THE SCARIEST PLACE OF ALL
INTRODUCTION: Today is Halloween. The day when people talk about scary things like ghosts, witches and vampires. The day when we think about scary places like graveyards and haunted houses. I thought it would be pertinent to talk about a scary subject on this scary holiday. In fact, there is no subject more frightening. Today I want to talk to you about a place that’s scarier than a graveyard or haunted house. I’m going to talk to you today about a place called Hell.
1) Hell is a real place.
• Some people believe hell isn’t an actual place but just an anguished state of existence. If you want to follow that logic then perhaps heaven isn’t a literal place but rather a blissful state of existence. And therefore, God and Satan aren’t literal beings either, just personas. Some would have us believe that all of this is just a figment of our imaginations. If that’s true I guess I’ve got nothing to lose. I live my life striving to practice good principles and then I die and that’s it. But, if I’m right and you’re wrong you have everything to lose. So, it’s a win-win for me either way. The same can’t be said of you though. The chance that hell doesn’t really exist is not one I’m willing to take. To Hell and Back-pg 432. The bible illustrates Hell in literal terms. In the New Testament the word ‘hell’ is also translated as the Greek words, ‘Gehenna’ which means, ‘the place of punishment’ and also ‘Hades’ which means, ‘the place of the dead’. Jesus describes it in Matt. 8:12 as a place where there is darkness and there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. In Matt. 25:41 he explains it as eternal fire and in verse 46 as eternal punishment. In Mark 9:48 Jesus depicts hell as a place where the worm does not die and the fire is not quenched. In Luke 16:19-31 Jesus tells the story of the rich man and Lazarus. Both had died and Lazarus went to ‘Abraham’s side’ which is another way to say, ‘the home of the righteous’, and the rich man went to hell. He described it in vs. 24 as ‘being in agony in the fire’ and in vs. 28 as ‘a place of torment’. Rev. 20:14-15 talk about it being a lake of fire. And anyone whose name was not found in the book of life was thrown into it. And 21:8 says it is a fiery lake of burning sulfur. Hell is a real, literal place.
2) Hell is real scary place.
• One reason hell might not scare us is because we believe we’re not going there. If we believe we’re automatically going to heaven we don’t need to think about hell. The reality however, is found in Romans 3:10, “There is no one righteous, not even one.” And in verse 23 we read, “For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” That word all is sobering. That means everyone sins so no one is exempt from this fate. But we might accept the fact that we’re sinners but still think we haven’t done anything to deserve hell. “Well, I might have sinned but I didn’t do anything that bad?” The problem with that is we judge by a different standard than God does. We judge by a system of checks and balances. If our good deeds outweigh our bad ones we should be granted access into heaven. First of all, have you really been keeping track of your deeds all along to know the ratio? Second, it just doesn’t work that way. God’s system of judgment is on a basis of holy vs. unholy, righteous vs. unrighteous, sinner vs. saint. God, in his holy nature cannot look upon sin with favor. That’s why when Adam and Eve sinned against God he banished them from the Garden of Eden. Isaiah 59:2 says that our sins have separated us from God. Therefore, just like Adam and Eve were banished from the Garden of Eden for disobeying God’s command, we too are separated from Him because of our sin. And just as in Gen. 2:17 when God told Adam if he disobeyed him he would die, so too when we sinned against God we became spiritually dead as Ephesians 2:1 tells us. And since we’re spiritually dead, if we stay that way and we die then we will be eternally separated from God. Then, unfortunately, the idea of hell suddenly becomes our reality.
• Another reason hell might not scare us is because if I think there’s a chance I might end up there, it’s won’t be that bad. Hell is even thought of as a place of destiny; like it’s going to be one big party with all my friends. In 1979, AC/DC released an album titled, “Highway to Hell”. The title song by the same name became one of the band’s most popular songs. The lyrics personify too many people’s attitude toward hell: ‘Living easy, living free; Season ticket on a one-way ride. Asking nothing, leave me be; Taking everything in my stride. Don’t need reason, don’t need rhyme; Ain’t nothing I'd rather do. Going down, party time; My friends are gonna be there too. I’m on the highway to hell.’ No stop signs, speed limit; Nobody’s gonna slow me down. Like a wheel, gonna spin it; Nobody’s gonna mess me round. Hey Satan, paid my dues; Playing in a rocking band. Hey momma, look at me; I’m on my way to the promised land. I’m on the highway to hell.’ Interestingly, within a year after this album’s release, their vocalist, Bon Scott, died after a night of partying. I wonder if his own lyrics came back to haunt him. Satan loves it when we minimize hell. Hell doesn’t scare us because we’ve watered it down and make it more bearable; we’ve made it into something it’s not. Instead of protecting ourselves from facing the reality of hell, we need to come out of denial and get a handle on the magnitude of its evil and grasp the severity of its torment.
• Another wrong assumption some people have is that they think we are experiencing hell right now on earth. Those who think this way are forgetting something. Although the world is full of evil it is also full of God’s goodness. There is the beauty of God’s creation as well as his people living out their faith and exemplifying godly qualities to those around them. Therefore, in this world you find both good and evil at work. But, to get a picture of hell we have to imagine a place that is devoid of anything that is good. Picture the most unimaginable evil and then picture that being all that exists. And that existence isn’t for a day and then it’s over; it’s the only existence you would ever know for eternity. People wonder why God allows so much evil to take place in the world. I can wonder sometimes too but what I’ve been able to realize is this: it could be worse. In the story of Job God allowed Satan to inflict harm upon Job. But what was interesting is Satan wasn’t free to do whatever he wished. He needed God’s permission. And God set boundaries for Satan. “You may do this, but no more”. “You may go this far, but no further.” Therefore we realize that Satan is on God’s leash. If Satan is the opposite of God then as God is love, Satan is hate. As God is pure and holy Satan is impure and unholy. God is good, Satan is evil. And as we can only imagine the magnitude of the goodness of God, we can also only imagine the extent of the evil of Satan. So what do we conclude? As much evil that goes on in this world, it’s only a taste of what Satan would like to be able to do. Instead of wondering why God allows what he does, we need to be thankful that he doesn’t allow Satan to do more. We don’t know what we’re being protected from. But, in hell, all bets are off. In hell Satan is allowed to do what he wishes. God’s restraint, God’s goodness isn’t present in hell. As our minds can’t really fathom the wonder, amazement and beauty of heaven, our minds also can’t fully comprehend the magnitude of hatred, disgust and torment that exists in hell. The reality of Hell is not merely bad news; it’s the worst news there is to hear. D.L. Moody reportedly shared Christ with a young man. The man had trouble grasping his need of Christ. At one point, he said to D.L. Moody, “If I could see heaven for five minutes, I would believe.” D.L. Moody’s response was, “If you could see hell for five seconds, you would believe.” What is Hell Like-pg. 431.
3) Hell is a real avoidable place?
• “How could a good, loving God send people to hell?” First of all, although we need to fear God’s judgment since he does have the power to send us to Hell; in reality it’s our sin and the refusal to accept the gift of eternal life that puts us there. Romans 6:23, “For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord”. The gift of salvation is offered to all but not all will benefit from it; some reject the gift. They might not believe they need to be saved. Secondly, God doesn’t want anyone to go to hell. 2nd Peter 3:9 says that God doesn’t want anyone to perish but everyone to come to repentance. God doesn’t want you to go to hell; He loves you. That’s why he sent his Son. Romans 5:8, “But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” God is love. So really, if you reject Jesus you reject love. And if you reject love there’s only one thing left for you; condemnation. John 3:16-18. God so loved the world… God loves you but he hates sin. He who doesn’t believe stands condemned already. There is no neutral territory. Right now, in this very moment you’re either saved or lost. Some people choose to stay lost because they love their sin too much and don’t want to give it up. Vss. 19-21. Some will perish because of their refusal to accept the truth. 2nd Thess. 2:9-10. Some people refuse to accept the truth that Jesus is the only way. Jesus said in John 14:6, “I am the way, the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” One way; that’s it. If you want to spend eternity in Heaven and avoid the flames of hell then you need Jesus. Not Buddha, not Mohammed, not Mary; Jesus. My good deeds will not get me there. Being baptized as a baby doesn’t lock me in. Simply performing a ritual or adhering to a church tradition won’t do it either. It needs to go deeper than that. We need to believe, we need to have faith but we need the right kind of faith. James 2:14-19. The demons believe but they aren’t going to Heaven. Therefore, our belief has to go beyond a surfaced, intellectual understanding and acknowledgment. It has to go beyond the verbal. It needs to come from our heart, not just our lips. Jesus said in Matthew 7:21, “Not everyone who says to me Lord, will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only he who does the will of my Father who is in heaven.”
• You may be thinking that you need salvation but have plenty of time before you have to make that decision. I need you to find me the document signed by God that states you have all the time in the world. Show me your guarantee for tomorrow. James 4:13-16. God is trying to reach you today. Hebrews 3:15 says, “Today, if you hear his voice, do not harden your hearts.” Now, God doesn’t want you to make this decision hastily. In Luke 14:25-33 Jesus cautions us to count the cost of being his disciple. He wants us to understand the commitment we are making. However, we shouldn’t put the decision off either. I believe if you are making a genuine pursuit to find out what it means to be a Christian God will sustain you. But, if you are willingly putting it off in order to ‘have fun’ first and somewhere down the road you plan on thinking about it more seriously then you are taking a major chance with your eternal fate. Because here’s the kicker: sooner or later you will recognize Jesus as Lord. Phil. 2:9-11. So, whether you recognize Jesus as Lord now while you’re alive or after you’re dead, it’s going to happen. But, here’s the difference: if you choose to submit to Jesus’ Lordship in this life you are saved. However, if you reject his Lordship and you die you will come to a sobering conclusion that he is Lord; but then it will be too late to do anything about it. Regret is a very painful reality. Painful all the more when there is nothing you can do about it. In that moment you will finally get it. You will wish beyond all hope that you had listened when the opportunity to respond to the gospel message was presented to you. You will scream in agony over the realization that no amount of begging and pleading will grant you another chance because once we die that’s it. Heb. 9:27 says that we are destined to die once and then face judgment. Upon death our fate is sealed. For eternity you will have to live with the fact that you could’ve escaped the pit of hell for eternity and been able to enjoy a blissful existence with God forever. Living with the truth that Jesus is Lord and regretting your rejection of him. Knowing you blew your countless chances to become born again; and for what? A few more years of foolish pleasure that now don’t mean squat compared to this endless torment. Jesus said in Mark 8:36, “What good is it for a man to gain the whole world, yet forfeit his soul?” Unfortunately, too many people will do just that; and they will forfeit their soul for much less than the whole world. Don’t be one of them. Don’t let 2nd Thess. 1:8-9 become your reality. Hell is an avoidable place.
CONCLUSION: Today this sermon might have offended you. This sermon might have frightened you. This sermon may have enlightened you. Whatever the case is I hope it motivates you. I hope it motivates you to either seek me out so I can tell you how to avoid the fires of Hell and find salvation. If you are already born again I hope it motivates you to a deeper appreciation for what you’ve been saved from and I hope it motivates you to be more adamant about sharing the gospel with those who are perishing so they don’t have to end up in Hell. No matter what, everyone at some point in their lives needs to face the reality of Hell and the reality of that’s where I’m going because of my sin. But, the good news is that because Jesus paid the penalty for my sin when he went to the cross, I can escape eternity in Hell and experience an eternity in Heaven when I put my faith in Him. Then I can echo the words of 2nd Cor. 9:15, “Thanks be to God for his indescribable gift!”
