Eleventh Step of Sin- Judgment
Introduction
“And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment.” Hebrews 9:27
The wording in this verse, which we rightly take for granted, is very important. The word translated “once” ( άπαξ ) is accurately translated. An expanded accurate translation, though unnecessary, could be “once for all” or “once forever.”
Likewise, the Greek word translated “this” ( τοῦτο ) is also accurately translated. It is singular, again emphasizing the fact that there is only one physical death.
The point is that this verse is very emphatic that there is only one physical death for each of us. There is no Biblical possibility of reincarnation or a second chance after we die.
Interestingly enough, the word “after” ( μετὰ ) can also carry the meaning of “with.” This could indicate that as soon as one dies, he is subject to judgment. That would be similar to a person who, after being charged with a crime, is immediately subject to judgment, even though that judgment may not come for some time.
The facts remain, however, that we are going to die, and we will all be judged after we die. Consequently, we should get ready for our judgment.
Those who are lost need to do whatever it takes to go to heaven. The good news is that Jesus already did everything necessary to get us to heaven. The payment for sin is death according to Romans 6:23. However, Jesus died to pay for all men’s sins, and He offers the free gift of eternal life to all who trust what He did to get us to heaven by His death, burial, and resurrection. If we trust what He has done to get us to heaven, since He has done everything it takes to get us to heaven, we can know that we have eternal life in heaven. He even says so in I John 5:13 where He says, “These things have I written unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God; that ye may know that ye have eternal life.” For those of us that have believed, there will be a separate judgment from the lost at the Judgment Seat of Christ to determine what rewards we will receive or lose based upon our faithfulness to the instructions Jesus has given to us. Dr. Jerry Lloyd
Sexual Sins
Final installment of the open letter
(Used by permission)
“I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith: Henceforth there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge shall give me at that day: and not to me only, but unto all them also that love His appearing.” II Timothy 4:7-8
“God has given me so very much, and He requires much from me. I want to run a good race so that, when this life is all said and done, God can pull me into His lap and say, “Good job, My little sunshine.”
Early in our marriage I attended a Bible study entitled “Becoming a woman of Influence.” At the end of the Bible study, we were asked the question: “If you could write your own obituary at the end of your life, what would you want others to say about you? This is my answer:
‘She was a woman of great faith, who spoke the truth even when it was not popular to do so. She never missed an opportunity to pray, and she was wise beyond her years. You knew more about Jesus simply by spending time with her. She was a woman of truth, prayer, wisdom, and faith. Her life was an open Bible: the only Bible many people got to read.’
Having said that, I hope I have been able to share my heart with you about this in such a way that you can see that I simply want to be the best me that I can be. I want this for myself, but also for you and our children. However, I want this mostly for our God.
I am praying that you take this in the spirit in which it is shared. I believe you love me very much and also want what’s best for us, so I am asking you for your support in keeping my vows to the Lord.
Your ever-devoted wife”
Forward
At the End of the Day
At the end of the day, it is not how much fun we had, how much good we did, or how many people we helped in this life that matters that much. It boils down to: “What have we done that will affect others a thousand years from now.” In other words, “How many people have we helped trust Christ to get them to heaven.” What good would it be to spend quality time with our family, but because of our attitude toward God and His body, the church, our grandchildren grow up unimpressed with church and unconcerned about God, and, therefore, spend an eternity separated from us and God in the lake of fire.
In This Life
What is it that we need to share with people during this lifetime? It is not that we should confess our sins, or be water baptized, or join the church, or give our tithes. While all of these are needed to help other people get to heaven, what we need to share is that they need to trust Jesus to get them to heaven. It is vital that we share with others what God has done for them before it is too late.
“From a child thou hast known the Holy Scriptures, which are able to make thee wise unto salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus.” II Timothy 3:14-15
Pastor Jerry
The Eleventh Step of Sin-Judgment
In the last chapter we talked about the tenth step of sin, which is death. You would think that that would be the end of the steps of sin, but, actually, the eleventh step of sin is that to which the first ten steps are leading both for unbelievers and believers.
Reviewing the Steps of Sin
The first step of sin is hearing or listening to sinful things.
The second step of sin is seeing or watching sinful things. We feed the flesh in the battle between the flesh and the spirit by what we see and hear.
The third step of sin is thinking about those things which we have seen and heard.
As we begin to think about sin, we begin to talk about those evil things. That is the fourth step of sin.
As we talk about evil, we begin to desire those things ourselves. That is the fifth step of sin.
After we begin to desire evil things, then the sixth step of sin comes, which is temptation. When opportunity meets lust or desire, which has been kindled through that to which we listen and watch, then we are tempted to do those wicked things about which we have heard, seen, thought, and about which we have talked.
While at this point we have not yet yielded to temptation and participated in the iniquity we are being tempted to do, the first sixth steps are sins in themselves.
After we yield to temptation, the seventh step of sin is we, actually, participate in that which we have been tempted. Up until that time the battle is for the influence of our mind. After we participate in the sin, a physical dimension is set in motion which includes changes in health, sowing and reaping, and death.
The next step in sin is physical addiction or slavery to the sin. As with the other steps, it is a very short step from your first experience of any particular sin to slavery to it. It becomes a habit and we begin to continually desire it. We begin to find the sin more and more excusable and acceptable until our conscience is seared, and we no longer view sin as appalling and repulsive. That is the eighth step of sin. Once our flesh has been exposed to evil and experienced sin, it will always desire those sins.
The ninth step is physical deterioration. That is when the body begins to decay, and ultimately becomes diseased because of sin. That is when the body begins to reap what was sowed, and the body breaks down.
All of our bodies are going to, eventually, break down, and it will always be because of sin, but it may not be our own sin. It could be sin in our family, Adam’s sin, or the sin of those who are around you. The most obvious of these are people who suffer because of other’s sin might be those people who get sick because of secondary tobacco smoke, or those babies who are born sick because their mother used drugs or alcohol while she was pregnant. So that child is sick because of sin, but it was not the baby’s sin.
When you see somebody sick, do not assume that it is because they are living in sin. However, when we get sick it would behoove us to consider why we are sick. Is it the chastening hand of God? Is God trying to get our attention. We had best figure out what God is trying to teach us so that He can remove the sickness.
After the body has been ravaged by the results of sin, it dies. Death is the tenth step of sin.
The Eleventh Step of Sin
In Hebrews 9:27 We see the tenth step of sin: “ And as it is appointed unto men once to die,” but wait a minute! That is not the last step of sin! The rest of the verse tells us the eleventh step of sin:
“But after this the judgment.”
You Have an Appointment with Death
Notice that all men have an appointment with death. “As it is ‘appointed.’”
In Ecclesiastes 3:1 God says: “To every thing.” That would include death, would it not? That would include everything that happens good and bad. “To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven.”
So there are three things that are true of every thing that happens: time, purpose, and season. The fact that there is a time and season to everything is kind of a no brainer. We learned that fact from sowing and reaping, action and reaction, and cause and effect. There is a reason that everything happens, but God also assures us that, while there is a reason FOR everything that happens. We also learn that there is a time for everything that happens, it is always according to God’s timing. All these things should be well known, but that on which God is focusing is the fact that there is a season between the action and the purpose. We see this truth in nature all the time. However, when sowing and reaping involves sin and the judgment thereof, we seem to think that there will be no judgment or accountability. God nails it when He says in Ecclesiastes 8:11: “Because sentence against an evil work is not executed speedily, therefore the heart of the sons of men is fully set in them to do evil.”
Since men do not see the sowing and reaping immediately, they think they got away with sin scot free. However, in actuality, that is not even possible.
Back in Ecclesiastes 3:1-2 God goes on: “To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven:
Verse 2: “A time to be born, and a time to die.”
The most obvious thing we see here is, we have an appointment with death.
Ecclesiastes 8:8 puts it this way: “There is no man that hath power over the spirit to retain the spirit; neither hath he power in the day of death: and there is no discharge in that war; neither shall wickedness deliver those that are given to it.”
In other words we have an appointment with death, and there is no way we can postpone or get out of it. However, you can change the time of your appointment.
Ecclesiastes 7:17 tells us: “Be not over much wicked, neither be thou foolish: why shouldest thou die before thy time?”
You cannot postpone or cancel your appointment, but you can move it up. You can die before your time. What can cause that? God tells us two things that will cause you to die before your time. You can die before your time if you are wicked or if you are foolish.
I am not at all afraid to die, because God has promised that if we believe on the name of the Son of God we can know that we have eternal life. I believe God, so I do not worry about where I will go after I die, but I do worry about dying because I did something foolish. That is why I do not jump out of airplanes. I am not afraid to jump out of the airplane, but I am afraid that people will think that I am foolish for doing so. There are certain things I do not do, because I do not want to be foolish. That is why I do not smoke or drink alcohol. It is not that I’m afraid to die, it is just that I do not want to die before my time.
So you can push your appointment up, but you cannot cancel the appointment, because it is appointed unto man once to die.
What About Reincarnation?
Notice the second great truth in Hebrews 9:27: “It is appointed unto men once to die.” God did not simply say “It was appointed unto man to die.” He said, “It is appointed unto men once to die.” I looked up the Greek word for “once.” You know what it means? It means “once.” That rules out the possibility of reincarnation. But there is an expanded meaning in the Greek lexicon. The expanded meaning is “once for all or once forever.” In other words, there is not going to be a second physical death.
If there would be such a thing as reincarnation, then once you were reincarnated, you would never die. So there is no reincarnation.
Payday Someday
Then God continues: “But after this the judgment.” God says, “After THIS the judgment.” If there were multiple lives and after each life a judgment, then this would have to read “after these the judgments.” However, it does not read that way, so there is but one judgment for the lost after their one death. There is not another life, or another judgment. There is no possibility of reincarnation if the Bible is true.
There is another possible meaning to the word, that is translated “after.” It can also be translated “with.” So “with” death comes the judgment.
Once you die, judgment is certain. It may not happen right then, but just as sure as death comes, so the appropriate judgment comes as well. After death, If you are lost, it is too late to be saved from the Lake of Fire, and if you are saved, it is too late to earn more rewards before the Judgment Seat of Christ.
Ecclesiastes 8:11 puts it this way: “Because sentence against an evil work is not executed speedily, therefore the heart of the sons of men is fully set in them to do evil.” Nature teaches us that there is a season between the sowing and the reaping, or the cause and the effect. Even though we see this played out all around us in nature, we think that, somehow, we will get away with our sin.
It is kind of like our society, today. If a man is convicted of murder and receives the sentence of the death penalty. He is not executed right then. His execution will not come until ten or fifteen years later. But his death will come. In the mean while he gets all his meals free. His laundry is done for him. His medical needs are met. He has a warm bed in which to sleep, and a roof over his warm room. But there is coming a day of execution.
“And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment,” Hebrews 9:27. So after we die there is a judgment whether we are saved or lost.
John 5:28 “Marvel not at this: for the hour is coming, in the which all that are in the graves…”
Notice that Jesus is speaking of ALL. He is not simply speaking of the lost. This verse includes saved people.
“All that are in the graves shall hear his voice,
Verse V29-And shall come forth; (So all people are going to be resurrected after which will follow their judgment.) They that have done good, unto the resurrection of life; and they that have done evil, unto the resurrection of damnation.”
Two Resurrections
We see two resurrections. Literally, the “good” that must be done to be in the resurrection of life is talking about “the good thing.” The “good thing” is the condition to have eternal life. That would be faith in Jesus Christ.
“They that have done good, unto the resurrection of life; and they that have done evil, unto the resurrection of damnation.”
There is also a resurrection of damnation.
The White Throne Judgment
In Revelation 20:11 we begin to read about the White Throne Judgment where we will read who will be judged at the White Throne Judgment and what will happen to those who are judged. God says, “And I saw a great white throne, and him that sat on it, from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away; and there was found no place for them.”
The mention of the heaven and earth passing away is our time signature for this passage. If the heaven and earth have passed away, where are we going to be?
Revelation 21:1 tells us: “I saw a new heaven and a new earth: for the first heaven and the first earth were passed away.”
So the White Throne Judgment is after the heaven and earth have passed away. After the tribulation Jesus is going to come to earth and rule on the earth for a thousand years. So the White Throne Judgment is a thousand and seven years after the rapture of the church, because after the rapture there will be seven years of tribulation and then a thousand year reign of Christ on the earth. After that heaven and earth shall pass away.
The Tribulation Period
In Revelation chapter four through chapter nineteen is the record of the seven year tribulation period and what happens in heaven and on earth during those seven years.
The Kingdom Reign of Christ
Then in the first half of chapter twenty God records the thousand year reign of Jesus Christ on the earth. At the end of the thousand years there will be a rebellion against the rule of Jesus Christ. After that short battle the devil will be cast into the Lake of Fire where the beast and the false prophet have been tormented for the thousand years. Right after all of that is the White Throne Judgment.
Timing of the White Throne Judgment
God says, “And I saw a great white throne, and him that sat on it, from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away; and there was found no place for them.
Verse 12-And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God; and the books were opened: and another book was opened, which is the book of life: and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works.”
How are they going to be judged? They will be judged “according to their works.”
What happens to these spiritually dead?
Verse 15- “And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire.”
Everyone that appears before the Great White Throne Judgment will be cast into the Lake of Fire.
By what criteria will they be judged? They are judged according to their works.
The King of the City of Babylon
There is a story in the book of Daniel about a King Belshazzar who ruled Babylon. He was a descendant of Nebuchadnezzar almost seventy years after the children of Israel were carried away captive by Nebuchadnezzar’s armies. His daddy was the king of the Chaldees, but Nabonidus had left his boy, Belshazzar, in charge of the city of Babylon. So with his daddy out of town down fighting in Egypt, the Medes and the Persians surrounded the city of Babylon and lay siege to it. Belshazzar didn’t care. Their city was well protected and they had enough supplies to last for years. What’s more they had plenty of gardens and cattle within the walls of the city, so they could withstand a siege for years. So with his daddy away, Belshazzar decided to have a party. So he called for the golden goblets and such that Nebuchadnezzar had removed from the temple to the LORD at Jerusalem when he had conquered it. He began to have a drunken party and to praise the gods of wine. While using the goblets from the temple to Jehovah the fingers of a man’s hand wrote on the wall.
The Writing on the Wall
This is where we get the old saying, “He saw the writing on the wall!”
Nobody could read what had been written in the plaster on the wall, except for Daniel. The words that were written are recorded in Daniel 5:25-28:
“Then was the part of the hand sent from him; and this writing was written.
Verse 25-And this is the writing that was written, MENE, MENE, TEKEL, UPHARSIN.
Verse 26-This is the interpretation of the thing: MENE; God hath numbered thy kingdom, and finished it.
Verse 27-TEKEL; Thou art weighed in the balances, and art found wanting.
Verse 28-PERES; Thy kingdom is divided, and given to the Medes and Persians.”
Perfect Righteousness Required at the Judgment
That is what happens in Revelation 20 at the Great White Throne Judgment where the lost are judged according to their works. They will be weighed in the balances, and their works will be found lacking. It does not matter how many good works the lost have done, they will be found lacking. Remember, to get to heaven we must be 100% perfect. God calls that righteousness.
We Are Hopelessly Lost
In ourselves “There is none righteous, no not one,” Romans 3:10. Consequently, there is no one that deserves to go to heaven. God will not allow anyone with any sin to enter heaven, because if even just one sin would enter heaven, then there not only would be sin in heaven, since the wages of sin is death, there would be the consequences of sin which are sickness, sorrow, fussing, fighting, and death just like there is on earth. Therefore, we are hopelessly lost in what we do. We cannot go to heaven by what we do. The things we do are what made us deserve hell. There is nothing we can do to remedy this situation. However, Jesus took all the sin of all mankind of all time throughout the whole world onto Himself. Then He died to pay for them so that we can go to heaven because of what He did. Then He imputes to us, meaning He places to our account, His perfect righteousness.
How We Can Be Saved
In Titus 3:5 God tells us that salvation is not of works. “Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us.” So being saved is not by works of righteousness.
God’s Righteousness
In Philippians 3:9 we see how we receive this righteousness. “And be found in him, not having mine own righteousness, which is of the law, but that which is through the faith of Christ, the righteousness which is of God by faith.”
So we receive the righteousness of God so, because of that we are as good as God, not by what we have done ourselves to deserve it, because there is nothing we can do to deserve it. We receive it, because He gives it to us.
In II Corinthians 5:21 we read “He hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.”
Righteousness Is Received by Faith
How do we get in him? Philippians 3:9 tells us: “Be found in him, not having mine own righteousness, which is of the law, but that which is through the faith of Christ, the righteousness which is of God by faith.”
Believing in Him
John 3:16 says this: “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.”
A Little Greek
The word for “in” in the Greek in which the New Testament was originally written is the Greek word “εἰς,” which is pronounced “eis.” Usually, the word is translated “into.”
There is another Greek word that is usually translated “in.” In fact it is pronounced “en.” In Greek it is “ἐν.” Normally, you would expect to use this word when we believe in something, but when we believe in Jesus, God uses the word that means “into.”
Positional Truth
So when we believe in Jesus we are positionally found in Him, and in Him we have His righteousness.
That is wonderful!! It is so easy!
The Fruit of the Lost
How can you tell if someone is saved? Can you know them by their fruit? Some say that you have to have works to verify that you are saved, but that is not what God says. It is interesting that God says that we can know a false prophet by their fruit. What kind of fruit? Matthew 7:22-23 tells about false prophets:
“Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, (Notice their preoccupation with the lordship of Christ.) have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works?
Verse 23 And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity.”
The fruit of a false prophet is good works, but when someone adds works to faith to prove their salvation, God calls that “iniquity.”
What About a Believer that Does No Works?
So God says in Romans 4:5 “But to him that worketh wonders…” No, it does not say that. “But to him that worketh real hard…” No it does not say that, either. It says, “To him that worketh not.” This is talking about someone who does no works at all. This is real clear. It is what you might call a “no brainer. So, is this verse talking about a believer or an unbeliever? “But to him that worketh not but believeth on him.” This is talking about a true believer that does no works whatever. Is that even possible? It must be, because God writes it that way on purpose.
There used to be a fellow in my church in North Carolina that used to ask, “How do you know that you really believe? Well you look at your works, right?”
Nope! That is not what God says, because here is a believer who does no works, yet listen to what God says about Him. “But to him that worketh not, but believeth on Him that justifieth the ungodly, his faith is counted for righteousness.”
I heard one fellow say that if you do not have any good works, then you are not really saved. He said that you are not saved by works, but if you are saved you will work.
But in this verse God declares that it is possible for person who believes to have no works, yet he still has the righteousness it takes to get to heaven.
What Must We Believe?
What must we believe? This verse tells us. We must believe on Him that justifies the ungodly. Who is it that justifies the ungodly? It is Jesus! So this person who does no works is a believer in Jesus.
Is it possible for a true believer in Jesus Christ to not do any works and still have the righteousness it takes to get to heaven? Absolutely! If you do not believe that, then you are saying that God is lying, here, and that is not possible. In Titus 1:2 God says, “In hope of eternal life, which God, that cannot lie, promised before the world began.”
So, getting to heaven is not by our good works, and it is not by our righteousness. Then why should we work or try to demonstrate righteousness?
Two Resurrections
Daniel 12:2-3 says, “Many of them that sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, some to everlasting life, and some to shame and everlasting contempt.”
We see here two types of resurrections-some to everlasting life, and some to shame and everlasting contempt.”
Listen to the warning of Revelation 16:15: “Behold, I come as a thief. Blessed is he that watcheth, and keepeth his garments,” He has the garments. “lest he walk naked, and they see his shame.”
Notice that this warning is to those who have the garments. Where did he get the garments? They were imputed to him, but in his life on Earth he did not put them on. In Ephesians 4:22-24 God commands: “Put off concerning the former conversation the old man, which is corrupt according to the deceitful lusts;
Verse 23-And be renewed in the spirit of your mind;
Verse 24-And that ye put on the new man, which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness.”
There are believers that will be ashamed at the Judgment Seat of Christ.
Truth Illustrated
Jesus gives a parable in Matthew 22. This passage illustrates what God is talking about. This parable is about a king that was having a wedding feast for his son. He invited people in his kingdom to come to the wedding feast for his son, but they made excuses, made light of it, and they even killed some of the messengers. So the king became angry, and he sent his armies and killed those that were originally invited to the feast. Let us pick up here and see what happened next starting in verse six:
“And the remnant took his servants, and entreated them spitefully, and slew them.
Verse 7-But when the king heard thereof, he was wroth: and he sent forth his armies, and destroyed those murderers, and burned up their city.
Verse 8-Then saith he to his servants, The wedding is ready, but they which were bidden were not worthy.
Verse 9-Go ye therefore into the highways, and as many as ye shall find, bid to the marriage.
Verse 10-So those servants went out into the highways, and gathered together all as many as they found, both bad and good: and the wedding was furnished with guests.”
Good and Bad at the Wedding Feast
That is interesting. Will there be both bad and good at the marriage supper of the Lamb? Does it not say in II Corinthians 5:10 that we must all appear at the Judgment Seat of Christ to receive the things done in our body whether they be good or bad?
Since salvation is not of works, and our sin is no longer an issue as far as going to heaven, does it not stand to reason that there will be some bad there? But do not worry. They are going to leave that old sin nature behind when they die, and they will have a perfect righteousness which has been imputed to them. So they will have the robe of righteousness that is the righteousness of God that we receive by faith when they trust Christ, but there can be some who were bad on earth that come to the marriage feast.
But let us continue with this illustration. Remember this is a parable, so we cannot really take doctrine from this, but let us see what happens next.
“And the wedding was furnished with guests.”
What About the Wedding Garment?
Verse 10-“And when the king came in to see the guests, he saw there a man which had not on a wedding garment.”
This guest did not have on a wedding garment. How did he get in without a wedding garment?
Traditionally, when a guest arrived at the wedding feast, they were given a wedding garment as they entered the feast, then why did this man not have on a wedding garment? The idea is that he was given a wedding garment, but he refused to wear it.
“And the wedding was furnished with guests.
Verse 11-And when the king came in to see the guests, he saw there a man which had not on a wedding garment: And he saith unto him, Friend, how camest thou in hither not having a wedding garment? And he was speechless.
Verse 13 Then said the king to the servants, Bind him hand and foot, and take him away, and cast him into outer darkness; there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.”
The indication is that there will be those who come to the wedding without a wedding garment. In reality we have a perfect righteousness imputed to us which is the perfect righteousness of Jesus that was given to us when we believed.
It Is Your Choice
Before you are saved, all you have is a sin nature, and the sin nature cannot do good. It has no desire to do good. When you trust Christ as your Savior, you are born again spiritually, and your new birth cannot sin. It is righteous, because its Father is righteous. Therefore, it is perfectly righteous. However, until you die you still have your sinful flesh. So you can choose to yield to the flesh or you can choose to yield to the spirit. If you yield to the flesh, you become a slave to the flesh. That is called addiction. If you yield to the spirit, you become a servant of Jesus Christ and receive all the privileges, responsibilities, and benefits thereof.
The Two Natures
If we are a believer, we have eternal life, but, also, we still have our flesh which is wicked. So what should we do, practically? You need to yield to the spirit.
In Ephesians 4:21 God says, “If so be that ye have heard him, and have been taught by him, as the truth is in Jesus:
Verse 22-That ye put off concerning the former conversation the old man.” This is what we need to do concerning the old nature.
Breaking the Chains of Slavery to Sin
“That ye put off concerning the former conversation the old man which is corrupt according to the deceitful lusts.” There is a key to breaking the slavery to sin, and that is to just put it off. The answer to slavery to sin is simply to stop. But, though that may be simple, it is seldom easy. So, how do you do that? When you say “no” to sin, it is not necessary to try to make a lifetime commitment. Just put it off. Do you crave that cigarette? Just put off lighting up. You cannot smoke in a restaurant, so you know you can wait that long, so just put it off. When you leave the restaurant, wait until you get to your next destination before lighting up. Then make your home a smoke free environment for your family’s sake.
I used to have a strong habit of listening to the wrong kind of music on the radio. I am not going to judge someone for listening to the radio, but when I got in the car, I, actually, had an urge to turn on the radio. So rather than committing to not listening to the radio, I would commit to pray first. Now, if you are anything like me, as I prayed, my mind would soon wander. Then I would get the urge to turn on the radio again. So, I waited until I would pray first again. Let me tell you, until I broke that habit, I got a whole lot of praying done. Now there are occasions when l still listen to the radio like when I’m travelling on a trip, and I want to stay awake or I want to try to catch some news, but while I am traveling is still a good time to pray. So if you have a sinful habit, just put it off.
“Put off concerning the former conversation the old man, which is corrupt according to the deceitful lusts; And be renewed in the spirit of your mind.”
How to Transform Your Life
According to Romans 12:2 that is how we transform our life: “Be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed (changed) by the renewing of your mind.” So as believers, how do we renew our mind? We do it by thinking new thoughts. You look at things and listen to things that are not sinful.
So what do we do next? “Put on the new man, which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness.”
Here is the deal. You have the righteous new nature, but now you have to put it on. You yield to it. That is literally what this is talking about. It is like putting on a garment. When you put on a garment, does that change you inside? No, it changes the outside. You see, you still have the old sinful desires of the flesh, and you will until the day you die, but rather than yielding to those impulses, yield to the instructions of the spirit in the Word of God. Then the actions of the new man will become the habit. They will become the controlling factor in your life. Sometimes when you start off you have to “put on.”
Just Put On
When I was young we used to say that someone was putting on, when they were acting in a way that was unnatural to them. That is exactly what you need to do, because the impulses of the natural man is to sin. If you simply do what you feel like doing, you will yield to the flesh, and the flesh will control your life. So, at the outset, when you begin to yield to the spirit, you are not really doing what is natural. You are not doing what the natural man wants to do. So to have mastery over the flesh, you will have to forego doing what you want to do.
The Battle of the Two Natures
Romans 7:15-23 says, “For that which I do I allow not: for what I would, that do I not; but what I hate, that do I.
Verse 16-If then I do that which I would not, I consent unto the law that it is good.
Verse 17-Now then it is no more I that do it, but sin that dwelleth in me.
Verse 18-For I know that in me (that is, in my flesh,) dwelleth no good thing: for to will is present with me; but how to perform that which is good I find not.
Verse 19-For the good that I would I do not: but the evil which I would not, that I do.
Verse 20-Now if I do that I would not, it is no more I that do it, but sin that dwelleth in me.
Verse 21-I find then a law, that, when I would do good, evil is present with me.
Verse 22-For I delight in the law of God after the inward man:
Verse 23-But I see another law in my members (flesh), warring against the law of my mind, and bringing me into captivity to the law of sin which is in my members.”
This command to “put on” righteousness is God’s plan when you do not feel like doing what God commands. You may not feel like going to church, but God commands not to forsake the assembling of ourselves together (Hebrews 10:25) and to give attendance to reading, to exhortation, and to doctrine (I Timothy 4;13). So, you go anyway, because it the righteous thing to do. There are some that do not feel like they can tithe to the church, but God’s commands are clear, so you give anyway. That is what it means to “put on” righteousness. Maybe you really want to do a certain thing. Well, if it is not the righteous thing to do, then you should not do it, even though it is what you feel like doing. We need to do what God says to do. So you put on even though you may not feel it yet.
Fruit of the Spirit
By the way, if you obey God, the feelings you are looking for will come. They are called the fruit of the spirit (Galatians 5:22 “The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith. Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law.”
When we “put on” righteousness, the feelings and fruit of the spirit do come. When you obey God, then you start to feel right. However, you cannot ever have those feelings without obedience to Christ.
How to Be Prosperous and Successful
God says in Joshua 1:8-9 that when we obey His instructions, then we will be prosperous and have good success. You also receive eternal rewards and rewards in the millennium.
Judgment Seat of Christ
So, put on the actions of righteousness. You see, there is a judgment for the believers that is coming after death, and that is a completely different judgment than that which the unbelievers will experience. Right after the rapture of the church, we will be judged at the Judgment Seat of Christ. The judgment of believers is at least 1,007 years prior to the White Throne Judgment at which the lost will be judged.
II Corinthians 5:10 tells us: “For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ; that every one may receive the things done in his body, according to that he hath done, whether it be good or bad.”
Some used to say that when Christians are judged, we are only judged to determine what kind of rewards we will receive, but that is not all that is judged here. God
Says our work will be judged, “Whether it be good or bad.” We will also receive for the bad, and that is where the shame comes in.
I am not exactly sure what takes place at the Judgment Seat of Christ, but I can tell you that some will hear Jesus telling them, “Well done thou good and faithful servant,” while unfaithful servants will hear Him say, “You wicked and lazy servant.” Some will enter into the joy of the Lord, while others will be cast out to weeping and gnashing of teeth. So for some there will be shame.
Judgment Does not Determine Destiney
Both faithful and unfaithful believers will never have to worry about the Lake of Fire. Believers will never have to worry about going to heaven. That is free. That is a gift. However, rewards are earned or lost after we have trusted Christ as our Savior.
Foundation for Good Works
I Corinthians 3:11 “For other foundation can no man lay than that is laid, which is Jesus Christ.”
We see from this verse that God is talking about those who have Jesus Christ as their foundation. Now let us see what happens when believers are judged.
Verse 10 shows us that this is written as a warning to believers. “According to the grace of God which is given unto me, as a wise masterbuilder, I have laid the foundation, and another buildeth thereon. But let every man take heed how he buildeth thereupon.”
We need to be careful what kind of life we build. Why? He explains in the following verses. “Now if any man build upon this foundation gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, stubble.”
You can build a really good house out of wood. Few use hay to build any part of their house, but nobody builds their house out of stubble. Stubble was what was used to start a fire. It consisted of thorns and briars.
What will happen to that house that you build out of hay or briars? When you go to cook your supper, your house is going to light up the night!
What about the gold, silver, and precious stones? What happens to them when they are tried by fire? Gold and silver are purified by fire, and precious stones are made under extreme heat and pressure.
“Every man’s work…” We are building our future by our works, “shall be made manifest: for the day shall declare it, because it shall be revealed by fire; and the fire shall try every man’s work of what sort it is.
Verse 14- If any man’s work abide which he hath built thereupon, he shall receive a reward.”
No Work Goes Unrewarded
Every man that has done good work for the Lord Jesus Christ shall receive a reward at the Judgment Seat of Christ.
Remember, heaven is not a reward. Heaven is a gift. A reward is a type of pay, while a gift is free.
Verse 15 says, “If any man’s work shall be burned, he shall suffer loss, but he himself shall be saved.”
Salvation from the Lake of Fire Is Free
So even if a man has no good works to show for his life at the Judgment Seat of Christ, he will suffer loss (of rewards), but he is still saved. If all our works are burned up, that will bring us great shame, but we are still saved. Our works have nothing to do with whether or not we go to heaven. On the other hand, our works have everything to do with what we receive once we get to heaven. Not having works does not keep you from being saved. Working does not get you saved, or help you get saved. In the same way stopping sinning does not get you saved, or help you stay saved.
Romans 6:23 tells us: “The gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.”
Ephesians 2:8 tells us: “By grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God.”
Salvation is a gift, but rewards in heaven, the millennium, and eternity are earned.
The Condition You Must Do to Receive Salvation
If you have never trusted Jesus Christ to save you, let me encourage you to trust Him now. Remember, it is free. Eternal life is the gift of God. All you have to do is trust what Jesus has done. What did He do? He took all of our sins off of us unto Himself, and He died and paid for them. Then He came back from the dead after finishing the payment. The only thing He requires of us for salvation is that we trust Him for it. When we believe, then we can know that we have eternal life. He says in I John 5:13: “These things have I written unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God; that ye may know that ye have eternal life.”
If you have never trusted Jesus, I encourage you to trust Jesus right now.
Dr. Jerry Lloyd