Gospel Preaching versus Anemic Sermonettes

Dan A. Rodriguez Articles, Books, and Podcasts

Because we are approaching the Christmas holiday season, let me talk to you about the story of the birth of Jesus and what the good news (gospel) brought to the world when He was born in Bethlehem. I say that regardless of the fact that Jesus was probably born in April. Even though that is probably right, thank God that we celebrate and remember the birth of Jesus. He was born as a baby IN THE FLESH (John 1:14), and that is what really matters. So what if the ancient Roman pagans worshipped in their Saturnalia celebrations which were in honor of their god Saturn, and so what if their celebrations ran from December 17 through 23? We are not celebrating a pagan holiday when we celebrate on the 24th and 25th of December. We are celebrating the birth of Jesus our Lord! No pagan worship allowed here!

Since this article is about Gospel preaching versus weak and anemic sermonettes, it is important for YOU and me to understand the part of Gospel preaching that has to do with joy unspeakable and full of glory. (1 Peter 1:8) Actually, JOY is a powerful indicator of what the gospel brings into the environment whenever it is ministered under the anointing of the Holy Spirit. More happens in the environment, such as healing and deliverance, but real Holy Spirit joy (Romans 14:17) is God's amazing strength in manifestation. (Nehemiah 8:10)

And you will have joy and gladness, and many will rejoice at His birth. (Luke 1:14 NKJV)

That is why we celebrate His birth with rejoicing. The Savior, the Deliverer, the Baptizer in the Holy Spirit, the Provider, and the Healer came to earth in the flesh of a baby in Bethlehem.

The wise men saw the star announcing the birth of the King-Messiah in Bethlehem, "When they saw the star, they rejoiced with exceedingly great joy. (Matthew 2:10 NKJV)

Then the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid, for behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy which will be to all people. (Luke 2:10 NKJV)

The good tidings are the good news or GOSPEL of great joy, and it is for everybody that will receive it. Frankly, if you leave a service depressed, down and out, and miserable, either you heard the Word but refused to receive it with joy (Matthew 13:20), rejected the joy, or the preacher was dead and joy-less!

The anointing of the Holy Spirit comes to preach good news to the poor, heal the sick, open blind eyes, set the captives free, and to bring the OIL of joy in place of mourning!

The Spirit of the Lord God is upon Me, Because the Lord has anointed Me, To preach good tidings to the poor; He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted, To proclaim liberty to the captives, And the opening of the prison to those who are bound; To proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord, And the day of vengeance of our God; To comfort all who mourn, To console those who mourn in Zion, To give them beauty for ashes, The oil of joy for mourning, The garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness; That they may be called trees of righteousness, The planting of the Lord, that He may be glorified. (Isaiah 61:1-4 NKJV)

Jesus read from this portion of Scripture in Luke 4:18-19. The Lord's coming was to preach the good news under the anointing of the Spirit, and to give us the OIL OF JOY for mourning. Gospel preaching will always carry an element of the oil of joy just like it will carry deliverance, healing, and so on. It also will carry the "acceptable year of the Lord AND a certain element of the day of vengeance of our God. That is all a part of powerful Gospel preaching and teaching.

Now I get into other aspects of Gospel preaching we must know about, but note how this all meshes together in one beautiful and glorious tapestry.

24 And after some days, when Felix came with his wife Drusilla, who was Jewish, he sent for Paul and heard him concerning the faith in Christ. 25 Now as he reasoned about righteousness, self- control, and the judgment to come, Felix was afraid (became frightened, “trembled” in at least 7 translations, terrified, much alarmed) and answered, “Go away for now; when I have a convenient time, I will call for you.” (Acts 24:24, 25 NET- parenthesis- my comment)

Faith in Christ was defined in this passage as a message that expounded on righteousness, self-control, and judgement to come.

What? Really? Does that sound like most modern-day “gospel” messages concerning faith in Christ?

Some would say that there is no need to tell sinners they need self-control or to speak of judgment because that would not be very loving towards them, but Paul did that. Some may think that to speak to sinners about righteousness is a waste of time, or not something that will be conducive to their conversion, and that it may turn them off to the gospel. Tell that to the Apostle Paul. The text calls righteousness, self-control, and judgement to come a “faith in Christ” message. That was the gospel message that Paul preached. Have our gospel messages been missing some things?

Most evangelicals think that John 3:16 is the only gospel message there is! Paul preached more than a "God or Jesus loves you" message. He preached more than a "believe in your heart that God raised Jesus from the dead and confess with your mouth that He is Lord" message! (Romans 10:9) It was more varied and it included themes not generally thought of as pertaining to a gospel message.

Righteousness, self-control, and judgment as the definition of ministering faith in Christ sounds almost identical to what Jesus said the Holy Spirit was sent to do, and it is not even close to an evangelical type gospel message.

“And He, when He comes, He will convict (lit., expose, convict, reprove, rebuke) the world concerning sin and righteousness and judgment.” (John 16:8 NKJV)

What Paul stated to Felix was identical to what Jesus said to His disciples about the ministry of the Holy Spirit. Paul used the term “self-control” when talking about “sin”. The connection between sin and a lack of self-control should be obvious. If you sin, it is because you did not exercise self-control. Self-control is control of your actions by the Word and by the power of the Holy Spirit. “Self” infers that the action starts with you. The Holy Spirit is your Helper. (John 16:7) In other words, the Holy Spirit will not make you obey God’s Word, but He will help you to do what is right according to God’s Word.

The word convict (Gr. elegcho) in John 16:8 is translated in Thayer’s Greek-English Lexicon as “reprehend severely, call to account, correct, to show one his fault.” The same word is found in 2 Timothy 4:2, 1 Tim. 5:20; Titus 1:13, 2:15; Hebrews 12:5, and in the words of Jesus:

Those whom I [dearly and tenderly] love, I rebuke and discipline [showing them their faults and instructing them]; so be enthusiastic and repent [change your inner self—your old way of thinking, your sinful behavior—seek God’s will]. (Revelation 3:19 Amplified)

Rebuke, that is, to reprehend severely, call to account, correct, to show one his fault must come when a lack of self-control is evident. (See also elegcho in John 3:20, 1 Corinthians 14:24, and Ephesians 5:11.)

Sin is the result of a lack of self-control that opposes God’s Word and commandments. James 1:14-16 in the Amplified Bible clarifies the process of sin from lust or some evil desire, to conception, and finally, to execution.

The word elegcho in Luke 3:18, 19 is translated rebuked:

18 And in this way, with many other exhortations, John proclaimed good news to the people. 19 But when John rebuked Herod the tetrarch because of Herodias, his brother’s wife, and because of all the evil deeds that he had done.

John the Baptizer was proclaiming the “good news” or the gospel to the people, and it was not at all sugar and spice and everything nice. Go back into Luke chapter three and begin reading at verse three. You will see all the elements of rebuking, such as “reprehend severely, call to account, correct, to show one his fault.” He called those practicing sin “offspring of vipers”! That was not your typical sermonette with all smiles, soft tonalities, and niceties!

7 Who warned you to flee from the coming wrath? 8 Therefore produce fruit that proves your repentance, and don’t begin to say to yourselves, ‘We have Abraham as our father.’ For I tell you that God can raise up children for Abraham from these stones! 9 Even now the ax is laid at the root of the trees, and every tree that does not produce good fruit will be cut down and thrown into the fire. (Luke 3:7-9 NET)

To top it all off, he called Herod the tetrarch to account because of his adulterous relationship with the wife of his brother. Verse 18 says that John’s rebuke, correction, conviction, exposing, and calling to account was THE GOSPEL, the proclamation of the good news!

And in this way, with many other exhortations, John proclaimed good news to the people. (Luke 3:18 NKJV)

Good news of the gospel? Does Luke chapter 3 sound like our interpretation of what is a good gospel message? No, it does not! Something is missing from gospel messages if they only preach salvation, healing, and the blessings of God! Yes, there is something terribly missing if that is all the people hear out of a preacher or at church. Sometimes, there must be rebuke, correction, conviction, exposing, and calling to account. These cannot be left out when necessary, that is, IF it is a real gospel message. John was a minister according to the meaning of a true gospel message. It may not seem like everything John the Baptizer preached was good news, but that would be an assessment from a human perspective. From the Scriptural perspective, and therefore from God’s viewpoint, it was all good news because it brought conviction and correction. Regardless of whether the people heard and received the messages, or they rejected it. John’s gospel message called people to account and allowed the Father to work on their hearts so repentance would come, and real change could take place in their lives! Think about that.

A real gospel message is preaching and teaching whatever the Spirit of the Lord gives you. If it comes from Him, regardless of anyone’s feelings or offense at it, it will carry the anointing to set the captives free.

Did you get that?

Even though Jesus was tough and no-nonsense often, He was anointed to announce the good news or gospel message. (Luke 4:18) Power stood behind His messages. The preaching of the true gospel always manifests the power of God in some way. (Romans 1:16) If nothing happens and there is not a message that shakes things and people up, then it did not come from the Holy Spirit.

Look at Matthew 23 where Jesus viciously rebukes the hypocritical among the Pharisees (because not ALL were hypocritical)), and slams Jerusalem for killing the prophets sent to it. Read the whole chapter. It's an eye opener concerning “good news”.

Does the following sound like any "good news” message we know of today? Remember, Jesus said this, and it was not "sugar and spice, and everything nice." I say this because many think all Jesus taught was love and acceptance (tolerance of sin), and He was always soft toned, and tame as a little lamb. Nothing could be further from the truth! Here are some excerpts from the fiery preacher and astonishing powerhouse known as Jesus:

"But woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites!... Therefore, you will receive greater condemnation... Fools and blind... You make your followers twice the sons of hell that you are... “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you cleanse the outside of the cup and dish, but inside they are full of extortion and self-indulgence... For you are like whitewashed tombs which indeed appear beautiful outwardly, but inside are full of dead men’s bones and all uncleanness. Even so you also outwardly appear righteous to men, but inside you are full of hypocrisy and lawlessness... "

And, one more to clarify (Ha!): "Serpents, brood of vipers! How can you escape the condemnation of hell?" (See Matthew 23.)

Jesus was no pushover, monotone, long-haired, guru of love, sissified, “kumbaya” preacher! He didn’t put up with sin, hypocrisy, unbelief, or talking against God or His Spirit. He was tough, no-nonsense, strong, and never capitulated or quit, and he was THE bearer of the good news of the gospel! He didn’t just say “believe the gospel”. No, He told people to REPENT, and that was first! (Mark 1:14, 15)

In Revelation chapters 2 and 3, His rebukes and calling into account were hard and often harsh. It is true He also praised the churches when they did what was right, but He held nothing back in His messages to the churches when a sharp rebuke was necessary. Go study the two chapters! It will set straight that “good news” preaching from Jesus (Luke 4:18, 19) included much more than what we have called “good news”.

Mathew 11:20-24 has the Master's rebuke to the cities of Bethsaida, Chorazin, and Capernaum because even though great miracles were done in them, they refused to repent. He condemned Capernaum to hell (Hades)! That was good gospel preaching, but wait, because there is more.

So, you want acceptance or tolerance in the words of Jesus? Here is His idea of acceptance and tolerance for those that refuse to repent and continue in their sin. Are you ready? It's a spanking for the backside!

23"And you, Capernaum, who are exalted to heaven, will be brought down to Hades; for if the mighty works which were done in you had been done in Sodom, it would have remained until this day. 24 But I say to you that it shall be more tolerable for the land of Sodom in the day of judgment than for you.” (Matthew 11:23, 24 NKJV)

There's your tolerance and acceptance!

I’ll never forget one brother in the Lord, himself a minister and teacher, that told me before I stood to preach and minister, “Brother, just preach Heaven to them. Give them Heaven!” That sounded really good. Of course, if it came from the Lord, it would be His will done on earth as it is in heaven, but there was something else involved with his statement. I couldn't put my finger on it at the time. I knew something was off, but it took me a while to learn from the Lord what it was. If all you do is preach “inspiring verses” or uplifting and positive messages without the other as the Lord leads we have been talking about, then we have missed Heaven’s idea of good news.

The Scripture is not only given for inspiration and what we call "good news."

Every Scripture is God-breathed (given by His inspiration) and profitable for instruction, for reproof and conviction of sin, for correction of error and discipline in obedience, [and] for training in righteousness (in holy living, in conformity to God’s will in thought, purpose, and action), so that the man of God may be complete and proficient, well fitted and thoroughly equipped for every good work. (2 Timothy 3:16, 17 Amplified Bible)

Are you ready for a shift in your thinking? It will shock all those that think “gospel” is sweetie pie and kind preaching. It will shock all those that think we should have sweetness in our gospel message because if it gets too harsh people will leave or tune out the message.

Then I saw another angel flying directly overhead, and he had an eternal gospel to proclaim to those who live on the earth—to every nation, tribe, language, and people. (Revelation 14:6 NET)

Next follows the eternal gospel proclaimed by this angel, but pay close attention to the content. It covers areas not traditionally understood as a gospel message.

7 He declared in a loud voice: “Fear God and give him glory, because the hour of his judgment has arrived, and worship the one who made heaven and earth, the sea and the springs of water!” 8 A second angel followed the first, declaring: “Fallen, fallen is Babylon the great city! She made all the nations drink of the wine of her immoral passion.” 9 A third angel followed the first two, declaring in a loud voice: “If anyone worships the beast and his image, and takes the mark on his forehead or his hand, 10 that person will also drink of the wine of God’s anger that has been mixed undiluted in the cup of his wrath, and he will be tortured with fire and sulfur in front of the holy angels and in front of the Lamb. 11 And the smoke from their torture will go up forever and ever, and those who worship the beast and his image will have no rest day or night, along with anyone who receives the mark of his name.” 12 This requires the steadfast endurance of the saints—those who obey God’s commandments and hold to their faith in Jesus. 13 Then I heard a voice from heaven say, “Write this: ‘Blessed are the dead, those who die in the Lord from this moment on!’” “Yes,” says the Spirit, “so they can rest from their hard work, because their deeds will follow them.” (Revelation 14:7-13 NET)

Gospel announcement included revelation, instruction, rebuke, correction, mention of God’s anger and wrath, the lake of fire for the followers of the beast, and the hour of God’s judgment! It pointed out the immorality of those following Babylon’s example. Notice that gospel preaching includes faith in Jesus, but also mentions obedience to God’s moral commandments. It even speaks of the coming judgment where believers will be rewarded for their good works.

Wow, all that and a call to the fear of God to headline that gospel message! Does that sound anywhere near to what many believe to be a gospel message? Gospel may include a whole lot more than salvation, healing, deliverance, and the blessing of God. Gospel can include more than telling people about the plan of salvation and the Lord Jesus.

I am not saying every message has to be the same and include all these elements. What I am saying is that the definition of gospel preaching has been limited and much has been left out because churches have gotten away from preaching anything that could offend or make people feel uncomfortable.

Actually, if a gospel message doesn't make you feel uncomfortable at some point, it is not from the Holy Spirit. (See John 16:8.) When the message is the mighty and unstoppable two-edged sword of the Word of God that divides between soul and spirit, joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intentions of the heart, there will be discomfort, and the Lord will confront you! (Hebrews 4:12, 13) When you feel your very thoughts and intentions are on display before God as the Word is preached, you will not feel comfortable, and that is good! There should be a fear of the Lord flowing as the ministry of the Word and the Spirit comes forth. (Acts 2:43, 5:11)

Let me tell you something. When anointed ministers preach and teach, the message will get you! My God, I felt that way when my dad preached! When some truly anointed men and women of God preach the Word, something will shake you up, and sometimes the power of God will grip you! Those are the type of messages we need today.

Here is more proof of what I am writing about.

9 Realizing that law is not intended for a righteous person, but for lawless and rebellious people, for the ungodly and sinners, for the unholy and profane, for those who kill their fathers or mothers, for murderers, 10 sexually immoral people, practicing homosexuals, kidnappers, liars, perjurers—in fact, for any who live contrary to sound teaching. 11 This accords with the glorious gospel of the blessed God that was entrusted to me. (1 Timothy 1:9-11 NET)

What?

Paul says that these are in accord or agree with the glorious gospel message. That means that within the gospel message there will be preaching against these sinful lifestyles and practices. Why? Because at times there must be exposing of these evil things. There must be correction and a calling to account even before the lawless, rebellious, ungodly, sinners, unholy, profane, murderers, sexually immoral, practicing homosexuals, kidnappers, liars, perjurers and for all those that live contrary to sound teaching. That means that sound gospel teaching will teach people to live contrary to all those things mentioned or inferred. Take that to your traditional dead church and see what happens!

The references in Luke, Revelation, and First Timothy reveal that the gospel includes all these elements usually not associated with “gospel preaching.” What gospel message are you listening to or preaching?

In general, many in churches have gotten away from such preaching themes. How do I know? How can I make such a sweeping statement? Listen for yourself, (or better, DON'T listen) to the garbage preaching and teaching by churches and ministers around the globe on YouTube! What a mess of no anointing and no real gospel! Of course, there are some great exceptions, but unfortunately, they are few and far between.

Personally, I go to a church in Southwest Florida where the pastors are anointed and there are supernatural results in every service. Every service is full of the unadulterated Word of God, but there is demonstration of the Holy Spirit as people are born again, healed, delivered, receive the fire of the Holy Spirit, and are Baptized in the Holy Spirit with accompanying other tongues. You see Mark 16:15-20 and Acts 19:1-20 in demonstration during EVERY service as God's Holy presence permeates the atmosphere. All these things cause supernatural joy in each service and it is awesome!

But let all those rejoice who put their trust in You; Let them ever shout for joy, because You defend them; Let those also who love Your name Be joyful in You. (Psalms 5:11 NKJV)

You will show me the path of life; In Your presence is fullness of joy; At Your right hand are pleasures forevermore. (Psalms 16:10 NKJV)

If you go to some dead church where nothing supernatural happens, and all they have is a Hollywood style musical production and a weak, sissified, sermonette, then I have a word for you: "RUN before you die with all of the dead already there!"

Messages from most churches you hear on the internet have been watered down to the place they often sound like psychological hogwash tolerance of sinful lifestyles, or lifeless educational stuffed potatoes with no resemblance to the book of Acts! Most have become more self-help positivity and affirmation messages rather than messages that preach and teach the Scripture without compromise and with a continuous demonstration of the Holy Spirit and power! (1 Corinthians 2:4)

Many have moved away from real strong gospel messages, and have embraced messages of self-help, cotton-candy, sugar-coated fluff meant to “inspire” the senses instead of informing, rebuking when necessary, correcting weird and wrong ideas, exposing sin, bringing joy unspeakable and full of glory, and revealing the truth of God’s Word. Churches have often become country clubs and entertainment venues with no power from heaven, no anointing, little to no joy, and no conviction. Some started with an anointing to set the captives free, and later lost it by trying to become respectable and likeable.

Some have gotten away from ministering to the sick through the laying on of hands (of course, dead churches don’t do that anyway), and many no longer pray in public for people to be filled with the Holy Spirit and speak in other tongues. I am speaking about so-called Spirit-filled churches or Pentecostal, Charismatic, Full-Gospel churches. Many no longer have altar calls. If they pray for people to receive Jesus, it is done without an altar call. The manifestation of the gifts of the Spirit in 1 Corinthians chapter 12 are missing and basically unknown in manifestation. I'd rather jump into freezing Artic water in my underwear (a big stretch for a guy from the Caribbean) than sit for an hour with the dead in churches devoid of the glory and power of God.

I know first hand what I am talking about. I was once the pastor of a powerfully anointed church in San Juan, Puerto Rico with thousands in attendance every week. (Iglesia Fe Es La Victoria) We saw the Holy Spirit at work in EVERY service. People were saved by the thousands, healed, delivered, and baptized in the Holy Spirit with the accompanying supernatural tongues. It was glorious from 1977 -1989. I know how and where I got lifted up with pride and refused to obey the Lord on some things. My stark disobedience to my call and God's direction caused the anointing to wane and finally fizzle out. It took a few years, but I remember the service in late 1988 while I was preaching when the anointing began a nose dive. It was a sick feeling in my gut. I've never experienced anything else quite like that. From a church that ministered to thousands weekly through its live services, television, radio, recorded publications, Bible school, etc., slowly but surely it became a dead nothingness church for a few years until I found myself broken, busted, and disgusted and left the church in 1993.

It took a few years for me to admit that it was ALL my own fault, but I finally recognized my sin and repented in 1999. It all started going well after I repented until it didn't because of a serious misstep and it almost cost me my life in 2020. I am here to tell you that God forgives and restores ALL that the cankerworm has eaten and the locust consumes and He will restore the years to me that were lost because of disobedience and a huge misstep! (Joel 2) All I can say is that Satan fired his best shots at me and he failed miserably! He thought he could take me out and destroy the legacy in Christ of this family but he failed! Instead of running from Jesus when my life took a downward turn, I got even closer to the Lord, His Word, and His Spirit! In fact, I'm closer and more on fire than I've ever been, and it is glorious. So, "Watch out devil! Your worst mistake was trying to take me out, and boy, YOU will pay for it at least seven times in Jesus' Name!"

What has happened in so many churches? Entertainment has invaded many churches with their “broad is the way” (known as Broadway) replacing the straight and narrow way Jesus taught.

13 “Enter by the narrow gate; for wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction, and there are many who go in by it. 14 Because narrow is the gate and difficult is the way which leads to life, and there are few who find it. (Matthew 7:13, 14 NKJV)

So, what did Paul preach according to the faith in Christ to Felix and Drusilla? Here it is in a nutshell.

1. Righteousness:

The main points:

* It is a gift (Romans 4:23-25, 5:17) received upon initially believing and trusting in what Jesus did and provided for us when God raised Him from the dead and we confessed Him as our Lord and Savior (Romans 10:9, 10).

*The gift can be interrupted by sin, but confessing our sins before the Lord, we can be forgiven and cleansed from all un-righteousness, restoring our relation to God. See 1 John 1:7-10, 2:1,2.

*Righteousness includes righteous living according to God’s moral commandments.

If you know that He is righteous, you know that everyone who practices righteousness is born of Him… Little children let no one deceive you. He who practices righteousness is righteous, just as He is righteous… In this the children of God and the children of the devil are manifest: Whoever does not practice righteousness is not of God, nor is he who does not love his brother. (1 John 2:29, 3:7, 10 NKJV)

See also Titus 2:11, 12; and compare it with Titus 1:8, where a leader must be “righteous”. If righteousness is only a gift that has nothing to do with conduct or lifestyle (Christian character) then why bother to list it as a qualification? No, Paul taught that righteousness is also a lifestyle of doing what is right. See also 1 Timothy 6:11-“pursue righteousness, godliness” and 2 Tim. 2:22- “flee also youthful lusts; but pursue righteousness, faith, love, peace with those who call on the Lord out of a pure heart.” Even after our initial cleansing in the blood and the renewal in the Spirit that placed us in His righteousness, we must pursue righteous living as an everyday reality.

2. Self-control

Main points:

Self-control is “self-restraint, temperance, control of one’s passions, desires, and sexual impulses.” It means to control yourself according to God’s word and commandments, His requirements.

You dominate your body’s unruly desires. The Holy Spirit will not do it all for you. He requires your personal and individual participation. He will empower you to have dominion over your body and rule over any passion or evil desire that would try to get you off the Word and holiness.

God’s armor is His personal armor, but we must put it on. God will not put His armor on you. (Eph. 6:10-17)

We are to put off the old man and put on the new man. (Eph. 4: 22, 24)

We cast off the works of darkness and put on the armor of light, and we put on the Lord Jesus (Romans 13:12-14)

The above means that every Christian has a daily responsibility. Every day we are to take up our cross and follow Him. If we do not put on Jesus today, then we are without Him during that day. If we do not put on the armor of light daily, then it never will come on you on its own. Nothing is automatic in God’s kingdom and you have responsibilities, orders, commandments, requirements, duties, and something is demanded of you daily.

Some have said, “Oh, I just couldn’t help it. I just had to do it.” Lies, Lies, Lies! That person didn’t submit to God and did not resist the devil. (James 4:7) They yielded to the unrenewed mind, conformity to the world, and the old man. They yielded to works of the flesh. Nobody made them do anything. They did it!

Examine every time you ever did something wrong. I have and I know that I yielded to sin because I flat out desired the wrong thing. I let the wrong thing get into my mind and work on my flesh, and I sinned! It was not God’s fault but my own.

An admission like that demonstrates spiritual growth when you are willing to admit or confess your faults and receive forgiveness and cleansing from the Lord. (See James 5:16. And 1 John 1:9.) That truly demonstrates humility when you admit your wrongs and come before God in repentance. (See Proverbs 28:13.) The humble are the ones that get the grace (1 Peter 5:5, 6). Examine yourself whether you are in the faith! Isn’t that what 2 Corinthians 13:5?

3. Coming Judgment

Main points:

Eternal judgment in Hebrews 6:1, 2 is one of the principal teachings of Christ. Eternal judgment is both for the righteous and the wicked. There is eternal judgment and a judgment that comes on those that refuse to repent and continue to practice sin.

*Judgment on the wicked: Revelation 20:4, 12, 13, 21:7.

*The judgment seat of Christ: 2 Corinthians 5:10.

*Judging yourself so you stay out of coming under God’s judgment while on the earth: See 1 Corinthians 11:29, 34.

First John 1:9 is a great and powerful gift to the followers of Jesus. It is our way out of certain judgment and our way back into cleansing, forgiveness, and the unchanging righteousness of Jesus. For forgiveness and cleansing, all we have is His shed blood for us. He is the propitiation (satisfaction) for our sins (1 John 2:1, 2), and His blood cleanses us from all sin. (1 John 1:7)

Much more could be said about all this, but that is sufficient for today. Be mightily blessed!