Most people scoff at the idea that God will punish the wicked and evil deeds of all mankind. This is mostly because people don’t want to be held accountable for their actions. People reject the idea of a day of judgment because they prefer to exist free from the guilt of sin, not at all realizing that they are actually slaves of sin. The lake of fire is the culmination of the judgment of all sin. It is the basis for salvation, as the word salvation implies that there is something that we are being saved from. Most individuals have some damaging misconceptions about the love of God.
Hebrews 12:29; “For our God is a consuming fire.”
God’s love does not exist apart from His hatred of sin. God’s love demands a punishment for sin.
Romans 6:23; For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.
One of the most basic laws of physics states that every action has an equal and an opposite reaction. We’ve heard it said many times that what goes around comes around. We also know that whatever type of seed we plant is the type of tree that will grow.
Galatians 6:7; “Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap.”
This holds true for all things whether they be good or evil. You only get out of something what you put into it. Benjamin Franklin once defined insanity as repeating the same behavior over and over and expecting different results. You will only deceive yourself!
John 3:16,17; “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved.”
God never intended for man to perish in hell. God offers mankind an escape from the tortures of hell. You may be living in a hell that you have made for yourself here on the earth but it can never even come close to what you can expect if you were to die in your sins right now. There are no words in the human vocabulary to describe the horrors and terrors of that horrible and dreadful place. The stench of decaying and burning flesh alone combined with the smell of burning sulfur is beyond human comprehension. The shrieks and wails of agony from tortured tormented souls can drive you to the brink of insanity. The utter despair and hopelessness permeates and saturates the atmosphere so intensely that there is no way to escape it. It is the city of woes and once you have entered into its looming formidable gates all hope is lost. Don’t make the mistake of waiting for a convenient time to follow Christ. You may never get the chance.
Luke 16:19-31; “There was a certain rich man, which was clothed in purple and fine linen, and fared sumptuously every day: And there was a certain beggar named Lazarus, which was laid at his gate, full of sores, And desiring to be fed with the crumbs which fell from the rich man’s table: moreover the dogs came and licked his sores. And it came to pass, that the beggar died, and was carried by the angels into Abraham’s bosom: the rich man also died, and was buried; And in hell he lift up his eyes, being in torments, and seeth Abraham afar off, and Lazarus in his bosom. And he cried and said, Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus, that he may dip the tip of his finger in water, and cool my tongue; for I am tormented in this flame. But Abraham said, Son, remember that thou in thy lifetime receivedst thy good things, and likewise Lazarus evil things: but now he is comforted, and thou art tormented. And beside all this, between us and you there is a great gulf fixed: so that they which would pass from hence to you cannot; neither can they pass to us, that would come from thence. Then he said, I pray thee therefore, father, that thou wouldest send him to my father’s house: For I have five brethren; that he may testify unto them, lest they also come into this place of torment. Abraham saith unto him, They have Moses and the prophets; let them hear them. And he said, Nay, father Abraham: but if one went unto them from the dead, they will repent And he said unto him, If they hear not Moses and the prophets, neither will they be persuaded, though one rose from the dead.”
The rich man in this story thought that living the high life would bring him much joy. Yet there was a crippled beggar that was laid at his gate daily and that rich man didn’t even have the compassion to feed him the scraps that fell off of his table. Mangy dogs came and licked his bloody sores for some type of nourishment because the rich man wouldn’t even feed his scraps to the mangy mutts. Yes when both men expired the tables were turned. That wicked rich man that never gave a poor crippled beggar a table scrap now wants Lazarus to dip his finger in water to cool his wicked tongue. He even wishes for Lazarus to go to his brothers to warn them not to go to that horrible place but its not going to happen. If they won’t believe the word of god they won’t believe even though Jesus rose from the dead.
Matthew 25:41; “Then shall he say also unto them on the left hand, Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels:”
Hell was not created for man…it was prepared for the devil and his angels. You don’t have to end up there; you can avoid the judgment of hell by repenting and making some drastic lifestyle choices. There are so many so-called believers that live with the misconceptions that come as the result of false teaching and the doctrines of devils. If you die in your sins you will have no excuse whatsoever for whatever awaits you. All of your weeping and wailing and gnashing of teeth won’t do you any good once you are in hell. While there is still a breath left in you, there is hope. When you die in your sins all of your hope and expectation dies with you.
Matthew 25:42-46; “For I was an hungered, and ye gave me no meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me no drink: I was a stranger, and ye took me not in: naked, and ye clothed me not: sick, and in prison, and ye visited me not. Then shall they also answer him, saying, Lord, when saw we thee an hungered, or athirst, or a stranger, or naked, or sick, or in prison, and did not minister unto thee? Then shall he answer them, saying, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye did it not to one of the least of these, ye did it not to me. And these shall go away into everlasting punishment: but the righteous into life eternal”
Some of you are so into yourselves that you never consider doing a single thing for others or meeting any of their needs. It is always about you and no one else. Keep it up and you will eventually get your reward. The only other reward is eternal life. Looks like you have a choice to make today. If you read this far then God must be tugging at your heart and that is a good thing. All he wants is your heart if you will give it to him. He wants your whole heart; 991/2 percent just won’t do. Will you give it to him?
God is saying to you today…”What have you done for me lately?”
