Column by Sumter Pastor Joey Durham: Where Christmas will never be
I would like to bring to your heart "The One Place Christmas Will Never Be," and my text is Luke 2:12-14, where we see, "And this shall be a sign unto you; Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger. And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying, Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men." (KJV)
Here, the angels are announcing to the shepherds the birth of the Savior. They inform these men that they shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes and that He would be lying in a manger. Then the heavens exploded with praise to God for sending the peace of God and the good will of God to mankind. What an awesome experience that must have been for these shepherds! There are many today that soundly reject the Savior given at Christmas, and they also deny the existence of a literal place of torment for the person who rejects the love of God given through Jesus Christ. Modern religion and most of religious academia have set aside the doctrine of hell with this thought as the basis, "A just and loving God would not sentence a human to eternal punishment, but would simply torture the evildoer for a period of time and then destroy the soul altogether."
In Luke 16:19-31, Jesus Christ describes in minute detail the one place Christmas will never be. He describes the place He created for Satan and his angels because of their rejection and rebellion against God. This place described by Jesus Christ is Hell, or the unseen place of departed souls, and refers specifically to the prepared place of torment in the center of this earth for those who reject the salvation offered in accepting Jesus Christ as Savior. The angel announced to the shepherds that God is offering His Son, the Savior, to mankind, but in Hell there is no Savior. The angel announced to the shepherds that God is offering hope to mankind, but in Hell there is not one ray of hope. The angelic hosts announced that God is offering peace and God's good will to mankind, but in Hell there is no peace for anyone there, and not one act of good will is experienced. Hell is the one place Christmas will never be, and multiplied millions of people are rejecting the Savior while walking on Hell's rooftop every day. Do you know the real meaning of Christmas? This glorious meaning is summed up in the words of John 3:16. "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." (KJV)
If you're unsaved, please repent of your sin to God and ask Jesus Christ to save your soul because Hell is not an awful set of circumstances in this life and it's not a four-letter word to use when a person gets angry. Hell is a real place, and all who reject Jesus Christ will enter the one place Christmas will never be.
Joey Durham is pastor at Open Bible Baptist Church at 180 Old Manning Road in Sumter. You can contact Pastor Durham at durham.joey@yahoo.com or call the church office at (803) 481-9315.