INTRODUCTION
Welcome back this morning as we start our 13th week of our foundations for faith series. Today we're going to talk about the final judgment or rather their final judgments.
Judgment is not a popular subject today. So often we hear others yelling back that Christians shouldn't judge others. There is a clinical approach in psychotherapy That became popular under the work of Carl Rogers in his humanistic theory of counseling called unconditional positive regard in other words taking a nod judgmental approach to the person that is before you.
Humans don't want to be judged and yet there will be a time when every single person living and dead will sit in the judgment seat to be judged by the almighty. Throughout history the pendulum has swung in preaching away from preaching Hellfire and brimstone to a more sentimental reading of scripture and while I don't feel that we need to be focusing on the fear of God there should still be a healthy fear or respect for the almighty.
John’s 1 letter to the early church emphasized that God is Love, listen to what he writes in 1 John 4:18
Such love has no fear, because perfect love expels all fear. If we are afraid, it is for fear of punishment, and this shows that we have not fully experienced his perfect love.
Nevertheless it was the same John that talked about the final judgments of God that all mankind would face. I believe what he is saying in the previous verse is that when we know God and know love it expels all fear and we no longer have fear of punishment period coming to God should be out of a place of love not out of a place of punishment; however, there will still be a time when everybody is judged.
There are many differences between God's judgment meetings and our own. We have laws and abundance in America, for example: a man can break those laws and still come out innocent. An innocent person can be found guilty by a jury of their peers and that happened just a few years ago with the Fairbanks four. Injustice and perversion of a legal systems happens all the time that's why trials here can take so long period but it is not that way and the heavenly courts. That place, God is judge, jury, and author of the law. Our laws in America are constantly being reinterpreted by judges, especially the supreme courts as they look at the constitution and laws and to look at the legality of the system. But God wrote the law. He knows exactly what is right and what is wrong and who did what and when they did it and what was their motive. He doesn't need to drag out this scene. Unless his sin has been covered up by the blood of Jesus mankind is guilty and our God will make that eternally and painfully clear in a very public way.
BODY
At the end of this life all of us die. This is one of the basics of life period from the moment that we take our first breath our bodies start to decay and we inevitably creep towards death and some get there before others. And so one of the most important questions people ask themselves is what happens after death.
Some believe that they will come back in another form or another life and get to try again at this one. Some believe that there is nothing and that man simply ceases to exist. Still others believe in various forms of heaven.
But what does happen at death. Death is the separation of the spirit and the body:
John 11:11-13
Then he said, “Our friend Lazarus has fallen asleep, but now I will go and wake him up.” 12 The disciples said, “Lord, if he is sleeping, he will soon get better!”13 They thought Jesus meant Lazarus was simply sleeping, but Jesus meant Lazarus had died.
In other words Jesus was saying our friend lazareth has had a separation of his spirit and body but I'm going to go and put them back together again in this life.
Read 2 Cor 5:1-9
Death is the consequence of sin. Romans 623 calls it the wages of sin. God told Adam and Eve in genesis not to eat of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil or they would surely die. Death then is the ultimate manifestation or consequence of our sin a consequence that we will be ultimately delivered from through Jesus.
1Corinthians 15:24-26
24 After that the end will come, when he will turn the Kingdom over to God the Father, having destroyed every ruler and authority and power.25 For Christ must reign until he humbles all his enemies beneath his feet.26 And the last enemy to be destroyed is death.
And Christ has defeated death. He annulled the consequences through his victory on the cross. However until the final days have come everybody believer and unbeliever are all subject to death. The triumph of death is not final for the believer. For even though the unbelievers will be raised from life for the purpose of judgment their ultimate states will be eternal separation from God which revelation 20:14 calls the second death.
And so for all judgment will come as a time of coming accountability. Listen to what is written in Hebrews 9:27 And just as each person is destined to die once and after that comes judgment.
WE BELIEVE in the resurrection of both the saved and the lost, the one to everlasting life and the other to judgment and everlasting damnation (Matthew 25:46; Mark 9:43–48; Revelation 20:11–15).
There will be a time when all will stand before the righteous judge to give an account of what they did during their lives here on earth. The rapper Drake popularized the term Yolo in other words just live for all your passions and desires because you won't get a second chance to do the things that you want but I want to bring a new phrase to this Yolo you only get one chance to live life on earth. You don't get a second and judgment is coming. While there will be one final judgment the Bible talks about four specific episodes of judgment during the final stages of the end of days in the great final Culmination of time.
1) Judgment seat of Christ
This is the judgment for believers only. It is not judgment on sin but it is the judgment to bring about the appropriate rewards for the stewardship of the opportunities that we have been given here on earth and how we spent our days. I mentioned a few weeks ago that Jesus alluded to this judgment in his parable of the talents in Matthew 25. Paul also talks about this in several of his letters:
1 Cor 3:10-15
Paul points out that all builders are all believers will be saved but some are building out of more permanent materials such as gold silver and precious stones while others are building out of impermanent materials such as wood hay and stubble. Our deeds are going to be examined by the fire of God's judgment and our motives will be laid clear for all to see.
Doing what is right for others to see but living a life that is for our own gain here on earth doesn't do anything. That makes us like the Pharisees that Jesus despised and because God is who he is he knows our motives and whether or not there was really love behind our actions.
1st Corinthians 13:3
If I gave everything I have to the poor and even sacrificed my body, I could boast about it; but if I didn’t love others, I would have gained nothing.
There will be come a time when we sit before Christ and he sees everything and nothing can be hidden. Christians have been given the responsibility to steward the opportunities that God has given us and make the most out of the divine appointments that we have each and every day. If we are responsive to the gentle urgings of the Holy Spirit and seek daily to be the light and salt here on earth to allow Christ to move through us then we can live confidently knowing that we are stewarding well what he has given us.
2) The judgment of Israel
Isaiah 43:5-13
Romans 9:1:-5; 9:27-33 10:1-11; 11:25-30
There will be a time and we talked about this last week during the millennial reign in which God fully restores Israel but not until after the great tribulation taking place. There will be a time of great difficulty for Israel when they will finally humble themselves let go of their hard hearts and call on God.
Zec 13:1
On that day a fountain will be opened for the dynasty of David and for the people of Jerusalem, a fountain to cleanse them from all their sins and impurity.
3) Judgment of angels
Paul alludes to this and 1st Corinthians 6 three but simply saying that we Christians will judge the angels. We are to join with God in placing judgment during the millennial reign but there's not much more information given in the Bible about the judgment of angels.
Even though the Bible doesn't talk about what this judgment seat looks like it does talk about what the final punishment will be for the angels:
2 Peter 2:4
For God did not spare even the angels who sinned. He threw them into hell, in gloomy pits of darkness, where they are being held until the day of judgment.
Satan and the angels who have sinned will be judged. After Christ millennial reign Satan will be released for a short time period God probably allows this as another evidence of his justice and righteousness. It is said that it is a terrible thing to throw people into the lake of fire which was prepared not for people but for the devil and the angels it was never intended for human beings but God allows them to go there if they choose she rejects him. Satan's released to allow one final deception before he is finally thrown forever into the fiery pit. Satan's rebellion after his release ends with his followers being consumed by the fire from heaven then Satan himself is thrown into the lake of fire after the great white throne appears.
Revelation 20:7-10
4) Great White Throne (The Final Judgment)
Revelation 20:11-15
This is it. This is the final judgment where everybody is judged. The books are opened and if their name is not in the lambs book of life it doesn't matter what their deeds were they were found wanting and judge for what they did on earth. Since the righteous who take part of the first resurrection already have their new bodies which are immortal and incorruptible they are the living not the dead. Therefore the dead talked, Are all of the rest who had not yet taken part in the first resurrection to life at the time of the rapture. They are what the Bible calls the wicked dead including those that were killed after the millennial reign when they chose to follow Satan.
For this judgment, books are open wide. The wicked are judged according to what they have done. The book of life is opened and though the wicked are judged by their deeds salvation is not by works. Their works, their deeds, all the things that they did in life all the evidence points to their unbelief. In other words the book of life is open as a witness to the fact that they were not among those who placed their faith and trust in Jesus Christ. The great white throne judgment makes its final decision of the unsaved.
CONCLUSION
One of the most powerful questions to ask somebody is if they are certain of their choices. Most religions encourage and focus on living a good life here on earth full of righteous deeds. Christianity even has a certain focus of living life in a godly righteous manner.
James 2:14-25
So good works are an important part of our faith because they complete our faith but faith is still essential.
During Bible school I went to a mission trip to Panama City Beach FL during spring break and I was talking with a Buddhist on the beach. She had said to me that she was a Buddhist and strives to do everything right and have peace with the universe. And I challenged her and I asked her well according to Buddhist religion as long as I believe what I believe sincerely and I'm a good person I'll still achieve a level of Nirvana or heaven in the end. She said well yes that's true as long as you believe sincerely.
I posed the question to her well Christianity says that if you don't believe in Jesus then you're going to end up in hell. Isn't it worth trusting in Jesus if both religions emphasize Works but only one Says you must believe in Jesus.
The world calls us divisive and narrow minded but Jesus said there is only one way to the father and that is through him.
Matthew 7:13-14
13 “You can enter God’s Kingdom only through the narrow gate. The highway to hell is broad, and its gate is wide for the many who choose that way.14 But the gateway to life is very narrow and the road is difficult, and only a few ever find it.
The gateway to heaven is only through Jesus that is why it's narrow. He is the gateway.
Choose today who you will serve. In reality there are only 2 options…
When my brother was here he said to me well then why are all the other religions saying something completely different than what Jesus is saying. I responded Because Satan's a liar and he has created a lot of different ways a nice broad highway to lead people to hell and Jesus showed us there was only one way to him one way to the father one way to heaven. it's up to you
Is your name in the book of life?
May the Lord bless you and keep you.
25 May the Lord smile on you and be gracious to you.
26 May the Lord show you his favor and give you his peace.’
