One Step Closer pt 3:
(click for audio)
In Luke 9:23-26 Jesus speaks some stern words of warning about judgement
to come. They are not easy words to hear nor are they easy to repeat,
but they are words of eternal life for those who will listen.
In these
verses Jesus warns people who reject His lordship and try to live on
their own terms that the end result will be judgement resulting in
eternal separation from God - what the book of Revelation calls "the
second death".
As Jesus explained in Matthew 7, there are people who claim to be 'religious' and even do great things in His name but yet do not personally know Him and have not received eternal life from Him. They rely on their own works instead of trusting in what Jesus has done for us. They seek to control their own lives and pursue their own sinful desires instead of living a new life with Christ as Lord. Genuine followers of Jesus are people who have been converted - they have believed the truth about Jesus, received new life from Him and now live differently as a result.
The second warning is to those who have
received eternal life through faith in Him, yet have held back from
living out that life and speaking about Jesus among those who do not yet
believe. They are ones who are ashamed of Jesus and His words, even
though by them they have received eternal life.
To these people Jesus
says that while they will inherit eternal life they will do as ones of
whom He is ashamed, ones who have selfishly kept their wonderful
salvation to themselves instead of sharing it with others.
As we explore
these passages we are again reminded that it is one thing to talk a
good talk, but if we want to be sure of our salvation and if we want to
be confident of how we will be received by Jesus when we stand before
Him, the essential thing is to know that in this life we have also
'walked the walk'.
