Who Will Judge You?

The Day of Judgment seems to me to be a fairly important topic. When your mortal soul hangs in the balance and your eternal fate is up for decision, it seems to be a topic more people would want to pay attention to. When people go to court for a civil trial or criminal case they often want to know whom their judge will be. Which judge presides over their case can make all the difference in the out come of the trial. Also the Lawyers are very interested in jury selection because in our trial by piers system, a jury makes the actual judgment of guilt or innocence. So lawyers spend no small amount of effort in trying to get the jury they want. It can make all the difference.

Someday, on the Day of Judgment, when the secrets of our life are laid bare, who will be judging us? And equally important, how will we be judged? The Bible gives us a plain teaching on this. However, many people become confused by false teachers who twist God’s word to say something it doesn’t. But the best way to confront falsehood is to present all the facts. So who will judge us and by what standard will he judge? It can make a difference if we prepare to appease our judge and follow the standard he sets to avoid being found guilty.

All Judgment given to the Son

Surprisingly, God the Father will not be the one pronouncing our Judgment. John 5:22-30 “Moreover, the Father judges no one, but has entrusted all judgment to the Son, that all may honor the Son just as they honor the Father. He who does not honor the Son does not honor the Father, who sent him. "I tell you the truth, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life and will not be condemned; he has crossed over from death to life. I tell you the truth, a time is coming and has now come when the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God and those who hear will live. For as the Father has life in himself, so he has granted the Son to have life in himself. And he has given him authority to judge because he is the Son of Man. "Do not be amazed at this, for a time is coming when all who are in their graves will hear his voice and come out-- those who have done good will rise to live, and those who have done evil will rise to be condemned. 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 him who sent me.”

The Father has given the job of pronouncing judgment of all guilt to the Son, Jesus. It is God the Fathers desire that people honor Jesus with the same level of respect that they have for the Father and so he places all judgment in Jesus hands. The word translated “judge” here is the Greek word krinw (krino) meaning to pronounce an opinion concerning right and wrong or to pronounce judgment, or pass judgment on the deeds and words of others. So now we know who will be pronouncing judgment at our trial. It will be Jesus the Son of God.

Jesus has the authority to do this job because God the Father has placed everything under him. In Matthew 28:18 Jesus said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.” That includes the authority to judge. God’s word also says in Philippians 2:9-11 “Therefore God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.” Notice it is to God the Father’s glory and was the Father’s desire that we worship Jesus. Jesus is the mediator between God the Father and mankind.

But Jesus is not some rogue Judge saving us against the Fathers will. It was God the Fathers love that sent Jesus into this world. John 3:16 reminds us that, “For God so love the world He gave his only begotten son, that who ever believes in Him may not perish but have everlasting life.” Jesus is not acting alone or judging without the Fathers influence. Remember what Jesus said above in John 5, “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 him who sent me.” The Father may not be the one pronouncing judgment but he did tell the one who will pronounce it what to pronounce. Jesus will pronounce only what he has heard from the Father and He will do it to please the Father. Remember Deuteronomy 6:4 which says, “Hear O Israel The LORD our God is one LORD.”

The Son, who will judge is the Word that became flesh

God said in Genesis 1:26, “Let us make man in our image, after our likeness.” Who was he talking to? He was not talking to angels for they are not in his likeness nor are they equal to him. It was communication between the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit who are separate persons but in another since one in person. You cannot separate the will, the character or divinity of these three manifestations of God. Further evidence of God being three and yet being one is John 1:1-4 which says, “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning. Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made. In him was life, and that life was the light of men.” So who is the Word? The Word is Jesus! John 1:14 explains, “The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the only begotten, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.” Jesus is the Word who became flesh. He is the embodiment of God’s revelation and the source of all creation. The word translated as “Word” in John chapter one is the Greek word logov logos. It is where we get our English word Logic from. The Word has the idea of spoken reason. One concordance says, “This term was familiar to the Jews and in their writings long before a Greek philosopher named Heraclitus used the term Logos around 600 B.C. to designate the divine reason or plan which coordinates a changing universe. This word was well suited to John's purpose in John 1.”

So we have learned that all judgment has been given to the Son of God who is also called the Word, or the “spoken divine reason.” So the judgment will come from Jesus who is the Word and is revealed to us by the Holy Spirit through the Word given by the apostles and prophets. In fact all we know and believe about Jesus only comes from the Bible or at least it should only come from the Bible, which is God’s written Word.

Faith comes from the Word, who is the Judge

Paul, by inspiration teaches us in Romans 10:17 that, “Consequently, faith comes from hearing the message, and the message is heard through the word of Christ.” The only way to get faith in Jesus is to hear the Word. There is no other way. You don’t pray for faith to be supernaturally rendered to your heart. You don’t find it in experiences or circumstance of life. You don’t find it in your own pathetic attempts at righteousness. No, the faith that saves only comes from one place and that is from the Word of Christ. What does this have to do with who will judge us on the last day and how we will be judged? Everything! If we are judged by Jesus, who is the Word in the flesh, and if we are saved by faith that only comes from the Word of Christ, it seems to me the Bible is suddenly very important component in what will determine our judgment on that great and final day when we stand before Jesus to give an account.

Without faith from the Word it is impossible to please God.

Ephesians 2:8 teaches “For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith-- and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God” What is not from ourselves but is a gift? Faith? No faith is not a gift; the grace is the gift that is not from ourselves. God gives grace to those with faith. Just because you have faith does not mean you deserve grace. Faith does not earn grace. Nothing can be done to earn grace or it wouldn’t be grace anymore. But you can do something to accept grace. And that is put your faith in Jesus Christ. People who live by faith and act out their belief receive a grace they don’t deserve. But faith does not come by a supernatural experience where God puts it in you whether you like it or not. Faith only comes from accepting and putting into practice the Word of Christ as we just discovered above.

Without faith you are lost. Hebrews 11:6 makes it clear when it says, “And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him.” Do you believe in God based up on the Word of Christ and do you believe Christ will reward you when you seek to do his will as revealed in his faith building Word? Your Faith in the Word of Christ will determine how you are judged. The Bible is the standard by which Jesus will pronounce the judgment he has received from the Father just as he heard it.

The very Word of Jesus will judge

John 12:47-50 “As for the person who hears my words but does not keep them, I do not judge him. For I did not come to judge the world, but to save it. There is a judge for the one who rejects me and does not accept my words; that very word which I spoke will condemn him at the last day. For I did not speak of my own accord, but the Father who sent me commanded me what to say and how to say it. I know that his command leads to eternal life. So whatever I say is just what the Father has told me to say."

Jesus came to save mankind from their sins. Jesus said in Luke 19:10, “For the Son of man is come to seek and to save that which was lost.” So Jesus purpose in coming was not to judge but to save. However, there will be a day of judgment for those who would not accept the free gift of grace that the Father so lovingly offered by sacrificing the son for us. There will be condemnation for those who do not heed God’s Word. Jesus said, “There is a judge for the one who rejects me and does not accept my words; that very word which I spoke will condemn him at the last day.” So the Bible and the Word of Jesus will judge mankind on the Day of Judgment. In other words, Judgment has been pronounced in advance. We already can see who is going to heaven. It will be people who put their faith in Christ and obey the gospel. Those who will be condemned are those who don’t put their faith in Jesus and thus cannot obey the gospel of Christ. So what you do with the Word determines your destiny and how you will be judged.

On the Day of Judgment I don’t believe that Jesus will have to saying anything new in judgment of sinful man other than quote scripture. I believe the statements of Jesus such as "Depart from me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels” (Matthew 25:41), or “Bind him hand and foot, and take him away, and cast him into outer darkness; there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth” (Matthew 22:13) or “I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity” (Matthew 7:23) will do just fine. Notice who is condemned; people who are still under the curse of sin because they didn’t accept grace through faith are condemned. People did not use the gifts God had entrusted to them and people who Christ never came to know or have a relationship with through faith are cast out. All this can be avoided by learning God’s Word, which produces faith and the repentant life you need to “know” Christ and escape the curse of sin. 2Timothy 3:15 says “…you have known the holy Scriptures, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus.” What you need is to know the judge and the standard by which he will judge in order to escape being condemned. The Judge is Jesus the standard by which He will proclaim judgment is the Word. To escape condemnation you need to know Christ by putting your faith in His Word.

One last point I wish to make about John 12:47-50 and the Word judging us. It means all the statements of the Bible are made and judgment is already pronounced. It means there are no exceptions to what the Bible says. If the Bible says, “Unless a man is born of the Water and the Spirit, He cannot enter the kingdom of Heaven” than that is just what it means. There will be no exceptions that the Bible does not already make because Christ is not going to judge beyond the Bible. The Word will judge us. It is the final say. It is the last Word. It is what God will do. There will be no changes to God’s Word or his judgment. It stands forever!

The books will be open on the Day of Judgment

Revelation 20:11-15 says, “Then I saw a great white throne and him who was seated on it. Earth and sky fled from his presence, and there was no place for them. And I saw the dead, great and small, standing before the throne, and books were opened. Another book was opened, which is the book of life. The dead were judged according to what they had done as recorded in the books. The sea gave up the dead that were in it, and death and Hades gave up the dead that were in them, and each person was judged according to what he had done. Then death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. The lake of fire is the second death. If anyone's name was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire.”

There is the book of life. A book which evidently contains the names of those who are saved. You want your name in that book. It is a list of those who by faith received grace when they obeyed the gospel. There also seems to be books that contain the history of what each of us has done with our life. This passage doesn’t explicitly say what all the books that will be opened will be. But I can’t help but believe one of them will be the Bible. Because Jesus taught the Word will pronounce that judgment. So I expect to see a Bible opened to judge mankind on that wonderful and terrible day of the Lord.

No wonder that Jesus, the judge left us these parting words in Revelation 22:18-21, “I warn everyone who hears the words of the prophecy of this book: If anyone adds anything to them, God will add to him the plagues described in this book. And if anyone takes words away from this book of prophecy, God will take away from him his share in the tree of life and in the holy city, which are described in this book. He who testifies to these things says, "Yes, I am coming soon." Amen. Come, Lord Jesus. The grace of the Lord Jesus be with God's people. Amen.”

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Does Fortune Favor The Prepared?

Some believe that fortune favors the prepared. In other words, be prepared when circumstances provide opportunity. Christians don't believe in fortune. But we should believe in preparing ourselves.

I Peter 1:13 says, "Therefore, prepare your minds for action..."

A farmer prepares the land before the rain. He plants in dry ground before the rains. He sows seed in hope of a harvest. He prepares the ground and the seed for that which he cannot control. If he plants durning the rain... it's too late. He must sow before the summer rains come to feed the seed in the land he prepared. Then he will recieve a harvest. He has faith in God to send the rain and plants with hope for a harvest.

In the same way, we must prepare ourselves for the rains God will send. So prepare yourself. Pray for wisdom and boldness. Study the Word of God and learn His ways. Become familure with the scriptures. Know them. Feed on them. Follow them. Put each small part into practice. Discipline yourself.

1 Corinthians 11:31-32 says, "But if we judged ourselves, we would not come under judgment. When we are judged by the Lord, we are being disciplined so that we will not be condemned with the world."

If we would discipline ourselves to learn from God's Word, God would not have to discipline us in the school of hard knocks. Turn to God so he can bless you. Obey his command to prepare yourself for action.

Train yourself in the scriptures. Read the Bible daily. What do you want to train to do? Study it. Read books about what the Bible has to say about what you want to learn. Study being the spouce, parent or person you need to be. Seek God's will and you'll find it. Pray for wisdom and it will be given to you.

James 1:5 says, "If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to him."

You will do spiritual battle with satanic forces of evil in spiritual realms. Prepare yourself. Be prepared for temptation. Be prepared for persecution. Be prepared for hardship, hurt and suffering. Prepare to pick up your Cross and follow Jesus. Prepare for the opportunity God will send. Perpare yourself. Educate, trian, and equip yourself so when opportunity comes you are ready to tackle it.

You will open wide the flood gates of blessings and be able to handle the hard hits of suffering when you prepare yourself. Prepare for battle. Get your head in the game. Do your drills. Dicipline yourself. Work harder. Train longer. Invest in your future. Till your soil. Plant your seed. God will send the rain. Plant in hope of a harvest.

Galatians 6:8-9 says, "The one who sows to please his flesh, from that flesh will reap destruction; the one who sows to please the Spirit, from the Spirit will reap eternal life. Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up."

When Gods' blessings send the rains of opportunity will you be ready?

scripturist@hotmail.com

Did You Hear The Latest?

“Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen.” (Ephesians 4:29)

Didn't your mother tell you that if you don't have anything nice to say don't say anything at all? Most Christians realize that gossip is a sin but I have found many people believe that gossip is only gossip when it’s untrue. Whereas, spreading false rumors is gossip so is spreading something bad about someone even when it’s true. Telling something to others which hurts the one you are speaking about is malicious and wrong whether the facts are true or not.

Sometimes we must share unpleasant things about people for their own good or the good of the church. Sometimes facts must become public. But usually that is not the case. According to the word of God we should only share that which is “helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen.” Sharing someones sin publically should only be as a last resort when a person refuses to repent and must be put out of the church. That means 99.9% of telling about others sin needs to stop.

Spreading something that is true because it’s a “juicy” bit of information which you know will be hurting and humiliating others is a sin. However, I have found most gossip isn’t even true. Most of it is half-truth, a distortion of facts, or outright lies. So don’t get caught up in the, “Hey did you here what so-in-so did?” trap.

Proverbs 11:12-13 "A man who lacks judgment derides his neighbor, but a man of understanding holds his tongue. A gossip betrays a confidence, but a trustworthy man keeps a secret."

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What Are You Looking For?

What are you looking for here? What makes you tick? What is motivating you to say what you say and do what you do?

What makes you get out of bed in the morning? What do you love the most? Where are your priorities? What makes you go to some people and walk away from others?

Why do people do what they do? It's all about what they put first.

For some what they put first is their fleshly desire: Their lusty hunger.

Philippians 3:18-19 says, "For, as I have often told you before and now say again even with tears, many live as enemies of the cross of Christ. Their destiny is destruction, their god is their stomach, and their glory is in their shame. Their mind is on earthly things."

Others put their family first. They will compromise their morals, their doctrine, their ethics, their standards and their point of view so as not to hurt their standing with their family. They bend to the will of evil if it comes from their family.

Matthew 10:37-39 says, "Anyone who loves his father or mother more than me is not worthy of me; anyone who loves his son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me; and anyone who does not take his cross and follow me is not worthy of me. Whoever finds his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it."

Still others long for material possessions. They turn Christianity into the latest self-help gimmick for the insatiable hunger of the gullibly greedy.

2 Peter 2:14 say of them "With eyes full of adultery, they never stop sinning; they seduce the unstable; they are experts in greed—an accursed brood!"

But lust, pride and greed only lead to worry, conceit, and vanity. Ecclesiastes 6:7 says "All man's efforts are for his mouth, yet his appetite is never satisfied." And Proverbs 27:20 says, Death and Destruction are never satisfied, and neither are the eyes of man."

Matthew 6:31-33 says, "So do not worry, saying, 'What shall we eat?' or 'What shall we drink?' or 'What shall we wear?' For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well."

What are you seeking first?