Weekly Devotional 6-29-20 All Persons Will Meet God

Weekly Devotional 6-29-20 All Persons Will Meet God There have always been some who deny the existence of God and live lives reflecting that denial. That is, they attempt to extract from their present experience of life all they can because they are convinced that when they die, life is over, and one simply stops being. There are others who believe that God exists and that there is a continuance of life after the death of their bodies, but that He is a loving, benevolent God and will not be extreme in His judgment of them. They believe that their good works (so-called) will overshadow their evil deeds, and God will reward them with heaven and all that that entails. But it must be said at the onset of this devotional that they will someday meet God and discover how wrong they were. When they meet Him, they will be judged according to their conduct of life, their sin. The Bible tells us that “all have sinned and come short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23) and further, “the wages of sin is death” (Romans 6:23a). God is a loving, benevolent God, but He is also a holy God and cannot let sin go unpunished or allow sinners to be in His presence. There is life after death, and all will enter it. All will continue living after the death of their bodies. Some will enjoy eternity with God, but others will forever be cast away from Him into eternal torment. There is no third option. Heaven is a glorious place filled with the glory of God, and nothing short of that glory can be in His presence. All persons from Adam until now fall short of the glory of God and, therefore, in their natural state, cannot be in the presence of God. Why? All have sinned and come short of that glory. But God is a benevolent, loving God, and for some, that love, and benevolence has restored them to a righteous, holy state so they can be in His presence. The second part of Romans 6:23 tells us that “the gift of God is eternal life” (6:23b). Then it goes on to say that this gift came (comes) “through Jesus Christ” (6:23c). Putting Romans 3:23 and 6:23 together, we read, “for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God…For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus, our Lord.” Ah, the gift! It is eternal life through Jesus Christ, the Son of God, whom
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God gave as the propitiation for sins. Those who reject God will not search out this gift, nor will those who believe that their good works outweigh their evil deeds. To seek salvation, one must know that he (or she) is lost. However, according to the inspired Word of God, God has endowed all persons with a divine light that testifies that He is, and a conscience that convicts them of sin. We read from John’s Gospel, “1In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2The same was in the beginning with God. 3All things were made by him; and without him was not anything made that was made. 4In him was life, and the life was the light of men. 5And the light shineth in darkness; and the darkness overcame it not” (John 1:1-5). The spiritual life that was (is) in Jesus was (is) so powerful that even man’s rejection of Him (the spiritual illumination that is of His being) could not (cannot) overcome it. Persons may claim to deny God, but in their spirit, they know better. As to being convicted of sin by conscience, we read from Romans 1:18-20, “18For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who hold the truth in unrighteousness; 19Because that which may be known of God is manifest in them; for God hath showed it unto them. 20For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even His eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse.” Such persons know the truth. Their God-given consciences have convicted them. Still, in their rebellion against that truth, they willfully and joyfully involve themselves in all kinds of wickedness as the remaining verses of this chapter tells us. Remember, we all will meet God someday. Those of us who have trusted in Him for our salvation will be in His presence for eternity. Those who have rejected Him will be cast out into outer darkness where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. Also remember there is no third option. Jesus said, “I am the way, the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father but by me” (John 14:6). Peter testified, “Neither is there salvation in any other; for there is no other name under heaven given among men, whereby
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we must be saved” (Acts 14:12). The Apostle Paul, in answer to the Philippian jailor’s question, “what must I do to be saved” said, “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and you will be saved.” (Acts 16:31). Jesus was killed because of His claim but rose from the dead and now sits at the right hand of the Father. Peter suffered martyrdom because of his testimony, and Paul was beheaded refusing to denounce his belief in and commitment to Jesus. Both Peter and Paul so believed in their eternal reward that they willfully gave their lives in their faithfulness to Jesus. Consider Paul’s address concerning this found in His second letter the Christians of Corinth: 1 For we know that if our earthly house, this tent, is destroyed, we have a building from God, a house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens. 2 For in this we groan, earnestly desiring to be clothed with our habitation which is from heaven, 3 if indeed, having been clothed, we shall not be found naked. 4 For we who are in this tent groan, being burdened, not because we want to be unclothed, but further clothed, that mortality may be swallowed up by life. 5 Now He who has prepared us for this very thing is God, who also has given us the Spirit as a guarantee. 6 So we are always confident, knowing that while we are at home in the body we are absent from the Lord. 7 For we walk by faith, not by sight. 8 We are confident, yes, well pleased rather to be absent from the body and to be present with the Lord. 9 Therefore we make it our aim, whether present or absent, to be well pleasing to Him. 10 For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, that each one may receive the things done in the body, according to what he has done, whether good or bad. 11 Knowing, therefore, the terror of the Lord, we persuade men; but we are well known to God, and I also trust are well known in your consciences. 12 For we do not commend ourselves again to you, but give you opportunity to boast on our behalf, that you may have an answer for those who boast in appearance and not in heart. 13 For if we are beside ourselves, it is for God; or if we are of sound mind, it is for you. 14 For the love of Christ compels us, because we judge thus: that if One died for all, then all died; 15 and He died for all, that those who live should live no longer for themselves, but for Him who died for them and
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rose again. 16 Therefore, from now on, we regard no one according to the flesh. Even though we have known Christ according to the flesh, yet now we know Him thus no longer. 17 Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new. 18 Now all things are of God, who has reconciled us to Himself through Jesus Christ, and has given us the ministry of reconciliation, 19 that is, that God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself, not imputing their trespasses to them, and has committed to us the word of reconciliation. 20 Now then, we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were pleading through us: we implore you on Christ’s behalf, be reconciled to God. 21 For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him” (Second Corinthians, chapter five”.

It is therefore not a question of, will you meet God but rather, what will be the result of that meeting? Steve

stevelampman.com / Transforming Power; The Work of God on Behalf of Man

Ascribed to by Oscar Leske – F/B- Signs of Our Times www.Understandingthesignsofourtimes

Lian Muan Kim Koinonia Baptist Seminary-Yangon, Myanmar

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