morning and it's good to have
another opportunity to meet together, to be able to look into the Lord's
Word. Let's be remembering those in
our congregation that are sick, but also Be be remembering our
brethren in other parts of the of this world. I especially think
about right now. Brother Kyle Brink and another
believer that fellowships there, Hiromi, in Japan. I have constant communication
with them and it's they're always a blessing to to read what they
what they say. As far as we know, there's nobody
else that I know of there. They're right outside of Hiroshima. And we remember them. And a man that I've been in contact
with in Newfoundland, Weldon Dearing is his name, and we've
been in contact with him, and I pray the Lord You said there's
a small group up there. We'll try to remember them as
we can. Let's take our Bibles and turn
to Revelation 22, verses 10 and 11 this morning. Revelation 22, verse 10 and 11. The Scripture says, And he saith
unto me, Seal not the sayings of the prophecy of this book.
For the time is at hand. He that is unjust, let him be
unjust still. And he which is filthy, let him
be filthy still. And he that is righteous, let
him be righteous still. And he that is holy, let him
be holy still. Let's pray together. Our Father, we call upon You this morning
in Him who is all of our hope. He who is the way, the truth,
and the life. By the Lord Jesus Christ, who
alone we are able to approach You. He who is our advocate and
mediator. He who is our great High Priest
who ever liveth to make intercession for us. He who has ever stood
as our surety, hope, and peace, and salvation. Bless, we ask
this morning, Your Word to our heart. Lord, comfort us, for
we desperately need it. Teach us by Your Spirit, for
Christ's sake. Amen. I've entitled this message this
morning, How Are You Going to Die? Now, the one that is speaking,
let me say this, the one who has been speaking to John, obviously,
is not the Lord, because when John tried to bow down and worship
Him, The angel said, don't do that. I'm a fellow servant just
like you are. You worship God. And this next
verse, that happened in verse 9. Now in verse 10, it starts
off and it says, And he saith unto me. Now, I believe that
the one who now speaks to John is actually the Lord Jesus Christ
Himself. In the next few verses, we'll
find out why. I'm not going to look at these
verses, but just listen to what He says. We just read verse 11.
Look at verse 12. Behold, I come quickly. My reward
is with Me. Look at 13. I am Alpha and Omega,
the beginning and the end. Those words can only come from
Him who is the Lord Himself. Now whether it's the Lord Himself
speaking, which I believe it is, or whether it's the continuation
of the angels quoting what the Lord says, these are the Lord's
words. I personally feel as though,
and this is just my opinion, but it's the Lord Himself that
is speaking. Now here's what the Lord says
to John in verse 10. Seal not the sayings, the teachings,
the speech of the prophecy, that is, the hidden things of this
book, for the time, the set time, the fixed time is at hand, that
is, it's near. Now, what is about to be said
is five indisputable truths that's going to be revealed. I don't
want you to seal the sayings of the prophecy of this book. Five things are going to be told,
of which I want to deal with one of them this morning, just
verse 11. Verse 12, verse 13, they go on
into these five things, but I want to deal with one of them this
morning. And here is the first truth,
and I will by the Grace of God, the good pleasure of God, I will
try to break down this one truth. Here is the one truth that I'll
deal with out of the five. Here's the one truth. Here it
is. The state in which a man dies is the state in which he's
going to spend eternity. That's the first truth. And that's
what's dealt with in verse 11. He that is unjust, let him be
unjust still." Now, he that is unjustified is what that means. He that is unjustified. Now, the best way that I can
think of to set forth what it is to be unjustified It's for
us to look in the Scriptures and find out what does the Scriptures
have to say about a man that is justified. Then once you establish
what it is to be justified before God, what the Scripture says
it is to be justified before God, then you look at it and
you say, well, if it's not that, then it must be unjust. What does justification mean?
What? He that is unjust. He that is
unjustified. Well then, let's remember, let's
think about what does justification mean? Here it is. It is the act
of God's free grace whereby He pardons the sinner, delivers
him from the guilt and dominion and punishment that is due sin
and accepts him in Christ. I'm going to break down justification into five parts.
I've heard this and it's true, just as if I'd never sinned. Well, let's find out exactly
what the scripture says about Justification before God. The act of Almighty God to not
impute sin, to not charge a man with guilt, to forgive that man
in Christ. What does the Scripture say about
justification? Here's the first thing about
it. We're justified by the grace of God. Romans 3.24 says, being justified
freely. That means without any cause
in you. Being justified freely by His
grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus. Now,
justification, that is, God Almighty, by His grace, not charging a
man with his sin. Justification is exactly opposed
to condemnation. Either a man is condemned or
he is justified. Either he is accused of his sin
or he is not accused of his sin. God Almighty, declares and pronounces
His elect in Christ based upon the merit of Christ's redemption. God declares them to be virtuous,
innocent, faultless, righteous by His grace. He chooses. to declare one justified
in Christ while leaving another to himself in an unjustified
state, and he's the potter and he has the right to do so. We are his. All souls are mine. He does as he will in the army
of heaven and among the inhabitants of the earth. No man has a right
to question him. God has the right to make one
vessel unto honor and another vessel unto dishonor. He has
the right to justify one man in Christ and the right to leave
another to himself. It is by grace, by grace, if
you're sitting here today and Almighty God has given you a
heart for the Lord Jesus Christ and has justified you. And I'm
going to go into the effects of justification. But if God
has justified you, it is by the grace of God. It's not by works
that you've done. Here's the second thing about
justification. We're justified by the blood
of Christ. We're justified because of the
blood of Christ. Romans 5 and 9 says, Much more
than being now justified by, or that word is in, in His blood. we shall be saved from wrath
through Him." Justification. The declaration of innocence,
the declaration of guiltlessness is by the grace of God. But that
declaration is established upon the fact of the Lord Jesus Christ
being made sin for His people and dying in their stead. God
Almighty, by His grace, justifies His people, but that justification
is established upon justice, absolute justice. God has been absolutely satisfied and has
justified His people eternally, everlastingly. Man justified
in Christ, now he has always been justified. God never changes. He never changes in his attitude. He did not look upon his people
one time in an unjustified state and then looks upon them now
in a justified state because then he changed in his attitude.
What is justification based on? The free grace of God. What is
it based on? What's the source of it? What's
the heart? What's the satisfaction of it?
It's the blood of Christ. When was the Lord Jesus Christ
slain? Somebody said, well, about 2,000
years ago in time. But the Scripture says forth
that the Lamb was slain from the foundation of the world.
God has always seen Him as the satisfaction. He's always seen
Him. as the propitiation. He's always... So justification is by the grace
of God based upon the blood of the Lord Jesus Christ. But how can I know if that blood
was shed for me? I know it's a fact that His blood
was shed. I know it's a fact that God justifies
freely by grace And I know that that justification is based upon
the blood of the Lord Jesus Christ. But how can I enter into it?
Was it shed for me? He said, I lay down my life for
the sheep. Can I find a part in that? The
Scripture says we're justified by faith. Romans 328 says, therefore, we
conclude that a man is justified by faith without the deeds of
the law. Now, let me tell you what justification
by faith does not believe. Or let me tell you what it's
not. Let me tell you what it's not. It does not set forth that
we're justified because of our faith. Faith is the grace of God that is given
to God's elect whereby they enjoy, understand, receive what God
has done freely by His grace based upon the blood of Christ
and teaches them that He has done. Justification is by the
grace of God. And it is not, Paul said in Romans
3, 28, not by the deeds of the law. There has only been one
that has ever absolutely obeyed God's law. One. The Lord Jesus Christ. And it
is in Him that we look. It is in Him that we're accepted. It is in Him that Almighty God
freely justifies His people. We are justified by God's grace
based upon the blood of the Lord Jesus Christ, and it's accepted,
understood, received, the comfort for. God's people by faith. The Scripture says in Romans
4, let me just read this for you, Romans 4, talking about
Abraham's faith. Abraham's faith. Romans 4, verses
1 to 3. What shall we say then that Abraham,
our father, as pertaining to the flesh, hath found? Now this
is an amazing thing. Abraham found out something.
According to a man in the flesh. If Abraham were justified by
works, He hath whereof to glory, but not before God. For what
saith the Scripture? Abraham believed God, and it
was counted unto him for righteousness." What he's saying is this. Abraham
had the evidence of the free justification of God based upon
the blood of Christ given to him by faith. Abraham believed God. Faith in Christ is the way in
which we understand and believe and hear and see, by spiritual
eyes, what God has done everlastingly by grace. Faith does not justify. We're not justified because of. People might say, well, it says
we're justified by faith. You understand it by faith. But you're not justified because
of your faith. Faith believes the God who justifies
by grace. We receive and enjoy All the
glory going to Him. Faith is for the believer's assurance. Faith is for the believer's comfort. Faith is the evidence of things
that we don't see. It's the substance of things
that are hoped for. Faith is only for you. Let me ask you this. How is faith evidenced? Do I truly have faith? True faith. Now, I know this. Justification
is by the grace of God. And nobody has anything to glory
in save the Lord God Himself. Justification is by grace based
upon the blood of Christ. And it's evidenced to God's people
by faith. That's how they know it. How
do others know it? How is it manifested? Well, the
Scripture says forth that we're justified by works. That's how
it says it. James 2.24, you see then how
that by works a man is justified and not by faith only. Now let
me make something real clear here. Paul had set forth that
by the deeds of the law shall no man be justified." When Paul
was talking about by the deeds of the law, this is what Paul
was saying. By the obedience to the law of
God, by the perfect obedience by yourself, by the deeds of
the law, No man is going to be justified because no man can
keep perfectly the deeds of God's law for the establishment and
the maintenance of a righteousness before God. No man can do that. By the deeds of the law shall
no man be justified. But James here says, you see
then by works a man And let me tell you what he's not talking
about. He is not talking about the obedience of the deeds of
the law for the establishment of righteousness. But what he
is setting forth is this. There is going to be an evidence
of true faith found within a believer. The deeds of the law that establishes
your salvation, Christ alone did that. But there is an evidence. Now let me tell you this. This
scripture that I just read, you see then how by works a man is
justified and not by faith only. Works there, I looked it up,
it means deeds. But it is not talking about the
deeds of the law for the establishment of righteousness. This scripture that I just read
does not contradict this scripture, Titus three five, not by works
of righteousness, which we have done, but according to his mercy,
he saved us by the washing of regeneration and renewing of
the Holy Ghost. Paul and James were talking about
two different things. Paul was talking about the establishment
of a righteousness by obedience to the law before God. James
was talking about the evidence before men that God Almighty
has granted you faith. We are not justified by our works
before God. We are not justified by our works
before God. When James talks about the justification
by works, by works are we justified? That is before men. Men see the
evidence. God has justified us by His own
grace based upon the blood of Christ and has given the believer
faith to understand that. But what's the evidence before
others that God has justified you? James says that there are
works. Works. Not works that would stand the
scrutiny of God's law and found to be blameless. I'm not talking
about those works. Not by the deeds of the law.
Not by Titus, in the book of Titus, works of righteousness. There's sin even in the works
of obedience that the believer does. But they're still revealed
to be the evidence of true faith. I want you to turn to James,
and I want you to read the examples that the scripture sets forth
concerning these deeds. James 2, 21. It starts off and says this,
Was not Abraham our father justified, and let me just inject this so
you'll understand, before men, before others, by works when
he had offered Isaac his son upon the altar? Seest thou how
faith wrought with his works, and by works Was faith made perfect
or shown to be perfect by His works? Abraham believed God had
justified him freely by grace based upon the blood of the Lord
Jesus Christ. Abraham believed that. But when God Almighty told Abraham,
I want you to take your son, your only son, take Isaac to
a place that I'm going to show you. And I want you to sacrifice
Him to me. What did Abraham do? He did it.
Let me ask you this. You think wonder and doubt and
fear ever entered into Abraham's mind while he was going up that
mountain? That's my boy. But I'm going to obey God. When
He tied that boy up there, do you think Did that man ever had
one thought of wondering what was going to happen? He believed
God. And he knew the Scripture says that God was able to raise
that boy up. And as far as Abraham was concerned,
that boy was dead. Did Abraham with a perfect heart,
perfect obedience, did he perfectly without any wavering whatsoever. Wonder. I know he didn't. Because based upon Paul's revelation
of himself, he said, O wretched man that I am, there's none good,
there's none righteous, there's none that doubt. Sin is mixed
with everything that we do. And here was Abraham obeying
God By the Scripture sets forth works, works of obedience, works
that were absolutely tainted by sin. Go back and read
Romans 7. I won't for the sake of time.
Read Romans 7 and see what Paul says. Verse 22, "...seest thou
how faith wrought with its works, and by works was faith made perfect. His works that he struggled with,
works that he did, but it showed his faith in Christ to be true
faith, perfect. And the Scripture was fulfilled,
which saith, Abraham believed God, and it was imputed to him
for righteousness, and he was called a friend of God. You see
then how that by works A man is justified and not by faith
only. Faith in Christ without the evidence
of that faith is dead. Dead faith. Oh, I believe God. I believe God. I believe in sovereign
grace. I believe salvation by the grace
of God. Five points of Calvinism. That's going to be evidenced.
There's going to be works that proves that. Works that will
stand before Almighty God and be accepted by Almighty God is
perfect? No. Absolute. Not by works of
righteousness that we've done. Not by the deeds of the law is
a man justified. He's justified by grace through
faith in Christ. who did obey God perfectly. But
I'm telling you that true faith is evidenced every day by works in the believer
that in and of themselves, if the believer, if you'd ask the
believer, well, let me ask you this. Do you think that your
obedience before God is a grounded faith? You say, look, I'll be
honest with you. I don't even want to talk about what I do.
I'm so embarrassed. I believe God's called me to
pastor this church. I believe He's given me a hard
study. Do you know how that's going to be evidenced? I'll be
here. I'll be here. Now, don't ask me while I'm here
all day, don't ask me how much time I wasted Don't ask me how
much time. My mind was just wandering. Don't
ask me how much time. I don't want to talk about that
part of it. Yeah, Marvin, have you been up here? Let me ask
you this. The six, seven, eight hours that you were up here,
let me ask you this. Did you absolutely, without a doubt,
did you study to show yourself approved unto God? Did you seek
God with all your heart? No, I didn't. I'm so sorry. Verse 24, James 2, see you then
how that by works a man is justified, not by faith only. Likewise also
was not Rahab the harlot justified by works when she had received
the messenger and sent them out another way? For as the body
without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead also.
Let me ask you this. If you could talk to Rahab right
now and ask her, I'm talking about this woman that was unfaithful
to men. She was a harlot. But Almighty God had given this
woman a heart for Christ, and she believed God. And she believed
that when the Israelites was coming in to Jericho, God was
going to give it to them, going to give Jericho to them. And
she asked them, because she believed God, she said, when you come
in here, would you have mercy on my family? They told her,
I said, you tie a scarlet ribbon in there. Those messengers that was talking
to her, because she believed God, she hid them. Somebody came
to ask her, have you seen some men? No, I didn't. She lied. She lied. She was a liar. But you know what the Scripture
says about it? By her works, she was justified. By her works,
the Scripture set forth that there was true faith there. She
believed God. I read the commandments of the
Lord, and He said, He that keepeth My commandment. He that follows
Me. Let me ask you, is there anybody in here that would like
to stand up and confess before God? Not before us. Before Almighty
God. I followed Him with a perfect
heart." But do you know what? The people
of God do follow Him. They follow Him, believe in Him
all the time. Faithful. They're faithful people. They're
faithful. They're faithful to His gospel.
They're faithful to the attendance of His assembly where God's raised
up. They're faithful to give. How
much should a man give? I'm a tither." Good. What does the New Testament Scriptures
say about a man giving? As God has prospered, a man let
him give. Well, I can't afford to give.
Oh, whoa, wait a minute. I heard Brother Henry say this
one time. He said, you may not be able to give as much as somebody
else, but you can give. Don't tell me that. Don't tell
me that. I don't give as I ought. I believe
that. I don't either. But as a man purposes in his
heart, let him give. I'm telling you, I mean this,
spiritual maturity, life is evidenced by a man giving. You believe
that? That's the truth. And I'm not
talking about just money. I'm talking about his time. God's
people will absolutely see Almighty God is first. Works. Abraham and Rahab were
justified before men. I'm not talking about justification
of a man's soul by the deeds of the law. Christ alone did
that. Abraham's faith was demonstrated in that he followed after what
God had told him to do. And if you had asked them, what
was your attitude in it? He would have told you. I'd rather
not say. There was enough doubt in me
to send a million worlds to hell. We're justified by grace through
the blood of Christ. A believer walks and acts like
a believer, but he's always disappointed in himself. But he does work. And then lastly, a believer talks
like a believer. These are the words of our Lord,
Matthew 12, 37. For by thy words thou shalt be justified, and
by thy words thou shalt be condemned. I want you to turn to Matthew
12 as we close. Matthew 12, verse 34 to 36. Matthew 12, verse 34. An old
generation of vipers. How can ye, being evil, speak
good things? For out of the abundance of the
heart the mouth speaketh. A good man out of the good treasure
of the heart bringeth forth good things, and an evil man out of
the evil treasure bringeth forth evil things. But I say unto you
that every idle word that men shall speak, they shall give
account thereof in the day of judgment." I looked up the word
idle. Because I thought to myself, I'd like to know what that word means. Every idle
word. I looked that word up and the
base of that word is the same word from the word, my sheep
hear my voice and they follow I looked that word up too, Neil.
The base of the word idle and the base of the word follow is
the same word, the base of it. You know what it was? Alpha.
Alpha. The Lord said, I am the alpha
and I'm the omega. This is what He was saying. Every
word that does not magnify Christ. Every word, every idle word,
every useless word is what it means. Every, every, every word,
a man is going to give an account of it. I am so thankful that Almighty God has justified
me by His grace through the blood of Christ, He that made sin for
me and paid the debt that I truly owed and put away my sin. Because I'm going to be honest
with you, I've never spoken anything but
idle words. I can stand up here right now,
Mike, And in preaching right now, there's been enough wandering
in my mind, and doubt, and pride, and arrogance, and on, and on,
and on, that if I'd get out of this pulpit and you'd ask me,
you'd say, you think God's going to accept you based on what you
just preached? I will tell you this, His Word
is not going to return void. He's going to accomplish the
purpose for which it's sent. But this piece of dust, this
worm, this maggot right here. I stand here this morning doing what I truly believe God
has called me to do. This is a work. This is what
I'm doing. Do I believe that this work based
on its own merit would be accepted by God? No, I do not. not even
in the preaching of the Gospel. But it is a work that evidences
truly that I believe that God Almighty is my righteousness
and justification. I believe Him. And one day, this
vile body, this vile body, when Almighty God calls a man out
of darkness A new heart is put in the same body in which He
was born in Adam. That's the body I'm living in
right now. The same body that an unbeliever has. The same body. And God Almighty has given me
a new heart. And He's taught me something.
He's taught me that justification is by the grace of God based
on the blood of Christ. and give me faith to believe
it. Do I truthfully believe it? If I do, it will come out on
me. The way it comes out on me, will that be accepted by God
on the merit of those works right there? No. No. God Almighty is going to accept
His Son. But I will tell you this, there are works of obedience. that evidence that Almighty God
is justified freely by His grace. Scripture says, He that is unjust, either a man is justified or
he is not justified. But if a man dies in an unjustified
state, let him be unjust still. He will spend eternity like that.
He which is filthy, that is, robed in a soiled garment, let him be filthy still. He that
is righteous, robed in the righteousness of him who alone is righteous,
let him be righteous still. And he that is holy, set apart,
sanctified, cleansed by the blood of Christ, let him be holy still. That's the first truth of five
that the Lord told John, don't seal these things up. You set
these things forth. May the Lord add his blessing
on his word for Christ's sake. Amen.