Life is not without conditions as we believe. Life has its rules of dos and don’ts. At the end of life, we will account for our stewardship. God has given us enough time and means to know what he expects of us. There is a day of accountability. On that day, it will be an individual affair before the only judge who is Christ Jesus. How do we know what God expects from us?
God speaks to us directly
God said to Adam in Genesis 3: 3, ‘You shall not eat of the fruit of the tree that is in the middle of the garden, nor shall you touch it, or you shall die.’” To Adam, God gave him instructions about life and death to choose from and he chose death. God also spoke to Noah in Genesis 6: 13, “I have determined to make an end of all flesh, for the earth is filled with violence because of them; now I am going to destroy them along with the earth. To Noah, God spoke about the wages of sin and what his pleasure was and being wise he obeyed God and lived.
God spoke to Abraham and said in Genesis 12: 1, Go from your country and your kindred and your father’s house to the land that I will show you. To Abram, God wanted him to separate unto him for his blessings and he obeyed and handed blessings even unto generations long after him. Those who separate from the world unto God or obey God become blessed whereas those who disobey face God’s rejection. The few of countless biblical examples all point to one fact, obedience to God. It is written in John 3: 36 whoever believes in the Son has eternal life; whoever disobeys the Son will not see life, but must endure God’s wrath. We must know and hear God’s voice as he speaks to those plans he has for everyone.
God speaks to us by Christ Jesus
Jesus said in Matthew 12: 36, I tell you, on the day of judgment you will have to give an account for every careless word you utter; for your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned. This is not limited to only our words but our deeds as well. Jesus said in Matthew 7: 19, every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. Jesus also said in John 8: 31-32 “If you continue in my word, you are truly my disciples; and you will know the truth, and the truth will make you free.
We are saved by knowing and practicing the truth of God. Without the truth we are God’s enemies because God is the truth. Jesus said in John 8: 51, very truly, I tell you, whoever keeps my word will never see death. Keeping the word means living the word of life so those who have life will not taste death. Some of us reject Jesus outright or pick and choose from his words and reject the others. Jesus said in Matthew 10: 33; Luke 12: 9 whoever denies me before others, I also will deny before my Father in heaven. Of what value are the words of Christ Jesus to us?
God speaks to us by his Holy Spirit
Paul said in Galatians 5: 25, if we live by the Spirit, let us also be guided by the Spirit. a number of us claim to have the Holy Spirit yet live without the guidance of the Spirit. We cannot any longer live in deception or denial. The Holy Spirit speaks to us through our hearts with gentleness and serenity of God, we must not downplay his authority as the Spirit of God. In Acts 5: 10, Ananias and his wife lied to the Holy Spirit and lost their lives. Sin will be the cause of many eternal deaths on the Day of Judgment.
God fights against those who grieve his Holy Spirit. It is written in Isaiah 63: 10, but they rebelled and grieved his holy spirit; therefore he became their enemy; he himself fought against them. We will stop grieving the Holy Spirit when we are baptized by him for thereafter, he shall teach and lead us as counselor. Jesus said in John 14: 26 but the Advocate, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you everything, and remind you of all that I have said to you. By our nature as mortals, only the Holy Spirit can refresh our memories of God’s wants. He is our teacher, counselor and advocate on things which we even do not understand or may have forgotten so we may escape judgment. Do we know the Holy Spirit personally?
God speaks to us by his word
The word of God is the bible. It is written in Proverbs 4: 4, “Let your heart hold fast my words; keep my commandments, and live. The foundation of life is keeping God’s commandments, covenants, words, and instructions which are contained in the bible. God’s word also shows us how we can be restored when we stray from his ways. It is written in 2 Chronicles 7: 14, if my people who are called by my name humble themselves, pray, seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin and heal their land. Only those who have repented will escape judgment.
God further shows us how to be in keeping with him. Solomon wrote in Proverbs 7: 1, My child, keep my words and store up my commandments with you; keep my commandments and live, keep my teachings as the apple of your eye; bind them on your fingers, write them on the tablet of your heart. Unless we treasure God’s word, we will not keep it or give it the due attention. God’s word must be our dearest treasure wherever we are. Jesus said in Matthew 6: 21; Luke 12: 34 for where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. If our treasure is the word of God, our hearts will be away from judgment in heaven. Hearing the word differs from obeying the word. How do we treat the word of God?
God speaks by the prophets, others
Jesus said in Luke 16: 29, 31 Abraham replied, ‘They have Moses and the prophets; they should listen to them.’ He said to him, ‘If they do not listen to Moses and the prophets, neither will they be convinced even if someone rises from the dead.’” God has appointed true prophets, teachers, etc. to help us escape the wrath that is to come. Sadly, we do not listen to them until it becomes too late. We deny God when we deny his prophets, teachers, ministers, etc. and the consequence therefore is judgment.
We must however be sure that what they say is consistent with scripture. Paul said in 2 Corinthians 11: 14, and no wonder! Even Satan disguises himself as an angel of light. So, the bible says in 1 John 4: 1 beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God; for many false prophets have gone out into the world. The bible says in Acts 17: 11, these Jews were more receptive than those in Thessalonica, for they welcomed the message very eagerly and examined the scriptures every day to see whether these things were so. How often do we examine what we are taught?
Prayer
Dear Lord Jesus, thank you for reminding us that your judgment will soon come in righteousness. We now know that your judgment will be without mercy. For our words and thoughts and deeds, we are sorry. Awaken us to the channels by which you continue to speak to us and let us be attentive in obedience. Prepare us for that day as there will be no excuse anymore. Save our souls today in your precious saving blood in your holy name, Amen!!
