THE DAY OF THE LORD IS COMING. HOW SHOULD YOU LIVE TODAY?
The Apostle Peter tells us to live holy and godly lives as we wait for the Return of the Lord Jesus.
Unleavened Bread is almost over, and today we’re going to discuss the relevance of Obedience as it relates to our Inheritance of the Kingdom of God.
Yesterday we discussed how we must live by Faith between two Resurrections. The one we experienced when we came to Christ Jesus, and the other we’ll experience when He returns.
2 Peter 3:10-11 says, ‘But the day of the Lord will come like a thief. The heavens will disappear with a roar; the elements will be destroyed by fire, and the earth and everything done in it will be laid bare.’
Since everything will be destroyed in this way, what kind of people ought you to be? You ought to live holy and godly lives.
Since the Day of the Lord is coming, how should we conduct ourselves in the meantime? Apostle Peter tells us to live holy and godly lives as we wait for the Return of the Lord Jesus.
But why should we live this way? Hebrews 12:14 says, ‘Follow peace with all men, and holiness, without which no man shall see the Lord.’ Without living holy lives during Time, we can’t enter Eternity with God. Without Holiness, no man shall see the Lord.
This is very serious and it needs to be preached in all our Churches urgently, otherwise whole Congregations will be destroyed on the Day of Judgment.
We’re saved by Grace, yes, however, we need to respond to that Grace by Faith, and Faith without Works is dead.
That’s why the Apostle Paul used to warn Christians against living in sin. He never told them their actions have no bearing on their Salvation.
Romans 6:15-16 says, ‘What then? Shall we sin, because we are not under the law, but under grace? God forbid. Know ye not, that to whom ye yield yourselves servants to obey, his servants ye are to whom ye obey; WHETHER TO SIN UNTO DEATH, or obedience unto righteousness.’
The Apostle Paul never preached Grace the way we hear it today. He preached that if a Believer sins, they shall die. Grace doesn’t shield us from the consequence of sin if there’s no Repentance.
Romans 8:13 says, ‘IF YE LIVE AFTER THE FLESH, YE SHALL DIE: but if ye through the Spirit, do mortify the deeds of the body, ye shall live.’
Notice how staying alive in Christ Jesus is conditional upon our behaviour since he uses the word ‘IF’. Only if you deaden the misdeeds of the body will you live. But if you live in sin, you will most certainly die.
But what about ‘there’s no condemnation, Pastor?’ Romans 8:1 reads, ‘There’s therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, WHO WALK NOT AFTER THE FLESH, BUT AFTER THE SPIRIT.’ Some translations only have the first part and have omitted the second.
But when you read it in context, it makes total sense to have the second part as well. There’s no condemnation to those who walk not after the flesh but after the Spirit because if you live after the flesh, you shall die. This is in agreement with Romans 8:13.
Acts 20:31 says, ‘Therefore watch, and remember, that by the space of three years I ceased not to warn every one night and day with tears.’ The Apostle Paul spent 3 years warning the Church in Ephesus, day and night, with tears.
Why?
Galatians 5:19-21 says, ‘The acts of the flesh are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery; idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like. I WARN YOU AS I DID BEFORE, THAT THOSE WHO LIVE LIKE THIS WILL NOT INHERIT THE KINGDOM OF GOD.’
Believers who live in sin will not inherit the Kingdom of God. Even though the Testator died and left us an Eternal Inheritance, we must respond to that Grace by Faith and live in Obedience to God. Faith without works is dead, and itself leads to Death. Paul knew that Believers who live in sin will not inherit the Kingdom of God, that’s why he warned them so much.
Living in sin renounces our Inheritance in Christ Jesus. It nullifies our Faith and disqualifies us for the Grace of God. Faith is the Title Deed to our Inheritance. Without Faith, we can’t access our Inheritance. And Faith obeys.
Romans 1:5 says, ‘Through him we received grace and apostleship to call all the Gentiles to the obedience that comes from faith for his name’s sake.’ The Apostle Paul says that he received Grace and Apostleship to call all the Gentiles to THE OBEDIENCE THAT COMES FROM FAITH.’
Our Faith must produce Obedience, otherwise it’s not true Bible Faith.
1 Corinthians 6:9-10 says, ‘Or do you not know that wrongdoers will not inherit the kingdom of God? DO NOT BE DECEIVED: Neither the sexually immoral nor idolaters nor adulterers nor men who have sex with men nor thieves nor the greedy nor drunkards nor slanderers nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God.’
Many are deceived by the false message of grace today because they think their actions have no bearing on how God will judge them in the end. But the True Apostle of True Grace tells us that wrongdoers will not inherit the Kingdom of God in the end.
Hebrews 12:16-17 says, ‘See that no one is sexually immoral, or is godless like Esau, who for a single meal sold his inheritance rights as the oldest son. Afterward, as you know, when he wanted to inherit this blessing, he was rejected. Even though he sought the blessing with tears, he could not change what he had done.’
One sin cost Esau his Inheritance, just like one sin plunged the human race into sin. It’s the same way today, one sin can cost you your Inheritance. Don’t sell your Inheritance in exchange for cheap temporal sexual pleasures or some other sin like Esau. It’s not worth it. It’ll cost you an Eternity with God. It’ll cost you your Inheritance in Christ Jesus.
So during this Feast of Unleavened Bread, make sure there’s not leaven in your life. Be warned, and repent because the Kingdom of God is near.
Glory to God!
What God has promised you in His Word He is able to perform. His Word is His covenant. When God speaks, He covenants.
God will never break His covenant or change what He has already declared concerning you.
God is not a man. He’s not fickle and unpredictable. Through His Word you can know exactly what He’ll do.
However, you have a role to play. You must exercise faith in His Word.
There are times when God requires that you obey a commandment for your faith to work.
Hebrews 11:8 says, ‘By faith Abraham, when called to go to a place he would later receive as his inheritance, obeyed and went, even though he did not know where he was going.’
Abraham would not have received what God promised him if he didn’t act on God’s Word. Faith without works is dead.
At other times, God wants you to say something.
2 Corinthians 4:13 says, ‘We having the same spirit of faith, according as it is written, I believed, and therefore have I spoken; we also believe, and therefore speak.’
God gave us His Word for us to say it. God says something to us so that we may say the same thing as Him. When we say what God says, we get whatsoever we say.
So step out in faith today, and believe God’s Word. He has not changed. Whatever He said about you before, He’s still saying today.
He will never break His covenant nor alter the words of His lips.
Glory to God!
For the people of the world, the return of the Lord Jesus Christ will be a dreadful day of the Lord. But for us, it will a glorious day of the Lord.
Luke 21:28 says, ‘And when these things begin to come to pass, then look up, and lift up your heads; for your redemption draweth nigh.’ When we see all the signs around us, we’re not distressed. We rejoice because we know it’s time to look up for our redemption is near. The Lord Jesus Christ is coming back very soon. And when He arrives, He’ll set up His kingdom on the earth and we’ll rule and reign with Him forever.
Therefore, continue to live for Him, because behold He comes quickly and His reward is with Him. And He will reward us according to what our works deserve.
What you’re doing for the Lord is not in vain. No matter what you do, don’t be faint in well-doing because in due time you will reap eternal life.
Glory to God!
Ye are of God. He’s talking about your identity. You are not of man, you are not of the devil, you are of God.
You’re born of God. And anyone born of God overcomes the world.
Ye are of God and have overcome them because greater is He that is in you than he that is in the world.
Who is in you? The Lord Jesus Christ is in you.
In the Lord Jesus Christ resides the fulness of the Godhead in bodily form.
The Godhead is the Father, the Word and the Holy Spirit. That’s the totality of God.
The Lord Jesus Christ is greater than Satan and He lives in you.
Christ is your life. He has brought eternal life to you. He has brought His life to you.
That’s why you’re of God. You’re no longer born of blood, human effort or a husband’s will. You’re born again, but this time, you’re born of God with the very life of God in you.
Through the life of Christ, you’re born again. You’re a child of God. You’re a son of God.
By virtue of your heritage, your origin, and your identity, the devil can’t overcome you. He’s inferior to you.
The life inside you is superior to the life in him. That’s why he can’t defeat you.
Because the One who dwells in you is greater than the one in the world, the one in the world cannot overcome you.
By virtue of the Lord Jesus Christ having overcome and destroyed Satan on the cross, you have also overcome him.
The victory of the Lord Jesus Christ has been given to you.
Thanks be unto God who always leads us in triumph in Christ. Glory to God!
That’s why what’s coming will not destroy you.
No matter what the kingdom of darkness coughs up, you have already overcome them.
No matter the amount of evil they dish out, you have already overcome them.
No matter how extreme their schemes, you have already overcome them.
Why? Because you are of God, therefore, greater is He that is in your than he that is in the world.
Glory to God!