1.
I have been remodeling my house for the past few weeks. I replaced the old floor at home and painted some parts of the house. My wife and I took out things that were hidden in every corner of house. During the cleanup time, sometimes I used to look at old things and photos that refreshed my memories. Meanwhile, I have learned something that I share with you today.
First, I recognized that I had a lot of stuff. It would be God’s grace. I didn’t know when I bought it, but there were some stuffs that I never used. As I remembered, some stuff might be precious and valuable in the past, but now would not. Of course, there are still some valuable items. I saved some that were still important to me, but also many things were saved for garage sale.
Second, when I painted the most problematic place, I realized that the other side of the building was also very dirty. So, I had to fix the other place for good looking. Before painting, I didn’t know how dirty it was. Now I recognized the reality after painting. I could see the places where it need to be painted. I thought that it would be clean, but it was not. When I compared the places before and after painting, I could see the difference. I realized that I might paint the entire building because I will see the needs. What I learned is that one place looks dirty when the other place was cleaned.
2.
There was an image that came to my mind while constructing a house. It was the judgment of the Lord. And I would be standing in front of the Lord. Yes, I mediated the judgement of the Lord while I painted.
When I painted, I imagined that I would be in front of the Lord, the judge of the living and the dead. How would you feel if you would stand before the judge? At the end of the world, we all will be judged by the Lord.
Romans 2: 1 and 2 reveal the nature of the Lord's judgment.
You, therefore, have no excuse, you who pass judgment on someone else, for at whatever point you judge the other, you are condemning yourself, because you who pass judgment do the same things. Now we know that God's judgment against those who do such things is based on truth.
Romans 2 is talking about "judgment." There are comparisons between God’s judgement and man’s judgement.
The Lord's judgment is done in truth, but man's judgment is in his own comfort. Man judges everything in his favor. You might have heard that "it will be an affair if other does" but "it will be romance if I do." There are many such cases in the church. This is a part of the article that I found from the internet.
'... When you carry a small Bible, you may say that I am an active believer, if others, you may say that they are not devote. If someone is late for worship time, you may said that they should leave for five minutes early. When you are late, you may say "preaching is important ..." When you receive an official title in the church, you may say ‘already?’ When you receive the official title, "finally...”... "When other moves to a big house, you may say ‘Jesus had no place to lay his head ...' (Matthew 8:20). If you move into a big house, you will say that God will broaden my borders (Exodus 34:24). When other comes to the church with makeup, you may say that she is luxurious, when you makeup, you may say that it is a minimum etiquette. When someone sleeps at the time of worship, you may say, "get up and pray not to be tempted" (Luke 22:46), if you are asleep, "the Lord gives sleep to those he loves" (Ps. 127: 2.
People's judgments are often self-centered and unfair. But the Lord's judgment is just and fair.
Second, the characteristic of the Lord's judgment is to judge even our secrets as Romans 2:16 says this.
This will take place on the day when God will judge men's secrets through Jesus Christ, as my gospel declares.
Man judges by appearance, but God judges man's secrets through Jesus Christ.
This is what I realized when I painted my house. On the day when the Lord judged us, what would we look like? How do I answer? And I thought maybe I should say to the Lord, 'I am a sinner.'
It is because, in the presence of the Holy God, we will see our appearance more clearly. Just as the painted and unfilled areas are clearly distinguished, we will certainly know when we stand before the Lord. It is natural that there is fear when standing before the one who judges our secret things.
Although I thought I lived okay until now, when I would stand in front of the Lord, I might see my dirtiness because of the glory of the Lord who is pure. Although our sins might not be known by others, the signs of sin remained in our bodies, minds, and souls will be revealed before the Lord.
3.
Sin has the ability to harass us and bind our bodies and minds. Just as a wound on the body leaves a scar, sin leaves a scar on our bodies and minds.
In Genesis, Jacob's sons sold Joseph as a slave. Because the brethren hated Joseph. Thus, Joseph had to live as a slave for years. We can read the life of Joseph in the Bible. How did the other brothers live? They seemed to have lived a normal life as shepherds. But we can know that they had to endure the weight of sin. When they met Joseph later, they said to one another that they were punished for what they had done when something bad happened to them.
Genesis 42: 21-22 They said to one another, "Surely we are being punished because of our brother. We saw how distressed he was when he pleaded with us for his life, but we would not listen; that's why this distress has come upon us." Reuben replied, "Didn't I tell you not to sin against the boy? But you wouldn't listen! Now we must give an accounting for his blood."
The signs of sin left in the hearts of the sons of Jacob harassed them. These things will happen when we meet the Lord. When we meet Jesus Christ, the chief judge, we may be trembling before Him with signs of sin remembered in our hearts and bodies.
4.
There are confessions that the prophets of the Lord did when they were afraid when they were in the glory of the Lord. They said that how unclean and sinful they were in front of the Lord.
This is Isaiah 6: 5. "Woe to me!" I cried. "I am ruined! For I am a man of unclean lips, and I live among a people of unclean lips, and my eyes have seen the King, the LORD Almighty."
It is the common confession of those who stand before God. 'I am a sinner' and 'I am unclean'. It is natural that all our transgressions and iniquities will be heard because we are in the presence of the very clean. Nor can anyone boast about being righteous before God. No matter how good we live, we will see ourselves as sinners if we stand before God.
This may also make us more embarrassed when we look at those who we said were unclean. We judge others by appearance, but the Lord sees our center. He who judges by appearance can be deceived, but the Lord who sees our center and knows us. So, what we should do is 'repentance'. Also, Jesus Christ is the one we need, and that is why we believe in Jesus Christ.
“All the prophets testify about him that everyone who believes in him receives forgiveness of sins through his name."
The only way we can stand before the Lord who judges our sins is to receive forgiveness of sins through the name of Jesus Christ. Only the blood of Jesus Christ, the Son of God, who came to this earth for our sins, died on the cross and rose again, can cleanse our sins.
5.
What is the purpose of the Lord’s judgement? Man's judgment is to show their righteousness and to kill others. However, God's judgment is ultimately to save us.
It is also why God does not immediately judge the prosperity of the wicked. It is even giving them the opportunity to repent and return to God.
1 Timothy 2: 4 ".. God our Savior, who wants all men to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth.”
God wants all people to be saved.
If God had not endured men for a long time, people might have died because they were surprised by God's judgment. I also would probably have died if God had not endured me. Many times I was rude to God. Since God loves men, the loving God wants everyone to be saved.
Finally, the judgment of the Lord is very different from that of man.
John 3: 17,18 “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 standard of the judgment of the Lord is Jesus Christ. Whether you believe in Jesus Christ or not determines the judgment. We should obedience to Jesus with the fear each other.
Where is the destination of our life? The destination of our life will be Jesus Christ. We will stand in front of the Lord. It will be fearful for us to meet the Lord. It will also be a place of joy for us to meet the Lord who loves us and is willing to give his life for us.
The destination of our life is the judgment seat of Jesus Christ. If we know where to go, we do not have to waste time. We are people who know what to do. He is a man who knows how to live while living this land.
I pray in the name of the Lord that we should walk with Him until that day when we will meet the Lord.
I have been remodeling my house for the past few weeks. I replaced the old floor at home and painted some parts of the house. My wife and I took out things that were hidden in every corner of house. During the cleanup time, sometimes I used to look at old things and photos that refreshed my memories. Meanwhile, I have learned something that I share with you today.
First, I recognized that I had a lot of stuff. It would be God’s grace. I didn’t know when I bought it, but there were some stuffs that I never used. As I remembered, some stuff might be precious and valuable in the past, but now would not. Of course, there are still some valuable items. I saved some that were still important to me, but also many things were saved for garage sale.
Second, when I painted the most problematic place, I realized that the other side of the building was also very dirty. So, I had to fix the other place for good looking. Before painting, I didn’t know how dirty it was. Now I recognized the reality after painting. I could see the places where it need to be painted. I thought that it would be clean, but it was not. When I compared the places before and after painting, I could see the difference. I realized that I might paint the entire building because I will see the needs. What I learned is that one place looks dirty when the other place was cleaned.
2.
There was an image that came to my mind while constructing a house. It was the judgment of the Lord. And I would be standing in front of the Lord. Yes, I mediated the judgement of the Lord while I painted.
When I painted, I imagined that I would be in front of the Lord, the judge of the living and the dead. How would you feel if you would stand before the judge? At the end of the world, we all will be judged by the Lord.
Romans 2: 1 and 2 reveal the nature of the Lord's judgment.
You, therefore, have no excuse, you who pass judgment on someone else, for at whatever point you judge the other, you are condemning yourself, because you who pass judgment do the same things. Now we know that God's judgment against those who do such things is based on truth.
Romans 2 is talking about "judgment." There are comparisons between God’s judgement and man’s judgement.
The Lord's judgment is done in truth, but man's judgment is in his own comfort. Man judges everything in his favor. You might have heard that "it will be an affair if other does" but "it will be romance if I do." There are many such cases in the church. This is a part of the article that I found from the internet.
'... When you carry a small Bible, you may say that I am an active believer, if others, you may say that they are not devote. If someone is late for worship time, you may said that they should leave for five minutes early. When you are late, you may say "preaching is important ..." When you receive an official title in the church, you may say ‘already?’ When you receive the official title, "finally...”... "When other moves to a big house, you may say ‘Jesus had no place to lay his head ...' (Matthew 8:20). If you move into a big house, you will say that God will broaden my borders (Exodus 34:24). When other comes to the church with makeup, you may say that she is luxurious, when you makeup, you may say that it is a minimum etiquette. When someone sleeps at the time of worship, you may say, "get up and pray not to be tempted" (Luke 22:46), if you are asleep, "the Lord gives sleep to those he loves" (Ps. 127: 2.
People's judgments are often self-centered and unfair. But the Lord's judgment is just and fair.
Second, the characteristic of the Lord's judgment is to judge even our secrets as Romans 2:16 says this.
This will take place on the day when God will judge men's secrets through Jesus Christ, as my gospel declares.
Man judges by appearance, but God judges man's secrets through Jesus Christ.
This is what I realized when I painted my house. On the day when the Lord judged us, what would we look like? How do I answer? And I thought maybe I should say to the Lord, 'I am a sinner.'
It is because, in the presence of the Holy God, we will see our appearance more clearly. Just as the painted and unfilled areas are clearly distinguished, we will certainly know when we stand before the Lord. It is natural that there is fear when standing before the one who judges our secret things.
Although I thought I lived okay until now, when I would stand in front of the Lord, I might see my dirtiness because of the glory of the Lord who is pure. Although our sins might not be known by others, the signs of sin remained in our bodies, minds, and souls will be revealed before the Lord.
3.
Sin has the ability to harass us and bind our bodies and minds. Just as a wound on the body leaves a scar, sin leaves a scar on our bodies and minds.
In Genesis, Jacob's sons sold Joseph as a slave. Because the brethren hated Joseph. Thus, Joseph had to live as a slave for years. We can read the life of Joseph in the Bible. How did the other brothers live? They seemed to have lived a normal life as shepherds. But we can know that they had to endure the weight of sin. When they met Joseph later, they said to one another that they were punished for what they had done when something bad happened to them.
Genesis 42: 21-22 They said to one another, "Surely we are being punished because of our brother. We saw how distressed he was when he pleaded with us for his life, but we would not listen; that's why this distress has come upon us." Reuben replied, "Didn't I tell you not to sin against the boy? But you wouldn't listen! Now we must give an accounting for his blood."
The signs of sin left in the hearts of the sons of Jacob harassed them. These things will happen when we meet the Lord. When we meet Jesus Christ, the chief judge, we may be trembling before Him with signs of sin remembered in our hearts and bodies.
4.
There are confessions that the prophets of the Lord did when they were afraid when they were in the glory of the Lord. They said that how unclean and sinful they were in front of the Lord.
This is Isaiah 6: 5. "Woe to me!" I cried. "I am ruined! For I am a man of unclean lips, and I live among a people of unclean lips, and my eyes have seen the King, the LORD Almighty."
It is the common confession of those who stand before God. 'I am a sinner' and 'I am unclean'. It is natural that all our transgressions and iniquities will be heard because we are in the presence of the very clean. Nor can anyone boast about being righteous before God. No matter how good we live, we will see ourselves as sinners if we stand before God.
This may also make us more embarrassed when we look at those who we said were unclean. We judge others by appearance, but the Lord sees our center. He who judges by appearance can be deceived, but the Lord who sees our center and knows us. So, what we should do is 'repentance'. Also, Jesus Christ is the one we need, and that is why we believe in Jesus Christ.
“All the prophets testify about him that everyone who believes in him receives forgiveness of sins through his name."
The only way we can stand before the Lord who judges our sins is to receive forgiveness of sins through the name of Jesus Christ. Only the blood of Jesus Christ, the Son of God, who came to this earth for our sins, died on the cross and rose again, can cleanse our sins.
5.
What is the purpose of the Lord’s judgement? Man's judgment is to show their righteousness and to kill others. However, God's judgment is ultimately to save us.
It is also why God does not immediately judge the prosperity of the wicked. It is even giving them the opportunity to repent and return to God.
1 Timothy 2: 4 ".. God our Savior, who wants all men to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth.”
God wants all people to be saved.
If God had not endured men for a long time, people might have died because they were surprised by God's judgment. I also would probably have died if God had not endured me. Many times I was rude to God. Since God loves men, the loving God wants everyone to be saved.
Finally, the judgment of the Lord is very different from that of man.
John 3: 17,18 “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 standard of the judgment of the Lord is Jesus Christ. Whether you believe in Jesus Christ or not determines the judgment. We should obedience to Jesus with the fear each other.
Where is the destination of our life? The destination of our life will be Jesus Christ. We will stand in front of the Lord. It will be fearful for us to meet the Lord. It will also be a place of joy for us to meet the Lord who loves us and is willing to give his life for us.
The destination of our life is the judgment seat of Jesus Christ. If we know where to go, we do not have to waste time. We are people who know what to do. He is a man who knows how to live while living this land.
I pray in the name of the Lord that we should walk with Him until that day when we will meet the Lord.