The Great White Throne Judgment
Revelation 20:11-15
May 28, 2017

It most certainly is not a popular theme, but one thing that is certain
Is that judgment is a constant theme in Scripture.

Matthew 7:21-23 “Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father who is in heaven will enter. “Many will say to Me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in Your name, and in Your name cast out demons, and in Your name perform many miracles?’ “And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; DEPART FROM ME, YOU WHO PRACTICE LAWLESSNESS.’”

Matthew 12:38-42 “Then some of the scribes and Pharisees said to Him, “Teacher, we want to see a sign from You.” But He answered and said to them, “An evil and adulterous generation craves for a sign; and yet no sign will be given to it but the sign of Jonah the prophet; for just as JONAH WAS THREE DAYS AND THREE NIGHTS IN THE BELLY OF THE SEA MONSTER, so will the Son of Man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth. “The men of Nineveh will stand up with this generation at the judgment, and will condemn it because they repented at the preaching of Jonah; and behold, something greater than Jonah is here. “The Queen of the South will rise up with this generation at the judgment and will condemn it, because she came from the ends of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon; and behold, something greater than Solomon is here.”

Matthew 13:41-43 “The Son of Man will send forth His angels, and they will gather out of His kingdom all stumbling blocks, and those who commit lawlessness, and will throw them into the furnace of fire; in that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. “Then THE RIGHTEOUS WILL SHINE FORTH AS THE SUN in the kingdom of their Father. He who has ears, let him hear.”

Matthew 13:49-50 “So it will be at the end of the age; the angels will come forth and take out the wicked from among the righteous, and will throw them into the furnace of fire; in that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.”

Matthew 16:27 “For the Son of Man is going to come in the glory of His Father with His angels, and WILL THEN REPAY EVERY MAN ACCORDING TO HIS DEEDS.”

And those aren’t even close to all the passages.
If we tried to read all the passages in Scripture which speak to the judgment,
I’m confident we couldn’t even read them all inside of an hour.

Judgement is a constant theme and topic of Scripture.

Ecclesiastes 12:13-14 “The conclusion, when all has been heard, is: fear God and keep His commandments, because this applies to every person. For God will bring every act to judgment, everything which is hidden, whether it is good or evil.”

Yet still there are many in our world who ignore this reality.
• They ignore the righteous requirements of God
• They ignore the atonement of Jesus Christ
• They ignore the call of the gospel

They are described by the writer of Hebrews
Hebrews 10:26-31 “For if we go on sinning willfully after receiving the knowledge of the truth, there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins, but a terrifying expectation of judgment and THE FURY OF A FIRE WHICH WILL CONSUME THE ADVERSARIES. Anyone who has set aside the Law of Moses dies without mercy on the testimony of two or three witnesses. How much severer punishment do you think he will deserve who has trampled under foot the Son of God, and has regarded as unclean the blood of the covenant by which he was sanctified, and has insulted the Spirit of grace? For we know Him who said, “VENGEANCE IS MINE, I WILL REPAY.” And again, “THE LORD WILL JUDGE HIS PEOPLE.” It is a terrifying thing to fall into the hands of the living God.”

And again
Hebrews 12:25-27 “See to it that you do not refuse Him who is speaking. For if those did not escape when they refused him who warned them on earth, much less will we escape who turn away from Him who warns from heaven. And His voice shook the earth then, but now He has promised, saying, “YET ONCE MORE I WILL SHAKE NOT ONLY THE EARTH, BUT ALSO THE HEAVEN.” This expression, “Yet once more,” denotes the removing of those things which can be shaken, as of created things, so that those things which cannot be shaken may remain.”

God promises that there is a judgment coming and that
It will indeed be a dreadful day for all those who offended God,
Dishonored Christ, and ignored the gospel.

It is that day we see in our text this morning.
It is the day of final judgment.

We have seen
• The 7 year tribulation period which contained God’s judgments on the earth.
• The return of Christ and the annihilation of the wicked.
• The 1,000 year reign of Christ and the final rebellion.

All that is left now is the judgment of the dead.
Hebrews 9:27 “And inasmuch as it is appointed for men to die once and after this comes judgment,”

Let’s look at this dreadful day together.
#1 THE RIGHTEOUS JUDGE
Revelation 20:11

“Then I saw a great white throne and Him who sat upon it, from whose presence earth and heaven fled away, and no place was found for them.”

The first thing which must be seen here is
The One who actually does the judging.

Now, in this passage the specific Judge is not identified,
But I do think it is important that you know who He is.

And in fact, it may surprise you.
IT IS THE LORD JESUS CHRIST.
John 5:22 “For not even the Father judges anyone, but He has given all judgment to the Son,”

John 5:26-27 “For just as the Father has life in Himself, even so He gave to the Son also to have life in Himself; and He gave Him authority to execute judgment, because He is the Son of Man.”

Acts 10:42 “And He ordered us to preach to the people, and solemnly to testify that this is the One who has been appointed by God as Judge of the living and the dead.”

Acts 17:31 “because He has fixed a day in which He will judge the world in righteousness through a Man whom He has appointed, having furnished proof to all men by raising Him from the dead.”

2 Timothy 4:1 “I solemnly charge you in the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who is to judge the living and the dead, and by His appearing and His kingdom:”

I used to think it was the Father seated upon the throne and Jesus was just sort of sitting there by His side claiming those who are His.
Not so.

All judgment belongs to the Son.
He judges “the living” (the redeemed) and “the dead” (the unredeemed)

And while He is not specifically identified here,
His character most certainly is.

First we see:
“a great white throne”
• “great” speaks of its size and majesty
• “white” obviously speaks of its purity and justice
• “throne” speaks of its authority to judge

From this throne will come absolute, perfect, binding,
And permanent judgments.

There is no need for appeal because the judgments are true.
There is no ability to escape because of the power of this throne.
There is no hint of corruption or injustice.

This is the most perfect judicial system the world will ever see.

AND THEN we see “Him who sat upon it”
And more specifically we learn “from whose presence earth and heaven fled away, and no place was found for them.”

Now, we have just come out of the Millennium,
Which was no doubt a wonderful place.

But it was not a perfect place.

For it is true that people lived longer, but it’s not as though death was totally absent.
• Isaiah 65:20 “No longer will there be in it an infant who lives but a few days, Or an old man who does not live out his days; For the youth will die at the age of one hundred And the one who does not reach the age of one hundred Will be thought accursed.”

It is true that the enemy was bound, but it’s not as though people did not have the capacity to sin or need forgiveness.
• You can read the end of Ezekiel and see even there a continual sin offering which is being offered to Christ.

It is true that Christ reigns supreme, but we learned last week that even then a rebellion will arise.

So it’s a good place, but not a perfect place, and so even this earth and heavens are not able to stand before this throne.

That speaks to the absolute perfection and holiness of this judge.
• Creation was fallen
• Creation was tainted
• And so creation is undone.

Just as He spoke it into existence, on this day, it is totally annihilated.
“no place was found for them.”

It is gone forever because it could not measure up to
The righteous standard of this holy judge.

That tells you a great deal doesn’t it?
IT IS PERFECTION OR BUST HERE.

So you see the Righteous Judge
#2 THE RESURRECTED DEFENDANTS
Revelation 20:12-13

Here we see exactly WHO IS BEING JUDGED here,
And the answer is simple, it is “the dead”

(12a) “And I saw the dead, the great and the small, standing before the throne”
(13a) “And the sea gave up the dead which were in it, and death and Hades gave up the dead which were in them; and they were judged,”

This is important because as we read a moment ago,
Jesus is the judge of “the living and the dead”
If this is the judgment of “the dead”,

So when is the judgment of “the living”?

The judgment of the living is the judgment of all believers.
1 Corinthians 3:10-15 “According to the grace of God which was given to me, like a wise master builder I laid a foundation, and another is building on it. But each man must be careful how he builds on it. For no man can lay a foundation other than the one which is laid, which is Jesus Christ. Now if any man builds on the foundation with gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, straw, each man’s work will become evident; for the day will show it because it is to be revealed with fire, and the fire itself will test the quality of each man’s work. If any man’s work which he has built on it remains, he will receive a reward. If any man’s work is burned up, he will suffer loss; but he himself will be saved, yet so as through fire.”

2 Corinthians 5:9-10 “Therefore we also have as our ambition, whether at home or absent, to be pleasing to Him. For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each one may be recompensed for his deeds in the body, according to what he has done, whether good or bad.”

All believers, will appear before “the judgment seat of Christ”
Where we will be rewarded or disciplined for the manner in which we lived this Christian life.

IT IS NOT a judgment of condemnation for eternal hell, for “there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.”

But it will be a time in which we will all answer to the Lord
For the manner in which we followed Him.

That is the judgment of the living.

What we read of here is a different judgment.
This is the judgment of “the dead”

These are the spiritually dead, and they are also physically dead.
• They either died before the tribulation
• Or they died at the second coming of Christ,
• Or they were born in the Millennium, were part of the rebellion and died as a result of the fire which fell from heaven.

Either way, they are “the dead”; and this is the place of their judgment.

And when we get to this point, it doesn’t matter WHO you are.
“I saw the dead, the great and the small, standing before the throne”

In attendance will be the rich and the poor, the famous, and the forgotten,
The important, and the expendable, the moral and the immoral,
The noble, and the common.
No one is above or beyond the judgment of God, and no one is forgotten.

We may live in a day where people can escape judgment
If they have enough political clout, or enough financial means,
BUT NOT ON THIS DAY.

In fact, you can’t even be insignificant enough to escape judgment.
The somebody’s and the nobody’s alike will all stand here.

It doesn’t matter WHO you are.

It also doesn’t matter WHERE you are.
“And the sea gave up the dead which were in it, and death and Hades gave up the dead which were in them; and they were judged”

In Bible days, the sea was an enormous mystery.
People even viewed the “gods” of the sea to be the most powerful.
It was mysterious.
Things that fell in there, never came back.

Even believers used it as an analogy of God’s forgiveness.
Micah 7:19 “He will again have compassion on us; He will tread our iniquities under foot. Yes, You will cast all their sins Into the depths of the sea.”

That was used because people knew that if it was cast into the sea
It couldn’t be recovered.

That is why the sea is specifically mentioned here.
Sinners will be gathered from everywhere,
Even from the depths of the sea.

It doesn’t matter who you are or where you are,
Sinners will appear before the judgment.

Psalms 139:7-12 “Where can I go from Your Spirit? Or where can I flee from Your presence? If I ascend to heaven, You are there; If I make my bed in Sheol, behold, You are there. If I take the wings of the dawn, If I dwell in the remotest part of the sea, Even there Your hand will lead me, And Your right hand will lay hold of me. If I say, “Surely the darkness will overwhelm me, And the light around me will be night,” Even the darkness is not dark to You, And the night is as bright as the day. Darkness and light are alike to You.”

Point being, there is no escaping it.

The Righteous Judge, The Resurrected Defendants
#3 THE RECORDED EVIDENCE
Revelation 20:12-13

Also in those verses is the evidence listed against men.
(12b) “and books were opened;”

It is all of God’s books of evidence.
Do you realize that nothing a lost person ever says or does or thinks is forgotten?

Certainly when a person comes to Christ and their sin is washed away,
They are justified and all condemnation is gone.
But for those outside of Christ, nothing is forgotten.
It is all recorded and remembered, and on this day it will all come to light.

FOR INSTANCE?
(and this list isn’t exhaustive since I don’t claim to be God)

YOU WILL BE JUDGED BY HOW MUCH YOU KNOW

This was the idea behind Paul’s statement in Romans 2
Romans 2:1 “Therefore you have no excuse, everyone of you who passes judgment, for in that which you judge another, you condemn yourself; for you who judge practice the same things.”

His point was that you clearly knew better than to do those things, and we know you knew better because you actually condemned those who did do them.

Therefore at the judgment
God will use your own knowledge as evidence against you.

Consider what Jesus said to the cities where He worked His miracles and shined His greatest light.
Matthew 11:21-24 “Woe to you, Chorazin! Woe to you, Bethsaida! For if the miracles had occurred in Tyre and Sidon which occurred in you, they would have repented long ago in sackcloth and ashes. “Nevertheless I say to you, it will be more tolerable for Tyre and Sidon in the day of judgment than for you. “And you, Capernaum, will not be exalted to heaven, will you? You will descend to Hades; for if the miracles had occurred in Sodom which occurred in you, it would have remained to this day. “Nevertheless I say to you that it will be more tolerable for the land of Sodom in the day of judgment, than for you.”

How could judgment be more tolerable for Sodom?
Because they didn’t know as much as Capernaum did.
Men will be judged by what they know.

And I might also add that judgment is MORE SEVERE depending on how much you know.
Luke 12:47-48 “And that slave who knew his master’s will and did not get ready or act in accord with his will, will receive many lashes, but the one who did not know it, and committed deeds worthy of a flogging, will receive but few. From everyone who has been given much, much will be required; and to whom they entrusted much, of him they will ask all the more.”

Or do you remember that passage we read earlier in Hebrews?
Hebrews 10:29-31 “How much severer punishment do you think he will deserve who has trampled under foot the Son of God, and has regarded as unclean the blood of the covenant by which he was sanctified, and has insulted the Spirit of grace? For we know Him who said, “VENGEANCE IS MINE, I WILL REPAY.” And again, “THE LORD WILL JUDGE HIS PEOPLE.” It is a terrifying thing to fall into the hands of the living God.”

Key word there being “severer”.
Those who know better receive a harsher punishment.

But don’t assume that it’s just those who have adequate understanding of the gospel who are to be judged.

Some actually think this way.
That, if people never had the opportunity to hear the name of Jesus,
That somehow they will be exempt from the fires of judgment.

They may not have ever heard the name of Jesus,
But they are not without knowledge.

In fact, Scripture says that even the LIMITED KNOWLEDGE they do have
Is MORE THAN ENOUGH to condemn them.

What knowledge do they have?
Romans 1:18-20 “For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men who suppress the truth in unrighteousness, because that which is known about God is evident within them; for God made it evident to them. For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes, His eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly seen, being understood through what has been made, so that they are without excuse.”

If all a person ever saw as a sunrise or a sunset or a sandstorm
Or whatever, that is enough.

The Psalmist said:
Psalms 19:1-2 “The heavens are telling of the glory of God; And their expanse is declaring the work of His hands. Day to day pours forth speech, And night to night reveals knowledge.”

It is called NATURAL REVELATION
And it is enough revelation to condemn a man.

And that is still NOT ALL THE KNOWLEDGE man has.
• Granted only some have knowledge of the gospel by which they are doubly accountable.
• Others have knowledge of creation.

I’ll tell you something else all men have knowledge of:
THEIR CONSCIENCE

The conscience is the moral code of God written upon the human heart.
It is what instinctively tells a man that stealing is wrong or that murder is wrong.

Now certainly the conscience is fallen and can be seared or corrupted,
But it doesn’t change the fact that it is a form of knowledge.

Romans 2:12-16 “For all who have sinned without the Law will also perish without the Law, and all who have sinned under the Law will be judged by the Law; for it is not the hearers of the Law who are just before God, but the doers of the Law will be justified. For when Gentiles who do not have the Law do instinctively the things of the Law, these, not having the Law, are a law to themselves, in that they show the work of the Law written in their hearts, their conscience bearing witness and their thoughts alternately accusing or else defending them, on the day when, according to my gospel, God will judge the secrets of men through Christ Jesus.”

Men will be judged by what they know, even if all they know
Is the testimony of creation and the witness of their conscience

I’ll tell you another thing you will be judged by, is not just what you know, but obviously by WHAT YOU DID. YOUR ACTIONS

Matthew 16:27 “For the Son of Man is going to come in the glory of His Father with His angels, and WILL THEN REPAY EVERY MAN ACCORDING TO HIS DEEDS.”

I know our world loves to throw out the statement “Don’t Judge Me!”
As if to say, “I’m free to do whatever I want”

Another would say, “Only God can judge me!”
(And honestly, that should terrify you)

Because He will.
He has never forgotten a single thing the unredeemed ever did.
They are all still STINGING OFFENSES COMMITTED AGAINST HIM.

And that includes the things we know about
And even all the things you thought nobody knew about.

Ecclesiastes 12:13-14 “The conclusion, when all has been heard, is: fear God and keep His commandments, because this applies to every person. For God will bring every act to judgment, everything which is hidden, whether it is good or evil.”

If sinful actions aren’t forgiven through the atonement of Christ,
They are brought forth at the great white thrown of judgment.

How about this one? EVERYTHING YOU SAID.

Matthew 12:36-37 “But I tell you that every careless word that people speak, they shall give an accounting for it in the day of judgment. “For by your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned.”

That’s a painful one right there!
Every word you’ve ever spoken recorded and remembered.

HOW ABOUT YOUR THOUGHTS, ATTITUDES, AND INTENTIONS
(Even those that never got carried out)

Hebrews 4:12 “For the word of God is living and active and sharper than any two-edged sword, and piercing as far as the division of soul and spirit, of both joints and marrow, and able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart.”

Even the “thoughts and intentions of the heart” are judged.

This was the very idea behind Jesus famous
“You have heard, but I say” sermons.
• Where Jesus indicated that it isn’t just murder which condemns a man, but hatred.
• Where he revealed that it isn’t adultery that condemns a man, but lust.

God judges even the attitudes.
Jeremiah 17:10 “I, the LORD, search the heart, I test the mind, Even to give to each man according to his ways, According to the results of his deeds.”

ARE YOU GETTING THE POINT?
There will be no lack of evidence at the great white throne judgment.
• Men can’t plead ignorance, for God knows what they know.
• Men can’t plead innocence, for God knows what they did.
• It’s all there.

ALL THE EVIDENCE GOD WILL EVER NEED IS IN THE BOOKS.

You will also notice that there is another book here.
“and another book was opened, which is the book of life;”

And you will see in a moment (15) “If anyone’s name was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire.”

WHAT IS THIS?
In chapter 21 it is called “the Lamb’s book of life”

You already saw it once.
Revelation 13:7-8 “It was also given to him to make war with the saints and to overcome them, and authority over every tribe and people and tongue and nation was given to him. All who dwell on the earth will worship him, everyone whose name has not been written from the foundation of the world in the book of life of the Lamb who has been slain.”

This book is not the book of the innocent.
This book is the book of the redeemed.

This book is the book of those
Whose sins have been atoned for in Christ Jesus.

And you should know that
God wants to know what is in all these books at the judgment.

The Righteous Judge, The Resurrected Defendants, The Recorded Evidence
#4 THE REASONABLE SENTENCE
Revelation 20:14-15

“Then death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. This is the second death, the lake of fire. And if anyone’s name was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire.”

What do we learn from that?
Certainly that according to Scripture eternal destruction and judgment is real, and God really will send men there.

This judgment is total and permanent and horrific.
It is called “the lake of fire” after all.

Jesus said it was created for the devil and his angels, and it will also be the eternal dwelling place for all the unredeemed of all the ages.

Men will go to hell and will burn in hell for all eternity.
WHY?
BECAUSE THEY OFFENDED THEIR HOLY CREATOR
THEY DESERVE IT

You do not get to live this life (which God gave you)
In total defiance of the God who created you
And expect that there will not be repercussions.
God does not tolerate insubordination.

He judges sinners.
And we see that here.

ANOTHER IMPORTANT THING WE LEARN IS WHILE ALL MEN DESERVE IT, NOT ALL MEN RECEIVE IT.

REMEMBER THAT OTHER BOOK?
“the book of life”

That is not the book of the innocent, it is the book of the forgiven.

The point then is simple, the deciding factor of man’s judgment
Is not his guilt, it is his redemption.

It is just as Paul said:
Romans 3:23-24 “for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, being justified as a gift by His grace through the redemption which is in Christ Jesus;”

And this is why we talk about
THE ABSOLUTE NECESSITY AND EXCLUSIVITY OF CHRIST.

It is why we are so adamant about verses like:
John 14:6 “Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father but through Me.”

Acts 4:12 “And there is salvation in no one else; for there is no other name under heaven that has been given among men by which we must be saved.”

1 Timothy 2:5 “For there is one God, and one mediator also between God and men, the man Christ Jesus,”

Now, don’t get me wrong.
I’m NOT trying to minimize sin as some trivial thing that we just shrug a shoulder at because everyone does it.

SIN IS NO LAUGHING MATTER.
It is because of sin that these men and women
Are being cast into hell for all eternity.

It’s just that, while we lament sin, we also acknowledge and exalt
The only Savior from that sin, who is Jesus Christ.

Let’s be very clear this morning.
• You are a sinner and as such you deserve to stand before God and to be cast for eternity into the fiery hell.

• But, there is a Savior and His name is Jesus Christ.
• He was the only sinless man who ever lived and God proved that by raising Him from the dead.
• This man’s death served one purpose and that purpose was to justify those who have faith in Him.
• His death was to bring salvation to sinners and to provide a means for them to escape this place of torment.

The judgment is real
The judgment is coming
The judgment is deserved
But there is salvation from the judgment
And that is through faith in Jesus Christ.

Passages like this remind us of just how important Jesus is don’t they?
Romans 8:1-4 “Therefore there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has set you free from the law of sin and of death. For what the Law could not do, weak as it was through the flesh, God did: sending His own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and as an offering for sin, He condemned sin in the flesh, so that the requirement of the Law might be fulfilled in us, who do not walk according to the flesh but according to the Spirit.”

And this forgiveness is for all those who REPENT of their sin,
LET GO of their idols, CLING wholeheartedly to Jesus
And TRUST in His atoning work.

Those who do that need not fear the great white throne judgment,
For Christ already bore their wrath.

The Millennial Reign of Jesus Christ
(And the Sinful Human Heart Which Rejects It)
Revelation 20:1-10
May 21, 2017

Isaac Watts wrote:
“Joy to the world! The Lord is come; Let earth receive her King; Let every heart prepare Him room, And heaven and nature sing,
Joy to the earth! The Savior reigns; Let men their songs employ; While fields and floods, rocks, hills, and plains Repeat the sounding joy,
No more let sins and sorrows grow, Nor thorns infest the ground; He comes to make His blessings flow Far as the curse is found,
He rules the world with truth and grace, And makes the nations prove The glories of His righteousness, And wonders of His love,
And wonders of His love,”

That song is generally sung at Christmas, but the reality is that
It has very little to do with the first coming of Christ.

That song is a second coming song.
• It speaks of the day immediately following Christ’s glorious return.
• For after the day when He returns and crushes the enemy
• He then begins to reign upon the earth.

That is the day we look at this morning.
It is called THE MILLENNIUM – The 1,000 year reign of Christ.

This reality was clearly promised in the Old Testament.

TURN TO: Isaiah 11:1-9

A King who will rule in absolute justice and righteousness
And the world will most certainly benefit from it.

The New Testament also speaks of this Millennial Reign.
At the announcement of Christ’s first coming:
Luke 1:31-33 “And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall name Him Jesus. “He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High; and the Lord God will give Him the throne of His father David; and He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and His kingdom will have no end.”

Or Listen to Jesus:
Matthew 19:28 “And Jesus said to them, “Truly I say to you, that you who have followed Me, in the regeneration when the Son of Man will sit on His glorious throne, you also shall sit upon twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel.”

Or even Peter when preaching to the Jews in Jerusalem.
Acts 3:19-21 “Therefore repent and return, so that your sins may be wiped away, in order that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord; and that He may send Jesus, the Christ appointed for you, whom heaven must receive until the period of restoration of all things about which God spoke by the mouth of His holy prophets from ancient time.”
We are talking about a glorious time known as the Millennium.
Also called “the regeneration” also called “the time of refreshing”
Also called “the period of restoration”

It is that glorious time when Christ reigns upon the earth.
• It will a time when corruption and injustice ceases.
• It will be a time when longevity of life is restored
• It will be a time when peace dwells on the earth
• It will be life as we long for it to be and Jesus will be in charge

However, we must concede that this glorious time of blessing
Is better described by the Old Testament prophets than it is here.
(Isaiah 9; Isaiah 35; Isaiah 65)

Clearly the point of Revelation 20 is not to describe
All the blessings of a world where Christ is King.

SO WHAT IS THE POINT OF REVELATION 20?

I’m sorry to tell you, but the point of Revelation 20 is the wretchedness of man and how much he deserves the judgment that is coming.

If you’ll notice, Revelation 20 ends with the Great White Throne Judgment.
That is where we are headed.

The first part of the chapter is setting the stage
To reveal just how just God is in carrying out that judgment.

This morning we are going to learn a very discouraging fact about man,
And that fact is that he deserves judgment,
Not because he has been a victim of unfortunate surroundings,
But because rebellion is in his heart.

Let me show you. 4 things:
#1 THE RETAINING OF SATAN
Revelation 20:1-3

Here we see the time period begin with the arrest and incarceration
Of the great enemy of God and of the world.

A warrant is clearly issued and John “saw an angel coming down from heaven, holding the key of the abyss and a great chain in his hand. And he laid hold of the dragon, the serpent of hold, who is the devil and Satan, and bound him for a thousand years; and he threw him into the abyss, and shut it and sealed it over him”

This event makes up half of the reason that the Millennium is so great.
Certainly the main reason is that Christ reigns as a righteous King,
But almost equally important is the reality that the enemy is incarcerated.

Right now, Satan throws monkey wrenches into everything.
As we will see in a moment, one of his names is Satan,
Which is a Hebrew word meaning “adversary.”
He just opposes everything God does.

When Jesus spoke of Himself:
John 5:19 “Therefore Jesus answered and was saying to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, the Son can do nothing of Himself, unless it is something He sees the Father doing; for whatever the Father does, these things the Son also does in like manner.”

Satan is just the opposite.
Whatever he sees the Father doing, he opposes.

He is the enemy of the Church.
Ephesians 6:12 “For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places.”

And he is the binder of the unbelieving.
2 Corinthians 4:3-4 “And even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing, in whose case the god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelieving so that they might not see the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God.”

In short, Satan makes things extremely difficult on this earth.
BUT DURING THE MILLENNIUM:
Satan will be retained.

He is captured, He is bound, and He is thrown into prison for 1,000 years.
And if you are interested in the charges against him, here they are.

Is crime is found in his name:
• “dragon” – speaks of his cruel brutality.
• “serpent of old” – the deceiver responsible for the fall.
• “devil” – the slanderer who is the accuser of the brethren.
• “satan” – the adversary of God.

Satan is being arrested for, Brutality, Deception,
Perjury, and Insubordination.

And his initial sentence is immediately carried out.
(3) “and he threw him into the abyss, and shut it and sealed it over him,”

YOU ARE AWARE OF THE ABYSS.
It is a maximum security spiritual prison.

• There were demons cast there in the days of Noah that never have been able to escape.
• We also saw some demons in Revelation 9 which were set loose for a time under the blowing of that 5th trumpet.
It is an awful place.

In fact, demons feared it.
Luke 8:30-31 “And Jesus asked him, “What is your name?” And he said, “Legion”; for many demons had entered him. They were imploring Him not to command them to go away into the abyss.”

And Satan will dwell there for the next 1,000 years.

And the reason he is imprisoned is: SO THAT HE WILL NO LONGER BE ABLE TO COMMIT HIS CRIMES.

“so that he would not deceive the nations any longer, until the thousand years were completed;

Jesus told us of the devil:
John 8:44 “You are of your father the devil, and you want to do the desires of your father. He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth because there is no truth in him. Whenever he speaks a lie, he speaks from his own nature, for he is a liar and the father of lies.”

He is the great deceiver of the world, and now he is taken out of play.
He is chained, he is imprisoned, and he is punished.

Without his deceptive force at work on the earth,
Truth is now proclaimed unchallenged.

SO THERE IS ONE MAJOR EXCUSE OF MAN ELIMINATED.
No sooner did Adam sin in the garden
Then was it immediately traced back to Satan.
“The serpent deceived me, and I ate.”

Well, God is taking the serpent out of the way.
If you sin in the Millennium you won’t be able to blame it on the temptation of the devil, he would be around, he’ll be in prison.

Now, curious at this point is the statement at the end of verse 3.
“after these things he must be released for a short time.”

Does that sound strange to anyone else?
I suppose one could say, “Well he must be released so he can be eternally cast into the lake of fire.” And that would be true.

So let’s ask it a different way.
Why then was he just bound and not thrown into the lake of fire where the beast and the false prophet were already thrown?
That is interesting, is it not?
Why was he only bound and why must he “be released”?

The answer, as you will see more fully in a moment,
Is because Satan still has a part to play
In God’s full plan of redemption, judgment, and glory.

We see the Retaining of Satan
#2 THE REIGN OF THE SAINTS
Revelation 20:4-6

“Then I saw thrones, and they sat on them, and judgment was given to them.”

WHO IS “THEY”?

OLD TESTAMENT SAINTS
Daniel 7:27 “Then the sovereignty, the dominion and the greatness of all the kingdoms under the whole heaven will be given to the people of the saints of the Highest One; His kingdom will be an everlasting kingdom, and all the dominions will serve and obey Him.”

APOSTLES
Matthew 19:28 “And Jesus said to them, “Truly I say to you, that you who have followed Me, in the regeneration when the Son of Man will sit on His glorious throne, you also shall sit upon twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel.”

THE CHURCH
1 Corinthians 6:2 “Or do you not know that the saints will judge the world? If the world is judged by you, are you not competent to constitute the smallest law courts?”

Revelation 2:26 “He who overcomes, and he who keeps My deeds until the end, TO HIM I WILL GIVE AUTHORITY OVER THE NATIONS;”

Revelation 3:21 “He who overcomes, I will grant to him to sit down with Me on My throne, as I also overcame and sat down with My Father on His throne.”

But then John even adds to the group.
(4) “And I saw the souls of those who had been beheaded because of their testimony of Jesus and because of the word of God, and those who had not worshiped the beast or his image, and had not received the mark on their forehead and on their hand; and they came to life and reigned with Christ for a thousand years.”

Also joining the ranks of those who reign with Christ
Are those who were saved out of the great tribulation.

Now you certainly notice that not everyone receives this honor.
(5) “The rest of the dead did not come to life until the thousand years were completed. This is the first resurrection.”

Not everyone gets to participate in this glorious earth, which is run by Christ.
• Only the redeemed are allowed to dwell here.
• Only those who were saved and made righteous by Christ.

And of course this leads to a beatitude of sorts:
(6) “Blessed and holy is the one who has a part in the first resurrection; over these the second death has no power, but they will be priests of God and of Christ and will reign with Him for a thousand years.”

There’s a life goal for you…to be a part of the Millennial Reign of Christ.

And you see here TWO MAIN BENEFITS of being a part of this great day.

THE FIRST is that “over these the second death has no power.”

What is the second death?
Revelation 20:14 “Then death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. This is the second death, the lake of fire.”

So, all those who are called to life in the Millennium
Get to escape the judgment of eternal hell. I’d say that’s a good thing.

THE SECOND is that “they will be priests of God and of Christ and will reign with Him for a thousand years.”

That is called close proximity to God and Christ.
So it is clearly a blessing to a part of this.

I suppose the next question would be:
HOW DO YOU GET TO BE A PART OF IT?
• Well the clues are all throughout these verses.
• Why were these “beheaded” in the first place?

“because of their testimony of Jesus and because of the word of God, and those who had not worshiped the beast or his image, and had not received the mark on their forehead and on their hand”

These people were sold out followers of Christ.
They didn’t love anything more than Christ, not even their own lives.
• Loss of worldly comfort couldn’t turn them away from Christ.
• Loss of worldly necessity (like food) could not turn them away from Christ.
• The threat of earthly persecution could not turn them away from Christ.
• Even being “beheaded” could not turn them away.

If you want to enter the Millennium then you must be a sold out follower of Christ.

NOW, WITH THIS COMES THE SECOND EXCUSE OF MAN REMOVED.
The only people who enter the Millennium are believers.
No one else gets to start this thing but the sold out followers of Jesus.
Do you see that?

So, during this Millennium it begins like this:
• A perfect holy and just King ruling the world.
• A world also ruled by His holy saints.
• The great deceiver is in prison and no longer allowed to deceive.

THIS IS THE GARDEN OF EDEN,
IF GOD HAD NOT ALLOWED SATAN TO ENTER.

People ask all the time (as sort of a way to accuse God),
Why did God have to let Satan in the garden?

It’s almost as if to try and blame the fall of man on God.
You know, if God hadn’t allowed Satan in the garden,
Then none of this would have happened.

That’s an interesting proposition, let’s see if it’s true.
• Because here we have 1,000 year time period with holiest King the world has ever known ruling a paradise earth and the enemy is in fact bound.

• No lost people get to enter this thing when it starts, the entire population at its beginning is 100% sold out followers of Christ.

• That is about as an advantageous start as one could have…agreed?

Let’s See what happens.

The Retaining of Satan, The Reigning of Saints
#3 THE REVELATION OF SINNERS
Revelation 20:7-8

Well, we read that Satan “must be released”
Now we see what he does when that occurs.

He wastes absolutely no time in leading a rebellion against God.

And the Bible says that when Satan gathers those willing to participate in the rebellion, “the number of them is like the sand of the seashore.”

WAIT! WHAT?

In just 1,000 years’ time, we have this many people willing to not only disobey Christ, but even willing to march against Him?

THIS IS AN INUMERABLE ARMY OF MEN
WHO WOULD ONCE AGAIN CRUCIFY CHRIST
Are you picking up on the problem?
This isn’t just a few people, this is an enormous amount of people
Who have decided to reject the authority of Christ,
Despite His righteous rule and His paradise earth.

WHERE DID THIS COME FROM?
• Obviously Satan made them do it! (Nope, Satan was in prison)
• Well then they were corrupted by their culture! (Umm, the culture was righteous)
• Well then it was sinners who corrupted them! (But, so sinners entered at the start)

WHERE DID THIS REBELLION COME FROM?
There is only one place it could have come from
THE HEART OF MAN.

Jeremiah 17:9 “The heart is more deceitful than all else And is desperately sick; Who can understand it?”

Your heart is what is evil.

That fall in the garden was coming with or without Satan,
All God used Satan for, is the same thing He uses him for here,
And that is to expose just how rebellious man is.

The sin of man is not a result of his culture,
It is a result of his wicked heart.
And even in the most advantageous conditions man still finds sin.

John MacArthur notes:
“The issue regarding lack of salvation is never a lack of information (Romans 1:18-20) it is love of sin (John 3:19).”

Even in the millennium men will love their sin too much
To let go of it and trust in the Lord Jesus Christ.

AND SATAN RALLIES THE TROOPS.

What we see then is that this final judgment
That is coming in the next 5 verses were God is going to sit on His great white throne and cast millions upon millions in the fiery hell…
HE IS ABSOLUTELY JUST TO DO SO.

What more should the Creator have to do for the creature?
• He created him
• He placed him in a pure environment
• He gave him everything he could possible need

And still the creature defied the Creator
God is just in His judgments.
That is what John is making sure you see.

The Retaining of Satan, The Reign of the Saints, The Revelation of Sinners
#4 THE RETRIBUTION OF GOD
Revelation 20:9-10

Here we are again reminded that rebellion against God is also pointless.

Once again, the battle isn’t even fierce.
Never is there a sword drawn, never is the end in doubt.

“fire came down from heaven and devoured them.”

And then the end came for Satan.
He was cast into the lake of fire.
DON’T MESS WITH GOD

Again, this wasn’t even a battle.
God judged sinners into death,
He will soon resurrect them for the second death which is the lake of fire.

At this point God no longer has use of Satan,
And so Satan is also cast “into the lake of fire and brimstone, where the beast and the false prophet are also; and they will be tormented day and night forever and ever.”

There’s you a theology on hell.

Did you notice what was said about the beast and false prophet 1,000 years later?
• Where they “are”.
• Not where they “were”

1,000 years later they are still there. There is no annihilationism reality here.
Hell is absolutely eternal and it is filled with torment.

And what we have learned is that
God is absolutely just in throwing men there
Because they have defied Him.

And when we study things like this,
I find it so important to make sure that everyone understands
That we are not the Creator, we are the creature.

We were made by One who is higher and holier than we are,
And the sole purpose of our existence is to please Him.
AND THIS IS PRETTY FITTING ON A DAY WHEN
WE HONOR OUR HIGH SCHOOL GRADUATES.

And I am very happy to do that. Graduating from High School is a good thing.

Getting an education and going to work and making a living
Those are all good things.

BUT THEY ARE EMPTY THINGS
IF YOU DON’T KNOW THE PURPOSE FOR WHY YOU WERE CREATED.

The writer of Ecclesiastes has some great wisdom in this matter.
I want to show you some of the things he says
To the young man to whom he is writing.

• Certainly he writes about the futility of seeking happiness through money or fame or comfort or relationships.

• We are all aware of his “meaningless” statements.

But he also writes about the basic good things in life
Which we should enjoy.

Ecclesiastes 5:18-19 “Here is what I have seen to be good and fitting: to eat, to drink and enjoy oneself in all one’s labor in which he toils under the sun during the few years of his life which God has given him; for this is his reward. Furthermore, as for every man to whom God has given riches and wealth, He has also empowered him to eat from them and to receive his reward and rejoice in his labor; this is the gift of God.”

• There is nothing wrong with working hard and earning a paycheck and eating as a result. That is a good thing.

Ecclesiastes 9:7-9 “Go then, eat your bread in happiness and drink your wine with a cheerful heart; for God has already approved your works. Let your clothes be white all the time, and let not oil be lacking on your head. Enjoy life with the woman whom you love all the days of your fleeting life which He has given to you under the sun; for this is your reward in life and in your toil in which you have labored under the sun.”

• I mean certainly it’s a good thing to work and eat and be happy and get married and enjoy your life with your spouse. Certainly that’s a good thing.

But in all the things there is something you must always consider.
It is the last statement of the book and the writer’s main point.

Ecclesiastes 12:13-14 “The conclusion, when all has been heard, is: fear God and keep His commandments, because this applies to every person. For God will bring every act to judgment, everything which is hidden, whether it is good or evil.”

You can go out and take the world by the tale and enjoy life to the fullest,
But if you do that without giving mind to what pleases the God who created you then you are the biggest of fools.

For one day the God who created you
Is going to demand that you give an answer for how you lived.

In fact, earlier the writer made a very fitting statement.
It ought to be read to every graduate who ever steps out into the world.

Ecclesiastes 11:9 “Rejoice, young man, during your childhood, and let your heart be pleasant during the days of young manhood. And follow the impulses of your heart and the desires of your eyes. Yet know that God will bring you to judgment for all these things.”

• He’s not saying you can’t enjoy your life.
• He’s just saying you had better be mindful that this life is not all there is.

There is a judgment coming, and for those who follow the lusts of their heart instead of the commands of their Creator,
There will be a judgment to pay.

And as we have learned this morning, that judgment is just.

God created man in His image and despite all the benefits that God has given him, man still insists upon rebelling against God and doing things his own way.

And this morning, sadly, we find that
Even without Satan man would still do it.

James said it best
James 1:13-15 “Let no one say when he is tempted, “I am being tempted by God”; for God cannot be tempted by evil, and He Himself does not tempt anyone. But each one is tempted when he is carried away and enticed by his own lust. Then when lust has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and when sin is accomplished, it brings forth death.”

Even in the midst of the most perfect world imaginable
Man still rebels because of the sin of his heart.

WHAT DO WE NEED?
• We need to have our heart changed.
• We need to be regenerated.

Jesus said it like this to Nicodemus.
John 3:3 “Jesus answered and said to him, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God.”

And this is what Jesus offers.

He doesn’t offer just a 12 step process to tweak your life.
Jesus offers you new life.

He doesn’t just offer a pace maker to keep your heart in step.
He offers a new heart.

He offers to take what is most offensive about you
And replace it with something that will love God totally.

It is called Regeneration.
And apart from that, no man has a chance,
Regardless of their privileged circumstances.

I want to encourage you, that
• If God has revealed to you that you have a need to be made new by Him.
• If you have been shown that your heart is sinful and lusts for the things of this world…
• If God has revealed your sin and exposed your guilt…

Then I want to encourage you to call on Jesus
Who has promised that all who call on Him will be saved.

He won’t just forgive you, He’ll give you a new heart.
He’ll remove the heart
That will be rebellious regardless of good circumstances.
And He’ll give you a heart
That will be faithful regardless of bad circumstances.
SO THAT WE CAN HONOR GOD AS WAS INTENDED.

This, above all else, is what we need.

What Do We Mean By Grace Alone? – Part 2
Romans 5:12-14, Ephesians 2:1-9
May 21, 2017

If you were with us last week, there’s a relatively good chance
Your brain is spinning just a little as we started to look at
What is a controversial and extremely deep issue.

Most people don’t think that saying salvation is BY GRACE ALONE
Is a big deal, but believe me it absolutely is.

For those of you just joining us tonight,
I would highly recommend you go back online or get the cd from last Sunday night and listen to it, as we don’t have time to go back and recap the entire historical issue again.

But to make sure that you are not totally lost, let me fill you in just a little.

We have covered the first of the 5 Solas,
• Namely SOLA SCRIPTURA.
• We have determined that Scripture Alone is source of authority and belief.
• We can’t put any other creed or tradition or form of logic anywhere close to the
same level as Scripture.

In fact by Scripture, we test our creeds, we test our traditions, we test our reasoning, and if Scripture says that they are false, then they are false.

We had to cross that bridge first so that
When we get challenged a little, like we did last week,
Then we all agree that if Scripture says it, then we will let go of our preconceived ideas and cling to the written word.

And we wasted no time putting that belief to the test last week
As we introduced the issue of Salvation BY GRACE ALONE or Sola Gratia.

And it all starts with a question:
• For the moment, we will all agree that Justification is by Faith Alone.
• That is to say, we believe that it is faith apart from works, which God accepts.

The question involving grace is this:
WHERE DOES THAT FAITH ORIGINATE?
Or, where does your saving faith come from?

Does it originate with you, inside of you, from you?
Or does it originate with God, apart from you?

To put it another way,
Is saving faith a human contribution or a divine gift?

That may not sound like a big deal, but for at least 1300 years,
It has been an issue the church has wrestled with.
It started with Augustin of Hippo
• In the 5th century who developed his view of salvation known as MONERGISM,
• Which is to say that salvation is “The Work of One” (namely God)

Augustin was opposed by Pelagius
• Who rejected this view in favor of saying that salvation was the work of man.
• Pelagius believed that man had it within himself to choose good and to be righteous and that man must fulfill that duty.
• (Pelagius was condemned by the church as a heretic)

But in Pelagius foot prints came John Cassian
• Who also opposed Augustin by promoting what he called “Orthodox Synergism”.
• Synergism says that salvation is NOT the work of one, but is instead a cooperative effort between God and men.

Statements like:
• God helps those who help themselves…
• If you’ll take the first step, God will do the rest…
• You need to make a decision to follow Christ…

And as I told you last time, that is a debate that rages even today.
• There are some who hold that salvation is the sole work of God,
• And there are some who hold that salvation is a cooperative work
between God and man.

To put it a little clearer.
Some believe salvation is by grace, some believe it is by grace alone.

Augustin (and the Reformers)
Would be in the camp which held to Monergism and that salvation is by grace alone.

Cassian and many even Southern Baptists today
Would be in the camp which holds to Synergism who cannot hold to the word “alone”

For they see that there must be a little something in man
Which remains good and righteous,
By which this man can find it within himself to reach out to God
In repentance and faith, thereby prompting God to respond in grace.

And I’m not exaggerating when I tell you that our denomination is divided over this.

But since we have learned that the only suitable response is
SOLA SCRIPTURA.
We must go to the Scripture and find out what it teaches
So that we will know what is true.

And the first issue regarding centers around THE FALL OF MAN

The question is this:
Did the fall of Adam and affect us all, and if it did, how did it affect us all?
We are trying to find out
What state we find ourselves in when we are born.

After all, if one holds that salvation originates with the good will of man
(Namely that man cries out to God)
Then there must at least be a little something good in that man
Which enables him to do that.

So the question would be, what exactly did Adam do to us?

Augustin and the Reformers would say that Adam totally killed us.
Cassian and the Arminians would say that Adam just made us really really sick.

Which is it?
And more importantly, what does Scripture say?

Well that is where we started last week.
We turned to Romans 5.

Romans 5 is a chapter all about the security of the believer.

And one of Paul’s main points to prove the security of the believer
Is that we will be saved forever because
In Christ we have all been made righteous.

That is to say that the one act Christ did,
Was enough to make us righteous in the sight of God.

Now because Paul understands his critics,
He knows that there will be some who take issue with such an insinuation.

How Paul, can you say that the act of one man was able to affect us all?
And to that Paul issues his proof, which is,
Because Jesus wasn’t the first man to affect us all.

Before Jesus brought us to life, Adam effectively killed us.

And this is the point Paul is making in Romans 5:12-14.

We started looking at it last week.
#1 THE SOURCE OF SIN
Romans 5:12a

“Therefore, just as through one man sin entered into the world…”

And we recognized that just as Christ was a mediator for righteousness,
Adam was first a mediator for sin.
Sin entered through Adam.

He had the command of God.
He willingly transgressed the commandment of God
And through Adam sin entered the world.

#2 THE SIDEKICK OF SIN
Romans 5:12b

“Therefore, just as through one man sin entered into the world, and death through sin…”

Also foundational is the understanding that
Were it not for sin, then death would not be here.

DO YOU GRASP THAT?
If there had never been any sin, there would never have been any death.

Death was the result of sin.
• After Adam sinned, it’s not long before he is burying his own son.
• Then of course we get to that infamous 5th chapter of Genesis, “And he died…” “And he died…” “And he died…”

The Source of Sin, The Sidekick of Sin
#3 THE SPREADING OF SIN
Romans 5:12c

“Therefore, just as through one man sin entered into the world, and death through sin, and so death spread to all men, because all sinned”

And there we learned that sin spread to all men, as did death.

But the important thing we recognized there is
The verb tense which Paul uses.

If you look back at Romans 5:1 Paul says:
Romans 5:1 “Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ,”

And we noted that the verb tense there for “justified”
Is in the AORIST or POINT tense,
Which means it was something that happened at a specific point in time.

And of course we have no problem with this
Since it was the moment when Christ died upon the cross.
He said “It is finished!” and He, at that one point, justified God’s children.
It was done at one point.

And it is important that you grasp that because in verse 12
When Paul says that “all sinned” he uses that exact same verb tense.

Which indicates that Paul is not talking about
People only dying because they keep sinning,
But rather that all people sinned at one point in the past.

That is to say, that we all sinned in Adam.
At that one point in time all of humanity fell into sin.

Romans 5:18a “So then as through one transgression there resulted condemnation to all men…”

Romans 5:19a “For as through the one man’s disobedience the many were made sinners…”

It is also true then that at that one point, all of humanity died.
It was then, with Adam, that all sinned and that death spread to all men.

Because of this we now say that man is “born sinful”
Psalms 51:5 “Behold, I was brought forth in iniquity, And in sin my mother conceived me.”

Psalms 58:3 “The wicked are estranged from the womb; These who speak lies go astray from birth.”

We don’t say that man becomes a sinner the first time he sins,
We say that he sins because he was born sinful.

When Adam fell, he took us all with him.
The day he sinned, we all sinned in him,
And in Adam, we were all instantly declared guilty.

People say, “I don’t like that” “That’s not fair”
Well we have no problem believing we died with Christ,
We just don’t want to own up the fact that we sinned with Adam.

The point is that when Adam sinned, God saw that all of mankind was there, in Adam, and thus all of mankind was condemned.

And with that the skeptics say: WAIT A MINUTE!
I don’t think that’s what Paul’s saying at all.

I think Paul is just saying that
• Every man simply followed in the pattern of Adam,
• And like Adam we all chose sin,
• And therefore like Adam we all die.

Does that sound about like the argument?
We are actually born righteous, it’s just that we blow it
Because of the temptation of our surroundings
And after we blow it we then receive the same condemnation as Adam.

So, we are born neutral,
It’s just that every human makes the same mistake, and after we blow it,
We then need help getting out of our mess, we need to be saved.

That would be the argument against what I’m saying.
• Man is not born sinful…
• Man is born innocent…
• And if man never sinned, then he’d be ok before God.
• The problem is that the culture tempts man, he falls like Adam did, and therefore death spreads to him too.

If you were with us last week, that’s exactly what Pelagius said.
(And Pelagius was condemned because he minimized grace)

But, for argument sake, let’s say that’s how you read Romans 5:12.
You don’t think Paul was saying we all died with Adam.
You think Paul was saying that like Adam we all made the same mistake.

Well then, let’s move on to Paul’s next point.
The Source of Sin The Sidekick of Sin The Spreading of Sin
#4 THE STRENGTH OF SIN
Romans 5:13-14

Now no doubt, some who argue with what Paul has just said.
They don’t want to believe it, and therefore they will refuse to believe it.

So what Paul does here is furnish you with proof
That we really did inherit the sin and condemnation of Adam.

Paul says that ever since Adam you were a sinner.
YOU MAY OR MAY NOT AGREE.
You may choose to say, I didn’t become a sinner until I sinned.

Well let’s look to Paul’s next point.
(13)“for until the Law sin was in the world, but sin is not imputed when there is no law.”

WHAT DOES THAT MEAN?

It means, if there is no law against an action,
You cannot be held under punishment for committing that action.

Now, after the law is clear and posted, you are accountable.
Therefore, after the time of Moses,
We understand why people are in such trouble.

BUT BEFORE MOSES THERE WERE NO COMMANDS.
(Adam had the only one)
What commands do you read about in the book of Genesis which were to govern mankind?
• There weren’t any.
• There was no law,
• That means there was no identifiable sin.

People say that all we did was transgress the law like Adam did.
BUT THERE’S A PROBLEM WITH THAT
Before Moses there was no law for people to transgress.

HERE IS THE POINT
In between Adam and Moses there was no Law,
And therefore there is no way that man could have been punished for breaking it. God had no way of condemning mankind.

verse 14, “Nevertheless death reigned from Adam until Moses, even over those who had not sinned in the likeness of the offense of Adam, who is a type of Him who was to come.”

If you’re going to take the position that all men were born ok and just sinned like Adam then you have to answer this question.

IF ADAM’S CONDEMNATION DIDN’T SPREAD, THEN WHY DID PEOPLE BETWEEN ADAM AND MOSES DIE?

They had broken no specific command, they had no specific command.
“sin is not imputed when there is no law.”
YET EVERYONE CONTINUED TO DIE.

Remember that infamous 5th chapter of Genesis?
“And he died…”
“And he died…”
“And he died…”

BECAUSE ALL MEN HAD BEEN DECLARED SINNERS IN ADAM
AND ALL MEN HAD BEEN CONDEMNED WITH ADAM.

Paul’s point is hard to swallow,
But it has no small amount of evidence to enforce it.
What Adam did brought death to everyone

Adam’s one act of disobedience
Was powerful enough to condemn the world.

And that is made abundantly evident throughout Scripture.
In fact, look just shortly after the days of Adam
And see what God’s estimation of humanity is.

Genesis 6:5 “Then the LORD saw that the wickedness of man was great on the earth, and that every intent of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually.”

• That doesn’t speak of a humanity that is untainted by the fall.
• That doesn’t speak of a humanity that is just mostly bad, but still some good.
• That speaks of a humanity that is totally fallen into sin.

And that’s the point: ADAM WRECKED US ALL.
There is nothing good left in man at all.

ADAM DIDN’T JUST open the door for sin to come in,
So that when we were born, sin also tempted us,
And we just messed up like him.

NO, ADAM KILLED US ALL.
And that is proven by the fact that after Adam,
Even when there was no command for men to transgress,
Men were still suffering the effects of sin, which is death.

SO WE TAKE THAT BACK TO OUR DEBATE concerning grace and whether or not we are saved by grace, or grace alone.

Synergists say that
• Man must first find it in himself to present some form of “good will” toward God.
• And in response to that good will God will then issue grace and save that
individual.

They say faith starts with the man, and God merely responds to it.

BUT OUR QUESTION IS THIS:
HOW IS IT POSSIBLE FOR A DEAD MAN TO INITIATE SALVATION?

Let’s look at another text real quick tonight.
TURN TO: EPHESIANS 2
Now you recognize Ephesians 2 as that wonderful chapter on grace.

Well it is way more than that. Ephesians 2 is a wonderful chapter
Which emphatically declares GRACE ALONE!

In the first 3 verses we find Paul’s evaluation of all humanity.
(1-3) “And you were dead in your trespasses and sins, in which you formerly walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, of the spirit that is now working in the sons of disobedience. Among them we too all formerly lived in the lusts of our flesh, indulging the desires of the flesh and of the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, even as the rest.”

Now let’s look at that a second,
And make sure we all grasp what Paul was saying.

“And you were dead in your trespasses and sins”
• Sick? No, dead
• Weak? No, dead
• And we just learned that this happened all the way back in Adam.
We weren’t alive, we were dead.

If I could just throw it out there for a moment, we were all Lazarus’s.
You’ve read the story.
Do you remember where we heard Lazarus crying out from inside the tomb saying, “Jesus, if You’ll just move this stone, then I’ll come out.”

Nope, Lazarus was dead, and he was incapable of doing anything
To solicit a response from Christ.

“Dead” by the way means “inability to respond to stimulus”.

If you’ve been to a funeral, it doesn’t matter how hot it gets, dead men don’t sweat, it doesn’t matter how cold it gets, dead men don’t shiver.
They don’t respond.

That means that if we were dead,
Not only could we not make the first move toward God,
But that also means that we didn’t even have enough ability
To even respond to God if He makes the first move.

We were dead.
• It didn’t matter how much Mary and Martha pleaded with Lazarus.
• And it doesn’t matter how much preachers plead with the lost.
• Dead is dead is dead is dead.

That is why this notion of putting salvation
Up to a decision of the sinner is so utterly ABSURD.
They can’t make that decision even if they wanted to.

They are dead, Adam killed them.

Now, you say, “Well, what if they weren’t totally dead? What if they were just nearly dead (Semi-Pelagianism) and in need of a lot of help?”

You know, what if Lazarus had been buried alive,
And was just too weak to move the stone.

Ok, well let’s examine that.
That is to assume that sinners can’t do it on their own,
But that they would be saved if the opportunity arose.

I mean, you take a guy on life support and you assume that if you have a drug that will instantly make him well, then certainly he would take it.

Incidentally, we see a lot of evangelism just like this today.
• Don’t you want out of that hopeless lifestyle?
• Don’t you want a fresh start?
• Don’t you want a second chance?

Well, is that true?
If man could cry out to God on his own
Or even respond to God on his own, WOULD HE?

Let’s listen to Paul again.
“And you were dead in your trespasses and sins, in which you formerly walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, of the spirit that is now working in the sons of disobedience. Among them we too all formerly lived in the lusts of our flesh, indulging the desires of the flesh, and of the mind…”

So according to Paul, what is that sinners want?
Sin

• We lived in “the lusts of our flesh”
• And all we ever wanted to do was indulge “the desires of the flesh, and of the mind”

That means if given a choice, what would the sinner choose?
Sin…every time

Genesis 6:5 “Then the LORD saw that the wickedness of man was great on the earth, and that every intent of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually.”

If you will remember, this was Augustin’s point.
Augustin defined “Free Will” as “The Ability to do whatever one wants”
The problem, he said, is that all man wants to do is sin.

So it’s not just that man can’t cry out to God.
It’s not just that man can’t respond to God.
It’s that even if man could, he wouldn’t.

Ever been perplexed by people who you’ve witnessed to and showed them clearly the error of their lifestyle, and who agree with you for a moment, only to return to sin the very next day.

And we are left scratching our heads as to why they would do that.
BECAUSE THEY ARE A SLAVE OF SIN

They can’t do anything different.
And they don’t want to do anything different.

And Paul says that was all of us.
You were there too.

And as a result of our spiritual death and our bent on sin,
Paul says we were on the wrong side of God’s wrath.

(3) “Among them we too all formerly lived in the lusts of our flesh, indulging the desires of the flesh and of the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, even as the rest.”

That is where we were.
• We were dead – couldn’t cry out, couldn’t respond
• We depraved – wouldn’t have responded even if we could
• We were doomed – because our sinfulness was an offense to God

Do you see the issue?
People want to act like salvation is a SYNERGISTIC effort
Where sinful man cooperates with Holy God to bring about salvation
And that is not just unbiblical, it is absurd!

Man can’t help he’s dead, and even if he could, he wouldn’t.

If that man is to be saved, it will require the MONERGISTIC effort of God.
DO YOU SEE THAT?

If he is to be saved, it will require grace and grace alone.
• Man has nothing to bring to the table.
• Man has no ability…
• Man has no good will…
• Man has no faith…
• Man has no sorrow over his sin…
• Man has no intention…

The only way man would ever be saved is if God takes matters
Absolutely and 100% in His own hands.

Which is what makes the next two words in Ephesians 2 so amazing.

Ephesians 2:4, “But God…”
• Man was dead, “But God…”
• Man wanted sin, “But God…”

(4-7) “But God, being rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in our transgressions, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), and raised us up with Him, and seated us with Him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, so that in the ages to come He might show the surpassing riches of His grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus.”

Now first, let me ask you, what in those 3 verses does it say that you did?

• Where is that statement about how you first had a “good will” toward God that He then responded to?
• Where is that statement that says when you took the first step, God went the rest of the way?
• Where is that statement that says, “But then, you gave God faith, and God responded”?

YOU DIDN’T DO ANYTHING – YOU WERE DEAD!
It was God’s mercy, it was God’s grace.

And if you’ll notice, every one of your problems, God Himself took care of.
• You were dead, verse 5 says He “made us alive”
• You desired sin, that is to stay in the mud and the mire, verse 6 says He “raised us up”
• You were a child of wrath, verse 6 says He “seated us with Him” so that He could be gracious to us.

You didn’t do it, He did it.

Which is why Paul goes on to say:
(8-9) “For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not as a result of works, so that no one may boast.”

According to Paul salvation is a 100% Monergistic effort.
You didn’t contribute anything.

To which people immediately say, “Yes I did! I contributed faith!”
Really?

“For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God”

Where does Paul say your faith came from? It was a gift from God.

So when we ask, where did your faith come from?
The answer according to SOLA SCRIPTURA is: From God.

2 Peter 1:1 “Simon Peter, a bond-servant and apostle of Jesus Christ, To those who have received a faith of the same kind as ours, by the righteousness of our God and Savior, Jesus Christ:”

Where does Peter say that faith came from?
We received it.

Do you understand what is being said?
• We were dead sinners thanks to the fall,
• But God looked upon us dead sinners,
• Breathed enough life in us to make us alive,
• Then gave us faith, so that we could respond to Him.
How in the world could anyone say that salvation is a cooperative effort?

Or how about this passage?
Titus 3:3-7 “For we also once were foolish ourselves, disobedient, deceived, enslaved to various lusts and pleasures, spending our life in malice and envy, hateful, hating one another. But when the kindness of God our Savior and His love for mankind appeared, He saved us, not on the basis of deeds which we have done in righteousness, but according to His mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewing by the Holy Spirit, whom He poured out upon us richly through Jesus Christ our Savior, so that being justified by His grace we would be made heirs according to the hope of eternal life.”

Does that not make it clear again?
“He saved us” and Paul says as a result we were “justified by His grace”

Do you see it?
2 Timothy 1:8-9 “Therefore do not be ashamed of the testimony of our Lord or of me His prisoner, but join with me in suffering for the gospel according to the power of God, who has saved us and called us with a holy calling, not according to our works, but according to His own purpose and grace which was granted us in Christ Jesus from all eternity,”

Salvation can only be BY GRACE ALONE
Because man has no ability to bring anything helpful to the table.

If salvation depends the least little bit on me at all,
Then I will be lost forever.

Think about it.
What little thing did Adam have to do?
Simply be content with the most awesome creation ever seen.

All he had to do was stay away from the tree,
And that proved too much for him.

Friend if the divine decree is that I must move 1cm toward heaven and then God will move the rest, then it is over, because dead men can’t move.

And this is really the danger of a synergistic theology.
If man does anything to help out in his salvation
Then man is also entitled to a piece of the credit.

And that reveals why men hold so firmly to a synergistic belief.
They want glory
AND THAT IS DANGEROUS

I listened to R.C. Sproul last week talk about this very idea.
He spoke of arguing with a synergist.

• Tell me, friend, is there anyone among your family and friends who heard the same gospel message as you, yet remains lost? (Yes)
• Why are you saved and they lost? (Because I believed)
• Would you say then that you made the right decision and they made the wrong one? (Yes)
• So would it be true then that you are saved because you did the right thing and they did the wrong thing? (Yes)
• So are you not taking credit for your own righteous deed which you did as the reason you are saved? (Yes)

That’s full blown legalism – you had better be careful.

The fact is
• Men are not saved because they are smarter than lost people.
• Men are not saved because they are more righteous than lost people.
• Men are not saved because they are stronger than lost people.

Men are only saved by grace and grace alone,
Because there is no power in man to do anything
To cooperate to his salvation at all.

So where did your faith come from? God
What do you contribute to salvation? Nothing
Who then gets all the glory for your salvation? God alone

Let me just leave you with this one last verse
Which we are sure to return to at a later date.
1 Corinthians 1:26-31 “For consider your calling, brethren, that there were not many wise according to the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble; but God has chosen the foolish things of the world to shame the wise, and God has chosen the weak things of the world to shame the things which are strong, and the base things of the world and the despised God has chosen, the things that are not, so that He may nullify the things that are, so that no man may boast before God. But by His doing you are in Christ Jesus, who became to us wisdom from God, and righteousness and sanctification, and redemption, so that, just as it is written, “LET HIM WHO BOASTS, BOAST IN THE LORD.”

The Return of Jesus Christ
Revelation 19:11-21
May 14, 2017

This morning we finally come to the climax.
This morning we see the event for which this entire book was intended.

It is the return of Jesus Christ.
As we said last week,
It is the most anticipated event in the heart of every believer.

After Jesus died and rose again, He was speaking with His followers.
Acts 1:6-11 “So when they had come together, they were asking Him, saying, “Lord, is it at this time You are restoring the kingdom to Israel?” He said to them, “It is not for you to know times or epochs which the Father has fixed by His own authority; but you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be My witnesses both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and even to the remotest part of the earth.” And after He had said these things, He was lifted up while they were looking on, and a cloud received Him out of their sight. And as they were gazing intently into the sky while He was going, behold, two men in white clothing stood beside them. They also said, “Men of Galilee, why do you stand looking into the sky? This Jesus, who has been taken up from you into heaven, will come in just the same way as you have watched Him go into heaven.”

• No doubt the disciples were ready for Jesus to begin His earthly reign immediately.
• They wanted Him to rule and reign and bring peace on the earth that very instant.
• However, Jesus understood the necessary and coming time of redemption which was about to come on the earth.
• Jesus knew the gospel was to be preached and the entire host of the elect, both Jew and Gentile must hear the gospel and believe.
• And during this period, Jesus would ascend to the Father where He would take His seat at the Father’s right hand and perform His High Priestly work of interceding for believers.

However, no sooner did Jesus disappear from their sight
Then did the disciples receive an angelic message.

“This Jesus, who has been taken up from you into heaven, will come in just the same way as you have watched Him go into heaven.”

That was certainly not the first time they had heard this promise.

John 14:1-3 “Do not let your heart be troubled; believe in God, believe also in Me. “In My Father’s house are many dwelling places; if it were not so, I would have told you; for I go to prepare a place for you. “If I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself, that where I am, there you may be also.”

Jesus had told them He was leaving and would return,
But we often wonder how serious they took that statement from Him.

However on this day, as He disappeared they received the promise
That He would return just as He had departed.
And that return became without a doubt
The most anticipated event in the life of the church.

They New Testament writers could not stop focusing on the fact

1 Corinthians 1:7-8 “you are not lacking in any gift, awaiting eagerly the revelation of our Lord Jesus Christ, who will also confirm you to the end, blameless in the day of our Lord Jesus Christ.”

1 Corinthians 4:5 “Therefore do not go on passing judgment before the time, but wait until the Lord comes who will both bring to light the things hidden in the darkness and disclose the motives of men’s hearts; and then each man’s praise will come to him from God.”

1 Corinthians 11:26 “For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until He comes.”

Philippians 3:20-21 “For our citizenship is in heaven, from which also we eagerly wait for a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ; who will transform the body of our humble state into conformity with the body of His glory, by the exertion of the power that He has even to subject all things to Himself.”

Colossians 3:4 “When Christ, who is our life, is revealed, then you also will be revealed with Him in glory.”

1 Thessalonians 1:9-10 “For they themselves report about us what kind of a reception we had with you, and how you turned to God from idols to serve a living and true God, and to wait for His Son from heaven, whom He raised from the dead, that is Jesus, who rescues us from the wrath to come.”

1 Thessalonians 2:19 “For who is our hope or joy or crown of exultation? Is it not even you, in the presence of our Lord Jesus at His coming?”

1 Thessalonians 3:12-13 “may the Lord cause you to increase and abound in love for one another, and for all people, just as we also do for you; so that He may establish your hearts without blame in holiness before our God and Father at the coming of our Lord Jesus with all His saints.”

1 Thessalonians 4:15-17 “For this we say to you by the word of the Lord, that we who are alive and remain until the coming of the Lord, will not precede those who have fallen asleep. For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive and remain will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we shall always be with the Lord.”

1 Thessalonians 5:23 “Now may the God of peace Himself sanctify you entirely; and may your spirit and soul and body be preserved complete, without blame at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.”

2 Thessalonians 2:1-2 “Now we request you, brethren, with regard to the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our gathering together to Him, that you not be quickly shaken from your composure or be disturbed either by a spirit or a message or a letter as if from us, to the effect that the day of the Lord has come.”

1 Timothy 6:13-14 “I charge you in the presence of God, who gives life to all things, and of Christ Jesus, who testified the good confession before Pontius Pilate, that you keep the commandment without stain or reproach until the appearing of our Lord Jesus Christ,”

2 Timothy 4:1 “I solemnly charge you in the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who is to judge the living and the dead, and by His appearing and His kingdom:”

Titus 2:11-13 “For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation to all men, instructing us to deny ungodliness and worldly desires and to live sensibly, righteously and godly in the present age, looking for the blessed hope and the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior, Christ Jesus,”

Hebrews 9:28 “so Christ also, having been offered once to bear the sins of many, will appear a second time for salvation without reference to sin, to those who eagerly await Him.”

James 5:7 “Therefore be patient, brethren, until the coming of the Lord. The farmer waits for the precious produce of the soil, being patient about it, until it gets the early and late rains.”

1 Peter 1:7 “so that the proof of your faith, being more precious than gold which is perishable, even though tested by fire, may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ;”

1 Peter 5:4 “And when the Chief Shepherd appears, you will receive the unfading crown of glory.”

1 John 2:28 “Now, little children, abide in Him, so that when He appears, we may have confidence and not shrink away from Him in shame at His coming.”

1 John 3:2 “Beloved, now we are children of God, and it has not appeared as yet what we will be. We know that when He appears, we will be like Him, because we will see Him just as He is.”

Jude 14-15 “It was also about these men that Enoch, in the seventh generation from Adam, prophesied, saying, ” Behold, the Lord came with many thousands of His holy ones, to execute judgment upon all, and to convict all the ungodly of all their ungodly deeds which they have done in an ungodly way, and of all the harsh things which ungodly sinners have spoken against Him.”

Regardless of who was preaching, or who they were preaching to,
Or what they were preaching about;
The writers of the New Testament always held in their gaze
The promise that Jesus would return.

This return became the main emphasis for their preaching.

This promised return was always at the forefront of their minds.
• They anticipated it
• They expected it
• They longed for it

And it is the return of Christ which is the main point of this book.
John previewed that event in:
Revelation 1:7 “BEHOLD, HE IS COMING WITH THE CLOUDS, and every eye will see Him, even those who pierced Him; and all the tribes of the earth will mourn over Him. So it is to be. Amen.”

The whole book of Revelation has been about building to this very climax.
Namely that Jesus Christ will return and reign
Despite the rage of the enemy and despite the rebellion of humanity.
NO ONE CAN STOP HIM.

And that is where we find ourselves this morning.
• We return to that chronological flow which we left at the end of chapter 16.
• We have now had 7 seals opened, 7 trumpets blown, and 7 bowls of wrath poured out.
• Man has been beaten and flogged and punished and disciplines heavily by the Lord for their rebellion.

On this day, the total and final reckoning for man has come.
The King is returning.

3 Things we can easily see.
#1 THE APPEARING
Revelation 19:11-16

The obvious thing that we see first and foremost about these 6 verses
Is how much different they are to any picture of Jesus
We ever saw in the New Testament.

• We’ve read the stories about Jesus walking the roads of Galilee.
• We’ve seen Him touch lepers
• We’ve seen Him eat with sinners
• We’ve seen Him have compassion on the sick
• We’ve seen Him show mercy to tax collectors

And even when men attacked Him, instead of fighting back
The Bible says He just entrusted Himself to Him who judges righteously.
HE BORE IT.

One of the most fitting passages to describe His earthly ministry:
Matthew 12:18-21 “BEHOLD, MY SERVANT WHOM IHAVE CHOSEN; MY BELOVED IN WHOM MY SOUL is WELL-PLEASED; I WILL PUT MY SPIRIT UPON HIM, AND HE SHALL PROCLAIM JUSTICE TO THE GENTILES. “HE WILL NOT QUARREL, NOR CRY OUT; NOR WILL ANYONE HEAR HIS VOICE IN THE STREETS. “A BATTERED REED HE WILL NOT BREAK OFF, AND A SMOLDERING WICK HE WILL NOT PUT OUT, UNTIL HE LEADS JUSTICE TO VICTORY. “AND IN HIS NAME THE GENTILES WILL HOPE.”

• He wasn’t a brawler or intimidator.
• He was meek and mild and compassionate and gentle.
• Isaiah said He would be like “a root out of parched ground”.
• He was gentle, He was compassionate.

And that almost makes this scene seem like we’re talking about a different person altogether, for that is not at all what we see here.

(11) “And I saw heaven opened, and behold, a white horse, and He who sat on it is called Faithful and True, and in righteousness He judges and wages war.”

The last time we saw “heaven opened” was Revelation 4,
And that was to let John in. This time it is to let Jesus out.

And He comes on “a white horse” like the conquering general.
(Remember Antichrist mimicked this earlier)
Only this rider is “called Faithful and True”.

This is the first of 4 times we get a reference to His name.
And this first time when talking about what He is called
We see a reference to absolute faithfulness and truth and sincerity.

And it is a reference to the fact that He will judge just like He said.
“in righteousness He judges and wages war.”

People are always quick to remember the promises of Jesus
To forgive or to save or heal or to deliver.
Very few people seem familiar with His promise to judge and wage war.

John the Baptist started the announcement:
Matthew 3:11-12 “As for me, I baptize you with water for repentance, but He who is coming after me is mightier than I, and I am not fit to remove His sandals; He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire. “His winnowing fork is in His hand, and He will thoroughly clear His threshing floor; and He will gather His wheat into the barn, but He will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire.”

But Jesus quickly seconded it:
Matthew 16:27 “For the Son of Man is going to come in the glory of His Father with His angels, and WILL THEN REPAY EVERY MAN ACCORDING TO HIS DEEDS.”

And here we find One
Who is living up to that promise of righteous judgment.

Going on in the explanation, John says:
(12) “His eyes are a flame of fire, and on His head are many diadems; and He has a name written on Him which no one knows except Himself.”

The fire in His eyes, is exactly what it says.
• He is angry.
• He is not coming in compassion.
• He is not coming to save.
• He is coming to judge.

And He is coming to rule and to reign for “on His head are many diadems”
That is many crowns.
He rules everywhere and everyone.

And again we get a REFERENCE TO HIS NAME, only this time it is said that “He has a name written on Him which no one knows except Himself.”

It speaks of His mystery, but also of His transcendence.
• He is above us.
• He is beyond us.
• He is not under us,
• He does not answer to us,
• He is not being judged or scrutinized.

• It doesn’t matter if you have His birth certificate…
• It doesn’t matter if you can see His tax returns…
• It doesn’t even matter if you know His name,
• HE DOESN’T ANSWER TO YOU.

He is here to judge men, not to be judged by them.

(13) “He is clothed with a robe dipped in blood, and His name is called The Word of God.”

Many have wondered why the robe is already “dipped in blood”
Since the battle hasn’t even started yet?
Well this isn’t His first battle, it’s just His last.

He has been at war judging men since the beginning.
• Who do you think it was who sent the great flood?
• Who do you suppose it was that rained fire upon Sodom?
• Who was it that crushed the armies of Pharaoh?
• Who knocked down the walls of Jericho?
• Who toppled the kingdoms of Assyria and Babylon and Greece and Rome?

This isn’t His first battle.
Isaiah 63:1-6 “Who is this who comes from Edom, With garments of glowing colors from Bozrah, This One who is majestic in His apparel, Marching in the greatness of His strength? “It is I who speak in righteousness, mighty to save.” Why is Your apparel red, And Your garments like the one who treads in the wine press? “I have trodden the wine trough alone, And from the peoples there was no man with Me. I also trod them in My anger And trampled them in My wrath; And their lifeblood is sprinkled on My garments, And I stained all My raiment. “For the day of vengeance was in My heart, And My year of redemption has come. “I looked, and there was no one to help, And I was astonished and there was no one to uphold; So My own arm brought salvation to Me, And My wrath upheld Me. “I trod down the peoples in My anger And made them drunk in My wrath, And I poured out their lifeblood on the earth.”

He has always been a righteous judge and punisher of the wicked.
This isn’t a new role.

And that is why “His name is called The Word of God”,
Because He is a righteous judge and the inflictor of judgment.

Remember the writer of Hebrews?
Hebrews 4:12-13 “For the word of God is living and active and sharper than any two-edged sword, and piercing as far as the division of soul and spirit, of both joints and marrow, and able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart. And there is no creature hidden from His sight, but all things are open and laid bare to the eyes of Him with whom we have to do.”

This judge has gazed upon men through the glass of His word
And His judgments have never ceased to be true or binding.
And now He is come to repay with a final judgment.

(14) And the armies which are in heaven, clothed in fine linen, white and clean, were following Him on white horses.”

• These are the redeemed, both of earth and from the tribulation.
• These are also the angelic armies and the heavenly host.

All of heaven has mounted to come to earth and do battle
With this great king in His great work of judgment.

Only these have no weapons, and they don’t need them.
(15-16) “From His mouth comes a sharp sword, so that with it He may strike down the nations, and He will rule them with a rod of iron; and He treats the wine press of the fierce wrath of God, the Almighty. And on His robe and on His thigh He has a name written, “KING OF KINGS, AND LORD OF LORDS.”

On the day of the battle, He does all the fighting.
It is His judgment and His power.

And the scene is as DIFFERENT FROM THE GOSPELS as we can imagine.
• The first time He came He rode a donkey, a beast of burden into Jerusalem. This time He rides a white horse.
• The first time He came His eyes were filled with mercy and compassion, and “seeing the people He felt compassion for them.” This time His eyes are a flame of fire, feeling only judgment for wicked of the world.
• The first time He came He wore a crown of thorns, but this time “many diadems.”
• The first time He came He wore a robe stained in His own blood, this time He wears a robe stained in the blood of His enemies.
• The first time He was followed by 12 earthly disciples, this time the armies of heaven are by His side.
• The first time He spoke words of salvation, this time out of His mouth comes a sharp sword of judgment.
• The first time He offered His yoke to people with a heavy burden this time He will rule them with a rod of iron.
• The first time He walked the dirty roads of Palestine, this time He treads the wine press of the wrath of God.
• The first time His name was Jesus (Yahweh Saves) this time His name is “Faithful and True, The Word of God, King of Kings, and Lord of Lords”

You see the difference?
He is not returning to save sinners, He is returning to judge them.

Christ is coming as a Warrior to destroy the wicked.
Isaiah 59:15b-21 “Now the LORD saw, And it was displeasing in His sight that there was no justice. And He saw that there was no man, And was astonished that there was no one to intercede; Then His own arm brought salvation to Him, And His righteousness upheld Him. He put on righteousness like a breastplate, And a helmet of salvation on His head; And He put on garments of vengeance for clothing And wrapped Himself with zeal as a mantle. According to their deeds, so He will repay, Wrath to His adversaries, recompense to His enemies; To the coastlands He will make recompense. So they will fear the name of the LORD from the west And His glory from the rising of the sun, For He will come like a rushing stream Which the wind of the LORD drives. And to those who turn from transgression in Jacob,” declares the LORD. “As for Me, this is My covenant with them,” says the LORD: “My Spirit which is upon you, and My words which I have put in your mouth shall not depart from your mouth, nor from the mouth of your offspring, nor from the mouth of your offspring’s offspring,” says the LORD, “from now and forever.”

It is the overlooked reality of our world that God judges sin.

But God does judge sin and the agent of that judgment is Christ.
He is both the standard and the executioner of that judgment.

John 5:21-29 “For just as the Father raises the dead and gives them life, even so the Son also gives life to whom He wishes. “For not even the Father judges anyone, but He has given all judgment to the Son, so that all will honor the Son even as they honor the Father. He who does not honor the Son does not honor the Father who sent Him. “Truly, truly, I say to you, he who hears My word, and believes Him who sent Me, has eternal life, and does not come into judgment, but has passed out of death into life. “Truly, truly, I say to you, an hour is coming and now is, when the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God, and those who hear will live. 26 “For just as the Father has life in Himself, even so He gave to the Son also to have life in Himself; and He gave Him authority to execute judgment, because He is the Son of Man. “Do not marvel at this; for an hour is coming, in which all who are in the tombs will hear His voice, and will come forth; those who did the good deeds to a resurrection of life, those who committed the evil deeds to a resurrection of judgment.”

Acts 17:30-31 “Therefore having overlooked the times of ignorance, God is now declaring to men that all people everywhere should repent, because He has fixed a day in which He will judge the world in righteousness through a Man whom He has appointed, having furnished proof to all men by raising Him from the dead.”

• Christ is the judge.
• Christ will judge.
• And Christ is the standard of that judgment.

He came once in humility offering salvation to the masses.
But the masses rejected Him and now,
Humanity will pay for their offense toward God.

THIS APPEARING IS ABOUT JUDGMENT.
The Appearing
#2 THE ANNOUNCEMENT
Revelation 19:17-18

This is a pretty revealing statement that is made here.
We have an angel stand directly in front of the sun,
Where everyone can see him.

And he gives an invitation to the battle.
Only the invitation isn’t to anyone who wants to come and fight the coming king.
The angel already knows who will win that battle.

The invitation is to the buzzards and the ravens and the vultures.

Why?
Because in just a few moments this battle field is going to be absolutely littered with dead bodies and someone has to clean up the mess.

So the angel cries to the birds:
“Come, assemble for the great supper of God, so that you may eat the flesh of kings and the flesh of commanders and the flesh of mighty men and the flesh of horses and of those who sit on them and the flesh of all men, both free men and slaves, and small and great.”

The buffet is about to be open.

And this shouldn’t surprise anyone.
Ezekiel 39:17-20 “As for you, son of man, thus says the Lord GOD, ‘Speak to every kind of bird and to every beast of the field, “Assemble and come, gather from every side to My sacrifice which I am going to sacrifice for you, as a great sacrifice on the mountains of Israel, that you may eat flesh and drink blood. “You will eat the flesh of mighty men and drink the blood of the princes of the earth, as though they were rams, lambs, goats and bulls, all of them fatlings of Bashan. “So you will eat fat until you are glutted, and drink blood until you are drunk, from My sacrifice which I have sacrificed for you. “You will be glutted at My table with horses and charioteers, with mighty men and all the men of war,” declares the Lord GOD.”

Even when the disciples wanted to know where the Second Coming would take place, Jesus answer was this:
Matthew 24:27-28 “For just as the lightning comes from the east and flashes even to the west, so will the coming of the Son of Man be. “Wherever the corpse is, there the vultures will gather.”

That is to say, it won’t be hard to tell where He is.
It will be the place with all the dead bodies
And all the vultures feeding on them.

WHAT ARE WE TO MAKE OF THIS ANNOUNCEMENT?
Simply this:
THERE IS NO CHANCE THAT HE WILL LOSE WHEN HE COMES.
His reign and His victory have already been determined.

Remember Psalms 2?
Psalms 2:7-9 “I will surely tell of the decree of the LORD: He said to Me, ‘You are My Son, Today I have begotten You. ‘Ask of Me, and I will surely give the nations as Your inheritance, And the very ends of the earth as Your possession. ‘You shall break them with a rod of iron, You shall shatter them like earthenware.'”

This was never in doubt.
• Even when He was born and was a little baby, the wise men called Him the One “who was born king of the Jews”
• Even at His death Pilate recognized Him as a King and hung a sign on His cross which said, “King of the Jews”

IT HAS NEVER BEEN IN DOUBT.
He is going to return
He is going to kill His enemies
He is going to reign

And the angel’s only real ambition
Is to prepare the birds to clean up the mess.

The Appearing, The Announcement
#3 THE ADVERSARY
Revelation 19:19-21

Well despite the absolute certainty of His victory,
It does not stop the enemy from waging war against Him.

After all, if you will remember the Lord actually opened the way for them to get to this battle field by drying up the great river Euphrates to make it possible.

He gathered them all in like fish in a barrel.

And their rebellion never ceased.
(19) “And I saw the beast and the kings of the earth and their armies assembled to make war against Him who sat on the horse and against His army.”

Well there he is, in full pomp and arrogance ready to overthrow Christ.
He has been saying that he can, and on this day he will actually try.

Now, at this point I want you to let Hollywood help you out a little.
I know most of you have probably seen one of these battle movies.

• Many of you have seen movies like Lord of the Rings and those never ending
battle scenes between men and orks, and things like that.
• If those are out of your style, I’m sure the rest of you have seen John Wayne in
the Alamo.

The point is, we have come to the standoff.
One army squaring up against the other
And we are ready for the battle of the ages.
We expect a long fight to the death with many casualties on both sides.

NOPE
(20-21) “And the beast was seized, and with him the false prophet who performed the signs in his presence, by which he deceived those who had received the mark of the beast and those who worshiped his image; these two were thrown alive into the lake of fire which burns with brimstone. And the rest were killed with the sword which came from the mouth of Him who sat on the horse, and all the birds were filled with their flesh.”

There is no battle.
Because on this day the patience of God and the long-suffering of God
Has fully reached its end.

On this day, at this minute, time is up, and it is all over.
The God of the Universe pronounces death and they all die.

• All those miraculous signs the Antichrist performed…
• All those supernatural powers the Antichrist demonstrated…
• All that pompous talk the Antichrist spewed…
• It all amounts to nothing.

AND THE POINT COULD NOT BE CLEARER.
Everything we see in this text points to Christ as the Judge of men.

AND THIS IS THE JESUS OUR WORLD REFUSES TO ACCEPT.
(They scoff at a Jesus who will judge the world)

But do you see who He is?
Do you see what He will do?
• There is no escape.
• No one who refuses Him survives.
• He will return.
• He will crush His enemies.
• And He will reign upon the earth.

Now the Bible expects that upon hearing this message many will scoff.

TURN TO: 2 Peter 3:3-10

Peter knew that mockers would come mocking.
They would say, “Well then where is this Jesus you’ve all been waiting for?”

That is to say, they think judgment is a myth.
They don’t really think God will do it.

To them Peter responds, “Then go back to Genesis 6 and see that God already did it once.”

When Jesus returns to destroy the world,
That won’t be the first time, it will be the second.
He’s already done it once, and He will do it again.

So why haven’t we seen it?
(8-10) “But do not let this one fact escape your notice, beloved, that with the Lord one day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years like one day. The Lord is not slow about His promise, as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing for any to perish but for all to come to repentance. But the day of the Lord will come like a thief, in which the heavens will pass away with a roar and the elements will be destroyed with intense heat, and the earth and its works will be burned up.”

We currently live in the day of God’s patient waiting.
But please don’t miss what He is waiting for.

The Lord “is patient toward you, not wishing for any to perish but for all to come to repentance.”

He is simply waiting for men to repent.
But there will come a day when His patience will have reached its max.

The obvious point to you and I is to repent before it is too late.

• Today, Jesus Christ holds out His hand as the Savior of the world, and for all
who will repent of their sin and place their faith in Him, they will find forgiveness and rest.

• For those who refuse to repent, and slap the hand of Jesus away, they have
only one other day to look forward to and that is the day in which He will return to destroy His enemies.

My encouragement to you is for you to give up fighting against Him
And to submit to Him, because you cannot win.

Hebrews 10:26-31 “For if we go on sinning willfully after receiving the knowledge of the truth, there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins, but a terrifying expectation of judgment and THE FURY OF A FIRE WHICH WILL CONSUME THE ADVERSARIES. Anyone who has set aside the Law of Moses dies without mercy on the testimony of two or three witnesses. How much severer punishment do you think he will deserve who has trampled under foot the Son of God, and has regarded as unclean the blood of the covenant by which he was sanctified, and has insulted the Spirit of grace? For we know Him who said, “VENGEANCE IS MINE, I WILL REPAY.” And again, “THE LORD WILL JUDGE HIS PEOPLE.” It is a terrifying thing to fall into the hands of the living God.”

What do we mean by Grace Alone? – part 1
Romans 5:12-14
May 14, 2017

As you know we are embarking on a study called
“500 Years of Reformation”

We are seeking to examine the gospel
Which was rescued during the reformation
So as to make sure we defend the true gospel today.

By now you are well aware of the 5 pillars which emerged from that Reformation period.
• SOLA SCRIPTURA – Scripture Alone
• SOLA GRATIA – Grace Alone
• SOLA FIDE – Faith Alone
• SOLUS CHRISTUS – Christ Alone
• SOLI DEO GLORIA – Glory to God Alone

Now I should tell you that if you just read those statements
WITHOUT REALLY THINKING THEM THROUGH,
Almost everyone will easily affirm them as true.

However, if you really start pondering them and what they are saying,
Then you find that there are great many of professing believers
Who don’t actually believe them at all.

For example:
We have spent the last month on SOLA SCRIPTURA.
And I could talk to many believers and say that “Scripture Alone
Is our sole source of authority and revelation from God.”
AND MOST WOULD AGREE.

HOWEVER when I tell them that “This means that their private revelation, or private experiences, or prophetic words, have no weight”,
There are many who then turn and deny the concept of SOLA SCRIPTURA

I have had many who will fight on this point.
We have even had some who have left our church over this point.

I have had several who have told me that they believe God speaks to them outside of the Bible.
It is the “I know what God told me” idea.

And so while they might say they believe SOLA SCRIPTURA,
When they think about it a little deeper they then go back and reject it.

They would be willing to say SCRIPTURA, but not SOLA SCRIPTURA
It is that “Alone” which they reject.

And that one isn’t the only one.
Many of you knew Tommy Bailey who pastored the Hwy 70 Church of Christ.

He published on Facebook that he did not believe in “Faith Alone” (SOLA FIDE). He held that it wasn’t Biblical.

For he said that Scripture demands more than just faith
For a person to be justified in the sight of God.

He would hold that baptism is required, obedience is required, repentance is required, participation in the Lord’s Supper is required,
And all as a part of the justification process.

So he would definitely hold to FIDE, but not SOLA FIDE
He would reject the word “Alone”

Now I tell you that because tonight we begin looking at the second SOLA.
That is SOLA GRATIA; Grace Alone.

And you immediately begin to ponder, does anyone really have the audacity to not believe in Grace Alone?
• Is there really anyone who would cry “Grace” who would also deny “Grace
Alone”?

And I’m going to tell you “Yes”.

• And then I’m going to tell you that we are locked in a major battle over this
very doctrine to this very day.
• And then I’m going to shock you still further by telling you that this very battle is
occurring within the Baptist denomination.

There are a great many today who believe in grace,
But if pushed to the very brink
Cannot say they hold to “Grace Alone”.

And I’ll explain it to you.
(And this will take many weeks to work through)

So tonight, I simply want to challenge your thinking a little.
One of the great weaknesses of the American church
Is our refusal to want to think deeply about anything.

We are a culture addicted to 20 minute sermonettes
Which just sort of give us 3 spoon fed points about better living,
But rarely do we want to ponder anything deeply.

(Incidentally, this is one of the reasons I am grateful for you, for you have shown yourselves willing to push beyond a nominal understanding into the depths of God’s truth)

Well, that is where we are going to go.
And just like we did with SOLA SCRIPTURA,
I want to begin this study with a question.

When we looked at SOLA SCRIPTURA I asked you: “What dictates what you believe?”

Well in order to study SOLA GRATIA I need to ask you:
“What is the source of your faith?”

I ask you that because there are many in our world today (even our denomination) who whole-heartedly agree that we are justified by faith alone, but they cannot agree on where this faith originates.

• We know that Abraham believed God and that as a result righteousness was
credited to him.
• We know that Paul teaches that we are “justified by faith” and not works.

But the question that we must begin to ponder is
WHERE DOES THIS FAITH COME FROM?

Let me ask it another way:
• When God requires faith for salvation, is that faith something God first
gives to you or something you first give to God?

• Regarding salvation: is faith a gift to you or a contribution from you?

THIS IS ACTUAL A MASSIVE ISSUE
THAT IS CENTRAL TO THE GOSPEL
AND ESPECIALLY THE WAY WE GO ABOUT EVANGELISM.

Now, I know we are talking about the events of the Reformation
Which occurred in the 16th century,
But this conversation really needs to go back about 1,100 years
To the 5th century and an early theologian named Augustin

Augustin of Hippo was a North African theologian
• Who was widely the noted as the most influential theologian of his time, and possibly the most influential theologian of all time.

Regarding salvation Augustin held a view known as MONERGISM
“MONO” means “one”
“ERGO” means “to work”
Simply put that is to say that salvation is “THE WORK OF ONE” (God).

The opposite would be SYNERGISM (“SYN” – together)
Which says that salvation is the result of “working together”.
Salvation is the cooperative work between God and the human will.

Monergism says: “God is the sole active agent and energy, and humans – both collectively and individually – are tools and instruments of God’s grace and wrath.”
[Olson, Roger (The Story of Christian Theology, InterVarsity Press, Downers Grove, IL, 1984) pg. 256]

Synergism says: “God’s agency and human agency cooperate in some way to produce by history and salvation.”
(ibid. 256)

Augustin was the first to really express MONERGISM.
He believed that salvation was all God’s doing
With no help whatsoever from the sinner.

You could ask Augustin about “Free Will” and Augustin would define it like this: “Man is absolutely free to do whatever he wants to do.” The problem is that all man ever wants to do is sin. He said, “A man’s free will avails for nothing except to sin.”
(ibid. pg.272)

He believed that “human beings retain free will even after the Fall. But that free will is conditioned by sin so that it is always turned toward disobedience unless God’s grace intervenes and turns the will in another direction.”
(ibid. pg. 273)

Now in this view Augustin had a famous prayer
Which he taught and often prayed.

He said, “My whole hope is in Thy exceeding great mercy and that alone. Give what Thou commandest and command what Thou wilt. Thou commandest continence [abstinence from immorality] from us, and when I knew, as it is said, that no one could be continent unless God gave it to him, even this was a point of wisdom, to know whose gift it was.”
(ibid. pg. 267)

Augustin believed that whatever God commanded was right,
But he also believed that the only way he would ever be able
To live up to what God commanded
Was if God granted the ability to do so.

And this was the basic belief and doctrine and practice of the 5th century.

However there was a British Monk named Pelagius
Who arrived in Rome around 405
And was appalled by the apparent immoral living of the believers there.

When he read Augustin’s confession in his prayer,
He blamed Augustin’s view for the problem.

• Pelagius rejected Augustin’s view of original sin and held that man is totally able and free to live a righteous life.

• Pelagius held that the sin of Adam affected only Adam and that every person is born without a bent or predisposition toward sin.

• Pelagius simply believed that righteous man was born into a sinful environment which corrupted him through temptation, but sin was totally the choice of man’s free will. (Incubator Effect)

So whereas AUGUSTIN defined free will as “doing what one wants to do”
PELAGIUS defined it as “ability to do otherwise.”

Now, in the great controversy Pelagius was condemned as a heretic by the church as he saw absolutely no essential need for grace whatsoever and Augustin won the day.
BUT PELAGIUS DID OPEN THE DOOR

There arose another man named JOHN CASSIAN
Who sought to sort of bridge the middle ground on the issue.

He by no means wanted to deny the necessity of grace,
He just didn’t want to totally deny the contribution of man either.

His view has been labeled Semi-Pelagianism or “Orthodox Synergism”

Basically Cassian held that:
Man is in absolute need of grace and would be totally lost without it,
But man does in fact contribute to salvation by means of his decision
to accept that grace.

The question could be asked “Does God have compassion on us because we have shown the beginning of good will, or does the beginning of good will follow because God has compassion on us?”
(ibid. pg. 283)

Augustin would say we only have good will
Because God has been compassionate.
Cassian would say God shows compassion
Because we show good will.

If you want Cassian’s view in MODERN DAY TERMS it would be like this:
• “God helps those who help themselves.”

• Also rooted in CASSIAN’S view was the necessity that a sinner “make a decision for Christ”.

He would see grace as essential,
But also saw grace as resistible
(The human will can accept it or reject it),
Therefore salvation really becomes “up to us”.

Now, I hope you are following with me here,
Because I have just outlined for you a battle that continues even today.

There are some who would say that Man is sinful and there is nothing he can do or contribute in order to bring about salvation. If he is to be saved then God must do it all.

And then there are some who would say that God is at work to save sinners by His grace, but the sinner must cooperate with God in order to bring that salvation about.

And I’ll let you stew for a moment to decide which one you believe.

The first is MONERGISM – Man adds nothing, man contributes nothing, God must do it all.

The second is SYNERGISM – God certainly offers grace, but man must at least cooperate by means of his decision to accept it.

And I bring this issue up because in that reality we are asking this:

IS MAN SAVED BY GRACE, OR IS MAN SAVED BY GRACE ALONE?
Does man contribute to God’s grace or is it grace alone?

OBVIOUSLY WE NEED TO TURN TO SCRIPTURE
TO FIND OUT WHICH IS TRUE.

Where this issue is first and foremost determined
Is regarding the issue of the fall and the depravity of man.

Let me spell that out even farther so you’ll know what we are discussing.
When Adam fell, did it affect everyone?
And if it did, how did it affect everyone?

Augustin and the monergists would say that as a result of the fall man is DEAD in sin.
• That is to say he is TOTALLY DEPRAVED
• There is nothing within him capable of doing anything to be saved.
• He has no ability to produce the faith which God requires
• Or even to choose to accept that which God offers.

Cassian and the synergists would say that as a result of the fall man is DESPERATELY SICK and cannot recover apart from grace.
• However, when grace is offered, there is enough goodness in that man by which he can respond positively to the offer of salvation and produce the faith which God requires.

Do you see the difference?

That is why I asked you at the beginning:
WHERE DOES YOUR FAITH COME FROM?
Did God give it to you, or did you give it to God?
Was it a gift from God or a contribution from man?

AND YOU ASK WHY IS THIS ESSENTIAL
TO OUR UNDERSTANDING OF THE GOSPEL OR EVANGELISM?

Because if sinners are capable of responding through their own means then the emphasis of evangelism is on convincing the sinner to respond to grace.

However, if the sinner is incapable of responding on his own then the emphasis of evangelism is on the accuracy of the gospel through which God resurrects that sinner and grants him faith.

In fact, that was one of the arguments of Cassian and remains and argument today, that monergism “cripples the force of preachers and priests”

That is to say, if man can’t be persuaded to accept Christ,
Then of what use are bold and effective preachers?

BUT DO YOU SEE THE RELEVANCE OF THE ISSUE?

I can confidently tell you now which path the BAPTISTS have chosen to walk – SYNERGISM

All of our emphasis has been on doing whatever it takes
To convince the sinner to make a decision for Jesus.

This came from men like Charles Finney, D.L. Moody, even Billy Graham
And the use of the effective altar call and manipulative invitation.

The rise of the modern day altar call and persuasive invitation
Was all rooted in a synergistic belief that not only must God offer grace,
But the sinner must find within himself
The willingness to make a decision for Christ.

And we sing “I Have Decided to Follow Jesus”
And seek to convince sinners to respond.
That has been the basic method and belief of Baptists for many years.

But it presents some major problems, that we need to discuss…

NAMELY THIS: CAN A DEAD MAN RESPOND?

We must examine what the true effects of the fall really were.
• For if Adam only weakened us and made us sick, then yes, we have the ability to persuade and convince sinners to make a decision.

• However, if Adam successfully killed us, then evangelism takes on a whole new method, for there is no possible way that we can even communicate with the dead, let alone convince him to respond.

So we want to start looking the fall of man, and this issue which we refer to as TOTAL DEPRAVITY (or: Absolute Inability)

And to do that I want to start to tonight by looking at Romans 5.
(We’re going to be on this topic a while,
As there are many texts to look at regarding this issue)

NOW: Romans 5 is very pointed.
It is all about the security of the believer.
We have peace with God
We stand in grace
The Love of God has been poured out within our hearts
Jesus rose from the dead to intercede for us
(Paul has addressed all of that in the first 11 verses of the chapter)

Verse 12-21 also speak of the security of salvation
But still, it is VERY DIFFICULT TO UNDERSTAND.

FIRST
It is difficult because it contains a “PARENTHETICAL STATEMENT”
The King James actually includes the parenthesis;
Other translations just insert a hyphen.

In verse 12 Paul says, “Therefore just as through one man sin entered…”

When someone says to you, “just as” or “in the same way”,
You naturally expect them to list both items they are comparing.

If I say, “Just as this pulpit is brown”
You automatically expect me to say, “so is the Lord’s Supper Table”

BUT PAUL SEEMS TO LEAVE US HANGING
He gives us the “just as” in verse 12 but doesn’t finish the statement.

He does finish it, but not until verse 18.
Romans 5:18 “So then as through one transgression there resulted condemnation to all men, even so through one act of righteousness there resulted justification of life to all men.”

So to help you understand the flow of his writing,
Circle the “just as” in verse 12, and draw a line to the “so then” in verse 18.

The reason they are so far apart
Is because Paul inserts this PARENTHETICAL STATEMENT.

Verses 13-17 make up this statement.
They are not part of Paul’s original thought.

Verses 13-17 are not there to add to the theme of the chapter,
They are there to further explain verse 12.

WHAT PAUL WILL DO HERE
Is line Adam and Jesus up side by side,
And then basically ask you; WHO IS STRONGER?
Of course our answer is that Jesus is stronger than Adam.
The point is that if Adam’s one act was able to spread to all men, And Jesus is more powerful than Adam,
Then can’t the one act of Jesus spread to all men as well?

That’s what Paul says when he completes his thought.
Romans 5:18 “So then as through one transgression there resulted condemnation to all men, even so through one act of righteousness there resulted justification of life to all men.”

HOWEVER, while writing verse 12, it dawns on Paul
You and I might not realize how Adam’s one act affected all men.

He realizes that you and I might not know
That through one act of disobedience all of us were made sinners.

And Paul knows that if we don’t understand how one act of Adam
Could make us all sinners,
Then we won’t understand how one act of Jesus
Could make us all righteous.

SO, while the text doesn’t seem to have anything to do
With the security of the believer, it does.
For if you first understand this,
Then you will be able to understand better; the worth of Christ.

WE BELIEVE AS CHRISTIANS
• That we died with Christ, and were raised with Him.
• We also believe that His righteousness is now our righteousness

BUT SOME WOULD ARGUE, IS IT IS REALLY POSSIBLE FOR A DEED WHICH OCCURRED 2,000 YEARS AGO TO EFFECT US TODAY?
How can it be said that you died with Christ 2,000 years ago?
How can it be said that you were raised with Christ 2,000 years ago?
How can it be said that because you died and were raised with Him you
now share in His righteousness?

How can people believe that?
What do people base that belief on?

We based it upon the power of the sin of Adam.

Paul will prove that one act of Jesus can affect us all,
By revealing that the death of Jesus isn’t the first time
That all men were affected by one act.

Before the Second Adam (Jesus) died on a tree,
The first Adam was eating from one, and it powerfully affected us.
#1 THE SOURCE OF SIN
Romans 5:12a

“Therefore just as through one man sin entered into the world”

Romans 5 carries with it the theme of JESUS AS MEDIATOR

Romans 5:1 says, “we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ”
Romans 5:2 says “through whom also we have obtained our introduction…into grace”
Romans 5:9 says “we shall be saved from the wrath of God through Him”
Romans 5:10 says “we were reconciled to God through the death of His Son”
Romans 5:11 says “we also exult in God through our Lord Jesus Christ”

He is the channel through which the blessings and salvation of God flow.

But Jesus wasn’t the first mediator we have seen in Scripture.
The first was a man named Adam.
And he didn’t bring us blessing or salvation.

Through Adam came sin and condemnation.
“through one man sin entered into the world”

SIN WAS NOT ALWAYS IN THE WORLD.
When God created this world, He did not put sin in it.
Genesis 1:31 “God saw all that He had made, and behold, it was very good. And there was evening and there was morning, the sixth day.”

Sin was not in the world.

Satan was filled with pride, and had been removed from heaven,
And even that he swept away a third of the angels with him.
BUT SIN STILL WASN’T IN THE WORLD.

Satan needed a mediator.
And of course he approached a woman named Eve
Who was the wife of the man we call Adam.

Genesis 3:1-7 “Now the serpent was more crafty than any beast of the field which the LORD God had made. And he said to the woman, “Indeed, has God said, ‘You shall not eat from any tree of the garden’?” The woman said to the serpent, “From the fruit of the trees of the garden we may eat; but from the fruit of the tree which is in the middle of the garden, God has said, ‘You shall not eat from it or touch it, or you will die.'” The serpent said to the woman, “You surely will not die! “For God knows that in the day you eat from it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.” When the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was a delight to the eyes, and that the tree was desirable to make one wise, she took from its fruit and ate; and she gave also to her husband with her, and he ate. Then the eyes of both of them were opened, and they knew that they were naked; and they sewed fig leaves together and made themselves loin coverings.”

And sin entered into the world
Adam was the mediator between man and Satan.
Adam was the one who allowed sin to enter.

I know Eve ate it first, but Adam was the Mediator
I’ll explain it to you.
1 Timothy 2:13-14 “For it was Adam who was first created, and then Eve. And it was not Adam who was deceived, but the woman being deceived, fell into transgression.”

Eve was deceived. Satan had her fooled.
God never intended for her to be the one to see through Satan’s plan.

But Adam’s failure was far worse.
Adam wasn’t deceived. Adam was rebellious.

The woman “fell into transgression” thanks to her husband,
But Adam willing transgressed against God.

“transgression” is PARABASIS (par-a-bay-sis)
It means “to go beyond or an overstepping”

That insinuates two things.
1) You knew your boundary.
2) You obstinately chose to break that rule.

Now that was Adam wasn’t it.
Genesis 2:16-17 “The LORD God commanded the man, saying, “From any tree of the garden you may eat freely; but from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat from it you will surely die.”

Eve wasn’t even created yet. (vs. 22)
It was Adam who knew the command.
It was Adam who knew better.

BUT ADAM CHOSE TO ALLOW SIN INTO THIS WORLD.
HE CHOSE TO BE THE MEDIATOR.

And thanks to him, sin entered God’s creation.

So first, the source of sin
#2 THE SIDEKICK OF SIN
Romans 5:12b

“through one man sin entered into this world, and death through sin”

What Adam failed to realize
Is the same thing many people fail to realize
When choosing to entertain blatant rebellion against God.
AND THAT IS THAT SIN NEVER WORKS ALONE.

Sin has a very intimate friend, and he never travels without him.
THE SIDEKICK OF SIN IS DEATH.

If you hold the door open for sin,
Then sin will get right in the middle of the door,
And hold it open for death.

James 1:15 “Then when lust has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and when sin is accomplished, it brings forth death.”

And certainly Adam learned this.
Not only was the serpent doomed to lick the dust…
Not only was the woman doomed to pain in childbearing…
Not only was creation doomed to futility…

BUT DEATH WAS NOW UPON US.
Genesis 3:17-19 “Then to Adam He said, “Because you have listened to the voice of your wife, and have eaten from the tree about which I commanded you, saying, ‘You shall not eat from it’; Cursed is the ground because of you; In toil you will eat of it All the days of your life. “Both thorns and thistles it shall grow for you; And you will eat the plants of the field; By the sweat of your face You will eat bread, Till you return to the ground, Because from it you were taken; For you are dust, And to dust you shall return.”

And of course this played a very real role in the life of Adam.
Genesis 4:8 “Cain told Abel his brother. And it came about when they were in the field, that Cain rose up against Abel his brother and killed him.”

But Adam was staring at more than just the grave of Abel.
Adam was staring consequence for his rebellion right in the face.

When Adam chose to be a mediator for sin,
Sin brought death with him.

And this much we all probably understand.
But it’s the next point that Paul wanted to make sure you and I understood.

The Source of Sin The Sidekick of Sin
#3 THE SPREADING OF SIN
Romans 5:12c

“and so death spread to all men, because all sinned”

Now it is very easy to read that text as though when men were born,
We eventually made the same mistake of Adam, and that is why we die too.

While we do all sin, THAT IS NOT WHAT PAUL IS SAYING HERE.
Look up to the top of the chapter for a moment.
Romans 5:1 “Therefore, HAVING BEEN JUSTIFIED by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ”

You see the word “justified” there
It is in the AORIST, or the POINT tense.

That meant Paul was not speaking of an ongoing event,
But rather one event that took place at one instance in the past

At one point, we were instantly and permanently made right with God.
I remind you of that, because
That is the exact same tense that Paul uses here.

When he says that “all sinned”,
HE IS NOT referring to the weakness of mankind to give in to sin.
He is explaining something that happened at one point in the past.

There was an exact point in the timeline of history,
That “all sinned”.

That point was when Adam sinned
It totally infected everyone who would come after him with sin.

Paul will say it a little clearer later in the chapter.
Romans 5:18a “So then as through one transgression there resulted condemnation to all men…”

Romans 5:19a “For as through the one man’s disobedience the many were made sinners…”

Paul doesn’t say in either of those places that we had done anything yet.
But when Adam sinned instantly we were all condemned.
When Adam sinned, instantly we were all sinners.

What Adam did affected the entire human race,
Because the entire human race came from him.

John MacArthur wrote
“[Adam’s] sin became mankind’s sin, because all mankind were in his loins.”
(MacArthur, John; The MacArthur New Testament Commentary: Romans 1-8 [Moody Press, Chicago, Ill; 1991] pg. 296)

When Adam sinned, because we are his seed, we all fell with him.
When Adam sinned we all sinned with him.
When Adam was condemned we were all condemned with him.

This is where the sinful flesh came from.
David said
Psalms 51:5 “Behold, I was brought forth in iniquity, And in sin my mother conceived me.”

Psalms 58:3 “The wicked are estranged from the womb; These who speak lies go astray from birth.”

This is why when Jesus showed up He said:
John 3:3 “Jesus answered and said to him, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God.”

We sometimes develop an erroneous view about mankind.
WE THINK MAN BECOMES A SINNER AFTER HE SINS.
The Bible says that man sins because HE IS A SINNER.

The deeds don’t affect the heart,
The heart affects the deeds.
Matthew 15:19 “For out of the heart come evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness, slanders.”

Jeremiah said:
Jeremiah 17:9 “The heart is more deceitful than all else And is desperately sick; Who can understand it?”

Mankind doesn’t become a sinner after committing his first sin.
Mankind is born sinful.

No one has to teach a newborn to be selfish.
No one has to teach a newborn to have a fit of rage.
No one has to teach a toddler to be self-indulgent.’

He inherited that from his father – Adam.

He is not born righteous until he commits his first sin,
He is born a sinner, and it is only a matter of time until sin evidences itself in his life.