"What About Divine Judgment?" Sermon Delivered By Reverend Richard E. Stetler – March 18, 2012 Centenary United Isaiah
65:1-10; John 3:14-21 This morning we are going to be discussing how divine judgment works according to John’s Gospel. Almost every religious person we talk to has a different version and a definite opinion about what form God’s justice will take. The images and understanding from people of all religions are all over the landscape of possibilities. Because people do not share the same level of compassion and understanding as God, religious people tend to be judgmental toward those that stray from the prescribed path to salvation. Getting into Heaven may not be as difficult as feeling welcome in a new church, particularly if the newcomers sit in a pew where church members have sat for over 30 years. Even in the secular world, people can be highly selective of just who gets into an exclusive club where membership is required. Once a very dignified British lawyer wanted to play
18 holes of golf on one of the most exclusive and prestigious courses in As the attorney turned to leave, he noticed Lord
Parham sitting in the reading area of the club engrossed in
The Lord Parham looked over the attorney from his head
to his feet. He then asked
a series of questions using only one word.
His Lordship asked, “Church?”
“Church of England, Sir, as was my late wife.”
“Education?” Higginbotham replied, “Eton, sir, and then Now that is exclusive! While the story sounds ridiculous, there are many Christians who have the same theological rigidity in their understanding about those who are saved and those who are lost. They forget that once upon a time the Jews were God’s only chosen people. One of the favorite images that I encountered as a boy featured God as an old, wise man with a long gray beard reviewing a large book entitled “The Book of Life.” Standing in front of God was an individual who had just transitioned from earth. Viewers of this image were left with the impression that the new arrival was receiving points for performing well and demerits for his less than enlightened decisions. There are also other belief-driven images. Last week a friend sent me a short You-Tube clip of
a young woman who had returned to She and a friend created a video after finding a group of Muslims protesting the UK Government and the police. She engaged both men and women in conversation. Everyone spoke to her in highly judgmental terms about the government, the police and her style of dress. One woman called her a seductress even though she was dressed very appropriately. All that could be seen of the Muslim woman was her eyes through the slit in her head to toe black garb. Finally, the woman encountered a man that quoted to her from the Quran. He told her that all non-Muslims are going to experience Hell-fire according to Chapter 33:1. She became emotional that anyone on the streets of I would be remiss if I did not mention the number
of times that my spiritual destiny has been questioned and dismissed by
Christians who honestly and sincerely believed that they possessed
the path to salvation, a path
that obviously I had missed.
Some Christians are very
selective about sharing their eternal reward with anyone who does not
fit the mold they believe was established by Scripture. One of my favorite songs is To Dream the Impossible Dream from the popular 1965 musical, Man of La Mancha. There is a stanza in that piece that says, “To be willing to march into Hell for a heavenly cause.” To me this epitomizes someone who has conquered their fear of banishment and punishment and is willing to enter dark environments in order to bring light. Is this not what Jesus taught his followers to do? (Matthew 5:14) Is this not what Jesus chose to do with his life as he grew up in the same world we enjoy today? (John 1:5) There is
a true path to salvation but
you may be surprised that it has little to do with our beliefs about it.
Beliefs often change when
new information enhances our knowledge. We all know John 3:16.
John Most Christians associate their salvation with
Jesus’ death on the cross.
We should find it strange that during Jesus’ ministry there was no
emphasis of his dying on the cross.
Quite to the contrary, he was teaching his listeners
the truth about living in
the When we follow him, we can forego taking all the detours that life offers to us every week. Why is it so hard to understand Jesus as a savior that took on the role as our teacher, guide, mentor, and life-coach, as well as dedicating his life to teaching people how to find the water that will cause them never to thirst again? (John 4:13f) Several years ago I had the privilege of cutting
the ribbon on a new Continuing Care Retirement Community in When our group entered the physical fitness complex, we met the athletic director. She was a 28-year old who was exceedingly fit. She climbed out of the pool to greet us still dripping. She had just finished a class in water resistance training for a group of seniors and was a little embarrassed. She had not been expecting us. One woman called her a seductress even though she was dressed very appropriately. All that could be seen of the Muslim woman was her eyes through the slit in her head to toe black Later, during an evening social event with the Board of Governors and key staff, I happened to meet her again. I asked, “Do you ever intentionally use your sensuality to motivate the residents?” She burst into laughter and without a moment’s hesitation she answered, You bet I do! The men hold in their tummies when they are around me and they work very hard with the lessons I give them. The women are also working very hard to regain the physique they once had. My goal is to teach them what is possible even at the more advanced age of their bodies. I am a Geriatric Physical Trainer and if looking at me or fantasizing about me makes them work harder on themselves, that is a plus for them. I make every lesson fun because all of them want to reverse what aging has done to their bodies. What they have realized is that exercise has started doing that the minute they began training. Jesus never couched his teaching in the context of
having fun, but his lessons
can be once we understand our temptations as a game.
When life presents us
with choices to either to play
big or to play small we
often have a clear choice. We
build the quality of our lives on the foundation of a lot of little
choices. The more we get into the spirit that life is
a game of choices, the easier
it is to choose wisely. Jesus was
teaching:
Are you
doing this for “you” or for “others?”
Are you attracted to developing skills of spirit, like patience,
listening, caring, and understanding, or are you into gratifying
something that you believe will reduce your sense of emptiness? Are you
finding your lives filled with lasting peace and happiness or are you
looking at something in the material world that you hope will give you
those qualities? Some weeks
ago, Lois and I were ready to take a walk and we found a gift card from
A.S. Cooper & Sons in our front yard. The
next time we were in town, we dropped by their store on We wanted
to know if anyone contacted Cooper’ s concerning a lost card and the
clerk directed us to the home office. There, we were greeted by a young
woman. When she learned
what we wanted, she took the card from me and put it away.
Then she wrote down our contact information.
She told us that she would check the numbers on the card against
anyone who has called in and get back to us with the outcome.
She never called.
Since the card was just as good as cash, we wondered what decision she
made regarding the use of that card. During his
ministry Jesus was offering guidance for the choices people make. Nearly
every choice communicates whether we are just another creature of the
physical world or an angel in the
flesh through whom God works in the unfolding of creation.
There is
an episode in Luke’s Gospel where Jesus taught, “Whoever is faithful in
small matters will be faithful in larger ones.
You cannot serve both God and
the attractive aspects of the material world.” Luke goes on to say,
“When the Pharisees heard this, they made fun of Jesus because they
loved everything that financial wealth had brought to them.”
Jesus concluded his lesson with these words, “The things that are
considered to be of great value by people are worth nothing to God.”
(Luke 16:10-15) Every day
of our lives we make choices that define what path we are on.
That is why John wrote, “For God did not send his Son into the
world to judge the world, but to be its savior.”
He came to lead us away from aspects of the material world that
promise to help us feel more
complete if we had them.
In essence Jesus was saying, “You cannot be any more whole than you
already are. God does not
create half people. The
adjustments you need to make are inside of you and cannot be found
anywhere else.” One day a man walked into As he left the gallery he said to an attendant, “I came in here hoping to have my spirits lifted by these artists. I honestly did not see anything in the gallery today that did that for me.” The attendant thought for a moment and then said quietly, “Sir, I would remind you that these paintings are no longer on trial.” When we stop polishing and refining our decision-making, we have forgotten how judgment works. We are the ones that define ourselves by our choices, not God. This is one of the reasons Jesus said, “In my Father’s house are many levels of awareness. I would not tell you this if it were not so.” (John 14:2) Jesus came to teach us the truth about the spiritual nature of our lives, and, as our guide, he invited us to follow him. I will conclude with this question: What greater compassion and understanding could God have than to allow us to determine the quality of our own lives both here and in the spirit-realm beyond this life? |