The Judgment of God

Introduction:

The nature of God’s judgment

The impartiality of God’s judgment

I. The nature of God’s judgment

God’s judgment is not hasty

Background / Definition:

judge G2919 krino

separate, put asunder, distinguish

to pass judgment, to make a judgment

decide; prefer; evaluate; hold a view; make legal decision; condemn; rule

We need to understand that there is a difference between judgment and sentencing . Judgment is decision and sentencing is punishment.

Objectives:

The nature of God’s judgment

The impartiality of God’s judgment

God’s judgment is not hasty

let’s begin by discussing...

I. The nature of God’s judgment

The certainty of God’s judgment

A. The certainty of God’s judgment

Ecclesiastes 12:14 ESV

14 For God will bring every deed into judgment, with every secret thing, whether good or evil.

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B. The righteousness of God’s judgment

Genesis 18:25 ESV

25 Far be it from you to do such a thing, to put the righteous to death with the wicked, so that the righteous fare as the wicked! Far be that from you! Shall not the Judge of all the earth do what is just?”

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Psalm 9:7–8 ESV

7 But the Lord sits enthroned forever; he has established his throne for justice, 8 and he judges the world with righteousness; he judges the peoples with uprightness.

Psalm 50:6 ESV

6 The heavens declare his righteousness, for God himself is judge! Selah

Psalm 96:13 ESV

13 before the Lord, for he comes, for he comes to judge the earth. He will judge the world in righteousness, and the peoples in his faithfulness.

C. The impartiality of God’s judgment

2 Chronicles 19:7 ESV

7 Now then, let the fear of the Lord be upon you. Be careful what you do, for there is no injustice with the Lord our God, or partiality or taking bribes.”

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Romans 2:11 ESV

11 For God shows no partiality.

Ephesians 6:9 ESV

9 Masters, do the same to them, and stop your threatening, knowing that he who is both their Master and yours is in heaven, and that there is no partiality with him.

II. God’s judgment has purpose

A. God’s judgment displays His glory

Isaiah 5:16 ESV

16 But the Lord of hosts is exalted in justice, and the Holy God shows himself holy in righteousness.

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B. God’s judgment vindicates the righteous

1 Samuel 24:12–15 ESV

12 May the Lord judge between me and you, may the Lord avenge me against you, but my hand shall not be against you. 13 As the proverb of the ancients says, ‘Out of the wicked comes wickedness.’ But my hand shall not be against you. 14 After whom has the king of Israel come out? After whom do you pursue? After a dead dog! After a flea! 15 May the Lord therefore be judge and give sentence between me and you, and see to it and plead my cause and deliver me from your hand.”

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Jeremiah 51:9–10 ESV

9 We would have healed Babylon, but she was not healed. Forsake her, and let us go each to his own country, for her judgment has reached up to heaven and has been lifted up even to the skies. 10 The Lord has brought about our vindication; come, let us declare in Zion the work of the Lord our God.

Isaiah 34:8 ESV

8 For the Lord has a day of vengeance, a year of recompense for the cause of Zion.

Revelation 16:5–7 ESV

5 And I heard the angel in charge of the waters say, “Just are you, O Holy One, who is and who was, for you brought these judgments. 6 For they have shed the blood of saints and prophets, and you have given them blood to drink. It is what they deserve!” 7 And I heard the altar saying, “Yes, Lord God the Almighty, true and just are your judgments!”

C. God’s judgment defends the weak

Psalm 140:12 ESV

12 I know that the Lord will maintain the cause of the afflicted, and will execute justice for the needy.

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D. God’s judgment brings salvation to his people

Isaiah 30:18 ESV

18 Therefore the Lord waits to be gracious to you, and therefore he exalts himself to show mercy to you. For the Lord is a God of justice; blessed are all those who wait for him.

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E. God’s judgment punishes sin

Romans 2:12 ESV

12 For all who have sinned without the law will also perish without the law, and all who have sinned under the law will be judged by the law.

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F. God’s judgment turns people to Him

Temporal judgments may turn people to God and so save them from eternal judgment.

Isaiah 19:22 ESV

22 And the Lord will strike Egypt, striking and healing, and they will return to the Lord, and he will listen to their pleas for mercy and heal them.

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1 Kings 8:33 ESV

33 “When your people Israel are defeated before the enemy because they have sinned against you, and if they turn again to you and acknowledge your name and pray and plead with you in this house,

2 Chronicles 7:13–14 ESV

13 When I shut up the heavens so that there is no rain, or command the locust to devour the land, or send pestilence among my people, 14 if my people who are called by my name humble themselves, and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and heal their land.

Daniel 4:33–34 ESV

33 Immediately the word was fulfilled against Nebuchadnezzar. He was driven from among men and ate grass like an ox, and his body was wet with the dew of heaven till his hair grew as long as eagles’ feathers, and his nails were like birds’ claws. 34 At the end of the days I, Nebuchadnezzar, lifted my eyes to heaven, and my reason returned to me, and I blessed the Most High, and praised and honored him who lives forever, for his dominion is an everlasting dominion, and his kingdom endures from generation to generation;

Hosea 2:5–7 ESV

5 For their mother has played the whore; she who conceived them has acted shamefully. For she said, ‘I will go after my lovers, who give me my bread and my water, my wool and my flax, my oil and my drink.’ 6 Therefore I will hedge up her way with thorns, and I will build a wall against her, so that she cannot find her paths. 7 She shall pursue her lovers but not overtake them, and she shall seek them but shall not find them. Then she shall say, ‘I will go and return to my first husband, for it was better for me then than now.’

1 Corinthians 11:29–32 ESV

29 For anyone who eats and drinks without discerning the body eats and drinks judgment on himself. 30 That is why many of you are weak and ill, and some have died. 31 But if we judged ourselves truly, we would not be judged. 32 But when we are judged by the Lord, we are disciplined so that we may not be condemned along with the world.

III. God’s judgment is not hasty

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Job 24:1–4 ESV

1 “Why are not times of judgment kept by the Almighty, and why do those who know him never see his days? 2 Some move landmarks; they seize flocks and pasture them. 3 They drive away the donkey of the fatherless; they take the widow’s ox for a pledge. 4 They thrust the poor off the road; the poor of the earth all hide themselves.

2 Peter 3:9 ESV

9 The Lord is not slow to fulfill his promise as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance.

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Romans 3:25 ESV

25 whom God put forward as a propitiation by his blood, to be received by faith. This was to show God’s righteousness, because in his divine forbearance he had passed over former sins.

Revelation 6:10 ESV

10 They cried out with a loud voice, “O Sovereign Lord, holy and true, how long before you will judge and avenge our blood on those who dwell on the earth?”

Conclusion:

Judgment on ungodly individuals

The nature of God’s judgment is that it is certain, you will not escape His judgment. God’s judgment is righteous and it is impartial. You will get a fair outcome with God and man will be without excuse.

God is not judging because He is mad or angry. His judgment has a purpose. His judgment displays His glory; it vindicates the righteous; defends the weak; brings salvation; punishes sin; and turns people back to Him. There is a purpose for you being here today that you might hear the judgment of God and avoid a sentence of eternity without Him.

Acts 12:23 ESV

23 Immediately an angel of the Lord struck him down, because he did not give God the glory, and he was eaten by worms and breathed his last.

God has not been hasty with His judgment but time is not a gamble you want to make. You must make haste and believe God at His word before it will be too late.

See also Jehoram; Belshazzar; Jezebel, the false prophetess

Judgment following particular sins

Invitation:

Cain’s murder of Abel; Moses’ and Aaron’s disobedience; Nadab’s and Abihu’s disobedience; Nabal’s contemptuous treatment of David; Uzzah’s handling of the ark; youths jeering at Elisha; Gehazi’s greed; Uzziah’s pride and unfaithfulness; Ananias’ and Sapphira’s lies

Hear

lk 6:47, 49

Judgment on peoples and nations

Luke 6:47–49 ESV

47 Everyone who comes to me and hears my words and does them, I will show you what he is like: 48 he is like a man building a house, who dug deep and laid the foundation on the rock. And when a flood arose, the stream broke against that house and could not shake it, because it had been well built. 49 But the one who hears and does not do them is like a man who built a house on the ground without a foundation. When the stream broke against it, immediately it fell, and the ruin of that house was great.”

Joel 3:12–13 ESV

12 Let the nations stir themselves up and come up to the Valley of Jehoshaphat; for there I will sit to judge all the surrounding nations. 13 Put in the sickle, for the harvest is ripe. Go in, tread, for the winepress is full. The vats overflow, for their evil is great.

Believe

Mark 16:16 ESV

16 Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned.

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Repent

Egypt:

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Acts 17:30 ESV

30 The times of ignorance God overlooked, but now he commands all people everywhere to repent,

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Confess

1 Timothy 6:12 ESV

12 Fight the good fight of the faith. Take hold of the eternal life to which you were called and about which you made the good confession in the presence of many witnesses.

Assyria:

Be Baptized

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Romans 6:4 ESV

4 We were buried therefore with him by baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life.

ro

Isaiah 34:5 ESV

5 For my sword has drunk its fill in the heavens; behold, it descends for judgment upon Edom, upon the people I have devoted to destruction.

Remain Faithful

Babylon:

Revelation 2:10 ESV

10 Do not fear what you are about to suffer. Behold, the devil is about to throw some of you into prison, that you may be tested, and for ten days you will have tribulation. Be faithful unto death, and I will give you the crown of life.

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Jeremiah 25:31–33 ESV

31 The clamor will resound to the ends of the earth, for the Lord has an indictment against the nations; he is entering into judgment with all flesh, and the wicked he will put to the sword, declares the Lord.’ 32 “Thus says the Lord of hosts: Behold, disaster is going forth from nation to nation, and a great tempest is stirring from the farthest parts of the earth! 33 “And those pierced by the Lord on that day shall extend from one end of the earth to the other. They shall not be lamented, or gathered, or buried; they shall be dung on the surface of the ground.

God’s final judgment on the whole earth

Deuteronomy 32:41–43 ESV

41 if I sharpen my flashing sword and my hand takes hold on judgment, I will take vengeance on my adversaries and will repay those who hate me. 42 I will make my arrows drunk with blood, and my sword shall devour flesh— with the blood of the slain and the captives, from the long-haired heads of the enemy.’ 43 “Rejoice with him, O heavens; bow down to him, all gods, for he avenges the blood of his children and takes vengeance on his adversaries. He repays those who hate him and cleanses his people’s land.”

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God’s judgment on Israel

God’s warning of judgment

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John 12:31 ESV

31 Now is the judgment of this world; now will the ruler of this world be cast out.

Plagues

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Drought and famine

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Revelation 20:7–10 ESV

7 And when the thousand years are ended, Satan will be released from his prison 8 and will come out to deceive the nations that are at the four corners of the earth, Gog and Magog, to gather them for battle; their number is like the sand of the sea. 9 And they marched up over the broad plain of the earth and surrounded the camp of the saints and the beloved city, but fire came down from heaven and consumed them, 10 and the devil who had deceived them was thrown into the lake of fire and sulfur where the beast and the false prophet were, and they will be tormented day and night forever and ever.

Defeat by enemies

; The cycle of sin, defeat and deliverance is repeated several times in Judges;

Exile

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God’s final judgment on the whole earth

Acts 17:31 ESV

31 because he has fixed a day on which he will judge the world in righteousness by a man whom he has appointed; and of this he has given assurance to all by raising him from the dead.”

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