How Should We Then Live? - Part 3

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"[But] the goal of our instruction," it's the goal of my instruction, "is love." Love for God, love for others. If you miss that, then you've missed the whole point.

In our study of the book of Revelation, we have learned so much about what's going to happen at the end of time. We've learned about all of the details of the seven-year tribulation in which Antichrist will set up his reign, but in which Christ will rain down judgment on this world. We learned about the second coming, the battle of Armageddon, the thousand-year kingdom on a renewed earth, the final rebellion of Satan and mankind, the great white throne of judgment, and even the eternal state with its amazing eternal city. It's been thrilling to watch the future unfold. But our Lord didn't give us this wonderful book just to satisfy our curiosity. He intended it, Christian, to change your life. The question is, has that happened? 

Jesus makes it clear in the last chapter of Revelation that that's exactly what He intended to happen in your life and mine. We finished our study of the body of this book and we've now entered into the epilogue. It runs from 22:6 down through the end of the book, 22:21. As I shared with you several weeks ago now, the theme that ties this entire epilogue with its many different exhortations together is what Christ Himself says in the last half of verse 7. Look at it with me. This is Jesus: "Blessed is he who heeds the words of the prophecy of this book." The Greek word translated heeds means to persist in obedience. In other words, in a series of staccato exhortations, the epilogue explains how you and I are to obey the prophecy of this book. It explains how you and I should think and live in light of all the prophecies that we've studied together. 

So far, we've considered four of those exhortations. I won't go back through them. You can go back and listen and catch up, but let me just give them to you. Here's what we've learned so far. Number one, accept the book's authenticity. You have the testimony of John, you have the testimony of the angel, you have the testimony of Jesus Himself that these words are true. 

Secondly, worship only the Trinity. We've seen some great visions, we've seen some powerful, majestic angels, and we could be tempted, like John, to misdirect our worship. And the angel reminds John, and us, worship only the Trinity in response to what you've seen in this book. 

Thirdly, verse 10, we saw "live with expectancy." Jesus says, "Don't seal up the words of this prophecy because they're coming and they're coming soon. I want my people to live in a state of expectancy." 

And then fourthly, we learn that we should be sobered by its finality. When human history ends, as is described in this book, and eternity begins to unfold, our eternal destinies will be sealed. Those who are filthy will remain filthy for all eternity, and those who have been transformed by the grace of God who are holy, they will be holy forever. It's eternal, it's final. Be sobered by that reality. 

Today, we begin with the fifth exhortation. We find it in verses 12 and 13, and it's this: Remember the judgment's certainty. Look at verses 12 and 13. This is our Lord Himself speaking, and He says this to us: "Behold, I am coming quickly, and My reward is with Me, to render to every man according to what he has done. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the first and the last, the beginning and the end." Now, when I read those two verses, my mind goes to a very familiar passage in Hebrews 9:27 where it says, "And inasmuch as it is appointed for men to die once and after this comes judgment." That's exactly what Jesus is saying here. 

In verse 12, He reminds us of the certainty of that coming judgment, and He exhorts us to live in light of it. Let's look at it together. First of all, in verse 12, you have Jesus' assurance of the judgment. Look again at verse 12: "Behold, I am coming quickly, and My reward is with Me, to render to every man according to what he has done." Here we discover that this judgment will happen at the imminent personal return of Jesus Christ. He says, "I'm coming, and when I come, I'm bringing my reward with Me. Behold, I am coming quickly." John quotes Jesus, using the same words that He did back in verse 7. Here, for a second time, clearly our Lord wants us to know that His return is imminent. He could come at any time. But this time, He assures us of that imminent return for a different reason. Here, He's urging us to remember that He's coming back, and when he returns, it will be to judge. There's an implied exhortation in this, that we're to remember this reality of coming judgment and we're to live in light of it. 

Now, let me just remind you, I'm not going to fill all this in, but let me just remind you of what we've discovered. There's not just one general judgment of everybody at the second coming, at the end of the tribulation. Instead, we've learned that Christ will finally judge every believer at the judgment seat of Christ, described in 1 Corinthians 3. That judgment, the judgment seat of Christ for every believer, will happen in heaven, likely during the seven-year tribulation on earth. So after the church is raptured and the events of the tribulation unfold here, during that time [there] will be the judgment seat of Christ where Christ will finally judge every believer.

We've also learned that Christ will finally judge every unbeliever at the great white throne judgment which comes at the end of the thousand-year reign of Christ. We saw it at the end of Revelation 20, where at the end of that thousand-year reign all unbelievers will be resurrected, they'll stand before Jesus Christ, be judged and condemned to the lake of fire forever. So Jesus has promised to judge, that's what we see here. And that judgment, verse 12, tells us [it] will consist of His comprehensive individual evaluation. Verse 12 says, "And my reward is with Me." The Greek word for reward is literally remuneration for work done; pay; wages. This word is used in two different ways in the New Testament. It's used, on the one hand, of the wages [that] are the punishment for sin. It's used in other places, many places, of the reward for believers' service. So this word reward is used in both ways. And here I think Jesus likely means both of them at the same time. Why? Because verse 12 is based on two Old Testament texts. And both of those Old Testament texts refer to both the punishment of God's enemies and the reward of His saints. 

Let me give you those texts. The first is Isaiah 40:10, "Behold, the Lord God," the Lord Yahweh, "will come with might, with His arm ruling for Him. Behold, His reward is with Him and His recompense before Him." Isaiah 62:11, "Behold, the Lord" — Yahweh — "has proclaimed to the end of the earth, say to the daughter of Zion, 'Lo, your salvation comes; Behold His reward is with Him, and His recompense before Him.'" So in Revelation 22:12, Jesus takes those two Old Testament texts, both of which speak of Yahweh, and says, "They describe me. I am coming to punish My enemies and to reward My saints." 

Notice Jesus continues in verse 12, "My reward is with Me, to render to every man according to what he has done." Christ's coming judgment will be comprehensive to every man, to all without exception. There will be no exceptions. Every single human being who has ever lived, who's living now, or whoever will live, will be judged by Jesus Christ. And it will be individual. Literally, the Greek text says, to each one. Every single person in this room will stand before Jesus Christ in judgment. The question is, what will Christ's judgment for you be like? And the biblical answer to that is, it depends. 

If you are an unbeliever, if you have never repented of your sins and put your faith in the One who will judge you, He will judge you with strict justice for every single sin you have ever committed. Written on the record of the divine Mind is a memory of every sin that you've ever committed, every sinful thought that you have ever entertained. You think that that's secret, you think no one knows. Jesus knows, and He never forgets. Every word that is passed [from] your lips, every lie, every word of anger, every deception, everything that is passed [from] your lips that's sinful, Jesus knows. Every action you've ever committed, whether in private, in secret, our sins are in the blazing light of His presence. Nothing can be hidden from Him. "All things are open and laid bare to the eyes of Him with whom we have to do," the Scripture tells us [Heb. 4:13]. He knows it all. And that will be the basis of His judgment of you. Jeremiah 17:10: "I, the Lord, search the heart, I test the mind, even to give to each man according to his ways, according to the results of his deeds." In Romans [2:6], as Paul unfolds the principles of God's coming judgment against sinners, he says this, God "will render to each person according to his deeds." And as we saw at the end of Revelation 20, at the great white throne judgment, where every unbeliever — if you're here this morning and you've not trusted in Christ, you will be at that judgment. And at that judgment, it says Christ will order that the books are opened. Those books symbolize the divine omniscience of every single sinful thought, word, and deed you have ever committed, and you will be judged based on those sins. That's the reality if you're an unbeliever. 

On the other hand, if you are a believer, here's the wonderful news. You will never be judged for your sins. Why? Because God judged them in Christ on the cross. That's why in Romans 8:1 it says, "Therefore there is now" — what? — "no condemnation." No guilty verdict, no sentence for those who are in Christ Jesus. Why? Romans 8:3 says because He judged or punished our sins in Jesus' flesh. That's the reason. So what is the judgment for believers like? It's to receive Christ's gracious reward for our service. This word reward here in our text is used in that way as well, as I said in the New Testament, to refer to God's gracious recognition and praise of commendable service. Christ promises that when He returns for His own, a return that is imminent, a return that will be the rapture, He will reward us. It's His promise.

The New Testament constantly affirms that believers will be rewarded. But the question is, what's that like? What is the believers' heavenly reward like? Let me just give you a little insight into that from other places in Scripture. First of all, consider the two primary criteria on which Christ will evaluate you. Number one — well turn with me to the text first. Turn to 1 Corinthians chapter 4. Both of these criteria are here. First Corinthians 4:1: "Let a man regard us in this manner, as servants of Christ and stewards of the mysteries of God." That was Paul's specific assignment. But notice verse 2: "In this case, moreover, it is required of stewards," that's what we all are, "that one be found trustworthy." There's criterion number one, trustworthy service. Now the Greek word translated trustworthy implies two things. First of all, it implies loyalty to the person of Christ. And secondly, it implies dependability in carrying out the duties that He's assigned to us. That's whether or not you're trustworthy. Are you loyal to Jesus Christ personally?  You're faithful to Him. And are you dependable in carrying out, using the gifts you've been given, those duties that He's assigned you in the context of the life of the church? 

There's a second criterion in our text and that's in verse 5. He says, "Do not go on passing judgment before the time, but wait until the Lord comes who will bring both to light, things hidden in the darkness and" — here it is — "and disclose the motives of men's hearts; and then each man's praise will come to him from God."  So it's trustworthy service and God-centered motives. It's not enough just to do what you're supposed to do if you do it for yourself, for your own aggrandizement, for your own pride, so you look good to others. No, God will search the heart, He'll search your motives. You do it because you love Him, because you want to honor Christ, because you love His people, you want to serve them. Those will be the two criteria that He will use. 

But notice Christ's reward is not merely for Christian all-stars. Did you notice verse 5? "Each man's praise will come to him from God." Now, some people are confused about rewards in the New Testament. They think, "My reward [is] the crowns that are mentioned in the New Testament." That's not true. The crowns that are promised in the New Testament, the stephanos, the sort of victor's crown that's promised, are for every believer. Every believer gets the crown of righteousness, 2 Timothy 4:8. [In] James 1:12, every believer gets the crown, which is life, which is eternal life. And 1 Peter 5:4, every believer gets the stephanos, the crown which is eternal glory. We all get those crowns. 

However, we will also receive individual rewards for our service. So what are those rewards? If they're not those crowns, what are the rewards that Christ gives for faithful service? Well, in Matthew 25, the parable of the talents that Jesus tells there points to two primary rewards that believers will receive. Listen to Matthew 25:21: "His master said to him, 'Well done, good and faithful slave. You were faithful with a few things, I will put you in charge of many things; enter into the joy of your master.'" Now that amazingly insightful verse points out that our reward for service here will be number one, a greater capacity for service in eternity: "You've been faithful with a few things here. I'm going to give you much to be responsible for." And secondly, and I love this, our reward will be the praise of our Lord. He will say to us, "Well done, good and faithful slave." That's plenty reward. Can you imagine what it would be like to stand before Jesus Christ and to hear Him say, "You did exactly what I wanted you to do, well done." That's the reward. 

So in verse 12 of our text, back in Revelation 22, we find Jesus' assurance of the judgment, punishment for unbelievers, and reward for believers. But verse 13 asserts Jesus' authority as the Judge. What gives Him the right to judge every single human being? Here it is in verse 13, "I am the Alpha and the Omega, the first and the last, the beginning and the end." Now what's fascinating about that verse is the Father, God the Father, uses exactly those same titles for Himself back in 21:6, and here it's the Son using those titles, proving His eternal and full equality with the Father. But what's He claiming?  Let's look at it. First of all, He says, "I am the Alpha." That, as you know, is the first letter in the Greek alphabet; "[and the] Omega," the last letter in the Greek alphabet, but what does Jesus mean? Well, He explains this expression in the two that follow. First of all, He says, "I am the first." Go back to the beginning of history and there you find the eternal Son. And He's the last. When history ends, there you will find the incarnate Son ending history according to His own sovereign purpose. He existed before history began and He will bring it to its end and His power accomplishes every detail in between. He is the Lord of history.

And then He adds, and I love this, He says, "I'm the beginning." In other words, He is the source, or the origin, of all that exists. [All] that exists was created by Him, and nothing that exists was not created by Him, John 1:3 says. So, He is the source or origin of all things, and He is the end. He is the goal or the aim of all things. The reason everything exists is created for Him as well as by Him. So what Jesus is claiming here is this: "I am the eternal God, the sovereign Creator who made all things and for whom all things exist. Therefore," Jesus says, "I have the inherent right and authority to judge everything I've made, including you." That's what the Father says to Jesus in John 5:27, The Father "gave Him authority to execute judgment, because He is the Son of Man." In Acts 10:42, Peter says, God ordered us "solemnly to testify" that Jesus "is the One who has been appointed by God as Judge of the living and the dead." [In] Acts 17:31, on Mars Hill, Paul says, God "has fixed a day in which He will judge the world in righteousness through a Man whom He has appointed, having furnished proof to all men by raising Him from the dead." Listen, you want to know what authority Jesus has to judge? It's the authority granted Him as the Son of Man by God the Father. He will judge every person that lives. He is perfectly, divinely qualified to judge every single person, and He will. 

John the Baptist describes that future judgment in these sobering words, Matthew 3:12, "His winnowing fork is in His hand." He describes Christ's judgment as like a threshing floor that has wheat and chaff. And it says, "His winnowing fork is in His hand, and He will thoroughly clear His threshing floor." He's not going to leave any chaff, and He's not going to leave any wheat unaddressed. "And He will gather His wheat into the barn, but He will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire." You see, our text, verses 12 and 13 of Revelation 22, is an exhortation. It's an exhortation to you, if you've not repented and believed in Jesus Christ, to do so, because if you fail to do so, you will stand before Him at the great white throne of judgment, and He will judge you in strict justice for every single sin you have ever committed, and you will suffer for your rebellion forever. That's what Jesus Christ says. He's exhorting you to turn now. Don't wait. And it's an exhortation for you, believer, to be trustworthy and to serve Christ with the right motives so that you can hear, "Well done, good and faithful servant." In response to the book of Revelation, Jesus exhorts us to remember the judgment's certainty. 

His sixth exhortation to us is found in verses 14 and 15, and it is, "Examine your faith's validity." Let's read it together, back in Revelation 22:14: "Blessed are those," remember now this is our Lord Jesus speaking,

who wash their robes, so that they may have the right to the tree of life, and may enter by the gates into the city. Outside are the dogs and the sorcerers and the immoral persons and the murderers and the idolaters, and everyone who loves and practices lying.

Jesus said there are some who are inside who get to partake of eternal blessing and there are others who are outside who don't. Make sure you're one who gets to enter. Jesus calls us here to examine our faith, to make sure that it's genuine for two reasons. Reason number one, because there's eternal salvation for those whose sins have been washed away. That's the message of verse 14. 

Jesus pronounces here the seventh and last blessing in this book, "Blessed are those who wash their robes, so that they may have the right to the tree of life, and may enter by the gates into the city." Now there's background to that description. You see, Scripture often pictures human sin as a stain on our clothes that needs to be cleansed. Isaiah 64:6: "[For] all of us have become like one who is unclean, and all our righteous deeds are like a filthy garment." And we can't do anything about the stains on that garment. [In] Jeremiah 2:22, God says, "'Although you wash yourself with lye and use much soap,'" — you use whatever you want, He says — "'the stain of your iniquity is before Me,' declares the Lord God." So our sin is like a stain, and it's a stain that we can't do anything to get out. Now, most of us — in fact, I trust, all of us — like to wear clean clothes. In fact, let's just be honest, there's some of you here who won't wear a piece of clothing a second time before it's washed. What if, from birth, you only had one set of clothes and it grew with you through life? One set of clothes intended to last a lifetime. And what if every time you sinned, every sinful thought, every sinful word, every sinful act, every time that happened, you left another dark and ugly stain on that lifetime garment. And there was nothing you could ever do to get a single stain out, to lessen the stain. They're there and they're permanent. You see, that's exactly what God sees when He looks at someone who's never been forgiven. We look at ourselves in the mirror and we're all cleaned up and look good, and we think we've hidden and buried our sins and nobody knows. And God looks at us, if we're unforgiven by the Lord Jesus Christ, and He sees our garment, our lifetime garment, spotted and stained with every sin we've ever committed. And no amount of personal effort, no good works, no self-reformation can ever remove a single stain.

According to Jesus in verse 14, the only way you can ever have the right to eat of the tree of eternal life, the only way you can have access to the eternal city in the new world is that you have washed your robes. What does that mean? You've experienced God's forgiveness. He's the only one that can cleanse the stains. You see, Jesus' death purchased forgiveness for those who would believe in Him. Look back at Revelation 1:5. Jesus is described as "Him who loves us and released us from our sins by His blood," by His sacrificial death on the cross. He released us from the guilt of our sin. Look at 5:9, the scene in heaven where heaven sings a new song of Christ, saying "Worthy are You to take the book and to break its seals; for You were slain and purchased for God with Your blood," that is, purchased forgiveness so that God could forgive us men from every tribe and tongue and people and nation. Jesus' death purchased forgiveness. 

But how does that forgiveness become ours? Turn over to 7:14. Here, believers, specifically here, believers who died during the great tribulation, but notice how they and all believers can be described. Verse 14 says, "They have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb." So, here's the million dollar question. How can someone, how can you, wash your filthy robes in the blood of the Lamb? You must personally participate in the benefits of the death of Christ. How? Well, you have to meet the requirements. And I can't describe those requirements any better than Jesus did. The first sermon of His that Mark records in Mark 1:15, Jesus said this: You must "repent and believe the gospel." That's what you have to do. That's the only way you can wash your robes. You can't get the stains out. Only God can forgive those sins and make you white as snow. And He only does that when you repent of your sins, when you're willing to turn from your sin and believe the good news that He sent His Son Jesus into the world to live the life you should have lived and to die the death that you deserve to purchase your forgiveness. And then God raised Him from the dead on the third day. That's what you need. So you need to examine your faith's validity because there is eternal salvation for those whose sins have been washed away. They have an eternal right to the tree of life, verse 14 says. The authority, the right to enter the gates of the eternal city. 

But there's a second reason to examine our faith, and it's in verse 15, because there's eternal separation for those whose sins are unforgiven and whose hearts have never been changed. Verse 15 begins, "Outside." Now, don't be confused by that word. It doesn't mean just outside. In other words, he's not saying that just outside the heavenly city, there as you come and go, will be all these unbelievers sort of loitering around. That's not the idea. Nor does it mean that the lake of fire will be just outside the city and we'll constantly see their suffering. The word outside simply means excluded from. Some get in, verse 14, and some are excluded from, verse 15. Those marked by these sins will not enter the city. They'll never enter the new world. Look at 21:27: "Nothing unclean, and no one who practices abomination and lying, shall ever come into it, but only those whose names are written in the Lamb's book of life." You see, verse 15 serves as a kind of test of whether we've truly believed in the biblical Jesus and the biblical gospel. Verse 14 tells us what we love. It says, we are saved by grace alone, through faith alone, in Christ alone. We can never get into the eternal city any other way but by washing our robes in the blood of the Lamb. We can only get in if our names are written in the Lamb's book of life. 

But sadly, many who claim to be Christians aren't, and many who claim to have believed the gospel haven't. North Texas is full of such people. Jesus warned, "Many will say to Me on the day of judgment 'Lord Lord,'" and He'll say "I never knew you." Paul faced this problem. Go back to 1 Corinthians 6:9. He says, "Do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God?  Do not be deceived." In other words, there were people in the first century who were convinced they were real Christians, but Paul says, "You're not getting in." And then he says this, "Do not be deceived; neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate" — that's the feminine side of the homosexual relationship — "[nor] homosexuals" — that's the masculine side — "nor thieves, nor the covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers, will inherit the kingdom of God." You're not getting in if your life is marked by sin. He came to save us from our sins, not to save us for our sins. But verse 11, "Such were some of you;" — I love this — "but you were washed, [but] you were sanctified, [but] you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and the Spirit of our God." That is exactly the same point that Jesus is making in the list back in our text, back in 22:15. He's saying "Listen, if your life is marked by these sins, if you're characterized by these sins, you're not getting in, no matter what profession you might make, no matter how much you may claim to be a Christian." 

Now the list here is not an exhaustive list. It's just a representative list. Five of the six sins in verse 15 are also in the list in 21:8 where they identify people who are in the lake of fire. So what kinds of people will never enter the holy city but will be condemned forever to the lake of fire? Here's a representative list. First of all, those of depraved moral character and behavior. Verse 15 says, "Outside are the dogs." There are two New Testament words for dogs. One of them, used a couple of times, seems to refer to house pets. The other, more common one that's used here, refers to roving, wild, scavenging dogs. When it's used of people, it describes people who are marked by disgusting moral character and behavior. They won't be there. 

Secondly, those involved in the occult and its drug abuse, they won't be there. Sorcerers, verse 15 says. It's the Greek word pharmakeia, from which we get the word pharmacy. In the first century, the occult and drug use were always intertwined. The next four sins are all condemned in the Ten Commandments. One is in the first table, the Decalogue, the other three in the second table. 

Thirdly, those characterized by sexual lust and sexual sin will not be there; verse 15, "and the immoral persons." The Greek word is pornos, from which we get the word pornography. In the Septuagint, this word is used of all of the sexual activity that God forbids. And of course, in Matthew 5:27-28, Jesus includes an ongoing unrepentant pattern of sexual lust in the heart as equally damning as sexual activity and sin. 

Number four, those characterized by anger and all its expressions. Verse 15 says, "and the murderers." Now obviously, this refers to actual murderers. And many of us kind of pat ourselves on the back, "Wow, there's at least one I'm not guilty of." But you remember, Jesus taught that anger makes a person guilty of having broken the sixth commandment. In Matthew 5:21, 

You have heard that the ancients were told, 'You shall not commit murder' and 'Whoever commits murder shall be liable to the court.' But I say to you that everyone who is angry with his brother shall be guilty before the court; and whoever says to his brother, 'You good-for-nothing,' shall be guilty before the supreme court; and whoever says, 'You fool,' shall be guilty enough to go into the fiery hell.

The point Jesus is making is if you are angry enough with someone to call them names, then you have broken the sixth commandment and you're guilty enough to go to hell. 

Number five, those loving and worshiping anything or anyone other than God, and the idolaters. You don't have to have a stone image set up in your house. You don't have to have a piece of wood you fall down before. You just have to love something more than you love God. 

Number six, those loving, and habitually practicing, lying. Verse 15 ends, "and everyone who loves and practices lying." This has been said in other ways. Chapter 21:8, "All liars" will have their part "in the lake that burns with fire and brimstone." [Revelation] 21:27 says, "Nothing unclean, and no one who practices  [abomination and] lying, shall ever come into" the eternal city. Why? Because lying marks all unbelievers. Romans 1:29 says unbelievers hearts are filled with deceit. Romans 3:12-14 says what comes from the tongue betrays the heart, and it's full of deceit and lying. This is what unbelievers do. They lie.

Now, be careful with verse 15. Don't misunderstand. Our Lord doesn't mean that if you've ever committed any of these sins, you are excluded from the new world and the eternal city. Clearly, we saw in 1 Corinthians 6[:11], "Such were some of you; but you were washed," you were cleansed. And believers can struggle with some of these sins. But the question is, what marks you? What characterizes you? It really comes down to this question: Have you experienced regeneration?  Have you experienced the new birth where you now love righteousness and hate sin? Or do you still love sin like unbelievers do? John MacArthur puts it very well when he writes this: "It is those who love and habitually practice any such sin, stubbornly cling to it and refuse Christ's invitation to salvation, who will be cast into the lake of fire." Don't miss this. Did you notice in verse 14, those allowed into the eternal city are not described by their moral behavior? Because that's not how anybody gets in. You only get in when your robes are washed in the blood of the Lamb. But those outside are described by their moral behavior because it is those ongoing, unrepentant patterns of sin that always explain why a person is in hell, excluded from God's presence forever. Outside the city, excluded from the city are those who've never washed their robes. Their robes are still stained in the sight of God with every single sin they've ever committed. They've never exchanged their filthy robes for Christ. They've never been washed by the forgiveness of God from the guilt of their sins because they've never repented and believed. 

Friend, Jesus himself here urges you to examine your own faith's validity. Why? Because it matters. Because there's eternal separation from God for those whose sins are unforgiven, whose hearts have never been changed. And because there's eternal salvation, eternal blessing for those whose sins have been washed away. Listen, if you have repented of your sins, if you put your faith in Jesus Christ, if He's changed your heart, where although you still sin, you can look honestly at your life and see an increasing pattern of righteousness and a decreasing pattern of sin, you can see a hatred for sin and a love of righteousness, if you love Jesus Christ and long to please Him in life, then He's promised you eternal blessing.

Let's pray together. Father, thank You for this amazing passage. Thank You for our Lord's sobering exhortations. Lord, help us to live in light of the coming judgment. For those who are unbelievers, Lord, help them to see that today is the day of salvation. They will stand before Jesus Christ and give an account for why they rejected Him and why they lived their lives in rebellion against Him. Lord, may they repent and believe even today. And Father, for the rest of us who are in Christ, help us to remember that [the] judgment seat of Christ is coming and help us to be faithful, to be trustworthy servants who serve You with God-centered motives so that we can hear our Lord's "well done." And Father, help us to examine the reality, the validity of our faith because it matters so much. Thank You for the promise that You've given to us who have repented and believed in Your Son, who have washed our robes in the blood of the Lamb, that we will inherit the right to eternal life and to enter the eternal city. We thank You in Jesus' name. Amen.