Night Calls: A Call to Judgment
Matthew 24:36-44
1 Thessalonians 5:1-3
Introduction: We blindly go through life as if therer is no day of reckoning. Jesus Christ repeatedly taught the reality of judgment to come. We can deny the existence of a day of judgment but none can deny its certainty. Every one of us will receive a call to judgment. For some it will be at the midnight cry as seen in Matthew 25, for others at the end of the ages as discussed in Revelation 20. Everyone will be judged.
I. The Call to Judgment will be Universal.
A. Luke 17:34-36 "I tell you, in that night there will be two [men] in one bed: the one will be taken and the other will be left. Two [women] will be grinding together: the one will be taken and the other left. Two [men] will be in the field: the one will be taken and the other left."
B. Day and night exist simultaneously upon the earth, and the Lord's call to judgment will be at noon to some and at midnight to others.
C. Psalm 96:13 “For He is coming, for He is coming to judge the earth. He shall judge the world with righteousness and the peoples with His truth.”
D. Acts 17:31 “because He has appointed a day on which He will judge the world in righteousness by the Man (Jesus Christ) whom He has ordained. He has given assurance of this to all by raising Him from the dead.”
E. There is a universality of sin. Romans 3:23 tells us that “all have sinned”. Therefore there is universal judgment. It is appointed for men to die once, but after this the judgment. (Hebrews 9:27)
F. Matthew 24:37-39 “But as the days of Noah were, so also will the coming of the Son of Man be. For as in the days before the flood, they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noah entered the ark, and did not know until the flood came and took them all away, so also will the coming of the Son of Man be.”
G. The illustration of Noah speaks of a universal judgment.
H. Revelation 20:11-12 “Then I saw a great white throne and Him who sat on it, from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away. And there was found no place for them. And I saw the dead, small and great, standing before God, and books were opened.”
II. The Call to Judgment will come Suddenly
A. Matthew 24:38-39 “For in the days before the flood, people were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, up to the day Noah entered the ark; and they knew nothing about what would happen until the flood came and took them all away. That is how it will be at the coming of the Son of Man.”
B. The people in Noah's day were not watchful or prepared for what could, and did, happen. They had the warnings from Noah. They could see the preparations in the building of the ark but were oblivious to what was going on around them. They had no clue as to when the judgment was coming. The waters of the flood came suddenly and that those who were not prepared drowned.
C. Matthew 24:43 “But know this, that if the master of the house had known what hour the thief would come, he would have watched and not allowed his house to be broken into.”
D. Ecclesiastes 8:11 “Because the sentence against an evil work is not executed speedily, therefore the heart of the sons of men is fully set in them to do evil.”
E. Proverbs 29:1, 24:22 “He who is often rebuked, and hardens his neck, will suddenly be destroyed, and that without remedy... for suddenly their destruction will overtake them, and who knows the ruinous judgment both the Lord and the king can bring?”
F. 1 Thessalonians 5:2 “For you, yourselves, know perfectly that the day of the Lord so comes as a thief in the night.”
G. The message is basically "We don’t know the hour when judgment will come - so be prepared."
III. The Call to Judgment will Sound (It is Certain)
A. 2 Peter 3:3-4 “…scoffers will come in the last days, walking according to their own lusts, and saying, ‘Where is the promise of His coming? For since the fathers fell asleep, all things continue as [they were] from the beginning of creation.’”
B. Here is an excerpt from a National Geographic article on the Mt. St. Helens' volcano that illustrates the futility of this kind of thinking "Old man Harry Truman (83) built a cabin by Spirit Lake on the slopes of Mt. St. Helens some 53 years ago. All those years nature remained consistent. But then the mountain started to awaken. Residents were asked to leave. Warnings were given. Park guards came to the cabin to tell him it wasn't safe. TV and newspaper folks interviewed him. He said he could not live anywhere else. He was part of the mountain and the mountain was part of him. He laughed at and cursed all his visitors. Then on May 18, 1980 the mountain exploded and Harry Truman perished under hundreds of feet of volcanic ash." This man did not heed the warnings of those who tried to save his life. The mockers do not heed the warnings of Scripture which seek to bring men to repentance. - copied
C. 2 Peter 3:9-10 “...The Lord is not slack concerning [His] promise, as some count slackness, but is longsuffering toward us, not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance. But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night, in which the heavens will pass away with a great noise, and the elements will melt with fervent heat; both the earth and the works that are in it will be burned up.”
D. There are three things that are certain for all of us:
1. We have to be born, we cannot be unborn
2. We have to die, unless raptured when Christ comes for His church
3. We have to stand before God and be judged either at the BEMA or the Great White Throne.
E. Hebrews 9:27 “It is appointed for men to die once, but after this the judgment.”
F. If a person is not saved and dies in their sin, they will be judged at the "Great White Throne judgment"
G. Revelation 20:11-14 "Then I saw a great white throne and Him who sat on it, from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away. And there was found no place for them. And I saw the dead, small and great, standing before God, and books were opened. And another book was opened, which is the Book of Life. And the dead were judged according to their works, by the things which were written in the books. The sea gave up the dead who were in it, and Death and Hades delivered up the dead who were in them. And they were judged, each one according to his works. Then Death and Hades were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death. And anyone not found written in the Book of Life was cast into the lake of fire."
H. I never was guilty of wrong actions but on my account lives have been lost, trains have been wrecked, ships have gone down at sea, cities have burned, battles have been lost, and governments have failed. I never stuck a blow nor spoke an unkind word, but because of me homes have been broken up, friends have grown cold, the laughter of children ceased, wives have shed hitter tears, brothers and sisters have been forgotten, and fathers and mothers have gone broken-hearted to their graves. Who am I? I am neglect. We do not have to be against God to be in danger of the judgment. We simply have to neglect his offer of life in Jesus Christ. This is the nature of sin. And if, in effect, I say to God now, "Depart from me" is it unfair that God should one day reply "Depart from me: it is your decision, not mine." This is the essence of judgment: God gives us what we ourselves have chosen. - 1500 Illustrations
I. 2 Corinthians 5:10 “For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, that each one may receive what is due him for the things done while in the body, whether good or bad.”
J. At the Bema Seat judgment, all Christians must give an account of their life and what they did or did not do for the Lord. The believer's service to God will be reviewed and rewarded. For his lack of service or doing certain things, he will suffer loss. The Christian will be held responsible for how well they lived for Jesus. All believers must appear before this Bema Seat judgment.
IV. The Call to Judgment will be Separating
A. Matthew 24:41 “Two women will be grinding at the mill: one will be taken and the other left.”
B. Matthew 25:6-10 “And at midnight a cry was heard: ‘Behold, the bridegroom is coming; go out to meet him!’ Then all those virgins arose and trimmed their lamps. And the foolish said to the wise, ‘Give us some of your oil, for our lamps are going out.’ But the wise answered, saying, ‘No, lest there should not be enough for us and you; but go rather to those who sell, and buy for yourselves.’ And while they went to buy, the bridegroom came, and those who were ready went in with him to the wedding; and the door was shut.”
C. The Midnight cry is a call to judgment and of separation. It separates those who know the Lord from those who know Him not. It separates those who lived for the Lord from those who lived for themselves. It separates those who served from those who sat. It separates those who talked arrogantly of their faith from those who walked humbly with the Lord. It separates those who are watching and ready from those who have been lulled to sleep by the world’s lullaby.
D. John 5:24 “Most assuredly, I say to you, he who hears My word and believes in Him who sent Me has everlasting life, and shall not come into judgment, but has passed from death into life.”
E. Matthew 24:44 “Therefore you also be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect.”
F. Matthew 25:13 “Watch therefore, for you know neither the day nor the hour in which the Son of Man is coming.”
