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INTRODUCTION
Sermons on hell are rare. Though in many conservations the word is not. It’s an
explanation point in sentences like “What the, How the, Who the,” etc.
Once at our Bible Camp in Minnesota a kid told another kid to go there. I heard it, and you
could hear me across the lake telling the kid it was terrible hell was, he didn’t want
to go there, and don’t tell anyone else to go there.
Hell is a common word. Most often in inappropriate contexts. Today you are going to see the
word used in Biblical context, its correct usage, yet a most horrible topic. Text is still
John 3:16.
In that most precious verse of the Bible, the verse about God’s great love for the
world, that simple verse that describes our salvation, is also a verse that addresses the
subject of hell. It does so with just one word: “perish.“
The Bible taken together clearly shows there is existence of life after death. Two and only
two options are there: eternal life (heaven) or eternal death (hell) If you believe in Jesus
you will live eternally in heaven; but if you don’t believe in Jesus you will perish
eternally in hell. Only two options. Both are found in John 3:16. The option of heaven is
clearly desired in the verse, but just reference to “perish“ shows there
is a tragic alternative to salvation. We can’t overlook word “perish“
if we are going to do justice to John 3:16.
“Perish“ = to destroy, to process of destruction. The idea of
alienation, separation from well-being. To perish is not to become extinct, but bare
existence consisting only of suffering, ugliness, absolute and intense punishment.
(mild definition)
Whether we like it or not, we need to understand, as we can, what it means to
“perish.“ To do that, I want to present the Biblical facts about what
perishing in hell is like. And if there is one who is not a believer, these descriptions are
your destiny, unless you repent and believe in Jesus Christ.
1. A Personally Inflicted Punishment
- Psalm 1:6 “the way of the ungodly shall perish.”
- Form of word “perish“ 91 x’s Bible. Old and New
Testaments.
- “hell” is found 13 times in NT.
- Romans 6:23 “the wages of sin is death” - death = separation.
- Leave earth physically, leave God spiritually. To not believe is your
spiritual death sentence.
- John 3:18 “he who does not believe has been judged already”
- To perish is your own choosing. It is self-inflicted.
- If by blatant rejection or simple ignoring Jesus you are hell bound.
- If you choose not to believe and go to heaven, you will go to hell.
- Luke 13:3 “Except you repent, you will all likewise perish.”
- You can’t fake salvation, God always knows your heart. You can’t
cheat death, you cannot escape hell if you are not saved. All the ungodly will
perish, every last one. Where do you stand with Jesus?
- An attendee of our first church in Illinois, named Roger asked me one day to
come over to his house and talk to one of his friends about salvation. His
friend wasn’t really interested and said to me, “When I die I will
let God and devil fight over me.” I said: “If you don’t
believe in Jesus, God will have nothing to do with you then.”
- Matt. 23:33 Jesus told the religious people: “You serpents, you
brood of vipers, how will you escape the sentence of hell?” You can’t!!!!
- Yet, people come up with all types of excuses not to repent and believe.
a. “I don’t have time.” In your tormented eternity, you
will have plenty of time to grieve over the fact you didn’t take
time. You will know then it is too late, nothing to change or end the
torment. What a waste of time now! Invest a little time now and be saved.
b. “God is love, He won’t send anyone to hell.” God does
not send people to hell only the devil and his demons, people make their
own choice, but God is also just - and if believing is to be rewarded then
the unbelievers must be punished.
c. “Hell can’t be any worse than life now.” Yes it will.
Here we have hope, there NO hope. Here is goodness & beauty, in hell
is NONE.
d. “I don’t believe hell exists.” Disbelieving
won’t change the facts of the Bible. Jesus talked about the reality
of hell. Fools deny hell.
- Hell is a reality, if you are an unbeliever and don’t repent and turn to
Jesus, you can’t escape. Even if your religious, and are not saved, you
are playing church, you can’t escape the sentence of hell.
- If you end up in hell, it was by your choice. What a horrible choice!
2. A Perpetually Infernal Punishment
- What a horrible punishment, unspeakable. Hollywood can’t duplicate it.
- The Bible gives us a limited but graphic glimpse of hell’s horrors.
- Matt. 25:41 “eternal fire”
- Hell is eternal, lasts forever, if aren’t saved, you will live there
forever in torment. “eternal, everlasting” = always being, no
end.
- Impossible to comprehend eternity, we are locked in time.
- Like a bird carrying one grain of sand to the moon until all earth is gone
- just a beginning.
- This earth seems old, but not eternal, only 6-10 thousand years. Billions
of years is only a beginning. Horrible thinking of someone being in prison
for life, but nothing compared to being in prison of hell forever.
Eternity in hell’s punishment should scare us just because we
can’t describe it’s duration, no escape.
- Notice hell was prepared for the devil and his angels, God wishes not to
send people to hell, but in the text context of justice, those accursed,
the unbelievers must be punished.
- Does the punishment of hell match the crime? To God it does because of the
hideousness of sin. We not only have a hard time understanding the horror
of hell, but how about the horror of sin?
- Then there is the fire... Mark 9:43-44 “unquenchable fire”
- Gk word is “Gehenna,” transliteration of Hebrew
“Hinnon.”
- Pictures garbage dump outside Jerusalem - horrible sight, stench, maggots,
perpetual fire.
- That was worst place one describes on earth familiar to people.
- Hell’s punishment feels like fire - it doesn’t burn out, and
something will eat at sinners like worms - is that horrible enough?
- 2 Peter 2:17 “black darkness” Matthew 8:12 “outer
darkness”
- Hell will be pitch black. So dark you can’t see a thing, not
suitable to party with your old buddies, but darkness you can feel. If you
are afraid of the dark, hell will make that fear worse.
- Auto racing alcohol fires have no flame, you can’t see the fire but
you feel it.
- Luke 16:23-24 “in torment…in agony in this flame”
- somehow in the darkness around, the sinner will see what they are missing
at a distance or in their imagination. Chasm is un-crossable.
- The sinner is conscious, fully aware of the horror of his plight.
- The feeling is “torment” = unbearable suffering. Some
people suffer greatly in life in abuse, prison, disease. This torment is
beyond that to unbearable, feeling the fire.
- 2 Thessalonians 1:8-9 “eternal destruction, away from...Lord”
- The worse of hell, is away from the presence of the Lord. On earth there
is the presence of the Lord tempering evil, providing good. Imagine, all
of the good of God will be gone - beauty of creation, love, hope dignity,
happiness - all gone, nothing but evil. John 3:36
- The sinner spent his lifetime having nothing to do with God, here God will
spend eternity having nothing to do with sinner.
- Revelation 21:8 “lake of fire...the second death”
- Born once, die twice. Born twice, die once.
- The people who go there are the ungodly - you in that list?
- Not a pretty picture, it is not to be. It is hell.
CONCLUSION
If you don’t wish to be saved, or if you just try to ignore God, this is your
alternative. Since words can’t fully express its horror, it is much worse.
The most famous sermon preached was on the wrath of God and Hell as by Jonathan Edward’s
in 1741, it was titled “Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God.” (Someday I need to
read it to you.) In part it says:
“O sinner! Consider the fearful danger you are in; it is a great furnace of
wrath, a wide and bottomless pit, full of the fire of wrath, that you are held over in
the hand of that God, whose wrath is provoke and incensed against you...You hang by a
slender thread, with the flames of divine wrath flashing about it...and nothing to lay
hold of to save yourself, nothing to keep off the flames of wrath...Therefore, let
everyone that is out of Christ, now awake and fly from the wrath to come.”
Are you out of Christ? Away from Him by your sin? Unless you come to Christ you are heading
straight to hell. Two choices after life: Heaven or hell? Next week heaven! I know many of you
have made decisions to believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, in a crowd like this is probably
someone or two who haven’t. I hope the Bible scares you from hell.
If it has, please pray the sinners prayer:
“Dear God: I know that I am a sinner and need Your forgiveness. I believe Jesus Christ
died on the cross for me and rose again from the dead. Right now, I invite Jesus Christ to
come into my life as my Savior and Lord. Thank you for forgiveness and eternal life. Guide me
to live a holy life. In Jesus Name. AMEN”
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