Jesus our Judge and Advocate

Introduction

Don’t those hand dryers in public washrooms drive you crazy? They don’t work. 
I don’t have the patience to rub my hands together for 15 minutes.

There is a story about a pastor who put sanitary hot air hand dryers in the restrooms at his church and after two weeks took them out.

Asked  why he removed them,  he confessed that they worked fine, but when he went into the men's restroom, he saw a sign that read:

"For a sample of this week's sermon, push the button."

A bunch of hot-air. 

Darren and I went to New York to audit a seminary course at Alliance Theological Seminary, in Nyack New York. This was the first time I had ever audited a course and because we were not going to be graded on class assignments or on the final exam, and our marks would not be posted on a transcript and awarded as credit towards a degree it completely changed the way I took notes and how we spent our time outside of the classroom.

Approximately half of the class was taking the course for credit and they were much more intentional and disciplined in organizing their time.

For them the instructor was not only a good teacher and coach he, because he wanted them to learn, had set course requirements and standards and learning outcomes and he was going to give them a grade.

He was going  to be making a decision based on their participation, their quality of work on assignments, in class and on their recollection and mastery of the material covered. 

And so their was a marked difference between the auditors and the graded students in how they spent their time and their approach to the course.

Let me say this. Many people live as if they are auditing life. People like to think about and approach life like a course they are auditing rather than like a course for which they will be graded.

People like to live as if there is no ultimate moral standard by which to live, no God given requirements to obey and no time in the end of accounting for how they lived.  

Every one of us is going through life for credit and we will have to give an account of our lives. 

An accurate perception or understanding of the reality in which we live is found in an accurate understanding and awareness of the truth about the God who made the world in which we live.

You see, moral right and wrong, judgment at the end of life, like an exam at the end of a course and the information we are meant to study, is not our idea but God’s idea.

But we like to form ideas in our minds about God and Jesus that allow us to live as we please.

I acquired a book recently called “Only One Way: Reaffirming the Exclusive Truth Claims of Christianity. It is a compilation of chapters written by 6 different authors and edited by Richard Phillips who also writes a chapter entitled “One Savior”. In this chapter he says this: “It wasn’t long ago when a Christian who sinfully neglected his marriage, to the point where his spouse separates or sues for divorce, would cringe before the idea of God’s displeasure. He would ask, how can God accept me back into his presence? But that is not the response I hear today…What I hear now is, how can God let me down like this? Gone is David’s plea to God: “Against you, you only, have I sinned” [Ps. 51:4] God is not there to judge me but only to help me, and why isn’t he doing a better job?”

We love to think of Jesus as our Savior, as our Helper, as our Friend, as our constant Companion, and God as our Father who is loving, kind, gentle, patient, and merciful and praise God that it is true. But it is not the whole truth.

As J.I. Packer says in his book Knowing God “There are few things stressed more strongly in the Bible than the reality of God’s work as Judge…the reality of divine judgment, as a fact, is set forth on page after page of Bible history…The entire New Testament is overshadowed by the certainty of a coming day of universal judgment,…it becomes clear that the Bible’s proclamation of God’s work as Judge is part of its witness to His character. It confirms what is said elseswhere of His moral perfection, His righteousness and justice, His wisdom, omniscience, and omnipotence…not to judge the world would be to show moral indifference. The final proof that God is a perfect moral Being, not indifferent to questions of right and wrong, is the fact that He has committed Himself to judge the world.”

 An Atheist farmer often ridiculed people who believed in God. He wrote the following letter to the editor of a local newspaper: 

“I plowed on Sunday, planted on Sunday, cultivated on Sunday, and hauled my crops on Sunday; but I never went to church on Sunday. Yet, I harvested more bushels per acre than anyone else, even those who are God-fearing and never miss a service.” 

The editor printed the man’s letter and then added this remark: 
“God doesn’t always settle His accounts in October.” 

The real supreme court meets in God’s presence and because this is true, there are five realities each of us will personally experience that I want to share this morning that must change the way we live.

Reality #1: God has appointed Jesus to Judge the world in the end and each of us will personally experience Jesus as our Judge
John 5:22-23 “Moreover, the Father judges no one, but has entrusted all judgment to the Son, [Why?] 23that all may honor the Son just as they honor the Father. He who does not honor the Son does not honor the Father, who sent him.”
The Jewish people needed to understand that Jesus was God in the flesh. Jesus was appointed that all people will honor Jesus equally with God the Father.
Peter says in Acts 10:42 speaking to Cornelius and His family about his calling as disciples of Jesus “He commanded us to preach to the people and to testify [What?]  that he is the one whom God appointed as judge of the living and the dead.”

Jesus commanded the disciples of Jesus to testify that God had appointed Him as Judge. Jesus of Nazareth holds the authority, power, wisdom, love and compassion to judge every man and woman.
Paul speaking now of God and Jesus Christ, to the highest court of justice in the city of Athens, Greece says in Acts 17:31 “For he 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 all men by raising him from the dead."
Jesus has been divinely appointed to judge the world with justice.
How many of us have been in a court of law? Maybe you should just pay your speeding ticket. [just kidding]
When the judge walks into the room everyone rises and comes to attention to show respect and deference to his authority.
How much more must we humble ourselves before the One, Jesus Christ, God’s appointed Judge in whose presence we live? This is reality #1.
Reality #2: There is a specific time set for the Supreme Court of Heaven to convene when we will experience Jesus as our Judge.
Acts 17:31 “For he has set a day [not a literal 24 hour period but a specific designated time] when he will judge the world with justice by the man he has appointed. He has given proof of this to all men by raising him from the dead."
Listen to this dire warning Paul gives the Christians in Rome, “But because of your stubbornness and your unrepentant heart, you are storing up wrath against yourself for the day of God's wrath, when his righteous judgment will be revealed.” [Romans 2:5]
There is a day when our rent is due or a bill must be paid. There is a period of time in which we must file our income taxes. There is a time set for a job review, an appointment with our dentist, an important meeting with a supervisor. 
The day, the period of time, end of the age is coming when Jesus will Judge. This is reality #2.
Reality #3: Every one of us will be called to account
1 Peter 4:5 “But they [those living self-indulgent lives] will have to give account to him who is ready to judge [of whom?] the living and the dead.”
Again Peter in Acts 10:42 “He commanded us to preach to the people and to testify [What?]  that he is the one whom God appointed as judge [of whom?] of the living and the dead.”

Every person who is alive when on Jesus’ return and everyone that died before His return, every person in the history of the world will stand before Jesus and give an account. This is reality #3.
Reality #4: Every one of us will be called to account for deeds done while in the body
2 Corinthians 5:10 “For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, that each one may receive what is due him for the things done while in the body, whether good or bad.”
The best description of the enactment of Jesus’ judgment can be found in Matthew 25:31-46 31. This is the judgment of Jesus as described in His own words, "When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, he will sit on his throne in heavenly glory. 32All the nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate the people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. 33He will put the sheep on his right and the goats on his left. 
 34"Then the King will say to those on his right, 'Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. 35For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, 36I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.' 
Catch what Jesus is saying. Here is the basis on which we will be judged. 
Jesus is not looking for merely nice, kind, benevolent acts as if the acts themselves can earn for us eternal life.
He looks to them in as much as they prove, in real time, our faith in and love for Jesus.
Again so we do not fall into the trap of good works to earn salvation.
Jesus said to the crowds that followed Him in John 6:27-29 “Do not work for food that spoils, but for food that endures to eternal life, which the Son of Man will give you. On him God the Father has placed his seal of approval." Then they asked him, "What must we do to do the works God requires?" Jesus answered, "The work of God is this: to believe in the one he has sent."
Those on the right showed that they believed by the deeds done in their bodies. The lack of good deeds done by those on the left proved in real time their lack of love for and faith in Jesus.
John 3:18 “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.”
James says in James 2:14-17 “What good is it, my brothers, if a man claims to have faith but has no deeds? Can such faith save him? 15Suppose a brother or sister is without clothes and daily food. 16If one of you says to him, "Go, I wish you well; keep warm and well fed," but does nothing about his physical needs, what good is it? 17In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead.”
Reality #4: Every one of us will be called to account for deeds done while in the body
Reality #5: We will experience Jesus’ sentence as final and fixing our destiny for eternity.
The wrongful convictions of Donald Marshall Jr., David Milgaard and Guy Paul Morin have spotlighted what many call the failure of the Canadian justice system. 
The Association in Defence of the Wrongly Convicted lists at least 20 Canadian cases of wrongful convictions. According to the organization, these represent a small percentage of actual numbers of the wrongly convicted in Canada.
1 Corinthians 4:5 “Therefore judge nothing before the appointed time; wait till the Lord comes. He will bring to light what is hidden in darkness and will expose the motives of men's hearts. At that time each will receive his praise from God.”
In our basement we have a deep closet with a light in it where we store our shoes. Only yesterday Caitlyn asked me, “Dad, why is there a light in this closet? I said, “Because it is dark and with out the light we cannot see the shoes in the closet.
In John 8:12 Jesus said, “I am the light of the world.”
1 Corinthians 4:5 “…He will bring to light what is hidden in darkness and will expose the motives of men's hearts.
The contents of our hearts will be made visible as the contents of a dark room illuminated by light.
Jesus does not need to call in witnesses, remember again Psalm 139:2-12 “You know when I sit and when I rise; you perceive my thoughts from afar. You discern my going out and my lying down; you are familiar with all my ways. Before a word is on my tongue you know it completely, O LORD. You hem me in—behind and before; you have laid your hand upon me. Such knowledge is too wonderful for me, too lofty for me to attain. Where can I go from your Spirit? Where can I flee from your presence? If I go up to the heavens, you are there; if I make my bed in the depths, [a] you are there. If I rise on the wings of the dawn, if I settle on the far side of the sea, even there your hand will guide me, 
your right hand will hold me fast. If I say, "Surely the darkness will hide me and the light become night around me," even the darkness will not be dark to you; the night will shine like the day, for darkness is as light to you. 
Matthew 25:46"Then they [those who rejected Jesus] will go away to eternal punishment, but the righteous to eternal life."
Matthew 10:28 “Do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather, be afraid of the One who can destroy both soul and body in hell.”
Conclusion:
Working in a non union sawmill in Vanderhoof approximately once a week the big boss, the owner, the one with power to fire you on the spot, would lean on the catwalk railing above me and inadvertently I became very concerned about sorting with precision the wood passing by me on the conveyer

Isn’t it amazing how vehicles slow down when there is a highway patrol car on the free way? Everyone speeds up in mass when the patrol car exits.

I drove so differently with the driving instructor in the passenger seat. I never drove that way again buy I did for the test.
J.I. Packer “It is clear that the reality of divine judgment must have a direct effect on our view of life…It has its frightening implications for godless men, it is true, but its main thrust is as a revelation of the moral character of god and an imparting of moral significance to human life.”
That we are men and women of our word matters.
That we live in complete integrity in every area of our lives matters.
How we treat our spouses matters. The words we speak matter.
The seemingly small lapses in judgment with entertainment matter.
God won’t ask what kind of car you drove, but will ask how many people you drove who didn’t have transportation. 

God won’t ask the square footage of your house, but will ask how many people you welcomed into your home. 

God won’t ask about the fancy clothes you had in your closet, but will ask how many of those clothes helped the needy. 

God won’t ask how many material possessions you had, but will ask if they dictated your life. 

God won’t ask what your job title was, but will ask if you performed your job to the best of your ability. 

God won’t ask in what neighborhood you lived, but will ask how you treated your neighbors. 

God won’t ask about the color of your skin, but will ask about the content of your character. 
1 John 2:1-2 “My dear children, I write this to you so that you will not sin. But if anybody does sin, we have one who speaks to the Father in our defense—Jesus Christ, the Righteous One. 2He is the atoning sacrifice for our sins, and not only for ours but also for[a] the sins of the whole world.”
There is a story about a town where a horse bolted and ran away with a wagon carrying a little boy. Seeing the child in danger, a young man risked his life to catch the horse and stop the wagon. The child who was saved grew up to become a lawless man, and one day he stood before a judge to be sentenced for a serious crime. The prisoner recognized the judge as the man who, years before had saved his life; so he pled for mercy on the basis of that experience. But the words from the bench silenced his plea: "Young man, then I was your savior; today I am your judge, and I must sentence you to be hanged." One day Jesus Christ will say to rebellious sinners, "During that long day of grace, I was the Savior, and I would have forgiven you. But today I am your Judge."