Live Like You'll Live Forever | Free From Fear of Judgment (Hebrews 9:24-28)

Have you ever experienced that uncomfortable feeling that others are watching you, trying to find something to criticize? We don’t want others judging us. It is bad enough listening to the voice inside our own head, whispering that we aren’t worthy. How do we overcome the fear of judgment? It begins by realizing that there is only one person whose opinion ultimately matters—the Judge. Everyone is
going to live forever in one of two very different places. Where you spend eternity
depends on a judgment that Jesus will render. This week we see why his judgment need not trigger any sort of anxiety. Judgment day is something we can joyfully anticipate. We can live free from the fear of judgment.

Transcript

In college, a fine arts course introduced me to Hans Memling’s “The Last Judgment.” It’s a very detailed and graphic depiction of Judgment Day, and as much as I would’ve rather focused on the left side with believers entering heaven, I couldn’t help but look at the right side of Jesus’ throne (his left), to look deeply at a place our culture has largely shunned from our language, a four-letter, forever-fear: hell. I remember looking at the torment of the scene, wrestling with exposed and “nowhere to hide” fear of judgment, even knowing Jesus’ blood covers my sin. Have you ever found yourself in that place? Sometimes fearing that day when you will stand before our holy God? Will he really say, “Not guilty?” Will I hear my God say, “Welcome home!” You know who’s behind those fears, right? Satan really is the demagogue of doubt, isn’t he? He loves to forecast fear of judgment into our minds. Why do you think we as people often resonate with such fear?

Why in our culture, as in every culture, do we get so nervous about being judged? Ironically, we love watching others get judged. The existence of the Food Network, America’s Got Talent, and Judge Judy prove it so, but when it’s our turn to face the judge, we cower and hide. Why? Because of a God-given gift: the conscience. It makes me think of Hamlet in Act Three of Shakespeare’s play when he says, “Thus conscience does make cowards of us all.” So how do we combat our cowardice? By making our own standards. We ease our fear by comparing ourselves to other sinful humans like us, hoping it will soothe the guilt and shame surrounding us. We do so because you what’s really scary? To compare yourself to holiness, perfection. Have you ever noticed people's reactions in the Bible when they encounter God? Whether it’s Adam and Eve after the fall, Moses, Isaiah, and Zechariah, to name a few. What was their instinctive response to God’s presence? Fear! Hiding! Why? Because sin and holiness can’t be in the same room. Judgment must be had. This element of judgment is not unique to Christianity. You look at all the world’s major religions stretching across the ages, you see a dim reflection of the biblical truth. There is always a scale, a verdict, a final say, a judgment. Even in secularism, where people try to eliminate any form of divine judgment, a new judgment takes it place: The judgment of our peers, a space where you will never measure up, nor ever meet every expectation.

So how do we so often sinfully cope with our fear of judgment? By changing the measurement so we can feel “okay.” But have you ever thought about how terrifying life would be if it was up to us to judge whether or not we have been good enough? It means the standard for salvation, for security, would constantly change. If the judgment of our legacy or identity is based on the shifting emotions and arguments of human beings, how could you ever feel okay? If there is no universal standard of judgment, uncertainty, doubt, and fear will hound you. And you do you where such entrapment can lead? To cope by distraction, or judging others. But when we are courageous enough to face God’s holy law, to witness the depths of our sin, it’s terrifying. Christian in the classic story Pilgrim’s Progress, says it well, “He has awakened my conscience to see how vile a sinner I am, and the everlasting flames that are prepared for me.” How can we be fear from that fear of judgment that bears down on all of us? The answer? It’s all about blood.


What do I mean? How can such sin be paid for? How can we have a verdict of innocence? What is the answer to the question: If you die tonight, what happens next? The answer that gives you certain hope comes across as strange to us: Blood. For sin to be atoned for, a judgment must be made, blood must be spilled. Again, interestingly enough, you see a dim reflection of this in false religions outside of Christianity. It’s in the Bali blood sacrifice of Hinduism, in many indigenous religions, in Islam, in ancient Greek mythology, and even in ancient Aztec religion. There is an understanding that blood must be spilled for innocence to happen. Now maybe you’re wondering how this connects with our fear of judgment. 

The first Christians who heard this letter we call “Hebrews” wondered that too. This book was written primarily for Jewish Christians who were struggling through intense societal judgment for their faith. Christianity was an outlawed religion in the Roman Empire, and there was a strong pull to return to their former religion of Judaism. Judaism was a Roman-sanctioned religion, no persecution, no fear of societal judgment or so the Tempter lied. That’s what makes the book of Hebrews so powerful because it intends to answer that fear, showing how Jesus fulfilled every prophecy and promise by shedding his perfectly innocent blood.

Did you notice the painting the author gives us here in chapter nine, it’s a painting of judgment, but this one has a tent in it: The Tabernacle, where God’s people worshiped for centuries. And as they did so there was one day that stood out the most, Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement. This was the only day of the year that the high priest could enter the holy of holies, to sprinkle blood on the ark of covenant, and that’s just the beginning of the blood spilled. Hundreds if not thousands of animals were sacrificed, blood dripping everywhere. If you were squeamish about blood you had to hold it together, blood everywhere, the smell of it was inescapable, the ground ran red, and why was this so? God wanted to show that for sin to be paid for, to be declared not guilty, meant blood, and all this was a picture, a foreshadowing of the ultimate sacrifice, not of millions of lambs, but one perfect Lamb.

This Lamb was also our perfect High Priest, the mediator between us and the Father, who gave himself as the sacrifice. It’s why we sing “Lamb of God’ before communion, as Christians have done for over a millennium, to remind ourselves of the perfect blood spilled to free us from slavery to the unholy trio of Satan, sin, and death. And this sacrifice was “once for all” Hebrews says. When Jesus shouted in triumph, “It is finished!” He was right! He has done away with sin! The only perfect blood ever shed would satisfy God’s just wrath. Look at what the Bible says, “But he has appeared once for all at the culmination of the ages to do away with sin by the sacrifice of himself. Just as people are destined to die once, and after that to face judgment, so Christ was sacrificed once to take away the sins of many; and he will appear a second time, not to bear sin, but to bring salvation to those who are waiting for him.” By his sacrifice, Jesus has banished our fear of judgment! By faith, you know through the cross what your verdict will be on that final day! Isn’t the gospel, God’s grace, breathtaking?

But if you’re like me, do you find yourself in that dark place of doubt, the question hits you, “What if Jesus’ sacrifice isn’t truly “once for all?” That space where you know in theory that he died for all your sins, and yet you still have those specific sins you struggle to forgive yourself for. You wonder, “Do I have enough faith?” Will I stand innocent?” You need not ask those questions, dear Christian. It’s not the quantity of your faith that saves! It’s the object of your faith who saves. And what has your Jesus said to you, “I’ve paid it all! Yes, even that one!” And there Satan comes around again, convincing us not to examine ourselves, not to acknowledge those sins, convincing us it’s better to hide them or drown in them, rather than face them. The thought appears what if I face God’s throne of judgment and at the last minute he says, “Go away from me?” What if I see his face and the sacrifice isn’t complete?

There’s only one place for you to go dear child of God, to your own Day of Atonement, on that hill outside the city. To see your High Priest, your Jesus there. The sight of his blood is aversive, but don’t turn your face away. Stare into that blood-stained wood, because you’ll know what you’ll find engraved therein? Your sin. Yes, that sin, the one Satan loads guilt on you for, yes the one you despair of, yes that sin, is nailed to that cross. It’s not stuck to you anymore. It’s not even on Jesus anymore because he has banished it as far as the east is from the west. His blood is your most precious sight, because it’s where your life of freedom is found. My friend Mark Paustian says it so well, “The blood of Jesus...isn’t just an answer to judgment; it’s the beginning of every hope and every good thing, a foundation for every promise we cling to. Nothing speaks more profoundly to our need, nor satisfies it more completely.” That there on that cross, Jesus endured the judgment we should’ve received, so now you need not fear what he, your Priest, your Sacrifice, and yes your Judge will say. You have no room for fear anymore.
What if the answer to every fear is knowing how deeply we’re loved? What if Jesus’ voice, saying ‘Peace,’ is all it takes to quiet our fears of being found out, of not being enough, of every flaw? Friends, it’s all true just as he told you. His sacrifice once for all is complete. Leave the guiltrips behind, stop shaming yourself, yes examine your hearts, see your sin, but see that it is no longer clinging to you dear Christian, but Jesus has taken care of all that. Trust him. He will never fail you.

And now by his grace, what is before you? A life beyond fear! A life free from fear of judgment! Isn’t that something that seems too good to be true? But through Jesus it most certainly is! Think about the fearlessness you’ve been given! Not just to not let other people’s opinions affect your value and worth, but that we KNOW God’s opinion, his verdict for us through Jesus. The certainty that when he sees you one day, whether it’s tonight or when we see him in the skies, you know what he’s going to say. “Well done, good and faithful servant.” And when you know your eternal verdict, think about the freedom that is yours!

When we live boldly through Jesus and people ask you, “Who do you think you are!” You can say, “I know who I am, a baptized, redeemed child of God.” No opinion can rip that away from you. And do you know what that grace empowers you to do? Confess and forgive. Think about your home life, how hard it can be to admit fault even to the people nearest you. Think about in our church family, if you are struggling with a sin that feels beyond forgiveness, shouldn’t this be the community where you can confess such things to each other? With your closest friends, isn’t it hard to share the sin you’re wrestling with? Here’s another neat facet of God’s grace. When we are set free from fear of judgment, we can not only boldly confess our sins, but lovingly forgive one another. To remind our children, our parents, our friends, our family in Christ, yes that sin Jesus’ blood has washed it away. How amazing that our God puts such keys into our hands, one to lovingly call out and confess sin with the goal of opening the door anew to the joy we have in Jesus. Think of how unique the Christian life is! We don’t run and hide in fear, we boldly run to our Father in heaven with no doubt in the world that he’ll catch us.

And doesn’t the end of our conversation today take us right back to where we started? Standing before God’s holy throne, except this time, you aren’t looking down, or trying to hide, but you look up and catch the intentional eyes of your God, unable to contain his joy to see you. There is no hesitation. No listing off of your crimes. Just two words: “Welcome home.” But this joy is not just for you in the future, it’s yours now, friends. When you walk out your door in the morning, driving kids to school, heading off to work, getting together with friends, look up into those clouds, smile at the thought “I’ll get to see Jesus one day, maybe even today!” We shake with wonder at the thought, “I’ll get to see the face of my God, to enter the most holy place, made holy in the blood of our Jesus.” What can anyone say about you that can rob you of your joy? Faultless you stand before the throne, and no opinion can say otherwise. Amen.