Episode Transcript
If you take God's precious word and turn to Daniel chapter seven verse ten.
Daniel chapter seven verse ten While you're turning there, we had 81 contacts for the week, and that brings a yearly total up to 3,264.
And uh just to give you a little Update on some of the things that have been going on this week.
It's been a very busy week for the Kingdom of God.
And uh First, um I had a young man in name named Elisha Zulu reach out to me from Africa. wanting to buy some of the uh most important message books, which are uh right here, this book right here, which I've showed y'all many times before.
He wanted to buy a few of those so he could have to uh witness to people there in his village.
And he said that he was trying to start a church.
Well Elisha has read uh all the other books that I've written, including the Thick Treading on Mountains book, which was written my mainly for uh ministers, pastors, uh seminary people.
And it's a it's a thick, harder read.
And uh he's read all of them.
So he's well grounded in the gospel, and he wants to start a church So uh I I told Tammy, as I've been taking all of the uh the donations that have been coming in and uh putting them toward uh tabletop books right now and and uh and I just got those in by the way so uh Tammy do we have any tabletops in your car Maybe one.
Okay.
We need to give it to Brother Shepherd before we leave, please.
Um, and then I'll bring some uh Lord willing Wednesday here. uh some of the tabletops.
But we we got those in, thank the Lord, and we're ready to start getting those out.
I gave my mother several of them.
She's gonna start placing them But uh um you know it costs so much money to mail overseas.
So I've I haven't been sending anything overseas lately and hadn't planned on it, and don't plan on it for any time soon, except for what I'm about to tell you.
And he said he wanted to buy some.
And I said, I told Tammy, I said He doesn't understand it'll probably cost more money to mail the books to them than what it'll cost for the books themselves, but I've never, ever had anyone from Africa offer to pay for anything They always assume the folks in the West are going to pay for it and it'll all just come to them.
So I said, you know what?
If he can find a way to get the money to me, I'll take his money.
And then when he gets the money to me, I'll send him more than what he asked for.
And uh, because if he's that that desirous of getting materials and that he's willing to scrape together money that he doesn't have much of, I'm sure.
I'll get him some materials and help him start that church by God's grace.
So anyway, uh last week Um he went to Western Union.
He called me on the way to work on Facebook Messenger.
He was there at Western Union in Africa and he was trying to wire me that money, $38, to buy some of those books And after work I went by a Western Union and I picked that thirty-eight dollars up.
So uh uh he also I said I'd like to send him a gift as well.
I was gonna Send him one of the books he had he hadn't read that I've written.
He he's read them all.
Except for this one.
So he said, I would like some tracks though.
I would like some tracks.
Have you got one of those unfolded ones?
Send Jonathan up here.
That's folded.
You got one of the unfolded ones too?
Handy?
Just bring them both.
There we go.
Thank you, Jonathan.
So I got sister Sister Elizabeth, I think it's gonna work out just fine, ma'am.
Once you fold them, it just feels feels okay.
Um so I got sister Elizabeth um to uh change where it says Richard Fulton Central Baptist Church and all that on the back of our track and put his information on there Pastor Elisha Zulu and his phone number and uh email address there.
And uh and so we're going to send well this is after it's cut.
It actually makes an eight and a half by eleven sheet, you get two of these tracks on one, and I write two per sheet.
And uh so uh she printed uh how many did you printed up for 'em?
Huh?
That one No, no, no, no.
How many sheets do you get printed up?
I was going to I was checking it.
Well how many are we going to print up?
200?
So it'd be 400 tracks.
So 200 sheets that'll make him give him 400, that'll be 400 people he can reach there in his village just with these.
And we're gonna send them unfolded 'Cause they'll st uh be easier to ship.
And with one of these already folded so he'll know how to fold them when he gets them.
So uh y'all are gonna cut them, right?
So they'll be cut but unfolded And then we'll stick one in here for an example.
I'll show him uh or I'll tell him, you know, what to expect, and then uh he can fold them and then hand them out when he when uh he gets them.
So I'm really excited about that.
So uh Jonathan, here you go.
Thank you.
Jonathan, you're pretty handy.
Pretty handy.
All right.
So I'm grateful for that also I announced Wednesday, that it popped in my head Wednesday, that uh if y'all want to, if anyone here wants to, What and what an incredible opportunity.
You won't I don't know any other place where you can do this.
But if you would like to personally hand one of these books to someone in Africa in that village and witness to them then feel free.
Um if uh if you like uh uh four dollars would pay for the book and it'll go a little toward the shipping it to Africa and if you're interested in doing that You can just take the $4 and stick it over here in the in the offering plate or stick it here in the box.
If you don't have $4 and you want one.
We had someone come the other day.
They they they and when I when they buy these, they're buying at my cost.
All they're doing is covering the the printing of this book.
I don't make money off of them.
But when when uh they bought some, they gave me extra so someone else could have some that wanted them.
So when I get the money, all I do is turn right around and I buy I just order more.
That's all I do with it So when you forgive money, I just turn around and I order more.
And that way we can just keep giving them out, giving them out, giving them out, giving them out to people.
So if you want to do that Then uh if you have the money and you want to to help uh replace what you took, then uh you can put it in the box.
If you don't have it and you want to do this then just come grab you one because we have some extra they're already paid for.
And you can take one of these books and uh There's a pen right here or if you have your own pen find you get you a hardback songbook or go to the table over here and if you like and we already had two people do this This is from Shiloh and uh this is from Alice.
They've already both gotten a book.
Shiloh saved her money and with her own money she b bought her a book.
And uh and then they wrote, do you mind me reading your message, Alice?
So whoever whoever gets this, it'll have right here.
She's got a little heart sticker, praying that this finds the answers you're searching for, John 6. through eight.
How wonderful.
And if you'd like to put your own message in there to whoever reads this, the nice thing is you supply the book.
We'll get it to Africa and that young man, Elisha Zulu, if you want to see a picture of him, just go to my Facebook page.
I got a picture of him on there.
I posted about this this morning And uh you can see a picture and he will take them and find people who will read them.
And I won't tell them, make sure they'll read them for you give them to them and then he'll uh find people who read them and it'll be just like you handing that book to someone in Africa.
All right?
And you don't have to uh not only share it in Africa, you can share it here uh uh an across the street, not just across the the the globe.
But there they are when we get through a church if you would like to do that.
Um We had someone get seven the other day, and and if you have written your messages already, we're going to mail these off Thursday, okay?
We're going to mail all of this off Thursday.
Um we've got um uh uh Someone who was going to donate a Knowing I'm Saved book and they forgot it today.
So we want to make sure and include that.
So they're going to put the Knowing I'm Saved book in the lock it locked mailbox out here and dump it in there and then Wednesday night we'll get it.
Don't let me forget to get that out Wednesday.
And then we'll include that in the package as well.
But uh here they are when we get through with church, you're welcome to do that.
Also, uh, we have the first tabletop book in Kaufman County placed in service, and Brother uh Kent. uh went and got his vehicle oil changed the other day at the Dodge Chrysler Jeep here in Gunbarrel and he got permission to leave it in their waiting room there.
So there it is.
If you happen to be in there getting vehicle service.
Then uh check the book out and uh and pray for those who'll be reading it.
So thank you for doing that, Brother Kent With that, we'll go ahead and get into our message now.
Daniel chapter 7, verse 10, and God willing we'll finish verse 10 this morning.
Verse 10B is what we're going to be focused on this morning.
The title of the message is The Books. were opened.
The books were open.
I have one more announcement to make that I was thinking about just a moment ago as I was scrolling through Uh I usually go and I I look at the good mornings online as I'm sitting up here and y'all are singing and I go through and I'll like the good mornings or I'll type something on the uh to the online viewers and say good morning to them sometimes.
But uh I was looking at some of these and there's some of these people I've never met in person.
Some of them I've met and I haven't seen in a long time Tony Farmer I've never met.
There's others on here I've uh haven't seen in a long time.
Some you have never seen that I've seen But uh if um if you're uh a steady online viewer, used to we would take an annual trip.
Uh Tammy and I would and we'd go rent a hotel and we'd get the online viewers together and we don't have near the online viewers that we used to.
We used to have a lot of church members who were online members, actual members of the church.
And a lot of those found a church and they um they go to church now in person instead of watch us online.
So uh we haven't been doing that um and uh and the ones that we have are kind of scattered out in different states.
So I would like to make this offer And that is, if you would like to come meet us in person, and you don't have to.
But if you'd like to meet us in person And be able to know the and then when and then y'all who see these people online, you you know who they are and and to have some fellowship. uh one Sunday, then uh Tammy and I will pay for your hotel if you can get here.
You can get here Saturday, we'll put you up Saturday night in a nice hotel.
And uh not a five-star.
We don't have any of those in these small towns, but we'll put you up in a nice hotel.
And uh and then you can be here with us Sunday morning, have supper with us that Saturday night And uh we'll either have you over the house or get you some nice supper somewhere.
But if you're watching online, you'd like to do that one Sunday and come meet us, you just get yourself here.
Let me know ahead of time And uh we'll have the reservations made for you.
Alright, with that we'll go ahead and go into Daniel chapter 7 verse 10.
We're studying the latter part of Daniel's vision again, which details the events of the last days. and the last beastly empire that will be unrighteously reigning during the time before Christ. comes.
We left off in verse 10 last week, where God, the Ancient of Days, sat on his earthly throne, and concerning the Ancient of Days, Daniel said, quote, A fiery stream issued and came forth from before him.
Thousand thousands ministered unto him, and ten thousand times ten thousand stood before him The judgment was set, and the books were opened.
Now we learned last week that the fiery stream that issued from the ancient of days was literally a river of fire.
A river of fire.
And we saw that that fire issued, which meant it was moving.
It flowed in the sense we learned last week of clearing a path similar to lava flowing down from a volcano.
If you could think of it like that, it's about the best way I think to envision a river of fire.
And then we consider the fact that rivers flow and lakes collect, right?
Rivers flow, lakes collect.
And so we then connected the dots. between the river of fire here in Daniel and the lake of fire in other places in the Bible, one apparently flowing in a course of God's judgment into the other.
And now Daniel said the ancient of days was accompanied by a large group of attendants who both ministered to the Lord as well as stood before him, if you'll see that in the text.
They ministered to the Lord as well as stood before him.
And we saw in Scripture that those ministering to God were the angels who served him And I told you that those who stood before God were those who were about to be judged by him who would endure that river of fire that issued forth from God, and God willing, this is where we'll take back up Now let's go ahead and go to the Lord in prayer.
Father, we thank you so much for your precious word.
And we pray, Father Lord, that all eyes will be on you this morning.
You'll teach your word in the power of your Holy Spirit, Father, and help us to see and understand your word clearly, I pray, in Jesus' precious name Amen.
All right.
Now uh last Sunday after church Had a couple of church members uh contact me and said they believe that the thousand, thousand angels who minister to the Lord were one and the same as the 10,000 times 10,000 that stood before him, that they were one and the same.
In other words, they believed the scripture was saying that the angels were both ministering to God and standing before him in the sense of service.
So what I wanted to do was uh drill down deep into that study with you this morning And uh make sure that we rightly divide that scripture and give them the um the attention that they deserve with that um that concern about that passage.
And I'll tell you in my study I found that in Ezekiel chapter 44 verse 15 I found a passage where the same group of individuals were ministering and standing before God.
And they were doing that in the sense of service in both cases.
Ezekiel 44, 15 says But the priests now these aren't angels, but they're priests, the priests, the Levites, the sons of Zadok, that kept the charge of my sanctuary when the children of Israel went astray from me, they shall come near to me to minister unto me, and they shall stand before me, not to be judged, but to offer unto me the fat and the blood, saith the Lord God.
So it could very well be that the Ministry of the angels was being double described here in this passage.
For example, Daniel could have been saying a thousand thousand angels minister to God.
Yes, even ten thousand times ten thousand angels. stood before him to do his bidding and to to minister to him, or to to execute judgment on his behalf But what we have to understand also is standing before God in the Bible is used to describe both standing before God to serve him. as well as standing before God to be judged by Him.
And the only way to discern Which of these two meanings apply to the passage is to examine the context of that passage is the only way.
And in the passage in Ezekiel, serving God is the only subject in the context So it's quite easy to discern the meaning.
It literally tells exactly how they're standing before God.
In our context in Daniel, however, both service and judgment are in view.
Now listen to how the Apostle John describes the number of angels.
So we're going to be looking at the number of angels here.
Because it says a thousand thousand were uh serving him and or ministering to him and And 10,000 times 10,000 stood before him.
But watch how this is described concerning angels in Revelation 5.
11.
John said, and I beheld and I heard the voice of many angels round about the throne and the beasts and the elders.
Now those beasts are not the the uh the ungodly beast, okay, that we've been reading about in Daniel.
So just over overlook that.
And the number of them were or was ten thousand times ten thousand and thousands of thousands.
And that is a very similar uh uh even though the the sentence structure is different from Daniel 710, the number, if you take that number collectively, is the same.
For it says in Daniel 7. 10 a thousand thousands and ministered unto him, and ten thousand times ten thousand stood before him.
So when you consider the passages in Revelation 5 and Ezekiel 44, it gives great support To these numbers referring to the angels who are serving God and whose service, as we saw last week, will be executing God's judgment, which is about to take place, for immediately After giving these numbers, Daniel 7. 10 says, if you look back in Daniel 7. 10, the judgment was set.
And the books were open, and that's where we left off last week.
Now, here's where we have to drill down further.
Since the judgment was set, And the books were opened.
Daniel definitely saw people standing before God for judgment.
No doubt about it.
He saw people in his vision standing before God for judgment.
For when the books are opened, People are standing before God about to be judged.
Revelation chapter 20, verse 12.
Revelation chapter 20, verse 12.
John said, and I saw the dead.
Notice that in particular here.
This is going to be very important as we go further in our study this morning.
He said, I saw the dead.
So John is seeing the same people that Daniel's seeing, basically.
Okay?
And the and who he's seeing is the dead.
He sees the dead, small and great, stand before God.
Watch now how the standing before God is Inevitably connected with the books being opened.
He says, I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God, and the books were opened.
So that's it very important for us to understand.
And uh anytime the books are opened, There are people standing before God.
John saw them.
And he says, if you'll look here now, he says Stand before God just like in Daniel.
The books were opened, just like in Daniel, and another book was opened, which is the book of life, and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the the books according to their works.
Now we'll get back to that here in just a moment.
But like a fiery stream after their standing before God And they're judged according to those books being opened.
After the books are open, and they're judged by God Guess what happens?
A fiery stream carries them away to a lake of fire is basically what's happening.
John went on to say In verses 13 and 14.
And the sea gave up the dead which were in it, and death and hell delivered up the dead which were in them.
You notice every time someone is standing before God here, they're dead.
They're dead.
That's very important for us to understand.
And they were judged every man according to their works, and death and hell were cast into the lake of fire.
You see how that works This is the second death.
In other words, they died once in their body.
Now they're dying the second time, body, soul, and spirit forever.
So in this passage Here in Daniel, we have to ask this question.
Are there angels standing before God to serve him?
Or are there sinners standing before God to be judged by him?
I believe after careful prayer and study, there are clearly both.
Both.
So I believe this passage in Daniel 7, because They're not easy passages.
These are these are are these are are uh are uh are are complex prophecies, but I believe this passage in Daniel 7 And after praying, this is the best way I can describe it to you.
I believe it's a contracted statement of what lies ahead.
See, what is a contracted statement?
Have you ever heard of a contracted word?
I believe it's a contracted statement of what lies ahead, similar to a contracted word.
For example Instead of us saying do not, what do we sometimes do?
We sometimes join those two words together, and we say what?
Don't.
We say don't.
Now, what we have to understand is when we do that, when we say don't, everything is said, but not everything is pronounced.
Everything is said, but not everything is pronounced.
And I believe that's what's happening in Daniel 7.
10.
Everything is clearly said Though not everything is pronounced.
You have angels, you have a great number of angels, you have a great number of people, you have angels serving God, you have angels standing before God to serve him.
You have people standing before God who are dead, who are about to be judged. by this river of fire that's going to take them into a lake of fire.
And I hope that uh corrects and clarifies my teaching on this part of the verse But who exactly is standing before God when these books are open?
And uh and what books is Daniel talking about?
That's what we want to look at now this morning.
For Daniel didn't say some of the books were opened, did he?
He didn't say, and some books were opened.
He didn't say that.
He said the books were opened.
Specific books were open Well, the text that we just read, this is why I told you to pay very close attention to some of the words there in Revelation 20. as well as other texts that we have in God's Word, they give us some insight into this question, who is standing before God And what books were open.
Now, Revelation 20, 12 again, says, and I saw whom?
The dead.
The dead are standing before God.
It says, I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God.
And the books were opened.
And another book was opened, which is the book of life.
Now that tells us right there what one of the books are.
Now we know at least one of those books.
That is the book of life.
And the dead were judged.
When books are open, judgment is made.
When books are open, judgment is made in God's word.
The dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books.
Watch this now. according to their works.
Alright?
Now, here's what I want you to notice.
As we have this text up here, don't you love getting into God's word?
I want you to notice how by the inspiration of the Spirit The books were opened, but watch how the Holy Spirit sets apart one book from the other books.
The books were open and another book, you see, separate and distinct from these books, another book was open, which is the Book of Life.
And the dead were judged out of those things written in the books according to their works.
Now, here's the problem.
If you're dead and you're getting judged by Book of Life, what's the problem?
You don't belong there.
Why?
Because you're dead You see?
And so that's the problem here.
They're getting judged.
So everyone who's getting judged here, they're not going to be accepted by God.
But notice that that book of life stands apart.
And it contains a list of all the people who are forever alive in Christ Jesus.
Okay?
That's the book of life.
Those who who are alive in Christ Jesus at this time, that is what that book contains.
And these people are not alive.
For John described them once again as being dead.
So when God looks in the book of life, these dead people are not going to be found in that book.
Because they're dead.
And they won't be in that book for one reason.
And that's because they did not believe. in Christ, in what he did for them on the cross.
They did not believe in him as their Savior.
So not being found in the book of life.
They'll forever be dead.
They'll die the second death.
And those who do not believe in Christ today are f are are dead, even though they may be physically alive.
Speaking of whom I believe is the little horn that we read about in Daniel, that sits on that beast Revelation chapter 13, verses 6 through 8 says this.
And he opened his mouth in blasphemy against God to blaspheme.
His name and his tabernacle in them that dwell in heaven.
And it was given unto him to make war with the saints.
That's us. and to overcome them.
That's us.
And power was given him over all kindreds and tongues and nations.
And all that dwell upon the earth shall worship him Who's going to worship him?
Those whose names are not written in the book of life.
In other words, the dead are going to worship him.
Isn't that something?
How can dead people Worship him because they're dead in trespasses and sins.
That's the way the Bible describes them in another passage.
We were dead in trespasses and sins.
But once we come to faith in Christ, we are forever alive in Christ Jesus rather than being dead in our sins.
So it says And that in uh Revelation 13, 8, it says, whose names are not written in the book of li uh life of the lamb slain from the foundation of the world.
Now do you see that The books were opened.
And I tell you why, this is why so beautiful right here.
Tell me, be honest, because I have How many of y'all, when you've read these scary passages in the Bible where there's a book of life that's opened, and whoever was not found in the book of life was cast in the lake of fire, and you sit and you think Hope I'm in there.
Almost everybody I think it would be unhealthy if you didn't ask yourself that question, right?
Everyone wants to be in the book of life that that that is thinking correctly.
But watch this here.
This is what's so beautiful about this.
All of them will they're going to worship this beast.
They're going to worship the man of sin. whose names are not written in the book of life.
This is the thing about the book of life.
It is the book of life, not the book of life of the Jesus that walked around and held people in their uh held children in his hands.
Not the book of life of Jesus that said, Rise, take up your bed and walk.
Not the book of life of the little babe that was in the manger It's the book of life, say it with me, of the lamb slain from the foundation of the world.
So we're talking about a book of life specifically concerning a sacrificial lamb who died for people's sins.
You see that?
Now that makes it a whole lot easier to understand.
How do you know that your name is in the book of life.
Well, when you trust in the lamb slain for your sin, when you put your faith In the Lamb who died for your sin, and you make that decision that I am going to trust what Jesus did on the cross for me for my salvation You are now in the book of life of the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world because you have accepted the fact that he was slain for you.
Isn't that wonderful?
What a wonderful thing that the Bible so describes.
This book of life so as to let us know who's in it.
And I thank God I'm in it because my faith has found no other place for my hope for heaven, except in that lamb who died for me.
The book of life is all about believing in the lamb slain from the foundation of the world So if you want to be in the book of life, then believe in the Lamb who died for you.
For if you are physically alive without the Lamb, Then you are spiritually dead.
But if you are physically dead with the Lamb, then you are spiritually alive and you'll never die.
John chapter 11, the Gospel of John chapter 11, verses 25 through 26, Jesus said unto her, I am the resurrection of the life.
He that believeth in me, though he were dead.
Yet shall he live.
And he whosoever liveth and believeth in me shall never die.
Then he asked, believest thou this?
You see what Jesus is saying?
He's saying that whoever uh lives, if you're alive and you make that decision To trust in the Lamb who died for you and believe in Him as your Savior, you will never die.
Oh, you may have a funeral.
Your body may lie in this casket, but your spirit and your soul are going to be forever alive.
In heaven with the Lamb who died for you, because you believed in him as your Savior.
That is a promise straight from the mouth of the Lamb himself.
Thank the Lord.
That's right.
Amen.
Praise God.
We could stop right there.
But you know, there's some other books.
Let's talk about these other books when we finish chapter verse 10 What about these other books Daniel mentioned?
Because he said the books were open and another book was open, which is the book of life.
He mentioned more than one book in Daniel 7.
10.
The books were open.
Well, Revelation 20:12 again.
Look back at it again.
And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God, and the books were open, and another book was open, which is the book of life.
We just talked about that.
And the dead were judged out of those. things which are written in the books, say these words with me, according to their works.
Now here's the thing.
Keep that up there, please That's not the one I wanted, but keep it there.
That's fine The Lamb was all about the book of life.
All about the book of life was the cross.
These other books are not about that.
They were judged everyone according to whose works?
There we go.
Their works.
Their works.
Now in the book of life, the book of life was about the lamb who was slain Now, the Lamb is the Lamb.
We are who we are.
The Lamb is who He is.
We do what we do.
That's our works.
The Lamb dying on the cross, that's his work.
Do you see the difference?
This is what separates the living from the dead.
This is what separates us going to live with the Lord forever versus going into the lake of fire forever.
The difference is this.
The dead who die and go to the lake of fire, they're going to be judged according to their works.
Those who go to heaven are going to be judged according to Jesus' work.
Now I'm not trusting in my works.
If I trusted in my works, you're looking at a sinner right here.
I'm a sinner.
I wouldn't trust the best five minutes of my life But I'll trust the life that Jesus lived and gave for me.
That's the only book I want to be judged by.
And so it says here, according to their works.
So that tells us what?
It tells us that those books contain a record of their works.
What they did while they were living in this world.
And let me assure you, you do not want to be judged according to your works.
For the Bible says in Galatians 2.
16 That a man is not justified by the works of the law.
That means when you work and you're trying to fulfill God's law, God's commands, and you're going to be judged according to you trying to do what God said, says a man is not justified.
Justified by the works of the law, but by the faith of Jesus Christ.
Paul said, even we, knowing this, that we're not justified by works, even we have believed in Jesus Christ that we might be justified by the faith of Christ.
And not by the works of the law, for by the works of the law shall no flesh be justified.
And that's why none of these people in Daniel chapter 7, who are standing before God when these books are open, shall be justified in Gaia's sight.
So we see this. are in these books.
People's works are in these books.
What else is in these books?
Well, righteousness in truth are in these books.
Psalm chapter 96, verses 10 through 13.
Psalm 96, 10 through 13 Say among the heathen that the Lord reigneth, that's him on his throne.
He reigns.
The world also shall be established that it shall not be moved.
He shall judge the people how?
Righteously.
Let the heavens rejoice, and let the s the earth be glad, let the sea roar in the fullness thereof.
Let the field be joyful in all that is therein.
Then shall all the trees of the wood rejoice.
Brother Shepherd said something this morning in his Sunday school.
He said that he is glad That the wrath of God's going to be poured out on people.
And you know what?
I am too.
How many of y'all have read the headline of Ilhan Omar being investigated?
How many of y'all want to see her held accountable for?
Do you see that?
There's something in us that demands righteous judgment.
Because if we don't have righteous judgment, we're living in a world that's not worth living in.
And so this is why the psalmist here is saying, let the whole earth rejoice, let the fields be joyful.
Let everybody, uh the the trees, the whole creation rejoice.
Why?
Because God is going to come and judge this place righteously.
Look with me in verse 13 before the Lord, and those rejoice for the Lord, for he cometh.
He for he cometh to judge the earth He shall judge the world with righteousness and the people with his truth.
So when God sits on his throne and these books are open, you're going to have a book of life.
That's going to be all about the Lamb's work.
They didn't believe in the Lamb's work.
So they're going to be judged according to their works.
And when they're judged according to their works, they're going to be judged according to God's righteous law and his true record says they're going to be judged according to righteousness and truth.
They're going to be judged according to God's righteous law and his true record. of every infraction committed against him and the truth that they denied.
People who said, oh, we don't accept that there's a God.
We don't believe in this Noah and his ark.
We don't believe in this fairy tale of creation.
We don't believe that some God created everything.
We believe we created ourselves.
They're not going to be judged according to the fairy tale they believe.
They're going to be judged according to the truth as it actually is.
They're not going to be judged people who lied and covered up their sins to their fellow men and got away with it They're not going to be judged according to their lies and their cover-ups.
They're going to be judged and exposed by the truth recorded in these books when they are open.
People who thought God would compare them to their sinful neighbors, whom they thought, well, I'm better than them, they're going to be shocked to learn that God's not going to compare us to other sinners He's going to compare us to the book of his righteous and holy law.
And that's why it is so important that we believe in Christ as our Savior.
For if we accept him as our Savior, then we won't be judged every man according to our works, but according to his.
Romans chapter 3, and we're going to close with this.
Listen to this beautiful passage.
Romans chapter 3, verses 19 through 28.
The Apostle Paul told us something that we know.
He said, now we know that what things soever the law saith, it is God's law, whatever the God's law says is said to them that who are under the law, that every mouth may be stopped, and all the world may become guilty before God.
Every single mouth When if you take God's righteous law and you open his this this the book of of God's righteous law and people standing before him, listen, every mouth will be stopped and all the world will become guilty before God There's not a single person who can stand before God and say, Well, I've fulfilled all your laws.
I've done everything you've said.
I've done everything perfect and good and holy my entire life No, the law of God will make every mouth stop.
In other words, no excuses, no arguments.
Everyone, when they're confronted with God's law, just gonna have to hang their head down and say, I'm guilty.
I'm guilty.
Therefore, Paul said in verse 20, since everybody's guilty By the deeds of the law, that is, by doing God's law, there shall no flesh be justified in his sight.
For by the law is the knowledge of sin.
The only thing the law can do for you is tell you you're a sinner As far as being judged goes.
But he says in verse 21, but now the righteousness of God, in other words, being perfectly righteous Just like God, the righteousness of God without the law is manifest.
In other words, there's a way you can be perfect and holy and right and good just like God without obeying any of His law And that's being witnessed by the law and the prophets.
The law itself says, yes, that's true.
The prophets say, yes, that's true.
We prophesied of this.
We prophesied this would happen.
What What way is this?
How in the world can we have the very righteousness of God Himself?
If you'll move to the next one, please, the very righteousness of God Himself without the law He says, even the righteousness of God, which is by doing the law, doing the best you can?
No. faith of Jesus Christ.
Now let me explain that to you.
This word faith in the Greek it also means truth.
So in your mind, take out faith, put in the word truth, even the righteousness of God, which is by the truth of Jesus Christ unto all and upon all them that believe that truth.
The truth of what?
Of Jesus Christ?
The truth that he's the Lamb who was slain from the foundation of the world for you.
He says, for there is no difference.
There is no difference between you, between you, twin you, twin you.
Doesn't matter if you're black, doesn't matter if you're white, don't matter if you're Hispanic, do Doesn't matter what part of the world you live in, doesn't matter who you are, we're all guilty before God.
Jesus died for every one of us And we can be, however, even though we're sinners, we can be just as righteous as God.
In fact, we'll have the righteousness of God Himself if we will believe the truth of what Jesus did for us on that cross.
So he says, but now the righteous of God without the law is manifest, being witnessed by the law and the prophets, verse 22, even the righteous of God which is by faith, that is by the truth of Jesus Christ, unto all and upon them then that believe that truth.
For there is no difference, verse 23, for all have sinned and come short of the glory of God, all of us, being justified freely, without cost.
A free gift freely by his grace, his goodness, how?
Through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus The Lamb.
Verse 25, whom God has set forth, that means put out there for us to be a propitiation.
That means to satisfy his wrath. for the remission, uh propitiation, excuse me, through faith in his blood.
What is the scripture we're memorizing, Brother Doug?
We've been memorizing the past two weeks.
For the life of the flesh is in the blood.
And I have given it, that is, I've given the blood to you.
Where?
On your front porch, on the altar, which is a picture of the cross, to make an atonement for your souls, for it is the blood that makes an atonement for your souls.
How do we get in the Lamb's Book of Life?
Through faith in his blood.
That is, we see he died on the cross for us, he was slain for our sins, he shed his blood to pay the price that we owe God.
His life for ours.
And when we put our faith in the blood he shed in our place, not faith in the books But faith in the blood of the Lamb that died for you.
That declares his righteousness, if you look back in verse 25, for the remission of sins that are passed to the forbearance of God.
That means those who died before the Lamb was slain on the cross, he paid for their sins too.
And now in verse 26 he says to declare I say it this time that is after now that Jesus is done on the cross That he might be just, his uh declare us at this time his righteous, that he might be just, and the justifier of him which what Believeth in Jesus.
That is, believe means to trust.
Trust in Jesus.
Where is boasting then?
He asks in verse 27.
Who can say, oh yes, I'm going to heaven, I've done so good?
Where's boasting?
It is excluded That the gospel takes it completely out.
By what law?
Of works?
Nay, but by the law of faith.
Therefore, we conclude that a man is justified by faith without the deeds of the law.
I hope every one of you can say as we close right now that you understand that you cannot get to heaven by anything that you can do but by what Jesus has done.
For you.
That your faith is not in the books.
It's in the blood.
If it's in the blood, then your faith is in the book, your faith is recorded in the book of the Lamb that was slain.
If your faith is in your works, you're going to be judged according to your works.
My faith is in the blood.
I'm going to be judged according to the Lamb who died for me.
Father, we thank you so much for your precious word.
Thank you, Father God.
Lord, that we understand the score before it's tallied.
We know, Lord, that we are guilty We know, Lord, that we are sinners.
We know, Lord, there is nothing whatsoever that we can do, Father, to be justified in your sight.
But we know that Jesus did it all.
For the life of the flesh you said is in the blood, and you have given it to us in the Old Testament upon the altar. in the New Testament upon the cross to make an atonement for our souls.
And we trust in him as our Savior. the Lamb who was slain for us.
And we thank you, Father, that for us, because of him, there's life.
In Jesus' name we pray.
Amen.
