Understanding Grace and Judgement

How can a loving God reconcile a place like hell?

  1. The God we serve

God revealed Himself to Moses Exodus 34: 6,7 Yahweh The Lord. The God of Compassion and mercy  I am slow to anger filled with unfailing love and faithfulness.  I lavish unfailing love to a thousand generations.  I forgive iniquity, rebellion and sin. But I do not excuse the guilty…

Romans 11: 22 Notice how God is both kind and severe.  he is severe toward those who disobey but kind to you if you continue to trust in his kindness. But if you stop trusting you also will be cut off.

It is important that we learn to trust in His kindness and rest in it.

God is Righteous (perfect and holy) and He gives us grace.

2. Example # 1 Adam

Garden of Eden.

  1. Genesis 1: 28 Be fruitful and multiply.  Fill the earth and govern over it….
  2. Tree of knowledge of good and evil. Genesis 2: 17 except the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.  If you eat its fruit you will surely die.
  3. Justice (wrath) and mercy poured out. We see the God of grace and Judgement.
    1. You will have pain in childbearing
    2. You will work with the sweat of your brow.
    3. You will return to the ground.
    4. You cannot eat of the tree of life and an angel guarded it.
    5. YET MERCY
      1. clothing made out of animal skins. Without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness of sins.
      2. forgiven so they did not die instantly, and protection from the elements.
      3. Still have a way of communication with me.

What was enacted here was a law of sowing and reaping.

Galatians 6: 7 Do not be mislead–you cannot mock the justice of God. You will always harvest what you plant.  Those who live only to satisfy their sinful nature will harvest decay and death from that sinful nature.  But those who live to please the Spirit will harvest everlasting life from the Spirit.

God forgave them, but they still had to reap a new life.

EXAMPLE: Suppose I am told to plant corn but I plant flowers.  I am forgiven, but when it is time to harvest,no corn, I will be eating day lilies. Forgiveness does not change the fact that I have no corn to eat.

 

PROBLEM COMES WHEN WE TRY TO DECIDE WHEN GOD SHOULD BE MERCIFUL AND WHEN JUSTICE SHOULD COME OUT.

3. Example # 2 Cain

Cain kills Abel.

  1. Blood cries out from the ground.  Genesis 4: 10
  2. Sent away punishment to great for me to bear.
    1. God marks Cain and anyone who tries to kill him will receive a seven fold punishment.
    2. The good guy is dead and the bad guy gets God’s protection.

Anyone else have a problem with this?

Yet if I don’t rest in His goodness, I will be cut off.

4. Example # 3 Noah

  1. Only good man in a perverted world.
  2. Genesis 6: 6 Sin broke the heart of God.
    1. Today not much has changed
      1. Ephesians 2: 3 All of us used to live that way following the passionate desires and inclinations of our sinful nature.  By our very nature, we were subject to God’s wrath.
      2. Romans 2: 5 Because you are stubborn and refuse to turn from your sin, you are storing up terrible punishment for yourself.  For a day of wrath is coming when God’s righteous judgments will be revealed.
  3. Build a boat and I will save you and your family. MIDDLE OF JUSTICE/GRACE POURED OUT.
  4. Covenant 8: 21 – 22 Never again curse the ground.
  5. Sign of the covenant Genesis 9: 13 I have placed my bow.

5. Example # 4 Jesus

The bow brought the next judgement on Jesus Himself.

2 Corinthians 5: 21 God made Christ who never sinned to become sin itself so that we could be made right with God through Christ.

1 Thessalonians 1: 10 Jesus…He is the one who rescued us from the wrath that is to come.

6. Sum of all things

  1. Hell was created for the devil and his angels. Matthew 25: 41
  2. Reject Jesus and wrath remains on us.  John 3: 36
  3. Flee those things that bring the wrath of God.  Reap destruction in our lives.  Ephesians 5: 3 – 6 and Colossians 3: 6
  4. Doesn’t answer about Cain.
    1. What about Ananias and Sapphira Wrath remains poured out and sometimes we are confused by what is happening around us.
    2. Knowing the fear of The Lord 1 Corinthians 5:11
    3. Know He is working something out.  Abel still speaks Hebrews 11: 4
  5. How can we escape if we ignore so great a salvation.  Hebrews 2: 3