Tag Archives: judgment

FOUNDATION STONES – 11

Christian Life, ,

TAKE THE LONG LOOK

Hebrews 9:27 NIV
[27] “Just as people are destined to die once, and after that to face judgment…”

Here is a stone we may not like but it is one that we must include in our selection of foundation stones.

Why?

A tightrope walker crossing a chasm must be conscious of the danger of losing his balance. So also, every child of God, walking the tightrope of truth (who is Jesus), must be aware of the chasm of eternal judgment that we are crossing. If we forget about the danger of falling from faith in Him, we will forget the consequences of unbelief and disobedience.

The fear of falling should never be the motive for remaining faithful to Jesus but rather the signpost that guides us to a glorious future and a reminder of the grace and mercy of God that allows us to cross the chasm.

Whenever I read this warning note in Hebrews, I rest in the next statement which forms the whole truth.

Hebrews 9:28 NIV
[28] “… so Christ was sacrificed once to take away the sins of many; and he will appear a second time, not to bear sin, but to bring salvation to those who are waiting for him.”

Yes, judgment is real because our God is holy, righteous and just. He must deal with all people, obedient or disobedient, to be true to Himself. Yes, hell is real, the place of eternal punishment for those who refuse to obey the gospel. Yes, God will also punish those who have persecuted His people. We know that His holy character demands retribution for all wrongdoing.

To the Thessalonian believers who were suffering for their faith, Paul wrote,

2 Thessalonians 1:6-10 NIV
[6] “God is just: He will pay back trouble to those who trouble you [7] and give relief to you who are troubled, and to us as well. This will happen when the Lord Jesus is revealed from heaven in blazing fire with his powerful angels. [8] He will punish those who do not know God and do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus. [9] They will be punished with everlasting destruction and shut out from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of his might [10] on the day he comes to be glorified in his holy people and to be marveled at among all those who have believed. This includes you, because you believed our testimony to you.”

How important it is for us, then, who have chosen to walk the tightrope of obedience to Jesus, that we stay on course by keeping in mind the dire consequences of falling. How thankful we are that we are safe and secure because of the one who died for us and lives in us by His Spirit to guide us safely to our destination. What a motivation to warn others of the cisrquences of unbelief!

This stone, together with all the stones in the foundation that is strong enough to hold our lives as we build on them, will be a steadying influence as we navigate through a dangerous world to our heavenly home. We need both the promises and warnings to provide hope and security that we will safely arrive at our destination.

GOD’S HOUSEHOLD TO BE JUDGED? – 11

Christian Life, ,

1 Peter 4:16-17 NLT‬
[16]”But it is no shame to suffer for being a Christian. Praise God for the privilege of being called by his name! [17] For the time has come for judgment, and it must begin with God’s household. And if judgment begins with us, what terrible fate awaits those who have never obeyed God’s Good News?”

Judgment? What is Peter talking about? I thought that God’s children will never come under God’s judgment. Yes…and no!

Yes, the Bible is clear that those who believe in Jesus will not be judged.

‭John 3:18 NLT‬
[18] “There is no judgment against anyone who believes in him. But anyone who does not believe in him has already been judged for not believing in God’s one and only Son.”

‭Romans 8:1 NLT‬
[1]” So now there is no condemnation for those who belong to Christ Jesus.”

However, there is a fearsome judgment for unbelievers.

‭2 Thessalonians 1:7-8 NLT‬
[7] “And God will provide rest for you who are being persecuted and also for us when the Lord Jesus appears from heaven. He will come with his mighty angels, [8] in flaming fire, bringing judgment on those who don’t know God and on those who refuse to obey the Good News of our Lord Jesus.”

The Bible does not say that unbelievers will be judged on their behaviour but on their refusal to obey the gospel. All sinful behaviour flows from unbelief and disobedience. It’s the heart, not behaviour, that brings the judgement of God.

‭Jeremiah 17:9 NLT‬
[9] “The human heart is the most deceitful of all things, and desperately wicked. Who really knows how bad it is?”

So, here’s our gem for today. We may not like this one – perhaps it’s a black pearl! However, we need to examine it because we will discover its beauty when we understand its worth.

Unlike unbelievers who will be judged for their unbelief, believers will be judged for their words and actions. Why? Jesus said that what we say and do are the fruit of what is in our hearts.

‭Matthew 7:17, 20 NLT‬
[17] “A good tree produces good fruit, and a bad tree produces bad fruit….
[20] Yes, just as you can identify a tree by its fruit, so you can identify people by their actions.”

Imagine if God had never warned us in His Word that He will also judge the members of His household! What if we blissfully enter heaven thinking we will participate in all its glories and blessings only to find that we disqualify because we failed to read the small print.

This DOES NOT MEAN that our good works will get us to heaven. Let’s put that one to rest once and for all time. We are saved by grace and grace alone.

‭Ephesians 2:8-9 NLT‬
[8] “God saved you by his grace when you believed. And you can’t take credit for this; it is a gift from God. [9] Salvation is not a reward for the good things we have done, so none of us can boast about it.”

However, salvation has a powerful effect on every true believer’s life.

‭Ephesians 2:10 NLT‬
[10] “For we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago.“

Our changed lives should and must produce changed behaviour.

‭James 1:23-24 NLT‬
[23] “For if you listen to the word and don’t obey, it is like glancing at your face in a mirror. [24] You see yourself, walk away, and forget what you look like.”

‭James 2:14, 17 NLT‬
[14] “What good is it, dear brothers and sisters, if you say you have faith but don’t show it by your actions? Can that kind of faith save anyone?…
[17]” So you see, faith by itself isn’t enough. Unless it produces good deeds, it is dead and useless.”

So, faith that doesn’t produce a changed heart… from selfishness to self-less service… isn’t real faith.

‭James 2:19 NLT‬
[19] “You say you have faith, for you believe that there is one God. Good for you! Even the demons believe this, and they tremble in terror.”

‭James 2:21-22, 24 NLT‬
[21] “Don’t you remember that our ancestor Abraham was shown to be right with God by his actions when he offered his son Isaac on the altar? [22] You see, his faith and his actions worked together. His actions made his faith complete…
[24] So you see, we are shown to be right with God by what we do, not by faith alone.”

What are the good works that God has prepared for us to do? There are so many examples of an array of good works that it is difficult to categorise them. Let’s put them all together under the category of ‘fruit’ since fruit is the result of the root.

If we are rooted in Jesus, our fruit will identify our root. Paul gives us the nine-flavoured fruit which epitomises our three-way relationships, i.e., our relationship with God, with others and, strangely enough, with ourselves.

‭Galatians 5:22-23 NLT‬
[22] “But the Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, [23] gentleness, and self-control. There is no law against these things!”

  1. Love, joy, peace

Since Jesus left us the legacy of His own nature, when we remain in Him, we respond to that legacy by the love, joy, and peace in our own hearts as we fellowship with the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit moment by moment. We will become aware of any disturbance in our fellowship when we lose the awareness of His love, joy, and peace inside us.

  1. Patience, kindness, goodness

These are the evidence of our roots in Jesus that we show to the people we connect with around us. Whatever we do that is flavoured with Jesus’ character shows the nature of the tree. To confess to be a believer and to treat others harshly and unkindly, negates our confession.

  1. Faithfulness, meekness, self-control

Jesus counted these qualities in us of great importance. FAITHFULNESS to who we are and what we have been called to do is the fruit that prepares us for the ‘crown of righteousness’ that Paul eagerly anticipated. Even as he urged Timothy to be faithful…

‭2 Timothy 4:1-2, 5, 7-8 NLT‬
[1] “I solemnly urge you in the presence of God and Christ Jesus, who will someday judge the living and the dead when he comes to set up his Kingdom: [2] Preach the word of God. Be prepared, whether the time is favorable or not. Patiently correct, rebuke, and encourage your people with good teaching…
[5] But you should keep a clear mind in every situation. Don’t be afraid of suffering for the Lord. Work at telling others the Good News, and fully carry out the ministry God has given you.”

So he testified to his own hope…

[7] “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, and I have remained faithful. [8] And now the prize awaits me—the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will give me on the day of his return. And the prize is not just for me but for all who eagerly look forward to his appearing.”

MEEKNESS is the fruit of God’s patient work in us. Through many trials and tests, He has collapsed and tamed our rebellious hearts and brought them under His control to do His will by His grace. Meekness submits to authority under God on every level.

SELF-CONTROL is the most difficult fruit to grow. Self-control is the one flavour of our fruit that tames and overcomes our ungodly desires and allows our new nature to develop and flourish. Unless we choose to submit to the Holy Spirit’s leading throughout every day, we will lose the battle to live as overcomers. We will ignore God’s grace and give way to self. Our fruit will become unpalatable and there will be no glory to God.

There is one more consideration as we examine the judgment of believers… the tongue. God will judge our behaviour by examining our hearts. God knows what is in our hearts.

‭Jeremiah 17:10 NLT‬
[10] “But I, the Lord, search all hearts and examine secret motives. I give all people their due rewards, according to what their actions deserve.”

However, how can we know what is in our hearts? Jesus said that our words and actions which flow from what is in our hearts, will tell us.

‭Luke 6:45 NLT‬
[45] “A good person produces good things from the treasury of a good heart, and an evil person produces evil things from the treasury of an evil heart. What you say flows from what is in your heart.”

As shocking as this may be to us, it will be our words that God will judge. Our words are a dead giveaway of what’s inside.

‭Proverbs 18:21 NLT‬
[21]” The tongue can bring death or life; those who love to talk will reap the consequences.”

‭Proverbs 18:21 NIV
[21] “The tongue has the power of life and death, and those who love it will eat its fruit.”

God will not need a list of offences to judge, just one charge…

‭Matthew 12:35-37 NLT‬
[35] A good person produces good things from the treasury of a good heart, and an evil person produces evil things from the treasury of an evil heart. [36] And I tell you this, you must give an account on judgment day for every idle word you speak. [37] The words you say will either acquit you or condemn you.”

The words we speak reveals all.

What we think about God comes out in our words of doubt and fear. We inadvertently expose our unbelief by what we say. How? By repeatedly rehearsing our adversities!

We show our attitude to people by our criticism, gossip, judgment – that superior attitude that Jesus hates. We fly above others, puffed up by the unspoken notion that we are better than they; we wouldn’t do what they are doing; we won’t fail like they are failing…the ‘Peter balloon’ that will bring us crashing down!

We expose our opinion about ourselves when we speak words like “I can’t… I am not… I wish I was…” and even words like “You are so clever… talented… blessed. You pray such beautiful prayers (as if God is impressed by words)…God will answer your prayers (but not mine). You are this, that, or the other thing…”

Since we speak what we think, let’s change out thinking by renewing our minds, then our hearts will think God’s thoughts and our mouths will speak God’s words.

‭Romans 12:2 NLT‬
[2] “Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God’s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect.”

Let’s pray David’s prayer with sincere hearts…

‭Psalms 139:23-24 NLT‬
[23]”Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. [24] Point out anything in me that offends you, and lead me along the path of everlasting life.”

ACCOUNTABILITY IS THE NAME OF THE GAME

Christian life, ,

Recently, I listened to a pastor, on a video clip, explain the reason for the first verse in Genesis 1. Why does the Bible start with the record of the way God brought order to a chaotic planet? Not only did He create the earth but He also prepared it for human habitation.

He lit up the planet to expose the chaos then, step by step, He restored functionality on every level. He made plants and animals and, when everything He made was “good”, functional, He fashioned a human pair to set the process of inhabiting the earth in motion under His authority.

All the details of this process point to one fact,

‭Psalms‬ ‭24:1‬ ‭NLT‬
[1] “The earth is the Lord’s, and everything in it. The world and all its people belong to him.”

Ownership! And… ownership means accountability. However much people hate, deny, and run from accountability, they can never escape the fact that everyone is answerable to God for what they do and the way they live.

The Bible is adamant that everyone must stand before God.

‭Romans‬ ‭14:11‭-‬12‬ ‭NLT‬
[11] “For the Scriptures say, “‘As surely as I live,’ says the Lord, ‘every knee will bend to me, and every tongue will declare allegiance to God.’” [12] Yes, each of us will give a personal account to God.”

‭Hebrews‬ ‭9:27‬ ‭NLT‬
[27] “And just as each person is destined to die once and after that comes judgment..”

‭Revelation‬ ‭20:11‭-‬12‬ ‭NLT‬
[11] “And I saw a great white throne and the one sitting on it. The earth and sky fled from his presence, but they found no place to hide. [12] I saw the dead, both great and small, standing before God’s throne. And the books were opened, including the Book of Life. And the dead were judged according to what they had done, as recorded in the books.”

It was Adam, the first man, who chose to reject accountability to God and strike out on his own but… his decision did not automatically cancel God’s ownership of the human race yet to come. It only heightened the guilt of all who deny their answerability to the God who made them.

On what grounds then, does God judge every person who either submits to or denies their accountability to God?

God’s right to judge is enhanced by His solution to man’s rebellion.

‭John‬ ‭3:16‬ ‭NLT‬
[16] “For this is how God loved the world: He gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life.”

By paying the debt for every person’s rebellion, the incarnate Son of God, Jesus, gives everyone who believes in Him, i.e., submits unconditionally to His supreme authority, a new beginning. Their disposition is transformed from rebel to son. They recognise and accept their accountability, live by His instructions, fix their gaze in Him, and move in the direction of eternal life.

Those who reject God’s solution and continue to express their rebellion by living in purposeful contradiction to God’s instructions, must accept the consequences.

‭John‬ ‭3:18‭-‬20‬ ‭NLT‬
[18] “There is no judgment against anyone who believes in him. But anyone who does not believe in him has already been judged for not believing in God’s one and only Son. [19] And the judgment is based on this fact: God’s light came into the world, but people loved the darkness more than the light, for their actions were evil. [20] All who do evil hate the light and refuse to go near it for fear their sins will be exposed.”

The only sin for which people will be judged is their refusal to accept accountability to Jesus, who is their judge because He paid their debt.

‭Acts of the Apostles‬ ‭17:24‭-‬26‬ ‭NLT‬
[24] “He is the God who made the world and everything in it. Since he is Lord of heaven and earth, he doesn’t live in man-made temples, [25] and human hands can’t serve his needs—for he has no needs. He himself gives life and breath to everything, and he satisfies every need. [26] From one man he created all the nations throughout the whole earth. He decided beforehand when they should rise and fall, and he determined their boundaries….
[30] “God overlooked people’s ignorance about these things in earlier times, but now he commands everyone everywhere to repent of their sins and turn to him. [31] For he has set a day for judging the world with justice by the man he has appointed, and he proved to everyone who this is by raising him from the dead.”

There is a day coming when every person will stand before Jesus, the Judge, and give an account of his/her accountability. No excuse will acquit the guilty.

The standard of God’s Word will be the measure by which people will be judged and that standard is clear and inescapable.

‭Psalms‬ ‭119:130‬ ‭NIV‬
[130] “The unfolding of your words gives light; it gives understanding to the simple.

‭1 John‬ ‭5:11‭-‬12‬ ‭NLT‬
[11]”And this is what God has testified: He has given us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. [12] Whoever has the Son has life; whoever does not have God’s Son does not have life.”

Everyone must answer the same question,

Matthew‬ ‭16:15‬ ‭NLT‬
[15].. “But who do you say I am?”

A FIRSTFRUIT OFFERING

Bible Study, ,

A FIRSTFRUIT OFFERING

“The crowd that was there and heard it said it thundered; others said an angel had spoken to Him. Jesus said, ‘This voice was for your benefit, not mine. Now is the time for judgment on this world; now the prince of this world will be driven out. And I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all people to myself. He said this to show the kind of death He was going to die.” John 12:29-33.

The Jewish Feasts are a symbolic display of Messianic history. Leviticus 23 records God’s instruction for the celebration of eight feasts every year, one weekly, three spring, one summer and three autumn festivals, all at set times. They were also connected to the annual harvest and the celebration of God’s goodness in providing for their physical needs. According to the ancient rabbis, Messiah would fulfil each feast in turn at His first and second comings.

Sabbath was the weekly feast which had a twofold purpose; it was a reminder that God rested after the completion of His great work of creation, and the gift of a day of rest to remind His people that they were human “beings”, not human “doings”.

Passover celebrated God’s deliverance of His people from slavery in Egypt. They were protected from the angel of death who “passed over” the land, killing the firstborn in every household that was not protected by the blood of a lamb on the door frames of their houses.

The Feasts of Passover, Unleavened Bread and Firstfruits all took place over a period of eight days, symbolizing deliverance from slavery to sin, removal of sin symbolized by removing all yeast from their homes, and the gathering in of the firstfruits of the harvest. Pentecost took place fifty days after Passover and was a celebration of the ingathering of the completed harvest.

It was to the fulfilment of the Feast of Firsfruits to which Jesus was referring when He spoke of being “lifted up”. He would be lifted up on a cross to die as an offering of atonement for the sin of the world at three o’clock in the afternoon; the very moment when the high priest lifted the knife to kill the first Passover Lamb. His death would not only atone for the sin of all mankind; it would also remove sin’s impurity and uncleanness like the removal of leaven from the camp.

Just as the firstborn son in every Jewish family and the firstborn of all the flocks and herds belonged to God, so the firstfruits of the harvest were His and were to be offered to Him in a prescribed manner. They were to be “lifted up” to God as an offering – terumah – and placed in the hands of the high priest to feed him and his family. This terumah sanctified the rest of the harvest and ensured God’s blessing on the crop.

Just as Jesus fulfilled Passover and Unleavened Bread, so He fulfilled the Festival of Firstfuits. He offered Himself as a terumah by being “lifted up” on the cross and by placing Himself into the hands of His Father — His “high priest” — since, for Jesus, there was no one higher than God.

“It was now about noon, and darkness came over the whole land until three in the afternoon, for the sun stopped shining. And the curtain of the temple was torn in two. Jesus called out with a loud voice, ‘Father, into your hands I commit my spirit.’ When He had said this, He breathed His last.” Luke 23:44-46 NIV.

The Apostle Paul explains the significance of this terumah in his magnificent exposition of the resurrection.

“But Christ has indeed been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep. For since death came through a man, the resurrection came also through a man. For as in Adam all die, so in Christ all will be made alive. But each in turn; Christ, the firstfruits; then, when He comes, those who belong to Him.” 1 Corinthians 15:20-23 NIV.

Because Jesus gave Himself both as an offering of atonement and a terumah, His resurrection guarantees both the removal of sin and the full harvest of those who are in him and will rise again.  Our hope of resurrection lies in His resurrection because the Father placed His seal of approval on Jesus’ offering by raising Him from the dead. Because we are “in Him”, we shall rise again when He returns to claim His kingdom.

Hallelujah!

Acknowledgement

Scripture taken from THE HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®, NIV® Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.

ONE LIKE US

Bible Study, ,

ONE LIKE US

“‘By myself I can do nothing; I judge only as I hear, and my judgment is just, for I seek not to please myself but only Him who sent me. If I testify about myself, my testimony is not true. There is another who testifies in my favour and I know that His testimony about me is true. You have sent to John and he has testified to the truth. Not that I accept human testimony but I mention it that you may be saved. John was a lamp that burned and gave light, and you chose for a time to enjoy his light.'” John 5:30-35 (NIV).

In a single sentence Jesus clears up a misunderstanding that many make about Him. “‘By myself I can do nothing.'” Although He was the Son of God and God in the flesh, He chose to lay aside all the privileges of deity and live on earth as an ordinary man with no power to do anything except through the power of the Holy Spirit. Why did He do that?

He came in the likeness of the first Adam, equipped with the same Holy Spirit who indwelt Adam and with the same potential to fail as Adam had. He faced the same temptations as Adam did and risked the same fate as Adam did, but where Adam sinned by choosing independence from God, Jesus did not.

He chose to live His earthly life in union with the Father and in submission and obedience to Him out of loving reverence for Him. It was not because He was God that He did the things He did; it was because He listened to the Father and did what He was commanded to do. On one occasion He was accused of casting out demons in the name of Beelzebub. His response was “If it is by the Spirit of God that I drive out demons, then the kingdom of God has come upon you.” Matthew 12:28 (NIV).

His union and fellowship with the Father was so close that the very works He did were a testimony to His origin. He was sent by the Father and it was His purpose to do everything the Father told Him in order to please Him and to fulfil His will.

John bore testimony to Jesus because God revealed to him that the One on whom the Spirit descended was the Messiah. Although his testimony was true and valid, it was the testimony of the Father spoken at His baptism, “You are my Son, whom I love; with you I am well pleased,”(Mark 1:11b), together with the witness of His works that were the evidence of His true identity as the Son of God.

Truth in a Jewish court of law was established by the evidence of two or three witnesses whose testimony had to agree. Jesus had the undeniable truth from the evidence of the Father’s testimony about Him and the testimony of those who had been healed through His miracles, and yet the religious leaders refused to accept their testimony and believe the truth.

It was not the evidence that was lacking but the prejudice of those who refused to believe the evidence that produced the on-going conflict that eventually led to Jesus’ violent and untimely death. It was not Jesus who was put on trial but His accusers for refusing to weigh up the evidence honestly and arrive at the truth.

He was the Son of God and His power came from God in response to His obedience, which qualified him to be the representative of the human race and to die in the place of those who had failed to live in obedience to the Father. He was the perfect substitute and sacrifice for the whole human race and His death paid the debt we owed the Father for our disobedience and failure to live as sons and daughters of God.

The only way in which we can ever be reconciled to the Father and restored to our place in the family of God is to acknowledge that we owe Him a great debt for our rebellion and to accept the payment of our debt by our elder brother. Jesus took our place so that we can be received back into God’s family as beloved sons and daughters.

Although He paid the debt for the world’s sin, it is only those who respond in faith and obedience who can enjoy all the benefits of being in God’s family.

Acknowledgement

Scripture taken from THE HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®, NIV® Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.