Jesus Christ will return to the world and judge every sin in the future. This is the task of the church - to escape judgment as Christ promised and accept His grace to be carried up to the air. This is the life we should live - to obey His given guidelines by Christ’s will to achieve the former.
People claim that everything ends when they die, yet they are vaguely anxious about what happens after death. Many of them choose religion to solve this. They believe, ‘If I just choose any religion, I will go to a better place when I die.’ This is not so different from unbelievers, who vaguely expect, ‘If I live a good-natured life on earth, maybe I will enter a better place later.’
Unfortunately, these ideas even come into the church. Many Christians say, “Since I believe in Jesus, I’ll definitely go to heaven” and mistakenly think religious membership can save them. In extreme cases, people think, ‘Since I will be saved if I just believe, it won’t be a problem if my actions are bad.’ But these ideas are very different from the Lord’s wishes.
Sinful nature inside us has not disappeared just because we have faith. Our sins are merely covered by the Lord’s grace. Therefore, we need to remain in His grace until the last moment of our lives. We should always remember that we are sinners who cannot escape destruction without God’s grace, and we should follow the Lord’s word as a guide to life - for He wants to protect us to the end.
In the last days, the Lord will express anger on earth (since it is full of evil). For sure, He will judge and punish those who already departed this life, but He will first punish the people living on earth and send terrifying disasters suited to the sins of those who dishonored the blood of the Lamb. We do not know when this day will come, but we should never lose our desire for repentance. We should convince the Lord to declare salvation over us and not punishment.
When He punishes the earth, it may be a day of despair for some, but it will be hope for those who bear fruit worthy of repentance. There are two kinds of fruits which we should produce for repentance. One is that we humbly change ourselves like people who accepted God’s grace and serve the church with good hearts and deeds. The other is that we guide sinners to the way of salvation by preaching the Gospel of repentance.
Let’s be faithful to produce fruit worthy of repentance until the Lord comes. Whether we face the Last Tribulation while we dwell on earth or leave the world before it - the purpose of our faith does not change. The Lord’s prescription is to safely bring sinners like us to heaven, so let’s gratefully accept it. Let’s become a church that offers itself in love and humility as we wait in hope for the day of glory.
(Lord’s Day Service on January 2, 2022)
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