Let's take our Bibles and turn
with me to the book of Genesis. Genesis chapter 18. This is a passage of Scripture where the Lord had come in the place where Abraham was. The Lord was with two angels. And He had come to this place. These angels are soon to go into
the city of Sodom. And Abraham had a friend in that place. His
name was Job. And the angels have gone on,
and the Lord is with Abraham. And starting in verse 23, Abraham
drew near, and he said, Will thou also destroy the righteous
with the wicked. For adventure there be fifty
righteous within the city. But thou also destroy and not
spare the place for the fifty righteous that are therein. That be far from thee to do after
this manner, to slay the righteous with the wicked. that the righteous
should be as the wicked, that be far from thee. Shall not the
judge of all the earth do right? That's the question I present
tonight. Shall not the judge of all the
earth do right? You know, when we consider He
who is the Judge, we must consider Him who sits
on the throne. Psalm 96, verse 13 says, He will
judge the world with righteousness and the people with His truth. Now, we've got to consider who
we're dealing with. He's not a judge that shall be
bought with bribes. He's just. He's absolute just. Holy just. The Scripture says he will not
clear the guilty. Nothing is going to be swept
under the rug like dust. You don't want somebody to see
just visiting the house, you know, just kind of hide it or,
you know, kind of put it out of sight. That which is so is
going to be brought forth. Now, this is just the way it
is. Man by nature thinks that he's
dealing with one that's just going to kind of understand that
man has done the best he can. The Lord Jesus Christ said in
Matthew 12, 36, every idle word that men shall speak, they shall
give account thereof in the day of judgment. That was the Lord
Jesus that said that. Every idle word. That means every
lazy and useless word. Every lazy and useless word. Whatsoever is not of faith is
sin. Now, this is what He said right
here. Everything that has no profit to it. Everything that
is unprofitable. Everything. every idle word. Mark 6.11 says, for those that
heard the gospel and would not hear the gospel, wouldn't hear
it, that the dust that is shaken off the feet of the messengers
shall be a testimony against them And it's going to be more
tolerable in the day of judgment for Sodom and Gomorrah. It is
a dangerous thing to hear the gospel and refuse it. It's dangerous. That's a dangerous thing. Every
person that has ever sat under the sound of the gospel and refused
it, thought light of it, made a mockery of it, The speck of dust is going to
rise up, the Scripture says, is going to be a testimony against
them. The dust itself will say, I was
there when they heard. It's going to be a testimony
against them. The judge of all the earth, shall
he not do right? Now you think about this. If
we are going to consider what is it that is in judgment? What is it that can stand against
a man? Well, first and foremost, you
consider this. You consider the law of God.
The law of Almighty God. In Romans chapter 7. Now, you
know, we don't realize. We think lightly of these things.
Romans 7, in verse 9, Romans 7, 9, Paul the Apostle, one that
considered himself absolutely right before Almighty God, he
said, I was a Pharisee, a Pharisee concerning the law. In his own
mind, he said, I was blameless. Romans 7 and 9, Paul says, I
was alive without the law once. But when the commandment came,
sin revived and I died. And the commandment which was
ordained to life, I found to be unto death. For sin, taken
occasion by the commandment, deceived me and slew me. Wherefore,
the law is holy and the commandment holy and just, good. The law of God. is right and
holy. God's law condemns a man because
by the deeds of the law, no man is going to be justified. Sin, take an occasion, Paul says. I was slain the law. I was thinking about David. King
David, a man after God's own heart. David one night saw Bathsheba. Saw her, called for her, took
her, lay with her. She was with child. Called her
husband Uriah the Hittite. Brought him in. Said, tough time
of it, won't you go and spend a little time with your wife?"
No, not going to do that. My men are out there fighting.
I'm not going to leave them out there. I'm here with my wife
laid outside David's door. David manipulated a little plan. Sent him back a letter. Put him
at the front. You know, when the heat of the
battle comes, he'll be killed. Thought he hit it. And I got
to thinking about that. Now you think about the law of
God. Here's God's law. Thou shalt
not kill. Thou shalt not commit adultery. Thou shalt not bear false witness. Thou shalt not covet thy neighbor's
house, your neighbor's wife. David thought he... You know,
I slipped that one. I got that one past God. Nathan
the prophet came. I told him a story about a man
that two men, one of them real rich, one of them didn't have
anything. One of them just had one little ewe lamb. The other
one had flocks and flocks and flocks. Nathan said, fellow,
come in to visit the rich man. The rich man didn't take one
of his. He took that little ewe lamb.
Only that one that he loved, cherished, loved that little,
took him and slew him. And David said, I'm telling you,
you bring me that guy's name. And he said, I'll tell you what,
I'll call him on the carpet. And Nathan said, You're the man. You're the man. God's law condemns
a man every, every Law, every jot, man has broken God's law. Let a man be accused, shall the
judge of all the world. Shall he do right? Satan, the
accuser of the brethren, constantly going about seeking whom he may
devour, the accuser of the brethren. I tell you, if I'm honest about
my natural self, I'll have to accuse myself. Job said in 920,
if I justify myself, mine own mouth shall condemn me. I'm condemned by the law. I'm condemned in myself. I'm
accused of Satan. I'm accused of men. I'll tell
you this, by and large, you'll find this, men that are accused
of certain things, by and large, they're right. I'm guilty. I'm guilty. Is there anybody
here that could truthfully say, I've never broken God's law. I've never done one thing that
I'm worthy of being accused of. That's a lie. We're guilty. Guilty. Job. Turn with me there. Job chapter
8. This is the way it is. Abraham asked God, asked the
Lord, shall the judge of all the earth do right? Shall the judge of all the earth
do right? Job chapter 8. Now this is absolutely the way
it is. This is the way it is. Job 8
verse 20. Behold, God will not cast away
a perfect man. Neither will He help the evildoers,
till He fill thy mouth with laughing, and thy lips with rejoicing.
They that hate thee shall be clothed with shame, and the dwelling
place of the wicked shall come to naught. Then Job answered,
chapter 9, verse 1, and he said, I know it is so of a truth, but
how should man be just with God? Shall the judge of all the earth
do right? Yes, he will. Is man guilty before
God? Yes, he is. Has man broken God's
law? Yes, he has. Has man sinned against
God? Yes, he has. The soul that sinneth is going
to die. Is that so? Yes, it is. The very
dust shall rise up in judgment against God. Every man that has
ever sinned against God, what is his wages? The wages of sin
is death. And here is the grand question,
how should a man be just with God? The answer to that question right
there, man never finds out the answer to that question. I tell
you this, a man knows something about hope. Any rational man
that is truly honest will ask that question, how can I be just
with God? I am talking about how can I
be Just with God. Opposed to any condemnation. How can I be just with God? How can it be that I can be found
by Almighty God without condemnation? Just. No record. Justified. How can it be that there can
be nothing that the law can condemn me for? How can it be? If God should mark iniquity,
if God should mark iniquity, who can stand? How can a man
be just with God? Man is a sinner against Almighty
God. There is not a just man upon
the earth that doeth good and sinneth not. That is what Ecclesiastes
7.20 says. God is just and He must punish
sin. The Lord said in Ezekiel 18,
verse 4, Behold, all souls are Mine, as the soul of the Father,
so also the soul of the Son is Mine. The soul that sinneth is
going to die. Why? Wages of sin is death. That is just not going to change. Shall the judge of all the earth
do right? God said in Job, He said, I'm not going to cast away
a perfect man, and I'm not going to help an evil man. And that's not a just man. That
sin is not. How can a man be just with God?
I'll deliver a just man. I'm not going to put away a perfect
man. When He said, I will not help, He said, I will not lend
him a hand. I will not help an evil man. I won't lift him up by the hand.
I won't join hands with him." That's what he's saying. I will
not take him by the hand to deliver him. Separation is his rightful place. He is a just God. How can a man be just with God? I'll tell you, there's only one
way that a man can be just with God. One way. I heard Brother Scott
say it one time. Well, I've heard it many times.
God Almighty must do something for Himself before He'd do anything
for a man. God is just. The soul that sinneth must die. What must be done that a man
be just before God? This is it. Almighty God must
take what I am by nature, must take me my guilt and charge it
to another. I need, I must have a substitute. I must have one who will answer
for me. The soul that sinned must die. It must die. Has that ever changed? No! For the believer, Almighty
God took His guilt and charged it to the Lord Jesus Christ. Put it on Him. And in Him, judgment,
divine, almighty God's judgment was spewed out on Christ. He
took my guilt. That's the greatest news that
I've ever heard. He took my place. Paul says,
I was crucified with Him. I was crucified with Him. The
soul that sinneth must die. I died in Him. I didn't get off
scot-free. Christ took my place. We talk
about free grace. I tell you, there's a high price
for free grace. Free grace. What did it cost?
What was the cost of free grace? The blood of the Lord Jesus Christ.
The soul that sinneth is going to die. He died. He died. He died. And Almighty God took
my guilt and gave it to Him and took the righteousness of Christ,
the righteousness of God, God's righteousness, and charges it
to the believer. Here is a man justified by Almighty
God, took his guilt and charged it to Christ. Took His righteousness
and gave it to me. I died. I died. And I died in Him. How should
a man be just with Almighty God? Almighty God must justify that
man apart from any works of righteousness that I can do which is self-righteousness. By the deeds of the law, Paul
said, no flesh is going to be justified in His sight. Don't
even think that there is anything you can do. Justify yourself
before God. How should a man be just with
God? Man is not justified by the works of the law, but by
the faith of Jesus Christ, faithfulness of Christ, in Christ alone, the
servant of God for us, our surety. A man is justified without guilt. acquitted, perfect, freely, for
we are justified freely. That means no cause in us. That's
what that means. Freely by His grace through the
redemption that is in Jesus Christ. How should a man be just with
God? God is going to have to justify him. God Almighty justifies
him. Man cannot, he cannot, he cannot
justify himself. The Lord Jesus Christ, He alone. How should a man be just with
God? How can he be just with God?
Let all the accusers come and accuse the believer. Turn with
me to Romans 8. Romans 8. And Almighty God, if
I can say this and say it with reverence in His The law can
rightly accuse me and myself. I'm guilty. I can admit and accuse
myself. I'm guilty. Paul said, O wretched
man that I am, who shall deliver me? But how should a man be just
with God? Romans 8, in verse 31, You let the law stand up and
accuse me and I'm guilty. I will even accuse myself and
admit my guilt. Rightly so. But I'll tell you
this, for that one, that the Lord Jesus Christ has justified
by His grace, by His blood, by His suffering, by His obedience,
by His death, Christ and Christ alone. How should a man be just
with God? Let those stand up and accuse
me. And rightly so. How should I
be just with God? How should you be just with God?
Let Him stand up, the Lord Jesus Christ. in defense, as the advocate. An advocate means one that speaks
for another. I need one to speak for me. How
should a man be just with God? Romans 8, starting in verse 31. What shall we say? What shall
we then say to these things if God be for us? Who can be against us? He that spared not His own Son,
but delivered Him up for us all, how shall He not with Him also
freely, again, without any cause in us, all in Him, give us all
things? Who shall lay anything to the
charge of God's elect? It is God that justifies. Who is He that condemneth? It
is Christ that died, yea, rather, that is risen again, who is even
at the right hand of God, who also maketh intercession for
us." How should a man be just with God? One way. A man is justified freely by
the Lord Jesus Christ. It takes my guilt. gives me His righteousness. I
cannot in myself justify myself. Shall the judge of all the earth
do right? Yes, he will. Let me go back
and read this in closing. Job chapter 8 that we read a
while ago. Neither will He help the evildoers. That's the way it is. God's not
going to cast away a perfect man. How can I be just with God? How can I be just? The Lord Jesus
Christ took my guilt and died under the judgment of Almighty
God justly. He laid down His life for the
sheep. He died for them. Was God's justice
just put away? He's a just God. He cannot just
wink at it. He cannot just forget about it. He's a just God. Shall the judge
of all the earth do right? Yes, he will. What's he going
to do? for His elect that He has eternally
loved. He will justify them. He shall justify them. Rightly
before all of the universe, the law finds no fault, no fault
with God's people, with the believers. No fault. No fault. When the Lord Jesus Christ laid
down His life and died for them and put away their guilt, Their
sin was cast as far as the east is from the west. There is therefore
now no condemnation to them that be in Christ Jesus." Done. Done. How should a man be just with
God? God is going to have to justify him. God Almighty will
do that which He demands. Faithful is He who called you
who will also do it. He did it. He did it. How should
a man be just with God? I'll tell you how to be just
with God. God's going to justify it.