Fire Safety Week

“But I will forewarn you whom ye shall fear: Fear him, which after he hath killed hath power to cast into hell; yea, I say unto you, Fear him.” (Luke 12:5)

We are literally inches from the finish line on our Day Care start-up project. I guess it really isn’t the “finish line” though, because once we get all of our approvals in place, we actually start, and the hard work begins. We had an even larger start-up project a year ago in getting in to the new building, but this one has had its own unique challenges. With both projects, by far and away the largest expense and biggest headaches have been in the area of fire safety for the building. The school was originally built in 1947 and added on to a couple of times, with the final addition in 1965. Those were different days. You could build just about anything you wanted and no one cared much, even when housing several hundred children every day. But the new codes have required us to add the latest in fire protection equipment. All of the other renovations and updates we have made combined add up to the expense of fire safety issues. We have spent enough money to purchase a small country on sprinklers, exit and emergency lighting, smoke detectors, emergency exits, fire alarm systems, fire extinguishers, duct dampers, and God only knows what else so that in case of fire, people can safely exit the building. Never mind that it is made of brick and concrete. Let’s not argue the issue of fire safety. First, it is the law, and we are happy to do as the Bible says and, “submit to every ordinance of man” (I Peter 2:13). Second, in the event we ever do have a fire, we will profusely thank God and the fire regulators for requiring these things rather than suffer the tragedy of lost lives.

I have always been amazed at how man spends so much time, money, and energy worrying about things like burning buildings, but so little on a larger and more destructive fire – hell. I know that word and topic is scoffed at these days. But Jesus spoke of hell more than any other person in the Bible. He never one time referred to it as figurative or symbolic. Every time he mentioned hell, he spoke of a literal eternal fire that would punish the lost for eternity and never go out. Three times at the end of Mark chapter 9 he said hell was a place, “Where their worm dieth not, and the fire is not quenched.” When he spoke of the rich man in hell in Luke chapter 16, he said he was tormented in the flames. Those who do not believe the Bible think that “hell fire and damnation” preachers like myself are fresh out of the loony bin, and that we get some sort of sick twisted pleasure in talking about hell. Quite to the contrary. I have friends and family that are probably there right now, and many more friends and family headed there. I wouldn’t wish it on my worst enemy. I speak about it because it is real. I care enough about people to warn them of it.

You have insurance for every possible calamity of life. Why not soul insurance? After all, that is the most important possession you have. You have homeowners insurance, but do you have a home in heaven? You have health insurance, but what about your spiritual health? You have car insurance, but do you have a clue in the world where you are going? You have life insurance, but what about eternal life? You might even be one of the more exotic insurance customers and have long term care insurance, but what about insuring the only thing that will last forever: your soul? People in our society have every contingency covered except the one that matters the most. The lost are rolling the dice; counting on their goodness or their religion to insure them against an eternal hell. Neither of those things can assure you. How can you ever know when you have done enough good? Jesus has the keys of death and hell (Revelation 1:18). He picked them up when he came out of the grave, and he can unlock your fears if you will simply trust him.

To borrow the old line from Smokey the Bear – Only you can prevent the ultimate tragedy of eternal fire – not by how good you are, but by securing the only insurance there is against hell, a personal faith in the risen Saviour, Jesus Christ.