Holiness in an unholy world... (15)

Past Due!!

Have you ever received a notice in the mail that said, “Past Due!”? It can be alarming. Sometimes, it can be a forgotten bill. It could be a letter that we received from the Government regarding GST or income tax that needs to be filed. It can take the wind out of our sails. It can give us a sense of dejection or even anxiety. It can even cause a sense of desperation if we have no means to pay the amount on the document.

In our Scripture passage today, Peter speaks of judgment. What do you think will be the emotions on that day when people stand before the Judge of the Ages?

Let’s read 1 Peter 4:3-6

1 Peter 4:3–6 NIV

For you have spent enough time in the past doing what pagans choose to do—living in debauchery, lust, drunkenness, orgies, carousing and detestable idolatry. They are surprised that you do not join them in their reckless, wild living, and they heap abuse on you. But they will have to give account to him who is ready to judge the living and the dead. For this is the reason the gospel was preached even to those who are now dead, so that they might be judged according to human standards in regard to the body, but live according to God in regard to the spirit.

The reason we live

Last week we looked at using our gifts as we serve God. When we know what our purpose is, I believe that it gives us clear direction in how we live.

Just as Paul said, “Do not be conformed to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind...”

In the first two verses of 1 Peter 4, Peter gives us the why which affects the how we live.

1 Peter 4:1–2 NIV

Therefore, since Christ suffered in his body, arm yourselves also with the same attitude, because whoever suffers in the body is done with sin. As a result, they do not live the rest of their earthly lives for evil human desires, but rather for the will of God.

Because of what Christ has done for us, our purpose that we live the rest of our lives for the will of God.

You have spent enough time...

1 Peter 4:3 NLT

You have had enough in the past of the evil things that godless people enjoy—their immorality and lust, their feasting and drunkenness and wild parties, and their terrible worship of idols.

Each of us has our own stories. Some of us have been brought up in Christian homes where we have been taught about Jesus since we were old enough to understand the story of the gospel. Others have come to Christ later in life after many years have been spent in the world.

Here’s a little about my Mom’s family. My mom was raised as one of eleven surviving children. My Grandpa struggled with alcoholism. It wasn’t strange for him to spend time in the bar for hours on end. My Grandma was raised in a Lutheran home, which was the State church in Norway. She came to Canada when she was sixteen. She became a farm-hand to make a living. She met and married my Grandpa as he was one of the boys on the farm.

After they were married for several years, she came to faith in Jesus Christ as her personal Lord and Saviour. She had heard about Jesus, but the was different. She not only knew of Him, she had the privilege to get to know Him as her Lord and Saviour.

I believe that Grandpa prayed the prayer to receive Christ, but he kept doing what he had always done. He loved his family, but the company that he kept didn’t encourage him that change was needed. He still kept going to the bar and drinking excessive amounts of alcohol.

Later in his life when his health was gone and he had moved on from his old friends, he committed his life to Christ. He said, “Would to God that I had followed Him my whole life.”

To make a long story short, some of the family, the older children followed Grandpa’s earlier years while most in the younger part of the family served the Lord with all of their hearts.

Peter said, “You have spent enough time doing what pagans choose to do.”

This is serious stuff. Sometimes Christian young people go out and live a little on the wild side after they get out on their own, because they wonder if they haven’t missed something by growing up in a Christian home.

John 10:10 NIV

The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.

Satan wants you to believe that you are missing out on something. He wants you to look over the fence and see all the green grass that’s SO LUSH and VIBRANT. There must be something that I’m missing. How can it be wrong when it looks so good?

Moses

Hebrews 11:23–25 NIV

By faith Moses’ parents hid him for three months after he was born, because they saw he was no ordinary child, and they were not afraid of the king’s edict. By faith Moses, when he had grown up, refused to be known as the son of Pharaoh’s daughter. He chose to be mistreated along with the people of God rather than to enjoy the fleeting pleasures of sin.

We know that there is lots to Moses story: seeing a slave being beaten by and Egyptian slave master, killing the slave master, running away, and coming back after 40 years.

The KJV says Hebrews 11:25 says it this way.

Hebrews 11:25 KJV 1900

Choosing rather to suffer affliction with the people of God, than to enjoy the pleasures of sin for a season;

It gives the implication that the pleasures of sin are just for a season. When we think of seasons in Canada, they have different lengths. Spring can be a very short season and winter can be very long, but one thing that we know is that all seasons come to an end. The pleasure of sin ends.

Somebody starts using drugs and they get a high. It seems fun, but when addiction sets in so that the craving is so huge that living on the street with drugs is more important than living with your family and holding down a job is.

VLT’s will cause people to spend all their money so they can’t afford the necessities of life, just because I might win the big money the next time I play.

Many lives have been ruined by a drunk driver. Many homes have been ruined by an adulterous affair. Many parents have wept over their children getting mixed up in drugs because it looked fun only to struggle with a Crystal-Meth addiction.

Peter said, “You have spent enough time doing what pagans choose to do.”

They are surprised...

1 Peter 4:4 NIV

They are surprised that you do not join them in their reckless, wild living, and they heap abuse on you.

I won’t spend a lot of time on this, but for anyone that lived on the wild side, when they come to Christ, people notice. When Jesus gets a hold of a wild family, when the town drunk gets saved, when families that have been known as the party place get saved, the town takes notice. Old friends who want you to party make accuse you of being too good for them once you’ve stopped living the old way.

Ephesians 5:8–14 NIV

For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Live as children of light (for the fruit of the light consists in all goodness, righteousness and truth) and find out what pleases the Lord. Have nothing to do with the fruitless deeds of darkness, but rather expose them. It is shameful even to mention what the disobedient do in secret. But everything exposed by the light becomes visible—and everything that is illuminated becomes a light. This is why it is said: “Wake up, sleeper, rise from the dead, and Christ will shine on you.”

Let’s pay attention to our words, the tone of our words, the attitude behind our words. We might be saying the right words but our actions speak so loud that others can’t hear our words.

You are light, so let’s live as children of light. We don’t need to live in darkness any longer, we did that long enough.

Judgment Day

1 Peter 4:5 NIV

But they will have to give account to him who is ready to judge the living and the dead.

This morning, I’d like to look at two judgments. Peter speaks of the judgment of unbelievers so we’ll start with that.

The White ThroneJudgment

This is the judgment of the dead. It takes places after the Thousand year reign of Christ, the Millennium. The Thousand year reign of Christ takes place after the Great Tribulation. Satan is bound and there is peace on earth, no sin, it will be like a paradise.

The White Throne Judgment takes place after Satan is judged. Let’s read Revelation 20:7-15

Revelation 20:7–15 NIV

When the thousand years are over, Satan will be released from his prison and will go out to deceive the nations in the four corners of the earth—Gog and Magog—and to gather them for battle. In number they are like the sand on the seashore. They marched across the breadth of the earth and surrounded the camp of God’s people, the city he loves. But fire came down from heaven and devoured them. And the devil, who deceived them, was thrown into the lake of burning sulfur, where the beast and the false prophet had been thrown. They will be tormented day and night for ever and ever. 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.

In verse 12, it says that both great and small were standing before the throne and books were opened, including the Book of Life. Can you imagine the pages and the books or at least the size of the books that would be opened.

Verse 13 says that each person was judged according to what they had done. Each person that is at this judgment must give account for how they lived, but what people had done wasn’t the criteria.

Some might say that I fed the hungry. Others might say of all the good that they had done while here on earth. I coached sports and volunteered in the community. I went to church on Sunday. I took time to help my neighbours when they needed help, but that’s not the criteria to get into heaven.

There is nothing wrong with doing good to others, and in fact we must care for our neighbours and others who are less fortunate, but only those whose names are in the Book of Life will be saved. Only those who committed their lives to Christ will be saved. Have you trusted in Jesus as your Lord and Saviour? Have you believed that he died for your sins? If you haven’t or don’t plan to, you will be at this judgment. No excuse will be enough. There will be nothing that you can say at this judgment to change God’s mind. He knows us. He knows what we have done.

We wants us to come today. 2 Corinthians 6:1-2

2 Corinthians 6:1–2 NKJV

We then, as workers together with Him also plead with you not to receive the grace of God in vain. For He says: “In an acceptable time I have heard you, And in the day of salvation I have helped you.” Behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation.

Please come while there is still time. Don’t wait for the right time. Today is that day. You may never have another opportunity to come to the Lord. If He’s calling you, come.

The Judgment Seat of Christ

2 Corinthians 5:6–10 NIV

Therefore we are always confident and know that as long as we are at home in the body we are away from the Lord. For we live by faith, not by sight. We are confident, I say, and would prefer to be away from the body and at home with the Lord. So we make it our goal to please him, whether we are at home in the body or away from it. For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each of us may receive what is due us for the things done while in the body, whether good or bad.

Peter spoke of those that accuse their former friends whom God has changed because they don’t do what they used to do.

We must all appear before the Judgment seat of Christ, For Christians, it is not for the purpose of salvation but for rewards.

Hebrews 9:28 NIV

so Christ was sacrificed once to take away the sins of many; and he will appear a second time, not to bear sin, but to bring salvation to those who are waiting for him.

There are several crowns that the Bible speaks of:

The Crown of Life

James 1:12 NIV

Blessed is the one who perseveres under trial because, having stood the test, that person will receive the crown of life that the Lord has promised to those who love him.

The Crown of Righteousness

2 Timothy 4:8 NIV

Now there is in store for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day—and not only to me, but also to all who have longed for his appearing.

A Crown of Rejoicing

1 Thessalonians 2:19–20 NKJV

For what is our hope, or joy, or crown of rejoicing? Is it not even you in the presence of our Lord Jesus Christ at His coming? For you are our glory and joy.

You might know this one as the Soul winner’s Crown. Somebody who leads people to Jesus.

An Incorruptible Crown

1 Corinthians 9:25 NIV

Everyone who competes in the games goes into strict training. They do it to get a crown that will not last, but we do it to get a crown that will last forever.

This might also be known as the Victor’s Crown.

The 5th crown is:

The Crown of Glory

1 Peter 5:4 NIV

And when the Chief Shepherd appears, you will receive the crown of glory that will never fade away.

This is for leaders who have faithfully led and shepherded God’s people.

The reason the gospel was preached

1 Peter 4:6 NIV

For this is the reason the gospel was preached even to those who are now dead, so that they might be judged according to human standards in regard to the body, but live according to God in regard to the spirit.

The gospel, the Good News about Jesus has been preached so that people might believe. To those who believe for salvation and for those who don’t, destruction.

Romans 1:16–17 NIV

For I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God that brings salvation to everyone who believes: first to the Jew, then to the Gentile. For in the gospel the righteousness of God is revealed—a righteousness that is by faith from first to last, just as it is written: “The righteous will live by faith.”

Romans 10:14–17 ESV

How then will they call on him in whom they have not believed? And how are they to believe in him of whom they have never heard? And how are they to hear without someone preaching? And how are they to preach unless they are sent? As it is written, “How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the good news!” But they have not all obeyed the gospel. For Isaiah says, “Lord, who has believed what he has heard from us?” So faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ.

You’ve maybe heard the saying, “Talk is Cheap.” Brothers and sisters in Christ, Will you go? Will you preach? Will you live the gospel?

Good intentions aren’t enough. God isn’t calling us to be people of I was going to do that. We can look at what others have or haven’t done, and we can say, I could never make a difference like that person who wins thousands or even millions to Christ. Maybe we even look at others and judge because they haven’t done enough.

When we stand before God, you won’t have to give an account of what I have or haven’t done or what your neighbour has or hasn’t done, we will stand before God for what we have or haven’t done.

He will say to us on that day, “Well Done!” That ‘s what I want to hear Him say. Let’s walk with each other, let’s stand with each other, let’s pray for each other, and let’s go and do the work of the Kingdom. You will reach people that I will never reach but I thank God for you that He has called you to labour with me.

Let’s get out there because there is lots to do!

Let’s pray!