Salvation Day

In the midst of an entire chapter dedicated to the Final Judgment, the prophet Joel makes an important distinction between the wicked and the righteous. Just a few short verses after he has prophesied that the wicked will be trampled in the winepress of God's wrath, Joel says this: 

But the Lord will be a refuge for his people, a stronghold for the people of Israel. (Joel 3:16)

This is an important clarification that should affect how Christians feel about the coming judgment. Make no mistake about it, the Day of the Lord will be great and terrible, but the people of God will have a refuge. God’s judgment is for the wicked. It's for the unbeliever… not for Christians. I like the way the CSB Study Bible puts it. It says, “it is judgment day for Israel’s enemies but salvation day for the people of Yahweh.”* 

In other words, the Day of the Lord means something different for the people of God than it does for unbelievers. On that day, the wicked will be crushed but the righteous will prosper. Judgment Day means salvation for us… but it means condemnation for them.

If you are a believer, then that should affect how you think about the Judgment. The wicked ought to fear Judgment Day. But as Christians, we look forward to it! Because we know that even as God pours out His wrath on the sins of man… He will be a refuge for His people. That is what enables us to agree with the prayer that is presented in the next to last verse in all of Scripture. "Come, Lord Jesus." (Revelation 22:20) Amen! Come, Lord Jesus, come and rescue us from this wicked world!

*Madden, Shawn C. “Joel.” In CSB Study Bible: Notes, edited by Edwin A. Blum and Trevin Wax, 1367–75. Nashville, TN: Holman Bible Publishers, 2017.

Remove the Plank

Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother’s eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye?

Matthew 7:3

This is such an interesting, humorous picture that Jesus gives us. You have a plank (a log, a beam, or joist) sticking out of your eye. It’s clearly a major problem. Right? And yet, you pay no attention to it. You completely ignore it. You pretend it’s not there. And then... you want to point out someone else’s (much, much smaller) problem?! (Right? I mean a speck of sawdust is much smaller than a plank of wood.) And even though your vision is clearly obstructed by this plank of wood, you want to perform a delicate procedure on someone’s else’s eye to try to get the sawdust out for them?

Jesus is using hyperbole. He’s exaggerating for effect. One study Bible I read this week called it a “ridiculous exaggeration.”* And I thought, but is it ridiculous??? I mean it is, but we do that don’t we? It seems ridiculous to think that a person could walk around with a plank sticking out of their eye that everyone can see, but they refuse to acknowledge it or deal with it… buuuuuuut… many of us have done that with the sin in our lives. 

It's easy for us to make excuses for our sin... isn't it? We tell ourselves that it isn’t that big a deal. It doesn’t really matter. Let me tell you, sin matters to God. If Jesus died for it, then it’s a big deal. Don’t make excuses for your sin. Don’t sweep it under the rug. Many of you know exactly what major sin is in your life; you just simply refuse to look at it. You are not willing to address the elephant in the room. You would rather pretend that it doesn’t exist than deal with it… so that’s what you do.

Be brave enough right now to be honest about your sin. Fight the urge to make excuses or explain it away. Fight the urge to make little of your sins and much of everyone else’s. Most of us spend far too much of our time looking at other people’s sins and far too little time dealing with our own. So, make today the day, you remove the plank.

* Barry, John D., Douglas Mangum, Derek R. Brown, Michael S. Heiser, Miles Custis, Elliot Ritzema, Matthew M. Whitehead, Michael R. Grigoni, and David Bomar. Faithlife Study Bible. Bellingham, WA: Lexham Press, 2012, 2016.

Do You Have a Reservation?

Then I saw a great white throne and him who was seated on it. The earth and the heavens fled from his presence, and there was no place for them. And I saw the dead, great and small, standing before the throne, and books were opened. Another book was opened, which is the book of life. The dead were judged according to what they had done as recorded in the books. The sea gave up the dead that were in it, and death and Hades gave up the dead that were in them, and each person was judged according to what they had done. Then death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. The lake of fire is the second death. Anyone whose name was not found written in the book of life was thrown into the lake of fire.

Revelation 20:11–15

One day you will stand before God and be judged for what you have done in life. But nothing you say or do is as important as this one detail that fixes your eternal destiny. That detail is whether your name is written in the Lamb's Book of Life or not. 

Scripture tells us that those whose name is not written in the Book of Life, those who never placed their faith in Jesus, will be cast into the Lake of Fire. But all who have believed in Jesus have their names written in this book, and on Judgement Day they will be declared innocent on account of His atoning death and will ushered into eternal life. 

Revelation chapters 21 and 22 tell us that this world will pass away. And God will make a new heaven and a new earth. And the Heavenly City, Jerusalem, will come down from heaven to this new earth. And that is where Jesus’ throne will be. Believers won’t spend eternity in some spiritual place, sitting on clouds and playing harps. No! Our great hope is a physical resurrection and eternal life lived on this new heaven and new earth. Our great hope is dwelling with the Lord in paradise… in a place with no mourning, no crying, no pain, no poverty and no death. There we will have an eternity to spend with Jesus, reigning over God’s creation for His glory.

The question I have for you is this: Are you sure you will be there? Do you believe in Jesus? Have you accepted Him as Lord of your life? Are you certain that your name is written in the Lamb’s Book of Life? If not, then confess your sins; put your faith in Jesus' atoning death and resurrection for the forgiveness of your sins; and make Him Lord of your life today.

If you declare with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.

Romans 10:9

Have You Wearied the Lord?

You have wearied the Lord with your words. “How have we wearied him?” you ask. By saying, “All who do evil are good in the eyes of the Lord, and he is pleased with them” or “Where is the God of justice?”

Malachi 2:17

Have you ever been wearied by someone’s words? Maybe you have a friend or a spouse who is a talker and it just wears you out? In these verses, Malachi tells God's people that God feels that way about them! Only, it wasn’t that they were talking too much. It was what they were saying that wearied the Lord. 

God's people were attacking the very character of God! They said “God is pleased with those who do evil.” They asked “Where is the God of justice?" They wanted God to make the wicked pay. They wanted Him to punish their enemies and bless them.

Can you relate? Do you ever feel like the wicked are prospering? Does it seem to you that God either doesn’t care or doesn’t see what the wicked are doing? If so, then maybe you too have questioned God’s justice.

Judah would soon learn the error of their ways. They would soon learn that wickedness wasn’t just a problem out there… among the pagan nations. It was also a serious problem within their own hearts. But they couldn’t see it because they had grown blind to their own sin. That’s how Judah ended up calling for judgment, when it desperately needed mercy.

There are lessons we can learn here. First, never attack God’s character or question His justice. Who are you to sit in judgment of the Almighty God?! Your perspective is far too limited to evaluate His justice. You barely see your own sin, you have no right to tell Him how to judge the sins of others.

And second, before you cry out for God’s judgment to fall on the wicked, you better make sure you aren’t counted among them. Often, you and I would be better off begging God for mercy and a changed heart, than calling for judgment.

A Day of Division

“Surely the day is coming; it will burn like a furnace. All the arrogant and every evildoer will be stubble, and the day that is coming will set them on fire,” says the Lord Almighty. “Not a root or a branch will be left to them. But for you who revere my name, the sun of righteousness will rise with healing in its rays. And you will go out and frolic like well-fed calves. Then you will trample on the wicked; they will be ashes under the soles of your feet on the day when I act,” says the Lord Almighty.

Malachi 4:1–3

These verses talk about the Day of the Lord. What is that? It’s the day of God’s judgment. Now, the Day of the Lord can refer to moments of judgment within human history, such as the Exodus or the Babylonian exile, but the ultimate fulfillment of the Day of the Lord will come on that great and final judgment day at the end of human history.

And I want to draw your attention to the great contrast that is presented in these verses between the expectation of the wicked and the righteous on that day. For the wicked, that day “will burn like a furnace. All the arrogant and every evildoer will be stubble, and the day that is coming will set them on fire… Not a root or a branch will be left to them.”

Notice the dominant image here is a furnace or an oven. God’s judgment doesn’t burn out of control, but it does burn hot. And the wicked are ripe for His judgment. They are described as dry stubble or straw, which always lights easily and burns quickly. Though the wicked seem to have deep roots in our world, though they seem to branch out in every direction and prosper, God says that not a root or branch will be left to them. They will be utterly destroyed and removed from our world on that final day.

By contrast, for those who revere God’s name, that day will not burn like an oven but will soothe like the warmth of the rising sun that causes stiff limbs to loosen and work again. Whereas the wicked might run in terror on that day, the righteous are described as frolicking and celebrating. It says that they will go out skipping like calves that have been pent up in their stalls all winter now set free in a green meadow. And the wicked will be trampled under their feet on that day of victory.

What we dare not miss here is that there will be a great division. A distinction will be made between the wicked and the righteous when God’s judgment finally comes. Jesus affirms this. He says the wicked and the righteous will be separated one from the other like a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. And the experience of the two will differ greatly. For God’s sheep, the Day of the Lord will be a day of deliverance and celebration. But for the wicked, it will be their doom... a great and terrible day of judgment.

Which side will you be on, when God draws that final line of separation? Are you ready for that Day? Do you look forward to it? Or do you tremble at the thought of it? If you tremble, it isn’t too late to make ready. If you aren't sure how, then keep reading below. 

***

The Gospel in a nutshell: We are all sinners. Every one of us has rejected God's way and gone our own way. We have all rebelled against the one true King. Our sin deserves punishment. In fact, so great a sin against so great a God deserves Hell. But God, because of His great love for us, has offered us His forgiving grace. For God to be just, our sin had to be punished though. So, God, in His wisdom, took the punishment for our sin on Himself in Jesus. Jesus died to pay the price for your sins and then rose from the dead beating the power of sin over you. He ascended into heaven to prepare a place for those who believe in Him. So that now those who place their faith in Him can be forgiven and spend eternity in Heaven with their Savior. If you would like to do that today, here is what you need to do.

• A- Admit that you are a sinner and in need of God's grace (Romans 3:10 and 3:23).
• B- Believe that Jesus is God's Son, that He died on the cross to pay the penalty for your sin, and that He was raised from the dead (Romans 6:23 and 5:8).
• C- Confess Jesus as Lord of your life. Turn from sin (from living life your way) and commit to live your life for God (Romans 10:9).

It's as easy as ABC. Follow these steps and find a Bible preaching church to plug into and grow in your faith. 

Who Will Bring a Charge Against You?

Who will bring any charge against those whom God has chosen? It is God who justifies. Who then is the one who condemns? No one. Christ Jesus who died—more than that, who was raised to life—is at the right hand of God and is also interceding for us.

Romans 8:33-34

If beating yourself was a sport, some of you would be black belts. You have spent many years beating yourself up, criticizing yourself, accusing yourself, condemning yourself, discouraging yourself. Others of you don’t have to do that because you have someone in your life who does it for you: a spouse or a parent or even a toxic friend who excels at pointing out your faults. And then there is that slanderous, accusing Enemy who whispers accusation and condemnation in all our ears from time to time. All of this being reminded of our faults and failures has a discouraging effect on us.

What do you do when you’re faced with condemnation and accusations from within and without? Very simply, you remind yourself that God has already declared you innocent on any charge that can be brought against you. If God has justified you (meaning if God has declared you innocent on all counts), then who can condemn you? No one! Nothing in your past, nothing you have ever done, can be charged against you. Your record has been expunged, wiped clean. As Romans 8:1 says, “Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.” You don’t have to listen to or believe any condemnation that is hurled at you anymore.

Let me tell you why. In vs 34 Paul gives us four reasons why you will never be condemned. It says, first, that Christ died for you and paid the penalty for your sins. You don’t have to live on the run, because your debt has been paid. It’s done. Second, Jesus didn’t just die to pay the penalty for your sin. He was also raised from the dead. This proves that God accepted Jesus’ sacrifice. It proves that His death was effective. It’s almost like the believer’s sales receipt proving that God accepted payment and your debt was paid in full. Third, Jesus has ascended the throne and now sits at the right hand of God the Father Almighty in Heaven. This means that Jesus shares in God’s power.* The One who died to save you from your sins, now has power to make sure you stay saved. And fourth, Scripture tells us that Jesus uses His position and influence at the right hand of God to intercede on your behalf. Hebrews 7:25 says, “Therefore [Jesus] is able to save completely those who come to God through him, because he always lives to intercede for them.” Jesus has God’s ear and He lives to intercede and appeal to Him on your behalf for what you need, for what is in your best interests.**

If you are a Christian and you have all of that going for you, then who is powerful enough to bring any charge or any condemnation against you? No one!

*Robert Jamieson, A. R. Fausset, and David Brown, Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible, vol. 2 (Oak Harbor, WA: Logos Research Systems, Inc., 1997), p.243.

**Schreiner, Thomas R., English Standard Version Study Bible, note on Revelation 8:34. (Wheaton, IL: Crossway. 2008), p.2172.

Storing Up for Winter

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.

Romans 2:5

But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moths and vermin do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal.

Matthew 6:20

I live in a parsonage that's owned by the church that I work for. One of the previous pastors planted a nice Rose of Sharon tree next to the house with a Hosta on either side. Underneath one of these Hostas lives a little brown chipmunk. My wife and children are quite taken with him. So much so that they have taken to feeding him by placing piles of birdseed next to the Hosta that conceals the entrance to his burrow. Over the course of several days the little seed pile will dwindle and when it is all gone, they will feed him again. Undoubtedly as autumn arrives their little friend will start going through their seed piles much faster as he begins storing up food for the winter.

I started thinking about our little chipmunk tonight, because I realized in my Bible reading time this morning that every one of us is like him in this way. We are all storing something up for the future. I don't mean in an earthly sense, though we very well may be doing that also, but in a heavenly sense. Scripture reveals to us that every human being is storing something up for eternity. Either we are storing up treasures for ourselves in Heaven (Matthew 6:20) or we are storing up wrath for ourselves in Hell (Romans 2:5). The day of judgment will reveal what you have accumulated. 

Stubbornness and unrepentance, along with every kind of evil act that men engage in, store up wrath. Faith in Jesus and submission to His leadership in your life, along with every good and righteous act that Christians engage in, store up treasure. Be careful that you don't lose yourself in all the activity of life and begin to think that one kind of store is as good as the other. It is easy to argue now that your lifestyle is as good as any other, but the day of judgment will reveal it for what it was. 

So, evaluate your life. Evaluate your stores. How prepared are you for the coming Winter of God's Judgment? 

Worship Pop Quiz (W.o.W. Rewind)

 "Hear, O my people, and I will speak; O Israel and I will testify against you: I am God, your God. I do not rebuke you for your sacrifices or your burnt offerings, which are ever before me. I have no need of a bull from your stall or of goats from your pens, for every animal of the forest is mine, and the cattle on a thousand hills. I know every bird in the mountains, and the creatures of the field are mine. If I were hungry I would not tell you, for the world is mine, and all that is in it. Do I eat the flesh of bulls or drink the blood of goats? Sacrifice thank offerings to God, fulfill your vows to the Most High, and call upon me in the day of trouble; I will deliver you, and you will honor me."

Psalm 50:7-15

 

 

Have you ever had that dream where you're back in school and you find out that you have a pop quiz or a test that you didn't study for? That kind of sinking, unprepared feeling is the worst. What’s really bad though is when this happens to you in real life! When it's a dream, you get to wake up and be relieved. In real life you have to deal with the consequences. In Psalm 50 God gives us a kind of pop quiz. It isn’t a math test or a history test or even a religion test. It's a test of our lives. It is a pop quiz to help prepare us for the final judgment, or life’s Final Exam if you want to think about it that way.

 

You will need to read the entire psalm to get the full pop quiz, but in verses seven through fifteen God focuses in on the kind of worship (sacrifices) His people offer Him. He finds fault with them because their worship appears to be just an outward show. Faith is absent. They offer sacrifices upon sacrifices but do so only as a ceremony to garner favor with God. They have an “I scratch your back, you scratch my back” sort of attitude toward worshipping the Lord. They think of their sacrifices as a way to “buy God off” or to make Him owe them in some way. But that is not how worship works! Worship isn’t just going through the motions in a ritualistic way without any faith. This isn’t pleasing to God; it draws His reprimand. God has already done so much for us that we could never pay Him back. You owe God so much that He could never owe you! So thinking that somehow by your worship that you could make God owe you something and earn gifts from Him is crazy.

 

But we do this too! We give money to the church, serve as Sunday School teachers or Deacons and then think that God owes us something. We think we have done God a big favor. We sing in the choir or play an instrument, attend church every Sunday, even read our Bible daily but do so only out of ceremony and ritual. We think that somehow God is pleased with us simply because we do these things. We don't do them from a grateful heart. We just go through the motions, because we think that the ritual is all that matters to God.
 

But this isn't the kind of worship that God wants. In verses fourteen and fifteen God tells us what He wants. He says that He wants us to give thank offerings and to fulfill our vows. Now these are two types of offerings that people offered just because they wanted to. The Israelites were never required to offer these sacrifices. So, God says in essence, “I want you to worship me, and serve me, and give me your tithes not because you have to but because you are grateful for all I’ve already given you and because you want to."

 

If God were to judge you today, what would He say about your worship? Are you only obeying God so He will owe you? Are you simply going through the motions of an empty ritual with no faith behind them and thinking that that is all God wants from you? Worship and serve God out of gratitude for all He has done for you. This is the kind of worship that is pleasing to Him.  

 

For further reading...

• Read all of Psalm 50.
• John 4:19-26- Worship God in spirit and in truth.

Don't Judge

Do not judge, or you too will be judged. 2 For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.

Matthew 7:1-2

The word “judge” in this passage can mean to judge, to condemn, or to discern among other things. I think it’s best understood to mean condemning people in this passage. Jesus isn't saying that we can't speak the truth. All throughout Scripture we find Jesus and the apostles speaking the truth to people. In fact, the Bible tells us to speak the truth in love (Ephesians 4:15). So, I don’t think it’s wrong for me to say that homosexual activity is a sin or that under normal circumstances killing a child in the womb is wrong or that sex outside of marriage is a sin anymore than I think it is wrong for me to say greed or selfishness are sins. When I say these things I’m not judging people, I’m simply stating what Scripture says. I’m trying to speak the truth in love. But were I to go beyond this and go stand outside of abortion clinics or pride parades and hold up signs and shout at people that they're going to Hell, then I wouldn’t be speaking the truth in love any longer but would be playing the judge and heaping condemnation on them. That would be wrong. So, a believer is allowed to have a mind and say what is right and wrong, but we aren't allowed to sit in judgment of others.  

There are several reasons for this. The first is that you aren’t qualified to judge anyone! You aren’t qualified to assess their guilt before the Lord or what their punishment should be. Only God knows their heart and their intentions. Only He knows if they acted willingly or under duress, or if some terrible trauma in their life has led to their actions. So, you aren’t qualified to judge them.

But not only are you unqualified, you’re also unworthy to judge them. You are a sinner too! That means that you are also liable to judgment. You who are to be judged shouldn’t play the judge over others or else when the real judge comes you may find that you don't like moving from the judge’s seat into the defendant’s chair. 

But even beyond being unqualified and unworthy, there's yet another reason why you shouldn’t judge and Jesus points it out in this passage. It’s in your best interest not to judge, because how you judge others will impact how you will be judged. It says with the measure you use it will be measured to you. This word ‘measure’ means the standard of measurement, or the measuring rod or cup you use. This means if you hand out condemnation by the dump truck load but dispense grace by the thimble full then you should expect the same from God. If that’s how you judge others then He’s going to use your very own thimble to dispense His grace to you. This is part of the fairness of the final judgment. 

So then, even though we often think we’re standing up for ourselves by holding grudges and getting even with those who hurt us. That isn’t true at all! Refusing to show grace doesn’t help you, it actually hurts you. It only stores up more judgment for you. So, show others grace for your own sake! Give them the best reading of the circumstances. Especially when they have hurt you. I’ve seen so many believers fail here. When they are personally hurt they suddenly become an expert on the human heart. They claim to know for a fact that the other person hurt them on purpose. Remember, you don’t know everything. So, be gracious to others so you too will receive grace. And if you know you haven’t shown enough grace to someone, then repent and ask forgiveness.

Praise God No Matter What!

All creatures look to you

    to give them their food at the proper time.

When you give it to them,

    they gather it up;

when you open your hand,

    they are satisfied with good things.

When you hide your face,

    they are terrified;

when you take away their breath,

    they die and return to the dust.

When you send your Spirit,

    they are created,

    and you renew the face of the ground.

May the glory of the Lord endure forever;

                                      Psalm 104:27-31a

God is worthy of praise. This is true even when He isn't blessing you. God gives life, and He takes it away. In both these ways He shows power and His glory and therefore both reveal that He deserves praise. God provides for all creatures everywhere and sometimes He hides His face allowing them to go without. In both these ways He shows that He is the Great Provider and that we have nothing that does not come from Him.

As many psalms do, Psalm 104 makes this point in more than one way. Consider, for example, this psalm's recurring theme of water. In verses 6-8 it calls to the readers mind how God used water to flood the earth in judgment. Not even the tallest mountain was left uncovered. Yet just a few verses later it details many of the ways God blesses His people and creation using...water. So not only do blessings and curses both come from God, but He can also use the very same thing to bless or curse. Often whether it is counted a blessing or a curse depends on quantity. Too much or too little may bring hardship whereas the right amount is a blessing. 

This means that your biggest blessings can become curses. Conversely, in time your worst trials may prove to have an element of blessing in them. So, if some terribly destructive event is carving deep ravines through your life right now, remember that those same ravines may one day be used to deliver God's blessings right where they are needed most. Verses 10-12 give us this image as springs of life-giving water flow through the ravines that were likely carved by the flood to nourish the earth and animals. So, remember this, it doesn't matter if you are in a season of blessing or judgment, plenty or hardship God is still worth praising! Though it is difficult and counter intuitive, we can look back on God's judgment and offer up praise just as much as we can look back on His blessing and do the same. Both reveal who He is. Both reveal He deserves praise.

The Day When Secrets Are No More

This will take place on the day when God judges people’s secrets through Jesus Christ, as my gospel declares.

Romans 2:16

Mankind has always gone to great lengths to cover our tracks, to hide our iniquities, to keep our secrets. But no man keeps anything secret from God, and Scripture says that there will come a day when all the secrets of men will be brought to light.

It is good for us to be reminded that...

There is nothing concealed that will not be disclosed, or hidden that will not be made known. What you have said in the dark will be heard in the daylight, and what you have whispered in the ear in the inner rooms will be proclaimed from the roofs. (Luke 12:2-3)

Imagine all the backroom dealings that will be revealed! Ever bribe, every illicit affair, every single cover up since the beginning of the world will be laid bare. On that day I imagine shame raining down from the heavens on all mankind. For even the impulse to keep these things a secret condemns us. Why should we conceal our behavior unless our conscience has already sat in judgment on our case and ruled against us filling us with shame? There is a saying, "the cover up is almost always worse than the crime." I can't help but think that this statement will ring true on that day. 

What secrets are you keeping? What will we find out about you? 

All of us have acted shamefully. All of us have secrets that we do not want to be made known, but there is only one way to cover all our shameful acts: the blood of Jesus! Plead the blood of Jesus over your shame anew today. Repent of your sins and put them off. Flee from the shame of sin and cling to the shame of the cross (see Hebrews 12:2 on "the shame of the cross"). As Christ changes us by degrees into His image, we will start keeping new secrets. So that the secrets that will be revealed about us on that day will be our secret gifts to the poor (Matthew 6:4), our secret times of prayer (Matthew 6:6), and our secret fasting (Matthew 6:18).

Oh, to be one of these redeemed who are cloaked in redemption by their secret deeds and by the blood of Christ even as shame rains down on evil men and women the world over. Lord, let me be counted among the redeemed!