Message transcribed from the Gethsemane Anabaptist Church, Sunday service, as preached by James H. Newman, Jr.

People hate authority. They like to do what they want to do.

Psalm 82:6,7

I have said, Ye are gods; and all of you are children of the most High. But ye shall die like men. and fall like one of the princes.

All of us do what we want to do. We are our own god at times. We do not all walk perfectly according to the word of God. When we don't we fit into that category of being our own god , following our own way and establishing our own righteousness.

Judges 21:25

In those days there was no king in Israel: every man did that which was right in his own eyes.

Proverbs 21:2

Every way of a man is right in his own eyes: but the LORD pondereth the hearts.

"The law of the LORD is perfect". If I stopped right there, it wouldn't do me any good.

Psalm 19:7

The law of the LORD is perfect, converting the soul: the testimony of the LORD is sure, making wise the simple.

The law of the Lord is perfect. Now, the part I am glad it says is that it converts the soul. Converting is simply changing your mind. I've got my mind fixed this way, and I am walking this way. When I change my mind , that is converting. I am glad the law of God changes my mind. If it did not, I would go on the same path, the way I always go, and that is the path of destruction. But, the law of God is perfect, it converts the soul, and I am glad it does.

Look at Ecclesiastes 12:10,

The preacher sought to find out acceptable words: and that which was written was upright, even words of truth.

Here we have a preacher whom we know to be king over Israel, and this preacher sought to find out acceptable words. What is acceptable? Now, as far as man, most anything is acceptable, but when it come to God, that which is written in the word of God is acceptable to God. His word will not come back void. He had put his blessing on his word and when we obey his word, we have his blessings. When we don't obey, we don't have his blessing.

Let's look at verse 13 of Ecclesiastes 12:

Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God. and keep his commandments: for this is the whole duty of man.

Now turn to Genesis 2:17. God in the garden of Eden only gave one simple commandment, basically; one simple commandment. Later, other laws and commandments were given. You have more and more commandments, but originally, you only had one. Look at what God said.

But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die.

Had Adam and Eve obeyed that verse, would they have lived? Yes. That simple commandment, just one--not ten, not real hard. He didn't have ten that were so hard to keep that nobody could keep them, but he only had one. So man really is without excuse there. You may say, nobody can keep the ten commandments, that is too hard. Let's go back to this one. Was that really hard? Don't do it. Don't eat of that one. Eat of all these others, that is all you need, but don't eat that one. So, we start there with just one commandment, and of course you know what happened.

The word of God declares in Genesis 1:1:

In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth.

You agree with that, of course. Some people do not agree with that, but did God ever consult any of us as to how it was to be created?

Psalm 104:30

Thou sendest forth thy spirit, they are created: and thou renewest the face of the earth.

I wonder why God did not consult with us. Well, one reason, we weren't around at the time, so God didn't consult us. It is a good thing, too. I am glad he created it before we were here. Had he made man and had him somewhere else, I could just see man telling God, " I don't think you ought to do it that way". In the beginning, there was no argument. God said it and it was so. In Isaiah 40:13-17:

Who hath directed the spirit of the LORD, or being his counsellor hath taught him? With whom took he counsel, and who instructed him, and taught him in the path of judgment, and taught him knowledge, and shewed to him the way of understanding? Behold, the nations are as a drop of a bucket, and are counted as the small dust of the balance: behold, taketh up the isles as a very little things. And Lebanon is not sufficient to burn, nor the beasts thereof sufficient for a burnt offering. All nations before him are as nothing; and they are counted to him less than nothing, and vanity.

So, had the nations been around, had all these people and scientists and all the wisdom of the earth been around, God would have counted it less than nothing. And anything he counts less than nothing, I don't think he is going to take counsel from them. God doesn't put any trust in his saints. He knows his saints and doesn't trust them. Isaiah continues in 40:18, 21, 22, and 25:

 

To whom then will ye liken God? or what likeness will ye compare unto him? Have ye not known? have ye not heard? hath it not been told you from the beginning? have ye not understood from the foundations of the earth? It is he that sitteth upon the circle of the earth, and the inhabitants thereof are as grasshoppers; that stretcheth out the heavens as a curtain, and spreadeth them out as a tent to dwell in:.....To whom then will ye liken me, or shall I be equal? saith the Holy One.

God created the heaven and the earth the way he wanted. The Creator is greater than the creation, by the way. The Creator has the rule and final authority over what he creates.

Genesis 1:3

And God said, Let there be light: and there was light.

What I want you to see is that before man got on the scene, God said it, and it was so. God said let there be light, and there was no argument--no anything--it just simply was. God was commanding by his authority. Neither you nor I need to defy God's commandment.

Throughout Genesis chapter 1, you will find God saying, "Let there be... and it was so." God commanded the creation as it pleased him. God was the final authority in his creation. We can't get past the simple, everyday authority in the home and in church, to anything else, let alone this final authority. We are normally a total wreck when it comes to obeying the word of God. How are we going to stand when it comes time foe judgment? We are not going to fare too well, unless we follow what we are suppose to in the book.

In Job 1:6-8, we read about Job and how God pointed him out to Satan. In chapter 2, verses 6 and 7 the Lord tells Satan that Job is in his hand, but to save his life.

Verse 7

So went Satan forth from the presence of the LORD, and smote Job with sore boils from the sole of his foot unto his crown. And he took him a potsherd to scrape himself withal; and he sat down among the ashes.

When Job's three friends heard of all this evil that was come upon him, they came to comfort him. Instead, they get onto Job about him proclaiming his own righteousness. Finally, God speaks to Job. He has been hearing this conversation all the time and Satan is hearing it, too. It comes down that Satan has put everything on Job that could possibly be. He has taken away his children and destroyed his cattle, and God and Satan are watching this thing. Here are his friends trying to comfort him. Job is beginning to speak and to say what is in his heart.

God has sent his righteousness and he has established his righteousness already. Now when you go about to establish your own righteousness, you are keeping wither the law or you are saying "What I am doing is right". Some people refuse to hear the verses from the word of God concerning what is right, but would rather go on doing what they think is right.

In Job 38:4 God asked Job,

Where was thou when I laid the foundation of the earth? declare if thou hast understanding.

Now that is a strange thing to me. Probably I would not have asked Job that particular question. I wonder why God took Job back to when the earth was created? I wonder why he didn't just start when all Job's troubles started and discuss each and every one of his complaints. Why would God take him back to the point of creation? It was to establish his authority and let Job understand by the words of God that God is the authority. God asked Job a few questions knowing Job would come to the knowledge that he wasn't even around when God did all of this. God showed Job if he created all these things, as well as Job, then he has authority of it all. It is God's way of saying that he has the authority, and the final authority.

Job was proclaiming his own righteousness to God and his comforters. But God did not let him by with that, even though God had said Job was a perfect and upright man. God took Job all the way back to creation and he can take any of us back to creation. That settles it. There wasn't anyone of us around.

Let's look at Job 40:1-5,

Moreover the LORD answered Job, and said, Shall he that contendeth with the Almighty instruct him? he that reproveth God, let him answer it. Then Job answered the LORD, and said, Behold I am vile: what shall I answer thee? I will lay my hand upon my mouth. Once have I spoken; bit I will not answer: yea, twice; but I will proceed no further.

The Lord has to do a lot to bring Job to the point that he was guilty in his own eyes. Job finally came to the conclusion that he was guilty and vile. When Job found that out, he shut up. That is the purpose of the law, later on. Were the ten commandments there? No, but the Creator and his authority brought Job right back to the point that he had to shut up. Job saw that he wasn't there at the creation. He didn't measure the water out in his hand; he did not do any of this. So, if he didn't do any of this, he is not over any of it. If he didn't create himself, then somebody is over him. There is not but one Creator, and he is over Jon, So, Job finds out that God is righteous and his judgments are righteous no matter what you do. God is right. No matter what he does with your life, God is right and he is righteous.

Job came to this point and thank God that Job had character and integrity. Job realized he was wrong. Then pride was removed far from him and he said, "I am vile", and laid is hand on his mouth. That was an act of Job's will. He chose to put his hand upon his mouth, No more speaking. He doesn't want to answer now. Now, what is the purpose of the law? "That every mouth may be stopped".

Romans 3:19,

Now we know what things soever the law saith, it saith to them who are under the law: that every mouth may be stopped, and all the world may become guilty before God.

This is the same place God brought Job to, but he is using what, now? He is not using one commandment given to Adam, not is he using the ten commandments, but the fact is that Job knows the one speaking to him is the LORD, the Creator, and his God. Once Job realized this, and repented in dust and ashes, God blessed him with double what he had before.

Look at Deuteronomy 6:24,

And the LORD commanded us to do all these statutes, to fear the LORD our God, for our good always, that he might preserve us alive, as it is at this day.

The Lord commanded them to do all these statutes. Look back at Genesis 2:17, where he commanded man to do all the statues, but at that time, there was only one. Adam was told to obey and he would live; disobey and he would die. Now God has all these statutes in Deuteronomy and he says, "fear the LORD our God". Now, it sounds like we are back in Ecclesiastes 12, where the preacher says that is the whole duty of man. It is for your good always. Now if you obey that look at verse 25,

Deuteronomy 6:25

And it shall be our righteousness, if we observe to do all these commandments before the LORD our God, as he hath commanded us.

If they obey, that is their righteousness. How much you kept the law and the statutes was your righteousness. You could keep eight of the ten and call that your righteousness, and offer sacrifices. The Apostle Paul came to the point where he kept all but one. The verse in James 2:10 says,

For whosoever shall keep the whole law, and yet offend in one point, he is guilty of all.

Now, if we are guilty of the law in one point, what are we faces with? The penalty, which is death.

The final authority, the word of God, you either believe it and agree with it, shut your mouth and obey, or you are going to be opposed to it in setting up your own righteousness and fight against God the whole way.

Look at Psalm 40:6-9,

Sacrifice and offering thou didst not desire; mine ears hast thou opened: burnt offering and sin offering hast thou not requires. Then said I , Lo. I come: in the volume of the book it is written of me, I delight to do thy will, O my God: yea, thy law is within my heart. I have preached righteousness in the great congregation: lo, I have not refrained my lips, O LORD, thou knowest.

You are even going under the law to establish your own righteousness, what you can do. What God looks at is your heart.

When the Lord cane, it was told what he preached--righteousness. I've got a choice of preaching my righteousness or preaching the righteousness which is in Christ. What are we preaching and for what reason?

Let's move on to Romans 3:20-26

Therefore by the deed of the law there shall no flesh be justified in his sight: but by the law is the knowledge of sin. But now the righteousness of God without the law is manifested, being witnessed by the law and the prophets; Even the righteousness of God which is by faith of Jesus Christ unto all and upon all them that believe: for there is no difference: For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God; being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus: Whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation through faith in his blood. to declare his righteousness for the remission of sins that are past, though the forbearance of God; To declare, I say, at this time his righteousness: that he might be just, and the justifier of him which believeth in Jesus.

You will preach God's righteousness, or you go back to try and establish your own righteousness.

We read in I Corinthians 1:18,

For the preaching of the cross is to them that perish foolishness; but unto us which are saved it is the power of God.

If the things that I have dome to establish my own righteousness are good enough, what is the cross? If whatever I did was good, what is the cross all about? Why did it take the cross? The preaching of the cross is the power of God. Verse 21,

For after that in the wisdom of God the world by wisdom knew not God, it pleased God by the foolishness of preaching to save them that believe.

Verse 30,

But of him are ye in Christ Jesus, who of God is made unto us wisdom, and righteousness, and sanctification, and redemption:

If you want to know where your wisdom is, it does not stand in worldly wisdom. It better be, as the preacher said in the book of Ecclesiastes, about the words that are written; they are acceptable. That is the wisdom of God manifested. You can manifest the wisdom of God to the principalities and powers just by simply reading these verses. That is God's wisdom (his word), right before your eyes.

Righteousness, not your own, but his righteousness, and sanctification d redemption. I could preach all day long and if I don't preach his redemption and his purchase price, the blood, then I haven't preached redemption.

Philippians 3:9

And be found in him, not having mine own righteousness, which is of the law, but that which is of the law, but that which is though the faith of Christ, the righteousness which is of God by faith:

It is not our righteousness, but that which is through the faith of Christ. The law must be preached that every mouth may be stopped, and all the world may become guilty before God. (Romans 3:19) Once the law of God has done its work, that is , to make you guilty and to stop your mouth, then, and then only, can the law bring you to Christ.

Galatians 3:24

Wherefore the law was our schoolmaster to being is unto Christ, that we might be justified by faith.

Then in Romans 3:21

But now the righteousness of God without the law is manifested being witnessed by the law and the prophets;

God accepted his righteousness!! (Which is Jesus Christ the righteous... I John 2:1)

I Timothy 3:16

And without controversy great is the mystery of godliness: God was manifest in the flesh, justified in the Spirit, seen of angels, preached unto the Gentiles, believed on in the world, received up into glory.

Romans 3:22-23

Even the righteousness of God which is by faith of Jesus Christ unto all and upon all them that believe: for there is no difference: For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;

Job and Israel had a zeal of God, but nor according to knowledge.

Romans 10:3

For they being ignorant of God's righteousness, and going about to establish their own righteousness have not submitted themselves unto the righteousness of God.

This doesn't mean that Job or Israel or anyone going about to establish the own righteousness is stupid. It simply means that they didn't know or they don't know about what God's righteousness is. Many will try to be good or moral and really think that they are righteous. Once again, if anyone's own righteousness could have been enough, then Why did God have to die on the cross?

II Corinthians 5:21

For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.

God will continue to work in a saved person's life as we read in Philipians 2:13,

For it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure.

It is for our good always! You might think that God is withholding something good from you. You know that you are wise and if you could just have you own way instead of God's way, you would be OK and everything would turn out just fine! You could be like a god, in fact you would be you own God! This is the same thinking that Lucifer had when he fell. It is the same thinking that the serpent used to deceive Eve with in the garden. Remember when Lucifer fell, he became the Devil, Satan, and he will end up in hell and also the lake of fire. Don't let him deceive you. Don't end up with him in hell and the lake of fire!

Revelation 19:11-21

And I saw heaven opened, and behold a white horse; and he that sat upon him was called Faithful and True, and in righteousness he doth judge and make war. His eyes were as a flame of fire, and on his head were many crowns; and he had a name written that no man knew, but he himself. And he was clothed with a vesture dipped in blood: and his name is called The Word of God. And the armies which were in heaven followed him upon white horses, clothed in fine linen, white and clean. And our of his mouth goeth a sharp sword, that with it hw should smite the nations: and he shall rule them with a rod of iron: and he treadeth the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God. And he hath on his vesture and on his thigh a name written, KING OF KINGS, AND LORD OF LORDS. And I say an angel standing in the sun; and he cried with a loud voice, saying to all the fowls that fly in the midst of heaven, Come and gather yourselves together unto the supper of the great God. That ye may eat the flesh of kings, and the flesh of captains, and the flesh of mighty men, and the flesh of horses, and of them that sit on them, and the flesh of all men, both free and bond, both small and great. And I saw the beast, and the kings of the earth, and their armies, gathered together to make war against him that sat on the horse, and against his army. And the beast was taken, and with him the false prophet that wrought miracles before him, with which he deceived them that had received the mark of the beast, and them that worshipped his image. And the remnant were slain with sword of him that sat upon the horse, which sword proceeded out of his mouth: and all the fowls were filled with their flesh.

Note: The Word of God is the one doing the judging.

The Gentiles are in the same dilemma as the Jews concerning the law.

Romans 2:14-16

For when the Gentiles, which have not the law, do by nature the things contained in the law, these, having not the law, are a law unto themselves: Which shew the work of the law written in their hearts, their conscience also bearing witness, and their thoughts the mean while accusing or else excusing one another; In the day when God shall judge the secrets of men by Jesus Christ according to my gospel.

God is going to judge both Jew and Gentile by Jesus Christ, and without respect of persons.

Now the final judgment is about to take place in Revelation 20:1-15, and with the Final Authority as the judge.

And I saw an angel come down from heaven, having the key of the bottomless pit and a great chain in his hand. And he laid hold on the dragon, that old serpent, which is the Devil, and Satan, and bound him a thousand years, And cast him into the bottomless pit, and shut him up, and set a seal upon him, that he should deceive the nations no more, till the thousand years should be fulfilled: and they say upon them, and judgment was given unto them: and I saw the word of God, and which had not worshipped the beast, neither his image, neither had received his mark upon their foreheads, or in their hands; and they lived and reigned with Christ a thousand years. But the rest of the dead lived not again until the thousand years were finished. This is the first resurrection. Blessed and holy is he that hath part in the first resurrection: on such the second death hath no power, but they shall be priests of God and of Christ, and shall reign with him a thousand years. And when the thousand years are expired, Satan shall be loosed out of his prison, And shall o out to deceive 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 breadth of the earth, and compassed the camp of the saints about, and the beloved city: and fire came down from God out of heaven, and devoured them. And the devil 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 for ever and ever. 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 opened: and another book was opened, 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 were in it; and death and hell delivered up the dead which were in them: and they were judged every man according to their works. And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death. And whosever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire.

Do you think that God, Jesus Christ, would really judge you like this? It doesn't make one but of difference to God what you think like in the creation, he is not going to ask you opinion concerning the matter. Rather, just read the verses and believe what they say.

Now, let's go back to the question that the LORD asked Job.

Job 40:8

Wilt thou also disannul my judgment? wilt thou condemn me, that thou mayest be righteous?

Here is an extremely serious question from the word of God. Here you have the judge of the whole earth, the Creator, God, asking Job (and you and me) if he will disannul God's judgment and condemn him, that Job (or you , or I) may be righteous. Here is where Job's righteousness (and mine) fell apart. Self-righteousness, no matter how moral and good you think it is, will never come close to God's righteousness. All of our righteousness is as filthy rags. Job answered the Lord and said,

Job 40:8

Behold I am vile: what shall I answer thee? I will lay my hand upon my mouth.

This was Job's answer for contending with the Lord in verse 2. I believe that Job 42:5-6 gives Job's answer to God's question:

I have heard of thee by the hearing of the ear: but now mine eye seeth thee. Wherefore I abhor myself, and repent in dust and ashes.

Even if you are saved, you need to keep the question of Job 40:8 seriously in your thoughts. This doesn't mean that you will always like God's judgments, but he always does right and it is for our good always.

Would you ever disannul God's judgment and condemn him that you would be right? Yes, you would, and so do I, every time we do anything our way instead of God's way or put what we think above what God says in his word. Would we condemn God? Before you say never, let me remind you that we did condemn God to die on a cross. Yes, you and I caused his death.

If you continue to disannul God's judgments and to condemn him, and to be your own god or to think that you are God, then there is another question for you.

Ezekiel 28:9

 

Wilt thou yet say before him that slayeth thee, I am God? but thou shalt be a man, and no God, in the hand of him that slayeth thee.

Satan will continue to say that he is God! He does not have a repentant heart. Job repented but Satan didn't; Job was blessed, but Satan was cursed forever. You now have the questions before you: Job 40:8 and Ezekiel 28:9. What will you choose to do? The Final Authority is God and he knows you answer and he will be the judge.

II Peter 3:9

The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.

Written by James H, Newman, Jr.