Greetings Flag Branch members and friends and thanks for taking the time to join me for some Fine Points from yesterday’s service and message “To Hell In A Handbasket”.
Back in 2019 during a CNN Democratic Presidential debate, Ron Reagan, the son of formal US President Ronald Reagan, appear in an advertisement promoting the Freedom From Religion Foundation in which he described himself as an unabashed lifelong atheist who is not afraid of burning in hell. That was their way of dismissing, minimizing and mocking hell.
The people who believe as they do are growing. People no longer fear the fire and torment of hell. Some people feel a loving God couldn’t allow people to suffer in a place like hell. Others believe nobody is going to hell even if there is one. Some believe they are not so bad that they deserve to go to hell. Most though simply believe there is no hell, but there might be a heaven and a God.
The truth is the bible certainly affirms the existence of hell and so does Jesus Himself. There are numerous times where Jesus refers to hell. So, if the bible is true and if Jesus is who He said He is, then hell is real and real people are going there.
In fact, a great number of people are going there because they are failing to keep the second great commandment which is to love our neighbors as ourselves. Isaiah said that hell has gotten larger and expanding its opening to accommodate all the people who were heading that way.
Today, with little or no fear of hell, people are not obeying the second command. Fear of hell shouldn’t be the primary motivation for obeying, but it provides a good reason for doing so. The US is currently experiencing a critical test to its democracy.
The nation is being forced to confront the legacy of slavery while struggling to hold off an economic disaster caused by a viral pandemic that has already killed over 125k people in the US (far more than any other place in the world) with no apparent end in sight without the aid of an effective therapeutic treatment or vaccine which appear to be months away.
In the meantime, with millions of Americans out of work, forced to stay home, limited in where they can go and what they can do and with a presidential election in 128 days people are feeling apprehensive about the future and where all this is going.
In the midst of all this, the message to love our neighbors is being missed and overlooked. There are armed standoffs between groups of people. Some people have been able to turn a public health issue into a political one. The racial rhetoric and scrutiny has been turned up as people take positions and make demands and calls for change.
But the key element that is missing is love. With love comes compassion, forgiveness, acknowledgement of injustice, tolerance and a recognition that we are the same kind with a common purpose and goal. Without this love, people are headed in droves or in a handbasket toward damnation and hell.
If we love the Lord and our neighbors as ourselves, it is up to us to stop that handbasket and look inside because we will find many people we know and love inside. We must do our best to rescue them and not allow them to be carried off into the place Ron Reagan said he is afraid of burning in.
Remember to visit our website to see our latest news, announcements and worship activities and opportunities. Be sure to download our mobile app on your phones and mobile devices. Don’t forget to read and listen to my Sunday School preview that comes out on Thursday. Get a jump on Sunday School by reading the SS Daily Bible Readings at our website or by clicking the link. As always, remember to fear God and keep His commandments
Pastor Jordan
