When all is said and done, and they lay our cold, dead body in the grave, will it be said that we died the death of the righteous? Death comes “to the righteous and the wicked,” it is true, but their deaths are different in eternally significant ways. 1) The righteous die in faith. “These all died in faith, not having received the promises, but having seen them afar off were assured of them, embraced them and confessed that they were strangers and pilgrims on the earth” (Heb. 11:13). Only when we walk by faith will we die in faith (2 Cor. 5:7). Being faithful to the Lord in life affects how we die (Lk. 12:19-21; 16:19-25). 2) The righteous leave a legacy of good deeds. A display of her charitable kindness attended Dorcas’s death (Acts 9:36-39). “Some men’s sins are clearly evident, preceding them to judgment, but those of some men follow later. Likewise, the good works of some are clearly evident, and those that are otherwise cannot be hidden” (1 Tim. 5:24-25). 3) The righteous die after a life of spiritual service despite adversity. “Write: ‘Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord from now on.’” “Yes,” says the Spirit, “that they may rest from their labors, and their works follow them” (Rev. 14:13). Come what may in life, our paramount goal is to die in the Lord. 4) The righteous die with God’s blessing. “Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of His saints” (Psa. 116:15). Death is an appointment we will all keep (Heb. 9:27). We choose whether ours will be the death of the righteous by the choices we make in life.
Tag Archives: deeds
God’s Judgment of the Ungodly #1450
14 Now Enoch, the seventh from Adam, prophesied about these men also, saying, “Behold, the Lord comes with ten thousands of His saints, 15 to execute judgment on all, to convict all who are ungodly among them of all their ungodly deeds which they have committed in an ungodly way, and of all the harsh things which ungodly sinners have spoken against Him.” (Jude 14–15, NKJV)
Enoch’s prophecy against those who abandon God’s truth makes it undeniable that God will convict and execute judgment against sinners. A clear description of God’s judgment against the impious, irreverent person is set before us here. The character of the ungodly is condemned because they “are ungodly” (v. 15; Hebrews 4:13). The ungodly are convicted are condemned for their deeds. “All their ungodly deeds which they have committed in an ungodly way” will be judged by God (v. 15; Romans 2:6-11). And, the words of the ungodly will be judged by God. All the “harsh things which ungodly sinners have spoken against Him” will be exposed to divine wrath on the day of God’s judgment (Matthew 12:37). Truly, God’s judgment against the ungodly will be comprehensive. The character, deeds and words of the ungodly do not escape God’s notice and will not escape God’s judgment. May we strive to live “soberly, righteously and godly” to receive the hope of glory and not the certainty of wrath on the great day of God’s judgment (Titus 2:11-13).
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