Are You Ready For it?

"If any of you has a legal dispute against another, do you dare go to court before the unrighteous, and not before the saints? ² Or don’t you know that the saints will judge the world? And if the world is judged by you, are you unworthy to judge the smallest cases? ³ Don’t you know that we will judge angels—not to mention ordinary matters? ⁴ So if you have cases pertaining to this life, do you select those who have no standing in the church to judge? ⁵ I say this to your shame! Can it be that there is not one wise person among you who is able to arbitrate between his brothers? ⁶ Instead, believer goes to court against believer, and that before unbelievers! ⁷ Therefore, to have legal disputes against one another is already a moral failure for you. Why not rather put up with injustice? Why not rather be cheated? ⁸ Instead, you act unjustly and cheat—and you do this to believers! ⁹ Don’t you know that the unrighteous will not inherit God’s kingdom? Do not be deceived: No sexually immoral people, idolaters, adulterers, or anyone practicing homosexuality, ¹⁰ no thieves, greedy people, drunkards, verbally abusive people, or swindlers will inherit God’s kingdom. ¹¹ And some of you used to be like this. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God."
I Corinthians 6:1-11 

Good Morning Beloved,

Welcome to Worship!
We're so glad you're here! 

When Paul wrote this letter to the church at Corinth, it was having a number of problems. And, as we have already studied, that’s actually an understatement. One of the problems was Christians fighting and feuding and fussing with one another, and it got so bad they were actually taking one another to court! Now, I believe that is absolutely disgraceful, disrespectful! It always is disgraceful when Christians cannot get along with one another. Is this really the behavior that is suitable for best representing Jesus Christ to an unbelieving world? Is this the purpose for which we have been redeemed? I believe the only answer, is no!

I have no doubt, that the world looks upon those "believers," who are in that situation and laughs saying to themselves, "And that’s why I don’t go to church!" Then, they go back to the bar or similar environment, where everyone seems to accept and love each other. 

Let's Bow Our Heads In Prayer.

Heavenly Father,

Thank You Father, for You Word for us today, speak to the hearts of every hearer, and if there’s anything in our lives that’s just not as it ought to be, anxiety, some problems, pain, a sense of lostness, who have been disobedient, Lord, we pray this may be a day of confession and renewed obedience. We pray that You will draw us nearer to Yourself. For those who’ve never confessed Christ, who’ve never asked Jesus Christ to take over their life, to be their Lord and Savior, we pray that this might be that day.

Lord, we pray that those who are never invited someone to join us, that today, they will feel the urgency to invite someone. And we pray that if they join us, that they will return.
All for Your glory and increase in the Kingdom.
We pray this in Christs' name
Amen

Open with me your Bibles to the book of I Corinthians chapter 6. In our continuing study of Paul epistle to the Corinthian church, we've come to the beginning of chapter 6, verses 1 through 11.
Allow me to read to you from our text, I Corinthians 6:1-11.

"If any of you has a legal dispute against another, do you dare go to court before the unrighteous, and not before the saints? Or don’t you know that the saints will judge the world? And if the world is judged by you, are you unworthy to judge the smallest cases?  Don’t you know that we will judge angels—not to mention ordinary matters? So if you have cases pertaining to this life, do you select those who have no standing in the church to judge? I say this to your shame! Can it be that there is not one wise person among you who is able to arbitrate between his brothers? Instead, believer goes to court against believer, and that before unbelievers! Therefore, to have legal disputes against one another is already a moral failure for you. Why not rather put up with injustice? Why not rather be cheated? Instead, you act unjustly and cheat—and you do this to believers! Don’t you know that the unrighteous will not inherit God’s kingdom? Do not be deceived: No sexually immoral people, idolaters, adulterers, or anyone practicing homosexuality,  no thieves, greedy people, drunkards, verbally abusive people, or swindlers will inherit God’s kingdom. And some of you used to be like this. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God."

Paul is rebuking them, and challenging them to find some Godly people to help them settle their disputes in Christian love. In doing so, Paul makes an interesting statement in verse 3…judging angels. I know many people, Christians alike, really didn't think the Bible gets into practical things, things that are applicable to life today, things like suing other people, but it does, and it actually has quite a lot to say about it. In fact, as we have been studying, we've discovered Paul deals with problems of their divergence of human philosophies resulting in their inability to get along with one another, problems such as incest, a man having a sexual relationship with his father’s wife, problems of pagan worship, problems of drunkenness.

I'd like to note here, the word judge does not mean "condemn" in the verse. Here it means "to distinguish or decide." For example, a wife may ask her husband to take a look at some wallpaper samples for the bathroom and help her judge which is best for them.

This is not about the unholy demonic angels, they have already had their judgment pronounced and their future is already written. But during the Millennium, we will rule and reign over the heavenly angels. We will be in our resurrected glorified bodies which the Bible says will be better than the angels.

In rank and position we will be higher than the angels. That’s amazing, isn’t it?! From being lost, sinful, alienated humans who rejected God to being higher than these angels which have remained loyal! It’s the precious blood of Jesus that makes the difference! We have been redeemed at a higher price than was ever paid for any angel. And God’s amazing grace will again be demonstrated to us in our elevation to another height we are most unworthy of attaining!
In your job you may feel like you answer to everyone else. But there’s coming a day when you will be over angels!

In Hebrews 1:4, it says, "So He became higher in rank than the angels, just as the name He inherited is superior to theirs"

Genesis 1:1, tell us God's established government, "In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth." Ours is a God of order and organization. Whether you look thru a microscope or a telescope, it’s evident! And He created not only the heaven and the earth, but set up a government of beings.

And in Colossians 1:16 we're told, "For everything was created by Him, in heaven and on earth,
the visible and the invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities— all things have been created through Him and for Him."

There’s the ranks and levels of the angelic host which make up God’s government.
Satan’s rebels against God’s government! Isaiah 14:13-14 teaches, "You said to yourself: “I will ascend to the heavens; I will set up my throne above the stars of God. I will sit on the mount of the gods’ assembly, in the remotest parts of the North. I will ascend above the highest clouds; I will make myself like the Most High."

This was evidently an actual physical location in heaven where angels met and were called into accountability. Lucifer attempted a hostile takeover of God’s government.
As a result, we see in Ezekiel 28:18, that Satan began to promote his plan among the angelic host.

"You profaned your sanctuaries by the magnitude of your iniquities in your dishonest trade. So I made fire come from within you, and it consumed you. I reduced you to ashes on the ground in the sight of everyone watching you."

Beloved, Satan was the original recruiter. And it’s a proven fact that those who rebel are never satisfied with rebelling alone, they MUST take others with them to help validate their wicked cause.
That’s why the Bible says in Exodus 23:2, "You must not follow a crowd in wrongdoing. Do not testify in a lawsuit and go along with a crowd to pervert justice. 3 Do not show favoritism to a poor person in his lawsuit."

Proverbs 4:14 "Don’t set foot on the path of the wicked; don’t proceed in the way of evil ones."

And in Proverbs 1:10, "My son, if sinners entice you, don’t be persuaded."

So, we know from Revelation 12:4, one third of the angels followed Satan in his rebellion.
"His tail swept away a third of the stars in heaven and hurled them to the earth. And the dragon stood in front of the woman who was about to give birth, so that when she did give birth he might devour her child."

Hell wasn’t originally created for people. Humans in Hell will be intruders, they were not meant to be there, but many insist. Most people now follow the devil to that place of judgment, however, I say we should do all we can just as Jesus did all He could in order to keep it a private party for those wicked, rebellious creatures. Well, it’s too late for multitudes, but not for many more today!

Matthew 25:41 says, "Then He will also say to those on the left, ‘Depart from Me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the Devil and his angels!"

Man is lost in sin and rebellion. This is why we Christians must discipline our children. For when our kids rebel they are acting just like Satan and starting on the highway to hell, following him there!
Kids need to learn submission, and they learn to submit to God by learning to submit to their parents and others in authority.

Finally, God denies Satan access to heaven… Luke 10:18 teaches us, "He said to them, “I watched Satan fall from heaven like a lightning flash."

"but he could not prevail, and there was no place for them in heaven any longer" Revelation 12:8 

Wait! Hold on: Some of you might be wondering, "That's fine, but what does any of this have to do with me judging angels?" Well, we’re building line upon line, precept upon precept here, because we’re going somewhere now!

The great war going on in the air, in another realm, is all about who will sit on the throne of the universe and who will be in charge. Satan today is the god of this world. That’s how he could offer it to Jesus in Matthew 4. But God has chosen to offer us a way out, that we might not follow the god of this world to hell!

Today, there is heaven under the leadership of God and the holy angels, and then there is earth, under Satan and his angels. Someday there will be a "New Government", new heaven and a new earth, and God’s government will be in charge then in the millennium.

We're told in Revelation 21:1-2, "Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and the sea no longer existed. I also saw the Holy City, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared like a bride adorned for her husband." 

During the tribulation, we learn from Revelation 12:7-8, the great war will culminate in a terrible battle. "Then war broke out in heaven: Michael and his angels fought against the dragon. The dragon and his angels also fought, but he could not prevail, and there was no place for them in heaven any longer."

Once and for all the air will be cleared…the invisible spirit world will be purged of every demonic spirit, only to be confined to the bottomless pit. That will leave this world w/out a ruling structure, under the Lord Jesus in the millennium. Guess what! Believers [members of the body of Christ] will fill these heavenly positions of rank and authority!! Heavenly angels have always been on the earth, but Satan was the prince of the power of the air until this day, and now the holy angels will do their job in the kingdom, and God allows us, the church, to have place over them in His kingdom!

However, some Christians have a very distorted view of what heaven will be. They have the misconception that's it as some beach resort, some great vacation getaway being pampered and coddled forevermore. Well, I suggest you listen up! Do you have any idea of what we’re really gonna do in heaven for eternity? We're going to serve God, we'll have responsibilities.

Ephesians 1:22-23 says, "And He put everything under His feet and appointed Him as head over everything for the church, which is His body, the fullness of the One who fills all things in every way."

In Closing...

We’re gonna serve God! We're not going to be served, so if that's your plan, you might want consider a much different idea! Adam worked before sin entered the world. We will not be loafing around, being fanned, with piña coladas being served throughout eternity. We are going to serve God. We are going to worship God. So let’s get used to serving God now, after all, that’s how it’s gonna be forever! God didn’t save us only to keep us out of Hell…He has an eternal destiny for each of us that will bring Him glory!

We may not know many details of how we will give angels orders, but we know that we will, and that our positions of authority in Christ’s kingdom will be based upon our faithfulness and service to Him now, so let’s be busy serving, praising, and glorifying Him as we will for all eternity!
Are you ready for it?

And now may the Lord bless you and keep you;

the Lord make His face shine upon you,
And be gracious to you;

The Lord lift up His countenance upon you,
And give you peace.

Now and forever, in Jesus' name
Amen

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