Hell Is Real And It Is Not Funny Series

HELL IS REAL

AND IT IS NOT FUNNY

Revelation 20.11-15

S: Hell

C: A real place to avoid

Th: Heaven Can’t Wait

Pr: HELL IS TO BE AVOIDED.

?: Why? Why is to be avoided?

KW: Reasons

TS: We will find in our study of Scripture five reasons why we ought to avoid hell as an eternal destination.

Type: Propositional, Topical

The ____ reason to avoid hell is it is…

I. REAL (Revelation 20.14-15)

II. FINAL (Matthew 25.41)

III. PAINFUL (Luke 16.23-24)

IV. SEPARATION (II Thessalonians 1.9)

V. REGRET (Matthew 16.26)

PA: How is the change to be observed?

• Understand the awful necessity of hell

• Get on the right side, and receive the gift of life

• Warn others of its awful reality

Version: ESV

RMBC 10 June 07 AM

INTRODUCTION:

ILL Hell (H)

Outside a Canadian church was the sign:

“Sermon for Sunday: What Is Hell Like?”

Just below was the message:

“Come in and hear our choir sing.”

We know that is not true of our choir!

But it begs a related question…

Are we able to experience hell on earth?

I hope that you discovered, last week, as we studied the subject of heaven, that our language is inadequate to relate the beauty and joy of heaven.

I think that speaks to this truth…

No matter what we say about heaven here on earth, the reality will be far better.

I think the inverse is true as well.

Our language cannot adequately express how terrible hell will be.

Though there are many horrifying, evil, and atrocious things that happen here on earth, the reality will be worse.

Hell will be far worse.

TRANSITION:

1. Our theme for June is “Heaven Can’t Wait.”

We are doing a study in eschatology, that is the study of future things, and more specifically, our eternal destinations.

We are studying this because our understanding of heaven, and its counterpart, hell, cannot wait until the time comes that we experience them.

We are given information that is essential for us to know.

Heaven can’t wait!

This morning, we are speaking specifically about hell.

One liberal theologian (Martin Marty) has said, perhaps to his delight that “hell has disappeared and no one noticed.”

Perhaps there is no more controversial subject when it comes to the essential doctrines than the one of hell.

Bertrand Russell, the famous agnostic or atheist (by his own admission, he could not figure out what he was), said that anyone who threatens eternal punishment, as Jesus did, is inhumane.

It certainly has become a subject that is politically incorrect.

But this does not matter to us at Randall, for…

2. We believe in the reality of heaven and hell.

Our updated doctrinal statement (which will be presented for an official vote this year) states:

We believe that all will be judged by God, which will result in the eternal state of blessing for the believer and eternal punishment for the unbeliever.

Our belief in the reality of hell, though, does not coincide with America’s.

ILL Hell (S)

In a Barna survey that was reported in 2003, this is written about America’s beliefs:

While there is no dominant view of Hell, two particular perspectives are popular. Four out of ten adults believe that Hell is "a state of eternal separation from God’s presence" (39%) and one-third (32%) says it is "an actual place of torment and suffering where people’s souls go after death." A third perspective that one in eight adults believe is that "Hell is just a symbol of an unknown bad outcome after death" (13%). Other respondents were "not sure" or said they that they do not believe in an afterlife (16%).

Most Americans do not expect to experience Hell first-hand: just one-half of 1% expect to go to Hell upon their death. Nearly two-thirds of Americans (64%) believe they will go to Heaven. One in 20 adults (5%) claim they will come back as another life form, while the same proportion (5%) contend they will simply cease to exist.

The doctrine of hell, though, is not subject to the whims of the times.

It may not be liked, but that does not remove its reality.

ILL Hell (S)

In The Problem of Pain, C.S. Lewis comments:

"Some will not be redeemed. There is no doctrine which I would more willingly remove from Christianity than this, if it lay in my power. But is has the full support of Scripture and, specially, of our Lord’s own words; it has always been held by Christendom, and it has the support of reason…"

Lewis, reminds us then, that…

3. We must breakdown the misconceptions about hell.

We must break down misconceptions about hell that exists out in the world.

For, you see, some believe that they would rather go to hell because that is where their friends are going to be.