This sermon delves into the immense cost that God and Christ paid for the mercy extended to lost mankind, emphasizing the rejection and suffering Christ endured, culminating in His crucifixion and resurrection. It highlights the need for repentance, faith in Christ's sacrifice, and the importance of enduring persecution for righteousness' sake. The sermon also underscores the judgment of God, the significance of living a godly life, and the ultimate call to be faithful and obedient to Christ, recognizing Him as both Savior and Judge.

Now, we know somewhat about the cost that God paid and that Christ paid for the mercy that was shed upon lost mankind. God didn't give up on a sinful mankind. He didn't give up on the sinful outbreak of sin and debauchery in the world. He looked upon a sin-soaked, disillusioned, godless situation, and he sent his own son. Now, the price Jesus paid is beyond calculation. We can't calculate the pain, the spiritual pain, the eternal pain, the taking of the sins of the whole world upon himself. But we do get hints in the New Testament of the human suffering and the pain and the cost it was to shed that mercy and to show it. You know that he was rejected by everything that was called religion. He became the song of drunkards, according to the psalmist. He would become the song of drunkards. Those who were high in society, the intellectual, the poor, the uneducated, the unintelligent, all of humanity mocked, rejected. Then they crucified him, nailed him to a cross, rejected. In fact, Matthew 27 has Jesus in the grave, the stone rolled over, the stone sealed, the Roman guard established. You come into chapter 28, and the resurrection takes place. There is a severe earthquake, verse 2. An angel of the Lord descends from heaven, comes, rolls the stone away, sits on it, appearing like lightning, his garment as white as snow. The guards shook for fear of him, became like dead men. And the angels in verse 6 say, if you're looking for Jesus, he's not here, for he has risen. Just as he said, come see the place where he was lying. Go quickly and tell his disciples he's risen from the dead. Verse 10, don't be afraid, Jesus actually says to them, go and take word to my brethren to leave for Galilee, and there they shall see me. And so in the opening 10 verses of Matthew 28, you have the account of the resurrection in all its simplicity and magnificence. The greatest thing that could ever be said from this pulpit, and let it ever be so, is this. Of all the messages that shine down through history, through thousands of years, let it be known, I stood here today and determined to know nothing but this. Listen to me, Christ died on the cross for you. With nails through his hands and his feet, with a crown of thorns in his head, and a spear in his side, he smoothed the frown of God's justice, and he wiped the tears of God's mercy, so that if you place your faith in his shed blood, there's no more shame, no more fear, no more guilt, and no more blame. No guilt, no shame, no fear, no blame, you're perfect in his sight. Hallelujah for the cross, what a savior Yeshua is. This gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world as a witness to all the nations, and then the end will come. I find the book of the revelation a book of mystery, a book of majesty, and a book of misery. Because it shows me the final stage of lost men, that forever and ever they're going to be cut off from God. That if there are a million roads into hell, there's not one road out. You know this book has an imprint on it that no other book has in the whole of the word of God. Because in chapter 1 verse 3 it says, blessed is he that readeth, and they that hear. There's a lot of people that read, but they don't hear. Blessed is he that readeth and heareth the words of this prophecy, and keep those things which are written therein, for the time is at hand. Blessed, blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are they that mourn, for they shall be comforted. Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth. Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness, for they shall be filled. Blessed are the merciful, the merciful, for they, they shall obtain mercy. Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God. Blessed, blessed are the peacemakers, the peacemakers, for they shall be called the children of God. Blessed are they which are persecuted, blessed are they which are persecuted for righteousness' sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are ye when men shall revile you and persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely for my sake. Rejoice and be exceeding glad, for great is your reward in heaven, for so persecuted they the prophets which were before you. For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through him might be saved. He that believeth on him is not condemned, but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God. And this is the condemnation, that light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil. For everyone that doeth evil hates the light, and neither comes to the light, lest his deeds should be reproved, or that means discovered. But he that does truth comes to the light, that his deeds may be made manifest, that they are wrought in God. And you see, we know something of the cost of God's side of showing mercy, extending mercy to a lost world. And he found you, and he found me in our lost condition. And the mercy that he showed you is, we preach about a free mercy, unmerited mercy, unmerited grace, unmerited love. That God was so fully satisfied with the sacrifice of Jesus on the cross, fully paid. We talk about free grace, we talk about free mercy, and it's true. That is the gospel of Jesus Christ. The mercy that was shown to you and me was such a powerful mercy, and it was not going to cost you anything. He paid the price, and God's fully satisfied with that price, with that mercy that was shown, fully paid, free mercy, free grace. Some of the guard came into the city and reported to the chief priest all that had happened. What do you think those Roman guards told him? They told him what happened. We were on guard, stone was over the opening, stone was sealed, severe earthquake occurred, an angel rolled the stone away, appeared like lightning, garment white as snow, scared us near to death. We became like dead men. He was not there. The resurrection happened. That's what the Romans reported to the chief priests. Verse 11. Jesus says the harvest is the end of the age. He said at the end of the age, the angels will come forth and sever the wicked from among the righteous. The wicked will be bound up in bundles and cast into the fire. The righteous will shine as sons in the kingdom of their Father. And I saw a great white throne, and Him that sat upon it from whose face the heavens and the earth fled away, and there was found no place for them. And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God. And the books were opened. And another book was opened, which is the book of life. And the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books according to their works. And the sea gave up the dead which were in it, and death and hell delivered up the dead which were in them. And they were judged, every man according to their works. And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death. And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire. Ye are the salt of the earth. Ye are the salt of the earth. But if the salt have lost its savor, where will shall it be salted? It is thenceforth good for nothing. But to be cast out and to be trodden underfoot of men. Ye are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hid. Neither do men light a candle and put it under a bushel, but on a candlestick. And it giveth light unto all that are in the house. And let your light so shine before men that they may see your good works and glorify your Father which is in heaven. One of the most profound truths in the New Testament through the Apostle Paul is spoken and it's where Paul says, Every knee will bow. Every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord. Whether these are already believers in Christ or absolute barbaric heathens. But there is a cost on the human side. There is a cost in working out that mercy in your human life, in our everyday life. There is a high price. It's a very costly mercy that's been shown to us. Jesus paid it in the human flesh. He paid a price. And it's the same price that you and I are going to pay. We're going to pay the price, the cost to our human flesh will be total rejection. Society will never accept you if Jesus Christ is the cause and the meaning of your mercy and grace. If you're in a ministry, if you're a teaching ministry, if you are in any way a messenger of Christ, a vessel, a testimony, you cannot accept or ever think that you're going to be accepted by the world. You're going to be rejected. The Romans really had not initiated the execution of Jesus. They complied with it to pacify the Jews, in particular Pilate because he had made so many blunders with the Jews. He was about to lose his position. Anyway, Caesar would remove him with one more big blunder. And the Jews were so insistent on the execution of Jesus that he complied. The Roman soldiers, therefore, were sent to guard, really to carry off this whole endeavor, this whole enterprise, which was the wishes of the religious elite. So they reported back to them the truth of the resurrection. Verse 12 says, When they had assembled with the elders, the chief priests who heard this then collected the ruling body of Israel called the Sanhedrin, the elders who ruled, and they counseled together. What did they decide? They decided not to accept the truth. They decided to deny the resurrection. They decided then to bribe the soldiers. So they gave a large sum of money to the soldiers. A large sum of money. They bought them off. And they said, Instead of saying what really happened, you are to say His disciples came by night and stole Him away while we were asleep. Now just exactly how would you know that if you were asleep? Just a small detail shows you the rush to this deception. It's irrational. And why would Roman soldiers be sleeping when they were expert professionals at doing their duty, which was to stay awake and guard whatever they were to guard with severe penalty if they failed in their duty? He told them to basically perpetrate a bizarre and ridiculous and unbelievable lie. Luke 21, 25 through 28. Speaking about the close of the age, there will be signs in the sun and the moon and the stars. On the earth distress of nations with perplexity, the sea and the waves roaring, men's hearts failing them from fear, and the expectation of those things which are coming on the earth. For the powers of heaven will be shaken, the whole globe is going to be shaken. Then they will see the Son of Man coming in a cloud with power and great glory. That's the coming of Jesus. Now this is what He says. Now He's speaking to His disciples. When these things begin to happen, look up and lift up your heads because your redemption is drawing near. 1 Corinthians 3, verse 9. For we are laborers together with God. We are God's husbandry. We are God's building. According to the grace of God which is given unto me as a wise master builder, I have laid the foundation and another buildeth thereon. But let every man take heed how he buildeth thereon. For other foundation can no man lay than that which is laid, which is Jesus Christ. Now if any man build upon this foundation, gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, stubble, every man's work shall be made manifest, for the day shall declare it. Because it shall be revealed by fire, and the fire shall try every man's work of what sort it is. If any man's work abide, which he buildeth thereupon, he shall receive a reward. If any man's work shall be burned, he shall suffer loss, that he himself shall be saved, yet so as by fire. Think not that I am come to destroy the law or the prophets. I am not come to destroy but to fulfill. For verily I say unto you, One jot or one tittle shall in no wise past in the law shall all be fulfilled. Whosoever therefore shall break one of these least commandments and shall teach men so, he shall be called the least in the kingdom of heaven. But whosoever shall do and teach them the same shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven. For I say unto you that except your righteousness shall exceed the righteousness of the scribes and the Pharisees, ye shall in no case enter into the kingdom of heaven. I think, folks, that perhaps for the first time ever, people, many, many people will be finally aware of the love of God. That's possibly what makes hell even more of a tormenting place. Can you imagine finally having come to the place where you've understood the love of God? Finally your eyes are open and you see why God became a man over 2,000 years ago and came to this earth, endured the scorn of a fallen humanity and went to a cross. Finally you begin to see it and understand that he did it for you. Don't ever expect your ministry to be applauded by the world or accepted by the world. If Jesus Christ is the center of it, and Christ is being exalted, the more Christ is exalted, the more you show forth the mercy of Christ and exalt him as a source of that mercy, all the more you're going to be rejected by the world, the world system. You're going to be rejected by a compromised church. And there's not going to be any greater persecution come upon a Christ-centered ministry in these last days than from the backslidden, compromised church. It will come from religious circles. Most of the pain that was inflicted on Christ, the persecution, the rejection came from religious orders, from religious organization, from the scribes and the Pharisees and the Sadducees. There are always those bent on destroying Christianity, and if you're going to destroy Christianity, you have to destroy the resurrection of Jesus Christ. None has ever succeeded, and all of them collectively have not succeeded. For nation will rise against nation. That's ethnos against ethnos, ethnic conflict. Kingdom against kingdom. There will be famines, pestilences and earthquakes and various pestilences. All these are the beginning of birth pains. You see? So you want the baby? You have to endure the birth pains. There's no alternative. And then Jesus says, and there's a series of thens, then they will deliver you up to tribulation and kill you. And you will be hated by all nations for my name's sake. Who's you? They're you. That's right. You is us. That's not good grammar, but it's the truth. They will deliver you as you and me, Christians. We will be hated by all nations for the sake of Jesus' name. Verse 10, then many will be offended and will betray one another and will hate one another. Many who? Many Christians. The pressure will be too great. They'll give up to save their own skins. They'll betray their fellow believers. This has been happening in China, Soviet Union, for a generation or two. And it's not confined there, believe me. Verse 11, then many false prophets will rise up and deceive many. And believe me, the world is full of false prophets. And a lot of them are inside the church. We won't go into that. I'll just make that statement for you to ponder on. And because lawlessness will abound, the love of many will grow cold. Do we see lawlessness increasing in the world today? Yes or no? I don't think anybody would say no. And that's what Jesus said, lawlessness will abound. And He said, what will be the result? The love of many Christians will grow cold. The word for love there is agape. The word used specifically for Christian love. So under the pressure of the lawlessness in the world, some of us will let our love grow cold. All right. Now the next verse is very significant. Verse 13, but he who endures to the end shall be saved. Actually the Greek is more specific. It says, he who has endured to the end shall be saved. So how do you stay saved? You have to endure. That's right. You're saved now, but to remain saved, you have to endure. You see, Jesus says, I am the resurrection and the life. And I believe He did rise from the dead. Not because of that long list in 1 Corinthians 15, but away at the end of the book of Revelation, He says, I am He that liveth and was dead. And behold, I am alive forevermore. And I have the keys of death and hell. Don't you believe that old bachelor in Rome? You don't know who he is? Well, it's the Pope. He says he has the keys, not on your life. Jesus has the keys of death and of hell. You have heard that it was said by them of old time, thou shalt not kill. Thou shalt not kill. And whosoever shall kill shall be in danger of the judgment. But I say unto you, I say unto you that whosoever is angry with his brother without a cause shall be in danger of the judgment. And whosoever shall say to his brother, Raka, that is thy vain fellow, shall be in danger of the council. But whosoever shall say thou fool shall be in danger of hell fire. Therefore, if thou bring thy gift to the altar and there remember us that thy brother hath aught against thee, leave there thy gift before the altar. Go thy way. First be reconciled to thy brother and then come and offer thy gift. Agree with thine adversary quickly while thou art in the way with him. Lest at any time the adversary deliver thee to the judge and the judge deliver thee to the officer and thou be cast into prison. Verily I say unto thee, thou shalt by no means come out thence to louse. Hey, the altar won't fall thine. And Jesus said light came into the world, but men loved darkness rather than light because their deeds were evil. Now they may not have seen them as evil. They may have justified their deeds. And at the same time came the disciples unto Jesus saying, Who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven? And Jesus called a little child unto him and set him in the midst of them and said, Verily I say unto you, except you be converted and become as little children, ye shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven. Whosoever therefore shall humble himself as this little child, the same as greatest in the kingdom of heaven, and whoso shall receive one such child in my name receiveth me, but whoso shall offend one of these little ones which believe in me, it were better for him that a millstone were hanged about his neck and that he were drowned in the depth of the sea. Woe unto the world because of offenses, for it must needs be that offenses come, but woe to that man by whom the offense cometh. Wherefore if thy hand or thy foot offend thee, I'm reading you one of the most misunderstood verses in the Bible. Wherefore if thy hand or thy foot offend thee, cut them off, cast them from thee. It is better for thee to enter into life, halt or maim, rather than have two hands or two feet to be cast into everlasting fire. If your eye offend thee, pluck it out and cast it from thee. It is better for thee to enter into life with one eye, rather than having two eyes to be cast into hell fire. Take heed that you despise not one of these little ones, for I say unto you that in heaven their angels do always behold the face of my Father which is in heaven. The final verse for the Son of Man is, Come to save that which was lost. The evidence of an empty tomb, a heavenly angel rolling a stone, witnesses, women, apostles, 500 at one time in one place, transformed disciples who once are fearful, running and fleeing in terror when their Lord is arrested and executed and now they are transformed into proclaiming that He lives even to the point that it costs them their lives. For I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children to the third and fourth generation of those who hate me, but showing mercy to thousands of those who love me and keep my commandments. But the mercy of the Lord is from everlasting to everlasting on those who fear Him and His righteousness to children's children to such as keep His covenant and to those who remember His commandments to do them. Behold, all souls are mine. The soul of the Father as well as the soul of the Son is mine. The soul who sins shall die. In speaking to believers He says, And if you call on the Father, who without partiality judges according to each one's work, conduct yourselves throughout the time of your sojourning here in fear. That's the kind of statement that isn't publicly disseminated in most churches today. And I beheld when He had opened the sixth seal, O there was a great earthquake, the sun became black as sackcloth of hair, and the moon became as blood, and the stars of heaven fell to the earth even as a fig casteth her untimely figs, a tree casteth her untimely figs when she is shaken of a mighty wind. And the heaven departed as a scroll and it is rolled together. And every mountain and island were moved out of their places. And the kings of the earth and the great men and the rich men and the chief captains and the mighty men and every bondman and every freeman they hid themselves in the dens and in the rocks of the mountains and said to the mountains and rocks, and hide us from the face of him that sitteth on the throne and from the wrath of the Lamb for the great day is come. Ye have heard that it was said by them of old time, Thou shalt not commit adultery. Thou shalt not commit adultery. But I, I say unto you that whosoever looketh on a woman to lust after her, hath committed adultery with her already in his heart. And if thy right eye do cause thee to offend, pluck it out and cast it from thee, for it is profitable to thee that one of thy members should perish and not that thy whole body should be cast into hell. Ye have heard that it hath been said, An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth. But I say unto you that ye resist not evil, but whosoever shall smite thee on thy right cheek, turn to him the other also. And if any man will sue thee at the law and take away thy coat, let him have thy cloak also. Give to him that asketh thee and from him that would borrow thee, turn not thou away. Ye have heard, ye have heard that it hath been said, Thou shalt love thy neighbor and hate thy enemy. But I, I say unto you, love your enemies. Love your enemies. Bless them. Bless them that curse you. Do good to them that hate you. And pray for them which despitefully use you and persecute you, that ye may be the children of your Father which is in heaven. For he maketh his Son to rise on the evil and on the good and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust. For if ye love them which love you, what reward have ye? Do not the publicans the same? And one of the most tragic mistakes that you and I can make is judging our own righteousness in a sense or our own right way of living by the standard of what's going on in the world. Folks, that's not the standard. The standard is Christ. The standard is this Word of God. But they wouldn't come to this light because their deeds were evil. And then they began to hate the light and they didn't want to come to the light because coming to the light means that our deeds will be discovered. The religious man may find out he's not quite as religious as he thought he was. The virtuous woman may find out she's not quite as virtuous as God's Word says that she can be made into by the truth of God and by the power of the Holy Spirit. And so those who really... It doesn't matter if they come to church. Coming to church is one thing. But coming to Christ is what it's all about. Now listen closely, please. The cross of Jesus Christ totally annihilates all works of the flesh. Totally annihilates it. It does away with it completely. As there's no merit, there's no contribution to your salvation by anything, any human merit or any willpower, any striving of your flesh. The cross did away with all of that. Now that's the foundation of what I'm trying to teach you here this morning. The cross, therefore, is a stumbling block or an offense to those who are trained in legalism, who are trained in keeping the law, all the rules and regulations. The Jews, remember, in Christ's time truly believed, they honestly believed they could help earn their eternal salvation by keeping the more than 900 rules, regulations, and ordinances that came under the law. Ephesians 2.5, Paul said, having abolished in his flesh, that's his cross, the enmity, even the law of commandments contained in all your ordinances. Wherefore, brethren, if you be dead with Christ from the elements of the world, why is no living in the world? Are you subjecting yourself to man's ordinances like touch not, taste not, handle not, which are all to perish with the using after the commandments and doctrines of men. And then he capped it off and he made, I mean, he drove the nail in it. It's impossible to get away from what he said here. Christ blotted out the handwriting of ordinances that were against us, which were contrary to us. He took it all out of the way. He nailed it to his cross. You see these priests, you see these Jews going about their weary way trying to struggle with the law. These are believers. They've given their heart to Jesus Christ and they're still burdened down trying to merit something with God, trying to invest in their salvation. They're still trying to walk only the prescribed amount of mileage per day on keeping certain rules of the Sabbath, washing of hands, pots, pans, utensils, making sure that they didn't squish their clothing across a Gentile or touch a Gentile or shake hands with a Gentile dog. They were still under the law, striving, making sure that they kept their Sabbath, their long prayers, their tedious chanting, long hours trying to understand the law, still sitting under scribes and Pharisees and every night taking inventory of their lives and figuring out every jot and tittle of the law and then their conscience railing against them because they failed during the day and they couldn't keep the law. And here they are claiming to be Christians. We're believers. Many of them were priests. And can you imagine the offense to tell these men who thought that their whole lifetime of religious activity is in vain and especially thinking that that mark on their body of circumcision enhanced their standing with God and assured them of eternal salvation and Paul's coming along saying, that's of no value. That's the offense of the cross. That's the offense. And I have no way to merit other than coming in repentance and faith to the finished work of Jesus. He was then nailed to a cross by the hands of godless men who put him to death. Crucifixion. Verse 24. Here comes the theme of his sermon. And God raised him up again putting an end to the agony of death since it was impossible for him to be held in its power. It says in the day when God will judge the secrets of men by Jesus Christ according to my gospel. So God is not merely going to judge our open acts but He's going to judge our secret innermost thoughts and motives and attitudes. 1 Peter 1 17. And if you call on the Father who without partiality judges according to each one's work conduct yourselves throughout the time of your sojourning here in fear. That's written to us. We call on the Father. And then in 1 Peter 4 17 it says, For the time has come for judgment to begin at the house of God. And if it begins with us first what will be the end of those who do not obey the gospel? Where does judgment begin? Always with the house of God. Always with the people who have the most truth. And so when judgment starts the first people to be judged will be the Christians. They said to the mountains and rocks Fall on us and hide us from the face of him that sitteth on the throne and from the wrath of the Lamb. For the great day of his wrath is come and who is able to stand? It says in the 9th chapter verse 6 In those days shall men seek death and shall not find it. They shall desire to die and death shall flee from them. Do you remember that second psalm where it says Concerning men that guard he that dwelleth in the heavens shall laugh God shall have them in derision. And I think we better watch this business of you know God loves you, God loves you and all the bumper stickers sloppy evangelism. Will you remind people of the goodness and the severity of God? Will you remind them that there is a day when mercy is cut off forever? Will you remind them that people pray in hell but nobody ever answers? Ask and it shall be given you. Seek and ye shall find. Knock and it shall be opened unto you. For every one that asketh receiveth and he that seeketh findeth. And to him that knocketh it shall be opened. For what man is there of you whom if his son ask bread will he give him a stone? For if he asketh this will he give him a serpent? If ye then being evil know how to give good gifts unto your children how much more shall your Father which is in heaven give good things to them that ask him? When we finally see the Lord in his holiness we finally understand the incredible gap bridged between God and man the only answer that you and I will ever have is God you so love the world why else would you have done this? why else would you have made this journey? why else would you have bridged this gap? why else holy and infinite God would you have come down into the earth and let fallen creation spit in your face and let them slap you and let them scourge you and let them mock you? Wait for the hope of righteousness which is by faith for in Christ neither circumcision availeth anything nor uncircumcision but faith which worketh by love verse 29 he talks about Christ taken down from the cross laid in a tomb and then in verse 30 he says but God raised him from the dead almost verbatim what Peter said in his sermon God raised him from the dead now follow and for many days he appeared to those who came up with him from Galilee to Jerusalem the very ones who are now his witnesses to the people again Peter said God raised him from the dead and we are all witnesses here we are much later in the book of Acts Paul says the same thing God raised him from the dead and we are all witnesses Paul is speaking about building the church and he says no other foundation can anyone lay than that which is laid which is Jesus Christ now if anyone builds on this foundation with gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, straw each one's work will become manifest for the day will this be declared because it will be revealed by fire and the fire will test each one's work of what sort it is if anyone's work which he has built on it endures he will receive a reward if anyone's work is burned he will suffer loss but he himself will be saved yet so as through fire I heard a woman say not long ago well praise the Lord I'm glad I don't have to account for anything when I go to heaven there is no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus wait a minute you can never isolate a scripture by itself there's no condemnation for past sins enter ye in at the straight gate enter ye in at the straight gate the wide is the gate and broad is the way that leadeth to destruction and many there be which go in thereat because straight is the gate and narrow, narrow, narrow is the way which leadeth unto life and few there be that find it few there be that find it beware which come to you and seek clothing but inwardly they are ravening words ye shall know them by their fruits do men gather grapes of thorns or figs of thistles even so every good tree bringeth forth good fruit but a corrupt tree bringeth forth evil fruit a good tree cannot bring forth evil fruit neither can a corrupt tree bring forth good fruit every tree that bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down and cast into the fire wherefore by their fruits ye shall know them not every one that sayeth unto me Lord, Lord shall enter into the kingdom of heaven but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven many will say to me in that day Lord, Lord have we not prophesied in thy name and in thy name in thy name have cast out devils and in thy name done many wonderful works and then will I profess unto them depart from me ye that work iniquity depart from me ye that work iniquity God so loved the world a place that loves religiousness but hates that which represents and speaks for the true image of God Matthew 26, 67 the scripture says then they spit in his face and they buffeted him and others smote him with the palms of their hands oh this world loves its religion oh religion is fine but just don't put the image of God before us take away this image that would always be the cry of every society in the Old Testament that was about to be judged get this image of God away from us and bring to us now prophets that will prophesy to us smooth things tell us the path we've chosen is going to bring us an incredible liberty and wealth and success and destiny tell us all of these things when the society itself is right on the threshold of judgment be you therefore merciful as your father also is merciful judge not and you shall not be judged and condemn not and you shall not be condemned forgive and you shall be forgiven give and it shall be given unto you good measure pressed down shaken together and running over shall men give unto your bosom for with the same measure that you meet with aught it shall be measured back again to you God delivered him up for our transgressions to bear our sins in his own body on the cross to become the just for the unjust he was wounded for our transgressions bruised for our iniquities then Jesus gone on for I say to you that to everyone who has will be given and from whom who does not have even what he has will be taken away from him now listen to this because most of us don't think this way but that's not the end of the parable there's one more sentence but bring here those enemies of mine who did not want me to reign over them and slay them before me that's Jesus the judge not Jesus the Savior but Jesus the judge remember the same person who's the Savior is also the judge just as thorough and efficient as he is in saving so he will be in judging does your picture of Jesus include that or are you just one of those who say gentle Jesus meek and mild praise God that's true but it's not the whole truth there's another side to Jesus he is the judge with eyes like a flame of fire a two-edged sword that goes out of his mouth a voice like the sound of many waters feet like bronze in a furnace can you see all the saints of all the ages and Leonard Ravel is standing there before Christ whose eyes are full of holiness where the place is breathing holiness where there's all the majesty of an awesome God and he reads the record of my poor life before all the saints of all the ages you will be persecuted for righteousness and partialness and what happens blessed Christ says are they which are persecuted for righteousness sake that's the first thing that will come upon you church of Christ when you get right with God it doesn't mean revival is going to come just in one moment but blessed blessed are they which are persecuted for righteousness that you're right with God now they're only persecuting you because your life condemned them condemned their heart makes them uncomfortable unable to enjoy their sin their consciences are now being spoken to because it's proven all who will live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution you cannot escape all God says who will live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution oh but blessed are they which are persecuted for righteousness sake that's blessedness of God upon your life church now you are the salt of the earth now you're shaking the world now you're worrying them blessed are ye when men shall abide you and persecute you and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely for my sake trust me why do they do it? their hearts are condemning them you see you're the salt of the earth now corruption can't easily go on men can't sleep anymore through their sin men can't be comfortable in their sin men can't come and sit in the church anymore in their sin and be walking and leaping and praising God they run unless they repent there is a day coming folks there is a day coming when the door of grace is going to close the time will be passed there's a time coming when all of society that day as in the day of Noah when the rain began the scripture says God in the selfsame day closed the door to the ark and Noah and his family were saved they were locked into that ark and everyone who came thinking they could find their way into that safety found that the door was closed to them if your church is preaching Christ if he's the center of everything and if you're going to exalt the mercy of Christ as it was ordained you're going to be literally considered the scum of the earth according to Paul and then the same God who delivered him up for our transgressions raised him up because of our justification what does that mean? God was seeking to justify sinners that is to make them righteous justify means to be right with God to be considered just or right or righteous God wanted sinners to be right before him he wanted them to be acceptable to him he wanted them to be righteous how could he do that? he provided Jesus Christ as the infinite sacrifice to be punished in our place so that he was punished for our sins our sins then having been fully punished God can treat us as righteous and then I want to analyze for a moment Matthew chapter 5 there are three classes of people there who were totally rejected by God the foolish virgins who took no oil the one talent servant who did nothing with it and the goat nations who did not help the brothers of Jesus and they were all totally and finally rejected by God and I said to myself one day what did they all have in common that caused them to be rejected what did they do? and I got a simple answer they did nothing that's all you have to do to be rejected just do nothing it's a solemn thought I'm no longer under the bondage of the law I'm under grace most people who say that land up in disgrace we fulfill the law we bring it to a standard not ten times higher than the Old Testament to those of you who believe we're not under any standard at all many people believe that any standard even if it's the New Testament is legalism and bondage and law any standard is law I'm under grace I can do anything oh that's from the devil Romans 6 what shall we say then to these things shall we continue in sin that grace may upon God forbid how shall we that are dead to sin live any longer therein well if you read the New Testament in its original text you would come away stunned really by how different the original text is from any English version that you've ever read whether King James New King James, New American Standard ESV, NIV and you can name all the rest all of them virtually have found a way to mask something that is an absolutely critical element of truth in fact the word slave appears in the New Testament 130 times in the original text you will find it once in the King James this word doulos in the Greek should never be translated anything but slave never do you remember these words Matthew 25 21 well done good and faithful well that's what you have read all your life that is not the word for servant that is not any of the six words for servant that is doulos well done good and faithful slave and the NAS is true to that translation well done good and faithful slave why because it's drawn out of a parable taught by our Lord about a man who had slaves you do have a personal relationship to Jesus Christ you are his slave that's putting it as simply as I can put it God so loved the world 2 Peter chapter 3 verse 9 tells us the only reason that God hasn't already judged the world is because he is long suffering towards us and he is not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance that is the only reason for the son of man has come to save that which is lost we don't win by hatred we don't win by being tough we win by laying our lives down like Jesus