(Verse 21) - ''I go my way..." speaks of Jesus pursuing the course set before Him. This was, of course, the habit and focus of Jesus life. He was completely given over to the service of God. He said that it was His ''meat" to do the will of His heavenly Father. This was the course of Jesus life.

Actually, in your case and mine this would serve to make life a whole lot simpler. The world is a complicated place. It is not an easy place to make one's way. It takes immense wisdom to discern the correct choices needed to be successful our walk with Christ. How much easier it is to search out those choices with the help of an all-wise God!

"Seek Me... die in your sins" refers to their seeking of the Messiah. The Messiah they were expecting would not come. This is the problem with a sloppy and inaccurate interaction with the Scripture. It leads you to the wrong conclusions! The Jewish leaders had badly misinterpreted the OT Scriptures and as a result were looking in the wrong direction for a "Messiah" that wasn't coming because God had never promised what they were expecting! How tragic is that?

This speaks of missed opportunity. The Pharisees had access to the same OT that you and I have access to. There was opportunity there for them to recognize and respond to the truth. The Word of God is objective and constant. It does not change. Its content remains consistent and the some. They had the same opportunity to be enlightened by it as we have. What a tremendous tragedy that instead of studying and learning from it; they used it to reinforce that which they already think!

Note that all who reject the Lord will die unforgiven. This is one of the most inflexible of the principles contained in God's Word. There are no exceptions and no accommodations  will be made. The time for taking action is while God is still offering mercy. This is a function of His nature every single bit as much as love and mercy. He well zealously and enthusiastically exercise His Righteousness and Holiness once the time of grace is gone. This is not to say that He will enjoy it; but only that He will not hesitate to apply it. We must learn to think of the exercise of judgment in terms of God's character. This will clarify it for us. God must judge, not because some outside standard demands it; but because His own internal standard demands it.

There is a sense in which men seek God but do not find Him because they are not seeking the God Who is really there, but a figment of their imagination. This is what we meant when we spoke of them expecting a Messiah who wasn't coming. Many can say (and do, in fact, say) that they love God, and they serve God, are seeking God; but the God they are seeking is not real, He doesn't exist. He is made-up. They are chasing a dream that has no real substance.

There will come a time when men will cry out to God but God will not answer. This is another one of those things that we don't want to think about. We cherish our view of God as all merciful and willing to receive all who cry out to Him. In this present time, it is true that God will in no wise cast out any who come to Him. There will, however, come a time when God will turn a deaf ear to all those who cry out to Him, because the time for mercy has passed. Not to be melodramatic, but do you think for one moment that those judged guilty and are hauled away to be cast into the fire won't scream for mercy? That is hard to imagine! There will come a time when God will turn a deaf ear!

There is also a condition in which men can get which will prevent them from finding God because they will refuse to look where He is. This is almost unimaginable. The Bible says that when Jesus returns in unprecedented glory accompanied by unmistakable signs; many will curse Him and hide from Him rather than submit to Him. As difficult as that is to fathom for us, we need to acknowledge that it is so! Many times the persistence of men in sin is a deliberate and willful choice.

Those who reject Christ  must perish, they are unable to go where He is. They are unable because is take a perfect righteousness to enter that place. For He is in the bosom of His Father! There, no man can go lest he be consumed by the fire of God's absolute purity. Only the imputation of Christ's surpassing righteousness can serve to secure the position of the believer before God. Anyone who lacks that degree or quality of righteousness cannot enter in. 

One last note: There is a place where Christ is not! If is that place that sinful rebellion of men consigns them to. There, the awful separation from God endured on behalf of believers by Christ is exacted from those who reject Him and persist in their rebellion. Their separation is both profound and permanent. Men will get their earthly wish - God will leave them alone!

How do those facts apply to my life?:

This ought to be a tremendous motivation for me to witness and call men to obey and submit to the Gospel.

I need to find ways to make the call of God to salvation real and tangible to the lost.