renovations

Have you ever been involved with renovations before? I remember after my house flood a few years ago I had to renovation about 75% of my home. Renovations usually take longer than they tell you it is going to take (3-4 months), cost more than they tell you (way more), are messy and inconvenient, and you wonder why you started the renovation process in the first place.

When we are convicted we need to change sinful habits in our lives they often feel like renovations. Now when the renovations are complete we love the results. Here are are a few truths about renovating types of change:

Change comes with pain. Change hurts at times. When were uncover secretive sinful areas and live in the light the process can be painful. It can be painful because we fail at times trying to change. We don’t like the change and like a magnet we are drawn back to our old ways. As the saying goes, “Old habits are hard to break.” Yet if you continue in your sinful habits you will continue to reap a sinful lifestyle:

Galatians 6:7-8 says, “Do not be deceived: God cannot be mocked. A man reaps what he sows. The one who sows to please his sinful nature, from that nature will reap destruction; the one who sows to please the Spirit, from the Spirit will reap eternal life.”

I live in Indiana, so this farming analogy God uses in the Bible makes sense. I understand that if you sow corn you will reap corn. If you sow soybeans you will reap soybeans. Now if you sow a sinful lifestyle you will reap destruction, but if you sow the Spirit you will reap life. It is that simple. If you think you are superman or superwoman and that your sin will never affect you it is time you drop your cape. You cannot cover in your sin for long, nor can you break sinful habits without the supernatural power of God. If you think you have super powers of your own: Hosea 8:7 say, “They will sow the wind and reap the whirlwind” Prov.22:8 “He who sows wickedness reaps trouble.” Reaping sin is like reaping up the villain and giving him strength rather than killing it.

Change comes with cycles. Like a washing machine goes through spin cycles before the clothes get clean, so we go through cycles before we grow in the process of change. The usual cycle goes something like this: Change > Conflict > Growth. There comes a point in the change process that is a battle. The conflict is tough. The desire to give up is there. God encourages us to fight our way through the crowd of conflict because the result will be glorious.

Change comes with a cost. Change can’t be bought at the dollar store. Change isn’t cheap. Our change cost a life. It took the bloodshed of God and the death of Christ to make the payment for your sinfulness. Jesus doesn’t want to just save you; He wants to change you.

Change comes with radical rewards. Our normal response to change is resistance. We resist because of the conflict. Most do not like to deal with conflict, but if they do not fight through it with God’s help they miss out on the reward. The reward is not removal of the mind, but a renewal the mind. We will use more of our minds for Christ.

Remember Prov. 28:13? “He who conceals his sin does not prosper, but whoever confesses and renounces them finds mercy.” God will shower you in His mercy. You cannot handle the amount of mercy and grace He gives. I have had this David Crowder song stuck in my head the past few weeks. There is a line in the song that goes like this:

He is jealous for me, Loves like a hurricane, I am a tree, Bending beneath the weight of his wind and mercy.
When all of a sudden, I am unaware of these afflictions eclipsed by glory, And I realize just how beautiful You are,
And how great Your affections are for me.

We are His portion and He is our prize, Drawn to redemption by the grace in His eyes,
If grace is an ocean, we’re all sinking. And Heaven meets earth like an unforeseen kiss, And my heart turns violently inside of my chest, I don’t have time to maintain these regrets, When I think about, the way…He loves us.

We are under construction and the renovation of change in our life comes with pain, cycles, cost, but has radical rewards.

a lesson on sin from LOTR

Lately, Sarah and I have been on a Lord of the Rings kick. We watched all tree DVD’s in the extended edition. We did not watch them back-to-back-to-back. That would be crazy! However, now that I think of it not a bad idea!?

Each time I watch LOTR I am convicted and think about sin. I like to watch the movie and imagine the ring being a symbol of sin. I am sure somebody has already thought of that before, written some book on it and made tons of money already on that notion. Here are just some notes on sin I noticed from LOTR’s:

Sin is a struggle to the end.

No getting around it. Sin will be a struggle until we part from this planet. The reward is in the reliance upon a God who is ready to rescue us. in Him we are dead to sin and live to Christ.

Sin must be killed.

Sin is like a beast waiting and wanting to destroy all who put it on. Frodo has a mission: to destroy the ring, at all costs. On his journey he struggles with the rings powers which weaken him to breaking points. The only way to be free of the rings power is to destroy it.

Recruit others to kill sin with you.

It is hard enough to journey in our sin alone. We all need Sam’s to help us kill sin. I immediately think of my good friend Ben who has been a helping me slay the dragons of sin in my life. Be a part of a Fellowship [i.e. church] that encourages you to destroy sinfulness.

hide-n-seek

What was your favorite game as a kid? When I was a kid I really loved to play hide and seek. You remember begin a little kid and finding that secret spot where no one could find you? As an adult we get better at hiding and our secrets more difficult to be found. No one might know you have been struggling with an eating disorder because of a poor self-image, cutting to stop the other pains in your life, bathing your eyes with pornography or abusing substances to drown out the noises and pressures you feel.

Have you ever noticed how little-little kids play hide and seek? They want you to find them. In fact, when you sneak around the room saying, “Where are you?” They say, “Over here!” They do not get the fact yet that you are suppose to stay quiet and not be found. They have childlike innocence. We need to be more like those little-little kids with God. Uncovering our sin, before He covers it. Wanting to be founds and saying, “I am here!”

We see an example of this in the book of Mark [5:25-26]. Except it is not a kid, but an older woman. Can you picture the scene? There is a loud noise from the crowd. Everybody wants to talk, touch and tweet with Jesus. In the midst of the crowd Jesus has an interesting encounter with a woman hiding in the crowd who desired to change.

This woman had been hemorrhaging for 12 years. Women, think of it as a 12 year straight period. In the Jewish culture she would be considered unclean. Therefore, she would have been rejected religiously, socially and more. Maybe you can relate to this woman. I know I have at times. You feel like you are hemorrhaging with sinful habits, bad decisions, secret junk and no one can help. You are just a face in the crowd.

What can we do when we are in a situation like that? We can learn a lot from the example of the woman in this text:

1. Quit Trying to Change on Your Own [5:27-28]. This woman came to the ropes end. She is rejected, spent and tried it all, and failed. We often make attempts to make drastic changes in our lives only to fall flat on our face. Discouragement creeps in and we no longer make any attempts to change.

There are numerous ways people try to change their secret sin struggles: money, self-help, work, medicate, recruit others to sympathize with you or ignore it all together. None of these permanently deal with the problem, rather they just deal with the symptoms, not the problem, bring others into sin with you, and create bigger and harder issues to deal with later. Without realizing it you have become a puppet and these so called easy fixes are like the puppeteer controlling your life. The truth is: if you do not kill the sin, sin will kill you.

This woman had no promise that Jesus would heal. Maybe He would reject too. Many think that God cannot change them. So they keep themselves covered by concealing their sins. We are professional concealers. Think of all the household items you own that conceal [ie. White Out, table cloth, make-up, bandaid, etc.]. Are you a professional concealer?  Don’t conceal, deal with sin by allowing God to heal it.

2. Fight through the Crowd to Find Christ [5:29-32]. The woman is desperate to change. She fights through the crowd. She swims against the current of those who reject her. Decisions of faith are often a fight. Faith goes against the norm. Faith is often the opposite message you hear from friends, culture or school. I remember when put my faith in Christ it was an all-in-and-no-looking-back leap.

It is not that Jesus didn’t know who touch Him; rather he wanted to recognize the woman. Sometimes we think that if we uncover our sin to God that He will humiliate us, when He really wants to honor us in front of the crowd.

3. Confess your Sin and Be Free [5:33-34]. Pride is what usually prevents us from falling before the feet of Jesus. Humble yourself and uncover your sin and let Christ free you from the guilt and shame of secret sin. Face your fear by falling at the feet of the one who wants to heal you permanently.

Quit playing your childish games and be like the little-little kid that wants to be found, “I am here!”

Hide no more in your sin. Seek the protection of your God. “You are a hiding place for me; you preserve me from trouble; you surround me with shouts of deliverance. I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will counsel you with my eye upon you.” Psalm 32:7-8

change that covers it all

Halloween. Tis the season for costumes. Sometimes it is fun to change into a costume to represent or pretend to be something that you are not. We cover up who we really are to be something we are not. Do you remember some of your favorite costume as a kid?

Everyone has something they want to change. Some want to change their appearance, others, situation in their life, and others bad habits. When it comes down to it changing is difficult. Change might excite you or scare you to death.

Since this week is the holiday to horrify, I have something shocking to tell you: YOU CANNOT CHANGE!! Think about it. It is true. Sorry to burst your bubble, but you cannot change. Alone. As hard as you try you cannot change on your own. It takes supernatural help to make lasting and permanent change. It takes the hand of God.

God is a God of change. Though interesting enough the Bible says, “I do not change.” [Mal.3:6] How is this possible? How can God be a God of change if He does not change Himself? God is the only One who can help us change things in our lives. When we open the lids of our souls and allow Him in He will change us from the inside out. Sure I can change things in my life, but only God can bring about lasting and permanent change. Without Christ and His salvation we are just trying, trekking and tweaking superficial change. What we need is supernatural change. Only Christ can give us the capacity to change. He changes us by gives us the power and desire to change.

Look at the caterpillar. It is the picture of change. It can do everything within its power to become a butterfly, but it cannot do it on its own. It must die first and be reborn as a butterfly. That is the miracle of metamorphosis. When we give ourselves over to Christ, we die to ourselves and we now have the power to change from inside out. Unlike the caterpillar whose metamorphosis ends as a butterfly, our change doesn’t end with Christ. Our changing just begins. We have to deal with other issues. We have to uncover many of the secretive areas of our life.

You see we are masters at keeping areas of our lives covered and unchanged. Like the vendors in big cities who sell Foakleys, Fo-purses, Fo-jewery, and Fo-movies, we can become Fo-Christians who model Christ-likeness on the outside, but on the inside we are dirty rotten sinners. We have all lived lives like that before. We show one thing, but reality we are another. Yet we cannot cover up for long.

What we cover, God uncovers. You might have heard it said that “Sooner or later your sins will find you out.” [Num.32:23] Like a celebrity tabloid your dirt will be revealed. Proverbs 28:13 says, “He who conceals his sin does not prosper…” Nothing good comes from covering up our sin. If we try to cover it up we will never discover the life God wants us to live.

We are good at playing the cover up game. Some play the blame game always blaming someone else for your sins. Your parents get the blame for not holding you enough as a baby or treating you fairly as a teenager. Your coaches, teachers, and friends get the blame for your junk. It is never your fault. After we blame others, we invite others to cover up with us. We search for people who will sympathize because they are covering up their sin too. We surround ourselves with friends who convince us that what we are doing is not wrong. Everybody is doing it. Like a 3-legged race you cover up your sins together. The Bible calls these sort of friends, “fools.” Then we ultimately lie: to God, others and ourselves. Our lives become a lie. And your lies will get exposed. God puts lie detectors in our lives to expose our sin.

When we cover ourselves in sin, we cover ourselves in darkness [1 Jn.1:5-10]. We cannot walk in the light. We stumble and fall over our sin. It is time to step in the light. What we cover, God uncovers. But that is the first half of the verse. Aren’t you glad that God doesn’t leave us hanging there? Proverbs 28:13 goes on to say, “…but whoever confesses and renounces [sins] finds mercy” That is good news.

What we uncover, God covers. The word “confess” means, to agree with God about your condition. It is saying, “I see that I am a sinner.” It is telling the truth to God. God is not surprise, “You did what!?” Of course God already knows that you are a sinner, but He enjoys it when His children admit it.

It does not stop at confession. We must “renounce” our sin. In other words we are to leave it behind, turn from it, walk the other way, chose the Light, repent. This is the moment God does His supernatural changing work inside of you. When we uncover our junk the blood of Jesus covers our sin [1 John 1:8-10]. He covers us with His mercy and forgiveness.

When we live in the light God uncovers our blemishes, like a newscaster without makeup on TV. When we stop surrounding ourselves with sinful sympathizers, we now have faithful followers who want to help us walk in the light. The more I walk in the light the more I want to be around people who challenge me, confront my sin, pray with me and encourage me to follow Christ the One who changes completely. This is why I love the church!

We are often afraid to uncover sin in our life because we do not think the support will be there to care and help us change. Or we think we cannot encourage or confront another persons sin because I struggle with sin so deeply too. These are lies from Satan to keep us from changing or encouraging others to change.

I think of King David, he had all the means and money possible to keep his sin covered. He slept with another man’s wife, and murdered the husband to cover up the now impregnated woman. There is a great cost to covering up our sin, but great benefits to uncovering it.

David was challenged by Nathan to uncover his sin. David could have killed Nathan on the spot to keep the snowball of sin going to the mountain, he could have smooth talked his way out of the situation, but rather he submitted. He listened. He received the truth, confessed and repented. He began the journey of walking in the light. God covered David with His mercy, forgiveness, and more. David went on to be Israel’s most godly and revered kings.

Listen to David’s response [Psalm 32:3-5]. Have you ever been Nathanized? When I am with our, in the Word, under our pastor’s teaching, with my godly friends, and with my wife I am Nathanized. They challenge me to live in the Light.

Are you inconsistent with church or personal Bible study because you are afraid of changing in Christ? Do you hang around sinful sympathizers to cover up your sin and keep your junk and funk from God? The key to change is: uncovering your sin and allowing God to cover it in His mercy. Confess and renounce your sin today.

pride: a beast in hiding

Pride. It is a real beast that hides in the darkness of our mind waiting to devour us from within. Many do not know the telltale signs they are suffering from the sly and stealthy beast of pride. Consider the following list of hidden forms of pride:

1. Insecurity. Insecurity is the root of many unhealthy and ungodly behaviors. It provokes us to want the lavish praise and attention of others. Pride is often motivated by one’s unmet need for self-worth. Focusing on the worth of Christ and security in Christ is a must to avoid pride.

2. Got to play the trump card. Do you know someone who has a hard time being wrong? This is a symptom of pride (Galatians 6:3). A person who needs to be right has an exalted view in themselves and think they are too-sexy-for-their-shirt. In religious circles, the need to be right is frequently said through statements like ‘God told me’ or ‘God showed me’, which are simply prideful trump cards.

3. In a state of arguing. Those who argue their point of view, especially to those in authority over them, are allowing pride to be their pet beast. At the root of their argument is a belief that they are right and the other is wrong, period, argument done [like a turkey at Thanksgiving]. It is sometimes appropriate to advocate for a point of view or position, but there is a thing called tact.

4. More invested in being heard than in hearing. When one develops a pattern of needing others to listen to them rather than first hearing others, pride is a motivating factor. I’m going to bust out in one of my most favorite raps, “Alright, stop, calibrate and listen… ” [Vanilla Ice] Listen, hear, it is not a brand new invention, rather a humble way to communicate with other human beings.

5. Blowing up and clamming up. Ungodly anger is pride. In anger that blows or clams one will often justify their position and blame another for the wrongdoing. Justification of self leads to denial of our own complicity or wrongdoing. Deal with your anger and quit blaming others for it.

6. Irritability and impatience. The root of impatience in my life is pride. When we are unable to be patient with another and are irritated, it demonstrates a haughty view of self. “My time and talents are not worth your investment.” We feel that our views, time or needs are more important than the other persons.

7. Lack of submissive attitude. Submission is the voluntary placement of oneself under the influence, control or authority of another. Pride says, “I can do it better than they can. If I were in charge things would be different.” Maybe so. Yet when one pledges their submission to you or another, yet is critical or bucking that authority, then pride is in coming out of hiding [like words about our President].

8. Who do you think you are–attitude. Have you ever worked or lived with someone who won’t receive any negative or corrective feedback? This is pride. Were Adam and Eve were confronted by God in the garden they passed the blame-buck. Own up to confrontation and learn from it.

9. Receiving correction but do not changing. Some receive correction and say thank you for the feedback, but never change. This too is pride. The individual is placating and people-pleasing, nodding their head and telling you what you wanted to hear but not really taking the feedback to heart. Ones ride with prevent them from truly changing.

10. Boast about your badges. A good friend of mine requires everyone to call him ‘Mr.’, saying that he has deservedly earned the title. Demanding that others call you ‘doctor’ or ‘pastor’ or ‘sir’ is usually a way of making you ‘one up’ and them ‘one down’. This shade of pride hungers for approval and starves for recognition, “Hey, look at me dad? Look at me son? Look at my long list of credentials, crowns, coronations…” Pride fuels the requirement to respect the badge.

11. Stubbornness. Pride exerts one’s own will and is not easily persuaded, difficult to handle or resistant. The root issue of stubbornness is willfulness, which is ‘I want what I want when I want it’. You think you have rights, well are you willing to give up your rights for another?

12. Comparisons and competition. 2 Corinthians 10:12 makes it clear that comparing oneself with others is foolish. “I wish is was more like…I wish you were more like…” How about, “I wish I/you were more like Christ!” Comparison is a form of competition. The motive of a comparing heart is pride.

Pride is a powerful beast that wants to control you. Be careful to let him in your cave. Once he is in he will be at home to stay, and it is difficult to sweep him away.

two wolves

In the Memory of Dale F. Rothe (A Cherokee Parable): Happy Birthday Gramps

One evening an old Cherokee told his grandson about a spiritual battle that goes on inside people. He said, ‘My son, the battle is between ‘two wolves’ inside us all. One is Evil. It is anger, envy, jealousy, guilt, greed, arrogance, self-pity, lies, pride, selfishness…The other is Good. It is joy, peace, patience, love, hope, humility, kindness, generosity, truth, compassion and faith.

The grandson thought about it for a minute and then asked his grandfather, ‘Which wolf wins?’

The old Cherokee simply replied, ‘The one you feed.’

- Author Unknown

have you ever dropped the ball?

Sometimes it really hurts to drop the ball, especially when you have been holding on it so well for so long.

Dropping the ball can be devastating and even handicapping to one’s life. Some never recover from dropping the ball. Some drop the ball so much that they just make a habit out of ball dropping. Others may think that they are superior to dropping a single ball. Whatever the case we drop balls. All that matters is how we respond after it has been dropped.

As you have probably noticed this is a parable. The ball can represent anything: a career, a relationship, a goal, or a sinful decision in your walk with God. Dropping the ball mean you have failed to live up to certain expectations that are associated with that ball.

There are many responses to dropping the ball. Some of the most common responses are:

The Blame Game Response. This person responds by saying, “Dumb ball! Who made this cheap ball? It’s too slippery!” It is the ball’s fault. It is always somebody or something that made them drop the ball. The devil gets an awful lot of blame. It seems like nobody is ever at fault for his or her own actions.

The Lone Ranger Response. This person will commonly respond, “Where were they? I cannot believe they were not here when I drop the ball! What kind of person are they? If they really loved me…” This person feels as if no one cares and they are left alone when there is no immediate comfort for their actions. I like to call this the Eeyore Response. Remember the donkey from Winnie the Pooh who is dismally gloomy for almost eternity and expects little from his friends.

The Analytical Response. This person seeks to logically understand why they dropped the ball. There might be many reasons for dropping the ball psychologically, physiologically, socially, mentally, emotionally, spiritually, hypothetically and so on. All the while they are bypassing the point of why they dropped the ball.

The Genetic Response. This person will say, “I drop the ball because my dad dropped the ball. All I know is what I was taught. I cannot help it, It is just the way I am. I drop balls, it is in my genes.” Since, there is a pattern of ball dropping in a family or down through history it is assumed that it is in our genetic make up.

The Cop-Out Response (or the Woe-is-Me Response). This person will label himself or herself by saying, “I am such a loser! I always drop the ball. Other people don’t drop the ball like I do. What’s wrong with me?” This person might realize that dropping the ball is their fault, but they don’t do anything about it.

The Fatalistic Response. This person pessimistically says, “Who Cares. I dropped the ball. So what? I will drop it again. I am only human” This person believes they are never going to carry the ball so they give up trying.

The Right Response. “It’s my fault. I dropped the ball. I’m going to pick it up and keep going.” Take ownership of your dropped balls. Pick it up and hold it tight. Share the load with others if you are in a relationship of dropped balls. Don’t look like the weenie kid on the play ground who cries to mommy because they dropped their ball and are too lazy or stubborn to get it back themselves.

God says in His Word that we must turn from your sins and embrace Christ. Acts 3:19 “Repent, then, and turn to God, so that your sins may be wiped out,” And then in Acts 5:29, Peter and the other apostles said, “We must obey God rather than men! 30 The God of our fathers raised Jesus from the dead—whom you had killed by hanging Him on a tree. 31 God exalted Him to His own right hand as Prince and Savior that He might give repentance and forgiveness of sins.” There are great promises of restoration and forgiveness to those pick up their dropped balls.

real questions: suffering?

Ned Anzers: It doesn’t seem fair that a loving God would allow bad things to happen. Why does God allow so much suffering?

This is an honest question.

I have often wondered the answer to this question myself. Years ago as a young boy, I would visit the nursing home to see my great grandmother Loretta. I remember these visits to this day. I was enamored by my great grandfather Roman’s care for his wife. They had been married for over half a century, but for many years she had been degenerating from the disease of Alzheimer’s. It was incredibly painful to see such a wonderful, witty woman who was so alive, not recognize who you were. As a young boy and even now as an adult it is still hard to understand why God allows this to happen, especially to one so undeserving. I will talk more about this in my conclusion.

I hear the stories my girlfriend Sarah, who tells me about where she grew up in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. How the authorities have raped and pillaged a beautiful land. I see and feel the emotion she bears from the scars of her home land.

Jesus tells a story in the Bible about a real life catastrophe. It was about landmark tower took years to build, and seconds to fall. It stood as a powerful symbol of strength, security and prosperity, but in only moments became cloud of dust that blanketed the neighboring streets. As the dust and debris settled and the death toll rang out to the shaken city (18 people), the skyline was now empty and mournful. People were trying to make sense of the calamity. When Jesus talked about this tragedy at Siloam He knew it wouldn’t be the last (Luke 13:5).

We want explanation for the disaster, injustice, abuse, sickness, poverty, pain and suffering. So did people of the Bible (Jer.12:1, Hab.1:2-3, Ps.6:3). Where are you now God? Have you forgotten? Don’t you care?

Sometimes people think that the presence of suffering means the absence of God. Does suffering mean there is no God?

Certainly not. I would certainly be more fearful of the consequence of believing there is no God.  Jesus says there is significance to the human life (Luke 12:6-7, 24). Those who die are not forgotten by God. If we reject God because of suffering then we have to face a world that is much worse: meaningless suffering. Without God there would be no justice (Ecc.3:16ff; Acts 17:31; Mal.4:5), and no future (Ecc.3:20; John 11:25-26). Death would be the end of life. No after life. Without God there would be no significance to life (Ecc.3:18). We would be just animals with clothes on. Killing becomes like that of a lion killing a antelope. The killings of Cambodia, Columbine, Congo, Auschwitz, Manhattan, Virginia Tech and others would be without pity or horror. That is a scary world to me. A world without hope or meaning.

What is the meaning of suffering?

Going back to the story of Jesus and the collapsed tower we learn some very practical principles about suffering (Luke 12:54-13:5). First, we see the reality of sin. Suffering is not always caused because of man’s sinfulness or lack of acknowledgment that there is a God. God is not a bully trying to pressure His creation into submission. Second, through suffering we see the fragility of life. Life is short and we must trust God with our eternal destiny’s. Third, we see that God is with us through the suffering. Fourth, we see that suffering cause us to depend upon God.

We have a God that knows all about suffering. He is a God that has experienced suffering Himself. Jesus experienced abuse, betrayal of friends, gossip, hunger, alienation from family, torture, thirst, homelessness, religious persecution, bullied, death of close friends, unfair trial, excruciation prolonged execution. He wept and saw suffering like we do and gave up his own life to do something about it. The cross represents forgiveness for all those who cause suffering or experience suffering. On the cross we see a suffering God, suffering for His own people because He loves them and wants to free them from all suffering in eternity (John 3:16). God’s suffering was for our greater good and a proof of His love.

What does this love in suffering look like in real life?

Going back to the story of my great grandmother Loretta Rothe: I the mist of her suffering I saw an amazing picture of love that I would only wish to aspire for one day. My great grandfather would care for her when most in his shoes would bail. He would comb her hair, feed her dinner, read to her and prove that his love for his wife was “in sickness and health, until death do us part.” Suffering shows our true colors. I would only hope to have a similar perseverance in the midst of pain.

stop it

I remember sitting in my Grandma’s wood-paneled living room as a youngster watching the Bob Newhart Show. She use to laugh so hard that it would make her cry. Every now and then I will watch Newhart reruns on TV. It brings back fond memories of those evenings with grandma and a bowl of popcorn.

Now grandma was a tough woman and would not let me get away with my little idiotic kid-spells. She would say in her tactful tone, “stop it!” Good times! Good times.

I often feel the same way when counseling people for change. I suppose it is those Joan Rothe genes in me mixed with a biblcial perspective on life. Simple lesson: we must see sin the same way God sees it and STOP IT!

Thanks to the seminary guys I see each week I found this funny clip…

real questions: hell yeah?

Ned Anzers: Why would a God of love send anyone to Hell?

We live in a world in which anything and everything offends somebody. Many are labeled, censored or sued because they are racist, sexist, or intolerant. Especially, Christians are labeled as biased bigots. I wonder what people today would think about Jesus’ words on “hell”?

Hell today is not seen as much as a real place as it is a fill-word like: “Hell yeah,” “Get the hell out of here,” or “Go to hell.” I do not think we would say such a thing if we really knew what hell was. When Jesus mentions hell it is not a joke. His words are not judgmental or bloodthirsty, but chocked with tears. He loves and cares for people so much that He takes a lot of time in His teaching to warn us to avoid it.

When Jesus speaks about hell it is often graphic and vivid. He relates to hell as a place of eternal punishment, eternal fire, the fiery furnace, the darkness where there is weeping and gnashing of teeth, a place reserved for those who rebel against God. As we come to the Bible, Jesus shares with us a story about two men who have very different ends to their lives. From this story we gain a lot of insight about hell:

1.  Hell is a real place (Luke 16:19-23a). Hell is not a land-of-make-believe for those who are more evil than Mr. Rogers. “Hades” is a real place. So real is hell that Jesus talks about it a lot.

2.  Hell is not a fun place (16:23b-24). Hell is not a party or place that anyone should desire to go. The rich man in Jesus’ story says “in torment”, “I am in agony in this fire.” I love Billy Joel’s music, but it is ignorant to say that “I would rather party with the sinners than cry with the saints.”

3.  Hell is eternal separation from God (16:25-26). It is a wonderful comfort to know that at any moment, place and time God is with us. He is our Immanuel. I could not imagine being in a place without God, but that is how hell is described, “between us and you a great chasm has been fixed…none may cross from there to us.”

4.  Hell is for those who reject God (16:27-31). The rich man pleads for his family who are still alive that someone would warn them. Yet he does not remember, and chose to forget, that many had warned him. If he or his family does not listen to the warnings from God’s teachers, like Moses and the Prophets, they will not listen to a dead man.

A parent’s greatest fear is that their children would get hurt. That is why they say, “look both ways before you cross the street,” “don’t stick your figure in a light socket,” “Do not drink Drain-O.” This is what Jesus is saying when He speaks about hell. Jesus is pointing out the road signs of clear and present danger. He doesn’t use the scare-tactic, but speaks plainly as parents who care often do when warning their children of matters of life or death.

Love is what motivates Jesus to talk about hell. Jesus wants us to listen to Him and avoid it. We often misunderstand Gods love. We all know verse that say, “God is love.” (1 John 4) But just because God is love doesn’t mean He loves everything. What is something God doesn’t love? (sin: pride, injustice, murder, lying, etc) God hates sin (Ps.5:4-6).

Hell is a loving necessity. It is a place where evil is to be locked up. God created hell to deal with evil. He made it to be a final, inescapable prison where all evil, rebellion against God will be confined never to poison men again. Given all the evil in the world today it is a great assurance to know that God notices it and has a plan to do something about it. God does not over look evil.

Hell seems unreasonable when we do not have a good understanding of what sin is against God. God is holy, and without sin. Sin cannot go unpunished from a perfect God. God’s holiness and our sin are infinitely great, therefore, the greater the crime, the greater the punishment. Sin is an eternal offense against God therefore it deserves an eternal punishment. Sin against God is treason. If you were to disobey a king in the Middle Ages you were receive the death penalty. Thus it is so with the King of the Universe who seeks to care for His creation (Rom.3:23; 6:23).

Rather than asking why God would send anyone to hell, we must ask: How can you allow anyone to go to heaven?