Dead Set Against You - October 4, 2010

Good Monday morning! Stiff and sore this morning, and the weather looks like it agrees with me right now. Fog and clouds started rolling in during my walk. It's starting to look kind of gray out there. Denver won, Nebraska goofed off, Kimball and Sidney both got stomped by superior teams, and we have a new week beginning in the fog. What a way to start the week. Praise God for the new day in October, even though you might be wondering when our October weather is supposed to actually start this year.

Today, we have made it to the final verse in John chapter 3, and how fitting that John the Baptist sums it up for us one more time.

And everyone who believes in God's Son has eternal life. Anyone who doesn't obey the Son will never experience eternal life but remains under God's angry judgment. John 3:36

In case we missed it in John 3:15, 16, 17, and 18, we get one more reminder from the witness, John the Baptist. Everyone who believes in Jesus has, not will have or might have, but has eternal life. Good news! We believe in Jesus and we have eternal life. Both Jesus and John the Baptist have affirmed this to us. But there is more, news that isn't quite so good. If anyone fails to obey the Son, he or she faces God's angry judgment. There is no eternal life or nothing - as some might use this verse to make their excuse. God's angry judgment is something I would rather not face at the end of a difficult life. How much better it is to get up in the morning and realize that Jesus has paid the price for me! God's angry judgment is set aside, all charges are dropped for lack of evidence as God has put my sins away from Him as far as the east is from the west! On the other hand, those who refuse to obey the Son will have sin after sin brought up from their life at the judgment seat.

Most of us can remember sin after sin from our lives, but in the judgment not one will be missed. Try to imagine having all of that brought up against you? Even the good works might be shown to have been done out of self-interest on in the hope of a reward. You might come to the end and face judgment, to paraphrase Dickens, with every mark dead set against you! Believe in Jesus, be born again of the Spirit. Why face a judgment that we don't have to face?

Have a great new week in Christ!

Bucky