THE GREAT DIVIDE - PART 4
“Would a Loving God Really Send People to Hell?”
Matthew 10:28 and John 3:16-18
INTRODUCTION TO SERMON:
A church that was seeking a new Pastor asked their top two candidates to preach a trial sermon and gave them the same topic and same text. The topic? Hell. Well, they both preached and did an excellent job. Yet one was hired and the other was not. The man who was not hired asked why and the Chairman of the search team said, “You preached on Hell as if you were glad that people were going there, the other Pastor preached on Hell with a tear in his eye.”
You know, what we are discussing today is an unpleasant topic. And it is a topic that needs to be handled with sensitivity. Because not only are we talking about hell but we’re talking about combining that horrible destination with a discussion about God’s love. Wouldn’t love and hell be an oxymoron? Here is an objection to the Christian message that seems insurmountable. But the NT has over 50 references to hell and if we as a church are going to be true to our commitment to study the whole counsel of God, then we can’t exclude this topic just because it’s not popular or because it poses some intellectual or emotional challenges. So, let’s look at hell as a place, then at why such a place exists and then deal with our question of how a loving God could ever really send people to such a place. (Prayer)
Video Clip - “Little Nicky” Start: Chp. 3 - 9:16 - Stop: Chp. 3 - 10:15 = :55
I. THE PLACE: What is hell?
That clip and that movie, like a lot of movies, comedians and even some Christians, deals with the subject of Hell and Satan, very lightly. I think that’s because in some people’s minds this whole concept of punishment in a place of eternal torment is just not feasible, it just can’t be real. And so, you may have heard people say things like, "Well, I may go to hell but all my friends will be there and we’ll have one huge party!" Even Mark Twain once said, “I’ll take heaven for climate, but hell for company.” As if hell is where the fun people will be. Others who don’t necessarily joke about it will often say things like: "I could never be happy for eternity in heaven, if I knew some of my loved ones were in Hell." -or- “The idea of hell is just an ancient tradition from by gone days when people thought of God as an angry tyrant.”And although joking about Hell is not terrible in itself, it can give us a false sense of security. In fact, those ideas, statements and feelings have led some to the doctrine of Universalism, which teaches that God will ultimately save everyone, regardless of how they lived or how they responded to Christ. A recent Harris Poll found that while 89% of Americans believe there is a heaven, only 73% believe in hell. But that figure is misleading because people differ in how they define hell. When defined as an actual location, a place of real torment where people will be sent, only about three in ten adults (31%) believe in hell.
Well, even though the world views Hell with skepticism and often makes light of it, what does the Bible teach? Let’s look at several Scriptures that point out that hell is a real place. Because we can choose to listen to sinful man who doesn’t know everything and whose theories come and go. Or we can listen to God through His Word, the Bible, which has stood forever.
When Jesus spoke of hell He used the word that referred to a real place. The word "Gehenna" which is what the Greek word is for hell describes the valley of "henna" or more properly, "hinnom." This was a valley SW of Jerusalem that was the city’s garbage dump. Here all the waste and filth was dumped, even bodies were burned there. It was a foul place of stench and rot and this is what our Lord used to illustrate
hell. Now keep in mind this garbage dump as we look at three gripping phrases that the Bible uses to describe hell. Everyone of these phrases is frightening.
(1) Hell is called a place of unquenchable fire. In Mark 9:43 Jesus says, "If your hand causes you to sin, cut it off. It is better to enter heaven with only one hand than to go into the unquenchable fires of hell with two hands."(NLT) Do you know of any pain that is to much more excruciating than being burned? If you’ve ever touched a stove or hot iron you know the stinging awful hurt of a burn. But in this place, Jesus says the fire never goes out. You burn but you don’t even get relief from death.
The second phrase is that hell is a place of horrible torment. Not that unquenchable fire isn’t bad but there’s additional torment that goes with it.
(A) Jesus describes hell as utter darkness. Matt. 25:30 - "Throw this useless servant outside into the utter darkness. People will cry and be in extreme pain there."(GW) Now, exactly how it works that there is fire, which would produce light and yet there will be utter darkness is unclear. But Jesus is using very graphic terms to warn us about what hell is like. Ever been in a room or somewhere where there is total darkness? Where you can’t even see your hand in front of your face? There is a sense of panic, disorientation, lack of hope. (B) Rev. 14:11 says that those in hell will get no rest. "And the smoke from their burning pain will rise forever and ever. There will be no rest for them, day or night"(NCV) Never any rest, never any sleep, how awful. (C)In Mark 9:48 Jesus says that in hell the "worm does not die." Just think of yourself in complete darkness, experiencing the pain of continual burning and having things crawl all over you.
But I think the last phrase is the worst. Rev.20:10-15 refers to hell as the second death. Death in any language means separation. People in hell will be absolutely separated from God. In other words there will not be one speck of goodness in hell. For where God is not there can be nothing good. So Hell is not going to be a place of partying and fellowship. According to what God says, it is going to be a place of darkness, pain, torment and isolation.
II. THE PURPOSE: Why does hell exist?
What possible reason could there be for God to create such a horrible place? The Bible tells us that hell was originally prepared for Satan and his angels as a place of punishment. In 2 Peter 2:4 it says: “God did not spare the angels who sinned, but threw them into hell, where they are kept chained in darkness, waiting for the Day of Judgment.”(TEV) According to the Bible, before the creation of the world, there was a mass revolt in heaven. The devil, who was once a good angel, became arrogant and tried to set himself up as God. And he, along with possibly 1/3 of the angels in heaven began a war against God. Well, God won and Satan and his demons were cast out of heaven and condemned to hell. The words used by Peter in the passage we just read suggests that hell is now their abode. They can come and go now as they please. 1 Peter 5:8 says, “Your opponent the devil is prowling around like a roaring lion as he looks for someone to devour.”(GW) So, their universal headquarters, so to speak, right now is hell but when judgement day comes that is where they will be condemned to stay forever. Matthew 25:41 says, "Then Jesus will say to those on his left, ‘Go away from me. You will be punished. Go into the fire that burns forever that was prepared for the devil and his angels."(NCV) Satan knows he is doomed eternally but he knows he can hurt God most by taking as many to hell with him as he can when that final day of judgement comes. So, hell was originally created for the devil and his angels but the Bible also tells us that certain people will go to hell.
2 Peter 2, along with other scriptures tell us that all those who refuse to accept Christ, who “deny the Sovereign Lord,” will join the angels in hell. Revelation 20 talks about “the book of life” that lists those who accept Jesus. Then it says in vss.14-15 “The lake of fire is the second death. If anyone’s name was not found written in the book of life, they were thrown into the lake of fire.”(NIV) There are also passages that tell us that those who care nothing for God but only about indulging self have a reservation there. Rev. 21:8 reads: “But cowards who turn away from me, and unbelievers, and the corrupt, and murderers, and the immoral, and those who practice witchcraft, and idol worshipers, and all liars - their doom is in the lake that burns with fire and sulfur. This is the second death.”(NLT) The purpose of hell was originally created for rebellious angels but will also be the destination for rebellious unbelievers.
I think the reality, even the probability, of such a place should motivate us in at least three areas:
First it motivates you to holy living. Jesus said in Matt. 10:28 - "Do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul; rather give your complete respect to God, who can destroy both body and soul in hell." (SEB) Fear sometimes is a legitimate motive. Sometimes I drive the speed limit because I want to be a safe driver. But I admit that sometimes I drive the speed limit because that is what is best and sometimes I drive the speed limit because I fear getting a ticket. Sometimes I pay my taxes because I love my country and sometimes I pay because I’m afraid of the penalty. Sometimes I kiss my wife good-bye because I want to and sometimes I know if I don’t I’ll.. No, that’s not a good analogy. But you get the point don’t you. Fear sometimes is a good motive. So, sometimes I obey God because I love Him and am grateful to Him, and sometimes I obey just out of respect for who He is and for His power. In Romans 3 Paul says that people are in danger of punishment because , "There is no fear of God before their eyes." Fear is the last line of prevention that keeps us from falling away from God. If there is no fear, no respect for who God is and what He can do, then there is no limit to the depths we can sink.
Another motivator is that the reality of hell should motivate us to reach out to others. Paul in Rom.9:1-2 said that he had great sorrow and anguish in his heart for his people the Jews because without Jesus they were condemned. In vs:3 he goes so far as to say, "For my people, my Jewish brothers and sisters. I would be willing to be forever cursed - cut off from Christ! - if that would save them."(NLT) You see, Paul believed in hell and so he would do whatever he could to show the Jesus who is the way, the truth and the life to others. And when we really come to believe that there is a hell reserved for those that are lost without Jesus then it will rekindle our passions for the lost and motivate us to reach out to them with the truth.
Another motivator from believing in the reality of hell is that it motivates us to a deeper love for our Jesus. If you have a friend that rescues you from an embarrassing moment, you appreciate them. But if you have a friend that rescues you from drowning, you’re forever grateful. And when we understand that Jesus Christ has rescued us from eternal torment in hell our love for Him is never ending. Once when John Wesley was preaching he noticed several people sleeping. And he just stopped and yelled, "Fire! Fire! Fire! and the people jumped up and said, "Where? Where? Where?" and Wesley said, "In Hell for those who sleep in church!" Now, the Bible doesn’t teach that but the doctrine in hell is disturbing it can wake us up and motivate us to holiness, to reaching out to others and appreciation.
III. THE PROBLEM: Would a loving God really send people to hell?
Ok. How do we harmonize all of this? Is it possible that 1 John 4:16 can define God by saying, “God is love,” and yet this loving God can send people to hell? The answer to that question is emphatic and may surprise you. Would a loving God really send people to hell? NO! God won’t send anyone to hell... BUT... (you knew that was coming right?) God won’t send anyone to hell, but we will condemn ourselves to that horrible place. How? By rejecting God. Let me illustrate. Let’s say you see someone drowning. You are in a boat and they start flailing away obviously in distress. First, you call out to them, “Can you swim?” They say, “No!”So, you throw them a rope: “Grab the rope, I’ll pull you in.” But they say, “No, I don’t want a rope. Get away from me!” And you see them go down and come back up sputtering. Your flabbergasted, but you look around and find a life ring, so you throw that to them and say, “Grab the life ring, it’ll keep you afloat until I can pull along side of you.” But even though it’s in easy reach they yell, “No! I don’t want it, I’m okay. Get away!” And you see them sink again, this time longer and they barely get back to the surface. You know they are in serious trouble and being an excellent swimmer you jump in the water and start swimming toward them. They start yelling, “Go away, leave me alone!” and they go down again. This time they don’t come back up so you dive down and try to grab them but they fight you off. In a panic you try again and again and they continue to fight you off. Finally, with your strength almost spent you see them sink toward the bottom. You swim back to your boat, you radio 911 and they come and recover a body. Now, let me ask you. How would you react if someone said, “You condemned them to die! You sent them to their death!” Why you’d be dumbfounded. You didn’t condemn them to die, in fact you did everything you could. They may have been just too stubborn or maybe even suicidal, but in any event they drowned themselves. The spiritual analogy is clear. God doesn’t send anyone to hell, they condemn themselves due to their own stubbornness, rebelliousness or unbelief. In fact, God has done everything he could to keep it from happening. So, why does hell exist? If there was no water the person couldn’t drown so why not just exterminate hell? God can’t do that... for at least two reasons:
(1) Man’s freedom of choice. In order to have free-will, there must exist choices to choose from and you must be able to attain what you have chosen along with any consequences which that choice must bring. God didn’t create robots. God, made us in His image as creatures of free-will, and therefore had to provide us with an alternative choice and the means to attain that choice. And so came into being the "other" tree, the tree in the Garden of Eden that God told Adam and Eve not to eat from. Why did God put it there? So there would be a choice. Without a choice there is no free will, but with free will there is choice. And we can either choose to follow God and have Him and all that comes with that choice, or choose not to follow God and not have Him and all that comes with that choice. Now, you might say, “Hey, take away the choice! That way there won’t be consequences for making the wrong one.” But if there are no consequences then there are no rewards either. If free-will is removed, so is love, worship, devotion, adoration, commitment, honor, creativity... and heaven. C.S. Lewis said it this way: “Sin is man saying to God throughout his life, ‘Go way and leave me alone.’ Hell is simply God saying to man, ‘You may have your wish.’” So man’s free will makes hell necessary but so does:
2. God’s character. The Bible over and over again teaches us that God is a holy God. That is, there is not the slightest imperfection in His character and conduct. Through all eternity God will never change, never deteriorate or disappoint. Because God is perfect and holy He cannot abide with sin. He cannot tolerate it or co-exist with it. Yes, God is a God of perfect love, but he is also a God of perfect justice. We are so used to plea bargains, early release and “good and honor time” that it is very difficult for us to grasp perfect justice. But that is God. If God allowed sin into heaven, it would not be heaven any more. But because he has prepared a perfect place for us then we, as perfect people can enjoy a beautiful, sinless, pure existence. But you say, “Wait! I’m not perfect. How then can I go to heaven? Have I condemned myself to hell?
This answer to that question is what makes the gospel such great news because by sending Jesus, God gave us the rescue from hell. Now, it’s true we are not perfect and because of our sin we were doomed to Hell. But then Jesus stepped from heaven and said, "I’ll take their place." That’s exactly what Romans 3 tells us. “For all have sinned; all fall short of God’s glorious standard. 24Yet now God in his gracious kindness declares us not guilty. He has done this through Christ Jesus, who has freed us by taking away our sins. 25For God sent Jesus to take the punishment for our sins and to satisfy God’s anger against us. We are made right with God when we believe that Jesus shed his blood, sacrificing his life for us. God was being entirely fair and just when he did not punish those who sinned in former times. 26And he is entirely fair and just in this present time when he declares sinners to be right in his sight because they believe in Jesus.” (Romans 3:23-26 NLT) You see, God can show both perfect love and perfect justice in that all those who accept Jesus as Savior and Lord are seen not as sinners but as “little Jesus’” with his name, called “Christians.”
Don’t you see? God has not condemned you. John 3 tells us that he has done the very opposite. “For God loved the world so much that he gave his only Son so that anyone who believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.17God did not send his Son into the world to condemn it, but to save it.18“There is no eternal doom awaiting those who trust him to save them. But those who don’t trust him have already been tried and condemned for not believing in the only Son of God.” (Jn 3:16-18 LB)
The one who was and is perfect took all our sins in His body on the cross so that we could be rescued from hell. You see He has thrown you a rope, He has thrown you a life ring and He’s even jumped into the water (this earth) himself. And He reaches out in love right now and says, "If you’ll just reach out to me, I’ll save you from sin, I’ll save you from hell. Why would I do that? Because I love you so much I’d rather die than live without you." I love what C.S. Lewis says about this. He wraps our discussion up with so much truth. He wrote, “In the long run the answer to all those who object to the doctrine of hell is itself a question: ‘What are you asking God to do? To wipe out past sins and, at all costs, to give them a fresh start, smoothing every difficulty and offering every miraculous help? But he has already done so, at Calvary!” “God did not send his Son into the world to condemn it, but to save it. There is no eternal doom awaiting those who trust him to save them.”
(Pray)
{Scripture taken from The Holy Bible, translations as noted}
