The subject of time is always to the fore when you come to the end of the year for obvious reasons. It reminds us of the passing of time. We are moving from one year into the next. So here in just a few days in the will of the Lord, we will wave goodbye to 2020 and we will be into the year 2021. In Ecclesiastes chapter 3, there are quite a few mentions of the subject of time. The chapter begins, to everything there is a season and a time to every purpose under the heaven. And what follows is all about time. a time to be born, a time to die, a time to kill, a time to heal, a time to weep, a time to laugh, and so on and so forth. Then we have those lovely words in verse 11, He, that is the Lord, hath made everything beautiful in His time. The subject of time is very much in our minds. tonight. When we think about time, time is divided into the past and the future. We think as the Apostle Paul did of the things that are behind and the things that are before or ahead of us. Time is thus divided. We think about the time that is past We think about the time that is yet to come in the will of the Lord. Thinking about the subject of the time that is past, my mind was drawn to a verse in this chapter, a part of a verse, which is verse 15. Ecclesiastes 3, verse 15. It says there, that which hath been is now, and that which is to be hath already been. Really fitting in with a theme that you discover is in every part of Ecclesiastes, which is that there is nothing new under the sun. All that we've seen before, we're going to see in the future. And really, there's nothing new. There's nothing that's very different. You may think that something is new. You may imagine that something is different. But actually, in a very real sense, there's nothing new under the sun. But it mentions here the past. And God requireth that which is past. We're at the end of the year. And we can look back upon not just the 12 months that are almost gone and think of that as the past, but the past of our entire lifetime since you and I were born. It's all now been consigned to the past. It's over and done with. But as we think about the past, the past, it cannot be altered, it cannot be changed. It stands forever, and that's a very solemn thing for us to consider, because this text tells us something that we need to pay attention to, and it is that God requireth that which is passed. I want to take this particular text in a gospel sense, And I want us to think of three very simple things in relation to the past. The first thing I want you to consider with me is this, that a record of our past is inscribed. A record of our past is inscribed. Now we know what recordings are. It used to be many years ago that there were these things called reel-to-reel recorders. They were a pain in the neck because they were very prone to breaking. The tape would break and you'd have to reset it, but that's how they recorded things. And then they moved from that to a very smaller version within a little thing called a cassette tape. I know that children and young people watching this probably won't even know what that is. But a cassette tape used to be put inside a tape recorder and it could be used to record music or sound or speech and also it could be used to play back that which had been recorded. There have been many, many updates on the reel-to-reel recorder and tape recorders and cassette tapes. We move to CDs and DVDs and then of course we have MP3 players and with all manner of different digital devices even the thing that I'm using to record tonight's audio message is called a digital voice recorder and you can record what you've said, the music that has been played and then you can play it back and you can upload it to a computer and so on and so forth. Think about this, God doesn't need any sort of recording device. In order to keep a record of every person's life, the Bible teaches us very clearly that God actually does have a record of things. There are things that God writes down, even as you and I are living from day to day. If you turn to Ecclesiastes chapter 11, in verse 9, It says, Rejoice, O young man, in thy youth, and let thy heart cheer thee in the days of thy youth, and walk in the ways of thine heart and in the sight of thine eyes. But know thou that for all these things God will bring thee into judgment. Now, how will God bring you into judgment for all of these things? Simply because He has recorded and is recording those things. The Lord has a record of all that has ever happened and of all that will ever happen. And just as men may record events that happen in life by means of various devices, there are records that are kept by the authorities in various countries. If you think about it, there are criminal records that are kept by those who are in power. They can look up your criminal record. And if you pay money, you can even look that up yourself. Someone else's criminal record. There are all sorts of records that are kept in the Parliament of the United Kingdom. There is a record of all the speeches that are made. and it is printed out in what is known as Hansard. There are recordings that people keep of past events and we've all enjoyed in our homes with our families those old films or video recordings in the days of VHS and so on and even more modern ways of recording things and we've looked in our computers and so on and seeing all those funny times that we spent together with family and friends. All proof of the possibility of making and keeping a record of happenings. Men keep records, so what of God? Is God not capable of keeping an infallible record of the lives of men and women? He is. And not only is He able to keep a record He does keep a record. And your past life and my past life is inscribed in heaven. A record of our past is inscribed. Now that might be a fearful thought for you to consider. But just think about it. Matthew chapter 12 teaches us that our words are recorded. That's right. The words that you have spoken, words that you spoke in anger, words that you spoke in haste, words that you spoke even in jest, they've all been recorded. Matthew 12, verses 36 and 37, Jesus said, But I say unto you that every idle word that men shall speak, they shall give account thereof in the day of judgment. For by thy words thou shalt be justified, and by thy words thou shalt be condemned." How are you going to be able to give account of every idle word in the Day of Judgment? Because God has recorded it. Not one idle word has escaped His record. And something that might even be an encouragement as well as a challenge to God's people is that even among them, a record is kept of their speech by the Lord. I see in Malachi, the last book of the Old Testament, in chapter 3, verse 16, then they that feared the Lord spake often one to another. And the Lord hearkened and heard it, And a book of remembrance was written before him for them that feared the Lord and that thought upon his name." A book of remembrance was written before him. Think about the ungodly. And all those occasions when they curse and swear and they take the Lord's name in vain, they use the name of Jesus or God as a swear word. Every time they tell a lie, God keeps a record of it. Friend, let me tell you, your words are recorded. Something else we notice, a record of our past is inscribed and that includes the fact that our deeds are recorded. The things that we do. Romans chapter 2 and verse 6, it says of the Lord, who will render to every man according to his deeds. There's another place where Paul wrote to the Corinthians that all the deeds that are done in the body, men will give an account to God for them. Because God writes down the deeds done. Everything that you did, in secret or in public, thinking perhaps that no one saw that or knew anything about it. God saw. God knows. God has recorded it in heaven. Because you see, there is nothing that you and I have done that's hidden from His sight. This we are assured of by the Apostle. In Hebrews 4, verse 13, Neither is there any creature that is not manifest in his sight, but all things are naked and opened unto the eyes of him with whom we have to do. There was a woman in the Old Testament who was the handmaid of Abraham's wife, Sarah. Her name was Hagar. And on one occasion she looked up to the Lord and she said, Thou God seest me. Thou God seest me. Our words are recorded. Our deeds are recorded. But then we can say also our thoughts are recorded. Oh yes, our thoughts We've already read there in Malachi chapter 3 about those that thought upon His name. God writes down in His record the sinful thoughts and desires of the hearts of men. We are taught this in many places, not least in Psalm 139. The first four verses there of that psalm. Put it like this. Psalm 139, verse 1, O Lord, Thou hast searched me and known me. Thou knowest my down-sitting and mine up-rising. Thou understandest my thought afar off. Thou compassest my path and my lying down, and art acquainted with all my ways. For there is not a word in my tongue, but lo, O Lord, Thou knowest it all together. I understand as my thought afar off. Have you ever considered this? That none of the thoughts that enter your head are really a secret to God. In the book of Matthew, in the chapter 9 and in the verse 4, it says And Jesus, knowing their thoughts, said, Wherefore think ye evil in your hearts? Jesus, knowing their thoughts. What does that tell us? Well, it tells us that Jesus is God, manifest in flesh. It tells us that the Lord Jesus Christ is divine. He knows the very thoughts of men. Now there are times when you would be speaking to someone and you may imagine that you know what they're thinking. And sometimes you may know what they're thinking. Other times you don't know. You're just guessing. The Lord doesn't have to guess. The Lord knows what our thoughts are. And He has recorded them. The great book of your life is being inscribed. It's being written down. A record of our past is inscribed. That's a solemn thought, isn't it? But secondly, let me mention this. A reversal of our past is impossible. Let me say that again. A reversal of our past is impossible. When Pilate put a superscription above the Lord on the cross, there were those who didn't like it, because they didn't accept Jesus as the King of the Jews. And he wrote, this is Jesus of Nazareth, the King of the Jews. And they came to him complaining, the religious leaders of Israel. And they said, no, we don't want that to be put above his head. And Pilate said, what I have written, I have written. And you know that's true of your life. And that's true of my life. What I have written, I have written. It's like the law of the Medes and the Persians in the days of Daniel. It cannot be altered. How often have you heard someone say, if I could only live my life over again. If I could only go back and change this and change that. But you can't friend, you can't. You cannot spend your time crying over spilt milk. It's impossible to go back and have a do-over. And even if you could live a new life from this moment on, It would not erase the past, would it? All the good deeds done in the future would never be able to atone for the sins, the bad deeds that you've already committed, because what you have done in the past will stand. Your works are recorded for God's future reference at the judgment. Again, solemn words, Revelation 20 and verse 12. And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God, and the books were opened. And another book was opened, which is the book of life. And the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books according to their works. the things written in those books according to their works. There's a record, you see, that has been and is being inscribed. And that record will be coming out on the day of judgment. Of course, it's possible to regret the past. It's possible to wish that it could be altered, but it cannot. There are certain verses that bring this truth home to our hearts. For example, in 2 Samuel, chapter 12, verses 13, 14 and 23, it says this. 2 Samuel 12, 13 and 14. And David said unto Nathan, I have sinned against the Lord. And Nathan said unto David, The Lord also hath put away thy sin. Thou shalt not die. How be it? Because by this deed thou hast given great occasion to the enemies of the Lord to blaspheme. The child also that is born unto thee shall surely die." Verse 23. But now he is dead. This is after the child is gone. He says, wherefore should I fast? Can I bring him back again? The past could not be altered. Again, we have that scripture in the Gospels in Matthew chapter 27. At that time when the Lord is going to be taken to the cross. Matthew chapter 27. We read about Judas Iscariot, the traitor, the betrayer, in verses 3 and 4. Then Judas, which had betrayed him when he saw that he was condemned, repented himself and brought again the thirty pieces of silver to the chief priests and elders saying, I have sinned in that I have betrayed the innocent blood. And they said, what is that to us? See thou to that. Couldn't be changed. Already been done. The damage was done. Again, we might read Hebrews chapter 12, and there in verses 16 and 17, there's this story of Esau. Hebrews 12, 16 and 17, and it's a warning to others, lest there be any fornicator or profane person as Esau, who for one morsel of meat sold his birthright. For ye know how that afterward, when he would have inherited the blessing, he was rejected. For he found no place of repentance. That literally means he found no way to change his father's mind toward him on the matter. Though he sought it carefully with tears. Remember that story how he said to his father, oh father, bless me also, bless me, bless me indeed. The past you see is over and done with, it can't be reversed. And one very good example of this is the sin of the tongue. You and I know this by experience that words once spoken can never be recalled. You say something, you may regret it, You may be sorry for it, but you've spoken those words and that is that. You can't turn the clock back. You can't live your life all over again. It stands. And we think about the convicted criminal. He has a record. He has what we call a rap sheet. And despite what he does in the future, that record is still there. It has not been expunged. So God has your past record in mind, and He will keep it regardless of what you may do in days to come. This is a serious message, isn't it? A record of our past is inscribed. And a reversal of our past is impossible. But there's a third thing, and this is a word of hope. A remedy for our past is imperative. But preacher, you said that you couldn't change the past. That's right. But preacher, you said that the past, once over and done with, can't be reversed. This is so. And the verse that we're looking at, Ecclesiastes 3 verse 15 says, And God requireth that which is past. In other words, God will require each of us to give an account before Him at the judgment for these things. We've already read the verses in Revelation 20. The book of Romans chapter 2 teaches us that even the secrets of men will be judged. The words and the deeds of many are going to be recompensed at the judgment This is what we read in the little epistle of Jude, that one chapter, verses 14 and 15. And Enoch also the seventh from Adam prophesied of these, saying, Behold, the Lord cometh with ten thousands of his saints to execute judgment upon all, and to convince all that are ungodly among them of all their ungodly deeds which they have ungodly committed. and of all their hard speeches which ungodly sinners have spoken against Him. There is a day of reckoning ahead for sinners. Whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap. There's a day of reaping that's coming. Galatians 6, verses 7 and 8. Assure us of this. Be not deceived. God is not mocked. For whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap. For he that soweth to his flesh shall of the flesh reap corruption. But he that soweth to the Spirit shall of the Spirit reap life everlasting. Whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap. What is sown now in time is harvested in eternity. So if this is true, my friend, how will you face God? If, as the Bible teaches us here in our text, God requires that which is past and will punish men for it, what will you do? What can you do? Well, thank God, this is where the hope of the gospel comes in. There is a remedy if you will take it. There is a remedy if you will have it for the sins of the past. And it is imperative that you do receive it. You might say, well, preacher, what can I do about the past? You've already said that we can't change it. We can't go back and fix it. So what can I do? What must I do? That was a question that was posed to Peter and the apostles on the day of Pentecost. In the book of Acts chapter 2 we read in verses 37 and 38 the following. Now when they heard this they were pricked in their heart. That means they were convicted. Their hearts were cut open as with a slender knife, and they said unto Peter and to the rest of the apostles, Men and Brethren, what shall we do? What shall we do? Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost. Repent. repent. The past can be wiped out, so to speak, by faith in the finished work of Jesus Christ. He is the remedy for the sins of the past. Listen to the wonderful gospel words of Paul in Romans chapter 3. From verse 23, We have the bad news there in Romans 3.23. For all have sinned. That excludes no one. That leaves no one out. For all have sinned. You and me. And come short of the glory of God. That means they are constantly coming short of God's standards. So all have sinned, they're already sinners, and they continue to fall short of the glory of God. But then it says this, being justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation, and that means a place of the turning away of wrath for sin, The mercy seat where the blood was shed and God's wrath was turned away, it was called the propitiatory. Whom God has set forth to be a propitiation through faith in His blood to declare His righteousness, notice it, for the remission of sins that are past through the forbearance of God. To declare His righteousness for the remission of sins that are past. The sins that are past must be acknowledged, they must be confessed to God, and they must be repented of. And by receiving the Saviour who was punished at Calvary for those sins, your sinful record will be wiped out and covered over by His blood. That's the good news of the Gospel. The blood of Jesus Christ, God's Son, cleanseth us from all sin. His blood washes away our sins. Acts chapter 3 and verse 19. Again, it's the Apostle Peter, and he says, Repent ye therefore and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out. I've used the illustration of the school blackboard. And a child is brought to the front and he writes a wrong word. He makes a spelling error in the word or he does a calculation and he has something wrong in that sum. He multiplied it wrong. He added it wrong. He subtracted it wrong. The teacher takes a duster, this is the old days of course, and he rubs it out. And no trace of it is left. That's what Christ can do and that's what Christ will do with your sins that are brought to Him in repentance. He will rub out the wrongs of our past. If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. You think of some of the words that are used in the Old Testament for forgive. It literally means to send away. sending away our sins so that no trace is left. What a wonderful gospel truth that is. That there is forgiveness with God. The psalmist could rejoice in that when in Psalm 51 he prayed that great penitent prayer, Have mercy upon me, O God, according to Thy lovingkindness, according unto the multitude of Thy tender mercies. Blot out Blot out my transgressions. Wash me thoroughly from mine iniquity and cleanse me from my sin. For I acknowledge my transgressions and my sin is ever before me. Purge me with hyssop and I shall be clean. Wash me and I shall be whiter than snow. We sang that earlier in the service, didn't we? Now wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow." Oh friend, without Christ tonight, you need this remedy for sin. Because if those things that are past, if those sins are not laid on Jesus, then they're still upon you. And God will judge you for them. See, this is the thing. God has the remedy for that which is past, and it's because He still has required it. I think some people have the wrong idea when it comes to the forgiveness of sin. They imagine that God looks at all of our sins, they're real, they're before Him in a great aggregate, a great record, And God just says, you know what, I'm just going to have mercy on that person and I'll just wipe all those sins away. Without any regard for the fact that the law of God says, the soul that sinneth it shall die. Despite the fact that the law of God has already written that there must be satisfaction for those sins. God doesn't just forgive sin willy-nilly because he feels like it. God forgives sin only on the basis of atonement. Only on the basis of that sin having been paid for, atoned for, by our Substitute and our Saviour. That's why our sins were laid upon Jesus. The spotless Lamb of God who bore them all and frees us from the accursed load. You see this pictured in the Old Testament in the types. when the priest would take that animal and he would confess over its head all the sins and the transgressions and the iniquities of the children of Israel. He would confess all their sins there and he would place his hands on the head of that animal, figuratively transferring the guilt of those sins to that animal's head. And then that animal would be taken away into a far place, into the wilderness, out of sight, and let go. Typifying the fact that our Lord Jesus Christ had our sins laid upon Him. And He bore them away in His own body upon the tree. Oh, sin has to be atoned for. God requireth that which is past God sees that sin. It's real. It needs to be atoned for. It needs to be dealt with, either in the sinner himself who goes to hell for his sins, or in the person of his substitute who dies in his place for those sins. Which is it to be, friend? Will you die in your sins and therefore be punished throughout all the endless ages of eternity because those sins still have to be required of you? Or will you figuratively transfer your sins to the head of Christ? Will you say, by faith, My faith would lay her hand on that dear head of thine, while like a penitent I stand and there confess my sin." Because Jesus, the Lamb of God, takes our sin away. God has a remedy for the past. Hebrews chapter 10 and verse 12 speaks of that wonderful work of Christ. He says, But this man, after he had offered one sacrifice for sins forever, sat down in the right hand of God. Thank God there is no need for masses, for any reenactments of the cross. There is no need for an ongoing atonement because Christ has once suffered for sins. And therefore, Hebrews 10, 17, says, and their sins and iniquities will I remember no more. That's not a contradiction of the Old Testament verse, God requireth that which is past. Because God has required that which is past of Christ His Son. And therefore we are set free. That's what the Gospel teaches. I ask you tonight, if you're not saved, do you want your sins taken away? Do you want your record to be expunged? Do you want your sins wiped out to be remembered no more? Then come to Christ in repentance now. Because He has suffered for sinners like you and me. And on the basis of the work of Christ, when you ask the Lord to save you, Looking to Christ as your atonement, God will remove the guilty stains and make you appear in His sight as holy as Christ is. That's what justification is. That is why we read in Acts 13 verse 39, And by Him, Christ, all that believe are justified from all things. from which you could not be justified by the law of Moses. Justified from all things, that means that your sins are pardoned, they're taken away because Christ bore the punishment for them and His righteousness is imputed to you. It's as if you've kept in your own person the holy law of God perfectly. What a gospel we have. And what does this mean? For the person who comes to Christ, realizing that a remedy for his past is imperative, he can face that judgment seat and there will be no record produced for him to answer. For Christ has already stood at the bar of God and answered for those sins. He has already blotted out everything that was ever written against your name. What beautiful truths these are, recorded in Romans chapter 8, verses 33 and 34, in a series of questions. Who shall lay anything to the charge of God's elect? Here's God's elect standing in the courtroom. Who's going to bring a charge against Him for that which is past? The answer? It is God that justifieth. Again, who is He that condemneth? It is Christ that died, yea, rather, that is risen again, who is even at the right hand of God, who also maketh intercession for us. Therefore, who shall separate us from the love of Christ? The hymn writer said, Bold shall I stand in thy great day, For who ought to my charge shall lay, Fully absolved through these I am, From sin and fear, from guilt and shame. Jesus, thy blood and righteousness, My beauty are, my glorious dress, midst flaming worlds in these arrayed, with joy shall I lift up my head. There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus." Listen, the gospel promise is, whosoever believeth hath everlasting life. Will you step out on the promise? and get under the blood. It's necessary. It's essential. If God requireth that which is past, and he does, you must be saved. You can't save yourself. I can't save you. No preacher, pastor, priest, prelate, or pope, or potentate can take away your sins. Only Jesus can do helpless sinners good. And thank God we may say tonight that the Lord is willing to save you if you're willing to come to Him. If you have never done so, let me urge you tonight to throw down your puny arms of rebellion against God and embrace Christ as He is freely offered to you in the Gospel message. There's a Saviour who stands tonight, willing to save all who come unto Him. He said it Himself, Come unto Me, all you that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Will you come to Him? Will you trust Him? Will you receive Him, whom to know is life eternal? May God give you grace even tonight to come and be saved.