What The Last Day Will Reveal

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Introduction: Paul has shown that the mere possession of the law, or the mere knowledge of the law is no proof of salvation. Instead of having the law mean that a person is saved, apart from faith in Christ, the only thing that the possession and knowledge of the law will do for a person is bring him into a more severe judgment. He has removed objections by pointing out the nature of the law and the nature of man. To those who put their confidence in the law, he has reminded that the law demands not just knowledge but perfect obedience. To those who would try to defend their confidence in the law by arguing that, such a standard of judgment (as Paul is arguing) would leave God without sufficient grounds to judge Gentiles, since the Gentiles don’t have the law, he has pointed out that they DO show the WORK OF THE LAW in their lives. That is, a man’s natural knowledge of right and wrong makes him responsible before God, and no man born from Adam has ever perfectly lived up to the standard of his own knowledge of right and wrong. Through all of this he is pointing us to a great day of judgment, the day of God’s wrath and he is showing that all who have sinned will be judged there, if their own righteousness is all that they have there. Tonight, having dealt with verse 12, and the parenthetical verses, verses 13-15, I want us to see what he tells us about this judgment in verse 16. He tells us four things. There is a great day of judgment coming The secrets of men will be judged there The judgment will be by Jesus Christ This judgment is according to the gospel THE GREAT DAY OF JUDGMENT IS COMING The Bible tells us over and over again that there is a definite day coming when God will settle all accounts. A day when He will proclaim His children to be His children, and He will send from His presence into everlasting torment those who do not belong to Him. A. GOD IS JUDGING NOW In life When dead In the case of nations B. GOD WILL JUDGE THEN A final, formal, public judgment A presentation of majesty A summons Impartial None excluded Again, he looks to the end of the age in a general way. But believers await a judgment as well. NAS 2 Corinthians 5:9 Therefore also we have as our ambition, whether at home or absent, to be pleasing to Him. 10 For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, that each one may be recompensed for his deeds in the body, according to what he has done, whether good or bad. 11 Therefore knowing the fear of the Lord, we persuade men, but we are made manifest to God; and I hope that we are made manifest also in your consciences.