Getting Ready For Your Appointment
Getting Ready For Your Appointment
1/17/2004 and 1/18/2004
-We have been talking about the return of Jesus to this planet.
-Last week I taught a message called “Follow Me into the Future”.
-Time as we know it will soon run out.
· I SHOULD BE READY YET PLAN FOR A LIFETIME
· I SHOULD BE REAPING THE HARVEST-THE PRECIOUS FRUIT OF THE EARTH
· I SHOULD BE LIVING HOLY
-This week I want to talk about the preparation you and I should be making for our futures.
-If you know you have an important appointment coming you will get ready for it.
-Well we have some events that God has scheduled in on all of our planning calendars whether we have them down or not.
-The great news is that each man and woman gets to choose the nature and content of that appointment.
Psalm 85 NKJV
10 Mercy and truth have met together;
hRighteousness and peace have kissed.
11 Truth shall spring out of the earth,
And righteousness shall look down from heaven.
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-Come to your appointment armed with MERCY and TRUTH.
-Mercy and truth have met in Jesus.
James 2
12 Speak and act as those who are going to be judged by the law that gives freedom, 13 because judgment without mercy will be shown to anyone who has not been merciful. Mercy triumphs over judgment!
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1 John 2
28/ And now, little children, abide in Him, that 8when He appears, we may have vconfidence and not be ashamed before Him at His coming. [3]/
-Today we are going into the future by another road.
-We are going on the road of future judgments.
-When you hear the word judgment it is easy to think punishment.
-I saw a tattoo this week that said, “JESUS IS COMING LOOK BUSY.”
-I know it was meant to be a joke but I got a great laugh out of it.
Hebrews 6
/Therefore let us leave the elementary teachings about Christ and go on to maturity, not laying again the foundation of repentance from acts that lead to death, a and of faith in God, 2 instruction about baptisms, the laying on of hands, the resurrection of the dead, and eternal judgment. [4]/
-Notice the last two there are “resurrection of the dead” and “eternal judgment”.
-That has to do with end-times doctrine and where everyone will end up, follower of God or not.
Hebrews 9
27 pAnd as it is appointed for men to die once, qbut after this the judgment, 28 so rChrist was soffered once to bear the sins tof many. To those who ueagerly wait for Him He will appear a second time, apart from sin, for salvation.
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-We all have an appointment. Let’s look at some possibilities.
-First, let’s examine the Biblical word for judgment.
2920. κρίσις krisis; from 2919; a decision, judgment:— court(2), judgment(38), judgments(2), justice(4), sentence(1).
[6]
2920 κρίσις [krisis /kree·sis/] n f. Perhaps a primitive word; TDNT 3:941; TDNTA 469; GK 3213; 48 occurrences; AV translates as “judgment” 41 times, “damnation” three times, “accusation” twice, and “condemnation” twice. 1 a separating, sundering, separation. 1a a trial, contest. 2 selection. 3 judgment. 3a opinion or decision given concerning anything. [7]
-It carries the idea of separating, the process of distinguishing and selecting, making a decision.
-We can compare the word crisis in English which really just means a time of decision.
-In Chinese they put the two symbols for danger and opportunity together to create the word for crisis.
-It isn’t the same as punishment. It is a time of deciding.
-The Bible declares at least five different judgments. They aren’t all for everyone.
1. The judgment of the believer’s sins
-Notice verse 28 in Hebrews 9.
28 so rChrist was soffered once to bear the sins tof many. To those who ueagerly wait for Him He will appear a second time, apart from sin, for salvation.
-We are eagerly waiting for Him because when He appears it is for us salvation, not to judge sin.
John 5
24 /“I tell you the truth, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life and will not be condemned; he has crossed over from death to life. [8]/
John 3
17 /For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him. 18 Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because he has not believed in the name of God’s one and only Son. g [9]/
1 Timothy 5
24 /The sins of some men are obvious, reaching the place of judgment ahead of them; the sins of others trail behind them.[10]/
-Mercy and truth met in Jesus and my sins were judged on the cross.
-When I received that, my sins were sent ahead and judged for me.
-The blood of Jesus paved the way for someone like you and me who didn’t deserve it to be declared not guilty.
-This is a past tense judgment, THANK GOD!
-The Jews aren’t responsible for the death of Jesus anymore than I am. My sins killed Jesus.
-This is the way to go! Get them sent ahead in Jesus.
-If someway is in Christ, OLD THINGS PASSED AWAY.
2. The judgment of the believer’s self
1 Corinthians 11
31 /But if we judged ourselves, we would not come under judgment. 32 When we are judged by the Lord, we are being disciplined so that we will not be condemned with the world. [11]/
-Being honest with yourself and judging yourself is like picking parasites off of you when you walk in the woods.
-Sin contaminates.
-Judgment begins with the House of God.
-This is an honest appraisal of where you are so you can make adjustments.
-God doesn’t judge you when you keep sin in your life as much as sin does.
-Sin has death attached to and following it in some form.
-God doesn’t punish us as much as sin itself punished us.
-This is where you apply 1 John 1:9.
-Receive forgiveness and mercy daily.
-So far we have talked about what has happened in the past and what should be happening now.
-Now let’s go on to what will happen.
3. Judgment of the believer’s works
-I heard someone say that for some of us God will say “well done” for others He will say “well”.
-There is some truth in that joke.
-You can be a Christian and be in eternity with God but never get victory in this life and misuse what God has given you the ability and call to do.
2 Corinthians 5
9 So we make it our goal to please him, whether we are at home in the body or away from it. 10 For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, that each one may receive what is due him for the things done while in the body, whether good or bad.
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1 Corinthians 3
6 I planted the seed, Apollos watered it, but God made it grow. 7 So neither he who plants nor he who waters is anything, but only God, who makes things grow. 8 The man who plants and the man who waters have one purpose, and each will be rewarded according to his own labor. 9 For we are God’s fellow workers; you are God’s field, God’s building.
10 By the grace God has given me, I laid a foundation as an expert builder, and someone else is building on it. But each one should be careful how he builds. 11 For no one can lay any foundation other than the one already laid, which is Jesus Christ. 12 If any man builds on this foundation using gold, silver, costly stones, wood, hay or straw, 13 his work will be shown for what it is, because the Day will bring it to light. It will be revealed with fire, and the fire will test the quality of each man’s work. 14 If what he has built survives, he will receive his reward. 15 If it is burned up, he will suffer loss; he himself will be saved, but only as one escaping through the flames.
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The Message
/Or, to put it another way, you are God’s house. Using the gift God gave me as a good architect, I designed blueprints; Apollos is putting up the walls. Let each carpenter who comes on the job take care to build on the foundation! Remember, there is only one foundation, the one already laid: Jesus Christ. Take particular care in picking out your building materials. Eventually there is going to be an inspection. If you use cheap or inferior materials, you’ll be found out. The inspection will be thorough and rigorous. You won’t get by with a thing. If your work passes inspection, fine; if it doesn’t, your part of the building will be torn out and started over. But you won’t be torn out; you’ll survive—but just barely.[14]/
-We will be rewarded by Jesus for our motives and faithfulness.
-We talk about mansions and all that but even more specifically the Bible talks about crowns.
· The crown of life (James 1:12) (The lover’s crown. Your love for Jesus motivates you to persevere under trial.)
· The imperishable crown (1 Corinthians 9:24-27) (This seems to be for discipline and self-control like an athlete in training. The Bible says to train yourself for Godliness which has value in the present life and the life to come.)
· The crown of exultation (1 Thessalonians 2:19-20) (This is called the soul-winner’s crown.)
Daniel 12
2 /Multitudes who sleep in the dust of the earth will awake: some to everlasting life, others to shame and everlasting contempt. 3 Those who are wise a will shine like the brightness of the heavens, and those who lead many to righteousness, like the stars for ever and ever. [15]/
· The crown of righteousness (2 Timothy 4:5-8) (This has something to do with loving His appearing and probably living a holy life as you do it.)
· The crown of glory (1 Peter 5:2-4) (This has to do with caring for other Christians.)
-In addition to this the words of Jesus to the churches in Asia talk about receiving a reward for overcoming.
-This isn’t salvation. This is a reward for the motives and actions and words you speak on earth.
4. The judgment of the nations
-I won’t spend much time here since we will probably look at it in the future in another context.
Matthew 25
31 /“When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, he will sit on his throne in heavenly glory. 32 All the nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate the people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. 33 He will put the sheep on his right and the goats on his left. [16]/
Joel 3
‘In those days and at that time,
when I restore the fortunes of Judah and Jerusalem,
2 I will gather all nations
and bring them down to the Valley of
Jehoshaphat. a
There I will enter into judgment against them
concerning my inheritance, my people Israel,
for they scattered my people among the nations
and divided up my land.
3 They cast lots for my people
and traded boys for prostitutes;
they sold girls for wine
that they might drink.
4 ‘Now what have you against me, O Tyre and Sidon and all you regions of Philistia? Are you repaying me for something I have done? If you are paying me back, I will swiftly and speedily return on your own heads what you have done. 5 For you took my silver and my gold and carried off my finest treasures to your temples. 6 You sold the people of Judah and Jerusalem to the Greeks, that you might send them far from their homeland.
7 ‘See, I am going to rouse them out of the places to which you sold them, and I will return on your own heads what you have done.
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-Look in Zechariah 12 as well for more insight.
-The nations will be judged specifically for social and justice issues as well as their relationship to Israel.
-God chose Israel as a testimony to the nations.
-She entered into rebellion and sinned. God has judged her. That is God’s deal. You don’t spank someone else’s children.
-The very existence of Israel is a testimony to the faithfulness of God.
5. Judgment of the wicked-the White Throne Judgment
-If this is on your calendar, let’s get it off.
Revelation 20
11 Then I saw a great white throne and him who was seated on it. Earth and sky fled from his presence, and there was no place for them. 12 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. 13 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 he had done. 14 Then death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. The lake of fire is the second death. 15 If anyone’s name was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire.
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-This one is for those who have not followed Jesus.
-Eternal life is to know God and Jesus who He sent.
-Death is separation from God.
-The second death is the Lake of Fire. It is to be eternally shut out from God’s presence.
-You don’t want this. You don’t want anyone you know to go here.
-God doesn’t want anyone to go here. Jesus dies for us so no living person would have to go here.
-We all have at least one appointment with God. Are you prepared?
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h Ps. 72:3; [Is. 32:17]; Luke 2:14
[1]The New King James Version. 1996, c1982 . Thomas Nelson: Nashville
[2]The Holy Bible : New International Version. 1996, c1984 . Zondervan: Grand Rapids
8 NU if
v Eph. 3:12; 1 John 3:21; 4:17; 5:14
[3]The New King James Version. 1996, c1982 . Thomas Nelson: Nashville
a Or from useless rituals
[4]The Holy Bible : New International Version. 1996, c1984 . Zondervan: Grand Rapids
p Gen. 3:19; Eccl. 3:20
q [2 Cor. 5:10]; 1 John 4:17
r Rom. 6:10
s Is. 53:12; 1 Pet. 2:24
t Matt. 26:28
u 1 Cor. 1:7; Titus 2:13
[5]The New King James Version. 1996, c1982 . Thomas Nelson: Nashville
[6]Thomas, R. L. 1998, 1981. New American Standard Hebrew-Aramaic and Greek dictionaries : Updated edition . Foundation Publications, Inc.: Anaheim
n n: noun or neuter
f f: feminine
TDNT Theological Dictionary of the New Testament
TDNTA Theological Dictionary of the New Testament, Abridged in One Volume
GK Goodrick-Kohlenberger
AV Authorized Version
[7]Strong, J. 1996. The exhaustive concordance of the Bible : Showing every word of the test of the common English version of the canonical books, and every occurence of each word in regular order. (electronic ed.) . Woodside Bible Fellowship.: Ontario
r Rom. 6:10
s Is. 53:12; 1 Pet. 2:24
t
Matt. 26:28
u 1 Cor. 1:7; Titus 2:13
[8]The Holy Bible : New International Version. 1996, c1984 . Zondervan: Grand Rapids
g Or God~s only begotten Son
[9]The Holy Bible : New International Version. 1996, c1984 . Zondervan: Grand Rapids
[10]The Holy Bible : New International Version. 1996, c1984 . Zondervan: Grand Rapids
[11]The Holy Bible : New International Version. 1996, c1984 . Zondervan: Grand Rapids
[12]The Holy Bible : New International Version. 1996, c1984 . Zondervan: Grand Rapids
[13]The Holy Bible : New International Version. 1996, c1984 . Zondervan: Grand Rapids
[14]Peterson, E. H. 1995. The message : New Testament with Psalms and Proverbs . NavPress: Colorado Springs, Colo.
a Or who impart wisdom
[15]The Holy Bible : New International Version. 1996, c1984 . Zondervan: Grand Rapids
[16]The Holy Bible : New International Version. 1996, c1984 . Zondervan: Grand Rapids
a 2 Jehoshaphat means the LORD judges; also in verse 12.
[17]The Holy Bible : New International Version. 1996, c1984 . Zondervan: Grand Rapids
[18]The Holy Bible : New International Version. 1996, c1984 . Zondervan: Grand Rapids