Tag Archives: pass judgment

DON’T EAT FROM THE WRONG TREE – 3

Christian Life, ,

There is a third facet to this subject under discussion, an outcome far bigger than we can imagine.

Let’s go back before time. There are many references in Scripture to a class of angelic beings called “sons of God”, “princes”, “gods” and God’s “heavenly counsel”. These are created spiritual beings to whom God gave the responsibility of ruling the nations under His authority and oversight.

Deuteronomy 32:8 NLT
[8] “When the Most High assigned lands to the nations, when he divided up the human race, he established the boundaries of the peoples according to the number in his heavenly court.”

This amazing Scripture tells us that God divided the nations so that each one had a member of His “heavenly court” in charge. However, because these heavenly beings rebelled against His authority, He judged them and sentenced them to death.

Psalms 82:1-2, 6-7 NLT
[1] “God presides over heaven’s court; he pronounces judgment on the heavenly beings: [2] “How long will you hand down unjust decisions by favoring the wicked?…”

Instead of ruling the nations justly, they sided with ungodly earthly rulers, oppressing the poor and ruling unjustly.

Psalms 82:3-5 NLT
[3] “Give justice to the poor and the orphan; uphold the rights of the oppressed and the destitute. [4] Rescue the poor and helpless; deliver them from the grasp of evil people. [5] But these oppressors know nothing; they are so ignorant! They wander about in darkness, while the whole world is shaken to the core.”

So God sentenced them to death just like the humans who rebelled.

Psamn 82:6-7 NLT
[6]”I say, ‘You are gods; you are all children of the Most High. [7] But you will die like mere mortals and fall like every other ruler.’”

In the New Testament, these fallen rulers are called “principalities and powers” headed by a senior angel, Satan, “the god of this world”. They oppose God and control and influence the ungodly world systems characterised by greed and wickedness.

Since Satan operates on earth, he falsely claims ownership of the world. He applies this lie by deceiving people through his minions, the rebellious principalities and powers whom God originally appointed to govern the nations.

However,

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

God appointed His humans to rule over the earth.

Psalms 115:16 NLT
[16] “The heavens belong to the Lord, but he has given the earth to all humanity.”

God created and appointed a new race of beings to replace the “gods” who were condemned to death. This race of humans lives on the earth. Satan deceived the first man, Adam, bringing the whole race under judgment and condemned to death… but God intervened.

God rescued mankind through the death of His Son and set some of them apart to be His new “heavenly council”, preparing them during their life on earth for their role as rulers with Jesus in His eternal kingdom.

Daniel saw this future event in a vision…

Daniel 7:9-10, 13-14 NLT
[9] “I watched as thrones were put in place and the Ancient One sat down to judge. His clothing was as white as snow, his hair like purest wool. He sat on a fiery throne with wheels of blazing fire, [10] and a river of fire was pouring out, flowing from his presence. Millions of angels ministered to him; many millions stood to attend him. Then the court began its session, and the books were opened….
[13] As my vision continued that night, I saw someone like a son of man coming with the clouds of heaven. He approached the Ancient One and was led into his presence. [14] He was given authority, honor, and sovereignty over all the nations of the world, so that people of every race and nation and language would obey him. His rule is eternal—it will never end. His kingdom will never be destroyed.”

This “Son of Man”, a Messianic title, refers to Jesus in His earthly ministry as God’s Messiah. God rewarded Him for His role on earth by giving Him the title and role of ruler over the nations.

Psalms 2:2, 4-6 NLT
[2] “The kings of the earth prepare for battle; the rulers plot together against the Lord and against his anointed one…
[4] But the one who rules in heaven laughs. The Lord scoffs at them. [5] Then in anger he rebukes them, terrifying them with his fierce fury. [6] For the Lord declares, “I have placed my chosen king on the throne in Jerusalem, on my holy mountain.”

Then something amazing happens.

Daniel 7:15-18, 26-27 NLT
[15] I, Daniel, was troubled by all I had seen, and my visions terrified me. [16] So I approached one of those standing beside the throne and asked him what it all meant. He explained it to me like this: [17] “These four huge beasts represent four kingdoms that will arise from the earth. [18] But in the end, the holy people of the Most High will be given the kingdom, and they will rule forever and ever.”…

Daniel questions one of God’s close attendants regarding the power and fate of the fourth kingdom in his vision.

[26] “But then the court will pass judgment, and all his power will be taken away and completely destroyed. [27] Then the sovereignty, power, and greatness of all the kingdoms under heaven will be given to the holy people of the Most High. His kingdom will last forever, and all rulers will serve and obey him.”

God’s plan is to prepare His people, redeemed from sin and its consequences, to reign with Jesus when He returns to set up His eternal kingdom.

Revelation 1:5-6 NLT
[5]”Jesus Christ… He is the faithful witness to these things, the first to rise from the dead, and the ruler of all the kings of the world. All glory to him who loves us and has freed us from our sins by shedding his blood for us. [6] He has made us a Kingdom of priests for God his Father. All glory and power to him forever and ever! Amen.”

Revelation 5:9-10 NLT
[9]”And they sang a new song with these words: “You are worthy to take the scroll and break its seals and open it. For you were slaughtered, and your blood has ransomed people for God from every tribe and language and people and nation. [10] And you have caused them to become a Kingdom of priests for our God. And they will reign on the earth.”

2 Timothy 2:11-12 NLT
[11]”This is a trustworthy saying: If we die with him, we will also live with him. [12] If we endure hardship, we will reign with him….”

So, Paul reminds his Corinthian readers that they were serving an apprenticeship on earth. He rebuked them for taking one another to secular court to solve their squabbles.

1 Corinthians 6:1-3 NLT
[1]” When one of you has a dispute with another believer, how dare you file a lawsuit and ask a secular court to decide the matter instead of taking it to other believers! [2] Don’t you realize that some day we believers will judge the world? And since you are going to judge the world, can’t you decide even these little things among yourselves? [3] Don’t you realize that we will judge angels? So you should surely be able to resolve ordinary disputes in this life.”

The issue is…in this life, believers are to learn

  1. To rule over their old sinful nature by submitting to God’s rule over them through the Holy Spirit.

Romans 5:17 NLT
[17]” For the sin of this one man, Adam, caused death to rule over many. But even greater is God’s wonderful grace and his gift of righteousness, for all who receive it will live in triumph over sin and death through this one man, Jesus Christ.”

  1. To love one another because love is the law of the kingdom of God.

James 2:8 NLT
[8]” Yes indeed, it is good when you obey the royal law as found in the Scriptures: “Love your neighbor as yourself.”

Romans 13:8, 10 NLT
[8]”Owe nothing to anyone—except for your obligation to love one another. If you love your neighbor, you will fulfill the requirements of God’s law….
[10] Love does no wrong to others, so love fulfills the requirements of God’s law.”

  1. To live in harmony with one another, settling issues within the church family.

Romans 12:16-18 NLT
[16]”Live in harmony with each other. Don’t be too proud to enjoy the company of ordinary people. And don’t think you know it all! [17] Never pay back evil with more evil. Do things in such a way that everyone can see you are honorable. [18] Do all that you can to live in peace with everyone.”

Believers can only learn to live according to God’s requirements when they live in the kingdom of the “tree of life”. We have died to self through our union with Jesus. Now we must learn to live by the power of His Spirit in us through the choices we make.

Galatians 5:16 NLT
[16] “So I say, let the Holy Spirit guide your lives. Then you won’t be doing what your sinful nature craves.”

Romans 8:12-14 NLT
[12] “Therefore, dear brothers and sisters, you have no obligation to do what your sinful nature urges you to do. [13] For if you live by its dictates, you will die. But if through the power of the Spirit you put to death the deeds of your sinful nature, you will live. [14] For all who are led by the Spirit of God are children of God.”

In conclusion, let’s look at the bigger picture. God has replaced the spirit beings, called “the sons of God”, who were to rule over the nations but rebelled, with another race of human “sons”, made in His image, redeemed from sin, to rule over the nations forever with Jesus, on His return.

This “heavenly council” will replace the fallen spirit beings who have been sentenced to death along with fallen humans. They serve an apprenticeship during their earthly life by living under God’s authority in preparation for their role in eternity.

This is God’s plan which He is carrying out now but…it involves a partnership between believers and God. Unless we participate by obedience to His will, believers will be disqualified from participation in our kingdom role.

Galatians 5:17, 21 NLT
[17] “The sinful nature wants to do evil, which is just the opposite of what the Spirit wants. And the Spirit gives us desires that are the opposite of what the sinful nature desires. These two forces are constantly fighting each other, so you are not free to carry out your good intentions…
[21]…envy, drunkenness, wild parties, and other sins like these. Let me tell you again, as I have before, that anyone living that sort of life will not inherit the Kingdom of God.”

So, the Bible urges us,” Choose life!” since this is the only way to live now and to secure our position and role with Jesus in His eternal kingdom.

Concluded

DID YOU KNOW (6)…THAT YOU CHOOSE THE MEASURE OF YOUR GAIN OR LOSS

Christian Life, ,

DID YOU KNOW (6)

…THAT YOU CHOOSE THE MEASURE OF YOUR GAIN OR LOSS

Human beings have this crazy idea that it is okay to have two standards of judgment, one for ourselves which is lenient and another for other people which is based on the standard we set for ourselves but is very strict. We let ourselves off on the basis that we are “only human” or that we are not responsible; it is someone else’s fault that we said or did this or that or that we are this way, that is, we are angry, miserable, frustrated or whatever. We judge others because they did not measure up to the standard we set for ourselves.

The Apostle Paul understood human nature.

You, therefore, have no excuse, you who pass judgment on someone else, for at whatever point you judge the other, you are condemning yourself because you who pass judgment do the same things (Rom.2:1).

Now we have to ask: How fair is that?

God is absolutely just and fair. He has a simple solution for our foolish injustice. He has determined that we set the measure of justice we receive from Him by the way we treat others. Jesus put it like this:

Do not judge or you too will be judged. For in the same way as you judge others, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you (Matt. 7:1-2).

If we think that we have the right to set the standard and to judge others for their wrongdoing, we must not forget that we are automatically passing judgment on ourselves as well, and that the punishment we inflict on others will come straight back to us.  

As soon as the word left the king’s mouth, they covered Haman’s face. Then Harbona, one of the eunuchs attending the king, said, “A gallows seventy-five feet high stands by Haman’s house. He made it for Mordacai who spoke up to help the king. The king said, “Hang him on it!” So they hanged Haman on the gallows he had prepared for Mordacai. Then the king’s fury subsided (Esth. 7:8b-10).

God’s just measure applies in othersituations as well. I found a significant one at the end of Jesus’ story about the sower and the seed, and His explanation of the parable to His disciples. They asked Him why He taught in parables. He gave them a curious answer.

He told them, “The secret of the kingdom of God has been given to you. But to those on the outside, everything is said in parables so that,

‘they may be ever seeing but never perceiving, and ever hearing but never understanding; otherwise they might turn and be forgiven!’” (Mark 4:11-12).   

Why would Jesus not want them to believe? He was quoting from Isa 6:9-10. God commissioned Isaiah to go and preach to His people to harden their hearts because they had already chosen to ignore His word and disobey His instructions. Isaiah would continue to give them God’s instructions until their disobedience made them ripe for judgment. They had already chosen their course and its outcome. Isaiah’s message would harden their hearts until they were carried into captivity. Through their suffering, some would finally return to the Lord. 

By teaching the people in parables, Jesus was doing what Isaiah had done in the past. Only those who had a heart to believe and receive His Word would gain understanding from His teaching.

However, there was an equally serious warning for those who chose to listen to Him.

“Consider carefully what you hear,” He continued. “With the measure you use, it will be measured to you – and even more. Whoever has will be given more; whoever does not have, even what he has will be taken from him (Mark 4:24-25).

Did you get the gist of Jesus’ words? What we choose to do with God’s Word will determine whether we gain more than what we have now or lose what little we have. We can never remain neutral to the Word of God. Every time we choose to ignore what we have read or heard, we lose more of our ability to understand and respond. If we keep ignoring what God wants of us, we will eventually be so immune to His Word that we will be unable to hear or understand it.

There is also another side to the measure we choose to use. God responds to our generosity with a deluge of blessing. That’s the kind of God He is. He uses the strict measure of our choices to dispense consequences, but He give back to us in immeasurable bounty when we act out of love towards those in need. Consider this promise:

Give and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over, will be poured into your lap. For with the measure you use, it will be measured to you (Luke 6:38).

This verse does not only relate to material things; it relates also to the measure of love, time, care and forgiveness we extend to others. The more we pour ourselves into the lives of others, the more God pours His love and grace into us. How much better to use a huge measure of love and kindness in our attitude and interaction with others than to judge or condemn because we can never out-give God.   

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

“WE ARE NOT LIKE THEM!”

Bible Study, ,

“WE ARE NOT LIKE THEM!”

“You, therefore, have no excuse, you who pass judgment on someone else for, at whatever point you judge another, you are condemning yourself because you who pass judgment do the same things. Now we know that God’s judgment against those who do such things is based on truth. So when you, a mere human being, pass judgment on them and yet do the same things, do you think you will escape God’s judgment? Or do you show contempt for the riches of His kindness, forbearance and patience, not realising that God’s kindness is intended to lead you to repentance? But because of your stubbornness and your unrepentant heart, you are storing up wrath against the day of God’s wrath, when His righteous judgment will be revealed.” Romans 2:1-5.

So, who is Paul talking to now? Again, he highlighted people’s behaviour, not their clan or category. His words can apply to anyone in any religious group who acts like this.

The first group of people he indicted was the group who refused to acknowledge the true God. Instead, they created gods for themselves who would sanction their evil behaviour because their gods were just like them regardless of what they looked like. They were religious alright, but their “religion” was invented to suit them.

The second group was equally religious, but this lot, (obviously the Jews), claimed to worship God. The problem this time was not so much who they worshipped but what they thought and said about the idolaters. “We are not like them. We don’t worship idols. We worship the one true God.” They had had their experience of idolatry. It cost them their land, their temple and the indignity and suffering of exile in Babylon for almost two generations. They were fiercely loyal to their God, to a fault.

However, they were so contemptuous of non-Jews that they would have nothing to do with them. They regarded them in the same category as dogs simply because they were not Jews. Jesus came in for a great deal of criticism because He refused to bow to their arrogant attitudes. He interacted with anyone who had a need and anyone who came to Him.

“But, wait a minute,” said Paul. “You who are so contemptuous of idol-worshippers and sexually promiscuous people, what is your behaviour like behind closed doors?” They were quick to point fingers at others, but three fingers were pointing back at them. Even if they were not worshipping idols in public, they were guilty of a far worse form of idolatry – they worshipped themselves. They had set themselves up as the standard for right and wrong. They measured themselves against themselves and found themselves not guilty and everyone else guilty.

Once again, just like the idol worshippers whom they so despise, people who practise religion, that is, any belief system that attempts to reach the deity by self-effort, be it God or any god invented by human imagination, are equally guilty of failing to acknowledge God or give thanks to Him. Instead, they acknowledge themselves and set up their own system of so-called worship, using rules and ritual to reach their god.

Even believers in Jesus can be guilty of this form of idolatry. This was the issue Paul battled in his letter to the Galatians upon which Romans is based. The Judaisers were adding their bit to the good news about Jesus. His sacrificial death was not enough to save Gentiles, so they said. Gentiles needed to be circumcised to gain entry to Judaism first. Jesus plus! They thought they knew better than God.

“Jesus plus” is still being peddled today; Jesus plus the baptism of the Holy Spirit; Jesus plus tongues; Jesus plus baptism; Jesus plus good works; Jesus plus self-inflicted punishment; Jesus plus discipline, etc. None of these extras add to the efficacy of His death to rescue and redeem guilty sinners.

The problem with those who treat offenders with contempt and judge them by their standards is that their heart attitude is far more heinous in God’s eyes than the things they judge in others. It was pride that brought Lucifer down. Pride excludes people from grace. Pride blinds our eyes to the goodness of God, the very thing that should bring us to repentance.

Strangely enough, accusation and condemnation do not bring us to repentance. They only drive us into guilt or defensiveness. It is the kindness and mercy of God towards us that makes us change our mind about Him and draws us to Him. There is only wrath for us until we realise just how good God really is.

Acknowledgement

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