Judgment Day

So the confrontation of this sermon is leave your dead idols. There is one that has been resurrected.

There is one God. There is one human race. There is one savior. And there is one judgment. The polytheism then of Athens is sort of swept into one philosophical garbage heap. God demonstrated the true God, his power by resurrecting his son from the dead. Life's most absolute certainty is dying. And he overpowered life's most absolute.

As Christians, we often refer to the gospel of Jesus Christ as good news.

But there's a side of the gospel that people really don't enjoy talking about. The bad news of the gospel is that judgment is coming. There's a day when Jesus will judge the world and every person who ever lived will face eternity with him or apart from him. That was a message that the apostle Paul preached in the ancient city of Athens.

And we're looking at that today here on Wisdom for the Heart. Our Bible teacher, Stephen Davie, has been working through a series out of the Book of Acts. And today we're going to bring that series to a close with this lesson entitled Judgment Day.

Now, here's Stephen with today's Bible lesson.

James Woolsey, director of Central Intelligence, was speaking at a conference on global organized crime. Somebody sent these rather funny incident that took place and he told the story as part of his speech. This incident occurred when the FBI agents were conducting an investigation of a San Diego psychiatric institution after hours of reviewing thousands of medical records that dozens of agents worked up quite an appetite. So the agent in charge of the investigation called a nearby pizza parlor to order dinner for his colleagues. The following telephone conversation took place. It was recorded by the FBI, who is in the process of taping all incoming and outgoing phone calls. Agent. Hello. I'd like to order 19 pizzas and 67 cans of Coke. Pizza man. Where would you like them delivered? We're over here at the psychiatric hospital. To the psychiatric hospital. That's right. I'm an FBI agent.

Pizza man. You're an FBI agent. That's correct. Just about everybody here is oh, and you'll have to go round to the back entrance to deliver the pizzas we have.

The front door's locked. Pizza man. And you say you're an FBI agent? That's correct. And everyone over there is an FBI agent. That's right. We've been here all day and we're starving. I don't think so. Click. Well, I hope you don't think I'm insensitive for using something like that as an illustration, but I thought it illustrated. Well, the problem of communication, what the agent could have done is develop maybe a little background before he got to his request and would have been given perhaps a little more credibility or maybe a little longer phone conversation before eventually the guy hung up. But because the background wasn't fully established, the request was ultimately discredited.

We have been listening to the sermon by the apostle Paul, to the Athenians, and frankly, our last four discussions have been covering nothing more or less than background information because he's about to reach his request. And you have to understand that his request will sound just about as ridiculous. So in order for Paul to get his message across, he spends a lot of time on background. He has been introducing the Athenians to this unknown God. And he is declared in verse twenty three that this unknown God is more than a monument. Verses twenty four and twenty five. He is declared by God made all there is.

And we have spent time studying those points. He, the creator of the universe, is transcendent. He is over and above all, there is. He is separate from creation yet at the same time iminent intimately involved in creation. Then inverses twenty six to twenty nine. He said my God is the almighty mover and shaker of planet Earth.

That is, he is the divine resource. He is the divine ruler. He is the God of anthropology. He is the God of history. And now with that as background, Paul has set the stage for the final and the most compelling part of his sermon and the most confrontational. I would summarize his final point simply by saying, do you have your notes you might care to follow along? His fourth point is simply that this God is the divine or holy magistrate in the coming judgment. And this is his conclusion. And this is the confrontation of the gospel. Judgment day is coming.

But in order to understand this particular judgment that he is so clearly warning them of, we need to understand that there are more than one future judgments judgment. No. One is the judgment of believers. This judgment is referred to as the bema seed. The original Greek word bema gives us that context of a tribunal used in several different contexts. One of the most popularly known would be the context of the Olympic Games or the Greek Games, where the the victorious athletes stepped up to the bema seat where the athletic judges set and received his his Lorell race. I would place this soon after the rapture of the church, most pre tribulation, all expositor, as are those that believe the Rapture takes place before or pre tribulation, that period of time where God's wrath is unveiled. Place this just before the marriage ceremony of the church to the lamb, the marriage supper of the lamb. So it's taking place in heaven shortly after the Rapture. Now the Bible makes it clear that that if we understand the definition of salvation, that this judgment is not a judgment that determines whether or not you get into heaven. The very fact that you have been raptured has secured your position in the kingdom and in heaven. All of that takes place after you are confirmed. And Your Holiness. You'll never it again. It is, however, a judgment of believers works, and it will determine their position of authority in the kingdom. There will be governors in the kingdom. Those in leadership. Those with authority because they have been faithful to Christ Church and cause. And there are governors in this auditorium. There are also probably a few garbage collectors who have been unfaithful.

Lest any of us, however, think that we will stand before that bema with any thought that we have accomplished anything of ourselves that is either a reward for faithfulness or position of authority or anything else other than the grace of God. It might be good to refresh our minds with what Augustine said in the fifth century as he referred to the Bema seat as a time with God. Crowns his own gifts.

What he meant by that was that the only way we can perform any measure of obedience to God is by God's merciful help.

Not only does God stoop to help us obey him and do his will at the bema seed, he will reward us for doing only those things that we could not possibly do without his help.

That's why we will give our crowns back.

This is not the judgment call is warning the Athenians to avoid judgment. Number two is the judgment of the nations. The rapture is taking place. The believers are in heaven, undergoing judgment of the believers and the marriage supper or ceremonies of the lamb. And it will go by so quickly. But on Earth, there is this time known as the tribulation that has unleashed the wrath of God at the seven year period. God will accomplish a lot of things.

A lot of things will occur on Earth. Terrible judgment on humanity that precludes the final judgment. The world will unite its armies to march against little Israel. One of the other things that will occur is that the ECCE menaces will have their lifelong wish come true, all the doctrine that divides and interpretations of scripture that set others aside will be disbanded. And there will finally be one world church unity among all who professed some belief in a supreme being. And they will follow their mesmerizing leader we know as the Antichrist.

Well, following the seven year period, Matthew, 13, informs us that the redeemed and the unredeemed will be separated. The unredeemed will be placed into Hades to await the final judgment. The redeemed will enter the kingdom. Those who during this tribulation period placed their faith in Christ. They will be ushered into this thousand year reign where you, as the bride of Christ and I will reign with him.

These will be our subjects and will have a thousand years of wonderful experiences on planet Earth. Only the end, of course, by some rather horrible things. We'll have time to to get into when God's power will again be displayed.

But they will be cast and the Hades those unredeemed at the end of the tribulation to await the final judgment. And that is the judgment that I believe Paul is referring to here. It's the third judgment, the great white throne. That's clearly spelled out in Revelation, a Chapter 20. This is the final judgment. This is the comprehensive judgment of all of of humanity, all of unredeemed humanity that have ever lived. Billions of people. Smith summarizes that what will happen here in this divided courtroom is, first of all, individuals will be proven guilty centers.

Second of all, this court will reveal that the individual is not redeemed and is therefore liable for his own punishment. He refused to accept the punishment that Christ took in his place. And so rather than being protected in Christ, thus not there at that great white throne, they stand naked and bare before a holy God. And one day there will be an accounting with all of humanity. Now notice Chapter 17. Let's pick it back up with verse 30. Therefore, he's coming to the conclusion. Now, that is on the basis of everything I've just said. Therefore, having overlooked the times of ignorance, God is now declaring demand that all everywhere should repent. The word translated overlooked comes from a word that could be rendered, did not interfere.

That doesn't mean that God has blinders on. And oh, I just didn't see that.

It means he did not interfere. In other words, God didn't wipe Athens off the face of the Earth with their first expression of idolatry. His grace is a long suffering. He hasn't interfered yet.

Paul says there's something new. Now, this new gospel, this new dispensation, this message of a of a final accounting. And so you'd better repent.

That is, you need to change your mind and leave all these dead idols and follow the one and true living God. Why?

Because we're thirty. He has fixed a day in which he will judge the world in righteousness through a man whom he appointed. By the way, Jesus Christ himself referred to himself as he talked of judging as the man Capital M. The son of Man John Chapter five versus 17 and 22 makes it very clear why. Why would he use that kind of expression, that kind of title?

Well, if you follow Paul's logic through this sermon, we've discussed how he earlier declared that all humanity came from one man, Adam, the first man.

All of mankind came from one man. Now, all of mankind will be judged by the second man, the second Adam, the God man.

And while all of humanity created, as it were, this this one race of humanity, those who have followed Christ, creating this new race, as it were, a Christian, redeemed, born again.

They will not experience the judging of this man. How bout by what right does this God man judge the world?

Look further. Having furnished proof to all men by what? Raising him from the dead. So the climax, the confrontation of this sermon is leave your dead idols. There is one that has been resurrected. There is a powerful God. His entire sermon could be summarized this way. There is one God. There is one human race. There is one savior. And there is one judgment. The polytheism then of Athens is sort of swept into one philosophical garbage heap. Those are all dead idols. They're all dead gods and goddesses. God demonstrated the true God, his power by resurrecting his son from the dead. Life's most absolute certainty is dying. And he overpowered life's most absolute certainty.

But our nation today that has become a melting pot of sort of mixing bowl of polytheism and pluralism and even the syncretism where you can create your own God that fits your lifestyle and makes you feel comfortable and happy and continues to make in roads like Athens did here in their own way. I've been reading recently an issue of World magazine. They interviewed a gentleman who is a former Buddhist for 14 years. And I've mentioned to you how Buddhism is gaining popularity in this country, which I find really ironic because Americans don't like to talk about our one hell. Buddhism has 16 hells. But that's beside the point. I guess. At any rate, Jim Stevens in this article is raising his concern over the fact that Buddhism is growing in its influence into not just the unregenerate world, but the local churches and even informally evangelical works. Buddhist monks, he says, are increasingly welcome as speakers and churches. Last Christmas, St. Anselm's Episcopal Church in Orange City, California, brought in a statue of the Buddha and celebrated his birthday alongside that of Christ. But this gentleman, who was a Buddhist for 14 years, says he eventually reached what he called the despairing dead end of Buddhism and came to grips with the, quote, concrete reality of Jesus Christ resurrection and was converted the Buddhist dead.

Jesus Christ is alive. And it isn't that living that he substantiates his right to be the coming judge of all the world. Have you ever thought about the fact, ladies and gentlemen, that for Jesus Christ to be the judge, he'd have to be God?

The only way billions of people from all of human history could ever be judged fairly and righteously so that no verdict could possibly be wrong with any person, would demand every attribute and every quality of God's nature. We don't have time for all of them, obviously. But let me give you two or three of them. First of all, this divine magistrate of all of humanity would have to be wholly. He would have to be the perfect standard of holiest. Have you ever said anything that made someone else feel guilty at work or maybe you challenge their lifestyle or said something to challenge a point of view and they fire back and choose something along the lines of who do you think you are?

You're just like me.

Well, in the case of Christ, he is not like us. He cannot be cajoled. He cannot be influenced. He cannot be bribed as a judge. He cannot be manipulated for in fact, if he could be influenced in one case of one person out of billions, then that would render any of his other verdicts suspect, wouldn't it? He must be the holy righteous standard. I used to watch People's Court when it was on. You ever watch that show? I sit there and I listen to the first side. I think, man, they got some great points. They're innocent. Then the other side is step up. And I think, oh, wow, they they sound good to you about that problem. You can't judge between the two.

Well, a holy God, by the way, will command such all and respect as he discerns the intense of each heart. Part of the problem with us being a judge or human being is the ability for all of us to not only justify our sin, but to look pretty good in the process. There are many people that I've ever encountered with a gospel that said, well, you know, I really am. I'm pretty good. I've heard that, but I've never heard anybody say, you know what, I need that I'm really a guilty sinner.

Someone in our church slipped me an article out of The Wall Street Journal where they had a little interview going on in this particular section. Is cheating ever? OK, well, that you would think is a simple thing to answer in. Oh, here's a high school honors student, a senior. She says, I think there are different degrees of cheating. I'm a dedicated student. When my history teacher bombards me with 50 questions due tomorrow or when a teacher gives me a fill in the blanks worksheet on a night when I have swim, practice, aerobics, homework and church, of all things, I'm going to copy from a friend, I guess, then go to church.

Interesting.

It's not like I won't know this stuff for the test. And since I only do this when I need to, it isn't a habit. Every kid does this when they're in a pinch. It doesn't mean they are, quote, cheaters, unquote.

The ability of the human rationale to justify and vindicate is incredible. You know how I know that? Because I do.

It will take a holy God. Before whom the unregenerate billion's stand that commands such respect by his holiness that they will dare say anything?

Well, the holy God said thou shalt not lie.

Cheating seems to be a form of deception to me, and deception, I've always felt is synonymous with lying. And that's his holy standard.

But, you know, this this divine magistrate. He he didn't know my circumstances in her mind. She had a number of them.

House. OK. So this divine magistrate not only needs to be holy, but it needs to be omniscient. That is, he has to know all the facts. He would never be able to weigh all the evidence in billions of lives with billions of illustrations and billions of nuances and billions of possibilities and understand every bit of it and know every motive of every human heart. Unless he was who God but the world, if you've tried to do any judging lately, is not filled with guilty centers. It is filled with misunderstood innocent people.

Right.

Jesus Christ knows the innocent from the guilty. That means he must know all things.

So, Jesus, the man must be God in order to know all the circumstances.

No, all the options, all the alternate possibilities, all the motives, all the thoughts that went into that action that I did he alone.

Must know. Well, you know all the facts, Lord, you say you know all the facts. But you still didn't see. You know my circumstance. OK. So the divine magistrate must not only be holy and I'm Nishan, but he must be on my present.

He saw you fill at your income tax return. He was there with you on that date. He saw you cheat on that exam. God was, as it were, sitting next to you when you watch that movie or logged into cyber porn. He heard you. He watched your lips form the lie to your boss or to your wife or husband.

He heard your filthy mouth. You see, in that judgment, the judge and the jury will also be the chief eye witness.

He saw you.

He is eminently qualified to be your judge. But that still wouldn't be enough in order for God to be the righteous judge. He must be holy and ammunition. I present capable of rendering a verdict that lasts for eternity because of crimes against his eternal son and neglecting his eternal gift. He would also have to be powerful enough to carry the verdict out because certainly billions of people would overthrow his throne and render his verdict meaningless. So he must be omnipotent.

The apostle Paul said to the Athenians, you think that this is all powerful in him. You live and move.

You know, nothing of powerful.

This is. My God. The ruler, lord of Heaven and earth, almighty God, who will one day be this all some awful, terrifying judge.

God reveals his power, how by raising from the dead his son. The man who will one day occupy the throne as judge and jury and executioner of the eternal sentence. I know this first 32. Now, when they heard of the resurrection of the dead, some began to sneer.

But others said, we shall hear you again concerning this. So Paul went out of their midst. Some men joined them and believed, among whom also were Dionysius, the area off agape. Interesting. This is one of the 30 judges who believed and a woman named Damaris and others with them. By the way, the three responses to Paul's sermon exists not only in the world today, but they exist within this auditorium. There are those who are critical and disbelieve. There are those who are curious and want to hear more. There are those. Who are converted?

How do you avoid this awful judgment day?

Paul gave the key word repent in that repenting, you turn in your mind. View of who Christ is and you recognize that you must receive him as your own. No more vindication, no more justification, no more I'm a good person.

Oh, I am a sinner and I am in desperate need of the grace of God.

And you take that which Jesus Christ has offered to you. Well, as you pack your Bibles away, let me tell you one illustration and we'll close in eighteen, twenty nine. A Philadelphia man named George Wilson robbed the U.S. mail and killed a person in the process. Wilson was arrested. He was brought to trial. He was convicted and sentenced to hang.

And some friends of George Wilson went through political channels and eventually reached President Andrew Jackson and asked for a pardon. And Andrew Jackson decided to pardon him. The pardon was delivered to the sheriff. The sheriff informed George Wilson of the pardon and upon being informed, he refused to receive the pardon. Well, this really threw things in an uproar. What do you do with a pardon, man? Surely you can't execute them. So they went back through the channels that President Jackson and he was dumbfounded and turned it eventually over to the U.S. Supreme Court. And they deliberated on this subject and then rendered their decision. John Marshall wrote the opinion, basically said a pardon, which is refused is no pardon at all. And even though the pardon lay on the sheriff's desk, George Wilson was hanged by his neck until dead.

Ladies and gentlemen, the pardon of God is available. It was written in blood on the cross of Jesus Christ. Right now, he is the lamb slain for you.

One day he will be the judge who will judge all those who refused to receive the pardon.

If I could make you, I would. But I can only encourage you to move from being critical. From being curious to being converted. Opening your heart to this lamb, who is. This UN known got to the world, but to you.

His name is Jesus Christ. And with that, we close not only this lesson, but this series from our vintage wisdom archives entitled X. Volume two. This is Wisdom for the Heart. The Bible teaching ministry of pastor and author Stephen Davy. Now that we've worked our way through this series, you might want to take a group through this study or use it as a curriculum in a class that you teach or lead. We have a study guide available that would help you do that. The series is entitled Ax. Volume two. And the study guide is available in our online store. You'll find us online at Wisdom on line, dawg. Go there any time to access our store. Listen to any of Stephen's Bible lessons or interact with our ministry. Tomorrow, Stephen will begin a series from Romans, Chapter one entitled The Perfect Judge.

That series is a good follow up to the lesson you heard today. So I hope you'll be with us for that. In the meantime, we'd like to hear from you. And we'd especially like to tell you about our monthly magazine. Heart to heart if you don't receive it. Give us a call today at eight six six forty eight Bible. And we can give you information about this wonderful resource. Thanks for joining us today. And be with us tomorrow for more wisdom for the heart.