Are we going to be held accountable for our beliefs, thoughts, and actions? This devotion looks at what the Scriptures say about a judgment day.
Nuggets
- If we do not choose to follow God, there will be consequences – there will be a judgment day.
- What God says will happen, will happen.
- God’s wrath should not be minimized.
- This judgment is going to fall on two types of people: “… on those who don’t know God and on those who don’t obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus” (II Thess. 1: 8 CSB).
This year, we are looking at self-discipline. We are using Vincent’s The Lesson of Ripeness sermon to look at the need to grow in our relationship with God. We morphed learning enough to be a teacher into determining some areas we need to grow so we can be mature disciples.
Resource
We have been looking at solidifying what we believe. When we witness, we need to be prepared to explain what we believe and why we believe it. We looked at the Scriptures, the Trinity (God, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit), man, salvation, grace, the church, divine ordinances, worship, and God’s kingdom. Now, we are going to look at the end times.
I have been throwing so many things in the drafts folder for this category. So, I am a little befuddled right now about what I want to do. I think I am going to take the time now to look through some things, so we are going to roost in this category a while. I think this is really important in today’s world.
In this group of devotions, we are going to look at judgment day.
Devotions in the What I Believe series
Devotions in the End Times category
Judgment Day Focus
Will There Be a Judgment Day?
God has laws and commandments that we are to follow. We know that there will be times when we disobey those.
How is God going to handle that? Will there be a judgment day in the end? If is, what is that going to look like?
I am not sure what I think it will look like. So, let’s take a couple of devotions to look at what Scriptures say.
Let's Put It into Context
The Holman Bible Dictionary defines judgment day as “time of God’s punishment and refining of the evil in the world, especially of the final, history-ending time of eternal judgment.”
Resource
Apostasy means not believing in the state religion or not being a Christian
When We Choose Against God
“For if we deliberately go on sinning after receiving the knowledge of the truth, there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins, but a terrifying expectation of judgment and the fury of a fire about to consume the adversaries” (Heb. 10: 26-27 CSB)
Look at what this says. It talks about a deliberate choice to go on sinning. This has a couple of components.
Sin is when we disobey God and break one of His laws and commandments. God tells us what the do’s and don’ts are. He doesn’t make us guess.
Neither does God allow us to choose what is a sin and what isn’t. We can’t change God’s mind as to what should and shouldn’t be a sin.
What we get to choose is whether we are going to obey God or not. Obedience means to hear and carry out the instructions that God gives us.
This is called free will. Free will is the ability within us to make decisions that determine actions that produce character.
- We know that what we are doing goes against God’s Will.
- We do it (or don’t do it) anyway.
Look at it again, though. “… after receiving the knowledge of the truth …” (Heb. 10: 26 CSB). The writer of Hebrews is talking about believers. The issue here is that the believers ended up totally rejecting their profession of faith.
The consequences are huge. “For if we deliberately go on sinning after receiving the knowledge of the truth, there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins” (Heb. 10: 26 CSB). Our admitting our sins, believing Jesus is our Savior and Redeemer, and confessing God as Sovereign Lord must be sincere.
We just have to realize that, if we do not choose to follow God, there will be consequences. There will be a judgment day.
We like to think that, after conversion, believers won’t be judged. Dale argues that we will if we abandon our profession of faith — if we willfully choose to disobey.
The consequences are fearful. Those who practice apostasy will suffer “… a terrifying expectation of judgment and the fury of a fire …” (Heb. 10: 27 CSB).
Beddome talked about conviction. The Holman Bible Dictionary defines conviction as “a sense of guilt and shame leading to repentance.” Those who practice apostasy don’t show conviction.
We have to turn conviction into repentance. Repentance is expressing sorrow for breaking God’s laws and commandments and changing our character and actions so that we no longer live a sinful lifestyle.
But look what else conviction is. The Merriam-Webster Dictionary defines conviction as “a strong persuasion or belief.”
We have to have a strong conviction in God to deliberately choose obedience. We get that by seeking God.
Searching for and Seeking God
Hearing His Word (Rom. 10: 17).
Reading His Word (Rev. 1: 3).
Praying to Him (Heb. 4: 16).
Studying His Word (Ac. 17: 11).
Meditating on His Word (Ps. 1: 1-2).
Memorizing His Word (Ps. 119: 11).
A Consuming Fire
“Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, let us be thankful. By it, we may serve God acceptably, with reverence and awe, for our God is a consuming fire.” (Heb. 12: 28-29 CSB)
A “… terrifying expectation of judgment and the fury of a fire …” (Heb. 10: 27 CSB). “for our God is a consuming fire.” (Heb. 12: 29 CSB).
How can anyone say hell is not real? “The devil who deceived them was thrown into the lake of fire and sulfur where the beast and the false prophet are, and they will be tormented day and night forever and ever” (Rev. 20: 10 CSB). “And anyone whose name was not found written in the book of life was thrown into the lake of fire” (Rev. 20: 15 CSB).
To read a devotion in the Hell Does Have Fury series, click on the appropriate button below.
Those who have not ABCDed should think long and hard about this: “Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, let us be thankful …” (Heb. 12: 28 CSB). God’s kingdom will not be moved.
The ABCDs of Salvation
If you have not become a believer in Christ, please read through the
Plan of Salvation and prayerfully consider what God is asking you to do.
A – admit our sins
B – believe His Son Jesus is our Redeemer
C – confess God as Sovereign Lord
D – demonstrate that commitment by making any changes needed in our lives to
live the way in which God has called us
The Disciple’s Job Description
What God says will happen, will happen.
God says there will be a judgment day. It. Will. Happen.
Melvill had this to say. He wrote, “The fact that the kingdom cannot be moved is an irresistible proof that the fire cannot be extinguished.”
God’s wrath should not be minimized. Scriptures say that “… our God is a consuming fire.” (Heb. 12: 29 CSB). Consuming. Not a nice little candle flame. A raging fire consuming. That should make us think twice before we disrespect Him.
To read a related devotion, click on the appropriate button below.
Glossary
God isn’t, some day in the future, going to just say, “I change my mind. I am not angry at sin anymore.” What was a sin will always be a sin (Will There Be a Judgment Day?).
I see you over there, jumping up and down, and yelling, “What about grace?” Grace is a free and unmerited gift from Heavenly Father given through His Son, Jesus Christ that enables salvation and spiritual healing to believers.
God’s grace does not preclude Him from requiring us to obey His laws and commandments. It doesn’t mean He just have to give us the good stuff and not require anything from us. God is not the God of entitlement (Will There Be a Judgment Day?).
We have to seek God’s grace. All we need to do is sincerely ask God to be Lord of our lives. We have to fear and love the Lord. We have to obey Him.
Norwood made an interesting comment. He noted that grace doesn’t just change our character. It also sustains the change.
If we do not sustain that character change, God has the authority to judge us. He has the authority to determine the punishment.
Consuming but Just
“It is clear evidence of God’s righteous judgment that you will be counted worthy of God’s kingdom, for which you also are suffering, since it is just for God to repay with affliction those who afflict you and to give relief to you who are afflicted, along with us. This will take place at the revelation of the Lord Jesus from heaven with his powerful angels, when he takes vengeance with flaming fire on those who don’t know God and on those who don’t obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus. They will pay the penalty of eternal destruction from the Lord’s presence and from his glorious strength on that day when he comes to be glorified by his saints and to be marveled at by all those who have believed, because our testimony among you was believed” (II Thess. 1: 5-10 CSB)
I debated how much of this passage to include, because I am about to my word count limit. I decided to put it all in because it shows a couple of things.
- There is a God.
- He is just.
- God will reward those following His Will.
- The date is set — “… at the revelation of the Lord Jesus from heaven with his powerful angels” (II Thess. 1: 7 CSB) — even if we don’t know what that date is.
- Those who don’t know God will pay the consequences — i.e., the wicked will be punished.
This judgment is going to fall on two types of people: “… on those who don’t know God and on those who don’t obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus” (II Thess. 1: 8 CSB).
I am going to say it over and over. God isn’t into fire insurance. It isn’t enough just to know Him. It isn’t enough just to have made a profession of faith.
We have to be obeying God. We have to show evidence of changed lives. We have to be on the sanctification road.
Making the Connections
God will judge us with a consuming wrath. The fire will burn eternally — but it won’t consume those cast into it. They will be sentenced to suffer the torment for all of eternity.
Disciples have a little knowledge of that fire now. There is a big difference, though. God’s fire directed toward disciples is a refining fire. It burns it all of the impurities and leaves that of value — our perfection.
I love what Meyer said. He wrote, “When we yield to God’s love, and open our hearts to Him, He enters into us, and becomes within us a consuming fire, not to ourselves, but to the evil within us. So that, in a very deep and blessed sense, we may be said to dwell with the devouring fire, and to walk amid the eternal burnings.”
Making the Connections to Self-Discipline
Many today feel that they should not be judged by God. Unfortunately, one day they will be.
We’ve been asking these questions all along so we can prepare for when we are asked to defend our beliefs. Here is the worksheet again. How would you convince someone that God will judge as He says in His Word?
- What does the Scriptures say?
- What do I believe?
- Why do I believe the same/differently than the Scriptures?
- What are the talking points when witnessing to a non-believer?
Related Links
I have created a worksheet of the questions above. Click on the button below to access it.
How Do We Apply This?
First off, we need to make sure that our relationship is where God wants it to be.
- Have we ABCDed?
- Are we working to make our character like that of His?
- Are we watching for Jesus’ return?
Then, we need to be serving God by witnessing to others. Time is running out. Judgment day is coming.
Father. We pray You find us seeking You and working to expand Your kingdom. Amen.
What do you think?
Leave me a comment below (about this or anything else) or head over to my Facebook group for some interactive discussion.
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