Here Comes The Judge

INTRO.- ILL.- A young Bible college student was witnessing in a suburb of Atlanta. As he approached one house, there was an elderly gentleman sitting on the porch. He said, “Are you a Christian?” The old man said, “No, I’m a Smith. The Christians live two doors down.” “You don’t understand. I mean, are you lost?” The old man said, “No, sonny, I ain’t lost. I’ve lived here for 25 years.” “But are you ready for the Judgment Day?” The old man said, “When’s it going to be?” The young man said, “Well, it could be today or it could be tomorrow.” The old man replied, “WELL, PLEASE DON’T TELL MY WIFE, BECAUSE SHE’LL WANT TO GO BOTH DAYS.”

Make no mistake about it, judgment is coming and it won’t be a fun day for some people! It won’t be a fun shopping day like the day after Thanksgiving! Many people will not want to experience that day! As it says in the book of Hebrews, "It’s a fearful thing (or dreadful thing) to fall into the hands of the living God! (Heb. 10:31) HERE COMES THE JUDGE!

ILL.- The idea of hell and judgment are nowhere to be found in Betty Eadie’s book, (1992) Embraced By The Light. At one time it was on the N.Y. Times bestseller list for more than 40 weeks, including 5 weeks as #1. In November 1973 Eadie allegedly died after undergoing a hysterectomy, and returned five hours later with the secrets of heaven revealed by Jesus. Eadie says that Jesus "never wanted to do or say anything that would offend me" while she visited heaven.

Someone commented: Indeed, Jesus seems to be relegated to the role of a happy tour guide in heaven, not the Savior of the world who died on the cross. And that book contains many fallacies from what I have read, that is, in opposition to the Word of God. Jesus is not pictured in scripture as some kind of happy tour guide or as Santa Claus. He is Savior! He is Lord! He is God in the flesh! HERE COMES THE JUDGE!

ILL.- Just before the death of actor W.C. Fields, a friend visited Fields’ hospital room and was surprised to find him thumbing through a Bible. Asked what he was doing with a Bible, Fields replied, "I’m looking for loopholes."

There are no loopholes at the judgment but there is hope, but only in Christ as our Savior!

ILL.- Court cases are sometimes labeled: “Stevenson vs. The People” or “Jones vs. Texas." But at the Last Judgment, every case may be labeled “Such and such vs. God!”

The Lord will judge everyone! Me too? The Lord is not a respecter of persons when it comes to judgment. However, the conclusion is yet to come.

II Cor. 5:6-11 6Therefore we are always confident and know that as long as we are at home in the body we are away from the Lord. 7We live by faith, not by sight. 8We are confident, I say, and would prefer to be away from the body and at home with the Lord. 9So we make it our goal to please him, whether we are at home in the body or away from it. 10For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, that each one may receive what is due him for the things done while in the body, whether good or bad. 11Since, then, we know what it is to fear the Lord, we try to persuade men.

PROP.- Everyone and every thing will be judged on the judgment day but there are some specific matters that the Lord may judge more critically. Here they are:

1- God will judge ungodly acts

2- God will judge ungodly words

I. GOD WILL JUDGE UNGODLY ACTS

14Enoch, the seventh from Adam, prophesied about these men: "See, the Lord is coming with thousands upon thousands of his holy ones 15to judge everyone, and to convict all the ungodly of all the ungodly acts they have done in the ungodly way. What a way to say it.

ILL.- The floorwalker got tired of his job. He gave it up and joined the police force. Several months later a friend asked him how he liked being a policeman.

“Fine,” said the ex-floorwalker. “The pay is good and so are the hours, but what I like best of all is that the customer is always wrong.”

Some people are wrong and the police are going to get them! Some people escape being caught for their wrongdoing for a while. Eventually they’ll be caught, however, not by the police but by God almighty!

ILL.- A Milwaukee woman’s funeral was over, and the body was about to be cremated when suspicious officials ordered an autopsy. This revealed that death had been caused by strangulation. The medical examiner called it murder. The victim’s sixteen-year-old daughter was arrested and held without bail. Had the authorities acted a few minutes later than they did, the evidence would have been destroyed forever.