Sermon Title: The Clear Perspective of Grace
You, therefore, have no excuse, you who pass judgment on someone else, for at whatever point you judge another, you are condemning yourself, because you who pass judgment do the same things. Now we know that God’s judgment against those who do such things is based on truth. So when you, a mere human being, pass judgment on them and yet do the same things, do you think you will escape God’s judgment? Or do you show contempt for the riches of his kindness, forbearance and patience, not realizing that God’s kindness is intended to lead you to repentance?
But because of your stubbornness and your unrepentant heart, you are storing up wrath against yourself for the day of God’s wrath, when his righteous judgment will be revealed. God “will repay each person according to what they have done.” To those who by persistence in doing good seek glory, honor and immortality, he will give eternal life. But for those who are self-seeking and who reject the truth and follow evil, there will be wrath and anger. There will be trouble and distress for every human being who does evil: first for the Jew, then for the Gentile; but glory, honor and peace for everyone who does good: first for the Jew, then for the Gentile. For God does not show favoritism.
“God is love.” Many people will make this statement to raise objection to the idea that God would ever judge people. Certainly a God of love would not judge us, they reason. However, the Bible speaks of judgment – in fact, part of the message of the Gospel is that because we fall short of God’s standards (yes, we are sinners), we must face God’s judgment. Of course, the rest of that message (and what makes it “Good News”) is that we don’t have to suffer the judgment of God for our sins – Jesus Christ has already done so through His death on the cross. But as Christians, who have received God’s forgiveness through grace by way of the cross, we cannot forget that God is not only a God of love, but a God of righteousness and He does not tolerate sin.
Dr. David Jeremiah writes the following concerning God’s judgment:
“Jesus said, “The Son of Man will come in the glory of His Father with His angels, and then He will reward each according to his works” (Matthew 16:27). As a matter of fact, your Bible is packed with reminders that an hour of accounting is coming. If your Bible were an appointment book (as in a way it is), it would have yellow Post-it notes falling from every page, reminding you to be ready for your appointment with destiny. If your Bible were a clock (as in a way it is), its alarm would be sounding every few minutes to remind you to start getting ready. But you and I tend to hit the snooze button. We mumble, “Just a few more moments to relax.”
Are you ready for God’s judgment? Do you live in light of God’s judgment? Or do you ignore that it will come one day, “snoozing” while you focus more on the temporal things of life? This coming Sunday we will talk more about the judgment of God and how the grace of God impacts it as we continue the sermon series, “Captured By Grace.” Hope to see you then!
