Judgment Now and to Come

The Task of the Church: Preaching the Coming Judgment

As we close out this series of lessons this week on the task of the Church I would like to propose that for the Church to accomplish the mission that Christ has tasked us with we must be clear and concise about that message. We must cut through the clutter of the religious world around us. We live in a time that has many competing voices and we must be more clear than we have ever been about certain non-negotiable.

A Newsweek article came out in spring of this year that has points out a trend over the last 10 years- Over the last decade the number of Americans that claim to not be identified with any religion has doubled.

Trends also show that the American Northeast is quickly replacing the American Northwest as the most non-Christian portion of our country. The reason this is important is the fact that American Christianity began in the NE. It was from this area that we saw immense growth of Churches during he early days of our Country.

In Britain today, a country that claims Christianity as its official religion, the second most common name being used for new babies today is Muhammad.

In Europe 90% of the Population growth was due to the Islamic people.

There are more mosques operating in France today than active Churches.

If the numbers hold today France in 40 years will be Islamic Republic.

Look at our children and let us understand that our world is changing and what type of world are we going to leave for them.

In the Netherlands 50 percent of all newborns are Muslim children.

In 15 years half of the population of the Netherlands will be Muslim.

The Belgian Government has recently released a new statistic prediction that by 2025 1 and 3 people in Europe will be Muslim.

I am not picking on the Muslim faith, I am calling out the Church. False religion is false religion. The only way to salvation is through Jesus Christ.

The German Government is predicting that Germany will be a Muslim state by 2050.

What about our own country

In 1970 100,000 Muslims living in America.

In 2009 there are 9 million living in this country.


They estimate that in 30 years there will 50 million Muslims in our country.

Why did I pick Islam? The reason I am sharing these facts with you it to show the importance of sharing the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Islam is false religion that makes truth claims contrary to the New Testament. There are many groups making false truth claims today and just the growth of non-believers in general is alarming in this country.

Why did I share this with you? Because I look at my children and think what will this world be like when they are 40 years old?

What will Churches look like in 40 years?

What happens when this generation of Church leaders pass on to their reward?

How do we answer this challenge?

A Father was once trying to help his daughter with her Geography lesson. She was having to learn all of the states and where they were located on the map. He found a magazine with a picture of the American Map with all the 50 states. He tore out that map and cut it into little pieces.

He gave the map to the little girl and she quickly pieced it back together perfectly and took it to her father.

He asked her how she did it so fast. She told her father that on the back of the map was a picture of Jesus. She just put the pieces back together until Jesus was complete.

I would propose this morning that the only hope we have is Jesus Christ. Jesus is the only thing that piece our country back together, our lives back together.

John 14: 6
Jesus said to him, "I am the way, and the truth, and the life ; no one comes to the Father but through Me.”

No one comes to the Father but through Jesus Christ.

Example in case: Could America fall as A Christian Country?
In 324 Egypt was predominately Christian Country and at that time was second only in influence in the Church to Rome.

Today we think of Egypt as a Muslim Country but many don’t know that Egypt was once a very influential Christian country.

In the year 640 AD the nation of Egypt was invaded by the Islamic Arab hordes coming out of Arabia. They took over the government of this area and force conversion to Islam was very common. Once a Christian converted to Islam there was no turning back because Islamic law teaches that conversion to any other faith is punishable by death. Over a very short period of time Egypt became a predominately Muslim country with a small persecuted Christian population.

How does this tie into our mission as a church at Mimosa.

Our theme has been the second coming of Christ and our mission and task.

Last Sunday we focused on the Second Coming being a time of the general Resurrection from the dead and the destruction of this current world and the New Creation.

Today I want to talk about another aspect of the Second Coming that is a non-negotiable. That is the Second Coming bringing in God’s Judgment of this world.
By the facts I have shared with you, we have never had a more important time in our history to be sharp and concise about our faith.
We need to know what were talking about and be passionate about it.


I. Judgment starts with us. It starts with the Church.

Advanced Judgment of God before the second coming:

1 Peter 4: 16-19
16 but if anyone suffers as a Christian, he is not to be ashamed, but is to glorify God in this name. 17 For it is time for judgment to begin with the household of God ; and if it begins with us first, what will be the outcome for those who do not obey the gospel of God ? 18 AND IF IT IS WITH DIFFICULTY THAT THE RIGHTEOUS IS SAVED, WHAT WILL BECOME OF THE GODLESS MAN AND THE SINNER ? 19 Therefore, those also who suffer according to the will of God shall entrust their souls to a faithful Creator in doing what is right.


God’s judgment comes upon us now, today. God expects something from His Church. WE may suffer in this present time but Peter reminds us that to suffer as a Christian is something to be glorified in.

But what does he mean by ‘judgment to begin with the household of God?’

I think a little can be learned by reading about Jesus remarks to the Churches of Asia in the book of Revelation:


The letter to the Church at Ephesus:


Revelation 2: 4-5
“4 'But I have this against you, that you have left your first love. 5 'Therefore remember from where you have fallen, and repent and do the deeds you did at first ; or else I am coming to you and will remove your lampstand out of its place -unless you repent.”

In this passage Christ is speaking directly to a church and in this admonition he points out that if they don’t change and get back to what is most important He will come and remove their lampstand. In the language of Revelation this means that this Church will cease to exist.

Revelation 3: 14- 19
14 "To the angel of the church in Laodicea write : The Amen, the faithful and true Witness, the Beginning of the creation of God, says this : 15 'I know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot ; I wish that you were cold or hot. 16 'So because you are lukewarm, and neither hot nor cold, I will spit you out of My mouth. 17 'Because you say, "I am rich, and have become wealthy, and have need of nothing," and you do not know that you are wretched and miserable and poor and blind and naked, 18 I advise you to buy from Me gold refined by fire so that you may become rich, and white garments so that you may clothe yourself, and that the shame of your nakedness will not be revealed ; and eye salve to anoint your eyes so that you may see. 19 'Those whom I love, I reprove and discipline ; therefore be zealous and repent.


The church at Laodicea may be a picture of many churches that we find in our own country today. Our blessings have become our curse. Just like the Laodiceans we don’t need anything. We have our entertainment, our movies, our nice homes, cars, and all of the luxuries of life and have become complacent. We are so distracted by activities that Church has become an after thought. It is just another thing on the list to do.

Even Paul’s teaching on the Lord’s Supper in 1 Corinthians 11 even speaks of a judgment that comes upon on one that does not partake of the Lord’s Supper in a proper manner.

It has become a Sunday morning activity then it means nothing else for the rest of the week. It is not the most important thing in our life.

The Just Judgment of God starts with us. How can we look forward to a time of general judgment of the world when we are not ready for God’s judgment today?

Imagine going back in time and telling the Christians of Rome in the 1st century that had to meet before dawn on Sunday morning in the catacombs that we are too busy for Church. Why were those people so hungry for the gospel and we have a hard time getting people to come back to church on Sunday night?

These are hard questions we all need to ask.

What priority does Church have in your life?

What priority does this Church at Mimosa have in your life?

When is the last time we just invited someone to come to Church?
We have to make Christ and His kingdom a priority in our lives.

II. A Future Judgment to Come

The general Judgment at the end of time is a non-negotiable doctrine of the Church.

Biblical Facts about the Day of Judgment:

Hebrews 9: 27-28
27 And inasmuch as it is appointed for men to die once and after this comes judgment, 28 so Christ also, having been offered once to bear the sins of many, will appear a second time for salvation without reference to sin, to those who eagerly await Him.

The Hebrew writer makes it clear that Christ will return a second time and that we all have an appointment with death and a time of judgment.

2 Corinthians 5: 10
10 For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each one may be recompensed for his deeds in the body, according to what he has done, whether good or bad.


We must all stand before the Judgment Seat of Christ. Christians do not get a free ticket out of the Judgment. We will give an account for what we have done with our lives.




There is no need to pass judgment on one another as Christians because God’s judgment will be just. There will be nothing hidden from God or no secret sin. It will all be revealed by God.

1 Corinthians 4: 3-5
“3 But to me it is a very small thing that I may be examined by you, or by any human court ; in fact, I do not even examine myself. 4 For I am conscious of nothing against myself, yet I am not by this acquitted ; but the one who examines me is the Lord. 5 Therefore do not go on passing judgment before the time, but wait until the Lord comes who will both bring to light the things hidden in the darkness and disclose the motives of men's hearts ; and then each man's praise will come to him from God.”

III. The General Judgment will condemn those that Claim to be Christian but do not obey Christ.

The prophet Malachi speaks of a day when a book of Remembrance will be opened that reveals those that have been faithful to God.

Malachi prophecies of a day when those that obey God and those that don’t will be revealed.

Malachi 3:18
So you will again distinguish between the righteous and the wicked, between one who serves God and one who does not serve Him.

One of the toughest teachings found in the Bible on the subject of the judgment of people that claim to be a Christian but do not act in that manner is found in Matthew 7.

Matthew 7:19 - 23
19 "Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. 20 "So then, you will know them by their fruits. 21 "Not everyone who says to Me, 'Lord, Lord,' will enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father who is in heaven will enter. 22 "Many will say to Me on that day, 'Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in Your name, and in Your name cast out demons, and in Your name perform many miracles ?' 23 "And then I will declare to them, 'I never knew you; DEPART FROM ME, YOU WHO PRACTICE LAWLESSNESS.'


The most disturbing part of this passage from Matthew is that Jesus points out that these people worked miracles in his name, and had special gifts of the Holy Spirit but they were still not truly converted. Just because one had all the outward trappings of being a Christian it did not mean they were truly a disciple of Jesus. This passage definitely torpedoes the doctrine that is taught in many churches today, that all you have to do is just say the Sinner’s prayer and then you are saved and no amount of obedience is expected from you. That is an un-Biblical view of faith.

James tells us in James 2: 26 that faith without works is dead. No where in the Bible does it teach that all one has to do is just have faith or just a mental assent to the fact that Jesus is Lord to be saved. God wants all of us and wants a life of true obedience.


Conclusion:

I believe that we must be frank in our talk about the subject matter today. PC has brought us to a point that we don’t want to talk about accountability. We don’t want to question the fact that God may require something from us.

I want you to know that today I am calling myself into account and will confess to this whole Church that I need to do better. I need to understand that the power at work in us is greater than the power that is at work in the world.

We need to get our lives straight and look forward to the return of Christ.

Matthew 25: 31-34
31 "But when the Son of Man comes in His glory, and all the angels with Him, then He will sit on His glorious throne. 32 "All the nations will be gathered before Him; and He will separate them from one another, as the shepherd separates the sheep from the goats ; 33 and He will put the sheep on His right, and the goats on the left. 34 "Then the King will say to those on His right, 'Come, you who are blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world.

How wonderful would it be to hear those words, “inherit the Kingdom”? After a life devoted to the cause of Christ, without taking our hand off the plow to look around at the world. What type of legacy would we leave for this world if we all decided to get to work for the Kingdom? What would change in this community and this city? What type of life would our children have?