Glen Hartline

Judgment

Luke 9:51-56

Now it came to pass, when the time had come for Him to be received up, that He steadfastly set His face to go to Jerusalem, 52 and sent messengers before His face. And as they went, they entered a village of the Samaritans, to prepare for Him. 53 But they did not receive Him, because His face was set for the journey to Jerusalem. 54 And when His disciples James and John saw this, they said, “Lord, do You want us to command fire to come down from heaven and consume them, just as Elijah did?”*

55 But He turned and rebuked them,* and said, “You do not know what manner of spirit you are of. 56 For the Son of Man did not come to destroy men’s lives but to save them.“* And they went to another village. (NKJV)

1. Disciples wanted to call down fire because of an offense like Elijah had done.
2. Jesus rebuked them because they wanted to act out of a wrong spirit.

What could be wrong with wanting to act like one of the greatest prophets in the Old Testament? You hear everywhere you go people saying they are called to be and act like Elijah, Elisha, David ect, but Jesus rebuked His disciples for doing what many Christians today are trying to do. The men and women of the Old Testament did not have their sins forgiven. They did not have the Holy Spirit dwelling in them. They only knew God who was at war against their sins, and they related to Him and others accordingly. Jesus rebuked them because God is no longer judging us according to our sins. Jesus took all sin and all judgment to the cross and forever satisfied God’s wrath.

John 12:30-33

Jesus answered and said, “This voice did not come because of Me, but for your sake. 31 Now is the judgment of this world; now the ruler of this world will be cast out. 32 And I, if I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all peoples to Myself.” 33 This He said, signifying by what death He would die. (NKJV)

1. The world is being judged and it’s ruler (satan) is being cast out
   
2. The word “peoples” in verse 32 was not in the original Greek. It should read “will draw all to myself”
   
3. Jesus talks about His crucifixion.
   

Since we know that the subject in verse 31 is “judgment” and verse 32 He was speaking about how He would die. Jesus wasn’t saying that if you preach about my crucifixion everyone will come, He was talking about His upcoming death. In light of this we see that the subject in verse 31 carries over to verse 32 and so Jesus was saying,” If I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all judgment to Myself“. He was saying that when He died He would take all God’s wrath and judgment towards sin and all men to Himself! God isn’t about to judge you, Jesus has already been judged for you!

I am NOT condoning sin or saying that God does not care if you sin! Just that He does not change the way He relates to you based on if you are sinning or not. It is not based on your actions, but based on Jesus’ sacrifice. There are consequences to sin! When you sin you give a place to satan to come in and destroy your life. If you yield yourself to sin you yield yourself to the author of that sin (satan). (Rom 6:16) Satan will destroy you but God isn’t judging you. When you realize the free gift we have been given through Jesus you would have to be stupid to yield yourself to sin and allow satan to destroy you. But God loves you stupid!

Why do we need to know this?

1. Otherwise you will believe God is the problem, causing or allowing sickness as judgment and punishment.
   
2. You will always wonder about God’s will and never be truly able to be in faith. As long as you are not sure, you will always be on a rollercoaster of faith or unbelief.
   
3. You will be problem-focused instead of solution focused (Jesus).
   
4. You will judge people instead of ministering to them.
   
5. You will become purely works-based, prescribing things the person needs to live up to before God will move on their behalf.
   
6. You will minister condemnation and guilt which leads nowhere good.
   
7. You will confuse people.
   

Sin and Reconciliation – excerpt from my divine healing manual

Matt 10:34-36

34 “Do not think that I came to bring peace on earth. I did not come to bring peace but a sword. 35 For I have come to ‘set a man against his father, a daughter against her mother, and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law’;
36 and ‘a man’s enemies will be those of his own household. (NKJV)

1. Jesus Himself said not to think He came to bring peace.
   
2. He came to set a man against his father, daughter against mother, daughter – in-law against mother-in-law.
   
3. A man’s enemy shall be in his own household.
   

Matt 24:6-8

6 And you will hear of wars and rumors of wars. See that you are not troubled; for all* these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet. 7 For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. And there will be famines, pestilences,* and earthquakes in various places. 8 All these are the beginning of sorrows. (NKJV)

1. Wars and rumors of wars
   
2. Nation against Nation
   
3. Kingdom against Kingdom
   
4. Famines
   
5. Pestilences
   
6. Earthquakes
   
   

With these verses it is impossible to come to the conclusion that Jesus came to bring peace on the earth between people. To do so would mean that you either do not know scripture or that you are intentionally being deceptive. If Jesus did not come to bring peace between men, then what do these verses say?

Luke 2:14

4 “Glory to God in the highest, And on earth peace, goodwill toward men!”
(NKJV)

The angels were announcing peace on earth and goodwill between God and man. Before Jesus there was enmity between God and man. Basically God was at war against man’s sin. The angels were proclaiming that the war was over; there was now peace between God and man. God was no longer pouring out wrath on man because of his sin.

2 Cor 5:17-19

17 Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new. 18 Now all things are of God, who has reconciled us to Himself through Jesus Christ, and has given us the ministry of reconciliation, 19 that is, that God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself, not imputing their trespasses to them, and has committed to us the word of reconciliation. (NKJV)

1. Reconcile – To make friendly or to bring back into harmony.
   
2. God reconciled the world to Himself through Jesus.
   
3. Imputing– Accounting term means to hold against
   

Paul is telling us that God was in Jesus reconciling man back to Himself and not counting our sins against us, and not only ours but the sins of the whole world!

Rom 5:13

3 (For until the law sin was in the world, but sin is not imputed when there is no law. (NKJV)

1. Law – Sin imputed
   
2. No Law – Sin is not imputed
   

1 John 2:2

And He Himself is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the whole world. (NKJV)

Heb 8:12

2 For I will forgive their wickedness and will remember their sins no more.” (NIV)

Heb 10:17

“Their sins and lawless acts I will remember no more.” (NIV)

Ps 103:12

2 As far as the east is from the west, So far has He removed our transgressions from us. (NKJV)

God is not angry at us. He is not judging man because of sin. Jesus took all the sin of the world on Himself on the cross and paid the price. This is the good news! This is the message we are to declare to the world. Jesus has paid the price for your sins and all you have to do is receive that payment! God has reconciled Himself back to man through Jesus, now we just need to be reconciled to God. That is not saying that all are saved or that nobody will pay the price for sin. You will not receive the benefit of Jesus’ sacrifice if you don’t accept it by receiving Jesus as Savior and Lord. There will be eternal punishment if you refuse this free gift. It is not God judging you. You were already judged because of your sin and because you chose to remain the servant of satan, God is just allowing you to have what you have freely chosen. (Free Will)