Who Are You? (Facing the Judgment With Confidence) Program No SPEAKER: JOHN BRADSHAW

Transcription

1 It Is Written Script: 1220 Who Are You? Page 1 Who Are You? (Facing the Judgment With Confidence) Program No SPEAKER: JOHN BRADSHAW Imagine you re living your life, minding your own business, and from out of the blue, you re accused of committing truly horrible crimes. That s what happened to a man from southwest Chicago. His life was turned upside down, and people all over Chicago were shocked and horrified. In the 1970s, claims were made that Frank Walus had collaborated with the Gestapo during World War II, and before long, Mr. Walus found himself in court facing very serious charges. A gruesome picture was painted of him. It was said that he had participated in the murder of innocent Jews in Poland, and that he had cooperated with the Nazis to kill women and children. He was identified by several people who claimed to have witnessed him carrying out atrocities during the war. His US citizenship was revoked, because it was claimed he didn t reveal his involvement with the Nazis when applying to come to the United States. It seemed to many that authorities had rooted out another war criminal. Many believed the case against Frank Walus was watertight: a wartime monster, identified by eyewitnesses as a killer and a tyrant. Well, information came to light that suggested that maybe Frank Walus was not the war criminal he had been portrayed as. In fact, his attorney unearthed evidence demonstrating that Mr. Walus wasn t the man who participated in cruel beatings and callous murders. A writer in The New York Times said that Mr. Walus was in fact a farm laborer rather than a Nazi sympathizer at the time the alleged atrocities took place. The US government dropped the case against Walus, with prosecutors saying that Mr. Walus had never been at the concentration camp in Kielce, Poland, where many of the atrocities alleged to have involved him had taken place. Frank Walus died in 1994, at age 72. A question an important question was being asked at Mr. Walus trial. Was he the Beast of Kielce, or in actuality a kind man quietly living his life a Polish immigrant doing his best to make a new life in the United States of America? In other words, who was the real Frank Walus?

2 It Is Written Script: 1220 Who Are You? Page 2 That s a question that s going to be asked of you and me one day. Who is the real John Q. Citizen? The real Jane Doe? According to the Bible, there s going to be a judgment one day, when God asks of every last one of us, Who are you really? This could be something a person might fear, but rightly understood, the judgment is something you can face with confidence. So, how can you face the judgment with confidence? We ll look into that in just a moment. BIBLE QUESTION It s time for today s Bible question. It reads like this: My question is simple: I believe in God, but is the devil real? Yes, he is. You ll read in the Bible that there s a very real devil. The Bible is unambiguous about that. Revelation chapter 12 talks in some detail about this being, saying in verse 9 (Revelation 12:9): So the great dragon was cast out, that serpent of old, called the Devil and Satan, who deceives the whole world; he was cast to the earth, and his angels were cast out with him. Notice here that not only is the devil real, but he s referred to as a dragon a prophetic symbol that you ll find in the book of Revelation. And he is referred to as the serpent referring to the way he tempted Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden. Jesus referenced the devil Himself. In John 8, Jesus referred to the devil as a liar, and the father of lies. Satan tempted Jesus in the wilderness, and you might recall when Jesus was talking to Peter, He rebuked him by saying, Get behind me, Satan, in Matthew 16. So yes, the devil is real. He was once an angel who lived in the presence of God, but filled with pride and selfishness he rebelled against God and was evicted from Heaven. Satan is responsible for the evil that is in the world. You know, so many people want to blame God for mayhem in the world today, mayhem that is evidence of the evil that exists in this world. But here s what you need to know. In 1 John 4:4, the Bible says: Greater is He that is in you, than he that is in the world.

3 It Is Written Script: 1220 Who Are You? Page 3 The God of Heaven is much more powerful than Satan. The devil will tempt yes, he will. God can deliver, and He will if you ask Him to. There certainly is a devil. But the really good news is, there really is a Savior, and His name is Jesus. He will give new life to you and anybody else who comes to Him in faith. If you have a question you d like answered, please go to our website, and click on the questions tab. Submit your question there, and in a future program you may discover the answer your question. RETURN TO PROGRAM The Bible tells us that every person on earth will one day come before God in judgment. You read these words in second Corinthians chapter 5 and verse 10, where the Bible says (2 Corinthians 5:10): For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, that each one may receive the things done in the body, according to what he has done, whether good or bad. In the book of Revelation, John gives us a bigger picture of the judgment. Revelation 20:12 says: 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. You know, many people are concerned with the idea that God is going to examine their lives. They worry that things will go against them when God judges. If you were appearing in an earthly court, you might be worried about what the prosecution had dug up to use as evidence against you. But what do you think God might be able to find against you? Now, here s where we must keep something in mind. God isn t looking to do all He can to condemn people. He s doing everything He can to save people. Most people are familiar with the famous verse John 3:16. But John 3:17 says this: For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved. No, God didn t send Jesus to the world to condemn us, but for the purpose of seeing people saved from sin and its penalty. So what, then, is this judgment all about? A good person might say, I am a good person and surely judgment is for other people and not me. Well, let s think about this.

4 It Is Written Script: 1220 Who Are You? Page 4 In Matthew 7:21, Jesus says that there is going to come a time when many people come to Him and say, Lord, Lord, haven t we done wonderful works in your name? They talk about having done things such as healing the sick and working miracles good things, for sure! And yet Jesus surprises these people by saying, I never knew you! There s a question as to who they really are. Maybe they had done some things in their lives that were laudable. But here, they run to Jesus and call Him Lord, while Jesus knows what they re really like. They re pretenders. Phonies. There s a Bible story that illustrates this perfectly. The children of Israel entered the Promised Land, and not long after, they were approached by a group of people claiming to be from a distant country. We ve heard of you, and of your great God, and we traveled a great distance to join ourselves to you and to be your servants. And Joshua says, Great! Glad to have you on board. Welcome to Canaan! And then, not too long afterward, it comes to light that these people are not pilgrims from a distant country they re the Gibeonites, from very nearby in Canaan. They were enemies of God! But Joshua never checked. He took their word for it! And so the Gibeonites became joined to God s people, and even though a system was devised to make that work as well as possible, it caused some real problems. As much as God might like for everyone to be saved eternally, He knows and we know that God cannot allow a bunch of pretenders into His Kingdom. So, before eternity comes, there s going to be a judgment, a time when God can ascertain who has chosen Him genuinely, and a time when He can separate out those who are not true believers as they claim to be. This isn t God trying to find out something He doesn t already know. This is much like an audit, where God reviews the records, reviews the claims that people have made, and sees how those claims stack up against reality. A simple example: when you cross a border and enter another country, you usually have to hand over some identification and perhaps some documentation. The last time I crossed into Canada from the United States, I arrived at the border claiming that I m a trustworthy guy, that I m not there to cause trouble, and that I m wanting to go to Canada for legitimate reasons and not to be a hindrance or a nuisance. So I hand over some documents, and then the border guard asks me some questions. Why are you coming into Canada? Why are you crossing the border at this time of night? How long have you known that guy you re with and why are you with him?

5 It Is Written Script: 1220 Who Are You? Page 5 Was it really necessary for the border guard to ask me those questions? Of course not! He could have just trusted me, right? So why didn t he? Why not just take my word for things? Because, I might not have been telling the truth! How does he know that I m not trouble? So he checks out my documents, looks at his computer, asks me some questions, and then, when he s satisfied I m on the level and that I m not a threat to Canadian national security, he lets me into the country. That s how the judgment works. You ve got a mass of people who claim that they re loyal to God and won t pose a threat to the stability of Heaven. Should we ask God to let those people into Heaven based on their word? Or would it be slightly more responsible for God to look at the documentation the books of record and perhaps do a little investigating to see if Person A really is what he or she claims to be? And let s take that up a notch. Not only is it important for that border guard to ensure justice is done, but it is also important that he be seen to ensure justice is done. God could just wave a lot of people into the Kingdom knowing they re OK, but there s a universe looking on, and it is vital that God Himself is not only just, but that He is seen to be just in the process of judging the world. The Bible says in Romans 3:23, you might know this verse (Romans 3:23): For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God. And then just a page or so over, the Bible says (Romans 6:23): For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord. So in the judgment in this auditing process God is looking to see whether we ve really chosen His gift of eternal life through Jesus, or whether we ve only made some sort of hollow claim to God s grace. God is asking the question, Who, really, are you? It reminds me of that 70s song by The Who, who sang, Oh, I really want to know who are you? Now, I m not sure how many times The Who have popped up in a discussion about God s working with human beings, but that s really what God is asking in the judgment. Who are you? You say you re one thing, but because the truth could be otherwise, I m going to conduct this audit and we ll find out who you are. And if you are who you claim to be if you re really my child then you ve got nothing to fear.

6 It Is Written Script: 1220 Who Are You? Page 6 Let me ask you, have you ever been audited? A few years ago, I got a letter from the taxman telling me certain aspects of my tax return were going to be audited. Imagine that the IRS going over my tax return with a fine-toothed comb. What might they find? So did I panic, or was I my usual cool, calm and collected self? I ll tell you in a moment. EVERY WORD DEVOTIONAL Here s a serious thought for you today. In Revelation 12:9, John says that Satan was cast out into the earth, and his angels were cast out with him. Satan is very real, as is the spiritual warfare we find ourselves embroiled in. You and I are the special objects of Satan s venom. He is on this earth intentionally attempting to lead us away from the safety of God s presence, and from the safety of surrender to Jesus. After being at his game for thousands of years, he is very effective at bringing the right temptations at the right time. It s something to be taken seriously. Today, know that there s an enemy who wants to manipulate you and ruin your faith in God. And know this anyone who asks for Jesus help in this spiritual warfare will receive it. And with Jesus there is victory, and not defeat. I m John Bradshaw for It Is Written. Let s live today by Every Word. RETURN TO PROGRAM The New York Times recently ran a story about a harrowing ordeal experienced by a New York City woman. Originally from Guyana, Seemona Sumasar was an immigrant success story a former Wall Street analyst who was now running a restaurant and doing very well for herself. When she was arrested and jailed, and found herself facing up to 25 years in prison, she just couldn t understand what was going on. Even though she didn t have a criminal record, she spent seven months in jail before it came to light that an angry ex-boyfriend framed her for a series of crimes she did not commit, in what New York City prosecutors called one of the most elaborate framing cases ever seen. Ms. Sumasar was completely innocent. The question though was asked, who was the real Seemona Sumasar? And one day, that question will be asked of you and me. Today, we re discussing the Biblical idea that one day God is going to judge everyone on the earth, and 2 Corinthians 5:10 says that: We must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ.

7 It Is Written Script: 1220 Who Are You? Page 7 And why is that, do you think? Could it be because God needs to find answers to questions, because there are certain things He doesn t know? Is God on a factfinding mission? No. But perhaps God is making sure that the claims people make about themselves as being His children are actually accurate claims. And perhaps God is going through this audit of Heaven s books or records because its in the best interest of the universe to know that God has gone through some type of process to ensure only the right people are granted everlasting life. You know, we could just trust God. I would, I think. I think I d be satisfied if God told me He had done the right thing and that I could trust Him. But what if you got to Heaven and there were some people there that you never thought would be there? Or what if some people you were certain would be there weren t there? You might have questions. Under those circumstances, I think I might. You can see how a formal auditing process a judgment process if you want to call it that might be very helpful in answering a lot of questions...not questions that God has, but questions that we might have when we arrive in glory. You see, the judgment isn t something you need to fear. Because Jesus died for you, you can repent of your sins and be completely forgiven. God will give you Jesus own goodness in place of your sin, and as a new creature as the Bible says, you can live for God and look forward to Heaven right now. I mentioned a few moments ago that I was audited by the IRS. When I got that letter, I realized that they were going to be asking some questions of me regarding my tax return. Now, I hasten to point out here that it was a random audit. I hadn t done anything to upset Uncle Sam. When I found out the IRS was going to be checking out my tax return, you know what? I wasn t the least bit worried, because I knew I d done nothing wrong and had obeyed the law. They could look all they want, and I knew everything would be okay. It s like a non-drinker being asked to take a breathalyzer test what is there to worry about? The same is true with the judgment. God is going to be checking to see if the people who have claimed to be followers of Jesus really are followers of Jesus. And if they are, there s nothing at all to fear. The very good news is that God is on your side in the judgment. Imagine arriving in God s courtroom, and having Satan turn up to sit through your trial. I think we could expect that he d be there saying something like, John Bradshaw is not worth it. Look at all the sins he has committed. I know what he did because I tempted him to

8 It Is Written Script: 1220 Who Are You? Page 8 do everything that he did. You can t forgive him. His sins are too bad. If you can forgive him, then you have to let me back into Heaven, too! Imagine that knowing that the devil is right there and that over the years, you ve made a lot of mistakes and committed a lot of sins. I d probably feel as though I was about to lose the case. There d be nothing I could do to get myself out of my predicament. But just when I feel it is all over for me, maybe Jesus would say something like, Father, yes, you can save that one. Yes, I know John Bradshaw has sinned and I know his sins were serious, but I died for him. He has repented, and has been forgiven. He belongs to me. I bought him with my life. Let s look at a wonderful Bible text that helps to explain this a little more clearly. In your imagination, think of Jesus suffering on the cross. He was suffering in great physical agony. Think about what he had just gone through. But listen to this. Psalm 40:12 says: For innumerable evils have surrounded me; my iniquities have overtaken me, so that I am not able to look up; they are more than the hairs of my head: therefore my heart fails me. Jesus says my iniquities were on Him but we know He didn t sin. Those were our sins that He took upon himself at the cross. Isaiah wrote that Jesus was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities The burden of our sins was so great that after only six hours on that terrible cross, He suffered from heart failure and died. Jesus took our sins upon himself. So when our names come up in judgment, God checks to see if we have given up our sins and handed them over to Jesus and then lived in connection with Him. That s all. Micah chapter 7 and verse 19 says (Micah 7:19): He will turn again, he will have compassion upon us; he will subdue our iniquities; and thou wilt cast all their sins into the depths of the sea. You know, there s a place where the Pacific Ocean is nearly 36,000 feet deep 11,000 meters! Deeper than Mount Everest. That s deep. But what God wants us to catch here is that if we confess our sins, then He will take our sins away, and when our names come up in the judgment, He will declare that we are clean and that we belong to Him. Should we fear God? And fear judgment? I remember a teacher at my high school that we used to call Bookes. He walked straight and always carried an umbrella, and we all had a deadly fear of him. We pretty much tried to keep out of his way in case

9 It Is Written Script: 1220 Who Are You? Page 9 he pointed that umbrella at one of us. If that happened, your number was up. Punishment would follow. Of course that never ever happened to me... But remember God isn t looking for reasons to punish us. He s already got all the reasons He needs! God is looking to save us to get us into His eternal Kingdom. And that s good news. When I was a boy, my brother did something wrong that my father wanted to address. Dad knew who the transgressor was, but he let some time pass so my brother would have an opportunity to confess his fault. Dad was a just man and he wanted my brother to examine myself and then set this problem right. My father at the time worked on the old-fashioned telephone exchange. My brother called him at 5 a.m. one morning and said, Dad, it was me. Okay, my boy, Dad said. Lets just leave it there. That day, Dad gave my brother some insight into what God is like. We can go to God and we can say, Lord, it was me. And God will say something just like that. Okay, my child, let s leave it there. With a Heavenly Father like that, you don t have to fear judgment. You can face the future with confidence. God wants to know the real you. And He wants you to know the real God! Let s pray together. PRAYER: Our Father in Heaven, I thank you that you really are a God of love, who sent your Son into the world not to condemn us, but so that through Him, we might be saved. We have so many faults. Here they are. Please, would you take our hearts and make them yours? Live your life in us, cleanse us, forgive us, and we look forward to that judgment. We know that when our name comes up, the sins will all be gone because of what Jesus has done. We are confident in your love and your goodness. We pray in Jesus name, Amen. To order a DVD copy of this program, please call or the number on the next page.

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