A Survey of the Old Testament Law--Finishing Exodus

Have you ever talked to someone who just heard some good news and they were just happy-happy-happy? We may tell them something like, “Wow, there’s just this glow about you!” Not that their skin is actually glowing—unless they’ve been out at the Y-12 nuclear facility out in Oak Ridge—but they’ve just got this look about them. Well, today we’re gonna see that when Moses came back down with the tablets of the covenant, he had a certain glow about him—but in this case, he was actually glowing.

Exodus 34:29-35—29 Now it was so, when Moses came down from Mount Sinai (and the two tablets of the Testimony were in Moses' hand when he came down from the mountain), that Moses did not know that the skin of his face shone while he talked with Him. 30 So when Aaron and all the children of Israel saw Moses, behold, the skin of his face shone, and they were afraid to come near him. 31 Then Moses called to them, and Aaron and all the rulers of the congregation returned to him; and Moses talked with them. 32 Afterward all the children of Israel came near, and he gave them as commandments all that the LORD had spoken with him on Mount Sinai. 33 And when Moses had finished speaking with them, he put a veil on his face. 34 But whenever Moses went in before the LORD to speak with Him, he would take the veil off until he came out; and he would come out and speak to the children of Israel whatever he had been commanded. 35 And whenever the children of Israel saw the face of Moses, that the skin of Moses' face shone, then Moses would put the veil on his face again, until he went in to speak with Him.

We saw a couple weeks ago Exodus 33:11—The LORD spoke to Moses face to face, as a man speaks to his friend. If you were to speak with God, face-to-face, would you ever be the same? I would think not. Well, Moses spoke with God face-to-face—we actually talked about that briefly a couple weeks ago—and he was never the same. We see many times that when God would speak to a person, and reveal just a portion of His glory to that man, that man would never be the same. Isaiah 6:1-8—1 In the year that King Uzziah died, I saw the Lord sitting on a throne, high and lifted up, and the train of His robe filled the temple…5 So I said: "Woe is me, for I am undone! Because I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips; for my eyes have seen the King, The LORD of hosts"…8 Also I heard the voice of the Lord, saying: "Whom shall I send, And who will go for Us?" Then I said, "Here am I! Send me." And as an added bonus, guess whose glory it was that Isaiah saw? Read John 12:37-41.

There was a fellow named Job. We’ve heard of people having “the patience of Job”—he wasn’t quite as patient as people would like to think he was. In Job 1:1—There was a man in the land of Uz, whose name was Job; and that man was blameless and upright, and one who feared God and shunned evil. Job was a “good person” and Job “deserved” to be saved, right? For the first 37 chapters, Job almost sounds as if he is making that case, trying to convince himself and his friends that he didn’t deserve all the calamities that happened to him. Then, in Job 38-41, God lays out roughly 85 questions for Job to answer. Job 38:4-7—“4 Where were you when I laid the foundations of the earth?...5 Who determined its measurements?...Or who stretched the line upon it? 6 To what were its foundations fastened? Or who laid its cornerstone, 7 when the morning stars sang together, and all the sons of God shouted for joy?” And God just knocks down every high thought that Job might have of himself and in Job 42:1-6—1 Then Job answered the LORD and said: “2 I know that You can do everything, and that no purpose of Yours can be withheld from You…5 I have heard of You by the hearing of the ear, but now my eye sees You. 6 Therefore I abhor myself, and repent in dust and ashes.” 

And then there was a fellow who lived in the area around the Sea of Galilee, about 2000 years ago, made his living as a fisherman. His name was Simon bar-Jonah. Met a man one day—not just ANY man, of course—and his life was never the same. In fact, even his name got changed. Luke 5:4-8—4 When He had stopped speaking, He said to Simon, "Launch out into the deep and let down your nets for a catch." 5 But Simon answered and said to Him, "Master, we have toiled all night and caught nothing; nevertheless at Your word I will let down the net." 6 And when they had done this, they caught a great number of fish, and their net was breaking. 7 So they signaled to their partners in the other boat to come and help them. And they came and filled both the boats, so that they began to sink. 8 When Simon Peter saw it, he fell down at Jesus' knees, saying, "Depart from me, for I am a sinful man, O Lord!" Now, notice something in all three of these episodes. When all these men saw the Lord, what was their reaction? They saw God as being the glorious God that He is, and they saw themselves as being the vile, dirty sinners they were. Isaiah 6:5—"I am undone! Because I am a man of unclean lips…for my eyes have seen the King, The LORD of hosts" Job 42:5-6—“5 Now my eye sees You. 6 Therefore I abhor myself, and repent in dust and ashes.” Luke 5:8—"Depart from me, for I am a sinful man, O Lord!" 

That SHOULD be our reaction. Whenever we go into the presence of the Lord through prayer, our attitude should not be “OK, God, I'm going to twist your arm to make You give me all of my material wants!” Even though there are many who make a lot of money teaching people that very thing. In fact, one fellow said the following:  “As a believer, you have a right to make commands in the name of Jesus. Each time you stand on the Word, you are commanding God to a certain extent because it is His Word.” But I won't mention Kenneth Copeland by name. Our attitude should be one of dependence and poverty, knowing that everything belongs to God, we own nothing, we deserve even less, and that it is only by God’s grace and mercy that we have anything. Unlike another fellow who said, “Let me be very clear—I want your money. I deserve it. This church deserves it.” But enough about Rod Parsley. We do not go to God and “command Him to a certain extent.” We do not command Him to ANY extent. He’s God—we’re not. Isaiah realized that; Job realized that; Simon Peter realized that—yet many who prop themselves up as preachers and teachers don’t get it. Our prayers should not be centered and focused on ourselves. Or on any other human for that matter. The focus of our prayers should start and end with God and His glory. When we pray for our friend to be healed, or when we pray for our loved one to find a job, the focus of our prayer should not end with that person being healed or finding a job—it should begin, end, and have one theme running all throughout it--that thing being the desire to see God glorified through us and through that person and how God will work through their circumstances.

If you want to see an example of a man-centered prayer--one in which the one praying tells God how much the person deserves to have God hear him--turn to Luke 18:10-13—“10 Two men went up to the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. 11 The Pharisee stood and prayed thus with himself, 'God, I thank You that I am not like other men—extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even as this tax collector. 12 I fast twice a week; I give tithes of all that I possess.' 13 And the tax collector, standing afar off, would not so much as raise his eyes to heaven, but beat his breast, saying, 'God, be merciful to me a sinner!'” There was a writer named E.M. Bounds, who wrote VOLUMES on prayer. And in one of his works, called The Essentials of Prayer, he uses the episode of the Pharisee and the tax collector from Luke 18 to show us the kind of humility we should have when we pray.

“The Pharisee seemed to be accustomed to prayer. Certainly he should have known by that time how to pray, but alas! Like many others, he seemed never to have learned this invaluable lesson…The position and place are well-chosen by him. There is the sacred place, the sacred hour, and the sacred name, each and all invoked by this seemingly praying man. But…although schooled to prayer, by training and by habit, he prays not. Words are uttered by him, but words are not prayer…pride has poisoned his prayer offering of that hour. His entire praying [is full of] self-praise, self-congratulation, and self-exaltation…On the other hand, the [tax collector], smitten with a deep sense of his sins and his inward sinfulness, realising how poor in spirit he is, how utterly devoid of anything like righteousness, goodness, or any quality which would commend him to God…falls down with humiliation and despair before God, while he utters a sharp cry for mercy for his sins and his guilt…Here we see by sharp contrast the utter worthlessness of self-righteousness, self-exaltation, and self-praise in praying, and the great value, the beauty and the Divine approval which comes to humility of heart…when a soul comes before God in prayer. Happy are they who have no righteousness of their own to plead and no goodness of their own of which to boast. Humility flourishes in the soil of a true and deep sense of our sinfulness and our nothingness. Nowhere does humility grow so rankly and so rapidly and shine so brilliantly, as when it feels all guilty, confesses all sin, and trusts all grace.” 

A couple of Scriptures before we move on. Matthew 6:7—“And when you pray, do not use vain repetitions as the heathen do. For they think that they will be heard for their many words.” Philippians 4:6—Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God. That word ‘supplication’ means that we come to God admitting that we have nothing and that every thing He gives us is a gift of His grace. This whole “name-it-and-claim-it” nonsense is just that—nonsense. Not every single believer is going to be materially wealthy or physically well in this life. And we just need to accept that. In fact, one of those fellows, a man named Fred K. Price, would condemn our brother David here. Why, David, you don’t have any legs--how can you glorify God in that body? Quote from Mr. price--“How can you glorify God in your body, when it doesn't function right?....What makes you think the Holy Ghost wants to live inside of a body where He can't see out through the windows, and He can't hear out the ears?” James 4:2-3 (NASB)—2 You lust and do not have; so you commit murder. You are envious and cannot obtain; so you fight and quarrel. You do not have because you do not ask. 3 You ask and do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, so that you may spend it on your pleasures. When people pray something like, “God, give this to me because I want it!” They need to ready themselves for the fact that He might just say “no.” And we have to be okay with that. The point, again: God is God, we are not. Any “God” that we can command by our “faith” is an idol. Do with that what you will.

There’s another point I want to make with this episode of the shining face of Moses. The apostle Paul uses this episode to show how we humans cannot understand the things of God unless He helps us understand. 2nd Corinthians 3:7-16—7 But if the ministry of death, written and engraved on stones, was glorious, so that the children of Israel could not look steadily at the face of Moses because of the glory of his countenance, which glory was passing away, 8 how will the ministry of the Spirit not be more glorious? 9 For if the ministry of condemnation had glory, the ministry of righteousness exceeds much more in glory. 10 For even what was made glorious had no glory in this respect, because of the glory that excels. 11 For if what is passing away was glorious, what remains is much more glorious. 12 Therefore, since we have such hope, we use great boldness of speech—13 unlike Moses, who put a veil over his face so that the children of Israel could not look steadily at the end of what was passing away. 14 But their minds were blinded. For until this day the same veil remains unlifted in the reading of the Old Testament, because the veil is taken away in Christ. 15 But even to this day, when Moses is read, a veil lies on their heart. 16 Nevertheless when one turns to the Lord, the veil is taken away. Notice something here—Moses used that veil to cover what? His face. Why? Because it was shining with the glory of the LORD. BUT—in 2nd Corinthians 3:14, what does the veil cover? It covers the hearts of those who do not believe. Specifically, those who were still clinging to the Law of Moses for their salvation. 2nd Corinthians 3:14—But their minds were blinded. For until this day the same veil remains unlifted in the reading of the Old Testament, because the veil is taken away in Christ. The OT—from Genesis to Malachi—was filled with pictures and prophecies and shadows and figures of Christ. But that’s Paul’s point here—Christ was in the OT but He was, so to speak, behind the veil of the Law and the Prophets. You see Christ all throughout the OT—but only in shadows and figures, not in His fullness. However, now that He has come and revealed Himself, the veil that was the Law and the prophets has been removed. The writers of the OT wrote about Christ, but they used terms and phrases and word pictures which only gave glimpses of Christ. But, now have Christ as Lord and Savior revealed in His fullness. In fact, he told the church at Colosse, Colossians 2:16-17—16 So let no one judge you in food or in drink, or regarding a festival or a new moon or sabbaths, 17 which are a shadow of things to come, but the substance is of Christ. 

But, at the time that Paul wrote 2^nd Corinthians (and Colossians, and all of his epistles for that matter), the Jews still didn’t understand it. They still didn’t get it; they were still clinging to the Law and the Prophets. A couple of scriptures before we move on. John 5:39-40—“39 You search the Scriptures, for in them you think you have eternal life; and these are they which testify of Me. 40 But you are not willing to come to Me that you may have life.” Acts 26:22-23—“22 To this day I stand, witnessing both to small and great, saying no other things than those which the prophets and Moses said would come—23 that the Christ would suffer, that He would be the first to rise from the dead, and would proclaim light to the Jewish people and to the Gentiles.” Moses and the prophets said that? Really? Moses and all the other Old testament prophets said that "the Christ would suffer, that He would be the first to rise from the dead, and would proclaim light to the Jewish people and to the Gentiles"? Yes, they did. Luke 24:18-27—18 Then the one whose name was Cleopas answered and said to Him, "Are You the only stranger in Jerusalem, and have You not known the things which happened there in these days?" 19 And He said to them, "What things?" So they said to Him, "The things concerning Jesus of Nazareth, who was a Prophet mighty in deed and word before God and all the people, 20 and how the chief priests and our rulers delivered Him to be condemned to death, and crucified Him. 21 But we were hoping that it was He who was going to redeem Israel. Indeed, besides all this, today is the third day since these things happened…25 Then He said to them, "O foolish ones, and slow of heart to believe in all that the prophets have spoken! 26 Ought not the Christ to have suffered these things and to enter into His glory?" 27 And beginning at Moses and all the Prophets, He expounded to them in all the Scriptures the things concerning Himself. All the Scriptures—being what? The Old Testament. And the OT is not only able to show us Christ, it is able to show us that salvation is by faith in Christ. 2nd Timothy 3:15—From childhood you have known the Holy Scriptures, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus. You don’t need a guy sitting on a fancy chair in Italy, along with his red-robed buddies, to tell you what the Scriptures mean. The Scriptures themselves have that ability. Even Moses shows us that we are saved by grace alone through faith alone in Christ alone. But now, the veil has been removed from Moses by the coming of the Lord Jesus Christ to fulfill all the things which were spoken of by the Law and the prophets—not just in types and shadows, but in full.

So, that concludes Exodus chapter 34, then chapter 35 we see the offering taken up for the construction and maintenance of the tabernacle and then we see the architectural firm of Bezalel and Aholiab, LLC called to oversee the project; in chapter 36 the tabernacle is constructed (but not raised up yet); chapter 37 shows the furnishings of the tabernacle being made (the Ark of the Covenant, the lampstand, the altar of incense, the table for showbread and the anointing oil and incense); in chapter 38 the making of the bronze wash basin that would sit between the altar of burnt offering and the tent; the curtain around the courtyard is made; in chapter 39 they make the garments for the priests. That just leaves us with Exodus 40. In Exodus 40:1-33 the tabernacle is set up, it is anointed with oil, purified with incense, and everything is put in, around, and over top of it. The sons of Aaron are outfitted in their garments and anointed for the priesthood.

Then, finally, Exodus 40:34-35—34 Then the cloud covered the tabernacle of meeting, and the glory of the LORD filled the tabernacle. 35 And Moses was not able to enter the tabernacle of meeting, because the cloud rested above it, and the glory of the LORD filled the tabernacle. God said He would do this, back in Exodus 29:43-44—“43 And there I will meet with the children of Israel, and the tabernacle shall be sanctified by My glory. 44 So I will consecrate the tabernacle of meeting and the altar.” We see much the same thing happen when Solomon finishes building the temple in Jerusalem, 1st Kings 8:10-11—10 And it came to pass, when the priests came out of the holy place, that the cloud filled the house of the LORD, 11 so that the priests could not continue ministering because of the cloud; for the glory of the LORD filled the house of the LORD. While the tabernacle was being raised, and while the curtain between the Holy Place and the Most Holy Place was being hung, there were probably people going in and out of the various parts of the tent. They almost had to in order to make sure everything was done right. But now that the glory of the LORD has rested on the tent, now that the glory of the LORD has sanctified everything about the tent, God has declared that this is His resting place, and all the commandments concerning where people can and can't go are now in force. Eventually the glory would dwell only “between the cherubim”—or, the angels—on top of the Ark of the Covenant and the priests would be able to enter the first part of the tabernacle, but only the high priest would be able to go beyond the veil and into the Most Holy Place, and then only once a year on the Day of Atonement (or Yom Kippur). 

Exodus 40:36-38—36 Whenever the cloud was taken up from above the tabernacle, the children of Israel would go onward in all their journeys. 37 But if the cloud was not taken up, then they did not journey till the day that it was taken up. 38 For the cloud of the LORD was above the tabernacle by day, and fire was over it by night, in the sight of all the house of Israel, throughout all their journeys. Simple: now that the glory of the LORD has filled the tabernacle, it will stay here for a while. But, when the glory is lifted, they are to pack everything up, look for where the cloud is moving, and follow it. When the cloud stops, they stop. If the cloud doesn't stop, they don’t stop. It’s not like when you go on a long trip, and you ask the wife, “How about we stop here for the night? No? How about here? No? How about here?” It wasn’t up to the wives to decide where the cloud was going to stop. It wasn’t up to the priests, or the high priest, or Aaron or even Moses—God and God alone was the one who said where they would go and where and when they would stop. If the cloud goes east, the people go east. If the cloud goes west, the people go west. There was no, “Yeah, but it’s kinda dry here, doesn't seem very comfortable. How about we pitch it over there?” It was not a matter of where the people chose to go; it was God simply saying “Follow Me.” Hmmm…seems as though I remember reading how somebody else told some fellows “Follow Me.” And in fact, at one point when that Man said "We must go to Jerusalem," one of those fellows said, “No, surely You don’t want to go THERE.” But He did say, “Yes, I NEED to go there.” And wouldn’t you know it, we’re talking about good ol’ Simon Peter. Again.

Turn to Matthew 16:13-17—13 When Jesus came into the region of Caesarea Philippi, He asked His disciples, saying, "Who do men say that I, the Son of Man, am?" 14 So they said, "Some say John the Baptist, some Elijah, and others Jeremiah or one of the prophets." 15 He said to them, "But who do you say that I am?" 16 Simon Peter answered and said, "You are the Christ, the Son of the living God." 17 Jesus answered and said to him, “Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jonah, for flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but My Father who is in heaven.” Peter saw Christ for who He was—is. He saw Him as being the Christ of God. The Son of God, the Living Christ, the Messiah, Yehoshua Ha'Mishiacah. BUT—don’t forget, we’re talking about Peter. Skip down to Matthew 16:21-23—21 From that time Jesus began to show to His disciples that He must go to Jerusalem, and suffer many things from the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and be raised the third day. 22 Then Peter took Him aside and began to rebuke Him, saying, "Far be it from You, Lord; this shall not happen to You!" 23 But He turned and said to Peter, "Get behind Me, Satan!" The OT tabernacle was a picture of Christ. Christ dwelt in a tabernacle of flesh (John 1:14), and wherever that tabernacle went, His disciples were to follow. They were not to tell Him where to go, but He was to tell them where to go. He told two separate groups on two different occasions, “You guys go here and here and here, but don’t go there, or there or over there. Go only to the lost sheep of Israel, do not go to the Gentiles or the Samaritans” (Matthew 10:5-6).

He tells Simon Peter, “Blessed art thou Simon bar-Jonah…Get behind Me, Satan.” And this is another area where we fall short in our prayers. We sometimes have a tendency to say, “Lord, You can send me anywhere You want—just so long as it isn’t _____.” Or we tell God—and this is one we fall into quite easily, when we listen to our flesh—“Lord, I'm gonna do this, and You will have to bless the work”—even though it is something He didn’t call them to. Again, twisting God’s arm. Thou shalt not test the LORD thy God. God may lead us to a nice city, where we will have running water and all the creature comforts we silly humans think we need. Or, He may send us to Peru to live in the midst of some of the most impoverished people on the planet. But that doesn't matter. If He says “Go,” we need to go. He may send us to Sudan or China or Iran to be arrested and put in prison—maybe even beaten and killed. Not necessarily to have our “Best Life Now.” But that’s what happens when we pray the way we should. You'll hear folks say “Pray according to your faith—not according to His will.” That is about the most asinine a statement as a person can make.

How did Jesus teach us to pray? Some folks would have you think he said, "And when you pray, pray in this manner: Our Father, who Art in Heaven, hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come, According to my faith, make it so!..." However, God said--yes, GOD said--“Our Father, who art in Heaven, hallowed be thy Name. Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done.” The first type of prayer (“According to my faith, make it so!”) is the type of prayer that commands God. The second type of prayer (“Thy will be done”) is the type of prayer Christ commands. Can we command God to make Him do what we want? We are to pray in faith, knowing that God can do all things. The prayer that accomplishes the will of God—which, again, is what should be the focus of all our prayers—is “Thy will be done.” It may not be God’s will for us to be healthy and wealthy and prosperous. And we have to accept that. The Israelites did not tell God where He should lead them—we don’t tell God what He should do in our lives. This ain't a democracy; you don’t get a vote. Let me finish with the words of an old, old hymn.

“Take up thy cross and follow Me,” I heard my Master say;
"I gave My life to ransom thee, Surrender your all today."
Wherever He leads I'll go
I'll follow my Christ who loves me so, Wherever He leads I'll go.

He drew me closer to His side, I sought His will to know,
And in that will I now abide, Wherever He leads I'll go.

It may be thro' the shadows dim, Or o'er the stormy sea,
I take my cross and follow Him, Wherever He leadeth me.

My heart, my life, my all I bring To Christ who loves me so;
he is my Master, Lord, and King, Wherever He leads I'll go.
Wherever He leads I'll go, Wherever He leads I'll go,
I'll follow my Christ who loves me so, Wherever He leads I'll go.

Not the other way around.

JESUS CHRIST IS LORD. AMEN.

Verse-by-verse through Philippians (4:19-4:20, part 3)

We saw last week that, although it is a very hard thing to imagine, but God is glorified, and is seen to be a true and righteous God, when He commends sinners to eternal punishment in Hell. We talked about the fact that while we live on earth, while our court systems are overseen by humans—humans judges sitting on the bench, humans sitting in the jury box—we will never see pure justice be done. Guilty men will go free, and innocent men will go to prison. Another thing is, if you go from city to city, and even from state to state, you will see that what may be legal in one place may be illegal in the next. You can't buy fireworks in Knoxville. But if you go just a little ways up Rt. 33, you can buy all the fireworks you want. But God, being the perfect Judge that He is, will not only punish all sinners, but He will punish them according to the same standard—the Laws that He laid down, to be obeyed by ALL men.

Now, when I say “The Law,” or “God’s Law,” these are not necessarily laws that are enforced by the various criminal law departments in our country. Stealing, and murder—yeah. And until just a few years ago, adultery was still a punishable offense in many states. But a person can, unfortunately, blaspheme the name of God or they can worship Allah or Buddha or even their own self, and not run afoul of KPD or Knox County Sheriff or even the THP or TBI. However, God requires punishment for those sins. And unless the person has accepted the payment that Christ made on the cross for their sins, that person will, necessarily, be punished for all eternity in Hell. And because all sins will be paid for—either by the person, or by Christ—God will be seen to be the just, righteous, and glorious God that He is. So that’s the bad news. That’s how He will be glorified in Hell. Now, for something a little more joyful. The good news. Today we’re going to see the glory of God in Heaven, and we will see how we glorify Him on earth.

Philippians 4:19-20—19 And my God shall supply all your need according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus. 20 Now to our God and Father be glory forever and ever. Amen.

A couple weeks ago we read one of the most beloved passages of Scripture, in Isaiah 6:1-4--In the year that King Uzziah died, I saw the Lord sitting on a throne, high and lifted up, and the train of His robe filled the temple. Above it stood seraphim; each one had six wings: with two he covered his face, with two he covered his feet, and with two he flew. And one cried to another and said: “Holy, holy, holy is the LORD of hosts; the whole earth is full of His glory!” And the posts of the door were shaken by the voice of him who cried out, and the house was filled with smoke. Now, let’s read as the apostle John gives us a more detailed peek into Heaven in the Book of Revelation First, we see God the Father glorified and praised. Revelation 4:8-11--The four living creatures, each having six wings, were full of eyes around and within. And they do not rest day or night, saying: “Holy, holy, holy, Lord God Almighty, Who was and is and is to come!” Whenever the living creatures give glory and honor and thanks to Him who sits on the throne, who lives forever and ever, 10 the twenty-four elders fall down before Him who sits on the throne and worship Him who lives forever and ever, and cast their crowns before the throne, saying: “You are worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honor and power; for You created all things, and by Your will they exist and were created.” Six wings—just like the angels in Isaiah 6. They also utter the same praise as the angels in Isaiah 6.

Not only does John show us that God the Father is praised in Heaven, but also God the Son, Jesus Christ. Revelation 5:1-4--And I saw in the right hand of Him who sat on the throne a scroll written inside and on the back, sealed with seven seals. Then I saw a strong angel proclaiming with a loud voice, “Who is worthy to open the scroll and to loose its seals?” And no one in heaven or on the earth or under the earth was able to open the scroll, or to look at it. So I wept much, because no one was found worthy to open and read the scroll, or to look at it. God the Father holds, in His hands, a scroll. It is a very important scroll, so much so that it is sealed with seven seals. What this scroll contains—men who know a whole lot more than I do have debated this for years. Suffice it to say, all the creatures and the angels realize that no one in Heaven or earth has the authority to open this scroll.

There is One who steps forward and possesses the authority needed to open that scroll. Revelation 5:5-14--But one of the elders said to me, “Do not weep. Behold, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has prevailed to open the scroll and to loose its seven seals.” And I looked, and behold, in the midst of the throne and of the four living creatures, and in the midst of the elders, stood a Lamb as though it had been slain, having seven horns and seven eyes, which are the seven Spirits of God sent out into all the earth. Then He came and took the scroll out of the right hand of Him who sat on the throne. Now when He had taken the scroll, the four living creatures and the twenty-four elders fell down before the Lamb, each having a harp, and golden bowls full of incense, which are the prayers of the saints. And they sang a new song, saying: “You are worthy to take the scroll, and to open its seals; for You were slain, and have redeemed us to God by Your blood out of every tribe and tongue and people and nation, and have made us kings and priests to our God; and we shall reign on the earth.” Then I looked, and I heard the voice of many angels around the throne, the living creatures, and the elders; and the number of them was ten thousand times ten thousand, and thousands of thousands, saying with a loud voice: “Worthy is the Lamb who was slain to receive power and riches and wisdom,
And strength and honor and glory and blessing!” And every creature which is in heaven and on the earth and under the earth and such as are in the sea, and all that are in them, I heard saying:“Blessing and honor and glory and power be to Him who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb, forever and ever!” Then the four living creatures said, “Amen!” And the twenty-four elders fell down and worshiped Him who lives forever and ever.

So we see God the Father and God the Son being the objects of worship in Heaven. And this is before the Great Tribulation, the rise of the Antichrist—this is when God is getting everything ready to be judged. Then comes the judgments on the earth—all the plagues and the natural disasters that we read about in the next 12 or so chapters. But then, once all those plagues have come about, and after Christ judges the living and the dead, when Death and Hades and all sinners have been cast into the Lake of Fire—then He makes all things new in Revelation 20:13-21:4. How many of y’all always thought that the Book of Revelation was nothing more than death and destruction and the Apocalypse and Armageddon? Those are major events in Revelation—but when we see those things for what they are, we see just how blessed we are that God has saved us, and we will be spared of all those things! Revelation 20:13-21:4--The sea gave up the dead who were in it, and Death and Hades delivered up the dead who were in them. And they were judged, each one according to his works. Then Death and Hades were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death. And anyone not found written in the Book of Life was cast into the lake of fire. Now I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away. Also there was no more sea. Then I, John, saw the holy city, New Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from heaven saying, “Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and He will dwell with them, and they shall be His people. God Himself will be with them and be their God. And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes; there shall be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying. There shall be no more pain, for the former things have passed away.”

Once Death and Hades and sin have been judged and destroyed, we will see God in all His glory. We cannot see that glory now, because we are in these unredeemed, sinful bodies. 1st Timothy 6:15-16—The blessed and only Sovereign, the King of kings and Lord of lords, who alone has immortality, dwelling in unapproachable light, whom no man has seen or can see, to whom be honor and everlasting power. Amen. Philippians 3:20-21—For our citizenship is in heaven, from which we also eagerly wait for the Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, who will transform our lowly body that it may be conformed to His glorious body. Then, once we have that new body, once sin and death are done away with, there will be a new temple in New Jerusalem. This will be the final fulfillment of the words that God spoke through the prophet Haggai, in Haggai 2:6-9—“For thus says the LORD of hosts: ‘Once more (it is a little while) I will shake heaven and earth, the sea and dry land; and I will shake all nations, and they shall come to the Desire of All Nations, and I will fill this temple with glory,’ says the LORD of hosts…‘The glory of this latter temple shall be greater than the former,’ says the LORD of hosts.” How great and glorious will this temple be? I'm glad you asked.

Revelation 21:22-27--But I saw no temple in it, for the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are its temple. The city had no need of the sun or of the moon to shine in it, for the glory of God illuminated it. The Lamb is its light. And the nations of those who are saved shall walk in its light, and the kings of the earth bring their glory and honor into it. Its gates shall not be shut at all by day (there shall be no night there). And they shall bring the glory and the honor of the nations into it. But there shall by no means enter it anything that defiles, or causes an abomination or a lie, but only those who are written in the Lamb’s Book of Life. God the Father and God the Son will be the temple. There will be no darkness, not even shadows. Think about sunlight for a moment. The sun only gives light in a direct, straight line. If something is in the path of that light, there will be darkness behind that object. In Heaven, the glory of God will fill every square inch, and even if you stood directly in front of the throne, there will be no shadow behind you, because it is the glory of God that will fill every square inch with light. These people who think that when we get to Heaven all we’re gonna do is sit on a cloud and pluck a harp—they have no idea!

One final thing: look at Revelation 21:25—Its gates shall not be shut at all by day (there shall be no night there). Would you ever go anywhere without shutting and locking your front door? The gates of this new city will never be shut—know why? Revelation 21:27—But there shall by no means enter it anything that defiles, or causes an abomination or a lie. Nothing sinful will ever get in. We won’t have to worry about locking the gate—anybody we might have ever been afraid of will be in Hell, and the only people in Heaven will be those who will never sin ever again! God glorified in Heaven.

So, what does that mean for us while we walk this earth? I'm glad you asked. See, a lot of people think that once they say a little prayer and go to church for a while, they can just put it on cruise control for the rest of their lives and just wait for ol’ St. Peter to stamp their ticket when they get to the pearly gates. WRONG!! You see, God has a reason for keeping us alive after we get saved. What is that reason? If I were to mention the Westminster Confession of Faith, that may not mean a whole lot to some people. But it was a statement of beliefs drawn up by the Church of England and the Church of Scotland back in 1646. And it is still used by many Presbyterian and Southern Baptist churches to this day. It’s made up of several Q&A’s that help to outline our beliefs.

Question 1: “What is the chief purpose of man?”
Answer: “To glorify God and to enjoy Him forever.”

Philosophers have devoted their lives to the question “Why are we here?” The answer has been around for thousands of years. We exist to glorify God. We find that answer in several Scriptures. Titus 2:11-14—For the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men, teaching us that…we should live soberly, righteously, and godly in the present age, looking for the blessed hope and glorious appearing of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ, who gave Himself for us, that He might redeem us from every lawless deed and purify for Himself His own special people, zealous for good works. Jesus told us in Matthew 5:14-16—“You are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hidden. Nor do they light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house. Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven.” If someone is going to claim to be a Christian, then their life has to square up with that claim. Sadly, there are many people walking around claiming the name of Christ on their lips, yet they go out and get drunk or do drugs or they're sleeping around—they are glorifying God with their lips, but their lifestyle actually brings reproach on His name. Romans 2:23-24—You who make your boast in the law, do you dishonor God through breaking the law? For “the name of God is blasphemed among the Gentiles because of you,” as it is written. When we openly defy God while claiming to be His child, we give His enemies a reason to blaspheme against Him. And we bring shame to Him.

BUT—when we do what He commands, and seek His righteousness, and wake up every day with a heart that says, “I'm going to serve Him today,” and if everything we do is done with an attitude of thankfulness, then we bring glory to God—that is, we make His fame and His righteousness known to a world that does not know Him. Peter told us pretty much the same thing in 1st Peter 2:11-12—Beloved, I beg you as sojourners and pilgrims, abstain from fleshly lusts which war against the soul, having your conduct honorable among the Gentiles, that when they speak against you as evildoers, they may, by your good works which they observe, glorify God in the day of visitation. Philippians 2:14-15—Do all things without complaining and disputing, that you may become blameless and harmless, children of God without fault in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation, among whom you shine as lights in the world.

Finally, friends, it is not only through our lives that we glorify God. The day may come when we may have to give up our earthly life in order to declare the name of our God. Listen to what Paul told these Philippians in the first part of this letter. Philippians 1:20-21—My earnest expectation and hope that in nothing I shall be ashamed, but with all boldness…Christ will be magnified in my body, whether by life or by death. For to me, to live is Christ, and to die is gain. To the apostle Paul, it did not matter if he ever got out of prison, or if he spent the rest of his life chained to a Roman soldier—or if they took his head. Which they eventually did. If he went on living, that meant he could preach the gospel to more people—and we’ll see in a couple weeks the outcome of that preaching. If he died, he got to go home to be with Christ. It was a win-win situation! And that’s how it is with us, too. If we live, we get to keep showing the world our faith in Christ is real, we show them what a life looks like when it is devoted to God. And if we die, we go to Heaven! I'll take those odds any day.

And last, listen to these words written by the apostle John concerning the last recorded conversation between our Lord Jesus Christ and the apostle Peter. John 21:17-19—Jesus said to him, “Feed My sheep. Most assuredly, I say to you, when you were younger, you girded yourself and walked where you wished; but when you are old, you will stretch out your hands, and another will gird you and carry you where you do not wish.” This He spoke, signifying by what death he would glorify God. Dr. John MacArthur cites certain historical sources that say this about Peter’s death:

“Peter had to watch as his wife was crucified, but encouraged her with the words ‘Remember the Lord.’ When it came time to for him to be crucified, he reportedly pleaded that he was not worthy to be crucified like his Lord, but rather should be crucified upside down. Tradition says he was in ca. A.D. 67-68.”

About 33-35 years after Christ’s crucifixion. If these sources are correct, then this was a fulfillment of Christ’s words. One way or another, Christ’s words were fulfilled, whether it happened this way or some other way. Whether by life or by death, may God be magnified in our bodies.

Jesus Christ is Lord.
Amen.

Verse-by-verse through Philippians (4:19-4:20, part 2)

Last week we talked about the glory of God, and what exactly that means. And we saw that the word “glory” refers to one’s honor, reputation, and fame. And when we take the word “glory” and apply it to God, that it takes on a greater meaning of “The honor resulting from a good opinion” and “The kingly majesty which belongs to him as supreme ruler; majesty in the sense of the absolute perfection of the deity.” We saw that all rule and authority, in Heaven and on earth, comes from God, and that if a person is a president or a king, they were put there by God. Then we compared God’s kingship over all of creation with those men who abuse the power that is given them by God, and gave thanks that God possesses all the attributes necessary to rule this universe without destroying it—attributes like righteousness and justice and love. Today we’re going to see what it means to “glorify God.” That even though there are many people walk around saying “glory to God!” while their lives do anything but glorify Him.

Philippians 4:19-20—19 And my God shall supply all your need according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus. 20 Now to our God and Father be glory forever and ever. Amen.

There are three particular groups that we are going to talk about today, and we’re going to see how each one of these groups brings glory to God. First, we will see how God is glorified in Hell. We don’t like to think of God being glorified by sending someone to Hell. But He is. The clearest Scripture on this subject is found in Romans 3:5-6—But if our unrighteousness demonstrates the righteousness of God, what shall we say? Is God unjust who inflicts wrath? (I speak as a man.) Certainly not! For then how will God judge the world? The argument made by the skeptic—as well as the theological liberal who doesn’t like to think that Hell is real—is this: “If God is love, then how can He send people to an eternal, fiery Hell?” Look at what Paul says here. God inflicts wrath—and He is not unjust. Therefore, this wrath that God inflicts must be a righteous wrath. So, is God righteous in sending people to Hell? Well, in Revelation 16:4-7, God is preparing the seven “Bowl Judgments” that will be poured out upon the earth during the Great Tribulation. First, those who worship the Beat and take his mark will be covered with painful sores. Then the seas will become like blood and all the creatures in the sea will die. Then, Revelation 16:4-7--Then the third angel poured out his bowl on the rivers and springs of water, and they became blood. And I heard the angel of the waters saying: “You are righteous, O Lord, the One who is and who was and who is to be, because You have judged these things. For they have shed the blood of saints and prophets, and You have given them blood to drink. For it is their just due.” And I heard another from the altar saying, “Even so, Lord God Almighty, true and righteous are Your judgments.”

Then, in Revelation 19:1-3, after Mystery Babylon, the world government set up by the Antichrist during the Great Tribulation, has been destroyed, and God has avenged His saints and done away with sin on earth—for the time being—so that Christ may return and set up His 1000 year reign on earth. Revelation 19:1-3--After these things I heard a loud voice of a great multitude in heaven, saying, “Alleluia! Salvation and glory and honor and power belong to the Lord our God! For true and righteous are His judgments, because He has judged the great harlot who corrupted the earth with her fornication; and He has avenged on her the blood of His servants shed by her.” Again they said, “Alleluia! Her smoke rises up forever and ever!” All sin must be punished.

What is the most common criticism of our criminal justice system? “Why do they keep letting criminals back out on the streets?” Can the police and the sheriffs and the THP be everywhere? There are many more criminals than there are peace officers. So not every crime gets punished. Not only that, there are many people sitting in prison for crimes they did not commit. It’s a sad fact. BUT!! When the day comes that all men will stand before Christ and be judged, no one who is guilty will be pardoned—and no one who is justified will be punished. Deuteronomy 32:3-4—“For I proclaim the name of the LORD: ascribe greatness to our God. He is the Rock, His work is perfect; for all His ways are justice, a God of truth and without injustice; righteous and upright is He.” Deuteronomy 10:17—The LORD your God is God of gods and Lord of lords, the great God, mighty and awesome, who shows no partiality nor takes a bribe. Before we go any further, let me say this: I'm going to be using phrases like “no sinner will go unpunished.” And I want to be clear, that we are all sinful, and that if we have accepted Christ as Savior and confessed Him as Lord, and are surrendered to Him, then even though we are sinful, He has already taken our sins and God’s wrath for those sins upon Himself on the Cross.

Question: Is a person saved by keeping the OT Law? Well, what was the purpose of the OT Law? It was meant to point us to Christ, and also to show us how we are all guilty before God. But this is not to say that the Law was not good. This is God’s Law, and His Law is perfect. Psalm 19:7-8—The law of the LORD is perfect, converting the soul; the testimony of the LORD is sure, making wise the simple; the statutes of the LORD are right, rejoicing the heart; the commandment of the LORD is pure, enlightening the eyes. 1st Timothy 1:8—But we know that the law is good if one uses it lawfully. Not only was the Law good and perfect—it declared the glory of God! 2nd Corinthians 3:7-11 [NASB]--But if the ministry of death, written and engraved on stones, was glorious, so that the children of Israel could not look steadily at the face of Moses because of the glory of his countenance, which glory was passing away, how will the ministry of the Spirit not be more glorious? For if the ministry of condemnation had glory, the ministry of righteousness exceeds much more in glory. For even what was made glorious had no glory in this respect, because of the glory that excels. For if what is passing away was glorious, what remains is much more glorious. The Law “came with glory”—it showed us how perfect God is, and how sinful we are. If a person does not believe they are breaking a law, are they going to stop doing what is unlawful? If they don’t put up speed limit signs, and I go flying down Alcoa Hwy at 80 MPH—oh wait, everybody does that anyways. A sheriff’s deputy pulls me over and gives me a ticket. “Hey, I didn’t know it was against the law to drive 80 MPH!” But it is. And now that I know that it is against the law to drive 80 MPH down Alcoa Hwy, if I get another ticket, the punishment is going to be even greater.

The same is true for the Law of God. The more a person hears the truth of God’s word, and the more they are taught about their sinful condition—if they do not turn away from those sins they know are sinful, then the more they continue in sin the greater their punishment will be in Hell. “Well, I was gonna stop next week!” Doesn’t matter—you should have stopped yesterday! Romans 2:1-5--Therefore you are inexcusable, O man, whoever you are who judge, for in whatever you judge another you condemn yourself; for you who judge practice the same things. But we know that the judgment of God is according to truth against those who practice such things. And do you think this, O man, you who judge those practicing such things, and doing the same, that you will escape the judgment of God? Or do you despise the riches of His goodness, forbearance, and longsuffering, not knowing that the goodness of God leads you to repentance? But in accordance with your hardness and your impenitent heart you are treasuring up for yourself wrath in the day of wrath and revelation of the righteous judgment of God. If someone KNOWS that committing a particular act is a sin, and they keep on doing it, they are simply heaping up wrath for themselves. Those who were judges in matters pertaining to the OT Law were not beyond the scrutiny of that same Law. If a judge of the Law broke a commandment of the Law—not only was he guilty, but he was subject to an even harsher punishment than those people that he determined were guilty of breaking the Law. This is another example of Paul quoting a principle laid out by Christ.

John 8:1-9—Then the scribes and Pharisees brought to Him a woman caught in adultery. And when they had set her in the midst, they said to Him, “Teacher, this woman was caught in adultery, in the very act. Now Moses, in the law, commanded us that such should be stoned. But what do You say?”…So when they continued asking Him, He raised Himself up and said to them, “He who is without sin among you, let him throw a stone at her first.” Isn't that another verse that even the ungodly and wicked can quote verbatim? “Let him without sin cast the first stone!” And again He stooped down and wrote on the ground. Then those who heard it, being convicted by their conscience, went out one by one, beginning with the oldest even to the last. And Jesus was left alone, and the woman standing in the midst. So now we see it much more clearly, that the Law is a mirror that we hold up in front of us, and when we start going through each commandment, we see ourselves as being guilty of each one.

“Thou shalt have no other Gods besides Me.” Well, didn’t we all have something we worshipped more than we worshipped God at one time? If nothing else, we worshipped ourselves.
“Thou shalt not murder.” Knowing that even hatred is murder, I think we can all put a check mark next to that one.
“Thou shalt not commit adultery.” Lust equals adultery. Let’s skip that one!

And because this is true, then God must punish sin, or He is not a righteous Judge. If I'm standing before Richard Baumgartner, and I've still got a victim’s blood on my hands and my clothing, and I just stand there and say, “Sorry judge! My bad!” And Baumgartner says, “Well, I believe you. You’re showing remorse. Case dismissed.” Imagine the outrage! Has justice been done? NOW, if all mankind is subject to the same Law of God—and we are—then if even one sinner goes unpunished—if even one SIN goes unpunished—then is God a God of justice? Romans 3:19-20--Now we know that whatever the law says, it says to those who are under the law, that every mouth may be stopped, and all the world may become guilty before God. Therefore by the deeds of the law no flesh will be justified in His sight, for by the law is the knowledge of sin. Again, the Law does not make us perfect. Why? Because by the law is the knowledge of sin. The only thing the OT Law did was to show us how sinful we are, and to show us how far from God’s majesty and perfection we really are. Listen to Romans 7:7—I would not have known sin except through the law. For I would not have known covetousness unless the law had said, “You shall not covet.” Galatians 3:19, 22—What purpose then does the law serve? It was added because of transgressions, till the Seed should come to whom the promise was made…But the Scripture has confined all under sin.

Is even one sinner, or even one sin, going to go unpunished? And we see that, as we finish up in Revelation 20:11-15--Then I saw a great white throne and Him who sat on it, from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away. And there was found no place for them. And I saw the dead, small and great, standing before God, and books were opened. And another book was opened, which is the Book of Life. And the dead were judged according to their works, by the things which were written in the books. The sea gave up the dead who were in it, and Death and Hades delivered up the dead who were in them. And they were judged, each one according to his works. Then Death and Hades were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death. And anyone not found written in the Book of Life was cast into the lake of fire. Every person, who dies apart from Christ, will be standing before this Great White Throne. Whether it’s Johnny Down-The-Road, or Adolf Hitler or Joseph Smith or the men of Sodom and Gomorrah. The ledgers that contain the accounts of all those who did not know Christ as Savior AND LORD will be opened, the dockets will be called, the charges will be read, and the guilty will be punished. No appeal, no technicalities. Every single person will be judged by the Law of God, no one will be able to say, “No fair!” Romans 3:19—Whatever the law says, it says to those who are under the law, that every mouth may be stopped. There will be no exceptions. Everyone will be held to the same standard, and judges by the same Law.

God will be seen to be the righteous Judge that He is, and every knee will bow and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ IS Lord to the glory of God the Father—that is, that God sent His perfect Word into the world, that Word became flesh and dwelt among us. That Word declared the fame and majesty of the Father, and all the world will be judge by being compared to that Word. John 1:1—And the Word was God. Romans 2:16—God will judge the secrets of men by Jesus Christ. God must do away with and punish all sin and separate it from Himself and from His kingdom before the holy city of Jerusalem can open its doors. Revelation 21:1-2--Now I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away. Also there was no more sea. Then I, John, saw the holy city, New Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. Skipping down to Revelation 21:23-24, 27--The city had no need of the sun or of the moon to shine in it, for the glory of God illuminated it. The Lamb is its light. And the nations of those who are saved shall walk in its light, and the kings of the earth bring their glory and honor into it...But there shall by no means enter it anything that defiles, or causes an abomination or a lie, but only those who are written in the Lamb’s Book of Life. We’ll go further into that next week when we talk about God being glorified in Heaven.

Jesus Christ is Lord.
Amen.