Welcome to Delight in Grace, the teaching ministry of Rich Powell, pastor of Grace Bible Ministries. This is part three of the message, which was first preached on September 3rd, 2023 at Grace Bible Church in Winston-Salem. Until the day of judgment. Until the day of judgment.
Here's what you need to know. This is a gospel moment right here. Remember like I said earlier, the bill will come due, unless there's forgiveness.
Here's the good news. There is forgiveness in Jesus Christ. There's forgiveness in Jesus Christ. He took the justice we deserve upon himself. He took the wrath of God upon himself.
We deserve the wrath of God. He did not. He took that so that you and I would not have to.
I like Michael Card's song, your most awesome work was done in the frailty of your son. And he died. And then after he took that wrath, he rose again. And Jesus is the one who said, because I live, you shall live also. So there is forgiveness. And remembering this rescue, remembering the assurance of deliverance, and the greatest assurance of deliverance comes in the person of his son, Jesus Christ. Then remembering this assurance of deliverance rescues us from the standard fight or flight dichotomy. We as Christians, as followers of Jesus, when we face this kind of wickedness in our world, when we're honest and recognize the wickedness sometimes even in our own hearts, we're not just limited to fight or flight, but to become like Jesus Christ. We're not called to fight for survival.
We're not called to run and hide in hopeless despair. But we are called to become like Christ. And what did Christ do?
He invested himself in his enemies to reconcile them. It's profound, isn't it? That's the gospel of grace. So this is what Peter is calling us to remember that God is a just God. There is an accounting coming. And there is not a person alive ever has been alive or ever will be alive that will not stand before infinite holy God.
Are you prepared for that? Because the bill will come due unless there's forgiveness. Because God is just, God is holy, and God is good. When I recognize these assurances, the assurance of God's justice and the assurance of his deliverance, with these assurance, I'm free to do two things. Number one, I'm free to follow instructions. His instructions, the Word of God, to be faithful to God's self disclosure, so that what he has made known is shaping me, fashioning me. This is my roadmap. Now, this is what I follow. And it's not just words and information. He's actually given me his son to follow in his steps, to follow instructions.
With these assurances, I am free to follow instructions. Noah's faith. Noah is an example of faith in his faith.
You ready for this? His faith did not make sense to his generation. Are you afraid to exercise faith because it just doesn't make sense to other people? Noah built a big boat, not anywhere near water. And it took him a long time. Can you imagine the ridicule he received? But he wasn't setting out to please people, was he? He wasn't setting out to do something that makes sense to people. He set out to do what? To follow instructions from the one whose opinion counts, the one who is trustworthy.
We're free to do that. He was faithful to God's self disclosure. And that is what we must be, faithful to God's self disclosure, even though it might make no sense to the unbelieving world around you. This is what Paul said, knowing therefore the fear of the Lord, we do what? We persuade others. Knowing these assurances, you are free to follow instructions.
Number two, knowing these assurances, you are free to engage unbelief. It's interesting what he says about Lot in this passage. Noah was a herald of righteousness. Lot, verse six, and he says in verse seven, and if he rescued righteous Lot greatly distressed by the sensual conduct of the wicked, for as that righteous man, two times he uses the word righteous in reference to Lot. We need to learn from that, okay?
We need to learn from that. A righteous man lived among them, day after day, he was tormenting his righteous soul over their lawless deeds. Three times he uses the word righteous. I'm sorry, some of you were counting, weren't you?
You were going to set the record straight. To engage unbelief. Lot was, he was, this was hard on him, living amongst incredible self indulgence and self preoccupation. To be one who is a follower of Jehovah God, the self existent one who calls us to follow him and resign ourselves to him. For Lot, that was very difficult, as he lived among them.
But you remember the story from the Old Testament, the book of Genesis, you know, when the angels came, there's no indication that he knew they were angelic beings. But what did he do in this, in his culture that was utterly self absorbed? What did Lot do?
He practiced what? Hospitality. Church, learn from this. Our culture today is becoming more and more and more self absorbed. And I believe the church calls us his people to exercise hospitality.
It's commanded numerous times in the New Testament. He exercised hospitality and restraint in the slew of self absorbed behavior. He was light.
Light is effective by contrast. He was salt. Salt is effective by what? Contact.
Salt is no good unless it touches the food it's supposed to go on. You see, it wasn't easy. He was greatly distressed, tormenting his righteous soul. But listen, we are indwelt with the spirit of truth and of power. We have an advantage over what Lot had in his day. The full canon of scripture, written authority, and the indwelling of the Holy Spirit. That's powerful folks.
It's powerful. So we are called to engage unbelief. We are called to engage false teachers. Are we prepared to do that? Do we have the discernment to do that?
Instead of just going along with the lies or letting somebody boldly tell a lie and we don't challenge them on it. In conclusion, let me give a couple of warnings, if I may. Two things to be aware of.
The first one, I'm going to simply use an illustration from a blogger and an author. You may have heard this name before, and I think I've referred to it before, but if she was a popular blogger, still is, her name is Jen Hatmaker, and she was asked, quote, do you think an LGBT relationship can be holy? And Hatmaker responded, I do. And my views are tender. This is a very nuanced conversation and it's hard to nail down in one sitting.
I'm quoting her, okay? I've seen too much pain and rejection at the intersection of the gay community and the church. Every believer that witnesses that much overwhelming sorrow should be tender enough to do some hard work here. Again, false teachers blending self-exalting school of thought with biblical truth.
Okay? Now, let's talk about another author, a former lesbian, college professor Rosaria Butterfield. Secret Thoughts of an Unlikely Convert is her very well-known book. Highly recommend that if you're experiencing or encountering anyone with this kind of lifestyle dilemma.
Rosaria Butterfield responded and reproved Hatmaker for this, and here it is. This is the first warning. Number one, tenderness that leaves people in sin. This is a huge temptation for many who call themselves Christian today. Thanks for joining us here at Delight in Grace. You've been listening to Rich Powell, the lead pastor at Grace Bible Church in Winston-Salem. The Delight in Grace mission is to help you know that God designed you to realize your highest good and your deepest satisfaction in Him, the one who is infinitely good. We hope you'll join us again on weekdays at 10 a.m. .
