13. The Good News About the Judgment

LONNIE: Welcome to Exploring the Word. I hope you’ve been enjoying our studies together. And I hope you’ve been able to re-discover some of the life-changing truths that are contained in this book, the Bible. Today we’re going to deal with a topic, the final judgment, that raises a lot of questions. Jeannie has one of them.

JEANNIE: This one was emailed from a Discover student who asked, “Is Jesus going to judge both the righteous and wicked people when He comes the second time? I thought only the wicked people would be because they disobey God's commands.”

This question relates to one I hear from people who wonder, “If we’re saved by faith, why is there a judgment of works?”

LONNIE: The two don’t seem to go together, do they? The New Testament assures us over and over that we are saved by faith alone, not by works. But then at the last day, there’s this judgment of works. That’s what you saw in your homework assignment. Jesus pictures a final judgment in Matthew 25. Did you think about how that fits into the gospel?

JEANNIE: A lot of people I’ve talked with have a hard time with that.

LONNIE: How do you relate to the final judgment? The Bible pictures God Almighty seated at His Great White Throne. And the record of humanity comes before Him. The Apostle Paul wrote this in 2 Corinthians 2:10:

“For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, that each one may receive the things done in the body, according to what he has done, whether good or bad.”

Yes, there’s going to be a judgment. And we’re going to have to face the record of what we’ve done—good or bad. That sounds pretty grim. Surely God will come up with enough evidence against us if He’s looking that closely.

Well, today we’re going to find good news in the judgment. We’re going to find good news because there’s a way for us to actually stand before this Supreme Court of the universe, there’s a way for us to actually be assured of a favorable verdict. We’re going to find out in just a moment.

Where’s the good news---when it comes to the judgment? Let’s step back a bit and get a bigger picture. We’ll start with the book of Daniel in the Old Testament. He’s one of the major prophets. After Jeremiah and Ezekiel.
We’ll look at Daniel 7:9 and 10. Here the prophet Daniel gives us a very dramatic portrayal of a judgment scene.

“I watched till thrones were put in place,
And the Ancient of Days was seated. . .
A thousand thousands ministered to Him;
Ten thousand times ten thousand stood before Him.
The court was seated,
And the books were opened.” Daniel 7:9,10

Now please notice something very interesting at the very beginning of this passage. It doesn’t say a throne was put in place, it says, what? "Thrones were put in place." Thrones--in the plural. Evidently the Ancient of Days, God Himself, permits other heavenly beings to preside with him in the judgment. We get another suggestion of that down in verse 10: "The court was seated."

Daniel's vision almost suggests robed Supreme Court justices sitting at the high bench to listen to oral arguments. Evidently God's final decision regarding individual human destinies isn't just a matter of divine decree. He is willing to carry this out in a courtroom setting, accompanied by others on their thrones, and in front of thousands upon thousands of witnesses.

In other words, God's final judgment is an open investigation. It’s an open affair. It's not just a private decision, but something that many will witness first-hand. When that supreme court in heaven is seated, Daniel tells us, the books are opened.

Remember, God is omniscient. It’s not like He has to look up some information He’s forgotten. He doesn't need to be reminded of the facts. What this suggests is that He has chosen to make the final judgment a matter of public record; the evidence is down in black and white. The judgment, in a sense, is a teaching tool.

Let’s turn to Revelation, the last book of the Bible. We find another picture of the judgment here in Revelation 20:12:

“And I saw the dead, small and great, standing before God, and books were opened. And another book was opened, which is the Book of Life. And the dead were judged according to their works, by the things which were written in the books.”

It's apparent that the Almighty doesn't just want to satisfy Himself in the judgment; He also wants satisfy all those who witness the proceedings. Evidence is presented on which to render a verdict.

A divine supreme court will preside at the end of the world. There seems to be a thorough work of investigation that goes on. The court is seated; books are opened. Apparently, principles are made very clear in each case before a final verdict is rendered.

That is, before God in His Sovereignty separates the sheep from the goats. First, He graciously chooses to go over the evidence in an open and thorough investigation.

But guess what? Being open and thorough is not enough. Being fair is not enough. Even if God does carefully weigh all the good and bad in that final investigation, most of us would still be on very shaky ground. We need more than fairness. We're all guilty when confronted with the standard of God's holy law. And that standard is not going to bend for any of us. Just as the Supreme Court justices of the United States are called to uphold the Constitution, and apply it consistently, so our Sovereign God will uphold His law.

So what hope is there? The answer is suggested by one of the most celebrated cases to ever appear before America's highest court: Gideon vs. Wainwright.

Clarence Earl Gideon was arrested by police in a small Florida town for breaking and entering a poolroom. He was charged with a felony. Gideon was homeless. He couldn’t post bail. He couldn’t hire a lawyer. So he asked that the court appoint a counsel to serve in his defense.

The judge denied Gideon's request. So this man tried to defend himself in the trial. He was convicted and sentenced to five years in prison. While incarcerated Gideon began studying law and ran across the Sixth Amendment to the Constitution, which states that an accused person shall have the right to counsel for his defense in all criminal prosecutions.

So he appealed his case to higher, state courts. No one chose to rule in his
favor. But eventually Gideon's case reached the Supreme Court.

In 1963 Justice Hugo Black was chosen to write the court's unanimous decision.
He emphasized the fact that, in America, a fair trial means that "every defendant stands equal before the law." If only the rich could provide themselves with legal counsel, then others could not be guaranteed equal protection under the law. The Supreme Court ruled in Gideon's favor.

And so, because this one homeless man persevered in his petition, the Sixth Amendment guarantee of the right to counsel is made secure for every individual in America.

Now, what does this have to do with our predicament, as we face that divine Supreme Court at the end of time? Let’s find out in 1 John 2:1. Listen to what the Apostle John tells about standing before God.

“My little children, these things I write to you, that you may not sin. And if anyone sins, we have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous.” I John 2:1

John tells us we will have expert counsel on that day of judgment. Jesus Christ
Himself will serve as our Advocate; He will speak in our defense. That's the good news in the judgment. We have an Advocate. We won't stand alone before the holy tribunal; God Himself, in the person of our Advocate Jesus, will be standing right beside us.

Now let’s think about this. What does Jesus our Advocate do, exactly? How will He defend us? Will He, when some insensitive deed comes to light, remind the judge of the times we were kind? Will He attempt to balance the picture by presenting our good side?

I don’t think that’s our Advocate's role. Let's read the very next verse, I John 2, verse 2:

“And He Himself is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the whole world.”

Jesus, our Advocate is “the propitiation.” What does that mean? It means He’s the atoning sacrifice. He makes up for our sins, all of them. That means, all our sins are covered.

His great speech on our behalf is the speech of Calvary, the evidence of the cross. I believe that on the day of judgment Christ will say, "Yes, this person is guilty of sin. He has fallen short of Your glory. But now he's been adopted as our son. He has accepted My sacrifice for sin on his behalf. Therefore I ask that You accept Him into heaven on the basis of My perfect life lived on earth."

That is what our Advocate can say on our behalf. And what’s more, He’s going to win the case; He's going to win every time. Why? Because this is Jesus Christ, the Righteous One. This is the sinless Lamb of God. There's no flaw in His appeal, no blemish in His record. He can stand innocent before the highest tribunal in the universe.

The bottom line for us is this: we are saved by faith today; we will be saved by faith in the final judgment.

So why are our works examined as part of this process?
Here’s one reason. There’s a sense in which God Himself is on trial in the final judgment! Has He been fair? Has He dealt with sinful human beings justly? Could the tragedy of sin have been avoided? These are questions that will be answered. And the amazing thing is that our human lives can bear witness, we can testify to the credibility of God’s claims as a Redeemer, as a Faithful Lord. We can have an important role to play in demonstrating to the watching universe that God really has been at work in His rebellious planet.

And there’s another reason works are examined. The fact is we all need to come before God and face the record of our lives. We do need to come clean and admit where we came up short. “This is where I succeeded; this is where I failed.” In some way we need to admit this before witnesses. We don’t pass the judgment by pretending, by hiding things.

Remember, this is an open, thorough and fair investigation. God wants us to be open, thorough and fair too. His honesty is meant to inspire our honesty.

So when our record comes up, we can say, “Yes, this is exactly why I need Christ to stand up in my defense.” And that gives our Advocate an opportunity to stand up, to place His claim on our lives, and to seal our destinies.

And that is how, as Scripture says, we pass out of judgment—and into life.

JEANNIE: The judgment--it’s such a weighty subject. But I’m so glad God has taken such pains to make it clear to us, make clear exactly how we can be secure about our fate in the judgment.

LONNIE: When you think about it, the judgment is precisely the time when we need salvation, redemption, justification by faith, all that Christ accomplished on the cross. Sometimes people forget that. They acknowledge they are saved now on the basis of faith in Christ, but then, forget all about that when it comes to the end time, the time of judgment.

JEANNIE: We’ve gone through a quarter of a year in our study together, Lonnie. We’ve studied some really essential truths. What step do you think God is leading people to take right now, at this time of transition?

LONNIE: I would like to talk to you about where you are right now in your spiritual journey, and where God may be leading you. And I believe the picture of the final judgment is a fitting backdrop for us to think about these things.

Once Jesus told a parable about talents. It’s recorded in Matthew 25. A wealthy landowner is embarking on a long journey. He entrusts three servants with different amounts of money to invest. One gets ten talents, one five talents, one one talent. A talent was worth about a thousand denarii. And a denarii was basically a day’s wage.
So those were significant sums.

Well, two of the servants invest wisely—and multiply their talents. One servant does nothing with his—just buries it in the ground. And he is reprimanded when the master returns. But listen to what the other two are told. Matthew 25:23:

“Well done, good and faithful servant; you have been faithful over a few things, I will make you ruler over many things. Enter into the joy of your lord.”

Each of us receives gifts and talents in this life. And it is our privilege to do something constructive with them. But one of the most important talents we receive is actually---the truth. Light that shines our way from the Word of God is a gift; it’s something precious entrusted to us. And different people are able to receive different amounts of light at different times in their lives. Some are fortunate to belong to families where the Bible is honored. Others learn very little about God growing up.

But some light falls on all of our paths. We’re exposed to the truth here and there, in various ways. And what we do with that truth is vitally important. How we respond to the light makes all the difference.

I don’t believe it’s an accident that you have been Exploring the Word with us. I don’t believe you just happened to tune in to this telecast. You’re on a journey. You may be moving slowly. You may be moving very fast. You may be devouring the Word. You may be just starting to taste it.

But I’d like to challenge you right now, wherever you are on this journey, to say “yes” to the truth that has come your way. Respond to it. Don’t put it away on the shelf. Don’t just nod your head and go on with your life. Make a decision about the principles of God’s Word that you’ve been learning.

Friends I long so much to hear those words from the Master: “Well done, good and faithful servant.” I want that more than anything else. I long for the day when I can enter into the joy of my Lord. And so I pray that nothing, absolutely nothing, interferes with my growing in the truth. I want to respond when God convicts; I want to go where God leads.

Is that your desire today? Are you ready to embrace the light that has come your way?

Please don’t bury the truth. Please don’t just sit on it. You’ve got to do something with it. You’ve got to invest it—in your life. I promise you will see wonderful results; you will experience real growth.

So at this moment I’d like you to make a commitment to take the step forward that God is suggesting. What do you need to do right now?
Make that step as we pray.

Dear Father, thank You so much for taking us on a journey. Thank you for opening up truths in Your Word. Thank You for lightening up our world. We want to move forward right now. We want to accept these new truths and apply them in our lives. We want to join with others who are on this same journey. We want to be held accountable. Please help us lay off the old ways and put on the new ways. Please help us turn from the old deceptions and embrace the new light. Seal this resolve, dear Lord, through Your Spirit in our hearts. Thank You for accepting us in Your Beloved Son. We commit ourselves to be good and faithful servants from this day forward. In Jesus’ name, amen.

LONNIE: Our prayer is that the decision you’ve made today will take you on a journey through the best years of your life. Until next week, God bless you and yours. And remember, never stop exploring the Word.