Hugh Hefner, Stephen Paddock & Me

Hugh Hefner passed away recently. I remember feeling a sense of terrible sadness for him. I couldn’t stand the life he lived, or the abuse it condoned upon women, but I felt a sense of sadness for his soul. I know that if Hugh did not repent before passing he is now in hell. He lived a life that those in the carnal secular world dream of. Money, sexual immorality, popularity and fame but at the end of the day when death came calling I can only feel sorrow for his waste of life and talents. If he died in his sins I know he is suffering in hell at this very moment. He bought the lie that success in this world matters – he had been deceived. And in the end when Satan comes to collect he is laughing at you for being so foolish and you spend eternity being tormented.

As information continues to surface on the shooter in Las Vegas I can’t help but see a similarity between Hugh and he. I read an article that the man was a multimillionaire – he had several houses, lived to gamble, and didn’t want for money. So somewhere along the way of trying to attain that which is suppose to make us happy he realized that no amount of money or freedom  can fill that void. Perhaps he felt anger at the world that lied to him, or frustration from a satisfaction that eluded him, and his final act of horrendous violence was his way of seeking something carnal to satisfy that ache inside. We may never know why he did what he did, but none the less, he too was deceived and has found himself in hell I am sure.

Can Jesus Christ save Hugh Hefner and the Stephen Paddocks of the world. Absolutely – Gods grace is bigger than any man’s sin. In fact Jesus Christ is the only way to defeat the Hugh Hefners and Stephen Paddocks of the world, because he eliminates the evil of a man’s heart. He cleanses his heart of those desires to harm other humans by sinful acts, filling the void with immeasurable love for humanity. Hugh Hefner viewed the world very humanisticly, he did not believe of a Biblical God, but he believed in a creator God. His actions dictated that he served no god other than his own greed and lust. Stephen Paddock showed he did not value human life, and thus, did not value God. 

Sanctity of life is the core issue here. To believe that we all came from monkeys and are just a link in the nature chain dictates a rather cold truth – the law of the jungle takes effect. People lose their sacredness – they become just developed animals – and it becomes a strong eat the weak scenario. There can be no condemnation then when a more powerful people conquers a weaker group. In fact in Darwins theory, this would be only the natural consequence of our development- the strong surviving while the weak lay dying. In a weird and sick sense, this would then be celebrated as a success for humanity. There in lies the problem of man being his own God, because where is man to develop a moral code from? Himself? Man left to himself is prone to greed, sexual immorality, violence, lying, and hatred for others who conflict with his wants or desires. Caring for others contradicts natural man’s born disposition to abide by that law of the jungle and survival. Our moral law must be attained from someone higher, perfect and unflawed, Gods way is better than man’s way. 

Each life is sacred to God, and through his Word, we see that it is to be treasured. 

The Bible says God is Love. People who think they can have love outside of God are only fooling themselves. God is the well we must draw from to fill ourselves with love to give. It is this simple, a godless world equals a loveless world. We have slowly but surely extracted God from our world. People no longer pray over their food and we see sickness and disease taking over our bodies. We removed him from our homes and the divorce rate exploded. We told him to leave our schools and now shootings, violence, and all manner of wickedness runs freely amongst the schools halls. We removed him from government and made laws without consulting him that no longer protect sanctity of life but promote victimization of the weak and helpless. 

So where is this world headed without God? If Hugh Hefner or Stephen Paddock could have just 30 seconds and a microphone this morning they would tell you – HELL IS REAL.

The answer isn’t banning firearms or burning playboy magazines – it is in man repenting and having his sinful heart filled with the perfect love only God can give. That is the answer humanity is seeking ever so desperately. It was a gift that God gave us 2000 years ago in his Son Jesus Christ. The true Gospel message is one of discipleship that leads into loving our brothers and sisters so deeply we would lay down our own lives in order to protect theirs, never senselessly killing another image bearer of God. If you truly want to see the world heal – share the message of salvation.

 I can only imagine what the world would have been like if Hugh or Stephen had given their lives to the Lord 20 years ago. There would be far less sadness in the world today.