Hell is for Real, 16 October 2016
17 10 16 Filed in: Sermons | What Happens to You When You Die?
What About Hell?
What Happens to You When You Die?
Mark 9:43-48
Series Overview
Heaven is for real and the Bible says more about it than we might recognize.
Big Idea
Hell is for real…and to be avoided at all costs!
Introduction
Three guys discussed what they wanted said at their funeral.
I was a brilliant doctor who saved many lives.
I was a devoted family man
Really? I want people to say, “Look, he’s moving!”
The Bible is full of references to hell, and Jesus himself had much to say on the subject, much more than we have time to cover today. You’re not ready to live until you’re ready to die. The death rate is 100%! 3 people die every second. The psalmist wrote
“Show me, LORD, my life’s end and the number of my days; let me know how fleeting my life is. You have made my days a mere handbreadth; the span of my years is as nothing before you. Everyone is but a breath, even those who seem secure. (Psalm 39:4-5)
If you forget about streets of gold, burning flames, harps on a cloud, or torment, understand these two simple truths:
Heaven is where God is present.
Hell is where God is absent.
What’s remarkable is we get to determine our destination.
We can follow Jesus in this life and the next…or
We can reject Jesus in this life and the next. God honors our choice. We have been given free will.
If you’re looking for me to guilt you into a praying a prayer, shaming and disgracing you for being imperfect, or a lecture on brimstone, you’ll be disappointed. Actually, what is brimstone? (It’s an alternative name for sulfur).
This is not exactly a fun topic. In fact, although I’ve spoken about hell many times, I’m not sure I’ve ever devoted an entire message to the subject. But I believe hell is for real. Maybe I’m in the minority. One recent study concluded 120 believe they are going to heaven for every person who believes they are going to hell.
Let’s go back…way back…before the beginning! God created angels. One particular angel, Light-bearer or “morning star,” was more beautiful and talented than the others. He was musical and appointed by God to be special. But God gave the angels free will and Lucifer, as he is known in Latin, became arrogant and thought he could rule better than God.
How you have fallen from heaven,
morning star, son of the dawn!
You have been cast down to the earth,
you who once laid low the nations! (Isaiah 14:12)
(see also Ezekiel 28 and Revelation 12)
He took one-third of the angels with him and they have been wreaking havoc on our planet through temptation and accusation ever since. They eternally chose to reject God.
God is everywhere in heaven. God created a place for Lucifer and his angels, a place called hell. God is just. He is ultimately fair, though at times in this life we see injustice and fairness. A good God would have to make things right. How could God show the remaining 2/3 of the angels the consequences? God created again…in the beginning. He spoke into existence our incredible universe. He made a great light for us, called the sun. And then Adam and Eve sinned against God, lured into evil by satan, formerly known as Lucifer.
We live between heaven and hell.
Many think hell is an eternal punishment for finite sins.
We are not temporal creatures given eternal consequences.
We are eternal creatures given temporal chance after chance to choose God.
Every day you and I choose to follow Jesus or the world.
Every day you and I choose to follow Jesus or ourselves.
Heaven is where God is present.
Hell is where God is absent.
Jesus on Hell
Jesus spoke of separation from God.
If your hand causes you to stumble, cut it off. It is better for you to enter life maimed than with two hands to go into hell, where the fire never goes out. And if your foot causes you to stumble, cut it off. It is better for you to enter life crippled than to have two feet and be thrown into hell. And if your eye causes you to stumble, pluck it out. It is better for you to enter the kingdom of God with one eye than to have two eyes and be thrown into hell, where
“ ‘the worms that eat them do not die, and the fire is not quenched.’ (Mark 9:43-48)
That’s quite a warning! Did you know people have done those things? People have plucked out their eyes to avoid lust, for example. I’m not sure Jesus was commanding people to mutilate their bodies, but the caution is real. There is an afterlife. There is a heaven where God is, and there is a hell where God is absent.
I wish there were no hell. I wish there were no judgment. Yet Jesus told a sobering story in the 25th chapter of Matthew’s gospel, a biography of Jesus.
“When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, he will sit on his glorious throne. All the nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate the people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. He will put the sheep on his right and the goats on his left. (Matthew 25:31-33)
This speaks of judgment day. One day we will all day and have to give an account for our lives.
“Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.’ (Matthew 25:34-36)
Kairos volunteers, listen up!
“Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?’ (Matthew 25:37-39)
“The King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.’ (Matthew 25:40)
“Then he will say to those on his left, ‘Depart from me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. For I was hungry and you gave me nothing to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink, I was a stranger and you did not invite me in, I needed clothes and you did not clothe me, I was sick and in prison and you did not look after me.’ (Matthew 25:41-43)
It says the eternal fire was prepared for the devil and his angels. That makes sense. They should be destroyed for their evil, but it seems clear to me people will be there, too. It doesn’t even say people who murdered and abused children, but rather those who were too concerned about their own comfort and convenience to serve those in need. There are sins we do—commission—and sins of omission, not doing God-honoring things. Not serving others. Not loving God. Not loving our neighbor.
“They also will answer, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or needing clothes or sick or in prison, and did not help you?’ (Matthew 25:44)
“He will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for me.’ (Matthew 25:45)
“Then they will go away to eternal punishment, but the righteous to eternal life.” (Matthew 25:46)
What Is Hell Like?
I’ve never been to hell. Jesus has. Perhaps the most famous creed, a summary of our faith, is The Apostle’s Creed. It says Jesus descended into hell. The term “hell” roughly translates to “the realm of the dead.” There are biblical images of darkness, and even fire. Some of our understanding of hell may come more from Dante’s Inferno than the Bible, yet the Bible is filled with references to an afterlife apart from God for the wicked.
“Do not be amazed at this, for a time is coming when all who are in their graves will hear his voice and come out—those who have done what is good will rise to live, and those who have done what is evil will rise to be condemned. (John 5:28-29)
Of all of Jesus’ words on heaven and hell, perhaps the most troubling are these:
“Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it. (Matthew 7:13-14)
Is Hell Forever?
The subject of hell has generated many questions through the ages.
I don’t want to debate whether or not hell contains actual flames or not.
I don’t want to debate whether people or destroyed or suffer for eternity.
I don’t want to debate whether or not people get a second chance at death.
I just want to declare hell is for real and I don’t want anyone there!
The problem is this, friends.
…all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, (Romans 3:23)
He’s perfect. We’re not. We all deserve separation from God. We all deserve hell.
This is the verdict: Light has come into the world, but people loved darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil. Everyone who does evil hates the light, and will not come into the light for fear that their deeds will be exposed. But whoever lives by the truth comes into the light, so that it may be seen plainly that what they have done has been done in the sight of God. (John 3:19-21)
The question isn’t how could a loving God send anyone to hell.
The question is how could a perfect and holy God allow anyone in heaven.
“There are only two kinds of people in the end: those who say to God, "Thy will be done," and those to whom God says, in the end, "Thy will be done." All that are in Hell, choose it. Without that self-choice there could be no Hell. No soul that seriously and constantly desires joy will ever miss it. Those who seek find. Those who knock it is opened.”
― C.S. Lewis, The Great Divorce
The Good News
Hell is for real…but God doesn’t want anyone there.
The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. Instead he is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance. (2 Peter 3:9)
For everyone has sinned; we all fall short of God’s glorious standard. Yet God, with undeserved kindness, declares that we are righteous. He did this through Christ Jesus when he freed us from the penalty for our sins. For God presented Jesus as the sacrifice for sin. People are made right with God when they believe that Jesus sacrificed his life, shedding his blood. This sacrifice shows that God was being fair when he held back and did not punish those who sinned in times past, for he was looking ahead and including them in what he would do in this present time. God did this to demonstrate his righteousness, for he himself is fair and just, and he declares sinners to be right in his sight when they believe in Jesus. Romans 3:23-26 (NLT)
This is why we’re so big on Jesus here at First Alliance. We’re all about Jesus! Jesus lived a perfect life because we don’t. Jesus died so we don’t have to experience eternal death. Jesus offers everyone an opportunity to not only avoid hell, but spend eternity in heaven with him.
And this is the testimony: God has given us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. Whoever has the Son has life; whoever does not have the Son of God does not have life.
I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God so that you may know that you have eternal life. (1 John 5:11-13)
Moments before Jesus died on the cross, he said, “It is finished” which means “paid in full.” His death satisfied all of the requirements of our Holy God.
For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him. Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because they have not believed in the name of God’s one and only Son. (John 3:16-18)
Conclusion
Randy Alcorn wrote, “The best of life on Earth is a glimpse of Heaven; the worst of life is a glimpse of Hell. For Christians, this present life is the closest they will come to Hell. For unbelievers, it is the closest they will come to Heaven.”
Where will you spend eternity?
Credits
Some ideas from The Heaven Promise by Scot McKnight and Heaven by Randy Alcorn.
You can listen to this message and others at the First Alliance Church podcast here.
What Happens to You When You Die?
Mark 9:43-48
Series Overview
Heaven is for real and the Bible says more about it than we might recognize.
Big Idea
Hell is for real…and to be avoided at all costs!
Introduction
Three guys discussed what they wanted said at their funeral.
I was a brilliant doctor who saved many lives.
I was a devoted family man
Really? I want people to say, “Look, he’s moving!”
The Bible is full of references to hell, and Jesus himself had much to say on the subject, much more than we have time to cover today. You’re not ready to live until you’re ready to die. The death rate is 100%! 3 people die every second. The psalmist wrote
“Show me, LORD, my life’s end and the number of my days; let me know how fleeting my life is. You have made my days a mere handbreadth; the span of my years is as nothing before you. Everyone is but a breath, even those who seem secure. (Psalm 39:4-5)
If you forget about streets of gold, burning flames, harps on a cloud, or torment, understand these two simple truths:
Heaven is where God is present.
Hell is where God is absent.
What’s remarkable is we get to determine our destination.
We can follow Jesus in this life and the next…or
We can reject Jesus in this life and the next. God honors our choice. We have been given free will.
If you’re looking for me to guilt you into a praying a prayer, shaming and disgracing you for being imperfect, or a lecture on brimstone, you’ll be disappointed. Actually, what is brimstone? (It’s an alternative name for sulfur).
This is not exactly a fun topic. In fact, although I’ve spoken about hell many times, I’m not sure I’ve ever devoted an entire message to the subject. But I believe hell is for real. Maybe I’m in the minority. One recent study concluded 120 believe they are going to heaven for every person who believes they are going to hell.
Let’s go back…way back…before the beginning! God created angels. One particular angel, Light-bearer or “morning star,” was more beautiful and talented than the others. He was musical and appointed by God to be special. But God gave the angels free will and Lucifer, as he is known in Latin, became arrogant and thought he could rule better than God.
How you have fallen from heaven,
morning star, son of the dawn!
You have been cast down to the earth,
you who once laid low the nations! (Isaiah 14:12)
(see also Ezekiel 28 and Revelation 12)
He took one-third of the angels with him and they have been wreaking havoc on our planet through temptation and accusation ever since. They eternally chose to reject God.
God is everywhere in heaven. God created a place for Lucifer and his angels, a place called hell. God is just. He is ultimately fair, though at times in this life we see injustice and fairness. A good God would have to make things right. How could God show the remaining 2/3 of the angels the consequences? God created again…in the beginning. He spoke into existence our incredible universe. He made a great light for us, called the sun. And then Adam and Eve sinned against God, lured into evil by satan, formerly known as Lucifer.
We live between heaven and hell.
Many think hell is an eternal punishment for finite sins.
We are not temporal creatures given eternal consequences.
We are eternal creatures given temporal chance after chance to choose God.
Every day you and I choose to follow Jesus or the world.
Every day you and I choose to follow Jesus or ourselves.
Heaven is where God is present.
Hell is where God is absent.
Jesus on Hell
Jesus spoke of separation from God.
If your hand causes you to stumble, cut it off. It is better for you to enter life maimed than with two hands to go into hell, where the fire never goes out. And if your foot causes you to stumble, cut it off. It is better for you to enter life crippled than to have two feet and be thrown into hell. And if your eye causes you to stumble, pluck it out. It is better for you to enter the kingdom of God with one eye than to have two eyes and be thrown into hell, where
“ ‘the worms that eat them do not die, and the fire is not quenched.’ (Mark 9:43-48)
That’s quite a warning! Did you know people have done those things? People have plucked out their eyes to avoid lust, for example. I’m not sure Jesus was commanding people to mutilate their bodies, but the caution is real. There is an afterlife. There is a heaven where God is, and there is a hell where God is absent.
I wish there were no hell. I wish there were no judgment. Yet Jesus told a sobering story in the 25th chapter of Matthew’s gospel, a biography of Jesus.
“When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, he will sit on his glorious throne. All the nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate the people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. He will put the sheep on his right and the goats on his left. (Matthew 25:31-33)
This speaks of judgment day. One day we will all day and have to give an account for our lives.
“Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.’ (Matthew 25:34-36)
Kairos volunteers, listen up!
“Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?’ (Matthew 25:37-39)
“The King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.’ (Matthew 25:40)
“Then he will say to those on his left, ‘Depart from me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. For I was hungry and you gave me nothing to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink, I was a stranger and you did not invite me in, I needed clothes and you did not clothe me, I was sick and in prison and you did not look after me.’ (Matthew 25:41-43)
It says the eternal fire was prepared for the devil and his angels. That makes sense. They should be destroyed for their evil, but it seems clear to me people will be there, too. It doesn’t even say people who murdered and abused children, but rather those who were too concerned about their own comfort and convenience to serve those in need. There are sins we do—commission—and sins of omission, not doing God-honoring things. Not serving others. Not loving God. Not loving our neighbor.
“They also will answer, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or needing clothes or sick or in prison, and did not help you?’ (Matthew 25:44)
“He will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for me.’ (Matthew 25:45)
“Then they will go away to eternal punishment, but the righteous to eternal life.” (Matthew 25:46)
What Is Hell Like?
I’ve never been to hell. Jesus has. Perhaps the most famous creed, a summary of our faith, is The Apostle’s Creed. It says Jesus descended into hell. The term “hell” roughly translates to “the realm of the dead.” There are biblical images of darkness, and even fire. Some of our understanding of hell may come more from Dante’s Inferno than the Bible, yet the Bible is filled with references to an afterlife apart from God for the wicked.
“Do not be amazed at this, for a time is coming when all who are in their graves will hear his voice and come out—those who have done what is good will rise to live, and those who have done what is evil will rise to be condemned. (John 5:28-29)
Of all of Jesus’ words on heaven and hell, perhaps the most troubling are these:
“Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it. (Matthew 7:13-14)
Is Hell Forever?
The subject of hell has generated many questions through the ages.
I don’t want to debate whether or not hell contains actual flames or not.
I don’t want to debate whether people or destroyed or suffer for eternity.
I don’t want to debate whether or not people get a second chance at death.
I just want to declare hell is for real and I don’t want anyone there!
The problem is this, friends.
…all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, (Romans 3:23)
He’s perfect. We’re not. We all deserve separation from God. We all deserve hell.
This is the verdict: Light has come into the world, but people loved darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil. Everyone who does evil hates the light, and will not come into the light for fear that their deeds will be exposed. But whoever lives by the truth comes into the light, so that it may be seen plainly that what they have done has been done in the sight of God. (John 3:19-21)
The question isn’t how could a loving God send anyone to hell.
The question is how could a perfect and holy God allow anyone in heaven.
“There are only two kinds of people in the end: those who say to God, "Thy will be done," and those to whom God says, in the end, "Thy will be done." All that are in Hell, choose it. Without that self-choice there could be no Hell. No soul that seriously and constantly desires joy will ever miss it. Those who seek find. Those who knock it is opened.”
― C.S. Lewis, The Great Divorce
The Good News
Hell is for real…but God doesn’t want anyone there.
The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. Instead he is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance. (2 Peter 3:9)
For everyone has sinned; we all fall short of God’s glorious standard. Yet God, with undeserved kindness, declares that we are righteous. He did this through Christ Jesus when he freed us from the penalty for our sins. For God presented Jesus as the sacrifice for sin. People are made right with God when they believe that Jesus sacrificed his life, shedding his blood. This sacrifice shows that God was being fair when he held back and did not punish those who sinned in times past, for he was looking ahead and including them in what he would do in this present time. God did this to demonstrate his righteousness, for he himself is fair and just, and he declares sinners to be right in his sight when they believe in Jesus. Romans 3:23-26 (NLT)
This is why we’re so big on Jesus here at First Alliance. We’re all about Jesus! Jesus lived a perfect life because we don’t. Jesus died so we don’t have to experience eternal death. Jesus offers everyone an opportunity to not only avoid hell, but spend eternity in heaven with him.
And this is the testimony: God has given us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. Whoever has the Son has life; whoever does not have the Son of God does not have life.
I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God so that you may know that you have eternal life. (1 John 5:11-13)
Moments before Jesus died on the cross, he said, “It is finished” which means “paid in full.” His death satisfied all of the requirements of our Holy God.
For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him. Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because they have not believed in the name of God’s one and only Son. (John 3:16-18)
Conclusion
Randy Alcorn wrote, “The best of life on Earth is a glimpse of Heaven; the worst of life is a glimpse of Hell. For Christians, this present life is the closest they will come to Hell. For unbelievers, it is the closest they will come to Heaven.”
Where will you spend eternity?
Credits
Some ideas from The Heaven Promise by Scot McKnight and Heaven by Randy Alcorn.