IV.Gospel Powered Humility: Humbled by Final Judgment

IV.Gospel Powered Humility: Humbled by Final Judgment

Reading Ps 50:1-6, Rom 2:5-16

In our first talk we asserted that humility is the great virtue.

Our second talk made the point that we must be countercultural to grow in humility.

Last week we learned God engineered the gospel to humble sinners. The first stage of that humbling is the wrath of God.

This week we move to the second stage of gospel humbling—the final judgment.

I was a Gonzaga law student for one year. My grade for the entire year’s work was based on one exam in each class at the end of the year. Papers, quizzes, and homework contributed nothing to my final grade. The entire years work rested on the output of one exam in each class. The pressure was tremendous. I spent the entire year thinking about, preparing for, and hoping that I would do well on that exam. My answers would be judged by my professors and I would be graded accordingly. The stress was incredible.

Similarly, each of us faces a final exam. It is ultimate. By contrast all other exams are trivial. In addition, the requirements are impossible, and the stakes are infinitely more important. How we perform will have eternal, irreversible consequences. The exam in mind is the final judgment. It is not a popular subject. It was not popular in Paul’s day, yet he was willing to trustGod to bless his evangelistic efforts through the proclamation of this event.

To put Paul in a modern perspectivelets assume you had an opportunity to present the gospel to a room full of philosophy majors at Harvard University. Would you start by emphasizing the final judgment? That would be the last subject on most of our minds. To do so would be very controversial. It would take great courage. We would need to overcome the fear of rejection.

But, that is exactly what Paul did.

The Areopagus (Mars Hill) was the council that ruled Athens. It’s prestige was great. It went back centuries. It was the forum for the social elites. It was the center of the secular intellectual world of the first century world.

However, when asked to share the Christian message to the Areopagus Paul spoke with amazing boldness. He didn’t speak of God’s love. He didn’t make lavish promises of a happy, trouble-free life. Instead, he warned them of the judgment to come. At the climax of his testimony he boldly proclaimed—

“God Has fixed a day on which he will judge the world in righteousness by a man whom he has appointed; and of this he has given assurance to all by raising him from the dead” (Acts 17:31).

First century intellectuals were as intolerant of the proclamation of final judgmentas they are today. The Areopagus were just as offended (and proud) as a group of Ivy League philosophy majors would be today.

Why did Paul discuss the final judgment? Answer: His presentation of the gospel flowed out of very specific assumptions about God and man. The final judgment is reality. Every human being is hurtling toward this, the great defining moment of our existence. God expects perfection. It takes great humility to accept this. We have seen how God engineered the gospel to reverse the affect of the Fall. That means He engineered it to produce humility. That is why Paul told the Areopagus the truth. He explained the final judgment because the final judgment is true. He explained it because it humbles human pride.

P.T. Forsyth: “The question of judgment is where all other questions end. It is the central question in religion. How shall I stand before my judge? …The question is not about our views; nor is it about our subjective state—how do I feel? But our objective religion—how do I stand?”[1]

T. David Gordon: “The great seriousness of the reality of being human, the dreadful seriousness of the coming judgment of God, the sheer insignificance of the present in the light of eternity—realities that once were the subtext of virtually every sermon—have now disappeared, and have been replaced by one triviality after another.:[2]

Last week we learned that Paul usually began his gospel presentation with the wrath of God. Romans chapter two indicates that he next moved to the final judgment. (In the case of Felix and the Areopagus, he began here.)

This morning’s sermon is going to explore the subject of Final Judgment. To do that we will make three points.1stWe will be judged for our works. 2ndReward or Punishment will be the outcome. 3rdThe Cross Convicts us about final judgment

A.We will be judged for Our Works

One of the fundamental ideas in Romans two is that the same God who is angry with us will be our judge. Our routine sins—the same ones we criticize others for— are being stored up for testimony against us on the last day.

Anecdote: Confession that my impatience is getting worse, and then criticizing Judy the next night for a similar confession.

“You are storing up wrath for yourself on the day of wrath when God’s righteous judgment will be revealed” (Rom. 2:5).

The Our daily hypocrisy of unbelievers is storing up an ever-growing tidal wave of wrath. Today, God restrains his anger, but on the final Day it will be released, and its pent up energy will utterly overwhelm everyone outside of Christ.

Paul wants the Roman church to be clear about one thing: They will be judged according to their works.

Rom. 2:6-11 “He will render to each one according to his works: to those who by patience in well-doing seek for glory and honor and immortality, he will give eternal life; but for those who are self-seeking and do not obey the truth, but obey unrighteousness, there will be wrath and fury. There will be tribulation and distress for every human being who does evil, the Jew first and also the Greek, but glory and honor and peace for everyone who does good, the Jew first and also the Greek. For God shows no partiality.”

Important Caveat: Paul is not saying that on the Day of Judgment we will be saved by our works. Rather, this paragraph casts a hypothetical scene. To emphasize that God will judge according to our works, Paul asks, what if someone existed who sought God with all of their heart and lived righteously? (“Patience in well-doing seek for glory, honor, and immortality). He concludes that their works would save them. However, later, in the third chapter, he makes clear that, short of Christ, this person does not exist. He reminds us that “no one seeks God” (Rom. 3:11) sufficiently to merit acquittal. In addition, he reminds us that“none is righteous, no, not one” (Rom. 3:10). More next week.No one has worked hard enough to survive the judgment. God’s standards are too high.

Ignorance will be no excuse. In civil law Ignorance of the law is not excuse. In the spiritual realm it works the same way. (Rom. 2:13) “It is not the hearers of the law…but the doers of the law who will be justified.” What about the secular unbeliever or the tribal member in the deep jungles of the Philippines? They don’t know God or his law. Surely ignorance will be an excuse for them? About this person Paul writes,

(Romans 2:15–16) "15 They show that the work of the law is written on their hearts, while their conscience also bears witness, and their conflicting thoughts accuse or even excuse them 16 on that day when, according to my gospel, God judges the secrets of men by Christ Jesus.”

In other words, ultimately no one is ignorant. God has written his law on every human heart. We all intuitively know right from wrong.

God has written two laws on every heart. They are a reduction of the Ten Commandments. The first commandment summarizes the first table of the Law— love God with your whole heart, soul, mind, and strength. If God exists we know we are duty bound to love him wholeheartedly.

The second commandment summarizes the second table. Love your neighbor as yourself (Mark 12:29-31). We all know that we should treat others as we want to be treated. Therefore, on the Day of Judgment everyone will “be without excuse” because no one has obeyed these laws perfectly.

It is this fact, God’s law written on the human heart, and the universal inward testimony of conscience to its existence, which encouraged Paul to preach the bad news. He knew the knowledge of the law was there. So he aimed his preaching at it trusting God to raise it and conscience from the dead.

This is what Paul meant when he wrote in 2 Cor 4:2 that he “commended himself to every man’s conscience in the sight of God.”

B.Reward or Punishment will be the Outcome

God’s justice is “distributive.” That means punishment or reward follows his judgments.There is a verdict: Guilty or Not Guilty.

Dr. J.I. Packer: “Retribution,is the inescapable moral law of creation; God will see that each person sooner or later receives what he deserves—if not here, then hereafter. This is one of the basic facts of life. And, being made in God’s image, we all know in our hearts that this is right. This is how it ought to be.”[3]

Jesus repeatedly warned us that his judgment would terminate in one of two destinations—hell or heaven. In fact, Jesus warned of hell more than any other person in scripture. He did this because hell is real. He did it to get people’s attention—to turn our thoughts toward God and eternal things.

1.Hell

What makes Hell so horrible is its eternality, and this fact the Bible is not shy to stress. John the Baptist warned that God would burn the impenitent “with unquenchable fire” (Matt. 3:12). In Matt. 25:41 Jesus warned us that the wicked would be cast into the “eternal fire prepared for the Devil and his angels.” In verse 46 he also promised that after the judgment the goats would go away into “eternal punishment, but the sheep into “eternal life” (Matt. 25:46).

Although polls show that 75% of Americans believe in Hell, as we saw two weeks ago, 80% are convinced they are better than Mother Teresa. They are surely going to Heaven. Therefore, in order to humble those who listen, effective evangelists drive their listeners by Hell on the way to Heaven.

Despite this many object to Hell. The first objection is that it seems unfair. Eternal conscious torment for normal, daily, human mistakes and blunders? Come on? Lighten up! Can’t Godtolerate a little weakness? But, that is the point. He is intolerant of all evil. His justice is inflexible. Were he to relax his justice for one moment God would not be the perfect Being described in scripture, and the whole universe would unravel.

As we learned last week, most people that think hard about eternal realities, don’t object to Hell for heinously evil people. They object to Hell because they are proud. They don’t think sin is really that serious, especially their own sin. They don’t’ see the correlation between the horrors of their personal sin and the horrors of Hell.

If this is true, we don’t really have a problem with justice terminating in hell. Our problem is pride. We are arrogant. We don’t think our sins are really that bad. However, as we will see next week, our sins are infinitely offensive to God. That is why there is a perfect correlation between what seem to be our “petty” sins and a hell of infinite duration.

There is an irony here. The more people believe in hell the more apt they are to create heaven on earth. And, the less people believe in hell, the more apt they are to turn this world into the very hell they deny.

In summary, we will be judged according to our works. God expects perfection. Those in hell get the reward that their works deserve.

2.Heaven

God’s justice doesn’t just distribute punishment, it also distributes reward—what the Bible calls heaven. Those who believe the gospel also get judged on the basis of works, but because their faith has united them with Christ, they get judged for Christ’s works, not their own.

For those who believe the gospel this is wonderful news. God rewards believers with the reward that his Son deserves, and they get it at Christ’s expense. This is astounding. Christ was perfect. He was sinless. He obeyed his Father even to the point of death on a cross. God imputes these perfections to those who believe the gospel. Then God rewards them for eternity with the love, peace, joy, and happiness that Christ’s sinless perfections deserve.

Like hell, heaven is eternal. Just as the eternality of hell is what makes it so horrible, so the eternality of heaven is what makes it so wonderful.

Two final thoughts about heaven.

1stHeaven is a place, but not an ethereal place with saints floating on clouds plucking harps. In the words of the apostle, Peter. “But according to his promise we are waiting for new heavens and a new earth in which righteousness dwells” (2 Peter 3:13).

2nd, and most importantly, heaven is a person

“The throne of God and of the Lamb will be in it, and his servants will worship him. They will see his face, and his name will be on their foreheads” (Revelation 22:3–4).

C.The Cross Convicts us about Final Judgment

Two weeks ago we learned that the cross is the greatest display of humility in history. Last week we learned that it is the greatest display of wrath in history. Today we add a third lesson: the cross is the greatest display of judgment in history. In fact, it is impossible to really understand the cross of Christ and not possess a strong conviction that a day of final judgment is coming. If the cross is anything, it is the greatest expression of judgment in history in human history.

God is not like us. We forgive and forget about offenses. God cannot do this. It would compromise his justice. He cannot forgive without first judging and punishing evil.

That is why Jesus came. God sent him to be judged in our place. God put our sins on Jesus. Then God judged him and sentenced him to the punishment we deserve.

The cross is the final judgment brought backwards in time for us to see and fear.

Believers look at the cross and reason—If God’s passion for justice is so great that he cannot forgive until he first punishes the guilty, then a day of final judgment is surely coming. How can a Being who loves justice thisintensely fail to exercise perfect justice on the Last Day?If God’s passion for justice is so great that he would rather have his Son come and be judged in our place rather than exempt us from it, then justice is a big deal with God.

The cross reminds us that, ultimately, there are only two kinds of People—those who get judged for Christ’s deeds, and those who get judged for their own deeds.

Which are you this morning?

A. Carson: “Do you want to see the greatest evidence of the love of God? Go to the cross. Do you want to see the greatest evidence of the justice of God? Go to the cross. It is where wrath and mercy meet. Holiness and peace kiss each other. The climax of redemptive history is the cross.”[4]

D.Application? Think Much About and Communicate the Reality of Final Judgment

In Summary: The majority of non-Christians, and sadly a large number in our pews, assume that God will judge on the curve. In other words, if I am as good as most I will get in. This conviction is a fruit of pride. By contrast, whatRomans chapter two has described humbles us. A day of judgment is coming. God’s standards are perfection. I cannot be perfect. I cannot pass through the Final Judgment by being as good as the average person. I am bankrupt. I am humbled. I will put my trust in Christ’s merits and be saved, or I will put my trust in my best efforts and perish.

In addition, there are many other benefits that accrue to those who meditate on the Final Judgment.

Heavenly Mindedness:The doctrine of final judgment lifts our attention to eternal things. It puts the brevity of life in perspective.(Heb 11:27) “It is appointed for man to die once, and after that comes judgment.” Peace with God and life is the result. How important are our daily trials and stresses? A final judgment approaches. On that day all of these small issueswill gain their true perspective.

God’s Love:The doctrine of final judgment also points us to the love and grace of God. He came to be judged in your place. He wants to be your friend. God has done what we could never do. At an infinite cost to himself, he has prepared us for the final judgment. Why? “Love that surpasses knowledge” (Eph. 3:19).

Zeal: Meditation on the doctrine of final judgment makes us zealous. We saw last week that proud people are usually lukewarm. By contrast, the reality of final judgment humbles us. It puts our personal need front and center. It causes us to “abound with Thanksgiving” (Col 1:27). We know what we deserve, and we are not going to get it!