Salvation or Damnation

It is important to understand the reason why we are saved. If we do not understand why we are saved we would never accomplish the purpose of salvation and we would also fail in our service to the Lord who saved us! Scripture tells us that "God became flesh and dwelt among us…" for the express purpose of saving us from eternal damnation. You see, while many are of the view that life ends at the grave, God’s Word tells us that this is not so. Death is only the door that leads to eternity. It would lead to eternal life with Jesus Christ, or eternal damnation with Satan and his evil host of angels. John 3:16 clarifies this fact for us: “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believes in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life.” If life simply ended at the grave, then this Scripture does not make much sense, but we learn of another aspect of life and that is eternal life. Life that never ends! That is what is being addressed in Scripture – the point is, are we considering our options as to where we would to spend eternity? 

Our Scripture Text for this Morning is: John 14:1-3 “Do not let your hearts be troubled. You believe in God; believe also in me. My Father’s house has many rooms; if that were not so, would I have told you that I am going there to prepare a place for you? And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am.” 

The above text speaks about a reward to those who will receive Christ and abide in all that He says. On another occasion, Jesus says, “If you love Me, keep My commandments.” What we need to realize is that the way we choose to live out our lives is going to determine what the end result of our lives will be. If we choose to live selfishly to ourselves and ignore all that the Bible says, that would be our choice but that will also bring on us the consequences of ignoring the Word of God. Scripture warns us that we should not deceive ourselves because God will not be mocked. What we sow, that is exactly what we will also reap. But that text in Galatians 6:7-8 does not stop there, it brings clarity to each one of us. This is what it says: “The one who sows to please his sinful nature, from that nature will reap destruction; and the one who sows to please the Spirit, from the Spirit will reap eternal life.” There is much hanging in the balance – eternal life with Jesus Christ or eternal damnation in the pit of hell! 

Now we need to come to the realization that Jesus came to seek and to save that which was lost. [Luke 19:10]. We who were lost are now saved through the power of the shed blood and the resurrection of Jesus Christ that has conquered death and the grave. Jesus died on the Cross of Calvary taking on Himself the sins of the world – the unsaved world – because John 3:16 tells us that He loved the world and gave Himself for it. We now are saved to do what Christ has come to accomplish. He wants to use us to grow the Kingdom of God and His Righteousness in the world today. In Matthew 28:19 we get our instructions from the Lord: “Therefore go and made disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.” Our job is to go and made disciples of every nation. Is that what we are occupied doing in these days? When we take a closer look around us, we can hardly see anyone witnessing for the Lord. Everyone is about their own business and affairs. We have lost our desire to do what we were saved to do in the first place.  

We need to realize that we are not going to get away with this. Hosea 4:6 says: “My people are destroyed from lack of knowledge. Because you have rejected knowledge, I also reject you as My priests; because you have ignored the law of your God, I also will ignore your children.” We need to realize that there is a consequence to our actions. On that final judgment day are we going to hear the words: “Well Done! My good and faithful servant,” or are we going to hear the words, “Depart from Me workers of iniquity, I know you not!” What are we busy doing right now? Is it the will of God or our own wills that we are desperately trying to accomplish? Let me remind you that what you are sowing to is exactly what you are going to also reap. It could be something that you are busy doing in secret, or out in the public domain, you will still have to be accountable for your actions. But what is even more staggering to know is that Hosea 4:6 says that “because you have ignored the law of your God, I will also ignore your children…” Isn’t that sad and simply terrible! That our actions don’t only have an impact on our lives but also that of our children! I pray that as Joshua announced to the nation of Israel, we would also take that stance: “As for me and my house, we will serve the LORD!” 

Be Blessed, Go Blessed and Stay Blessed,

Pastor Rickey Naidoo, Ekklesia Family Church, Elandspark, Alberton.

Email:  [email protected]

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