The Lion That Ran Away

You ask almost anyone (even some pastors!) these two questions and see how they answer: (a) “It’s hard to be saved, and it’s easy to be lost.” Or, (b) “It’s easy to be saved, and it’s hard to be lost.”

Which will most people say is the true answer?

Sorry, most will look very sad, get a long face, and say, “What’s true is (a), Yes,” and then they look so discouraged, like they’re almost about to cry. “It’s hard to be saved, and it’s so easy to be lost. Such sad news! In order to be saved, you must do this and do that, and many other things that are difficult, and the path to heaven is rocky and steep and it’s uphill all the way, and there are all kinds of roadblocks and difficult things in the way; and the path to hell is downhill all the say, smooth like sliding down ice, and if you start to be lost, Jesus just stands back and let’s you go. He died for you on the cross, but from now on it’s up to you.”

But the News in the Bible is much better than that! Not only did Jesus die for us on His cross, but He keeps on saving us 24 hours a day and seven days a week, all the time, making His yoke easy to bear if we will only listen to Him. And more than that, He actually makes it hard for us to be lost.

But people, both grown-ups and children, don’t know what He says! Let’s listen to Him:

In Matthew 11:28-30 He says: “Come to Me, all of you who are tired from carrying heavy loads, and I will give you …” what do you suppose He said? “I will give you a hard time?” No! He says, “I will give you rest.” And He means what He says!

More than that, He says, “Take My yoke and put it on you and learn from Me.” You know what a “yoke” is? It joins two oxen together so that it makes their work easy. Now they can pull heavy loads and not get so tired. The “yoke” that Jesus talks about joins you and Him together, and from then on, it’s He who does the pulling. Yes, He makes life easier for us, not more difficult.

He says, “I am gentle and humble in spirit, and you will find rest.” If someone gave you a big, heavy suitcase to carry, you’d get tired quickly, wouldn’t you? If people don’t understand how good the Good News of the Gospel is, they get so tired trying to understand all the Bad News.

Don’t be afraid that Jesus is hiding something from us that will change His promise. No, He is telling us the truth. That “yoke” joins Him to us. He wants us to believe it.

But what does Jesus actually say about whether it’s “easy” or “hard” to be lost? Lots of things:

1. His “yoke is easy.”
   
2. “The Lord is [your] Shepherd. [You] have everything [you] need” (Psalm 23:1).
   
3. “Ask, and you will receive” (Matthew 7:7).
   
4. “Everyone who asks will receive.”
   
5. If you ask Him for bread, He will never give you a “stone.”
   
6. He says, “I will be with you always” (Matthew 28:20).
   
7. There are ten special “happy promises” in Matthew 5:3-12 for every one who spends his life listening to Jesus.
   

To be joined with Him by the “yoke” is the easiest way.

Yes, it is backwards from the way many people think. But you know what? What Jesus says is always backward from the Bad News people are trained to believe!