Due to the Reality of Hell

Man, that's good. I'm telling you, this place will come up in a shout one day. It's going to scare most of you to death.

That's good stuff. Thank you so much for the music.

If you have your Bible, turn to John chapter 3.

John 3 · chapter mention

John chapter 3, probably the greatest passage in Scripture,

John 3 · chapter mention

at least the most well-known, was

spoken first to a

Jewish ruler that went to Jesus to find out more information.

He snuck to him in the night,

probably

so that he could have some spiritual exploration,

check things out without being seen

by his friends and colleagues,

keeping them from knowing it.

And it was in that conversation that Jesus told Nicodemus

in John 3, 16 and 17,

For God so loved the world

that he gave his only son

that whoever believes in him

should not perish but have eternal life.

For God did not send his son into the world

to condemn the world,

but in order that the world might be saved

through him.

For the last three months,

we've been studying the reality of eternity.

And for the last month,

we've been studying the brutal realities of hell.

I love preaching on heaven.

It makes people feel good,

and they appreciate it.

I tried to clarify some myths that Christians have

about dying and about heaven,

and it reminds us of what we had to look forward to.

That's when we preach about heaven.

Preaching about hell is a whole different place.

Literally.

To preach on it,

light some people's fire,

and they say,

Hey, let them have it, preacher.

Like that kind of preaching.

While others think you're a jerk.

Because the reality is stark,

the finality is harsh,

and the concept is horribly beyond us.

To think about it much will make sure Christians,

will be sure to make some Christians nervous,

and it should.

But it also shouldn't.

If you have a doubt about your salvation,

and you know that you've never really surrendered

your life to Christ,

I don't preach on the reality of hell to make you nervous,

but it ought to make you nervous.

It ought to.

Life is short,

and hell is real.

However,

if you know that you're saved,

you don't have to be concerned about any chance

of you facing hell.

Please understand that salvation is more than just

raising your hand when nobody's looking.

That is,

except God,

he sees it,

and the preacher,

and then there's always a few people that's peeking,

in case y'all didn't know it.

All right.

Raising your hand does not save you.

I don't remember a time in Scripture,

somebody will point out a Scripture when I'm done,

probably,

when I'm wrong,

but where Jesus asked somebody to raise their hand

when nobody was looking.

And that's why I don't do it.

But please also understand that salvation

is also not repeating a prayer after someone.

Mimicking someone does not make you a Christian.

I took introductory classes.

I took several classes in Hebrew in seminary,

and when I took the introductory classes,

it was overwhelming.

A Hebrew Bible starts at the back,

and it reads from right to left.

It's a whole different concept.

The consonants look like characters,

but the vowels are just points,

just period-looking things

that are above the letter or below the letter,

and so when you read Hebrew,

you read it backwards,

and you kind of zigzag through it

to find the vowels that are in it.

It can be overwhelming.

I would say it's a language of the devil,

but it's not

because most of the Old Testament

is written in Hebrew,

so I can't say that.

But when I went through seminary,

there was no Internet, okay?

So I know that that shocks

the vast majority of you millennials

that there was a time when there was not,

but you couldn't just look something up like that.

So I spent hours translating

by taking the Bible text,

put it on a copy,

or blowing it up

to where it's 8 1⁄2 by 11 sheet of paper,

so I had enough space between the lines

to write what the translation was,

how to parse the verbs,

and go through that whole process

that we were asked to do for class,

and then in class,

we were to take the Hebrew Bible in our hand,

and we were to translate it

when he called on us.

Well, I left my Hebrew Bible on the desk,

and I took that 8 1⁄2 by 11 sheet of paper,

and I tucked it right under that Bible,

and so when he called on me to say it

in introductory Hebrew,

I would read what I had written the night before

in a broken kind of slow kind of,

I didn't mind if he thought I was remedial.

It didn't bother me at all.

I didn't want him calling on me

cold turkey about something,

and so, and that's kind of how I got through it.

Now, did that make me a Hebrew scholar?

No, but I said the words

that I had written the night before,

and therefore I got through the translation.

That's kind of what I thought of

when I thought about

somebody repeating a prayer

along with everybody else

and hoping that it stuck.

You're not saved when you're praying

somebody else's prayer.

It's not the way it works.

You're saved when you admit you're a sinner,

when you need a Savior,

and when you surrender your life to Christ,

that his way is the only way for my life.

Following a friend down the aisle

does not bring salvation, folks.

Surrendering to Christ is what brings salvation,

and I think you have to be adamant

to make sure we know what we're doing.

What horrifies me more about the Baptist faith,

honestly, and the Baptist church

is that manipulative tactics in the past

have caused people to raise their hand

when nobody was looking

or repeat something after somebody,

and nothing ever came of that.

There was no fruit bore in their life.

There's no evidence of their salvation,

and they think because something they did

at 6, 7, 8, 9, 10

that they never followed up on

and never did anything with,

that they're safe.

If we were to knock on doors today,

most people wouldn't answer the door,

but if we were

and were to ask that question,

do you know the Lord Jesus?

They may not know how to answer that,

but if you say,

are you saved?

They'd say, yeah, what happened?

And they'd tell you.

So that's why I think it's so important

that anybody that makes a decision,

we make sure that we thoroughly

go through that with them

and help them to understand that.

Now, if you know that you've surrendered

your life to Christ,

and you know that you're a Christian,

then why are we talking about hell?

I mean,

what is to come from having a conversation

about the reality of hell

with people who are secure in their salvation?

How does the reality of hell

change anything for the Christian?

Well, if that's your question,

I'm glad you ask,

because I want to talk about that this morning.

For the Christian,

who knows that you've surrendered your life

to the Lord,

the reality of hell,

due to the reality of hell,

we ought to be godly.

We ought to be godly.

We ought to live for the Lord.

Put even more simply,

we need to stop sinning.

I want you to listen to what Jesus says about it,

and especially if you're not familiar with his passage,

I want you to brace yourself, okay?

It's in Matthew chapter 5,

Matthew 5:29

verse 29 and 30,

and Jesus says,

if your right hand causes you to sin,

excuse me,

your right eye causes you to sin,

tear it out and throw it away.

For it's better that you lose one of your members

than your whole body be thrown into hell.

And if your right hand causes you to sin,

cut it off.

Throw it away.

For it's better that you lose one of your members

than your whole body go to hell.

Now, first off, men,

keep your pocket knife in your pocket, okay?

Let me explain something to you.

Jesus didn't mean this literally.

And if there's any man in here

that says he believes the Bible

is literally true all the time,

and he has two eyes,

he's lying, okay?

If he's familiar with this passage.

Jesus does not mean this literally.

He uses hyperbole here,

he uses exaggeration here,

to get across a point,

and his point is,

stop sinning.

Stop going to the places

where you're prone to sin.

Stop looking at the stuff

that leads you to sin.

Stop thinking on the things

that throw you off.

Stop it.

As the great theologian Barney Fife said,

nip it in the bud.

Nip it in the bud

and go to extreme measures

to nip it in the bud.

When there's a pattern of sin

in your life,

you're living like one

going to hell.

An indication of our salvation

is one who's walking

in a pattern of obedience

for the Lord.

Following the Lord.

Not perfectly,

but getting better at it.

That's what sanctification process is.

And an indication of lostness

when there's no change

in your life.

You can go to a scary

Christian presentation

or some other judgment house

kind of display

and get the woolly scared

out of you,

but if your life doesn't change,

it does not speak of salvation.

It brings life change.

Therefore, Christian,

if you want the assurance

that you're truly saved

and walking with the Lord,

nip it in the bud.

Stop sinning.

If the thought of hell

does not help you stop sinning,

you need to evaluate

what it means

to have Christ as Lord

in your life.

Be godly.

Second thing is,

due to the reality of hell,

we ought to be serious.

We ought to be serious.

Hell is nothing to play with,

and because hell is real,

life is nothing to play with.

How shall a Christian live?

Listen to Romans 12.

The Apostle Paul put it this way.

Beginning in verse 1,

he said,

I appeal to you,

therefore, brothers,

by the mercies of God

to present your bodies

as a living sacrifice,

holy and acceptable to God,

which is your spiritual worship.

Do not be conformed

to this world,

but be transformed

by the renewal of your mind

that by testing

you may discern

what is the will of God,

what is good

and acceptable

and perfect.

For by the grace

given to me,

I say to everyone

among you

not to think of himself

more highly

than you ought to think,

but to think,

and get this,

with sober judgment,

each according

to the measure of faith

that God has assigned.

So in other words,

we're to live our lives

set apart for the Lord.

That's what holy means,

is to be set apart

for the purposes of God.

We are to be sacrificial

to the Lord.

I always say,

Christ don't want you

to die for him,

he wants you to live for him.

And that's what it means

to be a living sacrifice

for the Lord.

Not through our death,

but through our life.

We should not conform

to the ways of the world,

but allow the truth

of God's way

to guide our lives.

He will renew

an old warped mind

by the application

of his word

in our lives

and by the power

of the Holy Spirit of God.

He will show us

what is right.

He will show us

what is not.

Lastly,

in verse 3,

it says that we ought

to think soberly.

We ought to use

sober judgment.

Now that means two things.

One is,

it means we ought

to be sober.

Few things compromise

the Christian life

and the Christian testimony

like alcohol.

It'll ruin your career,

it'll ruin your family,

it'll ruin your reputation,

it is a strong tool

in the toolbox

of the evil one.

Nobody has ever been

benefited spiritually

from drinking alcohol.

And most are hindered by it

because they drank it.

And my advice is

just stay away from it.

But the reality is

this speaks of a lot more

than just a sobriety.

As a matter of fact,

it speaks of being

serious minded

about the things of God.

And to be honest,

I really believe

that this passage

when it speaks

of being sober minded

speaks more

to being serious minded

than it speaks

to sobriety.

But I have strong feelings

about sobriety

and because I've seen

too many lives

ruined by alcohol,

anytime I get a chance

I'll clean me out of spot

and say something about it.

Because the reality is

it does nothing

for you beneficial

in your walk with the Lord.

And it'll also lead

other people astray

if it don't adversely

affect you.

The reality of what

he's saying is

if you're not sober,

you're not serious.

And you need to be serious.

We ought to be somber

and serious

about the things of God.

Now, when do you get

serious about things?

I'll tell you when

you get serious about things.

You get serious about things

when time is pressing.

When the pressure is on.

When a job needs to get done.

That's when the pressure's on.

And I'll just tell you, friend,

it's time.

It's time to live

spiritually alert.

It's time to live on task.

It's time to live

fully dedicated.

Hell is ready

and people are headed there.

And so let's respond accordingly.

Let's be godly.

Let's be serious.

Due to the reality of hell,

let's be timely.

Let's be timely.

Take advantage of the time

that we have.

We don't have much time.

Now, you may have more than me

and I may have more than you

and I don't know how much time

is not much,

but think about it this way.

95 million people

will die this year.

Every second,

three people slip into eternity.

Within the time that I preach

this sermon,

and you can do the math

if you want to know

how long I'm going to preach,

4,000 people

will have gone to a place

of everlasting beauty

and bliss

are into an eternal hell.

And if the words of Christ

are true,

and they are,

if wide is the road

that leads to destruction

and narrow is the gate,

as Jesus said,

most of the 4,000

that will die

while I'm preaching

will go to hell.

Most of them.

we have to take advantage

of the time that we have,

however long it is.

We need to get our lives straight.

We need to help others

through their journey

and help for the cause of Christ,

pointing folks to him

while we have time.

Be timely.

As well,

due to the reality of hell,

we ought to be grateful.

We ought to be grateful.

If you're a Christian,

you have acknowledged

that you are a sinner

in need of a Savior.

You're also fully aware

that you continue to sin,

but for the grace of God

would have had hell to pay.

But thank God for his grace.

So let's never forget that.

But instead,

let's live in response to that.

St. Patrick is the man

that St. Patrick's Day

is named after.

He's a good man.

Saw a poem that he wrote

that I wanted to read.

And so I got to wondering,

how could such a good man

be what St. Patrick's Day

is named after?

I got to researching that

and found out that

St. Patrick's Day

is a celebration of Christianity

coming to Ireland.

And in order to properly celebrate that,

they lift the limits of Lent

for a day

so they can properly celebrate.

And that's why they're

turning rivers green

and all that stuff,

you know.

That's why it's become

a drunken mess.

But in reality,

the man, St. Patrick,

was a missionary

and a bishop in Ireland.

Never canonized as a saint

by the Catholic Church,

but he was called saint

out of respect

and out of reverence.

And there's a poem

that's attributed to him

that got my attention.

It says this,

God be in my head

and in my understanding.

God be in my eyes

and in my looking.

God be in my mouth

and in my speaking.

God be in my heart

and in my thinking.

God be at mine end

and at my departing.

Gratitude leads to an effort

to make God

the center of all of our lives

and to realize

that all that you are

and all that you have

is in him.

We get most of our understanding

of hell

from the words of Christ

and they are inadequate

to describe

the horrors of hell.

Not because Jesus is inadequate

in anything,

but because we're inadequate

to understand an eternity

that is beyond us.

But he understands

and he knows what it means

to be separated from the Father

because he was on the cross.

He's drank the cup

of the wrath of God

and tasted its bitterness.

He's endured

the agonizing pain.

The Lord has laid on Christ

the iniquity of us all.

God did not spare his son,

but had him experience

the fury of judgment

of God's holiness.

1 Peter chapter 4

1 Peter 4 · chapter mention

and Ephesians chapter 4

Ephesians 4 · chapter mention

tells us that in the period

in which Christ died,

between the cross

and the empty tomb,

that Christ went to hell

for us.

He took the horror

so we don't have to.

And that's worth more

than just some sentimental pause,

more than just a bowing

of the head,

more than just a solemn moment

of silent reflection.

That is worth a life

that is marked

by gratitude

because outside of Christ

we have no hope.

As the Apostle Paul put it

in Galatians chapter 6

Galatians 6:14

verse 14,

but far be it from me

to boast

except in the cross

of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Do the realities of hell.

We ought to be grateful

and it ought to show.

And lastly,

due to the reality of hell,

we ought to share Jesus.

Do you believe in hell?

How much does it mean to you

that people avoid hell?

People that you love,

people that you live with,

people that you relate to,

people that you work with,

people that you recreate with,

how much difference does it make?

I read this

and I thought about it

a lot this week.

Paul said in Romans chapter 9

Romans 9 · chapter mention

that he wished

that he would be accursed

and cut off from Christ

for the sake of his brothers

and those related to him.

What a statement.

He's saying I'd go to hell

if it would save

the souls of others.

And I'm just going to tell you,

after we spent a month

detailing hell,

how many of us could say

with Paul,

I'd rather go to hell

than others go?

How many of us could say that?

I'll just be honest with you.

I could say it about a few people.

I could say it about my family.

Thank God the ones I'm thinking of

are the ones that are saved,

praise God.

And he goes on in that chapter

to say in that chapter

that all will not be saved.

And then he follows that up

with Romans chapter 10.

Romans 10 · chapter mention

And in Romans chapter 10,

Romans 10 · chapter mention

beginning in verse 9,

he said this,

if you confess with your mouth

that Jesus is Lord

and believe in your heart

that God raised him from the dead,

you will be saved.

For with the heart one believes

and is justified,

and with the mouth one confess

and is saved.

For the scripture says,

everyone who believes in him

will not be put to shame.

For there's no distinction

between Jew and Greek,

for the same Lord is Lord of all,

bestowing his riches on all

who call on him.

For everyone who calls upon

the name of the Lord

will be saved.

How then will they call on him

in whom they've not believed?

Get this.

And how are they to believe in him

of whom they've never heard?

And how are they to hear

without somebody preaching?

And how are they to preach

unless they're sent?

As it is written,

how beautiful are the feet

of those who preach the good news.

But they have not all obeyed the gospel.

For Isaiah says,

Lord, who has believed

what he has heard from us.

So faith comes from hearing

and hearing through

the word of God.

He goes on to quote Isaiah

in Romans chapter 10, verse 20.

Romans 10:20

It says,

Then Isaiah is so boldly

as to say,

I have been found by those

who did not seek me.

I have shown myself to those

who did not ask for me.

Leave that up a moment

because I want you to see that.

Isaiah said,

I realize God sent me to folks

that didn't seek me out.

They didn't ask me spiritual questions.

God sent me to them.

I've shown myself to those

who didn't ask that for me.

Don't wait for somebody

to ask a spiritually exploring question

for you to share Christ with them.

They're dead in their transgressions

and sins.

Allow the Holy Spirit

to use you to wake them up

with the gospel of Jesus Christ.

We have a responsibility

to share the gospel.

Isaiah says,

I showed up in people's lives

that were not expecting me.

I shared with many folks

that did not ask.

People's eternity

is based upon our faithfulness.

There were places

Jesus went

where he did little work

because they didn't have the faith

for him to work there.

Scripture says that.

Dr. Francis Schaeffer

was a Presbyterian pastor,

a writer, and theologian,

and he was visibly moved

by the thought of hell.

He was meeting

with some college students

in Switzerland

and discussing these things.

When a young man

asked him a question,

he said,

Dr. Schaeffer,

what about those

who've never heard the gospel?

They waited.

They paused

for a brilliant answer.

And instead,

he didn't say a word.

He just bowed his head

and wept.

God chose to use us

as instruments

to bring people to the Lord.

He can save them

without us.

But why should he?

When he has lived for us,

he's died for us,

he's rose for us,

he's empowered us,

he's commissioned us

to go in his name

and to share in eternity

changing gospel.

So what if reality of hell

is really true

as scripture says it is

as I believe?

If it is Christian,

because hell is real,

let's be godly.

Because hell is real,

let's be serious.

Because hell is real,

let's be timely.

Let's make the most

of our time.

Let's be grateful.

Let's be sharing Jesus.

Because doing so

makes an eternity

of difference.

With every head bowed

and every eye closed,

I just want you to think

about something

for just a moment.

I want you to be honest

with God.

Can you rest in the fact

that you've come

to the point in your life

where you know

that you have eternity?

You know that you've

given your heart and life

to the Lord

and you go into heaven

when you die.

Hell hangs in the balance.

And that's not a threat,

it's not a scare,

it's just the truth.

So I encourage you,

if there's any uncertainty

in your life

about your salvation,

respond as we stand

in the moment.

Let's have a conversation

about that.

Let's deal with that.

Maybe you're here

this morning

and you know

that you are a Christian.

You know that you've

given your heart and life

to the Lord,

but you've never

publicly acknowledged Him.

You've never let others

know what God's done

in your life.

And Christ,

by His example

and by His commission,

tells us

that we ought to

let others know

about our private decision

publicly

through baptism.

If you've never done that,

I encourage you

to come this morning.

We'll line that up,

take care of that.

Maybe, in fact,

God's drawing you

to this congregation.

You've worshipped with us

and you realize

that this is the place

that God would have you

to serve

alongside us.

If that be the case,

I encourage you to come.

If you have questions,

let's talk.

Let's set up a time

to talk about that.

Maybe you're here

this morning

and you do know

you're a Christian,

but you're like me.

You're weighed down

about folks

that don't know the Lord.

Maybe God's laid somebody

upon your heart today.

Will you ask Him

to just give you the words,

empower you,

to speak up,

to make a difference

in their lives?

And if God's not

put anybody

on your heart and mind,

would you do me

a favor today

and would you say,

Lord,

will you lay somebody

on my heart

that might need the Lord?

Will you help me

to walk through

the doors of obedience

and grow

because I've simply

followed you

and obeyed you?

Man,

what a difference

we could make

and pickings

in our surrounding area

if we'd share

our faith

for the Lord Jesus Christ

faithfully.

Lord Jesus,

I love you

and I thank you

for the opportunity

that you give us

to rest in you,

dear God.

I'm thankful,

Lord,

that even though

hell is real,

salvation is even more real

and I'm thankful

that we can rest

in that today.

I pray that every one

of us will

and if there's one

struggling,

or one needs

to make a decision,

Lord,

I pray that you'll

give them direction today.

The boldness

to step forward

as you lead,

dear God,

to just simply

follow your will

and your way.

We love you.

Thank you for what

you're about to do

in our midst right now.

In Jesus' precious name,

amen.