Greg Laurie - The Reality of Hell (03/08/2018)
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Pastor Greg Laurie preaches on "The Reality of Hell" from Luke 16 in the Essentials series, showing hell as a real place of conscious torment for non-believers. Using the true story of the rich man and Lazarus, he warns that rejecting Christ leads to eternal separation from God, while urging everyone to turn to Jesus now for forgiveness and heaven, as eternity is the most important issue.
Why We Must Talk About Hell
Well, we're in our Essentials series, and we are talking about eternal things together. And I want you to turn in your Bible to Luke chapter 16, and the title of my message is "The Reality of Hell." Some of you are probably thinking, should I skip church today?
I've shared with you this story before of a man who was living in Chicago. It was very cold there, and he decided he wanted to take a break, so he went for a vacation to Florida. Now, as it turns out, his wife was on a business trip and was planning to meet him the next day, and so when he arrived in Florida, he wanted to let his wife know that he arrived safely, so he shot her off a quick email.
Now, she had just changed her email address, and he had memorized a new one, or at least he thought he had, and he sent off the message to his wife, but the problem was, he had one letter wrong in her email address, and the message did not go to her at all, but it went to a elderly woman whose husband, who happened to be a pastor, had just passed away the day before.
She was reading her emails, and she shrieked and fainted. Her family came running into the room to see what had happened, and they saw this screen, and they saw the message from her husband on the computer screen. And the message said, Dearest wife, just checked in. Everything is prepared for your arrival tomorrow. But it was the P.S. that got them. P.S., it sure is hot down here.
So, oh, that's just a joke. We've been talking about heaven together, and what a wonderful topic that is. And you need to know, just as surely as there is a heaven awaiting the follower of Jesus Christ, there is also a place called hell awaiting the non-believer.
Why Eternity Matters Most in Every Message
And I was interviewed last week on a Christian television show, and the interviewer asked me why I spoke so much on eternity. He said, I've noticed when I've watched you preach, I've seen your TV programs and so forth of your crusades, and it seems like whatever topic you're dealing with, you always come back to eternity. And I've never really noticed that before, and I suppose it's even more true today than it was, say, two years ago, for obvious reasons.
So why do you do that? He said, why do you always come back to the eternal in your messages? And I thought about it for a moment, and I said, in response, you know, I guess the answer is, when you get down to it, it's the most important thing there is.
I mean, as a pastor, I want to teach the Word of God. I want to help people grow in their faith as followers of Jesus. I want them to learn how to know God's will and resist temptation and have great marriages and all those things we talk about as pastors and teachers. But when it's all said and done, the biggest thing I want to see happen is people who are on their way to hell instead go to heaven. I want people to change their eternal address.
So that's why I do what I do. And really, when you get down to it, is there anything more important than that?
What People Really Believe About Heaven and Hell
We've been talking at length about heaven. That's a popular subject because most people believe in it and most people believe they're going there. For every American that believes that he's going to hell, there are 120 who believe they're going to heaven.
So most people believe in a heaven, most people think they're going to heaven, and some believe in hell, but even less think they'll go there. But that is in direct contradiction to what Jesus said because he said, broad is the way that leads to destruction, and many there are that go that way, but narrow is the way that leads to life, and few there are that find it.
If we believe the Bible, Most people today are not headed to heaven. If we believe the Bible, we have to accept the simple fact most people are actually headed to hell.
I know we don't like to hear that. We don't even like to use the word in our culture today. In fact, we use the word hell to punctuate our sentences. Someone will say something like, well, all hell just broke loose. And that usually is a way to say that it's a worst case scenario.
Another might say a situation is so bad, it's hellish. Or if a certain person is really difficult to deal with, man, listen, they're hell on wheels. And another person, if they're really angry, will say to another, I'm going to give you a piece of my mind or I'm going to give you hell.
And if you're really mad at someone, you'll say, I hope you won't say it, but someone else might say it, you just go to hell. That phrase is used a lot. And then the weird thing is, you use it to insult a person, but at the same time, if someone had a great time somewhere, they'll say, man, we had a hell of a good time together.
What is with this? Use of the word hell in so many different ways. I actually had a guy come up to me after a message on a Sunday morning and he shook my hand and said, that was a hell of a speech, Reverend. I actually laughed. I didn't know what else to do. It just, to me, it was comical. I knew he was trying to compliment me. It's not exactly what a pastor wants to hear someone say, but I said, well, I was hoping it was kind of a heaven of a good talk, but I understood what he was saying.
But this is a phrase that people use a lot. It's funny how people will say to another person, you can go to hell, but at the same time, they'll say, I don't believe a place called hell actually exists.
But it's not as effective when you say that. You can just go to a place that doesn't exist. Why does someone say go to hell? Because deep down inside, even if you're a non-believer, you know there's a hell. That's why. That's why we say that.
The same reason a person will use the name above all names, Jesus Christ, in a form of cursing. Or to emphasize the point, Jesus Christ, they'll say. Why do they say that? Why is it when the hammer hits your thumb, instead of the nail, you say that instead of saying, Hare Krishna! Because there's no power in the name of Krishna. But there is power in the name of Jesus. And it is the name above all names. And the Bible says, everyone will bow before him in that final day. And acknowledge that he is the Lord to the glory of God the Father.
Hell Is Real—Jesus Spoke of It More Than Anyone
Listen, hell is a real place. But because we're uncomfortable with that idea, we'll make jokes about it. You know, there's actually a town I read about in Michigan called Hell. Hell, Michigan. Can you imagine? It was founded in 1841. And George Reeves, the man who discovered this low, swampy place in southeast Michigan, I didn't know what to name it. And someone said, well, what do you want to call it? He says, I don't care. Name it hell if you want to. And so they did. Hell, Michigan.
Or people will joke about it. Comedian Woody Allen said, Hell is the future abode of all people who personally annoy me. End quote. Comedian Jim Carrey said, Maybe there is no actual place called hell. Maybe hell is just having to listen to our grandparents breathe through their noses when they're eating sandwiches. End quote.
Hey Jim, Woody, there is a hell. It's not a joke. Laugh it off if you choose to, but it really is there. And the fact of the matter is, is Jesus Christ spoke more about hell than all the other preachers of the Bible put together. The fact of the matter is, is most of the teaching we have on the topic of hell was given to us by Christ himself.
Now that surprises some people because they would say, Well, wasn't Jesus the very personification of love and mercy and grace? Why would he talk about hell? For that very reason. Because he was the personification of love and grace and mercy. He doesn't want any man or woman uniquely made in his image to spend eternity in this place called hell.
And Jesus being God knows all about it because he has seen it with his own eyes. And so he warns us about it. It's been estimated that of the 40 parables that Jesus told, More than half of them dealt with God's eternal judgment and hell.
Make no mistake about it, there is a real hell for real people. J.I. Packer said, and I quote, An endless hell can no more be removed from the New Testament than an endless heaven can. It's there.
The Two Deaths and Descriptions of Hell
Now it's funny how hell becomes more and less popular given what time we're in. I think belief in hell probably went up after 9-11. because when something evil is done or wicked takes place, people tend to believe in evil more and they also believe in a place of final retribution. But when things aren't going as badly, a belief in hell actually starts to go down.
A recent Gallup poll revealed that belief in hell is down right now. Like, to me, it's so stupid. That's like taking a poll and saying, Well, you know, more Americans today believe there's a place called California than those that believe there's a place called Arizona. So? And I don't mean to say if you're from Arizona, it's hell. Okay, I'm sorry. It is very hot there. But it's certainly not hell. That's in Michigan, right? No. But, you know, it really doesn't matter if you believe in it or not. It really doesn't matter if it's popular or not. What is, is.
Years ago, John Lennon famously sang, Imagine there's no heaven. It's easy if you try. No hell below us. Above us, only sky. Imagine all you want. There is a heaven. And there is a hell.
So in this message, I'm going to give you hell. Better yet, I hope in this message, I scare the hell out of you. I know some of you are going to say, Greg was cussing today. If you listen to the context of everything I said, you'll realize that's not the case.
The Bible actually teaches that there are two deaths. One is physical death, and the other is spiritual death. Jesus warned that we are to fear the second death more than the first death.
Over in Revelation 20, we read, Death and Hades were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death. Also in Revelation 21, we read that Cowards who turn away from God and unbelievers and the corrupt and murderers and the immoral and those that practice witchcraft and idol worshippers and liars, their doom is in the lake that burns with fire. This is the second death.
The second death is hell, which is eternal separation from God. It lasts forever. One commentator wrote, Eternity to the godly is a day that has no sunset. Eternity to the wicked is a night that has no sunrise.
Now there are different ways that the Bible describes hell. One picture we have of hell in the Bible is hell is like a garbage dump. But it's not like any garbage dump we've ever seen. I don't know if you've ever taken your own trash to the dump and looked around, but usually you'll find all kinds of amazing stuff there. There are rubbish and things cast off. And then you'll see there's an old refrigerator and a television set and part of a car sticking out. And you think how hard people may have worked to obtain those items. And now here they are sitting in the dump.
But the dump in this day, also known as Gehenna, was far worse than that. You would not only throw your trash and rubbish there, but it was a place where also you would throw dead bodies. And it would constantly be burning. And you can imagine what a horrific place this was. So Jesus takes this picture, Gehenna, the dump, if you will, and uses it to describe hell.
Number two, hell is described like a prison. One of the clearest pictures Christ gave of hell was that of being incarcerated. He told a parable of a king's servant who was sent to jail for cruel and unforgiving behavior than added this warning. This is how my Heavenly Father will treat each of you if you do not forgive your brother from your heart.
I don't know if you've ever been to prison. I would be reluctant to ask how many of you have served time because I think it would make the people next to you very nervous if you were here. I do receive letters on occasion. I think all the people that were in prison were in the first service anyway. But I'm just kidding. They're actually in the third. No, I'm joking. I don't really know. But I do get letters from time to time from people in prison that listen to our radio broadcast.
When we were in South Dakota during our crusade, I had the honor of receiving. a special blanket from the Native Americans there. And I was made a brave. And so the man who gave me this blanket actually heard the gospel on our radio broadcast in prison and came to Christ and now he's serving the Lord and is preaching the gospel. And so that was a great thing to hear.
And you remember when we had Michael Franzese here not too long ago and he was a member of the mob or the mafia. And he talked about how he was put in. solitary confinement and the hole as they call it. And they would let him out one hour a day and sometimes it would be three o'clock in the morning and he'd be allowed to walk around in the yard a little bit and he would be put back in this tiny cell.
But fortunately for Michael he had a copy of the Bible and was able to turn to God in that time. But in this place called hell, this eternal prison, you don't have time in the yard and you certainly don't have a Bible. It's too late for that.
Hell as Unquenchable Fire—The Story of the Rich Man and Lazarus
But the most well-known picture given to us in hell, of hell, in Scripture is where hell is likened unto a fire that never stops burning. And that brings us to our text that we're going to look together at now. And that's Luke chapter 16 where hell is described as an unquenchable fire.
And we read these words from Jesus. And by the way, before we read them let me say this at the outset. What we are about to read is true. And by that I mean it's not a parable. Jesus would tell parable, parables which is another word for an illustration to make a point. Learn a parable of the parable of the sower and so forth.
This was an actual event reason being that actual names are used in this story so you might describe this as a behind the scenes look into the invisible world. If you have wondered what happens on the other side when believers and non-believers pass an eternity into eternity here is a glimpse glimpse into that given by Christ himself.
Luke 16 verse 19 There was a certain rich man who was clothed in purple and fine linen and fared sumptuously every day. And there was a certain beggar named Lazarus full of sores who was laid at his gate desiring to be fed with the crumbs which fell from the rich man's table. Moreover, the dogs came and licked his sores.
So it was that the beggar died and was carried by the angels to Abraham's bosom. The rich man also died and was buried.
So here is this true story. We have the name of one of the men Lazarus and the other man the wealthy man is described as a certain man. One man owned everything yet he possessed nothing. The other owned nothing but inherited everything. One went to comfort the other went to torment.
The believing man. Lazarus was ushered by the angels into the presence of God into a place called paradise. And by the way. prior to the arrival of Jesus and his death and resurrection when a person would die in faith they went to paradise or to Abraham's bosom as the King James version describes it.
You remember when Jesus was crucified and that man next to him came to his senses when he heard the Lord say Father forgive them for they know not what they do. And the man said to Jesus Lord remember me when you come into your kingdom. And Jesus said verily verily I say unto you today you will be with me in what? Paradise.
So that man went into this place of bliss this place called paradise. That was before Jesus died and Rose again from the dead. But the Bible says that after his death he preached to those that were in this waiting place if you will that we're reading about here in Luke.
So now when a believer dies they go straight to heaven right into the presence of God. The Bible says to be absent from the body is to be present with the Lord.
One other thing about that thief on the cross. You might describe what happened to him as a deathbed conversion. And I hope this gives a measure of hope to you that maybe have given up on certain people. who have no need for God or at least they don't think they have a need for God. And you wonder if they'll ever come to Christ don't stop praying for them because we hear glorious stories of people coming to the Lord right before their death.
My own mother did not really come to Christ until about a month before she went to heaven. And I prayed for her for all of my life as a Christian. So maybe you know someone right now and you're feeling like they'll never come around. They may.
But listen, sometimes we know someone that died and we fear they're in hell right now. I've even had people say they're in hell. You don't know who's in hell. Okay? You're not in a position to say who's in hell.
Now I do think I can authoritatively say who's in heaven. Because if a person has put their faith in Christ I can say they're in heaven. The Bible assures us of this. But I don't know if a person did not place their faith in Christ. In other words, unless you were with the person when they passed into eternity and their final moments you don't know what happened.
It is possible that that person you know that you shared the gospel with that person that you told about Jesus it may be in the last few moments of their life they called on the Lord and you know what if they did he would forgive them and accept them into heaven so you might be surprised to see him in glory still.
As I've often said there'll be three surprises when we get to heaven. Number one a lot of the people we never thought we would see there will be there. Number two some of the people we were sure we would see there will not be there and number three we will be there but you know we all expect to be there but I think there'll be some surprises in heaven quite frankly so don't give up on that person and remember this no one wants to save a person more than the Lord Jesus Christ and if there was any movement on their part toward God you can be sure that he would forgive and accept them even if it was on their very deathbed
Lessons from the Rich Man and Lazarus
So a believer goes to heaven but what happens to the non-believer well they pass over to the other side too but it's a pretty bleak scenario let's read about that now go back to Luke 16 drop down to verse 22 the rich man also died and was buried. and being in torment in Hades or hell he lifted up his eyes and saw Abraham afar off and Lazarus in his bosom
And he cried and said, Father Abraham, have mercy on me and send Lazarus that he may dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue, for I am tormented in this flame.
Then Abraham said, Son, remember that in your lifetime you received the good things and likewise Lazarus, evil things, and now he is comforted and you are tormented. And beside all of this, between us, there is a great Gulf fixed, so those that want to pass from here to there cannot. And you cannot pass over to us.
Then he said, I beg you therefore, Father, you would send them to my father's house for I have five brothers that he may testify to them that they will not come to this place of torment.
Abraham said to him, They have Moses and the prophets. Let them hear them. No, Father Abraham, he says, but if one goes to them from the dead, they will repent.
And he said to them, If they do not hear Moses and the prophets, neither will they be persuaded. The one rise from the dead.
Now listen, the sin of this man was not his wealth. The sin of this man was he had no time for God. He was possessed by his possessions.
The Bible says he fared sumptuously and he was clothed in purple and fine linen. And you think, well, what does that mean? It means a lot. Because back in this culture, purple was the color of royalty. They would crush a special worm and use the dye to produce this luxurious garment only worn by the richest of the rich.
This man was clothed in purple from head to foot in fine linen. Also, it tells us that this man made merry, which is another way to say that he had banquets every day. This guy was into food, big time. You know, he had unlimited resources. He could eat whatever he wanted.
You know, some people eat to live. Other people live to eat. They watch the Food Channel all day long. They have posters of Bobby Flay and Rachel Ray and Emeril on their wall. You can tell I watch the Food Channel. They use the word BAM in their conversations a lot. BAM! You know, that's what Emeril does.
But, you know, they're all about food. They talk about food. They dream about food. They look in magazines about food. You know, it's all about that.
I've never understood certain kinds of foods people eat. You know, some people want to have the finest, you know, caviar. You know, that's fish bait, okay? I mean, call it what you like. That's what you catch fish with.
And then, the one that really perplexes me is escargot. That sounds so... Escargot. Which is French for stinking snail. That's what it is. You drench anything in garlic, I think it'll taste pretty good. But I've never eaten an escargot before. But some people do.
And then there are these people, the wine connoisseurs. Have you ever been in a restaurant where they bring over the fine wine, you know? And they come, they have the little thing around the neck, you know? And they hold, there's a certain way to hold the bottle. And then they pull out the cork and the guy smells it. Oh, this is very nice cork. Very... This is a good cork.
No, sir, it's a wine. Oh, sorry, yes. And then they'll pour a little of the wine in the glass and you have to hold it, you know, like this. And they'll swirl it around and then they'll put it in their mouth. This is so stupid! I'm thinking, they're probably giving you like Thunderbird right now. I mean, you think you're a wine connoisseur. This is stupid!
I'm sorry, it just... To me, the whole thing is just a joke. Oh, I'm into the fine things, you know. I like food that's just good food. You know, In-N-Out burger, okay?
Now, listen. This is... Here's a... The problem is I like all the wrong kinds of food, you know? I'm like, pizza, hamburgers, yeah! You know, that's the good stuff to me.
But anyway, so this guy, you know, he was living high on the hog. He was eating the hog, okay? He was living the good life. And meanwhile, here was a man named Lazarus, covered in sores, impoverished, and living up the scraps from the rich man's table.
Back in these days, they didn't eat with a fork and knife, cutlery, as you might call it, or chopsticks. They didn't use utensils. They would pick the food up with their hands, use bits of bread, and then they would wipe their hands on pieces of bread and throw them on the floor, and the dogs would eat the discarded bread. That was the diet of Lazarus.
And then we're also told that he was carried to the rich man's estate and laid at his gate, which would imply that he perhaps was disabled, or maybe he was so weak he could not even walk. And so, surely the rich man saw this man's situation. He could have invited him to his table, or at the very least, sent a proper meal out to him. He wouldn't give this man the time of day.
But then death came, and death is the great equalizer. I'm sure when that wealthy man died, it was on all the television stations, and it was a big deal. But man, then, you know, then comes eternity.
The beggar died. No one cared at all. But he was ushered by the angels into the presence of God.
Key Truths from the Story of Torment and Separation
Now this man, who had no time for God, was going to have to face the repercussions of that. He was going to find out it wasn't so glamorous on the other side.
One of the world's wealthiest men, Malcolm Forbes, said shortly before his death, and I quote, the thing I dread most about death is that I know I will not be as comfortable in the next life as I was in this one, end quote.
Now that's the understatement of the century. Now I don't know where Mr. Forbes was at spiritually, so I would not presume he's in judgment. But for the sake of a point, if you don't know God, you can be sure it won't be as comfortable on the other side.
So what do we learn from this story? Number one, we discover that people in hell suffer. The fact that this man spoke of torment indicates suffering is a very real thing in the hereafter. In fact, the word torment is used four times in the text of this story.
People in hell are fully conscious and they are in pain. It doesn't say that this man went to purgatory. There is no such thing as purgatory. Nor was he reincarnated as a higher or a lower life form. Once you pass from this life, you pass into eternity, into either heaven or hell. This man was in hell.
Number two, once you are in hell, you cannot cross over to heaven. You know, sometimes people will say, well, when I get up, you know, before God, I've got the gift of gab and me and the men upstairs will sort this out. You know what? It will be too late for that. Once you are in eternity, there is no changing things.
Now, there is changing those things now. There are no chances after death, but thousands before. But once you have passed over, it is too late. It is appointed unto a man once to die, the Bible says. And then comes the judgment.
Physical death is a separation of the soul from the body and constitutes a transition from the visible world to the invisible world. For the believer, it is entrance into paradise in the presence of Jesus. For the non-believer, it marks its entrance into Hades.
Physical death is not the end of existence, but only a change in the state of existence.
Bringing us to point number three, when you're in hell, you're conscious and fully aware of where you are. You're also aware of where you were.
Now, we pointed this out when we looked at heaven, that in heaven, you will still be you. You will still know what you knew on earth, but far more. You'll be aware of where you came from, and you'll be aware of where you are.
In the same way in hell, you'll be aware of where you came from and where you are. As this man is, as he talks about his five brothers in verse 28. Hey, I have five brothers, he says. And someone needs to testify to them so they don't come to this place of torment.
In a way, this man was blame-shifting. Hey, I didn't know about this. No one warned me about this. Abraham corrects him in verse 29. They have Moses and the prophets. Let them hear them.
And the man says, well, no, someone needs to go back from the dead. Then they'll believe, really? Well, actually, a man did come back from the dead. His name was Lazarus. Not the same Lazarus in this story.
But you remember Jesus raised Lazarus from the dead. And we read about a time where they were all together having a meal. There was Jesus and Lazarus and Mary and Martha. I wish I could have been at that party. What a conversation.
So Lazarus, what was it like? What happened? You know, how do you feel right now? But you know, the religious leaders were plotting on how they might kill Lazarus. Because he was living evidence of the power of God. Lazarus was a resurrection man.
You would think that everyone who met him would say, I believe. I remember you were dead. You're alive again. I believe. People didn't believe. Some did, but many did not.
And then more to the point, Jesus Christ himself Rose again from the dead. He was seen here. He was seen there. He was seen by 500 people at one time. Did everyone believe? No.
So even if a man were raised from the dead, people would not believe. That point is made here in the text.
The Great White Throne Judgment
So this is what happens now to a non-believer. They go to this place of torment, but this is not the end. There is still a judgment yet to come known as the great white throne judgment.
Now in our last message on heaven, we talked about the judgment seat of Christ. Remember? The believers will stand before where rewards are given out and so forth.
This judgment we're about to read about is different from that. This is the final judgment for non-believers only. Let's read about it together. If you would, go to Revelation 20. If you don't know where that is, just hang a right and keep going.
Revelation 20. This is now a description of the final judgment. Starting in verse 11 of Revelation 20. Then I saw a great white throne, and him that sat on it, from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away, and there was found no place for them.
Revelation 20, verse 12. And I saw the dead, small and great, standing before God. And books were opened. You might underline or circle the word books. And another book was opened. Notice that's singular. You might underline that word as well. Which is the book of life.
And the dead were judged according to their works by the things written in the books. The sea gave up the dead that were in them. Death and hell, which we're reading about right now, delivered up the dead that were in them, and they were judged, each one according to his works.
And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death. And anyone not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire.
The great white throne judgment. Who will be there? Answer. Everyone who has rejected God's offer of forgiveness through Jesus Christ.
Notice that there are no exceptions. Verse 12. I saw the dead, small and great, standing before God, and the books were opened.
Listen, God is no respecter of persons. The fact that a person may have been a king, or a queen, or an emperor, or a president, or a prime minister, or a rock star, or a billionaire, or an actor, it doesn't matter. Everyone's equal.
Okay, now you have to stand before God and give an account of your life.
What the Books Reveal at the Final Judgment
Actor Robert De Niro was asked the question, if there are pearly gates and you stand before God one day, what will you say to God? De Niro's response was, I will say to God, and if heaven exists, he has a lot of explaining to do.
No, I don't think so. I think Robert De Niro will have a lot of explaining to do. And I don't mean to pick on him. Any person standing before God, you almost wonder if the Lord will look at De Niro and say, what are you looking at me? I doubt it. That's a quote from a De Niro movie, by the way.
But the point is, is everyone will have to give an account of their life. And listen, the big issue in this final day is not a sin issue as much as it is a son issue, S-O-N.
Because everyone has sinned and fallen short of the glory of God. We have to put to bed, once and for all, this concept that sometimes even Christians believe, and if you do enough good works, you will get to heaven. It's not true. Good people don't go to heaven. Forgiven people do. Period. That's it.
Because no one is good enough, you see. So why are we there, number two? Why is a person at this great white throne judgment? Answer, they're there because they did not believe in Jesus.
John 3, 18, He that believes in me is not condemned, but he that does not believe in me is condemned already. because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.
If the non-believer is already condemned, then what is the purpose of the last judgment? This is a very important question. The purpose of the final confrontation between God and man is to clearly demonstrate to the non-believer why he is already condemned.
We put this up on the screen. If you are taking notes, let's think of it for a moment. Think about it for a moment. The purpose of this final confrontation between God and man is to clearly demonstrate to the non-believer why he is already condemned.
Because there might be someone that would say, I never knew about this. The books are open, verse 12. Notice it's more than one. Books.
What are these books? We don't know for certain. But one of them may be a book of God's law. Everyone who has been exposed to the truth of God's law is held responsible.
Romans 3.19 says that every mouth may be stopped and all the world may be guilty before God.
I bring this up because some people will say, well, you know, I don't need Jesus Christ. I live by the Ten Commandments. That's just such a joke. You do not. Oh, I do too. Really.
Let's start by asking if you can name the Ten Commandments. Uh, thou shall recycle? No. Have you broken any of them? Well, you know, I don't know. Okay, let me ask you this. Have you ever taken the Lord's name in vain? And by the way, that means use the Lord's name in an empty and insincere or frivolous way. Well, no. Really? Okay.
Have you ever stolen anything? No. Have you ever lied? No. You're lying now. Okay, you're lying. And if you want to live by the law, you're in for trouble because the Bible says if you offend in one point of the law, you're guilty of all of it.
The law was never given to make a man or a woman righteous. The law is a moral mirror that shows us our real state before God to drive us into the open arms of Jesus. The law says you're not good enough. You need God's help.
It's interesting the Bible compares the law to a mirror. You know, mirrors are helpful because they reveal truth to us. You know, maybe you're out with your friends having lunch and they don't tell you something that you need to know. You know, for instance, you're talking and notice they're laughing a lot as you're talking. You don't know why. You go to the restroom and you realize that, you know, you put your lipstick. You missed your lips because it was dark in the morning and it's over here instead.
The sad thing is you're a man, which is really weird. The sad thing is this happened to me yesterday. No, I'm just kidding. But the point is, is that your friends didn't tell you the truth about yourself, but the mirror did. Oh, no, man, come on.
So the law was not given to make you righteous. Maybe one of these books would be the law showing you've fallen short of it.
Number two, maybe another book would be a record of everything you've said or done. Everything is recorded today. Everywhere we go, it's being recorded. You can run a light today and a camera will take your picture and there's no getting out of that ticket. And then everybody has video cameras and cameras on their phones today and everything's being recorded wherever you go.
If you think that mankind can do this, don't you think the creator of the universe has some pretty tricked out and sophisticated recording equipment? You can be sure of it because the Bible tells us that everything that we do, whether it be good or bad, is recorded and we will be judged for it.
Ecclesiastes 12, 14. Every idle word, the Bible says, a man speaks he'll give an account of on the day of judgment.
Maybe another one of these books would be a record of the fact that you didn't live up to your own standards. This is for the person that says, well, I don't need organized religion. I live by my own rules, my own values. I suggest to you, you don't even live by your own rules. I suggest you even break those.
Another book or scroll might be a record of every time you've heard the gospel. Because no doubt there would be some, like this man in our story in Luke 16 that would say, I never heard about Jesus. No one ever told me Jesus was the only way to the Father.
And so the Lord might say, all right, Gabriel, roll him. Big scream. This is your life, you know. A record of every time you heard the gospel and then you discover it wasn't once, it wasn't twice. It was hundreds of times you heard it and blew it off and rejected it and we're preoccupied or we're paying attention or whatever it was, you are responsible for what you've heard.
The Bible says, if your name is not found written in the book of life, you're cast into the lake of fire.
Hell as Self-Chosen—God's Respect for Free Will
Oh, I know some people say, oh, that's just not right. You know, how could a God of love create a place called hell? Listen, because he's a God of love, he created a place called hell. It makes complete sense.
Because there are injustices in this life. There are wrongs that are done. People get away with things they should never get away with. And they escape the long arm of the law, so to speak. But they'll never escape the long arm of God.
There is a final court of arbitration. And quite frankly, there are certain people we say, I'm glad there's a hell because of, you know, there will be judgment. Yeah, there is a hell.
But listen, hell was not made for people. Jesus said, hell was created for the devil and his angels. It was never God's intention to send a person to hell. He does everything he can to keep you out of hell.
But God has given to you and to me a free will. I have the ability to choose. And God will not violate that. If you want to go to heaven, my friend, you will. If you put your faith in Christ. If you want to go to hell, you will. That's really your choice.
J.I. Packer writes, and I quote, Scripture sees hell as self-chosen. Hell appears as God's gesture of respect for human choice. All receive what they actually choose. Either to be with God forever, worshipping Him. Or without God forever, worshipping themselves.
C.S. Lewis said, and I quote, There are only two kinds of people in the end. Those who say to God, Thy will be done. And those to whom God says, In the end, Thy will be done. All that are in hell, choose it. Without that self-choice, there could be no hell.
Timothy Keller said, and I quote, People only get in the afterlife what they most wanted. Either to have God as Savior and Master, or to be their own Saviors and Masters. Hell is simply one's freely chosen path going on forever.
Hell is simply one's freely chosen path going on forever. That's what you want, that's what you get. You want heaven, that's what you get. It's your choice. So don't blame God.
Oh, God sent people... God didn't send anyone anywhere. God wants you to go to heaven, but He's not going to force you. He gives you a choice, and it's up to you what you're going to do with that choice.
Oh, I'm sure people will protest in that final day and say, Oh, Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in Your name and cast out demons in Your name and do wonderful works in Your name and Jesus will sadly but firmly say, Depart from me. I never knew you, you worker of iniquity.
It's not enough to just say you believe in God. These people sound religious. Did we not do miracles in Your name? You know, some might say, Wait, didn't I go to church on Sunday? And, wait, I received communion? And, wait, I was baptized? And, yeah, okay.
Jesus says, But I never knew you. We never had a relationship. It was just a thing you did. And then He went out and broke my commandments left and right with no concern. This is your own choice that you're facing.
Yes, there are people that are outside the kingdom of God. It's not enough to just acknowledge God exists. You need to turn from your sin and put your faith in Jesus Christ and Him alone as Savior and Lord.
Invitation to Escape Hell and Receive Heaven
You know, nobody likes to preach on hell. And if they do, they're a little twisted. It was hard for me to write this message. It's not a fun message for me to deliver. But if I don't tell you these things, I'm not giving you the whole gospel truth.
If I only talk about heaven and I don't talk about hell, I'm doing you all a disservice. But I hope that something like this will make you want to redouble your efforts to reach people with the gospel because the Bible says, some save with fear, hating the very garment that is spotted by the flesh.
And here's what I'm saying. Sometimes we don't warn people about hell because we don't want to offend them. We'll just talk about the glories of walking with Christ. He gives us peace and joy and purpose. And a person blows us off and says, well, I don't need that peace and purpose. I'm pretty happy as I am. Okay, well, that's fine. Thanks.
No, wait. Hold on. I have to tell you something. There's hell. And if you reject Christ, you will go to hell. What are you doing? You can't say that to me. I'm sorry. I just said it.
How could a God of love said that? You know, then answer that. And say, actually, God poured all of His judgment on Jesus 2,000 years ago at the cross so you would not have to go to a place called hell. And He'll forgive you of every wrong you've ever done if you'll turn to Him right now.
See, sometimes people need to just be told, you're going to hell. And you better stop what you're doing or you'll end up there. And God offers you pardon and forgiveness.
We've got to be direct with people because that's the full message of the gospel. Gospel means good news. And I can't fully appreciate the good news until I first know the bad news. And the bad news is I'm separated from God and I am headed to judgment.
The good news is Christ paid the price for my sin and if I'll turn to Him I can be forgiven and go to heaven.
So, in closing, there might be someone here listening to me right now that is afraid they will go to hell when they die. I know you're here at church and probably the people sitting around you think that you're a Christian. But you know deep down in your heart you're not.
You know that you're doing things you should not be doing and you have a fear of hell. Well, I'm telling you right now you can get rid of that fear today by putting your faith in Christ.
If you'll turn from your sin and believe in Him you can know with assurance you will go to heaven when you die.
If you don't have that assurance right now I'm going to give you an opportunity to change your eternal address. from a place called hell to a place called heaven as we pray.
Let's all bow our heads if you would. Father, I pray now for any here that may not yet know you. People who literally. are headed for destruction. Lord, help them to see their need. Help them to change your direction. Help them to come to Jesus now, we pray.
When our heads are bowed and our eyes are closed and we're praying. How many of you would say today Greg, I'm afraid I am going to hell and I don't want to. I want to go to heaven. I want to know God in a personal way. I want my sin forgiven. I'm ready to say yes to Jesus.
If that's your desire, if you don't want to go to hell, if you want to go to heaven when you die, if you're ready to ask Christ to come into your life, I want you to lift your hand up wherever you are. And I'm going to pray for you.
God bless you and you. Just lift your hand up where I can see it. You want God's forgiveness today. God bless you and you. Up there in the balcony, God bless you. You want to change your eternal address. Lift your hand up. I'll pray for you now.
God bless you. Anybody else? He'll remove your sin. He'll remove your guilt that accompanies it. He'll give you the hope of heaven. But you must reach out to him. Anybody else? You want Christ to come into your life today? Lift your hand up.
Father, I thank you for each one of these that have taken this step of faith. Help them to take the next one now and receive all that you have for them. For we ask it in Jesus' name. Amen.
Public Stand for Christ—Come Forward Now
Listen, those whom Jesus calls, He calls openly and publicly. And we're going to do the same. In a moment, our worship group is going to lead us in the song of invitation. And I'm going to ask if you raise your hand with me during that last moment of prayer that when the song begins, you would get up out of your seat, walk down these aisles, and stand up here in the front. And when you get here, I'm going to lead you in a prayer.
I'm going to ask that nobody leave early. The only movement I want to see. in the next few moments, if you please, is the movement of those coming forward.
I want others to be in prayer for these that are making this decision. If you're watching in our gym right now, the court, I'm going to ask you to walk forward to where the screen is. And there will be a pastor to meet you there.
So you in the court, gym building, go to the front of the room where the screen is. If you're out in the courtyard, enjoying the sunshine, I want you to come around to the back of the sanctuary here and join us.
So you that are outside, I want you to come around and come into the sanctuary here and walk up here to the front.
Why am I asking you to come forward like this? Because Jesus said, "if you will acknowledge me before people, I'll acknowledge you before my Father and the angels in heaven". But He added, "if you deny me before people, I'll deny you before the Father and the angels".
This is a way to acknowledge Him. Publicly. Before people.
So if you want your sin forgiven, if you want to know for certain that you will go to heaven when you die, if you don't want to go to hell, if you want your guilt removed, if you're ready to say yes to Jesus Christ, right now, wherever you are, if you raise your hand, even if you did not, get up out of your seat, step down out into the aisle, walk down near to the front, and I'll pray for you when you get here.
Come on down the stairs and the balcony. Out of the amphitheater, come and join us here in the sanctuary. Make your public stand.