A Sure Warning

May 16, 2021

For the Son of Man is going to come in the glory of His Father with His angels, and ‘will then repay every man according to his deeds’ (Matthew 16:27).

When Jesus returns He will judge the righteous and the unrighteous before His judgment seat. Because the unsaved person will have no righteous deeds to present before the Lord, that day will be a day of terror and shame. Jesus said (Matthew 7:22-23), Many will say to Me on that day, “Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in Your name, and in Your name cast out demons, and in Your name perform many miracles?” And then I will declare to them, “I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness.” Lawlessness here refers to one’s disobedience to the laws of God.

Righteousness. The word means to do what is right in the eyes of God. Because we are all born in sin (Psalm 51:5) and have sinned and fall short of the glory of God (Romans 3:23), our ‘deeds’ (conduct) is far inferior to the standard of holiness and righteousness that God requires for us to know Him or to enter into His Kingdom. Isaiah said (Isaiah 64:6), For all of us have become like one who is unclean, and all our righteous deeds are like a filthy garment; and all of us wither like a leaf, and our iniquities, like the wind, take us away. It doesn’t get any clearer than that.

For the Christian it will be a day of reward. However, . . . when the Lord Jesus will be revealed from heaven with His mighty angels in flaming fire, dealing out retribution to those who do not know God and to those who do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus. These will pay the penalty of eternal destruction, away from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of His power when He comes to be glorified in His saints on that day. . . . (2 Thessalonians 1:7-10).

We live in a time and in a culture where people have rejected the principle of personal accountability - we believe we are answerable to no one but ourselves. Lawlessness is on the rise because very few are being held accountable for their actions. As lawlessness rises, chaos also rises. Anarchy is not far behind. When we removed God and His Word from our culture and embraced humanism and Darwinism, we began the downward spiral into spiritual deception and self-destruction. But it won’t last forever. Jesus is coming again soon, and He’s bringing with Him His ministering angels who will assist in the judgment and punishment of those who have gone through the wide gate and walked down the broad path that leads ultimately to their demise.

“Lord Jesus, while I rejoice in my spirit that the day of reckoning is at hand, my heart is grieved over those who don’t know or don’t care about You or Your impending return. Motivate us by Your Spirit to warn those who have yet to hear, and to prepare them for that day when we will all stand before You to give an account of our lives. To Your honor and glory I ask, Amen.”

Pastor

Share this with your friends