The Great Chasm
Scripture – Luke 16:25-31: 25“But Abraham replied, ‘Son, remember that in your lifetime you received your good things, while Lazarus received bad things, but now he is comforted here and you are in agony. 26And besides all this, between us and you a great chasm has been fixed, so that those who want to go from here to you cannot, nor can anyone cross over from there to us.’ 27“He answered, ‘Then I beg you, father, send Lazarus to my father’s house, 28for I have five brothers. Let him warn them, so that they will not also come to this place of torment.’ 29“Abraham replied, ‘They have Moses and the Prophets; let them listen to them.’ 30“‘No, father Abraham,’ he said, ‘but if someone from the dead goes to them, they will repent.’ 31“He said to him, ‘If they do not listen to Moses and the Prophets, they will not be convinced even if someone rises from the dead.’”
Reflection: I don’t know how many times I’ve heard people question how a loving God could send people to hell. Often they use that as an excuse for not believing. What they miss is the simple fact that God does not send anyone to hell. Quite the opposite! He’s opened the door to heaven and invited everyone to come in. People make their own choice.
The “great chasm” stands out to me here. The gap that sin creates between a person and God will one day become permanent if that person refuses to believe in Jesus Christ. I heard someone suggest once that the gates of hell are locked from the inside. People can be successful rebels until the end. There really will come a time when, for some people, there is no hope. They’re caught on the dark side of the chasm. They can see the other side. And they no longer have any way to get across.
Right now, in Christ, God offers us the way across. That way is to simply believe in Christ – to stop resisting and start trusting Him as Savior. I’m not sure how to get that message across to people these days. We’re so full of ourselves, we think we can handle anything by ourselves. The fact is we cannot. The gift of God is eternal life. How can we help people see that and receive it?
An Invitation: A small group will be meeting tomorrow morning from 9:45 – 10:30am to share what we’ve learned and seen in this week’s readings. We’ll meet in the Pastor’s office at Bethel Baptist Church, 13330 Trenton Road in Southgate. Everyone’s welcome to join us.
Reading for Sunday, May 31
Luke 17:1-2: 1Jesus said to his disciples: “Things that cause people to sin are bound to come, but woe to that person through whom they come. 2It would be better for him to be thrown into the sea with a millstone tied around his neck than for him to cause one of these little ones to sin.
Reflection: I don’t know how many times I’ve heard people question how a loving God could send people to hell. Often they use that as an excuse for not believing. What they miss is the simple fact that God does not send anyone to hell. Quite the opposite! He’s opened the door to heaven and invited everyone to come in. People make their own choice.
The “great chasm” stands out to me here. The gap that sin creates between a person and God will one day become permanent if that person refuses to believe in Jesus Christ. I heard someone suggest once that the gates of hell are locked from the inside. People can be successful rebels until the end. There really will come a time when, for some people, there is no hope. They’re caught on the dark side of the chasm. They can see the other side. And they no longer have any way to get across.
Right now, in Christ, God offers us the way across. That way is to simply believe in Christ – to stop resisting and start trusting Him as Savior. I’m not sure how to get that message across to people these days. We’re so full of ourselves, we think we can handle anything by ourselves. The fact is we cannot. The gift of God is eternal life. How can we help people see that and receive it?
An Invitation: A small group will be meeting tomorrow morning from 9:45 – 10:30am to share what we’ve learned and seen in this week’s readings. We’ll meet in the Pastor’s office at Bethel Baptist Church, 13330 Trenton Road in Southgate. Everyone’s welcome to join us.
Reading for Sunday, May 31
Luke 17:1-2: 1Jesus said to his disciples: “Things that cause people to sin are bound to come, but woe to that person through whom they come. 2It would be better for him to be thrown into the sea with a millstone tied around his neck than for him to cause one of these little ones to sin.
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
<< Home