{"id":2033,"date":"2024-11-25T08:30:00","date_gmt":"2024-11-25T16:30:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/1thingmatters.com\/?p=2033"},"modified":"2024-11-25T06:31:50","modified_gmt":"2024-11-25T14:31:50","slug":"live-free-from-the-fear-of-judgment","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/1thingmatters.com\/?p=2033","title":{"rendered":"Live Free from the Fear of Judgment"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

(Hebrews 9:24-28)<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

With the exception of the occasional scary movie, most of us don\u2019t like being afraid. The husband who gets a kick out of surprise scaring his wife because he knows how much she hates it is liable to be on the receiving end of a different kind of kick if he\u2019s not careful. Each of us also has different phobias and fears that can make us anxious just thinking about them. As we age, our fears may have less to do with Hollywood or halloween type scares and more to do with real life realities of what could go wrong for us. Kids getting injured or sick. Losing a job. Going to the doctor to face the symptoms I\u2019ve been dealing with. Not having enough financially to carry me through my later years.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Lingering somewhere in that list of fears is the fear of judgment. Someone once described it as if we’re all living in our own little courtroom, imagining judgments being rendered against us. We are afraid of being judged for what we wear or who we associate with. We\u2019re afraid of being found out we\u2019re a fake or fraud on some level. We\u2019re afraid of\u2026 the list goes on.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But we\u2019re doing those very same things to others. From the first moment you see a person, you make a judgment about them – what they\u2019re wearing, how they speak, how much they weigh, what they eat, etc. We are constantly being scrutinized and judged by others – and doing the same thing right back.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

There\u2019s a different kind of judgment that all of us will also face – one that will determine our eternity. The writer of the book we call Hebrews pointed out that \u201cpeople are destined to die once, and after that to face judgment\u201d (9:27).<\/em><\/strong> His statement is consistent with what we hear in the rest of Scripture: \u201cChrist\u00a0Jesus\u2026 will\u00a0judge\u00a0the living and the dead\u2026\u201d (2 Timothy 4:1). \u201cMoreover, the Father\u00a0judges no one, but has entrusted all judgment to the Son\u201d (John 5:22). \u201cThere is a\u00a0judge\u00a0for the one who rejects me and does not accept my words; the very words I have spoken will condemn them at the last day\u201d (John 12:48). \u201cFor he has set a day when he will\u00a0judge\u00a0the world with justice by the man he has appointed. He has given proof of this to everyone by raising him from the dead\u201d (Acts 17:31).<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Judgment will happen. Each of us will face it. The question is, do we have reason to fear it? How can we know if we have to be afraid or not? It depends on whether or not we know the verdict of that judgment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Would any of the fears mentioned previously exist if you somehow knew the thing you feared wasn\u2019t going to happen? Of course not! If you knew in advance that the outcome you feared wasn’t going to happen, then you\u2019d have no fear! You wouldn\u2019t be restrained by the straightjacket of anxiety or worry. You\u2019d be free to live without those cares or concerns of uncertainty weighing you down. No fear!\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What I\u2019ve just described isn\u2019t a guarantee I can make to you regarding your fit, your friends, or your family, etc., but it\u2019s a 100% guarantee I can make regarding your judgment before God – because God has already revealed the verdict to us: you aren\u2019t guilty! No fear!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The writer to the Hebrews (we don’t know who he is) uses Old Testament (OT) practices and their fulfillment in Jesus to help illustrate how certain we can be when it comes to our judgment. The OT was rich with rites and ceremonies and all sorts of things that served not to accomplish anything in and of themselves, but rather to illustrate or point ahead to what\/who would <\/em>absolutely accomplish something: Jesus. So the writer compares a number of these historical places and practices with their fulfillment in Jesus, so that in him we may have confidence and certainty.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He first points to something very relatable for those who attend church each week. While we are more familiar with just referring to that whole building as \u201cchurch,\u201d the particular space within a church building where people gather for worship is referred to as the sanctuary. It is where worshipers gather to come into the presence of God. It represents the space where God dwells. This is even reflected by people using the phrase “God’s house” when talking about the church building.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

God\u2019s people have been gathering at God\u2019s house, his sanctuary, ever since he gave his people very specific directions for building a tabernacle (essentially a portable church) after he delivered them from slavery in Egypt. As they wandered through the wilderness on their way to the land God had promised them, they repeatedly set up and took down the tabernacle, the physical place depicting God’s dwelling among his people. Eventually, after they arrived in the land God set apart from them, in the area of what is now modern-day Israel, they replaced the temporary tent tabernacle with a beautiful permanent temple (although it would later be completely destroyed by the Romans).\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It is in comparison to this sanctuary that the writer points out how different Jesus was. Jesus didn\u2019t need a sanctuary, because where the sanctuary represented man being in the presence of God, Jesus didn\u2019t need a likeness or a symbol; he literally returned to the place all of those religious spaces represented: the presence of God in heaven. \u201cFor Christ did not enter a sanctuary made with human hands that was only a copy of the true one; he entered heaven itself, now to appear for us in God\u2019s presence\u201d (v.24).<\/em><\/strong> Jesus wasn\u2019t the fake thing or the figurative thing, but the real deal, returning to heaven where he belonged.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

And take note of the \u201cwhy\u201d wrapped up in those verses that is really the author\u2019s whole point: \u201cfor us.\u201d<\/em><\/strong> Jesus appeared before God not in some building, but in heaven itself, \u201cfor us.\u201d<\/em><\/strong> What was he doing there for us? The writer goes on to explain.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Nor did he enter heaven to offer himself again and again, the way the high priest enters the Most Holy Place every year with blood that is not his own. Otherwise Christ would have had to suffer many times since the creation of the world. But he has appeared once for all at the culmination of the ages to do away with sin by the sacrifice of himself\u201d (v.25-26).<\/em><\/strong> <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Before Jesus, those who served as priests would take their turns offering sacrifices that illustrated a very important point God was impressing upon his people: sin comes at a cost. In order for sin to be paid for, blood has to be shed. Of course the animal sacrifices of sheep and cattle never paid for a single sin. But, they served as powerful illustrations pointing ahead to the ultimate sacrifice that involved the shedding of blood that would <\/em>pay for the sins of the world – the sacrifice of Jesus at his crucifixion. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

So unlike those priests, who carried out their responsibilities again and again, including the once-a-year entrance into the Most Holy Place of the sanctuary, Jesus didn\u2019t need to repeat his sacrifice. His one-time sacrifice on the cross \u201cfor all\u201d<\/em><\/strong> (there\u2019s that phrase again) was sufficient to pay for all sin for all sinners of all time.\u00a0<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Why is that such a big deal? Why does it matter? The news of Jesus dying on the cross is not likely something new to you. And maybe you\u2019ve even heard the reason: to pay for our sins. But it is nonetheless possible that the significance behind all of this and its meaning for you have remained somewhat foggy. So let the writer to the Hebrews clear it up for us.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cJust as people are destined to die once, and after that to face judgment, so Christ was sacrificed once to take away the sins of many; and he will appear a second time, not to bear sin, but to bring salvation to those who are waiting for him\u201d (v. 27-28). <\/em><\/strong>We all have that in common: we will die and face judgment. We also have something else in common: Jesus was sacrificed to take away the sins that would make us dread judgment. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

But you might notice that the writer wrote, \u201ctake away the sins of many.\u201d Why not \u201call?\u201d To be sure, he did take away the sins of all (remember what was written in the verse prior that included everyone!). However, those who through unbelief reject his payment of sins will face a different verdict on that last day. So not \u201call\u201d will benefit from Christ\u2019s sacrifice, even though it covered all people; only the \u201cmany\u201d who believe it can be confident of the “not guilty” verdict.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

They know that when Jesus comes a second time, it will be to finalize our salvation and sweep us out of this broken world into the new world waiting for us – one that will not only be without sin or sorrow, but without any judgement, either. So living like we\u2019ll live forever means that we get to live free of the fear of judgment.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

With the holidays coming, you may be looking ahead to visits from certain family members or friends. There may be, though, one or two among them you aren\u2019t looking forward to, or are perhaps are even dreading. The uncle with the off-color comments or offensive jokes. The friend who insists on polarizing political conversations. The ardent atheist or blowhard Christian more interested in arguing than in seeking to under.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Sorry – I can\u2019t do much about those individuals or any judgment coming from them. But I can assure you that you have no need to dread that final visit when Jesus returns on the Last Day. Those who believe the words of the writer to the Hebrews already know what the verdict will be: not guilty. And you know what that means? You have nothing to fear.\u00a0<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

(Hebrews 9:24-28) With the exception of the occasional scary movie, most of us don\u2019t like being afraid. The husband who gets a kick out of surprise scaring his wife because he knows how much she hates it is liable to be on the receiving end of a different kind of kick if he\u2019s not careful.… Continue reading Live Free from the Fear of Judgment<\/span> →<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2},"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[518],"tags":[5,219,60,109,552,36,108],"class_list":["post-2033","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-live-like-youll-live-forever-series","tag-jesus","tag-judge","tag-judgment","tag-preaching","tag-secondcoming","tag-sermon","tag-teaching"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p842FN-wN","jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/1thingmatters.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2033","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/1thingmatters.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/1thingmatters.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/1thingmatters.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/1thingmatters.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=2033"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/1thingmatters.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2033\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2056,"href":"https:\/\/1thingmatters.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2033\/revisions\/2056"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/1thingmatters.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=2033"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/1thingmatters.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=2033"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/1thingmatters.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=2033"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}