The Judge

[B-A-C]

Matt 7:21; "Not everyone who says to Me, 'Lord, Lord,' will enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father who is in heaven will enter.
Matt 7:22; "Many will say to Me on that day, 'Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in Your name, and in Your name cast out demons, and in Your name perform many miracles?'
Matt 7:23; "And then I will declare to them, 'I never knew you; DEPART FROM ME, YOU WHO PRACTICE LAWLESSNESS.'

Who is talking here? In my Bibles the letters are red. It seems Jesus is the one talking here.
It isn't God the Father here. Jesus says "I will..." ..declare to them...

Matt 25:10; "And while they were going away to make the purchase, the bridegroom came, and those who were ready went in with him to the wedding feast; and the door was shut.
Matt 25:11; "Later the other virgins also came, saying, 'Lord, lord, open up for us.'
Matt 25:12; "But he answered, 'Truly I say to you, I do not know you.'
Matt 25:13; "Be on the alert then, for you do not know the day nor the hour.

Who is the Lord here? Who is the one telling the 5 foolish virgins "I do not know you".
We have a hint... He is also called the bridegroom. (the church is called the bride).

Matt 25:14; "For [the kingom of heaven] is just like a man about to go on a journey, who called his own slaves and entrusted his possessions to them.
Matt 25:19; "Now after a long time the master of those slaves *came and *settled accounts with them.
Matt 25:24 "And the one also who had received the one talent came up and said, 'Master, I knew you to be a hard man, reaping where you did not sow and gathering where you scattered no seed.
Matt 25:25 'And I was afraid, and went away and hid your talent in the ground. See, you have what is yours.'
Matt 25:26 "But his master answered and said to him, 'You wicked, lazy slave, you knew that I reap where I did not sow and gather where I scattered no seed.
Matt 25:30; "Throw out the worthless slave into the outer darkness; in that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.

Who is the master in the parable? It seems it is also Jesus. Who is the wicked, lazy slave here?
It is someone who knew the Master was a "hard man" who expected some kind of return on His
investment in the servant.

Matt; 25:31 "But when the Son of Man comes in His glory, and all the angels with Him, then He will sit on His glorious throne.
Mat; 25:32; "All the nations will be gathered before Him; and He will separate them from one another, as the shepherd separates the sheep from the goats;

Who is the "Son of Man" in this passage? Almost always in the new testament, the Son of Man is Jesus.
We see here He us going to separate the sheep from the goats. What makes someone a sheep or a goat?

Matt 25:35; 'For I was hungry, and you gave Me something to eat; I was thirsty, and you gave Me something to drink; I was a stranger, and you invited Me in;
Matt 25:36; naked, and you clothed Me; I was sick, and you visited Me; I was in prison, and you came to Me.'

... these people would be the sheep.

Matt 25:42; for I was hungry, and you gave Me nothing to eat; I was thirsty, and you gave Me nothing to drink;
Matt 25:43; I was a stranger, and you did not invite Me in; naked, and you did not clothe Me; sick, and in prison, and you did not visit Me.'

... these people would be the goats.

Matt 25:46; "These will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life."

..................

In every passage above we see it is Jesus who is judging His church.

 

[B-A-C]

John 5:22; "For not even the Father judges anyone, but He has given all judgment to the Son,
John 5:27; and He gave Him authority to execute judgment, because He is the Son of Man.
John 5:29; and will come forth; those who did the good deeds to a resurrection of life, those who committed the evil deeds to a resurrection of judgment.

Jesus is the judge here. Those who "did the good deeds" get life. Those who "committed the evil deeds" get judgment and death.

2 Cor 5:10; For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each one may be recompensed for his deeds in the body, according to what he has done, whether good or bad.

We must ALL stand before the judgment of Christ. So that we will "be recompensed...according to what he has done" (whether good or bad).

2 Cor 5:15; and He died for all, so that they who live might no longer live for themselves, but for Him who died and rose again on their behalf.

There are some who believe that just because they are Christians they will never be judged. And yet, I see just the opposite in the Bible.

Luke 12:43; "Blessed is that slave whom his master finds so doing when he comes.
Luke 12:45; "But if that slave says in his heart, 'My master will be a long time in coming,' and begins to beat the slaves, both men and women, and to eat and drink and get drunk;
Luke 12:46; the master of that slave will come on a day when he does not expect him and at an hour he does not know, and will cut him in pieces, and assign him a place with the unbelievers.
Luke 12:47; "And that slave who knew his master's will and did not get ready or act in accord with his will, will receive many lashes,

 

[B-A-C]

1 Jn 1:6; If we say that we have fellowship with Him and yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth;
1 Jn 1:7; but if we walk in the Light as He Himself is in the Light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus His Son cleanses us from all sin.

Repentance is the key here. If we say we know Jesus yet keep living in sin and walking in darkness.... we are liars and do not practice "the truth".
The truth.. the truth here is.... if we live in darkness, we don't know Jesus.
But... if we walk in the light.. IF, IF... if we walk in the light... (just as Jesus Himself walked in the light).... THEN (and only then) the blood of Jesus cleanses us from sin.