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Discipling 12
Lesson 32
Judgment
When you see the title of this lesson, I am sure that there is not an immediate joy flooding your soul. But all of the attributes of the Lord are good for us to understand. The mercy of God becomes so much more real as I see the judgment that I should receive. I realize that I need to cry out for mercy since I deserve judgment.
I Peter 4:7 states that judgment is to begin at the house of the Lord, and since I am the temple of the Holy Spirit, that means judgment starts in my life. John 16:8 shows us that one of the present day assignments of the Holy Spirit is to convict me of sin, righteousness and judgment. I should expect the Holy Spirit to remind me that I will have to give an account for every thought, word and action. That is a very sobering concept and one to which I must give attention.
The word judgment implies to allow the Word of God to be the standard by which I judge everything. If my actions or attitudes are not meeting the standard of the Word of God, I am sinning because I am missing the mark. There is never condemnation in the Lord, but there is certainly always conviction. Conviction of the Holy Spirit is a gentle push in the direction of righteousness telling me I need to change direction so that I will not receive the death of sin, but the blessing of righteousness. After I have Godly sorrow and decide to change directions, I then begin to speak the Word which is God’s will for my life. The Holy Spirit will then cause the Word to become life in me. The Word is so powerful that it will change me into the image of Christ and out of the brokenness of my flesh.
John 9:39 shows us one of the reasons that Jesus came into the world was for the purpose of judgment. His very life set a standard for our lives to be measured by. According to John 12:31, we are made aware of the fact that Satan has been judged. Satan has been judged guilty by the “Righteous Judge”. His deeds were exposed and his intent on destruction was brought to light. Jesus showed what life was meant to be and exposed what Satan was trying to accomplish in all of our lives. His quality of life was judged as unto God and not acceptable to mankind. The heart of God was shown as Jesus went around doing good and healing all of those oppressed by the devil. Jesus came as light and cast out darkness. Judgment showed what was light and what was darkness and darkness should and has been cast out. This judgment assures us from a legal view that we are free and that the power of heaven will enforce this decree.
Another aspect of judgment is found in Romans 2:2-5 which explains that we all face the righteous judgment of the Lord. We will be face to face with our loving Father who will judge everyone according to the Word. Each action of my life will receive the corresponding consequence the Word describes. There will be rewards for righteous actions and discipline for sin. Matthew 12:36, 37 says that even my words that are non-productive kingdom words will have a judgment. This shouldn’t be a place of tension, but it certainly will be a place of accountability. When I was in school I always appreciated knowing what I was going to be tested on; that way I knew exactly what to study. The Lord tells us that He will evaluate all of my thoughts, words and actions by using the standard of the Word. I must study the Word and find out the requirements and then ask the Lord to help me achieve those requirements. I want to value what the Lord says is important and allow my life to reflect those actions to the world around me. Matthew 25:28 shows a picture of a servant who rebelled at this master’s command and was judged guilty and lost out on a blessing. I Corinthians 3:10-15 explains that all of our deeds will be tested by the fire of God’s furnace to show what was accomplished through the work of the spirit and not the flesh.
Judgment of the Lord is a very good thing. It is good for me because it keeps a gentle pressure on me to reach for excellence in kingdom values. It causes a constant evaluation of my actions in comparison to the Word. Also I am constantly crying out for help when I see a weak area exposed. This type of honesty about my actions allows the grace of God to come into these areas of weakness and changes them into places of strength. We know that the Lord is a just God and all of His judgments will be righteous and fair. I will receive exactly what I desire. I always cry out for mercy when I fail and repent and believe for grace so I will not fail again. There is no fear since I have been saved from the wrath of God, but there is a strong desire to live a life pleasing to God.
The book of Jonah is a great example of the judgment and mercy of God. Jonah was disobedient and circumstances got very difficult, but repentance took place and mercy brought deliverance. Jonah had a definite change of attitude and the grace of God accomplished the purpose of God in his life. The Lord is so loving that He continues to give me opportunity to judge myself and repent if necessary and then His grace is there to bring us into a place of righteous action.
The children of Israel had to experience judgment that kept them in the wilderness for 40 years because of disobedience. They were not willing to repent when given the opportunity so mercy could not be accepted and death was the result. Judgment for sin is real. That drives me to run toward God to receive discipline immediately so I will not have to face future judgment.
Definitions:
Judgment: Hebrew: Sentence, infliction and judgment
Judgment: Hebrew: A verdict, sentence or formal decree, divine law, the crime and the penalty, custom, discretion, manner of law, a right, due orders
Judgment: Greek: Justice, condemnation, accusation, just sentence
Judgment: Greek: to distinguish, decide, punish, decree, determine, ordain, call in question, think.
Scripture:
Eternal Judgment
1. Genesis 18:25
2. Exodus 20:4-6
3. Leviticus 26:27-33
4. Judges 11:27
5. Psalms 58:11
6. Psalms 94:2
7. Psalms 107:43
8. Ecclesiastes 8:11
9. Ecclesiastes 11:3
10. Isaiah 33:22
11. Isaiah 34:1-8
12. Isaiah 45:1-4
13. Isaiah 61:2
14. Jeremiah 32:18
15. Ezekiel 18:1-4,20,24
16. John 3:17
17. Acts 5:1-10
18. I Timothy 5:24,25
Judgment Seat of Christ:
1. Isaiah 43:25
2. Isaiah 44:22
3. John 3:17,18
4. John 5:24
5. Romans 8:1
6. Romans 14:10,12
7. I Corinthians 3:11-15
8. II Corinthians 5:10
9. I Peter 4:17,18
10. I John 1:9
Judgment for Christian Service:
1. Psalm 1:4,5
2. Isaiah 38:1-8
3. Matthew 3:18
4. Matthew 6:19-24
5. Matthew 7:24-28
6. Matthew 12:25-28
7. Matthew 13:37-43, 47-50
8. Matthew 20:1-16
9. Matthew 21:33-46
10. Matthew 24:36-51
11. Matthew 25:14-30
12. Luke 11:17-26
13. Luke 12:48
14. Luke 19:16-19
15. I Corinthians 3:10-15
Tribulation Judgment of Israel:
1. Jeremiah 30:3-9
2. Ezekiel 20:37,38
3. Zechariah 12:8,9
4. Zechariah 14:2-4
5. Joel 3:1,2
6. Matthew 25:31-33
7. Revelation 20:11-15
Examples of Judgment:
1. Genesis 3:14-19
2. Genesis 9:4-7
3. Genesis 12:1-4
4. Genesis 27:39,40
5. Genesis 41:17-32
6. Exodus 3:21,22
7. Exodus 12
8. Exodus 15:24-27
9. Exodus 20:1-17
10. Exodus 32:30-35
11. Leviticus 4:27-31
12. Leviticus 10:1-3
13. Leviticus 26:3-6
14. Leviticus 26:23-26
15. Numbers 11:1-4
16. Numbers 22:1-12
17. Numbers 13:26-29
18. Numbers 14:10-12,17-34
19. Numbers 16:1-35,42-50
20. Numbers 18:1-12
21. Numbers 21:4-9
22. Numbers 25:1-11
23. Deuteronomy 1:17
24. Deuteronomy 5:9
25. Deuteronomy 7:10-13,20,21
26. Deuteronomy 8:1-5,33-35
27. Deuteronomy 11:26-29
28. Judges 2:1-4
29. I Samuel 13:13-15
30. I Samuel 15:12-25
31. II Samuel 12:7-18
32. Psalm 1:5
33. Psalm 9:8
34. Psalm 58:11
35. Psalm 119:66
36. Ecclesiastes 12:14
37. Isaiah 4:4
38. Isaiah 5:12,13
39. Isaiah 6:9-13
40. Isaiah 66:16
41. Joel 3:12
42. Matthew 5:21,22
43. Matthew 10:15
44. Matthew 12:36-42
45. John 5:22-30
46. John 7:24
47. John 9:39
48. John 12:31
49. John 16:8
50. John 16:11
51. Acts 24:25
52. Romans 5:16
53. I Corinthians 11:22-32
54. II Corinthians 5:10
55. II Thessalonians 1:5
56. Hebrews 9:27
57. Hebrews 10:27
58. James 2:13
59. I Peter 4:17
60. I John 4:17
61. Jude 1:6
62. Revelation 14:7
Conclusion:
I know the Lord has convicted you like He has me about my walk with Him. I want to run to the Lord and get the chaff of my life burned out. I desire to repent now for all of the times I miss the mark. I want the Word to be a sharp two-edged sword in my thought life to show when I am not meditating on the Word, and I am allowing the deception of the enemy to be my point of focus. I really do want the meditations of my heart and the words of my mouth to be acceptable to the Lord. If my thoughts and words are judged according to the Word and are brought into right order, my actions will be pleasing to the Lord. How can this happen? Psalm 119:9-11 is the key to success. Hide the Word in my heart and then I will not sin against the Lord. The Word is so powerful and the spirit always so right that I can be convicted of sin and actually be excited about getting caught and changed. The Lord really does work on my will to do His good pleasure. He will teach me His ways and then give me the strength to be obedient. That is why it will be exciting to stand before the Lord at the “Judgment Seat” and receive our “crown of glory”.
Application:
Read I Corinthians 13:4-8 and ask the Lord to evaluate your life according to the pattern shown. When you fall short, begin to call yourself the kind of a person the Word says you are supposed to be. Give testimony at the next meeting about the changes that are taking place. ie: Let’s say the Lord shows me that I have envy. I will repent and then begin to say that I am a person of love and I have no envy. I will make a list of places I have fallen in the past and I will praise people for what they have instead of envying them. At my next small group meeting, I will let everyone know how I am doing so they can hold me accountable.
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