What is the most terrifying thing that you could imagine?
- Job loss?
- Death of family members?
- Failed test at school?
I would like to propose the worst thing imaginable. Imagine standing before the throne of Almighty God and hearing Him say, "Away from me you worker of iniquity. I never knew you." After declaring your doom, God casts you into the pit of hell for eternity. The Lord brought this sobering reality to mind today as I listened to a sermon at my church.
Pastor John finished his sermon by asking the congregation to imagine they had a job review at work. He asked them to imagine the boss coming to them and giving the following review: "You have been alienated from your co-workers and clients. You have been hostile in mind towards me and those around you. You have done evil deeds." What do you think the next words out of your boss' mouth would be? "You're fired!"
Now job loss is not that big of deal. It would be hard to deal with, but a job is replaceable.
John then continued to propose another situation. Suppose that on your way home from church you turn a corner and, WHAM, another car hits you and you are dead. You find yourself standing before God Almighty and you have to give an account for your life. Now suppose that God gives you the same review that you heard from your boss. He says to you, "You have been alienated from me. You are hostile in mind against me and you have done evil deeds again and again and again." God then continues on to say, "Get away from me you worker of iniquity. I never knew you."
It was at this point that the Lord hit me with great conviction. This is the greatest conviction I have ever felt from the Holy Spirit. As Pastor John shared this scenario, I imagined myself standing before the throne of God and being cast into the pit of hell for eternity, without hope of ever escaping. The fear of the Lord came on me as I sat at my desk listening to the sermon.
Take a minute and think about this. Your life has just been reviewed by God Almighty and He has cast you into hell for eternity. In Matthew 7:21-23 Jesus gave a solemn warning to those who came to Him and said "Lord, Lord." He said, "Away from me you workers of lawlessness. I never knew you." These words finally hit home as I listened to this sermon. I sat and thought about the sobering reality of hell.
Pastor John continued on with his sermon by going into the next verse in Colossians. It says, "[Jesus] has now reconciled in His body of flesh by His death, in order to present you holy and blameless and above reproach before Him" (Col. 1:22). PRAISE GOD!! What hope we have in the cross! At this point in the sermon at sat at my desk weeping. I was filled with such inexpressible and glorious joy.
I thank God for the way my heart responded to this message. Jesus Christ is a glorious Savior. He is my redeemer. I have been brought near to God by the blood of His Son Jesus. If it were not for the righteousness of Christ being counted to me by faith I would have perished. I would be doomed to hell for eternity. But, because of God's great love and mercy I have been born again. Jesus Christ has given me life and He has given me confidence to come before the Father. The Father no longer says to me, "Away from me you evil doer." Instead, the Father beckons me to draw near.
Do you know God as your Father? The Bible says that only those who trust in Jesus Christ and receive His salvation have God as a Father. If you do not receive Christ then God is not your Father. Apart from Jesus, you will be judged for all your wicked, evil deeds. But, if you will trust in Christ and His saving work on the cross you will have eternal life.
If you would like to listen to the sermon you can find it here. The part of the sermon that really impacted me starts around 34:30.
Pastor John continued on with his sermon by going into the next verse in Colossians. It says, "[Jesus] has now reconciled in His body of flesh by His death, in order to present you holy and blameless and above reproach before Him" (Col. 1:22). PRAISE GOD!! What hope we have in the cross! At this point in the sermon at sat at my desk weeping. I was filled with such inexpressible and glorious joy.
I thank God for the way my heart responded to this message. Jesus Christ is a glorious Savior. He is my redeemer. I have been brought near to God by the blood of His Son Jesus. If it were not for the righteousness of Christ being counted to me by faith I would have perished. I would be doomed to hell for eternity. But, because of God's great love and mercy I have been born again. Jesus Christ has given me life and He has given me confidence to come before the Father. The Father no longer says to me, "Away from me you evil doer." Instead, the Father beckons me to draw near.
Do you know God as your Father? The Bible says that only those who trust in Jesus Christ and receive His salvation have God as a Father. If you do not receive Christ then God is not your Father. Apart from Jesus, you will be judged for all your wicked, evil deeds. But, if you will trust in Christ and His saving work on the cross you will have eternal life.
If you would like to listen to the sermon you can find it here. The part of the sermon that really impacted me starts around 34:30.
