Introduction
A
teacher was giving back some homework to one of her pupils one day. In truth,
the pupil had been copying and pasting some of his answers from the internet.
She handed back his paper with a big, red 0/100 on the top. She said “Your
presentation was both good and original. Unfortunately, the original bits were
not very good. And the bits that were good were not at all
original.”
Isn’t
it an awful feeling when you’re found out and haven’t got a leg to stand on?
I’m not pretending and I’m sure you won’t either; all of us have had that
feeling.
It’s
why G.K. Chesterton once said “It’s not that we don’t have enough scoundrels to
curse; it’s that we don’t have enough good men to curse them.”
What
we’re going to be doing over the next four weeks in our morning services is ask
what does God say about the last things; Jesus’ return in glory, the final
judgement, heaven and hell.
When
Jesus came in humility just over 2 millennia ago, he said to a sinful person,
caught red handed, “I do not condemn you; go and sin no more.” He gave an
opportunity for repentance and reparation. The sun has not yet set on that time
of grace. No matter how wretched the sin, Jesus still gives any sinner, time to
turn their life around, and have the slate wiped clean.
But
when Jesus comes again in glory the clock will have run down, the sun will have
set on this day of favour, and there will be no more opportunity for
repentance, no more time to change our mind; he will be back to judge the
living and the dead.
The
most common prediction in the New Testament is that Jesus is coming again. But
did you know, the second most common is that he will judge the living and the
dead when he does.
For
example, Acts 17.31 says “[God] has set a day when he will judge the world with
justice by the man he has appointed. He has given proof of this to everyone by
raising him from the dead.”
2
Corinthians 5.10 says “We must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ,
so that each of us may receive what is due to us for the things done while in
the body, whether good or bad.”
And
Hebrews 9.27 says “People are destined to die once, and after that to face
judgment.”
Of
course it’s much nicer to talk about God’s love and all the blessings of grace
and the joy of the Lord. And we do. But we must not fall into the temptation of
skating over those things in the Bible that are more troubling.
In
Jeremiah’s day it was the false prophets who said “Peace, peace” when there was
no peace. We must read all the Bible, not just the bits we like, and get the
big picture.
The
reality is that Jesus is coming again and, as we saw last Sunday, he will be
riding a white horse, majestic and triumphant. Not “my little pony.”
People
Want God to Judge
Actually,
most people don’t really have a problem with God’s judgement. People want God
to judge. People sometimes say to me “God shouldn’t allow all that evil to
continue. How can God just let human trafficking and paedophilia and the
robbery and assault of pensioners in their homes go unpunished?
We
want God to judge. We just don’t think that we should be on the receiving end
of it.
Ask
100 people if they think God should judge bad people and most will say “yes.”
Ask the same 100 if bad people includes them and most will say “no.”
But
the fact that practically everyone imagines that they are the good ones is
proof that we need someone who will judge with equity – and Psalm 96, our first
reading, says that the only one who can do that is God.
I
heard this week that John Ball [not his real name] has been called to jury
service next month. He will have to go to court and will, with eleven other
jurors, listen to the details of a case presented from two different points of
view; one for the defence and one for the prosecution.
Some
evidence will be fact, some might well be fiction. I know that John will weigh
the evidence carefully, he will consider witness statements, he will examine
the replies given in cross-examination, and he will discuss his thoughts with
the other members of the jury at the end of the trial.
But
even with the very best judicial system possible, sometimes the guilty get off
and the innocent get convicted. Every jury is fallible. I have no doubts about
John’s integrity but what if the other eleven were all bribed? What if there
are anomalies in the evidence making it inadmissible? What if the lawyers for
the bad guy are very skilful and the lawyers for the good guy are totally
incompetent?
We
all know that despite all the care imaginable in our legal system, miscarriages
of justice sometimes happen. But not with God.
“He
will judge the peoples with equity” “He will judge the world in righteousness
and the peoples in his faithfulness” (Psalm 96.10-13).
If
you’ve ever been falsely accused of something (and I know some of you have
quite recently) or if you’ve been wrongly singled out or unfairly picked on,
you know how maddening that is.
But
God’s judgement will right every wrong. It will vindicate every innocent
victim. It will bring to book every offender who gets off scot free.
It
will shine a bright light of truth on every dark corner of injustice. God’s
judgement is good news, not bad.
Before
the Great White Throne
Let’s
look at that passage from Revelation again.
“Then
I saw a great white throne and him who was seated on it. The earth and the
heavens 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 everyone was judged according to what they had done.”
What
a scene! There’s a grand white throne, maybe made of marble or ivory, and “one
who was seated on it” and we know from elsewhere in the Bible that it’s Jesus.
God
has two appointments in his diary for my life - and yours too - and we don’t
know either of them but he does. The first is the day of our death and the
second is the day we’ll be judged.
This
reading is about that second appointment. Verse 12 says “And I saw the dead,
great and small, standing before the throne, and books were opened.”
God
has a full back up, in heaven, of everything you and I have ever thought, said
and done - and this is what it means where it says, “books were opened.”
They’re
books about my life and yours and I believe that when we come face to face with
God, all our subconscious records will move up to the conscious level and we
will have to acknowledge that everything he says about us is absolutely true.
The
good news is that we will not be found guilty of anything we haven’t done.
There’ll be no miscarriage of justice.
The
bad news is that no lawyer on earth will be clever enough to find loopholes to
get us off the hook for all the bad things we have done.
We’ll
have to hold our hands up and say, “Well, the evidence is there for all to see,
and I have no excuse.”
"The
dog ate my homework" won't cut it I'm afraid.
When
the book of my life and yours is opened on the day of reckoning, every secret
will be revealed.
Every
exaggerated expenses claim, every hateful thought, every silly lie, every
lustful look, every spiteful remark - and worse - will be a matter of public
record.
Twice
in this reading (in v12 and in v13) it says that the living and the dead were
judged not for what they had believed but for what they had done.
We
will have to give an account to God for what we have actually done with our
lives. We are justified by faith in Jesus Christ and saved by grace alone.
There is no other way. But, even though we cannot be saved by our works, we
will be judged by them.
God
will open the exhaustive biography of my life and yours and the proceedings
will begin.
The
Bible says that there is one who accuses us before God night and day. Satan,
the counsel for the prosecution will open his case.
“Have
you ever knowingly sinned in your life Mr. Lambert?” “Yes.”
“Have
you ever criticized others for things you have done yourself?” “Well, yes.”
“Have you ever gone one day without falling into sin at some point?” “No.”
“Have
you always done what you know to be the right thing?” “Not always.”
“Has
your life been filled with thankfulness in proportion to God’s generosity and
authority?” “Let me think… hmm, that would be no.”
“I
see. No more questions Your Honour.”
I
will look into Jesus’ searching eyes. “Do you have anything to add?” I will
have to reply, “No, Lord. I am guilty as charged.”
The
Book of Life
But
there is another book and it appears in v12 and v15. This book is actually
mentioned 8 times in the Bible; it’s the Book of Life.
It’s
the complete record of Jesus’ perfect life; that’s why its full title is the
Lamb’s Book of Life. Turn the cover over and what do you see?
It’s
a flawless portrait of Jesus' matchless character;
Chapter
1 - his limitless love
Chapter
2 - his amazing faith
Chapter
3 - his unshakeable integrity
Chapter
4 - his innocent sufferings
Chapter
5 - his endless mercy
Chapter
6 - his awesome authority
Chapter
7 - his total truthfulness
Chapter
8 - his perfect sinlessness
And
on it goes until (last but not least) the short epilogue - his unassuming
humility.
But
the Bible tells us that in eight different places that there are other names
recorded in this book as well. Whose names? I’m going to read three verses from
the Bible.
“These
women have contended at my side in the cause of the gospel, along with Clement
and the rest of my co-workers, whose names are in the book of life.”
“I
will never blot out the names (of those who are victorious) from the book of
life, but will acknowledge their names before my Father and his angels.”
“Nothing
impure will ever enter (the New Jerusalem), nor will anyone who does what is
shameful or deceitful, but only those whose names are written in the Lamb's
book of life.”
So
who are these people whose names are in the book of life? It’s all those who
stick with Jesus as their Saviour and Lord.
That’s
why the Bible says we are “in Christ.” If we stay faithful to him our names get
written into the record of Christ’s perfect life.
That’s
why it says we are “included in Christ.” God incorporates you and me into the
story of Christ’s flawless life and gives us his perfect righteousness.
Don’t
leave here this morning without receiving a new revelation of the truth that
you get to be clothed in Christ’s perfect goodness. Don’t leave here content
with the filthy rags of your own good works.
The
day of judgement, for some, will open the door to a glorious new heaven and a
restored new earth. Jesus himself and all who belong to him will be there. They
will have new bodies which will never grow old. There will be no death there,
no grieving, no crying, and no pain. All who belong to Christ on that day will
be healed forever. I’ll be talking about heaven next Sunday at 9:00am.
But
for those who refuse the gospel and who reject Christ, it will be a day of
devastation. It says here that “All whose names were not found in the book of
life were thrown into the lake of fire.” I wish it didn’t say that. But it
does, and I’ll be talking about hell the following Sunday.
Ending
This
upsets me but it upsets God more. It weighs on the heart of God, who so “wants
all people to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth.”
If
you’re under condemnation from the evil one, if he keeps reminding you of all
your failures, let someone pray with you this morning so that Jesus can assure
you of all his successes into which you can be included, by faith.
If
you have been falsely accused of something and you’re living with that
heaviness, let someone pray with you so that the Lord will bring release to you
and break the chains of injustice.
If
you’re not yet sure, absolutely certain, that your name is written in the book
of life, I urge you with all my strength to not leave this church this morning
until you are sure it is.
You
may have been going to church for years and never yet had the wonderful
assurance of salvation. If that is you, I want to briefly talk you through some
truths from God's word and pray with you so that you will know, beyond doubt,
that your name is in the book of Jesus' perfect life.
We’re
going to ask the Holy Spirit to fall on us…
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