Will Christians face judgment?

Watch the complete sermon here: https://www.bridges.church/messages/the-turning-of-the-tide-esther-6-7/

Hey, thanks again for sending in questions related to our recent sermons. This last week, we saw Haman judged. Finally, he’s not getting away with all of his evil plans anymore. We said it’s unclear whether Xerxes judged him fairly, judged him too severely. We all want justice.

We don’t always have a clear picture of what that is. But we said there is a fair judge who will judge the entire world, who shows no partiality, accepts no bribes. No one will ultimately get away with anything in the end, which, on the one hand, is fantastic news, because if somebody’s hurt us and seems to be getting away with it, or it looks like the wicked are prospering, the Bible’s answer is, they will not do so forever. We all must stand trial, so to speak, for what we have done, for everything that we have done.

So the question comes in this week.

Do Christians stand trial? Do we answer for our sins? Isn’t Christ supposed to have paid for all of our sins? The short answer is, both of those are true. We stand trial, and Christ has paid for them.

And I say stand trial. We say, so to speak, it’s clear in scripture, 2 Corinthians 5:10, all must stand before Christ for everything they’ve done in the body, whether good or bad. Hebrews 9, it’s appointed for man once to die, and then judgment. That’s all of us, right? We all must stand trial before Christ.

However, for Christians, we also, 1 John 1:9, have an advocate on our behalf who is faithful and just to forgive us. Talked about this in a sermon some time ago, but it’s interesting that the word just is used there. He’s faithful and just to forgive us. Shouldn’t it say something like merciful? And the answer is no.

It’s we are forgiven on the basis of justice, that it has already been paid, which is a much more solid type of forgiveness than just mercy. It’s Christ goes before the father and says, they cannot be punished for these sins because I have already paid for them. It would be double jeopardy. It would be someone paying for the crime twice, and that would be unjust. So we’re forgiven on the basis of justice.

We have an advocate on our behalf. So when we’re standing before God and judgment, we’re in the courtroom, right? And all the books of our lives are open, or the videotape plays, or however it works, I don’t know. And we go through everything we’ve done in the body, whether good or bad, as it says in two Corinthians chapter five, right after each offense that comes up. Christ says, I’ve died for that.

I accept them. I’m for them. I love them. And I’ll tell you, I can’t think of a more joyous courtroom. It’ll be the best time in our life that somebody sees us all the way to the bottom, all of our offenses, and yet still stands with us on our behalf.

That we are fully known and we are fully loved. And that will happen very visibly in the courtroom when we are finally judged. And we will celebrate after each one that even though God knows about this thing that happened in my life, I’m still loved. And he paid for that. That I could be with him.

Each offense will actually be an occasion to celebrate in eternity because of Christ standing on our behalf. So, yes, we stand judgment. Yes, Christ died for our sins. Yes, we are totally free, not only on the basis of mercy, but also on the basis of justice. Thanks for the question.

We’ll see you next time.