I have heard some scary words in my life; FOR EXAMPLE: When I heard my mother yell my full name, I trembled at how scary my own name was! I’m confident that you have heard some scary words in your life, too. Maybe you’ve heard your doctor say, “It’s cancer,” or some other medical condition. Maybe you’ve heard a spouse say, “I want a divorce.” Maybe you’ve heard a supervisor say, “Shut the door. We need to talk.” Words can certainly be frightening.
There are even things which might frighten you as you look at Scripture. You can read about Jacob’s wrestling with God—who does that—who wrestles with God? Abraham looks up and sees smoke rising from Sodom and Gomorrah— a city on fire and the potentiality of lost life is frightening. David standing in the shadow of Goliath, or Jesus’ looking at Peter after the disciple had betrayed the Lord. I never want Him to look at me that way!
One of the scariest passages of Scripture within the Word of God is focused on a “homecoming” of sorts, and it should cause all of us to look deeply into his or her own commitment and walk with God. You see, not everyone who thinks he or she is part of the family of God really is. I believe the most frightening scenes and words in Scripture are in Matthew 7:21-23. There you have the scariest event in Scripture if you’re not spiritually ready to be there—that is standing before the judgment seat of Christ. The Son of the Living God as judge.
I pray that you will not hear the Resurrected Christ speak these scary words to you: “I never knew you; depart from me,” Your ticket is invalid— NO ENTRY! We need to give careful attention to these words of the Savior. We can easily remember the love of Christ. He left heaven to die for us because of His great love. Jesus offers us a pardon because of His great love, and yet we go through life nonchalantly as though our actions have no effect on eternity.
We act as though we’re going to live forever. In the Sermon on the Mount, we are reminded: Jesus the Christ will be our Judge, and our actions will have serious consequences. We will not live on this earth forever, but we will, by the way we live, choose either the joy of heaven or the torment of hell as our eternal destination.
We will obey His commandments, or we will sit on the throne of our own destruction. Matthew 7:21-23: “ 21 Not everyone who calls out to me, ‘Lord! Lord!’ will enter the Kingdom of Heaven.
Only those who actually do the will of my Father in heaven will enter. 22 On judgment day many will say to me, ‘Lord! Lord! We prophesied in your name and cast out demons in your name and performed many miracles in your name.’ 23 But I will reply, ‘I never knew you. Get away from me, you who break God’s laws.”
What if Jesus returned today, and you are standing before him in judgment. What will he say to you? Will he say those most coveted words: “ 21 Well done, good and faithful servant” . . . or Will you hear the most frightening words ever uttered: “ 23 . . . I never knew you. Get away from me.” NO ENTRY FOR YOU!
In John 14:6 (NLT) we read: “ 6 Jesus told him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one can come to the Father except through me,” and then in . . . Hebrews 12:14 (NIV): “ 14 Make every effort to live in peace with everyone and to be holy; without holiness no one will see the Lord.” THE CHOICE IS YOURS!
Always in His Service, Pastor Ron Fellowship Church of the Nazarene