SHARING BREAD
47 “Once again, the kingdom of
heaven is like a net that was let down into the lake and caught all kinds of
fish. 48 When
it was full, the fishermen pulled it up on the shore. Then they sat down and
collected the good fish in baskets, but threw the bad away. 49 This is how it will be at the end of the
age. The angels will come and separate the wicked from the righteous 50 and throw them into the fiery furnace, where
there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.”
Matt
13:47-50 (NIV)
Hell isn’t a very popular subject. Indeed, I dare say if a sign were outside the
church building flashing Hell as the Sunday sermon the crowds would be dismally
down. Hell is all too often not taken
into our consideration or perhaps, like Governor Felix whom the Apostle Paul
spoke to, we purposely delay our thoughts on the subject postponing them until perhaps
a more convenient time (like our deathbed) – yet oftentimes this convenient
time to hear Truth never arrives. We often
do not like dwelling on death, the devil and destruction or even that which
counters it – faith in Christ if it means we must change our lives, be
uncomfortable or held responsible. We
discover Paul’s encounter with Felix in Acts:
24 Several days later Felix came with his wife Drusilla,
who was a Jewess. He sent for Paul and listened to him as he spoke about faith
in Christ Jesus. 25 As
Paul discoursed on righteousness, self-control and the judgment to come, Felix
was afraid and said, “That's enough for now! You may leave. When I find it
convenient, I will send for you.” Acts
24:24-25 (NIV)
There is generally no flocking to hear about hellfire and
brimstone or even accountability – our ears don’t normally perk up to the sound
of those words. We much prefer listening
to topics on love and joy and peace. Things
that tickle our ears and make us feel warm and cozy and good inside. “Weeping and gnashing of teeth” simply do not
give us the warm fuzzies we seek. It’s
as if we believe that if we do not hear about Hell or think about Hell or just
plain ignore Hell, it will simply go away.
We do not like thinking our choices and actions reap either eternal
consequences or blessings. But sticking
our heads in the ground about the end of the age or the end of our lives won’t
make it magically disappear.
Interestingly, the Lord Jesus spoke quite often of this
place of torment - stating it to be a very real place of horror. In love, he warns us –kindly red flags us -
as well as all who followed faithfully after Him – over and over again - so
that at the end of our lives we will not find ourselves unsaved - words cannot
adequately describe that doom. He died to
save us - for us to be with Him eternally in heaven.
“It is shocking to reflect that a
change in the weather has more effect on some men's lives than the dread
alternative of heaven or hell. A woman's glance affects them more than
the eye of God. We cannot,
however, be content with this; we labor that those around us may savingly
believe by putting their trust in the Lord Jesus Christ. This is the grand
saving act: The man brings his soul and commits it to Christ for safe keeping,
and that entrusting of the soul to Jesus saves him. He makes the Saviour
trustee of his spiritual estates, and leaves himself and all his eternal
interests in those dear hands which once were nailed to the cross. Oh, how we
long to see the Holy Spirit bringing men to this, that they may believe in
Jesus Christ by resting in Him and trusting upon Him. For this we live, for
this we would be content to die, that many might believe.” Charles
H. Spurgeon
In our verses for today our Lord
likens the coming kingdom of heaven to a net being let down into the vast sea
of humanity bringing up all sorts of catch – the good with the evil – the fish
with the trash, rubbish, dirt, weeds and vermin. This net has begun to fill and will continue
to fill until our Lord’s return. The
time will come at the end of the age when it becomes full and carefully drug to
the shore where - by the hand of the angels - the good and the bad will be
separated. Those who through faith in Christ
will rise to be with Him in paradise eternally and those who sadly willing
choose not to believe will be thrown into the place of torment prepared for the
devil and his angels. Jesus tells us later
in Matthew:
34 “Then the King will say to
those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your
inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world.’” Matt 25:34 (NIV)
41 “Then he will say to those on
his left, ‘Depart from me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared
for the devil and his angels.’” Matt
25:41 (NIV)
“God is love and only
love. In God there is no hatred, desire for revenge, or pleasure in seeing us
punished. God wants to forgive, heal, restore, show us endless mercy, and see
us come home. But just as the father of the prodigal son let his son make his
own decision God gives us the freedom to move away from God's love even at the
risk of destroying ourselves. Hell is not God's choice. It is ours.” Henri
Nouwen
16 “For God so loved the world that he gave his
one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have
eternal life. 17 For
God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the
world through him. 18 Whoever
believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned
already because he has not believed in the name of God's one and only Son. 19 This is the verdict: Light has come into the
world, but men loved darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil. 20 Everyone who does evil hates the light, and
will not come into the light for fear that his deeds will be exposed. 21 But whoever lives by the truth comes into
the light, so that it may be seen plainly that what he has done has been done
through God.” John
3:16-21 (NIV)
What I glean from this:
· My refusal
not to think about heaven or hell will not make them go away.
· Jesus
spoke much regarding hell to lovingly warn me against the horror of it.
· God
desires for all to be saved yet sadly we do not all desire to be saved.
