In II Kings 20: 1 we have this declaration through the Lord, "Set thine house in order; for thou shalt die, and not live." We want to notice why a man should set his house in order.
First, because we read in Heb. 9: 27, "And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment." As man is judgment day bound, therefore he should set his house in order.
Second, he should set his house in order because of the uncertainty of life. Life is uncertain and death is sure. Death is on the track of every man, and the world in which we live is a dangerous world. There are ten thousand dangers on every side of man as he travels along the journey from this world to heaven. In fact, death is so certain that there have never been but two men who got out of this world alive, and they were both holiness men -- Enoch and Elijah.
Third, we should set our houses in order because of the certainty of death. As truly as we are here today, we shall go there tomorrow. No way of escape; the death angel is ready.
Fourth, we must set our houses in order, because not to do so will bring sorrow to us and our loved ones forever. The hardest job in the world for a preacher to do is to preach the funeral of a man when he has no evidences of his reaching heaven.
Fifth, we must set our houses in order because we must meet God and give an account of our stewardship here below. And every man feels that he owes a debt to the Lord that he sooner or later must settle.
Sixth, we must set our houses in order here, for this is the only world in which it can be done. The crowd of backslidden preachers that are running up and down the land disputing God's Word to His face and offering the ungodly a second probation in the next world are themselves the dupes of the devil. The Bible nowhere offers men a chance of repentance beyond the grave.
And as we have just given you a few reasons why you should set your house in order, we will now give you a few scriptures showing you how it can be done.
In John 16: 7-8 we have Bible conviction, Christ said, "When he [the Holy Ghost] is come, he will reprove the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment."
In the second place, in Luke 13: 3 Christ said, "Except ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish." And in II Cor. 7: 9-10, St. Paul said, Repentance is a "godly sorrow" for sin that needeth "not to be repented of." He means to teach there that the sinner is sorry that he did the thing and is not merely sorry that he got caught at it. All rascals are sorry that they are caught but few of them are sorry that they did the thing.
Third, we must confess our sins in order to get rid of them. We read in I John 1: 9, "If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins."
Fourth, we must forsake our sins. In Prov. 28: 13, King Solomon said, "He that covereth his sins shall not prosper: but whoso confesseth and forsaketh them shall have mercy." Here we notice that to confess sin is not as much as God requires. His requirements are confess and forsake. The most of sinners confess their sins every day; but while they do so they hold on to their sins with a death grip, until like the sinners of old, they hold on to them till they damn them.
Fifth, we must believe on the Lord Jesus Christ In Acts 16: 31, St. Paul says, "believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved, and thine house." Here St. Paul seems to teach a household religion, for he declared if this man would believe on the Lord Jesus Christ that there was at least a possibility of the whole family finding God.
Sixth, we must be justified by faith, and St. Paul said in Rom. 5: 1, "Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ." Here the theologian tells us that justification means a legal act and really takes place in the mind of God.
Seventh, we must be regenerated. In Paul's letter to Titus he said, "Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost; which he shed on us abundantly" (3: 5-6). Here the reader will notice the distinction between justification and regeneration. While justification takes place in the mind of God, regeneration takes place in the heart of man. Those who are in authority and position to know tell us that regeneration means to give life to those who once had it but lost it. We find that man lost his spiritual life in the Fall, but he has been redeemed by Christ and bought back. Now God restores to him the beautiful spiritual life that he lost and, thank God, he may not and need not ever die again.
Eighth, we must receive the witness of the Spirit, and we read in Rom. 8: 16-17, "The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God: and if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ." Now here we find that the witness of the Spirit is even different from justification and regeneration. While justification takes place in the mind of God, regeneration is in the heart of man. Here our Heavenly Father in His goodness and mercy sends the Holy Spirit into our hearts and lives and gives us a conscious knowledge of the fact that our sins have been blotted out, and we have the blessed assurance now of our home in heaven.
Ninth, we must be adopted into the family of God. We read in I John 3: 1-3, "Behold, what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called the sons of God: therefore the world knoweth us not, because it knew him not. Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is. And every man that hath this hope in him purifieth himself, even as he is pure." Here the reader will notice that it means so very much to be adopted into the royal family, and this makes Rom. 8: 16 very plain, where Christ declares that we become "heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ." We see here that an heir is much more than a mere servant, for we belong to the family and have all the rights of lawful heirs.
Amen, for our wonderful and glorious possession!
Robinson, Reuben A. (Bud). The Collected Works of 'Uncle Bud' Robinson (Kindle Locations 2762-2809). Jawbone Digital. Kindle Edition.
First, because we read in Heb. 9: 27, "And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment." As man is judgment day bound, therefore he should set his house in order.
Second, he should set his house in order because of the uncertainty of life. Life is uncertain and death is sure. Death is on the track of every man, and the world in which we live is a dangerous world. There are ten thousand dangers on every side of man as he travels along the journey from this world to heaven. In fact, death is so certain that there have never been but two men who got out of this world alive, and they were both holiness men -- Enoch and Elijah.
Third, we should set our houses in order because of the certainty of death. As truly as we are here today, we shall go there tomorrow. No way of escape; the death angel is ready.
Fourth, we must set our houses in order, because not to do so will bring sorrow to us and our loved ones forever. The hardest job in the world for a preacher to do is to preach the funeral of a man when he has no evidences of his reaching heaven.
Fifth, we must set our houses in order because we must meet God and give an account of our stewardship here below. And every man feels that he owes a debt to the Lord that he sooner or later must settle.
Sixth, we must set our houses in order here, for this is the only world in which it can be done. The crowd of backslidden preachers that are running up and down the land disputing God's Word to His face and offering the ungodly a second probation in the next world are themselves the dupes of the devil. The Bible nowhere offers men a chance of repentance beyond the grave.
And as we have just given you a few reasons why you should set your house in order, we will now give you a few scriptures showing you how it can be done.
In John 16: 7-8 we have Bible conviction, Christ said, "When he [the Holy Ghost] is come, he will reprove the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment."
In the second place, in Luke 13: 3 Christ said, "Except ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish." And in II Cor. 7: 9-10, St. Paul said, Repentance is a "godly sorrow" for sin that needeth "not to be repented of." He means to teach there that the sinner is sorry that he did the thing and is not merely sorry that he got caught at it. All rascals are sorry that they are caught but few of them are sorry that they did the thing.
Third, we must confess our sins in order to get rid of them. We read in I John 1: 9, "If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins."
Fourth, we must forsake our sins. In Prov. 28: 13, King Solomon said, "He that covereth his sins shall not prosper: but whoso confesseth and forsaketh them shall have mercy." Here we notice that to confess sin is not as much as God requires. His requirements are confess and forsake. The most of sinners confess their sins every day; but while they do so they hold on to their sins with a death grip, until like the sinners of old, they hold on to them till they damn them.
Fifth, we must believe on the Lord Jesus Christ In Acts 16: 31, St. Paul says, "believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved, and thine house." Here St. Paul seems to teach a household religion, for he declared if this man would believe on the Lord Jesus Christ that there was at least a possibility of the whole family finding God.
Sixth, we must be justified by faith, and St. Paul said in Rom. 5: 1, "Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ." Here the theologian tells us that justification means a legal act and really takes place in the mind of God.
Seventh, we must be regenerated. In Paul's letter to Titus he said, "Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost; which he shed on us abundantly" (3: 5-6). Here the reader will notice the distinction between justification and regeneration. While justification takes place in the mind of God, regeneration takes place in the heart of man. Those who are in authority and position to know tell us that regeneration means to give life to those who once had it but lost it. We find that man lost his spiritual life in the Fall, but he has been redeemed by Christ and bought back. Now God restores to him the beautiful spiritual life that he lost and, thank God, he may not and need not ever die again.
Eighth, we must receive the witness of the Spirit, and we read in Rom. 8: 16-17, "The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God: and if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ." Now here we find that the witness of the Spirit is even different from justification and regeneration. While justification takes place in the mind of God, regeneration is in the heart of man. Here our Heavenly Father in His goodness and mercy sends the Holy Spirit into our hearts and lives and gives us a conscious knowledge of the fact that our sins have been blotted out, and we have the blessed assurance now of our home in heaven.
Ninth, we must be adopted into the family of God. We read in I John 3: 1-3, "Behold, what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called the sons of God: therefore the world knoweth us not, because it knew him not. Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is. And every man that hath this hope in him purifieth himself, even as he is pure." Here the reader will notice that it means so very much to be adopted into the royal family, and this makes Rom. 8: 16 very plain, where Christ declares that we become "heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ." We see here that an heir is much more than a mere servant, for we belong to the family and have all the rights of lawful heirs.
Amen, for our wonderful and glorious possession!
Robinson, Reuben A. (Bud). The Collected Works of 'Uncle Bud' Robinson (Kindle Locations 2762-2809). Jawbone Digital. Kindle Edition.
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