Why what we Believe about Hell Matters.

‌J.I. Packer - What is Hell?‌ Resurrection that leads to rejection rather than being welcomed into the place of Joy. Hell is the litigation of fellowship with the Lord and the negation of pleasure and any form of contentment. ‌Think what life would be like if there were no pleasant moments, no rest or refreshment. Nothing to give or bring joy, and only the sense that you have missed the greatest thing in the world. ‌Jesus thought and said that Hell is one of the most awful things that our minds could even begin to imagine or comprehend. It is humanly difficult to talk about hell because to really say anything would fall enormously short of depicting it as it really is. It is simply tragic when people leave this world without Christ.

“There is no doctrine which I would more willingly remove from Christianity than this if it lay in my power.”  C.S. Lewis

‌“Hell House” ‌ When I was a younger student pastor we would take our students to an alternative Halloween event centered around the reality of “Heaven and Hell.” You would travel through different rooms that were drama’s set up to depict the choices teenagers might make that would affect their eternal position. Eventually, everyone would end up in Hell where torment and darkness reigned and the very last scene was of Heaven where complete joy and peace reigned. ‌Now, the problem I have with these depictions now in hindsight is that they in no way can portray the reality of hell for our young people. Plus, in some ways it could lead to a bad theology of Satan and how much control and power he really has over us and our lives. ‌ “Heaven’s Gates and Hell’s Flame” ‌The first Church I served at brought in a drama event that sought to draw attention to the reality of Heaven and Hell. ‌Each scene had someone who had suddenly died thinking they had lots of time left to get things right before death. Those who die before Salvation are captured be demons and dragged to the pits of hell. Those who were saved just prior to their death find themselves standing at the gates of heaven. ‌

‌ REVELATION 20:1-10  “The Millennial Kingdom of Jesus Christ” ‌ 20:1-3 --------------- Before the Kingdom Satan is Bound. ‌ “An angel came down from heaven, holding the key to the bottomless pit holding a great chain with which he seizes the dragon, that ancient serpent, who is the Devil, and now binds him for 1,000 years. He threw him into the pit and sealed it over him so that during this time, he might not deceive the nations until the 1,000 years had ended. ‌ 20:4-6 ................. During the Kingdom, the Saints will Reign. ‌ “They came to life and reigned with Christ for a thousand years. The rest of the dead did not come to life until the 1,000 years had been completed.” ‌ 20:7-10 ............... After, the Kingdom Sinners Will be Defeated. ‌ “After the 1,000 years s completed, Satan will be released from his prison, he will come out to deceive the nations that are at the four corners of the earth, he will gather them to do battle. They march up over the broad Playworld of the earth and surround the camp of the saints of the Lord. Still, fire, but fire comes down out of heaven and consumed them, and the Devil who had deceived them was thrown into the lake of fire where the beast and false prophet are, and they will be tormented day and night forever, and ever.  ‌ Revelation 20:11–15 ESV 11 Then I saw a great white throne and him who was seated on it. From his presence earth and sky fled away, and no place was found for them. 12 And I saw the dead, great and small, standing before the throne, and books were opened. Then another book was opened, which is the Book of Life. And the dead were judged by what was written in the books, according to what they had done. 13 And the sea gave up the dead who were in it, Death and Hades gave up the dead who were in them, and they were judged, each one of them, according to what they had done. 14 Then Death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. This is the second death, the lake of fire. 15 And if anyone’s name was not found written in the Book of Life, he was thrown into the lake of fire. ‌

‌1. Hell is what Hell is because God is who God is.

‌ Look what Isaiah experienced when he saw God on His throne. Isaiah 6:5 ESV 5 And I said: “Woe is me! For I am lost; for I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips; for my eyes have seen the King, the Lord of hosts!” ‌ ‌ We know that God’s holiness and perfection are so complete that if anyone were to see him, he would die instantly. 1 John 1:5 reminds us, "God is light, and in Him is no darkness at all.” There is not even a piece or a part of God that does not resound His perfection in every way.  ‌Jesus speaks more about Hell than any other Subject:

‌ God tells us about Hell to demonstrate the Magnitude of His Complete Holiness. ‌ JESUS TAUGHT THE FOLLOWING ABOUT HELL

Hell is rea

Hell is separation from God. 

Hell is for Eternal. 

Hell is Fire. 

Hell is a Prepared Place.

 Hell is Eternity with the Devil and his angels. 

Hell is inevitable for those who have never come to Christ.

 Hell is inescapable once you are there.

Hell is avoidable if you will repent and believe in Jesus Christ.

‌Story of the Rich man and Lazarus‌

Luke 16:19-31, the story of the rich man and Lazarus, this story definitely indicates that it becomes clear that our Lord believed hell was real. ‌

Universalism - the teaching that ll will eventually be saved - or annihilationism - the teaching that all who are lost will simply cease to exist. ‌We know that Jesus believed in the reality of hell because he taught about it.

‌Some people try to avoid hell by saying, “That was the Old Testament  God, back when he was in his junior high years and all cranky. But when God matured in the New Testament with Jesus - meek and mild Jesus - he was all about love and compassion. ‌You find out that when you start reading the gospels, Jesus talks about hell quite a bit. He speaks more about Hell than any other N.T. writer. Do you think Jesus believed in the reality of Hell?

‌Bertrand - said in His book, “Why I’m not a Christian.”‌“Jesus teaching on hell is the one profound defect in Jesus Character.”

‌ Hell is a difficult reality for us to wrap our minds around. The skeptic or outsider will use the argument that a loving God would not send someone to Hell as a reason not to believe in the reality of Hell. ‌

WHY DID GOD CREATE HELL?

‌If God does not desire that any would perish but that all would come to repentance then why even create such a place to begin with? Why make a place of judgment for Humanity? ‌The Bible teachers that God did not create hell as a judgment for humanity. God created hell for the punishment of the devil and his angels and not as a place that was ever intended for human beings to experience. Jesus said:

‌ Matthew 25:41 ESV 41 “Then he will say to those on his left, ‘Depart from me, you cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the Devil and his angels. ‌ Hell was created as a place of judgment for Satan and those who followed in their rebellion against God. The Bible teaches that the Devil and his angels will eventually be consigned to hell. Revelation 20:10 ESV 10 and the Devil who had deceived them was thrown into the lake of fire and sulfur where the beast and the false prophet were, and they will be tormented day and night forever and ever. ‌ Note: Human beings were created in God’s image and are not meant to spend eternity away from the presence of God. The place God created for them is heaven. ‌ John 14:2–3 ESV 2 In my Father’s house are many rooms. If it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you? 3 And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and take you to myself, that where I am, you may also be. ‌ Rev. 20:11-12  ....................

‌Following the 1,000 year millennial kingdom reign and the final defeat of the Devil. Now as John MacArthur calls it “the most serious, sobering , and tragic [passage in the entire Bible.” It is a vision of “a great white throne,” the place of final eternal judgment.

The White throne symbolizes the complete holiness and purity of the One who sits on the throne. This is our great God in all of His power, majesty, and ultimate sovereignty over all His creation. ‌While both God the Father and the Son share the heavenly throne, Scripture would indicate that it is the Lord Jesus who will preside over this event. ‌

John 5:22 ESV

22 For the Father judges no one, but has given all judgment to the Son,

Acts 10:42 ESV

42 And he commanded us to preach to the people and to testify that he is the one appointed by God to be judge of the living and the dead.

Hell Upholds the Name of Jesus

Jesus sits on His Eternal and Royal throne of Judgement. The risen Lord is the one to whom we will all give an account on the day of judgment. Notice that the earth and sky fled away. This is the universe’s uncreation; both heaven and earth flee away from the presence of Jesus.

‌Matt Chandler - Pastor of the Village Church - “The Explicit Gospel.” ‌ “If God is most concerned about his name’s sake, then hell ultimately exists because of the belittlement of God’s name, and, therefore, our response to the biblical reality of hell cannot, for our own safety, be the further belittlement of God’s name ....‌

Someone who says that Hell cannot be real, or we cannot all deserve it even if it is real, because God is love is saying that the name and the renown and the glory of Christ are not that big a deal after all..............

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2. Hell Shows us the Extent of God’s Love.

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The Call to The Cross ‌

Jesus spoke more about Hell than anyone else because he wanted us to see what he would endure on the cross on our behalf so that we would not have to experience the horror of Hell. On the cross, we vividly see Jesus' punishment which, like Hell, is beyond human description. This bloodied and disfigured remnant of a man was given a cross that was perhaps recycled, likely covered in blood, feces, and urine of other men who had used it previously. Hanging on the cross in immense pain, he slowly suffocated to death.  ‌ Scholars still believe this was one of the most excruciating ways to die. It was so horrific that the Romans would not even allow their own people to be executed by crucifixion. Eventually, the practice was outlawed altogether in the Roman Empire.  ‌

The Call to Separation from the Father ‌

What Jesus experienced on the cross was a Hell like experience. The worst part of Jesus' death was the separation from the Father that Jesus felt, a separation that was hell itself. “My God, My God,” he cried out, “Why have you forsaken me?” (Matthew 27:46).  The reality is that what Jesus did at the cross was to take our Hell-like experience into his own body so that we would never have to know such alienation and exile by God.  ‌ ‌

WHY WOULD A GOD OF LOVE SEND PEOPLE TO HELL?

‌ People often want to argue that Hell is somehow a great blemish on God’s love. The Bible presents it as the opposite. Hell signifies the love of God by showing us how far God was willing to go to save His children.

‌If you were to ask most parents what would you be willing to go through to protect your children from harm.

Most good parents would let you know that they would move heaven and earth to protect their own children. They would be willing to go through any amount of suffering and pain for the benefit of their children. This is a natural human response.

We have stories every year of houses burning to the ground where the parents would use their own body as human shields against the flames. I can recall on one occasion a huge earthquake came in the middle of the night while I was stationed with the Marine Corps in California.

Our daughter Hannah was a newborn. I remember scooping her out of her bassinet; placing Hannah and her mother in the middle of the bed and covering them with my body to protect them from harm. ‌

We cannot fathom or even comprehend in our wildest imagination the lengths which God has gone through to show His love for us.‌

‌ Romans 5:7-8

Romans 5:7–8 ESV

7 For one will scarcely die for a righteous person—though perhaps for a good person one would dare even to die— 8 but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.

That brings us back to the question, then, why would a God who went to such great lengths to prove His love for us allow people to go to Hell?

Here is the one aspect of the character of God many people fail to recognize.  ‌ ‌

The God of Justice (Final Judgment)

‌ God’s righteous justice must be upheld in every way. If you say that God is truly good, righteous, and holy in every way but believe that He could allow sin to go unpunished or unchecked, then this statement could not be farther from the truth.

Unbelievers will be Judged on Personal Righteousness, not Imputed Righteousness

Imputed Righteousness is credited to us at the cross once we follow Christ. Everyone else is still under condemnation and sealed for the day of His judgment and wrath. ‌ ‌ God does not show favoritism.

Acts 10:34 ESV

34 So Peter opened his mouth and said: “Truly I understand that God shows no partiality,

John sees “the dead” as those who died apart from Christ. They are called “the dead” four times in these verses. The words “dead” or “death” appear seven times. Notice that it is the great and small standing before the throne of God.  ‌ One’s status in this life is of no bearing on the judgment. John then sees books (plural) opened. These are the books of works that contain every action, thought, and emotion of all unsaved persons. Merely to say it is a heavenly recording is not enough. It is more than that. (bad theology of the movie with Jim Carry where he plays God.)

‌Judgment for all People

Luke 8:17 ESV 17 For nothing is hidden that will not be made manifest, nor is anything secret that will not be known and come to light. Romans 2:16 ESV 16 on that day when, according to my gospel, God judges the secrets of men by Christ Jesus.‌Note: Because their names were “not found written in the book of life” and because of their unbelief they  have rejected the imputed righteousness of Christ and now stand spiritually naked and exposed before the throne of God.

‌ THE SPIRITUALLY DEAD ARE JUDGED ACCORDING TO THEIR WORKS ‌ Theological Principle:

The dead are judged according to their works by what was written in the books of (works).” At the Great White Throne of Judgment, everyone will be judged. But the people there will not receive the same penalty and punishment.

Death is the default position of every human, every born in all creation.‌

Revelation also brings degrees of suffering based on what is in the books of works. The more you know and reject, the more severe your judgment becomes. ‌ ‌ ‌

Matthew 10:14–15 ESV

14 And if anyone will not receive you or listen to your words, shake off the dust from your feet when you leave that house or town. 15 Truly, I say to you, it will be more bearable on the day of judgment for the land of Sodom and Gomorrah than for that town.

Mark 12:38–40 ESV

38 And in his teaching he said, “Beware of the scribes, who like to walk around in long robes and like greetings in the marketplaces 39 and have the best seats in the synagogues and the places of honor at feasts, 40 who devour widows’ houses and for a pretense make long prayers. They will receive the greater condemnation.”

So, yes, there will be degrees of torment in the lake of fire, but do not be deceived and miss the point that everyone in hell will suffer terribly in a place where no good thing is present. And why is no good thing present because God is not there? The complete absolute absence of anything good or redeemable. 

3. Hell Answers the Question: Saved from What?

‌ Have you ever had someone ask you if you are saved? What would be your general response? If you are not saved, your response might be, “Saved from What?”

‌How would you respond to what seemingly is a simple question. You might say something like, well, you know, “do you have a relationship with Jesus.” The person might be impressed that you care enough to ask such a vitally important question. ‌However, the question begs a biblically thought out and sound answer. ‌ ‌ Our text closes today with the stark reality that anyone whose names were not found written in the book of life are immediately and forever irrevocably thrown into the lake of fire. Now, does this make the question “Are You Saved?” the most important and vital question you had better have a good response to.

‌The Doctrine of Salvation‌

What part do the lake of fire and final judgment have to do with the message of Salvation? ‌Romans 6:23 begins with “for the wages of sin is death.” It would be impossible to get to the “but” part of this text until we can grasp and understand the consequences of our sins. ‌

When we ask someone what the gospel is, for the most part, I have found that their response quickly moves to “having a personal relationship with Jesus” or “ It means asking Jesus into your heart.” Absent from most responses is anything that would lead us to the work of Christ on the cross, which saves us from eternal separation from God in the lake of fire or hell. ‌ When searching the scriptures for the meaning of Salvation, we first notice that it is used in various ways.

When the power of God sent an earthquake to release Paul and Silas from a Philippian jail, remember the jailer came to them and asked, “What must I do to be saved.” Now the Jailer could have been asking about his eternal destiny and a relationship with God, or he could have wondered how I would escape the consequences of such a jailbreak. A woman came to Jesus needing healing from her disease; Jesus simply touched her and said: “Your faith has saved you. go in peace.” They did not even talk about being reconciled to God, the woman came to Jesus to free her from pain and sickness. ‌It appears more evident throughout scripture that when Salvation is used, it is primarily a means of escaping or adverting some chaotic event or consequence. So, the broader meaning of Salvation in scripture is saving from calamities, such as war, disease, death, or other perils.

SALVATION PAST, PRESENT, AND FUTURE

‌ PAST: There is a sense in scripture that from the foundations of the world, eternity past, God has been working all of history as part of his plan for redemption, from the plan to redeem his people through the seed of Abraham all the way to His present-day activity. ‌ PRESENT: You are Saved the moment you put your faith and trust in Christ to save us from the penalty of our sin and the consequences of its eternal death in the Lake of Fire. ‌ FUTURE: Salvation is not simply a once for all thing. Salvation begins when I have belief; as I grow in grace and in sanctification, that process is also described as a process of salvation. Philippians 2:12-13 “Work out your own salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you, both to will and to work for his good pleasure.”

‌How our Narcissistic Society Keeps us from the Reality of Hell.‌

It is no secret that we perhaps live in one of the most narcissistic societies of all time. The narcissistic quest has worked.

We are not worried about the wrath of God because we have become so consumed with ourselves and our own lives to the point that we have discounted the severity of our sin. ‌Consider King Belshazzar in the book of Daniel. “He threw a huge party at which he boasted of his victories over Israel and mocked God by drinking out of the Holy Vessels from the temple of God. His heart was stopped when he was interrupted by the hand of God that appeared, the text say’s that the very countenance of the king changed.

If Hell is not the answer for Saved from What? Then there are 2 Monumental Problems at Play. ‌

We downplay the Severity of our Sin.

‌Sin has become relegated to “making poor choices.” Perhaps this leads to hell being relegated to an extended time-out for the mis-behaving child. It’s just a really bad punishment for doing the wrong thing. ‌Suppose you were to stand before God this morning and God looked you straight in the eye and asked you, “why should I let you into my Heaven?”

How do you think most people would respond?

In my experience, most people give an answer something to the effect: “I have lived a really good life and, for the most part, tried to do the good or right thing.” Most of us harbor in our minds the idea that all it will take is a good college to try to make us acceptable before God on the day of judgment. ‌We affirm the sanctity of human life because every person is created in God’s image. We are even celebrating this fact this morning by helping to support those fighting for the unborn child's life. But as precious as that is, God’s image has been tarnished. It has been desecrated by sin. Look what Paul writes in

‌ Romans 3:10–18

Romans 3:10–18 ESV

10 as it is written: “None is righteous, no, not one; 11 no one understands; no one seeks for God. 12 All have turned aside; together they have become worthless; no one does good, not even one.” 13 “Their throat is an open grave; they use their tongues to deceive.” “The venom of asps is under their lips.” 14 “Their mouth is full of curses and bitterness.” 15 “Their feet are swift to shed blood; 16 in their paths are ruin and misery, 17 and the way of peace they have not known.” 18 “There is no fear of God before their eyes.”

‌So, if you think you are good enough, or have somehow garnered God’s favor by doing enough good things you had better take a hard look again. No one is good enough, not even one. We do not garner brownie points with God for His kingdom.

Remember the story of the rich young ruler in Luke 18. “He rushed to Jesus and asked Him, “Good teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?” The first words out of Jesus' mouth were, “Why do you call me good.” “No one is good, but one, and that is God alone.”  ‌ Jesus was trying to discern who he thought Jesus was, and the following events would lead us to conclude that he did not fully grasp who Jesus was in the first place. The problem was not the aspect of his wealth, it was that he failed to understand that Jesus was God incarnate.  ‌ Next, He took him straight to the Ten Commandments. The man’s response to Jesus was evidence that he did not understand the depravity of his own sinful state before a Holy God. He did not understand that no one is righteous not one.

Instead of telling the man that he had not kept the law, He showed him. It is amazing how many rich young rulers run around our churches today. They fail to understand the severity of their own sin and the inability to escape the judgment of God just by attempting to be good enough or stack up enough heavenly brownie points.  ‌

We Have Lost our Fear of God

‌The problem with most of us is that we fail to understand what God’s standard is.

God’s standard is, and always has been perfection. God alone determines what is good. As we read in Romans 3 that “there is no fear of God before their eyes.” Do we fear God? Do we have a sense of honor and reverence before a Holy God? ‌It could possibly be that we have been disobedient for so long that we no longer have any fear or reverence toward God. We arrive in this world fallen, because of the fall of Adam, we are born with a corrupt nature.

Augustine and Pelagius ‌ One of his lesser-known prayers is: ‌“God, grant what Thou commandest, and command what Thou dost desire.”‌Why would Augustin ask God to give us what He commands from us? ‌ What Augustine was wrestling with was the severity of our fallen condition.

We can be obedient to the commands of God only if God helps us in the process by extending His grace to us and enabling us to do what He calls us to do. ‌

There was a certain monk who agitated Augustin in a theological debate. Pelagius argued that God never commands the impossible.  God’s requirement of perfection from us must mean that we have the ability to perform with perfect righteousness.  Pelagius argued that grace makes righteousness easier for us but is unnecessary. We can be perfect on our own. ‌

The reality is that we are sinners who cannot overcome our sins on our own. We need a Savior because of the severity of our sins. ‌Our best works are insufficient to meet God’s righteous perfection demands. The problem with most of the world is that we grade ourselves on a curve. We compare ourselves with others, and as long as our perceived righteousness is better than most others, we feel that we are good enough.

‌ Isaiah 64:6 ‌

Isaiah 64:6 ESV

6 We have all become like one who is unclean, and all our righteous deeds are like a polluted garment. We all fade like a leaf, and our iniquities, like the wind, take us away.

We are Positioned to be Shattered

‌ If we continue to judge ourselves according to our standard of righteousness and goodness. We are poised to be shattered. When we glimpse the holy character of God as the true standard, we will be like so many Humpty Dumpty who sat on a wall. We will have such a radical fall that all the kings' horses and all the kings' men will not be able to repair the damage. ‌ CLOSING

‌R.C. Sproul‌: “Our damaged souls need more than earthly royalty to rescue us from the wrath of God. We need a greater remedy. We need an atonement. We need the Cross.

Are You Undone before God?

Isaiah 6:5  “Woe is me! for I am undone; because I am a man of unclean lips...” KJV ‌ “Woe is me! For I am lost; I am a man of unclean lips....” ESV ‌ “Woe is me! for I am ruined! Because I am a man of unclean lips....” NASB ‌ ‌ Those who are here this morning for whatever reason you ended up at The Journey, and are feeling dreadfully undone, you are in a good place. There are those who come every week and never leave feeling dreadful about their sins. They have become so accustom to their sin that it does not become a dreadful thing to consider.

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