Every year around 60 million people die in the world. That is approximately 2 people per second. 

And they will all live forever, either in Heaven or Hell. It all depends on whether the Lord Jesus Christ is their Savior or their Judge.

The most popular perception is that Jesus is all about love and peace. That is true for those who believe in Him. 

For those who repent from their sins and acknowledge Him as Lord and Savior, there will be eternal love, joy and peace.

But...What about those who reject Him?

In Luke 12:51 Jesus says that he is not come to bring peace but division

• "Do you think that I have come to give peace on earth? No, I tell you, but rather division.” — Luke 12:51 ESV

Jesus is a divider. He came to divide the whole world.

Judgement is coming.

He describes that judgment in verse 49 with these words: “I have come to cast fire upon the earth.” 

In John 9:39, He said, “For judgment I came into the world. "

In the fifth chapter of John and verse 22: 

• "For the Father judges no one, but has given all judgment to the Son, that all may honor the Son, just as they honor the Father. Whoever does not honor the Son does not honor the Father who sent him. Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life. He does not come into judgment, but has passed from death to life.” — John 5:22-24 ESV

The difference between judgement and life is what you do with Jesus Christ. He will either be your Savior or your final Judge.

Jesus came to be the divider between those who are in the light and those who are in the darkness, those who have been forgiven and those who have not.

• "For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him.  Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of God. And this is the judgment: the light has come into the world, and people loved the darkness rather than the light because their works were evil. For everyone who does wicked things hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his works should be exposed. But whoever does what is true comes to the light, so that it may be clearly seen that his works have been carried out in God.” — John 3:16-21 ESV

Christ came the first time to love us and release us from our sins by His blood. He comes the second time to establish His authority and to judge.

Salvation from sin and death and judgment is provided by faith in Jesus Christ alone.

In light of that reality of His own death, the Lord gives us three vivid illustrations.

• "And why do you not judge for yourselves what is right? As you go with your accuser before the magistrate, make an effort to settle with him on the way, lest he drag you to the judge, and the judge hand you over to the officer, and the officer put you in prison. I tell you, you will never get out until you have paid the very last penny.” — Luke 12:57-59 ESV

1. You are Headed for Judgement

The first lesson is you are going before the judge. You should settle before you get there. 

Jesus says, Fear the eternal Judge. Fear the eternal God. You have violated His law and His holiness. You’re headed for the Judge.

• "Nothing is covered up that will not be revealed, or hidden that will not be known. Therefore whatever you have said in the dark shall be heard in the light, and what you have whispered in private rooms shall be proclaimed on the housetops. I tell you, my friends, do not fear those who kill the body, and after that have nothing more that they can do. But I will warn you whom to fear: fear him who, after he has killed, has authority to cast into hell. Yes, I tell you, fear him!”  — Luke 12:2-5 ESV

• "And just as it is appointed for man to die once, and after that comes judgment" — Hebrews 9:27 ESV

Human history is not going to end in some kind of pandemic. Covid 19 is not going to bring it down.

Human history will end when the Judge says it’s time for final court. Make an effort to settle with Him before you get there.

This is still the favorable day of the Lord; you will face judgment, and it will be too late then.

But you can settle now, and you settle by embracing the provision He has made for forgiveness, the person and work of the Lord Jesus Christ, or else you will end up paying forever for your own sins.

2. Don’t think because you’ve survived in life that you’ve earned favor with God. 

The second lesson comes from Luke 13:1-5

• "Do you think that these Galileans were worse sinners than all the other Galileans, because they suffered in this way? No, I tell you; but unless you repent, you will all likewise perish.”  — Luke 13:2-3 ESV

• "Or those eighteen on whom the tower in Siloam fell and killed them: do you think that they were worse offenders than all the others who lived in Jerusalem? No, I tell you; but unless you repent, you will all likewise perish.”" — Luke 13:4-5 ESV

There is this notion that if something bad like that happened to you, any kind of calamity or sickness, it meant that you were one of the bad people.

When Job was going through the trial even though he was righteous, his friends accused him of being evil.

• "Behold, God will not reject a blameless man, nor take the hand of evildoers.— Job 8:20 ESV

When a blind man from his birth was passed by Jesus and his disciples, they asked him who sinned — him or his parents

• "And His disciples asked Him, “Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind? Jesus answered, “It was neither that this man sinned, nor his parents; but it was so that the works of God might be displayed in him.”— John 9:2-3 ESV

We typically think that if I haven't had a major calamity I'm doing fine. I'm a good person.

What’s going on in your life may seem like blessing because things are okay. Others have died, but not you. That doesn’t mean anything.

It’s not when you die or how you die, it’s whether you repent.

• "No, I tell you; but unless you repent, you will all likewise perish.”  — Luke 13:3 ESV

Even the Old Testament saints would say to God, “Why do the unrighteous prosper, and why do the righteous sometimes suffer?”

Because the things that happen in this life aren’t the ultimate end.

Jesus is saying you’d better repent: repent of your sin, repent of your unbelief, and come to Christ before a worse calamity comes upon you and it's too late.

3. Time is Short. Life is Short 

The third lesson is you’re living on borrowed time. Jesus tells us in this parable

• "A man had a fig tree which had been planted in his vineyard; and he came looking for fruit on it and did not find any. “And he said to the vineyard-keeper, ‘Behold, for three years I have come looking for fruit on this fig tree [fn]without finding any. Cut it down! Why does it even use up the ground?’ “And he answered and said to him, ‘Let it alone, sir, for this year too, until I dig around it and put in fertilizer; and if it bears fruit next year, fine; but if not, cut it down.’”.”  — Luke 13:6-9 ESV

This is the favorable year of the Lord.

The most universal gift of God’s common grace is time: time to repent, time to believe.

God is patient. You’re living in the time of His patience.

You’re living on borrowed time. Every human being is living on borrowed time. You don’t know when that time is up.

The World Needs The Gospel Now More Than Ever

So many people are talking about death on such a superficial level with this pandemic. When you talk about death, you’re talking about eternity. You’re talking about eternal Hell or eternal Heaven.

The church is necessary in a time like this.

The gospel is necessary in a time like this.

We who are the church in the world need to stand up and declare the truth of the gospel that rescues men from final and eternal judgment.

HOW ARE YOU SHARING THE GOOD NEWS?

We’d love to hear your stories! Let us know in the comments below.