AFTER DEATH THEN THE JUDGMENT

Proclamation:

“Just as people are destined to die once, and after that to face judgment, so Christ was sacrificed once to take away the sins of many; and He will appear a second time, not to bear sin, but to bring salvation to those who are waiting for Him.”  Hebrews 9:27-28 (NIV)

Explanation:

These words were written by the unknown human author of The Book of Hebrews under the influence of The Holy Spirit of God.  In this chapter the author begins by discussing the early earthly tabernacle. (Hebrews 9:1-7)  Then he goes on to discuss the blood of Christ versus the blood of ceremonial animals. (Hebrews 9:11-14)  Then he presents the importance of the blood and concludes by stating that without the shedding of blood there can be no remission of sin. (Hebrews 9:22)  He ends the chapter stating that Christ did not offer Himself again and again as the high priest did by entering The Holy of Holies in the tabernacle each year. (Hebrews 9:25)  Christ came to earth once to sacrifice Himself for all sin. (Hebrews 9:26)  He will come again, but that time will not be to sacrifice Himself for sin, it will be to gather the believers unto Himself. (Hebrews 9:28)

Application:

As we think about the birth of Christ, we need to remember that He came to earth to redeem us and pay the price for our sins.  The price for sin is death. (Roman 6:23)  Jesus, The Christ, shed His blood and died for our sins. (John 1:29 and 19:30-34)  The next time that He comes it will be to gather His believers and we will meet Him in the air. (1 Thessalonians 4:17)  He will also come back again to bring judgment to non-believers.  Bible scholar J. Vernon McGee put it this way, “either your sin is on you, or it is on Christ.”  If you have not accepted Christ as your personal savior then you must pay the price for your sins and you will see Him after death as judge at the Great White Throne judgment. (Revelation 20:11-15)  Repent, the kingdom of heaven is at hand. (Matthew 4:17)

WHO CAN WITHSTAND THE WRATH OF GOD

Proclamation:

“It is You alone who are to be feared.  Who can stand before You when You are angry?  From heaven You pronounced judgment, and the land feared and was quiet; when You, God, rose up to judge, to save all the afflicted of the land.”  Psalm 76:7-9 (NIV)

Explanation:

The words of the psalm were written under the influence of The Holy Spirit of God by Asaph, a Levite who was an outstanding musician in the days of King David, who was also appointed minister of music or choir leader.  This psalm depicts the awesome power and the wrath of God, and why He is to be feared.  He rose up, judged, and destroyed the Assyrian army to protect Jerusalem for King David’s sake from Sennacherib, King of Assyria. (Psalm 76:5)  The Angel of The Lord destroyed the entire Assyrian army in one night while they slept. (2 Kings 19:34-36 and Isaiah 37:35-37)

Application:

The fear of the wrath of God should be enough to cause all men to praise The Lord. (Psalm 76:10)  However, there will come a day when all mankind will recognize and respect Him for who He is, and everyone will bow down to Him. (Isaiah 45:23 and Romans 14:11)  Some of us will see Him as Lord and Savior and will blessed to be with Him in glory, while others will see Him as judge and will be condemned to spend eternity in the lake of fire. (Revelation 20:12-15)

AVOID IDLE CONVERSATION

Proclamation:

“But I tell you that everyone will have to give account on the Day of Judgment for every empty word they have spoken.  For by your words you will be acquitted, and by your words you will be condemned.”  Matthew 12:36 (NIV)

Explanation:

These words were spoken by Jesus, The Christ, as recorded under the influence of The Holy Spirit of God by the Apostle Matthew.  Jesus spoke these words to the Pharisees and to the crowd which had followed Him after He healed the demon-possessed man who was blind and mute. (Matthew 12:22)  They accused Him of being the prince of demons. (Matthew 12:24)  After defending Himself, Jesus told them that the things which come out of a person’s mouth is that which is stored up within him. (Matthew 12:33-35)  Then He told them that they would have to give an account for the words that they speak.

Application:

Most of us think that our thoughts, words, and actions are either good, bad, or neutral.  The problem is that either they give glorify God, or they don’t and they are sinful.  The Bible says that all unrighteousness is sin. (1 John 5:17)  We should keep our conversations free from perverse and corrupt language. (Proverbs 4:24)  We would all also do well to heed the Apostle Paul's warning to Timothy to avoid all idle godless conversation. (2 Timothy 2:16)  Jesus, The Christ said that we would be judged on every idle word that we speak. (Matthew 12:36)  Christ also said that by our words we would be justified, and by our words we would be condemned. (Matthew 12:37)  Much of what we say could be left unspoken, because it is not helpful, and it does not praise God or give Him glory.  As servants of The Lord we are not to quarrel with others or engage them in pointless conversation.  We are to kindly tell them what The Lord says. (2 Timothy 2:23-26)  It is the job and sanctifying work of The Holy Spirit to convict, convince, and convert them as He deems necessary. (2 Thessalonians 2:13 and 1 Peter 1:2)  If they will not hear us, or listen to us, it is better for us to just walk away than to argue with them. (Mark 6:11)  We should always be mindful of the fact that our behavior may be the only "Bible" that some people will ever read.