God does not desire nor does He delight in the eternal damnation of the wicked. He has given all of us a free will to chose our own actions and behaviors, but in this verse God is imploring us to reconsider our choices…and sadly, the consequences that come along with them.
Tag: eternal death
Proverbs 14:12 ” There is a way that seems right to a man, but in the end it leads to death.”
Everyday you see people doing what they think is the “right” thing…yes, they’re good people with good intentions…but unfortunately, they don’t have God in their world. Their life consists of works and legalism…with a mental score-sheet that they keep track of their points…thinking that they can somehow work their way to heaven. For they truly believe that a loving God would never deny a good person access to heaven. But Jesus replied to this in Matthew 7:21 when He said, “Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only he who does the Will of My Father who is in heaven.” The world has its own standard of what being a good person and doing what seems to be right is…but it sadly falls eternally short of God’s standard.
Psalm 60:11 ” Give us aid against the enemy, for the help of man is worthless.”
Psalm 146:3 puts it another way, “Don’t put your trust in mortal men who cannot save.” Anytime we put more confidence in another human being rather than God…we’re headed for trouble. For no matter how powerful, charismatic, or appealing someone is…they’re still a mortal being…full of a fallen nature just like us. So we need to be very careful not to get sucked into worshiping man… and not God. For no man can offer us deliverance from sin and eternal salvation. Only God can do that through His Son Jesus Christ.
Hebrews 10:4 ” Because it is impossible for the blood of bulls and goats to take away sins…”
What does being a “good person” mean to you? Maybe your list contains all the things you do. You donate, you volunteer, you help your neighbor. Or maybe your “good person” list contains all the things you don’t do. You don’t smoke, drink, or do drugs. You don’t swear, or watch X rated movies. All of us have mental lists that make up what being a “good person” constitutes. But just being a “good person” will not get us to heaven…for our eternal life is not hinged on anything we will ever do or not do. That’s because it’s only by the blood of Jesus and His sacrifice for us that we can have the hope of eternity with Him. The very foundation of Christian faith is based on this one truth…Jesus Christ came to save the world from sin and He is the only way to God…for just being a “good person” will never rescue you from going to Hell.
II Timothy 4:7 ” I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith.”
At the end of all Believer’s lives we would hope to be able to echo Paul’s words here. Yes, I’ve struggled against temptation daily, but I’ve valiantly tried to remain honest and upright before the Lord. I’ve professed my faith to others…contending for the prize… the victor’s crown of eternal life. And in the end, like Paul, I wish to be able to say with confidence, that I have finished the race and completed the task- the ministry- that the Lord Jesus Christ has laid out before me. (Acts 20:24)
II Corinthians 6:1-2 ” As God’s fellow workers we urge you not to receive God’s grace in vain. For He says, ‘In the time of My favor I heard you, and in the day of salvation I helped you.’ I tell you, now is the time of God’s favor, now is the day of salvation.”
Someday I’ll get right with God. At some time in the future I’ll give my heart to Him…but not yet. I’ve got too much I want to do, and I don’t want the rules and regulations of being a Christian to hinder me. I’m young and I want to just have fun. Sound like you? You’ve been holding God at arms length…knowing what you should do, but wanting to wait till you’re “old” to commit. But consider this – someday may never come for you – your future may end today, and this is why now is the time to be serious about your eternal salvation. When we’re young we have this grandiose vision of immortality, and the future goes on forever…but in an instant…this can all change. That’s why the Gospel Message is for you today…the forgiveness of your sins is for now, not someday. Don’t wait until tomorrow to make that decision you know you need to make today…for you may be running out of tomorrows.
Hebrews 9:26 ” Then Christ would have had to suffer many times since the creation of the world. But now He has appeared once for all at the end of the ages to do away with sin by the sacrifice of Himself.”
No matter how many animal sacrifices were made in the Temple…they never fully removed the people’s sin. It wasn’t until Jesus Christ gave Himself up as the unblemished Lamb of God that humankind was finally delivered from the guilt and punishment of sin. Hebrews 9:12 says, “He did not enter by means of the blood of goats and calves; but He entered the Most Holy Place once for all by His own blood, having obtained eternal redemption.” God offered His only son, Jesus, to take our place on that Cross. He died as an atonement for our sins…His blood being shed once for all. Which means He only had to died one time, not over and over again like the Temple sacrifices. For it was Jesus that took upon Himself the sins of the entire world that you and I might be redeemed and set free.
Matthew 16:25 ” For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for Me will find it.”
It tells us in John 12:25 that, “The man who loves his life will lose it, while the man who hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal life.” Everyday is a struggle, where our affections are pulled one way or the other. The glitter and lure of the world is great, with its promises of immediate gratification and unending ecstasy. But the cold hard truth is that our excessive fondness for things of the world will only lead us down a path to self-destruction and death. For the world tells us to live today to the fullest… to eat, drink, and be merry, with no regard for tomorrow. But the Lord tells us that there is life beyond the grave, and that the world is blinding us from this truth. If I want to save my life, I must lose it in the person of Jesus Christ…I must turn my focus and affections from the temporal to the eternal…from the fleeting to the everlasting.
II Peter 3:9 ” The Lord is not slow in keeping His promise, as some understand slowness. He is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.”
God is not hesitating out of uncertainty…it’s not from indecision either that He has held off judging the world. No, it’s because of the Lord’s long-suffering grace and mercy that He delays the Judgment Day. For in I Timothy 2:4 it tells us, “God our Savior, Who wants all men to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth.” Our Lord wants no one to perish, but all to come to the saving reality of Jesus Christ…but neither will God wait forever.
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