TWAS THE NIGHT BEFORE . . .
(All my sermons use illustrations found at www.sermoncentral.com and all scripture is NIV unless otherwise noted)
Today is Halloween, the night before what has been called “All Saints Day” a supposed time to pray and remember the dead. The History of this evening is one that has morphed into something so much different then what it was intended to be. For instance the Celts, believed that on this night we should celebrate the end of the lighter half of the year, and the beginning of the darker half. That on this night, the border between this world and the “other-world” becomes thin, allowing spirits, (both harmless and harmful) to pass through. The wearing of costumes was done in order to ward off the harmful spirits. This was traditionally a night before the church could pray for those spirits that were supposedly stuck between here and heaven.
It can all be confusing I suppose, but the truth is that when we die, Heb 9:27
Just as man is destined to die once, and after that to face judgment,
Once we die, the next thing to come is JUDGMENT! Hell is not a place we want to be, BUT it is where the demons, ghouls and such belong. So this morning let us look at Hell from a biblical perspective and see the truth from God’s Word.
I must say that many churches and preachers do not talk much about Hell today. The doctrine of Hell is not accepted by many, In a recent survey, it was determined that 35% of Baptists; 54% of Presbyterians, 58% of Methodists, and 60% of Episcopalians DO NOT Believe in a literal place called HELL! 71% of the 8 leading seminaries in the United States Do Not Believe in either Heaven or Hell.
Hell is one of those subjects that many preachers don’t talk about because it makes us uncomfortable. BUT, if more preachers would talk about Hell, maybe less people would brag about heading there. If you could have 30 seconds in either Heaven or Hell which one would you chose to have an impact on non-believers? I would chose Hell, because it might just allow me to show HOW MUCH we would not want to be there. Jesus spoke of heaven much less then He did Hell and the “eternity of Hell” is mentioned 126 times in the NEW TESTAMENT.
Matt 25:41-46 "Then he will say to those on his left, 'Depart from me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. 42 For I was hungry and you gave me nothing to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink, 43 I was a stranger and you did not invite me in, I needed clothes and you did not clothe me, I was sick and in prison and you did not look after me.' 44 "They also will answer, 'Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or needing clothes or sick or in prison, and did not help you?' 45 "He will reply, 'I tell you the truth, whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for me.'
46 "Then they will go away to eternal punishment, but the righteous to eternal life."
PRAYER
This morning I hope that anyone who is sitting on the fence might see that you are either for Jesus or you are against Him, and those who are NOT FOR Him are headed to a place or eternal torment and punishment. BUT, what do we know about Hell?
It is a place of eternal fire - Matthew 5:22 speaks of being in the danger of the FIRE of Hell. Eternal fire as mentioned in Mark 9:43.
Both Soul & Body can be destroyed in Hell - Matt 10:28 Do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather, be afraid of the One who can destroy both soul and body in hell.
It is a place of conscious torment Matt 13:49-50 This is how it will be at the end of the age. The angels will come and separate the wicked from the righteous 50 and throw them into the fiery furnace, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.
HELL is eternal and irreversible - Rev 14:11-12 And the smoke of their torment rises for ever and ever. There is no rest day or night for those who worship the beast and his image, or for anyone who receives the mark of his name."
I hope this is enough for you to get the picture, HELL is not a place where we go to have a big party because we were to proud, lazy, or stupid to heed the warning of our Creator and Lord. Hell is a very BAD place and those who reject God will go to HELL.
A famous Methodist evangelist named Peter Cartwright was known for his uncompromising preaching. However, one day when the President of the United States, Andrew Jackson, "Old rough and ready," came to Cartwright’s church, the elders warned the Pastor not to offend the President. In those days, the President had great power to influence a denomination for good or bad. Content, that their Pastor would not say anything to discredit their church, the elders retired to the back of the sanctuary.
When Cartwright got up to speak, the first words out of his mouth were, "I understand that President Andrew Jackson is here this morning. I have been requested to be very guarded in my remarks. Let me say this: "Andrew Jackson will go to hell if doesn’t repent of his sin!" The entire congregation gasped with shock at Cartwright’s boldness. How could this young preacher dare to offend the tough old general in public, they wondered.
After the service, everyone wondered how the President would respond to Cartwright. When Andrew Jackson met the preacher at the door he looked at him in the eye and said, "Sir, If I had a regiment of men like you, I could conquer the world!" When we appreciate the power of the word of God and the Holy Spirit speaking from the lips of people with conviction we will make eternal differences.
I. HELL IS A CHOICE GOD LOVES US . . . BUT
So many times I hear the argument that if God is a loving God why would He dare to send us to Hell?
A. First, it is not God’s choice, He has given the gift of choice to each and every individual, and it is a gift. Without the freedom to choose we would robots, doing and saying as God commands. He receives glory as we freely choose to follow Him, and this He does not decide if we go to heaven or hell, WE DO.
B. Second, how many GOOD parents allow their children to do whatever they want without some form of punishment? Now I understand that MANY parents today say to little Johnny, “If you do that one more time . . . “ and then never follow through. BUT our Father in heaven warns us many times and DOES follow through.
Rom 1:17-18 For in the gospel a righteousness from God is revealed, a righteousness that is by faith from first to last, just as it is written: "The righteous will live by faith."
18 The wrath of God is being revealed from heaven against all the godlessness and wickedness of men who suppress the truth by their wickedness,
See here, God reveals righteousness through His Word, the Gospel message, He tells us what we must do to avoid eternal punishment and He shows His anger from heaven against all sinful, wicked people who push truth away from themselves.
C. GOD IS HOLY & JUST - In order for God to be God, a Holy, Just God, he can not just excuse sin with a wave of His hand. If He did then He would not be Holy or Just. Sin deserves to be punished, and if we can not pay the price, and refuse to accept the gift of Jesus as payment, then we MUST GO TO HELL.
D. BUT GOD SO LOVED THE WORLD - that He gave us Jesus, that those who believe in Him will not perish but instead have eternal life.
Maybe you read the B.C. cartoon that tells the rightful story. Two women are sitting on a small hill. One is reading the Bible and says, “Oh, my goodness. . . Says here. . . Jesus descended into hell!” The other is shocked and says, “You’re kidding!” Then the woman with the Bible says, “Oh, no. . . Not to stay! He just dropped in to cancel our reservations!” There is more truth in that cartoon than in a library full of books. That is a God of love, just as a parent must discipline a child and at some point turn them out on their own, so must our Father in heaven.
The first thing you should see this Halloween is that Hell is a choice.
II. THERE IS NO SECOND CHANCE IN HELL
Rev 20:13-15 The sea gave up the dead that were in it, and death and Hades gave up the dead that were in them, and each person was judged according to what he had done. 14 Then death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. The lake of fire is the second death. 15 If anyone's name was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire.
Folks, this is that time when things get a little uncomfortable, HELL is a place where there is no second chance. I know so many people are used to getting a second chance here on earth, but when we leave earth, there is NO SECOND chance. I believe this is part of good parenting. We warn our children about the consequences of their actions and many times we afford them a second chance to get things right, but there comes a time when we have to say to them, “Enough is enough, you have to pay the price now.” John’s vision in Revelation does not give any gray areas, the lake of fire is the final destination for everything wicked, Satan, the beast, the false prophet, the demons, death, Hades and ALL those whose names are not recorded in the book of life because they did not place their faith in Jesus Christ are headed for HELL.
Many years ago C.S. Lewis wrote the Screwtape Letters. Screwtape was an assistant devil writing to his nephew Wormwood. Screwtape was telling his nephew how to make the "patient" leave the camp of the arch enemy, the Prince of Peace, and dwell in the camp of the real boss, the prince of darkness. It is a great read! I would like to share with you another letter, this one written by Twisttape to his apprentice Harshwood as they discuss his training and graduation from devil’s school.
The letter begins:
Dear Harshwood,
I have read the notices that you are about to graduate and begin your work on earth. Glad to hear that your training went well. I see that you will be a graduate with honors. Splendid!
Apply all of your knowledge to the task at hand, for the enemy, the Prince of Peace, God of Love is a resourceful enemy. Just when you think you have him in your grasp or one of this people, he pulls a trick and low and behold you stand empty, you lost your soul for the fires of hell.
I would like to give you one piece of advice, one bit of wisdom as you begin your tour of duty in the enemy’s camp. Throughout my tour of duty, I have learned one thing about these humans which I feel can be so very useful for you.
Humans usually have a very high regard for themselves. They think they are pretty good. They can see the faults, the sins, the evil in another, but they see only good in themselves.
My advice to you my dear Harshwood, is to encourage that thinking. Encourage it for all its worth.
The chief antagonizer, that Christ fellow, wants the humans to see their own sins, but Harshwood, blind their eyes, their hearts, their souls to that revelation. Let them think only of the good in themselves, and you, may dear friend Harshwood, will meet your quota of human beings who will spend the rest of their lives with our master, the lord of the heat and fire, Master Satan.
Let them see that when repentance is called for it is not them who needs to repent. Let them see over and over again that they are really better than the guy next to them in the pew. When the pastor reads about John the Baptist, let them fall asleep, turn to other thoughts, so they will not realize that it is them John is talking to. Let them see that they are indeed really pretty good, no need for repentance, no need for forgiveness, and then you will have them. You will have them because they will see that they do not really need that Christ fellow, and they really need is themselves. Then, then they will be ours.
For you see my dear Harshwood, when these humans see themselves as great, then they are filled with self pride, and they don’t need that Jesus fellow. This is how it will begin. They you will have them in your claws.
Good luck on your tour of duty, my heart goes out o you as you use every trick, every scheme, every evil desire, every good intention, every proud thought to win souls for our side.
Signed
Your admiring friend
Twisttape
There is a choice each of us gets to make, and that choice is eternal, there is no second chance once we die and leave this earthly body.
III. HEAVEN IS FAR BETTER A PLACE
Col 3:1-4 Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is seated at the right hand of God. 2 Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things. 3 For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God. 4 When Christ, who is your life, appears, then you also will appear with him in glory.
When, we who are in Christ, do get to heaven, what a wonderful day that will be, when we all get to heaven, what a day of rejoicing that will be! When we all see Jesus we’ll sing and shout the victory!!
What a VICTORY! We all know John 3:16 but verse 17 is just as important to know:
John 3:17 For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him.
What a gift from God, not Hell, but heaven.
A young man was getting ready to graduate from college. For many months he had admired a beautiful sports car in a dealers showroom, and knowing that his father could well afford it, he told him that was all he wanted. As Graduation Day approached, the young man awaited signs that his father had purchased the car. Finally, on the morning of his graduation, his father called him into his private study.
His father told him how proud he was to have such a fine son, and told him how much he loved him. He handed his son a beautiful wrapped gift box. Curious, but somewhat disappointed, the young man opened the box and found a lovely, leather bound Bible, with the young man’s name embossed in gold.
Angrily, he raised his voice to his father and said, "With all your money you give me a Bible?" and stormed out of the house, leaving the Bible.
Many years passed and the young man was very successful in business. He had a beautiful home and wonderful family, but realized his father was very old and thought perhaps he should go to him. He had not seen him since that graduation day. But before he could make arrangements, he received a telegram telling him his father had passed away, and willed all of his possessions to his son. He needed to come home immediately and take care of things.
When he arrived at his father’s house, sudden sadness and regret filled his heart.
He began to search through his father’s important papers and saw the still new Bible, just as he had left it years ago. With tears, he opened the Bible and began to turn the pages.
His father has carefully underlined a verse, Matthew 7:11, "And if ye, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more shall your Heavenly Father which is in heaven, give to those who ask Him?"
As he read those words, a car key dropped from the back of the Bible. It had a tag with the dealers name, the same dealer who had the sports car he had desired. On the tag was the date of his graduation, and the words....PAID IN FULL.
How many times have we missed God’s blessings because they are not packaged as we expected?
Now, many here this morning might think to themselves, “I am glad that the preacher is talking about heaven and hell because there are plenty of other people that need to hear about it. That may be very true, BUT ask yourself: HOW MUCH HAVE YOU DONE TO ENSURE NO ONE GOES TO HELL?
The Bible is very clear about getting different rewards in heaven
A bus driver and a minister were standing in line to get into heaven. The bus driver approached the gate and St. Peter said, "Welcome, I understand you were a bus driver. Since I’m in charge of housing, I believe I have found the perfect place for you. See that mansion over the hilltop? It’s yours.
The minister heard all this and began to stand a little taller. He said to himself, "If a bus driver got a place like that, just think what I’ll get."
The minister approached the gate and St. Peter said, "Welcome, I understand you were a minister. See that shack in the valley?"
St. Peter had hardly gotten the words out of his mouth when the irate minister said, "I was a minister, I preached the gospel, I helped teach people about God. Why does that bus driver get a mansion, and I get a shack?"
Sadly St. Peter responded, "Well, it seems when you preached, people slept. When the bus driver drove, people prayed."
We need to do our part!! Won’t you look at your walk with Jesus and say, “I might not be headed for Hell, but I want to be sure no one else is wither.
Just think about the local church:
10% of church members cannot be found?
20% of church members never attend church
25% admit that they never pray
35% admit that they do not read their Bibles
40% admit that they never contribute to the church with tithe or offering
60% never give to missions
70% never assume responsibility within the church
85% never invite anyone to church
95 % have never won anyone to Christ
BUT! 100% expect to go to heaven
I hope this makes you think. As the ladies come forward this morning we offer and invitation.
INVITATION
