Sermon Tone Analysis

Hell &Heaven: Testimony from One Who’s Seen Both: ;

Last week talked to someone not from this church – who longs for heaven!

Peace in this life really up and down … feels so broken…but longs for heaven!

Heavenly Minded – Baxter Saints Everlasting

I could tell this person had come face to face with his own sinfulness – where that would lead him; and face to face with jesus and what Christ had done for him, what he is doing now!

Another words he knew the problem and solution as our catechism puts it -is not just sin, ut misery.

And the solution is not just try not to sin, be good, but a neww nature now, and a new heaven and new earth!

In our series on heaven and hell, ultiatme destinies.

We have covered the what of heaven as a world of love, the when of heaven now according to Heb, Rev, but not the what of hell incorntast to heaven!

The one part of our problem, our common misery, that hasn’t been touched on at all?

It is how God responds to our sin.

God’s response to us after is what ultimately matters most!

Our catechism explains this reality of God’s punishment, experienced already in part today,

but fulfilled in eternity, in order that today we might be set free from it!

Dante’s Divine Comedy – shocking thing – story – in other world – people in it!

Picture yourself - C.S. Lewis The Great Divorce – ordinary people like you and me – punch line – if can’t come to Lord inthis life, would want to and certainly not able to…

That’s the key truth about your olife and destiny:

Key Truth: There is no new love or fellowship sparked in eternity!

There is only a continuation, intensification, consummation of what we choose & experience on earth!

Whether that’s the love service, and fellowship we enjoy with God and His people,

Or whether its the love and service to sin, selfishness- and the wrath and punishment of God.

That’s why Jesus Himself, every word is Revelation of Jesus, sent by angel as Testimony of Jesus () experienced both Say I am coming again, so hold this prophesy open, don’t seal it up, hold before them this picture of two ultimate destinies that their choice on earth will lead to:

Let the evildoer still do evil, and the filthy still be filthy, and the righteous still do right, and the holy still be holy.

Jesus wants His testimony as to the punishment of those who rebel against God and refuse to repent, on earth, but also in eternity, to be proclaimed!

And he wants the blessing of those who put their faith in His way of salvation spelled out, for here & eternity!

A) God’s Justice and the First Judgments

So how does God respond to our sin?

Earliest indications is in humanity’s first sin!

What does God do?

He punishes it – strict justice!

Day you eat of it you shall surely die!

But what does that look like?

God’s revulsion of what’s broken, protect what is good and holy.

What word misery means to be exiled – that’s God’s first response.

Out of paradise, fellwosip; In we saw original sin –original guilt on whole human race – one sinned death entered!

Covenant of works.

But do notice they don’t physically die right away, yet death is at work!

The essence of God’s response to sin even if only begun is the spiritual death, is being banished!

Sin results in us being driven out of God’s friendly gracious presence.

That’s why NT says of all of us until in Christ remember that you were at that time separated from Christ, alienated from the commonwealth of Israel and strangers to the covenants of promise, having no hope and without God in the world.

That’s the spiritual death, the wrath of God that rests on us all until we believe in Christ!

And just like the physical death, which only begins slowly but climaxes at the end of earthly life,

so too with the spiritual death – after the Fall we’re dead to God in the world, we have this prolonged living away from country – without God & without hope.

That’s the first judgment!

But then there are times like the Flood, Sodom and Gomorah, Nadab & Abihu strange fire, times Like the Exile, Aninias & Saphira, 70AD pictures of what happens when we choose to stay in our rebellion!

The punishment on sin gets fuller when we physically die, the first death.

God removes all the common blessing of life,in what the Bible calls Rich Man Lazarus; two sides to afterlife sheol/Hades: paradise side, Bosom of Abraham w God; thief, X, Paul prays knowing He will be with X there, vision of third heaven, ; But also the Punishment/Torment side.

Abyss, Prison!

But even this initial heaven or hell after death isn’t fulfillment!

Progressive revelation of sheol/hades – spiritual res, physical ,… judgment ; future heaven/hell!

B) God’s Justice and the Final Judgment: In the last great of judgment, after the return of Christ, and the resurrection of the all the dead: there will be the second death!

This is the final fulfillment of exile from God, this is to suffer the eternal torment of hell! :Lake of fire!

C.S. Lewis says, all our life we’ve pushed God away, don’t want you, reject peace offer of Son, leave me alone; finally get what we’ve asked for!

That’s what Jesus means when he of the Last Judgment: ““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.

A popular idea of heaven & hell is that heaven is the place where good people go & God reigns.

While hell is just the place where bad people go and Satan reigns, devilish delights, or even Satan as the master tormenting people.

But that’s not true!

Satan won’t be in charge of hell!

This final place of punishment is for Satan and his angels punishment, not their enjoyment.

And those who don’t make it back to place proper fellowship with God in this life,

Those not covered by righteousness of Christ, whose name are not Written in the Lamb’s book of Life, who have not been purified by blood of Christ, they’ll be sucked into this cosmic black hole –banished forever!

The picture Jesus Himself used to describe the spiritual anguish of separation from God, that he would soon suffer on the Cross, the only physical picture that comes close to it, is the valley of Hinnom in heb, whining!

Ghenna!

Mannaseh – worshipped Moloch, burned kids, Josiah utterly destroyed with fire, became city garbage dump just outside Jerusalem - refuse heaped up, fire never goes out.

X says: It is better for you to enter the kingdom of God with one eye than with two eyes to be thrown into hell, ‘where their worm does not die and the fire is not quenched.’

That’s how God will ultimately deal with evil, and unforgiven evil doers, as he restores, paradise, brings heaven and earth back together: we read 21:25 Never have to shut it’s gate?

why?

But nothing unclean will ever enter it, nor anyone who does what is detestable or false, but only those who are written in the Lamb’s book of life.

In that lake of fire, unending death, the threat of evil will be completely removed!

C. Is it Fair?

Does God have a right, responsibility to do this?

Is it fair for him to Judge?

Think of your response your own response to evil!

Most mildly, what happens at a hockey game when the ref makes a bad call – not fair!

Seriously can you stand rape?

Be near racist?

If someone abused your children, even if forgiveness, wouldn’t you want justice done?

Even in with story I told of Derksons Mennoites – yes forgiveness, but still justice done in society, ought face trial!

Maybe you think Our sins aren’t that bad: fail to see every sin even smallest shattered the perfect life our Maker has every right to demand!

Every sin is an infinite rebellion against a holy God!

Many feel that it’s beneath God to be angry at sin and at sinners: I don’t care about good, evil; whatever!

But Scripture says: God is a righteous judge, and a God who feels indignation every day.

To say God doesn’t care about good and evil, is to say we’re not responsible to God for!

Many are buying into atheism of Richard Dawkins – God Delusion!

He says: “The universe we observe has precisely the properties we should expect if there is at the bottom, no design, no purpose, no evil and no good.

Nothing but blind, pitiless indiffence- Richard Dawkins.”

Can you imagine a world – no justice, no consequence!

Society just can’t run like that!

Even if they believed in some distant God, spirituality – but said this God is not Almighty Judge – no consequences to evil actions – life still wouldn’t make sense: imagine everytime someone shot a gun at another, God stopped it said it Ok keep living, everytime raced around corner 200km.

Would we become moral beings?

God be violating what it means for us to make choices.

We’re responsible for evil we do, and acknowledge it makes sense to punish evil!

Held accountable!

In the end, just as at the beginning in Eden, so to in the end, God deals with evil & evil doers – why? to preserve His good and gracious creation!

The difference is that now salvation is open to all! God’s wrath isn’t some sadistic God torturing innocent little animals, who had no choice!

As the just judge of universe our God has a plan to deal with evil, to restore His perfect creation!

So even though we’re completely depraved, because of the Fall, still we’re accountable to God!

It is fair for God to punish sinners like us?

All we can say in the face of the hell we deserve, is what Ab did before S&G Far be it from you to do such a thing, to put the righteous to death with the wicked, so that the righteous fare as the wicked!

Far be that from you! Shall not the Judge of all the earth do what is just?