The Severity of God: Understanding Hell and True Repentance

Devotional

Day 1: The Echo of Hell

Hell reflects God's infinite worth and Christ's infinite suffering. It serves as a stark reminder of the consequences of turning away from God's glory. The severity of hell underscores the magnitude of Christ's sacrifice on the cross, where He bore the weight of eternal suffering for countless souls. Understanding this echo helps us grasp the seriousness of sin and the depth of God's love. This reality should lead us to a deeper appreciation of the cross and a more profound love for God. [04:55]

"For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord." (Romans 6:23, ESV)

Reflection: Consider a time when you underestimated the seriousness of sin. How can reflecting on the reality of hell deepen your appreciation for Christ's sacrifice today?

Day 2: The Insufficiency of Hell

Hell cannot produce genuine repentance or saving faith. True contrition arises from a love for God's holiness and a desire to enjoy His presence, not merely from fear of punishment. This distinction is crucial for understanding the nature of true repentance. The fear of hell may drive us to seek God, but it is the beauty and glory of God that truly transforms our hearts. [05:30]

"For godly grief produces a repentance that leads to salvation without regret, whereas worldly grief produces death." (2 Corinthians 7:10, ESV)

Reflection: Reflect on your motivations for seeking God. Are they driven by fear or by a genuine love for His holiness? How can you cultivate a deeper desire to enjoy His presence today?

Day 3: The Justice of Hell

Hell is just and righteous because it reflects the infinite value of God's glory. Those who are in hell deserve to be there, as their rejection of God's glory is infinitely heinous. This understanding challenges us to see the seriousness of sin and the justice of God's judgment. It is a sobering reminder of the consequences of turning away from God's glory and the righteousness of His judgment. [20:25]

"Therefore, consider the goodness and severity of God: on those who fell, severity; but toward you, goodness, if you continue in His goodness. Otherwise, you also will be cut off." (Romans 11:22, ESV)

Reflection: How does understanding the justice of hell change your perspective on sin and God's judgment? What steps can you take to align your life more closely with God's goodness today?

Day 4: The Role of Grace

The grace of God, as seen in Christ's sacrifice, is what truly transforms hearts. It is the beauty and glory of God that leads to genuine repentance, not merely the fear of hell. This grace is what draws us into a loving relationship with God. The sufficiency of Christ's merits and the tender invitations of the gospel are what move hearts to tears and transformation. [49:02]

"For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast." (Ephesians 2:8-9, ESV)

Reflection: In what ways have you experienced God's grace in your life? How can you share this grace with someone else today?

Day 5: The Path to True Repentance

True repentance involves a delight in God's holiness and a sorrow for not enjoying His presence. This requires a prior recognition of God's beauty and glory, which awakens a desire for holiness and a brokenness over sin. It is not enough to fear hell; we must move beyond fear to a place where we delight in God and His holiness. Only then can we experience true repentance and transformation. [55:10]

"Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me. Cast me not away from your presence, and take not your Holy Spirit from me." (Psalm 51:10-11, ESV)

Reflection: What is one area of your life where you struggle to delight in God's holiness? How can you invite God to transform this area of your life today?

Sermon Summary

In Romans 11:22, we are commanded to behold both the kindness and the severity of God. Today, I focused on the severity of God, particularly through the lens of hell. This is not a topic to be taken lightly, but it is essential for understanding the full scope of God's character and the gravity of our choices. Hell is an echo of God's infinite worth and Christ's infinite suffering, and it serves as a stark reminder of the consequences of turning away from God's glory.

Hell is eternal, involving conscious suffering that is God-inflicted as a form of divine wrath. This suffering is just and righteous, as it reflects the infinite value of God's glory. The severity of hell underscores the magnitude of Christ's sacrifice on the cross, where He bore the weight of eternal suffering for countless souls. This reality should lead us to a deeper appreciation of the cross and a more profound love for God.

However, the reality of hell is insufficient to bring about genuine repentance or saving faith. True contrition and repentance arise not from fear of hell, but from a love for God's holiness and a desire to enjoy His presence. This is a crucial distinction: the fear of hell may drive us to seek God, but it is the beauty and glory of God that truly transforms our hearts.

David Brainerd's experiences with the Native Americans illustrate this truth. It was not the fear of hell that moved them to tears, but the tender invitations of the gospel and the sufficiency of Christ's merits. Similarly, Peter's response to Jesus' miraculous catch of fish was not one of fear, but of awe and recognition of his own unworthiness in the presence of divine grace.

In conclusion, while the fear of hell can direct us toward God, it is insufficient for salvation. We must move beyond fear to a place where we delight in God and His holiness. Only then can we experience true repentance and transformation.

Key Takeaways

1. The Echo of Hell: Hell serves as an echo of God's infinite worth and Christ's infinite suffering. It highlights the severity of turning away from God's glory and the magnitude of Christ's sacrifice. Understanding this echo helps us grasp the seriousness of sin and the depth of God's love. [04:55]
2. The Insufficiency of Hell: Hell cannot produce genuine repentance or saving faith. True contrition arises from a love for God's holiness and a desire to enjoy His presence, not merely from fear of punishment. This distinction is crucial for understanding the nature of true repentance. [05:30]
3. The Justice of Hell: Hell is just and righteous because it reflects the infinite value of God's glory. Those who are in hell deserve to be there, as their rejection of God's glory is infinitely heinous. This understanding challenges us to see the seriousness of sin and the justice of God's judgment. [20:25]
4. The Role of Grace: The grace of God, as seen in Christ's sacrifice, is what truly transforms hearts. It is the beauty and glory of God that leads to genuine repentance, not merely the fear of hell. This grace is what draws us into a loving relationship with God. [49:02]
5. The Path to True Repentance: True repentance involves a delight in God's holiness and a sorrow for not enjoying His presence. This requires a prior recognition of God's beauty and glory, which awakens a desire for holiness and a brokenness over sin. [55:10]
** [55:10]

Youtube Chapters

[00:00] - Welcome
[00:10] - Beholding the Severity of God
[00:52] - A Personal Illustration
[02:40] - A Prayer for Understanding
[04:16] - The Echo and Insufficiency of Hell
[06:26] - Five Truths About Hell
[08:41] - The Eternity of Hell
[11:22] - The Suffering in Hell
[15:23] - The Conscious Nature of Hell
[18:14] - The God-Inflicted Nature of Hell
[20:11] - The Justice of Hell
[27:08] - The Echo of God's Glory
[33:41] - The Ultimate Theodicy
[37:45] - Implications of Hell as an Echo
[41:13] - The Insufficiency of Hell to Save
[46:09] - Brainerd's Experience with the Gospel
[49:02] - Peter's Response to Grace
[55:10] - The Path to True Repentance
[57:22] - Summary Statement
[59:13] - Concluding Plea

Bible Study Guide

Bible Study Discussion Guide

Bible Reading:

Romans 11:22
Revelation 14:9-11
Luke 5:1-10

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Observation Questions:

What does Romans 11:22 command us to behold, and why is it important to consider both aspects of God's character? [00:10]
According to Revelation 14:9-11, what are the consequences for those who worship the beast and receive its mark? How is this related to the concept of hell as discussed in the sermon? [06:38]
In Luke 5:1-10, how does Peter respond to Jesus' miracle of the fish, and what does this reveal about his understanding of Jesus' holiness? [48:46]
What are the five truths about hell that the pastor outlines, and how do they contribute to our understanding of God's justice? [06:10]

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Interpretation Questions:

How does the concept of hell as an "echo" of God's glory and Christ's suffering challenge or deepen one's understanding of sin and redemption? [27:08]
In what ways does the sermon suggest that the fear of hell is insufficient for genuine repentance? How does this align with the experiences of David Brainerd and Peter? [46:09]
How does the pastor explain the justice of hell in relation to God's infinite worth and glory? What implications does this have for our understanding of divine justice? [20:11]
What role does grace play in transforming hearts according to the sermon, and how does this contrast with the fear of hell? [49:02]

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Application Questions:

Reflect on Romans 11:22. How can you actively behold both the kindness and severity of God in your daily life? What practical steps can you take to maintain this balance? [00:10]
The sermon emphasizes that true repentance arises from a love for God's holiness. How can you cultivate a deeper love for God's holiness in your personal spiritual journey? [52:21]
Consider the pastor's point about the insufficiency of hell to produce genuine repentance. How can you ensure that your faith is motivated by love for God rather than fear of punishment? [46:09]
In what ways can you better appreciate the magnitude of Christ's sacrifice on the cross in light of the sermon’s discussion on hell? How might this appreciation affect your worship and daily life? [40:15]
The sermon suggests that delight in God precedes true repentance. Identify one area of your life where you struggle to find joy in God. What specific actions can you take to seek delight in Him this week? [55:10]
How can the understanding of hell as just and righteous influence your conversations with others about faith and salvation? What approach might you take to discuss these topics with someone who is skeptical? [20:11]
Reflect on Peter's response to Jesus' miracle in Luke 5:1-10. How can you cultivate a similar sense of awe and recognition of your own unworthiness in the presence of divine grace? [48:46]

Sermon Clips

Hell is an echo of something bigger and original than itself. It's the echo of the glory of God's infinite worth and it's the echo of the glory of Christ's infinite suffering and it's the echo therefore of his infinite love. [00:04:42]

The truth and the reality of hell are insufficient to awaken saving faith in anybody or to awaken genuine evangelical gospel spiritual remorse or regret. This insufficiency of hell points toward a very surprising source for the tears that are authentic on the way into heaven. [00:05:10]

Hell is eternal. The smoke of their torment goes up forever and ever, and they have no rest day or night. These worshipers of the beast and its image and whoever receives the mark of its name. That's a terrifying text. [00:07:20]

Hell involves the suffering of the people who are there. The word used here is torment. The smoke of their torment goes up forever and ever. I take it that torment means conscious suffering. [00:11:22]

Nobody will be in hell who does not deserve to be there. God is just in that he sends no one to hell who doesn't deserve to be there. If he sends someone into outer darkness where there's weeping and gnashing of teeth, it's because they deserve to be there. [00:20:25]

The crime of one being despising and casting contempt on another is proportionably more or less heinous as he was under greater or less obligations to obey him. If there be any being that we are under infinite obligations to love, honor, and obey, the contrary towards him must be infinitely faulty. [00:24:54]

Hell is meant to serve as an echo of the infinite value of the glory of God such that if you turn away from the glory of God as your treasure and your life and embrace the broken cisterns of the world, hell defines the heinousness of that sin and the greatness of that glory. [00:37:45]

Hell cannot produce satisfaction in God, and so it cannot produce remorse for not having God, and so it cannot produce gospel repentance, and so it cannot save, and so it is insufficient. [00:57:22]

True remorse, true brokenness, true contrition at not having holiness is over not enjoying God and living out of that impulse. It's a brokenness that I have failed to enjoy God and I have failed to walk in the enjoyment of God. [00:55:10]

True evangelical contrition, repentance, brokenness must be preceded by and awakened by delight in God. To truly weep at not having God's holiness, you have to long for God's holiness, and to long for God's holiness you have to see it as beautiful and desire it. [00:55:10]

Hell is powerless to produce what needs to be produced for salvation. It just scares people in the right direction and then serves magnificently as an echo of his infinite worth and Christ's infinite suffering and their infinite love. [00:59:13]

Don't let the fear of hell be the end point of your pursuit of repentance. Don't rest until you have gone beyond the fear of hell to the living waters and drunk deep at the glory of God, the love of God, the truth of God, the goodness of God, the wisdom of God. [00:59:13]

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The Severity of God: Understanding Hell and True Repentance

Devotional

Day 1: The Echo of Hell

Day 2: The Insufficiency of Hell

Day 3: The Justice of Hell

Day 4: The Role of Grace

Day 5: The Path to True Repentance

Sermon Summary

Key Takeaways

Youtube Chapters

Bible Study Guide

Sermon Clips

Chatbot

The Severity of God: Understanding Hell and True Repentance

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