Yesterday I parked my van in the parking lot looking out at the beautiful falls in Sioux Falls, South Dakota. As I worked on my laptop in the van I could look out on the river and see a handful of people fishing. After I finished working, I got out and set up my chair behind the fence that ran along the river set back about ten yards from the big rocks, and about 30 yards from the water. It wasn’t a chain link fence, more of a decorative fence; not for security, but more of a “don’t go past this point” fence.
As I sat there, I started thinking, “how did they get down there?” Then I walked a little bit toward where most of the vacationers were looking out. The rocks and water looked so amazing and as I looked I was thinking, “I want to go closer, why do I have to stay back so far?”
As I hopped over the fence, feeling like a real rebel, I proceeded to climb the rocks down as far as I could and sit on a rock, having an even more amazing view that only fisherman and rebels were able to see by not conforming.
As I sat on the rock and began to pray and look up at everyone limiting themselves to the boundaries men have created, walking only on the designated sidewalks and within the fence line. I was thinking about Romans 12:2, “do not conform to this world”. Then I began thinking, men have created boundaries, not only physically to keep me from a better view of God’s creation, but they have also built mental boundaries that we do not even realize are limiting our thinking.
For example, how many of you have watched the mockery on various shows and movies of what is commonly referred to as “hell-fire preachers”? We are so programmed to automatically discredit “hellfire” preaching as quackery that most preachers won’t go there, and if they do they seem to always pre-qualify their coming statements with, “I’m not a hell-fire preacher, but….”.
We live in a world full of warnings! We have signs everywhere to keep us safe. On a dark road we want the arrow signs warning us that the road curves. We want a sign that warns us that this fence is electrical.
When my son and I hiked to Angel’s Landing in Zion National Park there was a sign warning that “X” amount of people have fallen to their death, with the number occasionally being whited out and a new number written with a marker.
The interesting thing about the sign at Angel’s Landing was that it didn’t say, “stop here because the rest of the way is very dangerous”; it simply gave a tally of fatalities. Did that stop us – YES, but not at first. We began on the ledge, clutching the massive chain bolted to the big rocks when it hit me, I was not going to have my 14-year-old son on that edge. As we held on to the chain and slid our feet on that ledge, I was terrified, not for myself, but the thought of my son falling. To this day it was the most terrifying experience of my life! We barely got going on that ledge and I freaked out and in a panic kept saying, “no, no, no, let’s go back, let’s go back, don’t let go of the chain, hold on to the chain, don’t let go, never let go, keep one hand on the chain at all time, don’t let go, hold tight, hold tight!!”
He calmly said, “dad, I got it, I’m fine.”
I have never felt so relieved in my life as when my son was off the ledge and on solid ground.
Anyway, the point is, we appreciate warnings in every aspect of our life, but the enemy has strategically made the warnings of hell the words of a fanatic, or even comical in our mind.
I challenge you today to step over the fence of conformity and get a better look at God’s Truth as it relates to His clear warning on hell.
Most people are stunned to find out who will be populating hell. Most come up with the usual list, “the vilest among us, murders, rapist, those who harm children, etc.” But look what the Word of God says about the occupants of hell:
2Thessalonians 1:7b-8 when the Lord Jesus is revealed from Heaven with his mighty angels in flaming fire, inflicting vengeance on those who do not know God and on those who do not obey the Gospel of our Lord Jesus.
WOW!
And in case there is any confusion about what hell is, Paul follows these verses up with another detail.
2Thessalonians 1:9 They will suffer the punishment of eternal destruction, away from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of His might,
Is hell going to be a “great party and all my friends will be there”?
NO!
Hell is a place where all the blessings of God are gone, REST, LIGHT, JOY, COMMUNICATION, FELLOWSHIP, LOVE – there will be no comforts of any kind!
That is why Jesus said:
Matthew 10:28 And do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather fear Him who can destroy both soul and body in hell.
Jesus came once as a baby, and in His humility, He allowed wicked men to mock, brutalize and torture Him to death to pay for the sins of the world – He is not coming as a Lamb again. He is coming with His mighty angels to inflict vengeance on those who do not know the TRUE God and on those who DO NOT obey the Gospel of our Lord Jesus.
This is your warning sign! This is your warning sign that many have died in their sin and have plummeted into the eternal fire. This is your warning sign to repent and believe the Gospel.
Are you going to ignore the “warning sign” God has given us; OR are you going to surrender to Christ and be saved?
With all the urgency I had in wanting my son to get off that ledge, I am pleading with anyone that is still on the broad road to destruction to please, get off that ledge, we are not guaranteed tomorrow.
Consider the Words of Jesus in Matthew 7.
Matthew 7:13-14 “Enter by the narrow gate. For the gate is wide and the way is easy that leads to destruction, and those who enter by it are many. For the gate is narrow and the way is hard that leads to life, and those who find it are few.
Please do not continue with any thought that “this is not fair, just because I did one thing outside of God’s will I am going to hell?”
It is not that we did “one thing” outside of God’s will; it is that we have done nothing but sin against God our entire life! We have lied, stolen, dishonored our parents, used God’s Name as a curse word, committed acts of sexual immorality, and the list goes on.
Not only would hell be right for us, and would be fair; but think of the Amazing Grace given us that we aren’t there ALREADY!
