WEBVTT 00:00:00.300 --> 00:00:04.700 The young skydiver jumped out of the plane at 00:00:04.700 --> 00:00:14.619 3 ,300 feet. And almost immediately, his primary 00:00:14.619 --> 00:00:20.920 parachute became, in his words, garbage. His 00:00:20.920 --> 00:00:24.719 secondary chute was deployed, and it became entangled 00:00:24.719 --> 00:00:27.480 in the first chute. And he plummeted toward the 00:00:27.480 --> 00:00:32.579 earth at 100 feet per second. screaming, kicking, 00:00:33.700 --> 00:00:37.820 certain he was going to die. In his own words 00:00:37.820 --> 00:00:41.020 he said, I knew I was dead and that my life was 00:00:41.020 --> 00:00:43.719 ended right then. There was nothing I could do. 00:00:43.799 --> 00:00:47.359 It was all over. My mind started doing weird 00:00:47.359 --> 00:00:52.359 things. All my past life flashed before my eyes. 00:00:54.359 --> 00:00:56.740 Well obviously if he told us those words he didn't 00:00:56.740 --> 00:01:00.799 die in the fall. There was just enough air caught 00:01:00.799 --> 00:01:04.159 in the parachutes that when he hit the ground, 00:01:05.239 --> 00:01:08.480 he hit in such a way that he lived through that 00:01:08.480 --> 00:01:12.219 experience. It is an interesting though that 00:01:12.219 --> 00:01:16.019 he records what many others have said who have 00:01:16.019 --> 00:01:21.500 had near -death experiences. All my life flashed 00:01:21.500 --> 00:01:27.359 before me in a second. Have you ever wondered 00:01:27.359 --> 00:01:34.359 why that is? What is the cause of that phenomenon? 00:01:38.120 --> 00:01:43.140 Today we are thinking about God and that particular 00:01:43.140 --> 00:01:52.280 aspect of God's nature called His justice. We 00:01:52.280 --> 00:01:55.319 cannot expect to fully understand God. If we 00:01:55.319 --> 00:01:59.620 could do that, if our finite minds could grasp 00:01:59.620 --> 00:02:02.180 the infinite, then we would be greater than He. 00:02:04.400 --> 00:02:09.300 It's not that God is irrational, but God is supra 00:02:09.300 --> 00:02:12.319 -rational. He is above being able to be reasoned 00:02:12.319 --> 00:02:16.939 out. He is a God who has no limitations, except 00:02:16.939 --> 00:02:21.949 those which are imposed by His own nature. But 00:02:21.949 --> 00:02:26.569 because He is without limitation, we are unable 00:02:26.569 --> 00:02:32.889 to reason, to imagine, or to evaluate Him so 00:02:32.889 --> 00:02:40.129 as to comprehend what is incomprehensible. There 00:02:40.129 --> 00:02:43.090 are some things about God which we might rather 00:02:43.090 --> 00:02:48.530 not think about. Some of those things trouble 00:02:48.530 --> 00:02:54.469 our minds. For example, if God is both all -powerful 00:02:54.469 --> 00:02:57.969 and loving, why is there suffering in the world? 00:03:01.830 --> 00:03:04.169 Some things we would rather not think about because 00:03:04.169 --> 00:03:08.469 they challenge our imagination. How can you imagine 00:03:08.469 --> 00:03:17.710 a person, a being, which had no beginning? It's 00:03:17.710 --> 00:03:19.610 a little easier to think of something that has 00:03:19.610 --> 00:03:27.870 no ending, but no beginning ever. There are some 00:03:27.870 --> 00:03:30.210 things that we might rather not think about because 00:03:30.210 --> 00:03:33.409 they expose our vulnerability as human beings. 00:03:34.469 --> 00:03:36.710 And God's justice, it seems to me, falls into 00:03:36.710 --> 00:03:40.849 that category. God is love and God is gracious. 00:03:41.069 --> 00:03:46.669 He is kind. He is merciful. He is good. But he 00:03:46.669 --> 00:03:52.409 is also, at the very same time, a God who hates 00:03:52.409 --> 00:03:58.090 sin with a perfect hatred, because sin is contrary 00:03:58.090 --> 00:04:04.229 to his holiness. And so today we worship a God 00:04:04.229 --> 00:04:10.710 who judges. There is an ultimate accountability 00:04:10.710 --> 00:04:14.009 that is written into the moral order of the universe. 00:04:16.240 --> 00:04:20.379 The creature is ultimately responsible to his 00:04:20.379 --> 00:04:26.800 creator. Now Christians need not blush to speak 00:04:26.800 --> 00:04:31.620 of that. We need not be embarrassed as though 00:04:31.620 --> 00:04:34.100 that were some blemish on the character of God. 00:04:37.139 --> 00:04:40.040 The fact that God judges is not inconsistent 00:04:40.040 --> 00:04:42.439 with any of the other attributes that we have 00:04:42.439 --> 00:04:45.360 studied about him, his goodness, his love. or 00:04:45.360 --> 00:04:49.660 any of the others. In fact, God Himself does 00:04:49.660 --> 00:04:53.959 not conceal, He does not conceal in the Bible 00:04:53.959 --> 00:04:58.600 the fact that He is a God who judges. He is upfront 00:04:58.600 --> 00:05:02.699 about it, He is open about it. In fact, He calls 00:05:02.699 --> 00:05:08.899 Himself a God of vengeance and a God who is angry 00:05:08.899 --> 00:05:14.079 with sinners every day. That's God's own terminology 00:05:14.079 --> 00:05:21.920 about Himself. In fact, there would be a defect 00:05:21.920 --> 00:05:27.740 in God if He had no wrath, because indifference 00:05:27.740 --> 00:05:35.079 to sin is a defect. God's very nature makes it 00:05:35.079 --> 00:05:40.980 essential that He be a God of judgment. as well 00:05:40.980 --> 00:05:48.199 as salvation. That he offer hell as a destiny, 00:05:48.740 --> 00:05:53.000 as well as heaven. God's very nature demands 00:05:53.000 --> 00:05:57.920 that. God is a God who judges. And you and I 00:05:57.920 --> 00:06:02.139 are wise to reflect on this truth that is most 00:06:02.139 --> 00:06:06.550 commonly overlooked about God. It is wise for 00:06:06.550 --> 00:06:09.209 us to reflect upon it so that we can then order 00:06:09.209 --> 00:06:13.829 our lives in the light of it. The Bible tells 00:06:13.829 --> 00:06:18.790 us that God judges nations and individuals. God 00:06:18.790 --> 00:06:21.990 judges the secrets of the heart as well as the 00:06:21.990 --> 00:06:27.550 works of the lives. He judges spoken words and 00:06:27.550 --> 00:06:32.029 subversive attitudes. He judges His own people 00:06:32.029 --> 00:06:36.980 as well as those to whom he will say, according 00:06:36.980 --> 00:06:40.600 to what he himself has already predicted, I never 00:06:40.600 --> 00:06:47.040 knew you. Depart from me, ye cursed." God judges. 00:06:48.000 --> 00:06:50.800 Now, why does God judge? Well, I want to re -emphasize 00:06:50.800 --> 00:06:53.879 the fact that God is a God of judgment because 00:06:53.879 --> 00:07:02.740 he is just. God is far beyond fair. God is just. 00:07:04.490 --> 00:07:10.029 And His justice demands a final accountability. 00:07:11.990 --> 00:07:17.290 God's justice demands that He condemn what is 00:07:17.290 --> 00:07:22.449 sinful, what is wicked, and that He reward what 00:07:22.449 --> 00:07:27.449 is good and what is righteous. And we need to 00:07:27.449 --> 00:07:31.069 understand that God is not arbitrary regarding 00:07:31.069 --> 00:07:39.649 the standard of His justice. God's moral law, 00:07:39.689 --> 00:07:43.610 revealed in the Bible, tells us the righteousness 00:07:43.610 --> 00:07:49.970 of His nature. It exposes His perfect love to 00:07:49.970 --> 00:07:53.910 us as well, because God's law, you see, insists 00:07:53.910 --> 00:08:00.069 upon perfect love being expressed among creatures, 00:08:00.550 --> 00:08:04.949 human creatures, for their own welfare. In fact, 00:08:04.970 --> 00:08:09.240 I think it might even be argued that the law 00:08:09.240 --> 00:08:16.779 is a codification of his love, if you please, 00:08:17.319 --> 00:08:23.040 for human conduct. And so to break the commandments 00:08:23.040 --> 00:08:26.480 of God, the law of God, the moral code of God, 00:08:27.339 --> 00:08:29.939 is not just to offend his righteousness, but 00:08:29.939 --> 00:08:34.980 it is also to transgress his love. Because in 00:08:34.980 --> 00:08:37.659 the moral code of God, let's even narrow it down 00:08:37.659 --> 00:08:42.299 to the Ten Commandments, we find a codification 00:08:42.299 --> 00:08:46.159 of His love. And for men to live on this earth 00:08:46.159 --> 00:08:49.940 expressing love to one another would require 00:08:49.940 --> 00:08:53.279 the keeping of the Ten Commandments. It is the 00:08:53.279 --> 00:08:55.620 expression of His love as well as His righteousness. 00:08:57.539 --> 00:09:00.259 And it's important to understand that God's standards 00:09:00.259 --> 00:09:04.440 of morality are absolute and unchanging. despite 00:09:04.440 --> 00:09:09.899 the changing culture around us. God's standards 00:09:09.899 --> 00:09:15.240 for human morality and human conduct form the 00:09:15.240 --> 00:09:19.860 standard by which personal judgment will one 00:09:19.860 --> 00:09:28.580 day be determined. When will that be? When will 00:09:28.580 --> 00:09:32.240 judgment come? And I'm speaking now of personal 00:09:32.240 --> 00:09:38.940 judgment. Well the answer to that is that judgment 00:09:38.940 --> 00:09:42.340 will come at the appropriate time to fully measure 00:09:42.340 --> 00:09:46.399 the impact and the consequences of each life. 00:09:49.159 --> 00:09:51.799 Now the fact is that there are some consequences 00:09:51.799 --> 00:09:57.559 of sin that occur during life itself. God has 00:09:57.559 --> 00:10:04.509 built into certain sins consequences which fall 00:10:04.509 --> 00:10:10.149 out in this lifetime upon those who practice 00:10:10.149 --> 00:10:16.929 that disobedience. But that is not the final 00:10:16.929 --> 00:10:21.250 judgment. It's significant but it's not the final 00:10:21.250 --> 00:10:26.350 judgment. It can also be said that there is some 00:10:26.350 --> 00:10:31.200 temporal judgment. And by that I mean that there 00:10:31.200 --> 00:10:35.879 are times when God directly intervenes during 00:10:35.879 --> 00:10:40.220 the span of time to bring judgment. Many examples 00:10:40.220 --> 00:10:43.279 of this in the Bible. The flood of Noah that 00:10:43.279 --> 00:10:45.700 was mentioned in our text this morning in 2 Peter 00:10:45.700 --> 00:10:50.159 is an example of it. The destruction of Sodom 00:10:50.159 --> 00:10:55.250 and Gomorrah is an example of it. And it says 00:10:55.250 --> 00:10:57.149 there in the Word that both of those happened 00:10:57.149 --> 00:10:59.629 as an example to those who would afterward live 00:10:59.629 --> 00:11:03.909 ungodly, that they might know that God will judge, 00:11:04.629 --> 00:11:10.570 no doubt about it. We have an example of it in 00:11:10.570 --> 00:11:16.669 Jeroboam. We have an example of it in Uzziah. 00:11:18.370 --> 00:11:21.149 We have an example of it in Ananias and Sapphira. 00:11:22.539 --> 00:11:25.860 There are times when God brings temporal judgment, 00:11:26.419 --> 00:11:30.220 sometimes involving death or disease or destruction, 00:11:30.960 --> 00:11:37.240 but that is not the final judgment. I've shared 00:11:37.240 --> 00:11:41.179 with you before the story of a person who was 00:11:41.179 --> 00:11:44.740 a gossip in a church. This occurred more than 00:11:44.740 --> 00:11:47.779 25 years ago. How long before that, I don't know, 00:11:48.039 --> 00:11:52.840 but I heard it 25 years ago. A church in New 00:11:52.840 --> 00:11:59.039 York was being divided by a gossip in the church. 00:12:00.279 --> 00:12:04.580 The pastor went to the home of the gossip and 00:12:04.580 --> 00:12:07.159 played with her that she might stop the talking 00:12:07.159 --> 00:12:10.740 that was going on. In this case, it was a woman. 00:12:10.820 --> 00:12:12.700 It doesn't always have to be a woman. We know 00:12:12.700 --> 00:12:17.570 that from experience, don't we? And she absolutely 00:12:17.570 --> 00:12:20.129 refused to do that, and so he got down his knees 00:12:20.129 --> 00:12:23.169 right there in her living room and said, Oh Lord, 00:12:23.389 --> 00:12:27.169 you know I have tried and I now commit this lady 00:12:27.169 --> 00:12:32.009 to you. And he left. And the next Sunday he rolled 00:12:32.009 --> 00:12:34.730 around and Sunday school was about to begin. 00:12:34.909 --> 00:12:37.129 There was one adult class. The pastor taught 00:12:37.129 --> 00:12:40.649 it. And sure enough, just before the class began 00:12:40.649 --> 00:12:44.320 in walked this lady. And she sat down in the 00:12:44.320 --> 00:12:46.600 front row and immediately, by just watching her, 00:12:46.799 --> 00:12:49.139 the pastor could tell to whom she had talked 00:12:49.139 --> 00:12:52.659 because she was nodding around the classroom 00:12:52.659 --> 00:12:54.500 to each one of them. And when she had nodded 00:12:54.500 --> 00:12:56.559 to the last one, she slumped out of her chair, 00:12:56.679 --> 00:13:02.980 dead of a heart attack. God does bring temporal 00:13:02.980 --> 00:13:09.039 judgment. But what I'm talking about this morning 00:13:09.039 --> 00:13:13.960 is the final judgment. The final judgment does 00:13:13.960 --> 00:13:16.080 not take place during this life. I know that 00:13:16.080 --> 00:13:18.100 there are those who say, well, hell is in this 00:13:18.100 --> 00:13:21.200 life. Certainly this life can be in some sense 00:13:21.200 --> 00:13:25.440 hellish, but hell does not come in this life. 00:13:26.899 --> 00:13:29.779 The final judgment you see comes after death. 00:13:30.419 --> 00:13:34.940 It is appointed unto man once to die, and after 00:13:34.940 --> 00:13:40.779 that, the judgment. The judgment comes at the 00:13:40.779 --> 00:13:45.840 conclusion, actually, of history. And who is 00:13:45.840 --> 00:13:50.899 going to judge? Well, certainly we are not capable 00:13:50.899 --> 00:13:55.179 of judging each other. It is not our place to 00:13:55.179 --> 00:13:58.659 judge other human beings, although there is some 00:13:58.659 --> 00:14:01.360 judgment that will be committed to God's people. 00:14:03.039 --> 00:14:06.159 But judgment of human beings will ultimately 00:14:06.159 --> 00:14:10.700 rest with one person and one person only, and 00:14:10.700 --> 00:14:16.730 he is a man. He is also God, and His name is 00:14:16.730 --> 00:14:21.970 Jesus Christ. Jesus said in John chapter 5 that 00:14:21.970 --> 00:14:26.049 the Father had committed all judgment to Him. 00:14:28.330 --> 00:14:31.129 He is the one who is called in Hebrews 12, the 00:14:31.129 --> 00:14:36.549 Judge of all, and in Genesis 18 .25, the Judge 00:14:36.549 --> 00:14:42.690 of all the earth. In 2 Timothy 4 verses 1 and 00:14:42.690 --> 00:14:45.850 8, again, Jesus Christ is named the Judge of 00:14:45.850 --> 00:14:48.870 all, and it says both the living and the dead. 00:14:50.610 --> 00:14:55.149 Now why is He the Judge? It is because He is 00:14:55.149 --> 00:14:59.750 the uniquely qualified one to do it. For He is 00:14:59.750 --> 00:15:05.710 both God and man. As God, He possesses perfect 00:15:05.710 --> 00:15:11.409 knowledge. dispenses perfect justice. As man 00:15:11.409 --> 00:15:14.470 he is able to identify with man as a creature. 00:15:16.049 --> 00:15:19.289 And so as the God -man he is perfectly qualified 00:15:19.289 --> 00:15:25.909 to judge man as God. And all people will be judged. 00:15:27.409 --> 00:15:30.029 Not at the same time that is a common misconception 00:15:30.029 --> 00:15:32.690 that someday there is going to be this great 00:15:32.690 --> 00:15:37.019 gathering of people and At that time, those who 00:15:37.019 --> 00:15:39.919 are saved are going to be separated from those 00:15:39.919 --> 00:15:42.360 who are lost, and it's just one big judgment 00:15:42.360 --> 00:15:46.059 at the end. But the Bible seems to indicate something 00:15:46.059 --> 00:15:50.480 different than that. The Bible indicates that 00:15:50.480 --> 00:15:55.659 there is judgment that is given to certain groups 00:15:55.659 --> 00:16:00.259 of people at different times. Those of us who 00:16:00.259 --> 00:16:04.169 know Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior, by 00:16:04.169 --> 00:16:09.330 our faith in Him can thank God that at least 00:16:09.330 --> 00:16:13.690 one aspect of our judgment is already passed. 00:16:17.809 --> 00:16:21.409 And that aspect is the judgment upon our sin. 00:16:22.309 --> 00:16:25.210 For when we trusted Jesus Christ as our Savior, 00:16:25.370 --> 00:16:28.500 we went back to the cross of Calvary And there 00:16:28.500 --> 00:16:31.539 we understood that on that cross, Jesus Christ 00:16:31.539 --> 00:16:35.419 died in our place to bear our judgment for sin. 00:16:38.080 --> 00:16:41.019 And so the judgment for sin that is past occurred 00:16:41.019 --> 00:16:47.259 at the cross. And we will never be held liable 00:16:47.259 --> 00:16:50.519 before God as guilty for that sin that Jesus 00:16:50.519 --> 00:16:55.340 died for that's past. But we will have an accounting 00:16:55.340 --> 00:17:00.360 with God for the deeds, the works of our lives. 00:17:02.220 --> 00:17:04.539 So then every one of us shall give account of 00:17:04.539 --> 00:17:09.160 himself before God," writes the Apostle. Further 00:17:09.160 --> 00:17:12.039 he says, so then every one of us will stand before 00:17:12.039 --> 00:17:16.539 the judgment seat of Christ that we may receive 00:17:16.539 --> 00:17:20.859 for what we have done in our bodies both what 00:17:20.859 --> 00:17:24.900 is good and what has been worthless. There is 00:17:24.900 --> 00:17:27.180 the judgment seat of Christ that is coming for 00:17:27.180 --> 00:17:31.660 those of us who are Christians Not to determine 00:17:31.660 --> 00:17:34.720 whether it's heaven or hell That's already determined 00:17:34.720 --> 00:17:37.599 in this life and beyond this life. It's too late 00:17:37.599 --> 00:17:42.099 to determine that We will be examined for the 00:17:42.099 --> 00:17:44.480 works of our lives it is good for us to remember 00:17:44.480 --> 00:17:48.440 that that is sobering and the writer of Hebrew 00:17:48.440 --> 00:17:51.359 says it is good for us even to remember that 00:17:51.359 --> 00:17:54.660 we are in the hands of a God who is a consuming 00:17:54.660 --> 00:18:05.539 fire. The Bible says on that day, every one of 00:18:05.539 --> 00:18:09.099 us will have his due or his deserved praise from 00:18:09.099 --> 00:18:14.119 God. But then there is a second judgment the 00:18:14.119 --> 00:18:17.759 Bible talks about. It is a judgment. I'm not 00:18:17.759 --> 00:18:19.619 going to take the time to read it because we're 00:18:19.619 --> 00:18:22.670 a little crunched for time today. But in Revelation 00:18:22.670 --> 00:18:27.109 20 and verse 4, there is a judgment that is suggested 00:18:27.109 --> 00:18:31.190 there that will involve everyone else who is 00:18:31.190 --> 00:18:33.690 a believer in the true God apart from those who 00:18:33.690 --> 00:18:39.029 are in the church. Those who are saved during 00:18:39.029 --> 00:18:43.630 this age belong to a unique group of people that 00:18:43.630 --> 00:18:48.700 God is calling out for His Son as a bride. But 00:18:48.700 --> 00:18:51.059 before the church began, the righteous of the 00:18:51.059 --> 00:18:55.940 Old Testament, those who will be converted and 00:18:55.940 --> 00:18:58.119 saved during the tribulation after the church 00:18:58.119 --> 00:19:01.640 is gone, what of them? Well, the Bible says they 00:19:01.640 --> 00:19:03.799 too will have a part in the first resurrection, 00:19:04.099 --> 00:19:07.079 it is called, and they will be judged at that 00:19:07.079 --> 00:19:11.920 point. That is, examined to receive their rewards 00:19:11.920 --> 00:19:16.369 for their faithfulness in serving God. Noah, 00:19:16.529 --> 00:19:18.690 that preacher of righteousness, will be rewarded 00:19:18.690 --> 00:19:23.890 for what he did in his generation. David will 00:19:23.890 --> 00:19:27.089 receive his reward in his day and all of the 00:19:27.089 --> 00:19:29.089 saints of the Old Testament as well as those 00:19:29.089 --> 00:19:31.650 who will be saved after the church is completed. 00:19:33.349 --> 00:19:36.289 And then there's that dreadful judgment, the 00:19:36.289 --> 00:19:38.509 third one that is mentioned in Revelation chapter 00:19:38.509 --> 00:19:41.970 20 and verses 11 to 15 that is called the Great 00:19:41.970 --> 00:19:46.630 White Throne Judgment. which is when all of those 00:19:46.630 --> 00:19:51.450 who have rejected Christ and who have died without 00:19:51.450 --> 00:19:54.710 Christ are brought before the judgment bar of 00:19:54.710 --> 00:19:59.170 God. And it is an exceedingly dreadful scene. 00:20:01.130 --> 00:20:04.150 And it cannot be watered down by going back to 00:20:04.150 --> 00:20:07.109 it and saying this doesn't mean what it says, 00:20:07.210 --> 00:20:12.960 it means something else. No, no. It is a scene 00:20:12.960 --> 00:20:18.420 in which the books are opened, and those who 00:20:18.420 --> 00:20:21.240 are brought before that judgment are judged out 00:20:21.240 --> 00:20:23.940 of the works that are permanently recorded in 00:20:23.940 --> 00:20:28.380 those books. Their names are not found written 00:20:28.380 --> 00:20:30.900 in the Lamb's Book of Life, and they are cast 00:20:30.900 --> 00:20:35.980 into the lake of fire, which burns forever. It 00:20:35.980 --> 00:20:41.730 says God's Word. A dreadful scene. So there is 00:20:41.730 --> 00:20:45.029 judgment coming for all. It takes place at different 00:20:45.029 --> 00:20:48.369 times. Now what should be our response to this? 00:20:49.470 --> 00:20:51.289 Well, in the first place, our response ought 00:20:51.289 --> 00:20:55.150 to be one of rejoicing. You say, well that's 00:20:55.150 --> 00:20:59.589 calloused. How could one rejoice in judgment 00:20:59.589 --> 00:21:04.630 like this? It's very simple. Because in the judgment 00:21:04.630 --> 00:21:07.329 that is to come, God is going to vindicate His 00:21:07.329 --> 00:21:11.079 justice and His righteousness and His majesty. 00:21:12.240 --> 00:21:15.700 And He will overthrow His enemies, and all of 00:21:15.700 --> 00:21:19.519 God's people will in that day rejoice that God 00:21:19.519 --> 00:21:23.440 is vindicated before the world as the holy and 00:21:23.440 --> 00:21:27.319 unique God that He is. We can rejoice in that. 00:21:28.519 --> 00:21:33.640 It also brings to us a certain assurance that 00:21:33.640 --> 00:21:36.920 we who have live for Jesus Christ in this world 00:21:36.920 --> 00:21:42.859 and have forsaken it, the world, who have sought 00:21:42.859 --> 00:21:45.700 to sacrifice for Christ and to live faithfully 00:21:45.700 --> 00:21:50.480 in this world, we shall one day, by God's goodness, 00:21:51.059 --> 00:21:56.559 be rewarded. For that is God's desire and God's 00:21:56.559 --> 00:22:00.740 pleasure to reward His faithful servants. whether 00:22:00.740 --> 00:22:03.980 that service be seen by men and applauded, or 00:22:03.980 --> 00:22:07.839 it be entirely invisible to men. It makes no 00:22:07.839 --> 00:22:11.559 difference. God sees it. And God who sees in 00:22:11.559 --> 00:22:16.839 secret will reward openly, says the Bible. So 00:22:16.839 --> 00:22:20.779 there's that assurance that it is worth sacrificing 00:22:20.779 --> 00:22:26.039 for Jesus Christ. It is worth dying on a beach 00:22:26.039 --> 00:22:30.500 in Ecuador at the spears of Indians. Because 00:22:30.500 --> 00:22:33.839 one is no fool to give what he cannot keep, to 00:22:33.839 --> 00:22:37.460 gain what he cannot lose, as Jim Elliott wrote 00:22:37.460 --> 00:22:44.339 in that journal. The justice of God is one of 00:22:44.339 --> 00:22:47.259 those aspects about God's nature that some would 00:22:47.259 --> 00:22:51.160 rather not think about. Let's talk of God's love 00:22:51.160 --> 00:22:54.380 and God's mercy and God's goodness, and certainly 00:22:54.380 --> 00:22:57.819 we want to talk about those things. But let us 00:22:57.819 --> 00:23:01.019 not forget to talk about this side of God, too. 00:23:02.160 --> 00:23:12.039 For this also is the God that we worship. The 00:23:12.039 --> 00:23:16.559 greatest display of God's judgment, however, 00:23:16.740 --> 00:23:18.940 is not found at the judgment seat of Christ. 00:23:22.160 --> 00:23:24.880 The greatest display of God's judgment is not 00:23:24.880 --> 00:23:28.220 found in the temporal judgment that he brings 00:23:28.220 --> 00:23:34.660 in isolated occasions such as Ananias and Sapphira. 00:23:36.539 --> 00:23:39.039 The greatest display of God's justice is not 00:23:39.039 --> 00:23:42.140 even found at that final great white -throne 00:23:42.140 --> 00:23:45.619 judgment when the lost will be called before 00:23:45.619 --> 00:23:50.640 the judgment bar of God. But the greatest display 00:23:50.910 --> 00:23:56.329 of God's judgment is found at the cross of Jesus 00:23:56.329 --> 00:24:02.769 Christ. If you want to understand how God hates 00:24:02.769 --> 00:24:08.490 sin as much as He loves sinners, then go to the 00:24:08.490 --> 00:24:15.130 cross and behold there God's own beloved Son 00:24:15.130 --> 00:24:26.359 whom He sacrificed. because of sin in this world. 00:24:29.539 --> 00:24:31.980 And on this Communion Sunday, as we come to the 00:24:31.980 --> 00:24:35.200 Lord's table and we partake of that piece of 00:24:35.200 --> 00:24:40.500 cracker and we drink that cup, let's remember 00:24:40.500 --> 00:24:43.819 that what we are doing symbolizes the justice 00:24:43.819 --> 00:24:51.240 of God. And it tells us that God judges sin. 00:24:53.160 --> 00:24:57.660 And it reminds us that at Calvary there is refuge 00:24:57.660 --> 00:25:02.539 from the wrath of God. And if we've trusted Jesus 00:25:02.539 --> 00:25:06.000 Christ, these elements tell us that we are safe 00:25:06.000 --> 00:25:10.259 in the refuge that God has provided in His Son. 00:25:11.519 --> 00:25:16.180 So we can be glad. We can rejoice. We can partake 00:25:16.180 --> 00:25:22.799 of these elements thanking God for Jesus. Because 00:25:22.799 --> 00:25:29.640 he is our deliverer from the wrath of God that 00:25:29.640 --> 00:25:40.599 is to come. Let's pray. O Holy Lord, write upon 00:25:40.599 --> 00:25:45.259 our hearts a true understanding of yourself that 00:25:45.259 --> 00:25:49.700 we might know you as you are, not as we would 00:25:49.700 --> 00:25:55.049 like to create you, to be in our fanciful imaginations. 00:25:57.089 --> 00:25:59.450 As we think of your justice this morning, may 00:25:59.450 --> 00:26:03.650 our hearts respond out of a desire for purity 00:26:03.650 --> 00:26:09.349 in our lives. Respond with commitment to sacrifice 00:26:09.349 --> 00:26:12.430 and faithfulness in this world, knowing that 00:26:12.430 --> 00:26:16.690 we'll be rewarded for it. And also with deep 00:26:16.690 --> 00:26:24.799 gratitude for Jesus. who bore our judgment. In 00:26:24.799 --> 00:26:26.559 His name we pray, amen.