"Come to Me."

I struggle a bit with insensitivity. Ok. I struggle a lot with insensitivity.

Generally, if people come to me with their problems, I listen to the whole story. I really do, but I don't feel compassion for their burdens. I usually say I will pray for them, which I do, but that's where it ends. The advice I usually give is to get over it and move on. So here I am - insensitive, lacking compassion and falling short of the person of Christ yet again. I find myself convicted to change my attitude toward the brokenhearted, hurting and lost people of the world. You know, the ones Jesus Himself came to earth to talk to face to face, comfort with His presence and save by His death on the cross?

In Bible study this week, I was struck by the simple and deep words of our Savior.

Matthew 11:28-30 "Come to Me, all who are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and YOU WILL FIND REST FOR YOUR SOULS. For My yoke is easy and my burden is light."

I know many have read that verse and sighed thinking how nice it is that Jesus cares about us individually and personally. I sigh too. But this simple verse goes so deep into the core of my heart and truly, it is possible to find rest for our souls in the embrace of Jesus Christ.

My mother (and doesn't it always work out that she is always right?) used to tell me to look for a husband with which I would be equally yoked. She told me this for as long as I can remember. To be totally honest with you, I, in my superficial rebellious years, took this on a completely outward, surface, statistical level. Now I really see the beauty and the depth of what she told me. I have found a husband with whom I am equally yoked. We share our life equally and pull the weight of our burdens together. It is amazing to see how God completes two people and makes them into one in the bonds of marriage, perfectly complementing the shortcomings of one with the strength of another. Can you think of a better way to get two sinners under one roof and live a lifetime of fellowship and happiness? I can't. Thank you, God, for the unthinkable joys of marriage.

When Jesus beckons us to come to Him, I swoon. I could stop reading the Bible right there and just take those three words with me forever. "Come to Me." But, as if we haven't been given enough, He goes on. He tells us to take His yoke upon ourselves. Think about that yoke in marriage. It's beautiful, but we share the burdens of each other. Jesus is asking us to let Him take on our burdens. Our silly burdens. All of them. When you yoke two animals together, you put the yoke around the neck. Jesus' burden is light, but ours is heavy. We are weighed down by our own sin and the consequences of the sin of others. We are weary of this world. Jesus, humbling Himself yet again, is willing, able and desiring to take our burdens on Himself. A lesson I was reminded of just this morning: When we are seeking to do things on our own, in our timetable and in our own way, we tug on that yoke (which you put on when you accepted Christ) and we feel the burden of our lives yet again. If we could just let ourselves follow Jesus and acknowledge His Kingship with our footsteps, we would feel the rest that comes with following the path Jesus is on for us. We are not alone in this life, because Jesus has put His easy yoke on us. 

Jesus has also told us that He is gentle and humble in heart. Oh, how I desire to be like Him! So why then do I find rest for my own soul and give my own problems to Jesus, but remain insensitive to the burdens of others? When I have found this sweet rest for my weary soul in following Christ, I have the knowledge of how to relieve others as well. I'm no counselor, but I know a Wonderful One.

No longer will I disqualify the burdens of others as silly or assume any problems are easily dealt with. Jesus takes them all, so I should be pointing them all to Jesus. I can't stand by and allow people to hurt all around me while telling them to pull themselves up by their own bootstraps. They will fall deep into the pit if they try to get out on their own. Jesus says later in the book of Matthew that all who attempt to get out on their own will end up worse off in the end. How true I know that to be! So join with me, and let our words not be stumbling blocks for others. Let's not merely listen to problems, but offer the one and only solution for all of them - King Jesus Christ.

John 16:33 "These things I have spoken to you, so that in Me you may have peace. In the world you have tribulation, but take courage; I have overcome the world."

Hell, Fire, and Brimstone

I'm not sure if it has ever occurred to me before yesterday, but apparently there is a taboo I was previously unaware of. Talking about hell. And fire. And brimstone. 

To be honest, I was shocked to find out that talking about the realities of hell could offend a believer. Someone who, by grace through faith has been saved from paying for their multitudes of sins and believes that Jesus died in their place, could be offended that a preacher or an author or a talk show host or I talk about the realities of hell. But why?

Why is a born again Christian put off by the subject of hell? Is it too real? Too scary? Too hot? Too convicting? I'm not sure why the offended feel this way, but here is why I (and many other Christians empowered by the Great Commission) will continue to talk about hell, fire and brimstone. 

It's REAL. 

It is too scary. It is too hot. It is described in the book of Luke as Jesus tells of the story of the rich man and Lazarus. The rich man mistreated Lazarus, a poor man who begged outside his gate. 

Luke 16:23-31 "In Hades he lifted up his eyes, being in torment, and *saw Abraham far away and Lazarus in his bosom. And he cried out and said, ‘Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus so that he may dip the tip of his finger in water and cool off my tongue, for I am in agony in this flame.’ But Abraham said, ‘Child, remember that during your life you received your good things, and likewise Lazarus bad things; but now he is being comforted here, and you are in agony. And besides all this, between us and you there is a great chasm fixed, so that those who wish to come over from here to you will not be able, and that none may cross over from there to us.’ And he said, ‘Then I beg you, father, that you send him to my father’s house— for I have five brothers—in order that he may warn them, so that they will not also come to this place of torment.’ But Abraham *said, ‘They have Moses and the Prophets; let them hear them.’ But he said, ‘No, father Abraham, but if someone goes to them from the dead, they will repent!’ But he said to him, ‘If they do not listen to Moses and the Prophets, they will not be persuaded even if someone rises from the dead.’” 

Hell is eternal torture in fiery flame. The rich man begs for just a drop of water on his tongue for relief. Relief will not come. 

The rich man begs for someone to be brought back from the dead to be sent as a warning. Abraham's response: don't they already have the Scriptures? That is warning enough. 

Our generation has the Scriptures, yet still our churches are dying and morality is practically nonexistent. The people walking among us today could be living life (though it could be a happy one, like the rich man) and yet still be headed straight for the fiery pits of hell. I have a friend who refuses to seek out The Lord because she maintains that she is happy with where she is now in life. Good job, good marriage, nice apartment. All those things are fleeting and I wonder at times if she is waiting to be miserable before she will look for a Savior. Here is the honest truth: we are all sinners. Paul says in Romans that we have all sinned and fallen short of God's glory. How true! No matter how happy we are and no matter our station in life, every single person apart from Jesus Himself has sinned and is worthy only of burning in hell for all eternity separated from God. So why do we shy away from the Truth?

I think truly saved people shy away from talking about the realities of hell because they are afraid that if they share the Gospel and someone rejects them, they will now have only told them they are going to hell. And so what? It is plain as day in the Bible that if you reject Christ's finished work on the cross, you are indeed going to hell. The beauty of God's Word is that it is also full of promises. We, as believers in the Most High God and His Son's death in our place, have been given the promise of heaven and He is so gracious to give us a glimpse into that as well. 

Revelation 21:18-21 "The material of the wall was jasper; and the city was pure gold, like clear glass. The foundation stones of the city wall were adorned with every kind of precious stone. The first foundation stone was jasper; the second, sapphire; the third, chalcedony; the fourth, emerald; the fifth, sardonyx; the sixth, sardius; the seventh, chrysolite; the eighth, beryl; the ninth, topaz; the tenth, chrysoprase; the eleventh, jacinth; the twelfth, amethyst. And the twelve gates were twelve pearls; each one of the gates was a single pearl. And the street of the city was pure gold, like transparent glass." 

What a beautiful place to spend eternity! A place where the jewels sparkle more magnificently because instead of the sun, God's glory illuminates them. How He desires for all His people to be with Him there! He has told us that they won't be, and that many will still reject Him. Our job as those who have been redeemed is to get as many people into heaven with us while we are on earth. Our salvation is not dependent on it "so that none may boast", but it is our Great Commission, our calling, our mission and our desire on earth. 

So I will continue to talk about hell and how it will be more tolerable for Sodom and Gomorrah than for those who reject the Son in the day of judgment. It will hurt to be in hell more than anything can hurt you on earth. There is absolutely nothing wrong with telling people of the fate that will befall them if they do not accept Christ. Notice that I said "if they do not accept" not "if they reject you." They don't reject you. They reject Christ. If they never hear about Christ, they also do not accept Him. That is the reality of the Great Commission. All people need the earth shaking reality of Christ. 

I will also tell people of the amazing heaven we are promised a mansion to live in. All we have to do to spend eternity with our Father is trust in Jesus' finished work on the cross and repent. Turn away from everything else and turn your entire life to Jesus. Maybe you have been putting it off like my friend. Maybe you have just not been sure. Maybe you're scared of what will happen. Rest on this, dear one, Jesus loves you. He wants to be with you now and forever. 

2 Peter 3:9 "The Lord is not slow about His promise, as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing for any to perish but for all to come to repentance."

He wants to make sure that everyone who is going to accept Him does. Are you ready today to give your life to Jesus Christ? Pray the following prayer if you are.

Father God,

I know that you love me and want to be with me now and forever. I recognize that I am a sinner and am separated from you. I believe Jesus died on the cross to take the punishment for my sins. I place my trust in you alone for my salvation and I turn away from my sin. Thank you for loving me through this small step of faith. 

In Jesus' name I pray,

Amen. 

If you prayed that prayer, tell someone! A friend, a pastor, me, somebody! It is crucial now that you have someone help you get started in your new life with Christ. When you accept Jesus, the Bible says that the angels rejoice in heaven! It's a glorious moment. Tell someone.