WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:07.379 While we continue our series, it's the second, is it penultimate in the series of significant theological words. 00:00:08.720 --> 00:00:16.780 I've got to tell you that of all of them, this is the one that's kept me awake at night to be thinking about presenting to you. 00:00:18.600 --> 00:00:21.980 Not because judgment is hard to understand. 00:00:23.480 --> 00:00:28.580 God says in his word that he set a time when he would judge the living and the dead. 00:00:28.579 --> 00:00:31.059 Some will go to be with him. 00:00:32.179 --> 00:00:33.479 Many will go to hell. 00:00:34.519 --> 00:00:36.920 Guys, that's not a hard concept to understand. 00:00:38.219 --> 00:00:40.420 But it's a really hard concept to accept. 00:00:41.879 --> 00:00:51.739 It's such a challenging topic that this area of people being judged and potentially going to hell is sometimes called a defeater belief. 00:00:52.679 --> 00:00:55.480 Which means that it's a truth that defeats people. 00:00:55.479 --> 00:01:01.059 For people who aren't Christians, it's often the reason I cannot believe in God. 00:01:01.579 --> 00:01:03.379 I cannot believe in God, they'll say. 00:01:03.959 --> 00:01:06.239 I cannot believe in a God who would send people to hell. 00:01:09.120 --> 00:01:14.459 Judgment is such a heavy issue that it has an effect on us Christians too. 00:01:14.459 --> 00:01:21.619 For us, it's the truth I avoid even though I believe. 00:01:23.379 --> 00:01:28.139 The one we avoid in conversation, the one we avoid even thinking about day to day. 00:01:29.379 --> 00:01:33.879 It's just offensive on so many levels to us from our own personal perspective. 00:01:34.819 --> 00:01:36.839 There's no way to sugarcoat judgment either. 00:01:36.840 --> 00:01:44.240 I don't have any marriage illustrations that are going to make hell sound any more pleasant than it's going to be. 00:01:46.719 --> 00:01:48.980 But we can't sugarcoat it. 00:01:49.159 --> 00:01:49.939 And we shouldn't. 00:01:49.939 --> 00:01:57.259 But even as I say that, what we do need to do is actually look at judgment in its proper context. 00:01:58.099 --> 00:02:09.539 And in its proper context, one of the things that we'll find is this, the way that God actually enacts judgment is actually beautiful in its own right. 00:02:09.539 --> 00:02:18.379 And even before we get to that, there is actually common ground that we have with our friends who aren't yet Christians, even as we discuss judgment. 00:02:18.979 --> 00:02:23.199 For example, we are all, without exception, wired to be like God. 00:02:24.599 --> 00:02:29.180 Genesis 1, verse 26 tells us that we above all other creatures are made in his image. 00:02:29.479 --> 00:02:32.340 So we will find common ground even with things like judgment. 00:02:34.139 --> 00:02:36.120 Justice, for example, is a common ground. 00:02:36.120 --> 00:02:40.500 We share right and wrong as common ground. 00:02:40.680 --> 00:02:46.140 I'd even go so far to say that we share the concept of evil as common ground. 00:02:46.480 --> 00:02:48.480 Maybe we don't define it quite the same way. 00:02:49.480 --> 00:02:54.540 But we hate unfairness, inequity, corruption, bullying, exploitation, abuse. 00:02:55.259 --> 00:02:56.840 We crave justice. 00:02:58.759 --> 00:03:05.300 So much so that if we don't get what we believe justice to be, we'll take it into our own hands. 00:03:06.120 --> 00:03:08.400 What do you think fuels gossip and slander? 00:03:09.400 --> 00:03:16.539 What drives these social media rants that just seem to take over our Facebook and Twitter feeds? 00:03:18.420 --> 00:03:20.759 Our justice can be savage. 00:03:20.759 --> 00:03:27.859 So even as I say there are points of commonality, there are significant points of difference. 00:03:29.399 --> 00:03:37.639 Justice is something that we in this society define in relation to ourselves, not in relation to God. 00:03:37.739 --> 00:03:41.219 Remember what Dave was talking about when he talked about sin in his talk on sin? 00:03:41.579 --> 00:03:41.939 Dave Bott? 00:03:42.219 --> 00:03:44.479 He talked about sin being not letting God be God. 00:03:44.759 --> 00:03:47.939 People don't talk about right and wrong in that sense. 00:03:47.939 --> 00:03:52.800 Justice is something that we define in relation to ourselves. 00:03:53.159 --> 00:03:57.060 And justice is something that we apply to others, not ourselves. 00:04:00.139 --> 00:04:10.860 And yet the beautiful thing about God's justice is that God applies it to himself, not us, should we only trust him. 00:04:10.860 --> 00:04:19.699 So friends, what I want to suggest is for any conversation on the difficult topic of judgment, we need to actually understand two truths. 00:04:19.759 --> 00:04:20.819 And the first one is this. 00:04:21.280 --> 00:04:23.000 Justice is built into who we are. 00:04:24.600 --> 00:04:25.980 We understand right and wrong. 00:04:26.860 --> 00:04:27.939 Like I said, maybe we differ. 00:04:28.139 --> 00:04:32.300 Like, maybe we differ a little bit on the details, but we understand in general terms. 00:04:32.300 --> 00:04:35.180 Justice is built into who we are. 00:04:35.400 --> 00:04:40.740 And grace is the only foundation for which justice actually works. 00:04:41.759 --> 00:04:43.639 That's when justice really sings. 00:04:44.720 --> 00:04:51.319 So let's have a look at judgment and see if we can get a bit more of an understanding of what's going on in that and how grace actually fits in. 00:04:51.319 --> 00:05:08.100 I've actually picked John chapter 18 verses 1 to 11 because this saving judgment, this gracious judgment is actually a central theme, both in John's gospel and specifically in this particular part of John's gospel. 00:05:08.579 --> 00:05:10.339 It's front and center at this point. 00:05:11.100 --> 00:05:15.659 I mean, it starts out, looks like a betrayal story, you know, where Judas is actually going to betray Jesus. 00:05:15.660 --> 00:05:17.240 But it's far more than that. 00:05:17.320 --> 00:05:22.580 The whole thing very quickly, if you noticed, as John read it out, the whole thing very quickly turns on its head. 00:05:24.460 --> 00:05:40.260 The key to seeing and understanding the goodness of God's judgment is to focus, as we go back through this passage, is to focus on the man, the cup, and the cross at the other end of it. 00:05:40.259 --> 00:05:46.259 And the first thing we discover is that the man is more. 00:05:48.240 --> 00:05:51.219 This man is more than he seems. 00:05:52.339 --> 00:05:54.420 Judas has left the meal in the upper room. 00:05:54.560 --> 00:05:56.000 That's in John 13, 26. 00:05:56.500 --> 00:05:58.579 Jesus has had done some more teaching with his disciples. 00:05:58.719 --> 00:05:59.579 He's prayed for them. 00:06:00.360 --> 00:06:02.819 And during that time, Judas has been very busy. 00:06:03.659 --> 00:06:10.139 He's gathered a group of soldiers, we read in verse 3 in this passage, and he's come back to betray Jesus, to take them to Jesus so he can arrest them. 00:06:10.480 --> 00:06:16.500 And you read this scene and you kind of wonder what kind of people Judas would have felt safe behind. 00:06:17.620 --> 00:06:18.860 Do you think about that? 00:06:19.959 --> 00:06:23.099 He's seen miracle after miracle performed by Jesus. 00:06:23.420 --> 00:06:25.420 Who could he possibly feel safe with? 00:06:27.099 --> 00:06:28.860 Well, it appears he did the best he could. 00:06:28.920 --> 00:06:30.159 He chose the best he could find. 00:06:30.719 --> 00:06:33.379 He went and found soldiers and temple guards. 00:06:33.379 --> 00:06:36.300 Think fully armed. 00:06:36.639 --> 00:06:38.600 Think state-of-the-art weaponry. 00:06:38.939 --> 00:06:41.680 Think SWAT, SAS, or Navy SEAL in our terms. 00:06:42.000 --> 00:06:45.759 This is the kind of group of people that Judas has tried to put together. 00:06:47.740 --> 00:06:51.879 And yet, when they come for Jesus, something extraordinary happens. 00:06:53.379 --> 00:06:55.740 Well, first thing, Jesus approaches them. 00:06:55.740 --> 00:07:00.920 It's not the kind of thing you do in the dark in the middle of a park like that. 00:07:01.740 --> 00:07:03.300 They didn't have park lights like we have. 00:07:04.319 --> 00:07:07.060 He approaches them and he asks them, what are you looking for? 00:07:08.040 --> 00:07:10.360 And they said, Jesus of Nazareth. 00:07:11.300 --> 00:07:15.220 And you read in your Bibles that it said that Jesus' response is, I am he. 00:07:15.220 --> 00:07:22.600 And if you look at the footnote, John actually read the alternative translation of that, which is simply, I am. 00:07:24.180 --> 00:07:31.000 And as he says that, all these burly soldiers just scatter everywhere and fall over like tenpins. 00:07:33.720 --> 00:07:41.740 If it wasn't such a tragic betrayal of friendship and trust, this would be a comical scene. 00:07:41.740 --> 00:07:52.040 The man that is supposed to be the one that's being arrested by these soldiers, suddenly he reveals himself as I am and everyone just scatters all over on the floor. 00:07:54.740 --> 00:07:58.579 And the clue to what's happening is in those words that Jesus uses to describe himself. 00:07:58.759 --> 00:08:02.840 You see, when he says, I am, he is saying, I am Yahweh. 00:08:03.160 --> 00:08:08.060 He's identifying himself as the covenant God of the people of Israel. 00:08:08.060 --> 00:08:15.040 But those soldiers came to arrest a man and they encountered God. 00:08:17.019 --> 00:08:26.639 And as the story unfolds, it continues to be almost comical in the sense that God is, or Jesus, he calmly helps them back onto their feet and get back on the track. 00:08:26.860 --> 00:08:28.540 Come on, what were you here for again? 00:08:28.759 --> 00:08:31.639 Tries to gather them, gather their wits, get them back on their feet. 00:08:31.639 --> 00:08:43.279 And when he repeats the question and they respond, he sets the conditions for what will then happen next, which they comply with. 00:08:43.919 --> 00:08:47.699 And he goes with them and his disciples are set free. 00:08:50.620 --> 00:08:54.460 The man is far more than a man. 00:08:54.460 --> 00:08:57.040 And that's a significant thing here. 00:08:57.100 --> 00:09:01.900 We're talking about God in human form, dictating the circumstances of what happens next. 00:09:04.900 --> 00:09:07.000 The next thing I say, we have to focus on the cup. 00:09:07.700 --> 00:09:10.759 And the cup is the key in terms of what Jesus is doing. 00:09:11.680 --> 00:09:16.100 See, the reason Jesus gives for actually going with these people is actually the cup. 00:09:16.100 --> 00:09:24.159 Remember how in chapter 18, verse 11, Peter gets violently pulled out a sword and cuts off the ear of one of the high priest's servants. 00:09:25.159 --> 00:09:26.940 Jesus sticks it back on again, heals him. 00:09:27.960 --> 00:09:33.759 But he actually stops him from carrying on and taking the other ear off and doing more damage with these words. 00:09:33.759 --> 00:09:37.320 He says to Peter, put your sword into its sheath. 00:09:38.120 --> 00:09:41.779 Shall I not drink the cup that the Father has given me? 00:09:41.779 --> 00:09:45.559 This cup is the key. 00:09:46.559 --> 00:09:49.819 It's an Old Testament metaphor that's full of meaning for the Jews. 00:09:51.399 --> 00:09:57.759 But interestingly, this metaphor actually has two possible options to it. 00:09:58.059 --> 00:10:00.839 And they're both absolute extremes in meaning. 00:10:01.579 --> 00:10:05.339 One, it could be the cup of God's wrath or judgment. 00:10:06.019 --> 00:10:10.199 Or the other is that it could be the cup of blessing or grace and mercy. 00:10:10.200 --> 00:10:14.920 I'll give you an example in Isaiah 51, 17 of the cup of God's wrath. 00:10:15.520 --> 00:10:20.100 In verse 17 of Isaiah 51, we read these words. 00:10:20.259 --> 00:10:23.200 Wake yourself, wake yourself, stand up, O Jerusalem. 00:10:24.140 --> 00:10:27.660 You who have drunk from the hand of the Lord the cup of his wrath, 00:10:28.060 --> 00:10:31.360 who have drunk to the dregs, the bowl, the cup of staggering. 00:10:33.400 --> 00:10:36.759 The cup of wrath represents God's rightful judgments. 00:10:36.759 --> 00:10:43.960 On the other hand, in Psalm 23, 5, you might remember this verse. 00:10:44.720 --> 00:10:45.120 We read, 00:10:45.679 --> 00:10:48.539 You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies. 00:10:48.899 --> 00:10:50.439 You anoint my head with oil. 00:10:51.120 --> 00:10:52.679 My cup overflows. 00:10:54.120 --> 00:10:59.019 The cup that overflows here is actually, that David is describing, 00:10:59.139 --> 00:11:00.720 is the cup of God's blessing. 00:11:00.720 --> 00:11:04.320 It's described as his goodness and mercy, 00:11:04.600 --> 00:11:09.920 which pursue him all the way through his life in the next verse. 00:11:11.120 --> 00:11:14.259 So we have two cups, the cup of wrath on the one hand 00:11:14.259 --> 00:11:15.660 and the cup of blessing on the other. 00:11:16.940 --> 00:11:23.000 And Jesus saying he's intending to walk away with these soldiers 00:11:23.000 --> 00:11:24.960 and drink one of them. 00:11:24.960 --> 00:11:29.480 Now, if we piece these things together, 00:11:29.540 --> 00:11:30.980 we can get a sense of what's going on. 00:11:31.160 --> 00:11:33.620 The story of the Bible unfolds something like this. 00:11:33.639 --> 00:11:36.660 So we put it into the sort of larger narrative of the Bible. 00:11:37.060 --> 00:11:37.820 And we get this. 00:11:37.900 --> 00:11:39.420 God created the world and us in it. 00:11:39.840 --> 00:11:43.060 He did it specifically to show us his goodness. 00:11:46.379 --> 00:11:47.519 And he did. 00:11:48.360 --> 00:11:51.000 Even as the world is now, it is awesome. 00:11:51.000 --> 00:11:54.779 Think overflowing cup of blessing. 00:11:56.559 --> 00:12:00.620 But the first people that God created decided to do life without God, 00:12:00.799 --> 00:12:03.840 to turn away from God's goodness and sin at its heart, 00:12:03.899 --> 00:12:06.320 as Dave described, was not letting God be God. 00:12:07.399 --> 00:12:10.000 And humanity has continued this way ever since. 00:12:10.259 --> 00:12:13.600 I think this is one thing that we can actually agree on 00:12:13.600 --> 00:12:14.899 with our friends who aren't yet Christians. 00:12:15.019 --> 00:12:16.000 Yeah, I don't live God's way. 00:12:16.080 --> 00:12:17.139 I don't acknowledge him at all. 00:12:17.139 --> 00:12:21.259 Some of them will even say he doesn't exist. 00:12:23.319 --> 00:12:25.860 But God is still God and we are still his creatures. 00:12:27.319 --> 00:12:29.559 So instead of blessing, that cup of blessing, 00:12:29.699 --> 00:12:31.879 we deserve God's judgment, the cup of wrath. 00:12:33.500 --> 00:12:37.000 And we do experience something of both of these in life, don't we? 00:12:38.220 --> 00:12:41.439 The beauty and the goodness of God is still present in the world, 00:12:41.439 --> 00:12:43.819 but not quite as it was intended, 00:12:44.039 --> 00:12:47.000 frustratingly short of what we really desire. 00:12:47.139 --> 00:12:50.559 We now live in a time of brokenness. 00:12:51.580 --> 00:12:55.379 And yet God desires to show his goodness. 00:12:57.480 --> 00:13:03.039 And that breaks in when we see the promise to Abraham in Genesis chapter 12. 00:13:04.720 --> 00:13:07.100 He promised Abraham that he would bless him 00:13:07.100 --> 00:13:10.340 and that through Abraham all nations would be blessed. 00:13:11.539 --> 00:13:13.139 And they established a covenant. 00:13:13.139 --> 00:13:17.139 All Abraham and his descendants had to do was trust God at his word 00:13:17.139 --> 00:13:19.460 and this blessing would come to them. 00:13:21.779 --> 00:13:24.879 If they didn't, there would be consequences. 00:13:26.799 --> 00:13:30.439 And against all convention and expectation, God actually signed that covenant. 00:13:30.679 --> 00:13:33.580 Just to give you a sense of, I've talked with you about this before, 00:13:33.639 --> 00:13:34.620 but some of you may not have heard it. 00:13:34.620 --> 00:13:37.539 But in the ancient Near East, the way things worked was, 00:13:37.600 --> 00:13:41.139 if there was a covenant being decided between two people 00:13:41.139 --> 00:13:42.399 where they make vows to each other, 00:13:42.679 --> 00:13:45.560 what happened was they cut a bunch of animals in half 00:13:45.560 --> 00:13:48.120 and laid them out in a row. 00:13:48.799 --> 00:13:52.539 And if they were of the same rank, 00:13:53.060 --> 00:13:56.139 then they would both walk through the animals, 00:13:56.240 --> 00:13:57.019 the center of the animals, 00:13:57.019 --> 00:13:59.939 and say, may it be to me as has been done to these animals 00:13:59.939 --> 00:14:02.220 if I do not keep my covenant to you. 00:14:02.980 --> 00:14:04.980 But if there was a difference in the rank, 00:14:05.639 --> 00:14:08.899 then only the lower ranking person walked through those animals 00:14:08.899 --> 00:14:10.240 and recited that. 00:14:12.639 --> 00:14:14.319 But if you look up Genesis 15, 00:14:14.399 --> 00:14:18.659 what we discover is that God makes a covenant with Abraham 00:14:18.659 --> 00:14:19.939 and his descendants, 00:14:21.439 --> 00:14:24.379 promises blessing to the whole world through those descendants. 00:14:24.379 --> 00:14:29.480 And yet he is the one who goes through it. 00:14:29.500 --> 00:14:31.960 He is the one who signs the covenant, so to speak. 00:14:32.620 --> 00:14:34.539 That means that he is both the judge 00:14:34.539 --> 00:14:39.600 and the one to be judged if this covenant fails. 00:14:40.559 --> 00:14:41.840 If Abraham's ascendant fails, 00:14:42.179 --> 00:14:44.159 God himself will bear the consequences. 00:14:44.820 --> 00:14:45.840 It's scandalous. 00:14:47.360 --> 00:14:48.360 Totally unfair. 00:14:50.120 --> 00:14:51.320 But it's just. 00:14:54.379 --> 00:14:58.320 And it turns out that even God's people were unfaithful. 00:14:59.100 --> 00:15:00.899 He couldn't bless the world through them. 00:15:01.419 --> 00:15:03.600 They deserve the cup of wrath, not blessing. 00:15:03.700 --> 00:15:05.539 And how much more do we deserve that cup? 00:15:08.019 --> 00:15:11.000 And that is why when we come to John chapter 19, 00:15:11.720 --> 00:15:16.220 we hear Jesus declaring that the cross is the completion. 00:15:16.220 --> 00:15:24.580 Jesus is God come to drink the cup of his own wrath. 00:15:25.779 --> 00:15:27.600 As he promised to Abraham, 00:15:28.600 --> 00:15:31.060 he suffered for our failure. 00:15:32.399 --> 00:15:36.840 In his life, he fulfilled the covenant on our behalf. 00:15:37.840 --> 00:15:42.279 And in his death, he fulfilled the judgment on our behalf. 00:15:42.279 --> 00:15:45.919 The cross is the completion of the covenant. 00:15:47.000 --> 00:15:50.379 At the cross, Jesus drank the cup of God's wrath. 00:15:51.679 --> 00:15:54.699 And that's why his last words are just so important. 00:15:55.759 --> 00:15:58.539 In chapter 19, verse 30, he said, 00:15:59.559 --> 00:16:00.339 It is finished. 00:16:00.340 --> 00:16:04.480 And he bowed his head and gave up his spirit. 00:16:09.560 --> 00:16:15.720 It's not just a sigh of relief that its death has finally come to him. 00:16:17.040 --> 00:16:18.420 It's a declaration. 00:16:19.960 --> 00:16:21.980 A declaration that it's done. 00:16:21.980 --> 00:16:26.300 Jesus drank deeply from the cup of wrath 00:16:26.300 --> 00:16:29.279 so that we could drink deeply from the cup of blessing. 00:16:31.440 --> 00:16:34.279 Jesus described how this would work in John chapter 3, 00:16:34.800 --> 00:16:36.340 verses 15 to 17. 00:16:36.519 --> 00:16:38.680 And in John 12, 31 to 33, 00:16:38.800 --> 00:16:40.680 and several other places as well in John, 00:16:41.180 --> 00:16:43.700 he explains what he's doing 00:16:43.700 --> 00:16:46.560 as he heads toward the cross. 00:16:46.620 --> 00:16:48.120 Early on, he says these words. 00:16:48.120 --> 00:16:52.100 I've got it from chapter 3, verse 14. 00:16:52.720 --> 00:16:55.340 And as Moses lifted the serpent in the wilderness, 00:16:57.000 --> 00:16:59.460 so must the Son of Man be lifted up 00:16:59.460 --> 00:17:04.180 that whoever believes in him may have eternal life. 00:17:05.019 --> 00:17:08.000 For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, 00:17:08.599 --> 00:17:10.960 that whoever believes in him should not perish 00:17:10.960 --> 00:17:12.720 but have eternal life. 00:17:13.859 --> 00:17:15.480 For God did not send his Son into the world 00:17:15.480 --> 00:17:16.519 to condemn the world, 00:17:16.900 --> 00:17:20.120 but in order that the world might be saved through him. 00:17:21.819 --> 00:17:23.420 Can you see the intent there? 00:17:26.000 --> 00:17:29.420 The intent of God is to relentlessly pursue 00:17:29.420 --> 00:17:31.579 the salvation of his people. 00:17:33.180 --> 00:17:34.740 He is a just God 00:17:34.740 --> 00:17:37.140 and will not let any sin go unpunished. 00:17:39.839 --> 00:17:40.799 Same God. 00:17:40.799 --> 00:17:43.379 God is relentless 00:17:43.379 --> 00:17:45.759 in his pursuit of blessing his people. 00:17:48.519 --> 00:17:49.859 It's important at this point as well 00:17:49.859 --> 00:17:51.639 to understand what judgment looks like. 00:17:52.579 --> 00:17:54.740 It looks like true justice. 00:17:56.099 --> 00:17:57.359 And that justice 00:17:57.359 --> 00:18:00.299 requires that we all drink 00:18:00.299 --> 00:18:01.700 from one of the cups. 00:18:06.700 --> 00:18:07.819 So we choose. 00:18:09.399 --> 00:18:10.559 Which do we choose? 00:18:10.799 --> 00:18:15.599 God is perfectly, relentlessly just. 00:18:16.579 --> 00:18:18.159 But he is more than that. 00:18:18.460 --> 00:18:19.500 He is merciful. 00:18:20.680 --> 00:18:22.079 Remember, if you do, 00:18:22.180 --> 00:18:23.519 if you're not very Bible-rich, 00:18:23.559 --> 00:18:24.879 I think it's Genesis 35, is it? 00:18:25.419 --> 00:18:27.819 When Moses actually asks 00:18:27.819 --> 00:18:30.200 if he can see the face of God 00:18:30.200 --> 00:18:31.240 and God says, 00:18:31.319 --> 00:18:32.379 well, you can't do that and live. 00:18:32.619 --> 00:18:34.319 So I'll give you an alternate version of that, 00:18:34.440 --> 00:18:36.319 you know, a polarized version, shall we say. 00:18:36.599 --> 00:18:37.619 I'll protect you in a rock, 00:18:37.659 --> 00:18:38.419 I'll pass by you, 00:18:38.480 --> 00:18:39.419 you'll get to see the back of me. 00:18:39.420 --> 00:18:40.640 And as he does that, though, 00:18:40.660 --> 00:18:41.980 he declares who he is. 00:18:43.440 --> 00:18:44.519 And he declares 00:18:44.519 --> 00:18:46.300 that in his very nature, 00:18:46.300 --> 00:18:48.740 he is both just and merciful. 00:18:48.740 --> 00:18:53.779 And because he's both just 00:18:53.779 --> 00:18:55.000 and merciful, 00:18:56.660 --> 00:18:59.720 Jesus drinks the cup of wrath for us. 00:19:01.380 --> 00:19:03.120 And now by believing in him, 00:19:03.299 --> 00:19:04.279 we can drink deeply 00:19:04.279 --> 00:19:06.000 from God's overflowing cup of blessing. 00:19:06.000 --> 00:19:08.240 We can move from experiencing wrath 00:19:08.240 --> 00:19:09.920 to experiencing mercy. 00:19:11.200 --> 00:19:13.039 This is the judgment of God. 00:19:13.240 --> 00:19:14.279 It can only be understood 00:19:14.279 --> 00:19:15.319 in its right context, 00:19:15.440 --> 00:19:16.079 and that is 00:19:16.079 --> 00:19:17.599 at the foot of the cross. 00:19:19.119 --> 00:19:21.639 If judgment is offensive to you, 00:19:22.639 --> 00:19:24.379 go to the foot of the cross 00:19:24.379 --> 00:19:29.779 and observe judgment from there. 00:19:29.779 --> 00:19:34.960 So even as I speak about 00:19:34.960 --> 00:19:36.399 understanding judgment, 00:19:36.519 --> 00:19:37.799 and I hope that's helping you 00:19:37.799 --> 00:19:40.480 to get a sense of what judgment is about, 00:19:40.879 --> 00:19:42.899 we still have the issue of facing judgment. 00:19:43.960 --> 00:19:45.839 And a natural way to think about facing judgment 00:19:45.839 --> 00:19:47.480 is to kind of push it into the future 00:19:47.480 --> 00:19:48.819 as a future event. 00:19:48.980 --> 00:19:49.759 And it is. 00:19:50.480 --> 00:19:52.259 But it's so much more than that. 00:19:52.259 --> 00:19:55.779 Let me start by looking at judgment past 00:19:55.779 --> 00:19:56.879 and saying that for believers 00:19:56.879 --> 00:19:58.319 or Christians, 00:19:58.500 --> 00:20:00.500 whichever tag you like to use for yourself, 00:20:00.599 --> 00:20:01.379 if you want, 00:20:02.720 --> 00:20:05.500 judgment is a thing of the past. 00:20:07.420 --> 00:20:09.799 We've already been judged in Jesus 00:20:09.799 --> 00:20:13.779 and justified or declared righteous in him. 00:20:14.839 --> 00:20:16.940 In John chapter 5, verse 24, 00:20:17.539 --> 00:20:19.920 and in chapter 8, verses 50 to 51, 00:20:19.920 --> 00:20:20.700 Jesus says, 00:20:21.140 --> 00:20:22.640 this is from John 5, 24, 00:20:23.200 --> 00:20:25.340 truly, truly, I say to you, 00:20:26.360 --> 00:20:27.759 whoever hears my word 00:20:27.759 --> 00:20:29.720 and believes in him who has sent me 00:20:29.720 --> 00:20:31.660 has eternal life. 00:20:32.279 --> 00:20:34.080 He does not come into judgment 00:20:34.080 --> 00:20:37.460 but has already passed from death to life. 00:20:39.720 --> 00:20:41.160 When we put our faith in Jesus, 00:20:41.259 --> 00:20:44.039 we no longer have to drink the cup of God's wrath. 00:20:44.660 --> 00:20:45.860 Jesus has done it in our place, 00:20:45.900 --> 00:20:46.320 as I've said. 00:20:46.400 --> 00:20:47.640 I'm going to keep saying this on repeat. 00:20:47.640 --> 00:20:49.800 And that's in part 00:20:49.800 --> 00:20:51.060 because I need to hear it myself. 00:20:51.920 --> 00:20:53.540 But I think you do as well. 00:20:55.520 --> 00:20:56.900 Jesus has done it in our place. 00:20:57.759 --> 00:21:00.420 So judgment is a thing of the past 00:21:00.420 --> 00:21:02.220 for us who believe in him. 00:21:03.259 --> 00:21:04.440 We will one day stand 00:21:04.440 --> 00:21:05.820 before the judgment seat of Christ 00:21:05.820 --> 00:21:07.060 but not to be judged 00:21:07.060 --> 00:21:08.540 but to be held accountable 00:21:08.540 --> 00:21:09.820 for how we have lived. 00:21:11.680 --> 00:21:13.500 We can confidently say 00:21:13.500 --> 00:21:15.500 that we have already passed 00:21:15.500 --> 00:21:16.500 from death to life. 00:21:16.500 --> 00:21:21.039 That's judgment passed. 00:21:22.480 --> 00:21:23.140 Then there's judgment 00:21:23.140 --> 00:21:24.740 and how we need to bring that 00:21:24.740 --> 00:21:25.500 into the present. 00:21:26.099 --> 00:21:27.099 You see, even though we know 00:21:27.099 --> 00:21:28.539 that judgment is a past thing for us, 00:21:28.819 --> 00:21:30.859 there can still be this lingering doubt for us. 00:21:31.700 --> 00:21:34.299 We keep on coming across areas of our lives 00:21:34.299 --> 00:21:36.140 that we just won't let God be God of. 00:21:37.420 --> 00:21:39.380 So how can he possibly accept us? 00:21:39.539 --> 00:21:40.599 If he actually knew 00:21:40.599 --> 00:21:42.339 what was going on in my heart and my mind, 00:21:42.559 --> 00:21:44.099 how would he possibly accept me? 00:21:44.220 --> 00:21:45.119 Friends, he knows. 00:21:45.119 --> 00:21:48.599 But the problem is that we confuse 00:21:48.599 --> 00:21:49.939 the status of our relationship 00:21:49.939 --> 00:21:52.199 with the state of our relationship. 00:21:53.039 --> 00:21:54.239 Or as Calvin puts it, 00:21:54.599 --> 00:21:56.359 our union with Christ 00:21:56.359 --> 00:21:58.939 with our communion with him. 00:22:00.639 --> 00:22:01.899 I'll stick with status and state. 00:22:02.000 --> 00:22:03.319 I don't know if you read Calvin much, 00:22:03.419 --> 00:22:04.339 so I'll stick with status and state. 00:22:04.599 --> 00:22:06.299 See, the status of my relationship with God 00:22:06.299 --> 00:22:08.019 is based on what Jesus did on the cross. 00:22:08.819 --> 00:22:09.599 It's done. 00:22:09.959 --> 00:22:11.119 It's indisputable. 00:22:11.119 --> 00:22:13.619 It cannot get any stronger or any better. 00:22:15.259 --> 00:22:18.739 The state of my relationship, though, 00:22:19.179 --> 00:22:22.819 is based on how I engage with that God 00:22:22.819 --> 00:22:23.859 in relationship. 00:22:24.939 --> 00:22:27.079 Am I prayerfully dependent on him? 00:22:27.319 --> 00:22:29.979 Am I actively trusting in his promises to me, 00:22:30.339 --> 00:22:31.559 listening to his words, 00:22:31.759 --> 00:22:33.699 seeking to grow in Christlikeness? 00:22:33.700 --> 00:22:39.460 I'll give you an example. 00:22:40.519 --> 00:22:43.400 My marriage status is determined by the vows I made to Joe, 00:22:44.559 --> 00:22:45.920 that Joe and I made to each other. 00:22:46.100 --> 00:22:47.000 That's the marriage status, 00:22:47.220 --> 00:22:48.819 is based on those vows. 00:22:48.819 --> 00:22:54.000 But the state of our marriage 00:22:54.000 --> 00:22:56.240 depends on a number of things 00:22:56.240 --> 00:22:58.799 in terms of how we engage with each other relationally. 00:23:00.200 --> 00:23:02.740 Like how often I use Joe in sermon illustrations 00:23:02.740 --> 00:23:04.259 without checking with her first. 00:23:06.039 --> 00:23:06.559 Number. 00:23:09.679 --> 00:23:11.559 So here's where the confusion comes in. 00:23:13.799 --> 00:23:16.480 When the state of our relationship with God slips, 00:23:16.480 --> 00:23:19.140 we can mistakenly think 00:23:19.140 --> 00:23:22.220 that our status with God is in danger. 00:23:23.640 --> 00:23:25.900 We can think that our lack of discipline, 00:23:26.259 --> 00:23:27.980 our struggle with persistent sin, 00:23:28.240 --> 00:23:29.799 our lack of passion for God 00:23:29.799 --> 00:23:31.279 endangers our salvation, 00:23:31.279 --> 00:23:32.860 but it doesn't. 00:23:34.740 --> 00:23:37.420 When we drift in our communion with God, 00:23:37.819 --> 00:23:39.420 even if it's into sinful patterns, 00:23:39.819 --> 00:23:42.500 it does not affect our union with God. 00:23:43.339 --> 00:23:45.240 It grieves him deeply. 00:23:46.480 --> 00:23:48.900 And if we go down that path unrepentantly, 00:23:49.000 --> 00:23:51.180 then we should question 00:23:51.180 --> 00:23:53.519 whether we can have any confidence 00:23:53.519 --> 00:23:55.259 that we are saved in the first place. 00:23:58.059 --> 00:24:00.039 But if this is something that we're aware of 00:24:00.039 --> 00:24:01.000 and that's pricking our conscience 00:24:01.000 --> 00:24:02.140 that we're struggling with, 00:24:03.519 --> 00:24:04.660 then I don't think we're in that category. 00:24:04.660 --> 00:24:11.259 So when we drift in our communion with God, 00:24:11.759 --> 00:24:14.300 it doesn't affect our union with God. 00:24:15.660 --> 00:24:18.620 We are still his dearly loved children. 00:24:22.060 --> 00:24:23.519 I've got to say this. 00:24:25.180 --> 00:24:26.580 Judgment is real. 00:24:28.120 --> 00:24:29.560 You've got judgment past, 00:24:30.180 --> 00:24:30.980 judgment present, 00:24:30.980 --> 00:24:32.980 and judgment future. 00:24:34.240 --> 00:24:35.519 That judgment is real. 00:24:36.000 --> 00:24:37.980 Jesus says that he will be the judge of the living 00:24:37.980 --> 00:24:39.599 and those who have already died. 00:24:39.680 --> 00:24:42.400 And he speaks about this in John 5, verse 28. 00:24:43.299 --> 00:24:43.680 He says, 00:24:43.680 --> 00:24:45.120 Do not marvel at this, 00:24:45.560 --> 00:24:46.460 for an hour is coming 00:24:46.460 --> 00:24:48.140 when all who are in the tombs 00:24:48.140 --> 00:24:49.080 will hear his voice 00:24:49.080 --> 00:24:50.320 and come out, 00:24:51.060 --> 00:24:52.019 those who have done good 00:24:52.019 --> 00:24:53.299 to the resurrection of life 00:24:53.299 --> 00:24:54.320 and those who have done evil 00:24:54.320 --> 00:24:55.560 to the resurrection of judgment. 00:24:58.240 --> 00:24:58.940 Jesus says, 00:24:59.100 --> 00:25:00.900 God's wrath is coming. 00:25:02.360 --> 00:25:04.240 Not even death is an escape. 00:25:05.519 --> 00:25:06.480 And let me just make clear here 00:25:06.480 --> 00:25:08.820 that when he says those who have done good, 00:25:08.880 --> 00:25:10.000 the only good he's required 00:25:10.000 --> 00:25:11.620 in this particular section of John 00:25:11.619 --> 00:25:15.219 is that we actually believe the Father 00:25:15.219 --> 00:25:17.619 and believe in the Son. 00:25:18.919 --> 00:25:22.419 So it's not actually a list of do's and don'ts 00:25:22.419 --> 00:25:23.979 that he's expecting here when he says good. 00:25:24.639 --> 00:25:27.779 He's expecting us to abide in him. 00:25:31.559 --> 00:25:33.819 Those who do abide in him 00:25:33.819 --> 00:25:35.459 bypass judgment. 00:25:35.460 --> 00:25:38.900 And those who don't accept Jesus' death 00:25:38.900 --> 00:25:39.779 on their behalf 00:25:39.779 --> 00:25:42.519 will have to face it on their own. 00:25:44.500 --> 00:25:46.740 The living and the dead will be judged 00:25:46.740 --> 00:25:50.079 and judged according to belief in Jesus. 00:25:50.079 --> 00:25:57.259 So what do we do with this? 00:25:59.559 --> 00:26:00.799 What do I do with this? 00:26:03.519 --> 00:26:04.699 I'm going to suggest to you 00:26:04.699 --> 00:26:05.619 what I do myself 00:26:05.619 --> 00:26:07.460 which is learning to tell myself 00:26:07.460 --> 00:26:09.419 the story of the man who is more, 00:26:09.779 --> 00:26:10.779 the cup that's the key 00:26:10.779 --> 00:26:12.259 and the cross that's the completion. 00:26:14.319 --> 00:26:15.839 I tell myself this story 00:26:15.839 --> 00:26:17.379 over and over again 00:26:17.379 --> 00:26:18.819 throughout the course of any given week. 00:26:18.819 --> 00:26:24.139 If you're a Christian 00:26:24.139 --> 00:26:26.480 and death and judgment 00:26:26.480 --> 00:26:28.299 are areas you avoid thinking about 00:26:28.299 --> 00:26:32.220 then tell yourself this story. 00:26:34.279 --> 00:26:36.759 If your conscience burns within you 00:26:36.759 --> 00:26:37.700 for things that you've done 00:26:37.700 --> 00:26:39.399 way in the distant past 00:26:39.399 --> 00:26:41.839 like I experience 00:26:41.839 --> 00:26:43.399 time and time again 00:26:43.400 --> 00:26:48.680 I tell myself this story. 00:26:50.620 --> 00:26:51.840 If you know a degree 00:26:51.840 --> 00:26:53.140 of personal brokenness 00:26:53.140 --> 00:26:54.380 that means you sin repeatedly 00:26:54.380 --> 00:26:55.180 and shamefully 00:26:55.180 --> 00:26:57.300 and just feel helpless within it 00:26:57.300 --> 00:27:02.440 come back to this story. 00:27:05.220 --> 00:27:07.280 If you think you're unforgivable 00:27:07.279 --> 00:27:11.480 tell yourself this story. 00:27:14.940 --> 00:27:16.359 And friends if you're not a Christian 00:27:16.359 --> 00:27:18.220 and death and judgment 00:27:18.220 --> 00:27:19.180 are issues for you 00:27:19.180 --> 00:27:20.680 then consider this story. 00:27:22.559 --> 00:27:23.579 Apply it to yourself. 00:27:23.700 --> 00:27:24.779 We all want justice 00:27:24.779 --> 00:27:27.639 but only at the foot of the cross 00:27:27.639 --> 00:27:29.259 can we truly face 00:27:29.259 --> 00:27:30.559 the justice that we know 00:27:30.559 --> 00:27:31.440 in our hearts 00:27:31.440 --> 00:27:32.660 we desire. 00:27:32.660 --> 00:27:34.920 because it's there 00:27:34.920 --> 00:27:35.960 that we see God's judgment 00:27:35.960 --> 00:27:36.440 at work 00:27:36.440 --> 00:27:37.540 and it's there we see 00:27:37.540 --> 00:27:38.720 his goodness on display. 00:27:39.060 --> 00:27:40.720 It's there we see justice 00:27:40.720 --> 00:27:43.920 exercised with grace 00:27:43.920 --> 00:27:44.740 and mercy. 00:27:46.740 --> 00:27:47.720 It's there 00:27:47.720 --> 00:27:49.580 that we see the God 00:27:49.580 --> 00:27:51.380 who drank the cup 00:27:51.380 --> 00:27:53.000 for us. 00:27:53.000 --> 00:27:56.900 Let me pray. 00:28:04.000 --> 00:28:04.599 Father God 00:28:04.599 --> 00:28:05.180 we thank you 00:28:05.180 --> 00:28:06.480 for being just. 00:28:08.680 --> 00:28:09.660 It scares the heck 00:28:09.660 --> 00:28:10.299 out of us 00:28:10.299 --> 00:28:11.359 Lord 00:28:11.359 --> 00:28:12.740 but we thank you 00:28:12.740 --> 00:28:13.420 for being just 00:28:13.420 --> 00:28:14.119 because we know 00:28:14.119 --> 00:28:14.759 that we need it. 00:28:15.579 --> 00:28:16.740 We know we desire it. 00:28:16.779 --> 00:28:17.799 We know life 00:28:17.799 --> 00:28:18.519 world 00:28:18.519 --> 00:28:19.019 the community 00:28:19.019 --> 00:28:19.680 we live in 00:28:19.680 --> 00:28:21.359 is so 00:28:21.359 --> 00:28:22.799 lacking in it 00:28:22.799 --> 00:28:23.740 that it hurts. 00:28:26.759 --> 00:28:27.399 And yet we also know 00:28:27.399 --> 00:28:28.139 that we can't face 00:28:28.139 --> 00:28:30.440 justice 00:28:30.440 --> 00:28:31.700 not true justice 00:28:31.700 --> 00:28:33.379 because as much as we see 00:28:33.379 --> 00:28:34.379 the problems around us 00:28:34.379 --> 00:28:35.039 we know that they're 00:28:35.039 --> 00:28:35.819 actually in us too. 00:28:38.079 --> 00:28:38.859 And so we thank you 00:28:38.859 --> 00:28:40.220 for applying your justice 00:28:40.220 --> 00:28:42.379 with such graciousness. 00:28:43.779 --> 00:28:44.839 We thank you 00:28:44.839 --> 00:28:45.740 for sending the son 00:28:45.740 --> 00:28:47.339 to drink the cup of wrath 00:28:47.339 --> 00:28:49.960 so that we can drink 00:28:49.960 --> 00:28:50.779 the cup of blessing. 00:28:53.279 --> 00:28:54.200 We thank you 00:28:54.200 --> 00:28:55.379 for giving us life 00:28:55.379 --> 00:28:56.639 where death 00:28:56.639 --> 00:28:57.200 once ruled. 00:28:57.200 --> 00:28:58.899 Amen.