Suffering for Jesus Part 19
1 Peter 4:17-18 For the time is come that judgement must begin at the House 🏠 of God: and if it is first begin at us, what shall the end be of them that obey not the Gospel of God? And if the righteous scarcely be saved, where shall the ungodly and the sinner appear?" KJV Note: AMP=Amplified Bible; NKJV=New King James Version
Our Lord and God renders judgement upon His own true Body of Beliervers because He is preparing a Bride for Himself that will be without spot or blemish, therefore, the Apostle Peter who has already warned us and commanded us to live lives that will render glory to God and not to live lives that will blaspheme His Holy Name, so Peter once again says this same concept with these sobering/serious words now approaching the end of his 1st letter ✉️, "For the time is come that judgement must begin at the House 🏠 of God: and if it is first begin at us, what shall the end be of them that obey not the Gospel of God? And if the righteous scarcely be saved, where shall the ungodly and the sinner appear?" (1 Peter 4:17-18) (KJV). The Apostle Paul made this comparison of Christ and His Church to the way husbands are to love 💕 and care for their wives, as Paul wrote with these words, "Husbands, love 💕 your wives, just as Christ also loved 😍 the Church and gave Himself for Her, that He might sanctify and cleanse Her with the washing of water 💦 by the Word, that He might present Her to Himself a glorious Church, not having spot or wrinkle or any such thing, but that She should be holy and without blemish." (Ephesians 5:25-27) (NKJV). Just as the human body needs regular cleansing from dirt and filth, so does the Body of Christ need to be regularly washed and made clean by the Water 💦 of the Word of God. The Apostle Peter is reiterating something he has already said earlier on in this same letter ✉️ just using a different way of communicating it to us, for we have been saved not with any earthly things of great financial value, but we have been redeemed, regenerated, and resurrected from spiritual death by the most precious 💞 thing in all of God's Creation and that being His very own Blood (Acts 20:28). Therefore, we must be a 'spiritual house 🏡' that renders to our Father in Heaven a life that brings Him glory as Peter said with these words earlier in this 1st letter ✉️, "Therefore gird up the loins of your mind, be sober, and rest your hope fully upon the grace that is to be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ; as obedient children, not conforming yourselves to the former lusts, as in your ignorance; but as He who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct, because it is written, 'Be holy, for I am holy.' And if you call on the Father, who without partiality judges according to each one's work, conduct yourselves throughout the time of your stay here in fear 😨; knowing that you were not redeemed with corruptable things, like silver or gold 🪙, from your aimless conduct received by the tradition from your fathers, but with the precious 💞 Blood of Christ, as of a lamb 🐑 without blemish and without spot." (1 Peter 1:13-19) (NKJV), and also these words from this same Apostle Peter in this 1st letter ✉️, "You also, as living stones, are being built up a spiritual house 🏡, a holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ." (1 Peter 2:5) (NKJV). All of this is why judgement will begin at God's own House 🏠. Now all of this being said, Peter ask the sobering question ⁉️ of what the judgement will be like for all the human sinners who do not obey the Gospel of God. For the men and women who continue in their loving to live in sin and rejecting, refusing, and resisting the convicting and convincing of God the Holy Spirit (John 16:8-11) they will suffer the eternal punishment of being excluded from the presence of God forever which is exactly 💯 what every unrepentant sinner actually wants. Well the Apostle Paul gives us an answer to this question ⁉️ with what he wrote to the Church @ Rome with these words, "But to those who are self-seeking and do not obey the truth, but obey unrighteousness; indignation and wrath, tribulation and anguish 😦 😧, on every soul of man who does evil, of the Jew first and also of the Greek;" (Romans 2:8-9) (NKJV). So in the end we see that the trials, tribulations, and troubles of we who have obeyed the Gospel of God are of but for this period of time we live in now which means they all have a beginning and an end, however, for the unbelieving and unrepentant and unjustified sinner loving unrighteousness (2 Thessalonians 2:12) there will only be a beginning to eternal judgement with no relief and no end to the 2nd death, as it is written here, "Then Death and Hell were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death. And anyone not found written in the Book 📖 of Life was cast into the lake of fire 🔥." (Revelation 20:14-15) (NKJV). If you have been led to read these words, I pray 🙏 that you would listen to the Spirit of God convincing you of this truth and that you would regret, repent, and renounce your sinful life against a Holy God and turn to Jesus Christ and receive new life from Him and have all your sins covered forever by His Blood. Amen!!!
Here is what the JFB Commentary had to say of 1 Peter 4:17-18, "Another ground of consolation to Christians. All must pass under the judgement of God; God's own household first, their chastisement being here, for which they should glorify Him as a proof of their membership in His family, and a pledge of their escape from the end of those whom the last judgement shall find disobedient to the Gospel. Judgement is already begun, the Gospel word, as a 'two-edged sword 🗡️,' having the double effect of saving some and condemning others, and shall be consummated at the last judgement. 'When power is given to the destroyer, he observes no distinction between the righteous and the wicked; not only so, but he begins first at the righteous' [Wetstein from Rabbins]. But God limits the destroyer's power over His people. If even the godly have chastening judgements now, how much more shall the ungodly be doomed to damnatory judgements at last. Compare 'so as by 🔥' (1 Corinthians 3:15); having to pass through trying chastisements, as David did for his sin. 'The righteous' man has always more or less of trial, but the issue is certain, and the entrance into the Kingdom abundant at last. The 'scarcely' marks the severity of the ordeal, and the unlikelyhood (in a mere human point of view) of the righteous sustaining it; but the righteousness of Christ and God's everlasting Covenant make it all sure. The ungodly having no regard for God and loving sin, for the same man is at once God-forgetting and sin-loving appearing in the final judgement (The Great White Throne) (Revelation 20:11).
If you do not know the Lord Jesus Christ and His amazing healing power, pray 🙏 this from your heart ❤️ to the Lord Jesus Christ (you speaking directly to Him), Dear Lord Jesus, I confess to You that I am a sinner and I need Your forgiveness. I believe You shed Your Blood and died for my sins. I believe that You rose from the dead proving that You alone are God. I repent of my sins. I want to turn from my sins. I ask You Dear Lord Jesus to come into my heart ❤️ and take control of my life. I want You to be my Lord, Savior, and my God. Amen!!!
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