200 Sermon Illustrations on Judgment

Eli looked on the outward appearance, and judging by outward appearance, a drunken woman had come into the tabernacle and deserved to be put out and rebuked. What he did not know about the bitterness of Hannah's soul, the taunts which the polygamous household had heaped upon her, her unseen strivings in prayer, the holy mysterious woman's hope that beat within her breast. Of Eli's motive in judging, of his zeal, or the purity of the house of God, no fault could be found, but his knowledge was imperfect.

-- McCartney

It is my belief that perhaps Eli was in the habit of quickly passing judgment upon those outside of his household, while sinfully failing to judge his vile sons. His words to them concerning their awful wickedness were apparently nothing more than a mild protest, but perhaps often his words to others who were guilty of little, or nothing, were very severe and harsh.

-- Duane V. Maxey

At beautiful Grassmere Lake in Cumberland County, England, the

haunts of the English poets, there is a promontory called "Point Rash

Judgment." One day Wordsworth, his sister, and Coleridge were taking a

walk along the shore of the lake. In a boat, some distance from the

shore, they saw a man fishing. It was the harvest season, when all

able bodied men were toiling in the fields. They said one to another,

"How improvident for this man to be spending his time here fishing

when he ought to be at work in the fields." But, when they came nearer

to him, they saw that he was an aged and decrepit man, unable to work

in the fields, and that he was doing the best he could. Struck with

the falsity and unkindness of their rash judgment, they named the

promontory "Point Rash Judgment." --McCartney

John Wesley tells of a man whom year after year he thought of

contemptuously as covetous. One day when this person contributed only

a small gift to a worthy charity, Wesley openly criticized him. After

the incident, the man went to Wesley privately. Wesley tells us in his

diary that the man quietly said: "I know a man who at each week's

beginning goes to market and buys a penny's worth of parsnips and

takes

them home to boil in water, and all that week he has parsnips for his

food and water for his drink; and food and drink alike cost him a

penny a week." He explained that before his conversion, he had run up

many

bills. Now, by skimping on everything and buying nothing for himself

he was paying off his creditors one by one. "Christ has made me an

honest man," he said, "and so with all these debts to pay, I can give

only a few offerings above my tithe. I must settle up with my worldly

neighbors and show them what the grace of God can do in the heart

of a man who was once dishonest." Wesley then apologized to the man

and asked his forgiveness.

1. Jesus is standing in Pilate’s hall —

Friendless, forsaken, betrayed by all:

Hearken! what meaneth the sudden call!

What will you do with Jesus?

Chorus

What will you do with Jesus?

Neutral you cannot be;

Someday your heart will be asking,

“What will He do with me?”

2. Jesus is standing on trial still —

You can be false to Him if you will,

You can be faithful through good or ill;

What will you do with Jesus?

3. Will you evade Him as Pilate tried?

Or will you choose Him, whate’er betide?

Vainly you struggle from Him to hide:

What will you do with Jesus?

4. Will you, like Peter, your Lord deny?

Or will you scorn from His foes to fly,

Daring for Jesus to live or die?

What will you do with Jesus?

5. “Jesus, I give You my heart today!

Jesus, I’ll follow You all the way!”

Gladly obeying Him will you say,

“This will I do with Jesus!”?

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At the conclusion of the Civil War, when hatred and vindictiveness were rampant in the land, President Lincoln sought to stem the tide of judgment and reprisal. When Senator Sumner of Massachesetts pressed him to have Jefferson Davis summarily hanged, Lincoln twice repeated our Lord's admonition, "Judge not, that ye be not judged" (Matthew 7:1). Though he had vanquished Davis as an enemy, Lincoln refused to condemn him as a man. He chose to leave that final judgment to his Creator.

A psychologist asked a group of college students to jot down, in 30 seconds, the initials of the people they disliked. Some of the students taking the test could think of only one person. Others listed as many as 14. But the interesting fact that came out of the research was this: Those who disliked the largest number of people were themselves the most widely disliked.

“But in accordance with your hardness and your impenitent heart you are treasuring up for yourself wrath in the day of wrath and revelation of the righteous judgment of God, who ‘will render to each one according to his deeds’:” (Romans 2:5-6 NKJV)

Man’s Perversion Of Divine Mercy

• but — instead of falling in with God’s purpose

• after [accordance] — according to, following the rule and law of (Dr Vaughan)

• hardness — Prov 29:1, Dan 5:20, Zech 7:11-12, Heb 3:13, 15 — dryness, roughness, ness, obduracy (rocky, stony ground)

• impenitent — unyielding, unimpressionable, callous

• treasurest — Jam 5:3, Deut 32:34-35 — gradual increase

• wrath — Prov 1:18 LXX — the future inheritance of the wicked

• day…wrath — Job 21:29-30, 2 Pet 2:9, Rev 6:17 — day of which wrath will be the great feature, as mercy is of this

• revelation — 2 Th 1:6-8 — unveiling, as now mercy is unveiled

• righteous…God –as truly existing as now mercy is, but with a veil over it

• render — give back, repay what is judicially due

• to…man — Ps 62:12, Jer 17:10, 1 COr 3:8, Matt 16:27, 2 Cor 5:10, Rev 2:23, 20:12, 22:12 — without exception

• deeds, the visible expressions of moral character

God’s goodness and man’s conduct in relation to it — Dr Thomas

I. Divine goodness, in its relation to man, is very extraordinary. In its

1. Plenitude

2. Form

3. Design

II. Man’s conduct, in relation to it, is very depraved. Seen in his

1. Inconsideration

2. Insensibility of heart

3. Self-destructiveness

III. The day of judgment will be very awful in relation to such conduct. The judgment will be

l. Righteous

2. Universal

Perseverance — “Patience is bitter,” said Jean Jacques Rousseau, “but its fruit is sweet.” Giardini said to a youth who asked how long it would take to learn to play the violin , “Twelve hours a day for twenty years together.” When climbing a tree one day, William Carey (the missionary), then a boy, managed to miss his hold, and fell to the ground, breaking his leg by the fall. He was confined to his bed for weeks; but when his strength returned, and he was able to walk without support, the very first thing he did was to go and climb that tree again, determined not to be dismayed by difficulties. — S. Smiles

Patience — Progress of the best kind is comparatively slow. Great results cannot be achieved at once; and we must be satisfied to advance in life, as we walk, step by step. De Maistre says that, “to know how to wait is the great secret of success.” We must sow before we can reap, and often have to wait long, content, meanwhile, to look patiently forward in hope, the fruit best worth waiting for often ripening the slowest; but “time and patience,” says the Eastern Proverb, “change the mulberry leaf to satin.” It is always a mark of short-sightedness and of weakness to be impatient of results. Thus true growth is often baffled; like little children who plant seeds in their garden, and grub them up to see how they grow, and so kill them through their impatience. — S Smiles

“There are no imwediate visible attestations of God’s displeasure to startle or affright. Among his judgments, as among His mercies, men are to walk for the most part ‘by faith, and not by sight.’ We must believe, not see, our doom.” – Archer Butler

“A falling drop at last will cave a stone” — Lucretius

I dreamed that the great judgment morning,

Had dawned, and the trumpet had blown;

I dreamed that the nations had gathered

To judgment before the white throne;

>From the throne came a bright shining angel

And stood on the land and the sea,

And swore with his hand raised to heaven,

That time was no longer to be.

And Oh, what a weeping and wailing,

As the lost were told of their fate;

They cried for the rocks and the mountains,

They prayed, but their prayer was too late.

The rich man was there, but his money

Had melted and vanished away

A pauper he stood in the judgment,

His debts were too many to pay;

The great man was there, but his greatness,

When death came, was left far behind!

The angel that opened the records,

Not a trace of his greatness was found.

The widow was there with the orphans,

God heard and remembered their cries;

No sorrow in heaven forever,

God wiped all the tears from their eyes;

The gambler was there and the drunkard,

And the man that sold them the drink,

With the people who gave him the license-

Together in hell they did sink.

The moral man came to the judgment

But his self-righteous rags would not do;

The men who had crucified Jesus

Had passed off as moral men, too;

The soul that had put off salvation —

“Not-to-night — I’ll get saved by-and-by.”

No time now to think of religion!

At last they had found time to die.

There was once a spider who lived in a cornfield. He was a big spider and he had spun a beautiful web between the corn stalks. He got fat eating all the bugs that would get caught in his web. He liked his home and planned to stay there for the rest of his life.

One day the spider caught a little bug in his web, and just as the spider was about to eat him, the bug said, “If you let me go I will tell you something important that will save your life.” The spider paused for a moment and listened because he was amused. “You better get out of this cornfield,” the little bug said, “The harvest is coming!”

The spider smiled and said, “What is this harvest you are talking about? I think you are just telling me a story.” But the little bug said, “Oh no, it is true. The owner of this field is coming to harvest it soon. All the stalks will be knocked down and the corn will be gathered up. You will be killed by the giant machines if you stay here.”

The spider said, “I don’t believe in harvests and giant machines that knock down corn stalks. How can you prove this?” The little bug continued, “Just look at the corn. See how it is planted in rows? It proves this field was created by an intelligent designer.” The spider laughed and mockingly said, “This field has evolved and has nothing to do with a creator. Corn always grows that way.” The bug went on to explain, “Oh no. This field belongs to the owner who planted it, and the harvest is coming soon.” The spider grinned and said to the little bug, “I don’t believe you,” and then the spider ate the little bug for lunch.

A few days later, the spider was laughing about the story the little bug had told him. He thought to himself, “A harvest! What a silly idea. I have lived here all of my life and nothing has ever disturbed me. I have been here since these stalks were just a foot off the ground, and I’ll be here for the rest of my life, because nothing is ever going to change in this field. Life is good, and I have it made.”

The next day was a beautiful sunny day in the cornfield. The sky above was clear and there was no wind at all. That afternoon as the spider was about to take a nap, he noticed some thick dusty clouds moving toward him. He could hear the roar of a great engine and he said to himself, “I wonder what that could be?”

2 Peter 3:3-4 “In the last days mockers will come, following their own lusts, and saying, ‘Where is the promise of His coming?’”

2 Peter 3:9 “The Lord is not slow concerning His promise, as some count slowness, but He is patient toward you, not wanting anyone to perish, but for all to come to repentance.”

The Apostle John's use of the word “world” in John 3:16 points to the infinite depth of God's love for His fallen creation, according to New Testament scholar D.A. Carson, research professor of New Testament at Trinity Evangelical Divinity School.

Typically “world” in the well-known passage is interpreted as “God's love for a large place,” he said, adding that it actually speaks of God's incredible grace.

Carson pointed out that John used the noun “world” many times in his gospel, although it is rarely used to speak of the largeness of the earth. In most passages, including in 3:16, John uses “world” to speak of the created order that is in rebellion against its Creator, he said.

“[What usually happens] is that we think [that] God's love must be wonderful because the world is so big,'“ said Carson, who is author of numerous books, including a commentary on the Gospel of John. “John's usage really is not primarily 'a big place.’ Only in three or four passages is it a big place, as in the last two places it appears in the book where it is a big place that can hold a lot of books.

“But in the 70 or so other usages, 'world' in John's gospel is a bad place. For the text to say, 'For God so loved the world,' is to say God is loving moral rebels. That should not shock us. That is a universal New Testament theme, is it not? After all, before we become Christians we are part of that world, and according to [John] 3:36, stand under His wrath.”

God's love as depicted in 3:16 is in line with His call to all sinners to turn from the broad way that leads to death onto the narrow road that leads to life, Carson said. The verse makes clear that the Gospel is to be preached to all persons, but it spotlights the fact that God loves them despite their sinfulness and rebellion, he said.

“When God says, 'World, I love you,' what does He mean?” Carson asked. “He does not mean something goofy like, 'Heaven would be lonely without you,' or something similar.

“On the one hand, this world stands under the judgment of God, and yet God loves us anyway. He loves us, not because we are so attractive, but it is profoundly our unattractiveness that must be overcome.”

The measure of God's love for His radically sinful creation is Jesus, Carson said. John spends major portions of his gospel developing the theme of the love between God the Father and the Son. Therefore, God's gift for the redemption of sinners is His unique and well-loved Son.

“We do not begin to explore the dimensions of God's love until we explore the nature of the Godhead,” Carson said. “And we do not begin to explore the dimensions of God's love until we explore the ugliness of our own odious rebellion. God thus loved the world that He gave His one and only Son.”

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“But why do you judge your brother? Or why do you show contempt for your brother? For we shall all stand before the judgment seat of Christ. For it is written: ‘[As] I live, says the LORD, Every knee shall bow to Me, And every tongue shall confess to God.’ So then each of us shall give account of himself to God. Therefore let us not judge one another anymore, but rather resolve this, not to put a stumbling block or a cause to fall in [our] brother’s way.” (Romans 14:10-13 NKJV)

Christ Is The Judge Of All

• judge — condemn

• why…nought {contempt} — despise

• stand…Christ — Acts 17:31 — and be judged by Him

• written — Isa 45:23 — long ago. No new doctrine

• confess — Phil 2:10 — this the LXX translation. The Hebrew is “swear.”

• every {each}…himself — Eccl 11:9, Matt 7:1-3, Jam 4:11-12 — hence had better now look after himself

• but…rather — pass this judgment

• stumbling block — 1 Cor 8:9, 13, 10:32 — cause of sin

• occasion {cause}…way — by tempting him to act contrary to his conscience

The future judgment — F. Simeon, M.A.

I. Its certainty.

II. Its awfulness. We “shall give account” of ourselves before God –

1. Generally, as to our demeanour on the whole;

2. Particularly, as to our conduct towards Christ. Improvement –

(1) The main subject of the context;

(2) The passage we have been insisting on.

The cacti and the king — One of the Moorish kings of Spain wished to build a pavilion on a field near his garden, and offered to purchase it of the woman to whom it belonged; but she would not consent to part with the inheritance of her fathers. The field, however, was seized, and the building was erected. The poor woman complained to a cacti, who promised to do all in his power to serve her. One day, while the king was in the field, the cacti came with an empty sack, and asked permission to fill it with the earth on which he was treading. He obtained leave; and when the sack was filled, he requested the king to complete his kindness by assisting him to load his ass with it. The monarch laughed, and tried to lift it, but soon let it fall, complaining of its enormous weight. “It is, however,” said the cacti, “only a small part of the ground which thou hast wrested from one of thy subjects: how then wilt thou bear the weight of the whole field, when thou shalt appear before the Great Judge laden with this iniquity?” The king thanked him for his reproof; and not only restored the field to its owner, but gave her the building which he had erected, and all the wealth which it contained.

“To leave off sinning is charity of the best kind to my neighbours. If you would come anything nearer happiness upon earth, endeavour to live with all mankind in a state of as pure love, as you will in heaven.” — Adam

“He who shows hatred against the sinner, instead of exercising it only against the sin, condemns himself.” — St Ephraim

On a foreboding day last spring, the tornado warnings were out for a small town in Illinois. Knowing they needed to find a safe place, some folks ran for shelter into the basement of a restaurant that was housed in a hundred-year-old stone building. What they didn't factor into their choice was the old sandstone foundation on which that building rested. A tornado roared right through the middle of the town, and it made a direct hit on that building. It destroyed everything - the building, the foundation, and the basement. And eight people died there that day.

I'm Ron Hutchcraft and I want to have A Word With You today about “The Illusion of Safety.”

It's a sad story. The people didn't ignore the danger. They knew they had to seek safety, but they looked for safety in a place that looked like it could save them but was built on a foundation that could not stand in the storm. That was a fatal mistake. A mistake made by countless people over the years when it comes to the safety of their soul, and a mistake with eternally deadly consequences.

Whether you look at a highly civilized culture or one considered a primitive culture, mankind seems to know that we've got trouble with the One who created us. Every culture has its means of trying to deal with the things our God is unhappy with; of trying to get on His good side before we die.

Many of us know that we've got a sin problem. We've done wrong things that could keep us out of heaven someday. And we're right. The Bible says that “nothing impure will ever enter” heaven (Revelation 21:27). We need to do something to escape the storm of the judgment of Almighty God for our rebellion against Him. So we run into a religion for spiritual safety. Our answer to the bad things we've done is to do good things to make up for them. Whatever good things our particular faith prescribes - the meetings, the creeds, the rituals, the ceremonies, the good works. Is that all bad? No. It's just not enough. It's not a matter of which religion is right. The issue is that no religion is enough to please a perfect God or to pay the death penalty for our sin. Like those people in that vulnerable old building, we're depending on something that, in the end, cannot save us.

In Romans 3, beginning with verse 10, our word for today from the Word of God, He says, “There is no one righteous, not even one ... No one will be declared righteous in His sight by observing the law.” (That's the highest form of doing good works.) It couldn't be clearer. The God you will face one day has told us bluntly that all our goodness will not make us right with Him. Then He explains what will. “Righteousness from God comes through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe ... all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified freely by His grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus.”

Translation: there's no hope in what you can do for God. Your only hope is what God has done for you when His Son paid for your sin on the cross. The moment you abandon your trust in anything else and you put your total trust in Him, every sin of your life is erased from God's book and your eternal address is changed from hell to heaven. That could happen to you today if you'll give yourself, by faith, to the Man who gave His life for you.

Please, do not risk another day seeking eternal safety in something that looks strong but that cannot save you. If it could, Jesus would not have gone to the cross. Run to Him today. He took the storm of God's judgment for you, and He is your only safe place.

________

Copyright © Ron Hutchcraft Ministries, Inc., PO Box 400, Harrison, AR 72602. Used by permission. Written by Ron Hutchcraft. "Practical Answers to Real Life Issues"

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[Original illustration at this number was a duplicate of HolwickID #27022]

A strong current in American Evangelicalism is gnosticism - religion is primarily having a personal spiritual experience or enlightenment that is divorced from tradition, Scripture or moral considerations.

Professor Harold Bloom says this American gnosticism carries with it strong antinomian impulses that can effectively set the believer beyond good and evil. Once one has been “alone with Jesus” or “saved,” petty moral considerations can fall away with distressing regularity.

Philip Yancey offered a case study in these pages when he wrote of a friend of his named Susan, a Christian who told Yancey “that her husband did not measure up and she was actively looking for other men to meet her needs for intimacy”:

When Susan mentioned that she rose early each day to “spend an hour with the Father,” I asked, “In your meetings with the Father, do any moral issues come up that might influence this pending decision about leaving your husband?”

Susan bristled: “That sounds like the response of a white Anglo-Saxon male. The Father and I are into relationship, not morality. Relationship means being wholly supportive and standing alongside me, not judging.”[1]

________

1. Philip Yancey, “Nietzsche Was Right,” Books & Culture (January/February 1998), pp. 14–17.

[complete article is at #28052]

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National Public Radio recently reported the winner of an invention known to most people in the world of technology. At the Ig Nobel Prize ceremony, the karaoke machine was the honor. As said at the ceremony, the karaoke machine provided “an entirely new way for people to learn to tolerate each other.”

For anyone who has listened to some karaoke performances, the humorous statement is quite fitting. Yet at the same time, there is something thought-provoking about tolerance when listening to average folks trying to imitate digitally mastered professionals. Though the singing may be off key and out of sync, people learn to enjoy one another in spite of their singing abilities.

I have often thought about the tolerance of God and how far He goes to sit through the ridiculousness of humanity. He humorously allows donkeys to speak to prophets and whales to swallow prophets, all in the name of turning renegades to obedience. However, God's work of tolerance is not always a humorous picture.

Think of Jezebel for a moment. She is one of the most wicked characters in the Old Testament, threatening God's people, invoking Baal-worship, killing the prophets. God testified through the mouth of Elijah that Jezebel would die an ugly death. But He postpones the judgment.

Ahab died just one chapter after his death was prophesied by Elijah. But for Jezebel, Ahab's wife, she outlives two more kings and remains alive through ten more chapters. Why does God wait so long before bringing the impending judgment? And what must it have been like for Jezebel to await her judgment those many years, like waiting for the hangman to come? Did she believe Elijah's prophecy? Did she care?

Baal worship and wickedness continued in the lives of Ahab and Jezebel's descendents until Jehu arrives as conqueror. But why does God wait so long?

My suspicion is that even Jezebel was given opportunity to turn to the one true God. Growing up in a nation of Baal worshipers, whose father was named after Baal, God may have spared her life simply so she could see the goodness of the Lord. Only God knows any potential turning in her heart. Only God knows what events He brought to her, even in small ways, to reveal Himself. But her heart was hard and, when her appointment came, she died a gruesome death. When I think along these lines, I sit in the silence and ponder Jezebel in my own heart. What kinds of selfish treacheries of Jezebel am I capable of, even today? What kind of pride, envy, lust, greed, and idolatry lurk deep within me?

The apostle Paul tells us that we are enemies of God without Christ (Romans 5:10, Colossians 1:21) Simply avoiding God is idolatry and a vicious rebellion. But turning to Christ we are clothed in righteousness so that, when the gavel of God's judgment falls, Christ takes our wickedness upon himself. I am righteous before God in the judicial court of heaven. But that is not all! I long, not only to be declared righteous, but to become righteous. I want to be no longer capable of Jezebel-like treachery.

Again, our Advocate rises on our behalf. Through the Holy Spirit and our cooperation with Him, God's love and tolerance go deep to redeem us down to the bottom of our souls.

________

Copyright © 2004 Ravi Zacharias International Ministries (RZIM). Reprinted with permission. "A Slice of Infinity" is a radio ministry of Ravi Zacharias International Ministries.

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2 Peter 3:10–13 — Day of the Lord — « Leader information shown in this fashion »

A. 3:10 — Scoffers, beware!

1. AV: But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night; in the which the heavens shall pass away with a great noise, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat, the earth also and the works that are therein shall be burned up.

2. NIV: But the day of the Lord will come like a thief. The heavens will disappear with a roar; the elements will be destroyed by fire, and the earth and everything in it will be laid bare.

3. NAS: But the day of the Lord will come like a thief, in which the heavens will pass away with a roar and the elements will be destroyed with intense heat, and the earth and its works will be burned up.

4. J. B. Philips: Yet the day of the Lord will come as unexpectedly as a thief. In that day the heavens will vanish a tearing blast, the very elements will disintegrate in heat and the earth and all its works will disappear.

5. NLT: But the day of the Lord will come as unexpectedly as a thief. Then the heavens will pass away with a terrible noise, and everything in them will disappear in fire, and the earth and everything on it will be exposed to judgment.

6. RGH: Yet the day of the Lord shall come; just as a thief comes. In that day the heavens will disappear with a crash; creation, its constituent parts burning, will be dissolved; and the earth with all of her works will be discovered.

7. remember what precedes these words: the scoffers mock at the possibility of God’s judgment because things have gone on for so long without any change; “Doctrine of Uniformity.” This will be unexpected, but not unnoticed (1 Thessalonians 4:16)

8. The “day of the Lord,” also called the day of the Lord’s anger, vengeance, and coming, and the day of God (Rev. 16:14), is the time when the Lord brings P « unishment » ________________

a. against a single nation as in Jeremiahs 46:10 (see context): E « gypt » ________ by B « abylon » ____________

b. Lamentations 2:15, 22; God’s sending Judah into E « xile » _______

c. Zephaniah (1:4, 7-18, 14, 18) foretold this day was N « ear » ______ « (Zephaiah prophesied just before the Exile) »

d. sometimes, then it has been fulfilled in history « (perhaps the destruction of Jerusalem, 70 AD was an instance) » but these are but precursors to its principal references (eg., Joel 3:9ff) « — God’s judgment upon all rebellious mankind »

B. 3:11 — Christian Response

1. AV: Seeing then that all these things shall be dissolved, what manner of persons ought ye to be in all holy conversation and godliness,

2. NIV: Since everything will be destroyed in this way, what kind of people ought you to be? You ought to live holy and godly lives

3. NAS: Since all these things are to be destroyed in this way, what sort of people ought you to be in holy conduct and godliness,

4. J. B. Philips: In view of the fact that all these things are to be dissolved, what sort of people ought you to be? Surely men of good and holy character,

5. NLT: Since everything around us is going to melt away, what holy, godly lives you should be living!

6. RGH: Thus, with all these things dissolving, O what kind of lives ought you to begin to be living in holy conduct and reverence,

7. Upon what great event from the previous verse is the focus in this verse? « — the destruction of this current creation, and all that is in them »

8. For the Christian this is a sharp reminder of the truth found in Psalm 102:25–28; what is it? « — this current creation is aging day by day to its end. Everything that we possess in it has only a limited life-time. It was never intended that this creation be eternal. Only God is eternal. It is also hinted in these verse, though not clearly stated, that God will share everlasting life with His servants. (See 2 Timothy 1:10) »

9. “What kind” is literally, “from what country” … given that the U.S., Canada, or whatever country you are from will disappear, what is our country (Ephesians 2:19–22; cp. also 2:6, Hebrews 11:16, 12:22–24)? « — we have been taken out of the nations of this world and given an eternal, heavenly citizenship. »

10. The words “to be” in this verse is hard to translate adequately as it indicates that whatever stage of Christian maturity we may be, there is a next step to be taken; in what direction are those steps? « — holiness means separation from sin, separation unto God; O.T. phrase, walking with Him; change in our actions and our attitudes (latter is of worship, praise, gratitude) »

C. 3:12 — Christian Activity

1. AV: Looking for and hasting unto the coming of the day of God, wherein the heavens being on fire shall be dissolved, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat?

2. NIV: as you look forward to the day of God and speed its coming. That day will bring about the destruction of the heavens by fire, and the elements will melt in the heat.

3. NAS: looking for and hastening the coming of the day of God, on account of which the heavens will be destroyed by burning, and the elements will melt with intense heat!

4. J. B. Philips: who live expecting and working for the coming of the day of God. This day will mean that the heavens will disintegrate in fire and the burning elements will melt,

5. NLT: You should look forward to that day and hurry it along — the day when God will set the heavens on fire and the elements will melt away in the flames.

6. RGH: watching expectantly for, and urging along the Parousia, the coming, of the day of God; when the heavens, afire, shall be dissolved, and creation, its constituent parts burning, be melting.

7. What are the practical implications of our looking for the day of God?

a. in time of temptation?

b. in time of suffering?

c. in time of confusion?

d. in time of need?

e. ?

f. ?

8. From the eternal, Divine perspective, it is the coming again of Jesus Christ (”Parousia”) that is the consummation of this world-age, that His Presence re-enters creation; then for our comfort Christians are assured they will be snatched up (”Raptured” – only found in 1 Thes. 4:17) as one event in His Parousia-Coming. How may we hasten His Coming?

a. Matthew 6:10 « – has been interpreted as praying for it »

b. Mark 13:10 « – telling the gospel to all ethnos – nations as distinguished not by political boundaries, but by language »

D. 3:13 — Christian Anticipation

1. AV: Nevertheless we, according to his promise, look for new heavens and a new earth, wherein dwelleth righteousness.

2. NIV: But in keeping with his promise we are looking forward to a new heaven and a new earth, the home of righteousness.

3. NAS: But according to His promise we are looking for new heavens and a new earth, in which righteousness dwells.

4. J. B. Philips: but our hopes are set on new heavens and a new earth which he has promised us, in which justice will make its home.

5. NLT: But we are looking forward to the new heavens and new earth he has promised, a world where everyone is right with God.

6. RGH: Yet we watch expectantly for a new heavens and a new earth according to His promise, in which abides righteousness.

7. What facts are remarkable about this anticipation in …

a. … Isaiah 65:17, 19? « — this creation will be forgotten »

b. … Isaiah 66:22–23? « — (implied) it is eternal to worship the eternal God »

c. … Revelation 21:1-4? « — no sea, God dwelling with His people and all the former things caused by sin have passed away »

d. … Revelation 21:27? « — no sin; only those written in the Lamb’s book of life »

8. The Isaiah passages seem to have been the promise to which Peter refers, but you may encounter others in your reading and you should take note of them.

9. What is involved in righteousness in this verse? « — discuss the various aspects of this in the Bible: forensic righteousness or being free of punishment before the law; justice or equity in which all the wrongs of a sinful world have been recompensed (O.T. law gave pictures of this); the state of being acceptable to God; integrity, purity of life, uprightness, correctness of thinking — what are the implications in this as to what kind of beings we will be? … conscious, free, ranging (definitely not automatons!) »

Do you remember that poem of Southey's about Sir Ralph, the Rover? In Eastern Scotland, in the old days, a good man had placed a float with a bell attached on the dangerous Inchcape Rock, so that the mariners, hearing it, might keep away. This Sir Ralph, the Rover, in a moment of devilry, cut away both float and bell. It was a cruel thing to do. Years passed. Sir Ralph roamed over many parts of the world. In the end he returned to Scotland. As he neared the coast a storm arose. Where was he? Where was the ship drifting? Oh, if he only knew where he was! Oh, if he could only hear the bell on the Inchcape Rock! But years ago, in his sinful folly, he, with his own hands, had cut it away. Hark! to that grating sound heard amid the storm, felt amid the breakers; the ship is struck; the rock penetrates her, she goes to pieces, and, with curses of rage and despair, the sinner's sin has found him out; he sinks to rise no more until the great day of judgment.

A garrison is not free from danger while it has an enemy lodged within. You may bolt all your doors and fasten all your windows; but if the thieves have placed even a little child within doors, who can draw the bolts for them, the house is still unprotected. All the sea outside a ship cannot do it damage till the water enters within and fills the hold. Hence, it is clear, our greatest danger is from within. All the demons in hell and tempters on earth could do us no injury if there were no corruption in our natures. The sparks will fall harmlessly if there is no tinder. Alas, our hearts are our greatest enemies; they are the little homeborn thieves. Lord, save me from that evil man, myself.

-C. H. Spurgeon

There is an old tale in Scottish history, that a bridegroom was murdered by a friend on the festal day. The cup that his friend presented to him was mingled with poison; and when death was in the castle, the culprit took the fleetest horse from the stable and plunged into the forest. All night long the hooves of that horse struck fire as he went at galloping speed through the forest. The man wanted to get away from the scene of his crime, and would not let the fleet animal rest, but plunged the spurs deep into the horse's flanks. All night on and on, and as the dawn was breaking he emerged, horse bespattered with foam, breathless from the forest-right before the castle. He had ridden hard, but he had ridden in a circle: he thought he was going away from his crime, and in the morning he came to it.

Ah, you cannot get away from your sin unless God takes you away. You cannot by speed of foot get away from your sin, your sin will go to the grave with you, your sin will go to the great white throne with you. You cannot race your sin, you had better give it up, and see whether God in His mercy hath not some plan of redemption from sin.

While standing at the wharf of a quiet harbor, looking at the shipping which lay at anchor, we heard a young lady remark to a friend: "That nicely painted ship I would choose for a trip across the sea." He replied: "I would not, but I prefer the dark old vessel near it. For that handsome ship is unsafe; she has been newly painted-but her timbers are rotten." Very suggestive, we thought, of practical truth. There are painted ships on all seas. Upon the waters of life they are gaily sailing to eternity with an inward decay which will yield to the storm which awaits every mortal mariner.

Determination is a necessary qualification for the soul-winner, but it isn't the only one. A man, who had more determination than devotion, heard a preacher remark that the case of a certain man was hopeless. He made up his mind to show the faithless shepherd what he could do; so he worked day and night till he had induced the man to confess Christ. The convert was, however, soon disgusted with the inconsistent life of the man who had urged him to become a Christian and fell back into his old ways. The worker had silenced the preacher, but he had not saved a sinner. The four men who brought the paralytic to Christ were not simply determined to show the crowd that when they started out to do a thing, they were not to be hindered. The fact that Christ commended their faith shows that they thought more about carrying the man than about carrying their point.

Two sons of an officer of the Atlanta police force were convicted of burglary on their father's evidence and sentenced to two years in the penitentiary. The two boys were arrested by their father in the act of burglarizing a store, and he appeared in court as prosecutor.

The father, in giving evidence, said: "I tried to raise my boys right, and it nearly killed me when I found them trying to rob the store, but I feel it my duty under my oath as an officer to arrest them and prosecute. I told them they were guilty and they must take their punishment."

"There is indeed a real man," said the Judge when the father had finished speaking, "and an officer who has the highest possible regard for his oath. He deserves to rank with the old Roman judge who condemned his own son."

Our heavenly Father is not only compassionate, but just. Love must yield where disobedience calls for justice.

It was said of the Roman Empire under the Caesars that the whole world was only one great prison for Caesar, for if any man offended the emperor it was impossible for him to escape. If he crossed the Alps, could not Caesar find him out in Gaul? If he sought to hide himself in the Indies, even the swarthy monarchs there knew the power of the Roman arms, so that they could give no shelter to a man who had incurred imperial vengeance. And yet, perhaps, a fugitive from Rome might have prolonged his miserable life by hiding in the dens and caves of the earth. But, oh, sinner, there is no hiding from God.

-C. H. Spurgeon

Death is certain but the Bible speaks about untimely death!

It is written in the Bible (Galatians 6:7): “Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap.”

Here are some men and women who mocked God:

JOHN LENNON: Some years before, during his interview with an American Magazine, he said: “Christianity will end, it will disappear. I do not have to argue about that. I am certain. Jesus was ok, but his subjects were too simple, today we are more famous than Him” (1966). Lennon, after saying that the Beatles were more famous than Jesus Christ, was shot six times.

TANCREDO NEVES (President of Brazil): During the Presidential campaign, he said if he got 500,000 votes from his party, not even God would remove him from Presidency. Sure he got the votes, but he got sick a day before being made President, then he died.

CAZUZA (Bi-sexual Brazilian composer, singer and poet): During a show in Caneco (Rio de Janeiro), whilst smoking his cigarette, he puffed out some smoke into the air and said: “God, that’s for you.” He died at the age of 32 of AIDS in a horrible manner.

THE MAN WHO BUILT THE TITANIC: After the construction of the Titanic, a reporter asked him how safe the Titanic would be. With an ironic tone he said: “Not even God can sink it” The result: I think you all know what happened to the Titanic.

MARILYN MONROE: She was visited by Billy Graham during a presentation of a show. He said the Spirit of God had sent him to preach to her. After hearing what the Preacher had to say, she said: “I don’t need your Jesus”. A week later, she was found dead in her apartment.

BON SCOTT: The ex-vocalist of the rock group AC/DC. On one of his 1979 songs he sang: “Don’t stop me, I’m going down all the way, down the highway to hell.” On the 19th of February 1980, Bon Scott was found dead; he had been choked by his own vomit.

CAMPINAS/SP IN 2005: In Campinas, Brazil, a group of friends, drunk, went to pick up a friend. The mother accompanied her to the car and was so worried about the drunkenness of her friends and she said to the daughter - holding her hand, who was already seated in the car: “MY DAUGHTER, GO WITH GOD AND MAY HE PROTECT YOU.” She responded: “ONLY IF HE (GOD) TRAVELS IN THE TRUNK, CAUSE INSIDE HERE IT’S ALREADY FULL”. Hours later, news came by that they had been involved in a fatal accident, everyone had died, the car could not be recognized what type of car it had been, but surprisingly, the trunk was intact. The police said there was no way the trunk could have remained intact. To their surprise, inside the trunk was a crate of eggs -- none were broken.

Christine Hewitt: A Jamaican Journalist and entertainer, said the Bible (Word of God) was the worst book ever written; in June 2006 she was found burnt beyond recognition in her motor vehicle.

Many more important people have forgotten that there is no other name that was given so much authority as the name of Jesus. Many have died, but only Jesus died and rose again, and he is still alive.

JESUS!!!

“What benefit does it have, if a man gains the whole world but loses his soul? What can man give in exchange of his soul?” (Matthew 16:26).

Sermon in Exodus series, #4. Exodus 9:1-7

THE TEN PLAGUES

===============

I. The plagues of Egypt.

A. The original horror movie.

B. The ten plagues of Exodus cover a wide range of disasters.

C. What do they signify?

II. History or myth?

A. The plagues of Exodus don't fit everyday experiences.

B. The Bible presents itself as genuine history.

C. The challenge of the archaeological evidence.

III. Naturalism or supernaturalism?

A. Traditionally, Christians take the magic wand approach.

B. Some suggest naturalistic causes for most of the plagues.

C. Most likely it is both natural and supernatural.

IV. The plagues reveal God's power - and his judgment.

A. They have a deliberate structure.

B. They may have been a judgment on the Egyptian religion.

C. There is judgment for us as well.

V. The plagues aren't over.

A. The book of Revelation speaks of future plagues on the earth.

B. The plagues are not universal, but selective.

C. Do you know the true God?

Opinion columnists, like the rest of humanity, walk a fine line between judgment (holding people accountable to a standard we did not create) and judgmentalism (thinking ourselves morally superior because we haven’t committed the acts of others).

Since writing of my friendship with the late Sen. Edward M. Kennedy, I have been flooded with responses. Some have been kind, but many — perhaps a majority — have heaped on me the revulsion the writers also heaped on Mr. Kennedy. Perhaps the unkindest cut of all was the writer who accused me of “going wobbly.”

That many on the left continue to dance on the grave of Richard M. Nixon and to revile George W. Bush does not give the right permission to engage in eye-for-an-eye behavior. Many on the right invoke the name of Jesus on Sunday and tear down a politician whose policies they don’t like the rest of the week.

Tearing down policy is fine, but diminishing the value of a fellow human being simply because you don’t like his politics (or his personal behavior) is not a good strategy for persuading him to change. It also raises the level of invectiveness, which is injurious not only to our politics, but to the one contributing the invectiveness.

What am I trying to accomplish when I engage in criticism? Do I want to present superior arguments I hope my political opponent will at least consider, if not adopt, or is my objective simply to make me feel better by engaging in moral superiority? If it’s the latter, I am committing the sin of pride, which goes before all the others.

Mr. Kennedy’s list of sins is well known, from sexual promiscuity to offering help to Soviet General Secretary Yuri Andropov in exchange for Mr. Andropov’s assistance in defeating Ronald Reagan in the 1984 presidential election. The latter act is properly criticized, even denounced. Discussion of the former can easily fall into the judgmental category.

Public exposure of private sins reminds us of our own coverups. Each of us is capable of doing what Mr. Kennedy did, given the right circumstances and opportunity. This doesn’t excuse his actions. It does explain them.

This was the great offense laid on Jesus of Nazareth, whose name was invoked on several occasions at the Kennedy funeral and burial. Those who hated and rejected Jesus did so because He exposed what was in them, and no one likes his dark soul exposed to the light. It is one reason some of us wear makeup and nice clothes and blow-dry our hair and why others consider plastic surgery as they age. If we seek to cover external flaws in these ways, how much more would we undertake to hide the internal ones? Vanity, vanity; all is vanity.

This is not to absolve Mr. Kennedy of his sins, only to say that we are neither the judge nor the one who can absolve. We can’t forgive ourselves, or, as I put it to a TV interviewer who asked me: “Bottom line: Senator Kennedy, a good man?”

“Only God is good,” I responded. “The rest of us are sinners.”

It is not hypocritical to care for someone who behaves badly. In fact, it is the height of love to do so because you want him to have a changed life and attitude that will help him behave better for his own sake and that of his family. Denouncing that person and condemning him to hell is not likely to make him more open to things that will lead him in the other direction. Who among us has lived a perfect life that would be acceptable to God?

Twila Paris wrote a song that might speak even to hard hearts when they think of the One who forgave their own sins and who was never accused of going wobbly: “How beautiful the tender eyes that choose to forgive and never despise.”

I strongly opposed much of what Mr. Kennedy proposed, but I cared for him as a person. Those without sin, send your condemnation stones to this newspaper.