God Is Not Willing That Any Should Perish
Well, we've been looking at God's saving love in Matthew 18:10-14. This week God the Shepherd goes after the lost sheep, and when He finds them, He is so happy about their salvation. And then verse 14 says "In the same way your Father in heaven is not willing that any one of these little ones should perish."
God's Heart for All
Now some people believe that God has already decided who will and will not be saved - the doctrine of election. God has already elected those that He wants, and the rest have got no chance. And yet a verse like this goes against that. God is not willing for anyone to perish. You see, God's sovereignty or God's control over the world does not override human freedom. We still have to turn around and say yes to the Father when He comes after us. I shared earlier in the week the verse in 2 Peter 3:9 that says "The Lord does not want anyone to perish, but He wants everyone to come to repentance." You can't say that God longs for people to repent, but then condemns them without giving them the chance. God is not willing for anyone to perish.
Grace for the Vilest
Now this is easy for us when it comes to lost people. We see people who've wandered from the faith and say, "I know God wants this person in His service and as a child of God." And so we pray for them that God will reach into their lives. But let me ask you this: What about the evil people in the world? What about those who are unquestionably caught up in evil? People who murder and rape, people who hurt others, people who hurt children, animals. I hope that just as I've said that there's been anger in you just hearing about people like that, because yes, that sort of evil should make us sick.
However, do you remember what we read at the beginning of this week? "See to it that you do not despise even one of these little ones." Everybody, everybody has got the potential to be saved. Everybody is a child of God, even if they've gone to the depths of evil. Friends, there's an old hymn that says "The vilest offender who truly believes, that moment from Jesus a pardon receives." Even the vilest offenders will find grace if they truly believe in Jesus and come to Him.
Praying for Redemption
God is not willing even for the most evil to perish. He is wanting them to repent and find redemption in Christ so that they may be made new and become Christ-like. What about you and I? We should be angry at sins like that. But oh friends, let's not despise even the most evil person. Let's hate the evil and the sin in our world, but let's see every person as a child of God who is worthy of being redeemed.
And I know this is hard because when people hurt us and hurt others, we find it difficult to forgive. But friends, if God the Father is not willing for any to perish, then neither should we. We should pray for even the most evil to come to redemption. Can we pray about this today? Can we go to God and pray for those who are furthest from Him? Because even if that sheep has wandered to the other end of the earth, God the Father steps behind them, longing for them to turn around and receive His saving love. That's a love that seems too far for you and I. But through His Spirit, friends, we can be freed and can see the potential good in everybody like Jesus did.
May you go well this weekend, my friends. Thank you for your love and support. Thank you for financially supporting this ministry. Have a blessed weekend and may God's saving love be in your hearts.
