JUDGMENT: BEING JUDGED AS A SINNER

We are going to begin this morning a three-part series on judgment. This will be a series of messages that every person watching and in attendance will need to listen to very attentively. These are very serious messages.

Every man, woman, boy, and girl are appointed a date with judgment, and the Bible is very clear that Jesus Christ is the Judge.

John 5:22 “For the Father judgeth no man, but hath committed all judgment unto the Son:”

God the Father has given the authority to judge to Jesus Christ, the Son of God. Now, I do not know what that does to the theology of so many who believe that Christ loves too much to judge. The Bible clearly states that God the Father has given all authority to judge to Jesus Christ, the Son of God.

Each person will have his or her sin judged. Your sin has been judged at Calvary, or it will be judged at the Great White Throne.

1. JUDGMENT AT CALVARY.

When Jesus Christ died on Calvary, He died for all sins. Most importantly, He died on Calvary for you and as you.

The Bible says it like this, and I know I used this passage last Sunday night.

Colossians 2:14 “Blotting out the handwriting of ordinances that was against us, which was contrary to us, and took it out of the way, nailing it to his cross;”

Beginning at birth and continuing until your death, there is a list of charges brought against you. From that time as a 2-year-old when you disobeyed your parents to that time as an elementary student when you lied about doing your homework to that time as a freshman at Dyersburg High School when you cheated on Mrs. Guthrie’s Great Expectations test to that time as a 30-year-old when you lusted after that woman at Wal-Mart to that time as a 50-year-old when you got so mad on the golf course that you would have killed someone if you could have caught them to that time in church when you were so grouchy that you looked like you had sucked on a dill pickle for 6-months to that time in the nursing home when you stole Mrs. Jones’s oatmeal because she could not remember where she put it.

The list of charges against is you is incredibly long.

Matthew 12:36–37 “But I say unto you, That every idle word that men shall speak, they shall give account thereof in the day of judgment. For by thy words thou shalt be justified, and by thy words thou shalt be condemned.”

We even sin in our words and thoughts.

Can you imagine all the thoughts attached to your name?

“I wished Jimmy would hurry up. He preaches way too long.”

“I wished Hope dressed nicer.”

“I wished Colin would not sing that song.”

Those thoughts we have at church when we should be prayerfully listening being careful not to quench the Holy Spirit because you and I have no idea who might need to be saved in attendance.

We have this idea that we are just not bad people, but dear friend, if you and I could see the list of sins attached to our names, we would be more appreciative of what God has done for us, and we would be more urgent about sharing what God has done for us.

We don’t even know how much we sin because we usually do not count our thoughts and words as sins, but God does, and did you know the Bible even teaches that if we offend in one point of the law, we are guilty of breaking the entire law.

James 2:10–11 “For whosoever shall keep the whole law, and yet offend in one point, he is guilty of all. For he that said, Do not commit adultery, said also, Do not kill. Now if thou commit no adultery, yet if thou kill, thou art become a transgressor of the law.”

Can you imagine what that possibly means? Are you beginning to see what all might be attached to your name?

Consider this. Once again, this is what Jesus says.

Matthew 22:20–22 “And he saith unto them, Whose is this image and superscription? They say unto him, Caesar’s. Then saith he unto them, Render therefore unto Caesar the things which are Caesar’s; and unto God the things that are God’s. When they had heard these words, they marvelled, and left him, and went their way.”

UH-OH!!!! Render unto the government the things which are the government’s. Do you know what that means? It means that we sin when we do not follow the laws of the land.

Romans 13:1–2 “Let every soul be subject unto the higher powers. For there is no power but of God: the powers that be are ordained of God. Whosoever therefore resisteth the power, resisteth the ordinance of God: and they that resist shall receive to themselves damnation.”

Do you know when you have the right to resist governmental authority? When the government infringes upon your worship of God Almighty. If you don’t believe me, read the Book of Daniel. Paul never questioned Rome’s authority to govern. Neither did Peter, but they preached the Gospel and let the chips fall where they may.

Those times we try to get out of paying sales tax. Those times we drive over the speed limit. Those times we don’t buckle our seat belt. And whatever else you want to say. All of those things lead to an almost endless list of charges attached to each of our names.

BUT......

Every single one of those items, including words and thoughts, were nailed to Calvary. God cannot and will not overlook a single one of them.

We might not think it a major thing that we drive 10 miles per hour over the speed limit, but God does.

1 Samuel 15:23 “For rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft, And stubbornness is as iniquity and idolatry. Because thou hast rejected the word of the Lord, He hath also rejected thee from being king.”

As you see, we have no chance. If sin separates us from God, and it does, look how far each of us are separated from God.

The good news is that every one of those sins that were attached to my name were nailed to the Cross of Calvary.

Jesus Christ took my punishment. He took what I deserved. Every stripe from the scourge should have been mine. Every thorn in that crown should have been mine. Every strike of the hammer should have been for me, and it should have been for you, but Jesus Christ took it for us so that we would not have to bear it.

Sin was judged at Calvary, but I must confess my faith in what Jesus did for me and as me. Why?

When you put your faith in Jesus Christ, you are accepting His judgment on your behalf. You are clinging to what He did for you. You are clinging to “IT IS FINISHED!”

What God offers me is His grace and mercy in return for my faith in Jesus Christ.

Ephesians 2:8–9 “For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast.”

My salvation is a gift from God based upon my acceptance of who Jesus Christ is and what He did for me.

If I accept what Christ did for me and as me, all of those charges against me will never be brought up again because those charges will be covered in the blood of Jesus Christ.

1 Peter 1:18–19 “Forasmuch as ye know that ye were not redeemed with corruptible things, as silver and gold, from your vain conversation received by tradition from your fathers; But with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot:”

Jesus Christ was spotless. Even Pilate said he could find no fault in Jesus. Jesus was sinless. He did not have the curse of Adam because He did not have a human father. He was born of a virgin. Jesus’s pure blood poured out on Calvary that day is a forever covering for my sin.

Psalm 103:12 “As far as the east is from the west, So far hath he removed our transgressions from us.”

1 Peter 3:18 “For Christ also hath once suffered for sins, the just for the unjust, that he might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh, but quickened by the Spirit:”

Jesus went through Calvary to bring every single one of us to God. It was the only way that we could be brought to God. THE ONLY WAY!!!!

Jesus did it all for me, and it was through Him that everything charged to me was judged. Because of Jesus, this is what I had to do, and it is what you have to do.

Romans 10:9–10 “That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.”

You must believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God who died for your sins. If you do, His righteousness becomes your righteousness, and then you are to confess what Christ has done for you. Now, I am not very smart, but the Bible says with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. What does that mean?

Well, I believe it means what it says. I can say I believe in Jesus Christ until I am blue in the face, but until I am willing to confess Jesus Christ as my Savior publicly, I do not have salvation. I do not know what you have. Public confession and baptism are important.

When I put my faith in Jesus Christ, that settles the charges against me, but if you do not put your faith in Christ, those charges will hang over your head until you appear before Jesus Christ at the Great White Throne.

2. JUDGMENT AT THE GREAT WHITE THRONE.

Now, I said Jesus Christ died for every sin charged to your name. That is true, but for one sin. What Christ did for you did not cover the sin of rejection.

If you reject Jesus Christ’s payment for your sins, you are in heap big trouble.

Hebrews 10:29–30 “Of how much sorer punishment, suppose ye, shall he be thought worthy, who hath trodden under foot the Son of God, and hath counted the blood of the covenant, wherewith he was sanctified, an unholy thing, and hath done despite unto the Spirit of grace? For we know him that hath said, Vengeance belongeth unto me, I will recompense, saith the Lord. And again, The Lord shall judge his people.”

If you reject Jesus, the blood of Christ will not cover your sins. Your sins will not be finished and never will be finished. Instead of it is finished being attached to your name, GUILT will be attached to your name.

Because your sins will not have been covered, all of those things we talked about earlier will have to be paid for.

Revelation 20:12–15 “And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God; and the books were opened: and another book was opened, which is the book of life: and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works.

And the sea gave up the dead which were in it; and death and hell delivered up the dead which were in them: and they were judged every man according to their works. And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death. And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire.”

You see. God keeps perfect records. He has a book on you, and every sin attached to your name is written in that book. If you reject what Christ did for you, YOU will have to pay for every single of those things written and charged to your name.

You will have your part in the place prepared for the Devil and his fallen angels.

Let me tell you what is going to happen to you.

If you die lost in your sins, you will go to like a holding cell for hell. It will be like hell, but it will not be your final destination. While there, you will keep sinning because you will curse God. You will never repent.

You will be there for at least 1,000 years. At the end of that 1,000 years, you will be summoned to appear before Judge Jesus. You refused to face Him before you died, but you will face Him now.

He will search the books. He will see that your name is not written in the Book of Life. He will then call for the other book, the book that has your name on it, and He will see all those charges against you, and then He will send you to your place in Hell, your location throughout eternity.

Whatever you think about Hell, you cannot possibly imagine how bad it will be. Jesus did everything He could to keep you from going, but if you do not put your faith in Him and publicly confess Him, that is where you will go.

Your sins were either judged at Calvary, or they will be judged at the Great White Throne. The choice is yours.