We will all spend eternity somewhere. Some will spend eternity with God. But sadly, others will spend eternity suffering and eternally separated from Him.
Jesus compared that time of judgment to a shepherd separating sheep and goats. Both sheep and goats sit in our churches every Sunday. On the outside, we look much the same, but one day, the “Great Shepherd” will separate the two. The sheep to everlasting glory. The goats to everlasting punishment. Do you know for certain where you will spend eternity? Don’t leave it to chance!
And what about the people who sit around you on Sundays? Are there those who come in and go out without ever really being involved in the life of the church? Or whose lives don’t reflect a relationship with Christ? Could God be calling you to get involved?
Welcome, to “God’s Word Day by Day” where I blog through the Bible in a Year. I hope you’ll join me every day. If you’re not already signed up, you can do it here. This year I’ve added a couple of new features. First, check out the “Free Resources” tab at the top. You’ll find a downloadable, printable PDF with “Going Deeper Study Questions” for each day’s post. And … this year you’ll find the daily “Bible in a Year” posts on YouTube. The daily emails now have a link to both these Soul Survival posts and the YouTube videos. I hope you’ll sign up. (If you already receive them, no need to sign up again.)
Today’s Readings:
Exodus 31 & 32
Psalm 21.1-7
Proverbs 7.24-27
Matthew 25.31-46
Where Will You Spend Eternity?
Matthew 25.31-46
Sheep, Goats & Eternity
Jesus said this in today’s reading:
32 All the nations will be gathered before Him, and He will separate them one from another, as a shepherd divides his sheep from the goats. 33 And He will set the sheep on His right hand, but the goats on the left. 34 Then the King will say to those on His right hand, ‘Come, you blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world:
41 “Then He will also say to those on the left hand, ‘Depart from Me, you cursed, into the everlasting fire prepared for the devil and his angels:
Yet, Sheep and goats may not look that different on the outside.
Last month when we read through the “Sermon on the Mount” from Matt. 5, 6, and 7), we talked about 7.21-23:
21 “Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven. 22 Many will say to Me in that day, ‘Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in Your name, and done many wonders in Your name?’23 And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!’
Look at verse 22 again. These people were doing “Christian” things. They were sitting in our pews, part of our small groups, serving in ministry … but Jesus will say, “I never knew you …”
How can we know we will be counted with the sheep and not the goats? How can we know whether we’ll spend eternity with Him?
Self-Examination & Eternity
If religious activity and outward moral behavior don’t necessarily prove that we truly belong to Him, what are the marks of a genuine believer?
According to Pastor John MacArthur, there are nine conditions that prove genuine saving faith. I’m going to include his list here with a couple of comments after each one. If you would like to read his entire article including seven things that do not prove genuine saving faith you can click here.
Nine Conditions that Prove Genuine Saving Faith
1. Love for God
This is genuine love for God Himself not what He can do for us. It’s a love that pursues His glory and while lived out imperfectly desires to please Him (2 Cor. 5.9).
2. Repentance from Sin
Pastor MacArthur says, “If we say that we love God, then we will hate whatever is an offense to Him. Sin blasphemes God. Sin curses God. Sin seeks to destroy God’s work and His kingdom. Sin killed His Son.”
If we love God and belong to Him there should be a growing hatred of our own sin shown through confession and repentance, not just sorrow but a turning away from sin.
3. Genuine Humility
Jesus said in Matthew 5.3-5, blessed are the poor in spirit,” “blessed are those who mourn” and “blessed are the meek.”
Those who are “poor in spirit” understand they are spiritually bankrupt. We can’t come to God based on our own goodness. We understand there is nothing in us worthy of God’s love.
If we belong to God, we will mourn and experience brokenness over our own sin (Lk. 15.21). True saving faith is humble and dependent on God not prideful or self-reliant (Matt. 18.3).
4. Devotion to God’s Glory
Paul told the Corinthians, “… whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God (1 Cor. 10.31).
Again, while imperfectly, our desire should be to give others the right opinion of God and to bring Him glory.
5. Continual Prayer
Humble, believing, private prayer will be part of the life of a genuine believer.
6. Selfless Love
Jesus said the two great commandments are to love God and love others (Matt. 22.37-40). Saving faith results in not only love for God but love for those He has placed in our lives (Jn. 13.35; 1 Jn. 3.14, 4.9) and even strangers (Lk. 10.25-37).
If we don’t truly love God and other believers, it’s unlikely we’ll spend eternity with them.
7. Separation from the World
While we should have a love for lost people that drives us to pray, give, and share the gospel, we should not love the things of the world (1 Jn. 2.15).
8. Spiritual Growth
We may grow are different rates but true believers are growing and producing fruit (Matt. 12.33; Jn. 15.1-8). They are becoming progressively more like Christ (Phil. 1.6).
9. Obedience
Though we are saved by grace through faith (Eph. 2.8-9), we are saved for good works (Eph. 2.10). Jesus said, “If you love Me, keep My commandments” (Jn. 14.15). True believers can and will sin but if we can sin as a lifestyle, if we believe obedience doesn’t matter, we should question the genuineness of our faith.
Getting Personal
Speaking for myself, I know I fall far short in these areas. But I know that God continues to work in me (Phil. 1.6). He uses the tests and trials in my life to help me see where I am not like Him so I can change and grow (Rom. 8.28-29; Jas. 1.2-4). And He uses His Word through preaching, teaching, and my own reading to convict me of sin and point me toward righteousness.
How about you? Do you see these characteristics in your life? If not, I hope you’ll cry out to God, and ask for His help to understand the gospel and His grace to understand what He wants you to see, whatever that might be. He wants you to know whether or not you are ready to spend eternity with Him.
Who Am I to Judge?
And what about those sitting around you in church? Most of us have people who sit near us on Sundays. We smile and say hello but we know little about them. They don’t seem to participate in the life of the church. They just come in and go out. Could some of them be merely fulfilling a religious obligation to come? Could God be calling you to get involved, to make the effort to know them better?
Or do you know someone who comes to church and may even be involved in other church activities? Yet, there are signs of some sinful lifestyle. Have you witnessed abusive behavior? Are they living together and not married? Or is there something else that makes you wonder whether they have a genuine relationship with God? Again … you won’t know unless you take the time.
I’m not advocating that we eye everyone with a critical attitude but we can’t cop out by telling ourselves we shouldn’t judge. Galatians 6 says this:
1 Brethren, if a man is overtaken in any trespass, you who are spiritual restore such a one in a spirit of gentleness, considering yourself lest you also be tempted. 2 Bear one another’s burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ.
That calls for a certain kind of judgment. Even Jesus said we would know a tree by its fruit. Again … a certain kind of judgment.
And the Great Commission (Matt. 28.19-20) calls us to share the gospel … all of us. That’s not limited to mission trips to foreign nations. Let’s be sensitive to the possible spiritual condition of those God places in our paths.
Today’s Other Readings:
Exodus 31 & 32
Intercession
Moses, God’s leader for the nation of Israel, had been on the mountaintop communing with God. When he took too long in the people’s eyes, they quickly turned back to the idolatry many of them practiced in Egypt.
Not only did they start worshiping a pagan god, but they were having a drunken and, probably, sex-filled party. God in His perfect justice and sinless anger was ready to destroy them for their wickedness.
But Moses as a type of Christ interceded for the people. So, while there were consequences, God didn’t destroy them.
Out Came This Calf!
Just a side note, is anyone else amazed by Aaron’s statement about how the golden calf was created?
The people said to me, ‘Moses led us out of Egypt, but we don’t know what has happened to him. Make us gods who will lead us.’ So I told the people, ‘Take off your gold jewelry.’ When they gave me the gold, I threw it into the fire and out came this calf!” (32.23-24 NCV).
As if it just jumped out of the fire!
But as with so many things we see in the Old Testament, we’re not so different:
“I don’t know how I got into this affair, we were just friends … and out came this calf!”
Or, “I don’t know how we ended up living two separate, parallel lives, we just quit communicating little by little … and out came this calf!”
“I don’t know how I ended up feeling so far from God. I just missed a few services. Yes, I know I should read my Bible but I’ve been really busy. I pray as I’m running out the door or in my car. I just go out with my friends for a few drinks, but I witness to them when I get a chance. And out came this calf!”
Psalm 21.1-7
How Not to Slip, Totter, or Fall
For the king trusts in the LORD, and through the mercy of the Most High he shall not be moved (v. 7).
Because the king trusted in the Lord and because of God’s mercy or unfailing love, he would not be moved. That word moved in this context means “to slip, totter, or make random motions which may result in an object falling.”
Think about that. When we put our faith and trust in God, in His love for us, He will not allow us to slip, totter, or fall. What a mighty, loving God we serve!
Proverbs 7.24-27
She Has Cast Down Many Wounded!
This chapter closes with a final warning by a father to a son about the dangers of sexual immorality.
For she has cast down many wounded, and all who were slain by her were strong men (vss. 26-27).
Of course, this is not just a warning to men. Women, too, can be led astray or tempted by a seducer. We don’t want to be on either side of this sin.
Coming Up:
In the coming days, we’ll talk about what it really means to be a friend of God, how to rate yourself on biblical love, offering God your best, the importance of defending your faith, and pose the question, “Could you be raising little hypocrites?”
I hope you’ll sign up so you don’t miss them.
Blessings as you grow in Christ,
Donna ♥
Note about this post:
I began blogging through the Bible in 2012 and have done so every year since then. These posts are the product of many edits and additions throughout those years. Some days I make major changes, other days fewer.
A while ago, I read Jen Wilkin’s book None Like Him about the attributes of God. One is His incomprehensibility. In it, she says, “God is incomprehensible. This does not mean that he is unknowable, but that he is unable to be fully known.”
I have found that to be true each year as I’ve gone back through the Bible. Sometimes I find myself feeling as if a passage just appeared there for the first time. I’m reminded that no matter how many times we read through the Bible, we have only scratched the surface. I hope you feel the same.
Indeed these are the mere edges of His ways,
And how small a whisper we hear of Him!
But the thunder of His power who can understand?” (Job 26.14)
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