A heavily armed gunman attacked
an Aurora, Colorado, movie theater early Friday, tossing tear gas before
opening fire on the terrified audience and killing 12 and wounding 58,
authorities said. The theater was showing the new Batman movie, "The Dark Knight Rises."
The question you want the answer
to is “Why”? Why did James Holmes do this? Why would anyone act in such a way?
The answer to this question is a
complex answer, but nonetheless we have the answer right here in plain text for
you to read.
Was James Holmes abused as a
child? Did his mother and father neglect him? Maybe you are wondering if James
was born with a mental disorder.
James Holmes, now 24 years old
was 11 in 1999 when teenagers
Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold shot themselves after killing 12 students and a
teacher at Columbine High School in
Columbine, Colorado.
You have to wonder if James felt he was a victim or if he was bullied at
school like Eric and Dylan said they were. Is it possible that James was
influenced as a result of the Columbine shooting spree that occurred just 13
years prior?
While all of these questions and many other good ones are being asked,
they will never lead us to the correct answer.
The correct answer lies in the motivation within the heart of James
Holmes. “For out of the heart come evil
thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness, slanders”.
Most people are asking the
question “Why did He kill those people?” or “Why do evil things like this happen
to good, innocent people?” However, if you would stop and take the time to see
your own heart and the heart of all people you would be asking a different
question. The question we should be asking is “Why doesn’t this sort of evil
happen every day?”
You may be thinking that James
Holmes is sick and very much different from anyone you have ever heard about. I
would like to ask you to stop for a moment and evaluate your own heart.
Have you never read, ‘Then the
Lord saw that the wickedness of man was great on the earth, and that every
intent of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually. The Lord was
sorry that He had made man on the earth, and He was grieved in His heart. The
Lord said, “ I will blot out man whom I have created from the face of the land,
from man to animals to creeping things and to birds of the sky; for I am sorry
that I have made them.” ‘
James Holmes carried out the
physical act of murder because hatred and murder are in his heart. It says in the bible “You lust
and do not have; so you commit murder.”
Jesus himself said, “You have
heard that the ancients were told, ‘ You shall not commit murder’ and ‘Whoever
commits murder shall be liable to the court.’ But I say to you that everyone
who is angry with his brother shall be guilty before the court; and whoever
says to his brother, ‘You good-for-nothing,’ shall be guilty before the Supreme
Court; and whoever says, ‘You fool,’ shall be guilty enough to go into
the fiery hell.
How many times have you been angry with someone? How many times have you
hurt someone’s feelings or called someone a name? Maybe you are even angry with
James Holmes for what he did.
According to God you are just as worthy of the flames of hell as James
Holmes.
The real reason James Holmes murdered 12 people and wounded 58 more is
because he was born into sin. You were born into sin just like him.
Human history is clearly seen in this statement, “There is none
righteous, not even one; There is none who understands, There is none who seeks
for God; All have turned aside, together they have become useless; There is
none who does good, There is not even one.” “Their throat is an open grave,
with their tongues they keep deceiving, The poison of vipers is under their
lips”; Whose mouth is full of cursing and bitterness”; “Their feet are swift to
shed blood, destruction and misery are in their paths, and the path of peace
they have not known.”
There is no fear of God before your eyes. That is why you have anger in
your heart and that is why James Holmes committed murder.
While you are wondering “why” this happened, you should seriously
consider your own soul. If you consider yourself “better” or “less
evil” than James you will be judged by the same judgment before God.
Jesus was once asked about a massacre similar to the Aurora Massacre.
People asked Him if the people who were killed “were worse sinners” than all
the other people in the city. Jesus replied, “truly I tell you no, but unless you
repent, you will all likewise perish.”
The reason “why” James Holmes committed murder is because he is a sinner.
Sinners commit sin against God and against man. You are a sinner and unless you
repent you will die in your sins and suffer for eternity under the wrath and
fury of the Holy God who hates sin.
12 people lost their lives in this tragedy and 58 more saw their lives
flash before their eyes. Life is a vapor; when will you die? 12 people died and
stood before Jesus Christ in Judgment.
You see it is
appointed for men to die once, and then comes the Judgment. God was not taken
by surprise at the tragic death of those 12 people. God allowed their life
on this earth to expire on exactly that day at exactly that time. God has
ordained a time for you to die as well. Are you prepared to die? One day
you will take your stand before the King of Kings and Lord of Lords and He will
precisely execute judgment on all your thoughts, words and actions.
James Holmes one day soon will give
an account of every thought, word and action from that fateful day on which he
made the decision to pull the trigger. Every action will
be called into Judgment by Almighty God. You see, James Holmes and you have
something in common. You have both broken God’s Laws. You have both heard the
voice of your conscience and ignored it. You have both made decisions to do
things, say things and think things that you should not have done, said or
thought. When will you take your stand before the Lord Jesus Christ?
What will you do with your thought life? What will you do with the words you
should not have said? What will you do with all the things you should not have
done? Where will you go? To whom will you go?
Many around the country are crying
out for justice. What they do not know is that the 12 people who died have
already met perfect Justice. My hope is that before they died they met
perfect Mercy and Love so that perfect Justice could be satisfied.
Many around the country are crying out for James Holmes to
be brought to justice. What they do not understand is that James and every
person will give an account according to perfect justice on that Final Day.
God will judge your life with perfect
Justice. Jesus Christ is living proof that God is a righteous judge. Jesus
Christ is living proof of the perfect justice of God. You see Jesus never
“side stepped” or ignored the truth. This man spoke like no other man had ever
spoken before or will ever speak again. Jesus never lied or ignored the truth,
but He always spoke the truth in love. What about you? Do you tell the
truth?
Jesus never did anything without
considering the outcome of His words or actions. He always did the will of His
Father in Heaven. What about you? Do you bring your thoughts in line
with what you know God has commanded? Or do you ignore your own God given
conscience?
Jesus Christ never made a careless
decision. He always loved His neighbor as Himself and always loved
God with all of His heart, soul, mind and strength. What about you? Do you even
know your neighbor? Do you know God? Do you love to keep God’s commandments?
Or are His commandments a burden to you?
Death didn’t come rushing
into Jesus’ life with a shocking, sobering reality causing Him to change His
ways.
Jesus came into this world to die. Every thought, word and action of
His was done to glorify His Father in heaven. Jesus came into this world to
demonstrate God’s righteousness. Look at His life. Now, compare this Man’s life
to yours. How do you compare? Do you really love your fellow man? Do you
really love God? I know you go to church. I know you give to charity. I know
you’ve been baptized. I know you are a good Catholic, Baptist, Presbyterian,
Methodist, Pentecostal or Non-Denominational believer, but are you a follower
of Jesus? Do you keep His commandments? Have you given up your life to follow
Christ? Do you live a life of truth? Do you love God and love your neighbor
the way Jesus did and said?
Jesus didn’t only come into the world
to demonstrate the righteousness of God, but He also came into the world to
save sinners. Jesus wasn’t surprised by death like the people who tragically
lost their lives in Aurora. Jesus wasn’t surprised by death like you will be. Jesus
wasn’t taken back when the world called for His death. He came to give His life
a ransom for many. He had the power to lay His life down for His sheep and to
take it back up again. Are you afraid to die? What will you do with your
sins on Judgment Day?
There is only one right answer. You
have only one hope. You can only go one way for what you really need and must
have. Your bad decisions, careless words, thoughtless actions and sins against
God must be forgiven. God will not overlook your sins on the Day of
Judgment. God will pour out His wrath on all of His law breaking enemies.
What will you do? Where will you go? To whom will you run when death comes
knocking on your door?
Despite all the mystery, chaos and
controversy surrounding this tragedy, there is really good news. Jesus Christ died for sinners. He died and rose from the grave three days later. He conquered
death. He died for murderers, thieves, religious hypocrites, and all your sins
against God. He died that you might be forgiven. He rose again that you
might stand before God on Judgment Day with a perfect righteousness that is not
your own. Jesus died and rose again so that you can be restored to God. So
that you can live the way you were designed by Him to live. Jesus died, rose
again and still lives so that you can love God with all your heart, soul, mind
and strength and love your neighbor as yourself.
12 precious people did not live to
see tomorrow. Will you live to see tomorrow? You are not
guaranteed another moment on this earth. The bible says “today if you hear His
voice, do not harden your hearts”. Today is the day of salvation. Jesus said, “Come
to me all you are weary and heavy laden, and I will give you rest.”
Will you agree with God that you have
sinned against Him and deserve Hell? Or will you say,
“nobody’s perfect”?
Will you be truthful with your heart
and soul and see that you are a wrath deserving sinner? Or will you say, “I’m not that bad, I’m not as bad as James
Holmes”?
Will you cry out to God for mercy
today? Or will you go your own way?
Will you ignore the call of Christ to
turn from your sins and trust Him and Him alone? Or will you listen to the call of the world that will take you
straight to hell?
