Would you turn back to Daniel
chapter 12? I've entitled this message, Michael
Stands Up. Let's read this verse again. And at that time shall Michael,
and his name means who is like God, At that time shall Michael stand
up. The great prince would standeth
for the children of thy people. Now, this is not a created angel. This is the Lord Jesus Christ,
who is like God. I've read several things that
said, well, it's Michael, archangel or the created angel. No, he
doesn't stand for the children of the people. Only the Lord
Jesus Christ does. And there shall be a time of
trouble, such as never was since there was a nation even to that
same time. And at that time, thy people
shall be delivered. And those people are identified
everyone that should be found written in the book. Michael stands up. He had been sitting and now he stands and he stands
for the people. And those people are identified
as the ones written in the book. The elect, those whose names
are written in the Lamb's book of life, the Lamb slain from
the foundation of the world. Now, somebody may think, why
do you always point out that Christ stood for the elect? Because
the Bible does. That's a good reason. And because
it's a reminder to us, I would never say Christ stands for all
men without exception, because he's a failure if that's the
case, because all men are not saved. And I want to remind you,
I want to remind myself that if Christ died for you, you're
saved. You can't be any more saved than
you are. That's the point of that. Daniel
or Michael stands up for the people. Now, Michael is the angel
of the Lord, the Lord Jesus Christ. He is no created angel. He's
the uncreated angel of the covenant, the second person of the blessed
Trinity. And I love what his name means.
Who's like God? You know the answer to that? No one. No one. Turn with me for a moment to
Isaiah 45. This is the Lord speaking. And he says in verse five, I
am the Lord and there is none else. There is no God beside
me. He has no peers. I go to thee,
though thou has not known me. He's speaking to Cyrus hundreds
of years before the birth of Cyrus. Cyrus is the king that
would say to the Israelites in Babylon, go back to Jerusalem
and rebuild the temple. Nobody knew what he was talking
about, I suppose, but this was written hundreds of years before
that took place. Nevertheless, he speaks of Cyrus.
He said in verse six, that they may know from the rising of the
sun and from the west, that there's none beside me. I am the Lord
and there's none else. I form the light and create darkness. I make peace and create evil. I, the Lord, do all these things. Look in Isaiah 46. Verse five, to whom will you
liken me and make me equal and compare me that we may be alike?
Who are you going to compare to me? Who are you going to sit
down beside me and say he's like God? Look down in verse nine,
remember the former things of old for I am God and there's
none else. I am God and there's none like me. Declaring the end
from the beginning. Now, before we go on, God never
sees things in a sequence of events the way we do. He declares
the end from the very beginning. And from ancient times, the things
that are not yet done, saying my counsel shall stand and I
will do all my pleasures. Whatever takes place is His pleasure,
His will being done. Verse 11, calling a ravenous
bird from the east, the man that executes my counsel from a far
country. Yea, I have spoken it. I will
bring it to pass. I have purposed it. I will also
do it. No one is like God. Now, I feel a measure of, and
it's good for me to feel this way, I feel utterly unable to
try to describe God as there's nobody like him, but there's
nobody like him. The Lord God is a person. Let that sink in. The Lord God
is a person with a consciousness. He is spirit. He's not confined
to space or time the way you and I are. There's no past, present,
and future with him. He's simple. He's not composite. He's a simple being. He's not
made of parts like me and you are, like every creature is. Every creature is made of parts,
not God. He's simple. He's not part just,
part holy, part good, part powerful, and the sum makes the whole.
Somebody says, what are you talking about? I don't know. I don't
know. I'll tell you that right now.
I don't know. But God is simple. He is holy. What that means is he's not at
all like me and you. He's other. He's separate. Holiness has something to do
with, thou hast loved righteousness and hated iniquity. Every attribute is holy. There's none like him. He's infinite.
Now, what can a finite creature understand of infinite? I know
this, he's exalted above and beyond all we can know or think. He is infinite. He's omnipresent. You can't be anywhere where he's
not. David said, if I make my bed in hell, thou art there. If I go in the uttermost wings
of the morning, thou art there. He's everywhere. He's everywhere. You can't go anywhere. where
he is not. He's here right now. He's everywhere. He's immutable. That means he
doesn't change. We just read, was it here or
the study, Malachi 3, I am the Lord. I change not. And that's why you sons of Jacob
are not consumed, because I do not change. He's omniscient. That means he knows everything.
That means he's never got new information. He's never had a
new thought. Think about that. He's never
had a new thought. He's all wise. He has made a
way in his glorious wisdom to make a way for him to be just. and justify people like me or
you. And I mean, make it to somebody like me stands before a thrice
holy God. And God said, I'm satisfied with
him. He's perfect. He's holy. He has
no spot. You know, with regard to this,
our conscience can never really be satisfied by just forgiveness. It can only be satisfied by God's
justice being perfectly satisfied. You know, that satisfies my conscience.
If you just tell me I'm forgiven, that's not enough for me. You
tell me I'm justified by what he did. I can rest in that. That's essential to peace with
God. There's none so just and righteous as the Lord. He's good.
And when we talk about, there's nobody like him, he's good. There's
none good but one. That is God. When Moses said,
show me your glory. He said, I'll make all my goodness
pass before you. and I'll proclaim my name before
you and I will be gracious to whom I will be gracious." Now
his goodness is his capacity to love and to save and to embrace
and to accept and to delight in people like me and you. That
is his goodness. He's good. I hate it when people
say, how could a good God let that happen? He's good whatever
takes place. I don't need to understand it. Whatever he does
is right, whatever he does is glorious, whatever he does is
good. He's always good. What is more mysterious than
how this holy and just God loves sinners? What's more mysterious
than that? There's nothing, to me, there's
nothing more mysterious and there's nothing that I have a harder
time getting hold of than to think that God actually loves
me and he gave his son for me. There's nobody like God, is there?
None like him. He's absolutely sovereign. And
by net definition, there's only one sovereign. He has a will. He has the power
to make that will come to pass. And he always does make his will
come to pass. Whatever takes place is God's
will taking place. He is sovereign. His sovereign
is universal. His sovereignty is absolute and
it's immutable. There is none like him. Amen. His uniqueness is seen in so
many different ways, but I just thought about this. What about
the Ten Commandments? The Ten Commandments says there's nobody
like him. He said, don't put any God before
me. I alone am to be worshiped. His commandment against idolatry. I think that's so glorious. To
make an idol is to bring God down to a human level. That's
all it is. A false concept of God. And God
says to every man by nature, you thought I was altogether
such a one as yourself, and therefore men make conceptions of God. Well, I'm not. This is what God's
like. He says, no, I'm not. No, I'm not in any comparison
of Him. To make any comparison to God
is only to bring Him down to human base level. I think of
the commandment regarding taking His name in vain. His name is
so holy and so glorious, it's a sin punishable by death to
not use the proper reverence in His name. I think of the commandment
with regard to the Sabbath. Remember the Sabbath. Keep it
holy. Rest. Even in the Ten Commandments,
we're given a picture of the Gospel of resting. The only way
you can be saved is not by working with this God, but by resting. the rest of the Sabbath. Honor your father and mother,
the respect for authority. Who's the ultimate authority?
The Lord God. His law shows his utter uniqueness. I love the Ten Commandments.
They reflect the glorious character of God, and the Lord Jesus Christ
is the unique one who kept them, and he's the only one who kept
them. I think of the thou shalt not. Thou shalt not kill, thou
shalt not commit adultery. Thou shalt not bear false witness. Thou shalt not steal. Thou shalt
not covet. You and I are to be so satisfied
with God, we're not coveting what anybody else has. We're
fine with what we have. The Ten Commandments is a reflection
of the uniqueness of God. There is nobody like Him. Now, who is the only one to keep
this law? the Lord Jesus Christ, and those
in him, because when he kept the law, I kept the law. And who are those he kept it
for? Those who are found written in
the book, the Lamb's book of life. That's so clear from the
scriptures. There's none like him, none like
the Father, none like the Son, none like God the Holy Spirit.
That's Michael's name, who is like God. And you know, I love
saying this, Jesus Christ is not like God. He's not like God
at all. He is God. Who is like God? He has no peers. This is that
one, I love this scriptural description the psalmist gives of this God
we worship. He covers himself with light as with a garment. He takes light
and it's a covering to him so glorious is his person. He holds
the winds in his fist. Who is like him? Turn with me
to first Timothy chapter six for just a moment. First Timothy chapter six. Verse. Fifteen. which in his times,
the time of the Lord Jesus Christ, upon his return, he shall show
who is the blessed and only potentate, the King of kings and Lord of
lords, who only hath immortality, dwelling in the light which no
man can approach and do, who no man has seen or can see, to
whom be honor, and our everlasting amen. Who is like the Lord. Now, Satan said, I'll be like him. In Isaiah 14, I'll be like him. I'll exalt my throne above the
most high. And what happened to him? He
was thrust down to hell. Now what was it that Eve was
desiring? What was Satan tempting her with
in the garden? You'll be as God, knowing good
and evil. You'll be like God. You'll have
a free will. You'll be able to choose the
good over the evil, and that's what gives you moral relevance.
You'll be like God. None like him. Now, the fact that Michael is
said to stand up means he had been sitting. Remember how Isaiah
saw him? He said, I saw the Lord high
and lifted up, sitting upon the throne. The fact that he is said to stand
means he was sitting, sitting on a throne of uncontested sovereignty,
ruling and reigning in regal splendor, undisturbed by opposition,
sitting on a throne, not pacing back and forth in worry and frustration,
but sitting. on a throne. Now, what is the
significance to him sitting? You know, his work is finished. That's why sitting, his work
is finished. We read in Mark 16, 19, when
he ascended back to the Father, he sat down at the right hand
of God. One of my favorite scriptures,
Hebrews 1-3, when he had by himself purged our sins. Now I love the insertion of by
himself. That means I didn't have anything
to do with this. I didn't help. I didn't aid. I didn't do anything
to make this effectual for myself. When he had by himself purged,
put away, blotted out, made not to be our sins. What did he do? He sat down at the right hand
of the majesty on high. Let me read the scripture from
Hebrews chapter 10 beginning in verse 11. And every high priest
standeth daily ministering and and offering oftentimes the same
sacrifices which can never take away sins. Notice it says they
stand. They're always standing because
their work is never done. And there were no chairs in the
tabernacle. The work was never done. But
this man, after he had offered one sacrifice for sins forever,
sat down on the right hand of God from henceforth expecting
till his enemies be made his footstool, for by one offering
he hath perfected forever them that are sanctified. Now the point of his sitting
is salvation, my salvation, your salvation. Anybody that's saved,
anybody that is saved, your salvation is accomplished right now. It's accomplished. When he said
it is finished, it was finished. Now, I've heard preachers say
this. Maybe I've even said this. And if I said it, I was wrong.
I can't remember if I've said it. I think maybe I have. Lynn
says, you ought not tell people things like that because they'll
think, what else has he said that's wrong? Well, I don't know for
sure that I've said it. But have you ever heard preachers
say, I'm a work in progress? I'm a work in progress. God's
not finished with me yet. I'm a work in progress and I'm
not perfect. You already knew that. I already
knew that. You didn't have to tell me that.
But the point is and I can understand why people say that. I'm not
I don't want to be too critical because I can understand why
people say that because we're still sinful. But according to the scriptures,
not according to the way we feel, but according to the scriptures,
I'm not a work in progress. Salvation is finished. Completely. That's exactly what
the Lord says. Now I still have this flesh that's
going to be put away when I die and I'm going to be glad to get
rid of it. Thank God for that to no longer deal with me. But
my salvation is finished. Completed. I can't get any more
holy. I can't get any more righteous.
I can't get any more accepted. I am. Scripture says in Colossians
1.22 that He's presented us holy and unblameable and unreprovable
in His sight. I'm not a work in progress. I
am finished. Now, that's hard to get hold
of, isn't it? That's hard to get hold of. But it's what the
Bible teaches. I just read it. He hath perfected
forever them that are sanctified." And somebody says, don't you
grow? Yeah, I mean, we grow in grace. I don't much understand
that as well as I'd like to. You know, it says, the Lord grew
in wisdom and stature and favor with God and man. Can anybody
understand that? But he did. And every believer is said to
grow in grace and the knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus
Christ. But it still says, we are a completed work. Now, let me tell you how much
it's finished. This is how much I think this drives the nail
home. For whom He did foreknow, them
He also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of His
Son, that He might be the firstborn among many brethren. Moreover,
whom He did predestinate, them He also called. Whom He called,
them He also justified. Whom He justified, them He also,
what's the next word? Glorified. glorified. He didn't say He will
glorify them. He said He glorified them. Near, so near to God, nearer
I cannot be. For in the person of His dear
Son, I'm as near to God as He. Dear, so dear to God, dearer
I cannot be. For in the person of His dear
Son, I am as dear to God as He. Now, his sitting speaks of the
completeness of our salvation. Nothing left for him to do. He sat down at the right hand
of the majesty on high. Now, Michael, though, in our
text is said to stand up. He had been sitting, but now
he stands, doesn't he? He stands. At that time shall
Michael stand up, the great prince which standeth for the children
of thy people. Now, I don't know how, I don't,
I don't know how we can picture this in our mind, but here he
is sitting on the throne and all of a sudden, up he stands.
And this is with regard to the last time. All of a sudden, up
he stands. And I couldn't help but think
of that vision God gave to Stephen right before he was stoned. He
looked up to heaven and saw the glory of God and Jesus standing. Not sitting, but standing at
the right hand of God. And he said, I see heavens opened
and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God. And I
believe that he was standing in order to receive his faithful
martyr. He knew what was going on. He
knew the story. He was standing up to receive
him. Listen to this scripture. When
John was weeping that no man was worthy to open the book,
there stood a lamb as it had been slain. That picture of the
Lord Jesus Christ, even in heaven, is a lamb. as it had been slain. And he stood and came and took
the book. No man was worthy to take the
book, but he was. He stood and he took the book. Revelation 14 one, and I looked
and lo, a lamb stood on Mount Zion and with him 144,000, his
father's name written in their forehead. stood with 144,000. Now that
represents all of the elect. It's not talking about a special
144,000 and the rest are kind of somewhat not quite as well
off. That's talking about the elect. And he stood with them. And I
love to think of the standing of the Lord Jesus Christ. I love
to think of him standing as our surety. before time began and
taking on full and complete responsibility for my salvation. I love to think
of him standing as my representative here, keeping the law for me.
More than my representative, as my head, as the one I'm united
to, keeping the law for me. He stood before Pilate, guilty
and condemned as the sinner's substitute. I love to think of
him standing up when he rose from the dead and ascends back
to the Father. And he's now in the presence
of the Father, sitting sometimes, I reckon, standing sometimes,
depending on what it's supposed to represent, but he's the intercessor
for all his people. Wherefore, he is able to save
them to the uttermost that come to God by him, seeing he ever
liveth to make intercession for them. And you'll notice our text
says the time of standing is a time of great trouble. Verse
12, or verse 1, at that time shall Michael stand up, the great
prince which standeth for the children of thy people, and there
shall be a time of trouble. such as never was since there
was a nation, even to that same time. It was a time of great
trouble. Now, the scriptures are bifocal. They can mean What do I mean
by that? Well, I think that this is a
reference, number one, to the sacking of Jerusalem in 70 AD. That's what the Lord's talking
about in Matthew chapter 24, that time of trouble. It was ransacked. I think it's
also talking about the end times. Paul said, know this, at the
end times perilous times shall come, times of trouble that are
worse than they've ever been. The last days. when men will
call on the rocks and hills to fall on them and to hide us from
the face of him that sits upon the throne and the wrath of the
Lamb. I think it's a reference to both. I think a lot of the
prophecies of Scripture can mean, well, it's talking about what
happened then and it's what's gonna happen at the last time. Michael will be standing for
his people. Who are his people? Everyone
found written in the book. The names of God's elect, everybody
he represented in the Lamb's book of life, the Lamb slain
from the foundation of the world, everyone found written. And I
like the way this is found written. You know, God doesn't write something,
well they believe, I'm gonna write his name down in the book.
No, they were found already written. Now, when we considered this
last week, a couple of people asked the question, what about
those passages of scripture where he says, I won't blot your name
out of the book of life? What about that? Well, that's,
he's not going to do it. He's not going to do it. I don't
know what else to say. It doesn't mean that some people's names
are blotted out. No, they're not. But he's saying
to that one who believes on his son, your name is going to be
not going to be blotted out of the book. And the Lord sometimes
says things in such a way as to accommodate our weakness and
our ignorance. Got to do a lot of that, doesn't
he? But who does he deliver? Everyone found written in the
book. And here's the last thought.
You're going to be delivered. going to be delivered. Oh, thou
shall call his name Jesus for he shall save his people from
their sins. They're going to be delivered.
Now I've already been delivered. I'm not a work in progress. I'm
plumb saved. If Christ has saved me, I'm plumb
saved. I've, I'm not a work in progress.
I'm saved. I'm saved from my sins, the penalty
of sins. But to the child of God, being in this sinful body, I've
not been delivered, not yet. I'm not going to be delivered
until I find no more pleasure in sin. Now, it's such a sad thing, but
it's true. Every believer has two natures. It's not sad. I
shouldn't even say it's sad. It's the way the Lord does it.
He could have made us to where we never sinned again as soon
as he saved us, but it's still true. Every believer has two
separate natures and one nature that's just as bad as it's ever
been. And it has the same sinful appetites,
the same self-righteousness, the same flesh. And I want, I
don't want that. I want to be holy. Now I am holy. If I'm a believer,
I've got a holy nature, but I want that other one out. Get rid of
it and that to be saved from the very presence of sin. That's what every believer desires
more than. It does not yet appear. what
we shall be, but we know that when he shall appear, we will
be like him. No more sin. And every man that has this hope
in purifieth himself even as he is pure. Now he, there's the promise.
Michael, he was sitting, the one whose name means who's like
God. Nobody is. God has no peers.
God the Father, God the Son, God the Holy Spirit, who's like
him. He's gonna stand for the people he had been sitting That
sitting lets us know about the perfection of his salvation.
Oh, what a glorious salvation, but he's going to stand up. He's
going to stand up at the end time. Now there's a song. I wish I could find all the words
to it, but it says, when it's time for you to stand, when it's
time for you to stand in judgment, will you be full of fear? Or
will Christ stand when your name is called and for you say, I'm
here? Will Christ stand when your name
is called and say, I'm here, Father, I'm here. Now, my only hope in judgment
is that Christ will stand for me. Father, I'm here. Perfect in your presence. Let's
pray. Lord, how we thank you for the
glorious Michael, the great savior of your people who has finished
salvation. Lord, how we thank you for the
complete, perfect salvation we have in your son. Lord, how we thank you that we're
going to be spending eternity in his presence in perfect likeness
to him. Lord, we confess our sin. We're weary
of sin. And Lord, we ask that we might
be delivered from our sin, that we might be made to walk in this
world as thy son. Give us grace to love you more.
Give us grace to love one another more. And once again, we thank
you for our glorious Michael, the Lord Jesus Christ. In his
name we pray. Amen. Rich.