Andrew Lubbock

The certainty of God's future judgment by Jesus of all people means that Christians,

people who trust in Jesus, can live a life now of assurance and patience waiting for that day

when that final judgment will be revealed.

And we can see that, I think, in verses 7 to 9, in particular the passage that we've just read.

So I'm picking those verses as the key to what I'm going to say this morning.

Please glance back down at the passage that you have open in front of you,

and I'm going to reread verses 7 to 9.

Be patient then, brothers, until the Lord's coming.

See how the farmer waits for the land to yield its valuable crop,

and how patient he is for the autumn and spring rains.

You too, be patient and stand firm.

And here's the reason.

Because the Lord's coming is near.

Don't grumble against each other, brothers, or you will be judged.

The judge is standing at the door.

Let's pray.

Father God, help us by your Holy Spirit now to see that the risen Jesus will return to judge rightly.

And please help us to live obeying and waiting for his return.

In Jesus' name.

Amen.

You see, wherever we live and wherever we're growing up, wherever we're working,

where there is no actual justice in the present,

or any sign of just judgment in the future,

injustice and corruption abound.

So I'll say that again, because it's a key concept that I'm going to be working through.

Where there is no actual justice in the present,

or any sign of judgment in the future,

injustice and corruption abound.

And Italy suffers from this practical lack of just judgment, present and future.

I once asked a preschool parent,

so the parent of another preschool child in Jemima's class,

what does it mean to be Italian?

And he said this.

This is a guy who is a university graduate

and someone who worked for the financial police in Italy.

And he said, this is what it means to be Italian.

That the father of a preschool child will tell his daughter,

you make sure that you take advantage of your friend,

because when her time comes, she will take advantage of you.

And with open mouth, I said to him, are you serious?

And he said, cold, blank, hard.

Yep, that's what it means to be Italian.

You see, because in a corrupt society like Italy,

where there really is no guaranteed recourse to just judgment,

people must look out for number one.

And it's that personal level of corruption

that begins at kindergarten level

that grows into systemic corruption

that makes some of us laugh sometimes

when we think about a country like Italy

or tinpot democracies somewhere or dictatorships.

Of course, there's no justice there,

so there's corruption everywhere.

But it's that simple.

Where there is no sign of just judgment in the future,

injustice and corruption abound.

Where there's no apparent right judgment,

it breeds corruption.

So the plumber will come to your house in December,

as happened with us,

and he's just making a minor repair,

and we ask him for a receipt.

And the receipt is receipt number four.

But he's come to your house on December the 30th.

So throughout the year,

he's been working in the black,

and he explained it to us.

You know what?

For the first year of my working life,

I tried to do everything by the book.

I tried to observe the law.

But it worked against me.

And I ended up in the red.

And so I gave up trying.

Because, again, in a country like Italy,

where there is a basic level of personal corruption,

because there is no just judgment

that anyone can perceive is coming,

everyone is trying to make the most of living for themselves.

But laws have to be increased

in order to get that money back that's not being paid.

And more laws, and more laws, and more laws.

But that just makes people try and work

against the system, against the system, against the system.

Where there's no apparent right judgment,

corruption breeds corruption.

I think you saw that last week, didn't you,

in verses 1 to 6.

And it's amazing what he said there.

I'm not going to repeat it.

But you rich people,

you oppressors of the poor.

Now, why would you do that

if there was justice?

How could you do that

if the law really worked in everybody's favor?

You couldn't.

But in a context, in a society,

where you can't guarantee that just judgment,

corruption abounds.

And that's what we live, isn't it?

The rich people oppressed and took advantage of others

as if no one will care for these little people.

And they live as if no one is watching,

as if no one will decide about them.

Of course, we've got to live this way.

This is how life works.

There is no such thing as justice.

So I think we see there that suffering occurs

when the knowledge of good and evil

collides with the inability to do what is good.

So suffering occurs

when we know what's right and what's wrong,

but we fail to be able to do it.

And we don't do it as well

because we don't think anyone really cares.

So we make others suffer

and maybe we rebel against suffering

because we think that's the only way

anything is ever going to change.

We have to take matters into our own hands.

But it's so clear here, isn't it?

As James speaks, he says,

that is not the case.

That is not the case in God's world.

That is not the case in God's eternity

over which he has control.

And he says that Jesus' return changes

and must change our perspective.

Have a look.

And I'm just going to run through the verses

where we see this talk about judgment,

Jesus coming, the judge.

Have a look at verse 7.

I've read that already,

but I'll read it again.

Be patient then, brothers,

until the Lord's coming.

Verse 8.

You too be patient and stand firm

because the Lord's coming is near.

Verse 9.

The judge is standing at the door.

And verse 12.

Above all, my brothers, do not swear,

not by heaven or by earth or by anything else.

Let your yes be yes and your no, no,

or you will be condemned.

James is just so convinced

that this will happen.

He is so convinced that there is a fixed point,

a moment in time when good will be shown to be good

and evil will be shown to be evil.

And Jesus is the one who will establish that.

Jesus himself talked a lot about

being ready for the judge

in the parables that he taught.

But he himself, in his obedience,

right to the very end,

showed us that the Father is good to be trusted.

Please turn to 1 Peter chapter 2

1 Peter 2 · chapter mention

so that we can actually hear Peter's summary of this.

And it's such a beautiful summary

of, I think, what James is actually talking about.

1 Peter chapter 2.

1 Peter 2 · chapter mention

And I'm going to read from verse 13.

1 Peter chapter 2.

1 Peter 2 · chapter mention

And I'm reading from verse 13.

And we're talking about how Jesus

is the one who actually breaks this cycle of corruption.

And Jesus showed us that there is a coming judgment

and a righteous judge.

Peter says,

Slaves,

Submit yourselves for the Lord's sake

to every authority instituted among men,

whether to the king as the supreme authority

or to governors who are sent by him

to punish those who do wrong

and to commend those who do right.

For it is God's will that by doing good

you should silence the ignorant talk of foolish men.

Live as free people,

but do not use your freedom as a cover-up for evil.

Live as servants of God.

Show proper respect to everyone.

Love the brotherhood of believers.

Fear God.

Honor the king.

Slaves,

Submit yourselves to your masters with all respect,

not only to those who are good and considerate,

but also to those who are harsh.

For it is commendable

if a person bears up under the pain of unjust suffering

because he is conscious of God.

But how is it to your credit

if you receive a beating for doing good and endure it?

But if you suffer for doing good and you endure it,

this is commendable before God.

To this you were called

because Christ suffered for you,

leaving you an example

that you should follow in his steps.

He committed no sin

and no deceit was found in his mouth.

When they hurled their insults at him,

he did not retaliate.

When he suffered,

he made no threats.

Instead,

he entrusted himself to him who judges justly.

He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree

so that we might die to sins

and live for righteousness.

By his wounds,

you have been healed.

What Peter is saying here is that

Jesus at the cross

is tempted by the voice of Satan

through those at his feet

who are yelling at him,

if you really are the Christ,

if you really are the Son of God,

come down.

Show us your power.

And he does,

but by doing the opposite,

he shows,

as he stays hanging on the cross

in obedience to his Father's will,

that he does have a knowledge of good and evil,

but he leaves the management of that

in the Father's hands.

So instead of looking out for number one

at that point in time,

he keeps his eyes on the Father

and breaks that cycle of corruption

that Adam and Eve started.

They were plonked in front of the tree

of the knowledge of good and evil

and they took the management onto themselves.

Jesus leaves the management

of the knowledge of good and evil

in his Father's hands.

And so he breaks that cycle of corruption

once and for all.

It's so beautiful.

I've come to appreciate this so much more

after living 11 years

in the Italian society.

Jesus is a legend.

He is so pure.

He is so right.

He sees what is right and wrong

and he leaves the judgment about that,

the management of it,

in his Father's hands.

And for that reason,

he swaps his goodness for our sin

and the hostages are bought out of captivity

by his blood.

Wow.

Gee, that's good.

That cycle has been broken

and Paul says,

as he speaks to the Athenians,

that's the fixed future point,

the risen Jesus,

because he is the one

who is right to judge.

Have a look in Acts chapter 17.

Acts 17 · chapter mention

This is the last scripture flip will do,

but I'd really like you

to have a look at it for yourselves,

please.

Acts chapter 17,

Acts 17 · chapter mention

and I'm going to read verse 30 and 31.

Acts chapter 17,

Acts 17:30

verse 30 and 31.

And Paul's speaking in a pluralistic society,

in a society that is deeply religious and spiritual.

And he says this,

In the past,

God overlooked such ignorance,

but now he commands all people everywhere

to repent,

to turn back.

For he has set a day

when he will judge the world with justice

by the man he has appointed.

He has given proof of this to all men

by raising him from the dead.

So with the resurrection of Jesus,

things have changed forever.

It means that there is an eternity.

It means that there is truth.

It means that there is a God

who judges between right and wrong

because what he actually did

with regard to Jesus is say,

yep, you are right.

And death can't hold you down

because death comes for rebellion

and it's judgment.

But you don't fit in that category.

And you have conquered and you have won.

And for that reason,

you are the one.

Who can judge.

That's a great encouragement, isn't it?

And I'm laboring this point

because we need to understand this

before we get to what James

is encouraging people to be like.

We've got to understand

and really take on board

the reality to which James

is basing all his argument on.

That Jesus really is alive.

that not just a regular risen guy,

if such a thing could be possible,

but the right eternal one

who showed that he could leave

the management of good and evil

in the Father's hands

and therefore he has the right perspective

to be able to judge us

who fail to leave the management

of good and evil in the Father's hands

but need to trust Jesus

as he did that for us.

Because James says,

the future judgment

is as certain as the seasonal crop.

Did you notice that in verse 7?

Please glance down it again.

Verse 7.

This is the same thing

that Peter was talking about in Athens.

It's a dead certain.

You can stake your life on it.

It's coming.

He's going to come back.

That's good and bad.

But be patient.

Be ready for that.

So the challenge at this point,

and this is something

that we really need to sit on

for just a moment.

Are we convinced of the resurrection

of the Lord Jesus Christ from the dead?

I think that's the key to Christianity,

quite frankly,

because if Jesus wasn't risen,

then whatever happened before that

just needs to be discarded

as a tragic joke.

But if Jesus really is risen,

it changes everything.

Sometimes I think in our Christian lives,

and maybe even when we meet together,

we can do something like this.

Cross, cross, cross, cross, cross, cross, cross.

Jesus died.

He's paid the price.

Oh, and he rose.

But I think what the proposal

of Christianity is,

is Jesus is alive.

He really is risen.

It breaks the cycle.

And it validates what happened on the cross.

That's the proposal of Christianity.

No other religion,

no other spiritual theory sets that up.

But this is the fixed point

for our eternity.

Are you convinced of that?

And I'm not just throwing that out

as some kind of preaching device,

some kind of rhetorical kind of moment.

But it could be the case

that we haven't really worked

that deeply into our conviction.

Peter and James,

they weren't convinced of Jesus

and they abandoned him

in his hour of need.

Something happened

to change their lives

and convince them

that they needed to preach

this message

to their last breath.

He rose,

and that's why.

Talk about that.

Pray about that

with someone that you trust.

Because if you're answering

my question right now,

you know,

well, I haven't really thought

enough about it.

I'm not super convinced.

Let's work that through.

That's why I'm standing

before you this morning,

but that's why we went to Italy.

Because we really are convinced

that Jesus is alive

and he does have

eternal life in his hands

and he gives it to those

who trust in him.

So it doesn't matter

what we have or don't have

in this life

because we have everything

in eternity.

Now, Jesus' just judgment

and other consequences

is there is a just judgment

that's coming

and he will judge us

and all people.

Sometimes it's nice

to think that,

yeah, those people out there,

those bad people,

they're going to cop it

and that's good

and I'm glad about that

and I'm right, okay?

I'm a pretty good person.

But I'm afraid, actually,

when I read these verses

because James is saying,

you too will be judged.

Your behavior actually matters.

The way that you respond

to the risen Jesus

and you live in wait for him,

that matters

and that's going to be called

to account one day.

Whew!

The Italians would do

something like this.

That's a big deal.

It's going to bite.

It's going to bite.

So we want to be hearing now

that this word applies to us

and I'm going to go a lot faster now

in this second part of my talk

because our conviction

comes out in how we live.

If you're convinced

that really the best is yet to come

and that you can put

all you have on Jesus

because he's good for it,

that just changes everything.

It really does.

And so the Christian

convinced of Jesus' resurrection

and certain of his return

to decide about all people

lives differently

when faced with corruption.

That Christian woman

lives differently

when faced with injustice.

That Christian family

lives differently

when faced with suffering.

And James notes these things

and we can see this

in the contrast

implicit in the passage.

And I'm just going to go really

probably too quickly here now

but I trust it will be clear.

Christians live patiently

as the farmer is patient

and sure of the crop.

That's verse 7.

We don't take matters

into our own hands.

We don't take matters

into our own hands.

I'm not saying

that we have to accept everything

and so I'm really not talking

about a complete

Christian ethic here

but what James is saying

is that we don't take matters

into our own hands.

We actually live

with great patience

because our perspective

is very, very long.

It's eternal.

It's not temporary.

We don't take matters

into our own hands.

Second,

those who trust

in the risen Jesus

live waiting

for his return,

for his future return.

That's verse 8.

You too be patient

and stand firm

because the Lord's coming

is near.

We don't abandon Jesus

deciding ourselves

what is right and wrong.

I've already kind of

underlined that

considering Jesus'

death

and what is occurring

there

because he doesn't

take the management

of good and evil

into his own hands.

In fact,

he leaves that decision

to the Father

and there we have

our life.

So I think

the discipline

of the Christian life

is actually

to work out

more and more

starting with the word

and sticking with the word

what God's will

actually is

and I think

it's probably

knowing Jesus better,

being really well versed

in him in the Gospels

and being someone

who examines

how he lives

and how he waits

for the future judgment

which his Father

will be responsible for

including him

as the judge.

Third thing,

followers of the risen

King Jesus

hold their tongues

about each other.

That's verse 9.

Don't grumble

against each other

brothers

or you will be judged.

The judge is standing

at the door.

We don't complain

against each other

because we know

that Jesus will also

judge us.

Gee, that's hard,

isn't it?

It might sound

that these things

are rolling off my tongue

pretty easy right now

and I said

that I'm going

a little bit faster.

That is really tough stuff.

We've been in a church,

in a brethren church

which really has been

working against itself.

The factions

amongst the elders

and therefore

amongst the congregation

have played out

year after year,

month after month,

week after week,

day after day.

And at times

our waking lives,

Sarah and I,

have been consumed

just by the anxiety

and the tension

that that's created.

It's been awful.

And the natural tendency

therefore is when

you're actually meeting

together with other

Christian brothers and sisters,

maybe just in private,

you have them around

for dinner or whatever

it might be,

you just let fly,

let loose.

Yeah, you know,

it's safe here, isn't it?

We can say it, yeah,

we can, you know.

I just want to tell you

this in confidence

how I feel about

such and such.

James says,

don't do it.

Wow.

I need to repent

because my tendency

is actually to really

to let fly.

Be quite critical.

That can be good sometimes,

having a critical approach,

a brain that kind of

analyzes well,

but it can be deadly

at other times

because it actually

leads to ungodliness.

And it doesn't trust

that God's actually

in control

of any given situation.

So I take it,

and this is something

that I try to do

more and more,

I try to pray about

those things

before I speak about them.

And really seek

the Lord's will

and his conviction

regarding these matters,

whatever they might be.

Because it's difficult,

isn't it,

to turn up to church

on a Sunday

after you've spent

the previous six days

just whinging

about other people

and playing happy families

on a Sunday

or not even.

Because the Lord

knows our hearts

and it's dishonest.

And he says

we'll be judged for that.

And so we need to repent

and practice

what James is actually

calling people to do here.

Christians are certain

of Jesus' risen goodness

even in the face

of suffering.

Verse 10.

Brothers,

as an example of patience

in the face of suffering,

take the prophets

who spoke in the name

of the Lord.

As you know,

we consider blessed

those who have persevered.

You have heard

of Job's perseverance

and have seen

what the Lord

finally brought about.

The Lord is full

of compassion and mercy.

Job is the example there.

And we know,

don't we,

from our understanding

of his own travails

that he was pressured

to call God's goodness

into question.

And in fact,

his mates,

at one point,

they say,

curse God and die.

That was the final point

almost that he got to.

Just do that, mate,

and finish it.

Get it over and done with.

God's not good.

Forget about it.

Take your own life.

Job refuses.

He doesn't do it.

And here,

it's really interesting

because James underlines

the Lord is

full of compassion

and mercy.

Because that is

our big question

in the midst of suffering,

physical suffering,

spiritual suffering,

suffering as a church.

Is God good?

Is he merciful?

Is he compassionate?

And multiply it,

multiply the angst

that we might have experienced

in Chatswood

by a million times

in the experience

of our brothers and sisters

in Christ

in other places

where even just

to name Jesus

is to sign

your own death sentence.

Is God really good?

I have the image

of those guys

who were beheaded

on the beach

by ISIS

and the last thing

that they were uttering

is that Jesus

is Lord and Christ

towards that effect.

I think that's

what James

is exhorting us to.

A life that understands

that God has revealed

his full mercy

and his compassion

in the Lord Jesus Christ

not only as he hangs

dying in our place

in full obedience

but in his risen glory

and power.

God is good,

he is merciful,

he is compassionate,

he will save

those who trust in him.

Wow,

that is really good.

So it's worth waiting for,

isn't it?

Because God has showed this

to Job,

he showed it to Jesus

and so we continue

knowing,

living and waiting

for that truth.

We live in it

but we're waiting

for the consummation

of that.

It changes my perspective

as I think about that.

And the last thing,

followers of the risen Lord Jesus

verbalise trust in him,

not in idols.

Verse 12,

above all,

do not swear,

not by heaven or by earth

or by anything else,

let your yes be yes

and your no, no

or you will be condemned.

I grew up reading

Asterix and Obelix.

I love those cartoons,

those books.

Learned a lot from them.

Been very helpful actually,

going to Europe

after growing up

on Asterix and Obelix

but they,

I'm not sure if it's them

or if it's the Romans

at times they're swearing

by Tartatus.

You know,

they have all the different gods

and they name.

In Italian,

an expression would be

perforza,

by strength.

And it seems like

a banal kind of a thing

when we're letting

these kind of phrases

roll off our tongue.

But they do actually have

historical time,

historical meaning,

historical consequence

but also eternal consequence

because in those little moments

of expressing those things,

we are expressing

where our trust is based.

where our trust is based.

But Christians can speak simply

relying on Jesus' strength.

That's why James just says

just let your yes be yes

and your no be no

because the strength of,

the eternal strength

comes from Jesus.

It's in him.

It's not in something

that proposes to take his place.

So in all of this,

I think it's quite easy

actually to have a Christian witness.

So I just want to give a tiny,

tiny example of,

I think,

how easy it is

to put these things into practice

and not only live the difference

but show the difference.

I remember in my working life,

especially when I worked

as the studio manager

in a graphic design studio,

it was just so easy

to stand out

if I just watched what I said.

If I really sought to honour Jesus

with my lips

and didn't join in perhaps

the way other people would speak,

I'd be present

but not saying the same things

that they said.

I'd be seeking to live

knowing that Jesus would be my judge,

not them,

even though they judged me often.

But my point of reference

was eternal in him

and not based on what they would think

or what they would say.

So I think the Christian life

is actually living

to respond to Jesus

and not react to other people,

if I can put it that way.

And I think that's what James

is saying here.

We must have our eyes fixed on Jesus

so that we're responding to him

and not reacting to others.

And I'll tell you about

the significance of that

in just a moment.

But I think as the church does that,

as the church does seek

to be ready for the future judgement,

it will be poorer

and more marginalised

than it actually is.

Because if you keep asking

the plumber for a receipt,

he doesn't come back to you anymore.

That's a word of testimony.

He don't come back

because he doesn't want to be

convicted of his own sin

and he knows he can't live

that way,

giving a receipt every time.

He doesn't come back.

That's just a very small example.

But I think if the church

does live the way

that James is calling it to,

it will live more abundantly

than it does.

It will live more abundantly

than it does.

I'm not sure if you remember

how the first Christian community

at the end of Acts 2

is described.

They have everything in common.

They lack nothing.

Why?

Because they're convinced

that God has eternity

in his hands

in the Lord Jesus Christ

so they are free

to live in the present,

loving others.

And they do it.

I don't think we're meant

to dwell on

how they live there

but I think we're meant

to go back

to what they were understanding

that freed them

to live the way

they lived.

So I think the church

as it actually takes

James seriously,

God's word seriously,

lives more abundantly

than it does

and it becomes

the oasis of love,

hope and trustworthiness

that every person

longs for.

So when people see

the church of Jesus Christ

actually on about him

and ready for future judgment,

people want to come in

and be part of that.

And here is another word

of testimony.

I'll embarrass Jemima,

our first daughter,

second child.

She came into

junior high,

middle school

out of a different

primary school

so she found herself

new in her class

and there were a number

of girls who were

really keen for her

to be friends

straight away.

And it became apparent

pretty quickly

that they just wanted

to use her,

really her presence

and her new friendship

and not only

would that be harmful

and hurtful to Jemima

but the way they behaved

amongst each other

wasn't good for them either.

So if I can put it this way,

it was just their corruption,

their personal corruption,

looking out for themselves,

for each other

and trying to use each other

that swept her up

and hurt them.

But as that became clear

to Jemima

and we wrestled with it

as a family,

she decided

that she wouldn't be like them.

And as a result of that,

and I praise God

for the way she acted in this,

as a result of that,

I think there were moments

of loneliness.

But what happened was

she acted in a way

that was faithful,

that was not going to be moved

or swayed by what other people

thought or did

and she actually became

a point of reference

for other girls

to leave that friendship group

and become her friend.

So the righteousness,

I think,

in her behaviour

and finding her identity

not in what the others

thought of them

but, I pray,

fixing her eyes on Jesus,

it meant that

her actions were used

to free those girls

from the trap

that they found themselves in.

And so they started

just to create

a new friendship group

that was based on

trustworthiness,

reliability and love

because it started

with Jemima's actions.

I think there's an image there

of what the Christian church

has actually been called to be

and we need to work hard

on practising it

amongst ourselves

here,

first and foremost.

So we've seen

that the basis

of our behaviour

in the present

is the certainty

of God's right judgement

in the future

with the risen Jesus.

He is alive.

He is very good

and he will judge.

So let's re-read

the passage

just to conclude

listening for James'

certainty that Jesus lives.

Be patient then,

brethren,

until the Lord's coming.

See how the farmer

waits for the land

to yield its valuable crop

and how patient he is

for the autumn

and spring rains.

You too,

be patient and stand firm

because the Lord's coming

is near.

Don't grumble

against each other

or you will be judged.

The judge is standing

at the door.

Brothers and sisters,

as an example of patience

in the face of suffering,

take the prophets

who spoke in the name

of the Lord.

As you know,

we consider blessed

those who have persevered.

You have heard

of Job's perseverance

and have seen

what the Lord

finally brought about.

The Lord is full

of compassion and mercy.

Above all,

my brothers and sisters,

do not swear,

not by heaven

or by earth

or by anything else.

Let your yes be yes

and your no, no

or you will be condemned.

He stands at the door.

He listens.

Jesus is present.

Jesus will return.

James was sure.

And Italians need

the love

and the certainty

of that judgment

to free them

from this vicious cycle,

downward cycle

of corruption

that kills

in the present

and in eternity.

Let's pray.

Father,

please help us

to examine

our own convictions

this morning

of Jesus' resurrection.

resurrection.

James was sure.

He had seen

the risen Jesus

and that changed

his life,

not only for the present

but for the eternal future.

Please help us

to be like him.

Please help us

to be convinced

not only of that eternity

but the rightness

of the judgment

that will come.

And so we ask

that you'd help us

to get ready today.

And we pray

not just for ourselves

but for those

who will see

the church in action

as it bows the knee

to Jesus

washes its own tongue,

loves others,

really does wait

with great expectancy

and certainty

of Jesus' return

so that we might

actually proclaim

your freedom,

Father, in Christ

and that other people

might come into it too.

In Jesus' name.

Amen.

Amen.