Lets open our Bibles up to the Book of Matthew 25. Were not going to be spending a lot of time on these first characteristics-not that theyre not important, but because our focus is going to be on that last characteristic which is something we can change and do something about. I want to mention to you quickly Matthew 25:31 (page 984 of pew Bibles). It talks about the judgment. There are two points: the judgment is universal. It says that ‘The Son of Man comes in His glory, and all the angels with Him, He will sit on His throne in heavenly glory. All the nations will be gathered before Him... So when judgment comes, it will be for all people-all nations, all people; all eons of time; every nation; every civilization; every man thats ever lived will stand before the Lord. Second [of point number one], it will be eternal in its consequence. He talks in Verse 34 about the inheritance of the righteous; and he talks in Verse 41 about the inheritance of the wicked. Hes speaking an eternal language. So judgment is universal and judgment is eternal. Judgment also is essential. In the Book of Acts 17:30-31 (page 1098 of pew Bibles), Paul is speaking to the men of Athens, and he says, ‘In the past, God overlooked such ignorance, but now He commands all people everywhere to repent. For He has set a day when He will judge the world with justice by the Man He has appointed. He has given proof of this to all men by raising Him from the dead. He speaks about Gods grace. He says God has been gracious. God has overlooked sin. God has not brought judgment on you, but that will not last forever. There will come a day when you will be accountable to God. That is because justice demands it. There is a moral law in the universe that demands justice, that demands wickedness be punished. So the third point is that judgment is essential. It is essential because the moral law demands that it be so. God has put that moral law in you. I [want to] tell you [something]. You [probably] dont remember grade school too much, but when you were in second or third grade, there was probably something that happened like this: maybe one of the kids punched you. You punched them back in reaction, but the teacher didnt see the first punch. They didnt see the kid who started it, and you got caught, right? You got in trouble, and what came out of your mouth? Thats not fair! They started it! How many of you have ever said those words? Sure! Justice! I want justice! Theyre the problem! You and I read the newspaper and watch television. Every day well hear about a story that makes our blood curdle. We just become so livid, so angry with what people have done! Well think, Well, they hurt that child! What did they do to the elderly [person]? They did that to that elderly person? Why, they did that to that homeless man? They took advantage of that woman like that? That conman took advantage of all those people and took their money? The terrorists did what to whom? That crooked politician did what? When we hear that story, we just become angry. We think, Boy, I hope they get whats due them! I hope they get their just-deserves because that is innate within all of us-that sense of justice. Wed love it when the bad guy gets whats coming to him, right? Theres a movie with Clint Eastwood right now, and Ive seen the clip a few times. [It shows] the introduction where he is confronting some gang members who are picking on a girl. He says-as only Eastwood can-You know those times when you mess with the wrong people? Thats me! Youre thinking, Yeah, Clint! Go get them! We love it when the good guy gets the bad guy! Its part of our nature. We cry out for justice and fairness. We want to know when guys like Hitler stand before their Maker that theyre going to get what is due them, right? We cry out for justice; we cry out for righteousness. Of course, when its us, we cry out for mercy. Justice for you; mercy for me, right? But God, His moral law requires-it is essential-that judgment take place. The fourth aspect about judgment I want us to focus on quickly is the fact that judgment is internal. Gods judgment will not just be on what man sees, on outward actions; but God will judge the heart as well-thoughts and intentions of the heart. [Were going to look] in the Book of Hebrews 4. By the way, while youre turning to Hebrews 4 (page 1186), Im going to read to you a verse from John 12; if you want to flip there fast, you can (page 1066). In John 12:48, Jesus says, ‘There is a judge for the one who rejects Me and does not accept My words; that very word which I spoke will condemn him at the last day, or will judge him at the last day. Those words are interchangeable-judgment and condemnation. It says, The very words I spoke… So the criteria in which you and I will be judged is the Word of God, and the words that Christ spoke will be our judge. So how powerful-how effective-is this judge, is this Word? Listen to what Hebrews 4:12 (flip back to page 1186) says, For the Word of God is living and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart. Nothing in all creation is hidden from Gods sight. Everything is uncovered and laid bare before the eyes of Him to whom we must give account. [Thats a] rather ominous Scripture, wouldnt you say? All things are naked and vulnerable. Thats the word there that is used. The word literally means naked. We are naked and exposed before God. Also, the second word [group] used there that talks about laid bare-it means if you take somebodys head and pull their head back, exposing their neck as if someone was going to slay an individual. Thats the word that is used. Its saying, Listen, you are at the mercy of God, and God will judge you. He will not only judge what man sees, He will judge your heart. You cannot pull the wool over Gods eyes because He sees the inside like you and I see the outside. I was following a story this week about a Christian author who was accused of plagiarizing. He took another womans story and made it his own. He put his name to it and said this was his experience when it was not. When she confronted him on that plagiarism, his excuse was, Well, yeah that didnt happen to me, but I told the story so many times I began to internalize the experience and began to think it was my experience. Somehow I thought it was my memory even though it really wasnt. I read that and thought, Who is going to buy that? Who is going to buy that nonsense? You cant stand before God on Judgment Day and concoct a story like that. Dont even try. All things are open and laid bare. So His judgment is universal; His judgment is eternal; His judgment is also internal; and His judgment is final and inevitable according to the Book of Hebrews 9:27 (page 1190), Just as man is destined to die once, and after that to face judgment… It is final, and it is inevitable; and if its final and if its inevitable, it is something that we must talk about. Now I do have some good news for you. The good news is this: if you are in Christ this morning, the judgment that you will face is not a judgment to determine whether or not you are safe. That judgment has already been determined; if you have received Christ, His righteousness has been imparted to you as a gift, as an act of grace. You have received a pardon; you have been declared righteous in the sight of God. Of course, we know that. We know that from a couple of passages. We know that from the Book of Romans 8:1 (page 1118), of course, where it says, …there is no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus… We know that from passages like Johns Gospel, Chapter 5:24 (page 1054). Jesus says, ‘I tell you the truth, whoever hears My word and believes Him who sent Me has eternal life and will not be condemned, or not be judged, …but he has crossed over from death to life. So it is not a question of judgment as to determine our eternal destiny. It is a question of judgment as to determine our reward. What did we do with what God has given us? The passions that He put in our hearts, the gifts, the talents, the abilities, the time, the resources: what did we do with those things to further His Kingdom? So the last attributes of judgment that I want to discuss with you are the ones were going to linger on. Those are the facts that His judgment is going to be personal. Were not going to be judged as a member of a congregation or denomination, Bible study or small group. Youre not going to be represented by your spiritual, heavenly attorney. You will be represented by Christ, but I mean there is not going to be a lawyer that youre going to hire when you get to Heaven. This will be my spiritual representation, here. You will represent yourself. You will stand for yourself. The judgment will be personal, and the rewards will be conditional. So the judgment is conditional in that sense that we will not all receive the same reward. There are believers who will take their gifts and squander their gifts, and there are believers who will take their gifts and abilities and use them in a mediocre sense. There will be some who will use their gifts, abilities and resources in a way that honors God and blesses Him. One passage Id like us to turn to is the Book of 2 Corinthians 5:10 (page 1144). In this passage Paul says, For we must… Must is important. It means its something you have to do. This is not optional: we must. Its required. …we must all appear… How many of us? All of us. That means you. …we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ. Isnt it good to know that the One who knows us best is our judge? Isnt it good to know the One who loves you so much-that He shed His blood, that He gave His life for you, that He took on flesh for you-is the One who will judge your soul? Its Christ Himself who is our judge. …that each one… Youre an each one. …may receive what is due him for the things done while in the body whether good or bad. God will hold you accountable. Theres another passage Id like us to look at. Remember this is a Bible study this morning. Its not just a sermon, so were flipping around and looking at different passages. Ephesians 2:9-10 (page 1157) is a very important Scripture. Paul has just talked about the fact that we are saved by grace through faith, that it is a gift-not by works, lest any man should boast. So what he is saying here in Verse 10 in no way is about earning your salvation. We have been saved for good works, not by good works; and thats an important distinction. He says, For we… the church, the redeemed, …we are Gods workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do. This verse is rich in its meaning. First of all, that word workmanship-its the Greek word poiema. Poiema, what does that sound like? Poiema, poiema…poem, doesnt it? It sounds like poem. In fact, that is the word that we get our word poem from. Hes saying that God has written a script for you. Its not haphazard; it wasnt last minute; it was prepared beforehand that you should walk in Him. He has a perfect will for you. There are things that all of us are to do. In Matthew 25, it talked about being concerned for humanity. Dont just be self-absorbed. When you see needs that are around you, become engaged in meeting those needs. Do something significant with your life. Dont just be about yourself. Its been said that the smallest package in the world is a person all wrapped up in themselves. Dont be that. Be involved with humanity; be the body of Christ. Meet needs when you can. Thats all of us, but what Ephesians 2:10 is talking about is specifically for the individual-that God has a plan for your life. The word means that which has been made, poiema-that which has been made. You have been made for a specific purpose, that there is a destiny that you are to fulfill. Until you fulfill that destiny, you will feel a frustration. You will feel a sense of There must be something more inside of you. Pastor Sean and Heather are getting ready to leave for Haiti on Wednesday. It will be several years before we see them again. Theyre fulfilling their God-given destiny. Pastor Sean and Heather, I guarantee you had you not submitted to the call of God, the will of God, you would be very restless right now. Youd be very frustrated right now because you would know in your hearts that you were not being obedient to what God had called you to do. Remember the flooding that was going on in our community this summer, how bad that was? One day, my family and I, we were sitting around and were thinking, What are we going to do? I said, Hey, lets go downtown and lets witness firsthand whats going on. We got in our car and drove downtown. Apparently the rest of the city had the idea at the same time because there were cars for blocks. People were just walking around looking at these odd things. One of the things that really sticks out in my mind is how the river overflowed the bank, onto the grass and onto the pavement-the sidewalk thats by the river-and fish were now on top of the lawn and the pavement swimming around. There was so much water on the driveway itself-it was a slopping driveway-fish were trying to swim out of the river and were swimming up the driveway. Youd watch them swim out, and then theyd go so far. Then water began to get shallower and shallower, and theyd be flopping around and then theyd just kind of slide back down. Gravity would take them back down, and theyd get tired and slide back down into the water. Some had even found a groove, and they got in the right channel and would make it all the way to the street. Thats bad because theres nothing there for you. Life is not going to sustain in that street. God has made a place for you to swim, fish. I wanted to communicate that to them, that what Youre doing is vanity. What youre intending to do in going this wrong direction is vanity. Really, if you continue to pursue this direction, its going to end in death for you. This is not a good direction for you. This is not how you were created. This is not how you were made. You were created to be swimming in that river right now. You were created to be flowing with that current. Thats what God made you for. Thats what youre equipped for. That is your destiny. If you come out here and youre going in the opposite direction of the way you should be going, this is not good news for you, fish. Youre going to parish. The Scripture says theres a way that seems right unto a man, but the end thereof are the ways of death. If I could become a fish and say in fish, This way! Hang a right! Right there! This is the river. Youre going the wrong way, and save them… God became a man to tell us the way of salvation, the way we need to go; and God has a plan. I tell you what-if you forsake that plan and you start to go your own way, you start to go your own direction, youre going to find that you are frustrated. Youre going to find that things dont go well in your life. Youre going to find-like that fish-youre going to be flopping around. If you continue on that path, youre going to meet a fate that is not too friendly. When our church was really new, we were still meeting in the hotel. There was a guy coming that seemed like just a great guy. I got to know him a little bit. He had some good gifts that our church could use. Then as I began to find out some more things, I began to get very concerned. His wife started coming, and she began to tell me that he had a problem with alcohol. He had some DUIs. He didnt work very often; and when he did, he didnt pay child support. They had just recently gone through a divorce, and he never seen the children-like ever. They wanted their father. I called him and I said, Can I talk to you? Could you come in my office? Could we talk? He said, Sure, yeah. Ill come in. He sits down, and hes very cynical. He says to me, You know, I know what youre going to say. Ive heard it all before. Youre going to say God will forgive me. Youre going to say Im a good guy and Gods gracious. I need to ask for forgiveness, and everythings going to be great, blah, blah, blah. He was just real cynical and skeptical. Basically, he thought I was going to give him a pep talk and just try to cheer him up a little bit. I said, Thats not what Im about at all, today, Ron. I said, Im here to tell you to grow up. Im here to tell you to take care of the children that God has entrusted you to provide for and protect for. You need to spend time with your children. You are squandering your opportunity to be a dad. Youre a stranger to them. You need to pay your child support. You need to get a job. You need to go to alcohol rehabilitation. You need to get help. You are not living out Gods purpose. This is not Gods plan for your life. Unless you turn around-unless you change the course of your life-youre heading to death. Thats where youre heading. Im telling you as a friend because I care about you, but youre heading to death. Youre heading to destruction. You want to know something, church? That did no good. That man died long before he should have, a stranger to his kids. He missed the purpose of God. Now thats a drastic case. That's an extreme case, but thats where that road eventually leads. If you leave the river, if you leave the place that God made for you-the purpose that God made for you-the best case scenario is frustration and a feeling of futility. The worst case scenario is death. [Imagine] standing before our Holy God, and He says, What did you do with the gift I gave you, the resources I entrusted to you? You and I will stand accountable to God. Each one of us will give an account of our lives. Poiema-workmanship which God created beforehand. That speaks to your worth as an individual. The fact that you arent an accident in Gods eyes. God wasnt like, Oh, whoops. I didnt even think about him or her. God has a plan that He made beforehand, and it is perfect. It is not easy; dont get me wrong. It is not an easy plan, but it is a perfect plan. Thats where you need to be swimming. Thats where you need to be putting your energy. Everything you do needs to be fulfilling [that plan]. At your workplace, are you fulfilling Gods purpose for your life in your workplace; with your family; with your children? Are you being moms and dads? Are you modeling Christ to those children? Husbands and wives, are you treating your spouse as Christ would have you to treat them? In your ministry, are you honoring the Lord in your ministry? Are you faithful in your ministry? Do you do your ministry with excellence as unto a King? In all of these matters, we will stand before Lord one day and give an account-not a judgment as a believer whether or not were going to hell or Heaven, but a judgment thats conditional. Reward is conditional. In 1 Corinthians 3, it says that if we build on the foundation of Christ with wood, hay and stubble, it will be burned. Well be saved, but as one passing through fire, the Word says, but if we build upon the foundation of Christ with gold, silver and precious stones, that work will last- that work that has been about Him and has been about His will and His Kingdom and purpose. There is a song that were going to play right now. This song was kind of a last minute idea, so we dont have our normal images, pictures and moving things. Its just the text-just the words for this song; but I want you to listen and reflect on its meaning and significance. (Click to read the lyrics: http://www.christian-lyrics.net/artist/chris-tomlin/track/the-way-i-was-made-lyrics.html) Would you bow your heads with me in prayer, please? First Id like to pray this morning if there are any here who have not made a commitment to Christ as your Lord and Savior, you would have to say, If I was to go to judgment today, I would not know if my name was written in the book of life, wouldnt you want to know that? Would you raise your hand right now so I can pray with you right now and lead you into prayer? All our heads are bowed and our eyes are closed. Pray with me. Father, in Jesus name I come to You, and I give You my soul. I ask for Your forgiveness of my sins. I confess, Lord, that I have sinned against You. I ask for Your forgiveness and for Your cleansing. I ask Your Holy Spirit to come into my heart and life. I want to live for You from this day forward. In Jesus name, be my Lord and be my Savior from now into eternity. Amen. If youre here this morning-with heads still bowed, eyes still closed-and you say, You know, Im frustrated. I cant find my purpose. I feel sometimes like that fish, that Im floundering a little bit. I know there is something more for me to do. Can I see your hands, so I can pray with you this morning? Thank you for those hands. I also want to pray for the people that say, I know what Im supposed to be doing. I think Im where God wants me to be, but sometimes Im tired. Its not easy. I just need to pray for Gods strength and endurance with this. Would you show me your hands, so we can pray with you? A lot of hands there. Father, I pray for the hands that went up that said, You know Im struggling. I want to know Gods perfect will for my life, but Im searching for what that is. Lord, honor that. Your Word says ask, seek and knock, and the door will be opened unto you. So there a hand upraised is a sign of their seeking heart. Honor that, Lord. Reveal Your will to their lives that they might follow in the path that Youve called them to. For the hands that were raised concerning the fact that theyre weary and tired, strengthen them by Your Holy Spirit. Help them to know that theyre not alone on this journey. The Spirit of God is within them; their brothers and sisters in Christ are with them as well. Lord, help them find hope and the promise of Your presence and strength today. In Jesus name, Amen.