Well, I welcome you here as Winston
did. It's good to see everybody out
today to hear the Word of the Lord and to observe the Lord's
table. As you can see, the title of
my message is, Who Shall Stand? I'll be taking this message from
the first four verses of Psalm 130. And that question, who shall
stand, is asked in this psalm in verse 3. We'll get there in
a minute. But let's start out in verse 1 of Psalm 130. Out of the depths have I cried
unto thee, O Lord. Lord, hear my voice. Let thine
ears be attentive to the voice of my supplications. The psalmist
David is asking God to hear him. And of course, as we'll see in
this message, he's asking him on the basis of Christ's work,
the forgiveness that comes through Christ alone. Look on at verse
3. If thou, Lord, shouldest mark iniquities, O Lord, who shall
stand? Who shall stand? The one word
answer to that question is no one. None will stand. If God marks iniquities, none
will stand. None will stand justified. None
will stand forgiven. None will stand blessed of God. None will stand in the favor
of God. If God marks iniquities, none
will stand. The thought conveyed by that
word stand is endurance. Who will endure? Who will go
on standing? Who will continue standing? Who will stand ultimately? Who
will stand in the end? Who will stand at the judgment?
Where God marks iniquities, all are condemned. Where God marks
iniquities, all will suffer the eternal misery, the final separation
and full separation of God's wrath. In comparing the blessed
man with the ungodly in Psalm 1, Psalm 1 says of the blessed
man that he's delivered from the counsel of the ungodly. He's
delivered from the way of sinners. It says, whatsoever this blessed
man does, he shall prosper. But it says something very different
about the ungodly. See, it compares the godly and
the blessed. The ungodly and the blessed.
Look at Psalm 1 in verses 4 and 5. The ungodly are not so. They're not like the blessed
man. Whatever the blessed man does prospers, but the ungodly
are not so, but are like the chaff which the wind driveth
away. Therefore, the ungodly shall
not stand in the judgment, nor sinners in the congregation of
the righteous. The ultimate fate of the ungodly
is clearly recorded in the scriptures for all to see it. But the question
we must always answer is this. Who are the ungodly? Who are
the blessed? Everyone knows that the lawless
and perverse and the religiously unconcerned in any generation,
they're ungodly. They're without God. They don't
know Him. They're not concerned about Him. They're not concerned
about His Word. They're not concerned about His
ways. But Psalm 1 is dealing with the spiritually ungodly. The ungodly, it says, are like
the chaff which the wind driveth away. Like chaff, the ungodly
are those who have an appearance. You know that chaff, that little
shell that holds the kernel? Once the kernel's gone, this
chaff may still look like a kernel of wheat or whatever, but it's
just an empty shell. That's what the ungodly are.
They're religious. They're zealous. They're sincere
and dedicated. They're pure righteous unto men.
They're those trusting in themselves that they are righteous and despising
others, but their appearance is just a shell. It's just an
empty shell without substance. They're tossed to and fro by
every wind of doctrine. They reject God's gospel. They
reject God's Savior. They reject God's salvation.
They reject salvation based on the work of Christ alone. They're
marked with iniquities. These are those who will not
stand at the judgment. Look back at Psalm 130 in verse
3. If thou, Lord, shouldest mark iniquities, O Lord, who shall
stand? It doesn't take much to see that the marking of iniquities
is a subject that we all need to know something about. What's
he talking about, marking iniquities? What does it mean? The word itself,
to mark iniquities, means to keep. It means to retain, to
treasure up, to hold in memory. Those marked with iniquities
are those charged with the legal guilt of sin. They're those who
must bear in themselves the just punishment their sin deserves.
If God leaves you, if He leaves me charged with my sin, then
I must bear the punishment that sin deserves through all eternity.
Let me give you an illustration to talk about this a little bit.
You and I break the law of the land every day, and we're not
very concerned about it. Let me just take one area of
life here. Driving an automobile, for instance. Most everybody
here, except the young people, of course, drive. And when we
get behind the wheel, we break numerous laws all the time. You know, that stop sign says
stop. It doesn't say coast through.
It says stop. When you change lanes, you're
supposed to use the turn signal before you do that. And when
the speed limit says 55, you're not supposed to go one mile an
hour above 55. We break the law of the land
all the time and are not concerned about it. Now, why are we not
concerned about it? I'll tell you why. Because we
aren't charged with the breaking of the law. But if that officer
sees us break the law and he pulls us over and he gives us
a ticket. In other words, if he charges
us with a violation, then we become concerned because then
we've got to go before a judge and we've got to answer those
charges. We've got to pay the fine or we've got to do the time,
whatever is required. Man's laws are much less rigid,
much more flexible than God's laws are. We break the law every
day and are seldom cited. The law of the land seldom marks
anything against us. But when it does, when it does
charge us, when we do get that ticket, we do have to go before
the judge. We do have to answer those charges
because if we don't, there'll just be more charges piled on
top of the ones we already have. Under God's law, every sin brings
a charge. Every sin. The slightest sin. The least sin. God sees everything. Nothing is overlooked by God,
and every charge demands payment. Every charge demands punishment,
and the punishment of sin, no matter how slight. The punishment
of sin that is charged is eternal death, eternal separation from
God. God's justice will not, it cannot
fail to charge with sin. It cannot fail to let a charge
go unpunished, unanswered. It can't do that. Every sin must
and shall be dealt with according to strict and inflexible justice
from God. Every sin will be paid the wages
that sin has earned. The wages of sin is eternal death. If God marks iniquities, if He
charges any sinner with sin, if He leaves any sinner to bear
their own just punishment, none will stand. Thankfully, that's
not the end of this psalm. There's verse 4, so look at verse
4. But there is forgiveness with thee, that thou mayest be feared. But here is a word of contrast. If God marks iniquities, none
will stand. But God does not mark iniquities
in all. He doesn't mark all iniquities.
He doesn't impute sin or charge sin to everyone. There is forgiveness. Forgiveness is found where God
does not impute sin. It's found where God does not
mark iniquities. This is an act of God toward
the objects of His love. The Scriptures teach that God's
people, those chosen in Christ, God's people, the elect of God,
are already forgiven for Christ's sake. His blood continually cleanses
them from all unrighteousness. God will not treasure up. He
will not hold in memory. He will not mark against. He
will not remember the sins and iniquities of His people. Now
we see that twice in the book of Hebrews. Look with me at one
of those places. Hebrews 8 and verses 10 through
12. For this is the covenant that
I will make with the house of Israel after those days, saith
the Lord. He's talking about spiritual
Israel here now. He's talking about his chosen people here. This is the covenant that I will
make with the House of Israel after those days, saith the Lord.
I will put my laws into their mind, and write them in their
hearts. And I will be to them a God, and they shall be to me
a people. And they shall not teach every
man his neighbor, and every man his brother, saying, Know the
Lord. For all shall know me from the least to the greatest. For
I will be merciful to their unrighteousness, and their sins and their iniquities
will I remember no more." That phrase, that last phrase, the
one I underlined there, their sins and iniquities will I remember
no more, is repeated in Hebrews 10, 17. The Scriptures teach
that God has not dealt with His people according to their sins,
but has separated them from their sins as far as the east is from
the west. In other words, infinitely. If
you start out going east, you'll always be going east. You'll
never be going west. Infinitely. That's how far God
has separated the sins of His people from them. Look at Psalm
103 and verse 10. God hath not dealt with us after
our sins, nor rewarded us according to our iniquities. Now this does
not say that God has not dealt with our sins. He dealt with
our sins. For God not to deal with sin
would be injustice on His part. He must and He shall deal with
every sin. This says that God has not dealt
with us after our sins, according to our sins. He's not rewarded
us according to our iniquities. What does God's justice demand
of any sinner who is rewarded according to their iniquities?
I've already quoted it. The wages of sin is death. If
God gives any sinner the wages that sinner has earned, He must
send that sinner to eternal misery. He must separate Himself from
us eternally. But rather than separate Himself
from His people, God has separated His people from their sins. Look on at Psalm 103 and verses
11 and 12. For as the heaven is high above
the earth, so great is His mercy toward them that fear Him. As
far as the East is from the West, so far has he removed our transgressions
from us. All right, what does it mean
that God has removed the transgression of His people as far as the East
is from the West? Does that mean that His people
are no longer sinners? Does that mean we no longer commit
sin? Does it mean we're without sin?
Of course it doesn't mean that. We're continual sinners. In this
life, we're all, all are still under the presence and the very
powerful influence of sin. And we will be. We will be till
the day we die. I was born in sin, I was born
a sinner, and I'll die a sinner. But the issue is, is God marking
my sin against me? Is He charging me with sin? What does it mean that God will
remember the sins and iniquities of His people no more? Does it mean that God forgets?
God never forgets anything. These terms mean that God has
removed the judgment, the condemnation, the punishment of sins from His
people. He will not remember their sins
in judgment. He will not remember them in
a way of punishment. He has separated His people from
the legal guilt of sin as far as the East is from the West.
It means He will not mark those sins against those sinners. He
will not charge the legal guilt or the just condemnation of sins
of the iniquities of His people to them. God's elect people have
been blessed with all spiritual blessings in the heavenlies in
Christ. One of those blessings is the
forgiveness of sin. It's the non-imputation of sin. Sin is not imputed to those blessed
of God. The psalmist is clear about this
issue. In another psalm, look at Psalm 32, verses 1 and 2. The psalmist writes, blessed
is he whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered.
Blessed is the man unto whom the Lord imputeth not iniquity
and whose spirit there is no guile. The blessed are those
not charged with sin. The blessed are those whose sins
are not imputed to them. The blessed are those whose iniquities
are not marked against them. The blessed are those who have
already been forgiven for Christ's sake. Now, a question should
arise in your mind out of this reasoning. It ought to arise
in all our minds. I'm going to talk about a series
of questions here, but it's really just one question. asked in a
lot of different ways. How can God mark the iniquities
of some, but not mark the iniquities of others? How can he do that?
Upon what basis can God impute sin to some, but not impute sin
to others? How can he charge some with sin,
but forgive and cleanse others from all unrighteousness? Upon
what basis are sinners blessed of God? How can God be just and
forgive any sinner? How can He remain just and not
charge any sinner with sin? How can He do that to any of
us? How can you not charge me with my sin? How can he be just
and forgive one sinner's sin while holding another eternally
chargeable and under the eternal punishment of their sin? We're
considering the basis of true forgiveness here. The regenerate
sinner, the one taught of God, the one brought to fear God,
is the only one in any generation who knows the scriptural answers
to these questions. Now a lot of people think they
have answers, but I said the scriptural answer, the right
answer, the answer that honors God and exalts Christ and excludes
all boasting and sinners. Old Testament saints knew the
answer to these questions, how God could charge one with sin
but not charge another. Paul the Apostle considers two
of these saints in the first verses of Romans 4. First he
considers Abraham. He considers the basis of Abraham's
justification before God. Look at Romans 4 verses 1 and
2. What shall we say then that Abraham our father, as pertaining
to the flesh, hath found? For if Abraham were justified
by works, he hath whereof the glory, but not before God." Now,
he's not considering whether Abraham justified here or not.
The question of Abraham's justification is without question. He's a justified
sinner. He's considering the basis. Was
it by something Abraham did? Was it on some other basis? Look on to Romans 4 and verse
3. What saith the scripture? Abraham believed God, and it
was counted to him for righteousness. Abraham was not justified on
the basis of his works. He wasn't justified on the basis
of anything found in him, not even his faith. He believed God. What did God tell him? He told
him about a promised seed who would come and fulfill all righteousness,
bring in an everlasting righteousness. He told Abraham that he would
charge that promised seed with the sins of his elect. He would
lay on him the iniquity of his people. the promised seed would
put those sins away by just satisfaction and bring in everlasting righteousness
by his obedience unto death. That's what he told Abraham,
and Abraham believed God. Abraham looked to the righteousness
Christ would bring in. That was the basis of his justification.
That was how God could declare Abraham righteous in his day.
Look on Romans 4 verses 4 and 5. Now to him that worketh is
the reward not reckoned of grace, but of death. In other words,
if Abraham had worked for his justification, it wouldn't be
a reward of grace. It wouldn't be salvation conditioned
on Christ alone. It would be a reward of Abraham's
work. Verse 5, But to him that worketh
not, but believeth on him that justifies the ungodly, his faith
is counted for righteousness. So, like I said, Abraham looked
to the righteousness of the one God had promised to send. And
that was the basis, that was the foundation of his hope, that
was the foundation of his salvation. Paul also considers David in
this psalm. Look on Romans 4 verses 6 through
8. Now he says, even as David also describes the blessedness
of the man. Even as. Just like Abraham now. David knew what Abraham knew.
David's writing here about what Abraham knew. Look. He describes
the blessedness of the man unto whom God imputes righteousness
without work, saying, Blessed are they whose iniquities are
forgiven and whose sins are covered. Blessed is the man to whom the
Lord will not impute sin. Now you can see I already read
Psalm 32. Verses 7 and 8 are a quote of
Psalm 32. What I want you to see in this
New Testament commentary on what David was explaining in Psalm
32 is right there in verse 6. Paul had just explained that
Abraham was blessed of God because God charged to him the righteousness
of Christ, the righteousness of the Messiah that he would
send. Now he says that David also describes the blessedness
of the man unto whom God imputes righteousness without works.
Now in Psalm 32, David didn't even mention an imputed righteousness. He didn't mention the righteousness
of God, but Paul's telling you that's what he was writing about.
He was writing about the blessedness of a man to whom God imputes
righteousness without works. What he's doing here is stating
the bottom line on the sinner blessed of God. He's stating
the bottom line of why one sinner is forgiven and another is not. What is that bottom line? Here
it is, God imputes righteousness to the one and blesses that one
based on Christ's righteousness imputed alone. He charges him
with the righteousness of his substitute and he imputes righteousness
to him without works. In other words, there's nothing
found in the sinner that causes God to look at that sinner on
the basis of anything in him or even done by him, not even
his faith. That is the one reason why God
will not mark iniquities on any sinner. It's the one reason why
any sinner is forgiven. It's the one reason why God will
not impute sin to any sinner. It's the one reason why any sinner
is not facing the eternal wrath of God that our sin has earned
and justice demands. It's the one reason why any sinner
will stand blessed of God at the judgment. The reason? because
Christ represented a chosen people, and God laid on Him the iniquity
of that chosen people. He bore their sins in His body
on the tree. He was delivered up to the cross
because of their offenses. God marked their iniquities to
Christ. He imputed. He charged Christ
with their sins. And Christ answered those charges.
He answered them in full. He paid their debt of punishment
to such a degree that there's nothing else owed. He satisfied
the law in precept and in penalty. He established the righteousness
of God, the very righteousness by which God declares sinners
like you and me righteous in His sight. There are no charges
remaining against those Christ lived and died for. What a blessed
thought. Their sins can't be charged. Who shall lay anything to the
charge of God's elect? It's Christ that died. Their
iniquities can't be marked. Those Christ represented are
removed from those charges as far as the East is from the West.
God holds no memory of any charges against His elect because Christ
paid that debt. God sees those sinners Christ
represented now as He's always seen them, righteous based on
Christ, righteousness imputed alone. God does not mark iniquities
against all. There is forgiveness with God.
And that forgiveness comes to a sinner by the doing and dying
of Christ alone. Look back at Psalm 130 and verse
4. But there is forgiveness with
thee that thou mayest be feared. If God marks iniquities, none
will stand. But all are not marked with iniquities.
There is forgiveness with God. He has a chosen people. He has
imputed to those people the righteousness of Christ. They are already forgiven
for Christ's sake. They stand forever, unchangeably
righteous in God's sight. They can't be charged with sins.
Their sins have been punished in full and put away by the death
of Christ, their substitute and surety. Now, who are these that
are so unchangeably blessed? Who are they? Who are these so
unchangeably righteous in God's sight? Who are these that cannot
be charged with sin? Who are these whose sins are
already forgiven? Who are these who stand eternally
blessed of God? How are they identified in this
world? How are they distinguished from everybody else in the world?
They are those in every generation who fear God. There is forgiveness
with thee that thou mayest be feared. It's through the knowledge
of God's forgiveness that sinners are taught to fear God. It's
the Spirit's power under the gospel that brings sinners to
this fear. This is not the legal fear all
are born with. All are born with a legal fear,
a fear of punishment. That's what causes us to go about,
to try to work up some kind of righteousness of our own before
God. But you're not talking about that fear here. This is the reverential
fear that God puts in His people. It's the fear that's given to
a sinner at regeneration. Look at Jeremiah 32, verse 37
through 40. This is Jeremiah writing about,
again, the Israel of God now. He says, Behold, I will gather
them out of all countries, whether I have driven them, in mine anger,
and in my fury, and in great wrath. And I will bring them
again into this place, and I will cause them to dwell safely. And
they shall be my people, and I will be their God. And I will
give them one heart and one way that they may fear Me forever
for the good of them and of their children after them. And I will
make an everlasting covenant with them that I will not turn
away from them to do them good. But I will put My fear in their
hearts that they shall not depart from Me." That's what God does
right there to every sinner born again, to every sinner regenerated
by the Spirit of God. God puts His fear in the hearts
of His people. In other words, He reveals to
them that the only way he can be just and ever declare them
righteous in his sight is based on the work of Christ, the righteousness
of Christ imputed or charged to their account. He brings us
to himself through Christ in whom crucified and risen again.
And he keeps us the same way. It says, they shall not depart
from me. If you fear God, you can't leave. You can't leave
this gospel. You can't leave this message.
You can't go somewhere else and worship a God who saves you based
on something found in you. You can't do it. He brings us to Himself the only
true and living God, a just God and a Savior, and He keeps us
by the knowledge of that forgiveness that's found in Christ and Christ
alone. God is feared. He's revered. He's honored. He's worshipped.
Only by sinners brought to rejoice and rest in Christ alone for
all of salvation. These alone worship God in spirit
and in truth. These are those in every generation
that God is seeking to worship Him. It is this fear of God,
this fear that God puts in His people, this reverence and respect
for His redemptive glory, this fear that distinguishes them
in the world in every generation. Under the law, a sinner can never
be certain. No matter how well you've obeyed
the law in the past, it doesn't matter how many times you've
kept the speed limit, when you break it, there's that officer
just waiting to write you that ticket. can never be certain. It demands your continued obedience
if you are to find acceptance through the law. Any charge of
misconduct must be answered by whatever punishment justice demands.
But God's elect, those in Christ, those called by the gospel, are
not under the law. They're under grace. They're
under salvation, conditioned on, and accomplished by Christ
alone. They're forgiven for Christ's
sake. Their sins were charged to Christ and put away by his
death. They are forever righteous by the righteousness Christ earned,
charged to them. Look back at Psalm 130 in verse
4. But there's forgiveness with
thee that thou mayest be feared. There are always two categories
of sinners in the world in any given generation. In Psalm 1,
they're the blessed and they're the ungodly. Two categories.
The blessed will prosper. the ungodly will perish. In this
psalm that we've looked at, Psalm 130, there are those marked or
charged with iniquity and those forgiven, not charged with sin. Those forgiven are distinguished
from the rest of the world by their fear of God, their reverence
for and worship of a just God and Savior. This is my encouragement to you.
Seek and learn of the forgiveness that God has provided in Christ
alone. Find your confidence before God
in the imputed righteousness of the Lord Jesus Christ. God
is seeking sinners in this very generation to revere and worship
Him, a just God and Savior. He's seeking sinners to revere
and worship Him by the doing and dying of Christ alone. Who
shall stand? There is forgiveness with God.
That forgiveness is in Christ alone. That forgiveness is upon
those in every generation who fear a just God and a Savior. There are those who will stand.
In the end, they'll stand. There are those who will stand
at that judgment. There are those who are eternally
blessed of God. Will you, will I, stand with
them? Amen. Thank you for that message.