The Ongoing Consequences for the Wicked - Psalm 1:5

Therefore the wicked will not stand in the judgment, nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous

Sorry for the break since last week...your comments are so encouraging. THANK YOU!

Let's dig back in. Bible Study 101 teaches that if you see a "therefore" be sure and ask what it is "there for".

The "therefore" of verse 5 ties right back to "the wind driving the chaff". Therefore could also be stated, "just as surely as the winds blow the chaff in the direction of the wind's choosing, how much more does God send the wicked away after judgement."

The "ungodly shall not stand" is a figurative way of saying - when they are called to give an account of their lives they will have nothing on which to stand.

When and where shall they not stand? At the judgement.

Judgement means there is a judge, a standard for knowing if the person has kept or broken the law and there is a sentence.

Who is the Judge and what is the extent of His power?

John 5:22 - 29 "The Father judges no one, but has given all judgment to the Son, that all may honor the Son, just as they honor the Father. Whoever does not honor the Son does not honor the Father who sent him. Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life. He does not come into judgment, but has passed from death to life. “Truly, truly, I say to you, an hour is coming, and is now here, when the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God, and those who hear will live. For as the Father has life in himself, so he has granted the Son also to have life in himself. And he has given him authority to execute judgment, because he is the Son of Man. Do not marvel at this, for an hour is coming when all who are in the tombs will hear his voice and come out, those who have done good to the resurrection of life, and those who have done evil to the resurrection of judgment."

When is this judgement?

• Hebrews 9: 27 "It is appointed unto man once to die and after this comes judgement."
• "Then I saw a great white throne and him who was seated on it. From his presence earth and sky fled away, and no place was found for them. And I saw the dead, great and small, standing before the throne, and books were opened. Then another book was opened, which is the book of life. And the dead were judged by what was written in the books, according to what they had done." Revelation 20: 11 - 12

What will be judged?

• "For God will bring every deed into judgment, with every secret thing, whether good or evil." Ecclesiastes 12:14
• "I tell you, on the day of judgment people will give account for every careless word they speak, for by your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned.” Matthew 12:36 - 37
• "But because of your hard and impenitent heart you are storing up wrath for yourself on the day of wrath when God's righteous judgment will be revealed." Romans 2:5

Who will face this judgement?

"For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each one may receive what is due for what he has done in the body, whether good or evil. " II Corinthians 5:10

How will believers be judged?

I Corinthians 3: 10 - 15 "According to the grace of God given to me, like a skilled master builder I laid a foundation, and someone else is building upon it. Let each one take care how he builds upon it. For no one can lay a foundation other than that which is laid, which is Jesus Christ. Now if anyone builds on the foundation with gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, straw— each one's work will become manifest, for the Day will disclose it, because it will be revealed by fire, and the fire will test what sort of work each one has done. If the work that anyone has built on the foundation survives, he will receive a reward. If anyone's work is burned up, he will suffer loss, though he himself will be saved, but only as through fire."

Is it possible to face the judgement without fear?

"By this we know that we abide in him and he in us, because he has given us of his Spirit. And we have seen and testify that the Father has sent his Son to be the Savior of the world. Whoever confesses that Jesus is the Son of God, God abides in him, and he in God. So we have come to know and to believe the love that God has for us. God is love, and whoever abides in love abides in God, and God abides in him. By this is love perfected with us, so that we may have confidence for the day of judgment, because as he is so also are we in this world. There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear. For fear has to do with punishment, and whoever fears has not been perfected in love. I John 4:13 - 18

Some have accused God of being capricious in His judgements. Nothing could be further from the truth! Our Holy God has been abundantly clear (from the foundation of the world) about what pleases Him and has been equally clear about the consequences for sin. It is humanity who has sought to redraw the lines, redefine and categories and reframe the real issues at play. Sin has always and only had one consequence - death. All sin - any sin - ultimate consequence death. The reason we are confused is because we want to redefine sin to suit our liscentiousness. We want a scale for sinfulness and invariably our sin is never at the tipping point. We have the extaordinary ability to make our sin look incredibly gray while other folks must live in stark black or white.

God's standard has never moved! Holiness has always been and will always be God's measure of our lives.

Oh but the problem precious ones is that Holiness is the very thing we lack. Lack doesn't even cut it. We are absolutely unholy and cannot make or will ourselves to be holy. Holiness comes by birth not by will power. Holiness is not the little engine that could. Jesus will have none of the "pull myself up by my own boot straps" religion. His command is simple - come and die that my life might be given to you.

Jesus said, "“Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God. That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. Do not marvel that I said to you, ‘You must be born again.’ The wind blows where it wishes, and you hear its sound, but you do not know where it comes from or where it goes. So it is with everyone who is born of the Spirit.” John 3:5 - 8

The verse ends by saying that there are two different congregations. The first congregation is the assembly of the rigtheous. Those who have been declared to be holy by the Sovereign and Gracious Decree of our Holy God. The second congregation are those who have continued in their willfulness, rebellion and idolatry. The Psalm calls them sinners...those whose hearts have culitvated self-worship and who are under the wrath of God and face ultimate destruction.