“Behold, I am coming soon, bringing my recompense with me, to repay each one for what he has done.” – Revelation 22:12

Nobody gets away with anything.

Not you. Not me.

The King is coming and he is bringing his recompense, his repayment, with him and each one will be repaid for what they have done.

We tend to hear this and immediately go to thinking about all the scoundrels who are out there doing the devil’s work. The murderers, the thieves and robbers. Rarely do we consider that Peter said the following.

“17For it is time for judgment to begin at the household of God; and if it begins with us, what will be the outcome for those who do not obey the gospel of God?” – 1 Peter 4:17

Judgement begins with the church. Not the world. The church.

I work in an industry where unfortunately, there is no shortage of scoundrels.

Men who withhold wages from workers. Men who lie and cheat their clients. Clients who lie and cheat their builders. A great deal of them “go to church”. They’re “Christians”. I’m sure some of them are actual born again believers. Nevertheless they lie, they cheat, they steal.

Many rarely consider the plight of the laborer or the poor and downtrodden.

I’ve lost count of how many hard working immigrants who have told me how GCs just didn’t pay them for work they did. They don’t know about mechanics liens and how they work to protect them, so I try to educated them on it, either way, they’ve still been abused.

Just in the last couple of weeks I’ve heard from multiple people in my industry about how designers and sales people were “fired” and not paid tens of thousands of dollars they were owed in commissions. I say “fired” because they’re contract workers (1099) but the industry employers treat them like they’re (W2s), which is against the law but it’s cheaper for the employer. They don’t have to pay additional taxes and healthcare for their workers.

Boss just bought another jet boat though. Needed to find a way to make up the balance so fired some hard working man with a wife and kids and a mortgage. Merry Christmas.

Another guy’s battling cancer, it’s terminal now. Had to do a Gofundme to ask industry friends for help with medical expenses. Employer doesn’t provide healthcare for the guy. Because again, that’s expensive and the guy is desperate for work. So they have leverage on him and so they apply it.

Employer does take nice vacations to the Caribbean though. Probably even sends text messages to the guy with a prayer emoji.

I see it with clients too. People at church even. “Oh I found a guy who can do it for half that! I got a great deal!”

I’m glad that worked out for you.

The first three bids told you it’d be $1,000. This guy said he’d do it for $600 and you know the materials are $500.

Gonna be hard for the guy to buy groceries this month but I’m glad you “got a good deal”.

I’ve seen this my entire life. Used to see it waiting tables in college. The worst tippers were the church crowd. The people who profess to know that Jesus Christ is Lord and suffered and died on Roman cross to save their own wretched souls from their own wretched sin. And yet, these were the folks with the tightest purses.

Everybody is getting what’s coming to them.

Jesus. He sees it. All of it. And every last deed any of us did will be repaid accordingly.

Both for the unbeliever and the believer alike.

What we all need to remember is that the Lord is perfect in justice.

If you find yourself apathetic to the plight of your neighbor. You may want to keep these things in mind. The accounting is coming.

We’re all getting what’s coming to us.

In light of that reality, I can’t encourage you enough. Repent. While you still have time. Repent.

Repent of the sins of commission, the times you’ve lied, you’ve cheated, you’ve held back.

Repent of the sins of omission. The times you ignored, you plugged your ears, your were too busy…

Repent of your apathy toward the plight of your neighbor, your brother, the Samaritan among you while you pursued the comforts of this world.

Jesus knows and will remember who stopped for the poor guy on the side of the road. He’ll remember who was living it up while their “employees” suffered. And he is going to repay us all according to our deeds.

I would encourage you all to consider what the Lord told his disciples:

“31“When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, then he will sit on his glorious throne. 32Before him will be gathered all the nations, and he will separate people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. 33And he will place the sheep on his right, but the goats on the left. 34Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. 35For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, 36I was naked and you clothed me, I was sick and you visited me, I was in prison and you came to me.’ 37Then the righteous will answer him, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you drink? 38And when did we see you a stranger and welcome you, or naked and clothe you? 39And when did we see you sick or in prison and visit you?’ 40And the King will answer them, ‘Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brothers, you did it to me.’

41“Then he will say to those on his left, ‘Depart from me, you cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. 42For I was hungry and you gave me no food, I was thirsty and you gave me no drink, 43I was a stranger and you did not welcome me, naked and you did not clothe me, sick and in prison and you did not visit me.’ 44Then they also will answer, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison, and did not minister to you?’ 45Then he will answer them, saying, ‘Truly, I say to you, as you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to me.’ 46And these will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life.”

He is coming quickly. And he is bringing his repayment with him. No one gets away with anything. Not the murderer, not the swindler, not the tax cheat, not the apathetic, not you, not me.

If that’s you, and I know it’s me. Repent. Before it’s too late. Because the King is coming…