“From there he will come to judge the living and the dead.“ – Apostles’ Creed
“And he commanded us to preach to the people and to testify that he is the one appointed by God to be judge of the living and the dead.” – Acts 10:42
Has this ever happened to you?
Some people were coming over soon, so I was cleaning up in my living room and came across something that belonged in my bedroom.
So, I went to my bedroom to put it away and found the area where it belonged was in disarray. So, I started cleaning that area. While cleaning that area I came across an old receipt for a refrigerator filter and remembered I was supposed to have ordered a new filter last week.
So, I went to my computer and ordered a new filter, but while I was there, I saw an email and decided to respond to it. Then I started responding to other emails and working on other stuff.
Before I knew it, the people were supposed to arrive in 5 minutes. Thankfully, my wife had stayed on task and finished the living room, no thanks to me.
I forgot what I was supposed to be doing. I forgot about the impending deadline and then it was almost too late.
Life can be like that sometimes. We get so caught up in the various aspects of life that we forget Jesus is coming.
Similar to the story of my soon-to-arrive guests, we are all in a situation where we need to be cleaned up, not from toys, bills, and misplaced items, but from our sin. Unlike our living rooms, however, we cannot possibly clean our lives up ourselves. Thankfully, Jesus does this for us when we receive faith in Him. He cleans us by His very blood which He shed on the cross for the forgiveness of our sins.
It’s not about what good works we’ve done or how clean a life we’ve lived. For all have sinned and fallen short. It’s about faith.
“Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of God.” – John 3:18
For those who believe in Jesus, on that final day, He will say to us,
“Come, you who are blessed by My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world” – Matthew 25:34
For those who have rejected Jesus, however, it’s a very different story.
“Depart from Me, you cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels” – Matthew 25:41
So, I pray we will not be distracted by the events of the day. I pray that today and every day we would hold to the promise of forgiveness and salvation through Jesus Christ so that judgment day is a day of joy. I pray that we would also share that Good News with our family, friends, and neighbors that they may be prepared for that day of judgment.
Dear Jesus,
You are both judge and savior. Help us to trust in Your saving work on the cross. We pray for those who do not, yet, believe. Send us to them with Your Gospel. Create faith in their hearts.
Amen
In Christ’s Service,
Pastor Kurt
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