Heb 9:27 “And inasmuch as it is appointed for men to die once and after this {comes}judgment,”
- Ps 37:38 But transgressors will be altogether destroyed; The posterity of the wicked will be cut off.
- John 3:16 ¶ "For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life.
- Rom 2:5,6 But because of your stubbornness and unrepentant heart you are storing up wrath for yourself in the day of wrath and revelation of the righteous judgment of God,who WILL RENDER TO EACH PERSON ACCORDING TO HIS DEEDS:
God’s wrath is your choice- The choice has consequences. If you disobey the Lord, God’s wrath is your choice.
- Mal 3:6 "For I, the LORD, do not change; therefore you, O sons of Jacob, are not consume
- James 4:17 Therefore, to one who knows {the} right thing to do and does not do it, to him it is sin.
- James 3:1 Let not many {of you} become teachers, my brethren, knowing that as such we will incur a stricter judgment.
- Gen 3:14-19 The LORD God said to the serpent, "Because you have done this, Cursed are you more than all cattle, And more than every beast of the field; On your belly you will go, And dust you will eat All the days of your life; And I will put enmity Between you and the woman, And between your seed and her seed; He shall bruise you on the head, And you shall bruise him on the heel." To the woman He said, "I will greatly multiply Your pain in childbirth, In pain you will bring forth children; Yet your desire will be for your husband, And he will rule over you." Then to Adam He said, "Because you have listened to the voice of your wife, and have eaten from the tree about which I commanded you, saying, 'You shall not eat from it'; Cursed is the ground because of you; In toil you will eat of it All the days of your life. "Both thorns and thistles it shall grow for you; And you will eat the plants of the field; “By the sweat of your face You will eat bread, Till you return to the ground, Because from it you were taken; For you are dust, And to dust you shall return."
Noah preached for 120 years. It was 200 miles away for the nearest river. He has a three point sermon:
1. It is going to rain
2. It is going to be bad rain
3. Get into the boat.
The people had chosen to reject the word of God. If you reject Christ- wrath of God.
PURPOSE OF WRATH OF GOD:
i. God is not inclusive- God hated Gossip, Rape, crime, adultery sin- Accountable before God
ii. Fear of God- Heb 12:28,29- Therefore, since we receive a kingdom which cannot be shaken, let us show gratitude, by which we may offer to God an acceptable service with reverence and awe; for our God is a consuming fire.
iii. Produce praise.
4- judgments:-
1. Judgment for sin at the cross
John 1:29 ¶ The next day he *saw Jesus coming to him and *said, "Behold, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!
John 11:26 and everyone who lives and believes in Me will never die. Do you believe this?"
The heart of the Christian faith and message is the cross of Christ. And at the heart of the cross is the self-substitution of God. At the cross, the God of the universe bore the full weight the wrath of God, the full punishment of sin and evil. The horrors of the cross, reflects the horrors of sin.
The Cross of Christ is the revealed truth of God’s judgment on sin. Never associate the idea of martyrdom with the Cross of Christ. It was the supreme triumph, and it shook the very foundations of hell. There is nothing in time or eternity more absolutely certain and irrefutable than what Jesus Christ accomplished on the Cross— He made it possible for the entire human race to be brought back into a right-standing relationship with God. He made redemption the foundation of human life; that is, He made a way for every person to have fellowship with God.
The Cross was not something that happened to Jesus— He came to die; the Cross was His purpose in coming. He is "the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world" ( Revelation 13:8 ). The incarnation of Christ would have no meaning without the Cross. Beware of separating "God was manifested in the flesh. . ." from ". . . He made Him. . . to be sin for us. . ." ( 1 Timothy 3:16 ; 2 Corinthians 5:21 ). The purpose of the incarnation was redemption. God came in the flesh to take sin away, not to accomplish something for Himself. The Cross is the central event in time and eternity, and the answer to all the problems of both.
The Cross is not the cross of a man, but the Cross of God, and it can never be fully comprehended through human experience. The Cross is God exhibiting His nature. It is the gate through which any and every individual can enter into oneness with God. But it is not a gate we pass right through; it is one where we abide in the life that is found there.The heart of salvation is the Cross of Christ. The reason salvation is so easy to obtain is that it cost God so much. The Cross was the place where God and sinful man merged with a tremendous collision and where the way to life was opened. But all the cost and pain of the collision was absorbed by the heart of God.
-- Not Required in this section “Blotting out the handwriting of Ordinances that was against us, which was contrary to us, and took it out of the way, nailing it to His Cross; And having spoiled principalities and powers, He made a shew of them openly, triumphing over them in it.” Colossians 2:14,15
Jesus offered Himself as a Perfect, Sinless Sacrifice at Calvary to atone our sin, Past, Present and Future sin once and for all. Took our guilt of breaking of God’s Perfect Holy Law and nailing it to His Cross...He took our place of punishment at the Cross, the judgment of God fell on Him instead on us...if the judgment fell on us, we’re done. We’re history. We’re finish. But God loved us so very much that He gave up His Only Begotten Son for us.
So God the Son, Jesus, had to leave Heaven, born of a virgin name Mary, lived 33 and a half years without sinning once, offered Himself as a Sinless, Spotless, Pure Lamb of God at the Cross which God fully accepted once and for all time. Paid the Sin debt that was against God once and for all, setting all sinful mankind once and for all, at least to them that Believe, and in doing that Satan and all the Powers of Darkness were forever defeated at the Cross. With all sin atoned for by the Precious Shed Blood of Jesus, Satan’s power over mankind is gone forever. Satan is a defeated foe, he got no more power. And all one have to do is to Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and what He did at the Cross will be Saved and totally set free from sin and delivered from Satan’s death grip once and for all.
“There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit (God the Holy Spirit). For the Law of the Spirit of Life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin and death.” Romans 8:1,2.
As long as our Faith remains in Christ and the Cross every day for the rest of our natural lives we will stay Saved. No where in the Bible does it say that after becoming Born Again Christians, we can leave the Cross behind and go on to better things. It’s the Cross that brought us in and it’s the Cross that keeps us in.
When our Faith is not in Christ and the Cross, the Holy Spirit will not help us, we are operating in the Flesh with the sin nature coming back to life to dominate us once again and bringing us to deeper and deeper into sin. Any Faith outside the Cross of Christ will see ‘law of sin and death’ ruling in our hearts and lives.
When our Faith is in the Finished Work of Christ, God the Holy Spirit will empower you to overcome sin and empower you to live in total Victory on a continual basis for Him. You will know what’s it’s like to live a ‘more abundant life’ in Christ. This is Walking after the Spirit when our Faith is in Christ and the Cross.
Beware of Preachers that do not preach that our Faith must forever be in the Finished Work of Christ at the Cross and the Resurrection only. They are False Preachers; False Apostles; False Prophets. They are preaching Another Jesus which is not the Jesus of the Bible, they are preaching from Another Gospel which is not the Gospel of Jesus Christ and Him Crucified, and their anointing is not from the Holy Spirit, but from spirits, or demon spirits. They may promise you Liberty but they themselves are in bondage to sin. They do not serve our Lord Jesus Christ.
Everything you need is found ONLY in the Cross of Christ!!! Your Faith must ever remain in the Finished Work of Christ for God the Holy Spirit to empower you to overcome every sin and failure in your lives and to empower you to grow in the Grace and in the Knowledge of God. Your lives will Glorify God because of your Faith is in Christ and Him Crucified. And you will be ready to meet Christ in the air at the Rapture of the Church without fear or worry.
As we are ready and waiting for the Rapture of the Church, God will then begin to fully use you as He should because of your Faith in Christ and the Cross. Maybe you are an Apostle; or a Prophet; or Evangelist; or a Teacher; or a Pastor. God is calling you to Holy Ghost Anointed Office. Or maybe God is calling you to serve Him in one of the Nine Gifts of the Holy Spirit. Either way, God can and will use us fully if our Faith is in Christ and the Cross and we surrender ourselves to His full control
But why must it be Jesus Christ who dies for our sins? Can't God not just send someone else to die for us? What do you think must be the requirements for that person in order to die in our place for the consequences of our sins? There are four requirements.
First, sinless, because if this person is sinful, then his death can only cover his own sinful consequence not others.
Second, volunteer, this person must be willingly to give up his life voluntarily and not on force or else it would be murder!
Third, the substitute must be a man (not an animal), because it is humanity that has sinned against God, and no one ought to pay the penalty of sin other than humanity. The person that pay for the penalty must be able to represent the human race, because it is man that has sinned against God. Angels and animals cannot represent the human race. Only a human being can represent the human race to receive the punishment of humanity’s sin.
Fourth, God, because no can pay the penalty of sin other than God. The value of the life of a single man is of limited value, he can pay at most for one or two person’s sin. But only God’s life is of infinite value and only his sacrifice can pay for all of humanity’s sin.
Hence this substitute must be a sinless God-man, willing to volunteer himself to die for the sins of humanity. Not a mixture of man and God like a hybrid (a hybrid is neither God nor man), but rather fully God and fully man.
2. Judgment of the believers at the seat of Christ
Thot: “It is not WHERE you will spend your eternity but HOW will you spend your eternity”
2 Cor 5:10 For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each one may be recompensed for his deeds in the body, according to what he has done, whether good or bad.
- Only believers
“We”- the Church
It will take place instantly after the rapture. We will be judged concerning our life. This is to be a judgment with reference to the works, not the salvation, of the believer. ( John 5:24)
This judgment of believers will be a judgement to evaluate and bestow various degree of reward
It is called “the judgment seat of Christ” That the saints are here referred to is clear from
2 Cor 5:1 For we know that if the earthly tent which is our house is torn down, we have a building from God, a house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens.
2 Cor 5:5 Now He who prepared us for this very purpose is God, who gave to us the Spirit as a pledge.
2 Cor 5:7 for we walk by faith, not by sight--
2 Cor 5:9 Therefore we also have as our ambition, whether at home or absent, to be pleasing to Him.
1 Cor 4:5 Therefore do not go on passing judgment before the time, {but wait} until the Lord comes who will both bring to light the things hidden in the darkness and disclose the motives of {men's} hearts; and then each man's praise will come to him from God.
It says that those who are judged “shall have peace of God”. This is
not true of the wicked. This is a judgment, not for destiny, but for adjustment, for reward or loss according to our works, for position in the kingdom, every man according as his work shall be.
As Christians "we shall all stand before the judgment seat of Christ" (ROM 14:10) to "receive the things done in our body, according to that we have done, whether it be good or bad" (2C0 5:10). As we stand before Christ at this "Bema Judgement" or "Judgement Seat of Christ" we will be so awestruck, that like the Apostle John we will all "fall at his feet as dead" (REV 1:17). And before every other child of God, each one of us will hear the report of every thought or deed of ours that will be read out of the "book of remembrance" (MAL 3:16).
There needs to be no hurry to do this because we have left the world of time and entered into eternity.
The great American scholar, Daniel Webster, said "I've thought about many things, but the most awesome, the most terrifying, the most shattering thought I've ever had, is my personal accountability to God one day".
"Knowing therefore the terror of the Lord, we persuade men" to be careful of their every thought and action (2C0 5: 11).
Let us, like Jonathan Edwards, pray "Oh God, stamp eternity on my eyeballs".
1 Cor 3:8-15
1 Cor 3:8 Now he who plants and he who waters are one; but each will receive his own reward according to his own labor.
1 Cor 3:9 For we are God's fellow workers; you are God's field, God's building.
1 Cor 3:10 ¶ According to the grace of God which was given to me, like a wise master builder I laid a foundation, and another is building on it. But each man must be careful how he builds on it.
1 Cor 3:11 For no man can lay a foundation other than the one which is laid, which is Jesus Christ.
1 Cor 3:12 Now if any man builds on the foundation with gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, straw,
1 Cor 3:13 each man's work will become evident; for the day will show it because it is {to be} revealed with fire, and the fire itself will test the quality of each man's work.
1 Cor 3:14 If any man's work which he has built on it remains, he will receive a reward.
1 Cor 3:15 If any man's work is burned up, he will suffer loss; but he himself will be saved, yet so as through fire.
1 Cor 3:12 Now if any man builds on the foundation with gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, straw,
1 Cor 3:13 each man's work will become evident; for the day will show it because it is {to be} revealed with fire, and the fire itself will test the quality of each man's work.
1 Cor 3:14 If any man's work which he has built on it remains, he will receive a reward.
1 Cor 3:15 If any man's work is burned up, he will suffer loss; but he himself will be saved, yet so as through fire.
Quality not Quantity: Paul warns us to "take heed how we build" (1 CO 3:10). The foundation of all Christian work must be Jesus Christ (I CO 3:11), ie, unless Jesus Christ is received as Saviour, a man's works will be unacceptable to God, nor will he desire to do anything for Christ, nor have the strength to do so.
After we receive Jesus Christ as our Saviour, we then do works for Him that may be either like "gold, silver, precious stones, wood hay, or stubble" (I CO 3:12),. There are six types of substance. Smell of smoke in your snuff test
Of the six different kinds of works that we may offer, three will be burned to ashes on the Day of Judgement (1 CO 3:13) as we stand before "our God who is a consuming fire" (HEB 12:29).
This picture of a consuming fire was very striking to the Corinthians when they received this epistle from Paul because they had recently experienced a huge fire in their city - and seen the wooden houses and combustible possessions reduced to ashes, while the brick houses and non-combustible possessions remained relatively unaffected by the fire.
Wood, hay and stubble are materials that are easily obtained and therefore found in large quantities, and are found above the ground. They speak of works that are relatively easy to do, and that are highly visible.
ü Check our motive, whether it was to obtain man's praise?
ü Did we do our works in such a way so as to impress others?
ü Did we choose to do our work the easy, compromising comfortable way?
ü Were we exercising the talents that God has given us, in the ministry that He had called us to?
ü Or did we decide to choose a more convenient, glamorous or easy one?
ü Were we offering our strength and resources sacrificially?
ü Or were we simply giving God our spares?
Are we accumulating huge quantities of such service for the Day of Judgement to be found that they were done for man's praises, done in man's ways, or done merely to satisfy our consciences - and therefore,undeserving of any reward from God.
There is a great temptation to accumulate such works, and we must be careful not to be deceived by the large quantity of such works.
Gold, silver and precious stones besides being non-combustible, are also hard to obtain, and found below ground. These speak of works that we do for God that will be found on the Day of Judgement to be for Him and pleasing to Him - such works are often not visible to men, and therefore far harder to do (because we are mostly motivated by man's praise, rather than God's)
When we give money we must be careful that we do not do it to show-off, otherwise we have already obtained our reward of honour from our fellow men (MAT 62-4). Similarly, we must be careful not to show-off our knowledge, spirituality, zeal, or eloquence when we preach, or pray (MAT 6.5,6).
When we worship, we must be careful not to do it for self entertainment, others' entertainment, or to show-off.
In all our motives and deeds God's glory must be our sole aim - sola Gloria Dei and God's method our sole method. Such works are much harder to do, and much less visible to others yet so much more profitable for both now and eternity. The constant unseen battle in our hearts against sin, will be amply rewarded in this life and the next. The quiet adoration of God as we stand in awe of Him in our personal meditations - will not only strengthen us as we face life's trials, but will also reap eternal rewards. The agonizing prayers in our closets will he unimaginably profitable for this life and the next. This does not mean that works done publicly will be unrewarded, but rather that we must be careful that they are done for His glory and pleasure
The inner motives of our hearts will be disclosed on that day (1 Cor 4:5 Therefore do not go on passing judgment before the time, {but wait} until the Lord comes who will both bring to light the things hidden in the darkness and disclose the motives of {men's} hearts; and then each man's praise will come to him from God.)
The things in our life which have no eternal value (ie the dead works in our life) will burn like wood , hay and straw in the fire of the holy spirit that day. Only those things which the spirit of God has worked on us and through us, will persist as god, silver and precious stone after passing through the fire of God
Conclusion: Though every Christian will have eternal life in heaven, and though there will be no envy in heaven, yet there will be clear distinctions between believers in heaven according to our rewards. May we strive for the eternal crowns of glory that God has prepared for us (2TI 4:8, ITH 2:19, JAM 1:12, REV 2:10).
A W Tozer said of this Bema Judgement that "We'll gaze on eternity and say, "Look at all the riches there were in Jesus Christ, and I've come to the Judgement Seat almost a pauper".
Judgment of the nations-
This is going to take place at the end of tribulation. It will take place in the second coming of Christ i.e. 7 years after the tribulation.
The basis of Judgment will be “how nations treat the Jews”
God made a covenant with Abraham so that all the earth would be blessed through him. Abraham and his descendants were to represent God in the earth.
- So God promised Abraham, "I will bless those who bless you, and curse those who curse you..." Gen. 12:3
- He confirmed the promise to Jacob, Gen. 27:29,
- and to all Israel, Num. 24:9.
The Bible makes it clear that the Jewish people are not better than other peoples, but they have been chosen for a particular purpose. God Himself promised to judge Israel more severely than other peoples. "You only have I chosen of all the families of the earth; therefore I will punish you for all your sins." Amos 3:2
But He also makes it clear that whoever touches Israel touches the apple of His eye. Zech. 2:8
At the end of this age, He will judge all the nations of the earth for how they have treated the Jewish people.
Yeshua spoke of this judgment that will take place after his return to destroy the nations that have gathered together against Jerusalem and her children. "All the nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate the people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats." Matt. 25:32
When Christ returns, there will be people alive on earth. They will be the survivors of the tribulation. Some will be saved and others not. Matthew 25:32 says, "Before him shall be gathered all the nations; and he shall separate them one from another, as a shepherd divideth his sheep from the goats." All the people will be separated into one of two categories: the sheep (Christians) or the goats (non-Christians). From there they will go on to their eternal destiny. The sheep will go the heaven, and the goats will go to hell. The category they go into will be determined by their relationship
He will judge them according to God's promise to bless those who bless the Jewish people and curse those who curse them.
"Whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.’ Matt. 25:40
"Whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for me." Mt.25:45
Joel 3:2 I will gather all the nations And bring them down to the valley of Jehoshaphat. Then I will enter into judgment with them there On behalf of My people and My inheritance, Israel, Whom they have scattered among the nations; And they have divided up My land.
Joel pictures a great judgment day for the nations -- he singles out those in his day who were exceptionally arrogant, exploitive, unjust, and violent. Their deeds will come back upon their heads -- they have "shed innocent blood in their land." They may be powerful nations, but their time will come.
The nations gathered before Son of Man.
The nations judged on the basis of their treatment of God's
people ("inasmuch as you did it to one of the least of these My brethren")
Jesus today reminds us that his family is determined, not by biological relationship, but rather by our obedience -- by our actions. It is not anywhere near enough to simply say, "Lord, Lord," we must not only hear, but respond with metanoia -- a fundamental change in the way we see life, the universe, and everything. We can put "In God We Trust" on our money all day long, but it is nothing less than blasphemy in the absence of our own response of obedience to the Lord's call.
There are 64 blessings
Deuteronomy 28:1-14:
The curse upon the cities
Deuteronomy 28:15-68-
Ps 9:17 ¶ The wicked will return to Sheol, {Even} all the nations who forget God.
Profess Christ but not possess Christ | |
Deut 28:17 ¶ "Cursed {shall be} your basket and your kneading bowl.- The curse upon the economy.
Deut 28:21 "The LORD will make the pestilence cling to you until He has consumed you from the land where you are entering to possess it.- The curse of incurable plague – AIDS, Bird Flu
Ps 91:7 A thousand may fall at your side And ten thousand at your right hand, {But} it shall not approach you.
Deut 28:24 "The LORD will make the rain of your land powder and dust; from heaven it shall come down on you until you are destroyed.- The curse of sustained drought
Deut 28:25 ¶ "The LORD shall cause you to be defeated before your enemies; you will go out one way against them, but you will flee seven ways before them, and you will be {an example of} terror to all the kingdoms of the earth.- The curse of weak enemies destroying you
LESSONS FROM THE JUDGMENT OF THE NATIONS
A. THERE WILL BE A DAY OF JUDGMENT...
1. Just as the Lord has judged nations throughout history
2. So He will judge the world at the end of time, at the Last Day
a. Jesus often spoke of the Judgment - e.g., Mt 12:36-37,
41-42; Jn 12:47-48
b. Paul also - e.g., Ac 17:30-31; 24:25; Ro 2:3-6; 14:10;
2 Co 5:10; 2 Ti 4:1
c. Others as well - e.g., He 9:27; 1 Pe 4:5; 2 Pe 2:9; 3:7;
1 Jn 4:17; Ju 6
-- Are we preparing for the Day of Judgment?
B. ONE ISSUE WILL BE HOW WE TREATED JESUS' BRETHREN...
1. Of course, every deed, word, and thought will be judged (see
above verses)
2. But our text reminds us how Jesus takes the treatment of His
brethren - Mt 25:40,45
a. "as you did it to one of the least of these My brethren,
you did it to Me"
b. "as you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did
not do it to Me"
