IS THERE REALLY A HELL?

                                                                                                             Matthew 7:13-23

Most people when offered both good and bad news try to get the bad news out of the way first. An Emperor of Hindustan, who died in 1707, said this just before he went: “Whats the use? Every torture that I have inflicted, every sin that I have committed, every wrong that I have done, I carry the consequences with me. Strange that I came with nothing into the world and now go away with this stupendous caravan of sin; wherever I look I see only God. I have greatly sinned and I know not what torment awaits me!”

What a difference this is from the Good News of Jesus – that He came into the world to save sinners! As we celebrate communion this morning, we can rejoice that the burden of sin has been lifted from us and placed on Jesus as He died on the Cross! Our vision of the future need only be one of victory and celebration because through Jesus’sacrifice for us, we can face God entirely clean! This is the story of Christian in the Pilgrim’s Progress. The burden fell off his back and he was admitted to the Heavenly City!

But is there really a Hell – waiting to receive people like Emperor Aurungzebe? Or is hell just an invention of the church to scare us into submission?  An Anglican bishop said in the eighties, “The doctrine of hellfire was never really rejected by the churches! It was quietly buried and there were few to weep at its funeral!”

But the New Testament mentions hell directly or indirectly 162 times, and 70 of these are the words of Jesus Himself! If Jesus believes in Hell, He is worth listening to – because only He so far has risen from the dead and come back to report on what lies ahead! But people don’t want to listen and don’t want to believe until it’s too late!

In Noah’s time people didn’t believe in the flood - until it happened to them! In Lot’s time, people didn’t believe in the destruction of Sodom - until it also happened to them! And in Jeremiah’s time, they didn’t believe Jerusalem would be destroyed and the people taken into captivity – until this happened too! This shows that disbelief is not enough to keep people out of hell! Just because someone says, “I don’t believe in Hell!” it won’t stop him from going there!’Psalm 9:17 says that hell is for the unforgiven and those who have forgotten God!

Why is Hell Necessary? (Couldn’t everyone just go to Heaven?) It seems to me that if God has created Heaven, doesn’t He have the right to have only His friends there? (Especially as He invites everyone to become His friends – even those who initially turn their back on Him!) Last week I told the story of the ‘innocent’ man who turned away from God and followed a path of destruction. Jesus outlined this type of choice in the parable of the two paths which we read about earlier.  Hell is necessary because God is not prepared to force people into His presence! We must choose to be with Him!

What is Hell Like? The Bible tells us: a) that hell is for the vast majority of people.  1 Corinthians 1:8 says, “For the message of the Cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to those who are being saved, it is the Power of God!”  b) Hell is a place of eternal punishment for those who reject His invitation to receive salvation through Jesus. c) Hell is a place of outer darkness and separation. (This flies in the face of those who say, “I don’t mind going to hell as all my friends will be there!)        d) It is a place of eternal sorrow and pain. Judith 16:17 (though not Scripture as such) says, “The Lord Almighty will take vengeance on them in the Day of Judgment, to put fire and worm in their flesh, and they shall weep and feel their pain forever!”

How Should We Avoid Hell? Anyone who has not received Jesus as their true passport to Heaven should do so today! But all of us should see the urgency of bringing people to Jesus while there is still time

A former pastor of mine told me about a TV show called Early Edition, which I have now seen many times. It tells of a man who receives tomorrow’s newspaper today, and spends each day dashing from one potential disaster to the next before it happens! God’s Word to us is tomorrow’s newspaper! It tells us quite graphically the fate of those who live and die without Jesus. We too need to set about reaching those on the brink of danger, because there is no second chance after this life! Hebrews 9:27 says, “It is appointed once for man to die and then the judgment!”

I was once escorting a school group through Central station and I spotted an old friend heading towards me. “Carl!” I said, how are you? His reply stunned me! “I don’t know you!” he replied, and I could see by the look on his face that he was telling the truth. I reminded him of our days in church youth group together, but it was no use! I had not made enough of a difference in his world to create a lasting memory. Likewise, Jesus will say to some people on Judgment Day, “I never knew you!” and it will be too late for them to make a difference! We need to become part of Jesus’  Kingdom today, and to bring other in before it is too late!