Help for Cast Souls

"Why are you cast down, O my soul? And why are you disquieted within me? Hope in God; for I shall yet praise Him, the help of my countenance and my God."

 Psalm 43:5

Have you ever wondered why a good shepherd will leave 99 sheep in the wilderness to seek one sheep that is lost?  In Philip Keller's classic, A Shepherd Looks at Psalm 23, this is explained in detail.  A sheep missing from the flock could be lost, injured, trapped, or cast.  A cast sheep is one that has fallen over and is unable to stand back up.  All sheep are susceptible to being cast, and factors such as heavy wool, uneven terrain, and pregnancy can play a role.  What looks funny or pathetic to us is a dire condition for a sheep!  When a sheep is cast and wildly struggles to regain its footing, gasses quickly build in the stomach which cuts off the blood supply to the limbs.  A cast sheep can die in a matter of hours.

A good shepherd, seeing a sheep he loves is missing from the flock, will set out on an urgent search to find the wayward sheep.  Should he discover the sheep is cast, he will roll the sheep to its stomach and gently lift from the ground.  Because the blood supply is cut off to the legs and rendered them useless, he is patient to massage the legs, support the sheep, and wait until the sheep can stand on its own.  Before too long the sheep will be feeling good and grazing, likely not even realising minutes before it was perilously close to death.  Jesus spoke of how a shepherd would gather his friends and urge them to rejoice, for he had found the sheep that was lost.

The Bible compares people to sheep.  All we like sheep have gone astray, and the LORD has laid on Jesus the iniquity of us all (Is. 53:6).  Jesus came to seek and save the lost, and rejoiced to redeem our lost souls from hell.  Jesus has promised us fullness of joy and peace that passes understanding, but like sheep there are many factors which can easily lay us low.  We can be depressed and down, physically drained and without the spiritual ability to lift ourselves up.  Sickness, circumstances, trials, persecution, sin, and our fleshly nature can throw us off our feet.  A sheep needs a shepherd to keep watch over him to be healthy and strong, and Christians are those who have answered the call for Jesus Christ to be their good shepherd.  David was a man who experienced perilous trouble and severe tests of faith, but God was with him.  There were many days where David resembled a cast sheep in spirit, flailing around and becoming increasingly numb.  Always the Good Shepherd found Him, put him on his feet again, and saved him from his enemies - even when that enemy was himself.

After David fled from Absalom his usurping son, he penned Psalm 3:1-8:  "LORD, how they have increased who trouble me! Many are they who rise up against me. ² Many are they who say of me, "There is no help for him in God." Selah ³ But You, O LORD, are a shield for me, my glory and the One who lifts up my head. ⁴ I cried to the LORD with my voice, and He heard me from His holy hill. Selah ⁵ I lay down and slept; I awoke, for the LORD sustained me. ⁶ I will not be afraid of ten thousands of people who have set themselves against me all around. ⁷ Arise, O LORD; save me, O my God! For You have struck all my enemies on the cheekbone; You have broken the teeth of the ungodly. ⁸ Salvation belongs to the LORD. Your blessing is upon Your people. Selah."  God is the lifter of our heads when we cry out to Him.  When our souls are cast He will support us and lead us into good pasture.  Even when we walk through the valley of the shadow of death we will fear no evil, for He will remain with us.  Surely goodness and mercy will follow God's people all the days of their lives, and they will dwell in the house of the LORD forever!

Joy in Death?

Last night I turned on a random music mix as our family washed up after dinner.  As a song by the band Third Day played, I was reminded of a friend named Mark Peters who has already passed into eternity.  Thinking of Mark caused me to think of Mark Rawn who also has gone been to be with the LORD while I have been living in Australia.  We used to attend Calvary Chapel El Cajon together, and I was always blessed to serve alongside them.

It was a unique experience as I washed dishes and listened to the song.  It was like Mark Peters and Mark Rawn were together, and they were laughing.  Try as I might, in my mind I could only see them smiling broadly in supreme comfort.  They were rejoicing!  Could I mourn for them now, seeing they had entered into the presence of the LORD for eternity?  In a strange way I almost envied them.  "You don't need to cry for me when my body dies," I told my son who was in the room.  Thinking about it now, that's a strange thing to say out of the blue, but I suppose my kids are fairly used to such things!  He wasn't worried at all.  I kept going.  "I am looking forward to it.  It will be my coronation day, my boy."  And according to God's grace, it will be the greatest day I will have ever experienced or imagined.

Thinking about the day of my death is an emotionally moving experience for me, but perhaps not in the way you might think.  There is not a shred of fear or uncertainty in my soul, but sheer joy wells up within me.  I tremble not in fear but in ecstatic anticipation!  Whether the day of my decease comes unexpectedly or with warning, regardless if I am in a hospital or by myself somewhere, I know I will not be alone in that moment.  God will be with me, and I need not fear.  Jesus is my Good Shepherd, and He is able to present me faultless before the Father with exceeding joy.  He holds the keys to death and hell.  It was fear of death which caused John Wesley to realise he had never been born again.  It is complete rest in the prospect of death - knowing both heaven and hell are real and an eternity in hell is what I deserve - that is strong evidence of the genuineness of my salvation.  Fear of God has swallowed up fear of death, for God has conquered death and given me victory through Jesus Christ.  The resurrection of Jesus Christ provides ample evidence of this reality.

Are you afraid to die?  Is there any niggle of doubt in your heart or mind faced with the prospect of passing into eternity today?  If you are in Christ, you need not fear.  I am blessed to know God's work shall continue without me, and His provision for my family does not depend upon me either.  All our needs are met in Him, and what peace and rest are available in Jesus Christ.  Moses wrote in Psalm 90:12, "So teach us to number our days, that we may gain a heart of wisdom."  We only have so many days left, so may we use every one of them wisely:  hearing God's Word and putting it into practice!

Run to Win

Jesus told a parable about servants who were given a portion of money by their master before he left on a journey.  They were entrusted to invest and use what their master entrusted to them wisely.  Luke 19:15-17 reads, "And it came to pass, that when he was returned, having received the kingdom, then he commanded these servants to be called unto him, to whom he had given the money, that he might know how much every man had gained by trading. ¹⁶ Then came the first, saying, Lord, thy pound hath gained ten pounds. ¹⁷ And he said unto him, Well, thou good servant: because thou hast been faithful in a very little, have thou authority over ten cities."  Jesus is coming quickly, and His reward is with Him to give to every servant according to their work (Rev. 22:12).  It is God's good pleasure to give us the kingdom, and He graciously has rewards reserved for us.  Should we show ourselves faithful in this life on earth, God has eternal rewards He will delight to bestow.

The thought occurred to me:  if it is God's will to graciously give us rewards according to our works, it would be sinful not to earnestly desire and labour for them.  We pray, "Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven."  It is God's will to give, and our negligence could deny Him this glory.  God is a generous, gracious Giver.  Should we be slack and slothful concerning His business, we will miss out on eternal reward God would have joyfully given.  Our obedience, sacrifices, and labours of love for Christ and the Gospel will never be forgotten by God, even if ignored or despised by men.  Hebrews 6:10-12 tells us, "For God is not unjust to forget your work and labor of love which you have shown toward His name, in that you have ministered to the saints, and do minister. ¹¹ And we desire that each one of you show the same diligence to the full assurance of hope until the end, ¹² that you do not become sluggish, but imitate those who through faith and patience inherit the promises."

Warren Wiersbe said that heaven is not only a destination, but a motivation.  Christians are beyond blessed to receive the gift of salvation through faith in Jesus Christ.  Yet there is also promised eternal rewards for every believer who runs the race set before them with faithful tenacity as led by the Holy Spirit.  Paul wrote in 1 Corinthians 9:24, "Do you not know that those who run in a race all run, but one receives the prize? Run in such a way that you may obtain it."  We should not care for a participation award, but run to win the reward.  It is good to start the race, but let's finish well!  For most of us the finish line is closer than we think!   

Sin's Horrors and Christ's Hope

During camp last week, I was asked many times about what the Bible says about hell.  There were questions like, "If God is so powerful, why doesn't He destroy hell?"  Well, the Bible says someday He will (Rev. 20:14).  Another question was, "If God loves people so much, why did He create hell?"  The Bible reveals that hell was originally created for the devil and his angels (Matt. 25:41).  When man chooses to be a devil and rebel against God, he chooses his own destruction.  God has demonstrated His love for man by sending Jesus Christ to atone for the sins of all who repent and trust in Him in the world.  God has made a way of escape available to all.  It is folly to blame God for allowing eternal destruction when He has not only warned all, but given us the means to be saved through faith.

Hell is a real place of eternal torment, even as heaven is a place where Jesus shall wipe every tear from our eyes.  Hell is described as a place of outer darkness where people are bound, weeping in anguish (Matt. 25:30).  Jesus again and again and again spoke of how those in torment will have worms feeding on them that die not and their fire is not quenched (Mark 9:44, 46, 48).  It is a place of eternal suffering, pain, regret, and sorrow.  All of us have had a share of physical and emotional pain and suffering in this life, but those who die in sin will have it multiplied beyond imagination - and forever.

The knowledge of the terrors of hell ought to have a singular effect on us who still walk this planet:  it provides insight of how detestable, destructive, and evil sin truly is.  An eternity in the fires of hell is the only just punishment for a single lie.  Think about it!  We might lie and think nothing of it, just like a habitual shoplifter with sticky fingers.  When the thief is caught he must return the item, pay a fine, and perhaps spend time in jail.  Many legal systems declare this a just punishment for the crime.  Hell is a just penalty for a single sin:  that's how awful sin is!  The trouble is, we often don't see the punishment of hell as fit for the crime.  People complain God is too severe.  That is because we do not recognise the horror of sin.  Looking at the description of hell given us by Jesus shows us with crystal clarity how bad sin is.  A good judge ensures justice is satisfied, and God is righteous and good to judge the wicked.  Man's pathetic excuses to justify his sin before God will not stand, for the Law shuts the mouth of the most self-righteous and reveals our guilt (Rom. 3:19).

The Bible gives man the true facts concerning the nature of suffering, pain, sickness, and death in this world:  they are all results of sin entering the world.  These are merely symptoms of sin's infection.  The pain and suffering in this world is a direct result of man's rebellion from God and passed down every generation until now.  There was no death in this world until sin entered in (Romans 5:12).  This world has been forever polluted by sin and will someday be dissolved (2 Peter 3:10).  God will make a new heaven and new earth founded upon His righteousness where no sin can enter.  Praise God He has made a way of salvation for all who repent and trust in Him!  God demonstrated His love for us that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us (Rom. 5:8).  The existence of hell is not evidence of God's wickedness or weakness, but His justice.  The fact Christians will be brought faultless before the Father with joy reveals His love, grace, and mercy.  God is compassionate and patient, not willing that any should perish but all should come to repentance (2 Pet. 3:9).

It is reasonable all men deserve hell for their sins, and impossible that a sinner should be ushered into heaven's glory.  Yet what is impossible with men is possible with God.  Man through sin brought suffering into the the world, but through Christ's death this can be reversed.  Someday we will put off these bodies of flesh and be raised incorruptible with Christ forever.  Revelation 21:3-8 says, "And I heard a loud voice from heaven saying, "Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and He will dwell with them, and they shall be His people. God Himself will be with them and be their God. ⁴ And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes; there shall be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying. There shall be no more pain, for the former things have passed away." ⁵ Then He who sat on the throne said, "Behold, I make all things new." And He said to me, "Write, for these words are true and faithful." ⁶ And He said to me, "It is done! I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End. I will give of the fountain of the water of life freely to him who thirsts. ⁷ He who overcomes shall inherit all things, and I will be his God and he shall be My son. ⁸ But the cowardly, unbelieving, abominable, murderers, sexually immoral, sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars shall have their part in the lake which burns with fire and brimstone, which is the second death."

Our days spent on this earth in a sense is a little slice of both hell and heaven.  For Christians it is the closest we will ever be to hell, and for unbelievers it is the closest they will ever be to heaven.  Which side of that line are you on?  Jesus said in John 14:6, "I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me."  God did not send His Son to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved.  John 3:36 says, "He who believes in the Son has everlasting life; and he who does not believe the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God abides on him."