Title: Why Hell?
Date: 5/21/17
Place: BLCC
Text: 2 Peter 3.12-13
CT: Hell is real, but so is the salvation of the cross.
FAS: British evangelist Rico Tice says, "Loving people means warning people." He illustrates with the following personal story:
I was once in Australia visiting a friend. He took me to a beach on Botany Bay, so I decided I had to go for a swim. I was just taking off my shirt when he said: "What are you doing." I said: "I'm going for a swim." He said: "What about those signs?" And he pointed me to some signs I'd not really noticed— Danger: Sharks! With all the confidence of an Englishman abroad, I said: "Don't be ridiculous— I'll be fine."
He said: "Listen mate, 200 Australians have died in shark attacks— you've got to decide whether those shark signs are there to save you or to ruin your fun. You're of age—you decide." I decided not to go for a swim.
[Many of the words about hell found in the Bible] are all straight from Jesus' lips. And they're a loving warning to us. The reason Jesus talked about hell is because he does not want people to go there. The reason Jesus died was so that people wouldn't have to go there. The only way to get to hell is to trample over the cross of Jesus. That is a great motivator for our evangelism.
Rico Tice, Honest Evangelism (The Good Book Company, 2015)
We don’t like to talk about hell do we? We speak of it today by necessity not by choice. I didn’t decide to preach on hell to fire us up to go out and spread the word about hell. We don’t go around shouting out how bad hell is and the horror it will be for those who don’t know Jesus. Do we?
But maybe we should. There is an apocryphal urgency that those without Jesus stand to go to hell if the Day of the Lord comes too soon before they accept Jesus as their Savior. Not holding back today guys. We need Jesus to save us.
But hell is real and before we speak of hell we first need to speak of the basic goodness and fairness of God. To understand why there must be a hell we must look at the nature of God and who He is.
Who is God?
God is Creator. The world and all creatures are His. He has the authority to do with the world as he sees fit.
But in addition to this it must be stressed that God is loving. God has got to be tired of man’s disobedience and rejection of Him yet He makes a way for us to escape the wrath we so deserve. God has got to do something about the wickedness of the world.
As a holy God He cannot let it go or condone the behavior of wicked men. When people persist in doing evil and Gods looks upon them he is angry and has got to do something. The wrath of God is rightly poured on those who choose to follow the devil and live in moral darkness. God is capable of doing whatever He wants with them, but He does all He can to save them. Yet when they continue to reject and turn from Him to follow the ways of evil, God has no choice. Hell comes into play.
So today let’s look closer at whom God is. Next week we will look at what Jesus says about Hell itself. But today we look at why there has to be a hell.
In the beginning was God.
God is the Creator. He made the earth and all in it. If He chooses to destroy it He can.
2 Peter 3.12, as you look forward to the day of God and speed its coming. That day will bring about the destruction of the heavens by fire, and the elements will melt in the heat.
God does it to release the earth from its bondage to decay.
Romans 8.21, that the creation itself will be liberated from its bondage to decay and brought into the freedom and glory of the children of God.
God created us in his own image and if we choose not to reflect that image God will have to deal with that.
David understood this, Psalm 24.1, The earth is the Lord’s, and everything in it,
the world, and all who live in it.
It is all His to do with as he so pleases.
But God is Loving. He showed His love for us even in the Garden of Eden. God’s love was shown in all He did at the creation.
God announced His love to His chosen people. Exodus 20.5-6, You shall not bow down to them or worship them; for I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God, punishing the children for the sin of the parents to the third and fourth generation of those who hate me, but showing love to a thousand generations of those who love me and keep my commandments.
John wrote in 1 John 4.8, God is Love.
God wants all men to be saved and come to the knowledge of truth. (1 Tm. 2.4)
He does not want anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance. (2 Pet. 3.9)
While the nature of God must include judgment and wrath the overwhelming outpouring of His love for us all must be realized first. Even His eternal punishments must be seen as an act of love. How could He love those who follow Him if He gave their reward to the wicked?
God is HOLY. To be in His presence we are to be holy. Only Jesus can make us holy.
God told the Israelites in Lev.11.43-44, Do not defile yourselves by any of these creatures. Do not make yourselves unclean by means of them or be made unclean by them. I am the Lord your God; consecrate yourselves and be holy, because I am holy.
David spoke of the holiness of God. Psalm 5.4-5, For you are not a God who is pleased with wickedness; with you, evil people are not welcome.
The arrogant cannot stand in your presence. You hate all who do wrong;
So who can be in the presence of the Lord? David tells us, Lord, who may dwell in your sacred tent? Who may live on your holy mountain? The one whose walk is blameless, who does what is righteous. Psalm 15. 1-2
It is clear from scripture that unholy people may not enjoy the presence of a Holy God.
This is not found only in the OT. Peter says in 1 Peter 1.15-16, But just as he who called you is holy, so be holy in all you do; for it is written: “Be holy, because I am holy.”
The writer of Hebrews also says, Without holiness no one will see the Lord. (Heb. 12.14)
GOD IS JUST
So God wants to show His love to His creation but he cannot embrace them in their unholiness. Also He cannot be anything less than just.
Moses spoke of this in Deuteronomy 32.4, He is the Rock, his works are perfect,
and all his ways are just. A faithful God who does no wrong, upright and just is he.
God is always just. Peter describes God as just in 1Peter 3.12, For the eyes of the Lord are on the righteous and his ears are attentive to their prayer, but the face of the Lord is against those who do evil.”
God continues to condemn the wicked even as He rewards the righteous who follow His Son. Here are God’s own words from Ezekiel 33.11, As surely as I live, declares the Sovereign Lord, I take no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but rather that they turn from their ways and live.
God has always called his people to turn from their evil ways and come to Him for their lives to be saved. So often they turned away.
Because they turned away and did what they wanted when they wanted with whom they wanted disregarding what God wanted:
God is Angry. Yep God is mad. Wherever there is wickedness God is angry. This is more than just a displeasure God is feeling. We are talking about God’s wrath.
The Israelites were a stiff necked bunch. They repeatedly turned from God and worshipped little g gods. Nothing makes God any angrier than us worshipping little g gods.
You got any in your life. Any thing you put ahead of God? If you do God don’t like it. It makes Him mad.
When the Israelites made the golden calf, God let the fury fly. Exodus 32.10, “I have seen these people,” the Lord said to Moses, “and they are a stiff-necked people. Now leave me alone so that my anger may burn against them and that I may destroy them. Then I will make you into a great nation.”
God was mad and ready to destroy them all. Luckily Moses interceded and God relented to some degree. Still was punishment though.
God’s wrath is seen all through the story of the Israelites. Why they didn’t get it I don’t know. Ezekiel alone repeats the warnings of God’s wrath thirty four times with sayings like: I gather you in my anger and my wrath and put you inside the city and melt you. I will gather you and I will blow on you with my fiery wrath, and you will be melted inside her. As silver is melted in a furnace, so you will be melted inside her, and you will know that I the Lord have poured out my wrath on you. (Ezek. 22.20-22).
The people did not think God would do it. They should have listened. The Apostle Paul says this; Let no one deceive you with empty words, for because of such things God’s wrath comes on those who are disobedient. Therefore do not be partners with them. Ephesians 5.6-7.
Don’t let people tell you God won’t care if you do what you want when you want with whom you want. They will tell you God won’t care.
YES HE WILL!!
Some of you may be thinking how can God be so full of anger when He calls us to not have it. In Matthew 5.22 it tells us. But I tell you that anyone who is angry with a brother or sister will be subject to judgment.
Paul says in Ephesians 4.31, Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice.
These arguments overlook that God is not a man. He is the Creator and the judge. It is His duty to punish the wicked. It is not our duty to do this.
Romans 12.19, Do not take revenge, my dear friends, but leave room for God’s wrath, for it is written: “It is mine to avenge; I will repay,” says the Lord.
Hebrews 10.30, For we know him who said, “It is mine to avenge; I will repay,” and again, “The Lord will judge his people.” It is a dreadful thing to fall into the hands of the living God.
It is God’s job to handle wrath. It is God’s job to dish it out and the truth is:
God is capable of doing it.
It is clear that God is holy and just and will do what is right as judge of all the earth. It is also clear that God has a righteous anger against all wickedness. What is maybe not clear-at least to the minds of some-is whether God is capable of carrying out the terrible threats of punishment for those who are not with His Son? It is not if he has the power to do it but does He have the stomach to go through with it. What do you think?
Lets ask some folks who may know.
The serpent in the Garden of Eden. He questioned God and whether He meant what he said about eating the forbidden fruit. He found out God did mean it and so did Adam and Eve, they found out. They were kicked out of the Garden and would now suffer death.
How about the people of Noah’s time. They watched as this crazy old man built a boat where there was no chance of water coming to float it away. God said in Genesis 6.5, The Lord saw how great the wickedness of the human race had become on the earth, and that every inclination of the thoughts of the human heart was only evil all the time.
He did spare Noah and his family. Genesis 6.9, Noah was a righteous man, blameless among the people of his time, and he walked faithfully with God.
But the rest of mankind felt God’s wrath.
2 Peter 2.5, if he did not spare the ancient world when he brought the flood on its ungodly people, but protected Noah, a preacher of righteousness, and seven others;
And what about Sodom and Gomorrah? God tried to let them be left alone if only ten righteous people could be found. Abraham tried to find ten. Ten were not found. God rained down burning sulfur on Sodom and Gomorrah.
And how did God finally deal with Pharaoh when he would not free the Israelites. Moses tried to warn him with frogs and flies and other plaques. Moses warned Pharaoh, but he didn’t believe God would do what he said.
All the first born of Egypt died. God is not to be messed with.
God revealed His wrath to Adam, Noah, Abraham and Moses.
The Apostle Peter used their stories as proof that God can and will follow through on his punishment on the wicked. 2 Peter 2.4-9, For if God did not spare angels when they sinned, but sent them to hell, putting them in chains of darkness to be held for judgment; if he did not spare the ancient world when he brought the flood on its ungodly people, but protected Noah, a preacher of righteousness, and seven others; if he condemned the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah by burning them to ashes, and made them an example of what is going to happen to the ungodly; and if he rescued Lot, a righteous man, who was distressed by the depraved conduct of the lawless (for that righteous man, living among them day after day, was tormented in his righteous soul by the lawless deeds he saw and heard)— if this is so, then the Lord knows how to rescue the godly from trials and to hold the unrighteous for punishment on the day of judgment.
God will do what He says He will do.
Don’t ever underestimate the God you follow.
His love is forever to those who follow His Son.
But His wrath is forever to those who do not follow the Son and follow the ways of the wicked and evil.
Conclusion. How do we avoid this wrath? It is pretty simple. Follow His Son. Be baptized and receive the Holy Spirit that will guide you and protect you from falling prey to the devil and his schemes to take you away.
Won’t you come today and accept God’s forgiveness and be surrounded by His grace and love that he so wants so much for you. God’s wrath is something we as followers of His Son do not have to fear.
Hell is not a place for us.
We have another place prepared for us in heaven.
BIBLIOGRAPHY:
Boles, Kenny. The life to come: what the Bible says about the afterlife. Joplin, MO: College Press, 2010. Print. Part 2 Chapter 15
