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I am sure, as you listen to the news this week, the account of the murders in the mountains of France has chilled your very heart because of the sheer deliberate cruelty of the way those murders were executed. If I were to say to you that it doesn't matter, you would regard me as a moral reprobate.
How could you possibly say it doesn't matter? But if I were to ask, how much does it matter? You might say, what do you mean, how much does it matter? I mean this. Does it have repercussions for this life only. What about the next? And is there a final judgment?
Because if there is a final judgment, then of course our sins matter immensely. So many of my erstwhile colleagues held that there is no final judgment. And it doesn't assert it simply as a warning.
The grave side of the gospel. It is part of the gospel itself that there's going to be a final judgment. We are told that when the apostle, the Christian apostle Paul, addressed the Stoics and the ethical realists in Athens, at their request. He preached to them, of course, the gospel. And he added as a part of the gospel, it's called to everyone everywhere to repent, for God has appointed a day in which he will judge the world in righteousness.
What a glorious fact that is. Who amongst us would wish it that the world carries on as it is carrying on? With all its carnage and its folly. It is not going to carry on forever. There will be a final judgment. How much does, how much do the murders in France matter?
So, by your leave, I wish to read an account, a biblical account of the final judgment. It is to be found in the book of the Revelation and chapter twenty, From verse eleven and onwards. 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 book, according to their works. And the sea gave up the dead which were in it, and death and hell delivered up the dead which were in them.
And they were judged, every man according to their works. And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death. Whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake The of fire. A few verses, but there is no greater solemn message than all scripture than this.
There will be a set, set up a great white throne, and the dead, small and great, stand before God. And then the books are open. We are repeatedly told that the dead will be judged according to their works. It is not one universal same sentence. Punishment there will be.
It will be according to people's works. The books shall be open. You see, if haven't someone said, claims that he didn't do such a thing, or he didn't have such thoughts, God will pay him back. He will see himself in his memory, doing the thing.
God has his books. They may not be like our books, with leaves and pages and binding. But God has his record. In particular, however, we should notice verse fifteen of the passage. Whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire.
This, as you may accept, is very, very carefully worded. Fight over the repetition has been made. The judgment will be according to people's works. That will determine their individual faith. But now notice that whether anybody is cast into the lake of fire or not, isn't said to be this, that their deeds on recollection were so bad that they had to be cast into the lake of fire.
That is not what it says. It says the determining thing that will cause anybody to be cast into the lake of fire was this. Whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire. That tells me that perhaps life's most important decision I could possibly make is this: is my name written in this book of life?
I confess to you, if it were not, and if I were not absolutely sure, I scarce would put my head upon my pillow this night. Anybody's name was not found written in the book of life. As we read the New Testament, we shall find that believers in Christ are told their names are written in the book of life. The lovely message of the gospel is this, that you don't have to wait uncertainly to discover whether your name is written or not.
You could know it now. And knowing it now, you could be sure that you will not be cast into the lake of fire. For they are cast into that lake, whoever's name was not found written in the book of life. It's a lovely thing, but when our Lord was here on earth, he sent out his apostles to evangelize, and they came back very excitedly, like evangelists do sometimes today, and they reported to the Lord that, you know, Lord, even the demons were subject to us in your name, for we had a tremendous time.
And our Lord quietly said to them, well, that's okay, but don't rejoice in that small mercy that the demons were subject to. Rejoice in this, that your names are written in heaven, registered as citizens of heaven and of glory. And I give you, uh, uh, permission for the next minute to sit and enjoy it together. Is your name written in that book?
Well, then you have the Lord's permission to rejoice with joy unspeakable and full of glory. It is a fact that the disturbances of life cannot overturn. In the church at Philippi, of course, all the believers were keen, but when all believers get keen, there can sometimes be trouble, you see, because one wants it done this way and another wants it done that way, and before you know where you are, they are at, uh, uh, differences of opinion.
And writing to some who were in that situation in Philippi, uh, uh, the apostle says, but in this rejoice that your name are written in heaven. Glorious, is it not? Names written in heaven, registered as citizens of glory. That then is what depends on this. So that, if I may, I address to you once more the question: Are you certain your name is written in the Lamb's book of life?
And since there's going to be a judgment, let me, if I may, introduce you to the judge himself. And I now read some of his own words from the Gospel of John and chapter five. m Gospel of John and chapter five. And we shall begin to read at verse nineteen.
Then answered Jesus and said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, the Son can do nothing of himself, but what he sees the Father do. For what things soever he does, these also does the Son likewise. For the Father loves the Son and shows him all things that himself does, and he will show him greater works than these, that you may marvel. For as the Father raises up the dead and gives them life, even so the Son gives life to whom he will.
For the Father judges no man, but hath committed all judgment unto the Son, that all men should honor the Son even as they honor the Father. He that honoreth not the Son, honoreth not the Father which has sent him. Verily, verily, I say to you, he who hears my word and believes on him that sent me has everlasting life and shall not come into condemnation, but has passed over already from death to life.
What a magnificent this thing is. It wouldn't be right in British law, I suppose, that if you were up before a judge, you might try to nobble the judge in his home, uh, before he went out to court, or expect some statement from him. The glorious thing is that while there's going to be a, a final judgment, and Christ will be the judge, you could have the judge's word on what your fate will be.
The Father judges no man, but has committed all judgment to the Son, says the Lord Jesus. And then he opens his next remarks with that famous quotation of his, verily, verily, I say unto you, he that heareth my word and believeth on him that sent me has everlasting life and shall not come into condemnation, but is passed from death unto Under life.
This, my good friend, is the word of the one who shall be the judge at the final judgment. How marvelous to have from his own mouth his verdict. He who hears my word and believes on him that sent me has everlasting life and shall not come to condemnation, but has passed over from death to life.
That is, so to speak, the legal side to our salvation. And while we rejoice in the tender-heartedness of Jesus Christ our Lord, yet should we remember who he is. For our Lord has just declared that whatever he sees the Father do, he thems- himself, the Son, does likewise.
These were astonishing things for Jesus of Nazareth to declare as he stood in the streets of Jerusalem. Does the Father make the Son get up every day? Well, God has so originated it. Then the Son does the very same. It is the blessed Son of God that is behind the rising of the sun for our creation. He was the creator. Hence his ability to give us eternal life.
For as the Father raises up the dead and quickens them, even so quickens the Son whom he will. We are told in the book of Genesis that God made man of the dust of the ground, and then he breathed into his nostrils the bread of life, the the breath of life. Here our blessed Lord is claiming that it was he who breathed into our forefather Adam the breath of life.
He holds every human life in his hand. It is that blessed Lord Jesus who appeals to our heart tonight. Verily, verily, say the older translations. Some say the Aramaic phrase he used means, believe me when I tell you. Truly, truly. Just imagine the Lord Jesus standing in front of you.
And saying, I beg you to believe me. What would you say? Verily, verily, I say unto you, he who hears my word and believes on him that sent me has everlasting life and shall not come into condemnation, but is passed over from death to life.
So let me sum up. We have thought there's going to be a final judgment, for which we thank God. Things are not going to be allowed to carry on as at present they are carrying on, with endless injustice and defilement and disorder. It is God's will. He will bring it to its end.
Before he does so. Believe me, he says. I want to give you eternal life so that you will never perish. We have our option, therefore. As we face the Son of God. Frankly, he's saying to us, truly, truly, I'm not deceiving you.
I'm not spinning fancies. What I assure you of is the utter truth. And our blessed Lord suffered Calvary for it. To bear our sins. In order that we may not come into condemnation. To neglect and reject him, of course, is to go ahead on our own steam and suffer that eternal condemnation.
Are we needed? And if there is a doubt in any of our hearts tonight as to what our eternal destiny shall be, then let me exhort you to come and meet the judge himself and get from him the judge's own assurance that if you put your faith in him, you will not come into condemnation, but have everlasting life.
So may that same risen Lord speak his word into our hearts. Give us the assurance that when life is done, or when he comes again, we shall be transferred to his immediate presence. The Lord bless his word for his name.
