230: Stephen Hill - Exhortation: Confidence In The Day Of Judgement

Automatically transcribed. Accuracy is good but not perfect, and words are sometimes wrong. Trust the audio over the text.

1. 0:13

   Welcome to Good Burger selfie and talks. I’m Levi and I’m Chris and I’m Brian, thank you for joining us this week. On this podcast, we select one taco week to help us get the Bible in our daily news feed. We post a new episode of the start of each week with a short intro before. Hand to kind of set the stage for the talk. You’re about to listen to and now let’s talk more about this week’s talk.

2. 0:51

   Welcome to the good christadelphians talks podcast. This is Bill O’Brien. This week’s talk is an excitation by Brother Steven Hill. That was given at the Adelaide. Ecclesia last March. The excitation is called confidence in the day of judgment and it’s about how we can overcome any fears or doubts that we may have about how we may be judged.

3. 1:15

   Or that feeling like we haven’t done enough when we feel like we are close to the end of our Lives, I found the message to carry a little bit of extra weight because he is an older brother. Lamenting about others that he knows that are in this stage of their life expressing fear and doubt about how they’ll be received by our Lord deriving from a workspace mindset. I found it to be a sobering reminder that this fear can be the most crippling.

4. 1:50

   When we’re aware that our days are numbered. But his message is all about the assurance that we are meant to hold dear. That as I says, clearly in Romans 8 verses 1 to 2, there is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. The law of the spirit of life has set you free in Christ Jesus setting, you free from the law of sin and death.

5. 2:21

   Is that how you feel? Do you feel free? Can you pray when you come to meeting? Do you feel free? Brother, Stephen makes the point very well that we are told to be confident in Christ and that this conference is not a self confidence in ourselves, but it is built day by day. Now, in our prayer life, That we should be honest with ourselves, so that when we are before our lord, it’s not a feeling of here.

6. 2:53

   I don’t know you and you don’t know me, but that we should be able to speak freely about how we feel if we are taking the opportunity to do so, now building that relationship with our prayers, Brother, Stephen has a lot of good references and I just found the whole talk to be incredibly comforting and one that I was listening to over and over and over again.

7. 3:21

   So as always, we hope this strengthens your faith and brightens your day brother, Stephen Hill, confidence, and the day of judgment. Good morning, my dear brothers and sisters and by D young people, My theme for this morning is taken from a reading. And it is confidence in the day of judgement. And I suspect for some of you at least that’s sounds a bit impossible.

8. 3:58

   It sounds as if it’s going to be a breeze. That when we appear before our Lord, it’ll just be more or less in you go. That such is the confidence that appears that we should have as we read in our reading.

9. 4:23

   But let’s step back from that for a moment. We’ll come to that shortly. Life. Is a mixture. It’s a real mixture of happy times and sad times. We use the Expression ups and downs. And even some young ones have already experienced that reality, but we all specially. Those are a bit older know how true that is.

10. 5:00

    But there is one thing that makes me particularly sad. And that is to hear that someone who is facing death. He’s scared. Is afraid.

11. 5:18

    And I know that’s happened on many occasions. I first experienced that way back in 1978. When I say relatively young least, I thought I was and there was an old brother in our Ecclesia who was and facing death and did soon after. And the reason why some might feel that would perhaps vary from Individual to individual,

12. 5:52

    But in try to still grapple with that, that difficult issue. I thought well perhaps it’s because they felt that they should be doing more. That in there perhaps in their upbringing, there was a great emphasis on doing good works and that they felt they hadn’t done enough. Or perhaps like the man with the one Talent, he thought the Christ was going to be harsh in his judgment.

13. 6:28

    Severe austere. Or maybe as I’ve heard it mentioned, the argument is that? Well, there’s only going to be a few saved. And therefore, I’m not going to be one of the few. Am I? Whatever the reason that might happen and it tends to happen. I think mostly with elderly people, but I haven’t have witnessed it in people in middle age, too.

14. 7:01

    It’s incongruous with the reading, we’ve just read. And it’s a real challenge reading that chat World. In fact, the whole of first of John is extremely challenging because it’s so simple to read but absolutely powerful. It’s the language is. It’s this or nothing. There’s no gray in this letter of John. It’s absolutely black and white. And that’s a bit confronting because I think we feel Gray. We know we’re not perfect.

15. 7:38

    And we know we’re not a mass murderer, so we’re in the middle somewhere, where Gray? But Jon knows, nothing of Gray. You’re either black or wise? And I just like to read a couple of sentences from Brother Melva perkis in his book on the first Epistle of John. If you haven’t read it in that might interest you, I strongly recommend it.

16. 8:07

    He says, in time past great emphasis was placed on fear. It was almost used as a go to drive men to obedience, sadly in a medians to a system rather than loyalty to God. Except in primitive societies, those days have all but gone. Yet they have left. A lurking dread in the minds of some Add red, which is kept Alive by some passage of scripture taken from its true context.

17. 8:48

    And I think that is part of the issue. So let’s have a look at first, John four and particularly Verse 18, the first quote on the young people’s list to look at today. And we’ll look at the previous verse in a moment. But let’s just go read Verse 18 as it is. First, John 4:18, there is no fear in love, but perfect.

18. 9:16

    Love casts out fear because fear involves torment. So that is a very bold statement. As I said it’s there’s no qualifications in there, there’s no year but maybe your it’s bit of this and a bit of that. It’s absolute. And that should in fact be the main point that we get out of this letter because as I said, it’s all like that. And only with that appreciation.

19. 9:50

    Are we going to come to grips with this issue? That the previous verse mentions it on look at in a moment where it says we should have confidence in the day of judgement? But that’s not that verse 18 is not the only place where we’re told that we should not live in fear, for example, Hebrews to 15.

20. 10:13

    It says that Jesus came and died to release those who through fear of death were all their lifetime subject to bondage. Or in Romans 8:15, you did not receive the spirit of bondage again to fear. Or in second Timothy 1:7. God has not given us a spirit of fear And how many times did Jesus say? Well, an angels say in the gospel record but you’re not afraid.

21. 10:47

    Be not Afraid. Well, they were afraid which is why they were told not to be. When confronted by an Angel. Or witnessing an extraordinary Miracle by the Lord people were stunned and Roberto re real back and were afraid of this awesome power. And then the words come time and again, be not afraid. And So that obviously follows from verse 17, love has been perfected Among Us.

22. 11:30

    You remember in verse 18? It talked about that. Perfect. Love casts out. Fear. Perfect, love well, verse, 17 said love has been perfected Among Us in this That we may have boldness or confidence in the day of judgment because as he is. So, are we in this world? Boldness doesn’t sound right even confidence.

23. 11:59

    Doesn’t really quite sound, right? Does it. So what is John saying? Well, literally the word that’s been translated as either bold, or so, confidence means free speech. Unreserved speech, the absence of fear.

24. 12:23

    So it’s telling us that when we meet our Lord, We should be if you like relaxed. I don’t mean totally relaxed, of course, but in the sense that we are not afraid to say something to say how we feel, We’re not reserved, we’re not holding back. How is that possible? Well, if it was just the one verse in the Bible you might kind of feel. He could get around this but go back to chapter 2 verse 28. Now, little children abide in him that when he appears, we may have confidence and not be ashamed before him at his coming.

25. 13:08

    So Jonah said this twice, there’s no possible way of misunderstanding that. It is really important, then that we understand how it is possible for us to appear before our Lord with confidence. Well, I think the explanation is in the same letter so now have a look at chapter 3 and verse 21.

26. 13:41

    Beloved. If our heart does not condemn us, we have confidence toward God. Same word. and in that context, it is clear that it’s a relationship with God now, That our relationship with the father and the son, now is one of confidence. And again, in 5:14, it appears again. Now, this is the confidence that we have in him that if we ask anything according to his will he hears us.

27. 14:20

    And so again twice the Apostle tells us that we need to have must have confidence in our relationship with God now and it’s fairly obvious, I think, if you think about it, if we do have confidence with him now, We will be able to have confidence with him when he comes. Why would it be any different?

28. 14:49

    Any Fair confidence now is based on the fact that we have been entirely open with our Lord in prayer now. then when he physically appears, there’s no difference. We’ve told him everything, he knows everything. Now. And so, it will be no different when he appears. and so today is the time for confidence in a sense more than in the day of judgment that will follow reasonably logically and inevitably, if we have confidence with him now and particularly so, in our prayer, Again, this is not unique to the Epistle of John.

29. 15:44

    In Ephesians 3, 12. It says, in whom we have boldness, it’s the same word and access with confidence through faith in him, talking about prayer, obviously, or in Hebrews 4:16 again on prayer, let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find Grace to help in time of need. So you see this repetition of the thought now is the time particularly in prayer to have that confidence in our relationship with the father and the son, so that when the Sun appears, we will still be in that same frame of mind. in Chapter 2 and verse 1 of this letter of first, a John, the Apostle describes our Lord in a very unique way My little children, these things I write to you so that you may not sin. And if anyone sins, we have an advocate With the father, Jesus Christ, the righteous.

30. 16:57

    We have an advocate. He’s on our side. The Judgment isn’t a human us. It’s not like that. He is our Advocate. He’s on our side. If you like to use modern legal analogy, it’s your defense lawyer when you appear in court, he’s on your side. And if you’ve been honest with your defense, lawyer told him the whole story, his job is to present your story in the best possible light. That’s exactly what our Lord’s doing every single day. But of course, if we are less than honest with him, that might not follow.

31. 17:50

    Because although he knows anyway, the key to, this is being honest with our Lord. Now, There’s a verse which is one of my favorites in Luke 12:32, which is it is your father’s, good. Pleasure to give you the kingdom. And many of us, here are parents, and we were had very small children.

32. 18:19

    We recall those occasions when perhaps we’ve got them, their first bike and it’s a huge thing for the child. But as a parent, you probably felt at least as much, maybe even more excited that you were able to do this to give him such enjoyment. It’s the father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom. It’s not a question of well, I’m not sure if I will, or won’t. Let’s see.

33. 18:53

    It’s, he wants to give us the kingdom. And that’s entirely consistent with the idea of confidence that we’ve been talking about. Let’s come to another passage of scripture and this one is in 2nd, Timothy chapter 4, it’s the second on the list for the young people. 2nd of Timothy chapter 4. And particularly verses 7 and 8.

34. 19:26

    I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. Finally, there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge will give to me on that day. And not to me only but also to all who have loved his appearing. As pretty obvious, you cannot love his appearing and be afraid at the same time.

35. 19:56

    You can’t be scared of the Lord and love his appearing. They just don’t go together. So the apostles really stretched re-emphasizing, very strongly, isn’t he? That same idea of confidence if you like loving his appearing?

36. 20:16

    Many many many years ago in fact in 1868 at the age of 29 brother. Robert Roberts wrote about this thought. That we should be looking forward. Eagerly and excitedly to the coming of the law because to use his term, he’s the best friend we can have And that’s absolutely right, isn’t it? What more reliable, supportive helpful friend, could you ever have? And that again adds to this sense of confidence in the day of judgement.

37. 21:03

    Just one of the thought though. This is not self confidence. When I appear before the Lord, It’s not confidence in myself. It’s confidence in him. That he will do what he said. As we’ve been reading. That the father’s work in him will be achieved, it will be his pleasure to give us the kingdom and so on and so on. But then perhaps we still find it a little challenging to actually think about this day, the day of judgment. What is the Lord going to be looking for? How is that?

38. 21:55

    I don’t like the word particularly, but assessment going to be carried out. I don’t actually see it as an assessment in the sense of a day-by-day rehearsal of our lives in any way. But what is it that he’s looking for? Well surprisingly in a way there are not many verses in the Bible that give us a direct statement as to what will happen at the day of judgement.

39. 22:26

    Hence you get a lot of speculation which is not helpful very often but let’s just think of a few passages about what kinds of things we know. Let the father and the son I looking for in us. One backing, Jeremiah 9 verse 24 says, but let him who glories glory in this. In other words, have confidence that he understands and knows me. That I am the Lord exercising loving-kindness judgment and righteousness in the Earth.

40. 23:09

    For in these, I Delight says the Lord. In other words, if we are practicing the same kinds of characteristics now, Which are the same as God’s himself, then he will Delight in US. And therefore we have confidence because we know he will Delight in US, exercising loving-kindness. The well-known parable of the last days that Jesus gave. Whoever gives you a cup of water to drink in my name because you belong to Christ assuredly, I say to you. He will by no means lose his reward. So the couple of things there that I think are really significant, it’s as simple as giving someone a drink of water. Something refreshing something to help them in their life. In my name that is we do it because we know this is what God’s looking for.

41. 24:20

    And then, we can say, or know, for sure, we will not lose our reward, Lose It. It means you’ve already got it. You can’t lose something. You don’t have.

42. 24:35

    So what we’re being told there and many, many other scriptures, we already have very clear evidence of how much God loves us. We read it in our reading today. And we will not lose it if we maintain this attitude to others even perhaps the most pointed one is in Romans 14 verse 10.

43. 25:04

    Why do you judge your brother for? We shall all stand before the Judgment seat of Christ. So clearly they’re the key point is how have you treated your brother? That is going to be the real issue. Not in the sense of an inquisition. But a simple position where you can appear before the Lord, knowing that you have treated your brother. In fact, all people in the right way. it doesn’t necessarily Advance you or your cause it may, in fact, sometimes be detrimental to you, but you maintain this approach to one another and as a reading this morning, says he who loves God must love his brother also.

44. 25:57

    So all of this is telling us that the issue is our treatment of others. That’s not a big deal. That’s not something complicated. It’s not something that requires that, you know, the Bible backwards It’s simply saying that we have learned of God and we have learned of his son and therefore we want to be like them. Just as often little children, want to be like their parent. You know, if dad’s a mechanic then it’s very often the case that the little son wants to learn how to do things like that doesn’t mean you’ll finish up being a mechanic himself, but that’s what happens.

45. 26:44

    Or, for example, young girls will doodle and draw pictures of Bridesmaids. That they’ve got this concept of one day. I’m going to be like mum. I’m going to be a wife and a mother. So there’s that sense of naturally in US wanting to mimic those who we admire and love, and that’s how it should be with our Lord. we won’t read it now but it back in first of John in chapter 5, Twice verses 11 and 13.

46. 27:22

    The Apostle says we have eternal life. Now, that can be a bit confronting, if you’ve got a fixed view, that eternal life means the same thing as immortality. Well, first of all, if it does, Why didn’t it say so? Words aren’t used in discriminately in scripture, there’s a reason for them. And as we’ll see in a moment, in several of these keywords that I’m going to go through, in a moment, they can have more than one application and the words eternal life clearly can apply now. It’s the life.

47. 28:06

    We live in the Eternal in the, in the father and the son who are eternal This new life that we have. Or in Ephesians chapters 1 & 2. The Apostle there talks about the fact that we are. Now in the heavenlies, we’re not in physical Heaven. If you like, we’re not up there in the Stars somewhere. We know if we’re down here on Earth very much. But the apostles telling us that because we are in Christ, we have been elevated to a high status as the children of God. We are in that sense in the heavenlies. Also in Ephesians 1, the Apostle is mentioned, many times. We are now already redeemed and there. He explains that by saying it’s the same as having your sins forgiven.

48. 29:06

    We’ve been redeemed or similar idea to being rescued or Rants and from captivity we’ve been saved out of something into something much better. We’ve been redeemed, these are things that have already happened.

49. 29:27

    Let’s now, look at one of the next one. In my list of those kinds of present Privileges and blessings. It’s in Romans chapter 5.

50. 29:45

    And in a moment, we’ll look at verse 10, which is number three on the list for the young people. But before that, let’s look at verse 9, Romans 5, verse 9, much more. Then having now been justified by his blood, we shall be saved from wrath through him again. His, another thing we already have, we have been Justified.

51. 30:11

    It’s the same word, translated righteous. The word righteous sometimes can be a bit challenging. It sounds almost like we’re saying we’re perfect, but that isn’t what it means, it doesn’t mean that at all or not. We don’t have time to go off on a tangent like in a Bible class here but the Apostle is clearly telling us, it’s something that’s already happened so far, let’s just take them off one.

52. 30:42

    We have eternal life. To, we’re in the heavenlies 3. We’ve been redeemed for we have been Justified. Now, there’s three more to come. Five in the next verse verse 10. For if, when we were enemies, we were reconciled to God. Through the death of his son. Much more having been reconciled. We shall be saved by his life.

53. 31:13

    So we’ve been reconciled. We were to use. Paul’s graphic language, we were enemies, we were in no relationship with God at all. And suddenly that’s been brought together. We’ve been reconciled, there is no longer, any enmity between us and the father and son.

54. 31:42

    So that’s number five. We’ve been reconciled. And of course all of these happened the day we were baptized And while we’re in this part of scripture, let’s just come over to chapter 8. And verse to his number 6.

55. 32:07

    Well, I read verse 1 as well. There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus, who do not walk according to the flesh. But, according to the spirit verse 24, the law of the spirit of life in Christ, Jesus has made me free. From the law of sin and death free. Is that how you feel?

56. 32:38

    Do you come here on a Sunday morning? As we do too and as will do shortly to focus on the wonderful things that have been done for us and represented in the bread of line and does that make you feel free? Does it remind you that you were freed from the law of sin and death when you were baptized Or somehow have you got the idea?

57. 33:06

    That life’s live before our God is a struggle. That we have no sense of of assurance. That we are approaching the end of our life or the coming of the Lord with a certain amount of dread.

58. 33:26

    Well, that’s not what I read in the Bible. I don’t know how that might have happened in your mind, but I know it has done for some. But if possible is in this chapter 8 is an extraordinary and a wonderful chapter. He’s saying we have already been freed now, you and I know that doesn’t mean we won’t and do sin.

59. 33:55

    What we’ve been freed from the law of sin and death. It’s similar to the idea of being in bondage, being a Slave. Which chapter 6 talks a lot about we were born slaves to sin. But when we were baptized, we were bought with a great price, the life of the son of God.

60. 34:27

    And bought by a new master. And we are now to use that same term slaves to God. And he’s not the same as the hard Taskmaster that we had before.

61. 34:44

    And coming to number seven, and the last one. It’s also in chapter 8, here is a number 4 on the list for the young people verse 24. For we were saved in this hope. But hope that is seen is not hope for what has one still like 40 sees. Let’s take that first part of the verse and the King James kind of blurs this a bit.

62. 35:16

    But many other translations I think are more helpful. We were saved. There was a time years ago when people like Billy Graham from America was on a campaign, had one of the biggest audiences ever in Adelaide. Incidentally, back in the 1950s. Where it was all about. I you saved come up to the front and repent and you’re saved and our community wasn’t comfortable with that.

63. 35:52

    Because we so got locked into thinking that salvation was only about immortality. And it’s not only about immortality as we’ve seen with this term eternal life, or with the word Redemption that we’ve looked at here. The words saved, they are clearly used in more than one way, that one kind of salvation. We just read in verse two that we’ve been brought out of the bondage of sin and death set free and here use the same kind of idea the apostles saying we were saved in this hope and that’s built on chapter six which is all about baptism. That’s when it happened.

64. 36:44

    We were set free from that bondage, saved from it. But it’s not the only time at that idea occurs just one other in Titus 3:5. The Apostle says, according to his Mercy, he saved us through the washing of regeneration. The clear application to baptism.

65. 37:11

    So my brothers and sisters, I’ve just gone through seven areas where we’re told very plainly. These are the good things that God has already given us. And so look at verse 32, he who did not spare his own son. But delivered him up for us all and just pause there. That’s what we’ve been talking about. Really Through.

66. 37:44

    The sacrifice of the Son of God, we have been granted eternal life in being in the heavenlies redeemed. Justified reconciled set free and saved from sin. God has already given us that. And the Apostle here is saying if he’s done that if he’s didn’t spare his own son but delivered him up for us all. How shall he not with him also?

67. 38:13

    Really give us all things. All things. And our word immortality covers that. Absolutely. He’s already given us this. Why would he not? Also, give us the rest and that’s what Paul saying he will. And so we come here this morning, not with any sense of being in morning. Being sad. Sure. They may be events in your life that make you sad.

68. 38:50

    We’re not talking about that. We’re talking about a relationship with the father and son. and when the Lord instituted this, supper, What did he do with the Bread and Wine? He gave thanks for him. There are one hand. That sounds a bit strange. I think, because he’s going to die in a moment.

69. 39:15

    A horrible death and he’s saying thank you. Well, he’s not saying thank you for the pain. I’m going to enjoy of course. But he is so thankful that finally God’s Redemptive work is coming two weeks, absolute Pinnacle and that he’s part of that. He is thankful and so we give thanks to we give.

70. 39:45

    Thanks because of all those things that we’ve been talking about We’re so grateful. Surely that were able to come here and to think about what has already been done for us and therefore what is yet to come We come here to rejoice. Not to feel sad. So today as on every occasion that we do this, we come to a celebration, we come to a point of being uplifted and reassured. and maintain our confidence in him knowing that we have no confidence in our own abilities and it’s all too evident in our lives as we would all confess Shirley We have a loving father. And he loved us before we were even born. and we accepted that at our baptism, So, brothers and sisters. I hope all of us can maintain that level of confidence that level of loving the appearing of the Lord, and never approach the end of our life.

71. 41:06

    For the coming of the Lord, in any sense with fear. Thank you. Thank you for listening to the good christadelphians talks podcast. We hope this talk helped you in your walk. If you would like to hear more, please subscribe for new episodes and leave a review and apple podcast or whatever service you are using to help more people find the show when they search for it. If you enjoyed this particular talk, please share it with someone who you think might enjoy it as well for shown. Notes on the talk, you just listened to visit our show page at anchor dot f, m / G, CT, or check the show notes section of your podcast player.

72. 41:59

    Please share your thoughts on the talk from this week on our Facebook or Instagram Pages where we are at good christadelphians, talks on Twitter where we are at GCT underscore podcast or leave a comment on our YouTube channel where these talks are posted as well. If, you know of a great talk, we want to know about it.

73. 42:16

    To send a suggestion to our email at good christadelphians talks at gmail.com or message us on any of our social media accounts. Thank you for listening. God, bless and talk to you next week.