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The End of Evil?

04/13/2008 - The King is Coming, Selected Scripture

Well this morning we finally come to the end of our series called The End of Evil? Are you excited? I am. And the end of evil is coming, not just the end of this evil series, but the end of all evil is coming when King Jesus returns to judge the earth. And that's what we what to talk about today. That's how we want to conclude this series with the good news that "The King is Coming" and when he comes he will put an end to evil and fix this broken world, setting set all things right.

By the way, before we go any further, did you enjoy Matt's teaching last week on "Forgiveness" and the chance to break out into discussion groups? I thought you did. I know it was a stretch for some of us. But you did really well. Would you like to do that again? I thought you would. Well, we're not going to do it today, because I have too much to talk about, but we'll do it again soon because we're a community here and discussing these concepts with each other is so important. It's not only an effective way of learning together, but it tightens the connections between us. So we'll do that again.

But this morning I want to talk about the return of Jesus Christ and the judgment that he will bring to this earth. The idea of Jesus coming again to judge the earth is a nonnegotiable in Scripture. It's mentioned a lot and it will happen. How it will happen and when it will happen is debatable. But that it will happen is not. There cannot be an end to evil without judgment. It's part of the justice of God.

I don't know about you, but when I hear the word "judgment" I cringe inside, especially God's judgment. It's not a word that gets me excited. It's not something I like to think about or a topic that I like to teach on. But we can't read the Bible very long and not realize that God's judgment is coming someday and has to come for this world to be made new.

But I've been wondering lately if I have the right view of God's judgment. Because in the Scriptures, especially in the Psalms, God's coming judgment is looked at as a good thing. It's something to be celebrated. It's something to long for. It causes people to shout for joy and the mountains to sing and the rivers to clap their hands. Listen to Psalm 98 again the Psalm that was read when we sang "Shout to the Lord" and listen to what all the shouting's about. If you want to follow along it's found on page 410 in the Bibles we give out.

Psalm 98, Sing to the LORD a new song, for he has done marvelous things; his right hand and his holy arm have worked salvation for him.²The LORD has made his salvation known and revealed his righteousness to the nations.³He has remembered his love and his faithfulness to the house of Israel; all the ends of the earth have seen the salvation of our God. ⁴Shout for joy to the LORD, all the earth, burst into jubilant song with music; ⁵make music to the LORD with the harp, with the harp and the sound of singing, ⁶with trumpets and the blast of the ram's horn—shout for joy before the LORD, the King. ⁷Let the sea resound, and everything in it, the world, and all who live in it. ⁸Let the rivers clap their hands, let the mountains sing together for joy; ⁹let them sing before the LORD … why … for he comes to judge the earth. He will judge the world in righteousness and the peoples with equity.

Do you hear what the Psalmist is saying? He's saying shout to the Lord because he's coming to judge the earth! Celebrate! Tune up the instruments, strike up the band, get out the noisemakers, invite the sea, and the rivers, and the mountains, and everything that God has made to join in the celebration because the Lord is coming to judge the earth and to rescue this world from evil, that's what the word "salvation" means. That's a different spin on judgment, isn't it? At least it is for me.

In a world dominated by injustice and intimidation, arrogance and violence, racism and prejudice, the thought that there's coming a day when the wicked will finally be put in their place and the poor and the oppressed and the abused will be given their day in court is good news … news worth shouting about!

This week I watched a movie called Cry Freedom starring Denzel Washington. It's not a new movie, in fact it's about 20 years old. My son, Jordan, had to watch it for a high school class and then write a paper on it. So we popped a bowl of popcorn, sat down and watched it together.

It's the true story about a black activist named Steven Biko and a white newspaper editor named Donald Woods who were both living in South Africa in the mid-1970's, during the era of apartheid. At first, they were bitter enemies on opposite ends of the political spectrum. But during the course of the movie they become friends. And when Biko is beaten to death for his belief that whites and blacks are equal Woods takes us his cause. He flees the country at the risk of his own life and publishes Steven Biko's story for the rest of the world to see. And in doing that he literally shakes South Africa and awakens the rest of the world to the evil and the injustice of that oppressive system. I read later that when the film first came out theaters in South Africa that dared to show it faced bomb threats.

But as I was watching the movie I couldn't help but wonder who is going to advocate for these poor, oppressed people that were getting bullied and beaten and killed - women and children alike - it made no difference. "That's not right," we say.

Last night, Jennifer and I attended the annual Laurel House fundraising event held at Lincoln Financial Field. As some of you know the Laurel House is the abuse shelter in Norristown that houses women and children who are victims of domestic violence. And the theme of this year's fundraiser was "Denim and Diamonds," because domestic violence can affect anyone whether they wear denim or diamonds it makes no difference. It goes on all over the place, in neighborhoods just like yours and mine. "It's not right," we say, "It's just not right."

Faced with a world in rebellion, a world full of evil and violence, discrimination and abuse, a good God must be a God of judgment or else he wouldn't be a good God. God wouldn't be a God of love if he wasn't also a God of justice.

I didn't realize the connection between justice and love until I became a parent of more than one child. That was when I started to hear things like "Daddy, that's not fair!" Or "Daddy when I did that I got nailed for it, how come they didn't?" Or "You never let me do that. How come they can do it?" Or "You did that for them. How come you didn't do that for me … or buy that for me … or give that to me too." It can wear you out sometimes. Of course, my favorite response has always been, "Hey, life's not fair. Get used to it. Life's not just." And that's true, but God is just and his justice is a big part of his love. So we can't celebrate his love without celebrating his justice.

And so as we move from the Psalms into the Hebrew prophets we see that the Messiah of Israel is the one who will bring God's good justice not just to Israel, but to the whole earth.

We read about it a few weeks ago in Isaiah 11, A shoot will come up from the stump of Jesse; from his roots a Branch will bear fruit... ³He will not judge by what he sees with his eyes, or decide by what he hears with his ears; (in other words, he's not going to make snap judgments, his judgments aren't going to be based on one side of the story, he's not going to be swayed by clever arguments) ⁴but with righteousness he will judge the needy, with justice he will give decisions for the poor of the earth. He will strike the earth with the rod of his mouth; with the breath of his lips he will slay the wicked. ⁵Righteousness will be his belt and faithfulness the sash around his waist.

The righteous, faithful Messiah of Israel is the judge we're waiting for and by the time we get to the New Testament we see that that judge is Jesus, the carpenter from Nazareth.

Paul in his great sermon on top of the Areopagus in Athens closes by saying in Acts 17:31, For God has set a day when he will judge the world with justice by the man he has appointed. He has given proof of this to everyone by raising him from the dead. And who might that be? That's Jesus.

Jesus knew that one day he would put on the judge's robe and play this role. He talks about it quite a bit in John 5. In fact, if you have a Bible I'd like you to turn there.

In this passage Jesus is talking about his relationship with his heavenly Father when he says in verse 22, Moreover, the Father judges no one, but has entrusted all judgment to the Son, ²³that all may honor the Son just as they honor the Father. Whoever does not honor the Son does not honor the Father, who sent him … ²⁷And he has given him authority to judge because he is the Son of Man.

Jesus is the judge, not the Father. He's the son of man referred to in Daniel 7:13-14, In my vision at night I looked, and there before me was one like a son of man, coming with the clouds of heaven. He approached the Ancient of Days and was led into his presence. ¹⁴He was given authority, glory and sovereign power. All nations and peoples of every language worshiped him. His dominion is an everlasting dominion that will not pass away, and his kingdom is one that will never be destroyed.

And that's another reason why God's coming judgment is seen in Scripture as basically good news, especially for God's people, because the one who will bring justice to this world is not some calloused, hard-hearted, arrogant, vengeful tyrant out to promote his own agenda. He's the Son of Man. He's the Man of Sorrows who is acquainted with grief. He's the one who championed the cause of the poor and the needy, the oppressed and the abused. He's the one who loves sinners and took the world's judgment on himself and died for each and every one of us on the cross. He's the one who invites everyone to come to him to find rest for their souls.

Look at this description of Jesus in Matthew 12:18-21, I will put my Spirit on him, God says, and he will proclaim justice to the nations … ²⁰A bruised reed he will not break, and a smoldering wick he will not snuff out, till he leads justice to victory. ²¹In his name the nations will put their hope. There is no one better qualified to judge this old earth than Jesus. No one.

And when he returns as judge the graves will be opened and everyone will appear before the judgment seat of Christ. Paul puts it this way in 2 Corinthians 5:10, For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, that everyone may receive what is due them for the things done while in the body, whether good or bad.

We will all give an account of our lives. Why? Because our lives count, they are worth something to the God who made us and loves us. And the one to whom we are most accountable is the one who loves us most, that's Jesus.

This is the day that all creation is waiting for and longing for. This is the day when the King comes back and the graves are opened and the ashes are collected and the children of God are finally revealed.

Look how Jesus puts it in John 5:28-29, Do not be amazed at this, for a time is coming when all who are in their graves will hear his voice (that is the Father's voice) ²⁹and come out - those who have done what is good will rise to live, and those who have done what is evil will rise to be condemned.

So knowing that the King is coming to judge the earth and could come at anytime how does that change the way we live today? Well, let me suggest four things.

First, honor the Son. That's what Jesus said, God has entrusted all judgment to the Son, so that all may honor the Son. And honoring the Son starts when we believe in him. Look at John 5:24-26, Very truly I tell you, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life and will not be judged or condemned; but has crossed over from death to life. ²⁵Very truly I tell you, a time is coming and has now come when the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God and those who hear will live. ²⁶For as the Father has life in himself, so he has granted the Son also to have life in himself.

Honoring the Son means obeying the Son and Jesus said that starts with belief. And when we believe that he is the Messiah of Israel and the King who is coming back we have eternal life, we cross over from death to life. That's John's way of saying that we become part of God's kingdom. We will not be condemned on the Day of Judgment. That's good news! We need not fear judgment day if we know Jesus. Instead, that's the day that we will become most fully alive.

Second, pray. Pray for Jesus to come back because that's when his kingdom will come to this earth and that's good news. The return of Christ to set up his kingdom is what we all look forward to. Listen to the Lord's Prayer. In fact, let's say it together.

Matthew 6:9-13, Our Father in heaven, holy is your name, your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us today our daily bread. And forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one. For yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen.

Pray for God's kingdom to come to this earth because when we do we're more apt to live for that kingdom right here and now.

Third, don't judge. That's what Jesus is going to do. Jesus is coming back to judge the earth so we don't have to.

Listen to what the apostle Paul says in Romans 14:10-13,You, then, why do you judge your brother or sister? Or why do you treat your brother or sister with contempt? For we will all stand before God's judgment seat. ¹¹It is written: "As surely as I live," says the Lord, "every knee will bow before me; every tongue will confess to God." ¹²So then, we will all give an account of ourselves to God. ¹³Therefore let us stop passing judgment on one another. Instead, make up your mind not to put any stumbling block or obstacle in the way of a brother or sister.

Don't judge one another. Instead, forgive one another as we talked about last week and as Jesus taught us to pray. Forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. Judgment is Jesus' job, not our job.

Jesus said in Matthew 7:1-2, Do not judge, or you too will be judged. For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged. You want a harsh judgment, be harsh with people. You want a gracious judgment, be gracious.

And finally, invest your life in God's great kingdom work.

Listen to how Paul puts it in 1 Corinthians 3:12-15, If anyone builds on the foundation of Jesus Christ using gold, silver, costly stones, wood, hay or straw, ¹³their work will be shown for what it is, because the Day will bring it to light. It will be revealed with fire, and the fire will test the quality of each person's work. ¹⁴If what has been built survives, the builder will receive a reward. ¹⁵If it is burned up, the builder will suffer loss but yet will be rescued - even though only as one escaping through the flames.

What we do right here, right now for Christ and his kingdom matters. Our work will be rewarded. Nothing we do for Christ is wasted. We don't build the kingdom of God all by ourselves. We can't do that. Instead, empowered by God's Spirit we build for the kingdom. We order our lives around the values of the kingdom which include things like faith and hope and love and peace and justice and beauty. Nothing we do for the King is in vain. Nothing. And the judgment of Jesus will reveal that.

The King is coming. And that's good news. That's something to shout about and to celebrate. But until he comes let's honor the Son, let's pray for his return, let's not judge others but instead forgive them, and let's invest our lives in his great kingdom work.

FOR MORE INFORMATION about Valley View Community Church, feel free to contact us at info@valleyviewseek.org or call 610.631.2707.