Thoughts on psalm 97:3

With all the deaths that are going on in the past few months it really got me thinking about what the world thinks about salvation. With the death of Micheal Jackson, Steve McNair, billy Mays etc. Everyone that speaks of them make it seem like they are going to heaven. Like if salvation comes to those who were "good" in the sight of men or to those who were famous or icons in the world, yet everyone has forgotten about their sinful, fallen nature.
Today, I was studying through psalm 97, and verse 3 really consumed my thoughts for hours. "fire goes before Him and burns up His adversaries all around." His adversaries... Many people think that God's adversaries are people like Hitler, and murders and people in jail, but they don't know that the nun who trusts in the virgin mary for salvation is an enemy of God; or that the man in church who relies on his church attendance and "good works" is also an enemy of God. I say this so we can get it through our heads that salvation comes through the death, burial, and ressurection of Christ alone, and that the only part we play in salvation is our willingness to be pruned and disciplined by God, and to be faithful to preach His word to the nations. Yes, Micheal Jackson did play a huge part in the music industry, but did nothing for the glory of God, he lived a wasted life... We have the ministry of reconciliation, we have this gospel that can bring men and women from death to life, that can make a nation from being an enemy of God to becoming a child of God. So why do we not proclaim this Word to the fallen world? Why do we still sit in our seats and warm the bench instead of playing in the game?
In the verse before this it says "...righteousness and justice are the foundation of His throne." the world has this mindset that God is a God that will over look there sin because He is a God of love, but here we see that the foundation of His throne is righteousness and justice. Through the scriptures we see kings who are corrupt and unjust, but this King, seated on the throne is like no other King. He can not be bribed or manipulated, if you are not washed by the blood of Christ and if you do not have His righteousness upon you, then you will be burned up... No,if, and or buts about it. God is a holy God and sin can not stand in His sight. The Lord is worthy, more than worthy, of our praise and adoration. We must see God as who He is and not what we think He is. My fellow saints, church, the world will try to lead you in many directions, Satan will want to tempt you to fall in your sin and rely on something other than Christ, but remember that the Lord is a righteous God, He will only accept perfection in His sight, and none of us are perfect. But that's where the gospel of the risen Lord comes in.
There is nothing in us that can please God, there is nothing that we can do to earn salvation; the only way that we can stand before the throne of God and spend an eternity with Him, glorifing Him and adoring Him, is by putting our faith and trust and life in the work done on the cross of Calvary over 2000 years ago. Brothers and sisters of God, this is the beauty of the gospel, that Jesus would die for His bride not by anything she did but mainly because He loves her so much. Oh how unworthy are we, but now that we have been called and redeemed, let us not take for granted the freedom we have in Christ.
So now, let us go before the throne of grace and lay our lives before the nail print feet of Jesus and give Him the praise, glory and adoration that He deserves. I pray that this is edifying to the body of Christ and that the spirit may convict you as much as He has convicted me. Grace and peace from our Lord Jesus Christ, may glory, honor and praise be to Him forever and ever, amen.