THE CALL

Come to me all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest (Matt. 11: 28). Our Lord Jesus Christ made this call to as many as would listen to him. Mankind is laden with many loads, which include sin, diseases, poverty, and religious ordinances etc. Of all these loads men are only interested in getting rid of those that are troublesome to the flesh, viz. diseases and poverty. Some who have succeeded in offloading these natural malaises are satisfied; being complacent they wallow in the rest – which are sins and religious bigotry and ordinances without perturbation. They neither care about nor feel the weight of their sins because they are dead in these trespasses and sins (Ephesians 2:6). And also not knowing the righteousness of God they are content with man made religious rules, sweating it out to be righteous (Rom. 10:3).

But the call of Jesus is to those whose souls are heavily laden with sins and vain religious dogmatism. The weight of sin brings death that’s why the wages of sin is death (Rom. 6:23). Sin is not only a weight but also the chains of death (for the sting of death is sin 1 Cor. 15: 56). The reason why men do not feel the weight of sin is because it is the burden of the soul, not of the flesh, it is borne by the spiritual side of man not the physical, therefore the natural man does not even know that he is burdened with that which brings death. The flesh enjoys sin, that is why the bible calls it “the works of the flesh, Gal. 5:19”

When one is dead in trespasses and sins he will be past feeling (Eph. 4:19), in this state he will be working unrighteousness covetously, thus making a mock at sin {Pro. 14:9}. Obviously this insensitivity amounts to spiritual blindness and mortality. But Jesus has the capability to give life even to the dead; for he said “the hour is coming and now is, when the dead shall hear the voice of the son of God, and they that hear will live” (John 5:25). The hope in the gospel is that Jesus has the power of resurrection, the more reason why he said “I am the resurrection and the life; he that believeth in me though he were dead yet shall he live” (John 11:25}. Moreover he said, “I came that they might have life and have it more abundantly” (John 10:10).

Therefore Jesus brought life and he is life himself for he said “I AM THE LIFE” Now let the dead hear the voice of life and live. No matter how deep you may be in sin, no matter how fast the devil may have bound you in occultism, spiritism, fornication, robbery, bribery, homosexualism, idolatry, gambling etc. Jesus can make you free by forgiving your sins (for the son of man has the power on earth to forgive sins Mark 2:10).

This is he that came by blood even Jesus Christ (1 John 5:6), for without the shedding of blood there is no remission (Heb. 9:22). This testimony is spiritually logical because the bible said “The life of the flesh is in the blood: and I have given it to you upon the altar to make atonement for your souls” (Lev. 17:11).

In fulfillment of this, Christ gave his life a ransom for many; his life he gave in exchange for our death. If you believe in him today he will take away death from you and give you life - free. Religion will teach you in vain how to labour to obtain righteousness. But religion cannot grant you righteousness because it does not have the power to give salvation. Religion cannot grant you freedom from sin, death, and punishment in hell fire. But Jesus saves from all these evil conditions. Jesus will not only save you from sin but he will also keep you from sin (John 17:12). Jesus is the righteousness of God if you believe in him today in truth and spirit he will give you his righteousness as a gift; then you will become the righteousness of God in Christ. All these are obtainable by faith; for the just shall live by faith.

Come to him therefore all ye who have being labouring to make yourselves righteous, and he will give you rest. Note this, ‘God will never accept your good works as a requisite for salvation’ rather he is waiting to justify you freely (i.e. count you innocent of all your sins through Christ Rom. 3:24). Even if you have never sinned all the days of your life that will not qualify you for everlasting life, for every man must be presented perfect IN CHRIST (Coll. 1:28). For the bible didn’t say ‘for God so loved the world that he chose as many as laboured to be righteous’ but it says “for God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten son, that WHOSOEVER BELIEVES in him shall have everlasting life” Therefore it is faith in the son of God that gives life.

Hear the voice of life and live, why will you perish when God has in Christ extended mercy and grace to you. And the Spirit and the Bride say come and let him that is athirst come, and whoever will let him take the water of life freely.