“I can do nothing on my own. As I hear, I judge, and my judgment is just, because I seek not my own will but the will of him who sent me.”
Serious questions concerning the administration of justice have been raised by rulings and charges brought against people in Canada and the United States. Just because a judicial ruling is made against an individual does not mean that the ruling is just. Serious doubts linger about cases brought against Tamara Lich, Chris Barber, and Pat King, leaders of the Freedom Convoy in 2022.
It seems to many that the prosecution of J6 protestors in the United States is political rather than being motivated by a desire for justice. It appears to be akin to the federal persecution of anyone protesting abortion clinics, or federal prosecution against those who dare speak out against the trans-mafia, or government officials compelling social media to stifle opposition to federal policies.
And then there is the lawfare administered against Donald Trump and others who worked with him in the previous American administration before the Biden cartel took over. If these events were not enough to raise questions in the minds of people watching these events unfold, the sweeping pardon issued for an admitted criminal, Hunter Biden, leaves people throughout the world wondering whether anyone can expect to receive justice in the American system. The once pristine judicial reputation of Canada and the United States as just and righteous seems almost in tatters. Well might we ask whether justice can be found in contemporary North America when we differ little from nations mired in the slime of the third world.
Though we may question whether justice can be found in our western world, we who know the Living God know that justice will be ultimately served. You may recall a parable Jesus told concerning prayer. Listen to the parable Jesus delivered and the surprising notation He added at the conclusion of the parable. “[Jesus] told [His disciples] a parable to the effect that they ought always to pray and not lose heart. He said, ‘In a certain city there was a judge who neither feared God nor respected man. And there was a widow in that city who kept coming to him and saying, “Give me justice against my adversary.” For a while he refused, but afterward he said to himself, “Though I neither fear God nor respect man, yet because this widow keeps bothering me, I will give her justice, so that she will not beat me down by her continual coming.”’ And the Lord said, ‘Hear what the unrighteous judge says. And will not God give justice to his elect, who cry to him day and night? Will he delay long over them? I tell you, he will give justice to them speedily. Nevertheless, when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on earth’” [LUKE 18:1-8]?
We long to know the reality of Jesus’ promise when He assured His disciples, “[God] will give justice to [His elect]!” We know all too well that justice is too often a façade on earth. And even when we imagine we have received justice in an instance in this day, the reality too often immediately fades, leaving us worse off than ever.
“Nothing?” Did Jesus really, “I can do nothing on My own” in today’s text? Bear in mind that these words were spoken by the Son of God! Did we witness Jesus saying, “I can do nothing on My own?” Worshipping with the saints gathered in the New Birth Baptist Church in Dallas, Texas, I would hear the choir sing,
“God can do anything, anything, anything,
God can do anything but fail.”
How that song did stir my soul, as it did the soul of all present as the choir sung the song! But some might say that the message conveyed by that song is at variance with Jesus’ own words as recorded in our text. Nevertheless, I am certain that the message conveyed by the song is correct, and I am confident that the words Jesus spoke as recorded by John are also correct. In delivering the message this day, I trust I will be able to clarify what is going on, encouraging all who are followers of the Risen Lord of Glory to hold fast the words of the Master and to dare believe that God can do anything but fail. And because this is true, Jesus, Who is the Son of God, can save to the uttermost anyone who comes to Him in faith, believing that He will receive all who believe.
CHRIST AS JUDGE — “As I hear, I judge, and my judgment is just, because I seek not my own will but the will of him who sent me” [JOHN 5:30]. This affirmation follows on what the Master has just said. Religious leaders were seeking to kill Jesus. Religious passions can drive people to such extremes. Jesus wasn’t honouring their authority, and that enraged these paragons of Jewish religion.
So, Jesus responded to their rage, “Truly, truly, I say to you, the Son can do nothing of his own accord, but only what he sees the Father doing. For whatever the Father does, that the Son does likewise. For the Father loves the Son and shows him all that he himself is doing. And greater works than these will he show him, so that you may marvel. For as the Father raises the dead and gives them life, so also the Son gives life to whom he will. For the Father judges no one, but has given all judgment to the Son, that all may honor the Son, just as they honor the Father. Whoever does not honor the Son does not honor the Father who sent him. Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life. He does not come into judgment, but has passed from death to life.
“Truly, truly, I say to you, an hour is 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. Do not marvel at this, 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” [JOHN 5:19-29].
Each one hearing my voice this day needs salvation. Mankind is lost! Not one of us is able to persuade the Living God that we are worthy to be accepted by Him. And yet, we want to be received by Him as His dearly loved child. Salvation? From what? And salvation to what? We tend to toss the term around without giving thought to what one needs to be saved from or without thinking of what we are saved to. These are important considerations if we are to understand this business of salvation.
And why must I be judged? The simple truth is that God is holy and just, and you and I are neither holy nor just; we are fallen people in need of a Saviour. Therefore, we are already guilty before Holy God. We will stand before the Judge of all the universe, but we are already judged and found guilty of sin. Do we need convincing that we are sinful, that we are not holy, that we are not good?
Listen to the Apostle as he tears down the rationalisation that is characteristic of modern life. Paul writes, “It is written:
‘None is righteous, no, not one;
no one understands;
no one seeks for God.
All have turned aside; together they have become worthless;
no one does good,
not even one.’
‘Their throat is an open grave;
they use their tongues to deceive.’
‘The venom of asps is under their lips.’
‘Their mouth is full of curses and bitterness.’
‘Their feet are swift to shed blood;
in their paths are ruin and misery,
and the way of peace they have not known.’
‘There is no fear of God before their eyes.’”
[ROMANS 3:10-18]
And if that compilation of statements concerning our condition wasn’t sufficiently devastating, the Apostle appends this dire assessment, “All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” [ROMANS 3:23]. Any excuse we might attempt to offer is swept away by the reality of our fallen condition. We are sinners, and as such, we are unworthy of God’s mercy and grace—we deserve God’s harsh, eternal judgement.
Here is the record given in the Word: there are multiple judgements already passed and coming. And Christ Jesus judges in every case. There was the judgement of sin at the cross of Calvary. The Apostle to the Gentile has testified, “There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. For the law of the Spirit of life has set you free in Christ Jesus from the law of sin and death. For God has done what the law, weakened by the flesh, could not do. By sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and for sin, he condemned sin in the flesh, in order that the righteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not according to the flesh but according to the Spirit” [ROMANS 8:1-4].
That is an incredibly sweeping statement the Apostle makes when he asserts, “There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.” No condemnation? It depends, I suppose, on what took place at the cross. If the one crucified on that dark day was simply a teacher, then it is a certainty that more needs to be done if we are to be freed of the possibility of judgement. If the one crucified that day was only a man, though as some want to say—a good man, then nothing was accomplished that could not have been accomplished by almost any other person. However, if the One crucified was God, then the dynamic is forever changed.
Perhaps someone imagines that we can do something to placate Holy God. Perhaps that someone hopes we can perform rites and rituals that will assuage God’s wrath. However, against this baseless hope we are told, “Since the law has but a shadow of the good things to come instead of the true form of these realities, it can never, by the same sacrifices that are continually offered every year, make perfect those who draw near. Otherwise, would they not have ceased to be offered, since the worshipers, having once been cleansed, would no longer have any consciousness of sins? But in these sacrifices there is a reminder of sins every year. For it is impossible for the blood of bulls and goats to take away sins.
“Consequently, when Christ came into the world, he said,
‘Sacrifices and offerings you have not desired,
but a body have you prepared for me;
in burnt offerings and sin offerings
you have taken no pleasure.
Then I said, “Behold, I have come to do your will, O God,
as it is written of me in the scroll of the book.”’
When he said above, ‘You have neither desired nor taken pleasure in sacrifices and offerings and burnt offerings and sin offerings’ (these are offered according to the law), then he added, ‘Behold, I have come to do your will.’ He does away with the first in order to establish the second. And by that will we have been sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all” [HEBREWS 10:1-10].
Jesus, God’s own Son, has forever cancelled the debt of sin through sacrificing His own life for all who will receive that sacrifice. Surely this is what we are taught when the Apostle writes, “When you were dead in trespasses and in the uncircumcision of your flesh, he made you alive with him and forgave us all our trespasses. He erased the certificate of debt, with its obligations, that was against us and opposed to us, and has taken it away by nailing it to the cross” [COLOSSIANS 2:13-14 CSB].
There is a judgement that we who are twice born must face. It is not a judgement to determine whether we are saved or lost, it is a judgement to determine rewards. We who are saved shall receive rewards. Yes, we are delivered from the Great Tribulation, and we are set free from the fear of being condemned, for as we have already seen, there is no condemnation for us who are in Christ Jesus. We shall face a judgement, but it is not a negative that instills fear in our hearts, it is a positive that reveals the grace of our Lord showered upon us even at this time.
We know that we who have believed have an inheritance, just as we read, “Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men, knowing that from the Lord you will receive the inheritance as your reward. You are serving the Lord Christ” [COLOSSIANS 3:23-24]. The promise of an eternal home is a reward. We are promised, “We [redeemed people] are always of good courage. We know that while we are at home in the body we are away from the Lord, for we walk by faith, not by sight. Yes, we are of good courage, and we would rather be away from the body and at home with the Lord. So whether we are at home or away, we make it our aim to please him. For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each one may receive what is due for what he has done in the body, whether good or evil” [2 CORINTHIANS 5:6-10].
We Christians are assured, “No one can lay a foundation other than that which is laid, which is Jesus Christ. Now if anyone builds on the foundation with gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, straw—each one’s work will become manifest, for the Day will disclose it, because it will be revealed by fire, and the fire will test what sort of work each one has done. If the work that anyone has built on the foundation survives, he will receive a reward. If anyone’s work is burned up, he will suffer loss, though he himself will be saved, but only as through fire” [1 CORINTHIANS 3:11-15].
As redeemed people, we shall stand before the Judgement Seat of Christ where the work we have done will be assessed and the perfection of our Saviour’s work will be revealed. Because we build our lives on Christ as our foundation, the work that we do will survive while that which was built on our own efforts will be forever lost. Throughout eternity, only that which glorifies the Master and that which reveals His perfect work in us will be manifest. This is a judgement that the redeemed of God can anticipate with joy and with confidence.
There is, however, one other judgement that is terrifying for most. I am speaking of the judgement that sinners must face when they at last stand before Christ the Lord. Sinners, those who are lost, have relied on their own efforts rather than receiving the completed work of Christ the Lord for themselves. Sinners, having refused Christ as Master over life and rejecting His atonement, must carry the weight of their own sinful condition as they at last stand before the Judge of all the universe.
You will recall that awful scene that is presented by the Revelator when he writes, “I saw a great white throne and him who was seated on it. From his presence earth and sky fled away, and no place was found for them. And I saw the dead, great and small, standing before the throne, and books were opened. Then another book was opened, which is the book of life. And the dead were judged by what was written in the books, according to what they had done. And the sea gave up the dead who were in it, Death and Hades gave up the dead who were in them, and they were judged, each one of them, according to what they had done. Then Death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. This is the second death, the lake of fire. And if anyone’s name was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire” [REVELATION 20:11-15].
How awful, how terrifying that place of separation from the love of God must be! John is expanding on what Jesus warned against when He taught the people, saying, “Whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in me to sin, it would be better for him if a great millstone were hung around his neck and he were thrown into the sea. And if your hand causes you to sin, cut it off. It is better for you to enter life crippled than with two hands to go to hell, to the unquenchable fire. And if your foot causes you to sin, cut it off. It is better for you to enter life lame than with two feet to be thrown into hell. And if your eye causes you to sin, tear it out. It is better for you to enter the kingdom of God with one eye than with two eyes to be thrown into hell, ‘where their worm does not die and the fire is not quenched’” [MARK 9:42-48].
Jesus spoke of the judgement of the nations following the Great Tribulation at the time He returns. His revelation begins with this affirmation, “When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, then he will sit on his glorious throne. Before him will be gathered all the nations, and he will separate people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. And he will place the sheep on his right, but the goats on the left” [MATTHEW 25:31-33].
The Judge will segregate those who stand before Him. He will receive those who identified with Him, even at the cost of terrible suffering that in many cases led to their death. However, Jesus is adamant about the dismal fate of those who lived only for their own interest without thought of the consequences—for there are always consequences. Jesus warned, “Then he will say to those on his left, ‘Depart from me, you cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. For I was hungry and you gave me no food, I was thirsty and you gave me no drink, I was a stranger and you did not welcome me, naked and you did not clothe me, sick and in prison and you did not visit me.’ Then they also will answer, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison, and did not minister to you?’ Then he will answer them, saying, ‘Truly, I say to you, as you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to me.’ And these will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life” [MATTHEW 25:41-46].
The judgement that shall be rendered against the damned who arise during those dark days of the Great Tribulation anticipate the judgement that will at last be pronounced against the lost when they must appear before the Great Assize, that awful day when all the lost appear before Christ as He is seated on the Great White Throne. What an awful prospect, when the dead, those who are forever banished from the presence of God Who is life. We can’t imagine how frightful the scene must be when the sea surrenders the dead who were in it, when Death and Hades give up the dead that have been incarcerated there and held in death’s unyielding grip, and they are compelled to appear before King Jesus where they will hear the devastating, distressing words that the Judge shall pronounce, “I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness” [MATTHEW 7:23].
Three Judgements—the Cross of Jesus, the Bema Seat of Christ, and the Great White Throne. Which of these judgements will account for your eternal state? It is terrifying to think that each of us know people who must appear before the Great White Throne. And yet we hesitate to warn those who shall give an account for their rejection of the mercies of God. We are hesitant to speak, and yet those we claim to love must pass into eternity without hope and without solace.
We are silent because we say we don’t want to jeopardise our relationship, or we say we don’t want to hurt their feelings by making them think we are judging them. Thus, we maintain an illusion of compassion rather than daring the risk of estrangement. In truth, we aren’t convinced that they are standing in peril, or we would rather continue to delude ourselves that things will probably turn out well for them rather than make ourselves uncomfortable, or we simply don’t care what happens to them. And so our family rushes toward hell, and our friends continue toward eternal damnation.
JUDGEMENT THAT IS JUST — “As I hear, I judge, and my judgment is just, because I seek not my own will but the will of him who sent me” [JOHN 5:30]. Think about what the Lord just said. He said that His judgement is predicated on what He hears, and what He hears comes from the heart. This agrees with what the Master said on another occasion when He cautioned, “What comes out of the mouth proceeds from the heart, and this defiles a person. For out of the heart come evil thoughts, murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false witness, slander. These are what defile a person. But to eat with unwashed hands does not defile anyone” [MATTHEW 15:18-20].
This teaching is nothing less than an emphasis upon Jesus’ words recorded from an earlier time, when He said, “Either make the tree good and its fruit good, or make the tree bad and its fruit bad, for the tree is known by its fruit. You brood of vipers! How can you speak good, when you are evil? For out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks. The good person out of his good treasure brings forth good, and the evil person out of his evil treasure brings forth evil. I tell you, on the day of judgment people will give account for every careless word they speak, for by your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned” [MATTHEW 12:33-37].
It isn’t merely saying the words that one thinks will dupe the Lord—at issue is what an individual is. Churches throughout the world have members that are lost. They have signed up, as it were, but they have never been born from above. Have we never heard the words Jesus spoke when He warned against those who have horns like a lamb though speaking like a dragon.
Recall how Jesus warned His disciples, “Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing but inwardly are ravenous wolves. You will recognize them by their fruits. Are grapes gathered from thornbushes, or figs from thistles? So, every healthy tree bears good fruit, but the diseased tree bears bad fruit. A healthy tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a diseased tree bear good fruit. Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. Thus you will recognize them by their fruits” [MATTHEW 7:15-20].
It is not how one appears on Sunday during the services of a church that reveal who the person is. What matters is how the individual reacts in the hard game of life. That is when the true person is seen. How you respond when things don’t go your way demonstrates who you are. How you respond when things don’t go your way reveals who is reigning over your life. And many who claim to be following the Risen Saviour are recognised as wolves through their daily lives.
At the time Jesus spoke these words cautioning His disciples to be wary of smooth words and meaningless sentences, He warned those who heard Him to think ahead to that day when the lawless would at last give an accounting for their lives. Jesus warned, “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. On that day many will say to me, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many mighty works in your name?’ And then will I declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness’” [MATTHEW 7:21-23].
We who follow the Risen Saviour, we who long to see Him glorified, must beware of these wolves in the clothing of sheep. We can be—and too often are—deceived. How often have I witnessed good Christians, men and women who sought to honour the Lord Jesus through a holy and righteous life, approve of a message delivered by one of these wolves. I recall a denominational meeting in which an individual spoke, delivering a message that being generous could be said to have been filled with platitudes and spiritual pabulum. The speaker read his supposed text, and then ignored what the text said. The apparent point of the sermon was to urge listeners to give more generous support to the denomination. A member of the congregation I was then pastoring sat beside me. He was clearly enthralled by what he was hearing. After the message was concluded with a call to be good, he exclaimed, “Wasn’t that a great message, Pastor? Didn’t he make your heart sing?”
“Peter,” I responded, “what did you hear? What did that man call you to do? How did he clarify the teaching of the Word? And what changes in your life will you make to implement the challenge you heard tonight?”
Pausing, my parishioner reluctantly admitted that while he thought the speaker wanted those listening to give more funds for a special project the denomination was planning, he couldn’t really say what the message was calling him to do. He wasn’t certain that the man provided an exposition of the text. At last, he admitted that the man was an exciting speaker, but he was unsure of what was said.
I pointed out that the man used the text as a springboard to allow him to urge agreement with the denomination rather than providing instruction in righteousness. What was worse, the man had ridiculed other good Christians who were of a more conservative mind. If that wasn’t sufficiently worrying, the speaker had promoted the idea that church members needed to give greater attention to church leaders rather than trying to interpret the Bible for themselves. I grew serious just so I could say, “Peter, I am concerned that we heard a wolf dressed as a sheep. I am deeply concerned that we witnessed evidence of one who appears as a lamb, but speaks with the voice of a dragon.”
And why should anyone be surprised that such a situation can occur? Isn’t that the warning delivered throughout the Word of God? You may recall how Jude warned followers of the Son of God, “Dear friends, although I was eager to write to you about the salvation we share, I found it necessary to write to you and urge you to continue your vigorous defense of the faith that was passed down to the saints once and for all. For some people have slipped in among you unnoticed. They were written about long ago as being deserving of this condemnation because they are ungodly. They turn the grace of our God into uncontrollable lust and deny our only Master and Lord, Jesus the Messiah” [JUDE 3-4 ISV].
Even before Jude penned his assessment of the dangers that were already infiltrating into the churches, the Apostle to the Gentiles had witnessed a similar invasion of the freedom that should have characterised the faithful. In one of Paul’s earliest missives he wrote of the threat to the freedom of Titus, who accompanied Paul in some of his ministry, warning of “false brothers secretly brought in—who slipped in to spy out our freedom that we have in Christ Jesus, so that they might bring us into slavery” [GALATIANS 2:4].
The dark words which Jude wrote echo the warning the Peter gave in his second missive. The Apostle to the Gentiles warned those who look to the Risen Lord of Glory, “False prophets also arose among the people, just as there will be false teachers among you, who will secretly bring in destructive heresies, even denying the Master who bought them, bringing upon themselves swift destruction. And many will follow their sensuality, and because of them the way of truth will be blasphemed. And in their greed they will exploit you with false words. Their condemnation from long ago is not idle, and their destruction is not asleep” [2 PETER 2:1-3].
The people of God are susceptible when they fail to heed the warning signals of the Spirit of Christ living in them and among them. If someone speaks in a manner that goes against what is written in the Word, it is because they are not speaking by the Spirit of the Lord. If someone distorts the Word for their own deviant ends, it is because they are filled with self and not with the Spirit of God. We who follow the Lord need to heed the words of the Wise, who has taught us,
“Trust in the LORD with all your heart,
and do not lean on your own understanding.
In all your ways acknowledge him,
and he will make straight your paths.”
[PROVERBS 3:5-6]
Ultimately, we know that the secrets of the heart will be revealed. God has told us, “The word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart. And no creature is hidden from his sight, but all are naked and exposed to the eyes of him to whom we must give account” [HEBREWS 4:12-13]. Because this is true, we can be certain that those who have deceived others will be exposed as the deceivers they are. Nevertheless, until God holds the wicked to account, we know that these deceivers, these false teachers, these surreptitious sneaks can cause much harm. Through their deceitful lies they will discourage some. Others will be turned aside from pursuing righteousness. Still others will be kept from coming to faith in the Son of God. And all this evil will result because the people of God tolerate just a little bit of error.
Therefore, the elder of the congregation is charged to watch over the flock, exposing error and holding the wicked to account. This is the command of the Lord when He charges through His servant, “I charge you in the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who is to judge the living and the dead, and by his appearing and his kingdom: preach the word; be ready in season and out of season; reprove, rebuke, and exhort, with complete patience and teaching. For the time is coming when people will not endure sound teaching, but having itching ears they will accumulate for themselves teachers to suit their own passions, and will turn away from listening to the truth and wander off into myths. As for you, always be sober-minded, endure suffering, do the work of an evangelist, fulfill your ministry” [2 TIMOTHY 4:1-5].
And the minister of Christ can be assured that if he fulfils the ministry to which he was appointed, that the Lord will hold to account those that would harm the flock. Christ has promised to watch over His flock, holding wicked people to account. The Lord has encouraged us through the words Peter wrote, testifying, “The Lord knows how to rescue the godly from trials, and to keep the unrighteous under punishment until the day of judgment” [2 PETER 2:9].
Above all else, the twice born child of God can be assured that the Judge of all, the One Who shall hold these wicked people to account, is just. His judgement is righteous, for He shall reveal the secrets of the heart so that the false teachers, as is also true of all the lost who shall be judged, have no excuse for their perfidy. What the lost soul is serves as the basis for Christ’s judgement. It does not matter what the lost claim to have believed, all that will matter is what they are. And what the lost are now can be changed if they will but turn to Christ, receiving His sacrifice for their sin, even now.
GOD’S WILL — “As I hear, I judge, and my judgment is just, because I seek not my own will but the will of him who sent me” [JOHN 5:30]. In our text we witness Jesus establish the basis for His judgement. Consequently, His statement defines what is required for judgement to be accurate even in this life. His judgement is based on God’s will!
We are created beings living in a universe created by the Word of the Lord God. Because we are created, and not an accident of time and chance, we are accountable to Him Who gives us our being. Therefore, if I am accountable to the Creator, I cannot presume that my will supersedes His will for me. And the will of the Lord is not oppressive or odious; it is good and proper. Listen to a few statements concerning the will of the Lord.
We are taught, “Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect” [ROMANS 12:2]. This is not a wish; this is a command! If I imagine that I can impose my will on my life, ignoring what the will of the Lord is, then I must know that I am exposing myself to judgement.
Again, the Word of God assures us, “This is the will of God, your sanctification” [1 THESSALONIANS 4:3]. If I am unconcerned about holiness, then it reveals that I am not controlled by the Spirit of Christ dwelling in me.
And yet once more we are taught, “This is the will of God, that by doing good you should put to silence the ignorance of foolish people” [1 PETER 2:15]. In our contemporary world, we Christians are often more concerned with what others think of us than we are concerned with whether we are doing what God wills! Thus, the censure of the lost carries more weight than does knowing and doing the will of God.
God’s will is that we should be holy, that we should seek out what is good and well-pleasing and perfect, embracing these qualities so that we glorify Him. God’s will is that we will live in such a way that though the wicked speak ill of us, their words will be demonstrated to be without merit. And what is too often forgotten is that you and I haven’t sufficient strength to do the will of God our Creator. We need the power of God’s Spirit living in us if we are to do the will of God.
Here is the point that we must not neglect—we shall all appear either before the Judgement Seat of Christ or before the Great White Throne. Either we will appear before Christ so that the perfection of His work in us will be revealed, or we will find ourselves appearing in that great assize where we shall hear the awful pronouncement that condemns us to eternal darkness. And the decision of which judgement we receive is determined now. Either we receive the sacrifice provided by the holy Son of God, trusting Him as our Saviour, or we delude ourselves by thinking that we aren’t that bad. If we imagine that our supposed goodness is sufficient to deliver us from eternal condemnation, we deceive ourselves and we are without hope in the world. We need a Saviour. We need One Who can make us what we were created to be. And that One is Jesus, the holy Son of God.
The Word of God promises us, “If you declare with your mouth that Jesus is Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For one believes with his heart and is justified, and declares with his mouth and is saved” [ROMANS 10:9-10 ISV].
Call on the Risen Christ as Master over your life. Scripture promises each one, “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved” [ROMANS 10:13]. I pray you will receive Christ as Master today. Amen.
[1] Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations are from The Holy Bible: English Standard Version. Wheaton: Standard Bible Society, 2016. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
