Episode Transcript
- All right, good afternoon, everybody. - Afternoon. - Before we get started, let's have a prayer for Don right quick. - John, he's gone to heaven. - Right, we was gonna mention John too.
When I first started coming here, There's a gentleman that used to come every service.
And he always had a smile for me.
I'm going to try not to cry here, but even when he was in pain, he would give you a smile.
And I just-- I'm going to miss John.
His name was John.
He's going to be truly missed.
Anyway, we want to pray for Don.
We was running a little bit behind.
Sorry, everybody.
We had a gentleman in here who was experiencing some pains.
And so he had to go to the doctor.
And I guess what I'm trying to say is, folks, John has already left us.
And we've got one man that's been coming, and he just now had to leave to go to the doctor.
You don't never know when the good Lord's gonna call you home to be judged.
It's very important.
If I didn't believe in Jesus Christ, I would not be here preaching Jesus Christ to you.
I believe in Jesus Christ as our Savior.
And there's no time like the present because you don't ever know.
John's roommate, Thomas, informed me that he left yesterday.
I called him home yesterday.
And I love John.
He was a very bright ray of sunshine for me.
So anyway, let's have a quick moment of silence for John and have Don and your thoughts, folks, for it is healing.
For God's will to be done is healing.
Yes.
[BLANK _AUDIO] Lord God, we thank you so much for John, Lord.
We thank you for those that you put in our lives, Lord, to encourage us.
And Lord, I pray that we can be an encouragement to others while we are here in this whole sinful world, Lord.
This life is very short, Father.
And I want to pray for those that don't know Christ as their Savior, Lord.
I pray, Lord, that you would draw them to the cross and show them Christ, Lord, while there's still time.
And Lord, we want to pray for Don as well, Lord.
We want to pray that your perfect will be done in his healing, Lord.
And we sure thank you, Lord, for those that come here to hear your word.
It's such a blessing to be able to come and have fellowship with these people that come here, Lord.
And we want to pray for each and every one of them, Lord.
And we just thank you so much, Lord, for another day that you've blessed us with, Father.
And I pray, Lord, as we get into your word here today, Lord, that you are glorified here, Father.
That you are magnified here, Lord.
Not only glorified, but magnified as well, Lord.
And that people are appointed to you, Father.
Thank you and love you, Lord.
In Jesus name I pray, Lord.
Amen. - Amen. - Amen. - Amen. - I'm gonna miss John.
Every time I come in here, I think about him.
I still think about Mr.
Beatty.
I think about Mr.
Bain when I come here too.
He was a faithful soul.
He would come to church.
Okay, now, with that said, we've been making our way through the book of Jude verse by verse.
And last week we touched on the beginning of verse 15.
But today I'm gonna start reading in verse 14 in order to keep us in context of what we are reading.
Now I believe everyone is there in the book of Jude, correct?
We're in the book of Jude?
You got it, Miss Becky?
I got it.
First pager? - Oh, I'm sorry. - Excuse me, there you go. - Okay. - That's all right.
All right, we're gonna read verse 14 and 15 and we'll pick up in 15.
And Enoch also the seventh from Adam prophesied of these saying, "Behold, the Lord cometh "with 10,000 of his saints to execute judgment upon all "and to convince all that are ungodly among them of all their ungodly deeds which they have ungodly committed, and of all their hard speeches which ungodly sinners have spoken against them.
Why is the Lord coming back with ten thousands of his saints?
Verse 15 says, "To execute judgment upon all."
The word execute is translated from the Greek word poio, poio, and it is spelled in the Greek poio, and it means to make or do, to make or do.
At some time, you decided that you wanted to come here today and hear God's Word and have fellowship with other believers.
In order to do that, you had to execute your plan on how you were going to get here.
You made your plan work because here you are.
You executed your plan to get here.
When the Lord comes back, He is going to execute, or you could say, make or do what?
Look at our text here in verse 15.
Judgment.
To execute judgment.
This word judgment is translated from the Greek word chrisis and is spelled K-R-I-S-I-S in the Greek language and it gives us the idea of for or against a tribunal.
A tribunal.
The Lord is coming back to hold court, folks, and justice will be served.
We will be told what we are accused of.
Romans 3.23 says, "For all have sinned and come short of the glory of God."
We are all sinners, folks.
None of us measure up to the glory of God.
We all fall short.
My pastor and associate pastor are both in law enforcement.
They know how the court systems work and they know the laws.
When people break the laws, they arrest them and bring them to justice.
This is their background and what they are familiar with.
When I was a young man, my experience with law enforcement was in breaking the laws and And this is my background with law enforcement.
I am very familiar with being brought before the judge and being told what I had done that broke the law.
I remember after being told my crime, there would be a question that the judge would ask me.
He would ask me, "How do you plead?
how do you plead?
If you have never experienced this, folks, I want to tell you from my own personal experience that it is no fun.
It is no fun.
When you are standing before the judge knowing that he holds the ability in his hand to either set you free or condemn you to prison for life.
It is no fun.
When that judge looks down on you and asks you, how do you plead?
When the Lord looks down on you and tells you, for all have sinned and come short of the glory of God, how do you plead?
Well, I did the best I could.
Well, Well I went to church.
Well I sang in the choir.
I was a missionary and fed starving people all over the world.
I came down to some steps that a preacher called an altar and we said a prayer together.
That's not what the judge asked, folks.
The judge asked, "How do you plead?"
If that is all that you can think of to say, folks, then you are representing yourself.
And you need my lawyer.
You need my lawyer.
You need the one who volunteered to stand in for me when it comes time for me to answer that question.
How do you plead?
First John 2 says, "My little children, these things write I unto you, that ye sin not, and if any man sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous."
The word advocate comes from the Greek word parakletos.
That's where we get the word paraklete from.
A paraklete is an intercessor or a counselor.
Someone who is called to aid or support.
A lawyer.
Someone who will stand in for you.
First John 2.2, and he is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world.
The word propitiation comes from the Greek word, hielasmos, and means atonement and expiator.
That means the satisfaction or reparation made by giving an equivalent for an injury, or by doing or suffering that which is received in satisfaction for an offense or injury.
In theology, the expiation of sin made by the obedience and personal sufferings of Christ.
When the judge looks at me and says, "For all have sinned and come short of the glory of God, how do you plead?
My advocate is going to step in and say, your honor, my client pleads not guilty to your honor because all of his sin has been placed on me and I accepted his punishment already at a place called Calvary on a cross where I died for his penalty.
All of our sins have been placed on Christ, our Advocate.
And God is satisfied with Christ who took our sins so that we may be forgiven.
1 John 4-9-10 "In this was manifested the love of God toward us, because that God sent His only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through Him."
"Herein is love."
"Not that we love God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins."
God the Father is satisfied with the death of his son on the cross as payment in full for my sin debt.
When the judge is satisfied with the evidence that the lawyer presents in your favor of not guilty, then any honest judge is going to rule not guilty in your favor or setting you free from punishment.
The judge in this case is an honest judge.
He has to be an honest judge.
1 Peter 2 21.
I believe we got y'all marked in that.
1 Peter 2.21, Ms.
Pace.
1 Peter 3.21.
You got it, Thomas?
1 Peter 2.21.
You there, Ms.
Charlotte? - I think so. - You are.
1 Peter 2.21.
There's 20 to 21. - Mm-hmm. - Thank you.
For even here unto where ye call, because Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example that we should follow his steps, who did no sin, neither was guile found in his mouth, who when he was reviled, reviled not again when he suffered, he threatened not, but committed himself to him that judgeth righteously, An honest judge will give an honest verdict.
Who his own self bare our sins in his own body on the tree, that we, being dead to sins, should live unto righteousness.
By whose strike ye were healed.
I know now how important a good lawyer is, folks.
I can tell you a good lawyer is very important when you need your case fought for.
I thank God that I don't have to have an earthly lawyer no more, but I have one through Jesus Christ.
I know the best lawyer who ever walked this earth, and I want to share his name with you while you are still able to accept him.
He doesn't cost you a dime.
And in fact, he won't accept any payment from you whatsoever.
He has already paid the cost for your sins, and his name is Jesus the Christ.
Why don't you let him represent you when the time comes for the judge to ask you, how do you plead?
He will represent you and plead your case for you and all you have to do is believe in him.
John 3, 18, and we'll close.
He that believeth on him is not condemned, but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.
When it comes time to be judged, folks, are you going to stand in what you've done?
Or are you going to let Jesus Christ stand in your place on what He has done on the cross for your sins?
That choice is one that you have to make.
If you don't make that choice, you've made the choice.
By not choosing Jesus, you choose the other option.
Heavenly Father, we thank you so much, Lord, for this time that you've blessed us with here, Lord, to come together, Lord, and have fellowship, and read your word, Lord, and I pray, Lord, that people learn here today.
I pray that you will glorify here today.
And I pray, Lord, that there's any lost here today that you've drawn to the cross, Father, and show 'em Christ.
I pray, Lord, that they would seek your face, Lord, while the time is still at hand.
I wanna pray again, Lord, for John, Lord.
Just pray that your healing hand be upon him, Father, according to your will, Lord.
And we pray that your perfect will is done in each and every one of our lives here today, Father.
Amen.
Thank you, Lord, for all that you do, Father.
And we sure thank you for Jesus, our Advocate, Lord, the one who took our punishment in order that we may live, Lord.
We thank you and love you, Father.
We thank you for the time that you blessed us here with, John, Lord.
And we sure thank you for each and every smile you've blessed us with, Lord.
Thank you, God, for all you do, Lord, for all you do is good.
Pray, Lord, that you'll watch over these folks here, Lord.
Have the caregivers take care of them, Lord, like you would want them to be taking care of, Father.
We thank you and love you, Lord.
In Jesus' name we pray, Lord.
Amen.
