“Without that self-choice there could be no Hell."[1]
Some of the senior saints complain that we never hear sermons on hell any more.
The topic is unfavorable it seems when it comes to sharing the love, grace, and
mercy of the Savior. I have always preached that a Gospel that does not contain
judgment is not a true gospel. As a pastor I have been given a shepherd’s heart
by our Lord, a heart that wants the best for the sheep under my care. I not only
lead the sheep to pasture but have the responsibility to show them the green
grass that supplies the nutrients needed for growth. I also am responsible for
warning them about the danger of wandering into the wrong field or the forest
where poisonous weeds and wolves live. That is where Mr. Lewis is coming from
with his statement; choosing is left up to the sheep. Therefore I think the
reason that sometimes the subject of hell is not preached as often as some
think it should be, and in my experience those who want to hear sermons on hell
are already saved, is because most shepherds do not want their sheep to fear
hell as much as they want them to love Christ. If one comes to Christ just
because they fear hell then that somehow takes away from what Jesus said His
purpose for coming into the world was in the first place; “For God did not send
His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him
might be saved.”[2]
Jesus came to draw us unto Himself, that where He is there we may be also, not
to send us to hell.
Take the prodigal son for instance. Have you ever stopped to
think that the love the father had for the son was so great that he gave the
son what he wanted even at the expense of losing him? The father did not have
to give the boy his inheritance before he died; but he did. He gave him his inheritance
because the boy did not want to be a part of that family any longer and stay in
that place so the father gave him what he asked for, knowing that he may never
see his son again. He loved the boy enough to give him what he asked for. In fact
he wrote him off when he left as evidenced by what he said when the boy
returned; “for this my son was dead and is alive again.”[3]
The boy did not choose to end up in a pigpen at the out start but that is where
he eventually chose to be. God allows people to make bad choices because He
loves us enough to give us what we want. If no one ever chose to reject Christ,
men or angels, then there would be no need for hell. Who in their right mind
would chose an eternity of tormenting fire that never ends, without any
possibility of ever escaping it? No one, but there are millions who choose to
have their own way now, as the prodigal did, without ever thinking about the
pigpen. I would say there are people in hell today who never thought they would
really end up there. Perhaps many never thought it existed and yet others never
believed the whole life after death thing to begin with. On the other hand how
horrible for those who may have believed but yet chose to place their hope in
going to heaven instead of placing their trust in Jesus. God help them.
No comments:
Post a Comment