Sermon Tone Analysis

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.

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?

2 Tim 5 11-12

- 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?

; ; ; ; ;

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Matt ;

Matt

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!

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?