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Judgment at the House of God Part 2 of 3

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• So this morning, if we will go ahead and open our Bibles to 1 Peter chapter 4, we will take up where we left off last week. The name of this brief series is "Judgment at the House of God." Last week we were able to cover just a portion of one verse, and we're going to take up where we left off. There are going to be at least three messages in this brief series, "Judgment at the House of God." So let's begin reading 1 Peter chapter 4.

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• We'll read verses 17 through 19. 1 Peter 4, verse 17: "For the time has come that judgment must begin at the house of God. And if it first begin at us, what shall the end be of them that obey not the gospel of God? And if the righteous scarcely be saved, where shall the ungodly and the sinner appear? Wherefore, let them that suffer according to the will of God commit the keeping of their souls to Him in well-doing, as unto a faithful Creator."

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• Now, in just a few moments of review, you have to remember that last week I began on verse 17, and we basically covered only two points and never got past, basically, the first phrase, "for the time has come that judgment"—that's exactly where we ended. I pointed out that, number one, the seasonal aspect of justice or judgment. For he said, "the time is come." We looked at the Bible and saw how the word "time" there referred to due time, or a season of time, or a time when certain events take place. I gave you a good illustration of that from 2 Samuel 11, verse 1, when the Bible says, "And it came to pass after the year was expired, at the time that kings go forth to battle, that David tarried still at Jerusalem." The time that kings went forth to battle was in the spring when there was plenty of food for soldiers and horses and the cold and the rain had passed. So it is a seasonal time. And of course the Bible tells us that "their foot"—talking about the wicked—"shall slide in due time."

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• So there is a time for judgment. God calls it a seasonal or a due time. Often, you and I think that God is too slow. We think that God ought to move on our timetable and do things our way. But the truth of the matter is God is always on time. God is always right on the dot. And whenever He sends judgment, He sends it in a timely manner.

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• Now the general principle that I pointed out last week in asking the question, "When does God send judgment?" The general principle is when our cups are full of iniquity. For that's what He said in the book of Genesis chapter 15. He told Abram that your descendants are going down into Egypt for 400 years. Here's why: "For the cup of the iniquity of the Amorites is not yet full." So after 400 years God brought the children of Israel out.

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• He put a sword in their hand and said literally, "Kill every one of them." So God still follows this principle. However, we have to remember there are indeed special judgments that demand a quick and timely action, and likewise God sends those when they're needed.

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• Now I showed you last week that there are basically three types of judgments. There are what we know as punitive judgments. That is, God sends judgment directly for sins. I gave you examples in the Bible, for instance, like Noah's flood. God specifically said, "Their wickedness has come up before me." So that was a punitive judgment. And then, of course, there are corrective judgments, where God does correct, and sometimes these things intermingle. I pointed out, for instance, the Tower of Babel. It was not only punitive, but it was corrective in the sense that it stopped the people from doing what they were doing. I pointed out also that there's not only corrective judgments, there are preventative judgments. Sometimes God sends judgment to prevent someone from carrying out something. And a preventative judgment does not necessarily have to be punitive. It does not necessarily have to be corrective. It can just simply be preventative.

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• Like the Apostle Paul in 2 Corinthians chapter 12 when he said, "A messenger of Satan, a thorn in the flesh, was given to me lest I be exalted above measure through the abundance of revelations that were given to me." So God sent a preventative judgment or a preventative chastisement upon the Apostle Paul to prevent him from pride and exaltation. So you have these preventative judgments or chastisements as well. I dealt with that—the semantics of using "judgment" or "chastisement"—and showed how basically they're one and the same. You have to remember that judgment is a forensic term. It is indeed the sentence of a judge, and in this case it is the sentence of the Judge of all the earth, the one true and the living God. So we looked at last week, if you look in verse 17, the season—"for the time has come"—the sentence—"judgment." And that's where I pointed out the different kinds of judgment.

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• And now today we're going to take up with the third point, the source. He says, "For the time has come that judgment must begin at the house of God." Now, I'm using the word "source" to designate the beginning or the starting point. So he tells us that the starting point for judgment is going to be at the house of God. Very clearly, "For the time has come that judgment must begin at the house of God." It was a maxim in ancient times that when God was about to pour down some general judgment, He began by afflicting His own people in order to correct them and amend them, that they might be prepared for the overflowing scourge. The maxim is certainly true, and it is based upon a number of Scriptures.

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• However, it is plainly taught in 1 Corinthians 11 and verse 32. Let me just quote it. There the Apostle Paul wrote, "But when we are judged, we are chastened of the Lord, that we might not be condemned with the world."

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• Now listen to what he said. "But when we're judged, we're chastened of the Lord." And there are those two terms used interchangeably. "When we're judged, we're chastened of the Lord." Why? "That we might not be condemned with the world." So here again is a judgment that begins at the house of God, and it is corrective and preventative. And the reason being that we might not be condemned with the world. You've heard me say innumerable times that judgment is not our enemy, it is our friend. God prepares the way of judgment in order to work repentance and grace in us and prepare us for what is going to befall the world and the wicked.

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• Now such judgments may indeed be severe at times, encompassing even the deaths of the righteous and the deaths of those who simply profess to be righteous. In the time of judgment, God separates the wheat from the chaff. You will remember the parable in Matthew chapter 13. It's called the parable of the tares or the darnel. You remember the servants came in and said, "Master, did you not sow good seed in your field? How did these tares get here?"

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• And he said, "An enemy hath done this." They said, "Do you want us to go out and root them up?" He said, "No, let them both grow until the harvest." And then he said, "You gather first the tares in the bundle and burn them in the fire." How did they know what the tare was from the wheat? A tare never ever produces fruit. Only the wheat produces fruit.

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• And so here you have sometimes the wicked mixed in with the righteous. And oftentimes, God uses judgment to separate the wheat from the tares.

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• Now, if you would look in your Bibles—hold 1 Peter, but turn to Revelation chapter 2, then we're going to 2 Timothy chapter 2. But look in Revelation chapter 2 at verse 9. Because I'm simply pointing out the fact that sometimes the wicked are indeed mixed in with the righteous. Now you say, "Well, how in the world can the wicked be mixed in with the righteous?" Because not everyone that professes to be a Christian is a Christian. So if you look in Revelation chapter 2 and verse 9, when our Lord addressed the church here at Ephesus, He said this in verse 9.

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• He said, "I know thy works and tribulation and poverty, but thou art rich. And I know the blasphemy of them which say they are Jews and are not, but are of the synagogue of Satan." So here were some who professed to be associated at that time with the believers, but they were not. Likewise, if you will look in your Bibles to 2 Timothy chapter 2 and verse 19, you will see this truth made exceedingly clear. 2 Timothy 2, I'm thinking of the text. 2 Timothy 2, verse 19.

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• "Nevertheless, the foundation of God standeth sure, having this seal." Now look, "The Lord knoweth them that are His. Let everyone that nameth the name of Christ depart from iniquity." Notice, "the foundation of God standeth sure, having this seal." What is the seal? "The Lord knows those who are His." You may fool the preacher, you may fool Christians, you may fool the world, but you cannot fool God.

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• Now, I want you to turn in your Bibles to Isaiah 57 because we're talking about judgment beginning at the house of God, and I want you to understand that many times when judgment does begin at the house of God, the judgment is severe and people do die. Sometimes the godly die. Look in Isaiah 57 and verse 1. I want you to see what the Bible says. Isaiah 57 verse 1, the Bible says, "The righteous perisheth, and no man layeth it to heart. And merciful men are taken away, none considering that the righteous is taken away from the evil to come." Did you see what I just read? "The righteous perisheth." Not the wicked. But "the righteous perisheth. And no man layeth it to heart."

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• In other words, no one really considers why the righteous are perishing, or why merciful men are taken away. They do not consider, says God, that the righteous is taken away from the evil to come. So Scripture declares that it is a merciful act on the part of God to take His most blessed and righteous children away from the evil that is to come. He removes them in His grace and in His mercy so they will not see or experience the evil to come. You've got to remember this: when God sends His judgment, listen carefully, some are taken in mercy and some are taken in wrath. You must remember that the Word of God is a two-edged sword, that is, it cuts both ways, and it has the double effect of saving some and condemning others.

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• And you're going to find this in judgments, that God's judgments will always draw His true children closer to Himself, and His judgments will always drive false professors farther away from Him. Now God said that judgment must begin at the house of God. So we have to ask a question. What is meant by "the house of God"? Well, let me answer that for you, because the phrase "the house of God" is used in two distinct ways in the Old Testament and in the New Testament. Sometimes the word "house of God" refers to a real literal house like the tabernacle or the temple, or even in the New Testament what you and I would call a church building. But secondly, sometimes the phrase "house of God," both in the Old Testament and the New Testament, refers to the people of God.

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• For instance, look in your Bibles, first of all, to 1 Samuel chapter 3, and look if you would please at verse 15. 1 Samuel chapter 3, verse 15, and you remember in this passage we're talking about the tabernacle. Samuel has been given to the Lord by Hannah, his mother, and the Lord is appearing to Samuel. And the Bible says in 1 Samuel 3 and verse 15, "And Samuel lay until the morning and opened the doors of the house of the Lord. And Samuel feared to show Eli the vision." Note if you would, that Samuel opened the doors of the house of God. Well, it was the tabernacle.

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• He just pulled back the curtains like he was supposed to. But the tabernacle is there referred to as the house of the Lord. If you would turn right over to 2 Samuel chapter 12 and verse 20. 2 Samuel chapter 12 and verse 20. In this passage, David's child by Bathsheba, the first child, has died. And the Bible tells us in 2 Samuel chapter 12 and verse 20, after David had fasted and prayed that God would allow the child to live, but the child did not live—he died—the Bible says, "Then David arose from the earth and washed and anointed himself and changed his apparel and came into the house of the Lord," that is the tabernacle, "and worshiped. Then he came to his own house, and when he required, they set bread before him, and he did eat." But notice he came to the house of the Lord. He's talking about the tabernacle. Now, if you would turn right over to 1 Kings 6, you're going to see the temple is referred to as the house of the Lord.

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• 1 Kings chapter 6 and verse 37. 1 Kings chapter 6 verse 37. The Bible says, "In the fourth year was the foundation of the house of the Lord laid in the month Ziph." Note, "In the fourth year was the foundation of the house of the Lord laid." So we're talking about the building. We're talking about the temple. If you look in 1 Kings chapter 7 verse 51, 1 Kings chapter 7 and verse 51, the temple has been finished. "So was ended all the works that King Solomon made for the house of the Lord. And Solomon brought in the things that which David his father dedicated, even the silver, the gold, and the vessels did he put among the treasures of the house of the Lord." So twice here the temple is referred to as the house of the Lord. So you have a physical structure referred to as the house of the Lord in the Old Testament. Both the temple and the tabernacle. However, if you would flip back very quickly to the book of Numbers chapter 12 and look at verse 7.

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• Numbers chapter 12 verse 7. Look what God says concerning Moses. Numbers chapter 12 verse 7. Numbers 12 verse 7. He said, "My servant Moses is not so, who is faithful in all mine house." He was talking about His people. So Moses was part of the house of the Lord. And Moses was faithful in all of His house. Referring to the people. If you don't want to turn there, I can turn very quickly to the book of Hosea. Chapter 8 and verse 1. Minor prophet. Daniel, Hosea, in Hosea chapter 8 and verse 1, I want you to note what the Bible says. Hosea 8 and verse 1, God speaks to Hosea and He says, "Set the trumpet to thy mouth, he shall come as an eagle against the house of the Lord, because they"—that is the people—"have transgressed my covenant and trespassed against my law." So here, the house of the Lord does not refer to a physical structure, it refers to the people.

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• Now, when you get to the New Testament, you're going to find that this phrase is used exactly the same way. You find that the phrase "the house of the Lord" is used in Revelation 2 and 3, basically in referring to the seven churches, the letters there to the seven churches. And those seven churches were real, literal church bodies.

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• Now, and they had a structure in which they worshiped. But look in your Bibles to 1 Timothy 3 and verse 15. Here's a good illustration. 1 Timothy 3, verse 15. Look what the apostle Paul told Timothy. This is the theme of 1 Timothy. 1 Timothy 3, verse 15. Paul writes Timothy, "But if I tarry long, that thou mayest know how thou oughtest to behave thyself in the house of God, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and the ground of truth." Now, I suppose you could make an application of both ways there, but Paul wrote Timothy and said, "Look, I want you to know how to behave yourself in the house of God," which he said is the church of God. But he gives it very plainly in 1 Corinthians 11, 12, 13, and 14, how people are to act in the building, in the structure, in the house of God.

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• That's what he teaches here. That's what 1 Timothy chapter 2 is all about. He tells the proper role of the men and the proper role of the women in the house of God.

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• Now, if you would turn in your Bibles to Revelation chapter 2, I want you to see that both of these concepts are taught very clearly in Revelation chapter 2. Watch carefully, Revelation chapter 2, and let's begin reading there with verse 1. And the main verse that we're going to be emphasizing is actually verse 5. Notice if you would please, Revelation 2 verse 1. "Unto the angel of the church of Ephesus write, These things saith he that holdeth the seven stars in his right hand, who walketh in the midst of the seven golden candlesticks." And if you go back to Revelation 1, the seven stars are the preachers, the seven candlesticks are the churches. Verse 2, he says, "I know thy works and thy labor and thy patience, how thou canst not bear them which are evil."

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• "And thou hast tried them which say they are apostles and are not, and hast found them liars. And hast borne and hast patience for my name's sake, and hast labored and hast not fainted. Nevertheless," he says, "I have somewhat against thee, because thou hast left thy first love."

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• Now look what he tells the church at Ephesus. "Repent therefore from whence thou art fallen, and repent, and do thy first works, or else I will come unto thee quickly, and remove thy candlestick out of his place, except thou repent." "I'll remove thy candlestick out of his place." What were the candlesticks? Go back to Revelation 1 in verse 20. "The mystery of the seven stars which thou sawest in my right hand and the seven golden candlesticks. The seven stars are the angels or the preachers of the seven churches and the seven candlesticks which thou sawest are the seven churches."

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• Now what did he say? "Repent," he said, "or I will come unto thee quickly and remove thy candlestick out of his place." "Thy candlestick," that is the whole church body, "out of his place," that is the local assembly there. So the threat is that God will remove not just individuals, but an entire congregation.

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• Now, I want you to think about that. The threat is, God will remove not just individuals, but an entire congregation.

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• Now, the Bible tells us, using the term "house of God," to refer to God's people. In Hebrews 3 and verse 6, we read this: "But Christ, as a Son over His own house, whose house you are." So we are the house of God. I do want you to turn to 1 Corinthians chapter 3. I suppose this is the clearest teaching on this subject in the New Testament. 1 Corinthians chapter 3 and notice if you would, verses 16 and 17. 1 Corinthians chapter 3. Notice, if you would, beginning there with verse 16.

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• Look what the Apostle Paul writes. "Know ye not"—he's talking to the saints now—"Know ye not that you are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you? If any man defile the temple of God, him shall God destroy. For the temple of God is holy, which temple you are." So very clearly, the Bible here is teaching that we are the temple of God or the house of God.

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• Now, I want you to think about this. We refer to our churches as the house of God. Let me rephrase that. We refer to our church buildings as the house of God. But the real church is not the building, it's the people.

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• Now let me ask you a question. If we gathered as believers to worship the Lord tomorrow in a saloon, would the church be there? Yes. If we gather tomorrow to worship in a dance hall, would the church be there? Yes. Because we are the church.

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• Now it is true we have to meet somewhere in a building or we have to meet out in the forest. But if we met in the forest and worship God, would the forest be the house of God? Yes, it would. Because we are the people of God. Now, the building is not necessarily the church. It is just simply where the church meets. That is why in the New Testament when the Apostle Paul wrote the letters to the churches, he wrote to the church at Corinth, to the church at Rome, to the church at Thessalonica, to the church at Ephesus, because that's where the people of God were. Now, it is true, listen carefully, that the people of God gather in one locality to worship, so therefore you could have a localized judgment, just like He said to the church of Ephesus, "If you don't repent, I will remove thy candlestick out of his place."

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• In other words, I can take care of individuals, or I can take care of the whole body. Now, I want you to see the passage in the Bible that prompted me to preach this brief series from 1 Peter chapter 4. I was not reading 1 Peter chapter 4 when this truth was impressed upon my mind. I was reading where the Apostle Peter received his revelation from. His illumination. Where? Turn back in your Bibles to the book of Ezekiel chapter 9. Ezekiel chapter 9. And I want us to read at least the first seven verses.

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• You remember now that the temple was at Jerusalem. Ezekiel chapter 9, and let's begin reading there with verse 1. Watch carefully what God is doing. It is a time of judgment, okay? Ezekiel 9 verse 1, "He cried also in mine ears with a loud voice, saying, Cause them that have the charge over the city"—that is Jerusalem—"to draw near, even every man with his destroying weapon in his hand." So God has sent some destroyers, watch. "And behold, six men came from the way of the higher gate, which lieth toward the north, and every man a slaughter weapon in his hand. And one man among them was clothed with linen and with a writer's inkhorn by his side."

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• "And they went in and stood beside the brazen altar. And the glory of the God of Israel was gone up from the cherub, whereupon he was, to the threshold of the house. And he called to the man clothed with linen, which had the writer's inkhorn by his side. And the Lord said unto him, Go through the midst of the city, through the midst of Jerusalem, and set a mark upon the foreheads of the men that sigh and that cry for all the abominations that be done in the midst thereof." That is, here are men that are broken and humble because of the wickedness, the corruption, and idolatry in Jerusalem. Watch verse 5. "And to the others, he said in mine hearing, Go ye after him through the city, and smite."

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• "Let not your eyes spare, neither have ye pity. Slay utterly, old and young, both maids and little children, and women. But come not near any man upon whom is the mark, and begin at my sanctuary." Then they began at the ancient men which were before the house, and he said unto them, "Defile the house"—that is the sanctuary, the temple—"Defile the house." How will you defile it? "Defile the house," he said, "and fill the courts with the slain. Go ye forth." And they went forth and slew in the city.

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• Now what did God tell Ezekiel? "Begin at my sanctuary." "Begin at my house." Now do you see why Peter wrote, "For the time has come that judgment must begin at the house of God"? That is where it began in the Old Testament. That is where it will begin in the New Testament. It began at the sanctuary. It began at the temple. It went into the city and then it spread out from there. That is a principle. That is a maxim that is used in the Old Testament and in the New.

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• Now, look in your Bibles. Turn back to Jeremiah. Jeremiah chapter 25 and look at verse 29. Jeremiah 25 in verse 29. In fact, just put a little marker in Jeremiah because we're going to be turning back there in just a moment and show you this again. Look in Jeremiah 25 verse 29. Look what God says. "For lo, I begin to bring evil on the city which is called by my name," Jerusalem.

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• "And should you be utterly unpunished? You shall not be unpunished. For I will call for a sword upon all the inhabitants of the earth, saith the Lord." Whoa! What did I just read? God said He's calling for a sword upon all the inhabitants of the earth. And it's going to begin at Jerusalem, or at the house of God, or the temple, the city which is called by His name.

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• Now, it's important to note that judgment is real. God's judgment is real. And in that judgment, people die. Some of them are slain because of their sins. Many who profess to be Christians, but are not, shall be slain as well. You say, "What are you talking about, who profess to be Christians and are not?" Hold Jeremiah, but turn in your Bibles to Matthew chapter 7, and I want you to notice what our Lord told some people, beginning there with verse 21. Matthew 7 and verse 21. Our Lord says it very plainly. Matthew 7 verse 21, "Not everyone that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven."

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• Just because you mouth His name doesn't mean that you're saved. "But he that doeth the will of my Father who is in heaven. Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name"—that is preached—"and in thy name have cast out devils, in thy name done many wonderful works? And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you."

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• "Depart from me, ye that work iniquity." Now I want you to note, our Lord makes it exceedingly clear, there's a vast difference between professing Christ and possessing Christ. And our Lord did not tell these people, "Depart from me, I forgot you." No, no. He said, "Depart from me, I never knew you." You were never in a covenantal relationship with me. You were never intimate with me. We never, ever had a relationship at all. You may have prayed. You may have preached. You may have prophesied. You may have practiced at being a Christian. But you were not a Christian. And you will find many of those people who profess to be Christians will always put their works and their religion above Christ and His redemption.

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• That's what they were doing. "We've done this, look what we've done." Salvation does not revolve around what we have done, but what Christ has done. He is salvation. And so our Lord says, "Look, I never knew you."

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• Now you've got to understand that oftentimes during judgment, as I pointed out from Isaiah 57 verse 1, that sometimes real, genuine Christians die under judgment as well. The sword, the famine, disease, pestilence, affect saved and unsaved alike. The Bible says in the book of Deuteronomy 32 and verse 25, listen carefully, "The sword without and terror within shall destroy both the young man and the virgin, the suckling also and the man of gray hair." The sword without, terror within. If a person doesn't get killed by the sword, there's always other pestilences and other trials and tribulations that attend war and judgment. So it's terror without, or sword without, and terror within. Now, someone's going to object and they're going to say, "But wait a minute, Brother Weaver, you're saying that sometimes Christians die when God sends judgment? You don't understand. I'm a Christian. I trust Him."

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• "Why in the world should I suffer?" Well, you may be a Christian, but you must remember that you're also a sinner. And every sinner deserves judgment. Moreover, the fact is this, each of us must die, even as Christians. As a Christian, it doesn't really matter how you die, or when or where you die. For death for the child of God is nothing more than the passport into glory, into the presence of Jesus Christ. What difference is it of how we die? Death by a gunshot is just like death by a stroke or death by a heart attack. You can't be more dead, dying naturally, than dying in judgment. You're dead, you're dead. But for the child of God, death is not the ending, death is the beginning. Do you remember what God said in Amos 3 and verse 7? Let me just quote it.

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• God told His people, "You only have I known of all the families of the earth, therefore I will punish you for your iniquities." "You only have I known." There's that word "known," which means a personal intimate relationship. "You only have I known of all the persons of the earth. Therefore," says God, "I will judge you for your iniquity." That's why I can say truthfully, I whipped my children. I didn't whip Henry's children because I knew my children. They were mine. And I chastened them. That's what God is saying. "You only have I known of all the families of the earth. Therefore," says God, "I will judge you for your iniquities."

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• Now, let me point something else out because you're going to say, "But I'm a Christian. Why in the world should I suffer?" Truthfully, the sins of Christians are really worse than the sins of the unsaved. Because we sin against light. We know better. We have the revelation of God. We have the truth of God. We know the will of God. So when we sin, we have to turn our backs upon His truth.

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• Now, go back to Jeremiah 25. I want you to look again. Jeremiah 25 verse 29, look what God says. We read it earlier, I want you to read it again. Jeremiah 25 verse 29, "For lo, I begin to bring an evil on the city which is called by my name." Look, "and should you be utterly unpunished?" In other words, haven't you done something that deserves judgment as well?

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• Everyone here knows we had identical twins, still have identical twins, thankfully. But when they were young, it was very difficult to tell them apart, even for Alice and myself. They looked alike, they talked alike, they dressed alike. And one day, Leah, I believe it was, had done something and I said, "I'm going to whip you." And I got that girl and I started whipping her. And she kept saying, "But Daddy, I'm Laura. But Daddy, I'm Laura. But Daddy, I'm Laura." When I finished whipping her, I found out I was whipping the wrong one. And then I looked at her and I said, "I'm sorry, sweetheart, but I'm sure that you have done something to merit that, that I didn't know about."

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• Well, this is what God said. "I'm going to punish everybody else for their sins. You're a sinner too. Should you go utterly unpunished?" Why should we not suffer? Let's be honest. We're equally sinners. And be honest, our sins are partly responsible, not only for God's judgment upon our church, but upon our state and upon our nation. Our Lord suffered. He was the only righteous one. Why is it that we are the only people that somehow we do not deserve to suffer?

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• We have to remember something. This may come as a real shock and surprise. But suffering, according to the Word of God, is not only a ministry, it is also a gift. You say, "What?" Look in your Bibles, Philippians 1, and verse 29. I want you to see it. You'd probably never believe me anyhow without seeing it from Scripture. But look in Philippians 1 and verse 29. It cannot be stated more plainly. Philippians 1 verse 29.

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• Watch what the Bible says. Philippians 1 verse 29. "For unto you it is given in the behalf of Christ, not only to believe on Him, but also to suffer for His sake."

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• Now notice the word "given," "for unto you it is given." Someone tell me, what is faith? It's the what? Gift of God. Why do you believe? God gave you the gift of faith. Now look at verse 29 again, "For unto you it is given"—that is, it's a gift—"in behalf of Christ, not only to believe on Him, but also to suffer for Him." So suffering for Christ is a gift. God does not give that gift to everyone, just like He does not give faith to everyone. And so suffering, according to the Bible, is not only a ministry, it's not only deserved, but at times it is a gift.

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• Now, when God sends His judgment, that does not mean that every Christian is going to die. No, God in His judgment upon Jerusalem, there were those who were true worshipers of God at that time. And most of them were sent into captivity. They suffered, but they weren't killed with a sword. They didn't die. But I want you to stop and think about this. If God sent His judgment on our church, our state, our nation, and we are spared, still think of the effect that it's going to have upon us when some of our family members die, our friends die, our economy is destroyed, society is loose from its mooring, and everything is in shambles. What I'm trying to point out when God says "the time has come that judgment must begin at the house of God," God's judgment is not a Sunday school picnic whether you're a believer or even a non-believer. It is real. It is genuine. God's judgment was real for Judah. God's judgment was real for Israel. God's judgment is real for America.

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• And neither one of those was a Sunday school picnic. So the season is, it is time. The sentence is judgment. The source is, it must begin at the house of God.

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• Now, if you'll go back in your Bibles to 1 Peter chapter 4, let me give you the fourth point today, the speculation. And there is indeed speculation. When God sends His judgment, what will happen to us? How will it affect us? What will we do? What will others do? How can we help each other? How can we prepare? Well, there's also another speculation and that's given to us in verse 17 as well. He says, "For the time has come that judgment must begin at the house of God, and if it first begin at us"—here's the speculation—"what shall the end be of them that obey not the gospel of God?"

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• The question is very pertinent. If God brings such trials and tribulations and afflictions upon those who have obeyed the gospel, what in the world will be the end, the outcome, the result of those who have not obeyed the gospel? If God deals thusly with His own, how in the world will He deal with His enemies and His adversaries? If God deals severely with His people, will He not deal more severely with those that hate Him? The question is more akin to the thought that is expressed in Job 19 in verse 29.

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• Let me just quote it. There God said, "Be afraid of the sword, for wrath bringeth the punishments of the sword, that you may know that there is a judgment to come."

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• Now listen to what he said. "Be afraid of the sword." Why? "For wrath bringeth the sword, that you may know that there is a judgment to come." What is he saying? He's saying all the temporal judgments in time and in history point to one full and final and eternal judgment. Let me go a little further. The Apostle Paul said in Romans 8 in verse 32, "He that spared not His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all, how shall He not also with Him freely give us all things?" Now, the phrase I want to deal with is, "if God spared not His own Son." When sin was imputed to Jesus Christ, God did not spare Christ, even though Christ is the only begotten Son of God. If God would not spare His own Son, and if God does not spare His own people, what makes a sinner think that somehow he's going to escape the judgment of God? What makes him think that somehow he's going to get away with his sins? This is what Peter is saying.

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• "If judgment first begins with us, what will be the end of those that obey not the gospel of God?" I want you to turn to 2 Thessalonians. You can hold 1 Peter 4, but turn to 2 Thessalonians if you would. In one sense of the word, we don't have to speculate. In another sense of the word, we do. In one sense of the word, we don't have to speculate because the Bible at least gives us some idea of what's going to happen to those who obey not the gospel. If you look in 2 Thessalonians chapter 1 it is, 2 Thessalonians chapter 1 and verse 7, the Apostle Paul wrote, "And to you who are troubled, rest with us, when the Lord Jesus shall be revealed from heaven with His mighty angels in flaming fire, taking vengeance on them that know not God, and that obey not the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ."

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• "Who shall be punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord, and from the glory of His power, when He shall come to be glorified in His saints, and to be admired in all them that believe, because our testimony among you was believed in that day." Note if you would, what is going to happen? "Who shall be punished with everlasting destruction." He's going to come back in flaming fire, taking vengeance on those that know not God, and obey not the gospel of Jesus Christ.

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• On the one hand, we don't have to speculate. On the other hand, we do because we cannot conceive, we cannot think, we cannot imagine the righteous vengeance and wrath of God upon the wicked. I can assure you, believing the Bible in its entirety still will not give us a proper perspective of the horror and the anguish and the suffering of those who fail to repent and come to Jesus Christ. This is one particular truth I do not wish to discover by personal experience, I can assure you. I'd rather speculate. I don't want to know. One last thought today, and I'll make some applications.

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• If you look in verse 18 of 1 Peter chapter 4, we have the situation. You see in verse 17, the season, the sentence, the source, the speculation. If you look at verse 18, the situation, He says, "And if the righteous scarcely be saved, where shall the ungodly and the sinner appear?" I want you to think about that. "If the righteous"—what?—"scarcely be saved? Where shall the ungodly and the sinner appear?"

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• Now, I want you to go back in your Bibles first of all to Matthew 7, and then we're going to Acts 14. Let me show you why the Apostle Peter said, "if the righteous scarcely be saved." Look in Matthew chapter 7, beginning there with verse 13. Matthew chapter 7 and verse 13. Look what our Lord says. "Enter ye at the strait gate, for wide is the gate, and broad is the way that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat. Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it." So the road to destruction is exceedingly broad, and many go in thereat. The way to life is exceedingly narrow. And it said, "few go in thereat." Now if you look in Acts 14 and verse 22, Paul is writing those who were converted under his ministry. So he's writing the saints of God. He's writing individuals who are genuinely saved, genuinely converted. And he says in Acts 14 in verse 22, watch carefully, "Confirming the souls of the disciples and exhorting them to continue in the faith, and that we must through much tribulation enter into the kingdom of God."

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• Through what kind of tribulation? Much. Much. Much.

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• Now what did Peter write? "If the righteous scarcely be saved, where shall the ungodly and the sinner appear?"

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• Now, in one sense, the situation is actually an affirmation of the speculation, but it's a little bit more than that. One author wrote this concerning verse 18: "No wonder that the apostle speaks of the righteous being saved with difficulty. Yes, the obstacles are many and immense, and there is no good thing in them that is in all that is naturally theirs, even while saints. What weakness and what exposure we experience. Who then can be saved, asked the disciples, when they heard of the special difficulty for the rich, who as they thought had such an advantage over all the others."

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• "But Jesus looking upon them with his unfailing love replied, 'With men this is'—that is salvation—'is impossible. But not with God,' thanks be to his holy name. 'With God all things are possible.' Salvation is of God, as is the gospel which proclaims it to everyone, poor and rich, who believe. But all the more appalling is the lot of those who not only violate his law, but scorn or neglect his gospel."

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• "Where then shall the impious and the sinful appear?" Now notice what he said, "if the righteous scarcely be saved." What is going to be the end or the outcome of the ungodly and the unrighteous? Do you realize that this verse was practically literally fulfilled in the destruction of Jerusalem in 70 AD? When the Roman armies under Titus came to destroy Jerusalem, they brought with them the full power and authority of the Roman Empire. Do you realize it was the Christians who barely escaped.

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• They heeded the words of our Lord when He had told them, "When you see these signs, then flee ye to the mountains." They barely got out. The historian Josephus says that no Christians perished in the destruction of Jerusalem. But over a million Jews and Pharisees and hypocrites and Sadducees who did not believe the gospel perished. Josephus goes on to say that 97,000 more were captured and enslaved. He put the figure at 1,100,000 who were slain. Can you imagine?

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• Over a million people being slain and not one Christian among them. The other Christians barely got out. They scarcely got out. Let me tell you something, folks. I've thought about this. If you look back at 1 Peter 4 and verse 18, He said, "If the righteous scarcely be saved." You know what I've said to my wife? I've said it a hundred times and I'm sure my parents said this concerning me, but when you look at your children and your grandchildren—I'm not leaving them out—when you look at your children and your grandchildren and other people's children and grandchildren at the stupid, imbecilic things that they do, you say,

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• "It's a wonder any of them ever lived to be adults." You understand what I'm saying. I did some things. When you're young, you think you're going to live forever. You think you're indestructible. And you take chances and you do things that's absolutely ridiculous. But let me take that and apply it to the children of God. It is a wonder that any of us ever persevere in the faith.

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• You consider our own inclinations, our own proclivities, the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, the pride of life, the drawing of the world. It's a wonder only by God's sovereign immutable grace that any of us ever persevere. If God did not give us persevering grace, if He did not preserve us and enable us to persevere, none of us would ever be saved. I am so thankful for that passage in the book of Philippians said, "Being confident in this very thing that he who hath begun a good work in you will perform it unto the day of Jesus Christ." If He didn't perform it, I got news for you folks, it would not be done if it depended upon us. And that's why Peter says, "If the righteous scarcely be saved, what in the world are the ungodly and the sinner going to do when they appear before a righteous, holy God?"

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• Let me make some applications. The first one is this. A warning that should be very obvious is clearly implied and expressed in verse 18. Albert Barnes said it like this, and he rightly observed. He said, "And if it first begin at us, what shall the end of them that obey not the gospel be?" And he goes verse 18 as well. He says, "If God brings such trials upon us who have obeyed his gospel, what have we not reason to suppose He will bring upon those who are yet in their sins? And if we are selected first as the objects of this visitation, if there is that in us which requires such method of dealing, what are we to suppose will occur in the end with those who make no pretensions to religion but are yet living in open transgression? The sentiment is that if God deals thus strictly with His people, if there is that in them which makes the visitation of his judgments proper on them, there is a certainty that they who are not as people, but who live in iniquity will in the end be overwhelmed with the tokens of his

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• severe wrath. Their punishment hereafter will be certain and who can tell what the measure of its severity will be. Every wicked man, when he sees the trials which God brings upon his own people, should tremble under the apprehension of the deeper calamity which will hereafter come upon himself." But you know how most ungodly interpret the trials of God's people? They say, "Boy, I'm thankful I'm not a Christian."

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• "Look what he's going through." And they never stop to think. If God deals thusly with His own, what will He do with the wicked? The second application is something that we must think about, and I tell you, it makes me tremble when I think about it, and yet it is true. We should also learn that in the best of God's servants, in the best of God's people, those in His own household, we have so much amiss and so much wrong in us that it's absolutely necessary for God to chasten us and judge us at times.

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• Has it ever dawned on you? I know it's dawned on me, it's happened to me. Here you are praying, asking God for help and blessing and deliverance and all of a sudden a most wicked, vile, ungodly thought will come into your mind. And sometimes it's the very thing that you're praying against. And you have to say, "Oh God, my flesh hates you. My flesh loves sin. God, help me. God, please deliver me." There's enough sin in our prayers to condemn us to hell. There's enough sin in everything to destroy us.

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• My prayer is, "Lord, I sure don't want to be chastened. I want to be such an obedient child. I want to listen. I want to hear. I want to obey." I know what it was like when my father took the switch to me. And I sure don't want my heavenly Father to have to take the switch to me. I want to listen and obey, but I have to confess. I have to acknowledge. God has been so gracious and so kind to me and given me what I don't deserve.

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• Had I got what I deserved, I would not be here. How we should praise Him for His marvelous, marvelous grace. And we have to remember this, absolutely nothing happens to a child of God by accident. There are no incidents, no accidents in a world that is ruled by God, only His providence. The third application is this, we must also remember that whatever our tests, whatever our trials, whatever our afflictions, whatever our chastisement, whatever our judgments, as children of God, we know they will soon pass away. Like that old black preacher that said his favorite passage in the Bible, the favorite phrase was this, "And it came to pass." He said it didn't come to stay, it came to pass. Thank God, our trials, our tests, our judgments, our chastenings come to pass.

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• We may sorrow for a little while, but the Scripture tells us joy cometh in the morning. Psalm 13 verse 5 says this, "For as anger endureth but for a moment, in His favor is life, weeping may endure for a night, but joy cometh in the morning." I want to show you one last passage in closing. I want you to turn to 2 Corinthians chapter 4. 2 Corinthians chapter 4.

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• I know that some of us go through deep trials. I understand that. Heartbreaking, heart-rendering trials. I understand that. But I want you to notice what the Apostle Paul—by the way, none of us have ever suffered like the Apostle Paul. We've never been beaten with 39 stripes three times. We've never been a night and day in the deep, floating around in the ocean somewhere out there. We've never been in prison and beaten and stoned and left for dead. We've never been through all those things. We've had our trials, yes. But I want you to see what the Apostle Paul said concerning his far greater trials. Look in 2 Corinthians chapter 4 and notice verse 17.

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• He said, "For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, worketh for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory. While we look not at the things which are seen, but the things which are not seen. For the things which are seen are temporal, but the things which are not seen are eternal." What did he say? He said, when you compare eternity to time, you have to come to the conclusion that all of our afflictions are exceedingly light. I got whipped one time by my father that I thoroughly enjoyed. You say, "What?" Oh, yes.

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• We often had to get up at two o'clock in the morning and go to work in the barn until daylight. Then we went to work in the fields and work till dark. And in summertime, does it get dark from nine o'clock? My father had come in and awakened me and said, "Come on out and let's go to work." Well, I say he awakened me. He said I answered him, but I never did wake up.

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• Next thing I know, my mother is shaking me and telling me, "You better get out of bed. Your dad's coming with a switch." Well, I jumped up, pull my blue jeans on and was running out the door to go to the barn to go to work. And there Dad was on the porch with a switch. He caught me. He hit me one time with that switch and I hollered and then he hit again and I didn't holler and he hit again. I didn't holler. He didn't hit again. I didn't holler. He didn't know what was wrong. I didn't know what was wrong. And he finally looked down, and the first time he hit me, the switch broke off and was sticking out about an inch or two from his hand.

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• And he said, "Boy, you surely are blessed. Get out that bar and go to work." That was the only whipping I ever got that I enjoyed. Got whipped one time, and then the switch broke. I'm just simply saying, folks, when you look at eternity, that's a light affliction. That's a light affliction. Everything we face is exceedingly light. And we've got to remember, it came to pass. It didn't come to stay. And we can rejoice in Him and thank Him that He does everything for our good and for His glory. Let's pray.

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• Father, we are so thankful in the name of Jesus Christ for Your love and mercy and grace. Oh Lord, we know that judgment must come. The season is here, that is for sure. The sentence is indeed judgment, and Lord, it will begin at the house of God. And if it begin at us, what in the world will be the outcome of the sinner and the ungodly? And Lord, we're so thankful and acknowledge if it were not for You, Lord, none of us would ever persevere. If You did not preserve us, if You did not give us perseverance and grace and repentance and faith, Lord, we would never, ever be faithful unto Thee. So, Lord, in our salvation in the beginning, in the middle, and in the end, You receive all the honor and all the glory, for salvation is of the Lord. And we thank Thee and worship Thee in the name of Jesus Christ, our Lord. Amen. Amen.

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deepseek | deepseek-v4-pro | clean_readable_transcript | 2026-06-06T02:26:02Z