
Sardis 29
We are still looking at what Jesus meant when He says He will come at an hour we do not expect Him and how this hour is associated with death. This is in keeping with the rest of His warning to the saints in Sardis.
I believe God’s wrath is directly related to death. This is the hour in all our lives that none of us know and it comes when we least expect it. It is in this hour that we find ourselves facing the eternal judgment (judicial decrees) that God has set in place. For you, as a believer in Jesus Christ, this hour has already come and gone because you have already passed from death to life. This hour was the time in which you accepted the grace of God’s forgiveness toward you and accepted His salvation. It is the moment of your new birth.
For the unbeliever that is still living this hour has not yet come and they continue to have the opportunity to come under God’s eternal judgment offering salvation before they die. If they do not, they will face their eternal judgment and it will sadly be the judgment set for Satan and his demons. Eternal judgment is a big subject, and I am only glancing at it here.
Then there is God’s discipline, which is sadly also often associated with God’s raging anger. I need you to know that GOD IS NOT raging mad with humanity. He has an undying love for humanity, one that sent Him to die for our salvation. Our ministry as the saints is a ministry of reconciliation, how that God is NOT holding men accountable for their sins and calls all people to repent and be saved. This is a love that goes far beyond our imagination and a patient endurance that we must comprehend.
Now, there is no love without discipline. Even though we live in a world where philosophies have gone mad and people think love means that “I get to do what I want without consequences and you accept what I do.” But no matter what the world thinks, God does not change and as a loving Father discipline will come for the sake of our correction and salvation from the consequences of sin and death.
The word discipline, or chastisement in some translations, means tutorage, that is education or training, correction, instruction, nurturing. None of these words mean punishment!
Hebrews 12:7 tells us to endure hardship as discipline; God is treating you as His children. For what children are not disciplined by their Father. (TPT)
So, what are these hardships you need to endure and what are you supposed to do when you are being disciplined?
Jesus calls affliction wars and rumours of war, nations revolting against each other, earthquakes, famines, plagues, tribulation, families betraying each other, etc. Paul calls them distress, persecution, famine, nakedness, peril, sword, death, life, angels, demons, things present, things to come, height, depth, and other creatures. James calls them fiery tests, trials, and persecutions.
Notice how all these things are of this world. These are “hours” (times and seasons) in your life which God uses as a warning to bring you to repentance from your involvement with sin and to turn to God for salvation before it is too late, and the final hour arrives. And yes, there is still a consequence to sin on earth, both to the believer and the unbeliever.
No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on, however, for those who have been trained by it, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace. (Heb 12:11 ISV)
We are in a global hour of warning now where we are seeing all kinds of trouble and there will be more to come. So, who is behind all the hardship and where does it come from?
To be continued …
Love and blessings 💫
Yvonne
Scripture references: Hebrews 12; 2 Cor 5:19-21; Mk 13:7-9 ; Rom 8:35-39; James 1
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