YOUR FINAL EXAM
Rom. 14:10
INTRODUCTION
A. HUMOR
1. A priest and a rabbi were standing by the side of the road holding up signs. The rabbi’s read, "The End is Near!" The priest, on the other side of the road, held up a sign which read, "Turn before it’s too late!"
2. They planned to hold up their signs to each passing car. "Get a job." The first driver yelled. The second, immediately behind the first, yelled, "Leave us alone you religious freaks"!
3. Shortly, from around the curve, they heard screeching tires and a splash followed by more screeching tires and another splash.
4. The rabbi looked over at the priest and said, "Do you think we should try a different sign"? The other man responded, "Yeah, probably ’The Bridge is Out’ would be better!"
B. TEXT
“For we shall all stand before the judgment seat of Christ. So then every one of us shall give account of himself to God. Rom. 14:10
C. THESIS
1. If you’ve accepted the full blown creed of evolution, then you believe that what happens to you when you die is no more significant than what happens to a tree when it dies.
2. It's over. You’ll go out of existence. You’ll feel nothing, know nothing, you’ll have no consciousness.
3. But if you believe the truth of the Bible, that there is a Creator God, and that what separates you from whales and chimpanzees is not mutations, chemicals, or a thumb, but being made in the image of God, then you probably know there’s a life after death, and existence after the grave.
4. We all will die, but death is just the doorway to another life that’s not 70 years, but eternal. You’re not just a hunk of flesh with cloth on it, you’re an eternal spirit-being living in a robot body. Death won’t mean extinction; you’ll still be conscious after death.
5. Many people who died during surgeries have told the surgeons their spirit came out of their bodies and hovered over the operating table.
6. They could tell the doctor exactly which steps he’d taken to revive them. These stories have been compiled into books by surgeons: “Life After Life,” (R. Moody);
“Beyond Death’s Door” & “To Hell & Back” (M. Rawlings).
7. But death is not the end; we will all stand before God and give an account of our lives, and to be judged by His righteous standard.
8. The title of this morning’s message is “Your Final Exam.” There are 4 major issues about the judgment that the Bible makes clear:
I. ALL WILL BE JUDGED
A. LOST & CHRISTIANS WILL BE JUDGED
1. Rev. 20:11-13,15 says, “11 And I saw a great white throne, and Him that sat on it, from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away….12 And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God; and the books were opened…and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works. 13 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. 15 And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire.”
2. “For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ; that every one may receive the things done in his body, according to that he hath done, whether it be good or bad.” 2 Cor. 5:10.
3. HUMOR.
a. One old Grandma sat on her couch with her Bible in her lap, reading and praying.
b. Her grandchild walked into the room. “Grandma, after all these years, what are you doing still reading the Bible?”
c. “I’m Cramming for my finals!” the old woman quipped.
B. EVERYONE IS GOING TO BE THERE!
1. Can you imagine when God takes hold of history and empties it?! When every man who ever walked the streets of ancient Babylon with all its lusts, or Corinth, must account for himself? When “What happens in Las Vegas doesn’t stay in Las Vegas!”
2. Every king over England, the caliphs of Baghdad, the maharajis of India, the emperors of China, the Presidents, the billionaires -- are all going to stand before God one day! Can you imagine that?
3. Even the Supreme Court justices will stand that day before the Infallible Judge.
4. There are 2 different judgments: one for believers (Bema) and the last for unbelievers (GWT) separated by 1,007 years -- after the Rapture, the 7 years of tribulation, and the 1,000 reign of Jesus Christ.
5. The lost will suffer punishment in the lake of fire; but believers will be spared because of the blood of Christ. Christians will be safe from eternal death.
II. IT WILL BE A DAY OF EXPOSURE
A. NOTHING WILL BE HIDDEN
1. The Greek word for "judge" is anakrino an-ak-ree'-no, which means to “investigate, examine, enquire into, scrutinize, sift, question; determine the excellence or defects of any person or thing.”
2. SCRIPTURES
a. “For there is nothing hid, which shall not be manifested; neither was any thing kept secret, but that it should come abroad.” Mark 4:22.
b. “For nothing is secret, that shall not be made manifest; neither anything hid, that shall not be known and come abroad.” Luke 8:17.
c. “In the day when God shall judge the secrets of men by Jesus Christ according to my gospel.” Rom. 2:16.
B. IT WILL BE TERRIFYING TO STAND BEFORE THE ALL-POWERFUL GOD THAT DAY!
1. Someone once said to that great scholar, Daniel Webster, "You have a colossal mind. What is the greatest thought that you have ever had?" He said, "I've thought about many things, but the most awesome, the most terrifying, the most shattering thought I've ever had, is my personal accountability to God one day."
2. PROSPECT FOR THE LOST. Rev. 6:12-17,
“12 …and behold, there was a great earthquake; and the sun became black as sackcloth of hair, and the moon became like blood. 13 And the stars of heaven fell to the earth….14 Then the sky receded as a scroll when it is rolled up, and every mountain and island was moved out of its place. 15 And the kings of the earth, the great men, the rich men, the commanders, the mighty men, every slave and every free man, hid themselves in the caves and in the rocks of the mountains, 16 and said to the mountains and rocks, “Fall on us and hide us from the face of Him who sits on the throne and from the wrath of the Lamb! 17 For the great day of His wrath has come, and who is able to stand?” NKJV
3. EVEN THE PROSPECT FOR THE SAVED
a. When the Apostle John saw Christ; “His head and hair were white like wool, as white as snow, and his eyes were like blazing fire. 15 His feet were like bronze glowing in a furnace, and his voice was like the sound of rushing waters. 16 In his right hand he held seven stars, and out of his mouth came a sharp double-edged sword. His face was like the sun shining in all its brilliance.” Rev. 1:14-16.
b. This was the same apostle John who used to lean his head on Jesus and hear that divine heartbeat. He knew more about Jesus than anyone else. Yet he said, "And when I saw Him, I fell at His feet as a dead man" (Rev. 1:17). If John responded like that, what do you think you and I are going to do?!
c. Paul said, “Therefore, knowing the terror of the Lord, we persuade men…” 2 Cor. 5:11.
III. WE’LL BE JUDGED BY OUR DEEDS
A. ARE CONSEQUENCES TO OUR ACTIONS
1. “Consequences” are defined as “the effect, result, or outcome of something occurring earlier.”
2. God is a God of consequences. He says what we sow, we’ll reap, Gal. 6:7.
3. HUMOR. Some think they can redirect their wrongs to someone else.
a. Like the elementary boy doing poorly in school. One day he gravely approached his teacher’s desk and said, "I don’t want to scare you, but my daddy says if I don’t get better grades.... somebody is going to get a spanking."
b. We all tend to think that somebody might get a spanking, but nobody expects it to be them.
4. There’s a direct correlation between what we do now, and how God will treat us in eternity!
B. HOW WE’LL BE JUDGED
“Every man’s work shall be made manifest: for the day shall declare it, because it shall be revealed by fire; and the fire shall try every man’s work of what sort it is. If any man’s work abide which he hath built thereupon, he shall receive a reward. If any man’s work shall be burned, he shall suffer loss: but he himself shall be saved; yet so as by fire.” 1 Cor. 3:13-15.
1. DEEDS, ACTIONS, WORKS.
2. MOTIVES. “He will bring to light what is hidden in darkness and will expose the motives of the heart. At that time each will receive their praise from God.” 1 Cor. 4:5.
3. WORDS. “But I say unto you, that every idle word that men shall speak, they shall give account thereof in the day of judgment.” Mt. 12:36.
4. THOUGHTS, ATTITUDES. “For the Word of God…judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart.” Heb. 4:12.
5. STANDARD OF JUDGMENT? THE WORD OF GOD.
“There is a judge for the one who rejects Me and does not accept My words; the very words I have spoken will condemn them at the last day” John 12:48.
C. A PERFECT RECORD THAT DAY
1. You may say, "Well, Pastor Gaston, I won't be in serious trouble because I don't have a good memory." Well, you'll have one that day.
2. A memory is a stored pattern of connections between neurons in the brain. There are about a hundred billion of those neurons, each of which can make perhaps 5,000 to 10,000 synaptic connections with other neurons.
3. Every sensation we remember, every thought we think, alters the connections within that vast network. Synapses are always changing, every moment, even as we sleep.” [National Geographic Mag.; November 2007; Memory: Remember This; Joshua Foer] THE BRAIN HAS A PERMANENT PHYSICAL RECORD!
4. When we’re resurrected and stand before God in judgment, our own brains will take the witness stand to expose the truth about us.
5. If that weren’t enough, “and the BOOKS WERE OPENED…and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works.” Rev. 20:12.
D. WILL IT REALLY MATTER FOR CHRISTIANS?
1. Eddie Rasnake says that “Many Christians operate from an erroneous idea that the only thing that really matters about heaven is if you get to go there or not. In reality, we will not all hold an equal station in heaven. Some will go to heaven empty handed, while others will enter into eternity with [great] reward.” (Following God- Using Your Spiritual Gifts)
2. Jon Courson reminds us that “rewards will determine your capacity to enjoy eternity. They will determine what you do in the next zillion years. “Take my word for it,” Paul would say, “Your house, your car, your hobbies, trinkets and toys will all burn. What does matter is doing God’s work with the right attitudes and motives.”
IV. IT WILL BE A DAY OF DELIGHT & DISAPPOINTMENT
A. IT WILL BE A DAY OF DELIGHT
1. The Judgment Seat of God will be unpleasant for some, but for many, it will be the moment when all their trials are made worthwhile. It will literally be their crowning moment!
2. It will be the time we are rewarded for all our labors for Christ. The Bible tells us five crowns that will be given to saints of God and many other rewards. There will be great joy there.
3. We’ll hear Jesus say, “Well done, good and faithful servant!” Praise God!
B. IT WILL BE A DAY OF DISAPPOINTMENT
1. Pain Is Mentioned – even for Christians. The Bible says that many “will suffer loss” when much of their works pass through the fire of judgment. There will be many tears shed. Afterward, Jesus Himself will wipe the tears away, and the past life will be remembered no more – Rev. 21:4.
2. The plight of the wicked is much more severe. “The Son of Man will send out his angels, and they will weed out of his kingdom everything that causes sin and all who do evil. They will throw them into the fiery furnace, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth” Mt. 13:41-42.
CONCLUSION
A. ILLUSTRATION “Where the fire has already been”
1. Pioneers were making their way across one of the central states to a distant place that had been opened up for homesteading. They traveled in covered wagons.
2. One day they were horrified to see a long line of smoke in the west, stretching for miles across the prairie, and soon it was evident that it was a huge grass fire, sweeping toward them rapidly.
3. They had crossed a river the day before but it would be impossible to go back to that before the flames would be upon them.
4. One man knew what must be done. He gave the order to set fire to the grass behind them. Then when a space was burned over, the whole company moved back on that spot.
5. As the flames roared toward them from the west, a little girl cried out in terror, “Are you sure we shall not all be burned up?”
6. The leader replied, “My child, the flames cannot reach us here, for we are standing where the fire has been!”
B. THE CALL
1. It’s the same with the judgment of God. When Jesus went to the cross, He took all the world’s sins and their punishment on Himself. The fire of God’s judgment for sin fell on Him.
2. The fire can’t burn where it’s already been. Since Jesus already suffered for our sins in our place, if we trust in Him, we’ll be spared the wrath of God for our sins, because it’s already fallen on Him!
3. “If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. [But] If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” 1 John 1:8-9.
4. For the saved, let’s determine to live for God more obediently and zealously than we ever have before. Let’s pray!
[No originality is claimed for this message. “I have milked many cows, but churned my own butter.” Some parts were adopted from Jerry Shirley, Leonard Ravenhill, John Piper, and Ron Thomas.]
