All right, let's turn to Revelation
chapter 11, saying, we give thanks, O Lord
God Almighty, which art and wast and art to come, because thou
hast taken to thee thy great power and hast reigned. Last week we talked about the
reign of Christ in judgment and what could be more comforting
to a believer as he looks around and he sees
society crumbling around him and he sees this judgment day
approaching and he sees mankind in general waxing worse and worse
religion being more and more deceived and just magnifying
itself and growing in multitudes and millions and what could be
more comforting when he looks around and he sees these things
than to know that there's one whose power is reigning over
this chaos. That it's all not been turned
loose. It's all not just running rampant
at random. But there's a purpose to the
madness that's going on around you and it's being managed by
one who sits on the throne. Now that's comforting to a believer.
Comforting to a believer. Things look out of control. They're
not. They're not. They're out of our
control. They're out of the control of
the nations that are around us. But they're not out of His control.
There's one on the throne working all things, as Scripture said,
after the counsel of His own will. It's the mark of true believers
that when things are at their worst, when things are absolutely
at their worst, that then they are the most thankful and grateful
to God. And what are they thankful and
grateful for? His power, His power, His reign,
and His grace. Why would anybody, I just want
you to ask yourself this question, I don't, you're here this morning,
I don't know if you believe or not, I don't know. I can't see
your heart. I see what I see with my eyes.
I see your attendance, and I see that you attend regularly, and
I see that you seem to receive the message, but I don't know
if you really believe or not. I can't see your heart. I can't
see your heart. But let me ask you this. Why
would anybody pray to a God who had no power to remedy his situation? Why would you do that? And yet
millions do. Millions do. They say he has
no power to save. His arm is shortened that it
cannot save. They question his power. They
question his ability. They question his reign in the
salvation of a soul. But when it comes to a disease,
well, then they're willing to grant him some power over that
because it's out of their control. And then notice this. These ones
who fell down and praised God here in verse 17, they did not
praise him because he had the power. They praised him because
he exercised his power. Thou hast taken to thyself this
power and reigned. He exercised it. The Lord Jesus,
in spite of all the opposition, Now here he is, this is the manifestation
of God, that's why I'm giving you this example. We don't know
anything at all about God except as we see it manifested in Christ. Christ came to this earth, was
born of a woman, a tiny baby, and opposition was just, what
I'm saying is in spite of this opposition, they put out a decree
in the land to kill every baby in the land, but they couldn't
kill him. They sought to kill him. They
hired men to tell them where this baby was going to be born,
and they wanted to kill him. But the Lord Jesus, in spite
of all this opposition, in spite of deceived religion, all religion
hated his guts. They tried to trap him. They
tried to trick him. They tried to dishonor him. They
tried to take away his ministry, take away his reputation. But
in spite of all the opposition and in spite of deceived religion
and in spite of a contrary power, he did everything that God the
Father sent him to do. He reigned. He reigned. Did he not? He told them the
truth and it said they would have taken him out on the brow
of the hill and cast him down headlong. But his hour was not
yet. He reigned. He reigned in everything
that he did. He reigned in a perfect obedience
on our behalf before God. He reigned. This is God manifested
in the flesh and he reigned over everything and yet accomplished
the sovereign will of God. William Cowper, the old hymn
writer, he wrote this hymn. It says, God moves in a mysterious
way his wonders to perform. He plants his footsteps on the
sea and rides upon the storm. Deep in unfathomable minds of
never-ending skill, he treasures up his bright designs and works
his sovereign will. His purposes will ripen fast,
unfolding every hour. The bud may have a bitter taste,
but sweet will be the flower. He reigns. He manifested that
in Jesus Christ. He reigns. He reigned over the
situation. It was foretold of him that he
was going to go and be hanged on this tree and die for the
sins of his people. That was foretold thousands of
years before he came. And they did exactly what God's
hand and God's counsel determined before to be done. Now seeing
this manifested reign here as God's eternal mediator, Why should
we question his reign now in glory? You see what I'm saying? Oh, they were thankful. They
were thankful. They, in that day of judgment,
they saw more clearly than ever that he reigns. And they fell
on their faces before him and praised him that he did. This
is the final judgment. And there's a day coming in which
God will judge this world in righteousness by that man whom
he hath ordained. I've had countless men tell me
this when I talk to them about their souls, that, well, I'm
not as bad as some. There's plenty of people in this
world worse than I am. I'm better than a lot of folks
down at that church. I've heard men and women tell
me this for years. Judgment's not according to the
people at the church. Judgment is according to strict
righteousness, the righteousness of this man whom he hath ordained. And you may come up the scale
compared to me, but you ain't even gonna make the scale compared
to him. And if God did not spare him,
he gives us assurance of this. That's what he tells us over
in Acts 17. He said, he has given assurance. He's not talking about assurance
of salvation here, he's talking about assurance of the judgment.
And he said he'd given assurance of this to all men. Well, where
was that assurance at, this assurance of judgment? At the cross. If
God spared not his son. who came and died for his elect.
He bore their judgment in his own body on the tree. He stood
before God and God judged him exactly as he willed this world
in strict righteousness. Now that's the assurance of the
judgment to come. And that same righteousness is
that righteousness which will be demanded of men. And this judgment, now I want
you to listen close to what I'm going to tell you. In the judgment,
every man will receive exactly what he's due. I've actually
had men tell me that all I want is what's coming to me. No, you
don't. No, you don't. But in this judgment,
every man's going to get exactly what's due him. None will be punished that do
not deserve it, and none will enter into glory who do not deserve
it. The only way you can enter into glory
is to deserve it, and the only way you can deserve it is in
Christ, by His merits. Do you understand that? Oh, let
that go deep into your heart. Everything that that man did
for us was deserving of the favor of God. And I have his righteousness. Huh? Well done, thy good and faithful
servant. Oh, I can't even imagine him
saying that to me. But I can imagine him saying
that to his son. And salvation's in his son. You
see what I'm saying? None will be punished who do
not deserve it. None will enter glory who do
not deserve it. All who are found guilty of transgression
against God shall be cast into hell. That's what it says. And
all who are found perfectly holy, righteous, and without sin shall
enter into their Father's house. And I'm telling you this, there's
only one hope for any sinner gaining admittance into glory
and acceptance with the living God, and that is by the merits
by the merits of our representative and substitute, the Lord Jesus
Christ. That's what this judgment is
all about. In that day, he shall visibly
take the reins and assert his rights over the nations, over
principalities and powers and take position in such a way as
to have no opposition whatsoever. Oh, you look at Satan and his
work in this world and how strong does it appear, how massive,
how completely. Why? It says in the scriptures,
he can take you captive at his will. He told Peter, Peter's
there boasting in himself and boasting in his determination
and in his zeal. And the Lord turned to him and
looked at him and he said, Satan desired to sift you like wheat.
But in that day, Satan's power will be nothing before him. He's
the only one who can put the collar on him. He's the only
one who can take him and cast him into hell. He reigns. Paul said in 1 Timothy
6 and 11, he said, But thou, O man of God, flee these things. What things? The love of money,
pride, foolishness, evil strivings, perverse disputings. Flee these
things and follow after godliness, righteousness, faith, love, and
patience, and meekness. Fight the good fight of faith.
Lay hold on eternal life whereunto thou art called and hast professed
a good provision before many witnesses. Keep this commandment
without spot, unrebukable until the appearing of our Lord Jesus
Christ. Now watch this. This is 1 Timothy
6, verse 15. Which in His times He shall show
who is the blessed and only potentate, the King of kings and Lord of
lords. who only hath immortality dwelling
in a light which no man can approach unto, whom no man hath seen nor
can see, to whom be honor and power everlasting. Amen. He said, you look to him. You
look to him. I'm telling you as clearly as
I have words to tell you. that the Lord Jesus Christ is
not some feeble, feminine, defeated reformer that religion promotes
him and says that he is. His hands are tied. He can't
do anything. He watches you to see if you'll
take the first step. If you take the first step, he'll
take the rest. What kind of God do you got? You just try to, in your imagination,
to picture this one that they worship. And his hands are tied,
and he's feeble, and he's weak, and he wants to do something,
but he can't. He wants to save, and you won't
let him. He wants you to repent, but you won't repent. So he has
to come up with some way to get you to feel sorry for him so
he can So everything that he purposed to do won't be a failure.
I'm telling you that's not the Christ of the Bible, that's another
Jesus is what that is, and another gospel. He is the omnipotent, sovereign,
eternal King of glory. And in that day when men shall
flee into the rocks and mountains to hide themselves from his face,
the church will praise him for his reign. while everybody else
is scattering like a bunch of ants. They're just going all
directions. God's people fall on their face
and praise him for his power and that he took that power and
that he reigned in grace to save their souls. What everybody else
is fleeing from is your hope. Huh? Is it not? He's my hope. He's my hope. All right, verse 18, Revelation
chapter 11. And the nations were angry, and
thy wrath is come, and the time of the dead, that they should
be judged, and that thou shouldest give reward unto thy servants,
the prophets, and to the saints. Think about that, what he just
said. He gonna reward them. What's
He rewarding them for? They could do nothing without
Him. He's rewarding them for that which He enabled them to
do. That thou shouldest give reward
unto thy servants the prophets, and to thy saints, and them that
fear thy name, small and great, and shouldest destroy them which
destroy the earth. I want to take this verse just
one line at a time and spend the rest of our time on it. First
of all, he says, and the nations were angry. In Ephesians chapter
4, verse 17, Paul tells the church to walk not, as other Gentiles
walk, in the vanity of their mind, having their understanding
darkened, being alienated from the life of God through the ignorance
that's in them because of the blindness of their heart. Why
would I read such a scripture as this over this verse here
where he's talking about all nations were angry? Because men
and women live under the delusion that they're in control of their
lives. And my friend, if you're here
this morning and that's what you think, you're deluded. You're
walking in the vanity of your mind. And men who walk this way
are not aware of it. They're not aware that they're
deluded. If they were, they'd seek help. And that's why I say
all the time, and that's why the Scripture speaks of salvation
for sinners. Because until a man sees his
need, he's not going to look to Christ, he's not going to
look for salvation, he's not even going to look into the Word
of God for a remedy. Until he sees that need. Nations were angry. Why? Because they were deluded. They
believed that they were in control of their lives. And I'm going
to tell you something. Nothing frightens men more or
makes them more angry than to tell them that they're not. That
he reigns. He reigns. You don't reign. He
does. He does. Paul told the church at Rome,
none of us liveth to himself and no man dieth to himself.
Whether we live, we live under the Lord. Whether we die, we
die under the Lord. Therefore, whether we live or
die, we are the Lord's. God uses sinful men and unbelieving
rebels to serve his purpose of grace. He raised up Pharaoh in Egypt
as a superpower for one reason, to manifest the glory of God
in the deliverance of his people and in the destruction of Egypt. He made Rome the most powerful
nation in the world to accomplish our salvation at Calvary. That's
the only reason Pilate had any power at all. He said, don't
you know I have power to release you or power to crucify you? And he said, you had no power
at all except it were given you of my father. He raised him up
and made him governor of that whole area for no other reason
than to accomplish our salvation on Calvary. And we're plainly told in Acts
4.28 that they did what God's hand and God's counsel determined
before to be done. My friend the potter has power
over the clay. He can make one vessel under
honor and another under dishonor. And if God in his wisdom and
long-suffering endures the vessels of wrath fitted for destruction,
it's not a breach of his character. He's perfectly righteous, perfectly
holy to do so. And if he in sovereign grace
makes known the riches of his glory on the vessels of mercy
which he had aforeprepared unto glory, it's no breach of his
righteousness and goodness and grace. Men are angry with the sovereign
God because they see his election, predestination, and preservation
of his people as being unfair, unjust, and unrighteous, but
not at the judgment. At the judgment it's going to
be made clear, every tongue is going to confess that Jesus Christ
is Lord. Now listen to the glory of God
the Father. One thing he's going to manifest
above anything else at that judgment is that he is just in his justification
of sinners. And here's another reason they're
angry. Paul said, you'll say unto me,
why doth he yet find fault? For who hath resisted his will? And here's his answer. Nay, but,
O man, who art thou that replyest against God? Shall the thing
fall? Can you imagine the potter spinning
on the wheel, spinning? He makes this big, fancy flower
pot. And then he gets another lump
of clay out of the same lump, gets him another one, spins it
on the wheel, and he makes this vessel that's just a spit-ton.
And can you imagine that vessel looking over that other vessel
and saying, why hast thou made me thus? Huh? Who art thou that replies against
God? And I'm going to tell you something,
had he not had he not in his grace and mercy fashioned us
on the wheel as he did, we'd all be spittoons. Huh? That's the alternative. The nations were angry. Secondly,
he says, thy wrath has come. Now I want you to listen to me
close here. In Ephesians 2, 1 through 3, the Apostle tells us about
our unregenerate state. And then he tells us how God
intervened on our behalf by putting us in His Son, in a holy union
with His Son. And then in the fullness of time,
showing us the riches of that grace in that union. But here's
how our unregenerate state is summed up, Ephesians 2 verse
3, the last part of the verse, and we're by nature the children
of wrath, even as others. We all fell in the same federal
head, we were all condemned by the same God, were born with
a fallen nature and all lived out our days in the lust of our
flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind. marks of god's wrath on us for
no different than the rest of mankind and then over and john
three thirty six issues he didn't believe it on the phone have
everlasting life he didn't believe that not the phone shall not
see a lot the wrath of god about it how does that wrath of god
in on the way Unbelief. No matter what you say, no matter
what you do, no matter how many tears you cry, no matter how
many prayers you pray, they're not touched by it, they're not
affected by it, and they go their way. They go their way. Thy wrath is come, and the time
of the dead that they should be judged. You, hath he quickened,
who were dead. who were dead. And then he tells
us this, I'm out of time, but he tells us this over in the
book of Revelations. He says, he's talking about those who
were dead in trespasses and sins and it says, blessed is he that
hath part in the first resurrection. that resurrection of the Holy
Spirit, that resurrection of Christ. Blessed is he that hath
part in that first resurrection. Upon him the second death hath
no power. And that's what he's talking
about here in this judgment, the judgment of the dead. Those
for whom Christ did not intervene. Those who in the nature of their
sin, rebelled and refused to believe on him. All right. Thank
you.