Young People’s Blog

“So that whosoever shall eat the bread, or drink the cup of the Lord, unworthily, shall be guilty in respect of the body and of the blood of the Lord” (1 Corinthians 11:27 JND).

When we come together to remember the Lord, we should never forget that we are remembering Him in death. Probably most of you have been to a funeral at some time in your life. How do people behave when they are sitting there, waiting for the service to start? Are they laughing and talking to one another? No, they are quiet, as a sign of their respect for the one who has died, and for his/her family.

When we remember the Lord, we should not do so in an unworthy manner, for that is showing disrespect to the Lord Jesus. The emblems on the table—the bread and the wine—speak of His death. Let us never allow the remembrance of the Lord to become a religious ritual; it should always be fresh in our souls.

“If any man’s work shall be burned, he shall suffer loss: but he himself shall be saved; yet so as by fire” (1 Corinthians 3:15).

We have all heard of people who are in their home when a fire suddenly breaks out. Often the fire spreads rapidly, so that they are unable to save anything out of the house. Perhaps they are unable even to save themselves, and the firemen have to come into the house with smoke masks and pull them out just in time.

It will be like that with some Christians in this world, when the Lord comes. They will be so occupied with their worldly concerns and sin that they will not be expecting the Lord to come and take them home. Then, when the Lord comes, it will be just as if the firemen come and take them away just in time, before judgment falls on this world.

We can be thankful that the Lord will not forget His own in this world, but how sad that true believers will be living in a worldly way, and have to be rescued like this!

“Nevertheless the foundation of God standeth sure, having this seal, “The Lord knoweth them that are His” (2 Timothy 2:19).

The Bible clearly teaches us that once we are saved, we can never be lost again. This verse proves it, for we have a seal on us, and the Lord knows who belongs to Him. I know a man who is my own age, and when he was younger, he clearly confessed Christ as His Savior to me. I could tell by the way he spoke that he really meant it. Sadly, he has lived a worldly and sometimes sinful life, so that many people who know him do not think he is truly saved.

I believe that he is truly saved, and it is reassuring to know that “the Lord knoweth them that are His.” Even if the lives of some Christians are not characterized by faithfulness to the Lord, the Lord knows those who have really trusted in Him. He does not disown them because of their worldly ways, and will definitely take them to heaven with Him when He comes. We will see tomorrow how this will happen.

“I have kept the faith” (2 Timothy 4:7).

In the writings of Paul, the expression “the faith” often means the whole truth that God has revealed to us in His Word. It specially refers to the truth in the New Testament concerning Christ and the church. Paul could confidently say at the end of his life that he had kept the faith.

Sadly, Paul had to say earlier in this same epistle that “all they which are in Asia be turned away from me” (2 Timothy 1:15). They had not turned away from Christianity, but had rejected Paul’s teaching concerning the heavenly calling of the church.

Since then many false teachings have been introduced into Christianity. Paul knew this would happen; that is why he is warning Timothy, and telling him that he (Paul) had been careful to keep the faith. In these last days it is very important to pay attention to the whole Word of God, and to walk in the truth that is given to us there.

“I have finished the race” (2 Timothy 4:7 JND).

The pathway of the Christian is like a race, and in Philippians 3 the Apostle Paul describes that race. The goal at the end is to be perfectly like Christ, and although this will not happen until we are safely at home with Him in heaven, yet we are to be running toward that goal now.

When Paul said that he had finished the race, he did not mean that he was perfectly like Christ, but rather that his life in this world had come to an end. In one sense every believer will finish the race, but it is good to finish that race in the right way.

We notice, however, that Paul was careful in his language. He said that he had finished the race; there was only One, the Lord Jesus Christ, who could say at the end of His life in this world, “I have finished the work which Thou gavest Me to do” (John 17:4). Paul was one of the most faithful and diligent workers the Lord ever had, yet even he did not do everything the Lord gave him to do. Only our Lord Jesus completed all the work that was given Him.

“The time of my release is come. I have combatted the good combat” (2 Timothy 4:6-7 JND).

The Apostle Paul had come to the end of his life in this world. He was in prison for the second time, and the Lord had shown him that he would not be released this time. Rather his release would be to be taken home to be with the Lord. From history we know that he was executed (probably beheaded) by the Roman Empire.

He could say that he had combated the good combat. Many people in this world spend their time and energy for some cause in this world, but Paul had used his energy for something eternal. He had not wasted his time, nor had he used it for things that were of no value. Rather, he had done the Lord’s work, and although it meant a fight against Satan and this world, yet he had persisted. Are you and I doing the same thing? Are we using our time and energy in view of eternity?

“If we suffer, we shall also reign with Him: if we deny Him, He also will deny us” (2 Timothy 2:12).

This is a very encouraging verse, but also a very serious one. The Lord Jesus suffered for us on the cross, so that we would never have to bear the judgment for our sins. But the Christian pathway in this world is often connected with suffering, and this verse reminds us that we will suffer in this world, and be rejected, just as the Lord Jesus was rejected. But once again, it will be worth it all, for when He comes back to reign over this earth, we will reign with Him.

However, there are those who will not accept Christ as Savior because it will mean a life of suffering in this world. In this way they deny Him, and refuse to come to Him. But how sad! In a coming day, He also will have to deny them. It will be an awful thing to find that the Lord Jesus cannot bless those who will not come to Him and be saved. They will have to endure an eternity of misery in hell. Are you saved?

“He shall see of the travail of His soul, and shall be satisfied” (Isaiah 53:11).

The word “travail” is an old word that we do not use in everyday language today, but it means hard work—work that causes pain and suffering. It is a good word to describe what our Lord Jesus did for us on the cross, when He suffered for sin.

The wonderful thing is that He will be totally satisfied when He has you and me with Him in heaven. He will never be disappointed; no, in that day He will say, “It was worth all the pain and suffering to be able to have my own with Me here.”

Sadly, we often do things down here in this world that grieve the Lord Jesus, but in that day we will all be perfectly like Him. He will be completely satisfied with us, and we will be totally satisfied too.

“You only have I known of all the families of the earth: therefore I will punish you for all your iniquities” (Amos 3:2).

This verse really applies to the nation of Israel, for they were God’s chosen people in the Old Testament. God gave them the law, a good land, protection from their enemies, and everything they needed in order to please Him. Sadly, they kept turning away from Him to worship idols. Because they should have known better, the Lord punished them for all their sins.

It is the same with you and me as Christians today, but we are even more responsible, for we have far more than God ever gave to Israel. We know our sins forgiven and have a personal relationship with God that Israel never had. Because of this, God holds us more responsible than those who are not saved. If we willfully disobey His Word and dishonor Him, He will allow circumstances in our lives to correct us. But it is always done in love, because we are His children. Let us always remember that obedience and happiness go together.

“Some men’s sins are open beforehand, going before to judgment; and some men they follow after” (1 Timothy 5:24).

This is a very serious verse that speaks to us all. Some people’s sins are open for all to see, because the ones who committed the crimes are caught by the police and brought to trial. However, there are many things done today that are not punished by the law, because they are not caught. For example, most of the people who engage in internet and telephone scams today are never caught. However, the Lord knows all about them, and in a coming day, when they stand before God, all those things that they did will be brought to light.

If we know Christ as our Savior, we will never have to be punished for our sins. However, the Lord knows if we are sinning secretly, even as Christians, and we must remember that there is discipline in the house of God. Because we are His children, He does not let us get away with bad behavior. We will speak more about this tomorrow.