The Day of Judgment: on the Basis of Works?

Jude 12-15 The Day of Judgment: on the basis of works?

When’s judgment day gonna be?

A young Bible college student was witnessing in a suburb of Atlanta. As he approached one house, there was an elderly gentleman sitting on the porch. He said, “Are you a Christian?” The old man said, “No, I’m a Smith. The Christians live two doors down.” “You don’t understand. I mean, are you lost?” The old man said, “No, sonny, I ain’t lost. I’ve lived here for 25 years.” “But are you ready for the Judgment Day?” The old man said, “When’s it going to be?” The young man said, “Well, it could be today or it could be tomorrow.” The old man replied, “WELL, PLEASE DON’T TELL MY WIFE, BECAUSE SHE’LL WANT TO GO BOTH DAYS.”

I start with a moment of humor, but there will be nothing else humorous in this sermon. We speak today about judgment. Eternal judgment…and the words should be deafening in impact. They should make your heart pound like thunder. They should overwhelm all of your faculties. It should cause fear and sadness and maybe even an abandonment of appropriate protocol, and perhaps literally throwing ourselves down and on the mercy of God.

Listen to these words inspired by God the Holy Spirit regarding the terror that awaits. 10 Yet these men speak abusively against whatever they do not understand; and what things they do understand by instinct, like unreasoning animals--these are the very things that destroy them. 11 Woe to them! They have taken the way of Cain; they have rushed for profit into Balaam's error; they have been destroyed in Korah's rebellion. 12 These men are blemishes at your love feasts, eating with you without the slightest qualm--shepherds who feed only themselves. They are clouds without rain, blown along by the wind; autumn trees, without fruit and uprooted--twice dead. 13 They are wild waves of the sea, foaming up their shame; wandering stars, for whom blackest darkness has been reserved forever. 14 Enoch, the seventh from Adam, prophesied about these men: "See, the Lord is coming with thousands upon thousands of his holy ones 15 to judge everyone, and to convict all the ungodly of all the ungodly acts they have done in the ungodly way, and of all the harsh words ungodly sinners have spoken against him." (Jud 1:10-15 NIV)

May I go back to the words in verse 13?

for whom blackest darkness has been reserved forever. 2

Prayer

We speak this morning of judgment; something that has slowly disappeared in the last decades. In an attempt to emphasize forgiveness we have ignored justice. We have created a God who is only lenient and winks at sin. Judgment has been softened, God has been redefined and remade in our image:

Doesn’t God love everyone? Contradictory notions, Tour guides and loopholes.

One website (www.Heavenandhell.com) claims it is about God’s immense love for ALL of his created beings and His intention to eventually redeem us all from sin and death! . . . The idea is that Both Heaven and Hell are expressions of God’s loving and redemptive purposes for ALL of mankind. Eventually Jesus will seek out ALL of His “lost sheep” and bring them to repentance. The whole idea of judgment is removed from his definition of God because the website owner thinks that love and justice are contradictory characteristics and that one God can’t have both of these attributes.

Take a look at the spirituality section in your local Borders or Barnes and Nobles for considerable evidence of this idea.

And it’s not really new either.

Remember the NY Times best seller in 1992, Embraced by the Light? Betty Eadie takes a trip to heaven for 5 hours and Jesus just takes her on a tour of the place. The sovereign of the universe, judge of the nations, king of the cosmos, is apparently relegated to the status of a tour guide.

No one likes judgment. Its why, on his death bed, W. C. Fields was flipping through a Bible. When asked what he was doing, he replied, that he was looking for loopholes.

I don’t want to take this matter too lightly, . . . for some of you may be at risk.

Does Scripture really speak about judgment?

I preach on this because Scripture is full of references to it. Not least of all here in Jude, but also in:

Acts 17:31 God has fixed a day in which he will judge the world in righteousness through a Man who He has appointed

Hebrews 9:27 It is appointed unto man once to die and after that the judgment.

Hebrews 10:26-27 3

If we go on sinning willfully after receiving the knowledge of the truth, there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins, but a certain terrifying expectation of judgment, and the fury of a fire which will consume the adversaries.

This is serious, how dare we not mention it. It is fearful. And yes, I want it to be.

Luke 12:4-5 Do not fear those who can kill the body and afterwards have no more that they can do. But I will warn you whom to fear: fear the one who after he has killed has authority to cast into hell; yes, I tell you, fear him.

I want you to know where you are headed in your natural state and I want those who have been washed in his blood to once again praise God that he has given us a rescuer.

This part of the character of God must be understood. If you can’t stomach the idea of a God who is just and judge, then you do not know God. You are simply loving a figment of your imagination. And justice and judgment is beautiful and should be praised in word and song. There aren’t enough songs in our hymnal about our judge. Maybe Kyle will rectify that someday.

Where we have been: Let me briefly remind you where we are. Jude is writing to a church that he is urging to contend for the faith. To fight for orthodoxy. Apparently people have crept into the church and are deceiving people by their actions and by their teachings. They are saying that God is only loving and that his grace means that there is no longer any law. That we can do as we please.

And Jude is livid. He compares them to people who didn’t follow God, to angels who didn’t follow God, and to people who wanted to use angels in their not following God. He says that not even Michael the archangel is permitted to live without authority.

Then he attacks these false teachers again saying they are like Cain, the arch-heretic who killed his brother, they are like Balaam, the arch-heretic who deceived the nation of Israel, and they are like Korah, the arch-heretic who didn’t want to follow God, his law, or God’s appointed leader.

Comparisons of “these people” This brings us to verse 12 which we brushed over quickly last week, but which I want to unfold a bit more.

12 These men are blemishes (reefs) at your love feasts, eating with you without the slightest qualm--shepherds who feed only themselves.

Perhaps this needs a bit of an explanation. They used to have a feast to celebrate the Lord’s Supper, it was called an agape feast, a fellowship meal and it reminded them of the cross, the resurrection of Christ and their future resurrection. So these false teachers would of course, come to these feasts but they were blemishes—really the best translation here is “rocks” or “rocks in the water”—they are reefs that cause shipwrecks. The point is, they come like all good leaders 4 come, but they don’t do any good. They feed only themselves. They are shepherds, supposedly there to care for the sheep, but the sheep are starving. What’s more, their faith is being shipwrecked. Its passive—they don’t get any food, and active, they are being destroyed.

They are clouds without rain, blown along by the wind; autumn trees, without fruit and uprooted--twice dead.

Clouds without rain. Clouds without rain have no purpose. They need the rain. They look up and see the rain cloud coming and they rejoice. Their drought is over. Their thirst will be quenched, but then…there is no rain. They so need the word of God taught to them, but then their desire is not quenched. They get nothing.

They see the tree in the distance and they desperately need food but then they see there is no fruit. These trees are a waste. Twice dead even. Perhaps a hint to their own destruction physically and then again in hell forever.

13 They are wild waves of the sea, foaming up their shame;

That is, not only are they not good for anything, they actually throw up all the crud of the ocean. You know when you go to the beach and you look along the shore and there is all that crud in disgusting line where the tide has come up. Its ugly and completely unlike the teaching and conduct of the Christian prophet.

wandering stars probably an allusion to I Enoch, which Jude knows very very well. Basically, the idea back then was that the stars were controlled by the angels and when they went off their normal path (comets, shooting stars, meteors, meteorites—I don’t know the difference and don’t need you to tell me after the service—I can google it if I care enough) it was attributed to disobedience of heavenly beings.

Again, it doesn’t matter whether they really believed it, it only matters that the illustration is understood.

And the final judgment:

for whom blackest darkness has been reserved forever.

Who will be judged?

I will come back to that, but let me rush through the next two verses too. I am going to ignore all the technicalities about who Enoch is, how he prophesied, where this text comes from…all this, next week. This week I just want you to see what it is that Enoch has said: "See, the Lord is coming with thousands upon thousands of his holy ones 5

15 to judge everyone, and to convict all the ungodly of all the ungodly acts they have done in the ungodly way, and of all the harsh words ungodly sinners have spoken against him."

Perhaps you hear the leitwort which appears in this verse—actually there are two. This verse is beautiful. This is the way preachers talk. Emphatically, driving home their point. It’s a horrible sentence if you were publishing it, but if the church had received this letter from Jude and one of the elders was reading it to the congregation it has some serious power.

"See, the Lord is coming with thousands upon thousands of his holy ones

When thousands of warriors are headed your way, it might, just maybe, turn out really really badly.

15 to judge everyone,

Let’s skip that idea just for a second

and to convict all the ungodly of all the ungodly acts they have done in the ungodly way, and of all the harsh words ungodly sinners have spoken against him."

Who will be judged? The ungodly. Because of all their ungodly acts committed in ungodly ways, because they are ungodly sinners. That much is abundantly clear. The ungodly are in real trouble. But don’t miss the importance of the first few words of verse 15.

To judge everyone.

This is key because Jews thought that the Gentiles would be judged and that they were okay. Paul clears that up all over the place most clearly in Romans 1 and 2 (talk through it) 28 Furthermore, since they did not think it worthwhile to retain the knowledge of God, he gave them over to a depraved mind, to do what ought not to be done. 29 They have become filled with every kind of wickedness, evil, greed and depravity. They are full of envy, murder, strife, deceit and malice. They are gossips, 30 slanderers, God-haters, insolent, arrogant and boastful; they invent ways of doing evil; they disobey their parents; 31 they are senseless, faithless, heartless, ruthless. 32 Although they know God's righteous decree that those who do such things deserve death, they not only continue to do these very things but also approve of those who practice them.

NIV Romans 2:1 You, therefore, have no excuse, you who pass judgment on someone else, for at whatever point you judge the other, you are condemning yourself, because you who pass judgment do the same things. 2 Now we know that God's judgment against those who do such things is based on truth. 6

3 So when you, a mere man, pass judgment on them and yet do the same things, do you think you will escape God's judgment? 4 Or do you show contempt for the riches of his kindness, tolerance and patience, not realizing that God's kindness leads you toward repentance? 5 But because of your stubbornness and your unrepentant heart, you are storing up wrath against yourself for the day of God's wrath, when his righteous judgment will be revealed. 6 God "will give to each person according to what he has done." 7 To those who by persistence in doing good seek glory, honor and immortality, he will give eternal life. 8 But for those who are self-seeking and who reject the truth and follow evil, there will be wrath and anger. 9 There will be trouble and distress for every human being who does evil: first for the Jew, then for the Gentile; 10 but glory, honor and peace for everyone who does good: first for the Jew, then for the Gentile. 11 For God does not show favoritism. (Rom 1:28-11 NIV)

I quote this verse because I fear that many of us church goers think that judgment is an okay thing because it doesn’t include us. We are part of the elite.

Are we judged according to what we have done?

But let me ask you a very important question. On what does this passage say you are judged? Romans 2:6 “God will give to each person according to what he has done.”

This the point of Jude too. You are judged based on your works. Those who do ungodly things are doomed. Everyone gets judged based on what they do.

It doesn’t matter whether you are black, white or pink. It doesn’t matter whether you are rich or poor. It doesn’t matter whether you are male or female, a child or an adult.

The real issue is whether you do good or evil.

Now wait a daggone minute. What about “By grace you are saved?” What’s all this talk about works. Good works don’t get you to heaven, . . . or do they?

How do we reconcile these verses? Do we say that God doesn’t judge his people?

That’s certainly a way out, . . . but plenty of verses seem to imply a judgment based on works for everyone.

People of Poolesville Baptist Church. Your works DO matter. Galatians 5:19 says that people who practice such things like jealousy, envy etc shall not inherit the kingdom of God. Check out 7

1 Cor 6:9 and Eph 5:5. Jesus said if you don’t forgive people, then God wont forgive you and if you hear my words and don’t do them, you are like a person whose house collapses in a flood (Matt 7:24-27)

The question is, are you doing what God commands?

This “problem” of works or faith is not really a problem. I set them at odds with each other but they aren’t in reality. We are judged according to our deeds, the outflow of our mouth, even our sinful thoughts, because these are all an infallible sign of what fills the heart. From the fullness of the heart, the mouth speaks. You can judge a book by its cover, a tree by its fruit.

Are we saved by our faith or by good deeds? The answer is, on judgment day, God will make manifest that his judgment is just by showing our deeds. He will certify to the world that we have saving faith by calling our deeds as witness for us. The courtroom is in session and the witnesses God calls are our deeds. This is proof of a changed heart. They demonstrate our faith.

“It’s not earning our salvation, its exhibiting our salvation. They do not merit, they mark. They do not deserve, they demonstrate.”

Piper says with brilliant alliteration “It’s not earning our salvation, its exhibiting our salvation. They do not merit, they mark. They do not deserve, they demonstrate.”

The point of all of this is to call the people of this church to look at their lives. Are your lives different than those around you? Are your lives now different than they were 3 years ago? Do you see more disciplines of grace now, then earlier in your Christian walk? Are you reading your Bible more, praying more, witnessing more (when was the last time you witnessed about your faith). Please, don’t for a minute trust in some act done years ago and think that this act saved you. If there is not fruit, if there is not conviction of sin, if there is not growth and maturity, if you are not entering the heavenlies more and more frequently than I think Paul and Jesus would say with authority that you do not know the God of the Bible.

Perhaps there are some here who don’t claim to be Christians. Perhaps you believe in God, but he is more like a giant Santa clause who winks at sin and loves everyone. Perhaps you think hell is a figment of our imagination and that God will one day reconcile everyone.

I am not here to ridicule you or start a battle. I just need you to know that I fear for you. I am desperately concerned. Scripture is clear about hell. Judgment is coming and I pray that you will be found just, based on Christ’s blood and that your works will bear out your salvation. I am not telling you to work harder. I am telling you to fall on Christ’s mercy, and if you really do, then your works will bear this out.

What does hell really look like?

If you don’t, well the image is clear in Jude at least: 8

for whom blackest darkness has been reserved forever.

Throughout scripture there are two main images of hell—one is of eternal fire, another eternal darkness. Obviously eternal darkness is a better contrast for wandering stars, but remember, this is just a literary device.

Don’t feel you need to harmonize these two ideas. Hell is like fire forever, or like being completely alone and in the dark or . . . pick your most modern terrible thing:  It’s like bamboo being pushed up under your fingernails 200 times a day every day forever  It’s like water boarding with only 30 seconds of rest in between each attack  It’s like the pain of having your wife or husband leave every moment for the rest of your life.  It’s like …well, you fill in the blank with the most tortuous things you can imagine

Certainly Jude’s main point is that the arch-heretics like Cain and Korah and Balaam have a place reserved for them. Dante beautifully captured the punishment:

We entered through the portal unopposed; And I, who was most curious to see What punishments the fortress might contain, Gazed round about me as I stepped within. On either side I saw a wide expanse With anguish filled, and torments horrible. ...here the tombs were everywhere about, Save that they were more bitter to behold. For round about those many monuments Flames were scattered, so that they were heated Brighter than iron e'er was made to glow. The covers everywhere were lifted off, And from each tomb there rose such piteous groans As only souls in torment could produce. I asked my master: 'Tell me, who are these Who, buried in these sepulchres, proclaim Their anguish with such piteous laments?' He answered: 'The archeretics lie here, With all their followers, of every sect; The graves are crowded more than one would think.

The punishment for false teachers is gruesome and they seek to pull many others down as well and according to the sanctified imagination of Dante, there are far more heretics than we could imagine. 9

Are you a heretic?

So, certainly, protect yourself from false doctrine. From heretics. But I don’t think it’s too much of a stretch to say, stop being a heretic.

How can you be a heretic? Are you calling people away from the God of the Bible either intentionally or simply by your lax attitude towards judgment and God? Are you showing the world a God created in your image, a god who doesn’t care that much about holiness, or who is so forgiving that sin becomes of no consequence, because, well, who cares, he is just going to forgive us anyway. Are you, every day painting a picture of God that is not true and in so doing, joining forces with Korah and Cain and Balaam and Satan himself.

Judgment is very real. Jesus concludes the parable of the great final judgment in Matt 25:46 with “These will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life.”

Hell is the most appalling reality we can imagine. Nothing compares with the “lake of fire” and as Jesus says their worm does not die and the fire is not quenched (Mark 9:48). Our sin is infinite cosmic treason and will be punished with eternal torment

But as horrible as hell is, life in Christ is simply beautiful. Happiness in the age to come is more satisfying than anything. Almost bursting from sheer happiness. A thousand times greater than the greatest joy ever.

What will you choose?

You are left with a choice: will you choose life this morning?