"Do ye not know that the saints shall judge the world? and if the world shall be judged by you, are ye unworthy to judge the smallest matters? Know ye not that we shall judge angels? how much more things that pertain to this life?" 1 Cor 6:2,3"Judge not according to the appearance, but judge righteous judgement." Jn 7:24
How often of late as I have visited and shared on the New Age/New Tolerance and Pantelist(a nasty new one that cuts the cross short) forums I have been rebuked for judging their novel lifeless beliefs. Speaking of "novel it seems so many of late are looking for the newest exciting thing. Meanwhile I often find myself thrilled to discover a message written even centuries ago. What's up with that (LOL). Is this gospel story ageless? I think so. Anyway, getting back to the subject of judging the doctrines of the New Thought camps, it seems their rebukes are often accompanied with a quotation from John, "the Father judgeth no man."
I have discovered that those that share this quote are also the ones that are working hard to lessen the position of Christ Jesus and place all emphasis on the Father. Is it not surprising that they would leave off the last part of this verse they quote, which purports, "all judgement has been committed unto the Son."
I could go on and further this train of thought and show how in the realm of time and space it is the the Son within the sons that still even judges today, but I will refrain. Instead I want to share three short messages on "judgement." They are all different and I believe worth the read. The first is a personal account, the second one I believe echoes beautifully my story and the last is a message shared by Florian on a forum. Florian's quoted message by Kruger, gives a wonderful picture and consequent lesson built around Jesus' words, "For the Father judgeth no man, but hath committed all judgment unto the Son." Jn 5:22
We pray your soul is edified and the Son within you is lifted up by these messages,
Joian & Jack
The Poor Widow Lady and a Lesson Learned
I was in my early twenties and my reputation was growing as a craftsman. I was beginning to work on the nicer homes as a paperhanger and painter when I got a call to do a small job in the poorer section of my town. I had a day in between a couple of big jobs so I acquiesced. As I pulled up to this tiny weather beaten lopsided house I thought this is almost beneath "my dignity." When I entered the house I knew it was, as the place was ramshackled with old furniture and a kitchen that resembled something out of squatters camp. There was actually an old Coleman stove on a counter used for cooking. The old widow woman who lived in the house was congenial enough and I set out to work. Now, if you know anything about hanging wall paper you know a smooth surface is very important along with the architectural members being plumb. Well this room I was papering was far from either, and I cussed my way through the challenging installation of each piece. I was in more than a foul mood when I completed the job, kicking myself for taking on a chore so far beneath my talents and reputation. I only wanted to collect my wages and flee this place when I was dealt one the the greatest lessons of my life.
When this little toothless widow woman paid me, she told me how delighted she was with her new wall paper and she wanted to bless me with a little gift. She handed me an extra ten dollar bill on top of the sixty she owed me. I then drove across town to home, just weeping as my heart was rent. I saw the hardness of my prideful soul contrasted by this dear woman's generous heart. My life was truly changed from that day on.
After that job I went on contracting for thirty more years and I worked on hundreds of multi-million dollar properties. For my services I have been paid by some of the wealthiest people in the world. You know, that "ten dollar" bill given to me by that poor old widow woman is the only bonus I ever received. There is a lesson there ...... a lesson on many levels and I weep as I contemplate them tonight.
Today, I find myself poor in the material things of this world but I am truly rich in Christ. And I do so look forward to one day soon sitting down with that little widow woman at the Father's bountiful table. I shall thank her for that "ten dollar bill" that broke my heart and changed my life.
"But when thou makest a feast, call the poor, the maimed, the lame, the blind" Lk 14:13
A True Story
A lady in a faded gingham dress and her husband, dressed in a homespun threadbare suit, stepped off the train in Boston, and walked timidly without an appointment into the Harvard University President's outer office. The secretary could tell in a moment that such backwoods, country hicks had no business at Harvard and probably didn't even deserve to be in Cambridge. She frowned.
"We want to see the President," the man said softly.
"He'll be busy all day," the secretary snapped.
"We'll wait," the lady replied.
For hours, the secretary ignored them, hoping that the couple would finally become discouraged and go away.
They didn't and the secretary grew frustrated and finally decided to disturb the President, even though it was a chore she always regretted.
"Maybe if they just see you for a few minutes, they'll leave," she told him. He sighed in exasperation and nodded. Someone of his importance obviously didn't have the time to spend with them, but he detested gingham dresses and homespun suits cluttering up his outer office.
The President, stern-faced with dignity, strutted toward the couple. The lady told him, "We had a son who attended Harvard for one year. He loved Harvard. He was happy here. But about a year ago, he was accidentally killed. And my husband and I would like to erect a memorial to him, somewhere on campus."
The President wasn't touched, he was shocked. "Madam," he said gruffly. "We can't put up a statue for every person who attended Harvard and died. If we did, this place would look like a cemetery."
"Oh, no," the lady explained quickly. "We don't want to erect a statue. We thought we would like to give a building to Harvard."
The president rolled his eyes. He glanced at the gingham dress and homespun suit, then exclaimed, "A building! Do you have any earthly idea how much a building costs? We have over seven and a half million dollars in the physical plant at Harvard"
For a moment the lady was silent. The president was pleased. He could get rid of them now. And the lady turned to her husband and said quietly, "Is that all it costs to start a University? Why don't we just start our own?"
Her husband nodded.
The President's face wilted in confusion and bewilderment. And Mr. and Mrs. Leland Stanford walked away, traveling to Palo Alto, California where they established the university that bears their name, a memorial to a son that Harvard no longer cared about.
You can easily judge the character of others by how they treat those who can do nothing for them or to them.
Malcolm Forbes
Judgement
By C. Baxter Kruger
In John chapter 5, Jesus is in the thick of things with the Jewish leadership. He has just healed a man who had been sick for 38 years, which the Jewish leaders completely overlooked, because Jesus healed the man on the Sabbath, thus breaking one of their rules. As they attacked Jesus for ‘breaking the Sabbath,’ he defended his healing by appealing to the fact that he was only participating in what his Father was doing (v. 17). At this the leadership’s attack on Jesus moves from ‘persecution’ to an intense desire to ‘kill’ him, "because he not only was breaking the Sabbath, but also was calling God his own Father, making himself equal with God (v. 18). And so begins an argument, at the heart of which is an unstated question from Jesus, ‘who is really making themselves out to be equal to God here?’ In Jesus’ mind, he is only doing what he sees his Father doing, and thus living his life in submission to the Father. The Pharisees, however, have not heard the voice of the Father (v. 37), do not have His word abiding in them (v. 38), are unwilling to come to Jesus to have life (v. 40), do not have the love of God in themselves (v. 42), receive glory from one another and do not seek the glory that is from the one, true God (v. 44), and do not even believe in Moses, the one in whom they have placed their hope (v. 46). It is a classic Jesus flip. He turns the accusation of the Jews back upon themselves, with withering, and hopefully, liberating exposure of the fact that they have no interest whatever in submitting to God. So who is making themselves out to be God?
In the midst of this storm there is a fascinating sequence on judgment. First, Jesus lays down a shocker one that many people today cannot believe he actually said. For not even the Father judges any one, but He has given all judgment to the Son (v. 22). Relinquishing His own right to judgment, the Father has given all judgment to Jesus. I think this is related to v. 27: And He gave him authority to execute judgment, because he is the Son of Man. It is as if the Father is saying, ‘look, Jesus, you are in the trenches here. I trust you completely. Whatever you say goes, in heaven and on earth.’ So much for hierarchy. The implicit point to the Jewish leadership is clear. ‘Be careful, boys, I don’t think you know who you are dealing with here, but you will.’
There is a play in Jesus’ words on two of the Greek words which we translate judge or judgment. One word is krino, which means to separate, discern, consider, or evaluate or to decide. The other is krisis, from which we derive the English word crisis. Jesus is saying, the Father judges (krino) no one, but has given all judgment (krisis) into the hands of His Son. Jesus has the authority to execute crisis, because he is personally present, and his personal presence means crisis (nowhere to hide exposure) for all in darkness, including religious darkness.
Do not marvel at this, for an hour is coming in which all who are in the tombs shall hear his (Jesus’) voice, and shall come forth; those who did the good, to a resurrection of life, those who did the bad, to a resurrection of judgment (krisis) vv. 28-29. Jesus, of course, is not saying that salvation comes by works. He is saying, to the Jewish leadership, ‘the day is coming when the ones who gave themselves to participate in life will get what they wanted life, the Father himself. And the ones who opposed life and participated in darkness (did not seek the glory of the one, true God) will rise to a rude awakening, a crisis, for they will rise and meet Me again. I, the Father’s Son, the way, the truth and the life, the savior and salvation itself, will be standing on the other side of the end of all God-playing, religious nonsense.’ Jesus is the judgment.
It is appointed for men to die once, and after this comes krisis (Hebrews 9:27).
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