Final Judgement, Revisited

Take your Bibles and turn to Revelation 20 again this week. We just sang about God's glorious throne. We want to look at it again. In Revelation chapter 20, you say, wait a minute, we went over this text last week. Are you going to do it again? Yes.

Yes. this will sound familiar to us but it ought to be familiar to all of us revelation 20 verses 11 through 15 as we read god's word then i saw a great white throne and him who was seated on it from his presence earth and sky fled away and no place was found for them and i saw the dead great and small standing before the throne and books were open then another book was open which is the book of life. And the dead were judged by what was written in the books according to what they had done. And the sea gave up the dead who were in it.

Death and Hades gave up the dead who were in them, and they were judged, each one of them, according to what they had done. Then death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. This is the second death, the lake of fire. And if anyone's name was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire. Let's pray. Lord God, attend these words with your spirit.

I pray, Father, that what is said here today would give hope to your people. Lord God, we are utterly, completely, absolutely dependent on your spirit for what is said from this place. It is not my cleverness that will convince anyone. It is not intelligence. It is not great speaking ability. It is only your spirit that will bring truth home to hearts.

And I ask today that he would do that for the sake of your glory and the good of your people. God grant it, I pray in Jesus' name. Amen. The last judgment. Again? Especially as we're starting the Christmas season?

What gives, Pastor? I feel compelled to revisit this subject after last week's sermon. Last week, I believe, we got a good view of the day of judgment, and yet I sensed, not just sensed, but in my conversation, I got the idea that many of you left here last week without the hope of the gospel. I was upset, not with you, by any means, but I thought, you know what?

You did not communicate hope in the gospel. Somehow it didn't come through. You may say to me, but Pastor, do you really want to talk about this on the day we celebrate the Lord's table? And I would say, absolutely. There's not a better day to look at the last judgment than on the day when we are reminded of the mercy of God and Jesus. And so, I'm going to take a run at it again.

Honestly, I feel compelled that if you do not leave here with the hope of the gospel, then I would say I failed but I would say God in His providence wanted us to revisit this. What I said last week I don't want to take back. I meant every word of what I said last week but we need to come back to this and see this day through gospel lenses because if we do not we will slip into fear that will affect our lives as Christians and will not have a good effect on our relationship with our Heavenly Father if we do not see this through the Gospel.

And so I want you to revisit this subject through Gospel lenses, more of a Gospel lens than evidently was clear last week. Now this is going to be a wide-ranging study. We're not going to just stay in Revelation 20 because I want to expand our vision a little bit and get more of a systematic understanding of the Day of Judgment. I think one of the reasons why the Lord did this was to get me to grapple with some questions that I've always had and had never come to satisfactory conclusions about.

But I think after last week and digging into the Word again, the Lord has been gracious to me in helping me understand some other things that we're going to touch on today. Let me begin by saying this. a gospel centered view of the last day the day of judgment brings four words to mind four words when you think of the day of judgment you need to think of four words here they are justice mercy reward and praise okay let me say that again for those of you who are taking notes the four words that ought to come to mind from now on whenever you think of the day of judgment ought to be justice, mercy, reward, and praise. Okay?

Let's try to understand what the Bible says about that day of judgment. First, consider that on that last day, God executes justice. God executes justice. Now, we don't have to reread the text, but we see it here in Revelation 20, verses 11-15. Recall that those books opened have recorded every wicked thought, word, and deed that anyone has ever done in the history of the world.

Every single wicked thought, word, and deed of each person is remembered by God. There isn't one that's escaped His notice. Not one. Not one. In Pakistan churches have been burned by Muslim mobs who attack and kill Christians because they Christians That why Because they Christians And many will never be brought to justice in that Islamic country Christians are starting to suffer more and more in Pakistan, which ostensibly has religious freedom, but which clearly it does not.

And many of those mobs will not be brought to justice in that Islamic country. and many of the assailants will never be known. That is except to God. He knows every one of them. He knows what every one of them has done. Consider the brother in North Korea who for the crime of possessing a Bible is dragged off to a concentration camp and who is beaten mercilessly in his cell by some North Korean soldier.

God knows that soldier and everything he has ever done against God's people. Every blow that he landed, every hateful thought that he has had is recorded in those books in heaven. In 1985, we moved here. It was in March of 1985 is when I began my ministry here. It was March 31st, 1985. The week before that service, Bill Allen was killed out on Allen Road.

He was murdered. Any of you who have been around here long enough remember that. Then in 85, Bill Allen, south of town here, one night was murdered. And his murderer has never been caught. No one knows who killed Bill Allen except God. And even though that murderer has escaped justice now, he will answer for that on the day of judgment.

Bill Allen's murderer will find justice on that day. Some of you here have suffered slights. Others of you have experienced betrayal. Some of you have been cheated. And some of you this morning have suffered truly horrible things in your life that most of us don't know anything about. Some of it's because you've claimed Christ.

Some of it's because we live in a sin-cursed world where injustice just seems to reign. But you must always remember that no one gets away with anything. No one gets away with anything because every deed has been recorded in those books that will be opened on that day. Every injustice and betrayal, every one will be brought before the tribunal of God without exception.

Every perpetrator, both small and great, will answer for his deeds before the great white throne. There is no one ever in this entire world who will escape justice. Now, that's the reason for this picture of judgment in the book. It's here because those who suffer can have hope. Alright? That's the main reason why we have this horrifying picture, this terrifying picture here, is not so much to terrify God's people.

It's not to terrify God's people. It's to give them hope. Because we long for justice. We see so much injustice in this wicked, unjust world. And young people, let me tell you something. You don't see it now, but I'll tell you what.

The older you get, the more you see. And the more you seem to grasp that this world is unjust. You know what? I believe that we live in a country that is incredibly free and where justice is served well, but I have seen in my own life, even here locally, where justice is not served. Where betrayal has happened. And I am convinced, and I know because of the authority of the Word of God, that there will be justice.

God's people can rest in the certainty of the justice of God. Okay? God's people can rest in the certainty of justice. We alone have reason for hope. We alone have reason for hope because we know that justice will come and that God will balance every single scale of justice. there will not be any injustice at all ever once Jesus returns and sits on that throne.

When you think of that day, think justice. Alright? You may say, well that's true. And I thank God for that. But my deeds are also recorded in those books and I find that to be a terrifying prospect. Good point.

That's a very good point. Well then, consider that on the last day, God manifests mercy. Alright? Look at verse 15. Don't lose sight of this. There's just this relenting train going down the tracks that's saying, justice is going to be served.

And you're going, whoa, what about me? What about verse 15? And if anyone's name was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire. You go, well, that's great news. Yes, it is. That is good news.

What happens to those who stand before the great tribunal? Like a great big trash can emptying its contents into the fire, death and hate, he's going to empty all its contents into the lake of fire. except for those whose names are written in the book of life. They will not be emptied into the fire God shows mercy to those who are recorded in that one book Remember what we said last week There this whole bunch of books opened over here but over here there just one book which does not record the deeds of some people but their names.

And if your name is inscribed in that book, you will not suffer the lake of fire. Why is it that God shows mercy to those who are in that book. Why is that? Well, turn over to chapter 13. Again, chapter 13, verse 8. What do we read here?

We find that book of life mentioned again. Chapter 13, verse 7. Also it was allowed to, it is the beast here, also it was allowed to make war on the saints and to conquer them. And authority was given it, the beast, over every tribe and people and language and nation. And all who dwell on the earth will worship it. Everyone whose name has not been written before the foundation of the world in the book of life of the Lamb who was slain.

There the book of life is called the book of life of the Lamb who was slain. It's the book of life of the Lamb who was slain. well, what's true about the Lamb? Turn again like we did last week to chapter 5. And there again, it's making reference to what we've seen before in that great scene room, that great scene of heavenly court where God is sitting on the throne and He is approached by the Lamb and the Lamb is given the scroll.

He has the authority to break the seals of the scroll. Why? Verse 9, and they sang a new song saying, Worthy are you, Lamb, to take the scroll and to open its seals, for you were slain. And by your blood, you ransomed people for God from every tribe and language and people and nation. By the way, do you notice that terminology here? In what we just read before in chapter 13, that the beast was given authority over every tribe and language and people and nation.

Did you see that? But here it says that the Lamb has purchased, ransomed people for God from every tribe and language and people and nation. and you've made them a kingdom and priests who are God and they shall reign on the earth. Why is it true that those who are in the book of life, the book of life of the Lamb who was slain, why do they not get emptied into the lake of fire?

Because the Lamb has purchased those people who are written in that book. His death ransomed the people out of all peoples for God. Ransom. The word means to purchase, to buy. It means to ransom as if you were kidnapped. Right?

What is the money called that's given so that you can be free? A ransom. That's exactly what the word means in the Scriptures. You've been purchased. You've been freed by the payment of a price. And by His death, the Lamb ransomed or purchased a people both from the guilt and the power of sin, Satan, the world, and yourself.

He has purchased you. And notice what it says in chapter 5, verses 9 and 10. He says you've purchased you, and because you've been purchased, you are now made part of a kingdom and priests who are God. God does not throw His priests, nor does He throw the occupants of His kingdom into the lake of fire. If the Lamb has purchased you, you are part of the kingdom of God, not the kingdom of darkness.

You are not part of Satan's kingdom any longer because Christ has purchased you. And that is why God can show mercy on those whose names are inscribed in the Lamb's book of life. Those who have their names in the Lamb's book of life do not suffer for their evil deeds because they have trusted in the Lamb who has already suffered for them. who was slain on their behalf.

They have been judged already according to Jesus' deeds, not by the deeds in the books. You see that? You have been judged by what Jesus did. What did He do? He lived obediently as the faithful witness to God and He gave Himself as the Lamb as a sacrifice for you. Thus, you are not judged by the deeds written in the book.

You are judged by His deeds. And that means mercy for you. But then someone raises the question, wait a minute, how can you know whether your name is in the Lamb's Book of Life? Because those names are put in the Lamb's Book of Life before the foundation of the world, and I don't know if my name's there. I wasn't there at the foundation. I didn't see my name written there.

How do you know? Thank you for telling me that those whose names are written in the Lamb's Book of Life from before the foundation of the world are free from the judgment of God, but how do I know my name's written there? Good question. How do I know I'm one of the redeemed? That's a really good question. If your name is written in the Lamb's book of life, then you belong to the Lamb.

That means what? That means you're one who's been redeemed. Look how Jesus describes this. Okay? Look how Jesus describes this. Turn to John 6.

John chapter 6. I'm going to begin reading in verse 35. Now you pay careful attention to what Jesus says here. Jesus said to them, I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me shall not hunger, and whoever believes in me shall never thirst. But I said to you that you have seen me and yet you do not believe Now watch All that the father gives me will come to me and whoever comes to me i will never cast out for i have come down from heaven not to do my own will but the will of him who sent me and this is the will of him who sent me that i should lose nothing of all that he has given me but raise it that is all that he has given raise that whole group up but raise it up on the last day for this is the will of my father that everyone who looks on the son and believes in him should have eternal life and i will raise him up on that last day jesus uses the same terminology in john chapter 17 lord the ones you gave me now think about this all that the father gave jesus will come to him that is to say all whose names were already written in the Lamb's book of life, those are the ones that the Father gave the Son.

Those are the ones He came to save. Alright? So, if your name is written in the book of life, those are the ones the Father gave the Son. Alright? Now, what does He say? He says, those that the Father gave Me will come to Me.

Right? Who are those who come to Him? Look at verse 40. For this is the will of my Father, that everyone who looks on the Son and believes in Him should have eternal life, and I will raise Him up on the last day. What is He saying here? If you've been written in the Lamb's book of life, that is, if the Father gave you to the Son, you will certainly believe.

You will believe. There's no doubt about it. Your name's written in the book. The Father gave you to the Son. you will believe and since the father gave you to him you believe and you believe jesus will never reject you that's what he says doesn't he all who come to me i will in no wise cast out i will not reject that person in fact he says i will i will not lose one of them but will raise him to eternal life, which is what?

Not condemnation. If Jesus' redemption accomplished your faith in him, when he died, he accomplished your faith. You believe because Jesus redeemed you. It's not the other way around. You don't believe and then Jesus redeems you. Your name was written in the Lamb's book of life.

The Father gave you to him. He redeemed you at the cross. Therefore, you will believe. So the bottom line is, what evidence do you have that your name is recorded in the Lamb's Book of Life? What evidence do you have? You have believed in Jesus.

By the way, please note that your name being written down guarantees that you'll believe, and it guarantees that Jesus will not lose you. How do you know your name's written in the Lamb's Book of Life? Have you believed? Have you looked to Him and believed in Him? There you go. You say, that's too simple.

No, it's not. That's the truth. That's the way it is. Look at Romans 6. Romans 6. Verse 1.

What shall we say then? Are we to continue in sin that grace may abound? And by no means, how can we who died to sin still live? And do you not know that all of us who've been baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? We were buried, therefore, with him by baptism into death, in order that just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life.

What's he saying? He's saying when Jesus died, those who are his died with him. Baptism shows that. For if we have been united with him in a death like his, we shall certainly be united with him in a resurrection like his we know that our old self was crucified with him in order that the body of sin might be brought to nothing so that we would no longer be enslaved to sin for one who has died has been set free from sin now if we have died with christ we believe that we will also live with him we know that christ being raised from the dead will never die again death no longer has dominion over him for the death he died he died to sin once for all, but the life he lives, he lives to God.

So you also must consider yourselves dead to sin and alive to God in Christ Jesus. Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body to make you obey its passions. Do not present your members to sin as instruments for unrighteousness, but present yourselves to God as those who've been brought from death to life. And your members to God and your members to God as instruments for righteousness for sin will have no dominion over you since you are not under law but under grace what does it say here jesus redemption of those written in the book accomplishes their sanctification all right those whom jesus redeemed have been freed from the tyranny of sin from the tyranny of sin sin no longer is your master now it doesn't mean you're sinless that's obvious because he says in this chapter what Therefore, because you're no longer under the tyranny of sin, what do you do?

Don't let sin reign. You're in a battle. You're in a battle against sin. Are you fighting the fight against sin? Are you growing in your sanctification? What evidence do you have that your name is written in the book of life?

What evidence do you have? You hate sin and you're fighting against it. you're progressing. You can say, look, I'm growing. It might not be a lot, but I'm growing. I'm not the same person I was six years ago. That's evidence that you're in the Lamb's book of life.

His redemption accomplished. His death accomplished your death to the tyranny of sin. If you're growing, that's sign. Let's just look at one more, and I think the most important one, Ephesians 1. Look what else this redemption has accomplished. Remember, this is the book of life.

The Lamb slain. The Lamb slain to redeem you. Alright? What else has that redemption accomplished? Chapter 1, verse 7. And it was really hard for me.

I wanted to read this whole chapter, but time for you is of the essence. I could preach for three hours, okay? I'm being merciful to you. Ephesians 1, verses 7 and 8. In Him, we have redemption through His blood. The forgiveness of our trespasses according to the riches of His grace which He lavished upon us in all wisdom and insight.

What has His redemption accomplished? Your forgiveness! It's accomplished your forgiveness. Because of His redemption, His purchase of you, God can forgive your sins. What is forgiveness? all right we've had a whole i don't know josh how many weeks we've had quite a few we had quite a few weeks on this whole concept of forgiveness what is forgiveness well if you want a really short definition and i think an accurate biblical one if you look at jeremiah 3134 the very last sentence in that in that verse it's talking about what the blessings of the new covenant and this is one of the blessings that God makes for I will listen I will forgive their iniquity and I will remember their sins no more now put those two phrases together I will forgive their iniquity and I will remember their sins no more forgiveness does not mean forgetting God can't forget anything God hasn't forgotten any of your sins this whole business where God well, God doesn't remember, is to say God's not omniscient.

God doesn't forget. But what does that phrase say? I will forgive their sins and I will remember their sins no more. Forgiving means not remembering. You say, isn't that the same as forgetting? No.

Forgetting just happens. Like, how many of you remember what you learned in chemistry in high school? I said, chemistry, I avoided that. Well, let's say you took it, right? What do you remember? You don't.

Why? I forgot it. Forgetting is passive. It just happens. Not remembering is active. God says, I will forgive your sins.

What does that mean? I will make a promise to you that I will not remember. That is to say, I make this promise. When I say I forgive, I am saying I will not bring up your sin to use against you ever. That's forgiveness. Choosing to not remember.

So to be precise, God makes a promise not to bring up your sin to use against you. That's what His redemption has accomplished. Now what does forgiveness say to you when faced with the books which have recorded all your wickedness? What does forgiveness mean? It means that if Christ finds your name written in the Lamb's registry, He will bring up none of those deeds to use against you.

Do you understand that? Those books you say, man, my book is going to be that thick! God says, look, if your name's in this book, I'm not even going to use this against you. That's what forgiveness means. You're in the Lamb's book of life who was slain. His death has purchased your forgiveness.

You know, I know what you're thinking. We're all thinking, if God brings up all the things I've thought, this is my thought. You haven't been inside my head. I don't want any of you inside my head. I didn't say that with confidence because I know you think the same thing. I know that much about what you're thinking.

And he said, but if my thoughts are recorded, I do not want my thoughts broadcast before all of humanity, much less God Himself. It's not going to be broadcast. There will be no shame for you on that day. That's what forgiveness means. If your name is written in the Lamb's registry, That means forgiveness. That means your sins will not be brought up to be used against you.

If your name is recorded in the Lamb's Book of Life, you will believe in Jesus. You will experience sanctification. You will know forgiveness and you will find mercy. You see? The truth of Psalm 103 will become manifest to you on that day as far as the east is from the west, so far does he remove our transgressions from us. You will know that on that day.

Well, someone brings up the next question. Good question. If our sins won't be brought up to be used against us, then why do believers stand in judgment anyway? Why are we there in any way then? Well, because we will still stand for judgment. Oh, come on, keep with me.

Consider that on that last day, God grants reward. God grants reward. All right, now we have seen this day of judgment. Remember last week I mentioned that the day of judgment, we get pictures of it all the way through the book of Revelation. Remember how Revelation is written? It's not chronological.

It tells us the story over and over and over and over again. And so we have a number of different views of the last day, one of which is found in chapter 11. Let turn to chapter 11 There it speaks about judgment as well Follow along as I read this Verse 15 When the seventh angel blew his trumpet, and there were loud voices in heaven saying, The kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our Lord and of his Christ, and he shall reign forever and ever.

And the 24 elders who sat on their thrones before God fell on their faces and worshiped God, saying, We give thanks to you, Lord God Almighty, who is and who was, for you have taken your great power and begun to reign. The nations raged, but your wrath came, and the time for the dead to be judged, and for rewarding your servants, the prophets and saints, and those who fear your name, both small and great, and for destroying the destroyers of the earth. What do we find here?

This is a judgment resulting in the destruction of the destroyers and what? The reward for God's servants. We will stand in judgment for reward. Our judgment as believers does not determine our eternal destiny. It cannot since our sins have been forgiven never to be used against us. Besides, the scene from Revelation 20 makes it clear that those names who are recorded in the book of life will not suffer condemnation.

So why are we in judgment? It says here for reward. Wait a minute. This is my objection. Wait a minute. You say it's for reward?

Yeah, I remember hearing that as a kid too. And it doesn't escape the dilemma. It still doesn't get us out of the dilemma because we find that described, for example, in two places. One is Romans chapter 14 where it says this, Why do you pass judgment on your brother? Or you, why do you despise your brother? For we will all stand before the judgment seat of God.

So then each of us will give an account of himself to God. So, you say it doesn't determine my eternal destiny. Wow, thank God for that, but yet I'm going to give an account. And you say it's for reward. And here's another reason why, and this is a text that we need to look at, 2 Corinthians 5. 2 Corinthians 5.

This is the one that was used the most when I was a kid. And I say, well, thank you for telling me that, but I don't see how that helps. 2 Corinthians 5, verse 9. So whether we are at home or away, we make it our aim to please him. For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ so that each one may receive what is due for what he has done in the body, whether good or evil.

You say, well, that's not for eternal destiny. That's for reward. And I would say as a kid or as a young person, well, what difference does that make? Because if it's for reward, Jesus is going to bring up the times when I could have served Him well and I didn't. Right? Right?

How does that get us out of the dilemma? Oh, my. Here's how. Here's how. I want you to look at this passage carefully. You know, if you really want to interpret well, you've got to read the whole context.

You must read the whole context. And as I wrestled with this, the light went on. Watch what he says. I'll pick it up again in verse 10. All right, we want to please God. Why?

Because, for, because we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ so that each one may receive what is due for what he has done in the body, whether good or evil. Forget, forget that little thing that the editors of the Bible put there to make a break. There's not a break there. There's not a break there. So it goes like this. So each one of us may receive what is due for what he has done in the body, whether good or evil.

Therefore, knowing the fear of the Lord, we persuade others. We go, wow, that sounds serious since we're all going to stand before the judgment seat of Christ. Therefore, knowing the fear of the Lord, we persuade others. That sounds pretty serious. Continue on. But what we are is known to God.

And I hope it's known also to your conscience. we are not commending ourselves to you again, but giving you cause to boast about us so that you may be able to answer those who boast about outward appearance and not about what is in the heart. For if we are beside ourselves, it is for God. If we are in our right mind, it is for you. For the love of Christ controls us or compels us because we've concluded this, that one has died for all, therefore all have died, and he died for all that those who live might no longer live for themselves, but for him who for their sake died and was raised again.

From now on, therefore, we regard no one according to the flesh. Even though we once regarded Christ according to the flesh, we regard him thus no longer. Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The oldest passed away. Behold, the new has come. All this is from God, who through Christ reconciled us to himself and gave us the ministry of reconciliation that is in Christ.

God was reconciling the world to himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and entrusting to us the message of reconciliation. Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, God making his appeal through us. We implore you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God. For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sins, that in him we might become the righteousness of God.

Now look what he says here. Verse 10, we're all going to give account to the Lord Jesus to receive what is due for what we've done in the body, whether good or evil. So we're going to persuade men. But he goes on to say, but what we are is already known to God and we hope is known to you. And then he goes on and says, unlike these false teachers. Now, earlier he calls these people super apostles.

They're the false teachers. And what have they done? We're not committing ourselves to you again, but giving you cause to boast about us so that you may be able to answer those who boast about outward appearances. These super apostles are saying, oh, Paul's nothing. In fact, he's crazy. He's nuts.

And Paul is saying here, we not nuts If we out of our minds it for the sake of God If we in our minds it for Your sake We not crazy In fact the love of Christ compels us to do these things. We're not crazy. We love You. That's why we look nuts to these other people. So what's his point? He says what we are is already known to God and you that unlike these false teachers who've run us down saying that we're crazy, we do this for God.

We do it for God. and love compels us to be this way. And then he goes on to say, besides, we have a ministry of reconciliation to those who aren't reconciled to God. What's the point? Here's his argument. It goes something like this. Lots of false accusations about our ministry have been thrown around.

Right? These people say they're not looking at the heart. They're not looking at the heart. They're looking at outward appearances. They say we're crazy. Lots of accusations being thrown around.

But we will all stand before the judgment seat of Christ to receive what is our due. What we have done in the body is good, not evil, like the false teachers. Sure enough, we'll receive what's due us. You see what he's saying there? He's saying we're going to stand before the judgment seat of Christ. They can say what they want.

We make it our goal to please God because we're going to stand there and we're going to get what's our due. This is not negative. This is positive. This is positive. now don't miss don't misunderstand me we will find out how we could have served christ better on that day so we certainly will did i waste valuable time playing rather than serving god did i spend all kinds of money traveling all over the place rather than using that money so that the gospel can travel all over the world?

Have I missed opportunities I could have used? Those are going to come up. There's no doubt about it. Okay? Fine. And so you still might have a sense of unease.

I'm going to feel ashamed when Jesus shows me what I could have done. Listen to the words of Wayne Grudem in The Systematic Theology because I think he's captured the essence of the Gospel here and what the Bible teaches. Listen to what he says. But this judgment should not cause terror or alarm on the part of believers because even sins that are made public on that day will be made public as sins that have been forgiven.

And thereby, they will be the occasion for giving glory to God for the richness of His grace. So even when Jesus points out Tim and you know what I can look back at 27 years of ministry folks and I can make a book that thick of where I could have done better there are many regrets in my life many many regrets of what I could have done for Christ and I didn't do it but listen to what Grudem says and I think he's right those sins are going to show up as forgiven and give us opportunity not to feel ashamed, but to praise God. And I think it'll look something like this.

Oh, you're right, I could have done better, but wow, how gracious you are for forgiving me. Right? Lord God, you are so good to me. I missed those opportunities, and yet you forgave me, and you gave me more and more and more, even though I blew those. So even at the judgment, it will be opportunity for praise even when it's for reward you see that and again i'm convinced of this because what paul had written in first corinthians first corinthians chapter four in first corinthians chapter four again it's this whole idea of what people think of you doesn't matter it's going to come up in the in the judgment in first corinthians four he says this This is how one should regard us as servants of Christ and stewards of the mysteries of God.

Moreover, it is required of stewards that they be found trustworthy. But with me, it is a very small thing that I should be judged by you or by any human court. In fact, I do not even judge myself, for I am not aware of anything against myself, but I'm not thereby acquitted. It is the Lord who judges me. therefore do not pronounce judgment before the time before the Lord comes who will bring to light the things now hidden in darkness and will disclose the purposes of the heart you read that and you go dun dun dun big trouble he's going to expose the motives of the heart oh no but we forget the very last sentence here's what he says now watch what he does who will bring to light the things now hidden in darkness and will disclose the purposes of the heart that then each one will receive his commendation from God wait a minute that's not right no that is right that's what he says he says he's going to expose he's going to take from the darkness and expose the motives of our hearts so that we can receive commendation what yeah that's what he says so we can receive commendation it's about reward it's about god in his grace not giving us what we deserve but looking at what we've done and accepting it in christ and giving us commendation so when you think of the day of judgment think reward consider that on the last day, God receives praise.

God receives praise Again if you turn back to Revelation 11 we just read it a few minutes ago Notice what happens. When God shows up for judgment, at the seventh trumpet, God shows up for judgment, what do we find? Loud voices in heaven, praising God, the kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our Lord and of his Christ and he shall reign forever and ever and the 24 elders who sit on the thrones before God fall on their faces and worship God look over at chapter 19 where we were some weeks ago chapter 19 verse 1 after this I heard what seemed to be the loud voice of a great multitude in heaven crying out okay by the way here's the context Babylon is utterly destroyed Remember we talked about what Babylon is and how Babylon is utterly destroyed.

And here's what happens when God shows up and absolutely wipes out Babylon. Hallelujah! Salvation and glory and power belong to our God, for His judgments are true and just, for He has judged the great prostitute who corrupted the earth with her immorality and has avenged on her the blood of His servants. Once more they cried out, hallelujah the smoke from her goes up forever and ever they're singing praises because the smoke of their of this destruction is going up forever and ever praise god isn't this great keep going and the 24 elders the four living creatures fell down and worship god who is seated on the throne saying amen hallelujah and from the throne came a voice saying praise our god all you his servants you who fear him small and great.

When God shows up for judgment, all his servants will erupt in praise. We will praise God for the fact that he shows mercy in forgiving and rewarding his servants. We're going to praise him for that. But we will also praise him for the justice he executes when he pours out his wrath and avenges us. You say, oh my, That just sounds awful. Oh, how hateful that is.

That's what we are. We're just a bunch of effeminate people. Oh, that's terrible. We're going to praise God because He pours out His wrath? Absolutely. You know why?

Because on that day, we will see the magnificent glory of His justice in bringing justice to those who have made our life miserable. And we will praise God for it, not because we're hateful, not because we say, they got it, they got it, they got it. No! Because we will see that God is magnificent and splendid and glorious in His justice. That's why we'll praise Him.

You see that? His justice will seem so right and so splendid that we won't be able to help ourselves from praising Him. That praise will flow naturally from our hearts and from our lips. Because now, for the first time in all of our experience, we will see perfect justice. and we will love God for it. We ought to view that day as the greatest praise and worship service that anyone has ever seen.

So when you think of the day of judgment, think praise. Now, I'm hoping that this makes more sense to you now. Because of the gospel, You can view the last day in a different light. You can see it in the light of justice. You can see it in the light of mercy. You can consider it in the light of reward.

You can view it in the light of praise. What a day that will be. You know, Paul prayed earlier. Lord, the last day will be the first day. won't it? It'll be the first day of perfect justice, perfect mercy, perfect reward, perfect praise. See?

That's how we ought to view the last day. That's how we ought to see it. Father, what a day that will be. Father, there are people who ought to be terrified of that day of judgment and that terror ought to cause them to flee to Christ. but God for us who've been bought by the blood of the lamb who was slain or inscribed in the lamb's book of life this will be a great day father as we come to this table now we are confronted with all our senses with the reason why we can look at that day differently because Jesus purchased us, gave Himself for us, that we will not suffer for our sins and will instead find commendation from the Lord who loves us and who gives us what we don't deserve.

Would you please, Father, enlarge Jesus in our thinking now as we come to this table? Help us to see Him now, not as the judge who sits on the great white throne, but as a Savior on the cross who has delivered us from that which we deserve. Grant it for the glory of your name. Amen.