Weekend, August 27-28, 2022
A False Message Gives False Hope
“So stop telling lies. Let us tell our neighbors the truth” (Ephesians 4:25).
I have a friend who is a doctor. Sometimes he has to tell people they have cancer, and it’s very difficult news to deliver. But there are also times when my friend can give them hope for a course of treatment. He tells his patients the truth, and he also tells them the solution.
In the same way, we don’t like to talk to people about Hell. We tell them Jesus loves them and has a plan for their lives. We tell them He will forgive their sins and will give them joy and peace.
But if they say, “I don’t really want to believe in Jesus. As a matter of fact, I’m pretty happy with my life. What happens to me when I die?” we don’t want to say the H-word. We don’t want to tell them about Hell. In reality, that is failing to give them the gospel truth.
Jeremiah 6:14 says this of false prophets who wouldn’t tell the people the truth: “They offer superficial treatments for my people’s mortal wound. They give assurances of peace when there is no peace.”
It would be like going to the hospital with a severe injury, and they give you a couple of aspirin and say, “You can go home. You’re good!” That’s crazy. You need help.
To promise Heaven and not warn of Hell, to offer forgiveness without repentance, to preach the gospel without the Cross is a false message giving false hope.
If you really love people, you will tell them the truth about eternity. You won’t hold back. You will lovingly engage them with the gospel but also warn them of the consequences of what can happen if they don’t believe.
May God give us a burden like we’ve never had before for people who need Christ.
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