THE GOSPEL OF JOHN
JUDGEMENT
DR. JIM DIXON
AUGUST 30, 1987
JOHN 5:19-29
It was Sunday evening, August 16th, 1987. The time was 8:46 PM. The place was the Detroit suburb of Romulus, Michigan. It was at that time and in that place that the Northwest Airlines flight 255 went down. The McDonnell Douglas MD-80 crashed to the Earth, snuffing out the lives of 156 people. Some of those people thought they were going home to Phoenix or to Los Angeles. Some of those people thought they were going on vacation. Some of them had planned business trips. None of them had planned to die. Sometimes death comes suddenly. Each and every one of us is going to die—perhaps in an airplane crash, perhaps in an automobile accident, perhaps from cancer, perhaps from heart disease, or maybe from old age. But we’re all going to die.
The Bible says there is a time and a season for everything under heaven. There is a time to sow and there is a time to reap. There is a time to laugh and there is a time to cry. There is a time to be born and there is a time to die. The Bible says it is appointed unto men once to die, and after that the judgment. I want to speak to you this morning on the subject of judgment—the final judgment of God— because death is not the final reality. Death is merely a door that leads to judgment.
The Bible says that God the Father judges no one. The Bible says that all judgment has been given into the hands of the Son of God that all might honor the Son even as they honor the Father. So, as we approach Judgment Day, we need to understand that every person who has ever lived—every person alive on the Earth right now and every person who has ever lived through all the generations past—will stand before Jesus Christ, the Son of God. To Him we must give an account. Now, when Jesus Christ judges all people, He will look for two things. These comprise our two teachings this morning.
First of all, when you stand before Him, He will judge your faith. When you stand before Jesus Christ He will look to see if you have faith, if you really believe in Him. In our passage of scripture today Jesus said, “Truly, truly I say to you, whoever hears My words and believes in Him who sent Me has eternal life and does not come into judgment but has passed from death into life.” Salvation comes through belief in the Son of God, and that’s not news to you. You’ve all heard that before, and that’s consistent with the testimonies of scripture. John 3:16 says, “God loves the world so much He gave His only begotten Son that whosoever believes in Him will not perish but have everlasting life.” The Bible says, “If we confess with our mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in our heart that God raised Him from the dead, we will be saved.” The Bible says, “I write this to you who believe in the name of the Son of God that you might know that you have eternal life.” He will look for faith. When you stand before Him, He will look to see if you truly believe.
I know you’ve all heard of Rudolph Hess (who died recently), the last of the Nazi leaders. He was Adolf Hitler’s right-hand man. His life was mysterious, perhaps more mysterious than any of the Nazi leaders—more mysterious than Adolf Hitler himself. On May 10th, 1941, Rudolph Hess left Germany. It was a strange thing to do in the midst of World War II. In the height of conflict, he left Germany. It’s not known whether he had Adolph Hitler’s permission or whether he had Adolph Hitler’s blessing, but it is known that he left and it’s known that later Adolf Hitler called Hess a madman. But on May 10th, 1941, Rudolph Hess got into a single-seater Messerschmitt 110 fighter plane and began to fly westward from Germany. He flew 800 miles west until he was over Scotland, and then he bailed out and the Messerschmitt continued on and probably crashed into the North Sea.
Hess parachuted to the earth and landed in a meadow on the Scottish estate of the Duke of Hamilton. When he landed, he broke his ankle. He demanded to see Winston Churchill and he saw Winston Churchill that very day. He told Churchill he had a message of peace. He said he wanted to bring an end to World War II. He said he wanted peace with Great Britain. He said the true enemy was Russia. He said he believed that Germany and Great Britain could enter into an alliance whereby they could dominate Europe.
Winston Churchill laughed. He laughed and threw Rudolph Hess into the Tower of London on May 11th, 1941. For four years, Rudolph Hess remained in the Tower of London. He was imprisoned until 1945, at the close of World War II, when he was taken to Nuremberg for the war trials. There he was condemned for Nazi atrocities and the Nuremberg tribunal threw Rudolph Hess into Spandau Prison in West Germany. There Rudolph Hess remained until he died just recently. For the last 21 years, Rudolph Hess was the only person in Spandau Prison. It cost the Allied Forces almost $1 million a year just to keep that prison open and just to provide for Rudolph Hess. There were three prison governors and 19 prison leaders who governed the prison. Assisting the three governors were four doctors. There was a cook, there was an office staff, and the United States, Great Britain, France, and the Soviet Union each provided 30 soldiers at all times. There were 120 soldiers just to guard the Nazi criminal Rudolph Hess. But of course, as you all know, on August 17th of this year Rudolph Hess committed suicide through strangulation. At the age of 93, he took his own life.
It’s obvious from reading the newspapers that most people in this world have judged Rudolph Hess. But you see, the world doesn’t really have the authority to judge any human life. The world doesn’t really have the authority to judge Rudolph Hess. Winston Churchill had the power to imprison Rudolph Hess and to throw him into the Tower of London, but he didn’t really have the power to judge Rudolph Hess. The Nuremberg tribunal had the power to put him in Spandau Prison, but they didn’t really have the power to judge him. Rudolph Hess had the power to take his own physical life, but he really didn’t have the authority to judge himself. You see, there’s only one person in all the world that can judge Rudolph Hess, and that person is Jesus Christ.
Before Jesus Christ, Rudolph Hess must give an account. Now, Rudolph has claimed to be a Christian. On many occasions he actually said he believed in Jesus Christ. You see, he will stand before Jesus Christ and Jesus Christ will determine whether or not he truly believed. You know, as Christians, sometimes there are people who say they are Christians and we would just as soon wish they didn’t say it. Sometimes we feel we don’t need that kind of testimony. I mean, it was Rudolph Hess who in 1935 signed into law the Nazi proclamation against the Jews. And even though Rudolph Hess claimed he believed in Jesus Christ to the very end, he refused to renounce Adolf Hitler. He remained loyal to Hitler to the very end, and he refused to renounce any of the Nazi atrocities of World War II. But you see, he will appear before Jesus Christ and to Jesus Christ he will give an account. And Jesus will look at his heart and know if he truly believed. On the basis of the word of God I can tell you this: if Rudolph Hess is condemned, it won’t be for the incineration of 6 million Jews, one of the greatest atrocities of all history. If Rudolph Hess is condemned, it won’t be because of his blind loyalty to a Nazi madman. If he is condemned, it won’t be because of his alleged involvement in all those Nazi atrocities. If Rudolph Hess is condemned, it’ll be for one reason: he didn’t truly believe in the Son of God.
You see, all other sins can be forgiven. Every sin that a man or woman can commit can be forgiven. There’s only one sin that the Bible says can never be forgiven, and that is ultimate and final rejection of Jesus Christ, the Son of God. That’s the only sin that cannot be forgiven because that is what the Bible calls blasphemy of the Holy Spirit. You see, the Holy Spirit lives to proclaim Christ. The Holy Spirit lives to exalt the Son of God. The Holy Spirit lives to bear witness and testimony to the Son of God, Jesus Christ, and to draw all men and women all over the world to belief in the Son of God. If in the course of a person’s life time and again they reject the Spirit’s testimony and the gospel until finally they have refused to believe, there can be no forgiveness. Belief is the key. The Bible says, “This is the judgment: he who believes in the Son of God has life. He who does not believe is condemned already because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.”
You see, no one is saved by their good works. No one is condemned for their bad works. There are no works good enough to save you. People are condemned because, having heard, they refused to believe. People are saved because they chose to believe in Jesus Christ, the Son of God. There are many religions in this world. People say, “Well, what religion do I believe in? How can I know what religion to believe in?” There are thousands of religions on the Earth. Now, it’s true that Christianity seems to be the most popular. There are 1.5 billion nominal Christians on the Earth. But after all, there are also 900 million Muslims and 650 million Hindus and almost 500 million Buddhists. What do you believe? Which religion do you choose? God wants you to understand there are really only two religions. There’s a religion which says you are saved by doing something, and there’s a religion which says you are saved by something done. You see, all the religions of the world say you are saved by doing something. You are saved by your good works. Islam says that. Hinduism says that. Buddhism says that. Zoroastrianism says that. Even tribal animism says that you are saved by your good works.
Only Christianity tells you that you are not saved by doing something. You are saved by something done. You are saved by something that has already been done. You are saved not by your works, but by the work of the Son of God. You are saved by His sinless life. You are saved by His atoning death. You are saved by His resurrection from the dead, and what’s required of you is belief. What’s required of me is belief. Salvation comes through faith. Dwight L Moody, the great evangelist, said that he spent his entire life learning three very simple things. First of all, he could do nothing to earn his salvation. Secondly, God didn’t expect him to do anything to earn his salvation. And thirdly, God had already done everything to earn his salvation.
What God requires now is belief. He requires true belief in Jesus Christ as Savior and as Lord. The Apostle Paul wrote to the Christians at Ephesus, (and if you’re a Christian God says these same words to you), “You He made alive when once you were dead in the trespasses and sins in which you once walked, following the course of this world, following the prince of the powers of the air and the spirit which is now at work among the sons of disobedience. Among these we all once lived in the passions of our flesh so that we were by nature children of wrath just like the rest of mankind. But God, who is rich in mercy, out of the great love with which He has loved us, has made us alive together with Christ and has raised us up to sit with Him in the heavenly places, that in the coming ages He might show us the immeasurable riches of His grace and kindness towards us in Christ Jesus. For by grace you have been saved through faith. It is not your own doing. It is a gift of God, not of works lest anyone should boast.” When you stand before Jesus Christ, what’s He Going to be looking for? Faith. Do you truly believe?
Secondly and finally, at Judgment Day when you stand before Christ, He will judge you for your works. He will judge you for your faith and He will judge you for your works. Now, at first glance, this might seem contradictory. It might seem incongruent, but it is not. In our passage of scripture for today, Jesus Christ said, “Do not marvel at this. The hour is coming when all who are in the tomb will hear My voice and come forth—those who have done good to the resurrection of life and those who have done evil to the resurrection of death, the resurrection of judgment.” You see, God cares about good and evil. He cares whether your works and whether my works are good or evil.
It is true that good works cannot save us, and it is true that we are only saved by faith through believing in the Son of God. But you see, the Bible says if you truly believe then there’s going to be some manifestation of good works in your life. And those works will be judged.
There’s a story told by Bishop Richard Moore. It’s a story about a little boy who was dying in a lake. This is a true story. This little boy was drowning. He was an excellent swimmer for his age. He was exceptional, but he had gone too far from shore and he had become tired and he began to cramp up. He decided to turn about and try to swim for shore, but he knew he wasn’t going to make it. He began to gasp for air, but all he could draw in was water. And the more he struggled, the more he failed. And there was a moment when he began to struggle so much he went under the water, but he came back up and he struggled some more. He went under the water, and a second time he came back up and he knew (he just somehow knew) that if he went down a third time he wouldn’t come back up.
But suddenly this little boy felt a strong arm around him. You see, there’d been a man standing on the shore and he’d seen the whole thing. He’d seen this boy’s plight. He’d seen that this boy was drowning and he swam out to rescue the little boy. He put his arm around the little boy and he brought him to shore and saved that little boy’s life. Later when the little boy had recovered, he went up to the man and he said, “Sir, thank you for saving my life.” And the man looked down at the little boy and he smiled. He said, “Son, that’s okay. Just make sure your life is worth saving.”
Just make sure your life is worth saving. Bishop Richard Moore says, “I know that story is true because I was the little boy.” He said that changed his life. Just make sure your life is worth saving. I know many of you recently have been reading the story of Cecilia Cichan, the little four-year-old girl who was the only survivor of Northwest Airlines Flight 255. They found her body still alive in the midst of the wreckage on Middle Belt road in Romulus, Michigan. Today, she’s in the CS Mott Hospital in Ann Arbor, Michigan. She has third degree burns over 30% of her body, but doctors tell us that she’s going to live. We’re told that, in all likelihood, she was saved by the love of her mother, because in the midst of the wreckage they found what they believe was the mother’s body wrapped around that little four-year-old girl.
The mother had saved her daughter in death. The whole world has been touched by the story of this sole survivor of that flight. People have sent cards, toys, flowers, and gifts from as far away as Europe. Some people have offered to pay for Cecilia’s college education. I think most people are going to be very interested to see what happens with her life. Everyone’s going to want to see what she’s doing 30 years from now. Out of an airplane full of 156 people, she was the only survivor, the only one saved. What’s she going to do with her life?
You see, God wants you to know that, if you’re a Christian, you’ve been saved. God wants to know what you’re going to do with your life. He wants to know what you’re going to let him do with your life. Someday we’re going to stand before the Lord and we’re going to have to give an account. Everyone always quotes Ephesians 2:8-9. We’ve all heard it many times. I shared it earlier this morning: “For by grace you have been saved through faith. It’s not your own doing. It’s a gift of God, not of works lest anyone should boast.” Everyone knows that scripture. It’s amazing, though, how few Christians know the immediate verse after that. The very next verse, Ephesians 2:10, says, “For you are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works that you should walk in them.” You’ve been saved by grace, but you are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works that you should walk in them.
God’s going to evaluate our lives. The average person lives 75 years on this Earth. None of us know how long we have. We’re told that the average person out of those 75 years spends 20 years sleeping, a little bit more than 20 years earning a living, eight of those years watching television and doing various kinds of recreation, and six of those years eating (I think I’ll probably spend more). The average person spends five years dressing and taking care of bathroom needs. The average person spends three years just waiting for people. The average person, we are told, spends two-and-a-half years sick or taking a nap. And the rest of the years, we are told, are consumed by miscellaneous things. The average person, out of those 75 years, spends one year talking on the telephone. And this is hard to believe, but it is said that the average person, out of those 75 years, spends five months tying their shoes. I think Drew has already filled up his five months. But you see, time is a gift. Time is a gift given to you and given to me. God wants us to understand that we’re stewards. One day our stewardship is going to be evaluated. Jesus Christ will judge your stewardship. When you stand before Him, He’s going to look to see the works of your life. He’s going to evaluate the works of your life and He’s going to look for two or three things.
He’s going to look for the work of sanctification in your life. When you stand before Jesus Christ, He’s going to look to see if there’s been any work of sanctification in your life, any transformation into Christ-likeness. He cares, and He’s going to evaluate that. It says in the book of 2 Peter chapter one, “Make every effort to supplement your faith with virtue, your virtue with knowledge, your knowledge with self-control, your self-control with steadfastness, your steadfastness with godliness, your godliness with brotherly affection, and your brotherly affection with love. If these things are yours and abound, they will keep you from being ineffective or unfruitful in your knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. But whoever lacks these things is blind and shortsighted and has forgotten that he was cleansed from his old sins. Therefore, my brethren, be the more zealous to confirm your call. If you do this, you will not fall and there will be richly provided for you an entrance into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.” Supplement your faith with virtue. You see, He cares about your growth and sanctification.
He also cares about works of service. When you stand before Jesus Christ, He’s going to evaluate all the actions of your life and He’s going to see whether or not you have partaken in works of service—service for Christ and service for people for Christ’s sake. He cares.
You all know Matthew 25, a great passage of scripture where Jesus says that one day He will come again in power and great glory with all of His angels. He said He will sit on His glorious throne and before Him shall be gathered all the nations. He said He will separate them, one from the other, as the shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. And He’ll place the sheep on His right hand and the goats on His left. And He shall say to those on His right hand, “Come, oh, blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from before the foundation of the world. For I was hungry and you gave Me something to eat. I was thirsty and you gave Me something to drink. I was naked and you clothed Me. I was sick and imprisoned and you visited Me. I was a stranger and you welcomed Me.” And they’ll say, “When, Lord? When were You hungry or thirsty or naked or sick or imprisoned or a stranger and we did these things?” And He will say, “Insomuch as you have done these unto the least of these, My brethren, you have done them unto Me.” You see, He cares about acts of service and a servant’s heart, and one day He will judge our works.
He also cares about works of evangelism. He cares whether or not you are partaking in the advancement of the gospel by sharing your faith with others and by supporting other people who are seeking to spread the gospel. He cares about whether you are spreading the gospel by supporting ministry all over the Earth in response to the Great Commission. He cares about these things. They will all be evaluated. The Bible says in Revelation chapter 20 that at the consummation of the age will come the great white throne judgment. You can turn to Revelation 20 sometime and read that account. It describes in detail the judgment of the dead. Jesus Christ, the Son of God, will judge all of the non-Christian dead. From all the generations past, He will judge them. It’ll be a judgment of heaven and hell. That’s what the Bible says. But if you’re a Christian, you won’t be at the great white throne judgment because, if you’re a Christian, the Bible says you’ve already passed out of death into life. If you truly have faith, then you’re bound for heaven. But God wants you to know you’re still going to experience judgment (a different judgment) which the Bible calls the Bema Seat of Christ. We’ll all appear before Him as Christians and He will evaluate our works.
In conclusion, the apostle Paul wrote to the Christians in Corinth. He had just labored among them. He had just worked for the kingdom of Christ, and he had founded churches amongst the Corinthian people. He was gone now. Many of the people were now working for Christ. In the midst of a world of unbelief, many of these Christians were now working and Paul was writing to them and telling them (warning them) that they were going to be judged for their works. Their works one day will be evaluated by Christ. Paul said, “By the grace given unto me, by God as a master builder, I laid a foundation and now other men are building upon it. Let each person be careful how he builds upon that foundation, for there’s only one foundation which anyone can lay, which is Jesus Christ. Now, if anyone builds on that foundation with gold, with silver, with precious stones, with wood, hay, or stubble, each person’s works will become manifest, for the day of judgment will disclose it. For that day will be revealed with fire and the fire will test what sort of works each person has done. If the works which anyone builds upon the foundation of Christ survive, they will receive reward. But if their works do not survive, they will suffer loss of reward, though they themselves will be saved, but only as through fire.” That is 1 Corinthians chapter three. You see, God wants us to understand that our works are going to be evaluated.
We can’t be saved by works. He wants us to know we’re only saved by faith through believing in Jesus Christ truly as Lord and Savior. Only faith in Jesus Christ can take us through the gates of heaven. But God wants us to know that if we truly believe then there’s going to be some manifestation of works and they’re going to be evaluated. You get to heaven by faith and faith alone, but once you’re there your rewards will vary in accordance with your works.
So are you committed to growth and sanctification? Are you committed to developing a servant’s heart? Are you committed to the furtherance of the gospel of Jesus Christ? All these things will be evaluated someday. Jesus Christ has already told us in His word what He wants to be able to say to us someday when we stand before Him. He wants to be able to look right at you and say, “Well done, My good and faithful servant. You’ve been faithful over little and I’ll set you over much. Enter into the joy of your Master.” Let’s close in a word of prayer.
Lord Jesus, You are the source of life. You alone are the key to heaven. You’re the ticket. You’re the way, the truth, and the life. No one can come to the Father but by You. Lord, if there’s anybody here today who has never expressed belief in You, never acted on faith, I would ask that they would pray this prayer with me: “Come into my heart, Lord Jesus. Forgive me of my sin. I know that all of my works, no matter how good, will never deserve heaven. I rely on Your grace and Your mercy. I believe in You. Come into my heart. I want to live for You.” Lord, we know that if we truly believe, You expect to see some transformation in our life by the power of Your Spirit and the relinquishment of our will. Lord, we commit ourselves anew this day to You. We relinquish our will to growth in sanctification, that we might become more like You. Lord, help us develop a servant’s heart that we might give food to those who are hungry and water to the thirsty, and that we might respond to the needs of all people for Your name’s sake. Lord, help us to seek the furtherance of Your kingdom through the proclamation of the gospel. Lord, one day we want to hear You say, “Well done.” We want to hear You say, “Come, O blessed of My Father.” We love You, Lord, and we pray these things in Your great and matchless name. Amen.