“Repentance and Judgment”

 “Repentance and Judgment”

 

“I have had one message for Jews and Greeks alike —-the necessity of repenting from sin and turning to God, and of having faith in our Lord Jesus.”   Acts 20:21

 

The Apostle Paul sent a message to the Elders at the church at Ephesus, asking them to meet with him.  When they arrived Paul declared, “You know that from the day I set foot in the province of Asia until now I have done the Lord’s work humbly and with many tears.  I have endured the trials that came to me from the plots of the Jews.  I never shrank back from telling you what you needed to hear, either publicly or in your homes.”

 

Paul preached and taught BOLDLY, COURAGEOUSLY, and with GREAT ENDURANCE.  And with UNWAVERING FAITHFULNESS, he shared ONE MESSAGE, which was the SAME for the JEWS and GENTILES alike.  That MESSAGE was one of REPENTANCE.  The Apostle Paul KNEW the IMPORTANCE of the act of REPENTANCE, which is TURNING AWAY FROM SIN and TURNING TO GOD, and to have FAITH in the LORD JESUS CHRIST, God’s ONE and ONLY SON, and the ONLY ONE who is ABLE to SAVE the SOUL of mankind, NO MATTER if they are JEW or GENTILE, they MUST COME TO GOD through the CROSS of CHRIST, who shed HIS BLOOD in order to bring SALVATION to a LOST and DYING WORLD.  

 

So, why was Paul so DETERMINED to SUFFER PERSECUTION and RISK His LIFE FOR SHARING the GOOD NEWS of JESUS CHRIST?  Paul KNEW that those who REJECTED God’s Gift of SALVATION would one DAY face JUDGMENT for their SINFUL LIFESTYLE, and their REBELLIOUS NATURE.  He knew what awaits those who TURN FROM GOD and CONTINUE to TURN TO SIN.  

 

In the Book of Zephaniah, Chapter one, verses two and three, the LORD tells Zephaniah of the COMING JUDGMENT AGAINST the WORLD: “I will sweep away everything from the face of the earth says the LORD.  I will sweep away PEOPLE and animals alike.  I will sweep away the birds of the sky and the fish in the sea.  I will reduce the WICKED to heaps of RUBBLE, and I will WIPE HUMANITY from the face of the earth,” says the LORD. 

 

Paul KNEW this and was determined to SPREAD the GOOD NEWS to EVERY PART of the WORLD that he could.  Even if it cost him his life.  So, for those of us who are TRUE BELIEVERS, the message for us is:  To get OFF our SEATS, and on our FEET, and into the STREETS to PROCLAIM the GOOD NEWS that JESUS SAVES and He is the ONLY WAY to be able to ESCAPE an ETERNITY in HELL, with ALL its HORRORS and NO WAY to ESCAPE once you are there. 

 

I truly BELIEVE that we are living in the LAST DAYS. I BELIEVE that the RAPTURE of ALL the TRUE BELIEVERS can happen at ANY TIME!!  Then starts the TRIBULATION, GREAT TRIBULATION, and the SECOND COMING of the LORD JESUS.  Are YOU ready?

 

If NOT, you can be by; ADMITTING that YOU are a SINNER in NEED of the SAVIOR, JESUS CHRIST, who PAID IN FULL the PRICE of SALVATION that YOU COULD NOT PAY.  You MUST BELIEVE that JESUS died for YOU, and that He is ALIVE in Heaven, making intercession for you, before God.  You MUST CONFESS your SINS to Him and ASK Him for His FORGIVENESS.  You MUST BE WILLING TO TURN AWAY FROM your SINFUL LIFESTYLE, and TURN TO GOD, with a TRUE REPENTANT HEART.  You MUST ACCEPT God’s Gift of SALVATION through REPENTANCE and ESCAPE the JUDGMENT of the UNREPENTANT.  Do this NOW, while you STILL can.  He’s WAITING and COMING SOON!!!  Don’t be LEFT BEHIND!!!