HOW CAN MAN MEET GOD?
We cannot go away from this subject in a light way. We have to ask, "If there is a God, what should we do?" It is not enough to believe that there is a God. Please read Amos 4:12: "Prepare to meet your God." Friends, are you prepared to meet your God? If you know that there is a God, you cannot live foolishly or sit idly. First, you must be prepared to meet your God. Friends, are you prepared to meet God? I hope that no one among us will be deceived by the atheists anymore.
If there is a God, what must we do before we can meet Him? There is only one thing: believe in the Lord Jesus. This is the only way to meet God because He bestows grace to us through Christ. Apart from Christ, everyone is condemned.
Ephesians 2:16 through 18 says, "And might reconcile both in one Body to God through the cross, having slain the enmity by it. And coming, He announced peace as the gospel to you who were far off, and peace to those who were near, for through Him we both have access in one Spirit unto the Father." Please pay special attention to 3:12: "In whom we have boldness and access in confidence through faith in Him." How can we meet God? The Bible tells us that only by believing in Jesus will we have the boldness to come to Him.
There is one thing that frustrates us from meeting God—sin. Once sin exists, we cannot see God’s face. Sin turns us away from God. God has prepared a way for us to deal with our sins, which is the Lord’s crucifixion on the cross. Through the cross, He took away our sins. He died for our sins, and He was beaten for us. He was hung on the cross for our sins. The Lord Jesus has died and resurrected. Now everyone who believes in Him can come boldly to God because the middle wall of partition has been removed. The problem of sin is solved, and we can come to God without any fear. One day we all will see God. We will either be accepted as God’s people or rejected as God’s enemies. The Lord has died, and all the problems of sin have been solved. Let us come to God and receive Him. No one can come to God with any hindrance. Who are those who cannot come to God? Friends, are you a Christian? Are you an atheist? I beg you to believe in the Lord Jesus. Is there anyone here today who will receive Jesus Christ as his Savior?
Friends, remember that one day you will see God. There is no way for you to hide; you will eventually have to come face to face with God. The only way to hide is to hide in the Lord; there is no other way. One day when you see God’s face and want to hide, it may be too late. Therefore, all those who desire to receive the Lord should receive Him now. Do not delay.
Some may say that they do not quite understand the Lord’s redemption. They seem to have a problem understanding how the Lord’s blood could bring us to God. All we have to do is to check with our conscience. There is a case before us—our sins. There is also a witness inside us—our conscience. The precious conscience is testifying against our sins. Many people are afraid to think about God; they try to avoid God because they have such a case in their conscience. They try to reject God. Friends, there is no need for you to fear, because the Lord Jesus is our Mediator.
Our Lord left the splendid and glorious heavens in order to bring us there. He suffered punishment in order that we may have peace. He died for us that we may have life. He was rejected in order that we may be accepted. We can lay down our burden of sin because God has judged the Lord. All we have to do is believe in Him and draw near to God. If we do not believe that the Lord has taken away our sins, our future is indeed bleak. I hope that we will all open our hearts to receive the Lord. If we do this, we will see that God is no longer our Judge, but our loving Father.
Many of us know that there are frequent earthquakes in Italy. Once there was a great earthquake, and many houses and trees were damaged or leveled. Many people took their belongings and ran with their children in their arms. They were all very frightened. But one old lady did not run around frantically like others; she leaned against a doorpost and laughed. She did not take anything with her and did not try to look for a safe place to hide. All she did was laugh at the ones who were running for their lives. Some curious ones said to her, "Old lady, are you mad? Has the earthquake driven you crazy? Dear old lady, pack your belongings quickly and run." The old lady just kept on laughing and said, "I have talked to you about the things to come and exhorted you to believe in the Lord Jesus Christ. I have said that unless you believe in Jesus, you would go to hell and suffer the fire of brimstone. But you have ignored me and not listened to me, regarding my speaking as a joke. Today God is only moving a little finger, and all of you are so frightened. You do not know what to do, and you run back and forth helplessly. This is a very funny sight to me." Friends, have you ever thought of your future? When that day comes, will you be like the men who were running for their lives and who were so helpless? All those who have believed in the Lord Jesus will not be shaken; they will be at peace. Are you afraid of earthquakes? If you are, how much worse is hell? Are you afraid of hell? An earthquake is terrible and frightening, but it is nothing compared with hell. Friends, there is no comparison between hell and earthquakes. Consider hell when you think of an earthquake. Do you want to suffer the pain of hell? Friends, please come and believe in the Lord Jesus so that you can escape the pain of hell and enjoy the blessing of heaven.
(The Normal Christian Faith, Chapter 17, by Watchman Nee)
