Turn or Burn
Read the Text: Revelation 9
Memorize the Text:
We give you thanks, Lord God, the Almighty, who is and who was, because you have taken your great power and have begun to reign.
(Revelation 11:17, CSB)
Consider the Text: Revelation 9:20-21
Several times in the New Testament, the Word of the Lord calls people to “Repent for the Kingdom of God is near.” The declaration comes as an invitation to respond to Jesus before the coming judgment and become rescued from the wrath of the Lord for those who fail to repent and believe in Jesus. If the New Testament writers and believers held that the end of the world was near, how much more must we heed the call to repent as the end draws near? In Revelation 9, John shared the importance of repentance to escape the eternal punishment of Hell.
REPENTANCE INCLUDES RECOGNITION
Genuine repentance occurs when individuals recognize the sin in their life and their need for a Redeemer. Without true recognition, people live in a state of denial. They deny the significance of the sinful condition plaguing their life and their need for a Rescuer. When we recognize the presence of sin in our life, we face the reality of God because God sets the straight line of right and thus allows us to define that which is sin. At the same time, recognizing our sinful state drives us to recognize our need for a Redeemer. We come to the awareness that living a moral life or doing good will not place us in a right standing before the Lord.
REPENTANCE INCLUDES OWNERSHIP
When we recognize our sinful condition, we take ownership of our sin. We often attempt to lessen the significance of our sinful condition by comparing our lives and activities to others. We try to develop a metric that evaluates life based on a scale that lessens the significance of our sinful state. Such a response means we reject to own the sin in our life and seek proper forgiveness. Thus, we need to own our sin once we recognize it so that we seek forgiveness through repentance from the Lord. In Revelation 9, John mentions how many reject owning their sin and fail to repent.
REPENTANCE INCLUDES A TURN IN DIRECTION
The recognition of one’s sin and the ownership of the condition leads to repentance, which includes a change in direction. In sin, we journey down a path of rebellion against the Lord, leading to an eternal place of wrath and torment known as Hell. Repentance means that we turn and change the course of our lives. We move from traveling a path of rebellion and wrath and seek to live in faithfulness, following the ways and leading of the Lord. In Revelation 9, the people continued to live in a state of rebellion and continued to live in their state of sin. The failure of repentance and turning guided them to eternal punishment.
REPENTANCE INCLUDES A COMMITMENT TO A NEW PATH
The turn toward following the Lord must occur with a commitment. The commitment comes in accepting Christ as Lord and Savior, as a promise of obedience, and seeking to follow Him. We must commit to living for Jesus and battle against the temptation to reject faithfulness by lessening the significance of sin. We must guard against the threat of idols and desires of the flesh that cause us to live waywardly. Thus, we must make a solid and firm commitment to live for the Lord. In Revelation 9, John speaks to the people’s commitment to the desires of the self and the flesh. Thus, these individuals remained wayward from the Lord.
REPENTANCE MUST OCCUR AS THE TURN TO ESCAPE THE ETERNAL BURN
A personal relationship with Christ alone removes the deserved punishment of Hell. This relationship occurs in faith and includes the action of repentance. Without turning in repentance, individuals face the reality of eternal burning in Hell. The Lord offers this eternal escape to all that would call upon the Lord's name and repentance. Revelation 9 reminds us that many will continue to reject and miss the great offering of eternal life with the Lord. Have you made the turn and escaped the burn?
This blog is part of the Coffee and Quiet Time with Jesus Devotional Series found at equippingfaith.com. Join the journey of reading through the New Testament this year. More information can be found at equippingfaith.com.
