09/02/21 WITHOUT ADVANTAGE OR DISADVANTAGE

09/02/21 WITHOUT ADVANTAGE OR DISADVANTAGE

Two people I would not want to be (and both of them are going to spend eternity in torment).

First, I would not want to be the miserable loser who goes through life, suffering one set back and loss after another (mostly because the lifestyle he/she chose). Going from one physical tragedy after another, financial disaster followed by financial collapse, leaving a trail of broken relationships and misery and failure and disappointments and betrayals and dreams that turned to nightmares and loneliness and hatred and suspicion and fear and perversion and abuses (emotional, sexual, racial, religious, political). Of course, it is unlikely that a person would have all of those problems, but some folks do have a terrible existence, and some people see themselves as being without help or hope. Then, after a life of misery they enter an eternity of torment because they arrogantly and foolishly rejected the free gift of eternal life, offered by the just, but loving and kind God, through the death and resurrection of His Son, Jesus Christ.

Second, I would not want to be the rich, comfortable, self satisfied, honored, respected or feared Captain of industry, whether motivated by evil intentions or altruistic, benevolent attitude for others. The wealthy, healthy, comfortable, golden boy or girl who dies without Christ is as lost as the devil. This person goes from a life of pleasure and treasure to an eternity of suffering and futility. In fact, the "charmed life" is a distraction from the reality of emptiness that the person is actually living.

Obviously, any person without Christ, at either end of this spectrum or anywhere in between these extreme earthly conditions is headed for eternal torment. But the fact that the people in these two extreme cases need to believe, confess, repent and follow Jesus now is a stark call to all people.