Voddie Baucham - Ten Attributes of Jesus Christ

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1:01It has been said that a pastor is not really a pastor, until he has conducted a few funerals. It has also been said that a church is not really a church, until it's had a few funerals. Mainly because death punctuates our existence, like a series of commas, reminding us that this life is not all we have, reminding us that there is an age to come. And although death comes and feels like the world stops, the fact is it doesn't. Death is not a period, it's a comma. And when it comes to our household, to our family, to our loved ones,

2:05we're reminded as we look outside that the rest of the world keeps going, and that eventually so too must we. We must continue to put one foot in front of the other, and do those things that are required of us, and continue to live our lives. That is until the comma comes for us. But the fact of the matter is these commas that punctuate our existence are merely a reminder that things are not always going to be as they are. One day, in fact, death won't be a comma. It won't even be a period. It will be an exclamation point at the end of the age as all things come to an end. There's going to come a day when no one wakes up the next day and looks outside

3:11and sees everything continuing on like it used to. When no one will merely have to remind themselves of the need to put one foot in front of the other and to continue to make it through the struggles and the difficulties of everyday life, there's going to come a day when everything ceases. When the world, as we know it, is no more. When we will face God, that's the reality. And that's what we see pictured at the end of Revelation chapter 14. This picture of the great harvest at the end of the age, and the way that John depicts this picture is rather matter of fact. And in some ways quite gruesome.

4:13It is not pretty, it is not pleasant, but it is real, and it is true, and it is coming. And so we need to make ourselves aware and prepared. Look with me beginning at verse 14 of Revelation chapter 14. And let's look here at the harvest of the earth, verse 14. Then I looked and behold a white cloud and seated on the cloud one like a son of man with a golden crown on his head and a sharp sickle in his hand. And another angel came out of the temple calling with a loud voice to him who sat on the cloud. Put in your sickle and reap, for the hour to reap has come, for the harvest of the earth is fully ripe.

5:13So he who sat on the cloud slung his sickle across the earth and the earth was reaped. For 17, then another angel came out of the temple in heaven, and he too had a sharp sickle. And another angel came out from the altar, the angel who has authority over the fire. And he called with a loud voice to the one who had the sharp sickle put in your sickle and gather the clusters from the vine of the earth for its grapes are ripe. So the angel swung his sickle across the earth and gathered the grape harvest of the earth and threw it into the great winepress of the wrath of God. And the winepress was trotten outside the city and blood flowed from the winepress as high as a horse's bridle for 1600 Stadia.

6:21Susinct matter of fact to the point. There are so many things described here. And as we go on in Revelation, these things will be described in great detail. But remember what is happening in verses 12 through 14 is really a summation. John is summarizing this picture of the judgment of God, of this great war of the false trinity, of the dragon and the beast and the false prophet over against the holy trinity, the unholy trinity over against the holy trinity of the Father and the Lamb. And the holy spirit. Then there is this picture of Christ standing on Mount Zion. And the 144,000 representing the fullness of the people of God standing there.

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8:24Warning. The following Zipper Cruder radio spot you are about to hear is going to be filled with F words. When you're hiring, we at Zipper Cruder know you can feel frustrated for Lauren even. Like your efforts are futile, and you can spend a fortune trying to find fabulous people, only to get flooded with candidates who are just fine. F***. Fortunately, Zipper Cruder figured out how to fix all that. And right now, you can try Zipper Cruder for free at zippercruder.com slash zip. With Zipper Cruder, you can forget your frustrations. Because we find the right people for your roles fast, which is our absolute favorite F word. In fact, four out of five employers who post on Zipper Cruder get a quality candidate within the first day. Fantastic. So whether you need to hire four, 40, or 400 people, get ready to meet first rate talent. Just go to zippercruder.com slash zip to try Zipper Cruder for free. Don't forget that zippercruder.com slash zip. Finally, that zippercruder.com slash zip.

9:25And there is this worship that originates in heaven and impacts the earth. Beyond that, there is this picture of the judgment that is coming as three angels come and make three different proclamations. But as these three angels make these three different proclamations, we're reminded that their proclamations come when it's almost the end. And that in fact, it is merciful that these proclamations are made before the end comes. There is this sense of swelling urgency as everything moves towards finality. And then here, in these last two paragraphs, the finality comes. There are two parallel vignettes. And in these two parallel vignettes, in both of them, there is one with a sickle. And both of them, there is an angel coming from the temple. And both of them, there is the command to reap with the sickle.

10:26And both of them, there is the reaping. No fanfare. No sense of celebration with the one or weeping and wailing with the other simply, a loud cry that says, reap. Not even a response that says, OK, there is reap. And then the whoosh of the sickle and the reaping is done. As I pondered this picture, I began to ask myself what it was that I was seeing, what it was that was important here. In one sense, there really isn't all that much to it because there's not a lot of detail, because there's not a great deal of explanation. So in the one sense, you could just look here and talk about these symbols and what these

11:27symbols represent. And the fact that once again, we have seen the picture of the judgment of God. But everything continues to come back to the one who was on the white cloud. And ultimately, when your focus goes there, you realize that the one that you have seen here on the white cloud is also the one who was standing on Mount Zion. But this is a picture of Christ. This is a picture of Christ at the end of the age. This is a picture of Him overseeing the consummation of all things. As I looked, there were several things that I saw about Jesus, and I had to pair these things down because I began to see more and more and more as I looked. So I paired them down to ten things that this harvest teaches us about Christ.

12:35Number one, it teaches us that Christ is righteous. There is a picture here of the righteousness of Christ. Christ of all, because He is on this white cloud. Now there are many depictions of clouds in the Bible. Depictions of clouds even in Revelation. But what's distinct here is that this cloud is white. You don't find that anywhere else. Just here, there's a picture of this cloud being white. We've seen white a number of times in Revelation. We'll see white a number of more times in Revelation. But when we see it, what does it depict? Well, there are the saints who are in white robes. What are these white robes represented? Righteous deeds. Later on, we're going to see the bride who has made herself ready for the marriage of the Lamb. What is she wearing? She's wearing a white gown. What is this white gown represented? The righteous deeds of the saints. It is a picture of righteousness. So here is one who has seated not just on a cloud, but on a white cloud.

13:40There's a picture here of righteousness, which is incredibly important as you begin to talk about judgment, because judgment requires righteousness. In order to exact judgment, one must be righteous. And if Christ is anything, Christ is righteous. This is a picture that is brought forth from Daniel chapter 7. I saw in the night visions and behold, with the clouds of heaven, there came one like the son of man, and he came to the ancient of days and was presented before him. So there is this picture of the one who was on the white cloud. There is also a picture here of a distinction between the one who was on the white cloud like the son of man and the ancient of days. That's important. We're going to see that here in Revelation chapter 14 as well. Jesus is associated elsewhere with clouds, Matthew 26, 64.

14:44Jesus said to him, you have said so. But I tell you, from now on, you will see the son of man seated at the right hand of power and coming on the clouds of heaven, referring to the end. Acts chapter 1 verses 9 through 11. Remember Christ at his ascension. And when he had said these things as they were looking on, he was lifted up and a cloud took him out of their sight. And while they were gazing into heaven as he went, behold, two men stood by them in white robes and said, men of Galilee, why do you stand looking into heaven? Jesus who was taken up from you into heaven will come in the same way. Greenlight helps kids learn about money the way most of us never did by actually using it. It's a debit card and money app that teaches kids to earn, save, and spend in real life.

15:45Not just swipe and hope for the best. Learning happens naturally in the moment. Parents can set limits, see spending in real time, and guide better habits along the way. Without constant check-ins or cash runs, don't wait. Try Greenlight Risk-Free today at greenlight.com slash Try Greenlight. Finding great candidates to hire can be like, well, trying to find a needle in a haystack. Sure, you can post your job to some job board. But then all you can do is hope the right person comes along. Which is why you should try Zippercrooter for free. At zippercrooter.com slash zip. Zippercrooter doesn't depend on candidates finding you. It finds them for you. It's powerful technology identifies people with the right experience and actively invites them to apply to your job. You get qualified candidates fast. So, while other companies might deliver a lot of hay, Zippercrooter finds you what you're looking for. The needle in the haystack. See why four out of five employers who post a job on Zippercrooter get a quality candidate within the first day.

16:48Zippercrooter, the smartest way to hire. And right now, you can try Zippercrooter for free. That's right. Free at zippercrooter.com slash zip. That zippercrooter.com slash zip zippercrooter.com slash zip. Greenlight helps kids learn about money the way most of us never did. By actually using it. It's a debit card and money app that teaches kids to earn, save, and spend in real life. Not just swipe and hope for the best. Learning happens naturally in the moment. Parents can set limits, see spending in real time, and guide better habits along the way. All in one place. Without constant check-ins or cash runs. Don't wait. Try greenlight risk-free today at greenlight.com slash try greenlight. As you saw him go into heaven. How? On a cloud. And now, what does John, who by the way was there,

17:48tell us about Jesus at the end of the age. He looks and he sees him on a white cloud. Not just a cloud, but a white cloud. This is a picture of the righteousness of Christ. And the righteousness of Christ is essential to understanding this passage. It's essential to understanding the book of Revelation. This is all about the righteousness of Christ. His righteousness in that he is judged. But he also, his righteousness in his redemption of his people. Folks, Christ is righteous both objectively and subjectively. Objectively, he's righteous because of who he is. His very nature, his essence, he's God. In him there is no shadow of turning. In fact, being God, he defines righteousness by his very existence. Righteousness can't be defined outside of God. In order for righteousness to be defined outside of God,

18:48there would have to be something more righteous than God. But there is nothing more righteous than God. So God defines righteous. What he does is right. Simply by virtue of him being the one who does it. He can only do right. He is objectively righteous. But then Christ is righteous because as the last Adam, he was completely obedient, kept the law in full, and was actively righteous. Subjectively righteous. So not only objectively and intrinsically, is he righteous by his nature, but in his life, in his incarnation, he personifies righteousness as he keeps the whole law for his people. Christ is righteous. This is important. Second thing that we see here is that Christ is incarnate. Notice the picture that he sees.

19:49Then I looked and behold a white cloud and seated on the cloud, one like a son of man. There is a reference here, the son of man. Christ took on a human nature at his incarnation. And although he is glorified and exalted, he remains forever the Anthropos, the God man. Christ took on a whole other nature. God took on manhood. He took on humanity. He grew up. He hungered. He firsted. He bled. He died. He has a body. And when he returned to glory, he returned with his body. Christ did not become disembodied. Nor in the age to come, will we be disembodied. But we will be reunited with our bodies.

20:49So Christ, the incarnate God, remains the incarnate God. His body is glorified, but he still has a body. You know, his favorite term for himself during his incarnation, during his time here on earth was the son of man. He referred to himself again and again and again as the son of man. He even uses the title when describes his role in this very event, in John chapter 5. Jesus says, beginning of verse 25, truly, truly, I say to you, this is the first coming and is now here when the dead will hear the voice of the son of God. And those who hear will live, for as the father has life in himself. So he has granted the son also to have life in himself. And he has given him authority to execute judgment because he is the son of man.

21:49And we are going to have a marvelous, for an hour is coming when all who are in the tombs will hear his voice and come out. Those who have done good to the resurrection of life and those who have done evil to the resurrection of judgment. That's a picture of what we see here in Revelation 14. This is that event at the end of the age. And when Jesus describes his role in the events of the end of the age, the son of man. In Daniel chapter 7, there is a reference to him as the son of man. And here in Revelation chapter 14, borrowing from Daniel chapter 7, and in keeping with what John would have heard from Jesus for three and a half years, he makes reference to one who is like the son of man. This is the incarnate Christ. This is God the son who still has a body.

22:53We also see that Christ is king. The whole white cloud, and seated on the cloud, one like the son of man with a golden crown on his head. Christ is king. Earlier on in Revelation, in chapter 1, verses 4 and 5, John introduces us to the Jesus of the apocalypse. And he writes grace to you, and peace from him who is, and who was, and who is to come. There is the Father, from the seven spirits, or before his throne as the reference to the Holy Spirit, the complete Spirit of God. And from Jesus Christ, the trifold expression of who Jesus is, the faithful witness, the access to affordable credit helps me pay my employees, that I don't really need it. Infliction is killing me.

23:53But who cares? Big retailers and making record profits. That's why we support the Durban Marshall credit card bill. See, things in credit unions help small businesses make payroll. This bill would cut the vital resources they need. While increasing megastore profits, they deserve it. Don't they? Tell Congress, stop the Durban Marshall money grab for corporate megastores, paid for by the Electronic Payments Coalition. Warning, the following Zippercruder radio spot you are about to hear is going to be filled with F words. When you are hiring, we at Zippercruder know you can feel frustrated, for Lauren even. Like your efforts are futile, and you can spend a fortune trying to find fabulous people, only to get flooded with candidates who are just fine. Fortunately, Zippercruder figured out how to fix all that. And right now, you can try Zippercruder for free. At zippercruder.com slash zip. With Zippercruder, you can forget your frustrations. Because we find the right people for your roles fast, which is our absolute favorite effort.

24:53In fact, four out of five employers who post on Zippercruder get a quality candidate within the first day. Fantastic. So whether you need to hire four, 40, or 400 people, get ready to meet first straight talent. Just go to zippercruder.com slash zip to try Zippercruder for free. Don't forget that zippercruder.com slash zip. Finally, that zippercruder.com slash zip. Access to affordable credit helps me pay my employees, and I don't really need it. Infliction is killing me. Who cares? Big retailers and making record profits. That's why we support the Durban Marshall Credit. Durban Marshall Credit Card Bill. See? Things in credit unions help small businesses make payroll. This bill would cut the vital resources they need. While increasing Megastore profits. They deserve it. Don't they? Tell Congress, stop the Durban Marshall Money Grab for corporate megastores. Paid for it by the Electronic Payments Coalition. First born from the dead, and then thirdly, the ruler of the kings on the earth.

25:56He is the ruler of the kings on the earth. So here's the white cloud. Christ is righteous. Here's the Son of Man. Christ is God incarnate. And here's the throne on his head. Christ is king. So because he's righteous, he deserves this role that he has at the end of the age. Because he's the incarnate God. He is worthy of this role that he has at the end of the age. And because he is the exalted king, he deserves this role that he has at the end of the age. But remember, in the first of these three messages on Revelation 14, we referenced Psalm number two. Look at Psalm number two again, beginning of verse four. He who sits in the heavens laughs, the Lord holds them in derision. And he will speak to them in his wrath,

26:56and terrify them in his fury saying, as for me, I have set my king on Zion, my holy hill. Who's on Zion? Christ is on Zion at the beginning of chapter 14. Now here at the end of chapter 14, he has seated on the white cloud, and he has a crown on his head. Why? To reference the fact that he is king. There is no authority higher than his authority. He is the sovereign. He is the ruler. That's who Christ is. He is the righteous incarnate God, and he is king. He is ruler. And if we are not thinking about Christ in these terms, we're not thinking about him rightly. If you're just thinking about Christ, as you're good buddy, you're not thinking about him rightly. He's your friend.

27:56He's a friend who sticks closer than a brother. Amen. Hallelujah. Praise the Lord. But he's king. And don't you ever forget that. It's easy to forget yourself as we grow closer to Christ. It's easy to forget who he is. I love the way that this is captured by C.S. Lewis, regardless of what you think about, the chronicles of Narnia, regardless of where you think, theologically, it's appropriate or inappropriate, or whatever. None can deny the fact that there is this beautiful picture of Christ as the lion in the chronicles of Narnia. And I love when speaking of Aslan, it is said he's not a tame lion. Amen. He's not a tame lion. Christ is king.

28:57He's sovereign ruler. And just because he's kind and gracious to you, don't you dare forget that he is king of kings and Lord of lords. He's not to be toyed with. He's not a tame lion. Fourthly, Christ is divine. He is the eternal Son of God, doing the will of His Father. There's a question here. Why is Christ receiving an order from an angel? Some have even argued that this is not Jesus, but it's a high-ranking angel. And it has to be. Why? Well, go back with me to verse 14. Then I looked and behold a white cloud, seated on the cloud, one like the Son of Man, with a golden crown on his head, and a sharp sickle in his hand. Another angel came out of the temple, calling with a loud voice to him who sat on the cloud,

29:58putting your sickle and reap. If this is the Son of God, why is he receiving orders? Because he always has. How many times did Jesus say to his disciples? He did nothing of his own accord, but an obedience to his Father. He is the eternal Son of God, doing His Father's will, doing His Father's bidding. This is who He's always been. Folks, Christ is superior to the angels. We know this. In the book of Hebrews, we see the again and again. Hebrews chapter 1 and verse 6. And again, when He brings the firstborn into the world, He says, let all God's angels worship Him. He's superior to the angels. So the text here can't be saying that this angel is superior. He's the second person of the Trinity. He is God the Son. So why then is the angel giving Him the order to reap?

31:01It is pointing to the fact that although Christ is exalted. Finding great candidates to hire can be like, well, trying to find a needle in a haystack. Sure, you can post your job to some job board, but then all you can do is hope the right person comes along, which is why you should try Zippercrooter for free. At zippercrooter.com slash zip. Zippercrooter doesn't depend on candidates finding you. It finds them for you. It's powerful technology identifies people with the right experience and actively invites them to apply to your job. You get qualified candidates fast. So while other companies might deliver a lot of hay, Zippercrooter finds you what you're looking for. The needle in the haystack. See why four out of five employers who post a job on Zippercrooter get a quality candidate within the first day. Zippercrooter, the smartest way to hire. And right now, you can try Zippercrooter for free. That's right, free at zippercrooter.com slash zip. That zippercrooter.com slash zip.

32:03Zippercrooter.com slash zip. Finding great candidates to hire can be like, well, trying to find a needle in a haystack. Sure, you can post your job to some job board, but then all you can do is hope the right person comes along, which is why you should try Zippercrooter for free. At zippercrooter.com slash zip. Zippercrooter doesn't depend on candidates finding you. It finds them for you. The technology identifies people with the right experience and actively invites them to apply to your job. You get qualified candidates fast. So while other companies might deliver a lot of, hey, Zippercrooter finds you what you're looking for. The needle in the haystack. See why four out of five employers who post a job on Zippercrooter get a quality candidate within the first day. Zippercrooter, the smartest way to hire. And right now, you can try Zippercrooter for free. That's right. Free at zippercrooter.com slash zip. That zippercrooter.com slash zip. Zippercrooter.com slash zip.

33:05Finding great candidates to hire can be like, well, trying to find a needle in a haystack. Sure, you can post your job to some job board, but then all you can do is hope the right person comes along, which is why you should try Zippercrooter for free. At zippercrooter.com slash zip. Zippercrooter doesn't depend on candidates finding you. It finds them for you. It's powerful technology identifies people with the right experience and actively invites them to apply to your job. You get qualified candidates fast. So while other companies might deliver a lot of hay, Zippercrooter finds you what you're looking for. The needle in the haystack. See why four out of five employers who post a job on Zippercrooter get a quality candidate within the first day. Zippercrooter, the smartest way to hire. And right now you can try Zippercrooter for free. That's right. Free at zippercrooter.com slash zip. That zippercrooter.com slash zip. Zippercrooter.com slash zip. And although he has gone from his humiliation to his exaltation,

34:08although he has ceded at the right hand of the throne of his father, he is still the eternal son of God and does the bidding of his father. In fact, here's the other thing that's interesting. You remember what Jesus said to his disciples? Mark chapter 13 verse 32. But concerning that day or that hour, no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the son, but only the father. Remember what Jesus says? It's striking. That God the son says concerning that, the father has that information. The angels don't know that. The son doesn't know that. Now here's the picture. He's seated on the white cloud with a crown on his head, and he's got his sickle in his hand because he knows what's going to happen. But notice where the angel comes from. The angel comes from the temple.

35:10What's in the temple, the throne? Who's on the temple? Who was and is and is to come. So the father says to his messenger, tell my boy it's time. The angel comes from the temple, and announces with a loud voice the word that has come from the temple in the eternal son of God, who was obedient, even unto death, only reaps when the father says it's time to reap. Christ is the eternal son of God. He hasn't stopped being the son of God. Five, Christ is redeemer. This is the distinction between these two vignettes. They're almost identical,

36:10but what separates them is the identity of the one seated on the cloud versus the other angel. And secondly, what it is they reap and consequently the results. But look at the first one. Another angel in Mount of the Temple calling with a loud voice to him who sat on the cloud. By the way, first let me answer a question that I didn't answer before. Because here's the question that comes. He says here another angel, which again is why some argue that what we're seeing here on the cloud is not Christ, but an angel because John says another angel. Folks, when he says another angel, he's referring to the three angels who made proclamations. Then he says after the proclamation, remember we have to do this in bite-sized chunks week after week, but it was meant to be read all together. Amen? So there's an angel who makes one proclamation of this eternal gospel.

37:12There's another angel who makes the proclamation about fall and fall and his Babylon to great. Then there's another angel who makes a proclamation about drinking the drinks of the judgment of God. And then he says after he sees the one seated on the cloud and another angel. That's the reference to another angel, not that the one on the cloud is an angel. Putting your sickle and reap for the outer reap has come for the harvest of the earth is fully ripe. So he used out on the cloud swung his sickle across the earth and the earth was reaped. This reaping is not a reaping for judgment. This reaping is a reaping of the harvest of the redeemer who is reaping his redeemed. Every week when we pray, every week in our program, we pray for an unreached people group. And every week there's the same passage referenced

38:13as we pray for an unreached people group. Why? Why do we continue to put before ourselves the need to pray for people who haven't heard the gospel? Because in Matthew 9, we read, then he said to his disciples, the harvest is plentiful but the laborers are few. Therefore pray earnestly to the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into the harvest. Who's the Lord of the harvest, Christ? Who reaps the harvest at the end of the age? Christ! Because it's his harvest to reap. We work in the harvest, but he's the one who reaps the harvest. This is the harvest of the redeemer. This is the harvest of the redeemed. Christ will have the fullness of his reward. Matthew 13, 30. You remember the parable of the wheat and the tears? How does this resolve? Let both grow together until the harvest.

39:15And at harvest time I will tell the reapers to gather the weeds first and bind them in bundles to be burned. You gather the wheat into my barn. This is the wheat harvest. This is the wheat harvest. And Christ gathers in the wheat harvest. Because Christ is the redeemer. But six. Warning. The following Zippercruder radio spot you are about to hear is going to be filled with F words. When you're hiring, we at Zippercruder know you can feel frustrated. Like your efforts are futile. And you can spend a fortune trying to find fabulous people. Only to get flooded with candidates who are just fine. Fortunately, Zippercruder figured out how to fix all that. And right now, you can try Zippercruder for free at zippercruder.com slash zip. With Zippercruder, you can forget your frustrations. Because we find the right people for your roles fast.

40:16Which is our absolute favorite F word. Four out of five employers who post on Zippercruder, get a quality candidate within the first day. Fantastic. So whether you need to hire four, 40 or 400 people, get ready to meet first rate talent. Just go to zippercruder.com slash zip to try Zippercruder for free. Don't forget that zippercruder.com slash zip. Finally, that zippercruder.com slash zip. Finding great candidates to hire can be like, well, trying to find a needle in a haystack. Sure, you can post your job to some job board. But then all you can do is hope the right person comes along. Which is why you should try Zippercruder for free at zippercruder.com slash zip. Zippercruder doesn't depend on candidates finding you. It finds them for you. It's powerful technology identifies people with the right experience and actively invites them to apply to your job. You get qualified candidates fast. So while other companies might deliver a lot of, hey, zippercruder finds you what you're looking for.

41:18The needle in the haystack. See why four out of five employers who post a job on Zippercruder get a quality candidate within the first day. Zippercruder, the smartest way to hire. And right now, you can try Zippercruder for free. That's right. Free at zippercruder.com slash zip. That zippercruder.com slash zip. Zippercruder.com slash zip. Access to affordable credit helps me pay my employees. But I don't really need it. Infliction is killing me. But who cares? Big retailers and making record profits. That's why we support the Durban Marshall credit card bill. See? Banks and credit unions help small businesses make payroll. This bill would cut the vital resources they need. While increasing Megastore profits. They deserve it. Don't they? Tell Congress stop the Durban Marshall money grab for corporate megastores. Paid for it by the Electronic Payments Coalition. Christ is also judge.

42:18The sickle is symbolic of judgment. And Christ sits on this white cloud with a sickle in his hand. And it is symbolic of judgment. But wait a minute. But he's the one who reaps the grain harvest. He's not the one who reaps the harvest of the grapes of wrath. So wouldn't the other one be judgment? No. Folks, the salvation of God's elect is an act of judgment on the non-elect. When Christ reaps those who are his, and we enter into our eternal reward, that is part and parcel of the judgment on sinners. That they're not part of that harvest. There is also a sense in which Christ is judge, because Christ is the one who determines who's reaped in this first reaping.

43:23The command comes. It's time to reap and reap. Notice that Christ doesn't reap everything. There is some that's left. And it's left for the wine press of God's wrath. How do you determine who is reaped as the wheat harvest, and who is reaped for the wine press of God's wrath? You determine that if you were a righteous judge, and that's who Christ is, and as the righteous judge, he determines who's part of the wheat harvest. He determines who's his, because the Redeemer is the judge. Matthew 17, 29-31, being God's offspring, we ought not to think that the divine being is like gold or silver or stone, an image formed by the art and imagination of man. The times of ignorance got overlooked, but now, he commands all people everywhere to repent, because he has fixed a day on which he will judge the world

44:25in righteousness by a man whom he has appointed. And of this, he has given assurance to all by raising him from the dead. God's going to judge the world, and he's going to judge the world by a man who was raised from the dead. That's who we see seated on the white cloud with a sickle in his hand. He is the judge. Even in him being the judge, we see another picture. Seven, Christ is long-suffering. Christ is long-suffering. We have sort of the redemptive history mapped out before us in chapters 12, 13, and 14. But folks, this is a depiction of thousands of years.

45:27Not decades, not centuries, but millennia. Thousands of years. Thousands of years. Christ is long-suffering. In Revelation chapter 6, we get a picture of this. Do you remember the crime of the martyrs? The martyrs cried out with a loud voice, oh, sovereign Lord, holy and true, how long before you will judge and avenge our blood on those who dwell on the earth? Then they were each given a white robe and told the rest a little while longer, until the number of their fellow servants and their brothers should be complete, who were to be killed as they themselves had been.

46:28Do you grasp that? There are martyrs who have been faithful to Christ and they've been killed because of their faithfulness to Christ and they say, how long? How long before you avenge us? Jesus' answer is, wait, because there's more of my people to be killed before I exact vengeance. God is long-suffering. God is patient. And before you get upset with God for being patient, be very careful, because every time you take a breath to say, God, why have you not judged sinners already? Please remind yourself that you too were in that very condition and it was the patience of God and the long-suffering of God that waited. Warning, the following Zippercruder radio spot

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49:29One iced coffee? 99 cents, please. For real? No way. One iced coffee? 99 cents, please. For real? No way. What a deal! Your new morning groove. Ice coffee from McDonald's. Any size for just 99 cents to 11 a.m. Pricing participation may vary. Cannot be combined with any other offer. Until the moment of your salvation. And you were able to come in to the weak harvest and not be counted in the other harvest because of the long suffering of God. He waited for you. He was patient with you. Every day of your life before you came to Christ when a day was a day when you had heaped up condemnation and were worthy of the winepress of the wrath of God every day.

50:32Every day since then you have fought things and said things and done things that made you worthy of this same winepress of God's wrath. But God is patient. This is what is meant in 2 Peter 3.9. The Lord has not slowed a fulfilling promise as some count slowness, but is patient toward you. If you follow the pronouns in this whole chapter that you refers to the beloved, the patient toward you, not willing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance. Christ is long suffering. And the reason that Christ is long suffering is because the fullness of His reward has not yet been attained.

51:328. Christ is faithful. Thousands of years. Thousands of years. And there in 2 Peter 3, the scoffers are asking, where is your God? Where is His justice? Where is His judgment? Where is His deliverance? Where is it? Where is it? Listen, with the Lord, the day is as a thousand years, and a thousand years is as a day. And no matter how long it takes, you rest assured. He's faithful. And if He says it, it will come to pass. Because what He says, He will do. Why? Because He's righteous. He's the righteous incarnate God.

52:33And He is faithful. Remember that, saints? He is faithful. You remember that too, sinner? He is faithful. And just because you've gotten away with it up to this point, doesn't mean that you're going to get away with it, period. Just because the justice of God has not come to you, doesn't mean that there is no justice of God. God is faithful. And that works both ways. It works on both harvests. God is faithful. Number nine, Christ is victorious. His enemies will be judged. Folks, He is more than lonely Jesus' meek and mild. He is not some specified Christ. This is the God man, a righteous judge with a sickle in his hand. Later on, we're going to see Him, riding in on a white horse, with fire in his eyes, and a sword on his thigh.

53:37He is the creator and sustainer of all things. He is before all things. And in Him, all things hold together. And He is the judge of all things. So though in the second vignette, there is this picture of an angel coming with this sickle. Look at the second vignette. Then another angel came out of the temple in heaven. And he too had a sharp sickle. And another angel came out from the altar. The angel who has authority over the fire. And he called the loud voice to the one who had the sharp sickle. Put in your sickle and gather the clusters of the vines of the earth. For its grapes are ripe. So the angel swung his sickle across the earth and gathered the grape harvest and the earth of the earth. And threw it into the grape wine press of the wrath of God. And the wine press was trodden outside the city and blood flowed from the wine press.

54:39As high as a horse's bridle for 1600 Stadia. This is a picture from Joel 3, 13, putting the sickle for the harvest is ripe. Go in, tread for the wine press is full. The vats overflow for their evil is great. There's also a picture here from Isaiah 63, I have trodden the wine press alone. And from the peoples, no one was with me. I trodden them in my anger and trampled them in my wrath. Their lifeblood spattered on my garments and stained all my apparel. This is a gruesome picture. It is a gruesome picture of the victorious Christ. This is God's victory over sin. This is God's righteousness poured out. Remember, there are those two pictures of wine in judgment and one is the drags and the sort of hyper fermentation

55:41of the wine that leads to this drunken stupor on the wrath of God. And the other picture is the picture of the fresh grapes being crushed and the picture of the blood running. 1600 Stadia is high as a horse. It's like it's high as a horse for almost 200 miles. This is a gruesome picture of the victory over God. But remember where we started? This is a war. The sun shining, birds are singing and all feels right in the world. Until the season changes and suddenly you lose your motivation to get out of bed. In fact, one in five people experience some form of depression no matter the season or time of year. At the American Psychiatric Association Foundation, our vision is to build a mentally healthy nation for all because we want you to live your best life and be your best you all year round. Please visit mentallyhealthination.org to learn more.

56:45By the way, this also dispels a great myth. There is a great myth out there that things are actually in doubt that there is God on one side doing the best He can and the devil on the other side doing the best He can and they do it out and sometimes God gets the other hand and sometimes the devil gets the other hand. And sometimes folks, the future is not in doubt. Christ will be victorious. In fact, Christ is victorious. We are merely waiting. The one seated there on the white cloud is not biting his fingernails. The one seated on the white cloud is merely waiting for the word to come from the throne room. He knows it's going to come. He is victorious. He is merely waiting for the fullness of the wheat harvest. But its victory is secured.

57:47Ten, the final. We see here that Christ is worthy. Christ is worthy. Worthy of what? Yes. Christ is worthy. Christ is worthy to judge the world. Because He's God. Because He's righteous. Christ is worthy to wear the crown. Because He's king of kings and Lord of lords. Christ is worthy to reap the wheat harvest because He is the redeemer of God's elect. Christ is worthy to reap the harvest of the grapes of the wrath of God. Why? Because vengeance is His. But here's another thing. Christ is worthy of our worship. Why? Oh, it was so hard to not deal with this on last week, but to wait until this week.

58:48He is in the garden. He's in the garden of Gethsemane. Even the name of Gethsemane, a place where the grapes are crushed. And here He has been crushed under the weight of sin and under the weight of God and judgment. And He says something that you don't get unless you get this. Christ says, let this bitter cup pass from me. What cup? The cup of the wrath of God.

59:48Why is there a wheat harvest? Why am I not part of the harvest of the grapes of wrath? Why don't I get that? Because I deserve it. Why? Because there is another who drank the cup on my behalf. There is another who was crushed under the weight of God's wrath whose blood was spilled on my behalf. There is another who died the death that I owed. He was completely righteous so that He might impute His righteousness to me. And He was completely obedient so that He endured the wrath of God on my behalf and took my sinfulness in Himself and paid the price that I owe

1:00:50so that the only reason that anyone is part of the first harvest and not the second is because Christ has tasted fully the last harvest. He drank the bitter cup that was prepared for me and then turned around and gave me another cup. The cup of the new covenant. He takes the drinks and gives me the finest of the vine. His body is broken so that mine can be made new in the age to come. He fully endures wrath of Almighty God so that I might experience the embrace of a long lost son.

1:02:02Christ is worthy. These two vignettes say at least these ten things about Jesus. But they also say a few things to us. I'll leave you with these. First, it says to us that our redemption is secure. Our redemption is secure. Why? Because it's not in my hands. It is in the hands of the one seated on the white cloud. The one like a son of man with a crown on his head and a sickle in his hands. My redemption is secure. No matter how long it takes. Secondly, our number is not complete.

1:03:05Our number is not complete. Christ will have the fullness of His reward, the fullness of the reward for which He died. That fullness had not yet been achieved. Our number is not complete. Our work is not done. Thirdly, this means our gospel will bear fruit. Our gospel will bear fruit. Why? Because our number is not complete. And the gospel is the power of God in the salvation. So our gospel will bear fruit. It will. It will. Our gospel will bear fruit. Why? Because it's not dependent upon us. Or our home is not here. He's been yet for mind us. And our home is not here.

1:04:05The sun shining, birds are singing and all feels right in the world. Until the season changes and suddenly you lose your motivation to get out of bed. In fact, one in five people experience some form of depression no matter the season or time of year. At the American Psychiatric Association Foundation, our vision is to build a mentally healthy nation for all. Because we want you to live your best life and be your best you all year round. Please visit mentallyhealthination.org to learn more. We like to paint your heart, sir. We're looking for a city that has foundations whose builder and maker is gone. Finally, our hope is in Christ. Our hope is in Christ. Folks, if our hope was in anything else, we wouldn't have hope we'd have to spare. But our hope is in Christ.

1:05:05Our hope is in the righteous redeemer and judge. Our hope is in the one who has seated on the right hand of his father for ever making an intercession for us. Our hope is in the one who says, I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go to prepare a place for you, I'll return and receive you unto myself so that where I am, there you may be also. And where I'm going, you know. And the way you know. Then there's the question that comes from Thomas. Lord, we don't know where you're going. How can we know the way? Jesus said to him, I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.

1:06:09Christ is our hope. Let's pray. Oh Lord, who could have imagined that there could be so much hope in such a gruesome text? And yet there it is. The hope that is ours. The judgment and wrath of God poured out on his son on behalf of his elect. This picture of wrath that helps us to at least begin to grasp the magnitude of your grace toward us.

1:07:14To at least begin to grasp the magnitude of the mercy of Christ and his sacrifice. Lord, would you continue to call those under the sound of our voice as we proclaim the gospel? Would you continue to bring others to repentance and faith? Or even here, even now, even today? Even to one listening to my voice. Grant my your grace that they would see these two vignettes and find themselves. And it is the find themselves. They wrestle with you. And come to you in repentance and faith in order that they might not be represented in the second vignette,

1:08:17grapes of wrath, but in the first and the wheat harvest. Grant my your mercy that hearts would be softened. That sinners would come and that Christ would be glorified and have the fullness of the reward for which he died. This we pray because we believe it to be in accordance with the will and the nature and the authority of the one seated on the white cloud, with a thoroughhold on his head and a sickle on his hand, and justice and mercy to mean out. Amen.