Understanding Divine Judgment: Hope and Humility in Christ

The first thing we learn here is that we must have a judgment day. There has to be a judgment day. We must have one. Now first look here, Jesus says in Fiat categorically verse 48 there is a judge there is a judge and then he also says the very word which I speak or I spoke we'll get to that later will condemn him on the last day. [00:04:59]

Without judgment, we're in total darkness, and I don't think modern people have any idea if you get rid of the idea of Judgment Day just how total that darkness is. We have to have a Judgment Day. There's two modern authors that have really helped me a great deal and I think will help you very eloquent to modern authors that very eloquently show what kind of total darkness there would be if we don't have a Judgment Day. [00:06:47]

Arthur Miller, you know, as the famous playwright, and he one event writer and one of his plays is the play after the fall and after the fall there was an absolutely stunning passage I think in which the character one of the characters is speaking and his name is Quentin and this is what he says quote for years I looked at life like a case at law it was a series of proofs when you're young you prove how brave you are or how smart you are. [00:07:10]

Miroslav Volf takes on the other modern a superficial myth about judgment a the first one Arthur Miller has taken a hold of the idea if there's no judgment day then we're free to decide what we want to do I have to decide what's right and wrong for me I'm liberated he says yeah you're liberated but the cost of any meaning at all now the second mistake is people say yes if you have a judging God. [00:11:28]

The practice of non-violence requires a belief in divine vengeance or say it again my thesis is that the practice of non-violence requires a belief in divine vengeance my thesis will be unpopular with many people in the West but imagine for a moment speaking to people as I have whose cities and villages have been first plundered then burned then leveled to the ground whose daughters and sisters have been raped whose fathers and brothers have had their throats slit. [00:12:33]

The only means of prohibiting violence by us is to insist that violence is only legitimate when it comes from God violence thrives today secretly nourished by the belief that God refuses to take the sword it takes the quiet of a suburb for the birth of the thesis that human non-violence is a result of a God who refuses to judge in a scorch land soaked in the blood of the innocent that idea will invariably die like other pleasant captivity zuv the liberal mind. [00:13:15]

The judgment of God focuses mainly on the heart and is conducted on the basis of your knowledge it's it focuses on your heart and it's based on your knowledge of the truth all right focus on your heart based on your knowledge number one first of all focus on your heart I mentioned that this was the very very last thing that Jesus Christ says and unfortunately I probably there's there was room in the bulletin I probably should have done it. [00:19:03]

The reason that God looks at the works is to find out what's in the heart if if your heart is self-centered self referential self saving self righteous versus open to God humble needing His grace and mercy there's going to be difference in the way you live but the key thing is the heart now I'll tell you a reason why this is so absolutely fair absolutely fair not to be. [00:23:44]

The word you heard is what will be the evaluation criteria now this is extremely important is a very simple thing and Paul draws it out in Romans chapter 2 people are always are saying well what about the people that never heard about Jesus Christ how can they be Jay well it's the principle Paul says in Romans 2 you will only be judged according to what truth you've heard that means what you know. [00:27:28]

In Jesus Christ, we've already had our Judgment Day that's the gospel in Jesus Christ so you can't get rid of Judgment Day there's on the other hand you can't go into Judgment Day the only possible way that you're going to be able to handle the reality the moral reality the universe is if Judgment Day has already been passed so the third thing Jesus teaches is in me you've already had your Judgment Day. [00:33:15]

Jesus Christ is the judge who has left the bench and come down into the dock Jesus Christ is the one judge who says I'm not going to stay above you I'm going to get below you I'm going to come down into the place where the prisoner is the place where the guy in the handcuffs the place where the defendant is and I'm going to receive the rod and what that means is if you believe in him your judgment has passed. [00:39:35]

What makes us unique as Christians if you'll think out the gospel is there's a judgment in the past and a judgment in the future if you forget one or the other you fall into some kind of trap for example self-image we live you think we live in a non-judgmental City are you kidding me crunch says no judgments but I mean you're being evaluated in this city I've never seen people evaluate on their looks evaluated on their money evaluated. [00:40:02]