WILL YOU BE ASHAMED AT HIS COMING?
TEXT:
"And now, little children, abide in him; that, when he shall appear, we may have confidence, and not be ashamed before him at his coming." (1st John 2 verse 28, King James Version).
The second coming of the Lord Jesus Christ is an event that will surely happen. As it was with His first advent, so it will as regards His second advent. The major difference is that in His second advent, He's coming with judgement. But thank God that we have been saved from God's wrath.
In 1st Thessalonians 5 verse 9, the Bible says that "... God hath not appointed us to wrath, but to obtain salvation by our Lord Jesus Christ," Also, in Romans 5 verse 9, we have it said that "Much more then, being now justified by his blood, we shall be saved from wrath through him."
Yes, there's an impending wrath from God upon mankind, because of sin and sins (see Romans 1 verse 18; Ephesians 5 verse 6; Colossians 3 verse 6; 1st Thessalonians 1 verse 10).
It's good that we understand that sin(s) and wrath are cause and effect respectively. But the Good News is that God has delivered us from our sin(s), which is the cause of His anger and wrath toward us (see Psalms 7 verse 11). Because of this, it follows that our deliverance from His wrath has also been effected. Glory to God!
But brethren, it has been said that once saved, not always saved. I agree! This is why the Scripture reading for today admonishes us to "abide in Him" so that "when he shall appear, we may have confidence, and not be ashamed before him at his coming." This connotes that though we have been saved, there's the possibility of falling away (see Hebrews 6 verses 4 to 7).
To avoid this, we have been admonished to abide in the Lord. We abide in Him through His Word and Spirit to the end that we live to His pleasure. In 1st John 3 verse 6, the Bible says that "Whosoever abideth in him sinneth not:" Sin erodes our confidence in God. Stop it!
One of the key words in our Scripture reading for today is "confidence". Simply put, confidence is the quality or state of being certain about something. With respect to the Christian salvation, confidence is a vital factor that we should endeavor to possess at all times. It's a condition of the heart, which is closely tied to whether at any point in time, we feel condemned or not. The truth of the matter is, no one can stand before God with a condemned heart. In 1st John 3 verse 21, the Bible says clearly , "Beloved, if our heart condemn us not, then have we confidence toward God." Confidence in the Lord stems simply from whether we are obedient to God's commandments or not.
Sin is a destroyer of man's confidence towards God. It lowers one's estimation of self in God's presence. Revelation 6 verses 16 to 17 informs us that at the Lord's coming, there are those who will say "to the mountains and rocks, Fall on us, and hide us from the face of him that sitteth on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb: For the great day of his wrath is come; and who shall be able to stand?"
Clearly, satan, the accuser of the brethren in Revelation 12 verse 10 can no longer accuse us before God because he's cast down from Heaven (see John 12 verse 31; Luke 10 verse 18. Isaiah 14 verse 12 ; Revelation 12 verse 9). We need to understand that after the Cross, the Lord Jesus stands between us and the throne of God the Father (see Revelation 5 verse 6). Notwithstanding, satan often works through our minds to condemn us of our sins and by doing so, he aims to erode our confidence before God, with the rippling adverse effect on our faith.
The bottom line here is that while we live here on earth, we should strive to abide in the Lord, that when he shall appear, we may have confidence, and not be ashamed before him at his coming. Toward this end, get born again if you are yet to do so, and begin to live for the Lord day by day until He comes.
PRAYER:
In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, I shall not be ashamed before Him at His coming. Amen.