Judgement Begins in the Hous..

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com. That's cornerstonerbc.com. Let's open up together our Bibles to the first letter of Peter, the first letter of Peter, chapter four. And I hope that by God's grace, we may be finishing chapter four today.

And also if the Lord extends his grace next week, we'll start chapter five and then we will be very close to the end of the book. It's been almost two years now on this book. I hope that by God's grace this evening we're going to be able to address verses 15 through 19 verses 15 through 19. And we are going to be reading from verse 12 until the end of the book. But before we read the section, just pay attention to verse 17.

And I want you to see the importance of what we're going to be sharing this evening. In verse 17, it says, For it is time for judgment to begin at the household of God. It is time for judgment to begin at the household of God. You see the complexities and the importance of the passage that we have in front of us. And we're going to be addressing, of course, verse 17 in light of the context of verses 15 through 19.

But brothers and sisters, let's pay much attention to the reading of the word and with all your heart and with faith. Let's hope that the Lord speak to us through his truth and his word. So let's read together from verse 12 all the way until the end of the book. And as I said, we're gonna be addressing versus 15 through 19. So this is the word of God.

Verse 12 in Chapter four. Beloved, do not be surprised at the fiery trial when it comes upon you to test you, as though something strange were happening to you. But rejoice insofar as you share Christ's sufferings, that you may also rejoice and be glad when His glory is revealed. If you are insulted for the name of Christ, you are blessed because the Spirit of glory and of God rests upon you. But let none of you suffer as a murderer, or a thief, or an evildoer, or a meddler.

Yet if anyone suffers as a Christian, let him not be ashamed, but let him glorify God in that name. For it is time for judgment to begin at the household of God. And if it begins with us, what will be the outcome for those who do not obey the gospel of God? And if the righteous is cursely saved, what will become of the ungodly and the sinner? Therefore, let those who suffer according to God's will and trust their souls to a faithful creator while doing good.

So I exhort the elders among you, as a fellow elder and a witness of the sufferings of Christ, as well as a partaker in the glory that is going to be revealed, shepherd the flock of God that is among you, exercising oversight, not under compulsion, but willingly, as God would have you, not for shameful gain, but eagerly, not domineering over those in your charge, but being examples to the flock. And when the chief shepherd appears, you will receive the unfading crown of glory. Likewise, you who are younger, be subject to the elders. Clothe yourselves, all of you, with humility toward one another. For God opposes the proud, but gives grace to the humble.

Humble yourselves thereof. Therefore, under the mighty hand of God, so that at the proper time He may exalt you, casting all your anxieties on Him, because He cares for you. Be sober-minded, be watchful. Your adversary, the devil, prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour. Resist him firmly in your faith, knowing that the same kinds of suffering are being experienced by your brotherhood throughout the world.

And after you have suffered a little while, the God of all grace, who has called you to his eternal glory in Christ, will himself restore, confirm, strengthen and establish you to him be dominion forever and ever. Amen. By Silvanus, a faithful brother, as I regard him, I have written briefly to you, exhorting and declaring that this is the true grace of God. Stand firm in it. She who is at Babylon, who is likewise chosen, sends you greetings, and so does Mark, my son.

Greet one another with a kiss of love. Peace to all of you who are in Christ. Amen. And as I said, we're addressing verses 15 through 19, and let's just reading carefully. It starts with a but.

Let none of you, verse 15, suffer as a murderer, or a thief, or an evildoer, or as a meddler. Yet if anyone suffers as a Christian, let him not be ashamed, but let him glorify God in that name. For it is time for judgment to begin at the household of God. If it begins with us, what will be the outcome for those who do not obey the gospel of God? And if the righteous is scarcely saved, what will become of the ungodly and the sinner?

Therefore, let those who suffer according to God's will and trust their souls to a faithful Creator while doing good. Amen. Now, brothers and sisters, beloved of Christ, you see the complexities of the text that we have in front of us. Just even the word judgment there connected with the household of God, of the judgment of God upon the people of God. I'm pretty sure that this is not a message that it is preached many times from pulpits.

Even people feel uncomfortable just using that word judgment together with the household of God. People feel uncomfortable just mentioning or even thinking that the judgment of God can be upon the people of God, yet Peter inspired by the Holy Spirit, is that judgment begins at the household of God. And even to that adds that if the righteous, namely the person in Christ, is scarcely saved, or in other words, is saved with difficulty, what will become the ungodly and the sinner? a complex portion of the Scripture we have in front of us. And let me tell you that for us to have sound doctrine, what the Apostle speaks about in 1st Timothy and in 2nd Timothy, Timothy writing to his disciple, we are to have a balanced doctrine.

We are not to treat the Word of God with craftiness, as Paul says in 2 Corinthians 4, verses 1-3, that the false teachers treat the Word of God with craftiness and hastiness. And this is that they do not address the Word of God as what it is, but rather they use their human wisdom to compartmentalize God and put Him into their theologies and into their frameworks so that God will be understood by limited minds. That might not be our case, brothers and sisters, that every time that we approach the Word of God, we might address the Word of God by faith, not expecting to understand it first, but rather to believe it first so that understanding will be given to us by the Holy Spirit. Now, brothers and sisters, how are we going to address this text? Let me just remind you of the purpose of the whole book.

When we started with this series of sermons a time ago, I said that if there was one word that could summarize the purpose of the Holy Spirit and the purpose of Peter in writing this letter to all of these churches and also to us, that word was encouragement. that the Holy Spirit through the Apostle Peter was trying to bring encouragement to the church in Pontus, Galatia, Asia, Cappadocia, and Bithynia, and of course to the church in this age, those who were going through trials and sufferings and difficulties and sorrow. That is the whole purpose of the letter. And there may be perhaps no other book in the New Testament or letter in the New Testament that addresses that component of encouragement in time of suffering, at best to my understanding, than Peter, here in 1 Peter. That is the purpose of the book, encouraging the saints who are going through suffering, which is the topic that we have in front of us.

Now, we are to understand, my beloved of Christ, that the encouragement of God is completely different to the encouragement of the world. The world gives you or tries to give you certainty and assurance that things will be fine. That's the way that the world encourages you. They try to put in you some motivational type of thought in your mind so that you may have certainty and assurance that the things are going to be okay. Rather, the encouragement of God.

It is not about certainty of assurance that things are going to be okay, but rather is certainty and assurance of who God is, and what we are, and what He has done, is doing, and will do in us through the person of Jesus Christ. That's how the soul of the believer, that's how the soul of the true, genuine believer and Christian is encouraged by the Word. Not expecting that things are going to be okay, but actually resting in the mighty hand of God and knowing who He is, who we are and what He's doing in us, what He did in Christ and what He will do in Christ for us. That is biblical encouragement. And that is what Peter tries to do throughout the entire letter, trying to provide this type of encouragement to the believers.

because he's addressing this topic of suffering. Now, brothers and sisters, if we understand that this is biblical encouragement, then we're going to understand that suffering is to be understood through the lenses of who God is and not through the lenses of our circumstances. That suffering is to be understood through the biblical testimony that tells us who God is. and what He's doing in us, and who Christ is our Savior, and not through the present circumstances, independently of what the circumstances are for the Christian or for the believer. So, in that sense, we can say that suffering, It is the sovereign, mighty decision of God that His children may go through trials, sorrows, as the psalmist said, the casting down of the soul, the turmoil of the soul before glory arrives.

Suffering, when we see it from the testimony of Scripture, my beloved brothers and sisters, is the suffering, the session of God, that His children, some of them or all of them, may go through this turmoil, this casting down of their souls, this difficulty within the heart, within the spirit, very deep into our souls. before glory arrives. And we are to understand because I want to present those two components of suffering to you very clearly. If we are going to understand what the text says here in relation of suffering and judgment, we are to understand properly what suffering is and what the purpose of suffering is for the believer. So I'm saying to you that this suffering, biblically speaking, is this sovereign decision of God.

that his children may go through this turmoil, this sorrow, this affliction of the soul before glory arrives. And perhaps the best example of suffering when a Christian is asked about suffering in the Bible, perhaps Job is the first character that comes into the mind of a believer. And indeed, brothers and sisters, the story and what took place with Job is indeed a very good example of this definition that I'm giving you. Because you know the story, the Bible says in chapter 1, Job chapter 1, that the sons of God presented themselves before the presence of the Lord and with the sons of God also came Satan. And God is going to ask a question to Satan that came together with the sons of God.

And he asked him, where are you coming from? And he says, I'm coming from just going all around the earth. But then in Job 1, verse 8, there is a key question that God is going to ask Satan that defines completely the rest of the book. There is a question that is going to come out of the mouth of God that had that question not been asked, the curse of the Book of Job and all the sufferings of Job, if you remember them, would have been completely different. And the question that God asked, Satan is, have you considered my servant Job, who is upright, who fears the Lord, and who turns away from evil?

The question was, have you considered my servant Job? Had that question not been asked, Satan would have not proposed all of the things that come after that verse. In a sense, God is the instigator. God set in motion. God is initiating the process of suffering of Job.

He is sovereign over everything. He asked that question and the answer to that question set in place the beginning of the sufferings and the difficulties and all the sorrows of Job. And that, brothers and sisters, illustrates very well that when it comes to suffering, God is absolutely sovereign over it. That is, He is the one that defines. He is the one that decrees, even if it makes you uncomfortable, that His children, in this time before glory, may go through tribulations and sufferings, if it's His will.

Now, an important component is not only His sovereignty over our suffering, but also that suffering requires that glory is not here yet. That is, that suffering is completely removed once the new heavens and the new earth arrive. That means that suffering happens because of the presence of sin in us, around us, in others, and also in the cosmos, in the existence of the universe. That's why suffering takes place because the promise that is given to us in Revelation chapter 21, when John is writing the vision and he saws from heaven that the new heavens and the new earth are coming and the old heavens and the old earth passed away and the sea was no more. And he heard a loud voice saying that this is the new Jerusalem coming down.

from heaven, the new Jerusalem, the dwelling place of God. And in that dwelling place of God, God is going to enter into an eternal communion with His people. He's going to be God and they are going to be His people. And the text says that God wipes away all tears, that death is no more, that there is no more sorrow, that there is no more suffering. The God that asked the question, have you considered my servant Job, and all the suffering that came after that, is the same God that uses his holy hand to wipe away the tears that suffering have caused in the soul of his children.

This is because he's sovereign over suffering, and he is completely sovereign over everything that he has created. This is very important, brothers and sisters, because otherwise we're not going to understand the purpose of suffering, which actually Peter has already given to us. If you go to chapter one, and if at any point in your Christian life, you're asking yourself, what is the purpose of suffering? What is the purpose of my trials? What is the purpose of my sorrow?

What is the purpose of the casting down of my soul? then this verse is going to answer the question. Not this verse, but the mouth of God, as it's being inked on these pages by the Holy Spirit, is going to answer this question, because this is the twofold purpose of suffering for the believer. In verse six, it says, Chapter 1, verse 6, in 1 Peter. In this you rejoice, though now for a little while, if necessary you have been grieved by various trials.

Now pay attention. In this you rejoice, though now, in this present time, not when glory comes, but now for a little while, if necessary, that is, that God is suffering, that you may suffer or that you may not suffer if it's God's will. You have been grieved by various trials, verse 7, so that the purpose is that the tested genuineness of your faith which is more precious than gold that perishes, though it is tested by fire, may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ." Pay attention to the now and the revelation of the Lord Jesus Christ. The purpose of suffering is twofold, beloved brothers and sisters.

First, it is to now, in the present, through the suffering, to test the genuineness of your faith. And by testing the genuineness of your faith, just as genuine gold is put through fire and endures, the testing of the genuineness of your faith is with the purpose of enduring until the end. That is when you see the Lord Jesus Christ, either when you're taken up to glory or when He comes and His glory is revealed to all His saints. That requires, or that implicitly says, or at least explicitly better says, that the purpose of suffering is to test the genuineness of our faith and also to bring us into completion to what God wants us to be so that we might be presented before our Savior, Jesus Christ, tested, purified and complete. for the glory and honor of the same Lord Jesus Christ that saved us."

You see, you cannot understand the purpose of suffering if you don't see suffering and encouragement from the point of view of God. Now, brothers and sisters, this is vital and this is important because even though suffering is biblically defined, as I have just defined it for you, and the purpose of suffering is always to test the genuineness of the faith and to bring a person to completion, even that is confirmed by James in chapter 1. The types of suffering, as I said this three weeks ago, is different. The types of suffering for which or through which a Christian goes are different. And this is what Peter is doing in the section that we have.

He is comparing two different types suffering. Now, both sufferings have the same purpose, testing the genuineness of our faith and bringing us into completion for the glory at the revelation of the Lord Jesus Christ, for the glory and honor of his name. Those two purposes, but he is comparing two types of suffering. The first type of suffering is It is suffering for righteousness sake. And you may remember that I defined it that we started three weeks ago.

This is what he's doing from verse 12 through verse 14. He says, Beloved, do not be surprised at the fire trial when it comes upon you to test you as through something strange as though something strange were happening to you. But rejoice in so far as you share Christ's sufferings. In the words of the Lord Jesus Christ in Matthew chapter 5, this is suffering for righteousness sake. Blessed are ye when they persecute you and when they utter all kind of rebelling accusations against you falsely.

Blessed are you, your reward is in heaven, for so they did persecute the prophets that came before you." That is the beatitude. This is the blessedness that the Lord gives to His people. That persecutions were going to come when we can share Christ's sufferings. In other words, when we become like Him.

This is the suffering of the Christian for righteousness sake. And the Apostle calls us to rejoice in the suffering that is the result of righteousness sake, to give glory to God. in the suffering that is the result for righteousness sake." In other words, the more that we become like the person of Jesus Christ, the more that the world will hate us, just as the world hated Him. This is suffering for righteousness sake.

But the difficulty here, brothers and sisters, it is that in verse 15, the apostle is going to introduce now another type of suffering. And that suffering is not for righteousness sake, but rather is for unrighteousness sake, if you allow me to use that term. The first type of suffering was because of being like Christ. Now he's going to speak to Christians, to believers about a suffering that is the result of their sins. And this is how this is connected to the concept of judgment upon the household of God.

So it is very important for your soul. It's very important for our life as a community and as a church that we might interpret this text based on Scripture, that we might interpret what the Apostle and the Spirit says based on the testimony of Scripture. And if that conforms to what is written and given by God, that we apprehended it by faith and that we apply it and obey it by faith. Brothers and sisters, I said to you, not many people speak of the judgment of God connected with the church of God or the judgment of God with the household of God. People are even uncomfortable using the word judgment together with those who by grace through faith have been inserted into the person of Jesus Christ.

So we are to understand these very important. First thing that I want you to see is the clear context that is given to us. Contrast better, not context, but contrast. The clear contrast that is given to us between suffer for unrighteousness or righteousness sake and suffering for unrighteousness simply with the word, but. Apostle says, but let no one of you suffer as a murderer or a thief or an evildoer or as a meddler.

Now, brothers and sisters, We have to acknowledge first of all here that the people that Peter is speaking about is the same that he called beloved in verse 12. He started saying beloved. So it's not that Peter now is changing to speak to people who are not Christians. He's speaking still to those who are still in Christ. And the reason why I'm saying that is because the translation of verse 16 might make you think that he's comparing Christians with non-Christians.

It says, verse 15, But let none of you suffer as a murderer or a thief or an evildoer or a meddler. Yet if anyone suffers as a Christian, So it seems that he is comparing the suffering of the Christian with the suffering of the one who is not a Christian, namely the sinner. But this is not the case. First of all, he says, but let none of you. He has addressed this you as beloved.

And second thing is that when we speak of a Christian, we're speaking about a person who is a follower of Christ, that is a person who is like Christ. He is actually speaking about those who share in the sufferings of Christ. The contrast is between Christians who suffer as followers of Christ in their deeds, that is Christ-like, sharing in Christ's sufferings, and Christians who suffer as sinners. Christians who suffer as the result of their sin. That is the contrast that is given to us and presented to us in verse 15.

Now, brothers and sisters, we have to see something that may seem obvious to you, but I need just to set that foundation so we can move on to the important thing. There is a logical progression here in the mind of the apostle, and that is that sin produces suffering. He says, but let none of you suffer as a murderer. And he lists all of these type of sins. So in other words, he's saying, let none of you suffer as a sinner.

Now, brothers, he's speaking to Christians. He's not speaking to the lost. He is speaking to believers in his words, in the mind of Peter suffering for righteousness sake is suffering according to God's will. If you see in verse 19, now jumping to verse 19, he says, therefore, let those who suffer according to God's will and trust their souls to a faithful creator while doing good. Doing good and suffering is suffering according to God's will.

But there's another way of suffering for the Christian, which is suffering for sin and unrighteousness, and they are still Christians. If you go to chapter 3 and verse 17, just that is clear in your mind and then it's just not my words. You can see that the apostle makes this possibility of a Christian suffering for doing good and for doing evil possible. This possibility. My English is terrible today.

Wow. This contrast between the possibility of suffering for good and suffering for evil, verse 17 in chapter three. It says, for it is better to suffer for doing good, if that should be God's will, than for doing evil. Brothers and sisters, you can read the chapter on your own, and it is absolutely clear that the apostle is comparing and speaking of Christians, Christians, believers who one type of them suffer for righteousness sake. He causes suffering as Christians that is in sharing the sufferings of Christ and another group of Christians that are suffering as sinners.

Let none of you suffer for unrighteousness sake. And the obvious conclusion of this is that sin for the Christian produces suffering and that suffering is inflicted by people around the Christian and not necessarily by God. Now, this is important for what it comes to the judgment. Peter has already addressed this when he was speaking about the servants. If you go to chapter 2, And you go to verse 18, Peter has already explained that a Christian can suffer justly and can suffer unjustly.

He says, servants, speaking to Christian servants, remember, to slaves, speaking to those who are in Christ. Servants, be subject to your masters with all respect, not only to the good and gentle, but also to the unjust. Now he starts with this very important conversation here that will help us to understand our passage. He says, For this is a gracious thing, when mindful of God, one, he's speaking of a principle now, of a principle for Christian, endures sorrows while suffering unjustly. That is that you are doing good and someone is coming unjustly and inflicted suffering upon you.

This is suffering unjustly. You do not deserve that punishment. But he continues, for what credit is it, verse 20, for what credit is it when you sin? and are beaten for it, you endure. But if when you do good and suffer for it, you endure, this is a gracious thing in the sight of God.

He's saying, what credit is it if you sin and you do that which is unrighteous and then you suffer as the result of it? You deserve it. That's what the apostle is saying there. That means that for the Christian there is a type of suffering that is the result of righteousness, doing good, but there's also a type of suffering that is the result of our sin. And this is the same thing that he is addressing in The passage of scripture that we have back now in chapter four.

Now, brothers and sisters, this is extremely important to comprehend and to understand. Peter is addressing believers who are suffering because of their unrighteousness. And his exhortation is do not suffer as sinners. Now, how are we going to understand this? Well, he's going to give us a list of sins.

He says, but let none of you suffer. And then he says, as a murderer, as a thief, as an evil doer or as a meddler. Now, He has given Peter, through this letter, He has given us three times a list of sins. And every time that I address those list of sins in chapter 2 and in chapter 4, I said to you that Peter never gives a list of sins without any purpose. It's not that he's just coming and writing whatever comes to his mind first, but there's always a purpose and an intention in the sins that he's actually given and writing.

If you go to chapter 2 and in verse 1, he has given us the first list of sins that are related to believers. So he says, "...so put away all malice, and all deceit, and hypocrisy, and envy, and slander. He's basically addressing the inner maliciousness of men that is manifested through the mouth. Envy, liars and all of these things that we said with our mouth so that in verse two, he will speak about not our words, but the word of God, like the newborn infants long for the pure spiritual milk, which is the word of God.

We addressed that like a year ago. There is a purpose always in the list of sins. Now, the purpose in the list of sins that is given to us in verse 15 is very important. And first of all, brothers and sisters, this should be shocking. Just the list of sins that we have read, it should have been already shocking to your soul.

We're speaking of Christians. We're speaking of believers. And the apostle is exhorting them not to suffer as murderers, thieves, evildoers, and meddlers. Not that sin can be put into different categories because sin is a breaking of the law, a transgression of God's law, and He's holy and pure. But if you were going to compare the list of sins of chapter 2, maliciousness, envy, lying, and then you have this list of sins, murder, faith, a meddler and an evildoer, you will see that the type of sins that Peter is giving us here in verse 15 is a more visible and even a more drastic types of sins.

Now, let's just think about each one of those sins. Murderer. Brothers and sisters, a murderer is a person... who intentionally desires and thinks about taking the life of a person. You see, you can kill someone by accident, but if you are going to murder someone, you cannot murder a person by accident.

Murdering a person requires the involvement of the will and the involvement of the intentions of that particular person. It cannot happen by accident. Same thing happens when it comes to stealing. A person who is a thief is not someone who steals something by accident, but rather is a person who at will and intentionally desires and plans to engage in this particular sin, namely, stealing. The same thing happens with evildoer.

This is a word. This is the third sin that he lists there. An evildoer is only Peter, the one that uses that word. And he uses it three or four times in his letter to speak about people who ongoingly and constantly and unstoppably do and break the law of God. This is not a person that commits a sin from time to time, but rather this is a person, an evil doer.

This is a person who practices ongoingly and constantly evil. And then we have the fourth one that it seems to be a little bit disconnected from the gravity of these other type of sins. A meddler or a busybody, if you have a different translation. This is only used by Peter as well, and this speaks of people who intentionally, at will, are always getting into the business of someone else, and are bringing gossip, awful conversations, and are spreading lies. This is a meddler, a person that is in someone else's business.

And this person also does it intentionally, at will. And this person desires. Now, brothers and sisters, this is very important. Because I think that the concern, as I'm going to present to you later, the concern of Peter goes beyond suffering and is more concerned with the sanctity and the holiness of the church. For that reason, he's presenting to us not a limited list of sins, but rather he's presenting to us a principle, and that is Christians that sin at will.

intentionally, and that knowing the outcome of their sin, and knowing that they are in sin, they continue to engage in that particular sin. This is called willful sin. It is not a sin in which a person uses only his will and his mind and desires, but rather knowing the truth of God, knowing the commandment. These are Christians. They know you shall not kill that shall not kill.

They know the commandments of God yet at will and intentionally these Christians decide to engage in the breaking of God's This is very important, brothers and sisters, because when you see the teaching or the principle that Peter is giving us, it goes beyond someone who murders, or someone who steals, or someone who is an evildoer in a general sense, or someone who is a busybody or a meddler, but rather it touches and it goes into those who professing to be in Christ. and knowing the truth of Scripture, and knowing the consequences of sin, yet decide to engage in the breaking of God's law, and they continue to do it. And brothers and sisters, this is a fearful thing. Now, the best chapter that addresses this principle and that actually connects breaking God's law, God's judgment and suffering explaining to us is given to us in Hebrews chapter 10. So do not take my words, but let's read together Hebrews chapter 10.

Hebrews chapter 10. What I'm saying to you, brothers and sisters, before we read this portion of scripture, is that Peter is addressing two types of suffering. The suffering of the Christian that is for righteousness sake, for becoming like Christ, that on account of the word, a person is persecuted and a person is reviled and a person suffers. And the suffering of the Christian, that is the result of unrighteousness, that is the result of sin. And if we are going to understand judgment, it is very important that we understand the type of unrighteousness, because brothers and sisters, all of us, even though we have been saved by grace through faith, remain as sinners.

All of us, we sin every day. And if we are going to take the judgment of God falling upon all sinners, then it has to fall upon all of us because we remain being sinners. Peter is speaking about something that is deeper than the usual sin that we commit in our Christian life, which is to be put to death, which is to be put behind. But we all have the inward workings of sin still within us. He's speaking about sin, that it is intentional that Christians, knowing the outcome of that sin, that knowing the breaking of the law, they decide because of the hardness of their hearts and because the seerness of their consciousness to remain in a state of sin and not do anything about it.

And this is a fearful condition. Verse 26, chapter 10. Verse 26, chapter 10. For if we, speaking of Christians and speaking of the church, if we go on sinning deliberately, and this is the word willful or this is the word intentionally, that is what deliberately means. For if we go on sinning deliberately after receiving the knowledge of the truth, There no longer remains a sacrifice for sins.

This should be fearful, brothers and sisters, 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." Speaking of the old covenant. Then he says in verse 29, "...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?"

That it is through this deliberate sin, through this willful sin. Now pay attention to verse 30. For we know him who said, Vengeance is mine. I will repay you. And again, the Lord will judge who?

His people. The Lord will judge his people. It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God. Brothers and sisters, many Christians quote that verse saying, it is a fearful thing to fall in the hands of the living God, speaking to the atheists when they're preaching the gospel. It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God when they're sharing the gospel with someone who is not in Christ.

And that is true. But the context here speaks of those who are in the church saying it is a fearful thing to fall in the hands of the living God. Continue reading, please, in verse 32, "...but recall the former days when, after you were enlightened, you endured a hard struggle with sufferings, sometimes being publicly exposed to reproach and affliction, and sometimes being partners with those so treated, For you had compassion on those in prison, and you joyfully accepted the plundering of your property, since you knew that you yourselves had a better possession and an abiding one. Therefore do not throw away your confidence, which has a great reward.

For you have need of endurance, so that when you have done the will of God, you may receive what is promised. For yet a little while, and the coming one will come and will not delay. But my righteous one shall live by faith, and if he shrinks back, my soul has no pleasure in him. But we are not of those who shrink back. That is, we are not the same type of those who do not endure.

Remember? Sufferance is for the testing of your faith and to make you endure until the end. Those who endure until the end will be saved. We are not, the author says in verse 39, but we are not of those who shrink back and are destroyed, but of those who have faith. and preserve their souls."

Brothers and sisters, this is very important. Peter, if you go back to the text, he is addressing something deeper than the sufferings, than temporal sufferings. He is addressing something beyond the momentary afflictions that people can receive from sin. He's not saying do not sin because you may receive some punishment from those who you sin against or do not sin because you may receive some afflictions or suffering from those who you have seen against. But rather, he's going to give another reason for which Christians are not to be sinners and suffer thereof.

After he has said that those who suffer as Christians will not be ashamed, but rather glorify God in that name. And brothers and sisters, the reason that he gives is not that through the sin of the unrighteous one, shame will be brought to the church. The reason that he gives is not that by the sin of those who profess to be Christians and their suffering that comes from it, the name of the Lord will be blasphemed and shame will come upon the name of the Lord Jesus Christ. But rather, he says in verse 17, for it is time for judgment to begin at the household of God. Brothers and sisters, If suffering because of our sin in the hands of those whom we sin against is the only thing that we were going to receive, then that is temporal and that passes away.

But those who are ongoingly and continually in sin and suffer because of that are the ones who are given according to their deeds. Peter has already addressed this. If you go back to chapter one, if you go back to chapter one in verse 14, Peter has already addressed the behavior of Christians who are conformed to their former ways. In verse 14, he is going to put together all of these concepts. And this text here is going to be the key for us to understand judgment.

Verse 14, As obedient children, do not be conformed to the passions of your former ignorance. That is, as children of the Lord Jesus Christ, as those who by grace through faith have been saved, and as those who are now walking in the ways of the Lord, Do not be conformed to your former ways. Do not be conformed to the ways of the flesh. Do not be conformed to the ways of your sin. That is, do not go back to what you were.

He calls it the passions of your former ignorance. And then he adds, but as he who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct. Since it is written, you shall be holy for I am holy. Now, pay attention to verse 17. He's going to say, and if And if you call on him as father, in other words, and if you say that you are a Christian, and if you say that you are in Christ, and if you say that the father of Jesus is your father, and if you call on him as father, who judges impartially according to each one's deeds, conduct yourselves with Fear throughout the time of your exile, brothers and sisters.

I want you to see here the connection, the connection between walking in the ways of God, namely being holy as He is holy, And from holiness comes the fear of the Lord that makes you work in this time of the exile with reverence. He says you are to be holy because the one who calls you is holy. And if you call on him as father, the one who judges impartially, you are to walk this path of the wilderness. You are to walk this life with fear of the Lord. with reverence.

Why? Because he gives to each one according to his deeds. He gives each one according to his deeds. The reason that the apostle has given for not to be willful sinners. The reasons that the apostle has given not to engage in sin that we know that we're going against God's law.

We know that we are going and violating his commandments. And we know that we are going against the truth of God, yet we decide to continue in it. It is not only the temporal sufferings that might come as a result of it, but the judgment of God. And he puts it in a very difficult way. If you might believe and might be thinking that he's speaking now of non-Christians, he puts it very clear in verse 17.

For it is time, not in the future, not speaking about the eschatological judgment that is going to come in the end of times, but rather it is time now in the present for judgment to begin at the household of God. And he has said in chapter 2 that the household of God are all of those who are in Christ, the living stones that come to Christ, the living stone. And then he says, and if it begins with us, he has now included himself in the household of God. What will be the outcome for those who do not obey the gospel of God? Namely, those who are in the household of God are those who did obey the gospel of God, because those who are outside are the ones who did not obey the gospel of God.

And he's saying that judgment of God begins at the household of God. And even he acts and he says, if the righteous, that is, if the Christian, if the genuine Christian, He is scarcely saved. What will become of the ungodly and the sinner? These are two rhetorical questions. And the purpose of the Apostle, brothers and sisters, is not to address the effects of temporal suffering, but rather the radical nature of willful sin.

Is the Apostle trying to bring fear upon the church? Of course! Because without fear of the Lord, how are we going to walk in his ways? If we have more fear of men, if we are careful to obey our masters, to obey our employers, if we are careful to obey our parents, if we are careful to obey those who are above us, and we are not careful to obey God, what type of faith do we have? What type of love do we have?

Because love is the one that obeys. Is the apostle trying to bring fear? Yes, he is. Just in the same way that when the Spirit of God destroyed Sapphires and Ananias. Those are their names, right?

Sapphires and Ananias in Acts chapter 5. Remember? When they fell on the ground, death. The end of that chapter says that fear was among the brethren, that fear was in the church when they saw the judgment of God upon Sapphira and Ananias. But the question now that I'm sure that you're asking is, how are we going to understand the judgment of God upon the church?

Because it's very clear, brothers and sisters, that the judgment of God can come upon the church, can come upon the household of God. How are we going to understand that? And thankfully, that I don't have to explain that because the Apostle Paul has given to us a clear example of what the judgment of God upon the church is, and he helps us to understand even the definition of that judgment. So come with me to 1 Corinthians chapter 11. 1 Corinthians chapter 11.

First Corinthians chapter 11. Paul is given. Directions and instructions about the Lord's table. Now, please, brothers and sisters, pay attention to this. This is very important.

This is very important. Beloved of Christ, we live in times of a fearless generation. We live in times in which the holiness of God is an abstract concept that is outside of the mind of the believer. We live in times in which the church is unaware of the judgments of God upon the church. We live in times in which the church It is ignorant of the Word of God itself.

We live in times that duplicate the times of the people of Israel, when they were taken and exiled by Babylon. And the prophets continued to prophesy to the kings and continued to prophesy to the people of Israel, saying, repent and repent and turn your ways to God. And there will come the false prophets and they will say, peace, peace, when there was no peace. They will come and teach the people of Israel that the judgments of God were not coming upon them. And therefore, that was a fearless generation, a generation that lacked the fear of the Lord.

And therefore, they lacked holiness and they did not turn their ways. And Peter, the same Peter that is writing here in 2 Peter chapter 2, says that as there were full prophets in those times, there will also be full teachers among us. and brothers and sisters sound doctrine. It is that we take the word of God in a balanced way and that we see God as who he is according to what scripture says. Not that we take that which we like of God and that we live our lives according to what we choose and pick of God.

And not that we treat the word of God with craftiness and hastiness and that we just simply put our concept of God in a particular square, and then we define God according to our intentions and according to our purposes. We are to submit by faith to what the Word of God says. And as I have just shown you to you now, the judgment of God can be upon the household of God. And I think that this is why James in chapter three, number one says that many of you do not become teachers among the people of God because you will receive a stricter judgment. And such is the importance of the preaching of the word to the congregation that in chapter five, Peter will address the elders, speaking about the elders and feed the people because it is so important.

And now in this. 1 Corinthians 11, here we have the precise example, brothers and sisters, that will help us not to run away from the idea of the judgment of God upon the church, not to run away from the idea of the judgment of God upon even my soul, but rather to understand it biblically and to submit to the Word of God biblically. So Paul is given instructions, as I was saying, about the Lord's Supper, and the church was committing lots of sin when it came, when it was about the Lord's Supper. So let's just read carefully from verse 23, and then we will understand so clear here that there is no room for doubt. Verse 23, For I received, Apostle Paul says, For I received from the Lord what I also delivered to you, that the Lord Jesus and denied when he was betrayed, took bread, and when he had given things, he broke it and said, This is my body, which is for you.

Do this in remembrance of me. In the same way, also, he took the cup after supper, saying, This cup is the new covenant in my blood. Do this as often as you drink in remembrance of me for as often as you eat it and eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord's death until he comes. He has given the instructions on how the Lord's table or the Lord's supper is to be conducted. Now pay attention to verse 27.

Whoever he has given the instruction, the commandment of God has been given. Whoever therefore eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty concerning the body and blood of the Lord. Let a person examine himself Then, and so eat of the bread and drink of the cup. You see the seriousness even of the Lord's table. For anyone who eats and drinks without discerning the body, eats and drinks judgment on himself.

Whoever, that means, before we continue with verse 30, whoever takes or partakes of the Lord's table in an unworthy manner, having been warned by Holy Scripture and by the Apostle, and he comes and profanes the Lord's table in that willing, intentional way, knowing the outcomes of doing so, and yet engaging in the breaking of the law, he drinks judgment on himself. Verse 30. That is why many of you, because of doing that, that is why many of you are weak and ill, that is sick, and some have died. Now brothers, this should be fearful. It says that because of their sin, because of the unworthy manner in which they approach the table, because their intentional sin in breaking the law and knowing the consequences thereof, There are many among them that are weak, ill, and even some of them have died.

Verse 32, this is going to verse 31. But if we judge ourselves truly, we would not be judged. That is, if we discerned ourselves truly, we will not be judged. But verse 32 is the key that will help us understand the judgment of God upon the church. But when we, the church, the household of God, are judged by the Lord, not by others, not by people, but by the Lord, we are disciplined.

We are disciplined. And the purpose is so that we may not be condemned along with the world. Brothers and sisters, Judgment, when the judgment of God falls for the lost, Paul says in Romans chapter 2, that the lost, the one that is not in Christ, is ongoingly and constantly and continually and unstoppably storing up wrath for the day of wrath. that that person is storing up judgment for the day of judgment and that is condemnation. That the person is going to be condemned by the judgment of God.

That when the anger and the wrath of God is kindled against the person that is not in Christ, that person is utterly condemned and sent to hell if they do not repent of their sins and come in faith to Christ. But when the anger of the Lord, or when the consuming fire of the Lord, as we read it in Hebrews chapter 10, when the wrath of God in a sense, not in a condemning sense, but in a disciplinary sense, is kindled against his people, it is with the purpose of discipline. Now I said to you that sufferings are to test the genuineness of our faith and also to bring us to completion until the day that we see the Lord. How are we going to understand that apart that what God decides is always the best? That is the only hope.

And the only hope is grace. It is only grace. But the judgment of God beginning and the household of God, it is with the purpose of purifying those who are not genuinely Christians, that is, remove them just as The seed that fell on the ground that we explained last week, this is the power of tribulations to make fall away those who are not generally Christians. But secondly, to purify through discipline, judgment for the Christian. is the discipline of the Lord, so that person, that Christian may grow in conformity to the Lord Jesus Christ.

And not even have to elaborate on that, because the same author of Hebrews articulates the concept of the discipline of the Lord in a better way than I do. So come with me to Hebrews, please, and then you will understand better. Hebrews chapter 12, Hebrews chapter 12. Now pay attention to these brothers. Paul said in 1 Corinthians 11 that when we are judged by God, we are disciplined.

Now let's just see what the discipline of the Lord is. Verse 1, Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us. Verse 2, Look unto Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God. Consider him who endured from sinners such hostility against himself, so that you may not grow weary and faint-hearted. In your struggle against sin, you have not yet resisted to the point of shedding your blood.

And have you forgotten the exhortation that addresses you as sons? My son, do not regard lightly the discipline of the Lord, nor be weary when reproved by Him. For the Lord disciplines the one He loves, and chastises every son whom He receives. It is for discipline that you have to endure. God is treating you as sons.

For what son is there whom his father does not discipline? If you are left without discipline, in which all have participated, then you are illegitimate children and not sons. Besides this, we have had earthly father who disciplined us, and we have respected them. Shall we not much more be subject to the father of spirits and leaf? For they discipline us for a short time as it seemed best to them.

But he, the God the father, discipline us for our good, that we may share his holiness. For the moment all discipline seems painful, rather than pleasant, but later it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it." The judgment of God begins at the household of God, just as in the Old Testament, the judgment of God came through the house of Israel and then to the heathen. And then in many times the Lord used the heathen or the Gentile nations to bring judgment upon the nation of Israel. So also in the New Testament, the judgment of God is taught through the household of God with the purpose of purification of the covenantal church as a whole.

and also the purification of the faith of the individual through discipline. The judgment of God for the believer is not unto condemnation, but it's still judgment, but it is the discipline of the Lord. And brothers and sisters, I want you to see the duality of the last statement in verse 19. I want you to see the blessing and the curse given to us in verse 19, after He has said, He has announced with the authority of the Spirit, saying that judgment will start at the household of God and comparing that with the outcome of the unbeliever. And even saying that the righteous or that the Christian is personally saved, that is, that is saved with difficulty.

In other words, that narrow is the gate and narrow is the way that leads unto salvation. But wide is the gate and wide is the way that leads unto condemnation. The Christian, the righteous, is saved with difficulty. But then pay attention to the duality of verse 19. He says, therefore, let those who suffer according to God's will, that is, those who suffer for righteousness sake, entrust their souls to a faithful creator while doing good.

Just change that verse. and think about the outcome for the ones who do not suffer according to God's will. Because those who do not suffer according to God's will, being Christians, they suffer because of unrighteousness. And the unrighteousness the apostle has mentioned here is the willful ongoing sin that knowing that the breaking of the law deserves condemnation or deserves punishment better, then they continue to engage in the breaking of the law, then these people cannot entrust to the hands of a faithful creator because Hebrews 10 says that this God is a consuming fire. Brothers and sisters, we live in times in which the Christian generation of our days has no fear of God, in which Fear of the Lord and the holiness of the Lord is a concept that is very well defined by theologians and very well put together with words.

But when it comes to the real experience of the soul of the believer are concepts that are far away from the experience. We know the love of God. We know the kindness of God. And we have experienced all of that in our souls. But when it comes to the fear and the holiness, this is vital.

Go to 2 Corinthians, just to finish chapter 1. 2 Corinthians 7, verse 1. Look at the importance, brothers and sisters, of genuine God-given fear of the Lord. 2nd Corinthians, chapter 7. 2nd Corinthians, chapter 7, verse 1.

Actually, let's just read from chapter 6. Because I think that this will connect to what the brother taught us in Exodus. Chapter 6, verse 14. It says, Do not be unequally yoked with unbelievers. For what partnership has righteousness with lawlessness?

Or what fellowship has light with darkness? Verse 15 in chapter 6, 2nd Corinthians. What accord has Christ with Belial? Or what portion does a believer share with an unbeliever? What agreement has the temple of God with idols?

For we, speaking of New Testament believers, for we are the temple of the living God, as God said, and we say, Amen. But pay attention to what he says next. I will make my dwelling among them and walk among them, and I will be their God and they shall be my people. Therefore, go out from their midst and be separate from them, says the Lord. Do not be unequally yoked.

and touch no unclean thing, then I will welcome you, and I will be a father to you, and you shall be sons and daughters to me, says the Lord Almighty." Chapter 7, verse 1. Since, therefore, we have these promises, beloved, now pay attention to the commandment, let us cleanse ourselves from every defilement of the body or the flesh, and spirit. How? The question is, bringing holiness to completion.

How? In the fear of the Lord. Brothers and sisters, without fear of the Lord, holiness is not brought to completion. Without not seeing and approaching our God with reverence, holiness is not brought to completion with knowing who God is and what he has done on our behalf and to remain being outstandingly impacted by the awesomeness of His holiness and His purity, we will never see the unrighteousness of who we are. We are to continually see the holiness of God and walk in fear of the Lord.

And this is not a fear of He's going to kill me. He's going to destroy me. He's going to evaporate me. That's the sinful fear that we feel from sinful authorities. God is good, God is perfect, and God is just.

He gives to each one according to his deeds in Christ. Not only that, but He's so good that the defilement of the flesh and the cleansing of body and spirit is not even done in our strength, but is done by the Holy Spirit. But we are to... work out our own salvation with fear and trembling, knowing that it is God who works in us, but to do and to will according to His pleasure. We are to work out our own salvation with fear and trembling.

We have the promises that we can approach God with boldness. We have the promises that we can enter the Holy of Holies in Jesus Christ. We have the promises that just by uttering His name, speaking His name, that He listens to us and that He makes us like He is. We have the promises given to us in Scripture. We are to approach Him in faith like a child, expecting to be transformed in a greater weight of glory.

to see Him as He is, so that the glory of Christ may dwell in these earthen vessels, so that you may die, all the filthiness and wickedness of your body and your spirit may die, when you walk in the fear of the Lord, and then your holiness is brought to completion. when the world will hate you and our suffering will be because of because righteousness sake. And then we can be like the people of verse 19 there. We can entrust ourselves to our faithful creator while doing good, because if we have our mind set upon the creator and resting in his hands, What is the value of our temporal lives? What is the value even of the amount of suffering that we may receive because of righteousness sake?

Our lives are anchored in the life of Christ and his life is hit with God on high. Amen.