www.scatteredchristians.org
Another Sermon for the Starving Bible Believing Christians All Over the World Wide Web
2005 - Touchet Baptist Church, Touchet, Washington - Pastor Mike Paulson - 2005
Learning the way of God more perfectly - Acts 18:26 with the Scriptures Rightly Divided II Timothy 2:15
Truth or Consequences
A Series on Rightly Divided Judgment
Part II - God's Judgment Yesterday, Today & Tomorrow!
click here for the audio sermon
Preface
My Desires:
My desires as a preacher, pastor, evangelist, husband, dad, grandpa - and with as much as lieth within me, is to get folks to not only 'see' by their belief, but to also understand the times we are in.  And to add to that, help folks still enjoy the real peace of God from the God of peace in that King James Bible through the preaching of Paul's gospel and all that goes with it; and yet still serve Him in a way that is pleasing to Him - and then to teach Gods; truth for today to our kids and grandkids.

Local church today!
I see more and more people turning to their "local church assembly" and its teachings for their understanding, their comfort, their joy and their 'fun' - pleasures, etc, instead of the Bible itself.
Bad ground!
They are dirtying up the once good ground as they try to make the pillar attractive instead of magnifying and rightly dividing the truth and letting God take care of the increase.
see I Timothy 3:15  But if I tarry long, that thou mayest know how thou oughtest to behave thyself in the house of God, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and ground of the truth.
and also see II Timothy 2:15,16  Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.  But shun profane and vain babblings: for they will increase unto more ungodliness.
Luke 8:15  - But that on the good ground are they, which in an honest and good heart, having heard the word, keep it, and bring forth fruit with patience.

People today are being turned and are turning to...
... music
...someone's degree'd doctrinal knowledge
...deep but dark things of doubtful disputations
...fables and endless genealogies which minister questions
...foolish and unlearned questions which cause contentions and strivings about the law...
...their own opinion with their nose sticking high up towards the sky...

...all of which gender strife and, according to Paul, are all unprofitable and vain.

As the local church continues its fast downward fall of apostasy within the Laodicean age, more and more people are turning away from the Book to TV, Video and cassette religion, all of which can dangerously turn themselves more towards themselves to be their own final authority, with the results being the lack of peace and understanding all of which comes from wrongly dividing the word of truth!

Introduction

So, let's continue our series on Truth or Consequences - we will look today at rightly dividing judgment this morning and will maybe even conclude some of it tonight, in part II.

I Peter 2:20-24
Our example for taking our 'suffering' patiently is God Himself these days.  His name is getting such a bad rap - even in Bible Believing churches as they preach God's judgment in people's lives - or even just the 'fear of God' in a manner that just puts folks under bondage of God's judgment, etc.

That is not Paul's gospel at all!   II Timothy 1:7-11 - For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.  Be not thou therefore ashamed of the testimony of our Lord, nor of me his prisoner: but be thou partaker of the afflictions of the gospel according to the power of God;  Who hath saved us, and called us with an holy calling, not according to our works, but according to his own purpose and grace, which was given us in Christ Jesus before the world began,  But is now made manifest by the appearing of our Saviour Jesus Christ, who hath abolished death, and hath brought life and immortality to light through the gospel:  Whereunto I am appointed a preacher, and an apostle, and a teacher of the Gentiles.

Yes, Paul did preach on the fear of God, but not in a bondage fashion as we hear today.
God is blamed for so much these days!  EVEN by Christians.

Read on!  We need not fear God's judgment - yet!

Psalm 9:7-10 - But the LORD shall endure for ever: he hath prepared his throne for judgment.  And he shall judge the world in righteousness, he shall minister judgment to the people in uprightness. The LORD also will be a refuge for the oppressed, a refuge in times of trouble.  And they that know thy name will put their trust in thee: for thou, LORD, hast not forsaken them that seek thee.

Psalm 9:16 - The LORD is known by the judgment which he executeth: the wicked is snared in the work of his own hands.
 

Judgment of God
1. In the garden... the arrival of sin... curses put on man, woman, world and the devil Genesis 3:14-18
2. Noah - destroys it all Genesis 6:5-7; II Peter 2:5
3. Tower of Babel - confounded language and scattered the people all over the earth Genesis 11:1-9
4. Jews created from the Gentiles; given a land, made them a chosen people; world given the Scriptures through them, the world was given the Saviour to the world through them. Genesis 12; Romans 3:1-2; 9:4-5
5. Sodom and Gomorrah - turned the cites to ashes to be an ensample unto those that after should live ungodly (their own righteousness!)  Behold, this was the iniquity of thy sister Sodom, pride, fulness of bread, and abundance of idleness was in her and in her daughters, neither did she strengthen the hand of the poor and needy.  And they were haughty, and committed abomination before me: therefore I took them away as I saw good.  Genesis 19; II Peter 2:6; Ezekiel 16:49,50
6. Egypt - ..."against all the gods of Egypt I will execute judgment: I am the LORD." Exodus 12:12; Numbers 33:4
7. Moses himself - shall not bring this congregation into the land which I have given them. Exodus 17: 6; Numbers 20:7-13; Deuteronomy 34:4-6
8. Misc. many in the OT  
9. Jesus - while on the cross Mark 15:34
10. Sin & sins Galatians 3:13; II Corinthians 5:21
11. Israel - only temporarily set aside... Acts 13:44-51; 18:5,6; 26:16-21; 28:26-31; Romans 11:25-28
12.
13. Judgment Seat - for Believers only I Corinthians 3:8-15; II Corinthians 5:10; Romans 14:10
14. Israel - Tribulation - day of Jacob's trouble; the time of the heathen; a time of trouble, such as never was since there was a nation even to that same time; Jeremiah 30:7; ; Rev 6-19; Ezekiel 30:3; Daniel 12:1-5; Joel 1:15; James; I II Peter, etc.
15. Satan - temporarily bound for a thousand years; then returns to finally end up in lake of fire Revelation 20:1-3, 7, 11-15
16.  Nations Matthew 25:30-42
17. Millennium - times of restitution, rest; Satan locked up Gospels; I II III John; Hebrews 4:4-5; , Revelation 20:2-7
18. White Throne Judgment - for the lost only Revelation 20:11-15; Daniel 7:9-14

What does that blank spot in number 12 represent?

Sermon body:

TODAY!

Note the following:

In the Gospels, Jesus Christ came to bring division!
Luke 12:51  Suppose ye that I am come to give peace on earth? I tell you, Nay; but rather division:
John 7:43  So there was a division among the people because of him.
John 9:16  Therefore said some of the Pharisees, This man is not of God, because he keepeth not the sabbath day. Others said, How can a man that is a sinner do such miracles? And there was a division among them.

He brought grace and truth!
John 1:14  And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth.
John 1:17  For the law was given by Moses, but grace and truth came by Jesus Christ.

1.  Grace = love - they refused him / it!  John 1:11; Crucifixion; Acts, etc.
2.  Truth = judgment - they stopped it!  Acts 8:32,33 The place of the scripture which he read was this, He was led as a sheep to the slaughter; and like a lamb dumb before his shearer, so opened he not his mouth:  In his humiliation his judgment was taken away: and who shall declare his generation? for his life is taken from the earth.
They Killed Him!
1.  He sends the Holy Ghost - the Comforter for His love (grace) - John 14:16-18; 26; 16:7, or as a judge, (judgment) John 16:8-11.
The devil counters with 'another spirit' - II Corinthians 11:4  For if he that cometh preacheth another Jesus, whom we have not preached, or if ye receive another spirit, which ye have not received, or another gospel, which ye have not accepted, ye might well bear with him.

2.  He sends us His words - John 14:26; 16:13; 17:8 - through the Holy Spirit and in the Scriptures, etc. first spoken, II Peter 1:19-21; then written Psalm 12:6,7; II Timothy 3:15,16; John 20:31! - the Devil counters with many perverted bibles, etc.  II Corinthians 2:17  For we are not as many, which corrupt the word of God: but as of sincerity, but as of God, in the sight of God speak we in Christ.

His words are life (grace) or final judgment (truth)!
1.  Life
John 6:63  It is the spirit that quickeneth; the flesh profiteth nothing: the words that I speak unto you, they are spirit, and they are life.
John 6:68  Then Simon Peter answered him, Lord, to whom shall we go? thou hast the words of eternal life.
2.  Judgment
John 12:48  He that rejecteth me, and receiveth not my words, hath one that judgeth him: the word that I have spoken, the same shall judge him in the last day.
John 5:22  For the Father judgeth no man, but hath committed all judgment unto the Son:
But... not now!
Jesus answered, My kingdom is not of this world: if my kingdom were of this world,
then would my servants fight, that I should not be delivered to the Jews:
but now is my kingdom not from hence.
John 18:36
But it will be someday...
And the seventh angel sounded; and there were great voices in heaven, saying,
The kingdoms of this world are become the kingdoms of our Lord, and of his Christ;
and he shall reign for ever and ever.
Revelation 11:15
It Is Coming!

1.  He will then exercise His final love:
The saved are to be His bride - there is no judgment there - any "sins" done were never imputed - it wasn't us that did them, so we never need to be forgiven again or washed again!  Romans 4:4-8,24,25

2.  He will then exercise His judgment:
The works of His bride need to be purged of any spots, etc. but that doesn't happen until Judgment Seat of Christ! Revelation 19:7,8
The lost people still have their works, 'good' or 'bad,' still attached to their soul - they are dead in their sins - they themselves must burn with those sinful works - their sin must still be paid for!  Revelation 10:11-15; Ephesians 2:5  Even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, (by grace ye are saved;)

But today?
His love and His judgment
is in and from that King James Bible only!

We are now in the dispensation of grace - the time of the Gentiles - we are under Paul's gospel and are to follow Paul, etc.  See Philippians 4:9, etc.

Those are still Christ's words today and they must be preached and 'teached!' I Timothy 6:3-5  If any man teach otherwise, and consent not to wholesome words, even the words of our Lord Jesus Christ, and to the doctrine which is according to godliness;  He is proud, knowing nothing, but doting about questions and strifes of words, whereof cometh envy, strife, railings, evil surmisings, Perverse disputings of men of corrupt minds, and destitute of the truth, supposing that gain is godliness: from such withdraw thyself.  but only as Paul was given them to give to us.
OK, but what about the judgment of God we hear being preached today?  They are lying.  They are not rightly dividing the word of truth.  They may be building larger and larger churches, but they are only evidence of those who believe that gain is godliness!  (But godliness with contentment is great gain. verse 6)

They are preaching vain babblings and are actually leading more and more folks to more ungodliness!

We should shun those vain babblings!
I Timothy 6:20  O Timothy, keep that which is committed to thy trust, avoiding profane and vain babblings, and oppositions of science falsely so called:
II Timothy 2:16  But shun profane and vain babblings: for they will increase unto more ungodliness.
What about that sin that is in us and gets us to do things we don't want to do today?
see Romans 7:15-21  (not just a sin nature...)

Yes, folks, there may not be God's judgment at this time,
but there are & will be...

Consequences for our actions!

Come tonight!
See part III!