Matthew 25:31-46
January 03, 2010
"After Death"
I have spent 13 weeks already teaching this class; so you can understand there is a lot more information behind what I am giving you today. This is in the hopes that you yourself will dig into the Bible as well as possibly join us on January 13 as we finish up the course, which will take about 6 weeks to do so.
Now part of what inspired me to do this series is an article that appeared in the Newspaper on December 10th last year. It was titled, “US Faith Parameters Fuzzy”.
Now in this article it talked a lot about the blending of various beliefs systems and religions. There are several in this article I could address from the Christian perspective, but in terms of this sermon I want to address just one, and that is the belief in “reincarnation”.
Now the belief in “reincarnation” is a particularly non-Christian belief. Christianity’s belief can be summed up in Hebrews 9:27-28 (that you can see on the screen): “Just as man is destined to die once, and after that to face judgment, so Christ was sacrificed once to take away the sins of many people; and he will appear a second time, not to bear sin, but to bring salvation to those who are waiting for him.”
The most important point here for us as Christians is the phrase, “Just as man is destined to die once and after that to face the judgment”. We only have to go through this life once and then we go to heaven through the judgment. For some that have had very hard lives that is a comfort, and for others a sadness, but for Christians we only have to do this life once!!!!
Now one of the reasons I am doing this is that I want to give you all something to hold onto in times of sorrow and pain when you might be facing your own death or the death of a loved one.
In some very tragic times I have worked with people who had no sure faith and their beliefs were just an amalgam of various religious ideas that were not tied to any authority; so that when tragedy struck; which it does for all of us, they had no sure hope and foundation to hold onto. Great sorrow and suffering then ensued.
Now I have officiated at probably over 400 memorial services and about half of those were for non church-attendees. I found among them an almost universal belief that their loved one was going to go to heaven except in one case, which was tragically odd. They were all rather glad to see the person go and left me with the impression they never wanted to see them again, nor would they in any sort of after life.
There is a common belief in America in what I would call “Universal Salvation.” The “All Dogs Go to Heaven” approach to the after life. The Bible as I read it and even a casual reading of the New Testament doesn’t support this. And if God is a just God and we go through this life once, “are the evil to be rewarded just as much as the good?” No the Bible says there is going to be a Judgment.
Now of what form or type of judgment is it for Christians? Do all people face the same Judgment? What I am going to say next is going to surprise some of you, but as you study the scriptures, which I am really trying to get you all to do, you will observe there are going to be two judgments after death. The reading from Matthew 25 was clearest about this. There is going to be one judgment for “the righteous” and one judgment for “the unrighteous”.
There is going to be one judgment for “salvation and victory” and one for “condemnation”. Believers and the righteous will stand before what is called the “Bema” judgment seat. (Put up slide with the words “Bema” and “Great White Throne” on it) Those who have lived their lives in rebellion to God and the unrighteous will stand before the “Great White Throne” judgment seat.
Now the Greek word “Bema” which is the judgment seat of Jesus for believers and the righteous means “step” in Greek. The word literally means “step”. It is a reference to the ancient Olympic Greek games and even in the modern day Olympics you can see the same thing. (Picture of Olympic victory stand)
Take a look at the victory platform. It has three steps: one for first place, one for second and one for third. These “steps” that these athletes are standing on are places of judgment. They are places of victory. To stand there means you have been judged victorious.
As the scripture says we die once and then there is “the judgment”. For Christians it is a judgment of “well done good and faithful servant”. When we die in this life as believers we will ascend to glory immediately to be welcomed by Jesus Christ into Paradise. As Dr. Ashbrook says who wrote the study I am using, “When we draw our last breath here on earth, we’ll draw our next breath in Paradise!”
We die once and then there is the judgment. But it is a judgment of victory and glory!!!
The judgment for Christians is not a time of fear, but a time of joy and celebration. When we die it is a time of celebration for what is to immediately come.
Now as to the second judgment, “the Great White Throne Judgment” we read about this in Revelation 20:11-12 and 15, which says, “Then I saw a great white throne and him who was seated on it. Earth and sky fled from his presence, and there was no place for them. And I saw the dead, great and small, standing before the throne, and books were opened. Another book was opened, which is the book of life. The dead were judged according to what they had done as recorded in the books. If anyone’s name was not found in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire.”
We as Christians skip this “Last Judgment” because on our death we go straight to Paradise. Now no one really wants to talk about “judgment” or being held accountable in our society today. Even those who do great evil, or attempt to do great evil, some people attempt to avoid labeling what they do as evil, but if there is no evil there is no need for judgment or justice, or even the forgiveness of sin.
But still for those who have the heart of God and God’s love they still do not want to think of “judgment” in terms of “condemnation” for as John 3:17 says, “God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him.” And verse 18 says, “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.”
Where does that leave us? I know speaking of this is about as popular as speaking of tithing, but we need to be informed and rejoice in the great gift God has given us through our faith in Jesus Christ an assurance of our salvation and seek to give that gift to others.
A story is told about 2 pastor’s who were interviewing at a church for the head pastor position. They both had the same text as our sermon today and they both were asked to preach on it. They both preached flawless sermons. Their exposition of the scripture, their delivery was spot on, but still the search committee picked the second pastor.
When the new head pastor asked, “Why?” the head of the search committee said, “You both preached on the judgment of God. You preached as if your heart broke that some would be condemned the other preacher preached as if he didn’t care.”
We need to take the same approach in our own lives and witness with this teaching about judgment. We need to speak to it as giving hope and assurance of salvation in our witness, rather than fear and a hammer to hit others with.
Now as a hook into next Sunday’s talk, I want to get back to “reincarnation”. The hook is that we as Christians have our own version of it and it is called “the resurrection of the dead”. In the Apostle’s Creed that we repeat often here there is the phrase “I believe in the resurrection of the dead, the forgiveness of sins and the life everlasting.”
Holding such a belief and proclaiming it is in a sense proclaiming that Heaven is just an intermediary state between this life and the life to come. The Bible promises in Revelations 20:1-5 a new heaven and a new earth where we will live in our new, perfect resurrected bodies.
Revelation 20:1 and 4 say, “Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away. (And God) will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.” All the effects of sin will be gone and we will have a new created order to live in in new perfect bodies and for that teaching I would refer you to 1 Corinthians 15.
Next week I will pick up here and talk about “After Life” and invite you to join me on January 13th as I pick up the study “Heaven—Better by Far”. If you join us in this study please bring your favorite Bible.
But now let us join in Holy Communion with all who have ever received it, all who ever will and with those who will share in it in the new heaven and new earth. Amen.
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