Did you know this about FIRE?For a fire to burn, it needs three elements: heat, oxygen, and fuel. If you take away any one of these elements, the fire will go out.The air around us is made up of 21% oxygen, and a fire only needs 16%.Fire grows in three parts. The first is incipient (growth stage), the second is fully developed (free burning), and the last stage is decay (smoldering).Fires can burn for long periods of time if given the right circumstances. If all three elements are present and there is nothing hindering the elements, then the fire can continue to burn until it is extinguished.There are such fires today. One of them is in Australia. Mount Wingen has been on fire for around 6,000 years. The source of the fire is coal, which burns long and slow. The second fire is here in America, in Centralia, Pennsylvania. This fire is also a coal fire and has been burning since 1962. It now reaches 300 feet deep, is 6 square miles, and is advancing 75 feet per year. It is estimated that it could burn for another 250 years. Not only these, but there are underground fires in India and China due to coal and over 1,500 active volcanos in the world.Fire burns and destroys all that it encounters. Because of fire, homes and lives can be ruined. The coal town of Centralia was once a thriving community, but has since mostly ceased to exist. How to Extinguish fireThere are ways to fight fires. They are known as the three “P”s.One is prevention. Prevent, at all costs the fire from starting. Be aware of your surroundings and use common sense.The second is plan. Have a fire plan in place for your home. Draw a map of escape routes and have a meeting place to gather and appoint a leader.The last “P” is practice. If we don’t practice our prevention and plan, then they are of no use, and fire will destroy us.In extinguishing fires, there are types of extinguishers in place for combating the flames. There is the A extinguisher. It is used for common fires such as paper, wood, and textiles. Then we have a B extinguisher. It is used to put out liquid fires. And then we have the C which is used on electrical fires. But the most common extinguisher is the ABC. It is made up of material that can put out all fires. These are the ones found in homes and public buildings that anyone can use. There is a particular Fire that can never be extinguishedThere is a particular fire though that is burning today and has been burning for centuries. Not only has it been burning, but it will continue to burn for centuries to come. It will never be extinguished. It is the fire of Hell. It is an intense burning fire that will burn but not consume the contents.Just like the fire in Centralia that is advancing 75 feet per year. The Bible says in Isaiah 5:14,“… hell hath enlarged herself, and opened her mouth without measure: and their glory, and their multitude, and their pomp, and he that rejoiceth, shall descend into it.”What are the three sources that keep Hell burning? Pride, rejection, and unbelief. These three elements keep Hell hot. Because of these, Hell will forever burn.Jesus says in Matthew 10:28, “ …fear him which is able to destroy both soul and body in hell.”Luke 12:5 says, “But I will forewarn you whom ye shall fear: Fear him, which after he hath killed hath power to cast into hell…”Luke 16:23 says of a man that went to Hell: “And in hell he lift up his eyes, being in torments.”Revelation 19:20 says that “the beast was taken, and with him the false prophet … these both were cast alive into a lake of fire burning with brimstone.”Revelation 20:15 says “And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire.” Is that you? Friend, Hell is real.Jesus says it is a place “where the worm dieth not and the fire is not quenched” (Mark 9:44).Friend. Listen to me. There is a way out. Just as in a physical fire we have the three “P”s, so in this fire we have the same three “P”s.1. Plan:There is a way out. The way is Jesus Christ. He says in John 14:6 “I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.” Remember that Jesus is the only way out of this fire. Plan on accepting and following Him.2. Prevent:Revelation 20:15 says, “And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire.” Be sure your name is written in the book of life. How can you be sure? The Bible says in Romans 10:13 “whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.” Jesus says in John 6:37, “and him that cometh to me I will in no wise cast out.” Call upon Jesus to save you. Ask Him to forgive all your sins out of a believing heart.3. Practice:Walk close to Jesus every day. Be in church as much as you can. Hebrews 10:25 says “Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together...” Read the Bible daily as often as you can. Pray (talk) to God often and tell Him everything. He is always listening.Listen. I am concerned for you and am deeply warning you of a place that is real, and I don’t want you to go there. God doesn’t want you to go there either. 2 Peter 3:9 says, “The Lord is … not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.” John 3:16 says “For God so loved the world [you], that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever [you] believeth in him [Jesus] should not perish, but have everlasting life.”There is a way out. Believe on Jesus with all your heart. Romans 10:10 says, “For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.”Believe in your heart that Jesus died and was buried and rose again for you to pay the price in full for your sins, and then with that believing heart call on Him to save you. This may be the last chance you have to avoid Hell. This very moment. When you die, you will lift up your eyes and be in torment. No chance of ever getting out. Please, repent of your sin and allow God to save you from this fire.
