Body this morning. I was thinking
last Sunday at this time. I was. Thinking about thinking
about you. My. Or our way back, I looked
at the clock. I knew it was about time. June sister Helen is not doing
well and has asked that we be remembering her. Bob Wilson's not doing well.
Margaret called this morning and said his legs just doesn't
feel that he can maintain him walking, being able to walk. I told her, I said, just let
us know if we can be there, we'll help you. For her to get Bob
in that car, I'll tell you, I'll just tell everybody, just in
case she calls, anybody that can help her. I told her, I said,
I'll drive over there, anybody that can go. My mother is considering, I think
she's about 99.7% sure she wants to move here. She's trying to
work out the logistics of of everything, and she feels
this is where she may wait until after the winter to do it. I don't know why, going from
Louisiana to here. I tell them, I said, a hard winter
day in Louisiana to get down to the upper 30s, then by 9 o'clock
in the morning to be 47, and then be in the 60s by that afternoon. That's a hard day. Brother Don Fortner sent me an
email this morning. I don't know who this guy is,
Mike. Lancaster, Pennsylvania is where he lives. He wrote Don
and said, Do you know of any place I can go worship where
they preach the gospel of free grace? Don wrote him back and
said, The closest one I know is Katie. Some of the men are
saying Lancaster is four hours plus. Maybe. I don't know where
it is. But you know, you think about
having a place to worship. I just I mean, it just makes
my heart just thankful, thankful that we've we've got a place
right here. As I've said before, what is Katy, West Virginia?
Well, it's one of the most blessed places I know in this world that
God would maintain the gospel of free grace. And so I thank
the Lord. Thank the Lord. I thank the Lord
for you. that I can fellowship with you
and have a family that's here. Let's go to the Lord in prayer,
and then we'll look at a few verses in Revelation 18. Our Father, again, it is truly
good to be able to be here. And I thank You that You've given
us another opportunity to meet together and to worship. Thankful
for those, Lord, that You've given a heart to be here that
would desire to hear the truth of God Almighty in Christ. Would You bless this Word today
in our hearts? Lord, would You cause us to truly
worship and to rejoice in the truth of Your mercy and grace?
For Christ's sake we ask these things. Amen. Turn with me to
Revelation 18. A lot of people like to read. I'm just thankful that the Lord
would give any of us a heart to read His Word. The Apostle John, we stopped with verse 4, Revelation
18, 4 last week. He heard another voice. Same
kind. That's what it means. A voice
of the same kind. I may stand here this morning
and preach. Brother Rupert Reibenbach was
here last week. I believe whatever Brother Rupert
preaches, preaches this morning, Brother Don, Brother Henry, whoever,
are going to say the same thing. John heard another voice. One of the same kind and character
saying, the voice of the Son, the voice of the Spirit, the
voice of the Father. When the voice of the Father
spoke of the Lord Jesus Christ on the day of His baptism, this
is my beloved Son, whom I am well pleased. The voice that
echoed exactly that which the Son speaks. The Father speaks. Come out from her, you know,
unless the Lord powerfully commands. Come out. Rest upon. Grow upon. That's what we looked
at last Wednesday night. What does it mean to come to
Christ? That's what it means. Grow upon Him. Rest upon Him. Be found rejoicing in Him. How often does a believer come
to Christ? He that cometh continually unto
Me, I will in no wise cast out. You that have come, continue
to come. Don't you need Him this morning?
Don't you desire Him this morning? Come out from her, that you be
not partakers of her sins, and that you receive not of her plagues.
Unless God is pleased to show mercy and to call out of darkness,
you will not come. When He called to Abraham, told
Abraham, ìCome out of your country,î you know what Abraham did? He
came out. Why did he come out? Number one,
he came out because Almighty God gave him a new will. But
number two, he came out because he wanted to. But what was the
first cause? Almighty God. God gave him a
new heart. Told Lot, come out of Sodom. What did he do? He sent some
angels in there. Pulled him out. When you come,
how did you come out? Almighty God constrains you to
come. Men do as they want to do. And
all since then, they come because God draws them. Well, let's look
at verse 5 and 6. The Lord says, come out, verse
4, don't be a partaker that you receive not of her plagues. You know, God is just. He's a
just God. Come out from her. For her sins
have reached unto heaven, and God hath remembered her iniquities. Reward her even as she rewarded
you, and double unto her double according to her works in the
cup which she hath filled." Fill to her double. Now I want you
to turn with me to Ezekiel 18. Ezekiel chapter 18. I read this passage of Scripture
as I was going over these notes this morning, and I looked at
Ezekiel 18, 30 to 32. Now, the Lord had just told in
verse 4 of Revelation 18, come out that you don't receive what
she's going to get. Ezekiel 18, 30. I will judge you, O house of
Israel, every one according to his ways, saith the Lord God. Repent, and turn yourselves from
all your transgressions, so iniquity shall not be your ruin. Cast
away from you all your transgressions whereby ye have transgressed,
and make you a new heart and a new spirit. But why will you
die, O house of Israel? For I have no pleasure in the
death of him that dieth, saith the Lord God. Wherefore, turn
yourselves, and live ye." Now, you know, you read that passage
of Scripture, and there are some pretty arresting things that
were said in that passage of Scripture. Verse 30, I will judge
you. Almighty God is going to judge
in absolute righteousness. God is right. I have said before,
there is no plea bargaining with God, no lessening of the sentences. I will punish. Why is God going to punish? Well,
it says, everyone according to his ways. God is going to deal
with every man according to that man's ways. That's what He said. Then He said this, repent and
turn yourselves from all your transgressions. Turn from your
revolt. That's what He said. Turn yourselves. Why? So that iniquity won't be
your ruin. Why? that you won't die because
of what you are. Turn yourselves. 31. Cast away from you all your
transgressions. Throw off your revolt, is what
he said. Make you a new heart and a new
spirit. Accomplish. Become. Finish. Make you a new heart,
a new will, and a new spirit. This was interesting to me. A
new scent. I want you to smell differently.
That's what he said. Verse 32, For I have no pleasure
in the death of him that dieth. I don't have any delight in him
that dieth, saith the Lord. Wherefore? Turn yourselves and
live that you don't die. Now, let me ask you something.
Was there anything wrong with what God said? Absolutely not. Was what the Lord said in that
passage of scripture, was it according to that which is just? Yes, it was. What's the problem? I can't do it. I can't do it. I don't have the ability to do
it. Why? Because in myself, I'm dead. You see, what God commands, God
must provide. Because if I can do this, then
salvation is by works and not by grace. For by grace are you
saved through faith. And that, what? Not of yourselves. It's the gift of God. What God
has commanded, God must provide. Because if the Lord doesn't provide
it for me, I'm going to die. Why will you die? Verse 31 of
Ezekiel 18. I looked at that right there.
Verse 31, Why will you die? That's what I entitled this.
Why will you die? Turn back to Revelation 18. Why
will a man perish? Why will you perish? Number one,
I'll tell you why a man perishes. Number one, because man is personally
guilty. A man is guilty. Why will a man
perish? In verse 5 of Revelation 18,
it says, For her sins have reached unto heaven. Whenever the Lord Jesus Christ,
according to 2 Corinthians 5.21, was made sin, He was personally made sin. He said in the book of Psalms,
my iniquities have taken hold of me. The bulls of Bashan have
encompassed me. Those were His iniquities. By
being made sin personally, He was holy without guilt, without
blame. the spotless Lamb of God, made
sin personally. Christ was made sin. He hath made Him sin. That word means appointed. This wasn't a trick. It wasn't
an illusion. It wasn't that He was sort of,
kind of, some way, As I've said before, and I've said this and
I mean this, I mean it in the most respectful way. I told you
before, it just so gripped me when I thought on this statement.
I brought it up and asked Brother Scott, I said, what do you think
about this statement? When the Lord was made sin, I
said, there's the holy, spotless Lamb of God. And in that day,
at Calvary when he was my substitute. I could say this of myself. I
could say this of me without any question. Had I been there
in myself without a substitute, that those two thieves that were
hanging on the cross, there was hanging on that cross sin. But
for him, he hath made him sin. Old Brother Scott was one that
said when he turned water into wine, was it really water that
just had wine stamped on it? When he was made flesh, was it
really flesh or was it something other than flesh? It was flesh. When he was made sin, what was
upon that cross? Sin. Hanging upon that cross,
there the spotless Lamb of God made sin. And Paul said, I was
crucified with Him. And Brother Scott said, Don't
ever take away the glory of what He did in the redemption of His
people. Don't ever be afraid to say what God said concerning
He's made sin. But I'll tell you this, He's
not sin now. It was finished. Cast as far as the east is from
the west. Why did God Almighty forsake
His Son? He was made sin. And he is of
purer eyes than to behold iniquity. He forsook him. But he forsook
him that he might not forsake me. Her sins, God Almighty is
never going to be blamed for a man's rebellion. Paul answered
that in Romans 9. Thou wilt say, O man, why doth
he yet find fault? Men will say, well, the reason,
I'm going to hell. It's because God did not give
me a new heart. No, you're going to hell because
you're a sinner. You're a guilty sinner. That's
the reason. Her iniquities, her sins have
reached unto heaven, has accompanied them. I don't know how Blind, a man's heart is. But
I do know this. I can personally remember, I
don't have to speak for you, I can personally remember, have
somehow in my mind, thinking, I don't know what's going to
happen when this is all said and done, but evidently it's
not that big a deal. Maybe God's going to forget.
Maybe he won't remember. No, the books are going to be
open. Every thought, every transgression, every idle word, every disrespectful
word, man is going to give account. In that day, the books of a man's
rebellion, thank goodness for the book of God's everlasting
covenant, the book of life, Christ Himself written in him. Her iniquities
has reached into heaven and God has Remembered them. He's rehearsed
them. We'll bring them into judgment.
God has remembered. I think about that thief on the
cross. Lord, would you remember me? Would you remember me in
mercy? You that believe. Boy, that's
the sweetest thought that you'd think right now. Oh, that he
would remember me. in an everlasting covenant, that
he would remember me in mercy and compassion. Why will a man
perish? I will tell you. It is because
he is personally guilty. And secondly, because God remembers
his iniquities. He is guilty. Why is he going
to perish? Because God remembers her sins. Her sins reached into heaven
and God didn't forget them. Oh, God's a loving God. Surely God's not going to...
He said, I'm a just God. Thirdly, here's the reason the
man's going to perish. That very reason. God is just. Verse 6 says, "...reward her
even as she rewarded you. And double unto her double according
to her works in the cup which she hath filled, fill to her
double. Reward her even as she rewarded
you." You know, I hear this statement a lot of times in court system.
You know, the punishment really must fit the crime. I that that
probably is right. That sounds right to me. The
punishment must fit the crime. You know, the problem is, is
that man's interpretation of what the punishment is, is not
what God says it is. I mean, you go back and see,
you know, whenever somebody kills somebody. You know, there wasn't
a whole lot of debate what God said do. It was a capital offense. Rape? What'd they do? Killed
them. Stoned them. No, man, what man
has done is come to the point where he said, well, it wasn't
that bad. Sin, evidently, is not that bad. Reward her as she rewarded you. Turn to Galatians 6. Galatians
6. Here again, man by nature, Galatians
6, 7 and 8. Man just does not perceive or
believe how just is God. Galatians 6, 7 and 8 says this,
Be not deceived. Don't be fooled. Don't be duped.
God is not mocked. Don't make a mockery of God's
Word, God's justice. I told you one time how quickly
I'm teaching a group of 8th graders. I remember that. It was 8th graders.
If you're all in 8th grade, somebody here, that's all right. I'm not
picking on 8th graders. It just happened to be what I
was Teaching a little, I'd been asked to come over and teach
a little art class. And I was making the illustration,
doing something. And I caught out of the corner
of my eye some young fellow over there in the midst of a group
of others. And whatever I was doing, he was mocking me, you
know. Whatever I did, he was doing. And buddy, I mean, I went off.
If you think that I'm well in control, I try to be ready. I do. I try to maintain my integrity,
but bloody that got off with me. And I looked at him and I
just told him, I said, you know, you may be impressing your little
cronies. I said, I said, but you're not
impressing me at all. I said, you having fun? And I
mean, I could just see his face just get redder, and I just didn't
back off, Jeff. I mean, he mocked me. God is
not mocked. God is not mocked. Whatsoever
a man soweth, that shall he also reap. For he that soweth to his
flesh shall of the flesh reap corruption. He that soweth to
the Spirit shall of the Spirit reap life everlasting. Judgment
is in the hands of God Almighty. Why will a man perish? Number
one, because he's guilty. Number two, God doesn't forget
it. Number three, God is just. Reward her and double unto her. I said this before, that double,
double unto her, double according to her works, does not mean twice. It doesn't mean twice. It is
It is scriptural language, which when you look at the interpretation
of it, it just means what is due. Whatever it's due. 1 Timothy 5.17. Let the elders
that rule well be counted worthy of double honor. Especially they
who labor in the word and doctrine. It means those that preach the
gospel reward them. In the hearing. In the respect
of. Given what's due, you know, I
have no problem understanding what he's talking about. I think
of the men and men that you and I both know, Brother, Brother
Scott, Brother Henry, Brother Don. These men that that have
labored in the word. That God has called out and kept. You're thankful for him. You
give him respect. And you give them that which
is due. God is just. But in closing, let me ask you
this question. You that believe. You know, when
we think of the justice of God, it almost arrests us. The justice of Almighty God.
God is just. But you that believe. My closing question is this.
Are you thankful for His justice? Turn to Isaiah 53, and we'll
close this first. Isaiah 53, this first message
this morning. Isaiah 53, verse 4 to 6. Isaiah
53, 4. Surely, truly, no doubt about it, Not up for question. For all
that God has everlastingly loved, for all that God calls out of
darkness, for all that God in time brings to Himself and gives
a new heart to believe the gospel of Christ that believes the gospel. What's the evidence of salvation?
We looked at that last week. What's the evidence of salvation?
They believe. That is what Paul had been preaching
to. They believed. What can I truthfully
say for all that the Lord will everlastingly reveal His mercy
and grace to and has in time called out of darkness to believe
the truth of God's saving grace in Christ, apart from any works
of righteousness, what can I say? Surely He hath borne our griefs
and carried our sorrows, yet we did esteem Him stricken, smitten
of God, and afflicted. But He was wounded for our transgressions,
He was bruised for our iniquities. The chastisement of our peace
was upon Him, and with His stripes we are healed. All we like sheep
have gone astray, and we have turned every one to his own way,
and the Lord laid on him the iniquity of us all, all that
he everlastingly loved. All men are going to die, save for those, I would say,
that are alive on this earth when the Lord returns, which
Scripture bears out there will be. They will not prevent those
that sleep. The dead in Christ shall rise
first, then those that are alive on this earth. They're going
to meet Him. But save for those, they are going to all be changed,
I can tell you that. They'll be changed from this
mortality into immortality. But I can say for all that are
not there on the day that our Lord returns in His glory, we're
going to die. But for the believer in Christ,
here is the most pleasant thought that I can think. God Almighty
is just. And He is the Savior. He dealt
with my guilt. He dealt with my iniquity. And
He has put it away. If I am here before He returns,
this body is going to be put back in the ground. And this
voice, humanly speaking, is not going to be any more. But according
to my flesh, that sting is going to be gone, the sting of death,
the victory of the grave. And according to my flesh, and
it just, whenever I think about dying, that's a That's a trial
and anxiety that I deal with and I struggle with and I wonder
about. But that's the worst of it. The sting of death is gone. A light affliction, Paul says,
which is but for a moment when compared to the eternal glory.
but to leave this earth and immediately be in the presence of Almighty
God and to then see Him and to know Him as I am known. That's a glorious thought. And
to think in that moment and to know God has been just and has
put away my guilt and there's peace for me everlastingly. That's a joyous thought. You
sit here on this earth and you think, this is the worst of it
right here. This is the worst right here.
May Almighty God be pleased to just comfort our hearts with
these words for the sake of His Son. Amen.