Tuesday, January 15, 2013

Judgement & salvation by God

                                                     
based on  'Victory over life's challenges"
Have you ever wished  that  God  would  already bring  justice to all people  and pay them according to their deeds?
Many times we can't wait, we look at the news, hear the stories about people treated really unjustly  and  we demand  justice as soon as possible.
We want it now. We don't want to wait for the Lord's return. But did you know that  not even the murder of the Son of God  has been avenged?
The most hideous crime  in the history  of mankind  has yet to come to trial. Somewhere  there sits the group  of men responsible  for the murder of Christ. Though the crime took place  nearly 2000 years ago, their case has not yet been tried. God has chosen to wait  for Christ's return  to judge those  who crucified  His Son.
If God has chosen  to delay justice  for that  case, who are we to demand  that our case take precedent?

Today I was thinking about the judgement that took place at Noah's life. We read that people got so wicked that God regretted to have  the world created.
Only Noah and his family found favor in His eyes. God didn't spare the world but got the flood to wipe  away  every living creature. I was thinking why all that trouble with building the huge ark to spare the animal's species and all the work Noah had to take building the ark for over 100 years?  Could God just strike everybody with a sickness to get rid of all the evil people? But God doesn't execute  the judgement like we would think- immediately.
In His  love and mercy there is always time for a second chance. While Noah had such a long time to build the giant  boat and keep telling people about coming judgement - that was a second chance for the wicked people. Whoever would believe the message and obey God's word and hide in that boat would be saved! But the problem was nobody except Noah and his family took God's words seriously. 
The ark was build on a hill where there was no access to any water.The lack of visible danger  made the  circumstances ridiculous to all the people watching Noah's work  so they  ignored  God's warning and the message God gave him; ' the ark is your shelter from disaster'
The same way God acted in the past the same way is acting now and in the future. The wrath of God that will finally put the end of all injustice we see now  is still to come.  All delayed  so that everybody has  the second chance to save himself .This time our Ark is Jesus.
 John 3;36  "He who believes in the Son has eternal life; but he who does not obey the Son will not see life, but the wrath of God abides on him.”
 John 3;16 "For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believes in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life"

The judgement does not come immediately after every crime people commit. But one day God will  say the time has come, when His Son will return  and His judgement will start.
God has already appointed a prosecuting attorney , a jury, and a judge.And they are  all the same person - the Lord Jesus. On that court date He will bring about justice for all.
If you are in Jesus  are safe from destruction. If you  don't take your shelter with Jesus, you  will be separated from God through all eternity.
Your  sin demands a  death  and  separation from God but Jesus paid that penalty  in full. Christ did have to suffer  the punishment  we would  have had to suffer. Mark described the events surrounding  the crucifixion of Jesus; 
"And when the sixth hour come, darkness fell over the whole land  until the ninth hour . And the the ninth hour  Jesus cried out  with a loud voice ' Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachthani?" which is translated  "My God, My God why have you forsaken Me?"
While hanging on the cross, Christ experienced for our sake separation from His heavenly Father. The separation was so deep  that Christ  even addressed Him differently . Until that time He had spoken  of God as His Father. Then He cried "My God". There  was no longer the intimacy, the warmth, or the closeness.
Before  crucifixion He could say to His disciples; " I am not alone  because the Father is with Me." John 16;32  At that moment He was experiencing deep loneliness.

All for you so that you wouldn't have to go through that separation and perish forever. Christ  voluntarily  put Himself in a position  in which  He no longer  had fellowship with the heavenly Father. Just as Adam and Eve  were cast out of the garden, so Christ, in a sense,  was cast out of His privileged position with God. Yet Jesus volunteered  to suffer that kind of pain including physical pain and humiliation  because it was the only way  God would  get you back.
It was the only way  He could arrange  for your forgiveness. God wanted you back and He wanted you badly.

" Through His name everyone who believes in Him receives forgiveness of sins." Acts 10;43

" But He, having offered one sacrifice  for sins  for all time , sat down at the  right  hand of God, waiting from that time onward until His enemies be made a footstool for His feet. For by  one offering  He had perfected for all time  those who are sanctified." Hebrews 10;12-14