Friday, November 30, 2007
Luke 19:26-27 He replied, "I tell you that to everyone who has, more will be given, but as for the one who has nothing, even what he has will be taken away. But those enemies of mine who did not want me to be king over them -- bring them here and kill them in front of me."
PRAY FOR GRACE TO REMAIN FAITHFUL
In His parable Jesus also spoke of those who would not receive a reward of grace when He returns on the Last Day but be severely punished. These He pictures by the subjects who hated their master and sent representatives to follow him to let him know: "We don't want you to be our king" (v.14). We are reminded of the scene on Good Friday when Pontius Pilate was preparing to release his strangely-quiet Prisoner (having found Him innocent of wrongdoing). When he brought Him out before the crowd dressed in a purple robe, wearing a thorny crown, His back bloodied from a Roman scourge, and asked, "Shall I crucify Your king?" they shouted back to Pilate "Crucify Him! We have no king but Caesar!" There are many today who want nothing to do with Jesus. They view His Word, not as a lamp which He has given to guide them safely through a sin-darkened world to heavenly glory, but as a human document filled with errors, fit to be discarded. The robe of holiness He obtained for all through His atoning death on Calvary they see no use for. They prefer to "take their chances" and enter eternity wearing their own sin-stained garment. When they appear before their righteous King on the Day of Judgment they will be found unfit to enter heaven, cast out, destroyed.
We who look to Christ in faith as our Savior from sin need not fear that day of terror to come. He tells us, when these things being to happen, to "Look up and lift up your heads with joy, because your redemption draws near" (Luke 21:28). What a comforting word! How it cheers our hearts! Our eventual entry into our Lord's kingdom of glory isn't in question but sealed with His promise! Guaranteed by virtue of His blood shed on the cross by which our sin-stained robes have been washed clean.
In the meantime our King urges us to remain on the spiritual alert, living lives of daily repentance and faith. As the church year winds down to its close it behooves us to gaze back on the pathway behind us strewn with sinful failures to live up to our high calling as subjects of the King of kings. Where we note such failures let us look to Him for pardon. Let us pray for strength to continue serving Him with joyful and thankful hearts in the new year. Could this be the year He returns to usher us into glory?
