Let's begin tonight in Leviticus
chapter 19. Leviticus the 19th chapter. As you read through the Old Testament,
there are certain things that the Lord seems to repeat over
and over again. with little or no explanation
that seem a little strange to me in first reading. Here in
Leviticus 19, verse 36, God mentions just balances and just weights. And throughout the Old Testament,
he warns against using false balances and unjust weights or
uneven balances and uneven weights. Now when he speaks of balances,
you know what he's talking about. You folks who are a little older,
they used to weigh things out in markets on scales. And a just
balance is one that starts at zero. And the weights by which you
measure what is sold. must be honest weights. So if
you've got a weight in your pocket that says 16 ounces, it ought
to be 16 ounces, not 14 ounces. If you have it 14 ounces and
14 ounces of weight and it says 16 ounces on it, you're cheating
the fella. He speaks specifically with regard to the balances of
justice and the weights of justice. All right. Now let's look at
verse 36, Leviticus 19. Just balances, just weights,
a just ether, and a just hen shall you have. And here's the
reason he gives. I am the Lord your God, which
brought you out of the land of Egypt. Just a few pages over
in the book of Deuteronomy, chapter 25, he gives another commandment
of the law. Deuteronomy 25 and verse 13.
Thou shalt not have divers weights, a great and a small. You shall
not have different, uneven weights, great and small with which to
cheat, to deceive, to be dishonest. Look in Proverbs, Proverbs chapter
16, Proverbs 16 verse 11. Adjust weight and balance are
the Lord's Adjust weight adjust balance an honest weight an honest
balance. These are the Lord's verse 20
divers weights are an abomination unto the Lord and The false balance
is not good divers weights are an abomination to God and And
a false balance is not good. Now, is the Lord merely teaching
us that we should be honest in all our dealings with men? Of
course, you understand that we should be. It's ridiculous that
I should even have to say that, but I have to because somebody
said, well, Fortner's telling us that God doesn't teach us
to be honest. No, be honest. Be honest. We ought to be honest
in all things. We ought to deal justly in all
matters But that is not the reason these commands are given Look
if you will in the book of Micah back where we were this morning
Micah chapter 6 and verse 11 Micah chapter 6 and verse 11 In this passage The Lord God
is dealing with two things. He's dealing with his controversy
with his people, declaring that he will plead with his people,
and he's dealing with certain judgment upon those who will
not hear his word. He speaks specifically about
judgment. He's referring, of course, to
Babylonian judgment. But those things, I hope you
by now understand, while they were real, physical, historical
things, had reference to things far greater, far more significant,
far more important. The judgment that God brought
upon the land of Israel portrayed judgment God brings upon men
because of sin and rebellion and unbelief. Because Israel
pursued their idols, God gave them nothing but desolation and
emptiness. And so it shall be with all who
pursue their idols, all who worship God or seek to, worship God or
pretend to, other than by faith in Jesus Christ the Lord. Look
at what it says in verse 13. Therefore also will I make thee
sick in smiting thee, and in making thee desolate because
of thy sins. Thou shalt eat, but not be satisfied. Thy casting down shall be in
the midst of thee. You're going to eat You're gonna
eat, you'll feast, you'll go to church Sunday after Sunday,
go to church on midweek service, go to all the meetings you can.
You'll eat and never be satisfied. And your casting down will be
inside, in the midst of you. You shall take hold, like a woman
taking hold to give birth, but thou shalt not deliver. And that
which thou deliverest will I give up to the sword. You'll bring
forth lots of things that you put to this is in there. There's
my evidence. There's my there's my life and
God says I'll destroy it Thou shalt so but thou shalt not reap
Thou shalt trade the olives, but thou shalt not anoint thee
with oil and sweet wine But shall not drink wine God says you will
work and labor and work and labor and toil and toil and you will
seek satisfaction but find none. He describes false religion in
Isaiah this way. The bed is so short you can't
stretch out on it. The covering is so narrow you
can't wrap yourself in it. And thus it is with all false
religion. It will not give you rest. It
will not give you satisfaction. It will not satiate your soul's
desire. It will not give you peace in
your soul. Oh, it'll teach you to sing about
peace and talk about peace and act like you've got peace. And
when you're home by yourself on your bed in the lonely watches
of the night and you think about meeting God in judgment, you'll
still be seized with terror. It'll give you nothing. And what
it does give you, God will soon destroy. Now look what it says
here in verse 11. Micah chapter 6 and verse 11.
Shall I count them pure with wicked balances and with the
bag of deceitful weights? Here the Lord God asserts in
unequivocal terms that he abhors injustice. If he saves, He will
be a just God and a Savior. If he damns, it will be on the
grounds of strict justice. Now hear what I just told you.
If God saves you, he'll save you because it is perfectly right
for him to do so. Completely just for him to do
so. And if God sends you to hell,
He'll send you to hell because it is perfectly right for you
to go to hell. It is perfectly right and just
for him to send you to hell. We weep over the souls of men. We weep over the thoughts of
men and women perishing under the wrath of God. We weep with
broken heart. We pray to God to have mercy
upon you who believe not. But in the last day, when God
at last sentences the damned to everlasting destruction, no
mother will weep for her child. No child will weep for her mother.
No father will weep for his son or his wife or a wife or a husband
or a daughter. It will not happen. For everyone
of God's elect will see things exactly as they are. God does right. And even the damned will see
that God does right. We don't. He says, shall I count
them pure with wicked balances, with a bag of deceitful weights?
The Lord God Almighty always acts in strict justice. He gives
himself this name. Behold God, who will by no means clear the
guilty. Behold, God will not cast away
a perfect man. That's what he said. He will
not cast away a perfect man. Neither will he help the evildoers. He that justifieth the wicked
and he that condemneth the just, even they both are an abomination
to the Lord. If you justify a wicked man,
you take one who's wicked and say he's just. God says that's
an abomination. You take one who's just and you
say he's wicked. God says that's an abomination.
God says you cannot, you dare not, you must not justify the
wicked. Neither shall you condemn the
just. And he won't do it either. He says, I will not make you
pure by wicked balances and deceitful weights. And here the Lord God
is declaring his justice in all that he does, especially in the
saving of his people. Now, tonight, I want to show
you from the word of God that God Almighty never uses wicked
balances and deceitful weights for any purpose. I'll make three
statements, I'll give them to you one at a time, and I want
you to hear carefully, and I pray God the Holy Spirit will teach
you what I'm convinced he has taught me. Number one, understand
this. When the Lord God sacrificed
his son in our room instead at Calvary, when he poured out his
wrath upon his darling son, When God slaughtered his son in our
room instead, he did not use wicked weights or wicked balances
and deceitful weights. If we were to be redeemed, Christ
had to die in our stead. The just must die for the unjust,
the righteous for the unrighteous, the innocent for the guilty,
the sinless for the sinful. because the Lord God is holy
and just and true. He could not impute sin to his
son and he could not punish his son for sin except he make him
who knew no sin to be sin for us. Another You can't imagine, Mark,
how cautiously I say God can't do something. God's not a man. He cannot lie.
The book says so. God's not a man. He cannot be
unjust. He cannot. God could not impute
sin to his son. He could not charge his son with
sin. He could not punish his son for
sin, except he make him who knew no sin to be sin. Now, I don't
know why that's a difficulty with so many. I have an idea
why. But this fact stands nonetheless. God's just. He did not weigh
with wicked balances and deceitful weights and say his son was sin. No court on earth can impute
guilt where there is no guilt, unless the court is either blind
or corrupt. And the court of heaven is neither
blind nor corrupt. In fact, we read in the book
of God, Proverbs 16, 6, By mercy and truth, iniquity is purged. By mercy and truth, iniquity
is purged. Turn, if you will, back to Psalm
40. When the Lord Jesus bore our
sins in his own body on the tree, he was made sin for us. When
he was made sin for us, He became guilty as our substitute. And when he stood guilty before
God, the Lord God imputed sin to him. That is not a legal term. That's an accounting term. When
the Lord Jesus was made sin for us, God reckoned him to be sin. And so he reckoned himself such,
for he confessed it. Here in Psalm 40 verse 12. We know our savior is speaking
here It is he who said earlier in the psalm lo I come to do
thy will oh my god We know that's him speaking because god the
holy spirit tells us that's him in the 10th chapter of hebrews
Here the lord jesus speaks as he hangs upon the cursed tree
Bearing our sins in his body on the tree You remember he cried,
my God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me? Why hast thou forsaken me? Here's his answer. For innumerable
evils have compassed me about. My people's iniquities have taken
hold upon me. Does anybody have a Bible that
reads that way? Does anybody have a Bible that
reads that way? He said, mine iniquities have taken hold upon
me so that I'm not able to look up. I can no longer lift my eyes
to heaven. God's forsaken me. They are more
than the hairs of mine head. Therefore, my heart faileth me. when our Lord Jesus was in Gethsemane's
garden, anticipating being made sin for us, anticipating what
he would suffer under the wrath of God as our substitute when
he died under the furious justice of God at Calvary, as he was
anticipating paying our debt, the debt we owed to God. The Lord Jesus cried three times,
oh, my father, If it be possible, let this cup pass from me. Nevertheless,
not my will, thy will be done. Do not ever imagine that the
Son of God was praying to be excused from the cross. James,
he created the world so that he could die on that cross. He came here to do the will of
God, taking away the first to bring in the second, by the which
will he fulfilled, laying down his life as our substitute at
Calvary. Don't imagine that he was praying
that God would keep him from dying at Calvary. No, he was
anticipating something else. Not paying a debt, even by the
sacrifice of himself. Greater love hath no man than
this, that a man could lay down his life for his friend. But
many a man has laid down his life for his friend. Many a man
has died to save other men, sometimes even men they didn't know. Any
loving husband or wife would willingly lay down their lives
for their companions. Any would do so. Well, what's
so special then about our Savior's death? What is it that he's praying?
What is it that's causing him such pain, such difficulty, that
the third time he prayed, he falls prostrate before God, his heart broken, and breaks out with great drops
of blood falling to the ground? He said, now is my soul exceeding
sorrowful. But what shall I say? Father
saved me from this hour, but for this cause came I unto this
hour. What is it that broke his heart?
The anticipation of being made what he abhorred for me and you. I am so hardened to sin, my own,
and sin all around me, that I recognize I can hardly understand what
sin is. I know the definitions. I know
the meaning of the word sin and iniquity and transgression. I
know the definitions. But words won't define it. Words won't define it. What sin
is before God. He knew what sin is. He alone, Larry Brown, is a man
who knew what sin is. He's God. He's God. He is God who flooded the world
in His wrath because of sin. He's God who destroyed Sodom
and Gomorrah because of sin. He's God who shall at last destroy
this world because of sin. And He anticipates being made
what He abhorred. And His heart broke within Him.
Look at Psalm 69. Psalm 69. Verse five. Here again, our savior speaks.
Oh God, thou knowest my foolishness. I've told you many times, be
sure to read the marginal translation. The word foolishness is guiltiness.
Oh God, thou knowest my guiltiness. My guiltiness. He's not saying,
Oh God, you know how you treat me as though I were guilty. He
says, Oh God, thou knowest my guiltiness and my sins are not
hid from thee. And then the Lord God, the triune
Jehovah cried awake, O sword, against my shepherd, against
the man that is my fellow, smite and slay the shepherd. When the
Lord Jesus Christ died at Calvary, when God punished his son for
our sins at Calvary, when God sacrificed his darling at Calvary,
When God put his son to death, when God poured out on him all
the hell of his wrath and justice, it was because he fully deserved
to suffer the wrath of God. Because he fully deserved to
suffer the wrath of God. That's as clear as it can be
in Holy Scripture. Turn to the book of John, the
gospel of John, chapter two. Here is the first miracle our
Lord performed, and the Holy Spirit tells us plainly that
it is by this miracle that he began to manifest forth his glory. Oh man sees water turned into
wine and he says look at that. This man can do magic That's
not his glory That's not his glory. This man, he's able to
control the elements of nature and turn water into wine. That's
not his glory. By this miracle, he symbolically
so thoroughly manifested forth his glory that his disciples
believed on him. Now watch it. John chapter two
and verse one. And the third day there was a
marriage in Cana of Galilee, and the mother of Jesus was there.
And both Jesus was called and his disciples to the marriage.
And when they wanted wine, the mother of Jesus saith unto him,
they had no wine. And Jesus saith unto her, woman,
what have I to do with thee? Mine hour is not yet come. His
mother saith unto the servants, whatsoever he saith unto you,
do it. And there were set there six
water pots of stone, after the manner of the purifying of the
Jews, containing two or three firkins apiece. That is, containing
about five gallons apiece, about 30 gallons of water pots. Jesus saith unto them, Fill the
water pots with water. And they filled them up to the
brim. And he saith unto them, Draw out now, and bear unto the
governor of the feast. and they bear it. When the ruler
of the feast had tasted the water that was made wine, not the water
he thought was wine, the water that was made wine, and knew
not whence it was, but the servants which drew the water knew, the
governor of the feast called the bridegroom and saith unto
him, every man at the beginning doth set forth good wine. And
when men have well drunk, then that which is worse, but thou
has kept the good wine until now. Some months ago, I received
a letter from a lady who God's taught her the gospel of God's
grace. And she's attending church. And she was afraid of taking
communion, taking the Lord's table. She said, I've never drunk
any wine. And I just, I don't, I don't
know how to do that. And I said to her, read the second
chapter of John. Our Lord made about 30 gallons
of it for a marriage feast. I believe you ought to be, if
you'd have a cup full. What foolishness folks have, but the purpose here
is not to teach us. It's all right to have a glass
of wine. Watch what it says. Verse 11, this beginning of miracles. This is the explanation of the
miracle given by God, the Holy ghost. This beginning of miracles
did Jesus in Cana of Galilee and manifested forth his glory
and his disciples believed on him. What did the Spirit of God
tell us about this water? The water that was made wine. Verse 9. Not the water that he
pretended was wine. Not the water that he reckoned
to be wine. Not the water that he made to
taste like wine. Not the water that he treated
like it was wine. But the water that was made wine. And I'm not here to talk to you
about water and wine. I want you to know that God Almighty
will never save a sinner using wicked balances and deceitful
weights. The fact is we could never have
obtained righteousness. We could have never been made
the righteousness of God in Christ had not the Lord Jesus been made
sin for us. Let's look again at that very
familiar text of scripture to you. Second Corinthians chapter
five. I once heard a man say with regard
to Christ being made sin, I see nothing mysterious about it. It's all a legal matter. Can
you imagine that? I see nothing mysterious about
it. It's all a legal matter. That's the problem. That's the
problem. Read through the book of God. Christ Jesus was indeed a legal,
penal substitute and sacrifice for his people. But read through
the book of God. You will search in vain to find
any legal term used with reference to his sacrifice. and the reason
should be obvious. Certainly, it was by purpose,
by design. If he died a penal substitute,
if he died a legal sacrifice, why doesn't the Spirit of God
state it that way? When he states all things concerning
law given in the Old Testament with precise legal language.
Why didn't he? Because he would have us to understand
that this is a wondrous mystery beyond human comprehension. In fact, the word that is translated
made when it says he was made sin for us in 2 Corinthians 5
21 means mysteriously, wondrously, profoundly made, mysteriously
beyond explanation. Our Lord Jesus was wondrously, mysteriously,
profoundly caused to be in a way that no human tongue can explain,
sin for us. 2 Corinthians 5 verse 17. Therefore if any man be in Christ,
he's a new creature, not an old creature repaired, a new creature. When a man is born again, God
puts something new in him. Christ in you, the hope of glory.
Old things are passed away. Christ has purged away your sins.
Behold, all things have become new. Given a new nature, a new
will, a new name, a new record that could never be marred. And
this is all God's work. All things are of God. who hath
reconciled us to himself by Jesus Christ and hath given to us the
ministry of reconciliation, to wit that God was in Christ reconciling
the world. No, God was not in Christ reconciling
everybody in the world. There were folks already in hell
when he died. It's absurd to imagine that he
suffered and died for folks already in hell. He was reconciling his
elect scattered through all the world, reconciling the world
of his elect to himself. not imputing their trespasses
unto them, and hath committed unto us the word of reconciliation. Now then, we are ambassadors
for Christ. As though God did beseech you
by us, we pray you in Christ's name, be reconciled to God. Quit fighting God. Quit rebelling
against God. Quit trying to shove God out
of your way. Bow down and be reconciled to
God. Here's the reason. For he hath
made him to be sinned for us who knew no sin, that we might
be made the righteousness of God in him. Traditionally, it
is said that Christ was made sin by imputation. And I have
erroneously said that many, many times myself. The word of God
never says such a thing. There is never a place, not even
one in this book, where such a term is used with reference
to Christ being made sin. Our Lord Jesus did have our sins
imputed to him, else he could not have been punished for our
sins. But our sins were not imputed to him until he was made sin. Because he was made sin for us,
the Lord God found sin on his son and would not withhold his
wrath. He has made him sin for us and
imputing sin to him because justice demands it. Justice demands it. He must be punished for our sins. He was made sin for us wondrously. mysteriously. Not just in a legal
ceremonial way, not just treated as though he were sin, not just
looked upon as though he were sinner, not just accounted sin. The book says he hath made him
sin for us and thereby he manifests forth his glory. Read in the Old Testament about
God shining forth his glory. When did he do that? When did
the Shekinah glory of God show itself? When the tabernacle was
finished. Everything was done. All the
curtains, all the furniture, all the priestly garments, everything
was finished. And when they finished the tabernacle,
the glory of God filled the place. When the temple was finished,
The glory of God shined forth. When Mando and his wife offered
a sacrifice to God, the glory of God is shown and the Lord
did wondrously in the smoke of the fire. What does all that
mean? All of those things, Burrough,
are talking about the finished, accomplished redemption of our
Redeemer. The glory of God shines forth, manifest perfectly and
fully only when He made Him to be sin for us, who knew no sin,
thereby making us the righteousness of God in Him. That's the manifestation
of the glory of God. The Lord Jesus made sin for us,
really and truly. A pastor explained that. I don't say this to be clever. I can't imagine explaining it. I don't know how the word was
made flesh and dropped among us, how God became a man and
never ceased to be God, but he did. I don't know how God, who
cannot die, died for our sins at Calvary, but according to
Acts 20, 28, he did. And I do not know how that God,
our Savior, who did no sin, knew no sin, and could not sin, was
made sin, yet the scriptures declare plainly that that's what
happened at Calvary, mysteriously. profoundly, wondrously, in a
way that defies explanation. The Son of God, the darling of
heaven, He who knew no sin, did no sin, and could not sin, was
made sin for us. And that's what crushed his heart
in death. Much we talk of Jesus' blood,
But how little is understood of his suffering so intense angels
had no perfect sense See the suffering son of god panting
groaning sweating blood boundless depths of love divine jesus What
a love was thine Now truly This is the good wine of the gospel
By which god is satisfied He took one draft of this good wine
and he said, that's enough. And this is the good wine of
the gospel by which every poor sinner believing on Christ is
satisfied. You tried everything else, didn't
you? And then one day, took one draft
of this sweet wine. And you cry, Hallelujah! I have
found Him, whom my soul so long has craved. Jesus satisfies my
longings. Through His blood, I now am saved. The wine of Babylon's fornication,
the wine of all false religion, the wine of all freewill works
religion, will never satisfy. This wine does. All right, here's
the second thing. Here's the second thing. God
does not use wicked balances and deceitful weights when he
makes sinners the righteousness of God in Christ. Just as our
Lord Jesus was made sin, and thus punished for sin justly,
though he never did any sin and could not sin. So the Lord God
makes chosen redeemed sinners righteous and rewards them for
righteousness justly, though you did nothing righteous and
could never do anything righteous. It's altogether his work. How
is it that God can make sinners righteous and justly reward them
with heavenly glory? As human beings were made sinners
by Adam's disobedience, so all God's elect are made righteous
before Christ, before God, by Christ's disobedience, by Christ's
obedience. God doesn't count us pure with
wicked balances and a bag of deceitful weights. He doesn't
bend his law. He will not compromise his justice,
but rather by the wondrous works of his grace in Christ, he makes
sinners righteous. Turn to John chapter three for
a moment. John chapter three. In the new birth, I said to you
a moment ago, He makes us new creatures, partakers of the divine
nature. He makes us to be new men in
Christ. And that new man in us is created
in righteousness and in true holiness. And the Lord God Almighty
is the one who does this work. It is not that one day that new
man shall be perfect. and truly holy and truly righteous,
but rather he is created in righteousness and in true holiness. The moment
the sinner is born of God, he is made righteous before God
experimentally. Now, somebody said, but you Tell
us that this was done at Calvary, this is done outside of us, altogether
outside of us. How can that be? That we can
be declared righteous when we have not ever been made righteous
experimentally? Look at John chapter 3, John
chapter 3 and verse 15. Christ was crucified that whosoever
believeth on him should not perish, but have eternal life. For God
so loved the world that he gave his only begotten son that whosoever
believeth in him should not perish but have everlasting life. If you care to get a concordance
and look it up, the word eternal in verse 15 and the word everlasting
in verse 16 are exactly the same word. Why did the translators
translate them differently? because they saw a problem in
the English translation, if both words were translated the same.
You see, we have eternal life in Christ. Before the world began,
Christ stood as our surety. Is that what the book says? He
was accepted of God as the land slain from the foundation of
the world. And we were accepted in him,
justified in him, sanctified in him, and glorified in him. All before the world began. Done
by the will and purpose of God in covenant mercy in Christ the
surety. What does that mean? That means
we had life in him who is life. Christ who is life. Not just Christ who brings life,
Christ who is life. How long have I had my being
with him? For as long as he stood before
God as my surety. I had my being in him from everlasting. But I didn't know anything about
it. I had no knowledge of it until I experienced his grace
in the new birth. And this is what he does in the
new birth. Brother Frank was standing back
in the office trying to tell somebody how God had delivered
him. She said to him, so what did
you do? Frank said nothing. I'll tell you what God did. He
dropped in you life. He dropped in you life. The child
in his mother's womb kicks and squirms. The child is struggling
for life. No! No! It's struggling because it's
alive. There's a huge difference. There's a huge difference. And
the believer Experiences conviction and all the things that go along
with this being cast down in the midst of ourselves all because
we have life given us in Christ Jesus and we have no knowledge
of it until he comes by his grace and drops life into our souls
and Believing on him. I live forever this eternal life
I come to experience, and it is for me in the experience of
His grace, everlasting life. So that Christ is made of God
unto us in the sweet experience of His grace, wisdom and righteousness
and sanctification and redemption. And it's all that which God does. Our experience of it doesn't
cause any of it to happen. Christ did not become our wisdom
word from God. He did not become our righteousness. He did not become our sanctification. He did not become our redemption
because we experienced it. We experienced it because that's
what God made him to us before the world began. You understand
that? He comes and gives peace in the soul when he sprinkles
the blood of Christ upon our consciences, giving us blessed,
blessed grace in him. When our Lord Jesus was numbered
with the transgressors. He was numbered with the transgressors
because he was made sin for us. And we are numbered with the
righteous because we are made the righteousness of God in him. And God declares us righteous. And I love this statement given
to us by the spirit of God. Likewise, reckon ye also yourselves. to be dead indeed unto sin, but
alive through unto God through Jesus Christ our Lord. In the
experience of grace, as the sinner believes on Christ, all that
Christ is, is now justly declared to be ours. And we for that shall
be rewarded with everlasting life. The Lord God looks on us
in the last day and he judges in the last day and rewards every
believer saying well done thou good and faithful servant well done thou good and faithful
servant all right here's the third thing i'll give it to you
quickly but god help you to hear me turn to revelation chapter
20 Revelation chapter 20. The Lord God did not use wicked
balances and deceitful weights when he sacrificed his darling
son upon the curse tree. The Lord God does not use wicked
balances and deceitful weights when he saves sinners by his
grace, making us the righteousness of God in Christ Jesus. And thirdly,
the Lord God will not use wicked balances and deceitful weights
when he cast the wicked into hell. Oh, be assured, sinner,
be assured. God will not count you pure with
wicked balances and deceitful ways. It won't happen. God will judge you in the last
day according to the record of heaven that he has kept. Now, when the scripture speaks
of God writing books and looking into books and keeping records,
obviously the terms are to be understood as figurative. God
Almighty doesn't need a book to remind him of anything. The
terms are used in such a way as they are to make us understand
the certainty of it. Look in Revelation chapter 20
verse 11. I saw a great white throne and
him that sat on it from whose face the earth and the heaven
fled away. And there was found no place
for them. And I saw the dead small and great stand before
God. And the books were opened. And
another book was opened, which is the book of life. And the
dead were judged out of those things which were written in
the books according to their works. According to their works. According to their works. Somebody
says, let me have nothing to do with justice. You're going
to have to do with justice. Don't let God deal with the injustice.
God will not deal with you except injustice. Either injustice in
the saving of his grace that reigns through righteousness
unto eternal life by Jesus Christ or injustice rewarding you according
to your own works personally. Read on. He judges out of the
books according to their works. And the sea gave up the dead
which were in it. And death and hell gave up the
dead which were in them. And they were judged every man
according to their works. And death and hell were cast
into the lake of fire. This is the second death. Remember what it said in verse
six. Blessed and holy is he that hath part in the first resurrection. On such the second death hath
no power. But there's somebody who never
experienced the second death. They're made partakers of the
first resurrection. They're born again. They're folks
made righteous by God in Christ so that those who have this new
holy nature put in them have that which makes them meet to
be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in light. Christ's
righteousness is imputed to us because he makes us the righteousness
of God in the sweet experience of his grace, imputed to our
consciences, imputed to our hearts so that we stand before God not
guilty. And in that day, the books will
be opened And the Lord God will judge me out of his books, exactly
according to strict justice. And in those days and at that
time, saith the Lord, the iniquity of Don Fortner shall be sought
for. And there shall be none. Why shouldn't I go to heaven,
would you tell me? Why shouldn't I enter into glory,
would you tell me? Why shouldn't I enter into heaven's
glory? In Christ Jesus, with Christ
Jesus, one with Christ, I obeyed God's law perfectly. When Christ
died at Calvary, I satisfied God's law perfectly. When Christ
rose again, I arose in newness of life with Him perfectly. And when Christ came to me in
grace, He put Himself in me. And soon... It's wondrous! Beyond imagination,
let alone explanation. The Lord God Almighty The triune
Jehovah will speak to this man who is nothing but sin in himself
and perfectly righteous in Christ. And this is what I'm going to
say to every breath of my life, to every act of my body, to every
thought of my mind, to every word of my mouth, to every emotion
of my heart well done thou good and faithful servant because God makes me impure by
true weights and just balances only in accordance with justice
And grace reigns through righteousness unto eternal life by Jesus Christ
the Lord. Amen.