“Stop & Think!

Lou Coleman

By Lou Coleman

If you have to die and go to Heaven or Hell, it just makes sense that you should go to Heaven, doesn’t it? Just stop and think, how ridiculous it is to try to talk someone into going to Heaven. To have to holler and scream and beg and plead and pry and kick, to try and talk someone into going to Heaven is, to me, one of the most absurd thoughts in the world. You ought to be jumping at the chance. You ought to be begging, “TELL ME HOW!” It ought to be that anybody who knows he’s got to die would have enough sense to want to go to Heaven when he dies. Listen, I have not been commissioned to tell you what I believe, or what I think. I have been commissioned to tell you what God says. We know what God says is true. We know that there is a Hell. We know that we must warn men to escape the “wrath to come.” So my question to you,  is anything worth taking a chance of going to Hell over, any sin or any personal rebellion? … No, certainly not… Is it wise to gamble with your soul?… No, because life is so short and can end so quickly…. That is why the Bible says, “Now is the accepted time, behold, now is the day of salvation.” Jesus expressed it is senseless to “lose your own soul.” Jesus said, “What is a man profited if he gain the whole world and lose his own soul?” You would be a wise man, woman, boy and girl to come to Jesus before one day you wake up in a dreadful permanent place called Hell. Why not come to Jesus today? He will save. He will satisfy. He will secure, if you will only come to Him. It’s an awful thing to remember that you could be in Hell in another minute. David said, “there is but a step between me and death” (1 Sam 20:3) What if Christ is not your Savior? This means that you would be doomed forever.  Now you may deny the fact of Hell, but that does not change the fact that it exists. Fire burns, whether you choose to believe that it does or not… poison kills, whether you believe it will or not. The world is round, whether you believe it or not and Hell is a reality whether you believe it or not. And if you reject the offer Christ is making today, you will go to Hell, whether you believe you will or not.

Now listen to Jesus. He knew the truth about Hell. He spoke more about Hell than anybody else in the Bible. In fact, He spoke more about Hell than everybody else in the Bible combined. And He defined it as conscious, eternal punishment. He told the story of a certain rich man who died and went down to Hell and was in torment. He said that the man cried out, “I am tormented in these flames.” He said that the man was anxious for his brothers to repent, so that they would not come to that “place of torment.” [Luke 16:14-31]. Now look at the biblical expression which describe Hell. It is called a Lake of Fire – a bottomless pit – a horrible tempest – a devouring fire – a place of sorrows – a place of weeping and wailing – a place of torments – everlasting destruction – a place of outer darkness – a place where men have no rest – a place where men are tormented with fire and brimstone – a place where the fire is not quench. It is a place of separation from God.  It is a place of unsatisfied desires.  It is a place of vilest companionship. The worst people, the meanest, cruelest, filthiest people will be there. And to add to the horrors of Hell for some people. They live clean lives, they are cultured and refined, they are good citizens, and they are nice to their family and friends, but they reject Jesus Christ. One day they will be cast into Hell, to live the rest of eternity with liars, adulterers, murderers, drunkards, homosexuals, and the vilest of creatures. This will be an awful thing for them and will last forever. They can never die and leave these people, and they can’t get up and move away. It is a place of hopelessness. It is a place of suffering. It is a place of memory. The misery of hell will be so great that you will not want to be there. Whatever you believe or do not believe, when you choose against God, you will be shocked beyond words. Your misery will be so great that you will want to do anything in your power to escape. Esau wept bitterly that he could not repent [Hebrew 12:17]. The Hell he was entering into he found to be totally miserable, and he wanted out, but it was too late! Don’t wait until it’s too late?

You know, the 19th chapter of Genesis gives a very sordid picture of the city of Sodom. In that great and wicked city lived a man named Lot. God was about to destroy Sodom in a fiery judgment. But He sent two angels to lead Lot and his family out of the city before judgment fell. Yet Lot lingered. He knew the city would be destroyed, but he hesitated. In doing this he reminds us of an awakened sinner. Like Lot, the awakened sinner knows that judgment is coming. Like Lot, he knows he must turn away from sin, come out of the world, and come to Christ. But even as Lot lingered in Sodom,  an awakened sinner hesitate, hold back, and linger on, without coming to Christ. Don’t do it! Don’t go to Hell! The angels were sent as messengers to lead Lot out of danger. And so it is that the Holy Spirit has compelled me to lead you out of the path of destruction, and point you to Christ. It is a sign of God’s mercy to encourage you to come to Him. Don’t defy God in salvation. If God is dealing with you with the convicting power of the Holy Spirit, pressing you to come to Christ, oh, don’t strive with Him! Don’t stand against Him as did Pharaoh of old. If God wants you saved, submit to His wooing’s. May you make the right choice.

Author: Lou Coleman