Well, I do invite you tonight to turn to, if you have your Bibles in front of you, to the book of Revelation, the last book of the Bible, chapter 20. You know that for the last few weeks we have been in Lord's Day 21, considering the communion of the saints, what we believe about the Holy Catholic Church, why that is important, and what these things believe. And the third question and answer in Lord's Day 21 seems a little bit disconnected from the doctrine of the church, we say. And maybe it should have deserved a separate Lord's Day. But what we're going to do tonight is focus on this particular question and answer. If you have those little books in front of you, the Forms and Prayers book on page 223, it's just one question and answer we'll start with. Question and answer 56 of the Heidelberg Catechism. I will ask the question and have you to please respond with the answer then. This is question 56. Remember, we're saying the Apostles' Creed. We come to that little line that says, I believe in the forgiveness of sins. That's the one we can pass right over without really thinking too much about what a beautiful little thing we are confessing. And so, question 56, what do you believe concerning the forgiveness of sins? I believe that God, because of Christ's satisfaction, will no longer remember any of my sins or my sinful nature, which I need to struggle against all my life. Rather, by His grace, God grants me the righteousness of Christ that I may never come into judgment. Now I'm going to read Revelation 20 verses 11 through 15. Then I saw a great white throne, and him who was seated on it. From his presence earth and sky fled away, and no place was found for them. And I saw the dead, great and small, standing before the throne, and books were opened. Then another book was opened, which is the book of life. And the dead were judged by what is written in the books, according to what they had done. And the sea gave up the dead who were in it. Death and Hades gave up the dead who were in them, and they were judged, each one of them, according to what they had done. Death and Hades, then death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. This is the second death, the lake of fire. And if anyone's name was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown. into the lake of fire. There we'll stop the reading of God's word. Tonight I have one specific goal and purpose with this sermon. We come to this article that we've been studying in the Apostles' Creed and what we say together when we say this creed every Sunday night, which is important. We come to that little phrase, I believe in the forgiveness of sins. And I said to start this reading tonight that maybe that article should have had a separate Lord's Day, but there's no doubt that what makes the communion of saints possible, what makes the fellowship possible, is that we are united together as a people forgiven of all of our sins. That's the beautiful truth of the Christian faith, the forgiveness of sins. But the question that I thought tonight, because as a pastor, you say things and you've preached things, and we've gone through the book of Revelation before, and I was pretty confident everyone understood everything I said the first time. But sometimes people will come up to me after I preach, and after I said something, and they come up, and they say, well, what about this? And I thought, well, I thought I answered that. This is learning, isn't it? This is the challenge of preaching and teaching, just like we saw this morning, that one of the great problems, I think, in Christianity is that we make assumptions too easily that people have these things all figured out, and that people understand these things just well, and that these questions are never raised. In fact, tonight, walking in, a dear older saint walked up and said, I'm really, really excited about tonight's sermon. I constantly think about this question. I constantly think about this question. Is God going to raise our sins on the last day? Is God going to judge us on the last day with our sins in view? Are we going to be, are we going to have to face that? And that's a sort of horrific thought, isn't it? To think about those things and to think, well, maybe, maybe we're going to have to have to deal with all of that. And some have taught in the Christian faith. This has been somewhat a common teaching, even in evangelical circles, that there's a justification on the last day, a last justification by your works. So this is not something that we just say everyone gets and everyone understands. You know that it's very much a pastoral concern that when we are on our deathbeds and we are standing there and somebody like the Machen could say there is no hope without the active obedience of Jesus. That's a certain trust that was in that saint, but not all saints approach that very confidently. And this is something I think that it's an important question tonight to stop and zero in on Lord's Day 21 and on this particular question of what do we really believe when we say the forgiveness of sins? What are we really confessing before the Lord? What are we saying as God's people before Him? And that's what we're exploring a little bit tonight, that single great question, will our sins be held against us or raised even on Judgment Day? That's a terrifying proposition. There probably isn't really anything more that is so terrifying than that very thought. If you have a sensitive conscience about sin and you're sensitive to the things that you've done, there are moments where that becomes a very alive question, and it's a horrifying thought. There's a built-in sort of terror, if you think about it, in people that inherently they know, if they haven't suppressed it all the way down, they know what they deserve. I think that's what the author of Ecclesiastes and others are saying, that God put eternity in our hearts. There's something that's there, that conscience, that's very important. And that's why the Apostle Paul said, knowing the terror of God, we persuade men. We want everyone to know the smiling face of the Lord. As a matter of fact, that's the sense of the benediction when you leave every week. That when the minister's hands are lifted and he's given that Aaronic benediction, the Lord bless you, Lord make his countenance, his smiling face upon you. That's a confidence he wants us to have. But is it possible that we could be forgiven and still have to give an explanation of the things that we've done? Will God drag our sins out into the open before others on the last day. I think we all have this eerie conception of Judgment Day. That we're a sort of number in line. And that it's a long line if you've ever seen. And you're standing there and you're waiting for your turn. And how is that going to go? I mean, it's a really bad thought, isn't it? Will I get in or will I not? Is that the way the Lord wants the Christian to live? Is that what the Bible teaches, more importantly? And that's what we're considering tonight. And I suppose that some verses make us stop a little bit. Some verses make us pause a little bit. Something like 2 Corinthians 5, 10. We must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ so that each one may receive what is due for what he's done in the body, whether good or evil. Maybe that's probably the most confusing verse for people on this subject. No creature, Hebrews 4.13, is hidden from his sight, but all are naked and open to the eyes of him to whom we must give an account. This language of give an account is everywhere for office bearers. Obey your leaders and submit to them for they are keeping watch over your souls is those who have to give an account, Hebrews 13. I tell you, on the day of judgment, said Jesus, people will give account for every careless word that they speak. So you see how important this is for Christian life because what does that mean for my status before God and how I answer this question and how I approach this question very much has effect and consequence to how I will live the Christian life and how I will live in confidence or I will live in fear or will I be confident in the work of the Lord for me? These are all important questions that we have to explore for the short time that we have. And I have to say up front, verses in isolation are not always helpful, are they? Verses in isolation are not always helpful. That's a rule that we forget. There's a reason we have what's called an analogy of faith. that Scripture interprets Scripture, and that you have to look at the whole general truth and put that together instead of isolating a certain passage out of its context. And that's important. We have to look at the big picture, and that's why I love looking at Revelation. This image of Revelation is a grand snapshot, if you will, of the last day. It's a grand picture of what's going to happen and what it's going to look like. And so you'll notice here that we have a very simple description of a courtroom, a court scene, where you have this provided, where you have a great trial, and then you have a verdict, and then you have a final judgment rendered. And that's what Revelation chapter 20 is capturing for us at the end of the book, and then you have the description of glory. So you'll notice in verse 11, to help us with this question that I'm seeking to answer tonight, the difficulty of, are sins going to be raised? What's going to happen with that? Will they be brought out in front of everyone? What is that day? Are we going to have to give an explanation of everything that we've ever done? I want you to notice, before we answer all that tonight, what Revelation shows us. Then I saw a great white throne, verse 11, and him who sat on it, from whose faith earth and heaven fled away. This is a very beautiful and powerful imagery that is being given to us of Jesus Christ himself. There is no other way to describe this than that what is here is an awesome description of him taking the throne, taking the seed and the judgment. You'll remember in the last section in Revelation chapter 19 that there's a description of him. Then I saw heaven opened, verse 11 of the previous chapter, and behold a white horse. The one sitting on it is called Faithful and True, and in righteousness he judges and makes war. His eyes are like a flame of fire, and on his head are many diadems, and he has a name written that no one knows but himself. He is clothed in a robe dipped in blood, and the name by which he is called is the Word of God. The armies of heaven arrayed in fine linen, white and pure, were following him on white horses. From his mouth comes a sharp sword with which to strike down the nations, and he will rule them with a rod of iron. He will tread the wine presses of the fury of the wrath of God, the Almighty. On his robe and on his thigh, he has a name written, the King of kings and the Lord of lords. This is a beautiful description of Jesus coming in judgment. A terrifying description. And you have the imagery here of him dismounting, getting off the horse. And in chapter 20, now he's taking his throne in judgment. This is known throughout history and time as the great white throne judgment that's coming. Taken from Daniel, the language of Daniel, I saw thrones were set. An ancient of days took his seat. His clothing was as white as snow. His head, hair of his head like white wool. His throne was a flaming fire. Its wheels were all ablaze. A river of fire was flowing, coming from before him. Thousands upon thousands attended him. Thousands, 10,000 times 10,000 stood before him. Now, what Revelation does at this point is make a great separation, as the Bible does. It makes a separation. There's two kinds of responses to this. And there's two kinds of judgments that are rendered, if you will. And you have to stop and say, well, what has been John's wish for us? What are the wish of John throughout the gospel of John? These things that you would believe? and that you would have life. Or as he would say in 1 John, all of these things are written to help you so that you would have, and that you would believe, and that you would have boldness on the day of judgment. That's a remarkable statement. That the wish of God, the will of God for the Christian is that we would have boldness on the day of judgment. Boldness. Here in 2 Thessalonians, you remember too, a few weeks ago, it's a bad day for the wicked. He's going to come and repay with tribulation those who trouble us and give to us who are troubled rest when the Lord Jesus is revealed from heaven with his mighty angels and flaming fire, taking vengeance on those who do not know God and on those who do not obey the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ. These shall be punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of his power when he comes on that day to what? Be glorified in his saints and admired among all those who believe. So through and through, the scriptures make a grand separation on the last day. The first response here, you know, and think of this great truth. You've worshiped the Lord your whole lives, many of you. You've confessed him your whole lives. It doesn't matter at times if you didn't quite feel like doing that. This is what you did. You believed in him. You've entrusted your life to him. You've trusted his word. You've believed his gospel. You know him, and he knows you. You admire him, and he loves you. This is the message that has come out from the throne over and over and over that gospel ministers are called to proclaim. Here's my point. The first response recorded here in this section that speaks of judgment is not talking of you, about you. What does it say? From his face, heaven and earth fled away. It's Revelation 6. All the peoples fled from his presence. They called for the rocks to fall on them. This is the moment the New Testament describes in Matthew chapter 24. When the Lord has come, the sun has darkened, the moon is not giving its light, every mountain and valley has fled away. It is this appearing now before the presence of the Lord on the last day. Jesus visibly has taken his seat here and keep in mind when he returns what has been said already to us happens when he returns he brings with him those who have already fallen asleep those who have already died in the Lord it's one major event the angels of course have gathered together the elect so all have been gathered together and at this point becomes what is the scripture says the resurrection, both of the just and the unjust. The Bible teaches, though, that before this is a great separation. The great separation. When the Son of Man comes, listen to this in Matthew 25, in all of his glory and all the holy angels with him, he will sit on the throne of his glory. That's Revelation 20 all nations will be gathered before him and he will separate them the sheep are on his what right hand and the goats go on the left on the right hand is a place an imagery here of complete safety of sheltering of complete protection of complete care they are his sheep on the right hand they are separated and then on the left are put the enemies of the lord so that's where this moves in in revelation 20 to the verdict on those on the left the court is in section in session i think it's really important to say that judgment day is not the discovering of what the verdict is this has always been an important point i think throughout the scriptures that god has already rendered the verdict. The verdict has already been rendered that that he has been rendering this verdict to you your whole lives. This is why it's difficult in ministry, but we have to hear it. All have sinned. All have fallen short of the glory of God. The wages of sin is what? Death. The verdict's already been rendered since Genesis 3. The verdict is all have sinned. All are under the judgment of God because of sin. This was the verdict, and I think that's why when Jesus was walking here, he says, I don't remember what he said, I won't accuse you to my father. There's one who does the accusing of you. It's Moses. The law has already been given. The law, which was added for the purpose of transgressions to show sin, was already been made known. The law has already exposed what it needed to expose. Judgment day for the wicked is simply a recognition of that. So in verse 12 it says, And I saw the dead, small and great, standing before God. Who, notice this, standing. Courts were seated, the books were open in his hand. Our books. You'll notice that there's a general book here. And then there's a big distinction made between another book called the Lamb's Book of Life. In the Lamb's Book of Life are all those, the Revelation has mentioned throughout the book, all of those redeemed by the blood of the Lamb. So written in one book are the names of those who are in the Lamb's Book of Life. So the important point here is, is where are you designated? What book are you in? That's what Revelation seems to be capturing for us so clearly. In the first book, in the first books, all the dead were judged according, notice, to the things that were written in the books. Did you catch that? The dead were judged according to what was written. Now, I think it's important to say that Revelation is using imagery here. The Belgic Confession captures this really interestingly. You know what the Belgic Confession calls these books? The consciences of the people. That, really, everything that somebody had done, that their lives they spent suppressing in the conscience. They were told in their consciences that this is a day of accounting of giving a reckoning for all the things that were done against the law of God. I've never been to a funeral of an unbeliever that's done this. Have you? One of the worst things about funerals, memorial services, celebrations of life is just this. Is it's just a celebration that so-and-so did all these wonderful things. And I've sat at some of these services and thought, I know that person. that's a lie. That's a lie. But that's what we do today. We have our day. And what we do is try to console everyone this way by saying, you know, the sense is when you walk out of these services is the day that we have decided, this is the day we decided whether to put them into heaven or hell. And the message is always clear. The message is not confused. This person did enough. That's what we hear. When have you ever heard somebody was bad? I've never heard it. It's always been a celebration of all the great things they've done. For the wicked, this is the day. Notice in this book, there's no discussion. the book opens all the shameful deeds that have ever been done are exposed Paul said this some people's sins are clear preceding them to judgment others are revealed on that day with nothing to say the law had been given the gospel had been preached to them and how they responded and the choices that they made, of course, being dead in the first Adam, they faced and suffer the judgment that is to come based on their works. This is really important. Did you keep my law? It's a recognition of this. And Revelation says, In these last verses, their death and Hades were thrown in the lake of fire. This is the second death. They were judged, verse 13, each one of them according to what they had done. Now, the question is, is that you? This gets to the answer tonight of the issue that I've raised. And what's really important is the last verse there, verse 15. And if anyone's name was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire. The whole chapter, this is the surprising aspect to the book of Revelation. It's different than how we think. Nothing happens the way we think it would happen. The last thing the wicked ever think they'll face is judgment. The righteous are often tormented by false teachers and their own consciences that they will. This has been one of the great difficulties in Christian ministry. The righteous have always been tormented that they will have to, while the wicked never worry about it. Isn't that just the saying? Isn't that just how it goes? This is why I've quoted this a million times to you. Thomas Watson has said the one statement that I thought, it's the most difficult thing in the ministry to make the wicked sad and the righteous happy. That's the most difficult thing he said about ministry, to make the wicked sad and the righteous happy. The surprise here is meant to do that. I saw another book. It's called The Lamb's Book of Life. The dead were judged according to things written in those books. But then there's this other book who has a record of names. Their names are written, not deeds. Now, if you think I'm making too much of that, you can go and read Dennis Johnson's commentary on it. He makes a big deal of this. Names are written in this book, not deeds. Another book was opened, the Lamb's Book of Life. In the next chapter, talking about heaven, There shall be by no means anything that enters it that defiles or causes abomination or a lie, but only those who are written in the Lamb's book of life. See what he's saying? Now, this is where the Heidelberg comes together tonight, doesn't it? This is where this question and answer in Lord's Day 21 is so important. What do you believe about the forgiveness of sins? Listen to it now with all that in mind that you remember from the first time I looked at this passage. Listen to this. I believe that because of Christ's atonement, God will never hold against me any of my sins, nor my sinful nature. Rooted in this is the doctrine of what? Justification. justification by grace through faith alone. In his grace, God grants to me, it says, right in this question and answer, and credits to me the perfect satisfaction, righteousness, and holiness of Christ. That's right in this question and answer on the issue of the forgiveness of sins. The Heidelberg Catechism, the Reformation, if we're calling ourselves reform, does not allow for a final justification by your works or a raising of them to hold them against you. Think of all you've ever learned in the Christian ministry for a minute. I have cast your sins where? As far as the east is from the west. How many times have we read that for the assurance of pardon and worship? What is the promise of the new covenant? What is the promise of the new covenant? Jeremiah 31, Hebrews 8. I will remember your sins no more. except on Judgment Day. That's not what it says, does it? I will remember your sins no more. I have cast them. I have clothed you with righteousness. I have blotted out all your iniquity. What kind of problem does it create if we live thinking that we're going to have to give an account of all the shame and guilt and our sins that way? one of the worst lives to live. And that is not God's will for you. You hear me? That is not God's will for you. Your sins are not raised at all as a basis for what the Lord is doing here. I want you to notice this or anything. Your judgment day we've studied happened. Your acquittal happened in history. it is finished, happened in history. There is no condemnation is a statement that is a fact. The distinguishing factor in this book here is those, you'll notice here, whoever is written in the book of deeds, that's those who have not believed and not trusted. But the beauty here of how the Lord wants us to live is knowing that that condemnation, that shame, that judgment has been taken already. There's nothing ever written down that could indict us. And there's nothing performance-based that could acquit us. It goes both ways. Only Jesus. That's what justification is, that's what the doctrine is saying to us. When it comes to that day, he says to those on the left hand, depart you cursed into everlasting fire prepared for the devil and his angels. He could never say to you, depart you cursed. One became the curse. If you want to look at this further, I found a nice little answer by John Newton in his letters on this question. Somebody wrote, they're very edifying, John Newton's letters. And they're on a range of spiritual topics. And you'll notice here how he answered. This is what he said when he was asked this question about 2 Corinthians 5.10. It sometimes happens here and there we're met with a text, which in the first and obvious sound of the word seemed to speak differently from what is asserted more largely elsewhere. These texts, singularly taken, afford some men their only ground for the hypothesis they maintain. In other words, they've come to this great point of truth that they think is truth, and this is what they base now that new idea on, based on this one text. But their true interpretation is to be sought according to the analogy of faith. They are capable of a sense agreeable to others, though the others are not intelligible in the sense they would fix upon these. In like manner, I would say, whatever may be the precise meaning of 2 Corinthians 5.10, we are sure it cannot be designed to weaken what we are taught in almost every page of the free, absolute, unalterable nature of the believer's justification. The benefit of this doctrine as to the forgiveness of sins, signified by blotting out, not remembering, casting behind the back, and in the depths of the sea, the sins of a believer are so effectually removed that even when or if they are sought for, they cannot be found. For Jesus has bore them away. Believers are complete in him and clothed in his righteousness. They shall stand before God without spot or wrinkle. Who shall lay anything to the charge of God's elect? He says this, though. It is probable that these stray expressions chiefly, if not entirely, respect the guilt, imputation, and deserved consequences of sin. Their love, and consequently their happiness, seems inseparately connected with the consciousness of what they were and what they had done. See, what he's saying there is, if anything, it's a comparison at the end to say, look what I did for you, look what you were, and look what I did for you. Come, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. And every sense I see where any kind of work is raised on the last day for the believer, it's in a sense of reward, a sense of a gift, a sense of giving the believer something good that God had promised through the works that were prepared beforehand that we should walk in them. See, it's not meant to do what we've done with that question. The Bible doesn't do that, what we do with that question. It doesn't want us living that way because that does not produce active Christians who are confident in the Lord's work for them. I love what the Heidelberg says. What does this motivate us to do then? You want to know what it motivates us to do. If you truly know this and believe this, well, then it motivates us to strive against and struggle against, as it says, this sinful nature my whole life. You see, it doesn't create antinomians. it doesn't create lawless people. It creates people who take seriously sin, who hate sin, because they know they've been forgiven of it. That's the beauty of this teaching. You know, some say, I don't really have to ask for forgiveness anymore. We go to the Lord. The objective work has been done, but the subjective reception of the joy of forgiveness, there's a beautiful thing that happens when we go to the Lord, 1 John, confess our sins. He's faithful and just to constantly help us and to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. See, that's something he wants us to live in the joy of. Sin in our lives surely disrupts relationships. But he says, come to me. Every time I'll forgive them. You know, Jesus would not tell you to go forgive your neighbor 70 times 7 if he's not doing it every time you come. That's how good he is to you. No matter the struggle, keep your hearts focused there on the work of Jesus for you. And remember what the Lord has said to us here. Think of the end of Jude. To him who is able to keep you from stumbling. And to do what? To him who is also able to present you before his glorious presence without fault and with great joy. That's what's going to happen. To the only God, our Savior, be glory and majesty, power and authority through Jesus Christ, our Lord, before all ages, now and forevermore. Let's pray. Heavenly Father, thank you tonight for forgiving all of our sins. Thank you for giving us confidence and boldness for the coming day of judgment. Thank you for removing our sins as far as the east is from the west. Thank you for not scaring us into your kingdom but winning and wooing our hearts through the person and the work of Jesus, calling ourselves to you, washing us, cleansing us, changing our status, justifying us freely by the grace of God and then giving us this joy. Let us look forward then to this day and let us, Lord, eagerly seek this great day where we will be with the Lord. Help us in the interim to take seriously sin, to struggle against it our whole life, to fight against it, but to live in the joy of this comfort that you intend for us, that the new covenant promises, I will remember your sins no more. Let us hear you, O Lord. In Jesus' name we pray.