READY TO JUDGE - Louis Gervais
READY TO JUDGE
Hello and greetings in the Name of Him Who is Ready to Judge the Living and the Dead, Jesus Christ!
“In all this, they are surprised that you do not run with them into the same excesses of dissipation, and they malign you; but they will give account to Him Who is ready to judge the living and the dead.” –1 Peter 4:4-5
Jesus Christ is ready to judge the living and the dead. Those who die in their sins receive their enduring penalty, and those whose sins are forgiven through the atonement of Christ enjoy the Lord forevermore. But even those of us to whom the righteousness of Christ has been given will still have to give an account of our lives to God.
“But I tell you that every careless word that people speak, they shall give an accounting for it in the day of judgment.” –Matthew 12:36 . “For the ways of a man are before the eyes of the LORD, And He watches all his paths.” –Proverbs 5:21 . “For the eyes of the LORD run to and fro throughout the whole earth,” –2 Chronicles 16:9a
I don’t know about you, but I want to keep that Day in mind. I really don’t want the realization of that reality to be far from my thoughts; that it may serve as a sobering reminder. We have an impartial Judge! He is no respecter of persons. Excuses won’t work. Not a single thing is hidden from His sight. Our thoughts and secrets are not unknown to Him. What then should our proper response be?
“If you address as Father the One Who impartially judges according to each one’s work, conduct yourselves in fear during the time of your stay on earth,” –1 Peter 1:17 . “The fear of the LORD is a fountain of life, That one may avoid the snares of death.” –Proverbs 14:27
God judges righteously. Let us live in holy fear, reverence and respect. What would we answer Him, were He to ask why we remained silent when He commanded us to speak? Or why we stayed when He told us to go? Or why we fled when He was able to make us stand? Thousands of Christians don’t take God seriously. Do we think this is a game? Do we toy with temptation? Tell me, which sins that we commit do not have lasting consequences? Or do we suppose that we know better than God?
“You cannot drink the cup of the Lord and the cup of demons; you cannot partake of the table of the Lord and the table of demons. Or do we provoke the Lord to jealousy? We are not stronger than He, are we?” –1 Corinthians 10:21-22
Have we forgotten how ruinous disobedience is? Has our love for Christ withered to the point that we think we can just do whatever we want and it doesn’t matter because God will forgive us? Rebellion! The satanic sin. The Messiah was obedient unto death, even to death on a cross, to make it possible to save you! And you dare play games with God?
May God help us!
“WHO COMMITTED NO SIN, NOR WAS ANY DECEIT FOUND IN HIS MOUTH; and while being reviled, He did not revile in return; while suffering, He uttered no threats, but kept entrusting Himself to Him who judges righteously; and He Himself bore our sins in His body on the cross, so that we might die to sin and live to righteousness; for by His wounds you were healed.” –1 Peter 2:22-24
My grandmother, Mr. Van Niekerk and Mr. Kussman have not yet tasted and seen that the Lord is good. We have a big outreach beginning on Saturday the 11th of March; the Vaal Triangle Tour. Last time we experienced several hindrances: Oom Joggie’s pickup truck broke halfway through, the CV joints on the Jetta that I used said that they had had enough (to think I didn’t own a car back then!) and Oom Laurence missed the entire tour because he was in the ICU as a result of ‘bosluiskoors’ (bush-tick-fever). So PLEASE HELP PRAY! May God suddenly send sinning souls salvation so spawning solely surrendered, suitably sincere saints.
“There is a way which seems right to a man, But its end is the way of death.” “In the way of righteousness is life, And in its pathway there is no death.” “The fear of the LORD leads to life, So that one may sleep satisfied, untouched by evil.” –Proverbs 14:12, 12:28, 19:23
We had a busy week. Drove over 1,250 miles (about 2,000 km) since my last prayer letter. Heinrich and I preached at both high schools in Winburg and at their retirement village. One class of 9th graders was especially easily distracted and unfocused, and at times irreverent, which made me regret not praying more for that appointment. But I had spent more time in prayer when I arrived at the other school the next morning and the teacher told me that I was assigned to address the worst-behaved 10th grade class; and I was very pleased with this arrangement! The Lord helped me that day; the Sotho boys listened even more attentively than the girls! I described the torture which Christ suffered at the hands of the soldiers; the thorns, the blows, the blood. I spoke boldly of His agony and how He was betrayed, despised, spit upon, laughed at. There was a gripping silence, a holy hush. The youth were listening intensely. And I knew: God was at work. Thanks for praying!
Back in Bloemfontein we had a men’s breakfast Saturday where I shared on 1 Peter 5:1-4 and 4:5. A number of the teenagers from Hennenman were in town at an interschool sport’s day so we visited our “congregation.” Sunday afternoon Albert Potgieter shared about how the Lord richly blessed him during his first term at Glenvar and Oom Laurence preached. Directly afterwards, Heinrich and I drove the two hours north to Hennenman for a youth night we had arranged specifically to do follow-up work. 13 young people and 7 adults were there; we watched a video of last month’s youth camp, sang songs together and I taught from 2 Peter 1:5-9. Hallelujah! If called of God to His service, in what other line of work would I ever find satisfaction?
–Louis Gervais
The Lord Jesus Christ “is the One Who has been appointed by God as Judge of the living and the dead.” –Acts 10:42c NAS