From all appearances, it was just another day in the city. Main street was crowded with anxious workers and the spirited play of children. Merchants were eagerly buying and exchanging goods in the marketplace. The rich were lounging in their luxurious baths as their slaves toiled in the hot sun. The women were gathering at the laundry for conversation and preparing for a day's work in the cloth dyer's shop. Spectators had begun trickling into the city's amphitheater to be entertained. The senators were assembling at the forum to conduct the city's business. The religious were gathering at the temple to worship their respective gods.
The soldiers, the surgeons, and the gardeners were all working as usual. No one thought twice about the ominous plume of black smoke that was clearly visible atop Mount Vesuvius. No one thought twice about the rumblings and shakings that had been emanating from the mountain for weeks.
In fact, the volcanic explosion of Mount Vesuvius in 79 A.D was so sudden that it killed the people of the great city of Pompeii while they were in their daily routines. They died of thermal shock amid the volcanic ash and superheated gasses. The sad truth of that day is that the people of Pompeii did not have to die. How dramatically different their lives would have been if only they could have been able to read and respond to the repeated warnings of Mount Vesuvius. It wasn't until the ashes started falling like snow that they realized it was too late.
For centuries now archaeologists have sifted through the remains of the city of Pompeii to extract valuable artifacts and insights. But one obvious lesson that does not need excavation stands out above all of the rest. In the midst of our daily routines do we slow down enough to notice the ominous plume of dark smoke and the divine rumblings overshadowing our lives? Do we slow down enough to adequately prepare ourselves for the life-halting eruption of God's righteous judgment into our lives?
In Hebrews 6:2 we come to the last of six phrases that we have been studying. The writer of Hebrews mentions God's eternal judgment. It is important to note the particular placement of this phrase in the list. Judgment has never been God's first word nor even his best word. In his conversation with us, God never begins with the language of judgment. Judgment is God's final word. It is the word that lurks in the background of our lives. It is the period at the end of the sentence of our lives. The writer correctly and appropriately inserts God's eternal judgment at the end of the list of elementary truths in Hebrews 6:1-2 (NIV). "Therefore let us leave the elementary teachings about Christ and go on to maturity, not laying again the foundation of repentance from acts that lead to death, and of faith in God, instruction about baptisms, the laying on of hands, the resurrection of the dead, and eternal judgment."
What are the basics of Christianity?
Recall for a moment the truths we have been looking at in recent weeks. First, God asks us to repent and to turn from those acts which lead to death. Second, he asks us to place our faith in Christ and to trust Jesus as Savior and Lord. Third, God asks us to be baptized and to pledge ourselves in the waters of baptism. He wants us to sign on the dotted line and say "yes" to a relationship with Christ. Fourth, God asks us to roll up our sleeves and serve one another according to the grace he has given us. That's what the laying on of hands is all about. God also asks us to place our hope in Christ and to confidently await our personal resurrection on the day of Christ's return.
Repentance, faith, baptism, service, and resurrection. These truths constitute God's first and best word. They constitute his offer of salvation and purpose and hope for our lives. These truths are the divine rumblings that are to shake the very foundation of our lives. These truths are the divine rumblings that are to be heeded in preparation for the eruption of God's judgment into our world. These truths are the divine rumblings that are to give us ample opportunity to escape the falling ashes and thermal shock of God's judgment.
Let me take a few moments to sketch a picture of God's judgment.
God's judgment will be accurate.
A while back I was flipping through a Reader's Digest and found a little ditty entitled, "Tips for Successful Slackers." It began, "Need to look busier? Make sure your office appears swamped at all times. Your desk should always look as if you're in the midst of some incredibly time-sensitive project. For added protection, make sure the papers on your desk are arranged in stacks. Merely scattering them about will not do because this suggests disorganization. A calculator, a few stray staples, and a strategically placed pair of eyeglasses will round out the organized chaos effect."
"Finally, some work on your computer screen and a carefully placed sandwich remnant, preferably in a wrapper, will do much to enhance your office's overall ambiance. Not only do you appear to eat lunch at your desk, but you also seem too busy to finish it or even remember to throw it away."
The article ends with a warning. "Be sure to replace it (the sandwich) with a new, freshly chewed sandwich every few days though, or folks and insects may start to catch on."
I think it's safe to say that most people do not judge our characters accurately. We have the ability to manipulate people's perceptions of us. We can tell half-truths. We can cover up our faults. We can even tell outright lies. Let me just say that we cannot manipulate God's perception. His judgment is accurate.
In Romans 2:16 (NIV) Paul speaks of the day when, "...God will judge men's secrets through Jesus Christ." God has before him the total picture of our lives. He knows our every thought, every action, every conversation, and every attitude. He knows our private lives and he knows our public lives. His judgment is irrefutable. It's precise, it's accurate, and it is perfect. God cannot be deceived by any of us. He sees the total reality of who we are.
God's judgment will be impartial.
On Monday mornings I have been teaching a class at Lincoln Christian College. At the end of each school year the students evaluate me. They are given questionnaires and are allowed to comment freely about the class. Several students commented that I didn't assign tardies and absences fairly. On the evaluation they indicated that I had showed partiality.
As I thought about that, it dawned on me how difficult it is to be impartial. First of al it is hard to pay close attention to everyone equally. It is hard to be consistent and adhere to a standard that is fair to everyone. There are some students who have demerit written all over them the moment they walk in the door. They are demerit magnets. There are some students who I have a natural affinity for. Perhaps I like their work ethic better, or their personality, or their enthusiasm. With all these factors, I have concluded that it is impossible to be one hundred percent impartial.
In contrast, the testimony of scripture is that God's judgment is impartial. In Colossians 3:25 (NIV) Paul says, "Anyone who does wrong will be repaid for his wrong, and there is no favoritism." In 1 Peter 1:17 (NIV) Peter says, "Since you call on a Father who judges each man's work impartially, live your lives as strangers here in reverent fear."
God's judgment will be impartial. It will be perfect. No consideration will be given for which side of the tracks we come from. No consideration will be given for our age, our accomplishments, our financial status, for the neighborhood we live in, or for our family name. Everyone will be treated equally before the judgment seat of Christ. Everyone.
God's judgment will be accurate and it will be impartial.
God's judgment will be measured.
Another failure that we have is in assigning appropriate consequences for wrongdoing. Every parent is familiar with the dilemma, "Should I spank my child for this? Will the timeout chair get the job done? Perhaps this is cause for grounding, but for how long? What privileges should be taken away this time? My last punishment didn't work. What's the next step? Am I being too easy? Am I being too harsh? What are other parents doing?"
Sometimes we're guilty of going too far in assigning consequences for wrongdoing. Other times we're guilty of not going far enough. We let our children off too lightly, and the behavior occurs time and again.
No parent or supervisor or principal or judge enjoys being a disciplinarian. At the college I love teaching the students. But I hate trying to figure how much makeup work to assign or how much to alter someone's grade for absences or whether or not to let an absence be excused or not. No matter where I take a stand a student inevitably chants, "Professor So-n-So allowed this to be an excused absence!"
In contrast to our efforts at discipline, God's judgment will be well-measured. Because God knows the total reality of our lives he is able to choose the perfect consequence or punishment to our actions. His judgment is never overly harsh and his judgment is never light on the mustard. And God doesn't rush to judgment by overlooking relevant details and circumstances. Rather, he is very calculated and deliberate in his judgments. He will make easy that which we dread and avoid and procrastinate about.
God's judgment is accurate, it is impartial, and it is measured.
God's judgment will be irreversible.
Something else that is worth noting about God is that he won't emotionally flip-flop when he judges. His judgment will be firm and decisive and irreversible. In Hebrews 6:2 the writer speaks of God's judgment with precision. It will be an eternal judgment, a lasting judgment, and an irreversible judgment. It will be the final word that cannot be changed.
Most everyone here has received a speeding ticket or a traffic ticket of some sort. I received my first ticket when I was in high school. I ran a stop sign while leaving the school parking lot. Actually I didn't run the stop sign. I did a rolling stop. Remember that this is my version of the story, not the police officer's.
I can remember waiting over a month before seeing the judge. During that time I began questioning my ticket. I noticed that the same police officer who wrote me the ticket was often guilty of rolling stops himself. What a hypocrite that officer was! I began reconstructing the whole incident in my head. Was it legal for that police officer to pull two cars over and write two tickets at the same time? And what was the big deal anyway? What was the harm of my infraction? There were no cars coming. It wasn't as if I were being irresponsible!
I began picking up some confidence and talked to a State police officer who lived nearby and pleaded my case with him. He shrugged his shoulders and said, "You could also go and talk to the district attorney." As my court date neared I decided that it would be best to present my case directly to the judge. Surely he would understand.
When judgment day finally arrived and I went before the judge, things changed. When the judge called my name I was tongue-tied and speechless. I realized that I was truly guilty and that the judge's decision would be final. He fined me one hundred twenty-five dollars for running a stop sign and motioned for me to pay the clerk. He slapped his gavel on the bench and that was the end of the matter.
God's judgment will be accurate, it will be impartial, it will be measured, and it will be irreversible.
God's judgment will be sudden.
God's judgment will be sudden. Acts 17:31 tells us that God has set a day when he will judge the world with justice. The truth is that no one knows the day or the hour of God's final judgment. His judgment could be this afternoon, it could be next year, or it could be ten years from now. Given our tendency to procrastinate, especially in regards to spiritual matters, God has chosen not to reveal the timing of his final hour of judgment.
But this we do know. Our judgment will take place either upon our death or upon the return of Jesus Christ, whichever comes first. The truth is that we do not know when either of these events will take place. Things could dramatically change in either department at any given moment.
When I worked part time at Lewis Memorial Christian Village, a couple in the independent living section discovered that I was a minister and invited me into their apartment. They were a great couple, but I soon learned that the husband had never given his life to Jesus Christ. He had never been to church and he didn't know the Bible. But now at eighty years of age he wanted to learn about Christ and his wife wanted him to repent and be baptized.
I remember that they weren't particularly in a big hurry. The man pointed out that he was in excellent condition and had just recently been given a clean bill of health from his doctor. With a big grin he pointed to his teeth and told me that even at age eighty he still had all his teeth. He was a dental wonder! Because of this I too concluded that we had plenty of time and that I could get back and help this man get right with Christ at a later date.
But wouldn't you know that a few weeks later that same man passed away in his sleep. He didn't have heart problems, he didn't have cancer, and he didn't have a brain aneurysm. No one was quite sure what happened. He just died. And he died at the most unsuspecting moment. He died suddenly, in the night. And the most tragic thing of all is that from my perspective, I didn't know if he was ready. He was procrastinating.
That whole situation kept me up nights for quite some time. Whether we die first or if Christ returns, God's judgment will be sudden. At any moment God's life-halting judgment could erupt into our lives. And when that happens will you be ready?
God created us for eternal life.
Earlier in this message I mentioned that God's judgment is never his first word, nor even his best word. God's first word to us this morning is that we can escape his judgment. In John 3:16 (NIV) Jesus says, "For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life." But have you ever read John 3:17-18 (NIV)? In this passage Jesus says, "For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him. Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because he has not believed in the name of God's one and only Son."
The reason God's judgment is his last word and not his first word is because there is already enough condemnation in the world. Do you really need someone to stand on this stage and beat you up for your sins more than you have already been beaten up? Are words of condemnation ever a stimulant for godly living and restoration?
God's judgment has never been his first word. His first word is this. "For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life."
God's first word to you is an invitation to repent and to live a life of faith. God's first word to you is an invitation to pledge yourself to Christ in water baptism. God's first word to you is an invitation to service in his kingdom. God's first word to you is an invitation to accept the hope he has mapped out for you.
Yes, eternal judgment will be accurate, impartial, measured, irreversible, and sudden. But eternal lifeis what God created us for! God has provided a way of escape from judgment by way of his Son, Jesus Christ!
This morning you have a life-altering choice to make. This morning will you take notice of the ominous plume of dark smoke? This morning will you take notice of the divine rumblings of God's judgment that overshadows our lives? This morning will you begin preparing yourself for the life-halting eruption of God's righteous judgment into our world?
Will you reach out to God through repentance, faith, baptism, service, and hope?