Sunday, February 18, 2007
February 18, 2007--Judgement
Note--sermon taken from loose outline notes of pastor, no audio or video.
HAPPY BIRTHDAY YESTERDAY TO MY DAD!!!!!
Scripture: Jeremiah 17:10; Romans 14:7-12
Our ancestors frequntly used the word judgement as if it meant punishment--it is a judgement upon him. However, it is clearer to think of it not as the sentence or award but as the verdict itself. Someday, an absolutely correct and perfect verdict shall be passed on each of us.
We all have encountered verdicts on ourselves in this life. We sometimes get verdicts from others and even ourselves. We sometimes discover what others really think of us. And I don't mean what they say to our faces, but rather what they say behind closed doors or when they think we are not listening. Sometimes we get it through the unknowing repetition of children repeating what they overhear. Also, we see in many ways, in sometimes more meaningful ways, in others' actions.
You know, we find out by what people do. You know, like those who say they support the troops, out there with photo ops and flags, but then, then they go and try to take resources from them. They say things when they think people aren't listening. They should be judged by their actions, not by their platitudes. And trust me, they will face JUDGEMENT.
The judgement we get from others can be bitter or sweet. But the tastes of these judgements are limited by our doubt as to the wisdom of those doing the judging. WE always hope that those who clearly think us cowards or bullies are ignorant and mean. But, on the flip side, we frequently fear that those who trust and admire us are misled by partiality. I suppose the experience of the final judgement will bel ike thse little experiences, but to the NTH degree.
Because, it will be infalliable judgement. If it is favorable we shall have no fear, if unfavorable, no hope that that decision is wrong. There won't be any doubt, like the OJ trial, the Duke Case, whatever. We shall not only believe, we shall know, beyond any doubt in every fiber of our appalled or delighted being; that as the Judge has said, so we are: neither more not less nor other. WE shall maybe even realize that in some dim way we could have known it all along. WE shall know and all creation will know, too.
I do not find that pictures of physical catastrophe\\the sign in the coulds, etc--help one so much as the naked idea of judgement. We cannot always be excited. WE can, perhaps, train ourselves to ask more and more often how the thing which we are saying or doing (or in most cases not doing)at each moment will look when the irresistible light streams upon it; that light which is so different from the light of this world.
Women sometimes have the problem of trying to judge by artificial lifht how a dress will look by sunlight. That is very like the problem of all of us: to dress our souls not for the neon poorly lit lights that lead temptingly to destruction, but rather for the daylight of the next world. The good dress is the one that will face that light. However, we cannot come up with such a dress. WE can only wear the hard fought salvation by Christ, the dress that looks good in all light, even the daylight of judgement that reveals our hurts and warts, because Salvation and being made perfect is so amazing it erases those warts, and being made to withstand the light of the next world is so important, because that light will last alot longer.
HAPPY BIRTHDAY YESTERDAY TO MY DAD!!!!!
Scripture: Jeremiah 17:10; Romans 14:7-12
Our ancestors frequntly used the word judgement as if it meant punishment--it is a judgement upon him. However, it is clearer to think of it not as the sentence or award but as the verdict itself. Someday, an absolutely correct and perfect verdict shall be passed on each of us.
We all have encountered verdicts on ourselves in this life. We sometimes get verdicts from others and even ourselves. We sometimes discover what others really think of us. And I don't mean what they say to our faces, but rather what they say behind closed doors or when they think we are not listening. Sometimes we get it through the unknowing repetition of children repeating what they overhear. Also, we see in many ways, in sometimes more meaningful ways, in others' actions.
You know, we find out by what people do. You know, like those who say they support the troops, out there with photo ops and flags, but then, then they go and try to take resources from them. They say things when they think people aren't listening. They should be judged by their actions, not by their platitudes. And trust me, they will face JUDGEMENT.
The judgement we get from others can be bitter or sweet. But the tastes of these judgements are limited by our doubt as to the wisdom of those doing the judging. WE always hope that those who clearly think us cowards or bullies are ignorant and mean. But, on the flip side, we frequently fear that those who trust and admire us are misled by partiality. I suppose the experience of the final judgement will bel ike thse little experiences, but to the NTH degree.
Because, it will be infalliable judgement. If it is favorable we shall have no fear, if unfavorable, no hope that that decision is wrong. There won't be any doubt, like the OJ trial, the Duke Case, whatever. We shall not only believe, we shall know, beyond any doubt in every fiber of our appalled or delighted being; that as the Judge has said, so we are: neither more not less nor other. WE shall maybe even realize that in some dim way we could have known it all along. WE shall know and all creation will know, too.
I do not find that pictures of physical catastrophe\\the sign in the coulds, etc--help one so much as the naked idea of judgement. We cannot always be excited. WE can, perhaps, train ourselves to ask more and more often how the thing which we are saying or doing (or in most cases not doing)at each moment will look when the irresistible light streams upon it; that light which is so different from the light of this world.
Women sometimes have the problem of trying to judge by artificial lifht how a dress will look by sunlight. That is very like the problem of all of us: to dress our souls not for the neon poorly lit lights that lead temptingly to destruction, but rather for the daylight of the next world. The good dress is the one that will face that light. However, we cannot come up with such a dress. WE can only wear the hard fought salvation by Christ, the dress that looks good in all light, even the daylight of judgement that reveals our hurts and warts, because Salvation and being made perfect is so amazing it erases those warts, and being made to withstand the light of the next world is so important, because that light will last alot longer.
# posted by Mark : 4:02 PM
