THE HOUR OF HIS JUDGMENT

THE HOUR OF HIS JUDGMENT

                “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believes in Him should not perish, but have eternal life. For God did not send His Son into the world to judge the world; but that the world should be saved through Him." He who believes in Him is not judged; he who does not believe has been judged already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.” John 3:16-18

                As God’s judgments begin to come upon the world over the next few months and years, we need to pay close attention to what the Bible says. For instance, it is difficult for us to grasp the idea that in Christ we need not face judgment. We were judged in Christ and He took our penalty upon Himself. We know this intellectually, but walking in this assurance experientially is often a different matter. Those who come to Christ do not come into judgment, but pass from death into life.

                This escape from judgment, of course, is not the kind of escape that is often being taught today. Rather it is based upon the fact that I have been crucified with Christ, nevertheless I live, yet not I, but Christ lives in me.” Gal. 2:20

                There are many things that we pass over in scripture simply because they don’t fit our doctrine or tradition. Colossians 3:4 is a case in point. It says:

                “When Christ, who is our life is revealed, then you also will be revealed with Him in glory.”

                This also fits with Revelation 19:14 where the saints are seen returning with Jesus at the second coming. Or 1 Thess. 3:13 where it says “… at the coming of our Lord Jesus WITH ALL OF HIS SAINTS.” Or in 1 Thess. 4:14 where we are promised that He  “…will bring with Him those who have fallen asleep in Jesus.”

                Well, there are two subjects included in these texts, but the one I want to deal with today is our confidence in Christ. If we look to ourselves all we can see is someone unworthy of eternal life and so we live in doubt fear and the road ahead seems impossible to climb. But if we look to Jesus, the Author and Finisher of our faith and we put all of our confidence in Him, then, rather than to run in fear, we shall see to it that we abide in Christ.

                One of the things we need to review in our lives is just how much God loves us and how much He wants to save us. The cross tells us how much God lives us and at what lengths He was willing to go to save us. There is no greater measure of distance than the distance between the throne of the eternal God and the cross. He and He alone could bridge that gap and He did it willingly just so that He could spend eternity with us.

                God could have just wiped Adam and Eve out and started over again. He could have kept starting over and over again until He found a couple that would obey Him and save Him all the trouble of coming to earth and dying for our sins.

                But God looked into the seed of Adam and He saw, Enoch and Noah and Abraham, Isaac, Jacob and Joseph and Moses. He saw the Seed of the woman. He saw His own Son Jesus and all who would be adopted into the family through Him and He couldn’t do it. He couldn’t start over. He had to see it through even at the cost of His own life.

                Did you not know that God looked at you and me when He decided to save the whole world on that fateful day in the Garden of Eden? After all, it says in Revelation 13:8: And ALL who dwell on the earth will worship him, (The antichrist) every one whose name has not been written from the foundation of the world in the book of life of the Lamb who was slain.”

                Our names were written in the Lamb’s book of life from the foundation of the world and the Lamb of God was slain from the foundation of the earth. We are all saved by the blood of the Lamb, for even though it had to be worked out in time here on earth, God dwells outside of time and in His “Time” Jesus is slain from the foundation of the world. His sacrifice was built into creation.

                There is a catch, of course. The gift of salvation is eternally there, but in order to benefit from it, we must receive Him. John 1:12 says: “But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become the children of God, even to those who believe in His name.”

                This receiving of Jesus into our hearts is made possible because HE sent down His Holy Spirit into our hearts the moment we received Him and His Holy Spirit has been teaching, training, comforting and transforming us into His image. That’s why I say that Grace is not merely a legal transaction somewhere up in heaven. Grace is the power of God unto salvation. His presence is shed abroad in our hearts and we become temples of the Holy Spirit.

                Our life is that of learning to serve our born again spirit rather than our old man of flesh. This is the Christian struggle, the Christian battle. It is a battle for which we have been equipped by the blood of Jesus, by His indwelling Holy Spirit, by the fruit of the Spirit which He produces in and through us, by the full armor of God and by the word of our testimony.

                We do not wear Saul’s armor, made with human hands, but we fight in the mighty name of the Lord. IN 1 Sam. 16:13, 14 says two things: 1. It says that the Spirit of the Lord came mightily upon David from that day forward.” 2. And verse 14 says: “Now the Spirit of the Lord departed from Saul and an evil spirit from the Lord terrorized him.”

                Now in 1 Sam. 17:45 we see David’s secret and ours as well. “Then David said to the Philistine, ‘You come to me with a sword, a spear and a javelin, but I come to you in the name of the Lord of hosts, the God of the armies of Israel whom you have taunted.”

                We too have battles with giants both within and without. We need to stop trying to win these battles wearing Saul’s armor and we need to begin to fight in the name of the Lord of hosts, the God of the armies of Israel…”

                As we enter into growing last day events, we need to get our armor sorted out. We overcome by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of our testimony. Our testimony is the testimony of Jesus. Our words are empowered by His Holy Spirit as we speak His Words. He has equipped us in every way for what lies ahead and yet we often do a poor job of learning how to fight with the weapons that we have been given. We struggle on, feeling inferior, feeling unworthy, and feeling weak… like this armor was intended for other saints but not for us. We are somehow left to slug it out in our own strength because we feel God’s judgments upon us. He loves others, but He glares at us for falling behind. We try to do everything humanly [possible to feel worthy of His love, but we can never quite make it past the guilt stage.

                In our sense of unworthiness we tend to forget that salvation was God’s idea, not ours… that He stepped out of heaven to die in our place. It was His idea and He made this covenant with you from the foundation of the world. He looked down through time and He wrote you in His book because you received Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior.

                Like I said, God dwells outside of time. He sees us standing on the sea of glass, having gained the victory over the beast. He sees us in our resurrection bodies, noble and majestic and free from any taint of sin. He sees the sinless radiance of Christ shining forth from us and He sends His Holy Spirit forth to make it so in real time.

                We need to settle these things in our minds. Jesus wants to save you. He spared nothing. He gave His own life in a bloody death on the cross… not so that we would feel sorry for Him, but so that we would know just how much He was willing to do to save us. If He did not hold back when it came to offering His life, do we think that He will hold back from giving us His Holy Spirit… His power… His full armor?

                We may face death in the coming conflict and so we need to understand what Paul meant when he said: “For me to live is Christ and to die is gain.” Phil. 1:21 and then he went on to say that he actually desired to depart and to be with Christ for that was very much better.”  It was this kind of hope that kept early Christians faithful even in the face of horrible persecution.

                Back to Revelation 12:11, we see that they overcame by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony and they did not love their life even to death.” Should this really be such a big step for us if we are dying daily? None of us knows whether we will be among the living when He comes or among the dead, but in Christ, it ultimately doesn’t matter, for to live is Christ and to die is gain.

                Much of today’s escapist preaching is doing very little to prepare us for the times ahead. And while we are promised that we will not be here for the wrath of God, we are also promised that we will face tribulation and persecution. It is happening around the world even now. Millions are being slaughtered for their faith in third world countries. Still Christians in America remain complacent and careless. But 2018 may be our wakeup call and we need above all to know where we stand with Jesus Christ. He has called you for such a time as this.

                “Just as I am without one plea, but that Thy blood was shed for me and that Thou bidst me come to Thee O Lamb of God I come, I come. Just as I am, though tossed about, with many a conflict, many a doubt. With fears within and foes without O Lamb of God, I come, I come.

                “Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of His might. Put on the full armor of God that you may be able to stand firm against the schemes of the devil.” Eph. 6:10, 11.

                We are already seeing the judgments of God in the earth and I tend to believe that they are going to keep increasing exponentially over the coming months and years. I believe we are in a window of time in which all that is written in Scripture will be fulfilled and Jesus will return as King of kings and Lord of lords. So don’t look at what we are going through. Look at what we are going to… and remember that the victory has already been won through Jesus Christ our Lord.

                “And if you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham’s offspring, heirs according to promise.” Gal. 3:29

                “He that dwells in the secret place of the Most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty.” Psalm 91:1