I too welcome you all this morning to Emmanuel Baptist Church. It's good to see you all. Continue today in our brief four sermon series on the last things. Thank you. In plain sight, all over the United States of America, There is an immense silent witness to the second coming of Jesus Christ and the resurrection from the dead. This witness is found in all 50 states. It's found in North America, that includes Canada. It's found in Central and South America. It's found in East and Western Europe. This witness is in Africa, it's in Asia. And to my knowledge, it is on every continent and every country on the earth. It's a witness of the coming again of Jesus Christ and the resurrection from the dead. All across the United States at the same time, Christian signs like the cross, perhaps even a fish, words like Christmas even, pageants like school plays, nativity scenes are ruled as illegal and you cannot have them. Children are prevented from having Christmas plays, let's say, in public schools. Displays of Christian faith are not only frowned upon, but people are sued, carried to court. Not just in public, the public arena when I'm thinking about when I say that I'm talking about tax supported places also in private businesses. We've read about court cases where a business is taken to court and sued because they would not engage in certain activity because of their Christian faith. But practically in every town in this nation, even where they can't have a nativity scene or a play or whatever that's been ruled illegal. And practically in every town and city and village in the United States of America, there remains this witness of the coming again of Jesus Christ and the resurrection of the dead. And in most towns and most places, this witness is maintained, actually it was created by, it's maintained by public tax dollars. In our nation's capital, Christ is denied and mocked. And of course, any legislation to do with anything Christian would be frowned upon, rejected, denied. And yet a mere six miles away, a 639 acre national park supported by tax dollars, dedicated, at least the very concept of the park, is a witness to the second coming of Jesus Christ and the resurrection from the dead. And the 639 acres I'm referring to is Arlington. One of you ladies, show her where the nursery is, if she doesn't know. Somebody please, the man's going to. Thank you. And so the park I'm referring to, the memorial, the witness I'm referring to is Arlington. And all over the world, in every continent, in every country, throughout all 50 states, there are cemeteries. And in those cemeteries, literally there are millions of graves. And in most of those cemeteries and most of those graves, they're on an east-west axis. Why? Let me just show you what I was talking about in Arlington. That gives you a sense of the scope. And also there's two pictures there to give you the sense of the east-west axis. the Tomb of the Unknown, and just a picture of, I'm gonna stop right, just a picture of some graves. But it shows you the east-west axis. Why are they on the east-west axis? And that's true all over the world. Now, not every cemetery, not every grave is that way. Now, I know that. There are exceptions. But predominantly, this is the case. What's that all about? Well, that's Christian. And it's a testimony. And the reason the graves are that way is because of the idea of Christianity that when Christ comes again, he's coming from the east. And so people are buried facing the east so that when Christ comes and their bodies are raised from the grave, they will rise from the grave facing the coming Christ. And so we have millions and millions and millions and millions of witnesses all over the world of the second coming and the resurrection from the dead. And I just find that, can I say humorous? And it's towns and cities all over the world and atheistic countries, there is this witness and you go, What's that all about? And I say that and I'm going, I hope they don't go out one day and decide they're going to reorient everything. They probably will. Which I thought about this. And I want to be careful here. Because I know this is a very Emotional topic. But I've been asked this as a pastor before. And. And I don't think there's a right or wrong answer to this. But I've been asked before about cremation versus burial. And I don't think there's a right or wrong. And I think the cause of pricing today, a lot of people going towards cremation because you can't afford burial anymore. And I think space is also going to become an issue in our country. And so I realized that. And so I'm not trying to say, well, cremated, that's a sin. I'm not saying that. Don't take it that way. I don't mean it that way. But I think that the concept of burial is kind of being lost because of what I just said in our culture and around the world. And so I have a fear that that concept will be lost. And so that's all I'll say about that. I don't mean it's, this is right and that's wrong. This is a sin, that's not a sin. I'm just saying there's a concept there, and that concept can be lost. But I also realize in our culture, we're being forced in a direction because of cost, space, et cetera, et cetera. So I realize that. And at the end of the day, and I'll talk about this more when I get to Revelation in a while, at the end of the day, it doesn't matter what my body may be like when Christ comes back. That's not the issue. But there is also the issue that we should not devalue the body. And that's been part of what I've been trying to emphasize in this series at this point, because my body has been redeemed and it will come forth to glorify. So enough of that. Well, as I mentioned a moment ago, we've been in a brief series on the last things. Our topics have been death, the intermediate state, and today we want to look at the resurrection and judgment. And I've stressed, tried to stress, that the great hope and goal of the Christian is not to simply die and go to heaven. And I'm afraid that's where a lot of times Christian faith has left the believers in church. You know, our great goal is simply to die and go to heaven. Well, no, that's not our great goal. That's not the end. The great goal and great hope of the believer is the return of Jesus Christ and the resurrection. That's the great end. That's what the majority of scripture on this subject is about. The coming again of Christ and the resurrection and the reuniting of soul and body and being with the Lord forever in glory. So the next great redemptive event is the second coming of our Lord and those events that accompany that. So today we wanna focus on the resurrection and judgment. And I ask you to turn in your Bibles to John chapter five, and I'll read verses 25 through 29, and then we want to turn to Revelation chapter 20. And I want to read what I consider corresponding verses. in Revelation 20. John chapter five, verse 25. Actually, I wanna back up to verse 24. Start reading verse 24. John 5, 24. May we hear God's word. Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life. He does not come into judgment, but has passed from death to life. Truly, truly, I say to you, an hour is coming and is now here when the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God and those who hear will live. For as the father has life in himself, so he has granted the son also to have life in himself. And he has given him authority to execute judgment because he is the son of man. Do not marvel at this, for an hour is coming when all who are in the tombs will hear his voice and come out those who have done good to the resurrection of life, those who have done evil to the resurrection of judgment. Now, if you would, please turn to Revelation chapter 20. And we'll read verses 11 through 15, even though the entire chapter is pertinent to our thoughts and conversation. I'll read at this time, beginning at verse 11. Then I saw a great white throne and him who was seated on it. From his presence, earth and sky fled away, and no place was found for them. And I saw the dead, great and small. standing before the throne and books were opened. Then another book was opened, which is the book of life. And the dead were judged by what was written in the books, according to what they had done. And the sea gave up the dead who were in it. Death and Hades gave up the dead who were in them. And they were judged, each one of them according to what they had done. 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. May God be pleased to bless his word and let his people say. Let's pray. Holy Father, we are grateful for your word. every jot and tittle of it. And we ask now that you would bless our thoughts and considerations of these two great passages of scripture that we have read. Give us ears to hear, minds to understand, hearts to receive, faith to believe. Lord, teach us from your word May these words resonate deep in our very beings. May they encourage your people. May they cause us to rejoice in Christ, our King, and anticipate that great day of the coming of our Lord. And as there be one present that knows not our Lord, We pray that this would be the day you would be pleased to speak to them and draw them effectually, savingly to Jesus Christ, the Savior. We ask these things in Jesus name. Amen. Surely we would consider the resurrection and judgment, the second coming, the resurrection judgment, surely we would consider these as cardinal doctrines of Christianity. Albeit we live in a very confusing world, we live in a day of subjective truth, a day of transgender, non-binary people. A day where a man can say, I feel like a woman, and you best treat them like a woman. Or a day that a woman may say, well, I'm not male nor female. I'm neither. And you have to agree they're neither, even though if they're unconscious and they go to the hospital and they do a workup on them at the hospital, I guarantee you biologically, They're going to be one or the other, but that doesn't matter. Science doesn't matter even though we say we're going to follow the science. No, we don't. It doesn't matter. So we live in a day of subjective truth. It's not really truth, truth. It's just how I feel truth that really kind of takes the day. We live in what's called the information age. We live in a plural society, but we live in an information age. We live in a time of overload of information, 24-7 coming at us all the time from every angle, more information than we can absorb. Like you, sometimes I just shut it all off, leave my phone somewhere else, and just get away from it, because it's maddening. And it's just too much. I can't remember the number I mentioned. Al, what was the number I mentioned Wednesday night of just the books that were published? You call that number? It was well in the tens of millions, but I cannot remember. I can't remember if it was six or 10. But it was several million new books per year, not the republication of books, but just new stuff. And it's like, oh. And then of that, there was a significant number that are Christian. then you go my goodness and it's just overwhelming it comes at us it's like a tidal wave every year so like a tidal wave coming at you well theologically it's a confusing world it's a subjective truth world theologically too there are claims to be christian but They deny carnal doctrinal truth. Some reject essential doctrines like the virgin birth, deity of Christ, the resurrection, second coming, and they claim to be Christian. One writer has noted in some liberal mainline Protestant churches, like the Episcopalians, it's quite possible, and other mainline groups as well, it's quite possible for a clergyman to deny the resurrection without being chastised, much less defraud. It doesn't matter. Or you can live a moral life. And it doesn't matter. Some reject the church and still claim to be Christian. Well, I reject those claims personally. But others say, well, I don't have to believe in these cardinal truths. I'm still Christian. And there is the loggerhead. We also live in a day of competing voices. So many views on so many subjects, it leads to confusion. And I guarantee you, eschatology is one of those areas where there are many voices and much confusion. And the resurrection and judgment is two subjects in eschatology where there's a lot of competing voices. And one's millennial view. whether a person is pre-meal, post-meal, and what various variation of pre-meal they may hold to, whatever, that all comes to play when you start looking at these passages I have just read, and it leads to so much confusion. Well, what I'm going to be presenting to you today, I think is representative of reformed position, reformed theology. It's in agreement with our confession. I think it's biblical. It's a position I've held for quite a while. I readily confess these topics are great. I have much to learn. And I do not intend my message to be polemical, but pastoral. And if I say something, you go, I don't believe it that way. Well, that's fine. I'm not here to rub you wrong. I'm just here to try to preach from the Word of God. And I understand that there's all kinds of views on these topics. Now let's consider our text. Let's begin with the context of John 5. What's going on in John 5? What's happening? Well, of course, Jesus has healed somebody on the Sabbath, and that has upset Pharisees. And verse 17, Jesus answers some of their accusations by saying, my father is working until now, and I am working. And verse 18, we get to the crux of the matter. And it says, this is why the Jews were seeking all the more to kill him because not only was he breaking the Sabbath, that was the accusation, he did not break the Sabbath. He kept the fourth commandment. But because not only was he breaking the Sabbath, but he was even calling God his own father, making himself equal with God. That is the crux of the matter right there. the deity of Christ. And they are in a murderous rage. How dare this man? He not only performed a miracle, which the work should tell them a lot, but now it's not only what he did, but who he is. And that has really sent them over the edge. And so they're seeking to kill him because he called God his father. And they rightly understood that this is equality. This is the deity of Christ. And so in verse 19 and following the rest of this section is Jesus's response to this murderous rage. Now, his answer is not a quiet answer. He doesn't pat them on the head and say, now, boys, calm down. Let me try to reason with you here. But it's the coup de grace, if you would. I mean, he just, not only does he stick it, but he twists the knife. Because rather than backing off, he goes forward with his answer. And there's two things in particular that we want to see that he says that he has power to, power of, that exclusively belong to God. And they understand that. So rather than retreating, he moves it forward. So verses 19 and following, is Christ's response to this. He doesn't seek to moderate his earlier answer, but as Hendrickson says, he strengthens it by means of a majestic introductory formula, I most solemnly assure you, or we have in the ESV, truly, truly, or verily, verily, or in the Greek, amen, amen, amen, amen. This is a most certain statement, I say unto you, This is Christ's response to them. Now, his argument continues to stress his unity, his deity, but his unity with the father. Now look at verse 20. In the ending part of verse 20, he says, for the father loves the son and shows him all he himself is doing and greater works than these. will he show him so that you may marvel. Now, what are these greater works? And again, those are two things here that exclusively belong to God, but what are these greater works? Well, in verse 21, for as the father raises the dead, that's exclusively belongs to God, who has the power to raise the dead. The Jews know quite well that it's God. For as the father raises the dead and gives them life, so also the son gives life to whom he will. That's number one, that's the greater work. Number two, verse 22, the father judges no one, but has given all judgment to the son. That's the second work that exclusively belongs to God. One is raising the dead and two is judgment. And he says, both of these belong to the son, to him, to Christ, to Jesus. So rather than backing away, he's pushed it forward. He says, now these two greater works belong to the son, raising the dead and judgment. So I want you to see the context as we move into this. James Voice Notes put together these statements set forth. Christ claimed that Jesus is God and acts with God from the beginning of all things to the end from creation to the final judgment from eternity to eternity. So he is claiming that he is God. He is acting with God in. And that fact of raising the dead and of judgment. Now we go to verse 23. The cause of that all may honor the son just as they honor the father. And whoever does not honor the son does not honor the father who sent him. These murderous Jews thought they were bringing honor to the father, to God, Jehovah, Galway. And Jesus tells them, oh, no, you're not. In fact, you are dishonoring God because you're not believing the son. I'm not bringing honor to God. Now, equal honor is due to the Son, and if one does not honor the Son, one cannot honor the Father. Cannot honor the Father unless he believes in and obeys Christ. And that brings us to verses 24 and 25. Truly, truly, I say to you, Whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life. He does not come into judgment, but has passed from death to life. Now this tells us how Jesus performs this work, this great work of bringing to life. And then verses 28 and 29 tells us how he performs a great work of judgment. Now, You recall that I mentioned, I think, in the first message, the Bible talks about three kinds of death. You remember that? You remember what they are? It's been a while back, I know. There's spiritual death, and that was, you know, you are dead in your trespasses and sins, Ephesians 2.1. There's physical death, this body dies, Romans 6.23. The wages of sin is death. And there is the second or eternal death. And I read that just a few minutes ago from Revelation 2015. And if anyone's name was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire. Now we have here Christ the life giver. And what we have in verses 24 and 26, through 26, he says to them, this first truly, truly statement, I say to you, whoever hears my word, believes in him who sent me, has eternal life. This hour, he says, is, True, true, I said you, whoever hears my word, believes in him who sent me has eternal life. He does not come into judgment, but is passed from death to life. Truly, truly, I said you an hour is coming and is now here. It's not future. This is present when the dead will hear the voice of the son of God and those who hear will live. He is the life giver. It's now here. Now, there is an important order here, and the order is this. Let me ask you this. Does one believe in order to obtain eternal life, or does one believe because one has already obtained eternal life? That's the order. It's very important. What does Jesus say? It's the last. You don't believe in order to obtain, but because you have obtained, you believe. What comes first, faith or regeneration? Regeneration. Okay. What are the three kinds of deaths? Spiritual death, physical death, and eternal death or the second death. The spiritually dead are given life. Who is the life giver? Christ. And they have passed from death to life. Whoever believes in Christ, though he died, yet shall live. At death, the soul of one that has been born again passes into the very presence of God. This is the first resurrection. I'll get to that in Revelation in a moment. But the point is that We are born, we're born, but we're born spiritually dead. We must be made alive. And Christ has the power to give life. And he gives that life. And then verses 28 through 29 is something in the future. That first life is spiritual. Then there's something in the future he talks about in verses 28 and 29. He says, do not marvel at this. for an hour is coming when all who are in the tombs will hear his voice. This is yet in the future. And this is universal. Everybody, everyone in the tombs, everybody that has ever lived will be brought to life. They will come out. And those that have done good to the resurrection of life, those that have done evil to the resurrection of judgment. Now, this is obviously the future resurrection of the body. This is physical. Now, turn to Revelation. I'm sorry, I haven't been real clear on that, I know. Turn to Revelation 20. Maybe I'll make it more unclear. Turn to Revelation 20. I think we have the parallel passage here. Let's look at verse four. Let's work our way through this if we can. In Revelation 24, I think this is a parallel passage for us. Then I saw thrones, and seated on them were those to whom the authority to judge was committed. Also I saw the souls of those who had been beheaded for the testimony of Jesus and for the word of God, and those who had not worshiped the beast or its image, and had not received its mark on their foreheads or their hands. They came to life and reigned with Christ for a thousand years. The rest of the dead did not come to life until the thousand years were ended. This is the first resurrection. Blessed and holy is the one who shares in the first resurrection. Over such, the second death has no power, but they will be priests of God and of Christ, and they will reign with him a thousand years. Now, who are these judges? Who are these judges that are seated on these thrones and have authority to judge that this judgment is committed? Who are these people? Well, he tells us who they are. They're martyred Christians, those that have died in the Lord. And I don't think it's just the martyred Christians, but it's all Christians. Blessed are those who die in the Lord. And this, they came to life is not, I don't take this to be a bodily resurrection, but simply the intermediate state, that this is the first resurrection. When a person is born again, they're made alive, they are made alive in Christ. And to be made alive is that when you die, you don't, your body dies, but your soul goes to be in the presence of Christ. And there we are with Christ and we live. Ephesians 2, verse 4, but God, being rich in mercy because of the great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ. And this is what Christ is telling the Jews in John 5, that he's the life giver. He 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. This, he says, is the first resurrection. Then Christ says, don't marvel at this. There is yet something coming. There's a day coming when all the dead will hear his voice. Now, the first part, they did not hear. That is those that he has called, made alive, they regenerated, spiritual life. But here's coming a day when everybody, all the dead, will be raised from the dead physically, bodily raised from the dead, and they will come forth. And those that have done evil will come forth to judgment. They'll stand before Christ, and then Christ has been given judgment. Those two things, life and judgment. Now we look at Revelation chapter 20, verse 11. I saw a great white throne and him who was seated on it. I think this is corresponding to what he said in John 5. From his presence, earth and sky fled away, and no place was found for them. And I saw the dead, great and small, standing before the throne. Here it is. They all had been called forth. They're all are standing there before the judge, Christ the judge. And the dead are judged according to their works. And the dead are judged by what was written in the books. And there's all kinds of thoughts on these books. Book of things that have been, you know, not literal books, but memory of everything that has been said and done and thought and et cetera. I've always sort of just thought about it this way. What's the word Bible mean? You open the books. There it is. And that's what you're judged. That's what they are judged according to what's written in the books. Here it is. Maybe not, I don't know, but that's kind of the way I've always thought about it. The believers are passed from death to life. And what are we judged upon? What are you judged based upon? Are you judged based upon your works? What are you judged based upon? Huh? The righteousness of Christ, His works, His righteousness. And then we see that in this judgment, death and Hades, verse 14, are thrown into the lake of fire. The separation of body and soul will happen no more. Then through all eternity, whether it be in heaven or hell, there will be no more separation of body and soul because death and Hades are done away with. There will be no more death, not in heaven or hell. That in itself is an awful sentence for those in hell. There can be no more separation, there can be no more death. And believers pass from death to life, from this world to the next world, to the very presence of the Lord. Now, that's sort of not so good of an exposition of that, I realize, but I want to move to what I'm going to say Maybe some closing thoughts and practical applications of this. There's some lingering questions as we begin to think about this that I want to try to address, if I might. In the light of the intermediate state, that state between death and the second coming that we looked at last week, in the light of the intermediate state, why is there a day of judgment? If at death one's soul immediately goes either to heaven or to hell, then why the Day of Judgment? What's that all about? And then secondly, kind of in that same line, are the righteous judged on the Day of Judgment? Will the righteous stand before the throne with the unrighteous and the wicked and have all their sins made known? Will the righteous, along with the unrighteous, give an account for every sin and deed? There are three words that are frequently used in the New Testament to describe the second coming of Christ. There is the word revelation, apocalypsis. It's the root for our word, apocalypse. And it's used in many places, but a couple of places. One is Revelation 1.1, the revelation of Jesus Christ. There's the apocalypses. Another place is 2 Thessalonians 1.7, when the Lord Jesus is revealed from heaven with his mighty angels. And the word Apocalypse or apocalypsis means to disclose, to reveal. It's a laying bare, a making naked, a removing of the veil. That's what the word means. It's taking away the veil. Full disclosure. Another word is the word appearing or the root for our word epiphany. And it means a brightness, a manifestation. One of the places it's used is in First Timothy, chapter six, verses 13 and 14. Paul says, I charge you in the presence of God who gives life to all things and of Christ Jesus, who in his testimony before Pontius Pilate made the good confession to keep the commandment unstained and free from reproach until the appearing There's the word epiphany, until the appearing of our Lord Jesus Christ. And the third word is the word coming, or parousia. And that word designated the visit of a royal person, an emperor. And it was a technical term that described Jesus's visible return as a judge, and it's used many places, but one place is 1 Thessalonians 4.15. For this we declare to you by word from the Lord, that we who are alive, who are left until the coming of the Lord, will not precede those who have fallen asleep. And then there's one passage that uses all three terms, put them all together. And that's 2 Thessalonians 2.8. And then the lawless one will be revealed, apocalypsis, whom the Lord Jesus will kill with the breath of his mouth and bring to nothing by the appearance, epiphany, of his coming, the parousia. So it has all three terms in that one verse. Very interesting. So Christ's second coming will be a time of full disclosure, a time of light, brilliance, a time of judgment. And I think sometimes our thinking is sensationalized in the sense that we, and sometimes it's written about like this is a courtroom, a human courtroom. And we think about it like a human courtroom. But this is not a human court of law. This is not a trial. This is not a court to determine guilt or innocence or determine one's final destination. That's already been settled. That's done. When one dies, their spirit, their soul immediately goes either to the presence of God or to hell, where it's reserved until the day of judgment and then future punishment. That's done. Ecclesiastes says, as a tree falls, so shall it lie. You don't get a mulligan. There's not a do-over. You don't get another shot at this. This is it. So the day of judgment is not like now we're going to go appear before the Lord and we're going to figure out what's one's destiny now, whether one's guilty. Some have imagined, Wesley did this, and then I think there's even some that maybe even have this as an article today. So some have imagined it take a thousand years to hear all the evidence, to get it all heard out, to go through every thought and every word and every deed. It's going to take a thousand years to go through all that. I don't know. I don't know how long it'll take. I can't say that. Others have said, no, it's going to be like that. It's just going to be instantaneous. I don't know. I don't know the scripture says. Others have thought it's going to be a review of one's life and it's kind of like having the scales of justice. We haven't, you know, from the court, you know, we've got these scales and Lady Justice is blind and you know, you're going to put, okay, here's a good deed. Here's, here's three bad deeds. We're going to balance the scales and how are the scales going to come out? Then at the end of the balancing, then that's what happens. No. And then there's this matter of making every sin known. And I know we've all seen these pictures and scenes of somebody, a crook or something that's been caught and the cameras are there and they're right there on them and the person's hiding their face because they're embarrassed or shame, shame, shame, shame, shame. I know sometimes in talking with people, in different situations, but sometimes in talking to people, when we really get earnest and open and honest with one another, I'll ask them, and something will come out, they're angry with God. They're really angry with God. Things have not gone up, but they want it to go. Something tragic has happened and they're just angry. And I'll ask them, Well, have you told God how angry you are with him? Oh, no. Don't you think God knows? Well, in thinking about this, I thought about, now think of those terms that I told you about a minute ago on this day of judgment that are used for the coming of Christ. Do you, is there anything God doesn't know about you now? And it's, and it's like that. Some have pictured that day. It's like my, my entire life is going to be put up on a screen and every sort of detail of my life. And there's many sort of details of my life. I don't want on screen. I grant you. And all that's going to be played in front of everybody, but truth be known, God knows every one of them. Now, now, when did Christ die for me when I got perfect? When did God set his love upon me? When? When was my name written in the Lamb's book of life? After Christ died for me? No. before. Look at Psalm 139. I think it just makes this point as I think about this, you know, it's like this other things, it's just, they just pale away. It is, it's just, they mean nothing. And I think this is where people get these thoughts and they get tangled up in their minds about this. Psalm 139. Oh Lord, you have searched me and known me. You know when I sit down and when I rise up. You discern my thoughts from afar. You search out my path and my lying down, are acquainted with all my ways, even before word is on my tongue. Behold, oh Lord, you know it all together. You hand me in behind and before and lay your hand upon me. Such knowledge is too wonderful for me. It's high. I cannot attain it. I can't, it's just too great for me to comprehend this God. Where shall I go from your spirit? Oh, where shall I flee from your presence? I can get away from you folks. You can get away from me, not that I won't do, but sometimes we need to, can't we? You can get away from your spouse or your children or your best friend. If nowhere else right here, I can get into my recesses of my mind. And just and you can and you do tell me you don't because I know you do. But where can I go from the presence of the spirit of God? Nowhere, there's not a corner of my mind that I can go to. And the psalmist says, if I ascend to heaven, you're there. If I make my bed in Sheol, you're there. If I take the wings of the morning and dwell in the outermost parts of the sea, even there your hand shall lead me and your right hand shall hold me. If I say, surely the darkness shall cover me, and the light about me be nigh. Even the darkness is not dark to you. The night is bright as the day, for darkness is as light with you. What does God not know? What word have I said he doesn't know? Or what word have I not yet said he doesn't know? What action have I taken he doesn't know? What thought have I thought that he doesn't know or thought that I will think that he doesn't know? None. So here's the core of the matter. God is almighty, he is all-knowing, he is pure white. Years ago, I served a little country church, and it was a little wooden church, a little white frame church. It's painted white, and you see it in the cemetery out here with the white sand. And you look at it, and you go, that's a picturesque, pretty little country church. Then one day it snowed, and it snowed, South Georgia. And that church looked like the most, I don't know, dirty church building, the most dirty building I'd ever seen. It's like, my goodness, look how dirty the thing is. Why? Because of the contrast. And so, you know, there's this idea of Judgment Day that all my sordid details of my life are going to be shown. I'm going to be embarrassed because everybody's going to know it. You're going to know it. I don't want you to know anything about my life, but you know what? I'm gonna be in the presence of God. And as much as I respect my fellow pastor, that's not gonna matter. Because that's gonna be eclipsed by the presence of God. So it really wouldn't matter what my fellow pastor thinks. Really, honestly. because he's going to be where I am. Like, oh my gracious, this is the president. Or, but no, no, there will be rejoicing because of who he is and what he's done. I know I must quit. Will we appear? So let me say this, the Day of Judgment is not a day of discovery, but it's a day of Publication is a day of display of the power and glory and awesomeness of God. We read it this morning. Every knee shall bow and every tongue shall confess. Why? Who Christ is and who the Lord is. That's what's going on. Now, will we appear before the judgment seat? Well, there are passages that certainly seem to teach that. 2 Corinthians 5, 10, Romans 14, 10 through 12. There are other passages that seem not to suggest that, seem to suggest we will not, like Micah 7, 19. He cast our sins in the depth of the sea and did not remember them anymore. Hebrews 8, 12, there's no remembrance of our sins. So how can they be brought up if they're covered, not remembered? So I don't know. I know this. Saints will certainly be present there. Every knee will bow and every tongue will confess. And I have said this in the past, if my sins are brought to remembrance, all of a sudden, I know one thing. I think I will finally truly understand the meaning, the full meaning of saved by grace. Because as much as I think I get it sometimes now, I don't. But if ever I would, I will then. And I know also 1 John 4, 17, even though I'd rather think that they will not be, I really don't think they will because my justification is in Christ, not in what I have done. But 1 John 4, 17 says, by this is love perfected with us, so that we may have confidence for the day of judgment. It's not a day of fear. It's rather a day of hope and a day we look forward to. The coming of the Lord and the judgment is a day that surely should balance our lives. give balance to our life. It certainly is a day that's sobering and should be certainly bring sinners to repentance. And I'm a sinner and I certainly should remember it. And I certainly should be repenting of my sins. And I know the sermons needed on that, but it ought to encourage and embolden believers. And I want to go on, but I must stop. So I'll stop this way. Jesus said, surely I am coming soon. And the church said, amen, come Lord Jesus. And the pastor said, the grace of the Lord Jesus be with all, amen. Let's pray. Father, we're grateful for your word. and I pray that you will bless it, these heroes of it, that it has made some sense and that it will be edifying, encouraging, instructive, that your name would be honored, that Christ will be exalted. And I pray this in the blessed and holy name of our savior, Jesus Christ. Amen.