Jesus the Judge Kathryn Kuhlman The Apostle's Creed #7

The most widely accepted statement of Christian doctrine written in the history of the Church is embodied in the Apostles' Creed. The document consists of 110 words divided into 12 sections, and each section deals with a different segment of New Testament truth. Every cardinal doctrine of historical and evangelical Christianity is emphasized in the Apostles' Creed. This is the seventh of a series of messages that I am bringing on the Great Christian Pledge. I believe in God the Father Almighty, maker of heaven and earth, and in Jesus Christ, his only Son, our Lord, who was conceived by the Holy Ghost, born of the Virgin Mary, suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, dead, and buried. He descended into hell. and the third day he arose again from the dead. He ascended into heaven and sitteth on the right hand of God the Father Almighty. From thence he shall come to judge the quick and the dead. I believe in the Holy Ghost, the Holy Catholic Church, the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body, and the life everlasting. Amen. From thence he shall come to judge the quick and the dead. Judgment is not a pleasant subject upon which to meditate. No one likes the word, but believe me, it is deeply embedded in human existence. Conscience, the very conscience of every man warns of future retribution for sins committed unless they're wiped out through repentance in this life. Know that. Beloved, whether you believe it or not, whether you will accept it or not, It is Bible truth that judgment is a reality. Reference to it belongs in the Christian pledge. The writers of the creed did not seek to gloss over the fact of retribution for sins committed in the flesh. No. Judgment is spoken of here in the great... Apostles' Creed. Every sin demands wages and carries its own penalty. Let us pause for just a few moments and consider this thing of judgment. There's a glorious portion of God's Word that I want to give to you. And to me, it is one of the most thrilling words ever spoken. The believer's judgment as a sinner. Verily, verily I say unto you, he that heareth my word and believeth on him that sent me hath everlasting life and shall not come into condemnation. In other words, and shall not come into judgment for his sin. but is past here and now, not future, but is past from death unto life. Read it. It's there in the fifth chapter of John, the 24th verse. Therefore, the believer's judgment for sin is past and was settled at the cross. That's what salvation means. When we talk about regeneration, when we talk about the new birth experience. This is what is involved in being born again. At that time of your new birth experience, you have your judgment for sin. If we confess our sins, He's able and just to forgive us of our sins at that moment when that sin is confessed. The very moment that a man or a woman confesses he is a sinner and accepts Jesus Christ as his Savior from his sin that very moment, that one passes from death unto life. He that heareth my word and believeth on him that sent me hath everlasting life and shall not come into condemnation. Therefore, the believer's judgment for sin is past. But there is a future judgment for the believer, not as a sinner, but as a servant. There is a judgment for believers that is a judgment as to works. The place, the judgment seat of Christ. And that judgment is based on works. The result? Reward or loss of reward. This judgment is future. Turn, if you will, please, to 2 Corinthians 5, the 10th verse. We must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, that everyone may receive the things done in the body. According to that he hath done, whether it be good, or bad. In other words, worthless. The pronoun we occurs 26 times in the chapter. And in every instance, it means the believer. And the epistle is addressed to the church. And the saints at Corinth. So the judgment here spoken of is for believers only. The time of this judgment is when the Lord comes. And it will be before the judgment seat of Christ. It will not be a judgment in the sense of a trial to see whether the judged are innocent or guilty. For it is a judgment of the saved only. It is not a judgment for sin, but for works. This judgment of which I am speaking is described in 1 Corinthians 3. I read, Other foundation can no man lay than that is laid, which is Christ Jesus. Now if any man build upon this foundation gold, silver, precious stones, valuable building stones as marble, wood, hay, stubble, every man's work shall be made manifest, for the day, the judgment day, shall declare it. because it shall be revealed by fire, and the fire shall try every man's work of what sort it is. If any man's work abide, which he hath built thereupon, he shall receive a reward. If any man's work shall be burned, he shall suffer loss, for he himself shall be saved, yet so as by fire. Now the result of this judgment is reward or the loss of reward. All of our bad and dead works, represented by wood, hay, stubble, will be consumed, and only our good works shall remain. There is much which passes for Christian service which is merely human and secular and does not count in our eternal reward. Now, let's go on and see the judgment. of the wicked dead. For all, all must appear before the judgment seat of Christ. All. The Christian, not for sin, but for reward. He appears as a servant. But the wicked dead must appear. The time during the renovation of the earth by fire. The place before the great white throne. This judgment is future. I give you the word of God. The account is given in the Twins chapter of the book of the Revelation. It will take place at the close of the millennium, a thousand years after the judgment of the nations and before the great white throne. Now, the great white throne will not be on earth. For the great white throne judgment will take place during the renovation of the earth by fire. For the renovation of this earth is reserved or kept until the time of that judgment, which Peter calls the day of judgment, and perdition of ungodly men. Because the judgment of the great white throne is the judgment of the wicked dead. All the righteous dead will arise at the first. resurrection. If any righteous die before the first resurrection and the resurrection of the wicked or the second resurrection, they will rise with the wicked dead at that resurrection. The words, I quote, whose soul was not found written in the book of life implies that there will be some, probably very few, righteous at the second resurrection. Now, here is something that I want you to see that to me is very marvelous. From thence he shall come to judge the quick and the dead. We know from this that Jesus will be the judge in each instance. You will remember if you heard my last. in the series of messages on the Apostles' Creed. We saw him in position of great high priest. The record says that our high priest was taken from among men, not from angels, because they are incapable of entering into a fellow feeling with us. But Jesus knows human nature. He wore a garb of flesh. He lived among men. He knows our problems, our feelings, our limitations, our anxieties, our heartaches. He knows our weaknesses. For we have not an high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities, but watch it, but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin. Remember who is going to be our judge. Not God the Father. How often we labor under the false impression that God the Father is going to be our judge. He will not be our judge. Jesus Christ will be our judge. He who was once as much man as though he were not God. He who was once God. in the body of flesh, who walked among men, who was touched with the feeling of our infirmities, who was tempted as any man in the flesh and yet without sin. Therefore, beloved, God has given him the authority, the position as judge, for he can be a righteous judge, knowing... knowing temptation, knowing man's feeling as God could never know. How do I know that he's going to be our judge? The scripture says so. It's there in the 10th chapter of Acts. Referring to Jesus, the scripture says, him God raised up the third day and showed him openly. not to all the people, but unto witnesses chosen before of God, even to us, who did eat and drink with him after he rose from the dead. And he commanded us to preach unto the people and to testify that it is he, referring to Jesus, which was ordained of God to be the judge of. Quick and dead. He will be our judge. Why? Because he once wore a garb of flesh. Because he knows human nature. He lived among men. He too was tempted. He knows our problems. He knows our weaknesses. He knows our heartbreak. Today he is in position of great high priest, ever living to make intercession for you and for me, ready to forgive, ready to intercede. But one day, from thence, from the right hand of God the Father, he shall come to judge the quick and the dead. Amen.