Judgments
Everybody makes judgments, everyday. When to get up; when to go to bed. What to wear, and what we are going to eat. But when it comes to judging people the Bible gives a warning; “Judge not, that ye be not judged. For with what judgment ye judge, ye shall be judged.” Matt. 7:1,2. God is telling us if we judge others, He is going to judge us with the same type of judgments we are using to judge them. I don’t know about you, but I don’t want God to put me under His magnifying glass. I’m afraid I wouldn’t fare too well! As a Christian however, I am permitted to look at another’s behavior who also claims to be a Christian. In Matthew 7:20 I am told, “By their fruits ye shall know them.” Jesus goes on to say; “Not everyone that saith unto me Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven.” Galatians 5:22 tells us that the fruit of God’s Spirit that will manifest itself in a believer’s life is, “love, joy, peace, longsuffering (patience), gentleness, goodness, and faith.” If a person claims to be a Christian, this is the kind of fruit we should see in their lives.
There is a judgment we should all be concerned about. The Bible tells us about a “day of judgment.” Revelation 20:11,12 says; “And I saw a great white throne, and Him that sat on it, from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away; and there was found no place for them. And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God; and the books were opened: and another book was opened, which is the book of life: and the dead were judged out of those things that were written in the books, according to their works.” It goes on to say in 21:5-8, “And He that sat upon the throne said, “Behold, I make all things new.” And He said unto me, “Write: for these words are true and faithful.” And He said unto me, “It is done. I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end. I will give unto him that is athirst of the fountain of life freely. He that overcometh shall inherit all things; and I will be his God, and he shall be my son. But the fearful, and unbelieving, and the abominable, and murderers, and whoremongers, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone: which is the second death.”
Now there is a judgment we all should be concerned about because this is the judgment that every one of us is going to face on “that day.” How do I deal with this? 1 Corinthians 11:31 says, “For if we would judge ourselves, we should not be judged.” In other words, we should take stock now to see if we can pass the test of God’s ultimate judgment. If we can, we will hear those wonderful words; “Well done my good and faithful servant. Come and enter into my rest.” Rather than; “Depart from me, ye that work iniquity.” In case you think your good deeds will put you in good standing with God, pay close attention to this verse, “But we are all as an unclean thing, and all our righteousness are as filthy rags.” Isaiah 64:6 With something as important as our eternal security it is imperative that we know for certain that we have met God’s requirements for salvation, and not take it for granted. Too often we believe that my belonging to a certain denomination, or my church attendance will meet the criteria for salvation. Not so, for God has something very definite to say concerning this.
When it comes to knowing what is required to be acceptable in God’s sight, most people are either uninformed, or misinformed. And they are afraid to listen to anyone who might be able to share God’s truths with them. That is because no one wants to be shown they’re wrong. Even if they were shown they were in error they would be reluctant to admit it. They have been told all their lives, “you don’t argue religion.” And their experience in life has borne this out. While we shouldn’t argue religion, we need to keep an open mind, and be searchers after truth. Our minds are like parachutes; they work best when they are open. One of the reasons we don’t like to talk about the Lord is we have a misconception about our God. It isn’t that God wants to see the majority of us end up in hell. His Word makes it plain that He doesn’t want anyone to perish. On the other hand, since He is a Holy and Righteous God who declares that only the pure in heart shall see Him, He declares; “Not everyone that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven.”
Well then, what is the answer to this dilemma? First we need to see ourselves as God sees us. Jeremiah 17:9,10 says; “The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it? I the Lord search the heart, I try the reins, even to give every man according to his ways, and according to the fruit of his doings.” The Living Bible translates it thus; “The heart is the most deceitful thing there is, and desperately wicked. No one can really know how bad it is! Only the Lord knows! He searches all hearts and examines deepest motives so He can give to each person his right reward, according to his deeds-how he has lived.”
Wow! To think that the motives of my heart are always open to the all seeing eyes of God, and that He is going to reward me according to how I have conducted myself. Even on a good day, I have let God down so many times. I haven’t even come close to obeying His greatest commandment that I should love Him with all my heart, soul, and strength, and love my neighbor as I love myself. I know there are days that go by, that I don’t even think about God, or His Righteous One Jesus. Weeks may pass where I don’t pray, read His Word, or attend His House of prayer. And then there’s my neighbor; love him? You’ve got to be kidding! I must admit, I’m having a hard time getting this deceitful heart of mine to line up with God’s commandments. We find ourselves needing to cry out like Isaiah; “Woe is me! For I am undone; because I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips.” Isaiah 6:1-5.
We can be comforted by the words of our Lord; “I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end. I will give unto him that is athirst of the fountain of the water of life freely.” Revelation 21:6 Oh that we would become thirsty for God! Listen to these words: “Ho, everyone that thirsteth, come ye to the waters, and he that hath no money; come ye, buy, and eat; yea, come, buy wine and milk without money and without price. Wherefore do ye spend money for that which is not bread? And your labor for that which satisfieth not? Hearken diligently unto me, and eat ye that which is good, and let your soul delight itself in fatness. Incline your ear, and come unto me; hear and your soul shall live; and I will make an everlasting covenant with you, even the sure mercies of David. Seek ye the Lord while He may be found, call ye upon Him while He is near. Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts; and let him return unto the Lord, and He will have mercy upon him; and to our God, for He will abundantly pardon.” Isaiah 55;1-3,6,7. Even if we are spiritually bankrupt, we can be filled with the presence of God and receive food for our souls. Our part is to acknowledge our unworthiness; have a willingness to change, and to recognize God’s provision for our forgiveness. God says, He will make an everlasting covenant with us, and show us the tender mercies and everlasting love He had for King David. We don’t fully understand the power in that word “covenant,” but Indians do. It was a common practice for one Indian to enter into a blood covenant with another. They would cut their wrists, and with the blood flowing, place their wrists together, while saying; “Now my blood is flowing through your veins, and your blood is flowing through my veins. We are “blood brothers.” What is mine is yours, and your enemies have now become my enemies. Anytime you need me, just call, and I will be there.” That is what God is saying to us. He wants to enter into the same type of covenant with us; it is a blood covenant, only we don’t have to shed our blood, Jesus has already done that for us. It is His shed blood that will wash away our sins, if we are willing to enter into this covenant. Entering into this covenant is not something we deserve, nor is it anything we can earn. Our salvation is a free gift, and it can only be received by faith. We can’t earn it by doing good deeds, nor can we get it by being faithful to a religion. But we can receive it by acknowledging we are incapable of measuring up to God’s standards. We have sinned, and will continue to sin, and if it weren’t for God’s grace in sending His Son to take the punishment we deserve, we would be hopelessly lost. But now I can bow my knee, and say; “Thank you Lord for Jesus; I surrender my life to Him, and ask Him to come into my heart, and take control of my life.
If you do this, you will receive the confirmation that you are now right with God, for He will send His Holy Spirit to dwell within you. The Holy Spirit will then be your teacher and will enable you to understand God’s direction for your life as contained in His “Operator’s Manual,” the Bible. There are three things you should now do to keep the enemy from stealing that which the Lord has sown in your heart.
1-Learn how to talk to God daily. (Prayer)
2-Study God’s Word daily.
(Start with the Gospel of John, then go to Romans)
3-Be faithful to attend the church of your choice.
(Be sure it is a Bible believing church)
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