Settle Out of Court, Part 1

Informs us that after Jesus rose from this is actually Peter preaching quote his words.

He, Jesus ordered us to proclaim to the people and silently to testify that this is the one who has been appointed by God as judge of the living and the dead of him. Christ, all the prophets bear witness, that through his name. Everyone who believes in him receives forgiveness of sins always telling people is the coming judge and you need to believe in it so you can be forgiven of your sin is not a myth. It's not a legend that was made up to scare children into being, will be. It's for everyone who doesn't place their faith in Jesus Christ will end up because the Bible's teaching on Hell is true, it's a topic that we shouldn't avoid today on wisdom for the heart. Stephen Devi begins a series on how he's calling the series is hell for real working to find out that it is, but were also going to see that it's avoidable if we make the wise decision now pierced. Sometimes, especially in matters of eschatology, which is the doctrine of last things are so much the get your arms around that it's difficult to deliver clearly enough. Here's a case in point. I thought this was really cute, funny mother sent me an email this past week that said, my younger son spent Saturday night at a friends house and went to church with them on Sunday after church over dinner at our home. We were discussing what you had covered Sunday morning and giving him an overview why I mentioned the millennial kingdom and he said oh yeah that's when were going to have a thousand years of rain from his ears. They could see again.

Jeff was his hard.

She writes I guess the good news is he was listening skewed or about to dive into up another subject that is raised, perhaps more questions and more objections over the centuries than perhaps any other biblical topic. It is the doctrine of the last judgment and then eternal hell in a recent issue of the news and Observer there was an interesting article in the faith section of the newspaper maybe seen that section several of our Fellowship sent me a copy of that article which I'm grateful.

I don't subscribe and well sourced by people who do research for me is as informal research assistants and I'm grateful for that.

This is in the faith section. I have read enough of that section is not really be renamed to give it your best guess section is little to do with objective biblical truth certainly true faith in Christ. This particular article ran under the headline quote it's God's job, not ours to give out salvation ticket. I agree with the headline. We can't give anybody a salvation ticket. However, we can tell the morning get them right in this article the author took issue with someone would challenge to my writing in relative the text of John 14 six Jesus on the way the truth and the light going to the father except through me. The contributor wrote worshiping anyone other than Jesus Christ would be teaching false doctrine that effectively means they will spend eternity in hell. I know this is in the popular view but it's the biblical truth."

The journalist, a member of the causes of a member of the God squad. I guess that means he represents. God wrote his answer in the news and Observer by saying I appreciate the power of your faith, but it isn't compassionate. He goes on to say, I can't believe Gandhi is rotting in hell. He goes on to explain that God will let all of the virtuous people in the heaven.

Even those who denied Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior. Effective use the illustration. He said think of Buddhist monk who denies salvation through Christ. Well explain.considers him because of his sincerity and anonymous Christian quote he got that phrase from a Jesuit scholar, you will find that by the way the Bible if you're thumbing back your way to the concordance is not there. He will explain this and it was intriguing to me. He said anonymous Christians are people who even though they rejected Christ throughout their lives because they are good people don't get into heaven. Evidently they were Christians. They just didn't know it until they had to.

Then the journalist rebuked the contributor who dared to suggest price words in John 14 six and he wrote it's not your job to tell people they are damned. God didn't put you in charge of dispensing salvation ticket God put you on earth to witness to your faith by keeping your hearts are open and your mouth shut.

I wonder what kind of neighbor you'd be if you saw house in flames across the street and said God would rather me keep my mouth shut, but I tell you what I go over and mow their lawn all show my face but I will warn them of this fiery judgment. Ladies and gentlemen, the fundamental issue behind this kind of advice is the belief that either a literal hell does not exist, or if it does only really really bad people go there. Hell is a place for the devil. It's a place for Hitler and Stalin and Attila behind and then Jesus Christ made it very clear that no one can enter heaven unless they been born again spiritually made alive by the power of the spirit of God is invisibly removed from the family. Adam – into the family.

God damn life and you can get in matter how sincere unless you have had that spiritual transaction take place in your life. What I found interesting was that this journal is completely nor the words of Christ, and went immediately to I can imagine Gandhi writing. You can ignore his words. He said earlier in John chapter 10 verse nine I am the door. If anyone enters through me.

He will be say listen, these claims of Christ have to mean something.

Jesus Christ is a liar, a lunatic, or he is truly Lord. This is what CS Lewis called the great trilemma that Christ was either a liar he was just making this stuff up.

It really isn't true or he's a lunatic. He has this grand Messiah complex, and he just felt good about himself and thought everybody to come to him and they wanted to get up there or he is Lord, you can have it.

But one way so why do people throughout our culture like this newspaper journalist flirt with the vocabulary of truth, but deny the definitions of Christ claims because you have this not he problem this troubling issue relative to this book and the God man you you have a problem with the apostles and the and the prophets before them. It is this issue of final judgment, and in a place called hell.

The intention of God is to warn us that it really exists. In fact, in his word in Romans chapter 10 verse three uses all of the world will become accountable to me. He said accountable to God. That's good. That's the thing the world resists, rejects, tries to mock, distort, deny, redefine the silent way. We've got to get around that and still get into the place of this book introduced called heaven the word accountable all the world will become accountable is to product costs of the word literally means to to answer to, to be liable for judgment as a legal term that refers to being liable for punishment. The problem is in the Jesus and the apostles and the prophets were clear. The problem was they were very clear about our world does not want to hear it. The apostle is saying that there is a coming day when all the world of unbelievers will be brought to a trial before God and they will be liable for everything they've ever done for the believer will never stand before God.

Based on our deeds. We accepted the gift will stand before relative to how we lived our deeds and will be rewarded for that which was profitable. That which is unprofitable will burn up as wood, hay and stubble. But the unbeliever will stand before God and give an account is will talk about in our study and in fact this is this paragraph will rat down Revelation chapter 20.

If you have been with us were verse 11. There's so much here that a month I'm going to take two sessions to get through it to work through it with you and I'll attempt to answer in our next session.

Some things that come out of a text like this. Questions like, what about those who never heard the gospel are they going to hell. How could God send anybody to hell never had a missionary deliver the gospel to. How could anybody be sent to hell never had a Bible. This hell really last forever for people or is that just for the devil and all his other bad people and mentioned all answer those as we work our way through this. What I want to do today is to introduce with just a few phrases of John's vision the most despised doctrine of future events. In fact, it is the most offensive, repulsive doctrine of biblical Christianity to our world. It is this doctrine of final judgment that is too horrifying to even begin to imagine when billions of unbelievers will be summoned to court by guess who Jesus Christ Margie Lee the preacher of old few generations ago called this day payday and I heard a sermon on an old consent. One time he preached a sermon entitled payday some day, some of you have heard that.

Well according to the scene in Revelation chapter 20 beginning in verse 11.

Payday has arrived. Divine court room of God is about to deliver a call to order and the great trial that ends human history as we know is about to begin. Let's take a look first at this unforgettable setting. Verse 11 then I saw a great white throne and him who sat upon it, from whose presence earth and heaven fled away, and no place was found for them. And I saw the dead, great and the small standing before the throne, but stop for just about there are several descriptive phrases that John delivers for us to come out of his vision, he says.

First of all, that this was a great throne.

The word is Megan gun which gives us our word make God. This is a man got throne. This is that this throne is so awesome and and fear of falling grade because of the glory that is so great surrounding this is a great throne. All other thrives compared to this throne are small. This money is great. So this is the only court ever convened by one whose jurisdiction was universal. It's great.

He says it's also a white throne brilliance the splendor of the light emanating from the one seated there the throne is been described for us already with the lightning flashes, and the sound of thunder. It's a terrifying thing that moment to be on the other side of his grace, where the mercy of God will be no more. This is a white throne referencing the purity of his verdict. Lynn Kohn is the Greek word, it symbolizes absolute just nests. There's not one speck of injustice there is any hint of the potential of bribery. There's no spin in this courtroom. There is not one molecule of the inequality towards God's coming verdict of punishment to an everlasting hell is his right and Joss and true mankind that stands before him is about to receive what it actually deserve and you say you gotta be kidding. How offensive is that I think about it this way. It's one thing to say someone is going to heaven because they don't deserve heaven listen. It is an entirely different thing to say that someone is going to hell because he deserves hell that is offensive, utterly offensive to every generation to believe that hell could possibly be deserved later on. John will tell us why. But here in verse 11, he informs us of this unforgettable setting, which involves a great whites mentioned that the throne this is in the desk for dialogue. This is in the couch for therapy. This is in the stool upon which some some wise counselor may sit are some teachers know this is a this is a throne from which will be delivered. The Kings verdict John makes reference to the king.

Look at verse 11. He speaks of the one him who sat upon it.

H now we have to go outside this text to know which person of the Godhead is instrumentally involved in the judgment of humanity. We know from a number of verses that God the son shares the throne with God the father. It's the place of authority we we know that he's seated on the throne. Revelation 22 refers to the throne of God and of the Lamb. Paul wrote to the Colossians in chapter 3, verse one. Therefore, if you been raised up with Christ, keep seeking the things above, where Christ is seated at the right hand of God. That means he's seated at the place of authority. He represents the triune God in in this unique way. The writer of Hebrews chapter 10 verse 12 wrote the Christ, having offered one sacrifice for sins for all time, sat down at the right hand of God reference to the throne being shared by the father and son.

The Spirit hovering there as well. Reference to the triune God.

Certainly, being in place.

The apostle Peter wrote that Jesus Christ is at the right hand of God, having gone into heaven first Peter 322, they share the throne as equally divine, along with the spirit God in three persons, we saying great true we believe and not because we understand that but because the Bible delivers it now although they share the throne, and all three persons equally divine.

They yet have unique function I we talk about the economic subordination of the triune God ontologically, there equal economically as it relates to function their subordinate to Jesus doing the will of the father in any of the spirit glorifying the sun doesn't mean that they're less equal than than the other.

They have unique functions and one of the unique functions of God the son is that he will be the judge.

Jesus Christ himself said in John chapter 5 verse 22, not even the father judges anyone, but he has given all judgment to the son, Jesus Christ. Then is the judge and by the way, this court can't be held if the judge's dad is alive resurrected, ascended seated in fact it's this truth. By the way of the resurrection of Christ. The turn cowards and the Crusaders of these apostles were disciples before they got promoted a few months earlier when they know they're denying him and running.

Here's Peter cursing so that people would be fairly certain that he had nothing to do with the Galilean covering it up now just a matter of weeks later he's boldly preaching the gospel. What changed him judges alive, he seen them more than that. Acts chapter 10 informs us that after Jesus rose from the dead, and this is actually Peter preaching Dakota's words, he Jesus ordered us to proclaim to the people and silently to testify that this is the one who has been appointed by God as judge of the living and the dead of him Christ. All the prophets bear witness, that through his name. Everyone who believes in him receives forgiveness of sins always telling people he's the coming judge and you need to believe in them, so you can be forgiven of your sin. The irony is this the one who now receives people who will he then will forgive their sin and will be the same one who will judge them who do not. By the way, I don't if you caught it will read it again. Peter said and he ordered us to proclaim to the people and solemnly to testify that this is the one who is been appointed by God the father as judge of the living and the dead. Didn't Jesus know that his followers were supposed to say things like that that he's going to judge the world.

Didn't Jesus know that we were just supposed to keep our hearts open and arm valves shut did Peter know that he submitted under orders we've been commanded to go heaven.

We and in the process of making disciples were to baptize them in the name of the father son is spirited and and to teach them to observe all I've commanded you. And in love with you always, that that is the suggestion that is ever really good Christians that is ever people enjoying the church and everybody else does have to sign on yet for every one of us to know Christ. We have been commanded to tell our world the John Jay is coming who will judge the living and the dead. We cannot keep this to ourselves and Paul would say in second Corinthians 520. We beg the unbelieving world to be reconciled to God. Why for one want to glorify God and obey him. And yet, the thing that moved Paul toward tears was this idea of an unreconciled world judge. There is a coming payday. That is a terrifying verdict so terrible that we would never wish this upon anyone seen his is actually made more terrifying than what John writes next in verse 11. Note that the beginning will start there. Then I saw a great white throne and him who sat upon in the notice, from whose presence earth and heaven fled away, and no place was found for them pictures quite a good debate among committed believers as to what God is going to do in the earth and the heavens are those who believe that he's going to burn the surface of it and to burn away as it were, that the effects of sin.

They have a good argument, but John's vision here, coupled with numerous old and New Testament passages, including primarily second Peter chapter 3 leaves little doubt in my mind that what will happen in between the ending of the kingdom in that brief period of time where Satan is judged and the earth is destroyed in this great trial takes place. That period of time or those things are happening between the kingdom and the new heaven and the new earth is is this terrifying moment where the universe will be literally consumed by fire. Peter writes the heavens will pass away with a roar of the Greek word for roar is a word delivers to us the sound of what that would make the clap. It's a it's a bang, so to speak. We believe in the Big Bang at the end of the beginning. Is this clap. The snap is how the word is intended to be spoken and the earth. Peter says and its works will be burned up. According to his promise. However, we are looking for new heavens and a new earth in which righteousness dwells. Peter writes the elements will be destroyed. The word for elements is the Greek word Cy carry-on which refers to the atomic particles which are the basic building blocks of everything that is, it will all be destroyed. In fact, when Peter says the elements will be destroyed. The word destroyed is even more enlightening because the Greek word literally means a loose, hinged the atoms will split and what happens when a split.

You have a nuclear explosion. The universe will literally come apart and explode as if there were one fire a gigantic nuclear bomb. The heat from this universal explosion. Peter writes about will disperse everything that John then says I think it's interesting he says in verse 11, and from his presence earth and heaven fully matter perhaps isn't destroyed but yet it leads to.

We do not know where in its unhinged state and perhaps what God will do that is collected all and he will fashion a brand-new word and a brand-new universal. Imagine, then you have this explosion and all of a sudden there's nothing you have a court room, then that is suspended in space. You'll see earth below you, you will see the heavens above either no planets.

There are no starters.

Nothing except the redeemed are seated upon the throne, the hosts of heaven say that his demons already have an incentive and you have the unredeemed stand on nothing but their standing ring from it will be a terrible day for those who stand before or the throne of God to receive an eternal sentence. The good news is that God has provided a means of escape. Now that escape comes to all who respond to the gospel of Jesus Christ.

This is wisdom for the heart. Stephen called today's message settle out of court. It's a great title because that's the wise thing to do.

Settle your accounts with Jesus Christ before facing him and judgments.

There's more to this lesson and will come back to this seen in our next broadcast. We don't have time to finish it today between now and then. Please take a few moments and share your thoughts and comments with us. We enjoy hearing from you and learning how God uses the ministry of wisdom for the heart to encourage you in your walk with him. If you have a comments question or would like more information you can send us an email if you address it to info@wisdomonline.org you can use that address for any correspondence you have, you can actually use that's asked Stephen any questions you have about the Bible or the Christian faith. Stephen answers those questions that come in and we post those answers on our website once again write to us at info@wisdom online.don't miss the conclusion to this message on our next broadcast, that's next time here on wisdom for the heart