Introduction
Joke on the church newssheet is said: ….
“At the evening service tonight, the sermon topic will be ‘What is Hell?’ Come early and listen to our choir practice.”
We arrive at the final week of our series, …
And I’ve changed this series as we’ve gone along. We have talked about life after death earlier; and I know that some wanted some help on another big question. Honestly, I was hedging it. So no more hedging . . .
We all ask big questions about life, death, suffering — and today, we finish with one of the most uncomfortable questions: What about hell?
I’m not avoiding it,
I’m not here to scare people.
But we need to be honest, especially if we believe in a God who is both loving and just.
So today, we’ll try to answer three things:
1. What does the Bible actually say about hell?
2. How can a loving God allow it?
3. Where’s the hope in all of this?
1. What Does the Bible Actually Say About Hell?
Let’s be honest: for many people, the word hell brings up all sorts of images —
fire, pitchforks, demons, eternal torment. But is that really what the Bible teaches?
To understand hell properly, we need to look at how Jesus and the early Christians spoke about it.
a. Jesus Took Hell Seriously
Jesus talked about hell more than anyone else in the New Testament.
He did so, Not to frighten people into religion, but to wake them up.
He spoke with urgency, not anger.
He warned people out of love — the way you'd shout a warning to someone walking toward the edge of a cliff.
Let me make a statement that I hope makes a clear understanding of heaven and hell.
HEAVEN is wherever God reigns.
HELL is wherever God doesn’t reign.
That’s it. That applies to all eternity. It also applies to life .. right … now.
Don’t think about pearly gates or some Firey underworld.
HEAVEN is wherever God reigns.
HELL is wherever God doesn’t reign.
When Christ died on the cross, God’s son was in a place that God wasn’t “Why have you abandoned me?”
Jesus loved giving imagery to tell a truth. A picture tells a 1000 words.
Jesus painted pictures to help us understand a truth all through His life.
And he did the same to describe what separation from God looks like:
• “Outer darkness” (Matthew 8:12) – a place of isolation and regret.
• “Weeping and gnashing of teeth” – a phrase used often by Jesus (e.g. Matthew 13:42) to describe deep sorrow and frustration.
• “Gehenna” (e.g. Matthew 5:22) – a word Jesus used that referred to a real valley outside Jerusalem where rubbish was burned. It became a symbol of destruction and judgment. He was not saying Hell was just outside Jerusalem (although right now, it may seem like it.)
These images are not meant to give us a detailed map of hell, but to shock us into seeing that separation from God is not what we were made for.
b. Hell Is Ultimately About Separation
Perhaps the clearest description comes from 2 Thessalonians 1:9:
“They will be punished with everlasting destruction and shut out from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of his might.”
If heaven is “everlasting LIFE”, then Hell is “everlasting DEATH” There is only TWO OPTIONS
The experience of hell is not so much about flames — it’s about separation.
Separation from God’s love, peace, joy, and presence.
It’s the end result of a life that keeps saying, “I don’t want You, God.”
c. The Parable of the Rich Man and Lazarus
In Luke 16:19–31, Jesus tells a powerful parable.
A rich man lives in luxury and ignores a poor man, Lazarus, suffering at his gate.
After death, their situations are reversed: Lazarus is comforted, and the rich man is in torment.
Now, this isn’t a literal place — it's a imagery Jesus tells to reveal spiritual truth.
The real issue isn’t wealth, but hardness of heart.
The rich man had every chance to change, to care, to respond to God — but he never did.
This rich man still doesn’t change in the story.
• He doesn't ask to be with God.
• He doesn’t say sorry.
• He only wants relief and for Lazarus to serve him.
? His heart remains closed.
That’s the tragedy of hell.
Not that God shuts people out, but
that people persistently shut Him out.
d. Hell Is the Consequence of Real Choices
Why were we created?
For relationship with God.
but our Heavenly Father never forces the relationship - He says, “I’m here if you WANT me. I offer you so much, and I will FREELY GIVE IT – should you choose to accept it.
Love can’t be forced.
The Bible teaches that our decisions matter — now and eternally.
Just as heaven is being with God forever, hell is the outcome of choosing life apart from Him.
C.S. Lewis wrote:
In other words, hell is not something God delights in — it’s something He allows, because He will never override our freedom.
________________________________________
2. How Can a Loving God Allow Hell?
This is probably the most emotional and difficult part of the question.
If God is love — and the Bible says that He is — then how can He allow anyone to suffer in hell?
Wouldn’t a truly loving God just forgive everyone?
Let’s walk through this slowly and honestly.
a. Love Requires Choice
I cannot MAKE you love me.
We’ve already seen in this series
God freely offers forgiveness. He has revealed himself to us – especially through Jesus Christ.
We also need to bear in mind that God is not a human – a man with a beard. He is GOD!
He is totally outside of our understanding!
And he made us people beautifully - people who can think, feel, choose, and respond.
And with that gift of free will comes the possibility of rejecting love.
God’s desire is that
• we walk with Him,
• love Him, and
• live in relationship with Him.
But love isn’t love if it’s forced.
We can say, “yes”… and we can say “no.”
And hell is the tragic result of a life that keeps saying “no.”
God forcing anyone into His presence for eternity would be unloving.
b. God Doesn’t Want Anyone to Go There
The Bible is crystal clear: God does not want anyone to be lost.
“He is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.” — 2 Peter 3:9
“I take no pleasure in the death of anyone,” declares the Sovereign Lord. “Repent and live!” — Ezekiel 18:32
God’s heart is not one of punishment.
His heart is full of mercy, compassion, and longing.
In fact, He has gone to the greatest possible lengths to save us.
He didn’t leave us in our mess. He stepped into it.
Jesus came not just to show us God’s love — but to take
• the weight of our sin,
• the judgment we deserve, and
• offer us a way out.
Hell is real, but it is not God's desire or default plan for humanity.
The cross is proof of that.
c. Hell Doesn’t Make God Unloving — But it Shows That He’s Also Just
Imagine a world where injustice, evil, and cruelty were never judged.
Where God looked at genocide, abuse, lies, or hatred — and said, “Oh well, never mind.”
Would that be loving?
True love doesn’t turn a blind eye to evil.
True love wants healing and restoration — but also justice.
God’s justice isn’t about vengeance. It’s about putting things right.
And ultimately, hell exists because God takes our choices and our actions seriously.
God is love — but love includes justice.
Not cold legalism, but deep concern for truth and rightness.
d. C.S. Lewis: “The Doors of Hell Are Locked on the Inside”
One of the most helpful insights comes from C.S. Lewis, who said:
“The doors of hell are locked on the inside.”
In other words, God doesn’t throw people into hell. People walk there by consistently choosing to live without Him — and even at the end, they refuse to turn around.
The rich man in Jesus’ parable (Luke 16) didn’t want a relationship with God — even after death. He wasn’t crying out for mercy. He just wanted relief.
That’s the picture Jesus paints: hell isn’t full of people who want God but can’t have Him.
It’s the end of a road that people stubbornly walk down, resisting His grace at every step.
But here’s the thing…
e. God Has Done Everything to Keep You Out of Hell
The cross stands at the centre of history.
It says,
• “You don’t have to be lost.
• You don’t have to carry your guilt.
• You don’t have to live separated from God.”
“For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him.” — John 3:17
Hell is not God’s desire — rescue is.
That’s why Jesus came.
Object: A Smoke Alarm
This is a smoke alarm.
We don’t install these because we want to be afraid—we install them because we value life.
A smoke alarm warns us of danger not to scare us, but to save us.
It gives us time to respond, to get out, to live.
In the same way, the Bible speaks about hell not to frighten us into guilt, but to warn us in love.
Jesus didn’t avoid talking about hell — He did so — not to condemn, but because He came to rescue us from it. Just like a smoke alarm gives a warning we’d be foolish to ignore,
God’s Word gives a warning we’re meant to take seriously.
Hell is not God’s desire for anyone—His desire is that all would come to Him and live."
________________________________________
3. Where Is the Hope?
So far we’ve looked honestly at what the Bible says about hell and why a loving God allows it. But let’s be clear: the message of Christianity is not about hell — it’s about hope.
The heart of the gospel is not condemnation but rescue.
a. Jesus Came to Save, Not to Condemn
“For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.
For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him.” — John 3:16–17
That’s the good news.
God looked at a broken world and didn’t abandon it. He stepped into it.
Jesus came not just to give us nice teachings or moral advice — He came to deal with sin, defeat death, and reopen the way back to God.
He took the punishment that should have been ours.
He took the separation, the judgment, the spiritual darkness — so that we don’t have to.
b. No One Is Beyond God’s Reach
Hell is real. But
• so is heaven.
• So is grace.
• So is the open door to the Father’s house.
It doesn’t matter:
what your past looks like,
how far you’ve wandered, or
how long you’ve resisted — God’s arms are still open.
He doesn’t want anyone to perish. That includes you!
He’s not waiting to punish — He’s longing to forgive, to restore, to welcome you home.
“Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.” — Romans 10:13
That’s a promise.
c. The Choice Is Ours — But Hope Is Available Right Now
So the real question is not, “Why would a loving God allow hell?”
The better question is, “Why would anyone say no to a God who has gone to such lengths to save them?”
Hope is here. Jesus is the way back. And the door is open today.
________________________________________
Conclusion: A God Who Warns Because He Loves
If we ignore the idea of hell, we also water down the depth of God’s love.
He doesn’t just love us when we’re at our best.
He loves us enough to come after us when we’re at our worst.
That’s why Jesus came.
Hell isn’t the end of the story. Love is.
God doesn’t want anyone lost —
that’s why He sent Jesus.
That’s why He calls us now.
________________________________________
Call to Response
So where are you with God?
• Are you walking with Him?
• Are you still deciding? Or
• maybe you’ve been running?
The door is open today.
Jesus made sure of that.
Will you walk through it?
________________________________________
Prayer to say “yes!”:
