Transcript of a published Bible study by Marrell Cornwell, transcribed from YouTube. An attributed primary source — not Acts 2:38 Life doctrine text.
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Summary
Summary prepared by Acts 2:38 Life from the transcript below — the preacher’s words follow in full.
Opening prayer and the review of death (0:00-3:10)
- Cornwell opens in prayer, asking to be led into the portion of the word that will benefit those listening and watching, and stating the course's aim — the basic word taught simply, not the making of theologians. He then reviews lesson 17, on death: all die without exception; death is physical and spiritual; only two kinds of people die, saved and unsaved; and God judges every person as an individual, not by family, politics, standing, or race — God has children, he says, not grandchildren. The lesson to come is a single lesson on judgment covering the basics; a thorough treatment, he says, would take twelve.
The fact of judgment (3:10-12:31)
- The first point is that judgment is a fact. He reads the Hebrews appointment text — death, and after death, judgment — and compares God's court to the earthly courts: behind the human judge stands a constitution, but God's judgment is final, with no appeal beyond him; the same passage's second verse, on Christ offered once and appearing the second time, is read with it. In Matthew 12 he reads the blasphemy passage through to the idle-words warning — every idle word will be accounted for in the day of judgment, and by words a person is justified or condemned — pausing to say that his own slips of the tongue keep him living a repentant lifestyle. The Jonah sign follows: the men of Nineveh and the queen of the South will rise in judgment against a generation that had a greater than Jonah and a greater than Solomon and did not repent, in a passage where he imagines himself named at the judgment in his own era. The Mark text closes the section: a city that refuses the messengers faces a more tolerable judgment for Sodom and Gomorrah than for itself.
Scriptures: Hebrews 9:27-28; Matthew 12:31-37; Matthew 12:40-42; Mark 6:10-11
The Son judges, and Paul on judgment (12:31-22:58)
- John 5 is read at length: the Father judges no one but has committed all judgment to the Son; those who hear and believe have passed from death to life; the hour is coming when all in the graves will hear the Son's voice and come forth, to the resurrection of life or of damnation; and the Son's judgment is just because he seeks the Father's will, not his own. Cornwell stresses that the judge is the one who walked the earth without sin, so no one will stand there on personal goodness. Romans 2 follows — God's judgment is according to truth; no one who judges others while doing the same will escape it; God's goodness is meant to lead to repentance — with a long application in between about references and honesty, in which he quotes the Hebrews 13 charge that those who rule over the congregation watch for souls as people who must give an account, a prospect he calls frightening for the pastor most of all. The section ends on the day of wrath and the revelation of God's righteous judgment, and on his observation that nearly every writer in both Testaments speaks of a coming judgment.
Scriptures: John 5:21-30; Romans 2:2-5; Hebrews 13
Why we are judged: the sin problem (22:58-31:46)
- The second question is why judgment is owed at all: everyone has a sin problem, inherited down from Adam. He reads the Genesis command — of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil they were not to eat, for in the day they ate they would surely die — and notes Adam and Eve could have had no comprehension of death before anyone had died. Romans carries the consequence: by one man sin entered the world and death by sin, so death passed on all; and, named and quoted as his summary of it, all have sinned and come short of the glory of God. Ezekiel 18 is then read for God's own answer: the soul that sins dies; the son does not bear the father's iniquity nor the father the son's; the wicked who turns from his sins and keeps God's statutes will live, and his transgressions will not be mentioned; but the righteous who turns to iniquity will die in it, his past righteousness unmentioned — a man cannot buy God with his goodness. All of it, Cornwell says, is the whole story of the Bible: no one can save himself.
Scriptures: Genesis 2:17; Romans 5:12; Romans 3:23; Ezekiel 18:20-24
He bore our judgment: the suffering servant and the lifted-up Son (31:46-43:41)
- Against that need stands the cross: Christ came to bear our judgment. Cornwell calls Isaiah 53 the greatest scripture and the one to commit to memory, and reads it in two passes with exposition between — the report believed by few, the tender plant with no beauty to desire, then, after a long account of the scourging, the thorns, and the piercing, the servant despised and rejected, bearing griefs and sorrows, wounded for transgressions and bruised for iniquity, all we like sheep gone astray with the iniquity of all laid on him, silent as a lamb, cut off for the transgression of God's people, and the Lord pleased to bruise him and make his soul an offering for sin. Inside this section sits his story of the farmer south of town whose household came to God one by one while he raged against the church, and of the counseling session where the farmer's wife asked for the preacher's credentials — Cornwell answers with his own account of 42 years of counseling experience, a BS in chemical engineering from Louisiana Tech, and 45 hours above that degree in biomedical engineering and nuclear technology (his own statements, carried as such) — before the man himself called, weeping, to ask forgiveness. God's way of saving, he says, has always been his way, never ours: a lamb for Adam and Eve, an ark for Noah, the law for Israel, and a cross for the world. John 3 closes the section: the serpent lifted up in the wilderness, God so loving the world, the Son sent not to condemn but to save, and the condemnation that men loved darkness rather than light.
Scriptures: Isaiah 53:1-10; John 3:14-21
When we are judged (1): the house of God and the altar (43:41-53:36)
- The third question is when. The first of three places is the house of God: he reads 1 Peter — the time has come for judgment to begin at the house of God, and if it begins with us, what will the end be for those who do not obey the gospel; if the righteous are scarcely saved, where will the ungodly appear. It is at the house of God, he says, that a person learns he is a sinner, and he tells how conviction works at the altar call: the visitor who means to walk out the door turns the other way, finds himself at the altar, and repents — and that, he says, is standing in the presence of judgment. Acts 2 then shows the pattern: the hearers pricked in their hearts ask what they must do, and Peter's answer — repent and be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins — is read aloud in full, verse 38 included, as the text of the altar judgment, followed by the promise to them and their children, and by those who gladly received the word, were baptized, and continued in the apostles' doctrine. The new-birth wordings he weaves around the reading are his exposition, not separate citations. The Romans 6 wording he quotes in this movement — planted together in the likeness of Christ's death, rising to walk in newness of life, with the chapter named as he quotes it — is carried in this record's index in chapter form (see the packet). This altar judgment, he says, is the one he wants: sins sent ahead, washed away, and met no more.
Scriptures: 1 Peter 4:17-18; Acts 2:37-41; Romans 6
When we are judged (2): the judgment seat and the white throne (53:36-1:04:16)
- The other two places are thrones. The judgment seat of Christ is the Christian's throne, pictured by the Greek games' award platform where the marathon winner received his wreath; 2 Corinthians 5 is read from the confidence of being willing rather to be absent from the body and present with the Lord, through to the appearing of all before that seat to receive for the things done in the body — rewards, he says, will rest on what a person has done, not on office or speaking. Then the marriage supper of the Lamb. The white throne is the sinner's throne, after the rapture, the tribulation, and the thousand years: Revelation 20 is read from Satan loosed at the thousand years' end through the great white throne, the books and the book of life opened, the sea and death and hell giving up their dead, every person judged according to works, and death and hell cast into the lake of fire. His illustration of the delay is the chain of harm from a single drug sale to a child, which cannot be fully judged until all the evil it caused has finished playing out — sins may either go before a person to this throne, covered at the altar, or follow him to it.
Scriptures: 2 Corinthians 5:6-10; Revelation 20:7-15
The close: the drawing Father, and prayer (1:04:16-1:08:00)
- The lesson ends on God's refusal to force anyone: preachers like to dwell on the goodness of God, Cornwell says, but the lesson knows both the goodness and the severity of God, and God does not save by violence or compulsion. Three short texts are named and quoted in a row: no one comes to Christ unless the Father draws him; no one can come unless it is given him by the Father (his spoken locator for this verse comes out garbled — see the packet); and, as the last verse of the night, now is the judgment of this world and the prince of this world cast out, with Christ lifted up drawing all people to himself. He asks the class to stand and closes in prayer, calling the hour one of the most serious and emotional he has taught, and asking that everyone listening be moved by the drawing presence of God, forgiven, and saved, with their families and the city and nation with them.
Scriptures: John 6:44; John 6:65; John 12:31-32
Scripture index: Hebrews 9:27-28; Matthew 12:31-37; Matthew 12:40-42; Mark 6:10-11; John 5:21-30; Romans 2:2-5; Hebrews 13; Genesis 2:17; Romans 5:12; Romans 3:23; Ezekiel 18:20-24; Isaiah 53:1-10; John 3:14-21; 1 Peter 4:17-18; Acts 2:37-41; Romans 6; 2 Corinthians 5:6-10; Revelation 20:7-15; John 6:44; John 6:65; John 12:31-32.
Transcript
we're going to start lesson number 18 tonight and before we start let's go to the Lord in prayer father we give thanks for your presence tonight we ask that you lead us and guide us and direct us into that portion of your word that will be of great benefit Lord Jesus we thank you for the love of God that is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost Lord someone is going to be listening or watching this lesson and this message tonight and I pray that would touch their heart Lord Jesus we're not we're not trying to make theologians out of people we're trying to teach them the basic word of God lead us and guide us into the Simplicity of your word tonight in Jesus name and everyone said amen please be seated last week or in the last lesson excuse me we we went through a pretty detailed account of what happens when a man dies what what is death all about in in lesson 17 we learn that all men die there's no exceptions the rich the poor every race every nationality everybody sooner or later is going to die we also found out that there were two types of death and one is physical death and we went into detail on physical death the the other one is spiritual death spiritual death is just as devastating as physical death and then we found out that there were two types of people that die and that's saved people and unsaved people that's the only two kinds of people that die saved and unsaved and then we studied about the fact that the Lord is not going to judge us by our family by our political affiliation our social standing our financial standing our racial standing or our national status he's going to judge every one of us and and by us as individuals did you know that God does not have one single grandchild all he has is children amen amen and everybody is going to be an individual in the sight of God and then we learn what happens at the Rapture and we learn what happens at the white Throne of judgment now tonight I'm going to I'm going to go through a detail and again I'm not trying to make theologians out of us and when I got to putting this lesson together I I found out that if I did a thorough job that I would have to do 12 lessons just on judgment alone and since time will not allow now I'm only going to do one lesson on judgment and I'm going to cover the basics of judgment and in this lesson we're going to study about the day of judgment and the first thing that I want to establish here tonight is the fact of judgment amen open your Bible and let's do a little studying Hebrews chapter 9: 27 and verse 28 and we used this verse also last week and we're going to use it again excuse me the last lesson we're going to use it again in this lesson and as it is appointed unto men want to die but after this after death there is coming judgment amen now we all understand judgment that's why we have cour houses we know that when the judge sits on that bench the authority of the Constitution of the United States of America is behind him and when he pronounces judgment no one can change that judgment without an appeal process and then it simply goes to a higher judge or a higher panel of judges and finally it goes to the Supreme Court in this case the almighty God is the Supreme Court his judgment is always final we're g to find out why here in just a moment and so Christ was once offered to Bear the sins of many and unto them that look for him shall he appear the second time without sin un salvation praise God now in the last lesson we studied death and in this lesson it is obvious that death excuse me that that judgment must always follow death now turn with me please to Matthew chapter 12 and let's do a little studying of the scripture Matthew 12 and verse number 31 wherefore I say unto you all manner of
sin and blasphemy shall be forgiven unto men the Lord let me tell you this now it's very important you understand that there is only one sin that God will not forgive he will forgive all manner of blasphemy and sin the only sin that God will not forgive is when you start contributing The Works of God to the devil that's called blaspheming the Holy Ghost and of course how could anybody be saved when they're in the process of actually cursing God but there's nothing that you can do but what God can forgive you now I'm not asking to do this but I'm going to say this think the most hideous sin that you could possibly imagine and I want you to know that our Lord Jesus Christ can forgive that sin amen I don't know about you I haven't committed the most hideous sin in the world I don't even know what the most hideous sin in the world is but since he can forgive the most hideous of sins everything I've done surely he can forgive he offers salvation and forgiveness of sin and remission of sin to whosoever will amen God is not a Prejudice God whoever comes to him he will in no wise Cast Away that's what makes judgment so awesome is the fact that we can all stand before God with a right place with the right frame of mind in the right condition can I have it amen wherefore I say to you all manner it must say all manner of sin and blasphemy shall be forgiven to men but blasphemy against the holy ghost shall not be forgiven to men whosoever shall speak a word against the son of man it shall be forgiven to him but whoever speaks against the Holy Ghost it shall not be forgiven him neither in this world neither in the world to come and so the Lord reminds us that this world that we live in is not the only world that we're going to live in that's awesome watch this whosoever speak against the man shall not be forgiven him but whosoever speak against the Holy Ghost it shall not be forgiven neither in this world need the world to come either make the tree good and his fruit good or else make the tree corrupt and his fruit corrupt for the tree is known by his fruit amen oh Generation of Vipers how can you being evil speak good things for out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaketh a good man out of the good Treasure of his heart bringeth forth good things and an evil man out of the evil Treasures bringeth forth evil things but I say un you that Every Idle word that men shall speak they shall give account thereof and here's the word I'm looking for in the day of judgment amen amen now you might say I don't need forgiveness you have more control over your tongue than I do then because I'm going to tell you every once a while I make a slip and a lot of times I'm not even aware I'm making a slip and that's how much I know folks I'm going tell something that's why I know that I'm always in need of repentance amen amen I want to live a repentant lifestyle it wouldn't bother me if I said Lord forgive me 50 times a day I want him to know that I I I acknowledge Him can I have an amen listen this that we give shall give an account thereof in the day of judgment for by thy words Thou shalt be justified and by thy words Thou shalt be cond them now Jesus gave us a solemn warning about the fact of the day of judgment now look at Matthew 12 and verse number 40 for as Jonah was three days and three nights in the whale's belly so shall the son of man be three days and three nights in the heart of the Earth the men of Nineveh watch this now the men of Nineveh anybody know who Nineveh was it was that City that God told Jonah cry against I'm to destroy
Nineveh and and and they repented at the preaching of Jonah and God spared that City from judgment for 256 more years amen but the men of Nineveh shall rise in judgment with this generation and shall condemn it because they Nineveh repented at the preaching of Jonah and behold a greater than Jonah is here and Men did not repent when Jesus came amen I don't want to stand in judgment besides a beside a nvite and the Lord going to say I'm glad you're here nvite go to heaven who are you I'm Pastor corwell I lived in 2009 oh yeah I know you y'all didn't repent when you should now you understand why I want to repent all the time amen the queen of the South shall rise up in judgment with this generation and shall condemn it for she came the queen of Shiva came from the uttermost parts of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon and behold a greater than Solomon is here and we won't ride in an air conditioned car to the house of God look at mark look at Mark chapter 6 and verse 10 amen he said unto them in what place soever you enter into a house there abide till you depart from that place and then verse 11 and whosoever shall not receive you nor hear you when you depart heart shake off the dust under your feet for a testimony against them verily I say unto you it shall be more tolerable for Sodom and gomorra in the day of judgment than for that City again I'm only trying to establish the fact that our Lord Jesus Christ himself continuously and repeatedly warned us about the day of judgment amen look at John 5 verse 21 for as the father raiseth up the dead and quickeneth them even so the son quickeneth whom he will for the father judgeth no man but hath committed all judgment unto the son in other words when we stand before the almighty God we're going to be looking into the face of our Lord Jesus Christ because he is the one that made a way for all of us to be saved and we're going to be judged by him who walked on this Earth and committed no sin so if you think you're going to get there by your goodness you ought to comp prepare your life today by The Life of Christ and see how far below him you fall that all men should honor the son even as they honor the father he that honth not the son honth not the Father which has sent him verily verily I say to you he that heareth my word and believeth on him that sent me hath everlasting life and shall not come into condemnation but is passed from Death unto life verily verily I say to you the hour is coming and now is when the dead shall hear the voice of the Son of God and they shall hear and they that hear shall live for as the father hath life in himself so hath he given to the son to have life in himself and hath given him authority to execute judgment also because he is the son of Man Marvel not at this for the hour is coming in the which all that are in the grave shall hear his voice who in the grave is going to hear his voice all they're in the grave rich and poor Bond and free Christian and Muslim Buddhist and Har krishnas atheist agnostics educ educated uneducated male female young and old the
Bible says all that are in the grave shall hear his voice and shall come forth they that have done good un the resurrection of life and they that have done Evil under the resurrection of damnation every man woman boy and girl that has ever lived on the face of this Earth is going to come out of that grave and they're going to be judged by the Son of God I can of my own self do nothing as I hear I judge and my judgment is just because I seek not my own will but the will of the Father which sent me can I have an amen now the great Apostle Paul writer of over half of the New Testament had these words to say in the Book of Romans Chapter 2 and again I'm only trying to establish that in the New Testament in the beginning they believed in that great day of judgment all right Romans 2 and verse number two but we are sure that the Judgment of God is according to truth against them which commit such things now let me just let me just share a little bit with you I get applic ations all the time are referrals people call me and say so and so use your name as a reference now sometimes they call and say can I use your name as a reference and I always say yes if you want me to tell the truth now you want me to tell the truth or you want me to lie Hallelujah don't ever apply for a retail job and you don't pay your tithe and you use me as a reference cuz I'm going say well he's a thief but outside of that he's a good worker oh hallelujah how did I get off on that one praise God the Bible says that the pastor is going to present his flock to God Amen now I may lie down here and tell you that tell your future employer that you're a good guy and you work hard and you don't Slough off and and and he'll give you a full day's work for a full day's pay and and he's honest blah blah blah since you're going to pay your tithe I'm GNA make you look real good I'm not going to tell him about the fact that you've been committing adultery and you lie and you steal and you got pornographic magazine in your hip pocket and a beer can in your right hand I'm not going to tell him all those things but you know what I got a feeling that when I stand before God in this congregation pass before that God is going to require me to give an account of everybody exactly like it is that's a scary thought amen that's why Hebrews chapter 13 says obey them that have the rule over you for they watch for your soul as they that must give an account to God that they might do it with joy and not with grief now you say well that's scary for us it's not near as scary for you as it is for me that is a frightening proposition that God is going to require me to give an account for every one of you wow and thinkest thou this oh man that judges them which do such things and doest the same that thou shall escape the Judgment of God in other words he's reaffirming the fact just like Jesus said that there's coming a day day of judgment verse four or despises thou The Riches of his goodness and forbearance and longsuffering not knowing that the goodness of God leadeth thee to repentance that's why I've been preaching lately the more God is good to you the more we ought to be praisers of God am am but it seems like in this hour
it's just the opposite the more God gives us the more Pride we get and the less we worship God when it ought to be just the opposite the more God blesses you the more we ought to open our mouth and give him the praise unless you think you're doing all this yourself remember all God got to do is touch one tiny capillary in the back of your head right back here and you'd hit the sidewalk and be dead before the ambulance can get there there was a man walking down Canal Street in New Orleans a few years ago young man about 35 years old and he slumped over and they called EMS and they came there was no apparent reason for him dying he didn't have any diseases he wasn't bruised and battered and only when they done the autopsy did they find that that little tiny capillary in the back of his brain burst we live by a thread and for man to be so proud to think that he does does everything as if though he gave his own self intelligence that he gave his own self a body without disease that he gave him own self everything that he needed is utterly ridiculous because God is the author and the finisher of us all amen verse number five but after thy hardness and impenitent heart that means a heart that doesn't repent Treasures up to thyself wrath against the day of Wrath and revelation of the righteous Judgment of God now when I got to studying this and and digging all this out I could stand right here and quote scriptures and read scriptures all night long about the words of Christ about about the words of the Apostle Paul about the words of Simon Peter about the words of James about every writer in the New Testament and and I got to look at in the Old Testament nearly every writer in the Old Testament spoke of the Judgment coming and it seemed like that if they all agree that there's coming a day of judgment it ought to be a fact that we know there is going to be a Day of Reconciliation now let me ask a second question why will we be judged who does God think he is to take us to judgment well let's go a little bit further Genesis 217 now we all I use the word we and I use the word all we all have a sin problem anybody agree with that yeah how about you do you have a sin problem that's right I'm talking about you on the video camera that's watching this DVD do you have a sin problem now you can say no or shake your head and I can't see you but God does I have a sin problem I've had one since since I was born I inherited it from my mother well actually it was my father actually it was my grandpa actually it was before him watch this Genesis 21:17 but of the tree of the knowledge of Good and Evil thou shall not eat of it for in the day that thou eat us thereof Thou shalt surely die that was the Commandment of God In the Garden of Eden all the trees you may eat of it but there's one that I don't want you eat of and then I guess the Lord thought he was going to be tough for in the day you eat thereof you shall surely die and Adam and Eve's eyes got that big around yeah yeah yeah and they didn't have a clue as to what he was talking about because how can you have remorse about Dy dying when no one has ever died before they didn't have any
comprehension whatsoever amen but we do know that they sample the fruit can I have an amen and we do know that they sinned and that sin passed upon the human race look at at Romans 5 and verse 12 Romans 5 and verse number 12 for where wherefore as by one man sin entered into the world and death by sin and so death passed upon all men for that you have sinned that what it says no it says all have sinned amen and Romans 3:23 back up just a little bit the scripture teaches a very clearly for all have sinned and come short of the glory of God preacher was preaching one night and he said all have sinned and come short of the glory of God I need y'all to pray that y'all help my Fallen shorts amen it'll come in in a minute okay let's look at let's look at the Old Testament for just a moment and see what Ezekiel had to say about it turn to Ezekiel chapter 18 and verse number 20 Ezekiel 18 and verse number 20 the soul that sinth what is it say it shall die the son shall not bear the iniquity of the father neither shall the father bear the iniquity of the son the righteousness of the righteous shall be upon him and the wickedness of the wickedness shall be upon him but if the wicked shall turn from all his sins that Heath committed and keep my statutes and do that which is lawful and right he shall surely live and he shall not die wait a minute wait a minute wait a minute wait a minute you mean a man can change the way he's living that's exactly what God is saying that God requires of every man to take note of how he's living and by the grace and help of God change the way he's living how do you do that by repenting all right all his transgressions that he had committed they shall not be mentioned unto him oh praise God I when I stand before God it's gonna be my luck that my mother's going to be right behind me and I did so many things that my mother never knew about and I know that God knows all about them and I hope I've repented for all those things because I don't my mother know what I did and I think you're the same way but the Lord said it will not be mentioned in his righteousness that he had done he shall live have I any pleasure at all that the wicked should die I I is God going around wanting to kill all the wicked people he died for the wicked man God I feel the Holy Spirit here saith the Lord God and not not that he should return from his ways and live but when the righteous turneth away from his righteousness and committeth iniquity and doeth according to all the Abominations that the wicked man doeth shall he live all his righteous that he ha done shall not be mentioned now it's talking about if a man backslides and turns away from his righteousness that his righteousness that he's already done God's never going to mention that in his trespass that he had trespassed and in his sin that he has sinned in them shall he die you don't want to backslide in this hour you don't want to be Wicked in this hour because you can give a billion dollars and you can do all kinds of good things you can help little ladies across the street you can sell Girl Scout cookies you can do anything you want to do but if you're Wicked God is not even going to mention all the good things
that you've done he's going to judge you because you're Wicked you know what that's saying and I like this you can't buy God right you cannot buy god with your goodness amen now it's made very clear that we're all in need of a savior amen that now let me ask you a question isn't that the whole story of the Bible that's God's Redemption if we could save oursel we wouldn't need a God we wouldn't need a savior but I know of no one that can save himself amen now that is the story of the Cross of our Lord Jesus Christ he came notice now he came to bear our judgment this is folks when I got to studying this out putting this lesson together I had me a holy ghost fit because he came Jesus Christ came to bear my judgment I know how evil I am I know how wrong I was I know what I'm made of I Know What You're Made Of there's none righteous no not one all have sinned and come short of the glory of God but he came to bear my judgment now I'm going to give you the greatest scripture and if if you want a passage to commit to memory Isaiah 53 turn there with me turn to Isaiah chapter 53 I love this portion of scripture I read probably as much as any other passage in the Bible who hath believed our report and to whom is the arm of the Lord revealed for he Jesus shall grow up before him as a tender plant as a root out of dry ground Jesus hath no form nor comeliness and when we shall see him there is no beauty that we should desire him God did not make make his attributes Charles Atlas he did not make his his attributes a Rock Hudson he did not make his attributes of the tavalos or or anybody else the John wayes there is no beauty that any should desire him because of his humanly Beauty let me tell you something you cannot make a church beautiful enough to save somebody for a fact the church I got saved in was a a a wood frame building with with artificial brick siding and a wooden floor that didn't have any floor covering on it a little platform about that high with ceramic sockets in the ceiling with light bulbs in them and that's the lights and it didn't have any air conditioning it had windows in it that open up the windows in the summertime to try to let some cool air come in and and and the people that fill that building they were just simple people and here I was I was a big old college student it the the building did not attract me you know what attracted me the Holy Spirit was dealing with my life and I didn't go looking at the building I didn't go looking at the singers I didn't go looking at the people I tried I went there to try to find Jesus amen I didn't even know that Jesus was a half Jew somebody just said he could save me and I went looking for salvation and when the Holy Spirit gets a hold of you everything does not have to be just exactly right because when the holy spirit moves you and draws you you're going to you're going to find Jesus or should I say he's going to find you amen well I'm not going to get saved unless there's a billion dollar building and they got a robe choir and they got a pipe organ and they got a educated pre for fact we have a man in our church you you would know him when I describe him he's a farmer south of town down here and his wife had come to church and was living started living for God and his daughter came and got saved and another daughter came and got saved and the son-in-law came and got saved and he was a mean mouth oh and he hated preachers and he hated churches and he really hated me and he really hated this church and his wife made some appointments and came and got counseling
from me and and and he said why don't you ask him what kind of credentials he has all he is is an ignorant Pentecostal preacher and I his wife said before we start this counseling session could you show me your credentials and she didn't know any better I said what kind of credentials would you like I said I have I've got 42 years of experience at counseling with people and I said if you're wondering if I got a degree I have a BS degree in chemical engineering from Louisiana Tech University I have 45 hours above a BS degree in biomedical engineering and nuclear technology what else would you like to know she said you got all that I said yes ma'am I said you thought I was a dumb preacher didn't you she said what what what what what she said my my husband thought you was I said you go tell that little skin Flynn that I'm more educated he ever thought about being and you know what one day God got a hold of his heart and he would way up the country and he called me and he was just a weeping brother Cornwell please forgive me I've said evil things about you I've said bad things about the church but my God he's getting a hold of my heart there's something wrong I got to get right with God would you forgive me you know what it didn't matter what the church looked like it didn't matter what you look like when the Holy Spirit gets a hold of your heart all you want to do is find Jesus can I have an amen now who has believed our report and to whom is the arm of the Lord sh reveal for he shall grow before him as a tender plant as a root out of ground he hath no form nor cless and when we see him there is no beauty that we should desire him and when he hung on that cross remember this they had taken blacksmith's tongs and ripped his beard out they had beat him with a cat nine tals a cat of nine tails was a little a handle had nine pieces of leather going off of it they had ribed in in that leather pieces of bone and glass and lead and they stripped him and they beat him 39 times with that that cat of nine tails he was the bloodiest man you've ever seen and then they took a spear and they pierced aside and blood and water gushed out they had put a crown of thorns honey locust thorns on on his head they took a rod about 4T long about 3/4 inch in diameter and they beat those that that Crown of Thorns into his skull and he had never had poison his body before when that poison came into his bloodstream his face turned completely black and and and and bruised and it expanded almost twice normal size you think there was any beauty in Jesus Christ when he hung on that cross there was no beauty that anybody would desire him but it wasn't his beauty that saved us you know what saved us his blood saved us why he went to judgment for us he has despised and rejected of men excuse me I'm I'm kind of emotional right now he has despised and rejected of men a Man of Sorrows acquainted with grief and we hid as it were our faces from him he was despised and we esteemed him not surely he had borne our griefs carried our sorrows yet we did esteem him stricken smitten of God he wasn't killed by man he was killed by God to fulfill the scripture that I've already read to you in Genesis he became judgment for you and I he was wounded for our transgression he was bruised for our iniquity the chastisement of our peace was upon him and with his stripes we were healed all we like sheep have gone astray we have turned everyone to his own way and the Lord had laid on him the iniquity of us every sin that we have ever committed was laid upon his door he was oppressed he was afflicted yet he opened not his mouth he is brought as a lamb to the slaughter as a sheep before her shearers is done so he openeth not his mouth he was taken from
prison and from judgment and who shall declare his generation he was cut off out of the land of the living for the transgression of my people was he stricken he made his grave with the wicked and with the rich and his death because he had done no violence neither was in De seed in his mouth yet it pleased the Lord listen to this it pleased the Lord to bruise him he ha put him to grief and when thou shalt make his soul an offering for sin praise God Amen when I think of why there's going to be a judgment amen look at look at one more passage the Lord has always had a way for man to be saved it was always his way never our way amen for Adam and Eve it was a lamb for Noah it was an ark for the children of Israel it was the law and for the world a cross this is so emotional tonight I'm going to do my best to teach this with dry eyes John 3 and verse 14 the song says on a hill far away stood an Old Rugged Cross the emblem of suffering and shame amen John 3:14 as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness even so must the son of man be lifted up that whosoever believeth in him should not perish but have eternal life for God so loved of 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 had not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God and this is the condemnation that light is com in the world and Men love Darkness rather than light because their deeds are evil for everyone that doeth evil hateth the light neither cometh to the light let his lest his deed should be reproved but he that doeth truth cometh to the light that his deeds might be made manifest there that they are wrought in God Amen now if you want to know why there's is going to be judgment because all have sinned we're going to give an account now let me ask the third question when will we be judged this is very important this is a very important person a question excuse me there are actually three places in which we may find ourselves three places not two but three personally I choose the first one now 1 Peter 4:17 1 Peter chapter 4 and verse 17 this is important now for you that think that the house of God is unimportant to your life maybe you should read this text amen for the time has come that judgment must begin at our house is that what it says that maybe judgment must begin at the movie theater our judgment must begin at the beard joint so what is says what does it say that judgment must begin at the house of God that's not my
words this tells us how important that the house of God is that the assembling of the body of Christ watch this and if it first began at us what shall the end be of them that obey not not the gospel of God and if the righteous scarcely or barely be saved where shall the ungodly and The Sinner appear judgment always begins in the house of God always now it is the house of God that we learn that we're Sinners don't you just hate it when that old long armed bony fingered preacher gets to preaching and he talks about Sin and you think he's preaching to you and you know why you think that because he is hallelujah my pastor years ago he was a wise old man he saidon if you want a pastor a long time figure out what the people are doing wrong and preach against something else Hallelujah I've often wondered why some of the worst preachers I've ever seen have large congregations it's because they never preach against what the people are doing and I I had got no sense to no better and I just wait into you praise God close your eyes and and just take the book and just praise God hallelujah amen when I go to the house of God I want a preacher to talk to me about where I'm living I want him to remind me of my sins because it gives me an opportunity to be judged at the house of God right amen now look at Acts 2 verse 37 what does it mean that judgment must begin at the house of God do you know when the Holy Spirit convicts you and you you feel this tugging and this drawing you go to the house of God you don't even remember what the preacher preached preached you don't remember the singing or the singers you sit there and all you can remember is the presence of God coming to you and all of a sudden the preacher gives an invitation or the altar call and you stand up and you're scared and you're apprehensive and you turn to walk out the door and to get out of that place instead of turning right to go the door you turn left you find yourself standing at the altar and you all of a sudden people start gathering around you they start praying with you and you find yourself lifting your hands and you start saying Jesus I'm a sinner forgive me Lord I've done so much wrong you know where you're at you're standing in the presence of judgment and when you repent it's like dying right that's why the Bible says judgment must begin at the house of God and and and then all of a sudden acts 2:37 when they heard this they were pricked in their heart and said to Peter and the rest of the Apostles men and Brethren what shall we do then Peter said unto them repent repent die and be baptized buried every one of you in the name of Jesus Jesus Christ for the remission of sins you're standing in judgment God when you acknowledge you're a sinner you're standing in the place of judgment and when you're baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins he washes all of your sin and your condemnation away the Bible says that if any man be in Christ he is a new creature old things are passed away All Things become new can I have it amen for if we have
been planted together in the lik of his death we shall be in the likeness of his resurrection in Romans chapter 6 and we literally rise to walk in the newness of life you know why because we have gone to our day of judgment that it's the Judgment I want to go to at the house of God at the altar of prayer my sins are washed away my sins are forgiven I'm a new creature in Christ Jesus old things have passed away all things are become new amen the problem is our world has skipped that judgment right true amen he said for the promises unto you verse 39 and to your children and to all that are far off even as many as the Lord Our God shall call the holy spirit is calling you if you're a mother or a father and you have children do you know the chances of your children ever hearing the truth and the Full Gospel of Jesus Christ is little to none unless you lead them to church I had had a man tell me one day he said I don't want you teaching my kid nothing about God I said why he said I don't want them to learn anything until they turn 18 then they can decide for themselves I said sir by time they're 18 the devil will have already done his work I want my children to know about God from the time that this High I want my children raised so that they know right from wrong and if you think the world's going to teach them right from wrong you're wrong if you think the schools are going to teach your kids right from wrong you're wrong if you think the drug addicts and The Pimps and the pushers and all the other junk in our world is going to teach your kids right from wrong you're wrong amen amen you better hope and pray that you find a Godly church and a Godly preacher that has guts God grits and Grace to stand and preach the truth and not Tiptoe Through the tithers amen verse 40 and with many other words he testified and exort saying save yourselves from this untour generation then they that gladly received his word were baptized and the same day there was added to them 3,000 souls and they continued steadfastly and the apostles Doctrine can I have an amen now when the convicted Spirit of the Holy Ghost moves us to be saved it's like standing in judgment and God will judge you before you die he will pour his blood out upon you when you're baptized in the name of Jesus you cannot separate the name of Jesus from the blood of Jesus that's right and the blood of Jesus is applied to your life life and you're forgiven and your sins are washed away amen now there are two Thrones of judgment the Judgment seat of Christ and the white Throne of judgment the Judgment seat of Christ in the Bible is called the Christians Throne the white Throne of judgment is the sinners Throne now if you wake up one day and you see this big white throne and the hordes of people rushing to it if you possibly can turn around and run the other way because you're a sinner and you're headed to the sinner's Throne amen now will we let's talk about the Judgment seat of Christ for a moment has anybody know what a marathon is in the in the old days in the Greek Empire they had the marathon and when the man won the marathon he went before the king to receive his reward for winning and it was called the beima he approached the beima or the Judgment seat and there the wreath was tied around his neck and he received his reward for the deed well
done that's where I want to go I want the Victor's Crown I've repented of my sins I've been baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of those sins I I have tried to do my best to live for God Amen and the minute I die I'm going straight to the Judgment seat of Christ and I'm going to receive my Victor's Crown amen look at 2 Corinthians chapter 5 and watch this therefore we are always confident knowing that while we are at home in the body we are absent from the Lord words as long as you're alive you can't see him for we walk by faith and not by sight we're confident I say willing rather to be abs ENT from the body remember last week's lesson when a when physical death the body is separated from the soul and to be present with the Lord where we labor that whether present or absent we may be accepted him for we must all Christians let's talk to Christians now we must all appear before the Judgment seat or the beima of Christ that every man may receive the things done in this body according to that he ha done whether it be good or bad we're going to receive our rewards amen did you know that there's going to be people normal ordinary common people that are going to be so weighted down with their rewards they going have to hire people to carry all their rewards and you know there's going to be a lot of preachers go there and they going to get one little tiny Crown they well you'll be able to see mine cuz I ain't got no hair amen I'm I'm not going to get a great reward because I can speak I'm not going to have a great reward because I'm the pastor if I get a reward it's going to be because of the things I've done in my life can I have an amen so you want you want to go to the the Judgment seat of Christ you you I'm looking forward to that because as soon as we get to the beema and we're going to receive our rewards guess where we're going we're going to the marriage supper of the Lamb you know what they going to have at the marriage supper of the Lamb crawfish at Tay and Dr Pepper I'm picking Hallelujah well maybe not amen now what about the second Throne the second Throne the white Throne of judgment this is the sinner's Throne when time shall be no more when the Rapture is behind us the tribulation is passed the Thousand Years of peace is over all that are in the grave is going to hear his voice all that are in the grave is going to hear his voice somebody said why do we have to wait so long to be judged as a sinner you take the Little Squirts I mean demons I mean little pimps that run around our city and they sell your 12-year-old child crack cocaine and your child smokes that crack cocaine and he becomes a drug addict and then he robs 14 Banks and 15 quick trips to satisfy his habit and he sells drugs to support his habit and he addicts 50 more kids and those 50 kids addict another 150 more kids that's right you can't be judged for selling that one kid rock cocaine until all of the evil that that has cause is finished because when you stand before God the books are going to be open that's right you're not just responsible for your sin but you're responsible for the evil that you have passed on to everybody else that's true and you can't receive the righteous Judgment of God until your sin has finally played itself out and that's only after time has
ceased and time shall be no more when you stand before the white Throne of judgment the books are going to be open it's going to be almost like a movie screen God going to show you every sin that you've committed that you've caused others to commit he's going to let you see the Carnage and the wreckage and the ruin of people's lives that what you did actually caused them to do what they did to me that is so scary that is so scary that's why I want to go to the Altar and I want to be smeared with the blood of Jesus some men are going to die here in Repentance and when they get to the Lord their sins will have gone before them and the Lord's going to take care of them by his blood but some men are going to die and stand before God and their sins are going to follow them to the throne I want to send my sins ahead amen I want Jesus to take care of those sin before I get there I don't want to F I don't want my sin walking up behind me in the day of judgment look at Revelations chapter 20 and this is how he reads it okay how he writes it verse seven when the thousand years were expired the Rapture has taken place the tribulation is over the Thousand Years of Peace are behind Satan shall be loosed out of his prison he shall go out to the see the Nations which are in the four quarters of the earth Gog and Magog to gather them together to battle the number of whom is as the sand of the sea and they went up on the bread of the earth and compassed the camp of the Saints about and the Beloved City fire came down from the God out of heaven and devoured them and the de that deceived them was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone where the Beast and the false prophet are and shall be tormented day and night forever and forever you're not just going to burn up you're going to be cast into a lake of fire and you're going to be tormented night and day forever and forever and I saw a great white throne and him that sat on it from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away and there was found no place for them and I saw the dead small and great stand before God and the books were open and another book was open 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 r in it and death and Hell that's Body and Soul remember last week our last lesson if you don't are confused go back to lesson 17 and Hell delivered up the dead which were in them and they were judged every man according to their works when you come out of that God's going to bring you out of hell where your soul is he's going to bring your body out of the Grave your body and soul are going to be reunited you're going to stand before God and God's going to show you why that you went to hell you refus the blood of Jesus you refuse the mercy of God you had to do it your way amen the sea gave up the dead which the death that's the body and hell that's the soul live the dead which were in them and they were judged every man according to their works and death and hell that's Body and Soul were cast into the Lake of Fire this is the second death and whoever was not found written in the Book of Life was cast in the Lake of Fire this is a scary lesson this is this lesson preachers try to avoid in the Pulpit preachers like to talk about the blessings of God we like talk about the goodness of God but we know the goodness and the severity of God Amen the Lord will not force anyone to be saved he will not force you he is a gentleman his spirit is gentle he is not like the Muslim God that they force you to be saved at the end of a gun Peril with violence God does not save people with violence he does not put a gun to your
head he does not walk around with machetes slaughtering people that don't get saved I resent any religion that tries to force you to be saved John 6:44 no man comes to me except the Father which has sent me draw him and I will raise him up at the last day the Lord is in the drawing business John 6:55 665 he said therefore said I unto you no man can come unto me except it was given unto him by my father and then one last verse tonight before I quit John 12:31 now now is the Judgment of the world now shall the prince of this world be cast out and I if I be lifted up from the earth this is speaking of how Jesus would die I will draw all men unto me amen would you stand with me please let us bow our heads father I have taught one of the most serious lessons that I have ever taught in my life for me Lord this has been a very emotional hour I I thank you for forgiven us of our sins and I pray in the name of Jesus that every man woman and boy and girl that listens to this lesson tonight could be moved by the Holy Spirit even as they feel the tugging presence of God drawing them I ask you to forgive them of their sins I ask you Lord to save their family and I pray for them Holy Spirit we know that Jesus is coming back very soon and I ask you in the name of Jesus to save our city and to save our our nation in the name of Jesus Christ everyone said amen
Scripture references as spoken: Hebrews 9:27-28; Matthew 12:31-37; Matthew 12:40-42; Mark 6:10-11; John 5:21-30; Romans 2:2-5; Hebrews 13; Genesis 2:17; Romans 5:12; Romans 3:23; Ezekiel 18:20-24; Isaiah 53:1-10; John 3:14-21; 1 Peter 4:17-18; Acts 2:37-41; Romans 6; 2 Corinthians 5:6-10; Revelation 20:7-15; John 6:44; John 6:65; John 12:31-32.