“And if thy hand offend thee, cut it off: it is better for thee to enter into life maimed, than having two hands to go into hell, into the fire that never shall be quenched” (Mark 9:43).
TEXT — Mark 9:43-50
Message
Reuters News Agency reported on 29th November 1997 how Chinese firefighters succeeded in putting out a 400-year-old fire. The fire in the Baiyanghe coalfield started in 1560. It consumed over 127 million tons of coal before it was extinguished. Four hundred years is a long time, but it is nothing in view of eternity. The fires of hell will never end or be put out.
Jesus describes hell as a place of torment. He encourages heavenly pilgrims to cut off whatever could hinder or prevent them from entering heaven. He said believers should cut off their relationships with friends, relatives or anything that can be as useful as the hand, eye, or foot if such becomes a hindrance from entering heaven. He equally gave a vivid description of hell as a place where the sinner’s “worm dieth not, and the fire is not quenched.”
The subject of hell is an uncomfortable one to many preachers today. They claim Jesus never mentioned hell in His sermons. But that is not true. Jesus talked about hell as a place of eternal suffering and torment where people gnash their teeth in anguish and regret. It is a place of no return and of outer darkness. He mentioned hell directly in His sermons more than all other New Testament-inspired writers.
The lessons here are very weighty. No one can get to heaven by accident. It is a prepared place for a prepared people. There is a narrow way to navigate with all watchfulness. And if some close friends or relatives pose a hindrance to your goal of entering heaven, Jesus says you should cut them off.
Listed among “500 most powerful people on the planet” by the Foreign Policy magazine in 2013, Pastor (Dr.) William F. Kumuyi is the founder and General Superintendent of the Deeper Christian Life Ministry (DCLM) headquartered in Lagos, Nigeria. DCLM started in 1973 as a 15-member Bible study group right in Kumuyi’s apartment at University of Lagos where he was a lecturer. His revolutionary Bible teaching on personal holiness and commitment to evangelism soon gained so much traction and resulted in a widespread revival.
Great work
Thank you