Should We Fear Judgement Day?
Sermon Notes
It’s great to see you here today. My name is Zack and I’m one of the pastors here at City Awakening. I get to preach this 2nd to last message in our Romans Series because Louis helped chaperone our students that were at camp all week. Thankfully, they all had a great time and made it back home safely without any major incidents. There’s a big liability when you take 15 kids 10 hours away to a week long camp….which is why we have liability waivers, and the camp itself has waivers. You pretty much have to sign a waiver for anything you do these days, right? And nobody reads those things. It’d take forever to read all the fine prints. You basically just sign and pray that nothing happens. But, depending on what it is, you should pay attention to the fine print sometimes. For instance, warranties are the worst. When we bought our house the sellers threw in a home warranty. It didn’t take long for me to realize that was a joke. Once you read the fine print you realize that the warranty doesn’t really cover anything. But that’s what they want. It’s fine print so no one will read it. Not all, but a lot of companies want to deceive you. They want you to think you’re getting something but they mask the important information in a million microscopic words that no one can understand, which can lead to some real disappointment and frustration down the road.
What’s this have to do with Romans? We’re going to see that Paul gives a final warning at the end of Romans to pay attention what’s going on around us….to pay attention to the fine print because a Judgement Day is coming; except it’s not really fine print. It’s all spelled out pretty clearly. Today we’re asking, “Should We Fear Judgement Day?” And the Big Idea of the message is Be careful not to be deceived today nor ____________in the future. (I’m going to leave you hanging with the blank so you don’t tune out).
You can go ahead and open your Bibles to Romans 16. We’ll mainly be looking at vs. 17-20. If you’ve been with us over the past month or so, you’ll remember that Romans 14 and 15 dealt a lot with unity in the Church. Paul was addressing some cultural differences and religious traditions that were causing division between the Jews and Gentiles, and he reiterated the point that we are united by grace through Jesus and so we have to be willing to set aside our minor differences and opinions for the health of the church and the advancement of God’s Kingdom. Our unity is vital to our mission.
When we get to 16:17, we see this issue of division come up again but there’s a different focus.
17 Now I urge you, brothers and sisters, to watch out for those who create divisions and obstacles contrary to the teaching that you learned. Avoid them,
This is a very clear warning that we need to take seriously. Paul is urging…begging his readers to pay attention because there are people that want to deceive them. While he’s trying to get believers to remain united in the Gospel, there are other teachers trying to tear them apart based on everything but the Gospel. And it’s kind of ironic because his instruction is to avoid the false teachers, which is a division, but it’s a necessary one!
This warning applies to us just as much today as it did 2000 years ago. There are leaders and teachers, even inside the church, that want to create divisions and obstacles contrary to what the Bible teaches. They water down the Gospel to avoid offending people. They preach messages that make you feel good and use Scripture out of context. They focus a lot on God’s love and God’s blessings, but avoid talking about sin, holiness, the reality of suffering, and definitely not God’s judgement. It may seem like subtle difference at first, but it’s wrong. Research shows that only 60% of mainline protestants believe in a literal Hell (that’s going to be important later). 40% of Protestants believe that legalizing same-sex marriage is a good thing for our society, and about 40% say that abortion pills should be legal. These are just a few mainstream examples, and please hear me say that if you fit into any of those camps, we genuinely love you and are glad that you are here or listening. We will never shame you, criticize you, or push you away. City Awakening is a place for both skeptics and believers to seek truth and find joy in community. And we don’t claim to be perfect or that we’re the only church in our city teaching the truth of Scripture, but we will tell you what we believe is true according to the Bible because we believe it would be unloving for us not to…
It’s actually unloving and selfish if we just pick and choose what we think people want to hear. If we keep reading, Paul makes this point.
18 because such people do not serve our Lord Christ but their own appetites. They deceive the hearts of the unsuspecting with smooth talk and flattering words.
The CSB says unsuspecting, some translations say naive or innocent. It makes me think of a child that is easily persuaded, being lured into one of those creepy white vans for the promise of candy and ice cream. Unfortunately, there are a lot of people being lured into the van, both in Paul’s time and today because they are naive and unsuspecting.
I want to give you 3 points as we go through the message that reinforce the warning that Paul is giving here. The first one is to Pray for Discernment. When we talk about spiritual discernment, we’re talking about the ability to know what aligns with God and what doesn’t; what’s consistent with his character, His Word, and His leading. There are many things to consider, but I’ll give you four questions to ask, especially when it comes to discerning what’s being taught.
First, does it tear down or build up? The false teachers in Rome were creating division over issues that went against what the Christians knew to be true. We have to learn to look at the fruit of the teaching. A perfect example is some of the teachings around racial issues in our country. There is a lot of truth to the injustices and systemic racial issues that still exist, but there is a twisted version of those issues that is designed to create more division and an “us vs. them” mentality rather than bringing people together. That’s not consistent with the Gospel of Jesus. The Gospel should unify, as long as we are putting Jesus first. I know I’m hitting all the hot topics today. I encourage you to go back and listen to the Graceful Resistance series on our website. We covered a lot of these issues in depth.
The second question when it comes to discernment is does it align with Scripture? We have to know what the Bible teaches, we have to study Scripture and make sure things aren’t being taken out of context. Please don’t just hear someone quote a verse of the Bible and automatically assume what they are teaching is true. The Bible doesn’t always speak directly to a specific issue, and sometimes there’s room for interpretation so we have to use good hermeneutics, which is a big word that means using the clear parts of Scripture to help us interpret the less clear parts. One thing we know for certain is that the Bible will never contradict itself. We believe it’s the inspired word of God and it’s without error. So if what you’re hearing goes against what the Bible teaches or seems fishy, then you need to dig in and try to find clarity. But, you won’t know if you’re not reading and studying Scripture. We’d love to help you do that…in a small group, a discipleship relationship, with the right resources….
The third question when seeking discernment is does this Glorify God or man? Notice these teachers referenced in v.18 weren’t serving Christ, but their own appetites. There are many reasons people teach a false truth, but more often than not, there is some personal benefit to the person teaching. Politicians give half-truths because they want the vote. Pastors give a watered-down version of the truth because they want to draw more people and grow a bigger church. It all usually comes down to money and power. It may not always be immediately obvious who the message is intended to glorify, but if it doesn’t live up to the first two tests, if it’s tearing down and doesn’t align with Scripture, then I can guarantee you that it’s not glorifying God.
We need to take time to pray and ask the Holy Spirit to help guide us in seeking discernment.
Let’s pick up in v. 19 and see what else comes with this warning.
19 The report of your obedience has reached everyone. Therefore I rejoice over you, but I want you to be wise about what is good, and yet innocent about what is evil.
This ties back in with chapter 15 where Paul commended the Romans for being full of goodness. These were good people and they were genuinely living out their faith, but they couldn’t let their guard down. Now we’re about a month away from college football season, and the way I see it is verse 18 was the defensive strategy and verse 19 is the offensive strategy. So how do we stay focused on what is good and not on what is evil?
This is the second point from this passage: Marinate in the Gospel
Anybody like to marinate meat before you grill it? Why do you marinate? So that it’s juicy and full of flavor. When you bite into your chicken you want it to deliver, not be dry and bland. As Christians we want to marinate in the Gospel so that we take on its flavor. We have a code here at City Awakening that the Gospel is more than just a way to life, the Gospel is our life. That means our goal isn’t just to believe in Jesus for our salvation so we can check that box and go on about our lives. We want to let Jesus and our need for his grace infiltrate every moment of our lives. We have to preach the Gospel to ourselves daily so that it shapes our attitudes, our desires, our decisions, how we see other people, what we do with our money, how we spend our time, how we parent our children….everything. It’s understanding that no amount of willpower or good intentions will ever be the solution to our problems. The only answer is daily surrender to Jesus and putting our trust in him.
I’ll even take this metaphor further. Have you ever thought about the difference in marinating and pickling? It’s a similar process but with different goals. Marinating is more about getting the flavor into the food, while pickling is done primarily for preservation. It all has to do with the concentration of salt or acid used and the amount of time it takes. When food is pickled it prevents bad microbes from growing that would otherwise spoil the food. I love things that are pickled: pickles, olives, okra, onions, eggs, pigs’ feet….not really… But the point is we should marinate in the Gospel, but really our goal should be to get it in such high concentration that we move from marinating to pickling. This is getting weird I know…But we want to become Gospel pickles… saturated in the what’s good and preserved from evil. That’s why it’s important to read our Bibles, pray, listen to worship music, read books, meditate….to keep submitting ourselves to the Gospel.
The last warning that Paul gives in the passage is more implicit than explicit, but we can find it in verse 20.
20 The God of peace will soon crush Satan under your feet. The grace of our Lord Jesus be with you.
Louis mentioned last week that this is likely a reference to Genesis 3:15 which is a prophesy of both Jesus’ crucifixion and his defeat over Satan. The statement almost seems out of place here in Romans 16, but I think Paul includes it as an exclamation point to his warning, and it also serves as a source of encouragement and hope.
This gives us our final major point from this passage and it is that we need to Prepare for Judgement. We are to Pray for Discernment, Marinate in the Gospel, and Prepare for Judgment.
God’s judgement can be a scary and unpopular topic, but it’s definitely a reality taught in the Bible and therefore we can’t ignore it. If we do, then we’ll really be caught of guard in the future like overlooking the fine print we talked about earlier. Except God didn’t try to bury this in tiny legal jargon. It’s clearly explained in Scripture. So, we’re going to do a brief overview of the theology of God’s judgement.
The Bible tells us that God is “slow to anger and abounding is steadfast love,” but he is also Just and all his ways are right….He is righteous. You can go back and listen to some of the sermons from Romans Ch. 1 and 2 to get a better understanding of this. But because God is Just, he cannot let sin go unpunished. That’s why Jesus had to die on the cross. He bore the full wrath of God, but for those that reject that gift, they will bear the punishment for their sins.
We see this throughout the Old Testament as God is very patient with people, but as their sins build and they continue to rebel against him, he steps in to stop that destructive pattern…the flood is an example, the destruction of Sodom and Gomorra, burning up the prophets of Baal…all glimpses of God’s judgement.
This takes place all around us and even in our own lives today. At the very beginning of Romans, back in Ch. 1, Paul introduced this idea.
Romans 1:18, “For God’s wrath is revealed from heaven against all godlessness and unrighteousness of people who by their unrighteousness suppress the truth…”
He goes on to talk about how God gave the people over to their sin. In other words, he allowed them to have what they wanted, which was not him. When God does this it’s his present judgement. He’s not sending down a flood or fire, but He withholds his mercy and grace, and allows us to reap what we sow. He does this because he’s Just and because he loves his people. It would be unloving to let us just continue in our sin without consequences. Even as believers he disciplines us with the goal of bringing us back to a place of obedience and trust in him. But there will come a final day when our true intentions towards God are revealed.
Romans 2:5-8 says, “Because of your hardened and unrepentant heart you are storing up wrath for yourself in the day of wrath, when God’s righteous judgment is revealed. 6 He will repay each one according to his works: 7 eternal life to those who by persistence in doing good seek glory, honor, and immortality (through Jesus); 8 but wrath and anger to those who are self-seeking and disobey the truth while obeying unrighteousness.”
Here, Paul is referring to that final day of judgement. In Revelation 20, John describes very clearly this day and the Great White Throne Judgement. God revealed this to John and he saw every person standing before the throne to be judged by what they have done, and he tells us that if anyone’s name is not found written in the book of life, he will be thrown into the lake of fire.
If you remember earlier I said that 40% of people who say they are Christians don’t believe in a literal hell, but the Bible is pretty clear about it. The Lake of Fire referred to in Revelation 20 is hell. It’s where all creatures that reject God - Satan, demons, and people - will exist for eternity. A theological definition is a place of eternal conscious punishment for the wicked. The Bible says there will weeping and gnashing of teeth, constant torment, no rest, day or night, it will be dark, hot, and extremely lonely…worst of all, everyone that’s there will realize they rejected God but it will be too late for them to change their position. It’s an awful reality that I wish no one would have to experience.
As far as a timeline goes, this final judgment will occur after the Millennial Reign, which is a 1,000 year period of peace when will Jesus will bind Satan and his demons and he will rule on earth. At the end of that thousand years, Satan will be let loose and will rebuild his army, but Jesus will issue the final defeat and will cast Satan and his followers into hell. When all that will happen, we don’t know, but it will happen so we have to be ready for it.
Here’s a few quick points to clarify about the Final Judgement:
Unbelievers will be judged.
Matt. 12:36, “on the day of judgement men will render account for every careless word they utter.” As we said, anyone who does not put their trust in Jesus, which means their name will not be in the Book of Life, will not be accepted into heaven, but will be cast into hell.
Believers will be judged.
Romans 14:10, “We must all appear before the judgement seat of Christ…”
This can cause a lot of Christians to feel afraid of Judgement Day. Even if we believe our sins have been forgiven, there’s still that “what if” voice in the back of our minds that creates doubt. Theologians have differing opinions on what that day will look like for Christians, but here’s what we know to be true (using good Hermeneutics)….
Romans 8:1 say that, “there is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.”
Micah 7:19 says, “You will cast all our sins into the depths of the sea; as far as the east is from the west, so far does he remove our transgressions from us.”
Because of these verses and many others like them, we don’t need to be afraid or anxious about the final judgement as Christians. Even if all of our sins and mistakes get exposed, I don’t think we will be made to feel embarrassed, ashamed, or guilty. I think whatever happens we will be in awe of God, grateful for his mercy, and overcome with joy because of our acceptance into His kingdom.
Theologian Louis Berkhof said, “[The final judgement] will serve the purpose of displaying before all rational creatures the declarative glory of God in a formal, forensic act, which magnifies on the one hand His holiness and righteousness, and on the other hand, His grace and mercy.”
His holiness and righteous will be magnified as unbelievers are punished, and his grace and mercy will be magnified as believers are rewarded.
In multiple passages, Paul describes the crown at the end of the race. Jesus said to, “lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven.”
Again, we don’t know exactly what this will look like, but we know that obedience and faithfulness will be rewarded. Any rewards we do receive will be done with complete humility. We won’t be waving them in the face of other Christians; bragging. And we will genuinely rejoice with others for the rewards they receive, even if they are greater than ours.
I think it’s important to have at least a basic understanding of this doctrine because it can and should serve as a motivation for our faithfulness and obedience to God today. Preparing for judgement isn’t just about getting your fire insurance…it’s not just to escape hell. If that’s your attitude you’ve likely misunderstood your need and probably misunderstood the Gospel. I want to be able to run into the presence of the Father and hear “well done my good and faithful servant,” not because I want a pat on the back, but because I want to honor and glorify God who is worthy of my life as a living sacrifice.
The Final Judgement can be a hard doctrine to understand and accept because of the seriousness and finality of it. It should cause us distress as we think about what will happen to those that don’t know Jesus. It should give us a greater sense of urgency to spread the Gospel. It should cause us to have a more eternal perspective and not just focus on the here and now. Eternal living starts today.
But that’s also why the Final Judgment should give us an overarching sense of peace and comfort. John Stott says, “It is only through the destruction of evil that true peace can be attained.” We know how the story will end. We’ve been singing a song for the past few weeks that says we are fighting a battle he’s already won. It should give us peace to know that evil will not prevail, and hope to know that our eternity is secure in Jesus!
I think there’s one final warning that needs to come with this text. Paul warned about not being deceived by false teachers, and Jesus gave that same warning in the Sermon on the Mount. As a part of that he says in Matthew 7:21-23,
“Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father in heaven. 22 On that day many will say to me, ‘Lord, Lord, didn’t we prophesy in your name, drive out demons in your name, and do many miracles in your name?’ 23 Then I will announce to them, ‘I never knew you. Depart from me, you lawbreakers!’
This warning should give us pause. I never want to create fear or doubt in Christians, but this should cause us to examine our hearts… and the intentions of our hearts. There are a lot of leaders teaching a false gospel and there are lot nominal Christians that have bought into a false gospel. They attend church and try to live good moral lives. They want the blessing and power of Jesus, but they don’t know the person, Jesus. God knows your heart. He knows who or what is on the throne of your life….whether you’re just interested in karma and good vibes or you’re willing to surrender to Him as Lord and trust that His way is best.
The Big Idea of the message is to be careful not to be deceived today nor in the future. I left a blank there because there several words we could use to complete the sentence: Devastated (physically and emotionally), Disowned, Disappointed, Destroyed, Dead….you can use whatever word speaks to you the most. But whatever it is, don’t let it happen to you! And the good news is there is a way to ensure it won’t!
In writing to the church in Thessalonica, Paul says, “you turned to God from idols to serve the living and true God, 10 and to wait for his Son from heaven, whom he raised from the dead, Jesus who delivers us from the wrath to come.”
Jesus, the Son of God, who gave his life as a ransom was resurrected from the dead, which means he defeated death and Satan and showed he is our deliver! So, we can revise the big idea to say, be careful not to be deceived today, but instead be delivered, which starts today and will be completed in the future.
If you don’t know Jesus today, I want to invite you to get to know him. It’s never too late and you’re never too far gone. Surrender your life to Jesus because he is the way, the truth, and the life!
If you’re already a Christian then head Paul’s warning: Pray for Discernment, Marinate in the Gospel, and Prepare for the Judgement…ready to hear “well done, my good and faithful servant.”
