1st Peter 4:5. “Who shall give account to him that is ready to judge the quick and the dead.” MOTIVATED BY THE FUTURE. My time will come when I must state the sum Of things that I did in life I will tell the Lord why I did, or did not reply When challenged to wrong or right As I look ahead is there fear and dread Or is there joy as I think of that day When I will see the Lord’s face and His way with me trace And He waits to hear what I say.
Those who for Christ did live, will account then give Of those things they did while serving the Lord Those who lived for earth with no second birth Will be judged by their very own words The Judge knows each heart and of life every part Of each and everything we did and why This is not some unfair scheme or some far out dream But a look ahead into the real “bye and bye.”
With such a day in view, saved and unsaved too Need to stop and seriously look into their future Motivation is given to those going to hell and heaven To consider carefully what in life we nurture How great is the gain for those who love His name; To walk in the ways of the holy And how great the loss of those who count the cost And live for this present life only
“O Righteous, Holy God: as I look ahead this morning, I ask for divine assistance to live in view of a future day. In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, Amen.”
Judgment is ahead in which each will "give account" (say in words) that which has been done. For "the quick" (the living) it will be at the judgment seat of Christ where both words and works will be evaluated. This is not a judgment for sin. That took place on our behalf at the cross where our Lord fully dealt with our sin. Judgment for the believer has to do with our stewardship and rewards for faithfulness. "The dead" are those who are not saved and who will stand before the Lord Jesus to give "account." At that time every mouth will truly be stopped. The Judge is "ready to judge." He is prepared. The day is appointed. There is motivation to endure because of the future. The certainty of coming judgment keeps us from being short-sighted. For believers, we look ahead to a glorious future with our Lord. Life is not wasted even when we suffer, and the grave is not the goal.
We are commissioned to preach the Gospel now so that in the death of Christ a believer has been judged for sin because "Christ died for us" when the He "loved me and gave Himself for me." The preaching of the Gospel also assures us of eternal life now and forever. That motivates us to live according to God in our spirit, and commit ourselves to accept and do His will even if it means suffering.