Questioning the Reality of Hell
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42 “Whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in me to sin, it would be better for him if a great millstone were hung around his neck and he were thrown into the sea. 43 And if your hand causes you to sin, cut it off. It is better for you to enter life crippled than with two hands to go to hell, to the unquenchable fire. 45 And if your foot causes you to sin, cut it off. It is better for you to enter life lame than with two feet to be thrown into hell. 47 And if your eye causes you to sin, tear it out. It is better for you to enter the kingdom of God with one eye than with two eyes to be thrown into hell, 48 ‘where their worm does not die and the fire is not quenched.’ 49 For everyone will be salted with fire. 50 Salt is good, but if the salt has lost its saltiness, how will you make it salty again? Have salt in yourselves, and be at peace with one another.”
Introduction - I am encouraged by the Elders of ABC to go to pastor’s conferences on a regular basis for my refreshment and encouragement. And so this past week I was able to attend the “Basics” conference at Parkside Church in Cleveland, Ohio. It was amazing and so helpful in many ways. There was one sermon that I heard that challenged and convicted me to the core. It was by Rico Tice on “Teaching the Reality of Hell.” It was a powerful session and He encouraged us to take the sermon he preached to us and bring it back to our own congregations. Right then and there I knew I needed to change directions for this Sunday and preach what He preached to us.
And so, minus the London accent, I share with you what he shared with me...
Which of these men...
Which of these men...
Pharaoh, Nero, Muhammad or Adolf Hitler,
Which of these men said the following…
said the following…
Throw these useless servants into the darkness. They can weep there and grind their teeth.
Get out of my presence you damed and go to the fire that will burn forever.
Of course this is a trick question because the answer is “None of the above.” The person who said both of those things is the Lord Jesus Christ. In both of these passages, He is speaking about Hell.
43 And if your hand causes you to sin, cut it off. It is better for you to enter life crippled than with two hands to go to hell, to the unquenchable fire.
Verse 43 -
Contrary to popular opinion Hell is real! And we are wise to pay attention to the many warnings the Holy Scriptures raise concerning the subject.
J.I. Packer raises an important question for us this morning when he asks,
“How often in the past year did you hear or if you are a minister did you preach a sermon on this subject?” J.I. Packer “Knowing God”
When did you last hear it? When did you last preach it?
“A member of the royal family was leaving one of the great centers of worship of England and asked a question of the presiding minister, a figure of some significance in the hierarchy of the church, “is it true there is a hell?”
And the minister replied, “Your highness, Jesus taught so, the church has always believed so, and the creeds teach us so.” And the reply he got was this, “Then why, in the name of God will you not say so?”
Hell, is not a subject that is accepted very well in our culture.
Yet, Hell is a subject of the Bible, in fact it runs right through the Bible!
In fact, you cannot fully appreciate the coming of Jesus Christ without a proper understanding of Hell!
Right at the heart of the Gospel is being saved from hell through the cross for heaven.
Painting - Just as the dark background of a painting that contrasts and accentuates the light and beautiful aspects of the painting...
So it is when we plummet the dark depths of humanity’s destiny, we are able to clearly see the glorious realities of God amazing grace and love!
We must understand our lostness in order to fully appreciate the Gospel / the good news of Jesus Christ. After all Jesus isn’t something we simply tack on our lives. No! He is the rescuer of our lives!
Sin, judgment, cross the pain-line, wrath, Hell.
“We are more wicked than we ever imagined and more loved than we ever dreamed!” - Tim Keller
And this is what salvation does for us as we see the wonders of the gospel set against our own need due to our wickedness.
Why is it important that we discuss this? Is the subject matter important?
There are four basic question that we will cover this morning. Crucial question that we must have answer to. And when we answer them wisely, they lead us to eternal life.
The first question...
1. Does Hell Really Exist?
9 who saved us and called us to a holy calling, not because of our works but because of his own purpose and grace, which he gave us in Christ Jesus before the ages began, 10 and which now has been manifested through the appearing of our Savior Christ Jesus, who abolished death and brought life and immortality to light through the gospel, 11 for which I was appointed a preacher and apostle and teacher,
10 and which now has been manifested through the appearing of our Savior Christ Jesus, who abolished death and brought life and immortality to light through the gospel, 11 for which I was appointed a preacher and apostle and teacher,
2 Tim 5 11-12
11 for which I was appointed a preacher and apostle and teacher,
11 Luke alone is with me. Get Mark and bring him with you, for he is very useful to me for ministry.
11 for which I was appointed a preacher and apostle and teacher, 12 which is why I suffer as I do. But I am not ashamed, for I know whom I have believed, and I am convinced that he is able to guard until that day what has been entrusted to me.
- Paul cries out that Jesus has abolished death!
Paul cries out that Jesus has abolished death!
Because of His death, Jesus has secured for us eternal life! Because He got through death Himself, He can get me through as well!
And the proper epitaph for the Christian is not R.I.P. - Rest in Peace, rather…
C.A.D. - Christ Abolished Death!
Jesus Christ lived and taught, he had a group of followers, He was tried in a Jewish and then a Roman court, He was sentenced to die, they strung him up on a cross, they put a spear through His side, they took Him off the cross and then certified him dead, they put him in a tomb and on the third day he rose and was walking around again.
Now, if he got through death himself, He can get me through! And this is why He has authority! His resurrection is checkable. It is based in history! It is a verifiably historical event!
And we go to the teaching of Hell from there! It is an amazing hope!
I cannot speak about the wonder and hope of heaven without speaking about the harsh reality of Hell! We are called not to just give hope but to warn!
Rico Tice as a new pastor went to visit a dear friend who was in the process of dying very abruptly asked his friend, “What is it like to die?” He responded, “Christ is risen!” That past certainty gives us a future hope!
We must come to the Lord Jesus and ask Him, what do you have to say about life and death?
And He is abundantly clear about the glorious reality of heaven! But He is also brutally honest about the stark reality of Hell! As the risen Christ, He is the authority on this!!
In fact the person that most fully teaches about Hell is Jesus Christ! Are you familiar with what He has said?
22 But I say to you that everyone who is angry with his brother will be liable to judgment; whoever insults his brother will be liable to the council; and whoever says, ‘You fool!’ will be liable to the hell of fire.
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29 If your right eye causes you to sin, tear it out and throw it away. For it is better that you lose one of your members than that your whole body be thrown into hell.
13 “Enter by the narrow gate. For the gate is wide and the way is easy that leads to destruction, and those who enter by it are many.
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12 while the sons of the kingdom will be thrown into the outer darkness. In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.”
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28 And do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather fear him who can destroy both soul and body in hell.
Matt ;
Matt
42 and throw them into the fiery furnace. In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.
And this is the ONLY Jesus there is!!! And this is what He says! If this isn’t Jesus, then we don’t know who Jesus is!!
So please see that this theme of judgment, leading to condemnation, leading to conditions that are described as “weeping , lostness, gnashing of teeth or flames of fire,” is most clearly stated in the teachings of Jesus!
And of course, this is the case because He is the one who comes to save us from this!!
These warning that He issues, this vivid language, why does He, loving Jesus, caring Jesus, life transforming Jesus, the one who at the sermon on the mount said, “love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you,” then as He was on the cross cried out, “Father, forgive them, they don’t know what they are doing.”
Why does He, the most loving man that ever lived, say these things about Hell? Why will He not keep silent? Because, this is the very reason He came!
Because unless He comes to die, the destiny of men and women is so horrific it is unthinkable!
This is a hard thing!
8 in flaming fire, inflicting vengeance on those who do not know God and on those who do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus. 9 They will suffer the punishment of eternal destruction, away from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of his might,
In Dec 1984 there was a huge crash following a thick fog on the M25 Motorway in England. Early in the morning a truck carrying paper crashed in the fog. The warning lights came on, there were hazard signs, the police were there. Here is the issue with this crash and there were over 20 people killed. Driver after driver traveling along the M25 trying to get to work, ignored the warning lights, ignored the hazard signs, and the fog and drove on. And the policemen, realizing what was happening, became possessed with fear as they could see the destruction of what was happening, and they actually started to pick up traffic cones and throw them at the wind shields to try and stop people and the people wouldn’t stop! They kept driving! And there was one newspaper report that said this, “One of the policemen had tears running down his face as he threw cones at the drivers who would pay no attention.”
And dear friends, the Lord Jesus is throwing cones at our windshields! He is the one that has told us and continues to tell us in his word that Yes, Hell really does exist!
2. What is Hell Like?
Now we might be tempted to say that there isn’t much that we know about Hell and that what we do know is speculative. The truth is, however that the Bible has an enormous amount to say regarding Hell and what it is like.
a. It is a sphere of punishment - Jesus’ teaching underscores this that there is a just judgment of God whereby people are separated from His presence. And there is a penal judgment for their rejection of God’s authority and their rejection of Jesus Christ. So the kind of language Jesus uses is the language of punishment. Let’s have a look…
- “where the worm does not die and the fire is not quenched.
48 ‘where their worm does not die and the fire is not quenched.’
8 in flaming fire, inflicting vengeance on those who do not know God and on those who do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus. 9 They will suffer the punishment of eternal destruction, away from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of his might,
48 ‘where their worm does not die and the fire is not quenched.’ 49 For everyone will be salted with fire.
42 “Whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in me to sin, it would be better for him if a great millstone were hung around his neck and he were thrown into the sea. 43 And if your hand causes you to sin, cut it off. It is better for you to enter life crippled than with two hands to go to hell, to the unquenchable fire. 45 And if your foot causes you to sin, cut it off. It is better for you to enter life lame than with two feet to be thrown into hell. 47 And if your eye causes you to sin, tear it out. It is better for you to enter the kingdom of God with one eye than with two eyes to be thrown into hell, 48 ‘where their worm does not die and the fire is not quenched.’ 49 For everyone will be salted with fire. 50 Salt is good, but if the salt has lost its saltiness, how will you make it salty again? Have salt in yourselves, and be at peace with one another.”
42-
It is the language of punishment!
Second, what are we told about it?
b. It is a place of separation - It’s outer darkness. Mammoth cave - “Hand in front of your face and you can see absolutely nothing!”
And Jesus says there, you will be totally isolated, alone, disoriented and above all you will be separated from all the relationships that have given you your identity, your value, your sense of function. So, this is a place of total separation. And perhaps the most solemn thing of all, is the way our Lord Jesus uses the term, “Everlasting.”
You see, disorientation we can take for a moment. Punishment we can endure for a season. Separation, we can cope with if we knew it would end. But the horror of this situation is the way in which it described as which it is everlasting! So let’s see this in the Words of Jesus…
46 And these will go away into everlasting punishment, but the righteous into eternal life.”
And the word used for “eternal” is “ionos”. And I know that there are people that are annihilaltionist, but I do not see it in the words of Jesus! It is ETERNAL! And it is a terrible thing!
What does this say to us? God takes your life with infinite seriousness. And He takes your relationship to him with infinite seriousness. And when, on this occasion I say infinite, I mean infinite! God takes you infinitely seriously. And if we reject that relationship, then we reject Him who is life and the source of life.
And in a strange way He dignifies us by saying, “I’ll take your decision about your relationship with me with permanent seriousness.”
So is Hell real? Yes, Jesus says so and He is the only Jesus we know.
What is it like? It is a place of punishment, separation. It is a place of everlasting suffering.
3. Who is it For?
And again, if we go back to Marks gospel,
43 And if your hand causes you to sin, cut it off. It is better for you to enter life crippled than with two hands to go to hell, to the unquenchable fire. 45 And if your foot causes you to sin, cut it off. It is better for you to enter life lame than with two feet to be thrown into hell. 47 And if your eye causes you to sin, tear it out. It is better for you to enter the kingdom of God with one eye than with two eyes to be thrown into hell,
So Hell is for those people who say, “Listen, nobody tells me what I do with my hands, I’m independent, I do my own thing!” “Nobody tells me what do with my feet! They’re mine! I go where I like!” “No one tells me what I do with my eyes!” “Nobody!”
And the Bible responds, “No, God made those eyes, and He made those hands and He made those feet, and what you do with them IS within your Creator’s jurisdiction!”
John Stott said, “The road to destruction is defined by two things - tolerance and permissiveness.”
Tolerance - I can think as I please! Don’t you judge me. How dare you judge me! It is used as a stick to beat us with!
Permissiveness - I can do as I please! No one can tell me what to do, it is up to me!
And yet it is the Bible that says, “No, it is your creator’s business!”
And so, who is Hell for? It is for those who live as they please! It is for those who will not have God as their God.
And at the heart of sin it is saying, “I reject Jesus Christ and what He has done for me.”
And Hell is for those who will not take sin and its consequences seriously.
God is SO serious about SIN!
So, is Hell for real? YES, Jesus said so!
What is it like? It is a place of punishment, separation, darkness, and fire.
Who is it for? It is for those who will not change! Who will not submit to their creator. They won’t do it!
4. How can I escape if it is at all possible?
Well the good news is it is possible to escape, but in order to escape you have to have some sense as to why it is so important for you to escape! You must see this!!
48 ‘where their worm does not die and the fire is not quenched.’
Like all of you, I’ll never forget the Twin Towers in flames in the south end of Manhattan…
And seeing the almost unimaginable pictures of the horror that people are experiencing on the top floors of those great buildings. Do you remember the horror of it? People joining hands and leaping for anything would be better than this fire in the building. Absolutely haunting!
And if we can see the danger of sin and the fire that is to come, how can we escape?
The reason Jesus came into the world was to bear the Hell we deserve! Do you want to understand how much He loves you? Well, Jesus came into the world to bear the Hell that we deserve!
He came that we might be saved from the awful destiny and rescued for the New Creation. And there is no other explanation, no other reason for that terrible cry on the afternoon of the crucifixion, “My God, My God why have you forsaken me!”
You see, what was happening, He was entering into death as the judgment of God against my sin, against what my hands, my feet, my eyes had done in this world, against the way I have utterly mistreated the Son who came to rescue me. And All of God’s anger is placed on Him!
So Jesus cries out, why have I been forsaken by you, God?
And if there is anything that would persuade you that the judgment of God is an awful thing to go through, then go to Calvary and hear Him cry out, “My God, my God! Why have you forsaken me?”
That is how serious our sin is, that Christ has to die!!
That is why uniquely Christianity can bring you to God because no other religion takes sin so seriously! The Lord Jesus has to pay in blood and death for my sin!
And as Jesus experienced the essence of Hell, the outer darkness, the weeping and the gnashing of teeth.
But there in the depths of the cry, piercing the afternoon darkness He provides the rescue from your plight and He opens the door to Heaven!
So as he cries out, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” It so you can ask, “My God, my God, WHY HAVE I BEEN ACCEPTED?”
How have you possible done this Lord, after what theses hands have done, and my eyes and my feet have done? It is an overwhelming thing! And if it isn’t, its because we don’t see the seriousness of our sin!
Jesus has so loved us that He’s been prepared to enter our world. But not just enter, but to go to the very depths, even unto death!
There is only one way that you get to Hell. The one way you get to Hell is you have to TRAMPLE OVER THE CROSS OF JESUS! So Jesus blocks the way! He says, “You’re not going! I’ve paid in blood and death!” He says, “Don’t go!” “I blocking the way!” But if you want to go to Hell, you have to TRAMPLE OVER THE CROSS!
Did you know a hundred years ago, preachers would finish their sermons with this question, “Where will you spend eternity?” And by God’s grace may there be no doubt what your answer would be to that question. Where will you spend it?
“Lord Jesus, I’m sorry for what my hands, feet and eyes have done in your world. Please forgive me. Thank you so much for bearing all my sin on the cross. Please send your Spirit to help me turn from everything in my life which the Bible says is wrong and follow you. Amen!
Connection Group Reflection Questions
What are some of the complaints you hear against the concept of Hell?
Why do you think Hell is such an unpopular idea?
Why is it so hard for Christians to talk to the unbeliever about Hell?
Discuss how a loving God can allow for Hell?
You have the truth regarding Hell. What will you do with it?