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Hebrews 9:27.….And as
it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment.
Most of the time we consider
judgment to be for the unsaved, those not prepared to stand before God; and
surely there is a judgment day coming for those who have not trusted in Christ.
This life is brief. Death comes to those of all ages, the young and the old
alike. I want to remind you that the only thing that matters when you stand
before God is what you did
for His Son Jesus. Nothing else matters. However, I want to preach
the importance of the judgment that will come to the Christians. Some people
would say, “If we are saved, why would we have to go through the judgment?”
The writer of Hebrews said
it is appointed unto men once to die. He did not specify any group of people.
Paul says in II Corinthians 5, “We must all appear before the judgment
seat of Christ.” Therefore, we must understand that judgment is coming for
the saved, as well as the unsaved.
If our salvation is not in
question why should we be judged? No one enters into Heaven without a
legitimate reason. There is no one in Hell who is not aware of how they arrived
there. The same is true for Heaven. Judgment is the final grade on our report
card…Judgment is the final report of our lives as a Christian. Ecclesiastes
3:17.…I said in mine heart, God shall judge the righteous and the wicked;
for there is a time for every purpose and for every work.
Several years ago Brother
Dwight Coffman preached a revival here, and one of the scriptures he preached has stood out in my mind. His text was taken from Revelation 21:4
And God shall wipe away all the tears from their eyes… He asked this
question, “Why would there be tears in Heaven?” Some people think we look around and
can’t find loved ones there, but Brother Coffman explained it like this; “On the
day we stand before Almighty God and He reveals to us what our potential could
have been but we failed to reach for, we will shed tears of deep regret. It
will break our hearts that we could have done more for Christ, but didn’t do it.” That
made perfect sense to me and it has stayed with me all this time.
Death is coming! Those we
have known to live a wicked life have stood before the Almighty, and were judged.
Our saintly parents and grandparents who have died have also stood before the
judgment seat of Christ, and were judged.
God saves every one of us for
a purpose. “Well, Preacher, what is that purpose?” We are saved to give honor
to Jesus Christ. Our purpose is to join the kingdom, then work to enlarge that
kingdom. We do that by sharing the good news about Jesus Christ and His
wonderful love.”
Some of you ask, “How am I
suppose to serve Jesus?” 1 Corinthians 16:13-14 tells us how to do it.
If we walk our natural
tendencies we would walk wild and crazy. That is why we must discipline
ourselves to walk with God. In 1Corinthians 9:27...Paul says, “But I keep
under my body, and bring it into subjection: lest that by any means, when I have
preached to others, I myself should be a castaway.” Paul is saying here that he
wants to start well, run well, and finish well. Oftentimes Christians start
well, but don’t run well. There have been times I have talked to people and asked
them
this question, “Are you going to church now?” The answer I often hear is this;
“No, I haven’t been to church in a long time. I used to go to church every
Sunday and was a deacon in my church.” Isn’t that sad ? "I used to be." Church,
we need to start well and finish well so that our witness for Christ is not
tarnished or disqualified. What a blessing to leave behind…"I fought well, I ran
well, and I finished well." Child of God, you should purpose for that to
be your motto until you leave this world.
So what are the guidelines
for judgment?
1. Watch ye. We need to be
very care because the enemy is planting snares and pitfalls everywhere you
look. Have your eyes open and have your spiritual guard up at all times. It
does not make the devil one bit nervous because you live in a Christian home.
Who does the devil attack the most?
Naturally the child of God, because he
already has those not serving God. So, Christians, be thankful that you are
going through trials because that is a sure sign you have the devil on the run;
but never underestimate the power of the enemy. He will find a way to destroy
you if you let your guard down for one minute.
I am reminded of the verse,
Greater is He that is in me, than he that’s in the world. I’m glad I serve a
great big God. When I lose my keys; when I lose my drivers license; when I feel
I’m losing my mind, I say, "Oh, God, help me." and He reaches down to me.
2. Stand fast …Once you see
the pitfalls and the snares, stand fast in your faith. Once you’ve determined
the path of righteousness do not deviate. Walk according to God’s plan.
Parents, stand for the well being of your home and your children. Never back
down once God has shown you the path of righteousness; never detour from it.
3. Be brave as a man. The
Bible uses the phrase “Act like a man.” When you stand up for truth, someone will try to
tear you down. When you stand up for decency, someone will try to tear you
down; but stand brave. The Hebrew boys in the book of Daniel stood firm.
They said, “No, King, we are not going to worship your god.”
Daniel 3:17...If it be
so, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace,
and He will deliver us out of thine hand, O king. They said,
"Even if
it cost our lives, we will not bow, nor will we kneel, nor will we yield to the
forces of Hell."
Be brave even when people
laugh at you. Be brave if they persecute you, and they will. Don’t back down.
God will give us the power to stand like men. We often fight and fight until
we become weak. Then we ask ourselves, “What’s the use?” Don’t throw in
the towel. Paul reminds us in Galatians 6:9 And let us not be
weary in well-doing: for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not.
You may not see anything
happening right off, but there is joy coming in the morning. Be strong.
4. Have faith….You may feel
like you are not getting through on your faith. Some of you may become
discouraged in teaching your class. You think, “I am not getting through to
those kids.” Don’t give up….You are planting seeds and God will yield the
harvest.
5. The last thing is
love…If we love Christ then we won’t have any trouble loving others. Jesus
says, “By this shall men know that
ye are my disciples, if ye have love one for another.”
These five things are the
reasons upon which I
believe we will be judged -- watching, standing up, being strong, being brave,
and love. These are the guidelines for us to receive our grades.
How is my grades,
Lord?
Pastor Earnest Fields, Jr.
September 7, 2008
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