---

Let's review the four biblical facts about eternal life that we have covered thus far in our series.

First, we learned that both heaven and hell are real places and not fictitious concepts invented by man.

Next, we understood that, as Jesus states in John 14:6, He is the way, the truth and the life; this means that there is no other way to heaven except through Him. Lastly, we discovered that we cannot get to heaven by 'good works'; the only way to heaven is by accepting Jesus Christ as personal Saviour by trusting in who He is (the Saviour of the world), and what He has done (dying on the cross for our sins, was buried, and rose again from the dead on the third day).

Let's reread our theme verse for this series, focusing on the second sentence this time through:

"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. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him. 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." John 3:16-18

As we conclude this series we address the great need for people to come to know Jesus. What John wrote 2,000 years ago is just as true today. Let's look at these powerful verses:

"Jesus went through all the towns and villages, teaching in their synagogues, preaching the good news of the kingdom and healing every disease and sickness. When he saw the crowds, he had compassion for them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd. Then he said to his disciples, 'The harvest is plentiful but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field.'" Matthew 9:35-38

Compassion

Here we see two great responses. The first response is that of Jesus' heart, which, incidentally, should be the response of those who have already accepted Jesus as personal Saviour. Jesus "had compassion on the crowds because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd." Notice, that Jesus uses shepherding to give an accurate picture of the state of the people to readers of the day. Today, this may not seem like a vivid term because we are far removed from shepherding, especially here in Bermuda. Let's try to remove some of the historical distance of this verse.

Sheep are the most high maintenance animals known to man. They cannot survive successfully without a shepherd in their lives. Without a shepherd, these near-sighted animals will become lost, full of fear, malnourished, full of disease, and eventually come to an early death. This is the picture of people who do not have the Lord. They become empty and lack purpose and direction in their lives. They become full of sin (disease in the sheep analogy), which leads them to an early death (loss of eternal life).

Jesus is like a shepherd that not only leads us, but also cares for and guides us in security and safety. Notice Jesus' heart is to have compassion for them. His heart went out to the state of the people because they were harassed and helpless. When we see people through the eyes of Jesus we are more likely to see the hurt that they are experiencing. When we see their hurt and need, we will be more likely to share the Good News with them about salvation in Jesus Christ.

His second and twofold response comes out of a spiritual reality. The reality is that "the harvest is plentiful". Note Jesus moves from a shepherding term to a farming term. His statement means that it is time to reap a harvest of people that are really ready to accept Jesus Christ as personal Saviour. Often, Christians think that people are not ready to come to know the Lord, but Jesus destroys this misconception.

Many people are so 'tired' of this life; they ask, "where is God?" in their situations. They want to know that there is more to this life than meets the eye. Now we have the answer... His name is Jesus Christ. People may really be eager to accept the Lord, but need someone to tell them how, and then to teach them how to grow in their relationship with the Lord. This brings us to the second part of the response: pray for workers.

The desire for people to know the Lord is so great that we have to pray for workers who will go out into the harvest fields of people to reap the harvest. Eternal life is in the grasp of people, but others need to point them to the Lord. If you are reading this, and you have not accepted Jesus Christ as your personal Saviour, why not call on the Lord today? Romans 10:13 tells us: "Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.""

We cannot end this series about 'How to Go to Heaven' without reminding the church of their responsibility in this process to tell others about the Lord. We ought not assume that people are reluctant to hear about God; people are often more open to the Lord than we think they are. We must be obedient to God and share with them how to accept Jesus Christ. We must never assume that another heart will not appreciate the Gospel. In fact, the response of people will be so great that Jesus commands us to pray for more workers because people are ready.

How do you look at the people in your family, on your job, in your school and in your neighbourhood? Will you make a compassionate shift in your heart? Will you allow Jesus' love in your heart to affect your eyes so that you see people like Jesus does? Perhaps this love for others can be the catalyst to lead YOU to be one of the harvest workers Jesus spoke of.

Pastor Gary C. Simons serves as the Senior Pastor of Cornerstone Bible Fellowship, 82 Church Street, Hamilton, Bermuda[[In-content Ad]]

---