Can You Give An Account

Scripture: Ps 10:13 Why do the wicked renounce God? He has said in his heart, "You will not require an account."

Hymns: 602, 416

Intro:

Several months ago I received an email that when I read it, it made my stomach sick. I could hardly believe what I was reading!
The email was a notice from the Justice department of New Zealand notifying me that I had overdue fines that I had not paid, and that I must contact them immediately to pay them or else they would confiscate property, arrest me etc. My mind was racing trying to think where on earth these unpaid fines could have come from? As far as I knew I had paid all of them. I had plenty of them in the foolish days of my youth. But as far as I knew they were all paid.

I called them as soon as I was able to and found out that there were four fines from 1990, 91. I still was puzzled as to how they were not paid? I knew I had paid all my fines but how could I prove that! I had kept no receipts, I had no evidence! So it seemed like I would have to pay over a thousand dollars mostly made up of penalties, because they said I had not paid these fines.

I prayed Lord I know I paid my fines, help me to get out of this. So as I questioned the man who was adamant that I must pay the money or be arrested upon returning to my home country, I finally found out what the problem was. They had sent the fines to the wrong address! . So then I was able to make an appeal to the court and have the charges reversed because it was their error! What a relief that was to my heart.

The Scripture says: Ps 10:13 Why do the wicked renounce God? He has said in his heart, "You will not require an account."

In this world we are required to give an account to the laws of the land. And God will require an account from us.

The wicked in this world are emboldened in their wickedness because they do not think that they will one day have to give an account for their wickedness!
Today in our wicked society, which is permissive, licentious, and degraded, Satan is having his way. You see he has a law! Yes he does! Not only does God have a law, but Satan has one also. Satan originally charged God with the accusation that His law was unreasonable, that it was a restriction of freedom. And so he established his law and I am told that it is written in the satanic bible. His law says: “You shall do as you will.” In other words do anything that you want to and you will not have to give an account! Isn’t that what he told Eve? Isn’t that how he deceived her and led her to sin?

As he led the rebellion in heaven we are told in the book Patriarchs and Prophets: “For himself, he was determined never again to acknowledge the authority of Christ. The only course remaining for him and his followers, he said, was to assert their liberty, and gain by force the rights which had not been willingly accorded them. {PP 40.3}

As the loyal angels pleaded with those deceived angels to return to God, that His law was right and just we are told that many would not return. “pride, love for their leader, and the desire for unrestricted freedom were permitted to bear sway, and the pleadings of divine love and mercy were finally rejected. {PP 41.1}

And so today Satan is still promoting his law. His philosophy is prevalent. And even among the Christian world, the gospel has been perverted to give license to disobey God, that God will not require an account.

“The prevailing spirit of our time is one of infidelity and apostasy,--a spirit of avowed illumination because of a knowledge of truth, but in reality of the blindest presumption. Human theories are exalted, and placed where God and his law should be. Satan tempts men and women to disobey, with the promise that in disobedience they will find liberty and freedom that will make them as gods. There is seen a spirit of opposition to the plain word of God, of idolatrous exaltation of human wisdom above divine revelation. Men have allowed their minds to become so darkened and confused by conformity to worldly customs and worldly influences that they seem to have lost all power to discriminate between light and darkness, truth and error. So far have they departed from the right way that they hold the opinions of a few philosophers, so called, to be more trustworthy than the truths of the Bible. The entreaties and promises of God's Word, its threatenings against disobedience and idolatry,--all are powerless to melt their hearts. A faith such as actuated Paul, Peter, and John, they regard as old- fashioned, mystical, and unworthy of the intelligence of modern thinkers. {RH, November 6, 1913 par. 2}

In the beginning God gave his law to mankind as a means of attaining happiness and eternal life. Satan's only hope of thwarting the purpose of God is to lead men and women to disobey this law; and his constant effort has been to misrepresent its teachings and belittle its importance. His master-stroke has been an attempt to change the law itself, so as to lead men to violate its precepts while professing to obey it. {RH, November 6, 1913 par. 3}

Today as long as you put the word Christian attached to just about anything it is considered ok. There is Christian Rock, Christian Gays, and many forms of self gratification are condoned under a Christian title.

But Friends the Bible tells us:

2Ti 3:1 ¶ But know this, that in the last days perilous times will come:
2 For men will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boasters, proud,

blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy,
3 unloving, unforgiving, slanderers, without self-control, brutal, despisers of good, 4 traitors, headstrong, haughty, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God,
5 having a form of godliness but denying its power. And from such people turn away!

This has all come about because of Satans philosophy and his law. But God will require an account of every person:

the Bible says: 2Co 5:10 For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, that each one may receive the things done in the body, according to what he has done, whether good or bad.

Heb 4:13 And there is no creature hidden from His sight, but all things are naked and open to the eyes of Him to whom we must give account.

Rom 14:12 So then each of us shall give account of himself to God.

Today in these last days when Satan seems to have his way and his law is prevailing there is a message being proclaimed by God’s remnant people. A message that is not popular but it is alerting the world that God is going to require

an account of their lives. It is a message to shock, to awaken everyone to the reality that Jesus is soon to come, and how will we give an answer to Him when we are required to give an account for our lives?

Re 14:6 ¶ Then I saw another angel flying in the midst of heaven, having the everlasting gospel to preach to those who dwell on the earth--to every nation, tribe, tongue, and people--

7 saying with a loud voice, "Fear God and give glory to Him, for the hour of His judgment has come; and worship Him who made heaven and earth, the sea and springs of water."

The time to give an account has come! How then can we give an account?

It is not the fear of punishment, or the hope of everlasting reward, that leads the disciples of Christ to follow Him. They behold the Saviour's matchless love, revealed throughout His pilgrimage on earth, from the manger of Bethlehem to Calvary's cross, and the sight of Him attracts, it softens and subdues the soul. Love awakens in the heart of the beholders. DA 480

So We must first ask the question: who is it that we want to serve? There are only two masters? There is either Christ or Satan. You can only serve one or the other. Who you serve is determined by who you obey!

Ro 6:16 Do you not know that to whom you present yourselves slaves to obey, you are that one's slaves whom you obey, whether of sin leading to death, or of obedience leading to righteousness?

The Lord Jesus gives us every enticement to serve Him. He loves us and will stop at nothing to save us. His life on earth testifies to the fact that He cares for every soul. He showed that the worst of sinners, He can save if they will turn to Him and be converted. His love is like no other love. There is no selfishness in His love, there is no unfairness in His love, His love is pure, His love is for everyone. He is not partial. He does not cast us away because of our sins! He relentlessly pursues us and strives with us. His love, His care is for everyone who has come into this world.

At the judgment we are told that every knee will bow and acknowledge that He is Lord. Even Satan will bow and acknowledge His Lordship. Not by force but by the fact that as everyone sees their lives in review they will see that God is love and that He did everything to save them. He is worthy of our love and our service. In

fact only service motivated by love is acceptable to Him.

Jesus said “If you love me keep my commandments” You see the choice is ours. It is not an intellectual knowledge of the plan of salvation that counts. It is not information that will save us. It must be an experience of transformation!

John 1:12 in the KJV says: “to as many as received Him to them gave He the Power to become the sons of God.”

As we realize the shortness of time, that our case is going to come up soon, then these words are appropriate of:

Heb 2:3 how shall we escape if we neglect so great a salvation

Our sins must be confessed! God cannot forgive a sin that is cherished and unconfessed. We must receive Christ and His righteousness. He must reign in our hearts and self must be dead. Paul said “I am crucified with Christ, yet it is no longer I who lives, Jesus Christ now lives in me.”

We are to live by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God.

Our prayer should be like David: Read together
Ps 19:12 Who can understand his errors? Cleanse me from secret faults.

13 Keep back Your servant also from presumptuous sins; Let them not have dominion over me. Then I shall be blameless, And I shall be innocent of great transgression.

Great light is shining forth from God in His word, and our reception or rejection of that light will determine how our case will end up. It is so serious folks that if we are presumptuous and think that we are fine, but have failed to search out and know intelligently and with conviction based on knowledge and prayer, we may fail to confess and overcome sins in our lives that we are ignorant of. We will be found guilty in our ignorance because we neglected the opportunity to know.

Ac 17:30 "Truly, these times of ignorance God overlooked, but now commands all men everywhere to repent,

31 "because He has appointed a day on which He will judge the world in righteousness by the Man whom He has ordained. He has given assurance of this to all by raising Him from the dead."

God will not forgive presumption. We must take the time to acquaint ourselves with God. When I read the book the great controversy for the first time, and read the chapter called “facing life’s record” I read the following things which shook me greatly and sent me to my knees.

Every man's work passes in review before God and is registered for faithfulness or unfaithfulness. Opposite each name in the books of heaven is entered with terrible exactness every wrong word, every selfish act, every unfulfilled duty, and every secret sin, with every artful dissembling. Heaven-sent warnings or reproofs neglected, wasted moments, unimproved opportunities, the influence exerted for good or for evil, with its far-reaching results, all are chronicled by the recording angel. {GC 482.1}

As the books of record are opened in the judgment, the lives of all who have believed on Jesus come in review before God. Beginning with those who first lived upon the earth, our Advocate presents the cases of each successive generation, and closes with the living. Every name is mentioned, every case closely investigated. Names are accepted, names rejected. When any have sins remaining upon the books of record, unrepented of and unforgiven, their names will be blotted out of the book of life, and the record of their good deeds will be erased from the book of God's remembrance. The Lord declared to Moses: "Whosoever hath sinned against Me, him will I blot out of My book." Exodus 32:33. And says the prophet Ezekiel: "When the righteous turneth away from his righteousness, and committeth iniquity, . . . all his righteousness that he hath done shall not be mentioned." Ezekiel 18:24. {GC 483.1}

I was planning a week long trip to the snow with a group of friends and had spent $500 dollars on new equipment. But when I realized that I was not right with God, That I needed some time for serious prayer and repentance and to acquaint myself with God more than I had in the past, I told my friends that I was not going to go with them and I stayed at home and spent time in serious prayer and contemplation of my destiny.

Lu 12:58 "When you go with your adversary to the magistrate, make every effort along the way to settle with him, lest he drag you to the judge, the judge deliver you to the officer, and the officer throw you into prison.

59 "I tell you, you shall not depart from there till you have paid the very last mite." Who is our Adversary? Satan. He will stand and condemn us if he can.

Jesus has made it possible for us to be clear of our record of sins, and for us to overcome them. We cannot be careless about it. We cannot afford to put off spending the time with Jesus so that He can reveal to us what needs to be confessed and changed in our lives.

How shall we escape if we neglect so great a salvation?

Friends not until we learn to come to the cross daily with our sins, our weaknesses and our failures, will we ever overcome and be able to give an account of our lives.

I have shared this quote before but it bears repeating.

It would be well for us to spend a thoughtful hour each day in contemplation of the life of Christ. We should take it point by point, and let the imagination grasp each scene, especially the closing ones. As we thus dwell upon His great sacrifice for us, our confidence in Him will be more constant, our love will be quickened, and we shall be more deeply imbued with His spirit. If we would be saved at last, we must learn the lesson of penitence and humiliation at the foot of the cross. {DA 83.4}

The point of this message is that we have only a short time to avail ourselves of the atoning sacrifice of Christ. We have only a short time to put on Christ and to give an account of our lives. And we are so asleep to the fact. We are busier than ever before, we are spending more time in pleasure than ever before. We are seeking entertainment more than ever before. And we are not seeking the Lord while He may be found. Prayer meeting is hardly attended. The time is coming when it will be too late.

Then the sad words of this verse will be true: Jer 8:20 "The harvest is past, The summer is ended, And we are not saved!"

Today our Lord Jesus is still representing us before the Father, Jesus is holding out His hands that still have scars in them from those big nails that were driven through them. The scars are not round, but long because the weight of His body hanging there tore the flesh. But more than the scars, are the scars of our sins that were placed on Him. He became sin for us, He bore our sins on that cross. He suffered for our punishment. He gave an account for our sins, and died for them.

The only sin He cannot forgive is an unconfessed one, one that is cherished. We only know what sin is when we see ourselves in contrast to Him.
Anything that Jesus calls us to sacrifice for Him is well worth while. To avail ourselves of so great a salvation. Jesus took time for us, He came down and spent the years of His human life for us. He went back to heaven and has been spending all His time for over two thousand years to save all who come to Him.

Today the appeal is a simple one. The Holy Spirit is moving on this Church. There is a revival beginning. There is spiritual life springing up in hearts. The Lord is knocking on your heart too. He is asking you “Am I worthy of your attention, am I worthy of your time, Am I worthy of your heart, Am I worthy to be Your Lord?” If you can answer yes to Him then will you show Him? Will you seek Him like never before. Will you surrender anything that is keeping you from His will? If you are then I invite you to indicate your decision by coming to the front and indicate your total surrender to Him as we sing our closing hymn: 416