WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:08.259 Well, my sabbatical starts in just over a week, which means this is my next to last 00:00:08.259 --> 00:00:09.080 Sunday with you. 00:00:09.900 --> 00:00:14.980 And I've been thinking as this has been approaching, we're kind of excited, we're kind of nervous, 00:00:15.280 --> 00:00:20.000 we're going to be away for about four months, which in D.C. time I think is going to fly 00:00:20.000 --> 00:00:20.260 by. 00:00:20.719 --> 00:00:22.160 I don't know what it's going to be like for us. 00:00:22.640 --> 00:00:29.480 But I've been thinking, what do we focus on, what do I want to focus on with these last 00:00:29.480 --> 00:00:31.140 couple of weeks with you? 00:00:31.260 --> 00:00:37.480 What would be the best topic to dwell on that would be the most enriching that would, you 00:00:37.480 --> 00:00:39.659 know, that would really bring life to our congregation? 00:00:40.460 --> 00:00:45.100 And I think that there's only one topic that could possibly do all that. 00:00:45.120 --> 00:00:46.140 I think it's fairly obvious. 00:00:47.039 --> 00:00:47.760 Judgment Day. 00:00:49.820 --> 00:00:51.820 We need to talk about Judgment Day. 00:00:52.900 --> 00:00:59.420 It's interesting that 2 Peter is also a letter that is written by somebody who is fairly 00:00:59.420 --> 00:01:02.640 certain that he's not going to ever get another chance to write to his people. 00:01:02.760 --> 00:01:06.659 This is the last letter Peter writes, and he makes it very clear in the letter that he's 00:01:06.659 --> 00:01:11.480 fairly certain that at some point soon he's going to be taken away as well, only he's 00:01:11.480 --> 00:01:12.680 not getting a sabbatical. 00:01:13.019 --> 00:01:17.599 He's fairly certain that he's going to be arrested and tortured and most likely martyred. 00:01:18.219 --> 00:01:22.379 And so this is his last opportunity to make an impression on the people that he loves 00:01:22.379 --> 00:01:23.599 and cares about and serves. 00:01:23.959 --> 00:01:29.019 And he chooses to focus on the topic of Judgment Day, the Day of the Lord. 00:01:30.579 --> 00:01:32.879 Of course, you know who talked about this the most? 00:01:34.280 --> 00:01:34.719 Jesus. 00:01:35.739 --> 00:01:36.659 Jesus Christ. 00:01:37.399 --> 00:01:43.179 Especially in the days leading up to his arrest and torture and death, Jesus talked about 00:01:43.179 --> 00:01:46.780 judgment, the coming judgment of God, the Day of the Lord. 00:01:46.780 --> 00:01:48.640 So the question is why? 00:01:48.799 --> 00:01:50.620 Why would this be a topic to focus on? 00:01:51.480 --> 00:01:57.659 Because honestly, most people I know, Christians and non-Christians alike, the whole idea of 00:01:57.659 --> 00:02:05.260 Judgment Day has been so caricatured in pop culture, made light of for so long that most 00:02:05.260 --> 00:02:06.680 people think of it as a joke. 00:02:06.799 --> 00:02:10.080 I know very few people who actually take this idea seriously. 00:02:10.539 --> 00:02:16.360 Even very mature, long-time Christians really don't have a lot to say about Judgment Day. 00:02:16.360 --> 00:02:18.420 It's normally a topic of humor. 00:02:19.460 --> 00:02:24.600 And yet when you read Peter and what Peter says about the Day of the Lord, the coming 00:02:24.600 --> 00:02:25.340 judgment, right? 00:02:25.380 --> 00:02:30.380 This is something that we profess together in the Creed every week, that Jesus will come 00:02:30.380 --> 00:02:32.840 again in glory to judge the living and the dead. 00:02:33.700 --> 00:02:39.180 When Peter talks about this in the passage that we're about to look at, he actually implies 00:02:39.180 --> 00:02:45.100 that if we really understand the meaning of Judgment Day, of final judgment, that not 00:02:45.099 --> 00:02:52.280 only would we not mock it, but we would actually hasten the day, that we would long for it 00:02:52.280 --> 00:02:55.240 to come, that we would be eager for this day to come. 00:02:55.379 --> 00:02:58.199 So we're going to try to understand that this evening. 00:02:58.359 --> 00:03:02.299 We're going to look at 2 Peter chapter 3, verses 1 through 13. 00:03:02.959 --> 00:03:06.579 The question is why does final judgment matter so much? 00:03:06.639 --> 00:03:09.219 Why is it so integral to the Christian faith? 00:03:09.219 --> 00:03:12.859 Why is it such an important topic to focus on right now? 00:03:13.099 --> 00:03:15.900 And we're going to see three reasons in the text for this. 00:03:16.080 --> 00:03:17.520 The first reason it matters is this. 00:03:17.719 --> 00:03:21.319 It shows us, the final judgment shows us that justice is real. 00:03:22.479 --> 00:03:23.479 Justice is real. 00:03:24.400 --> 00:03:27.539 Number two, it shows us how to face injustice. 00:03:27.879 --> 00:03:29.340 And you know there's a lot of that in the world. 00:03:30.099 --> 00:03:34.780 And then finally it shows us that God's love is His justice. 00:03:34.780 --> 00:03:37.659 That God's love is His justice. 00:03:38.120 --> 00:03:40.259 So let's pray and then we'll open God's Word together. 00:03:41.420 --> 00:03:46.520 Father, we thank You for Your Word and we thank You that in Your great wisdom through 00:03:46.520 --> 00:03:51.900 Peter and through Peter's disciples, these words were written down so long ago for our 00:03:51.900 --> 00:03:58.259 edification that we can open them in confidence, knowing that we're not merely hearing from the 00:03:58.259 --> 00:04:02.840 wisdom and rhetoric of human beings, but rather You promised to speak through Your Word. 00:04:02.840 --> 00:04:07.099 You promised that through the power of Your Spirit it can become the living Word, that 00:04:07.099 --> 00:04:11.439 there are things that only You can speak to our hearts and that You do Your work through 00:04:11.439 --> 00:04:11.860 Your Word. 00:04:12.099 --> 00:04:15.960 And so we pray that that would happen tonight because we all desperately need to hear what 00:04:15.960 --> 00:04:16.699 You have to say. 00:04:16.899 --> 00:04:19.240 And it's in the name of Your Son, Jesus, we pray. 00:04:19.680 --> 00:04:20.079 Amen. 00:04:21.480 --> 00:04:25.100 So 2 Peter 3, why does the final judgment matter? 00:04:25.259 --> 00:04:27.939 Why is this something that we should care about as Christians? 00:04:28.459 --> 00:04:32.300 Number one, the doctrine of the final judgment shows us that justice is real. 00:04:33.579 --> 00:04:34.459 Here's the issue. 00:04:34.560 --> 00:04:38.039 And by the way, we're going to take a little stress off our slide, people. 00:04:38.139 --> 00:04:41.939 That's already, I think, the most stressful job in the church is running the slides on 00:04:41.939 --> 00:04:42.259 Sunday. 00:04:42.399 --> 00:04:47.719 So I have this nifty little device, but we're going to see if we can use this and one less 00:04:47.719 --> 00:04:49.099 thing for Sarah over there. 00:04:49.979 --> 00:04:54.239 But the issue that's going on here that Peter's writing about, he's saying, I want to remind 00:04:54.239 --> 00:04:57.599 you of things that I've already told you, but I need to remind you. 00:04:57.600 --> 00:04:58.200 Why? 00:04:58.840 --> 00:05:06.040 Because scoffers, verse 3, knowing this first of all, that scoffers will come in the last 00:05:06.040 --> 00:05:08.939 days with scoffing, following their own sinful desires. 00:05:09.300 --> 00:05:14.060 He's talking about the fact that false teachers have come into the community, the community that 00:05:14.060 --> 00:05:20.340 he's been pastoring, and they're coming and they're looking at this idea that Christians 00:05:20.340 --> 00:05:25.340 have had, the promise of God that Jesus would one day return. 00:05:25.339 --> 00:05:30.779 And they're looking at this and they're saying, well, it's been a long time and a lot of the 00:05:30.779 --> 00:05:34.879 people that heard Jesus say this are dying off and Jesus hasn't come back yet. 00:05:34.959 --> 00:05:40.959 And so they're beginning to make fun of and ridicule and mock people who still hold seriously 00:05:40.959 --> 00:05:41.899 this doctrine. 00:05:42.439 --> 00:05:44.539 And they're saying, Jesus is never coming back. 00:05:45.019 --> 00:05:52.699 And they're beginning to mock this and they're saying, you see, it goes on, verse 4, they will 00:05:52.699 --> 00:05:54.459 say, where is the promise of his coming? 00:05:55.180 --> 00:05:59.800 For ever since the fathers fell asleep, all things are continuing as they were from the 00:05:59.800 --> 00:06:00.819 beginning of creation. 00:06:01.139 --> 00:06:02.319 So here's the issue. 00:06:03.479 --> 00:06:12.180 Their criticism is God created the world and ever since that day so long ago, things have 00:06:12.180 --> 00:06:13.620 pretty much gone on unchanged. 00:06:13.620 --> 00:06:19.459 And so the whole idea that all of a sudden history and time and space and all of this 00:06:19.459 --> 00:06:24.360 would just end in a moment, that it would all just come to a crashing halt, that that 00:06:24.360 --> 00:06:25.139 idea is ridiculous. 00:06:25.340 --> 00:06:26.000 It's ludicrous. 00:06:26.280 --> 00:06:27.459 Nobody believes that. 00:06:28.060 --> 00:06:33.340 And of course, Peter is saying that this is a way for them to give themselves and others 00:06:33.340 --> 00:06:33.800 license. 00:06:34.000 --> 00:06:35.180 Jesus is never coming back. 00:06:35.420 --> 00:06:36.399 There's no final judgment. 00:06:36.540 --> 00:06:38.840 Therefore, we can live and do as we please. 00:06:38.839 --> 00:06:42.299 And so this is a fairly popular idea and it's beginning to catch on. 00:06:43.339 --> 00:06:45.079 So what does Peter say in response? 00:06:45.639 --> 00:06:47.279 Well, that's what we see in verse 5. 00:06:48.819 --> 00:06:49.859 Here's what Peter says. 00:06:49.939 --> 00:06:55.599 He says, for they deliberately overlook or they conveniently overlook this fact, that the 00:06:55.599 --> 00:07:01.679 heavens existed long ago and the earth was formed out of water and through water by 00:07:01.679 --> 00:07:02.559 the word of God. 00:07:02.979 --> 00:07:04.399 So here's Peter's argument. 00:07:04.500 --> 00:07:05.639 I want you to follow along here. 00:07:05.639 --> 00:07:13.000 He's saying, do you believe that God created the world, the heavens and the earth? 00:07:13.099 --> 00:07:15.399 And these teachers would say, yeah, we believe that. 00:07:15.979 --> 00:07:21.099 So Peter then would say, well, if you believe that God by his word created the heavens and 00:07:21.099 --> 00:07:27.240 the earth, why would you then not believe that God by his word would one day come back 00:07:27.240 --> 00:07:29.259 to judge the heavens and the earth? 00:07:29.300 --> 00:07:33.120 In other words, why would you just take creation for granted? 00:07:33.120 --> 00:07:38.240 Yeah, God created the world and yet reject the idea that God might come back, right? 00:07:38.259 --> 00:07:42.259 If you make something, would you not want to come back and fix it if it got broken? 00:07:42.680 --> 00:07:46.220 He's saying, if you believe that God created the world, you have to believe that God will 00:07:46.220 --> 00:07:46.740 judge the world. 00:07:46.800 --> 00:07:49.240 There's no logical reason to reject that doctrine. 00:07:50.699 --> 00:07:52.180 And so what he's really saying is this. 00:07:52.180 --> 00:07:59.439 You either have to believe in both creation and judgment or you have to reject creation 00:07:59.439 --> 00:08:00.199 and judgment. 00:08:00.319 --> 00:08:03.639 But it makes no logical sense to believe in one and not the other. 00:08:03.720 --> 00:08:06.680 There's no reason to reject the one if you believe in the other. 00:08:07.319 --> 00:08:09.920 So we ask, okay, well, why does that actually matter? 00:08:09.980 --> 00:08:11.560 And here's why it actually matters. 00:08:11.660 --> 00:08:13.139 Here's the difference that this makes. 00:08:14.220 --> 00:08:17.340 A created world is a world that has meaning. 00:08:17.339 --> 00:08:20.299 It's a world that has meaning. 00:08:21.479 --> 00:08:27.239 An accidental world is meaningless because it has no purpose. 00:08:27.779 --> 00:08:29.879 There's no intention in its existence. 00:08:29.979 --> 00:08:32.159 It's a cosmic accident, right? 00:08:32.199 --> 00:08:35.639 Now, I've heard and you've probably heard Christians make this argument. 00:08:35.839 --> 00:08:38.459 People like Tim Keller, other people make this argument. 00:08:38.559 --> 00:08:43.819 But what we need to understand is this is something that great thinkers all throughout history have 00:08:43.819 --> 00:08:45.539 realized again and again and again. 00:08:45.539 --> 00:08:48.279 And you have believers and atheists alike. 00:08:48.459 --> 00:08:52.439 People like Pascal and Dostoevsky and Sartre have realized this. 00:08:52.519 --> 00:08:56.639 I think the best articulation of it comes from the atheist Richard Dawkins. 00:08:56.740 --> 00:08:57.480 Here's what he says. 00:08:58.379 --> 00:09:03.559 He's writing assuming that there is no God, that there is no creation, that there is no judgment. 00:09:03.699 --> 00:09:04.519 And here's what he says. 00:09:05.199 --> 00:09:08.059 Humans have always wondered about the meaning of life. 00:09:09.299 --> 00:09:13.299 Life has no higher purpose than to perpetuate the survival of DNA. 00:09:13.299 --> 00:09:18.699 Life has no design, no purpose, no evil, and no good. 00:09:19.099 --> 00:09:22.099 Nothing but blind, pitiless indifference. 00:09:23.120 --> 00:09:24.039 It's coming from Dawkins. 00:09:24.139 --> 00:09:24.759 Smart guy. 00:09:26.199 --> 00:09:27.839 So we ask, okay, well, what about justice? 00:09:27.939 --> 00:09:28.879 Is justice possible? 00:09:29.019 --> 00:09:31.039 Is there some foundation for justice? 00:09:31.379 --> 00:09:32.139 Here's what he says. 00:09:32.139 --> 00:09:38.259 In a universe of electrons and selfish genes, blind physical forces and genetic replication, 00:09:38.759 --> 00:09:42.139 some people are going to get hurt, other people are just going to get lucky, 00:09:42.379 --> 00:09:46.199 and you won't find any rhyme or reason in it or any justice. 00:09:47.059 --> 00:09:48.059 No justice. 00:09:48.480 --> 00:09:51.620 There's no foundation for justice if the world is an accident. 00:09:52.580 --> 00:09:54.259 So the stakes are pretty high. 00:09:54.259 --> 00:10:02.039 Either you believe in creation, and therefore you accept the idea that God is going to one day come back and judge. 00:10:02.379 --> 00:10:06.720 He's going to evaluate and cleanse and renew His world. 00:10:07.759 --> 00:10:12.419 Or you reject the idea of creation, but you also have to reject judgment, 00:10:12.639 --> 00:10:17.879 and you have to reject with that the sense that there is any meaning to the world, 00:10:17.960 --> 00:10:20.319 that there is any meaning to life. 00:10:20.360 --> 00:10:22.799 You have to reject any sense of right and wrong. 00:10:22.799 --> 00:10:27.199 And by the way, if you reject creation and you reject judgment, 00:10:27.339 --> 00:10:29.120 and you believe that all of this is just an accident, 00:10:30.139 --> 00:10:35.899 then you have no grounds on which to say that something like racism is wrong, 00:10:36.419 --> 00:10:40.659 or to say that sexual assault and violence is wrong, 00:10:40.719 --> 00:10:42.519 or to say that genocide is wrong. 00:10:42.539 --> 00:10:44.059 You have no ground to say that. 00:10:45.659 --> 00:10:50.679 In fact, if there is no creation and no judgment, 00:10:50.679 --> 00:10:53.419 then those things would actually make sense. 00:10:54.079 --> 00:10:56.979 Because if you understand what Richard Dawkins is saying, 00:10:57.279 --> 00:10:58.359 here's what he's saying. 00:10:58.759 --> 00:11:01.959 He's saying if you believe that humans are a cosmic accident, 00:11:02.419 --> 00:11:05.159 that they're merely the product of selfish genes, 00:11:05.579 --> 00:11:10.439 then the only ethic that makes sense is the ethic of the survival of the fittest. 00:11:10.440 --> 00:11:19.320 It's an ethic built around the idea that the purpose of life is to pass on our genetic code. 00:11:19.880 --> 00:11:23.560 What that means is the strong should trample the weak. 00:11:24.160 --> 00:11:26.700 The powerful should trample the powerless. 00:11:27.700 --> 00:11:27.800 Right? 00:11:27.980 --> 00:11:32.040 Those who have power and those who have strength should pass on their DNA, 00:11:32.320 --> 00:11:33.680 and they should crush the weak. 00:11:33.940 --> 00:11:36.380 They don't deserve to survive to future generations. 00:11:36.700 --> 00:11:38.340 That's what that ethic would say. 00:11:38.340 --> 00:11:41.399 So to sum all of this up, 00:11:41.500 --> 00:11:43.639 if you say that judgment is a myth, 00:11:44.379 --> 00:11:47.899 then you also have to say that justice is a myth. 00:11:48.120 --> 00:11:50.360 You can't have one without the other. 00:11:51.040 --> 00:11:54.399 So this is the first reason that the idea of judgment matters. 00:11:54.720 --> 00:11:56.879 It shows us that justice is real. 00:11:57.280 --> 00:11:59.139 It shows us that life has meaning. 00:11:59.519 --> 00:12:02.900 It shows us that ultimately there is a right and there is a wrong, 00:12:03.240 --> 00:12:06.000 even if we're not sure exactly where that line is drawn. 00:12:06.000 --> 00:12:08.759 So that's the first point we want to make. 00:12:10.399 --> 00:12:17.039 The second reason that the final judgment matters so much is that it enables us to face injustice. 00:12:17.820 --> 00:12:19.440 It enables us to face injustice. 00:12:20.559 --> 00:12:24.240 I don't have to spend a lot of time making the case to you that the world is full of atrocities. 00:12:24.500 --> 00:12:27.100 Many of you work in very challenging environments. 00:12:27.100 --> 00:12:31.200 We're trying to deal with some of the hardest issues in the world. 00:12:31.200 --> 00:12:34.920 And all you have to do is go online at any time. 00:12:35.040 --> 00:12:36.720 Just pull out your phone and look at the news. 00:12:36.820 --> 00:12:40.060 And every day, horrible, unimaginable atrocities are occurring. 00:12:41.200 --> 00:12:43.620 You know, we have core groups at Advent. 00:12:43.820 --> 00:12:46.500 And one of the core groups this semester is really exciting. 00:12:46.640 --> 00:12:49.800 It's a core group focused on race and the gospel. 00:12:49.799 --> 00:12:57.379 And it's about 20 or so very thoughtful men and women who are really wanting to dig into asking questions 00:12:57.379 --> 00:13:01.819 about what it means as a Christian to engage issues of race and discrimination, 00:13:01.819 --> 00:13:04.539 not only at a personal level but also at a systemic level. 00:13:05.120 --> 00:13:09.819 And I had a great opportunity to visit this group this past week and just to sit and listen. 00:13:10.240 --> 00:13:17.839 And a lot of the discussion focused on our willingness and our openness to owning all of the ways that we're complicit. 00:13:17.840 --> 00:13:23.060 And I have to tell you, that conversation was very overwhelming. 00:13:23.480 --> 00:13:28.200 And when you begin to really dig into all of the historic systemic racism 00:13:28.200 --> 00:13:32.920 and all of the lack of equality that has resulted from that, all of the injustice, 00:13:33.220 --> 00:13:34.399 it can overwhelm you. 00:13:34.680 --> 00:13:35.800 It can lead you to despair. 00:13:37.360 --> 00:13:37.780 Right? 00:13:37.840 --> 00:13:41.700 And so when you look at injustice, there are really two camps. 00:13:42.400 --> 00:13:46.300 There are two ways that people respond when they start to kind of get overwhelmed 00:13:46.299 --> 00:13:49.319 by all of the issues that are out there that really need to be addressed. 00:13:50.500 --> 00:13:52.559 And you can really group them into two categories. 00:13:53.279 --> 00:13:55.779 There are those who burn out and those who check out. 00:13:56.819 --> 00:13:57.179 Right? 00:13:57.259 --> 00:14:01.299 Okay, so the burnouts, these are people that don't start burned out. 00:14:01.439 --> 00:14:03.139 They start very passionately. 00:14:04.079 --> 00:14:06.559 These are the people that look at the injustice in the world and they say, 00:14:06.779 --> 00:14:09.139 I'm going to devote my life to ending these problems. 00:14:09.259 --> 00:14:11.319 I'm going to devote my life to making the world a better place. 00:14:11.379 --> 00:14:12.259 I'm going to make a difference. 00:14:12.259 --> 00:14:15.220 And normally when they're young, they're full of passion. 00:14:16.059 --> 00:14:19.460 They move to a place either overseas or a place like D.C. 00:14:19.460 --> 00:14:24.460 where they can get involved and roll up their sleeves and plunge in and start to really make an impact. 00:14:25.299 --> 00:14:26.919 And they've got passion. 00:14:27.019 --> 00:14:27.559 They've got energy. 00:14:27.659 --> 00:14:28.480 They've got drive. 00:14:29.039 --> 00:14:31.740 They'll do just about anything because they want to make a difference. 00:14:31.799 --> 00:14:32.720 And they want to end the injustice. 00:14:32.860 --> 00:14:33.960 And it's amazing to see. 00:14:34.279 --> 00:14:34.379 Right? 00:14:34.500 --> 00:14:38.700 Maybe a little self-righteousness about people who aren't as enlightened or engaged. 00:14:38.700 --> 00:14:42.280 It's all kind of mixed in there, but there's a genuine desire to make an impact. 00:14:43.080 --> 00:14:48.160 And then you check back in with those people three, five, seven, ten years down the road. 00:14:48.300 --> 00:14:54.680 And often what you see is that disillusionment and cynicism have really begun to set in. 00:14:55.340 --> 00:14:55.780 Right? 00:14:55.900 --> 00:14:59.740 Because you begin to realize that the issues are just too complex. 00:15:00.240 --> 00:15:04.020 And the bureaucracy is too thick and too vast. 00:15:04.600 --> 00:15:06.960 And change is often way too slow. 00:15:06.960 --> 00:15:11.019 And so over time you get more and more disillusioned, more and more cynical. 00:15:11.340 --> 00:15:12.800 And a lot of people eventually burn out. 00:15:13.120 --> 00:15:16.200 They just become so hardened and so calloused that they burn out. 00:15:16.240 --> 00:15:17.340 A lot of people change fields. 00:15:18.879 --> 00:15:22.480 Which leads us to the second category, those who check out. 00:15:23.340 --> 00:15:23.580 Right? 00:15:23.680 --> 00:15:26.480 And maybe people in their 20s get on the path to burnout. 00:15:26.600 --> 00:15:31.900 And then maybe eventually they check out as a mode of survival by the time they get to their mid to late 30s. 00:15:31.899 --> 00:15:38.919 But the check out approach to injustice is just to build an insulated life where you don't have to think about it. 00:15:39.699 --> 00:15:40.019 Right? 00:15:40.100 --> 00:15:46.899 It's people who move to a nice part of the country and they, you know, nice schools and lots of parking and safe neighborhoods. 00:15:47.139 --> 00:15:54.720 And they begin to build a life where the topic of injustice really only comes up if they go to church or at dinner parties. 00:15:54.720 --> 00:15:58.960 But it's not really something that's in your day-to-day awareness outside of that. 00:15:59.180 --> 00:15:59.379 Right? 00:15:59.680 --> 00:16:01.440 And these are really the only two options. 00:16:01.519 --> 00:16:05.820 Either you plunge in and do what you can, but often that leads to tremendous disillusionment. 00:16:06.259 --> 00:16:12.779 Or you just check out and just try to make your life the best it can be and hope other people out there solve those problems. 00:16:12.779 --> 00:16:15.679 And both are problematic. 00:16:15.959 --> 00:16:18.519 Both are fraught with issues. 00:16:19.220 --> 00:16:22.980 And this is another reason why the doctrine of final judgment matters so much. 00:16:23.039 --> 00:16:29.759 Because it offers a corrective to both approaches and it actually offers us a third way to think about injustice. 00:16:30.879 --> 00:16:38.519 Because on the one hand, to all the activists who are out there, who are plunged in with their sleeves rolled up, who are on the road to burnout, 00:16:39.000 --> 00:16:41.699 the doctrine of the final judgment says this. 00:16:42.779 --> 00:16:45.459 God is the only one who can fix these problems. 00:16:46.500 --> 00:16:50.279 God is the only one who can bring justice the way the world needs. 00:16:50.639 --> 00:16:52.779 He's the only one who can deal with the complexity. 00:16:53.720 --> 00:16:57.319 God is the only one who can save the world, which means we can't save it. 00:16:58.439 --> 00:16:59.519 We're not the saviors. 00:17:00.639 --> 00:17:04.220 Only God who can ultimately bring justice and righteousness. 00:17:04.440 --> 00:17:06.039 Verse 13 is tremendous. 00:17:06.039 --> 00:17:08.639 This passage ends with verse 13. 00:17:08.640 --> 00:17:16.140 But according to his promise, we are waiting for a new heavens and a new earth in which righteousness dwells. 00:17:16.140 --> 00:17:22.720 The great promise of Scripture is that one day God is going to so thoroughly renew the heavens and the earth, 00:17:24.300 --> 00:17:28.900 cleanse it from all injustice, unrighteousness, wickedness, sin. 00:17:29.080 --> 00:17:34.640 He's going to so perfectly restore it that it will not just be a place that is better, 00:17:35.740 --> 00:17:39.360 but it will actually be the place where righteousness dwells. 00:17:39.359 --> 00:17:45.079 Everything there, every being, every atom will be perfectly right with God, 00:17:45.219 --> 00:17:46.639 fully and completely restored. 00:17:46.939 --> 00:17:49.659 And our job ultimately is to wait. 00:17:50.059 --> 00:17:51.439 I have a laser pointer. 00:17:51.579 --> 00:17:55.799 Is to wait for the new heavens and the new earth. 00:17:56.439 --> 00:17:56.819 Right? 00:17:57.240 --> 00:17:59.779 So for people who are plunged in there and I've got to fix this, 00:17:59.839 --> 00:18:01.179 I've got to solve it, I've got to make a difference. 00:18:01.180 --> 00:18:08.000 No, ultimately our role as human beings is to wait for God to do what human beings cannot do. 00:18:09.400 --> 00:18:12.660 So to all the activists out there, we cannot save the world. 00:18:12.779 --> 00:18:15.620 We're waiting for God to save and restore it. 00:18:16.100 --> 00:18:21.200 But on the other hand, does that mean that we all move somewhere nice and get a comfortable job 00:18:21.200 --> 00:18:23.279 and don't think about this anymore and say, well, God will take care of it? 00:18:23.560 --> 00:18:24.420 Absolutely not. 00:18:24.759 --> 00:18:27.640 On the other hand, to all those people who are checked out, 00:18:27.640 --> 00:18:32.740 the final judgment shows us that God cares about justice 00:18:32.740 --> 00:18:36.560 and He calls His people to care about justice as well. 00:18:37.300 --> 00:18:38.800 If you go back to verse 10, 00:18:40.259 --> 00:18:41.980 But the day of the Lord will come like a thief, 00:18:42.520 --> 00:18:44.560 and then the heavens will pass away with a roar, 00:18:45.000 --> 00:18:47.820 and the heavenly bodies will be burned up and dissolved. 00:18:47.960 --> 00:18:50.880 All of this language of fire and burning up and destruction, 00:18:51.300 --> 00:18:52.759 if you're writing in the ancient world, 00:18:52.940 --> 00:18:55.740 you're trying to use metaphorical imagery 00:18:55.740 --> 00:18:59.779 that conveys the level of disaster that judgment brings. 00:18:59.880 --> 00:19:04.120 And so a fiery, disastrous image is going to accomplish that. 00:19:04.220 --> 00:19:07.759 But what we need to do is to get away from all of the fire imagery, 00:19:07.759 --> 00:19:09.460 which is more metaphor than anything, 00:19:09.880 --> 00:19:11.700 and we need to focus on this key word. 00:19:12.519 --> 00:19:15.819 And the earth and the works that are done on it will be exposed. 00:19:17.019 --> 00:19:19.539 This is the essence of what judgment is. 00:19:19.539 --> 00:19:23.079 Everything will finally be exposed. 00:19:23.379 --> 00:19:26.279 It will be revealed for what it truly is. 00:19:27.500 --> 00:19:31.359 And I think that chilling parable in Matthew 25, 00:19:31.720 --> 00:19:34.399 where Jesus talks about all these people are brought in, 00:19:34.799 --> 00:19:36.420 and all these people look alike. 00:19:36.680 --> 00:19:37.920 They're all amazing people. 00:19:38.019 --> 00:19:39.420 They all have similar values. 00:19:39.619 --> 00:19:41.799 They've all done similarly good things in the world. 00:19:42.079 --> 00:19:43.399 They've all tried their best. 00:19:43.500 --> 00:19:46.039 They're all, you know, top 20% good people. 00:19:46.139 --> 00:19:48.399 They're all, you know, just kind of cream of the crop. 00:19:48.400 --> 00:19:49.240 They're all great. 00:19:49.420 --> 00:19:52.220 They're all, all these people, they all look alike, right? 00:19:52.259 --> 00:19:53.440 There's no way to tell them apart. 00:19:54.040 --> 00:19:56.480 And then all of a sudden they're separated into two groups. 00:19:56.720 --> 00:19:57.000 Why? 00:19:58.000 --> 00:20:00.120 Well, they're being exposed. 00:20:01.120 --> 00:20:03.240 The truth of who they are is being revealed. 00:20:03.320 --> 00:20:05.800 The things that human beings can't see, but God can see, 00:20:06.160 --> 00:20:08.840 that is being made known, right? 00:20:08.920 --> 00:20:10.780 And that parable is all about what? 00:20:11.220 --> 00:20:13.259 It's all about the fact that there is an intimate connection 00:20:13.259 --> 00:20:15.160 between the way we treat other people, 00:20:15.160 --> 00:20:18.340 especially the poor, the vulnerable, the oppressed, 00:20:18.560 --> 00:20:19.960 and the way we treat God himself. 00:20:21.200 --> 00:20:23.759 Whatever you did unto the least of these, you did unto me. 00:20:24.460 --> 00:20:26.960 Whatever you did not do unto the least of these, 00:20:27.019 --> 00:20:28.180 you did not do to me. 00:20:28.720 --> 00:20:29.140 Right? 00:20:29.180 --> 00:20:29.860 It's very chilling. 00:20:30.080 --> 00:20:32.259 I mean, you cannot read that parable in Matthew 25 00:20:32.259 --> 00:20:33.740 without getting goosebumps. 00:20:34.940 --> 00:20:35.740 Very chilling. 00:20:36.460 --> 00:20:38.060 This exposing of the reality. 00:20:38.059 --> 00:20:38.539 Right? 00:20:39.500 --> 00:20:43.339 So there's an intimate connection between people's treatment of 00:20:43.339 --> 00:20:47.720 primarily what is addressed here is issues of injustice. 00:20:49.179 --> 00:20:53.119 What it makes very clear is that God profoundly cares 00:20:53.119 --> 00:20:54.919 for the vulnerable and the oppressed, 00:20:55.079 --> 00:20:57.940 and he calls us to care for those people as well. 00:20:58.220 --> 00:21:00.399 And so to all the Christians who check out, 00:21:01.319 --> 00:21:04.079 this makes it clear that we cannot profess to love God 00:21:04.079 --> 00:21:08.179 without also loving and caring for the people that God loves. 00:21:09.240 --> 00:21:12.799 So it offers a corrective to both people who are on the road to burnout 00:21:12.799 --> 00:21:15.179 and people who are on the road to checking out. 00:21:16.480 --> 00:21:18.519 So how do we summarize all of that 00:21:18.519 --> 00:21:22.539 in maybe a pithy or helpful or memorable way before we move on? 00:21:22.759 --> 00:21:25.480 Well, there's this saying that gets passed around, 00:21:25.579 --> 00:21:27.480 and sometimes it's attributed to Ignatius 00:21:27.480 --> 00:21:28.720 and sometimes to Augustine 00:21:28.720 --> 00:21:31.539 and probably to C.S. Lewis and G.K. Chesterton as well. 00:21:31.879 --> 00:21:33.319 I'm not sure who originally said it, 00:21:33.319 --> 00:21:36.299 but somebody wise said it back in the day, 00:21:36.700 --> 00:21:38.359 and it's a saying that goes like this, 00:21:38.799 --> 00:21:42.200 that we should pray like everything depends on God 00:21:42.200 --> 00:21:44.179 and work like everything depends on us. 00:21:44.899 --> 00:21:46.480 And I like that saying, 00:21:46.599 --> 00:21:48.079 but the more I thought about that, 00:21:48.119 --> 00:21:51.200 the more I actually realized that as I reflect on this passage, 00:21:51.559 --> 00:21:53.539 I think it actually should be reversed. 00:21:54.359 --> 00:21:56.359 I think that it would be better to say, 00:21:56.599 --> 00:21:59.240 how do we engage issues of injustice? 00:21:59.379 --> 00:22:01.960 How do we respond to all the wrong in the world? 00:22:01.960 --> 00:22:05.140 Well, we should pray like everything depends on us 00:22:05.140 --> 00:22:07.720 and work like everything depends on God. 00:22:08.340 --> 00:22:09.440 By that I mean this, 00:22:09.799 --> 00:22:11.100 that when we pray, 00:22:11.620 --> 00:22:13.819 we need to pray with a sense of urgency, 00:22:14.440 --> 00:22:15.880 a sense of desperation, 00:22:16.600 --> 00:22:19.539 a sense that as we look at all of the atrocities of the world 00:22:19.539 --> 00:22:20.860 and all the evil that's going on, 00:22:21.019 --> 00:22:23.420 we need to pray as though all of that, 00:22:23.680 --> 00:22:25.620 all of the issues in the world, 00:22:25.740 --> 00:22:27.079 that for God to intervene 00:22:27.079 --> 00:22:29.059 and to bring restoration and renewal, 00:22:29.339 --> 00:22:32.599 that that all hinges on me being willing to stop what I'm doing 00:22:32.599 --> 00:22:34.639 and fall to my knees and cry out, 00:22:34.899 --> 00:22:35.639 come Lord Jesus. 00:22:36.539 --> 00:22:39.960 That that should be the kind of prayer that we pray as God's church, 00:22:40.119 --> 00:22:41.960 a sense of urgency and excitement 00:22:41.960 --> 00:22:44.199 and anticipation about what God's going to do. 00:22:45.139 --> 00:22:46.919 That should be the tone of our prayer. 00:22:47.919 --> 00:22:48.059 Right? 00:22:48.099 --> 00:22:48.500 And by the way, 00:22:48.539 --> 00:22:50.960 we have a fantastic prayer to pray just that. 00:22:51.179 --> 00:22:51.819 You know what it is? 00:22:51.819 --> 00:22:52.799 The Lord's Prayer. 00:22:53.240 --> 00:22:55.419 The Lord's Prayer is all about this. 00:22:55.519 --> 00:22:57.159 It's all about praying for the hastening 00:22:57.159 --> 00:22:59.159 of the day of the Lord. 00:23:00.119 --> 00:23:01.319 Our Father who art in heaven, 00:23:01.439 --> 00:23:02.399 hallowed be thy name. 00:23:03.359 --> 00:23:04.460 Thy kingdom come. 00:23:04.879 --> 00:23:07.079 Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven. 00:23:07.500 --> 00:23:09.859 That's the best prayer you can pray in the face of injustice. 00:23:10.839 --> 00:23:12.200 Thy will be done here. 00:23:12.819 --> 00:23:13.159 Right? 00:23:14.099 --> 00:23:14.960 Right here. 00:23:15.819 --> 00:23:17.200 Come, fix this. 00:23:17.839 --> 00:23:19.659 That should be the tone of our prayer. 00:23:19.660 --> 00:23:22.340 Pray like it all depends on us. 00:23:23.060 --> 00:23:24.420 And then once we've prayed, 00:23:24.700 --> 00:23:27.140 we get up off our knees and we get to work. 00:23:27.840 --> 00:23:29.960 But we work like it all depends on God. 00:23:30.640 --> 00:23:32.820 We don't work with that sense of futility, 00:23:33.460 --> 00:23:34.460 a sense of frustration. 00:23:34.980 --> 00:23:37.000 We don't look around at this massive NGO 00:23:37.000 --> 00:23:39.279 that we're a part of and wonder how millions 00:23:39.279 --> 00:23:41.180 and millions and millions of government money 00:23:41.180 --> 00:23:42.920 can just get chewed up 00:23:42.920 --> 00:23:44.980 and that we have no measurable outcome 00:23:44.980 --> 00:23:47.019 to tell us that we're doing anything at all 00:23:47.019 --> 00:23:48.200 or making any difference. 00:23:49.259 --> 00:23:49.400 Right? 00:23:49.400 --> 00:23:50.680 Because it's not about that. 00:23:50.820 --> 00:23:52.000 Because we realize that ultimately 00:23:52.000 --> 00:23:53.160 it all depends on God. 00:23:53.240 --> 00:23:55.280 That God is the one who's going to fix these issues. 00:23:55.620 --> 00:23:56.460 And why am I here? 00:23:57.140 --> 00:23:58.420 Not because I'm a savior. 00:23:59.380 --> 00:24:02.060 I'm here because I want to care about the people 00:24:02.060 --> 00:24:03.660 and the issues that God cares about. 00:24:03.880 --> 00:24:04.759 That's why I'm here. 00:24:05.480 --> 00:24:07.660 But it ultimately all depends on Him, not me. 00:24:08.600 --> 00:24:10.300 So we pray like it all depends on us, 00:24:10.360 --> 00:24:12.580 but we work knowing that it all depends on God. 00:24:12.720 --> 00:24:13.700 So you can have passion, 00:24:14.040 --> 00:24:14.800 you can have energy, 00:24:14.920 --> 00:24:15.400 but you know what? 00:24:15.420 --> 00:24:16.600 You can also be lighthearted. 00:24:16.599 --> 00:24:18.159 You can have joy. 00:24:18.879 --> 00:24:20.139 You can fail. 00:24:20.819 --> 00:24:22.959 You can face overwhelming inefficiency. 00:24:23.959 --> 00:24:25.000 And it's okay. 00:24:25.119 --> 00:24:26.079 It doesn't have to burn you out. 00:24:26.559 --> 00:24:28.039 It didn't depend on you anyway. 00:24:28.039 --> 00:24:31.599 So this is the second reason 00:24:31.599 --> 00:24:33.480 that the final judgment matters so much. 00:24:33.519 --> 00:24:34.500 It gives us a way, 00:24:34.599 --> 00:24:37.420 a vision for meaningfully engaging 00:24:37.420 --> 00:24:40.720 and facing all of the injustice in the world. 00:24:41.819 --> 00:24:43.539 And then the third and the final reason 00:24:43.539 --> 00:24:46.839 that this doctrine of final judgment matters so much, 00:24:46.899 --> 00:24:48.779 the reason that it should be very important to us, 00:24:49.119 --> 00:24:51.259 is that it shows us that God's love 00:24:51.259 --> 00:24:52.680 is His justice. 00:24:52.680 --> 00:24:55.620 That God's love is His justice. 00:24:56.140 --> 00:24:57.600 This is a point worth making 00:24:57.600 --> 00:24:58.500 because in our culture, 00:24:59.180 --> 00:25:00.120 modern thinking, 00:25:00.720 --> 00:25:02.660 I think most people see love and justice 00:25:02.660 --> 00:25:04.580 on opposite ends of the spectrum, 00:25:04.680 --> 00:25:05.039 don't they? 00:25:05.759 --> 00:25:07.380 I mean, at least in the conversations that I have, 00:25:08.380 --> 00:25:08.880 people say, 00:25:09.019 --> 00:25:09.140 well, 00:25:10.480 --> 00:25:10.700 well, 00:25:10.799 --> 00:25:12.320 love means not judging. 00:25:13.860 --> 00:25:13.960 Right? 00:25:14.019 --> 00:25:15.259 Love means not judging. 00:25:15.380 --> 00:25:16.120 Love and judgment, 00:25:16.799 --> 00:25:17.140 no, no, no. 00:25:17.200 --> 00:25:18.299 They're opposite ends of the spectrum. 00:25:19.019 --> 00:25:19.460 Right? 00:25:19.460 --> 00:25:20.640 And so people will say, 00:25:20.900 --> 00:25:20.920 well, 00:25:21.500 --> 00:25:22.240 or religious, 00:25:22.480 --> 00:25:22.720 will say, 00:25:22.799 --> 00:25:22.880 well, 00:25:22.940 --> 00:25:25.160 I believe in a God of love. 00:25:25.920 --> 00:25:28.039 I don't like that Old Testament God 00:25:28.039 --> 00:25:29.420 with all of the fire and the judgment, 00:25:29.539 --> 00:25:30.340 the God who's angry 00:25:30.340 --> 00:25:31.880 and brings plagues and all of that. 00:25:32.120 --> 00:25:33.160 I don't like that God. 00:25:33.200 --> 00:25:34.059 I like the new God. 00:25:34.140 --> 00:25:35.980 I like the God of love. 00:25:36.279 --> 00:25:39.420 I believe in a God who doesn't judge me, 00:25:40.819 --> 00:25:41.720 who doesn't judge anybody. 00:25:42.059 --> 00:25:43.779 I believe in a God who loves me 00:25:43.779 --> 00:25:44.640 and accepts me 00:25:44.640 --> 00:25:45.440 and affirms me 00:25:45.440 --> 00:25:46.519 and embraces me as I am. 00:25:46.600 --> 00:25:47.779 That's a loving God. 00:25:47.779 --> 00:25:48.099 God. 00:25:48.399 --> 00:25:50.000 So this is what most people would say. 00:25:51.119 --> 00:25:51.899 But I would say, 00:25:51.980 --> 00:25:52.059 well, 00:25:52.099 --> 00:25:52.700 that's interesting. 00:25:52.879 --> 00:25:55.000 If you look at all of the injustice in the world, 00:25:55.740 --> 00:25:58.059 all the things that we've just been focusing on, 00:25:58.720 --> 00:26:00.299 and then you imagine a God 00:26:00.299 --> 00:26:01.879 who created the world, 00:26:02.019 --> 00:26:02.819 set everything up, 00:26:03.920 --> 00:26:06.019 and then a God who then just sits back 00:26:06.019 --> 00:26:09.119 as all of these atrocities begin to unfold, 00:26:09.920 --> 00:26:11.480 and imagine a God just sitting there 00:26:11.480 --> 00:26:13.279 watching all of this horrible stuff happen 00:26:13.279 --> 00:26:14.139 and doing nothing. 00:26:15.000 --> 00:26:15.399 And just saying, 00:26:15.399 --> 00:26:15.639 well, 00:26:15.779 --> 00:26:16.039 you know, 00:26:16.079 --> 00:26:17.519 I hope they figure that out. 00:26:17.779 --> 00:26:19.480 That must be really hard for them. 00:26:20.779 --> 00:26:22.680 Why would you worship a God like that? 00:26:23.559 --> 00:26:25.660 What kind of God is that? 00:26:26.279 --> 00:26:26.460 You know? 00:26:27.180 --> 00:26:29.759 A God who is like that 00:26:29.759 --> 00:26:31.180 is not a God of love, 00:26:31.359 --> 00:26:31.960 is it? 00:26:32.920 --> 00:26:33.240 I mean, 00:26:33.319 --> 00:26:35.139 that's a God of apathy at best. 00:26:35.859 --> 00:26:36.000 You know, 00:26:36.039 --> 00:26:37.879 you're talking about a divine sociopath 00:26:37.879 --> 00:26:39.119 at that point. 00:26:40.399 --> 00:26:41.960 But that is not a God of love, 00:26:41.980 --> 00:26:43.079 and it's certainly not a God 00:26:43.079 --> 00:26:45.460 that we should waste any time worshiping. 00:26:46.160 --> 00:26:46.319 Right? 00:26:46.360 --> 00:26:47.200 A God who would just kind of 00:26:47.200 --> 00:26:48.220 let all that unfold 00:26:48.220 --> 00:26:48.600 and just say, 00:26:48.660 --> 00:26:48.840 well, 00:26:48.880 --> 00:26:49.600 I hope they kind of 00:26:49.600 --> 00:26:50.640 take his hands off the wheel 00:26:50.640 --> 00:26:52.000 and just kind of let everything play out. 00:26:52.460 --> 00:26:53.079 With the kind of stuff 00:26:53.079 --> 00:26:53.960 that's going on in our world, 00:26:54.059 --> 00:26:55.100 absolutely not. 00:26:55.240 --> 00:26:56.480 Don't waste your time without God. 00:26:56.519 --> 00:26:57.240 It's not worth it. 00:26:58.740 --> 00:27:00.759 So I think what people really mean 00:27:00.759 --> 00:27:01.240 when they say, 00:27:01.380 --> 00:27:02.200 I believe in a God 00:27:02.200 --> 00:27:04.059 who loves and accepts people, 00:27:04.120 --> 00:27:05.600 is what they really mean is, 00:27:05.680 --> 00:27:06.380 I believe in a God 00:27:06.380 --> 00:27:07.579 who loves and accepts me. 00:27:08.500 --> 00:27:10.319 It's okay if God judges 00:27:10.319 --> 00:27:11.579 the really bad people. 00:27:12.179 --> 00:27:12.359 You know, 00:27:12.439 --> 00:27:13.659 as long as he doesn't, 00:27:13.659 --> 00:27:14.839 he shouldn't judge me, 00:27:15.179 --> 00:27:15.859 little old me. 00:27:16.699 --> 00:27:18.220 I'm pretty much a good person, 00:27:18.299 --> 00:27:18.480 right? 00:27:18.539 --> 00:27:19.659 I pretty much do the right thing. 00:27:19.720 --> 00:27:20.759 I care about these things. 00:27:21.099 --> 00:27:21.960 God wouldn't judge me. 00:27:22.220 --> 00:27:23.399 So if God's a God of love, 00:27:23.480 --> 00:27:24.299 he wouldn't judge me. 00:27:24.399 --> 00:27:25.399 But yeah, 00:27:25.480 --> 00:27:27.259 certainly there are really bad people out there. 00:27:27.480 --> 00:27:27.779 You know, 00:27:27.859 --> 00:27:29.259 and God should judge those people. 00:27:29.720 --> 00:27:30.279 And if you get in, 00:27:30.500 --> 00:27:31.639 you start to push in, 00:27:31.679 --> 00:27:32.319 you begin to realize 00:27:32.319 --> 00:27:33.659 there's a lot of inconsistency 00:27:33.659 --> 00:27:34.619 in the way people think. 00:27:35.019 --> 00:27:36.079 But I think one thing 00:27:36.079 --> 00:27:36.679 that we need to see 00:27:36.679 --> 00:27:37.699 is that under all of this, 00:27:37.919 --> 00:27:39.379 human beings are hardwired 00:27:39.379 --> 00:27:41.939 to think in terms of good and bad. 00:27:42.779 --> 00:27:44.019 We're just hardwired. 00:27:44.839 --> 00:27:45.319 You know, 00:27:45.339 --> 00:27:46.939 and even with all of the shows 00:27:46.939 --> 00:27:48.199 and all of the film 00:27:48.199 --> 00:27:49.579 and TV coming out 00:27:49.579 --> 00:27:50.959 that presents morally 00:27:50.959 --> 00:27:52.219 ambiguous characters 00:27:52.219 --> 00:27:52.959 and situations, 00:27:53.259 --> 00:27:53.399 you know, 00:27:53.439 --> 00:27:53.919 sort of, 00:27:53.919 --> 00:27:54.139 you know, 00:27:54.219 --> 00:27:55.759 Walter White from Breaking Bad, 00:27:55.859 --> 00:27:56.639 the kind of morally, 00:27:57.119 --> 00:27:57.379 you know, 00:27:57.419 --> 00:27:58.439 kind of the anti-hero, 00:27:58.799 --> 00:27:59.039 you know, 00:27:59.299 --> 00:28:00.359 even with all of that, 00:28:00.419 --> 00:28:01.179 people under that 00:28:01.179 --> 00:28:02.059 are still hardwired 00:28:02.059 --> 00:28:03.339 to think in terms of good and bad. 00:28:03.339 --> 00:28:04.919 There are good people 00:28:04.919 --> 00:28:05.599 that are bad people. 00:28:06.480 --> 00:28:07.859 And I think for that reason, 00:28:07.939 --> 00:28:08.779 if you look at all of the 00:28:08.779 --> 00:28:10.359 man-made religions of the world, 00:28:11.159 --> 00:28:12.079 they all essentially 00:28:12.079 --> 00:28:13.639 revolve around the same framework. 00:28:14.579 --> 00:28:15.720 That at the end of the day, 00:28:15.859 --> 00:28:16.699 there are good people 00:28:16.699 --> 00:28:18.119 and there are bad people. 00:28:18.639 --> 00:28:19.980 And the good people get rewarded 00:28:19.980 --> 00:28:21.359 and the bad people 00:28:21.359 --> 00:28:22.579 get judged and punished. 00:28:24.019 --> 00:28:25.359 Pretty much every religion 00:28:25.359 --> 00:28:26.179 says that. 00:28:27.559 --> 00:28:28.980 The gospel says something 00:28:28.980 --> 00:28:29.939 completely different. 00:28:29.940 --> 00:28:32.180 In 2 Peter, 00:28:32.420 --> 00:28:33.640 people are complaining 00:28:33.640 --> 00:28:35.519 because it's taken so long 00:28:35.519 --> 00:28:36.740 for Jesus to come back. 00:28:37.320 --> 00:28:37.900 And they're beginning 00:28:37.900 --> 00:28:38.860 to ask questions. 00:28:39.340 --> 00:28:40.559 And look what Peter says 00:28:40.559 --> 00:28:41.799 in verse 8. 00:28:43.880 --> 00:28:44.960 Here's his response. 00:28:45.080 --> 00:28:46.519 But do not overlook 00:28:46.519 --> 00:28:47.759 this one fact, beloved, 00:28:48.259 --> 00:28:48.960 that with the Lord 00:28:48.960 --> 00:28:50.600 one day is as a thousand years 00:28:50.600 --> 00:28:51.559 and a thousand years 00:28:51.559 --> 00:28:52.559 is as one day. 00:28:53.320 --> 00:28:54.320 The Lord is not slow 00:28:54.320 --> 00:28:55.320 to fulfill His promise 00:28:55.320 --> 00:28:56.820 as some count slowness, 00:28:57.080 --> 00:28:58.640 but is patient toward you, 00:28:58.640 --> 00:29:00.120 not wishing that any 00:29:00.120 --> 00:29:00.940 should perish, 00:29:01.259 --> 00:29:03.180 but that all should reach repentance. 00:29:03.420 --> 00:29:04.360 I'm going to use this again. 00:29:05.120 --> 00:29:05.640 Repentance. 00:29:06.040 --> 00:29:07.680 Now that's a very important word 00:29:07.680 --> 00:29:08.960 because what is he not saying? 00:29:09.800 --> 00:29:10.980 He's not saying 00:29:10.980 --> 00:29:12.360 God is withholding judgment 00:29:12.360 --> 00:29:13.259 because He's hoping 00:29:13.259 --> 00:29:14.300 that you'll finally 00:29:14.300 --> 00:29:15.160 get your act together. 00:29:16.220 --> 00:29:17.680 God is withholding 00:29:17.680 --> 00:29:18.580 the day of the Lord 00:29:18.580 --> 00:29:19.340 because He's hoping 00:29:19.340 --> 00:29:20.740 that you will pull yourself up 00:29:20.740 --> 00:29:21.600 by your bootstraps. 00:29:22.500 --> 00:29:24.100 God is waiting and hoping 00:29:24.100 --> 00:29:25.140 that finally you'll come 00:29:25.140 --> 00:29:25.600 to your senses 00:29:25.600 --> 00:29:26.640 and you'll come to Him 00:29:26.640 --> 00:29:27.320 and you'll promise 00:29:27.320 --> 00:29:28.340 from here on out 00:29:28.340 --> 00:29:29.480 I'm going to do a better job. 00:29:30.400 --> 00:29:31.920 He's not saying any of that. 00:29:32.620 --> 00:29:33.180 What he says 00:29:33.180 --> 00:29:34.259 is a very different word. 00:29:34.360 --> 00:29:35.340 He says that all 00:29:35.340 --> 00:29:36.300 should reach repentance. 00:29:36.480 --> 00:29:38.020 And the minute we see that word, 00:29:38.240 --> 00:29:39.180 we should recognize 00:29:39.180 --> 00:29:40.360 that we're an entirely 00:29:40.360 --> 00:29:41.259 different framework. 00:29:42.200 --> 00:29:43.240 That no longer 00:29:43.240 --> 00:29:44.040 are we dealing 00:29:44.040 --> 00:29:45.000 with a scale 00:29:45.000 --> 00:29:46.000 or a framework 00:29:46.000 --> 00:29:47.060 that deals in terms 00:29:47.060 --> 00:29:48.240 of good and bad. 00:29:48.300 --> 00:29:49.400 That that's off the table. 00:29:49.640 --> 00:29:50.580 There's an entirely new 00:29:50.580 --> 00:29:51.380 set of parameters 00:29:51.380 --> 00:29:52.480 when we begin to talk 00:29:52.480 --> 00:29:53.060 about repentance. 00:29:53.200 --> 00:29:53.620 In other words, 00:29:53.880 --> 00:29:54.420 the gospel, 00:29:55.080 --> 00:29:55.860 God's way of dealing 00:29:55.859 --> 00:29:56.399 with people 00:29:56.399 --> 00:29:57.839 operates on a completely 00:29:57.839 --> 00:29:59.459 different set of parameters. 00:30:00.279 --> 00:30:01.399 The rules are different. 00:30:01.619 --> 00:30:02.719 It has nothing to do 00:30:02.719 --> 00:30:03.539 with good and bad. 00:30:03.859 --> 00:30:04.299 Nothing. 00:30:04.719 --> 00:30:05.659 The Christian faith, 00:30:06.139 --> 00:30:06.719 the gospel, 00:30:07.500 --> 00:30:08.399 getting saved, 00:30:08.539 --> 00:30:09.899 has nothing to do 00:30:09.899 --> 00:30:10.619 with good and bad. 00:30:11.619 --> 00:30:12.719 The minute you begin 00:30:12.719 --> 00:30:13.740 to put it in that framework, 00:30:14.099 --> 00:30:17.179 you've gone off the rails. 00:30:18.559 --> 00:30:19.639 And we know this 00:30:19.639 --> 00:30:20.639 because of what it says 00:30:20.639 --> 00:30:21.740 here about repentance. 00:30:22.740 --> 00:30:23.699 God wants people 00:30:23.700 --> 00:30:24.400 to repent. 00:30:25.059 --> 00:30:26.000 And here's where we see 00:30:26.000 --> 00:30:27.080 the beauty of the gospel 00:30:27.080 --> 00:30:28.180 and the reason that 00:30:28.180 --> 00:30:29.380 Christianity is unlike 00:30:29.380 --> 00:30:30.440 any other religion. 00:30:30.840 --> 00:30:32.019 Even the other 00:30:32.019 --> 00:30:33.120 Abrahamic religions, 00:30:33.340 --> 00:30:34.019 this is the thing 00:30:34.019 --> 00:30:34.940 that sets it apart. 00:30:35.940 --> 00:30:37.380 The people who survive 00:30:37.380 --> 00:30:38.299 God's judgment 00:30:38.299 --> 00:30:39.299 will not be 00:30:39.299 --> 00:30:40.140 the good people. 00:30:41.740 --> 00:30:42.840 They will not be 00:30:42.840 --> 00:30:43.559 the good people. 00:30:45.039 --> 00:30:46.240 They will be the people 00:30:46.240 --> 00:30:47.240 who came to repentance. 00:30:48.440 --> 00:30:49.340 Because the gospel 00:30:49.340 --> 00:30:50.460 also says that there are 00:30:50.460 --> 00:30:51.740 two kinds of people. 00:30:51.740 --> 00:30:53.920 It says that there are 00:30:53.920 --> 00:30:54.559 people who, 00:30:54.740 --> 00:30:55.460 when they stand 00:30:55.460 --> 00:30:56.940 before the throne of God 00:30:56.940 --> 00:30:58.539 at the day of the Lord, 00:30:59.120 --> 00:31:00.000 that they will stand 00:31:00.000 --> 00:31:00.940 on their own merit. 00:31:02.099 --> 00:31:03.180 Here's all I've done. 00:31:03.740 --> 00:31:04.700 Here's all of the ways 00:31:04.700 --> 00:31:05.299 that I cared. 00:31:05.660 --> 00:31:06.460 Here's all of the ways 00:31:06.460 --> 00:31:07.559 that I poured myself out. 00:31:07.880 --> 00:31:08.940 Here's all of the good 00:31:08.940 --> 00:31:09.740 that I tried to sow 00:31:09.740 --> 00:31:10.240 in the world. 00:31:10.620 --> 00:31:11.440 Here's all of the kindness 00:31:11.440 --> 00:31:12.160 that I tried to sow 00:31:12.160 --> 00:31:12.559 in the world. 00:31:13.240 --> 00:31:14.279 Here's all I got, God. 00:31:15.480 --> 00:31:16.460 There are those kinds 00:31:16.460 --> 00:31:16.880 of people. 00:31:17.220 --> 00:31:18.099 And then there are the people 00:31:18.099 --> 00:31:18.960 who will stand before 00:31:18.960 --> 00:31:19.859 that same throne 00:31:19.859 --> 00:31:20.579 and say, 00:31:20.959 --> 00:31:21.479 I'm not here 00:31:21.479 --> 00:31:22.379 on my own merit. 00:31:22.859 --> 00:31:23.519 I'm not here 00:31:23.519 --> 00:31:24.139 because of anything 00:31:24.139 --> 00:31:24.779 that I've done. 00:31:25.719 --> 00:31:27.099 I'm here purely 00:31:27.099 --> 00:31:27.740 on the basis 00:31:27.740 --> 00:31:28.219 and the merit 00:31:28.219 --> 00:31:28.939 of Jesus Christ. 00:31:29.299 --> 00:31:30.199 That's the only reason 00:31:30.199 --> 00:31:30.639 I'm here. 00:31:31.479 --> 00:31:32.240 The gospel says 00:31:32.240 --> 00:31:32.979 there are two kinds 00:31:32.979 --> 00:31:33.419 of people. 00:31:34.319 --> 00:31:34.799 And the people 00:31:34.799 --> 00:31:35.219 who stand 00:31:35.219 --> 00:31:36.019 in their own merit 00:31:36.019 --> 00:31:37.139 will not see 00:31:37.139 --> 00:31:37.859 the kingdom of heaven. 00:31:38.439 --> 00:31:39.439 It will only be 00:31:39.439 --> 00:31:40.339 the people who stand 00:31:40.339 --> 00:31:41.139 in the foundation 00:31:41.139 --> 00:31:42.039 of Jesus Christ. 00:31:42.459 --> 00:31:43.659 And this is the essence 00:31:43.659 --> 00:31:45.479 of what repentance means. 00:31:45.699 --> 00:31:47.199 Repentance does not mean 00:31:47.199 --> 00:31:48.459 shape up. 00:31:48.460 --> 00:31:50.480 Do better. 00:31:51.460 --> 00:31:52.140 Try harder. 00:31:52.980 --> 00:31:53.840 Pull your life together. 00:31:54.420 --> 00:31:55.180 Start going to church. 00:31:55.240 --> 00:31:55.720 It doesn't mean 00:31:55.720 --> 00:31:56.360 any of that. 00:31:56.980 --> 00:31:57.680 Repentance means 00:31:57.680 --> 00:31:58.519 that you abandon 00:31:58.519 --> 00:32:00.640 your entire project 00:32:00.640 --> 00:32:01.640 of trying to live 00:32:01.640 --> 00:32:02.940 apart from God, 00:32:03.180 --> 00:32:04.700 do good apart from God, 00:32:04.920 --> 00:32:05.620 make a difference 00:32:05.620 --> 00:32:06.440 apart from God. 00:32:06.640 --> 00:32:07.759 You abandon all of that. 00:32:08.579 --> 00:32:09.600 And repentance means 00:32:09.600 --> 00:32:10.799 that you cling 00:32:10.799 --> 00:32:11.279 to the mercy 00:32:11.279 --> 00:32:12.079 of Jesus Christ. 00:32:12.840 --> 00:32:13.620 That you come 00:32:13.620 --> 00:32:14.059 to the Lord 00:32:14.059 --> 00:32:15.240 and you confess to Him, 00:32:15.240 --> 00:32:16.160 I'm giving up 00:32:16.160 --> 00:32:17.180 my entire standard 00:32:17.180 --> 00:32:17.920 of good, bad, 00:32:18.019 --> 00:32:18.539 right, wrong. 00:32:18.620 --> 00:32:19.799 I'm giving all of that up. 00:32:20.160 --> 00:32:21.200 And from here on out, 00:32:21.279 --> 00:32:22.500 I'm clinging to you. 00:32:22.700 --> 00:32:23.799 And I want your identity 00:32:23.799 --> 00:32:24.660 to be my identity. 00:32:25.259 --> 00:32:26.000 I want your grace 00:32:26.000 --> 00:32:26.779 to be my grace. 00:32:27.039 --> 00:32:27.740 I want your merit 00:32:27.740 --> 00:32:28.460 to be my merit. 00:32:29.539 --> 00:32:30.720 I want to be in you. 00:32:31.039 --> 00:32:32.140 I want you to be in me. 00:32:32.819 --> 00:32:34.240 That's what repentance is. 00:32:35.400 --> 00:32:36.000 And so, 00:32:36.140 --> 00:32:37.180 the implications 00:32:37.180 --> 00:32:38.380 of this are profound 00:32:38.380 --> 00:32:39.220 and we need to be reminded 00:32:39.220 --> 00:32:39.799 of this again 00:32:39.799 --> 00:32:40.500 and again and again. 00:32:41.160 --> 00:32:41.920 There are a lot 00:32:41.920 --> 00:32:43.319 of very bad people 00:32:43.319 --> 00:32:44.779 who will see 00:32:44.779 --> 00:32:45.579 the kingdom of God, 00:32:45.659 --> 00:32:46.899 who will be in the new heavens 00:32:46.899 --> 00:32:47.460 and the new earth 00:32:47.460 --> 00:32:48.720 where righteousness dwells. 00:32:50.559 --> 00:32:51.439 They will be there 00:32:51.439 --> 00:32:52.399 precisely because 00:32:52.399 --> 00:32:53.379 they knew that Jesus 00:32:53.379 --> 00:32:54.359 was their only hope. 00:32:55.639 --> 00:32:56.319 And then there are 00:32:56.319 --> 00:32:57.700 a lot of very good people 00:32:57.700 --> 00:32:59.000 who did amazing things 00:32:59.000 --> 00:32:59.539 in the world 00:32:59.539 --> 00:33:00.839 who will not see 00:33:00.839 --> 00:33:01.579 the kingdom of heaven, 00:33:01.659 --> 00:33:02.619 who will not be there 00:33:02.619 --> 00:33:04.519 precisely because 00:33:04.519 --> 00:33:05.859 of their goodness, 00:33:06.919 --> 00:33:07.319 because 00:33:07.319 --> 00:33:09.619 they never really felt 00:33:09.619 --> 00:33:10.500 that they needed 00:33:10.500 --> 00:33:11.220 forgiveness 00:33:11.220 --> 00:33:12.779 when they looked around. 00:33:13.319 --> 00:33:15.599 But if we understand 00:33:15.599 --> 00:33:16.740 how the gospel 00:33:16.740 --> 00:33:18.019 completely changes 00:33:18.019 --> 00:33:19.079 the rules of the game, 00:33:19.679 --> 00:33:20.879 we begin to see 00:33:20.879 --> 00:33:22.179 why Christians believe 00:33:22.179 --> 00:33:23.899 not only in a God of love 00:33:23.899 --> 00:33:26.059 but in a God of justice. 00:33:26.679 --> 00:33:28.299 Because we actually believe 00:33:28.299 --> 00:33:29.799 that love and justice 00:33:29.799 --> 00:33:32.240 converge right here 00:33:32.240 --> 00:33:33.460 on the cross. 00:33:33.980 --> 00:33:35.079 That this is the place 00:33:35.079 --> 00:33:35.779 in all of history 00:33:35.779 --> 00:33:37.179 where you see perfect love 00:33:37.179 --> 00:33:38.659 and perfect justice 00:33:38.659 --> 00:33:40.579 coexist in the same space, 00:33:40.779 --> 00:33:41.659 in the same time, 00:33:41.700 --> 00:33:42.419 in the same moment. 00:33:43.319 --> 00:33:46.059 So for all of these reasons, 00:33:46.159 --> 00:33:46.919 the final judgment 00:33:46.919 --> 00:33:48.859 is extremely important. 00:33:49.700 --> 00:33:50.759 It's important because 00:33:50.759 --> 00:33:51.899 it shows us that justice 00:33:51.899 --> 00:33:52.500 is real, 00:33:52.819 --> 00:33:54.059 that there is meaning 00:33:54.059 --> 00:33:54.779 to this life, 00:33:54.879 --> 00:33:55.919 that there is right and wrong, 00:33:56.099 --> 00:33:56.759 and that one day 00:33:56.759 --> 00:33:57.859 things will be put right. 00:33:58.659 --> 00:34:00.139 It shows us how to face 00:34:00.139 --> 00:34:00.799 injustice, 00:34:01.599 --> 00:34:03.419 not by setting ourselves up 00:34:03.419 --> 00:34:03.919 for burnout, 00:34:04.119 --> 00:34:05.119 not by living a life 00:34:05.119 --> 00:34:06.339 that is checked out, 00:34:06.399 --> 00:34:07.839 but rather by dropping 00:34:07.839 --> 00:34:08.440 to our knees 00:34:08.440 --> 00:34:09.159 and praying like 00:34:09.159 --> 00:34:10.139 it all depends on us, 00:34:10.139 --> 00:34:11.359 and then rolling up 00:34:11.359 --> 00:34:11.940 our sleeves 00:34:11.940 --> 00:34:14.159 and serving where we can, 00:34:14.539 --> 00:34:15.400 but knowing that it all 00:34:15.400 --> 00:34:16.219 depends on God. 00:34:16.940 --> 00:34:17.739 And then finally, 00:34:17.819 --> 00:34:19.239 it shows us that God's love 00:34:19.239 --> 00:34:20.460 is not separate 00:34:20.460 --> 00:34:21.859 from His justice 00:34:21.859 --> 00:34:23.199 or opposed to His justice, 00:34:23.199 --> 00:34:24.299 but actually God's love 00:34:24.299 --> 00:34:25.579 is His justice, 00:34:25.799 --> 00:34:27.219 that the cross is the place 00:34:27.219 --> 00:34:28.539 where love and justice meet. 00:34:29.500 --> 00:34:30.279 So this is why 00:34:30.279 --> 00:34:31.579 the final judgment matters. 00:34:32.119 --> 00:34:33.219 And here's why I think 00:34:33.219 --> 00:34:34.359 Peter wanted to talk about it, 00:34:34.359 --> 00:34:35.139 and here's why I wanted 00:34:35.139 --> 00:34:36.159 to talk about it to you 00:34:36.159 --> 00:34:37.460 with these last hours 00:34:37.460 --> 00:34:38.099 that we have 00:34:38.099 --> 00:34:39.960 before we leave 00:34:39.960 --> 00:34:40.879 for the summer. 00:34:41.460 --> 00:34:42.639 Because unless you know 00:34:42.639 --> 00:34:44.079 the meaning of God's judgment, 00:34:44.239 --> 00:34:46.259 you will never fully grasp 00:34:46.259 --> 00:34:47.759 the depth of God's love. 00:34:48.659 --> 00:34:49.179 Let's pray.