted every

day of our life and in the judgment day. Look

at verse twenty one. But now the righteousness of God

has been made manifested. Direct quote of Day one, nine

twenty three. The word phanarah oh here phanaras is the

noun is an echo of the word mare the seventy

weeks and Day on nine twenty four says that at

the end of seventy weeks God would bring in everlasting righteousness.

The seventy weeks coming to Christ for a none of

your prophecy. But now see it's happening in our time.

The righteousness of God has been manifested apart from the law,

although the law and the prophets bear witness to it.

The righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ. For

how many people, For all who do what you see,

God has leveled the plane field. You have faith in Christ,

you're a safe person. You start a relationship Christ, you grow,

You're not outside anymore, You're inside for all who believe.

For there's no distinction. God's not a racist. God doesn't

care about your social economic background. He cares about you

since all have sinned. Now, how many of you think

it includes you put your hand high if you're an

honest person. Okay, all right, we all need to put

our hands up. Says all have sinned. That's the past.

And what is say next and falls short of the

glory of God that's present. So we messed up in

the past, and we still mess up. So what does

God do? Look at verse twenty four. They are justified

by his grace as a gift through the redemption which

is in Christ. Jesus. Circle that verse, we are not guilty,

not because of us, but because of Jesus. Thus we

can grow. Now that doesn't mean we should willfully sin,

but what it does mean we can grow in an

atmosphere of justification, acceptance. The wages of sin is death.

We've all sinned, we all deserve to die. God told

Adam that he would die in the day that he sinned,

and for four thousand years God looked to be the liar.

When Jesus died on Calvary's Cross, he died the same day,

he took the sins of the world on him. If

I had a chance, I would show you from the

Bible that the garden of Casemite. The evidence is heavy

that it is the very spot where the Garden of

Eden stood. It will be the center of the universe

at the time at the end of the millennium, the

throne of God will be there, the new Eden will

be there. The evidence is Jesus had retraced his footsteps

to the very place where Adam sinned. The ancient Jewish

people believe them of Kezdek, who was Sham in their mindset,

and I believe they're very correct on that buried Adam

skull right there. And we have a first century testament

that Adam skull will there. You go there to the

Church of the Holy Sepulcher, and it will show Adam

Skull beneath the cross. They got it, Garden of Cacinity,

Garden of Eden. You see, Jesus is retracing the footsteps

of Adam where he fails Christ does not, and where

Adam said, I want my way. Jesus had not my will,

but yours be done. And Jesus died on Calvary's cross.

And even the evidence of scripture in Hebrews thirteen points

to the fact that Gaugatha was the summit of the

Mount of Olives, the same mountain where Gassimmee was at

facing the Eastern gate, near the altar of the Red Heifer,

the most important altar in Israel's his history, the Adam

Heifer representing the sins of the world. When Jesus died

on Calvary's Cross, he died the same day he took

the sins of the world on himself. At last, God's

promise came true, and Jesus died instead of Adam in

the day he took the sins upon himself. Look at

verse twenty five, Paul says, whom God put forward as

an expiation it means a guilt offering a helisterian in

Greek by his blood to be received by faith. And

why did he do it? Here? It is this was

to show God's righteousness because in his divine forbearance he

had passed over former sins. He didn't let Adam die

in the day that he sin, or any other human being. No, oh,

human being suffered final end time justice until Jesus died

for the sins of the world. God had passed over it.

But God demonstrated at the cross he meant what he

said that sin cannot be passed over, and Christ became

the sin bearer, the second atom, the atom sacrifice for

the whole world, the lamb of God that takes away

the sin of the world. Paul says in verse twenty six,

it was to prove at the present time that he

himself is righteous and that he justifies him who has

faith in Jesus. So how do you get God's righteousness

based on verse twenty six? You have to have faith

in who Jesus. God's righteousness is Jesus Christ kept the law.

But you know what God sent Jesus because we haven't

to save us. So if we're in Christ, if we

remain with Christ, if we place our faith in Christ,

you cannot be lost. So put your heart firmly where

it matters in Christ. At the Cross, Jesus won the

great controversy. And I'll say that I don't care if

people like that theology or not. At the Cross Jesus

won the great controversy. Do I have a proof text

for that revelation? Twelve ten and eleven says so at

the Cross, in fact, there's a good chapter, and the desire

of ages called it is finished. Sister White says so too,

an agreement with the scripture. At the cross. The decisive

answer came at last at the cross, the man who

died for all men and women, the just for the unjust,

the good for the evil, the righteous for the unrighteous.

At the cross, the glory of God, the character of God,

the glory that the Gospel John talks about. It broke

through the darkness the veil, and suddenly the universe could

see into the most quality place. That God is love

and that mercy wins in the end. And God found

a way to open Eden's door again without setting aside

his law, and bring us home. The Bible teaches us

that there is an investigative judgment in heaven. Just before

Jesus returns Daniel seven, the books are opened and Daniel

twelve one. It says, everyone at the end of time

will be delivered whose names are found written in the book.

Turned to Daniel twelve one very quickly with me. And

at that time this is when Jesus returns, and here

Christ is Michael. Second coming is in the resurrection is

administered by Michael. Michael is a question Hebrew who is

just like God? There's only one answer. Christ is just

like God because he is God. At that time, shall

write Michael the great Prince. There's no greater prince than Christ,

who has charge of your people. He's the good shepherd.

And there shall be a time of trouble. So has

never been since there was a nation till that time.

But at that time, Who's people? What does it say?

Your people might be delivered? Is that what it reads?

Shall I'll be delivered? And now it tells you who

they are, everyone whose names shall be found? Written where

in the book see the word find found. That's an investigation.

Where is God looking? He's looking in the Lamb's book

of life to see if you're in Christ. If you're

in Christ, you're in the kingdom. God will be looking

for you in the judgment. Let him find you every

day of your life. And Jesus turns me to two

Timothy four to one. We've gone a little over. Thank

you for going with me in the journey today. In

the scripture, how are we to live in light of

the judgment, the investigative judgment, which is necessary for the

character of God, who wants in arbitrary God. I couldn't

worship one for eternity. So how do we live in

light of God's character and his justice? Tewod Timothy four

one Paul is ready to die, and he commends this charge.

He gives this charge to Timothy. I charge you in

the presence of God of Christ Jesus, who is the

judge the living and the dead. By his appearing, that's

his second coming. What's the next phrase? By his kingdom?

That's Daniel seven, when he comes to the ancient days

in heaven to receive his kingdom. Two things. So God's

judgment is the second advent. It's also the kingdom when

he receives the kingdom, as outlined the Book of Daniel.

Here's what he says. Preach the word? Is that okay?

Is it? Is it okay to preach the word some people?

We don't preach the word. We should preach the word

be urgent in season out of season. Should we be

convicted of the truth? Yes or no? Yes, convince rebuke?

Is it okay for the Bible to correct our ways? Okay?

Exhort That means to encourage people. Be unfailing in patience

and in teaching. So what keeps us on track? It's

the study of the Word of God. It's a relationship

for the time is coming when people will not endure

sound teaching. They'll they'll say, we don't need an investigative judgment.

You know the cross, and they'll misunderstand it so that

we do not know God's character, he says, But having

itching ears that will accumulate for themselves teachers who will

suit their own likings and will turn away from listening

the truth and wondering to miss As for you, I

like this, Always be steady. How many you want to

be steady? In there with Jesus? Always be steady. Endure

suffering things go bad in your life? What are we

supposed to do? Endure suffering? Do the work of an evangelist?

Are you trying to win people to the truth and

the Christ and your life? Yes? Or no? Say we

need to do the work of an evangelist, every one

of us. God has given you a sphere to help

people come to Jesus. Our young people who attend the

Laurel High School and school. God put you there to

help you win those those your friends. You need to

be thinking about that. God has put you in the

workplace to help win your work associates, your neighborhood. Every

one of us should have people in our lives that

we pray for. We interact with, stay with outside of

the church. Always do the work of an evangelist. Fulfill

your ministry. God hasn't put you on earth just to

be here. He's put you on earth to make a difference,

he says, For I am already the point of being sacrificed.

The time of my departure has come. Paul was ready

to die. I have fought the good fact, I have

finished the race. I kept the faith. Henceforth there is

laid up for me the crown of Righteousness, which the

Lord of the Righteous Judge will award to me on

that day. Not only to me, but also who have

loved disappearing friends. We are to live for Jesus and

work diligently to hasten his coming. We are to work

to save souls in the church and out of the church.

God didn't give us this church these rooms so we

could just have a nice place to hang out. He

gave us this church so we can interact with people

in this community in the world and make a difference.

And if we don't, he can burn our church to

the ground like he could anybody else's. You hear me,

We have been entrusted with great things, but they're not

because we're better than anybody else. And we are grow

in the Bible and a knowledge of the truth to

honor Jesus Christ here a righteous generation, the plant of

the Lord. And then one day at last, Jesus himself

will place the crown of victory on your head. Now

imagine that. Take your hands, Come on, take your hands

with me. Put on your head, and imagine Jesus putting

the crown on your head. Doesn't that feel good? Rub

your scalp a little bit, as that beautiful, wonderful crown

that has an air conditioner on it, who knows what

the technology they have, settles on your head and it's

your crown. Jesus coming one day for all that, and

we're going to go to the marriage supper of the Lamb.

He's not coming to open the books last minute and

scrutinize your life. That happens before he comes in the

investigative judgment, and Christ represents us in that judgment. So

what does that mean? Here? So live and so act

as those who are to be judged by the law

of liberty. James says, we can never vindicate God's character,

but we can reveal it. Right, we can share it,

we can show the truth, we can live it, and

in our smallness we can give glory to God, who

is the big hero in the story. May God give

you grace and love to win others for him, and

define yourself in that wonderful place called the King of God,

your heavenly Father, with an awesome privilege. That we poor,

struggling sinners by nature are saints by faith and grace

and election because of Jesus. Father, Thank you that we

don't need nor should we ever look to the Law

as our savior, even though we want to keep it.

Because of Jesus. Thank you that Jesus is the righteousness

that gets it done. Lord, help Christ to come into

every life here mine included anew, so we will live

out the law for the right reasons, not to prove something,

not to virtue signal, but because Jesus went to that

off across for us. Give everyone here peace, grace, and

obedience in Jesus' name. Amen.