Ezekiel Part 21

All right, we're gonna pray and we're gonna get into our study.

Lord Jesus again as we open up your word and consider What your word says in the prophet Ezekiel we ask

for understanding through the holy spirit.

So that we may believe rightly and also do accordingly we ask in jesus name.

Amen.

Okay, when we talk about god's law What are the three uses of god's law?

My catechumens are like not making eye contact here.

I'm, sorry.

No context context context are not the three uses of god's law.

That is not it wrong.

No.

Those are the two answers.

Yeah.

Okay, so when we talk about god's law, it's important for us to keep these distinctions in mind.

So the first use of god's law is used by the government and this is and it's this is a curb against evil.

So.

The government is supposed to I have to say it like that nowadays because of what's happening in certain states.

Supposed to punish evildoers and and and then the government by doing so is actually an

extension of god's justice.

And you'll note that when a government doesn't punish evildoers, but they punish those who are doing right the government is

rogue.

Um, I I was cracking up because I saw a video.

Of.

Some.

Television news.

Opinionators on on one of those news channels and they were talking about the the what's happening

in new york.

Uh, new york is no longer sending people who steal things to jail.

They're not sending them to prison.

And so what is happening is is they is that criminals are stealing

stuff?

Cashing it out selling it on the black market and then they are going down and living in florida.

And and and someone asked them Well, why don't you steal in florida?

And the answer from the criminal was because we'd go to prison.

And what was really funny is watching the newscasters go.

Oh.

It's like yeah, you know you want to see crime lower in new york and in san francisco and places like that.

Take those who are committing the crimes and throw their carcasses in prison for a long long

time.

And they will be disincentivized to steal right you get the idea.

So that's the first use of the law second use of the law is the theological use.

Second use is the use where god convicts us of our sin.

And so we recognize then that god's law is Always accusing us now.

It's not Only accusing us.

So we say, uh that god's law is semper accusa.

That means it is always accusing but it is not solo or sola accusa, which means only accusing.

But the idea then is is that whenever you read commands in the scripture that tell you what to do.

What not to do how to treat others and things like this you're gonna know you sit there and you go.

Right, it's like falling off a tree and like hitting every branch on the way down, right?

Okay, that's the accusing work of the law and that is a valid Use and an important

use because then that prepares us to hear the gospel.

The third use is only for christians.

And I got this is where we have to make a big important distinction.

The third use it shows us.

Let me change that word.

It informs Us what a good work is.

That's the informing use the third use.

But the law does not Give you the power to

obey it and one of the big problems in Many sectors of the

visible church is they think That the law somehow has power

to produce within you holiness.

It won't if you are preached nothing but law.

Law a little bit more law on top of your law salad with a law sandwich.

What it's going to produce in you is actually going to increase sin.

I know that sounds weird.

But um, you know, one of the things if you guys remember 10 -ish 15 years ago,

uh when we were, uh, you know having that military operation in Iraq and

afghanistan and the westboro baptist folks were doing their thing right and they were protesting.

At at at the funerals of fallen soldiers.

And and they were always holding up signs saying god hates god hates this god hates that god's hate.

Whatever right?

Okay, and they were saying that our fallen soldiers were a judgment from god kind of thing.

And you'll note westboro baptist were they known for preaching the gospel?

No, okay, because that ain't the gospel.

That's the law and I would say they're they have kind of a twisted version of the law and and

then it you know, maybe 80ish years after all of that kind of quieted down and they stayed in

westboro, but you know to do their baptist thing.

Um.

Some of the younger generation of of like.

Daughters and granddaughters of like the major leaders within westboro baptist.

They left.

And not only did they leave.

They spoke out About what was going on at westboro baptist and it turns out.

I know you're going to be shocked to hear this.

Though though the people who left said the folks at westboro struggled with sins just like everybody else.

Okay.

Oh.

Okay, like steven elliot, you know with the news that we're going to be in ezekiel today, right.

Right.

Right, okay.

But so you're going to note then that we've that this comes from something.

And this is kind of like one of the bad leftover residues of westlian theology.

Let me explain what I mean by this.

So roman catholicism, uh, well I one of my old professors, uh, dr Charles manske at

concordia irvine I you know, I had to take several classes from him and of course he wasn't really as colorful as

rosenblatt.

You know manske was a lot more straight -laced.

He was actually like the founding president of christ college irvine, you know.

And so he had to actually be respectable Rosenblatt not so much.

But.

What was really interesting is is that manske?

He would make us take these we had to is all of us pre -sem students had to take a sociology of religion class from

him.

And in a sociology of religion class, he would talk about That you need to evaluate each and every

denomination Using the concepts of law and gospel.

And so he would look at rome and he'd go law.

There was no gospel just law.

Okay, and then he would say lutherans law gospel.

But then you've got the whole wesleyan wing of the visible church and it goes like this law

gospel.

Law.

And the idea then was in wesleyanism.

Which has impacted a lot of this and I and I would note that wesley was heavily influenced

by the kind of like the original charismatic pietistic groups within uh.

Within the visible lutheranism like count zinzendorf and people like this this which Zinzendorf man

avoid that guy like the plague.

I think he's a gnostic but um wesley was heavily influenced by him and Through that

influence then wesley came to teach a doctrine known as christian perfection.

In fact, wesley has a book that's out called a plain account of christian perfection.

And what was really fascinating is uh recently reading a book on the history of the pentecostal movement,

okay.

Um and vignenne is the name of the author vignette I forget his last name but it's it was very fascinating in

that history of the pentecostal movements book because he goes back 200 300 years before.

Uh that there were any pentecostals in america and he traces their

theological lineage.

And early on wesley becomes like the big guy who becomes the the

big person who lays the foundation that will eventually become the pentecostal movement.

And the emphasis then in in wesleyan preaching was on holiness

holiness so the basic concept behind it was that.

Um you once you heard the gospel and wesley preached the gospel, but he just didn't preach it to christians.

He preached the gospel.

Um, and once you heard the gospel you need to get busy.

Being.

Holy and in order to motivate you to be holy We're going to pull out darth vader

the law and we're going to give it a new use.

Okay, this isn't an informing use.

It is a use specifically to forge within you holiness.

That's a fourth use of the law.

And lutheran sits there and go that ain't a valid use.

And so the reason why the the wesleyan wesleyan influence theologies

are constantly focusing on holiness and putting the gospel aside and Focusing in on the things

you got to do is because it's all up to you to get to that christian

perfectionism.

And so what ended up happening is I think a very delusional thing and that is is that by the

time we get to like the 1800s late 1700s

you start to get wesleyan groups Who are legitimately?

Promoting a concept of a of a

Second blessing from god and that was a miraculous

Sanctification.

Okay, and so you would you would be.

Saved.

And then you strove with god in order to have god miraculously.

Sanctify you and sanctifying means he's made you perfect.

Okay, and so it became a very common thing in the in the in the decades leading up to

the pentecostal movement where you would have wesleyan say things like uh, you know that not only did

god justify me, but he miraculously sanctified me and then that was like the.

You attained that holiness that you were supposed to have and of course you sit there and go.

Well, how how do you even believe that anyone who would anyone who would claim that kind of level of sanctification

hitting perfection.

I just sit there and let me talk to your spouse.

I mean, give me five minutes with them.

We'll get this cleared up.

Yeah, right, right just but what does the scripture say if we say we have no sin.

We deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us.

But if we confess our sins god who is faithful and just will forgive us our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

So within the pentecostal movements then and and the and the proto Pentecostal wesleyan movements

was this heavy heavy influence on holiness.

And then that's what kind of one of the major doctrines that got kind of rolled up into lutheran pietism as well.

Is this this strong super hard emphasis on holiness?

And what it leads to is either delusion you think you're pulling it off or you've somehow miraculously now been

sanctified and now you're perfect.

Or it leads to despair and a sense of backsliding and things like this now as

christians.

We we absolutely believe in sanctification.

It is not perfected in this lifetime.

And as a result of it then we have a very different view of what the function of the law is.

There is no fourth use of the law to make you holy.

It informs you what a good work is and it's only the holy spirit who makes you holy and

sanctifies you.

By giving you the strength and power to mortify your sinful flesh, which is a daily struggle.

Something completely different.

Yes don.

Yeah.

Yep.

Yeah.

Yes.

Yes, that's correct.

So, uh don was making a point historically that so.

That wesley was influenced by the moravians.

And and you know and that I think zinzendorf's part of that group.

But a break off a group from the moravians made their way up into stevanger norway and hooked up with

the haugians.

And and gave us the gift that is known as leuthan pietism, right?

So.

And they all brought it to america, right?

Right, and you'll note then that this type of heavy emphasis on the law Becomes the seed

bed then for liberalism because the generation that grows up in this stuff They end up despairing and

saying I can't do this.

So they they take everything to a hard left.

They they have a thing they got to go to so so you get the idea then.

So it's important for us as we look at What we just read in james.

James was not at all Preaching the law to us with the concept that through the law then the law would

give us the strength to attain to holiness.

Instead you'll note that james was really heavily using the law to convict people of their sin.

And so we recognize there are three valid uses.

The the.

Use used by the government the use used to convict us of our sin and the use to inform us.

What a good work is the informing use of the law but at no point do we ever say that the law?

Gives us the strength to then obey it.

Right.

And so, you know, there's exhortations in the scripture and we say yep.

We need to we need those exhortations.

But we don't that but it's only the holy spirit who gives us the strength to be to through the mortification of our

sinful flesh.

To see the fruit of the spirit and an increase in obedience to his word to his commands.

You had a bethany.

Yeah.

Yeah, so so you'll note with us that's actually laid out in our confessions in the book of concord formula.

Concord has several very distinct sections that lay out very carefully the three uses of god's law.

And especially the third use of the law is an informing use.

But within wesleyanism finding a unified confession like we have in in confessional lutheranism.

Good luck you.

And the thing is is that if you're with any particular branch of of of wesleyan theology.

You have to almost backwards engineer a confession.

But by the time you get it written and you got it printed out on your laser printer.

It's already morphed.

Um, they they don't really stay in one place.

They're kind of theologically wandering stars.

That that you're not wrong so and that's the thing within these wesleyan holiest holiness movements.

There is a strong abhorrence to creeds and confessions.

Um, and as a result of that.

There what part of the the narrative of the holiness movements was that god the holy spirit left

the church.

Probably about the third or fourth century after christ's ascension.

Um, and that's actually Very well documented in in their writings and their belief was

that the holy spirit was offended.

By all the order that was put in the church.

Yeah, that's right, I know.

Right.

Yeah, their their their view was that the holy spirit needs

complete Submission and free reign.

To be able to do whatever he wants to do on any given sunday.

If he wants to make you quack like a duck, then you don't complain.

That's what the holy spirit wants you to do.

Okay, and so but they believe that as because the church got organized and you had

you know pastors and bishops and things like this and.

And you know and and there was a liturgy that that offended the holy spirit that the holy spirit just said goodbye and like

left and what happened was is that they in their narrative that.

That.

In that narrative martin luther is held up as the man who rediscovered the gospel.

But it's the pentecostal movement azusa street and william parham and those guys who who then the

holy spirit had returned.

They legitimately say the holy spirit like evacuated the church.

It's crazy stuff.

Yes.

Yeah.

Right.

Yes, so that that's part of their ethos then so they believe that praying the lord's prayer is vain repetition.

I always like to take somebody who says that right to matthew chapter 6 because christ

in that chapter He condemns vain repetition and gives the lord's prayer

As the solution to it.

So that doesn't actually fit with scripture, but right that fits then within kind of their bigger ethos the belief that

order.

It somehow offends the holy spirit and keeps him from being able to do what he wants to do.

Yes

Yes.

Yes, so many of the non -denominational churches you can trace their theological heritage

straight back to wesley.

And the moravians and counts in sindorf and and folks like that.

And so that's why they are they they are what they are.

Yes.

That's right, they're the they're the ones who say that you can put god in a box and that's a big like.

You know, those are you lutherans you put god in a box.

There's the holy spirit going.

Hi.

I'm in a box.

You mean please let me out.

Yeah.

Yeah, we put god in the box the ark of the covenant cedar being biblical.

You got to stop the head knowledge josh.

Darn it.

Yeah, right.

So yeah, so you get the idea then but that's that very very

subtle.

But big difference in in the emphasis on this fourth use of the law.

The the law then gives you the power to uh to advance in holiness.

That's not a valid use of god's law.

And so we use the three uses of the law to identify the right uses so that we are not then

swept up.

Into these groups who will basically say let's just put the gospel away.

We don't need the sacraments.

You don't need to hear that your sins are forgiven.

You need to hear god's law and you need to get into it and start obeying it so that you can

advance in holiness.

By the way, we do advance in holiness because that's what sanctification is, but that ain't how it happens.

How it happens is humbly waking up in the morning and saying lord I thank you that you've safely brought me to the

beginning of this day.

And I ask that that the holy spirit would help me so that all my doings in life, you know May be

pleasing in your sight.

And so you we humbly ask god the holy spirit to give us strength day after day after day

living in repentance.

To mortify our sinful flesh and to do the good works that god has called us to do.

So the the problem then you'll note then if the gospel Is something that you only need to

hear at the beginning and not throughout your life as a christian.

The gospel gets gets farther and farther and smaller and smaller.

It's like in the rear view mirror.

It's like Well, I don't see it anymore.

You know, it's gone over the horizon and I can't even begin to tell you when I was in nazarene how many times?

It just weirded me out that these lutherans Would talk about the gospel in such a

way that like we needed to hear it daily.

I would I would argue with them and say you already made a decision to follow jesus and they say no we didn't.

We were baptized, you know, we didn't make a decision to follow jesus and you don't need to hear the gospel

every day.

Yes, we do.

And finally I got to the point where like yeah, actually I need to hear it every day, you know.

And and that was the that was part of the big revelation.

So here when we see then in this text in ezekiel where

The fruit of the spirit is is evident.

Along with the faith that made it that produces it, right?

So we do good works because we are christians not in order to be them or maintain our

christianity.

A contra to the whole concept of holiness that the wesleyan groups preach and teach.

Instead we you know, there is no such thing as a christian that doesn't do good works.

And you sit there and go but oh, but I sin daily and I sin much.

So do I that's what we confess our sins.

We hear the gospel we go back out and we continue daily through the power of the spirit not our

own to mortify our sinful flesh and bear the fruit of the spirit and Do the good works that we have been

that we god has prepared in advance for us to do and we do them Joyfully knowing full well that they don't

save.

Us at all.

In fact, there's a heck of a lot of freedom in knowing that I can actually serve y 'all.

And I don't have to have an ulterior motive.

All right, i'm serving y 'all because y 'all need to be served.

The end.

I don't get a I don't get three more laps on my olympic -sized swimming pool when I get to heaven than you do because i've

served You and any.

And that's the thing in the holiness mentality.

All good works and all obedience is done on a quid pro quo basis.

I do this in order that god will give me that.

Okay, but that's not how this works.

That's the fact the very arrogance that christ condemns and that's the same kind of self -righteousness as the

pharisees.

Right.

So as we now work through this text with a proper distinction of law and gospel having heard james

Soundly beat us to a pulp and with a whole lot of super heavy law We

recognize that that law didn't give us any power to obey it.

We get that strength from the holy spirit.

So here's what ezekiel says again.

The word of yahweh came to me.

What do you mean by repeating this proverb concerning the land of israel?

The fathers have eaten sour grapes.

The children's teeth are set on edge again a reminder.

This is spoken in exile as I live declares the lord.

Yahweh.

This proverb shall no more be used by you in israel 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.

Now.

The soul who sins shall die.

That sounds like a lot like the wages of sin is.

Death.

Same concept and now you hear this.

That's a law statement.

Okay.

Ow.

What's it doing it's accusing you.

What am I gonna do.

I've sinned it says i'm gonna die.

Ah.

But the gospel says you will not die christ has died in your place.

You are forgiven you are pardoned.

Oh, okay.

Right.

See see so watch how the heavy.

So watch how this law works.

So if a man is righteous now, wait a second.

How is one declared righteous?

Let me use an old testament text only here.

So i'm going to go to the book of genesis.

And.

Let's see here.

Is it 15?

Yeah.

Here we go.

Listen to this.

Okay.

Genesis 15 after these things the word of yahweh came to abram in a vision Fear not

abram. I am your shield Your reward shall be very great But abram said oh

lord.

Lord.

Yahweh, what will you give me for.

I continue childless and the heir of my house is eliezer of damascus.

Notice.

Abram's name hasn't been changed yet to abraham.

Okay, and so he does not have a physical heir.

God has promised him one.

One from his own, you know, you know, it will be his actual child, but that hasn't happened.

So abram said behold you have given me no offspring.

And a member of my household will be my heir.

And behold the word of yahweh came to him this man shall not be your heir.

Your very own son shall be your heir.

And he brought him outside and said look toward heaven.

Number the stars if you are able to number them.

And then he said to him so shall your offspring be.

And abram believed the lord and he god counted it to him as

righteousness.

How was abraham declared righteous?

That's faith by faith.

That's the whole point of romans 4.

Is it not abraham was declared righteous by Faith, so we look

then here if a man is righteous.

And.

Does what is just and right?

If you've been declared righteous by grace through faith Will you do what is just and right?

Yes.

If you are if you think you've been declared righteous and you've decided that you're going to make a living as a christian bank

robber.

Okay.

The world we live in is nuts.

Okay, it's absolutely nuts.

You you've heard of the upside down pineapple people.

Okay, there is a group of people calling themselves christians.

And they are into the upside down pineapple peoples.

And they do it in the name of jesus.

Okay.

And you sit there and you go how.

How is that even possible?

It's the only way it's possible is if they actually don't have faith in christ.

Right.

So if a man is righteous and he does what is just and right if he does not.

Eat upon the mountains.

Eating upon the mountains.

It's not it's not like they had mcdonald's up there.

These were like pagan feasts.

Okay, or lift up his eyes to the idols of the house of israel.

Does not defile his neighbor's wife or approach a woman in her time of her menstrual impurity.

This is a person who is observing god's commands.

Does not oppress anyone but restores to the debtor his pledge commits.

No robbery.

Gives his bread to the hungry.

Covers the naked with a garment.

This sounds like a christian to me right.

And covers the naked with a garment.

Does not lend at interest or take any profit.

Withholds his hand from injustice.

Executes true justice between man and man.

Walks in my statutes and keeps my rules by acting faithfully.

Note here god says well.

Yeah, he is righteous not because he does those things.

The fact that he does those things show that he he has been made righteous by faith.

That's the difference.

He is righteous he shall surely lives declares the lord yahweh.

Sounds right.

Okay.

That's that isn't that ephesians 2 8 9 and 10.

For by grace you have been saved through faith.

This is not your own doing it is not the result of works so that no one may boast.

For we are god's workmanship created in christ.

Jesus for good works that he's prepared in advance for us to do.

Full stop.

That's the description of this guy.

A guy who believes trust god.

It's counted to him as righteousness and then is doing the good works that god has prepared in advance for him to do.

When you do those things, do you have anything to boast of by the way?

Okay.

What is the parable that christ tells.

It's a wonderful parable.

Okay, that if you if you have a servant and he only does what you have commanded him to

do.

Is he to be commended?

No.

He should say i'm a wicked servant.

I have only done what i've been commanded to do.

Okay Yeah.

Right, right.

You're only doing what you're commanded to do.

Okay.

If he fathers a son who is violent a shedder of blood.

Who does any of these things though?

He himself did none of these things.

Who even eats upon the mountains defiles his neighbor's wife.

This is his son doing.

It oppresses the poor and the needy commits robbery.

Does not restore the pledge.

Lifts up his eyes.

To the idols it sounds like pastor's sons, by the way, sometimes not you that some i've know.

Commits abomination.

Lends an interest takes profit then he then then shall he then live.

He shall not live.

He's done all these abominations.

He shall surely die.

His blood shall be upon himself.

Not the father but the son, right?

Now suppose this man fathers a son who sees all the sins that his father has.

Has done and he sees.

And he does not do likewise.

I don't want to be like my dad.

I don't want to end up in prison.

I don't want god to kill me.

Okay.

He does not eat upon the mountains or lift up his eyes to the idols of the house of israel.

Does not defile his neighbor's wife.

Does not oppress anyone.

Note the kind of the litany here.

Exacts, no pledge commits.

No robbery gives his bread to the hungry.

Covers the naked with a garment.

Withholds his hand from iniquity.

Takes no interest or profit.

Obeys my rules and walks in my statutes.

He shall not die for his father's iniquity.

Well, there goes the whole concept of generational curses.

Just right there, you know.

That just blows that out of the water, okay.

He will surely live.

For as his father at for as his father because he practiced extortion robbed his brother and did what is not good

among his people.

Behold, he shall die for his iniquity.

Yet you say.

Why should not the son?

Suffer for the iniquity of the father.

Seriously.

When the son has done what is just and right and has been careful to observe all my statutes He will

surely live the son whose sins shall die.

The son shall not suffer for the iniquity of the father nor the father suffer for the

iniquity of the son.

The whole concept of generational curses is taught within the pentecostal movements.

Just gone.

Okay, just absolutely gone.

The righteousness of the righteous shall be upon himself the wickedness of the wicked Shall be upon

himself.

You stand before god or you fall before god based on your sin and

your sin.

Only doesn't matter if your father was a pagan priest and offered sacrifices to

molek.

Okay, that is not.

That is not bring it brought into account.

But if a wicked person turns away from all of his sins.

Hmm.

What about that guy?

Okay.

What about the guy who spends his entire life?

Just.

Forno caboodling and and well, you know.

Living like hunter biden, you know.

Right Right.

Okay, is there is there any hope for that fellow right?

If the wicked person turns away from all of his sins that he has committed.

And keeps all my statutes.

So note he's first turned away from his sins, which means he has faith in the one true god and he's

keeping god's statutes by faith.

He keeps all my statutes.

What is just and right he shall surely live.

He shall not die.

None of the transgressions that he has committed shall be remembered against him.

That is a good word.

Right.

That is a good word.

Let me see if let me let's see if I can do this from memory psalm 32, right.

Blessed is the one whose transgression is forgiven.

Whose sin is covered.

Blessed is the man against whom yahweh counts no iniquity.

And whose and in whose spirit there is no deceit.

We are the recipients of that blessing.

We are.

And anybody whom the gospel calls.

And regenerates.

And they cry out to god for mercy and forgiveness and they turn from their sin.

We that any of those people experience that blessing, right?

So you'll note then there is absolute hope being taught here.

The wicked person who turns from his evil God will Not remember

his sins.

That's what that in fact, that's the promise of the new covenant.

The promise of the new covenant is that god promises to remember to forget

your sins.

When you stand before christ on the day of judgment, he's not going to be doing this.

Right.

He's not going to be going.

Mm I've been waiting to see you.

Boy, we need to have a chat.

Your behavior was reprehensible.

I can't believe what you did.

Yes, david.

Uh -huh.

Yeah.

That's absolutely wrong.

You will not stand before peter.

Peter's not your judge and he does.

Yeah, yeah.

Yeah.

That's correct.

See, it's only the it's only the blood of christ that gets you in nothing else.

Absolutely, nothing else and you'll know I don't even have faith in my faith.

I my faith is in christ.

Who bled and died for me and so you'll note then today you heard?

The not from me, but from jesus.

I just got to be the messenger.

You heard that your sins were forgiven.

Okay, so so david if you were to stand before christ.

Let's say that you you you get in your vehicle.

And you hit a patch of ice and you spin out and you go into the ditch and you just hit it.

Just right and you know, and now you're gone, right?

So you're standing before jesus.

And jesus looks at you and goes well fagerlund.

I'm glad you're here.

I've been waiting to have this conversation with you for a while and then he says to you.

Let's just cut to the chase.

You're not coming in.

I'm sending you to the hotter place, right?

What should you do?

What you do is you stand your ground and you tell jesus if you send me to hell you're a liar.

You told me through my pastor today that my sins were forgiven.

And if you send me to hell and count my sins against me, you're a liar.

And god cannot lie.

Now that's not my advice.

That's actually the advice that luther gave Martin luther.

Yeah, that's his advice and of course none of us will ever stand before christ in him.

You know we who trust in him.

None of us will ever hear from away from me.

I never knew you.

Correct.

Your faith hangs on to those promises and you know that those promises are for you because the scripture says so Christ

gave that authority to the church.

And so you heard that your sins are forgiven today.

Now the only sins I am not authorized to give an absolution for are those of the impenitent.

All right, and the impenitent are pretty easy to find out because they don't really want to be forgiven.

They instead they want their sins to be affirmed.

Okay, big big difference altogether very big difference.

But the thing is is that christ doesn't lie you are forgiven and you have this blessing.

And so you'll note that this is promised to all of us and there's a very specific reason why?

Everybody who's a christian will never hear the condemnation and there's a mechanism given in the book of

colossians as to why God will not Remember your sins

and there's a reason is because they're not written in god's mind.

They were written in a book.

Okay.

Um, and there's an important thing that happens to everybody who's a christian.

Here's what it says in colossians 2 13.

And you were dead in your trespasses.

And you were dead in the uncircumcision of your flesh, but god has made you alive together with christ

having forgiven us.

How many of our trespasses?

All.

Every single one of them from adam's sin that was imputed to you at your conception.

To the last sin you commit as you are dying and expiring in this on this earth.

All of them he's forgiven us all of our trespasses.

And then we have an important phrase how did he do it?

By canceling the record of debt that stood against us with his legal demands.

The record of debt is referring to a portion of the books.

In your book were written all of your transgressions in the section called record

of debt.

Right.

Remember that one time you made that snarky comment to your pastor that was recorded in the book.

Okay.

Thick book but.

The idea every one of your transgressions was recorded in the book.

What did christ do with it?

He canceled the record of debt.

This he set aside.

He literally tore it out of your book and he nailed it to the cross.

That's what this text says.

So the reason why god does not remember any of your sins is because every single

one of them Was bled for and died for and you sit there and go how can he forgive

my future sins?

Were you breathing when jesus died on the cross?

You were not alive.

You hadn't committed a single sin the day that jesus died on the cross and christ died for the sins of who

the whole world.

That includes you the entire kitten caboodle.

The entire lot of sin that you were going to sin.

In the 20th and 21st centuries christ bled and died for those of you who were born in the 21st century.

My apologies, you have to say things like this because I happen to straddle two different centuries, right?

Yes.

Hannah.

Yeah

Yes.

Right.

So that's a great question.

It doesn't this mean good.

Christology comes into play because you think about if christ was just merely a perfect man How could he have died

for the sins of the whole world?

And you'll note christ is both god and man at the same time and not only that christ accomplished.

Bleeding and dying for the sins of the whole world in how many?

Hours.

Count him up.

He was nailed to the cross at nine in the morning.

He died at three in the afternoon at the time of the evening sacrifice.

How many hours was he on the cross?

Six.

That's a powerful number by the way.

Okay six hours on the cross.

So in that six hours christ Legitimately satisfied the

wrath of god and the justice of god.

For the entire human race from adam until the last human being.

No man could have done that.

Okay.

Um, the only thing I can liken it to and this is that this is a bad analogy.

But I remember when my kids used to play super mario.

Okay, you know super mario 2 or whatever and there sometimes if you like if I don't know if you like.

Hit this particular mushroom and do this little thing.

It was like a power up and like mario could go like warp speed and like.

All the coins were like tripled and doubled and quadrupled and stuff like that.

You're able to rack up all this kind of stuff christ by virtue of the fact that he is god and man.

As he's suffering that's like the ultimate power up.

Okay that god himself is suffering in our place.

It's like the ultimate power up and he's able then to accomplish The reconciliation of the

entire world and the propitiation of god's wrath for the sins of the entire world in six hours.

Okay.

Okay that it's.

It's amazing when you think about it.

So yeah.

Yes.

Yeah.

Yeah, right.

That's the point.

So christ didn't come to uh to to end the law.

He came to fulfill it.

And he did he fulfilled it perfectly for us.

And so you'll note then that this is how.

When we hear in this text of the one who the wicked person who turns away from him sins

turns to god in faith.

Repents and then as a result of his faith begins to do right.

Does he do it perfectly?

No, nobody does.

Because you'll note now.

He's part of the covenant community of under the mosaic covenant in this in this regard.

And what does he have to do every year come to jerusalem for the day of atonement?

And bring sacrifices.

And he's now which in order to cover his sins just for a year.

So so the idea this isn't inferring sinless perfectionism at all but the turning away from sin and a

recognizing of his wickedness and it says that.

Shall.

That the transgressions that he has committed shall be they will not be remembered against him.

They will not for the righteousness that he has done.

He shall live.

So then god asked this question question.

Have I any pleasure in the death of the wicked declares?

The lord yahweh.

Not rather that he should turn from his way and live.

It is always a tragedy to me when somebody who was an ardent Outspoken

enemy of christianity.

When they pass away, it's always a tragedy.

I think of christopher hitchens.

They got you know, he was part of that group known as the new atheists, right?

And he and he got cancer.

And he's getting ready to die.

His brother who had faith tried to preach the gospel to him and he was really upset.

Mad and annoyed and so he insisted that he was going to his grave not believing in jesus.

And when he died, what a tragedy utter tragedy.

God does not have any pleasure in the death of the wicked.

His desire is that they would turn and live.

Okay, it is not god's will that any should perish.

Anyone.

Now here's the next part.

Don't let the calvinists hear this part.

Okay.

When a righteous person turns away from his righteousness and does injustice And does the same

abominations that the wicked person does shall he live.

So basically we're talking about a person who has abandoned then the good works that god has called us to.

All right.

None of the righteous deeds That he has done shall be remembered For the treachery of

which he is guilty and the sin he has committed for them.

He shall die.

All right, so this is part of the reason why lutherans we believe the scriptures legitimately

say Get this you can lose your salvation.

Because this text says that.

It's it's not even a lose.

It's not it's not I like when I lose my keys.

Okay, thank god that my wife decided to put a hook next to the door.

Okay, that just helps so much right.

Because you know There's nothing more fun than the the hunt for lost keys.

But the point is is that it's not losing.

It is not the right way of saying it.

It's the person who takes this precious gift of salvation and just goes.

Nope.

And throws it as far away from them as humanly possible.

Yeah, that's right.

Watch me throw my salvation over the mountain.

Over there, yeah, right.

Great reference.

Okay.

So, let me give you another text on this one here.

This is a consistent witness in scripture paul writing against the judahizers in

galatians chapter 5.

Now when we talk about we talk about chucking your salvation.

There is a theological way of doing that.

There is a moral way of doing that.

Okay, so we recognize then.

That we just don't turn the gospel into a license to go and sin and you know.

And you know hanging out the beers and the brothels and stuff like that.

No.

Instead.

Instead we recognize that sin can actually legitimately lead to us walking away from our

salvation.

On the same hand theological error, which is a which is a form of idolatry.

Theological error believing in a false gospel that also Disqualifies you from

the faith.

So listen to what paul says to the judahizers of galatia.

He says look I paul I say to you you galatians if you accept circumcision

Christ will be of no advantage to you.

I testify again to every man who accepts circumcision. He's obligated to keep the

whole law.

Verse four.

You are severed from christ.

You who would be justified by the law you have fallen away from grace.

Well, there goes once saved always saved.

Whoops.

Yep.

Yes, michael.

Yeah.

Yeah, so um there there's a saying ignorance of the law is um is not justification

for breaking the law so the person who ends up in a situation where

They are worshiping god falsely and believing falsely And saying well, I was just doing what I was

told to do. They still end up being accountable.

But the person who who deceived them is more accountable.

They're both accountable.

Just one is more culpable than the other.

Which is one of the reasons why there's that stern warning in scripture do you know?

Matt not many should seek to be teachers in christ church just this is be blunt and The

scriptures are very clear that teachers in christ church will experience a stricter judgment.

And god will legitimately hold the false teachers Accountable for the blood of everyone they

deceived and misled that ended up in hell.

Although they're going to end up in hell along with them.

But the majority of the of the guilt and the majority of the punishment is going to fall on the teacher.

So they're both culpable and the person who was deceived should have known better.

And they would have known better if they applied themselves to the word, you know.

Yeah.

Yeah.

The people will be blunt.

I've been in blood everybody.

Nowadays has no excuse when it comes to the bible.

It's available for free on the internet.

And the end.

Okay, the fact that you wouldn't hear it.

Won't hear it.

Don't pay attention to it.

That's all on you.

It would have cost you nothing.

Just go to biblegateway .com.

Pick a pick a translation that you like.

Start reading it.

Free.

Okay, the only thing you have to pay for is your internet connection, right?

You know.

And then of course if you want an analog copy of the bible don matheson see him.

Okay, go visit the gideons they'll be happy to give you one go to a hotel room and rip one off.

Okay.

They won't complain.

They're put in there for a reason.

Okay, and by the way, the the gideon bibles in the in the hotel rooms now, they're the esv translation.

They're pretty decent.

Okay, you know if you if and the thing is is that if you take it.

Don't feel bad.

It was put in there for you to do that.

Okay, the gideons will come by and replace it.

But the thing is we have access to god's word like never before.

You know, I think back.

I made mention in the sermon today of the people who lost their lives

Translating the scriptures into the vernacular of the people of their of their their nations.

You know who were burned at the stake for translating the bible.

Back in the middle period in middle ages.

You couldn't read the bible in your in your native language.

If you wanted to you had to be wealthy and trained in latin before you would even have an ability to approach hearing the word.

Of god.

Now we have bibles everywhere And nobody wants to hear it.

Nobody wants to hear it.

So.

All right.

I've got to I got to wrap up here.

All right, lord willing.

We will see you all next week.

Peace.