Psalm 98
Sunday, 20 March 2022
“Let them sing before the Lord, for He comes to judge the earth. He will judge the world in righteousness and the peoples with equity.” -Psalm 98:9
Psalm 98 celebrates the wondrous work of God, giving Him due praise. Though the joy expressed is because of God’s victory in the deliverance of His people, it points to the joy we experience because we have victory through Jesus Christ who through His death and resurrection that has brought us salvation and eternal life in Him! One day He will come again to judge the earth. The question we need to ask ourselves is, “Are we prepared?”
1 Thessalonians 5:2, 2 Peter 3:10, Revelation 3:3 refer to the coming of the Lord, like a thief. Why like a thief? – because the day and hour is unknown! In Acts 1:7 it is recorded Jesus telling His disciples: “It is not for you to know times or seasons which the Father has put in His own authority.” God expects us to be prayerful and watchful always. God is not pleased with unprepared people for they will be placed amongst the hypocrites (cf. Matthew 24:51). Jesus warns us not to be like the people during the time of Noah who failed to prepare themselves though Noah warned them (cf. 2 Peter 2:5). Jesus spoke thus in Matthew 24:38- 39: “For as in the days before the flood, they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noah entered the ark, and did not know until the flood came and took them all away, so also will the coming of the Son of Man be.”
At the Second Coming of the Lord Jesus, there will be a judging of the world and its people with justice. We live in a world which is replete with injustice and where many are wronged and not treated with fairness. The hope for those who have placed their trust in Christ is that all wrongs would be set right. God’s righteousness will prevail.
How do we prepare for His Coming? Luke 12:35-36 says “Be dressed ready for service and keep your lamps burning, like servants waiting for their master to return from a wedding banquet, so that when he comes and knocks they can immediately open the door for him.” To be prepared and ready means:
We need to be watchful and prayerful.
We should live by what is pleasing in God’s eyes and remove everything displeasing in His sight.
We should live as children of light and eagerly wait for His second coming! (Hebrew 9:28).
We should be eager to see Him face to face!
And when He comes we would rise with him to glory (1 Thessalonians 4:17) and be rewarded according to our deeds (Matthew 16:27).
Dear friend, are you ready for the return of Christ? If you haven’t given it a serious thought and not heeded to giving your life to Christ, turn from your wrong way of life and turn to Jesus! The wicked and those who ignore God’s Word and His way will surely receive their due. But “… those who belong to Christ will not suffer the punishment of sin.” (Romans 8:1 NLV). Remember the time of Christ’s coming is nearer than ever before! Hence let’s prepare ourselves!
A Warning to Heed: “Therefore having overlooked the times of ignorance, God is now declaring to men that all people everywhere should repent, because He has fixed a day in which He will judge the world in righteousness…” (Acts 17: 30-31)
Comments