The most widely accepted statement of Christian
doctrine written in the history of the Church
is embodied in the Apostles' Creed. The document
consists of 110 words divided into 12 sections,
and each section deals with a different segment
of New Testament truth. Every cardinal doctrine
of historical and evangelical Christianity is
emphasized in the Apostles' Creed. This is the
seventh of a series of messages that I am bringing
on the Great Christian Pledge. I believe in God
the Father Almighty, maker of heaven and earth,
and in Jesus Christ, his only Son, our Lord,
who was conceived by the Holy Ghost, born of
the Virgin Mary, suffered under Pontius Pilate,
was crucified, dead, and buried. He descended
into hell. and the third day he arose again from
the dead. He ascended into heaven and sitteth
on the right hand of God the Father Almighty.
From thence he shall come to judge the quick
and the dead. I believe in the Holy Ghost, the
Holy Catholic Church, the communion of saints,
the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of
the body, and the life everlasting. Amen. From
thence he shall come to judge the quick and the
dead. Judgment is not a pleasant subject upon
which to meditate. No one likes the word, but
believe me, it is deeply embedded in human existence.
Conscience, the very conscience of every man
warns of future retribution for sins committed
unless they're wiped out through repentance in
this life. Know that. Beloved, whether you believe
it or not, whether you will accept it or not,
It is Bible truth that judgment is a reality.
Reference to it belongs in the Christian pledge.
The writers of the creed did not seek to gloss
over the fact of retribution for sins committed
in the flesh. No. Judgment is spoken of here
in the great... Apostles' Creed. Every sin demands
wages and carries its own penalty. Let us pause
for just a few moments and consider this thing
of judgment. There's a glorious portion of God's
Word that I want to give to you. And to me, it
is one of the most thrilling words ever spoken.
The believer's judgment as a sinner. Verily,
verily I say unto you, he that heareth my word
and believeth on him that sent me hath everlasting
life and shall not come into condemnation. In
other words, and shall not come into judgment
for his sin. but is past here and now, not future,
but is past from death unto life. Read it. It's
there in the fifth chapter of John, the 24th
verse. Therefore, the believer's judgment for
sin is past and was settled at the cross. That's
what salvation means. When we talk about regeneration,
when we talk about the new birth experience.
This is what is involved in being born again.
At that time of your new birth experience, you
have your judgment for sin. If we confess our
sins, He's able and just to forgive us of our
sins at that moment when that sin is confessed.
The very moment that a man or a woman confesses
he is a sinner and accepts Jesus Christ as his
Savior from his sin that very moment, that one
passes from death unto life. He that heareth
my word and believeth on him that sent me hath
everlasting life and shall not come into condemnation.
Therefore, the believer's judgment for sin is
past. But there is a future judgment for the
believer, not as a sinner, but as a servant.
There is a judgment for believers that is a judgment
as to works. The place, the judgment seat of
Christ. And that judgment is based on works.
The result? Reward or loss of reward. This judgment
is future. Turn, if you will, please, to 2 Corinthians
5, the 10th verse. We must all appear before
the judgment seat of Christ, that everyone may
receive the things done in the body. According
to that he hath done, whether it be good, or
bad. In other words, worthless. The pronoun we
occurs 26 times in the chapter. And in every
instance, it means the believer. And the epistle
is addressed to the church. And the saints at
Corinth. So the judgment here spoken of is for
believers only. The time of this judgment is
when the Lord comes. And it will be before the
judgment seat of Christ. It will not be a judgment
in the sense of a trial to see whether the judged
are innocent or guilty. For it is a judgment
of the saved only. It is not a judgment for sin,
but for works. This judgment of which I am speaking
is described in 1 Corinthians 3. I read, Other
foundation can no man lay than that is laid,
which is Christ Jesus. Now if any man build upon
this foundation gold, silver, precious stones,
valuable building stones as marble, wood, hay,
stubble, every man's work shall be made manifest,
for the day, the judgment day, shall declare
it. because it shall be revealed by fire, and
the fire shall try every man's work of what sort
it is. If any man's work abide, which he hath
built thereupon, he shall receive a reward. If
any man's work shall be burned, he shall suffer
loss, for he himself shall be saved, yet so as
by fire. Now the result of this judgment is reward
or the loss of reward. All of our bad and dead
works, represented by wood, hay, stubble, will
be consumed, and only our good works shall remain.
There is much which passes for Christian service
which is merely human and secular and does not
count in our eternal reward. Now, let's go on
and see the judgment. of the wicked dead. For
all, all must appear before the judgment seat
of Christ. All. The Christian, not for sin, but
for reward. He appears as a servant. But the
wicked dead must appear. The time during the
renovation of the earth by fire. The place before
the great white throne. This judgment is future.
I give you the word of God. The account is given
in the Twins chapter of the book of the Revelation.
It will take place at the close of the millennium,
a thousand years after the judgment of the nations
and before the great white throne. Now, the great
white throne will not be on earth. For the great
white throne judgment will take place during
the renovation of the earth by fire. For the
renovation of this earth is reserved or kept
until the time of that judgment, which Peter
calls the day of judgment, and perdition of ungodly
men. Because the judgment of the great white
throne is the judgment of the wicked dead. All
the righteous dead will arise at the first. resurrection.
If any righteous die before the first resurrection
and the resurrection of the wicked or the second
resurrection, they will rise with the wicked
dead at that resurrection. The words, I quote,
whose soul was not found written in the book
of life implies that there will be some, probably
very few, righteous at the second resurrection.
Now, here is something that I want you to see
that to me is very marvelous. From thence he
shall come to judge the quick and the dead. We
know from this that Jesus will be the judge in
each instance. You will remember if you heard
my last. in the series of messages on the Apostles'
Creed. We saw him in position of great high priest.
The record says that our high priest was taken
from among men, not from angels, because they
are incapable of entering into a fellow feeling
with us. But Jesus knows human nature. He wore
a garb of flesh. He lived among men. He knows
our problems, our feelings, our limitations,
our anxieties, our heartaches. He knows our weaknesses.
For we have not an high priest which cannot be
touched with the feeling of our infirmities,
but watch it, but was in all points tempted like
as we are, yet without sin. Remember who is going
to be our judge. Not God the Father. How often
we labor under the false impression that God
the Father is going to be our judge. He will
not be our judge. Jesus Christ will be our judge.
He who was once as much man as though he were
not God. He who was once God. in the body of
flesh, who walked among men, who was touched
with the feeling of our infirmities, who was
tempted as any man in the flesh and yet without
sin. Therefore, beloved, God has given him the
authority, the position as judge, for he can
be a righteous judge, knowing... knowing temptation,
knowing man's feeling as God could never know.
How do I know that he's going to be our judge?
The scripture says so. It's there in the 10th
chapter of Acts. Referring to Jesus, the scripture
says, him God raised up the third day and showed
him openly. not to all the people, but unto witnesses
chosen before of God, even to us, who did eat
and drink with him after he rose from the dead.
And he commanded us to preach unto the people
and to testify that it is he, referring to Jesus,
which was ordained of God to be the judge of.
Quick and dead. He will be our judge. Why? Because
he once wore a garb of flesh. Because he knows
human nature. He lived among men. He too was
tempted. He knows our problems. He knows our
weaknesses. He knows our heartbreak. Today he
is in position of great high priest, ever living
to make intercession for you and for me, ready
to forgive, ready to intercede. But one day,
from thence, from the right hand of God the Father,
he shall come to judge the quick and the dead.
Amen.