DESERVE:

What do you deserve? Do any of us really ever get what we truly deserve?I say yes, and I say no.Here’s what I mean; The Bible is full of scriptures that teach us that everyone will get what they deserve. Reaping what you sow isa law built into God’s creation. And we have all kinds of verses that teach that God will repay everyone according to their deeds. And the Bible also reveals that Jesus is our judge. In the book of Acts the Apostle Peter says….

And He (Jesus) commanded us to preach to the people and to testify that He (Jesus) is the One appointed by God to be Judge of the living and the dead. Acts 10:42-43

Because Jesus knows everything about us and how to weight it properly, only He can make a truly just decision and give us what we truly deserve.

But from a human perspective, no….we don’t always get what we deserve. Humanly speaking, I can’t see how a thief on a cross can simply believe and be translated to paradise-escaping the fires of hell. Humanly I can’t understand how I could possibly earn or deserve eternal life and the imperishable riches that accompany it, just because of a few years of ignorant, inconsistent obedience. And that’s where the cross comes in. Unlike us, Jesus knows how to weigh what we do with the cross. Jesus knows that what we do with the cross is the deed that outweighs all others.

Many people believe that God is loving and full of grace, but by rejecting Jesus and the price He paid for it on the cross; they push God’s hand away and refuse God’s grace and love. What we deserve when we reject God’s love and grace is pretty scary. Jesus spoke more about hell than anything else.

But what we deserve when we accept God’s love and grace is pretty amazing. In the book of Roman the Apostle Paul writes….

There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.Romans 8:1

God has worked out His perfect judgment by completely forgiving us of our sins, because Jesus paid the full penalty through His sacrifice on the cross. From a human standpoint we won’t deserve eternal life or what we get in heaven for our good deeds - the rewards God has for us will far outweigh anything that we can even imagine. But Jesus, our Judge will weigh what each one of us does with the cross, and that will outweigh every other deed and determine what we truly deserve. So what do you deserve?

Teaching by: Marquis Laughlin -