Judgment

Revelation 20:11-15

God is judge over all the earth. Abraham recognized this when he pleaded with God concerning the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah. He said:

Far be it from you to do such a thing, to put the righteous to death with the wicked, so that the righteous fare as the wicked! Far be that from you! Shall not the Judge of all the earth do what is just? (Genesis 18:25 ESV)

The Bible speaks of a number of judgments that took place in the past, and tells of judgments that will happen in the future. Judgments that took place in the past would include the curse on creation because of sin, the flood, the Tower of Babel and the generation of the Israelites that died in the wilderness. Judgments to occur in the future include the judgment of the nations, the judgment of Israel, the judgment of the righteous dead and the final judgment.

Let’s talk about the need for judgment.

Over the last week, we have seen a number of riots in our inner cities. News sources and social media are full of conflicting “facts,” solutions and opinions. Many voices cry out for justice, equality and fair treatment. These cries for justice will not go unanswered. We all have an inborn sense of fairness and righteousness that informs our conscience. The Bible teaches that one can ignore his or her conscience and the conscience can be seared as with a hot iron so that it is insensitive, but the fact remains we all have a conscience. Injustice makes us angry. Even a child will cry out, “THAT’S NOT FAIR,” when he or she feels wronged. We all desire justice and even retribution when we experience offenses against ourselves, and are often stirred to righteous indignation when we witness brutality or crimes against others. 

God will not let injustice go unanswered. He holds each person accountable for his or her actions. The Scripture says:

Beloved, never avenge yourselves, but leave it to the wrath of God, for it is written, “Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord.” (Romans 12:19 ESV)

God will deal with all sin. The terrible cost and consequences of sin are seen in the fact that it took the death of the Son of God to pay for our offenses. But not everyone accepts the gift of God’s payment to cover his or her sin. Listen to what the Scriptures say about God’s gift and judgment of sin.

For if we go on sinning deliberately after receiving the knowledge of the truth, there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins, but a fearful expectation of judgment, and a fury of fire that will consume the adversaries. Anyone who has set aside the law of Moses dies without mercy on the evidence of two or three witnesses. How much worse punishment, do you think, will be deserved by the one who has trampled underfoot the Son of God, and has profaned the blood of the covenant by which he was sanctified, and has outraged the Spirit of grace? For we know him who said, “Vengeance is mine; I will repay.” And again, “The Lord will judge his people.” It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God. (Hebrews 10:26-31 ESV)

God will deal with all sin, and in fact He is already dealing with it. Romans 1:18 says:

“For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who by their unrighteousness suppress the truth.” (Romans 1:18 ESV)

This tells us the wrath of God is being revealed. This points to a present, ongoing revelation of God’s wrath. God’s wrath is revealed in a number of ways, the chief of which seems to be that He leaves us to suffer the consequences of our own choices. The consequences of sin can be seen in crime, war, disease, death, natural disasters and suffering. Our world is all messed up because of sin. The beauty we see and enjoy in this world could be much greater but for the consequences of sin.

We have seen horrific things happen, and yet things are not as bad as they could be. Right now, God is restraining sin. He is keeping our world from tearing itself completely apart. However, 2 Thessalonians tells us of a time when God will remove His restraining influence. 2 Thessalonians 2:7-8 says:

For the mystery of lawlessness is already at work. Only he who now restrains it will do so until he is out of the way. And then the lawless one will be revealed, whom the Lord Jesus will kill with the breath of his mouth and bring to nothing by the appearance of his coming. (2 Thessalonians 2:7-8 ESV)

The Day of the Lord, or the Great Tribulation, will commence with God removing His restraining influence, and evil will be loosed on the planet. This will signal the approaching end and will be another judgment of God. When God removes His restraining influence, the world will suffer evil and oppression on a scale that will make Nazi Germany and Stalin’s Russia seem small. 

Some interpret all that the Bible says about future judgment to be speaking of just one final judgment. However, history and the Bible show us that God takes action in judgments that are separate from the final judgment. There will be a final judgment, but before the final judgment there are a few judgments that we will see first. 

One of these judgments is known as the judgment of the nations. Before the Millennial Kingdom, all the nations will be gathered before Jesus and He will determine who will and who will not enter into the Millennial Kingdom. This is not a judgment of the dead but of those still living at the end of the tribulation. Matthew 25:31-32 speaks of this judgment when it says:

When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, then he will sit on his glorious throne. Before him will be gathered all the nations, and he will separate people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. (Matthew 25:31-32 ESV)

Another word for nations in this verse is Gentiles. God will gather all the Gentiles or nations before Jesus and those that are determined to be “sheep” (believers) will enter into the Kingdom.

Another of the judgments yet to come is known as the Judgment of Israel. This judgment will take place during the Tribulation. Ezekiel 20 speaks of this judgment when it says:

“As I live, declares the Lord God, surely with a mighty hand and an outstretched arm and with wrath poured out I will be king over you. I will bring you out from the peoples and gather you out of the countries where you are scattered, with a mighty hand and an outstretched arm, and with wrath poured out. And I will bring you into the wilderness of the peoples, and there I will enter into judgment with you face to face. As I entered into judgment with your fathers in the wilderness of the land of Egypt, so I will enter into judgment with you, declares the Lord God. I will make you pass under the rod, and I will bring you into the bond of the covenant. I will purge out the rebels from among you, and those who transgress against me. I will bring them out of the land where they sojourn, but they shall not enter the land of Israel. Then you will know that I am the Lord.” (Ezekiel 20:33-38 ESV)

Like the judgment of the nations, this judgment of Israel is not of the dead but of the people of Israel who are alive during the Tribulation. This is part of what the Bible is talking about when it says all Israel will be saved. As Ezekiel says, “I will purge out the rebels from among you....”

The judgment of the nations and of Israel are judgments that take place here on earth. The final judgment takes place in a different place. Revelation 20 tells us that earth and sky will flee before the great white throne. This final judgment will take place after the Millennial Kingdom has come to its conclusion. Revelation 20 tells us:

Then I saw a great white throne and him who was seated on it. From his presence earth and sky fled away, and no place was found for them. And I saw the dead, great and small, standing before the throne, and books were opened. Then another book was opened, which is the book of life. And the dead were judged by what was written in the books, according to what they had done. And the sea gave up the dead who were in it, Death and Hades gave up the dead who were in them, and they were judged, each one of them, according to what they had done. Then Death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. This is the second death, the lake of fire. And if anyone’s name was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire. (Revelation 20:11-15 ESV)

This great white throne judgment is the final judgment. Everyone whose name is not found written in the book of life will be thrown into the lake of fire. Notice that everyone is judged according to what they have done. True justice will be served. Notice also that this is not a judgment of believers. These dead represent those who died without Christ who have been waiting the final judgment. 

Believers are not in danger of this judgment. According to what the Bible teaches, believers will face a different judgment. As believers, all our sins have been forgiven. We have been made righteous in Christ. God, the Judge, has justified us, declaring us righteous. Therefore, the judgment of believers is not of sin or of condemnation. However, believers are still accountable for the deeds done in the body. Paul speaks of the judgment of believers when he says:

According to the grace of God given to me, like a skilled master builder I laid a foundation, and someone else is building upon it. Let each one take care how he builds upon it. For no one can lay a foundation other than that which is laid, which is Jesus Christ. Now if anyone builds on the foundation with gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, straw— each one’s work will become manifest, for the Day will disclose it, because it will be revealed by fire, and the fire will test what sort of work each one has done. If the work that anyone has built on the foundation survives, he will receive a reward. If anyone’s work is burned up, he will suffer loss, though he himself will be saved, but only as through fire. (1 Corinthians 3:10-15 ESV)

As this passage says, every believer will be saved, which includes being saved from the final judgment. However, some will be saved and enjoy rewards, and others will just be saved.

What we see in this world should convince us of both the need for justice and the reality of judgment. We see evidence of judgment in the consequences of sin that we mentioned: war, crime, violence, natural disasters, disease, and death. We broadcast our agreement with the need for judgment in our cries for justice and fairness. In spite of all the evidence, many avoid or deny the fact that we will each face judgment. Even though judgment seems far off and unreal, it is only a breath away.

Believer, you have nothing to fear from judgment because your sins are covered.

Unbeliever, please come to Jesus Christ to have your sins forgiven before it is too late. The time for decision is while we are in this body. Once we leave this body, decision time is over. Just as the time to decide whether or not to murder is before the trigger is pulled, the time to decide whether or not to accept God’s free gift of life is before this body dies. Once this body dies, faith will not be required, and faith is what God requires. Without faith, it is impossible to please God. Please, accept the evidence and believe.

What About Ghosts

Ecclesiastes 12:7

We all have a spirit. Or, we are all spirits living in a body. 

The Scriptures teach that we are composed of body, soul and spirit. For example, 1 Thessalonians 5:17 mentions body, soul and spirit when it says:

Now may the God of peace himself sanctify you completely, and may your whole spirit and soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. (1 Thessalonians 5:23 ESV)

Hebrews 4:12 makes a distinction between soul and spirit when it says:

For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart.

(Hebrews 4:12 ESV)

This is not a complete list of verses or a complete argument for the existence of the soul and spirit. The view I am giving is that of a “trichotomy,” which is to say that the essence of a man or a woman includes these three elements. Some also teach that perceiving a person as a dichotomy is more accurate, which is to say that the essence of a person includes material and immaterial elements. A person holding to a dichotomous view would not draw a distinction between soul and spirit.

My understanding is a spirit is form of existence. According to John 4:24, God exists as spirit. The soul is not a form of existence. The soul is the person or the mind. The soul is who you are.

The materialist teaches that the material world is all that exists. Materialism teaches that the spiritual world does not exist. Rather than a soul or spirit, the entirety of a person is the physical body. The mind is only the brain and its function. The thoughts and decisions of the individual are nothing more than the chemical and electrical impulses of the brain. In this thinking, when the brain ceases to function, that is the end of the person. There is no more. This view does not allow for life after death. 

The brain is the control center of the body. As long as the soul is connected to this body, there is an integral connection between the soul and body. This connection means that the soul can only express itself subject to the limitations and boundaries imposed by this body and thus the brain. Because of this, injuries to the brain can affect what we call personality and intelligence. However, once free from this body, the soul of the person is free from the limitations imposed by this material body.

However, we must not think that we are designed to exist forever in an unbodied state, or as spirit. We were designed to exist in a material body. However, the bodies we now have are broken because of sin. The entire creation has been affected by sin and is looking forward to the restoration of all things. At the resurrection, we will have perfect bodies that will not age or break down. 

This brings us to a question that is important for us to understand. What happens to the person who dies? Is the spirit in some sort of limbo while it waits for a new body?

Have you seen the ghost hunter television shows that are sometimes popular? Have you read the stories of haunted houses? Have you read Harry Potter where ghosts are part of the story? There are many popular theories, stories and even sightings of ghosts. Some believe that the spirits of dead relatives visit them. Others believe that the spirits of dead people inhabit physical locations, such as houses. 

Seances are held where people try to contact the dead, and mediums are frequently consulted for advice from the deceased. 

These things are real and powerful influences in our world today.

The Bible gives clear instructions and teaches us some foundational truths concerning what happens to the spirits of the deceased.

The first truth I want to cover is that the spirit goes back to God who gave it. This is stated clearly in Ecclesiastes 12:7 and implied in 2 Corinthians 5:8.

First, Ecclesiastes 12:7 says:

...and the dust returns to the earth as it was, and the spirit returns to God who gave it. (Ecclesiastes 12:7 ESV)

Then in 2 Corinthians 5:8, we find these words:

Yes, we are of good courage, and we would rather be away from the body and at home with the Lord. (2 Corinthians 5:8 ESV)

This truth is significant on several counts. For one, it helps to provide an answer to the question of ghosts. First of all, the spirit has no choice in the matter. Just as we have no choice of when, where or how we are born, we have no choice in what happens at our death. The spirit is given by God when a child is conceived in the womb and the child has no choice or say in the matter. When the person dies, the spirit goes back to God without reference to that person’s wishes.

This is connected to another truth, illustrated by a parable Jesus gave. The unbelieving dead end up in a different place than the believing dead. In the parable of the rich man and Lazarus (Luke 16:19-31), the rich man is said to be in Hades and in torment, while Lazarus is said to be far-off with Abraham. Also, in Revelation 20:13, the Scriptures say that Death and Hades gave up the dead that were in them. These two Scriptures indicate that the spirits of the departed dead go to either Hades or paradise. When Jesus was on the cross, He said to the thief who had said, “Remember Me,” “Today you will be with me in Paradise.” The believing dead are in paradise and the unbelieving dead are in Hades, being held until the day of judgment. 

The spirits or ghosts of the dead do not remain behind, nor do they inhabit physical locations. 

Scripture warns very seriously against trying to contact the dead through mediums or other means. Deuteronomy 18:11 along with other Scriptures (Leviticus 20:27) forbid consulting the dead, mediums and other forms of contacting spirits.

Seeking wisdom from beyond the grave is a dangerous practice. 1 Timothy 4 warns us:

Now the Spirit expressly says that in later times some will depart from the faith by devoting themselves to deceitful spirits and teachings of demons, (1 Timothy 4:1 ESV)

Demons can pose as angels and by doing so have deceived many. They can also pose as the spirits of departed loved ones and/or spirit guides. It is for this reason that God strictly forbids mediums, spiritists, sorcery, seances and seeking to communicate with the dead.

As believers, we are given the Holy Spirit of God and the word of God for our guidance. If we have the Spirit of God, why would we seek guidance from a lesser spirit? Seeking out spirit guides is for this reason a dangerous and ill-informed practice. There is one Spirit who is the guide of believers in Jesus Christ and one Spirit only.

Since the spirit goes back to God who gave it, the second truth I want to cover is what happens during the time between when a person dies and the resurrection.

As we have already stated, the believing dead are immediately in Paradise, and the unbelieving dead are in Hades. They both await the resurrection of the dead and the final judgment. We will cover the judgments to come in a future message, but I want us to consider a couple of truths about the time between death and the resurrection.

First off, there is no purgatory. The New Testament teaches that a believer is immediately in the presence of God and an unbeliever is not. The thief on the cross was promised that he would be in paradise that very day. He had no time to do any good works to pay for his sins. The Bible teaches that Jesus died once for all of our sins and that His sacrifice both appeases God’s wrath and pays for our transgressions. There remains no further price to be paid, and to try to pay for God’s free gift is an insult to His grace. We are forgiven freely by His grace and made righteous in Christ. For the believer in Jesus, no further suffering is needed, and for the unbeliever, there is no other payment that can be given. John 3:18 says that the unbeliever is condemned already because they have rejected God’s free gift.

Some people or groups teach the concept of soul sleep. This teaching says that the souls of the dead sleep and are unconscious until the resurrection. Such teaching directly contradicts the Scriptures that say to be absent from the body is to be present with the Lord.

Another teaching or thought is that once we are out of the body and in heaven, we will be outside of time. Several statements in Scripture contradict such teaching. In Revelation 6:9-10, the Bible speaks of the souls of saints who died for their faith gathered under the altar. They are said to be crying out, “How long, Lord, how long?” If they were outside of time, “how long” would be an irrelevant question. Revelation 8:1 says there was silence in heaven for about half an hour. A half-hour is a measure of time. Although time will have no end in heaven, it will still exist. Only God is outside of time since He created time. We are not and will not become God and will always live in a progression of moments. 

The important thing in all of this is that we will eternally have a spirit, and John 4:24 tells us:

God is spirit, and those who worship him must worship in spirit and truth. (ESV)

Our connection with God is through our spirits. Romans 8:16 explains to us:

The Spirit himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, (Romans 8:16 ESV)

Concentrating so much on our physical lives that we neglect the spirit that lives forever is a mistake. Jesus set an example for us when He said:

I have food to eat that you do not know about. (John 4:32 ESV)

The disciples with Him that day were perplexed as to what this might mean. So, Jesus explained:

My food is to do the will of him who sent me and to accomplish his work. Do you not say, ‘There are yet four months, then comes the harvest’? Look, I tell you, lift up your eyes, and see that the fields are white for harvest. (John 4:34-35 ESV)

Jesus had been doing spiritual work of sharing the gospel with a Samaritan town. That day he chose to go without food in preference for this spiritual work. He did not always do this. He ate. He slept. He also got up very early to pray. He also knew the Scriptures by heart. Paul encouraged Timothy to take a little wine for his stomach’s sake, taking care of His physical body, and he also exhorted Timothy not to neglect his spiritual gift.

Which is more important: our physical or our spiritual life? 

If it becomes a choice between the two, which one wins?

The apostles and Jesus showed us by example how to choose, each one laying down his or her physical life in preference for the spirit.

A New Body

1 Corinthians 15:35-49

Corinth was a real city with real people. I don’t think they had Netflix, Amazon Prime, or even movie theaters, but they were just as fascinated with sex and violence as any city in our world. They may not have had electricity, but they were people just like you and me.

At the Preaching of Apollos and others, some of the residents of Corinth came to Christ. They put their faith in Jesus for salvation and formed the First Church of Corinth. Because of its location and significance in the transportation and shipping industry of the day, Corinth was exposed to ideas from all over the Roman Empire and also catered to the appetites of many travelers. As a result, the Corinthian church spawned heresies and errors almost as rapidly as YouTube.

The Apostle Paul wrote to the church in Corinth to correct some of these errors. He corrected their allegiance to various teachers and sectarianism. He corrected ideas about morality, incest, lawsuits, marriage, communion, spiritual gifts, the resurrection and other issues. One letter was not enough. So, we have two of the letters he wrote to Corinth in our New Testament. Having these letters helps us since the ideas and errors that sprung up in the Corinthian church keep springing up even to this day. Two thousand years may have brought advances in medicine and technology, but just as our world still fights with cancer, our churches still fight with the same errors and heresies that appeared in Corinth. Some of these errors have to do with life after death. 

We do not become angels after we die. We will not remain disembodied spirits forever. We will not live on clouds or play golden harps forever. Any number of ideas and caricatures are popular which misrepresent or run contrary to what the Bible teaches.

One of the issues that came up in Corinth is the after-life and the resurrection. I want to spend a few weeks going over some of the Biblical truths associated with what happens after a person dies. This is actually a broad topic and we will cover just a few of the questions involved. What happens after we die is an integral part of our Christian faith. If this life is all there is and there is no life after death, then faith, Christianity and church are a waste of time.

In 1 Corinthians 15, the Apostle Paul addresses some questions about the resurrection of the dead. The resurrection of the dead is not limited to the question of life after death. It takes us into questions of what will happen to the bodies we have buried.

Apparently, some of the Corinthian believers had landed upon the popular idea that the body would not be resurrected. So, the Apostle makes a statement. In 1 Corinthians 15:12-14, he writes:

Now if Christ is proclaimed as raised from the dead, how can some of you say that there is no resurrection of the dead? But if there is no resurrection of the dead, then not even Christ has been raised. And if Christ has not been raised, then our preaching is in vain and your faith is in vain. (1 Corinthians 15:12-14 ESV)

In this statement, we see that the resurrection of the dead is an essential part of our faith. Paul shoots down the idea that the dead are not resurrected. 

After explaining that the dead will be raised, the Apostle brings up two objections that would be raised. In 1 Corinthians 15:35, he writes:

But someone will ask, "How are the dead raised? With what kind of body do they come?" (1 Corinthians 15:35 ESV)

The first objection is the question, “How are the dead raised?”

The “how” in this question is a question of “by what power or means.” According to Matthew Henry, popular opinion of the day also taught by the Jewish Sadducees, was that God could not make mortal men immortal or revive the dead. The Apostle Paul does not take much time to answer this objection. He says:

You foolish person! What you sow does not come to life unless it dies. (1 Corinthians 15:36 ESV)

Of course, the God who created all things out of nothing should have no difficulty bringing the dead back to life. The Old Testament contains examples of the dead coming back to life. The widow at Zarephath, for example, received her son back from the dead through the prayers of Elijah. The New Testament as well contains records of the dead coming back to life. The resurrection of Lazarus is a well-known example. However, the Apostle Paul does not refer to these examples. He refers to something we see in nature all the time. We plant seeds in the ground and they come up with new life. The seed must first die to produce life. Paul in essence is saying, “How can you see this constant and consistent miracle in nature and still doubt God’s power to raise the dead?”

After this brief answer to how the resurrection of the dead could take place, the Apostle Paul writes a long answer to the question of what kind of body the resurrected body will be.

The first thing he says about the resurrected body is that it is different from the body that dies. He writes:

And what you sow is not the body that is to be, but a bare kernel, perhaps of wheat or of some other grain. But God gives it a body as he has chosen, and to each kind of seed its own body. (1 Corinthians 15:37-38 ESV)

The statement, “what you sow is not the body that is to be,” indicates that the resurrected body will be changed. “To each kind of seed its own body” indicates that although the body will be changed there will be continuity between the body that dies and the body that is resurrected. 

Jesus is a good example of what the Apostle is talking about. After the resurrection, Jesus’ body was changed. He still had flesh and bone. In Luke 24:39, He says:

See my hands and my feet, that it is I myself. Touch me, and see. For a spirit does not have flesh and bones as you see that I have. (Luke 24:39 ESV)

The disciples thought they were seeing a ghost, an impression that was reinforced by Jesus suddenly appearing in their midst. The door was locked to the room that they were standing in. Jesus takes the time at this point to establish the fact that He was not spirit. In 1 Corinthians 15, the Apostle Paul spends quite a few verses explaining that there are earthly bodies and there are heavenly bodies, and tied into Jesus’ proof that He was not a disembodied spirit, we can understand that the heavenly body Paul is referring to is still a physical body. Like Jesus demonstrates the resurrected body will have flesh and bone, and yet be different from the physical bodies we now have. 

Jesus also demonstrated the continuity between the resurrected body and the body that dies. For one, Jesus was recognizable to His disciples. They could not believe what they were seeing, therefore they thought they were seeing a ghost, but they knew who they were looking at. Jesus confirmed what their eyes were telling them because they thought they were seeing an apparition rather than the real person. Nevertheless, the continuity was there. They recognized that this was Jesus, the one they had known so well.

Although the body will be changed, we will not become angels. We will still be human. Jesus still has a human body, but it is imperishable. It does not age. It does not grow weak, sick or diminish in any way. The Apostle speaks of the body being made imperishable when he says:

So is it with the resurrection of the dead. What is sown is perishable; what is raised is imperishable. (1 Corinthians 15:42 ESV)

The new bodies we will receive will be immortal, and as such will have new qualities. Paul continues to explain this with the following:

It is sown in dishonor; it is raised in glory. It is sown in weakness; it is raised in power. It is sown a natural body; it is raised a spiritual body. If there is a natural body, there is also a spiritual body.” (1 Corinthians 15:43-44 ESV)

The dishonor spoken of in this passage is the result of sin. Our bodies are not evil because we are the temple of the Holy Spirit, the dwelling place of God. However, because of sin our bodies break down, grow weak and feeble and die. The dishonor is not inherent in the flesh itself, but along with all creation, the body must be set free from the consequences of sin. So, sown in dishonor, the resurrected body will be free from the consequences, the effects and the presence of sin. We will be all that God meant for us to be.

The bodies we have now are weak in a number of ways. We weaken physically as years pass. This is one kind of weakness. We lust after what we should not have, we covet what is not ours, we are jealous of what others have. This is another kind of weakness. The power we will be raised with will be physical and moral. Physically we will not age or get sick. Our strength will not diminish. According to this passage, we will be immortal. Morally we will not be tempted by evil any longer. We will still have free will and be able to choose, but sin, jealousy, envy and lust will not be a part of us. We will be raised in power with victory being ours.

Much more could be said, and I would encourage you to study this passage in 1 Corinthians 15 for yourself. However, consider with me that we will all either die or be transformed when Christ returns. Those without Christ have much to fear from death because after death we all must face judgment.

But for us believers, Paul gives the following thought:

When the perishable puts on the imperishable, and the mortal puts on immortality, then shall come to pass the saying that is written: "Death is swallowed up in victory." "O death, where is your victory? O death, where is your sting?" The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. (1 Corinthians 15:54-57 ESV)

Building a Solid Foundation

Luke 6:46-49

What do you do when everything around you is falling to pieces?

Some have reacted with fear and even panic at the threat of COVID19. Others have not been upset at all. Some are predicting doom, gloom, economic collapse and full hospitals. Others are focused on the opportunities that are being created.

The question that came to my mind was: “What do we do when the foundations of the world around us crumble?”

Jesus uses house foundations to illustrate the importance of what we base our lives on. We find an account of this illustration in Luke 6:46-49. Matthew gives his account of this same illustration in Matthew 7:24-27

In Luke’s account, Jesus starts with a question. He says, “Why do you call me 'Lord, Lord,' and not do what I tell you?” (Luke 6:46 ESV)

I want to begin by considering the impact of a “why” question in relationships.

If we see a person tying a hook on a string, we might ask, “Why are you doing that?” And we would get an explanation something like, “I have found it to be a help in catching fish.” In this case, “Why” is a helpful question. In this case, “Why” leads to learning.

However, if you ask a question like, “Why don’t you tell the truth,” you will get a much different response.

The person might respond, “What do you mean, ‘Why don’t I tell the truth?’” “Are you calling me a liar?” Or, they just might respond by giving you a good, solid punch on the nose. The problem with “why” in this situation is that it implies or assumes that your counterpart is not telling the truth. 

Imagine yourself meeting a friend in the grocery store, and that friend asks you, “Why do you lie?” They are serious and this question seems to come out of nowhere. What would you say? “What are you talking about?” “How have I lied to you?” The question treats you lying as a fact.

Most often when we ask a why question in relationships, we invite defensiveness from our counterpart. Often it is better to start with “what.” “What is going on?” or “What is happening right now?” invite explanation without the pressure of “why.”

Let’s look at the account Luke gives of the illustration Jesus uses.

Luke 6:17 tells us:

And he came down with them and stood on a level place, with a great crowd of his disciples and a great multitude of people from all Judea and Jerusalem and the seacoast of Tyre and Sidon, (Luke 6:17 ESV)

Luke is setting the scene for His account of the Sermon on the Mount. In this setting, we see two elements to the huge crowd gathered before Jesus. One element is His disciples and the other element is a multitude of people. As Luke continues to set the scene for us, He says in verse 20, “And he lifted up his eyes on his disciples and said…” With this statement Luke establishes the fact that Jesus is talking to His disciples and the multitude is listening in, a kind of “eavesdropping.” 

So, in Luke 6:46, when Jesus says, “Why do you call me ‘Lord, Lord,’ and not do what I tell you?” His question is directed at His disciples. “Why do you call me ‘Lord, Lord,’ and not do what I tell you?” This question assumes that those who were calling Him Lord were not doing what He told them, and in as much as this question is directed toward us, it assumes that we are not doing what He tells us. 

Why DO we call Him Lord, if we are not going to do what He says? Be careful! Our instinctive response is to be defensive. “What do you mean we are not doing what He says?”

As much as I don’t want to offend you or make you feel defensive, I must point out that Jesus is asking each of us this question. Imagine yourself sitting on that mountain as Jesus catches your eye and says;

Why do you call me ‘Lord, Lord,’ and not do what I tell you?

What would you say? What would I say?

This question falls on me with bone crushing weight. But in the words that follow, Jesus gives encouragement. He is not looking to crush us with the weight of our guilt, rather He is encouraging us with the surpassingly great value of doing what He says. In the words that follow His question, Jesus speaks of the value of doing what He says and the cost of not doing what He says. He illustrates both the value of heeding the word of the Lord and the cost of ignoring the word of the Lord.

First, let’s consider who reaps the benefits. Luke 6:47 says:

Everyone who comes to me and hears my words and does them, I will show you what he is like... (Luke 6:47 ESV)

Notice that Jesus tells us three things about this person.

1. He comes
2. He hears
3. He does

Coming to Jesus is the first thing that we must do if we would have eternal life, a relationship with God and a solid foundation. Many do not and cannot have a solid foundation because they have never taken this first step. Jesus has invited everyone and anyone to come. He says:

...whoever comes to me I will never cast out. (John 6:37 ESV)

And in another place He says:

Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. (Matthew 11:28 ESV)

Please, please accept His invitation. He will forgive all your sins and cleanse you from all unrighteousness. He will give you eternal life and free access to God the Father. He will send His Holy Spirit to live within you and give you life. What more do you want when He will give you everything you need pertaining to life and godliness?

For everyone who has taken this first step, I have a question. “Do we come to Jesus just once and are done?” 

As far as salvation is concerned, the answer is yes, absolutely. However, as far as our daily lives are concerned, the answer is we must come to Him daily for our sustenance. This could also be stated in terms of following Him, and is also part of the second thing the person reaps as a  benefit of doing what He says.

The second thing about this person is “he hears.”

Hearing takes place before faith because as we learn from Romans 9:17, “... faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ.”

However, hearing does not stop once we ask Jesus to be our Savior. 

Think of Jesus’ disciples. In Luke 6:17, we read that Jesus was followed by a great crowd of His disciples. A disciple is a student or a learner. This implies hearing and listening to what the teacher says. Mark 3:14 tells us, “And he appointed twelve (whom he also named apostles) so that they might be with him and he might send them out to preach.” (Mark 3:14 ESV) These Apostles are how we received our New Testament. They heard from Jesus and preached His words, recorded His words and passed them down to us. Notice that Mark says Jesus appointed them so that they might be with him. Being with the teacher is the key to discipleship. We are all familiar with the classroom setting for teacher/student relationships. Internships and apprenticeships are closer to what discipleship is. The closer a disciple stays to the teacher the more he or she becomes like the teacher. This is hearing.

Hearing is followed by doing. The third thing about the person who reaps the benefits is “he does.” My explanation of the person who does not reap the benefits will be very brief, because this is the only difference that Jesus points out. In His illustration, Jesus says:

“But the one who hears and does not do them...” (Luke 6:49 ESV)

The hearing, and therefore I assume, the coming, are the same. It is at the point of doing that the paths diverge.

The difference between the one who does and the one who does not is severe.

Of the person who does what He says, Jesus said:

...he is like a man building a house, who dug deep and laid the foundation on the rock. And when a flood arose, the stream broke against that house and could not shake it, because it had been well built. (Luke 6:48 ESV)

The storms of life are likened to a flood that breaks against a house, but this person is unshakeable. Psalm 42:1-2 records the thoughts of this person:

God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. Therefore we will not fear though the earth gives way, though the mountains be moved into the heart of the sea... (Psalm 46:1-2 ESV)

The value then of doing what the Lord says is an unshakeable life, confidence, a solid “house,” plus all the treasures of heaven.

However, of the person who does not do what He says, Jesus said:

But the one who hears and does not do them is like a man who built a house on the ground without a foundation. When the stream broke against it, immediately it fell, and the ruin of that house was great. (Luke 6:49 ESV)

The cost of not doing what He says is great. The person who does not do what Jesus says loses everything he or she has built. This person escapes with their life, but everything else is lost. This is who the Apostle was talking about when he said:

If anyone's work is burned up, he will suffer loss, though he himself will be saved, but only as through fire. (1 Corinthians 3:15 ESV)

What do we do when the foundations of the world around us are crumbling? We turn to the Rock. We take refuge in God because we trust Him.

The question remains, “What does doing look like?” Jesus’ question assumes we are not doing what He says. Jesus did not say this to condemn us, but rather to encourage us to listen and to put into practice what we hear. As far as our failures are concerned, 1 John 1:8-9 says:

If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. (1 John 1:8-9 ESV)

What does doing look like? Actually, it will flow from our hearing. Jesus said He did not do anything but what He had seen His Father doing. (John 5:19) Our life and our foundation comes out of living in the presence of God. Galatians 5:16 puts it like this:

But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh. (Galatians 5:16 ESV)

Another place to read up on this is Romans 8. We are not talking about obeying rules. There are two great commands that sum up all the rules.

1. Love God
2. Love your neighbor

That is it for rules. Remember, Abraham believed God and it was counted unto Him as righteousness. Believe God. Trust in God. Walk by the Spirit. Live in the presence of God whose dwelling is within you, and you will not be shaken.

Our rock, our foundation is Christ. If our life is hidden with Christ in God (Colossians 3:3), what have we to fear, even if the mountains crumble into the sea?

For me to live is Christ and to die is gain. (Philippians 1:21)