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We All Have a Decision to Make

Some people think hell isn’t gonna be all that bad – especially since all their friends are gonna be there!

But here’s the truth of it – hell is eternal darkness and solitude, in eternal flames and agony! Hell is a forever separation from God.  Jesus describes Hell as a place where the worms that eat you never die, and the fires that burn you never go out.

Now, it is true – all your friends MIGHT be there with you, but they’re gonna be all alone in everlasting torment just like you, so no, Hell is not just a worse version of this life – Hell is payment for all your sins in this life!

Someone once put it this way: “If I’m wrong about Jesus, I’ve wasted my life. If you’re wrong about Jesus, you’ve wasted your eternity.” Honestly, wouldn’t it make a whole lot more sense to accept Jesus’ offer of payment for your sins instead of havin’ to pay for ‘em yourself? Of course, it does!

There IS hope, there IS rescue from eternal, never-ending pain and torment – and His name is Jesus. Jesus is reachin’ out to you – He’s offerin’ you your very own “get out of hell free” card – and here’s what you gotta do to accept that offer: believe in your heart that Jesus is who He says He is – AND – tell other people about what He’s done for you! Do those two things and you will be saved.

We all do dumb things, and we all think, say and do things that are not God-like. We call ‘em mistakes – God calls ‘em sins.

We all fall short of the glory of God: we don’t know why we think those awful things; we don’t know why we say those hurtful things; we don’t know why we do those rotten things. But we ALWAYS have a choice! We can choose to NOT think, say or do those awful, hurtful, rotten things! Our choices are a reflection of how we feel about ourselves – about other people – about Jesus – and about eternity. Everything we think, say, and do will have eternal consequences.

One young girl was asked by her teacher to write a short essay on the theory of evolution. She began the paper by saying, “According to the theory of evolution, human beings descended from apes and have been descending ever since.” There’s a lot of truth in that. We are ALL capable of great evil and extravagant sin. But by the same token, we are ALL capable of great good and extravagant grace.

We must CHOOSE the good things in life – and it’s a great place to start – but eventually we’re gonna drop the ball. We cannot maintain the level of sinless perfection that God requires. So, the ONLY way forward, is to accept Jesus’ offer to pay for your sin debt. Do these things: look out for one another – stop hurting one another – and start doin’ what pleases God.

 

Pastor Corey Jenkins

Sidney United Methodist Church

 

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