You smell,look,appear like this..... before Me, says the Lord.

Lazarus was placed before the very eyes of the 'rich' fool to remind him of how he appears before God,the Creator of the earth,but yet he did not know it.How blind that fool must have been to the things of God?

[Your time is running out for you to change now, or you are about to face the same end as the rich fool.Do not be proud before your own eyes because that's not the way you appear before the Creator God.]

Luke 16:19-31 (New International Version)

"There was a rich man who was dressed in purple and fine linen and lived in luxury every day. At his gate was laid a beggar named Lazarus, covered with sores and longing to eat what fell from the rich man's table. Even the dogs came and licked his sores.
"The time came when the beggar died and the angels carried him to Abraham's side. The rich man also died and was buried. In hell,[a] where he was in torment, he looked up and saw Abraham far away, with Lazarus by his side. So he called to him, 'Father Abraham, have pity on me and send Lazarus to dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue, because I am in agony in this fire.'

"But Abraham replied, 'Son, remember that in your lifetime you received your good things, while Lazarus received bad things, but now he is comforted here and you are in agony. And besides all this, between us and you a great chasm has been fixed, so that those who want to go from here to you cannot, nor can anyone cross over from there to us.'

"He answered, 'Then I beg you, father, send Lazarus to my father's house, for I have five brothers. Let him warn them, so that they will not also come to this place of torment.'

"Abraham replied, 'They have Moses and the Prophets; let them listen to them.'

" 'No, father Abraham,' he said, 'but if someone from the dead goes to them, they will repent.'

"He said to him, 'If they do not listen to Moses and the Prophets, they will not be convinced even if someone rises from the dead

What we are witnessing in this world today is just the opposite of what's in Heaven.
The situation there in eternity is also going to be in direct reversal to what we see here now.

God was actually trying to warn the 'rich' fool through Lazarus that; the same way he views and treats Lazarus, is the way God views him and is going to treat him for eternity.The rich fool did not see himself as he actually was just as Lazarus had accepted himself with his physical lack.If only he had,he would have escaped that judgment in heaven.He,all the more exalted himself above beggar Lazarus and treated him as he would treat a dog and not a human. What do you think should the punishment be for the rich fool in the hand of God? He forgot that there was a Just God who was watching everything he did on earth? For didn't Lazarus live as a despised beggar in the eyes of men while on earth? As much as the 'rich' fool despised Lazarus in his heart,God had despised the rich fool.

Many are living like this blind and 'rich' fool today.

Your sins on this earth stink like this.... in His nostrils in Heaven.

Who are you trying to deceive? All the sins that you continue in, stink like this... in His nostrils in Heaven.He is only reminding you of how you stink before him with all your sins that you are committing on a daily basis. He is trying to tell you that you cannot hide from Him and that is why He has placed the 'smelly beggar' before your very eyes. For, that's how you stink and appear before him with all your sins that you keep on committing.

2 Corinthians 2:14-17 (New International Version)

But thanks be to God, who always leads us in triumphal procession in Christ and through us spreads everywhere the fragrance of the knowledge of him. For we are to God the aroma of Christ among those who are being saved and those who are perishing. To the one we are the smell of death; to the other, the fragrance of life. And who is equal to such a task? Unlike so many, we do not peddle the word of God for profit. On the contrary, in Christ we speak before God with sincerity, like men sent from God.

Pride and arrogance is a stinking nature of the Devil that God had to throw The Devil and the fallen angels from His presence to this earth.After it's time on earth, it will be thrown straight into the lake of fire together with the ugly natured demons with him.The rich fool did not realize this or did he chose to shut his eyes and ears and not heed God's warning? It was too late for him now.

The 'chasm' he himself created while on earth,appears again to torment him in hell.
The rich create this 'chasm' between them and the poor on earth to their own eternal peril.God does not require all our sacrifices that are tainted with self will, the will of the Devil or the world. He requires absolute obedience to His commandments.

He does not need any sacrifices that come from the sinful nature of the Devil in us especially that which is not put to death yet.God requires our personal obedience to Him above our earthly sacrifices.Our earthly sacrifices alone will be useless if there is no absolute obedience to Him and all His commandments.Remember, the rich fool was reminded about 'Moses and the prophets'.It's about obeying God's commandments."The new commandment I give unto you.....". The new commandment is to love God with all you have within and without, i.e. with all your obedience to Him, and to obey to love others as you love yourself The 'golden rule' sums up with...What you'd want others to do unto you,do unto them while you are on earth.

Didn't this rule apply to them both before God? The rich fool treated the poor beggar badly on earth,now he is paying with the same measure for what he did to poor Lazarus. God's rules stand forever.

Watch it, your test is at your door front!

Matthew 25:34-46 (New International Version)

"Then the King will say to those on his right, 'Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.'

"Then the righteous will answer him, 'Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?'

"The King will reply, 'I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.'

"Then he will say to those on his left, 'Depart from me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. For I was hungry and you gave me nothing to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink, I was a stranger and you did not invite me in, I needed clothes and you did not clothe me, I was sick and in prison and you did not look after me.'

"They also will answer, 'Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or needing clothes or sick or in prison, and did not help you?'

"He will reply, 'I tell you the truth, whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for me.'

"Then they will go away to eternal punishment, but the righteous to eternal life."

A personal invitation from the Lord Jesus Christ for Christformation in you.

Introduction

Matthew 11:28-30 (New International Version)

"Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light."

This passage from Christ our Lord is his personal invitation for Christformation in you.You have the freedom of accepting or rejecting this invitation of Christ.

Before He goes on speaking about Christformation in us, He talks about the unneccessary burdens we carry and the weariness attached to that carrying of them.
These burdens have their origin from the Garden of Eden placed on Adam and Eve by the Devil. Adam and Eve were deceived into believing that these burdens were both "good and pleasing to their souls". Out of their own disobedience to God, they fell into the trap of the Devil.

Now the Lord Jesus Christ was revealed to us to destroy the evil works of the Devil in us. For this He says,"Come to Me all you that are weary and burdened" with this evil deposit of the Devil in you.

Remember this invitation is only for those who are feeling weary and burdened and it's not opened to those who do not.

This means that;if you are enjoying or basking in that evil deposit of the Devil temporarily,you are not invited here.You can remaim where you are and enjoying eating the 'fruit' of the Devil now. But,at anytime you begin to feel the weariness or burden, He says:"Come to Me"

This is where the fault lies, Christ never invited those who do not have weariness or burdens of the soul.Very few indeed will feel the weariness or burden of the soul.

In Sodom and Gomorrah,only Lot felt this burden and weariness or distress of his soul.Even his own wife did not feel the same with him.She never felt the distress but enjoyed or basked in its pleasure.She turned back to that pleasure to become a useless pillar of salt in the end.

Rest

Hebrews 4:6-11 (New International Version)

It still remains that some will enter that rest, and those who formerly had the gospel preached to them did not go in, because of their disobedience. Therefore God again set a certain day, calling it Today, when a long time later he spoke through David, as was said before:
"Today, if you hear his voice,
do not harden your hearts." For if Joshua had given them rest, God would not have spoken later about another day. There remains, then, a Sabbath-rest for the people of God; for anyone who enters God's rest also rests from his own work, just as God did from his. Let us, therefore, make every effort to enter that rest, so that no one will fall by following their example of disobedience.

The invitation of Christ our Lord was for those who needed rest for their souls. Do you need that rest? Come to Him,then! If you don't,please continue in what you are doing now until you really feel the pain and weariness to come to Christ.

Lot felt the pain of his soul and so did Noah,Moses,Joshua,Samson,Gideon,Esther,David,Jeremiah,Daniel and all the other prophets and servants of God. We have to make every effort to enter into that rest in Christ.

What is this 'rest'?... you may have asked.
This 'rest' is the rest you'll get from the restless sinful nature in you. It's the sinful nature of the Devil in you that causes all the restlessness in you. This restlessness of your soul to sin results in you sinning.This sinning brings guilt with them that makes you weary and burdened. There are some who sin and do not feel this weariness and distress of the soul.To those who feel the weariness and burden He says "Come to Me"

If you are one of those who do not feel that weariness or burden even when you sinned, please don't come to Christ.If you feel better pleasing the sinful nature in you, remain where you are. Don't come and mingle with those who feel the weariness and burden of the sinful nature of the Devil in them.This is where the fault lies. The gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ is to be preached to those who are poor in spirit only, meaning; those who are weary and burdened by the sinful nature of the Devil in them and not to those who enjoy it.

If you do not feel the guilt of sinning against God with your sinful nature, please do not come,you are not invited to Christ.You should stay out of this and continue doing what you enjoy doing outside.Do not come where you do not belong.

Rest for the restless is what this invitation is about.Rest from the sinful nature of the Devil in you.We have to make every effort to enter into that rest. If you are still enjoying that sinful nature and are basking in its temporary pleasure and glory, this invitation isn't for you.

You will only confuse the flock of God shepherded by Christ Himself.The sheeps will be confused!This invitation is only for those who are weary and burden by the sinful nature of the Devil in them.So,stay out!

This is where the fault lies; in simply inviting anyone.Rest is only for those who feel weary from that restlessness of soul and the burden of carrying that guilt around.

Don't you know by now that the sinful nature of the Devil sowed in us through Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden is the cause of all the restlessness of soul in man?
You should know that by now.If you still do not know that,please don't step in where you don't belong.You will be responsible for all the confusion.

Come and rest in Christ all those who are weary and burdened. He is the Lord of the Sabbath(Rest).There is no other "Lord" in whom you will find that rest for the restlessness of your soul.Only in Christ is your rest from your restless soul to sin and continue sinning.

Christ our Lord said and promised us; "I will give you rest if you would come to Me.

What the Lord meant was that,when you come to Him,you must be sure that you're tired of that sinful nature of the Devil in you and you have come to Christ to put that earthly nature to death,like He had died on the cross of Calvary,not counting this life on earth as more valuable than the eternal life and glory He will inherit in the Father.

The Cross of Christ is a sign of us crucifying our sinful nature on it, when we believe and obey Christ instesad of obeying the sinful nature.

Take my Yoke upon you

Galatians 6:7-8 (New International Version)

Do not be deceived: God cannot be mocked. A man reaps what he sows. The one who sows to please his sinful nature, from that nature will reap destruction; the one who sows to please the Spirit, from the Spirit will reap eternal life.

This is a subsequent invitation for you to partake of Christ.

It's like you were invited into a house and were told to leave your dirty shoes outside.When you were already in that house, you were invited again to sit at the dinner table to sup with the host.

"Come,take My yoke...."
You may ask, what is this yoke?
I came with a burden,am I to carry another 'yoke'?

Well,yes!!
This burden is lighter but will result in rest for your souls.The older yoke brought on you restlessness of your soul but this new yoke will bring rest for your soul.

So, what's this 'yoke'?
This newer yoke is the divine nature of Christ to be formed in you. But, Why "yoke"?
You see, we are created beings and we must be yoked to our Creator God for we live to serve His purposes alone.

This was the same choice given to Adam and Eve in that Garden of Eden.
Do you want to be yoked to God or the Devil? Sadly, they chose the Devil!
Do you want to obey God or the Devil?. They rebelliously chosed the Devil!

So, "yoke" means obedience.Who do you want to obey,God or the Devil?
If you obey God,you'ii have rest for your souls but if you'd obey the Devil,you'll have restlessness of soul. So, the choice is still yours.

Romans 8:13 (New International Version)
For if you live according to the sinful nature, you will die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the misdeeds of the body, you will live,

The guilt of sinning will be a burden and weariness of the soul.
Would you still obey your sinful nature of the Devil in you? For, you should know it's a sure pathway to destruction.

This invitation "take my yoke upon you" is an invitation for Christformation in you by way of your obedience to all the commandments of the Lord.

Come learn from Me

Philippians 2:12-13 (New International Version)

Therefore, my dear friends, as you have always obeyed—not only in my presence, but now much more in my absence—continue to work out your salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you to will and to act according to his good purpose.

Gentleness and humility is the basis for all lasting and eternal relationship.
The relationship of Christ our Lord with the Heavenly Father is one of gentleness and humility.

The opposite of gentleness and humility is rebellion,pride and arrogance.The Devil displayed these characteristics of a sinner while he served as Lucifer in God's presence.He was 'thrown down to this earth like lightning' after that, awaiting his total anihilation in the Lake of Fire at Christ's glorious Second coming to earth.

The difference between Christ our Lord and the Devil was that; The Lord Jesus prayed:
"Not mine, but let Your will be done on earth" to the Heavenly Father. The Devil instead challenged God " I will be lifted above all throne"
Christ showed and proved obedience to the Heavenly Father with His life on earth but the Devil showed rebellion towards God, who is the Creator of everthing.

Christ learnt obedience through His humility to all the sufferings He had to endure while on earth. Now He invites us to come and learn from Him that same obedience to the Heavenly Father,the same way He had obeyed God,even death on the Cross.

Will we put to death the sinful nature in us and not obey it anymore, so that the divine natures of Christ may be filled in us through meekness and humility of heart.

Christformation can only happen in us when we come humbly and meekly to Him and not with a rebellious and proud heart.Christformation will never happen with you holding on to the sinful nature of the Devil in you.If you cherish the sinful nature in you, you're certainly going to forfeit Christformation in you.

"For my yoke is easy" meaning you'll only need to fully obey the leading of the Holy Spirit in you for full Christformation now that you have believed in Christ.You will become more like Him with all the divine natures formed in you. It's "easy" because all the work has been done for full Christformation with a 'Helper' standing by for you that at anytime you'd obey His voice,Christ will be formed in you.

Conclusion

In conclusion,if you'd come in dire need of rest or deliverance from your sinful nature to Christ and repent from it, you'll have it.If you'd come with two minds about it,don't come in yet, for you'll make a mess of things for others who come sincerely to Christ to turn away from their sins.

Rest from all your evil works through the sinful nature of the Devil in you is what a broken and contrite soul in Christ will seek.He or she will have to come humbly, free of all rebellion towards God.If rebellion persists in that unrepentant soul, then rest in Christ is not for that soul.True rest of the soul comes through Christformation in you.That rest remains forever and ever in you. That rest will show up in your relationship with God as you'd walk Him.God will give you that rest that only comes through Christ.

The ultimate invitation from Christ Himself is for you to "take His yoke" which is your willingness taking upon your new born again self the full divine natures of Christ.Letting that divine natures of Christ to be formed in you is Christformation in you.You cannot do it on your own though,it's the result of the powerful work of the Holy Spirit in us, as we obey Him and his complete leading to Christformation in us.

"The Blind leading the blind...."