COLERAINE EVANGELICAL CHURCH

SERMON NOTES FROM SUNDAY 15 FEBRUARY 2026 pm – MR GARETH McINTYRE

READING: REVELATION 20 VERSES 11 TO 15

THE FINAL COURTROOM

 

I wonder can you picture the scene here this evening where we've read as the apostle John writes under the inspiration of God. Imagine walking into a courtroom and it's a courtroom like something you have never seen before. In this courtroom, you will not find any solicitors in this courtroom. You will not find any barristers. No witnesses will be called. No cross examination will be necessary in this courtroom. There will be no need for a jury because the verdict is not to be debated. as you lift your eyes to the back of this courtroom, there will be no clock hanging on the wall because by this stage, time has well and truly run out. At the front, you'll see a throne. And it's not just any throne. Verse 11 tells us this throne is a great white throne. Great speaks of its power and its authority. White speaks of its purity. Its purity is blinding and its authority is absolute. The only one, the one in the throne, the judge, he he doesn't sit and shuffle through the pages like a an elderly man in frustration trying to piece together all the information. No, this judge is a perfect judge. This judge knows already the truth in every single detail. The judge here is the Lord Jesus Christ. He's the King of Kings and the Lord of Lords. The word of God says he's the judge of all the earth. We're told here in this passage that the books were opened, every word ever spoken in secret, every motive behind every behaviour, every lustful look, every act that you've maybe forgotten, every thought you've maybe hoped that God had forgotten will be placed before your eyes. In verse 12 it says another book is opened and it's the book of life. No arguments are made. No appeals are filed. No postponements are granted. And the question is not were you religious? The question is not were you better than your neighbour. It's not were you baptized or did you attend church regularly? But rather it's is your name written in the lamb's book of life. Friend, understand this is not a trial to determine guilt. This is a judgment that reveals truth. In verse 15, it says, "And whoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire." This is one of the mot solemn, sobering, and serious passages in all scripture. This judgment is for every unsaved soul who from all history down through the ages has lived their life without Christ and died without Jesus Christ. This is the final sentencing of the lost. It's God's final dealings with the unrepentant sinner. It's for those who have rejected or simply just neglected God's offer of salvation. And friend, tonight, listen. They will be raised to stand before the judge of all the earth and the very bodies in which they sinned. What a solemn and frightening experience it will be for those who are found at the great white throne judgment. You know, many terrible things, many frightening things have occurred throughout this world and maybe even in this land over many years. You can maybe think of something that you've witnessed personally, something you've read about, something you've watched on television. You could maybe think of the 9/11 terrorist attacks that morning in lower Manhattan, New York. It was a morning that I'm sure none of us will ever forget when those men, motivated by pure evil, hijacked those planes and flew them into the Twin Tower World Trade Centres. Google tells us that 2,977 people that day lost their lives and many more were injured. Think about it. 2,977 souls launched out into God's great eternity in an instant. It was scenes of utter horror and scenes of disbelief. The city was filled with smoke, the noise of screaming, the deafening sound of police and fire engines sirens. Many helplessly had to watch on as terrified people jumped out of the windows of that 110 storey building trying to escape the flames that surrounded them. But friend, whenever you consider this scene that we've read this evening in Revelation chapter 20, this is something like none of us have ever seen before. This is the day when the unrepentant sinner meets God. But they'll meet him not as their Saviour. They'll meet him as their judge. You know, many in this world tonight, and I'm sure you've met them, are happy to talk about little baby Jesus. They're happy to hear about his birth at Christmas. They're happy to listen about his love and his compassion. They're happy to sing along gentle Jesus making and mild. But don't mention judgment. Don't mention accountability because that makes us feel uncomfortable. Listen tonight, we must face the reality. We must understand that not only is a God of love and a God of compassion, but he is a God of wrath and a God of mercy, a God of wrath and a God of judgment. Revelation 6 and verse 15 and 16 tells us about this day of wrath. It says, "And the kings of the earth and the great men and the rich men and the chief captains and the mighty men and every bond man, every free man hid himself in the dens and in the rocks of the mountains and said to the mountains and the rocks fall on us and hide us from the face of him that sitteth on the throne and from the wrath of the lamb." That's Jesus Christ. For the great day of his wrath has come, and who shall be able to stand? Matthew Henry wrote these words, "Those who will not deliver themselves into the hand of God's mercy cannot be delivered out of the hand of God's judgment." When we hear about judgment, we often think of fear. But Revelation 20 doesn't just warn us, it points us to hope. Yes, the books are opened. Yes, people are judged. But there's another book here and it's the book of life. And the good news in the gospel that tells us how your name personally can be written in that book. The Lord Jesus himself said in John 10 verse 10, I have come that you might have life. Jesus can set you free and he can forgive you of all of your sin. Romans 8 verse 1 said, "There is now therefore no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus." And friend tonight, it doesn't matter who you are listening online or on this in this building. It doesn't matter where you're from. Doesn't matter what you've done. The blood of Jesus Christ, God's son, can cleanse you of all of your sin. Yes, one day the saved person will have to stand before the beam of the judgment seat of Christ and they will be rewarded for their works. But here in Revelation 20, it's when God judges sin and every one saved soul will stand before God at the great white throne and they will receive not a reward but they will receive their wages. The Bible tells us clearly what those wages are in in Romans 6 and 23 it says for the wages of sin is death. You might say this evening, why should I believe the Bible? How do I know that this is all true? Listen, people have spent their entire lives trying to disprove and discredit this holy inspired book. And every one of them has went to their grave unsuccessful. And one day they will stand before the God that they refuse to love. Friends, tonight listening online or in this meeting, it's time to listen. This book proves itself and the clock is ticking.

 

Let's look at these verses together and see firstly a final call that is inescapable. John writes here, I saw, you see, he was in the isle of Patmos. We're told he was in a cave or on a hillside and he records this vision as the God of heaven pulls back the curtain and allows him to see the eternal damnation of the wicked. After World War II, a membership role was discovered in Germany with the names of 8 million people who belong to the Nazi party. To have one's name written on the authentic pages had been a source of satisfaction. But whenever the war ended, everything changed. The Nazis fled in all directions. But for many, there was no hiding place. They were extradited from their countries, taken back to Nuremberg, and sentenced for their crimes. You see, they were called to judgment. You see, we're not kept in the dark. The God of heaven has given us sufficient warnings many times in his word. We're told of sure and coming judgment. Hebrews 9 verse 27 reminds us and it is appointed onto men once to die, but after this the judgment. You see, at this throne, there is no miscarriage of justice. There won't be a debate over guilt or innocence. The court will not be adjourned to a more convenient time. There will be a prosecutor but no defence. There will be an accuser but no advocate. And there will be no loophole or contamination of evidence. The verdict will be guilty with eternal punishment in a prison where there is no escape. And every day of your life, Satan wants to impress on your mind his greatest lie. And it's this. There is no final call. There is no day of judgment. There is no day of accounting. Just live however you like. Die like a dog and just go to the ground. He's been telling that lie from the very beginning. He told that lie in the Garden of Eden. Remember what he said to Eve in the book of Genesis when he tried to convince her to eat the forbidden fruit. He says, "Thou shalt not surely die. Thou shalt not surely die." Satan is a liar and he's a deceiver. Satan was really saying, "Do what you like, Eve. There is no consequences. There is no judgment to come. And whenever Adam and Eve ate that fruit and disobeyed God, we're told they heard the voice of the Lord in the garden saying those heart piercing words, "Where art thou? Where art thou?" This was God's first words to sinful man. And they had to stand naked and ashamed in their sin with nowhere to hide. And I wonder this evening, is that how you live your life? Do you live for the here and now? No thought of God, living like nothing really matters, no fear of judgment, no expectation or eternal consequences, no day of reckoning. You see, there's coming a day when history will stop and eternity starts and the sinner will be judged. That's why this gospel is not optional. This gospel is urgent. You know, if someone wronged you or wronged your family, and in doing so, they broke the law of the land. It's part of our makeup. It's part of our inward heart to desire that justice would be served. Yet with God, some expect that somehow God can just overlook and brush over sin, turn a blind eye, and not execute justice. No. The Bible tells us that after death comes judgment. There is a final call that is inescapable. And that voice that spoke to Adam and Eve in the garden will one day summons every unsaved soul to stand at this great white throne in judgment. There is no hiding place. There is no escape. Look at verse 13. It says, "And the sea gave up the dead which were in it. and death and hell delivered up the dead which were in them. And they were judged, every man according to their works. Think of the scene here. Think of the pain and the agony and the torment of mind. Standing at that throne, looking at the judge, seeing those hands that was pierced because of your sin, seeing that that brow that was scarred with the crown of thorns. Every memory of your life will at that moment come flooding back. Every gospel privilege you have been graciously afforded will be brought to your remembrance. You'll remember that Sunday school teacher who taught you faithfully and prayed for your soul. You'll remember that godly grandmother and godly grandfather that wept for you. You'll remember that godly mother and father and whoever's in your family that saved. You'll remember those times when the spirit of God challenged you over and over again, but you didn't respond. And now it's too late. You left for time and no thought of eternity. And now you stand before God with no hiding place. I wonder this evening what it is you're hiding behind. Are you hiding behind money? Is it your social status? Is it your popularity? Your respectability in the town in which you live? Is it some form of religion? Are you hiding behind some empty profession that you made as a child and it never materialized? You see, at this great white throne, all those things will be gone. That's why the Lord said, "What shall it profit a man if he gains the whole world and loses his own soul there at the great white throne? You'll not be standing in the crowd. You'll not be standing with a community. You'll not be standing with your companions. You'll be standing on your own. Verse 12 says, "I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God." Who's the small and great, you might ask? Well, that means every kind of person in this world, wherever you want to place yourself tonight. Upper class, middle class, lower class, whatever. That means from the prison to the palace. It means from the prostitute to the politician. It means from the poor to the plentiful. John saw the dead, small and great, stand before God. You know someone that will be there. Judas will be there. You remember him. He sold the Savior for a measly 30 pieces of silver. It was just the price of a slave. You see, the love of money ruled his heart. And whenever that money failed to satisfy his inward desires, he realized that he had betrayed innocent blood. And the Bible tells us that he threw down the money and he ran out into the night and he committed suicide. Yes, he died with regret. But he died without repentance. And one day Judas will stand at the great white throne judgment. You know who else will be there? Pilate will be there. You'll remember him. He was the one who asked life's greatest question. What will I do with Jesus which is called Christ? Pilate faced the greatest dilemma. It was choose the crowd and crucify Christ or it was choose Christ and ignore the crowd and Pilate died in a sin having made the wrong choice. He was a crowd pleaser and one day Pilate will stand at the great white throne judgment. This is the final call that is inescapable.

 

But notice secondly there's a factual consideration that is irrefutable. In the middle of verse 12, it says these words, look at it, and the books were opened, and another book was opened, which is the book of life, and the dead were judged out of the things which were written in the books according to their works. You see, when you're standing at the great white throne, you're there, as one old preacher put it, not to find out if you're going to hell. You're there to find out how much hell you're going to get. This is a factual consideration. Everything is open, everything is honest and transparent. Every evil thought, every evil word, every evil deed, God will bring before you. Every hidden sin, every selfish thought, every spoken word. The things that you have done, the things that you have left undone, God will judge. It's the day when God will bring your sin to your remembrance. In Romans chapter 2 and 16, God calls it the day when God will judge the secrets of men. There will be no excuse. There will be no escape. No favouritism will be shown. We live in a day and we all know it that there everybody wants equality. Everybody wants their rights. Well, Romans chapter 2 and the verse 11 reminds us for God is not a respecter of persons. The self-righteous person who somehow believes that God will respect their quality will be sadly mistaken. The one who believes that their moral and outward conduct will somehow relieve them from judgment will hang their head in shame when God judges the very thoughts and the intents of their hearts. In Romans chapter 2 verse 16 it says, "God shall judge the secrets of men by Jesus Christ according to his gospel." You see, your gospel privileges will be a factual consideration. You live in a land that's blessed and overflowing with the gospel. Open airs on every corner of your town. Gospel invitations, no doubt, coming through your door. The word of God within your very reach. Opportunity after opportunity after opportunity, privilege after privilege after privilege. Just like that city the Lord Jesus speaks about in Matthew 10 verse 15 where it says it shall be more tolerable for Sodom and Gomorrah in the day of judgment than for that city. Sodom and Gomorrah was a vile wicked city that God had overthrown with fire and brimstone. But the other city, it was a place that knew great privileges. It was a place that knew God's miracle working power. yet they died graceless, having been the most privileged people on earth. There's a final call that is inescapable. There's a factual consideration that is irrefutable.

 

But thirdly, there's a there's a fate of condemnation that is irreversible. Look at verse 14. It says, "And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death. The books have been read. Every mouth has been stopped and everyone at this great white throne is found guilty before God. Can you imagine it as they hear those awful words in Matthew 25 verse 41? Depart from me, you cursed. I never knew you into everlasting fire. There won't be a retrial. There won't be a court of appeal. There's no turning back. There's no time now to get on your knees. No more opportunity to call out to God. his sentence will be final. You might say, "I thought God was a God of grace and a God of compassion and a God of mercy." Well, that's right. He is. But you must accept this offer of mercy. Now, this side of the grave, the Lord Jesus has reminded us, if you die in your sin, where I am, you cannot come. The Bible speaks of this awful place on so many occasions. were warned that hell is a place of pain, a place of darkness, and a place of torment. It's a place where John 8 verse 12 says, "But the children of the kingdom shall be cast into outer darkness. There shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth." This is a place of suffering. This is a lake of fire. Our minds this evening can't fully understand or grasp the awfulness of this place or the duration of suffering. This is for all of God's  eternity. Thomas Brook said these words, "The damned in hell may weep their eyes out of their head, but they will never weep the sin out of their souls." Not only is this a place of suffering, it's a place of separation. This is the second death. You see, the first death is separation of the soul from body, but the second death is separation of the soul from God. But friend, tonight, praise God, you're found alive in a gospel meeting, with breath in your lungs, with yet another gospel opportunity. The spirit of God promises to be here. And he says to your soul, "Come unto me all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest." We've seen the call that is inescapable. We've seen a consideration that is irrefutable. You've seen a condemnation that is irreversible.

 

But praise God, tonight unsaved soul. You are brought to a crossroads. You're faced with a choice that is inevitable. Tonight, you can get right with your creator. You can have your sin dealt with right now. Thank God. Tonight, Revelation is not where the Bible begins the story of judgment. But because before there was a great white throne, there was a rough wooden cross. Before the books were opened, another record was nailed to the tree. Before sinners stood before a holy judge, the holy judge himself stepped into our place and he took our sin. At the final judgment, no one will argue their case. But at the cross, Jesus Christ made our case for us. That same God who one day will say, "Depart from me." One day lifted up his voice in agony and said, "It is finished." The books of our deeds demand justice. But the book of life speaks grace. And tonight, listen, the only reasons a sinner can stand before a holy throne is because 2,000 years ago, holiness stood before sinners and was judged in their place. So the question tonight is not are you ready for judgment. The question is have you been to the cross? Because only those who have been born again, only those who have been covered in Christ's precious blood will find their name written in the book of life. Tonight you can make your way out through those doors with a new heart and a new life with a full assurance that you will never stand at the great white throne in judgment. Instead, whenever the time comes to leave this scene of time, you will be absent from the body and present with the Lord. I said earlier, one day you'll meet your Saviour, and you'll either meet him as your Saviour or as your judge. But how you meet him, well, that's your choice. The story is told of two young men who were mightly moved by the spirit of God. In the same night they walked down to the minister's house together and tending to go in and surrender their heart and lives to Jesus Christ. And as they reached the gate, one said to the other, "Look, I'm just not ready to go in. You go on ahead and I'm just not ready." And after all persuasions, sadly, those two young men parted at the gate. The man went into the minister's house. He surrendered his heart and life to Jesus Christ and he went on to become one of the greatest preachers America has ever seen and he was used mightly of God. The other young man who parted at the gate he ended up in Cuba. He got involved in drugs and violence and sin of every kind. And we're told that whilst he was in Cuba, he got involved in some rebellion and was shot and sadly that young man died in his sin. You see, they part it for eternity at the gate of the minister's house with each man's future depending on the choice they made at that moment. I wonder this evening, what will you choose as you're standing at the gate? I wonder, will you choose Christ and go home tonight knowing that your name is written in the book of life? You'll be able to sing like the hymnwriter upon the spotless book of life. God wrote my name one day. Eternal years can never take that God penned name away. My name is there forever through all God's endless days. For he who died to write it there. Praise God. He put it there to stay. Don't go home without Christ tonight. accept him as your own and personal Saviour and let his peace and his joy flood your soul and live that life of abundant life that he died to save you. We'll just close with the singing.