A Place Called Hell

Illus: South Carolinians proudly tell people they live in South Carolina, but some of them will tell you they are embarrassed about some of the dumb laws they have on their books that have been passed down from their forefathers. Did you know that in South Carolina:

• It is a capital offense to inadvertently kill someone while attempting suicide. (I guess it is OK to kill someone if you are not trying to commit suicide)

• Every adult male must bring a rifle to church on Sunday in order to ward off Indian attacks.

• It is perfectly legal to beat your wife on the court house steps on Sundays.

• It is considered an offense to get a tattoo.

• Railroad companies may be held liable in some instances for scaring horses.

• By law, if a man promises to marry an unmarried woman in the presence of others, the marriage must take place. (Of course, after he marries her he can always take her to the court house on Sunday and beat her)

Illus: But if you think these are dumb laws in South Carolina, look at some of the laws they have in Arkansas.

• A man can legally beat his wife, but not more than twice a month. (At least it is not as bad as it is in South Carolina where he can take her there every Sunday after he gets out of church)

• Alligators may not be kept in bathtubs. (My mother never taught me anything about that!)

• Dogs may not bark after 6 PM. (How could anyone enforce that law)

• Flirtation between men and women on the streets of Little Rock may result in a 30-day jail term. Makes you wonder how former president Bill Clinton survived this law if it was enforced!

• It is unlawful to walk one's cow down Main Street after 1:00 PM on Sunday.

No matter where you live, you will find they have dumb laws on their books and they have never been removed.

One thing people like about living in a small town is that everybody knows everybody. That can be GOOD and BAD!

Illus: In a small Southern town, the prosecutor called his first witness, a respectful, elderly woman to the stand.

• He approached her and asked, "Mrs. Jones, do you know me?"

• She responded, "Why, yes, I do know you, Mr. Williams. I've known you since you were a young boy, and frankly, you've been a big disappointment to me. You lie, you cheat on your wife, you manipulate people and talk about them behind their backs. You think you're a big shot when you haven't the brains to realize you never will amount to anything more than a two-bit paper pusher. Yes, I know you."

• The lawyer was stunned. Not knowing what else to do, he pointed across the room and asked, "Mrs. Jones, do you know the defense attorney?" She again replied, "Why, yes, I do. I've known Mr. Bradley since he was a youngster, too. He's lazy, and he has a serious drinking problem. He can't build a normal relationship with anyone and his law practice is one of the worst in the entire state. Not to mention he cheated on his wife with three different women. One of them was your wife. Yes, I know him."

• The defense attorney almost died. Quickly jumping in, the judge asked both counselors to approach the bench, and in a very quiet voice said, "If either of you jerks asks her if she knows me, I'll throw the both of you in jail for contempt."

Eventually, every one of us is going to live in one of two places. The Bible tells us:

• The SAINTS will live in Heaven with the Lord Jesus for eternity

• The SINNERS will live in a place prepared for the devil and his angels called Hell for eternity

But listen, if we could call all the people in Hell before us today and say, “How do you like living in hell?” EVERY ONE of them would say, “There is nothing about this place that I like. NOT ONE THING!” I can assure you that no one here ever wants to go to hell.

We see that -

I. HELL IS REAL PLACE

There are a lot of people who are hoping Hell does not exist, because unless they accept Christ as their Savior, they are going to spend eternity in this horrible place.

Now they may say, “I do not believe in a place called Hell”, but one day they will find there is a REAL PLACE CALLED HELL!

HOW DO WE KNOW THAT HELL IS A REAL PLACE? Because:

• THE LORD JESUS SAYS THERE IS A HELL. The New Testament make reference to a place called hell 162 times