Eternal Choices: Understanding Hell and Salvation

### Bible Reading
1. **Hebrews 9:27** - "And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment."
2. **Luke 16:22-23** - "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. And being in torments in Hades, he lifted up his eyes and saw Abraham afar off, and Lazarus in his bosom."
3. **Matthew 13:41-42** - "The Son of Man will send out His angels, and they will gather out of His kingdom all things that offend, and those who practice lawlessness, and will cast them into the furnace of fire. There will be wailing and gnashing of teeth."

### Observation Questions
1. According to Hebrews 9:27, what happens after death? How does this verse set the stage for the sermon’s message? [40:28]
2. In Luke 16:22-23, what is the rich man’s experience in Hades, and how does it contrast with Lazarus’s experience? [56:18]
3. What does Matthew 13:41-42 describe about the fate of the wicked at the end of the age? How does this passage contribute to the understanding of hell as a place of eternal punishment? [50:11]

### Interpretation Questions
1. How does the concept of conscious awareness in hell, as illustrated in Luke 16:22-23, affect our understanding of eternal regret and sorrow? [56:18]
2. What does the imagery of "wailing and gnashing of teeth" in Matthew 13:41-42 suggest about the nature of hell? How does this imagery impact our perception of eternal punishment? [50:11]
3. How does the sermon explain the significance of Jesus using the term "Gehenna" to describe hell? What historical and cultural context does this term provide? [47:39]
4. The sermon mentions that Jesus spoke about hell more than anyone else in the Bible. Why do you think Jesus emphasized this topic so much? [49:10]

### Application Questions
1. Reflect on the reality of hell as described in the sermon. How does this understanding influence your daily life and decisions? [49:10]
2. The sermon emphasizes the urgency of making a decision about salvation. Are you 100% sure of your eternal destiny? If not, what steps can you take to be sure? [01:12:42]
3. How can the awareness of hell motivate you to share the gospel with friends and family who do not know Jesus? What specific actions can you take this week to reach out to them? [49:10]
4. The sermon describes hell as a place of darkness and isolation. How does this description affect your view of the consequences of rejecting Jesus? [52:11]
5. Jesus took on the wrath of God so that we wouldn’t have to. How does this sacrifice impact your relationship with Him? What can you do to deepen your gratitude and commitment to Jesus? [01:00:56]
6. The sermon mentions that hell is a place of eternal punishment and conscious awareness of missed opportunities. How can this understanding help you live a more purposeful and intentional life? [56:18]
7. Reflect on the prayer at the end of the sermon. How can you be more purposeful in reaching out to those who are lost? What specific steps can you take to be more influential in your community? [01:10:33]

### Day 1: The Reality of Hell
Hell is a real and serious place that Jesus emphasized.

Hell is not just a casual term used in everyday language; it is a real and serious place that Jesus spoke about more than anyone else in the Bible. He used the term "Gehenna," referring to a cursed valley outside Jerusalem where refuse and even child sacrifices were burned. This valley was a constant reminder of perpetual fire and punishment. Jesus mentioned hell 33 times in the Gospels, emphasizing its reality and the importance of avoiding it. Understanding the seriousness of hell should motivate us to live righteously and share the gospel with others. [49:10]

Matthew 13:49-50 (ESV): "So it will be at the end of the age. The angels will come out and separate the evil from the righteous and throw them into the fiery furnace. In that place, there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth."

Reflection: How does understanding the reality of hell change the way you view your daily actions and interactions with others? Can you think of someone you need to share the gospel with today?


### Day 2: Conscious Awareness in Hell
Hell is a place of conscious awareness and eternal regret.

In Luke 16, Jesus tells the story of a rich man and a beggar named Lazarus. The rich man, in torment, could see Lazarus in comfort and realized the better life he could have had. This conscious awareness of missed opportunities adds to the torment of hell, making it a place of eternal regret and sorrow. The rich man's awareness of his past life and the opportunities he missed to live righteously and help others only intensified his suffering. This story serves as a sobering reminder of the importance of living a life aligned with God's will. [56:18]

Luke 16:23-24 (ESV): "And in Hades, being in torment, he lifted up his eyes and saw Abraham far off and Lazarus at his side. And he called out, 'Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus to dip the end of his finger in water and cool my tongue, for I am in anguish in this flame.'"

Reflection: Reflect on your life and consider if there are any missed opportunities to live righteously or help others. How can you make changes today to avoid future regret?


### Day 3: Eternal Punishment and Isolation
Hell is a place of darkness, weeping, and gnashing of teeth.

Hell is described as a place of darkness, weeping, and gnashing of teeth. Imagine being in perpetual darkness, separated from everyone and everything you love. This isolation and eternal punishment are meant to be a sobering reminder of the consequences of rejecting Jesus. The Bible paints a vivid picture of hell as a place of utter desolation and despair, where the absence of God's presence is profoundly felt. This description should serve as a powerful motivator to seek a relationship with Jesus and to share His love with others. [58:22]

Matthew 22:13 (ESV): "Then the king said to the attendants, 'Bind him hand and foot and cast him into the outer darkness. In that place, there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.'"

Reflection: Think about the areas in your life where you feel isolated or in darkness. How can you invite Jesus into those areas to bring His light and presence?


### Day 4: The Wrath of God
Jesus took on God's wrath so we wouldn't have to.

The cross of Jesus teaches us that hell is real and that God's wrath against sin is severe. Jesus took on this wrath so that we wouldn't have to. His sacrifice offers us a way out, but we must choose to accept it. There is no "back door" to heaven; Jesus is the only way. The severity of God's wrath against sin is a testament to His holiness and justice. However, His love and mercy are equally profound, as demonstrated by Jesus' willingness to endure the punishment we deserve. This understanding should deepen our gratitude and commitment to living for Him. [01:00:56]

1 Thessalonians 1:10 (ESV): "And to wait for his Son from heaven, whom he raised from the dead, Jesus who delivers us from the wrath to come."

Reflection: Reflect on the sacrifice Jesus made for you. How does this understanding of His sacrifice influence your daily life and decisions? What steps can you take to live more fully for Him?


### Day 5: The Urgency of Decision
Now is the time to make a decision about your eternal destiny.

This message is not to scare you but to make you aware of the reality of hell and the lengths Jesus went to save us from it. If you're not 100% sure of your salvation, now is the time to make that decision. Jesus offers forgiveness, purpose, and hope for eternity. Don't leave here today without being sure of your eternal destiny. The urgency of this decision cannot be overstated. Eternity is at stake, and Jesus' invitation is open to all who are willing to accept it. This is a call to examine your heart and make a conscious choice to follow Him. [01:12:42]

2 Corinthians 6:2 (ESV): "For he says, 'In a favorable time I listened to you, and in a day of salvation I have helped you.' Behold, now is the favorable time; behold, now is the day of salvation."

Reflection: Are you certain of your salvation? If not, what is holding you back from making that decision today? How can you take a step toward accepting Jesus' offer of forgiveness and eternal life?

It's great to see you this morning. I'm so glad you're here. We're in a great worship time. Man, I love that. Let's give our praise team a hand. That was so good.

I'm just looking around today and seeing you. First service is packed out. This service is growing. I appreciate you as a missionary, inviting people, bringing people with you to church.

Hey, before we jump into this teaching today, I just want to say a couple things that are coming up. First of all, we have this great couples retreat that's going to be happening in Gatlinburg on September 2nd through the 5th. We're going to be doing a couple of things. The leaves will be changing. Several of us are taking our motorcycles. We're going to ride the Tail of the Dragon. So if you'd like to join us, man, it's going to be a great place.

Anita and I will be sharing some words that God is already downloading into our hearts. And maybe you say, "Oh, I'd love to go, but I just can't go." But you know we have some younger couples, and we have some couples that financially are not able to do the whole thing. We never pay anybody's whole way, but we have some. So maybe you say, "You know what? I'd be willing to scholarship a young couple or somebody that's in need." You know, they'll put some skin in the game, and then we'll help them along. So if that's you, you can just talk to Chris, or you can talk to me. Chris will be out in the foyer at the end of the service.

Also, our next mission trip going to the Yucatan is going to happen, and the tickets are the cheapest they've ever been. Mike is going to meet you right over here in the auditorium in this area if you're interested in going with us. It's going to be the mission team that you can afford to go, and it's going to be amazing. We've already seen some of the things that's going to happen. So I really pray that you could be part of that. The mission team that's going. So after this service, they'll be right over there.

Well, we're in this series called "After This." Say "After This." And that comes from Hebrews 9 and 27. There in your notes, let's read that verse together. It's appointed for men to die once, and after this, the judgment.

Now, there's an unwritten rule in church. Let me give you behind the scenes. If you want to keep people happy and keep them coming back to church, you don't ever mention politics. You don't ever mention money. And of all things, you never mention hell.

Well, today, the good news is I'm not teaching on politics. I'm not going to preach on money. But I am going to let the word talk to us today about H-E-double-L. Some of you, I know you brought a guest with you today, or this is your first time at the Father's house. Just come back next week. Next week, we go to heaven.

But I think that we all need to be aware of the alternative that happens. You know, we talked last week about this rope. This rope represents, first of all, this side represents the eternal past. You know, it's like God has always been. He never was created. He never was formed. God has always been. So just as far back as you can think, that's eternity past.

This side reminds us of eternity future, that forever and ever and ever, we're going to spend somewhere in eternity. It's given unto man once to die, and after that, the judgment. That will decipher which way you go.

So last week we said this red represents the history of mankind, eternity past, eternity future, history of mankind from Adam and Eve and all the way through. And over here at the end, it really would be much smaller than this, but so you can see it, right here is where we are. Right here is our life. Somewhere around 1950, I can start there. Some of you are halfway through. Some of you are way over here, so you have less.

But the decisions that we make here in this blue affect where we'll spend eternity. And that's the thing that's on my heart today.

Let's pray. Father, I would never dare approach your word on such a subject like this or any subject without just pausing and saying, Holy Spirit, I need you. Help me to say exactly what you want me to say. Don't let me say anything I shouldn't say. But Lord, it's so important that we realize that after this, we can't make another choice. But right now, our future hangs in the balances of what we do today.

So Father, I pray that at the end of today, you'll be glorified because you made a way for us. I pray the saints will be edified and built up with hope. And I pray the devil will be terrified.

In the name of Jesus, I got to be honest, I've not looked forward to preaching this teaching. You know, a few weeks ago, I did the one on "Keep Climbing. Don't be a camper. Don't quit." That was really cool. I love to preach that. And next week, I'm going to love to preach about heaven. Because you see, the heaven we know is going to quit. So if you're planning on living in heaven for eternity, you've got wrong biblical theology. And I will talk to you about that next week. Some of you will struggle all week long, but it's going to be okay.

All right, look at your paper and say, "It's going to be all right." So today, I look at this and I say, "Lord, help me."

Now, why should it be so hard for us to talk about hell? You hear about it all the time. People use the word hell as a fill-in, right? You hear people say, "Well, what in hell are you doing?" You hear people say, "I'm madder than hell." "My back hurts like hell." Really? Or here's one. Somebody said this to me at the end of the service, "I was a hell of a sermon, preacher."

I thought about some interesting titles for today, like "What's Down with Hell?" Or I thought about this one, Tim, I had you in mind, "Highway to Hell," AC/DC. We could play that one. I think Matt could rock that, couldn't he? And Smitty. I thought about a title, "Smoking or Non-Smoking." But I got to be honest, in approaching a subject like this, I couldn't be trivial. So I selected this: "Eternal Ecstasy or Eternal Misery. It's Your Choice."

Ecstasy, let me tell you what that means. It's a state of overwhelming emotion and joy. Misery is a state of great suffering and unhappiness and emotional distress.

So why are we talking about death? Because what you believe—it's there in your notes—what you believe determines how you live. It's on the screen. Let's say it together: "What you believe determines how you live." Look at your neighbor and say that to them: "What you believe determines how you live."

I'm afraid a lot of us never think much about hell. And that's okay. I mean, as a believer, I don't think we should think about that. But I think we should think about that in reference to the people that are our friends and that are lost.

44% of Americans believe in heaven, but only 44% of Americans believe that hell is a real place of suffering and punishment. Only 4 in 10 believe that if you reject Jesus, you're going to spend eternity in hell. 1 out of 10 simply says after life, there is nothing else.

But the Bible talks about hell 167 times. I read a frightening survey this week that said 35% of Baptists, 54% of Presbyterians, 58% of Methodists, and 60% of Episcopalians no longer believe in a literal heaven or a hell.

Now the scary thing is, listen to this: 71% of students in leading seminaries in America preparing for ministry filled out a survey and said that they do not believe in a literal hell or a literal heaven. But yet Jesus talked about it. He talked about hell.

When he talked about hell, he used the Greek word Gehenna. And the Greek word Gehenna talks about a place outside of Jerusalem where they sacrificed to false gods. And one of the gods they sacrificed to was the god called Molech. And Molech required child sacrifice. So parents would bring out their babies, just born, and they would place them in a fire for them to be burned up and consumed in that valley.

So by Jesus' time, that valley became to be known as a cursed valley. And so what they would do is they'd take all the garbage, all the refuse, all the crap, all the stuff in the city, they'd take it out to that valley, and there was a perpetual fire that was burning up everything. That perpetual fire then put a smoke or a stench out of that valley, and every time people looked at it, they remembered that the smoke never quits because there's a constant fire and it's burning up the trash. It's burning up the refuse.

And so Jesus uses that word Gehenna, and it means a place of everlasting punishment.

So today I want to look at what does Jesus say about hell. I don't have any cute stories. I don't have any stories about what Uncle Billy Bob thinks about hell. I want to look, find in the head and find what Jesus says.

So listen, over 33 times in the gospels, 33 times Jesus taught about hell. In other words, he had 33 sermons that he talked about hell. Now his ministry was only less than 36 months. So he figured that out. That means about once a month he taught on hell. And you wonder why did he talk about it so much? I believe because he didn't want you to go there. He knew that it was a place for Satan and his demons. He knew it was a place, and he didn't want you to go there.

So let's look and see what Jesus said. I'm going to look at a lot of scripture today. Is that okay? So if you get bored doodling, just look at the screen, all right? Look at your Bible. We're going to look at a lot of scripture today. Because I don't want to just give you—I want to give you what Jesus says about hell.

First of all, he says it's a place of regret and sorrow. Matthew 13, beginning at verse 37.

And he answered and said to them, "He who sows the good seed is a son of man. The field is the world, and the good seeds are the sons of the kingdom, but the tares are the sons of the wicked one. The enemy who sowed them is the devil. The harvest is the end of the age. The reapers are the angels. Therefore, as the tares are gathered and burned in the fire, so it will be at the end of the age. The son of man will send out his angels, and they will gather out of his kingdom all things that offend and those who practice lawlessness will be cast and will cast them into the furnace of fire. There will be wailing and gnashing of teeth. Then the righteous will shine forth as a son in the kingdom of their father. He who has ears to hear, let him hear."

And it's not me judging you. He says at that time, and what the scary thing is, he says he'll even go into his kingdom and he'll find people who have pretended that they're part of his kingdom, but they're not. And so it's not my job to point my finger at you and say you're just pretending. Because God sees, God knows, and he will assign his angels.

You see, we believe that at death, our angel carries us in the presence of God. The scripture says that. So evidently then at the end time, there will be those angels that will take people to a place of everlasting punishment.

I've heard people laugh and say, "Oh, go ahead preacher, I'd rather go to hell with my friends than a bunch of you church folk. I don't want to hang around you." But I'm telling you, in this world, sin may be fun for a season, but it'll really destroy your life. But in hell, there will be no fun. In hell, there will be isolation. You're not near anyone else. You're by yourself in separation. Hell is a place of regret and sorrow.

Jesus also said hell is a place of eternal—say eternal—eternal punishment. Matthew 25, verses 31 through 46.

When the Son of Man comes in his glory and all the holy angels with him, notice how the angels are with him. And he will sit on the throne in his glory. All the nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate them from one from another as a shepherd divides his sheep from the goats. And he will set the sheep on his right hand, but the goats on the left.

Then the king will say to those on his right hand, "Come, you blessed of my Father. Inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. For I was hungry and you gave me food. I was thirsty and you gave me drink. I was a stranger and you took me in. I was naked and you clothed me. I was sick and you visited me. I was in prison and you came to me."

Then the righteous will say, "Lord, when did we see you hungry and fed you or thirsty and gave you to drink? When did we see you as a stranger and take you in, sick and in prison?" And he will say, "Assuredly I say to you, inasmuch as you did it to one of the least of these in your daily life, you did it to me."

Then he will say to those on the left hand, "Depart from me, you cursed, into everlasting." And he goes through the same thing. "I was hungry. I was thirsty. I was in prison and you didn't come." And he will answer, "Lord, when did we see these things?" And he will say to them, "When you did it to the least of those, it was me."

Then he will answer and say, "Assuredly I say to you, inasmuch as you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to me." And these will go away into everlasting punishment, but the righteous to eternal life. Everlasting, eternal, forever and ever.

Hell is a place of perpetual fire. Mark chapter 9, verses 42 through 48.

But whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in me to stumble, it would be better for him if a millstone were hung around his neck and he was thrown into the sea. If your hand causes you to sin, cut it off. It's better for you to enter into life maimed than having two hands to go to hell into the fire that shall never be quenched, where the worm does not die, where the fire is not quenched.

And what he was referring to here is in the valley where they were burning. There were still maggots and worms that would eat on the filth that was there. So he says in this place called eternal punishment, the worm doesn't die, the fire is not quenched.

If your foot causes you to sin, cut it off. It's better for you to enter into life maimed than having two feet to be cast into hell into the fire where the worm does not die and the fire is not quenched.

If your eye causes you to sin, plug it out. It's better for you to enter into the kingdom with one eye rather than have two eyes to be cast into hell where the worm does not die and the fire is not quenched.

Now you say, is Jesus talking about literally I need to go cut off my hand or punch out my eye? I mean, like, you know, you lusted this week and so you punch out your eye and you go to your next life group wearing a patch and several other men are wearing a patch too in the same way. That's not what he's talking about here.

But what he's saying is the things in your life you know that are not right, that are sin, that are separating you from a relationship with God. He says you need to cut it off. Wherever your hand is going and doing things you know that's not right, he said you gotta cut it. You can't tolerate it.

People say, "Well, you know, it's just part of me and I know I shouldn't hang out with these people. I know I shouldn't do that." No, he says you need to stop it. You need to cut it off now while you have a chance because you don't want to take both of those into the world that you'll be separated from me.

Hell is a place of conscious awareness. Luke 16, verses 22 and 23. Let's look at that.

So it was that the beggar died and was carried by angels to Abraham's bosom. The rich man also died and was buried. And being in torments in Hades, he lifted up his eyes and he saw Abraham afar off and Lazarus in his bosom.

Some things we never think about that in hell you're gonna have a conscious awareness that something was better and you could have attained it. You're gonna be aware that there was a different outcome. That if you'd lived your life different here, your life. So forever and ever it looks as though when Jesus is telling this, it's not a parable, but he's saying that people that are in torment are gonna be able to look across a chasm and they're gonna see the glory of heaven, the glory of the new earth, and forever and ever and ever they're gonna live with regrets.

"I could have had that. Why did I put him off? Why didn't I respond? I said in that service there at the Father's house on that Sunday morning and now you live with eternal regrets forever and ever."

2 Thessalonians 1 and 9 says they will be punished with eternal destruction forever separated from the Lord and from his glorious power.

Hell is a place of darkness and weeping. Matthew 22 and 13 says that the king said to his servants, "Bind him hand and foot, take him away and cast him into outer darkness where there's weeping and gnashing of teeth."

I mean, you think of all these things. It's gonna be darkness, but yet you're gonna be able to see what you've missed, but it's gonna be darkness that you're not able to see.

You ever wake up in the middle of the night and everything is pitch dark and that feeling of panic? I mean, I'm a grown man and there are times that that's disorienting in the darkness. And what will I do? I'll reach over to my phone that's beside me, turn the light off, make sure.

Can you imagine for eternity in darkness, gnashing of teeth, wailing, hearing people, eternal fire, but you're never burned up? You're never burned up.

People say, "Do you believe that hell is literally a place of fire?" Well, I'm not gonna add or take away from the scripture. I'm just gonna say that's what Jesus said, and I'm gonna take what Jesus said. I just don't—regardless of that, I don't wanna go. How about you? And I don't want my friends to go. How about you?

So let's talk today. What does Jesus, what does the cross of Jesus teach us about hell? What does the cross of Jesus teach us about hell? I'm not talking about another author. I'm not talking about a theologian. I'm not pulling it out of a doctrine book, but I'm just talking about how does Jesus see hell?

He wasn't ambivalent to the subject of hell. Now we live in a world today in which people try to turn everything that's of God and his holiness around to a human level, and they'll say things like this: "Well, I hear that, but you know, I just somehow believe that because God is so good that everything will eventually just sort of work out. You know, God's grace, God's mercy, and yeah, maybe I might have to go and be punished for a while, but I believe it'll all work out."

And one of these days, you know, we'll all get a chance and it'll be okay. But that's not what Jesus saw. You wanna see in the midst of that, you wanna see what screams and says, "No, that's not the answer."

I want you to look at the cross. The cross that we celebrate, the cross that we talk about. You see, Jesus saw a tidal wave of God's holiness and God's wrath that would come upon this earth and come upon sin.

Now we don't like to talk about God's wrath, but you can't have God's righteousness without God's wrath. You can't have heaven without God's wrath. And so God hates—God is a holy God. It's not how could God send anyone to hell; it's how could God not send us all to hell because we're sinful.

You say, "Well, I'm not sinful." Let me ask you a question. I want you to raise your hand. You ever told a lie? Look at your neighbor. If they don't have their hand up, look at them cockeyed; they're lying right now. Have you ever stolen something? I've stolen something. Yeah. Have you ever—and this one you don't have to raise your hand, just your eyebrow—have you ever lusted?

For all the sin come short of the glory of God. Because of the sin that's in my life, in your life, God's wrath has to be poured out on that sin to cleanse the future, to be clean, holy, and pristine on the new heaven, the new earth.

See, here's what some people think: "Well, Terry, what if I make the right decision here and I get into eternity in the new heaven, the new earth, and what if I'm the one that allows sin to come in my life? I mess everything up." You've thought about that.

But that's where you gotta go back and see the wrath of God because the wrath of God is going to come like a volcano and cleanse. And Jesus saw the future eruption of that, and he voluntarily left heaven, came to this earth, lived a sinless life, and as Lonnie said, walked to that cross and said, "You know how much God loves you? He loves you this much."

And he allowed God to put the shame, the horrors, the punishment of all sin, past, present, and future on him. He took the wrath of God so that I could step into his righteousness, and his wrath has covered my sin. And I know now that in the future, there's no chance in hell for sin to come again because of the wrath of God.

If that's so, then the wrath of God is meaningless. A few weeks ago, Anita and I and Kevin and Melissa were privileged to go to Costa Rica, one of the places on my bucket list, and it's lush, beautiful stuff. But I want you to see in the background, it's a real volcano.

And so when we were there, it erupted in 1968. And I know you've seen how the pictures of volcanoes erupting. Let's look at that next picture. There's a picture of a volcano erupting, coming up out. And so what happens is all of that heat, all of that fire comes down.

Now I want you to picture this: this is a picture of God's wrath over sin. Now look at the picture now of this area. This is after the volcano erupted in 1968. When we were there, there's still some smoke from the volcano. It completely destroyed a town, Tabacon, that was there, cleared it out, destroyed everything.

When the wrath of God was poured out on Jesus, Jesus took all the sins so that they could be cleansing. And so in hell, if you choose not to take the way of Jesus, in hell the wrath of God is going to be poured on your sin. You have a choice this morning.

You can say, "Yeah." In fact, let's look at this Romans chapter 5. It's sort of like the hinge of all the New Testament. It's there in your notes too. It says, "When we were utterly helpless." You ever been utterly helpless?

"When we were utterly helpless, Christ came at just the right time and he died for us sinners. Now most people would not be willing to die for an upright person, though some perhaps would be willing to die for a person who's especially good. But God showed his great love for us by sending Christ to die for us while we were still sinners."

Most people quit there, but you can't miss verse 9 and 10. "And since we've been made right or we've been justified in God's sight by the blood of Christ, we'll certainly be saved from God's condemnation or God's wrath."

I want you to see this picture: God's wrath is poured out on sin, but because of Jesus, because of his blood, because of that shredding of his body, and he said, "It is finished," now I stand under the spread of his wings, and the wrath of God does not touch me, does not come upon me because I have believed in him.

Now look at the rest of this verse: "In God's sight by the blood of Christ to save us from that wrath. For since our friendship with God was restored by the death of his son while we were still enemies, we will certainly be saved through the life of his son."

The cross also teaches us that no one can make it in your own merit. I know I hear this all the time. I hear this argument. But Terry, what if there was like this little old lady in Okahumpka, and she's a good little old lady. She gave vegetables to all of her friends. She loved her neighbors. She took in stray cats and dogs, but she never believed in Jesus. She never accepted his payment for her sins.

Surely, Terry, surely somewhere down the road there's a back door and she'll be able to get in. You can't tell me there's not a back door somewhere. We've all thought about that. That hell won't be forever; it'll just be for a short while.

No, listen to me. If there was a back door, Jesus is the most foolish individual I've ever met in his life. Why would he come? Why would he pay the price he did if he knew that eventually there would be a back door, another way?

Jesus said, "I am the way. I am the door. I am the truth. No one gets to the Father except through me."

You say, "Terry, I understand hell for murderers. I understand hell for Stalin, for Hitler, for human traffickers who steal young girls and rape them and impregnate them and lock them up, and then they give them steroids to themselves and the fetus so the baby will be born quick so they can sell that baby to pedophiles. I believe hell should be a place for them, and I believe there's levels of punishment in hell."

But I'm here to tell you today, you can't forget the words that I've taught today. You have no excuse today. You can leave today and say, "I don't believe that preacher. I don't believe."

Look, I haven't given you my words. I've given you what Jesus said about that. So you have no excuse today for eternity of how that you've made a decision here and where you spend eternity with him.

But not only for you, but I think those of us that we have family members and we have friends that don't know Jesus give you a hard way to go. And sometimes you just feel like giving up on them and saying, "Well, I just guess they're just stuck in their ways."

But in light of seeing the wrath of God poured out upon sin, we've got to get more vigilant, more prayerful, more intensive in reaching our loved ones, in reaching the people that are around us.

I was so moved last week when Travis stood up here and said of those two boys that died from Leesburg in the military, and the haunting words he said was, "I wonder if I ever ran into them in the Walgreens or ran into them at a store or a restaurant and that I could have done something different to say to them to change their life."

That's what this church is all about. This church is not about me. It's not about who preaches or the pastor, but we're bringing hope and impacting our community by leading people into a growing relationship with Jesus.

And I know you may have friends and loved ones today that you're concerned about, and I want to pray with you and for you for them. And also for those of you today that need to make a decision once and for all about my sin and I'm going to follow Jesus.

Would you bow your heads with me? I'm going to pray for you. First of all, those of us that are believers, and I want to pray that God will help us to be more influential in that are lost.

Lord Jesus, thank you for warning us about hell. But greater than that, thank you for stepping in before the wrath of God, and you took that wrath and endured that. Forgive me for taking that for granted and many times abusing that, and help me, Lord, to be more purposeful in reaching my friends.

And there are those of you that are sitting here today or maybe watching online, and you remember the verse that we talked about a week or so ago: "Enter by the narrow gate, for wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction, and there are many that go in it. Because narrow is the gate and narrow is the way that leads to life, there are few that find it."

I've been haunted this week by this verse. Just listen to it: 2 Thessalonians 1:8 and 9. "He will punish those who do not know God and do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus. They will be punished with everlasting destruction and shut out from the presence of the Lord."

I don't want that for you. This is not a message of fear to try to scare you out of hell, but it's a message to help you understand what Jesus did and the lengths that he's gone to say to you, "I've got a better way. I've got a better way."

He forgives you of your sin. He gives you a purpose for living and a hope for eternity.

I'm going to ask you to do something today. Those of you who say, "You know what? I need to be sure, 100% sure that if I were to die today that I would meet Jesus and be settled." Just a minute, I'm going to ask you—I'm going to count to three, and I'm going to ask you to do something very bold, probably the bravest thing you've ever done in your life.

I'm going to ask you to stand. In just a minute, I'm not going to embarrass you. I'm not going to ask you to say anything. I'm just going to ask you. Jesus came along to his followers and said, "Follow me," and they picked up and they followed him.

So when we come to a subject like this today, I think it's very shallow for us to just raise our hand and just nod and say, "I'm going to say a prayer." But I believe today by you standing, you're saying, "I thank God that Jesus took the wrath so that I don't have to take that."

So if that's you and you're not 100% sure today that you're ready to meet Jesus, I'm going to count to three. When I get to three, I want you to stand up right now, wherever you are.

Thank you, sir. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Others today, stand and say, "Yup, that's me." Thank you.

Those of you that are online, just stand right where you are. Just remain standing. I want to pray. I want to lead us in a prayer if you don't mind. We've all prayed this prayer at one time or another.

You've just done a very bold thing. You said, "You know what? I'm believing. I'm accepting what Jesus did." The scripture said if I confess with my mouth and believe in my heart that Jesus is Lord and God raised him from the dead, I'll be saved. The wrath of God will be stayed for my life.

Pray this prayer with me. Let's all pray it together.

Father God, thank you for sending your son Jesus to die for my sins. I confess I am a sinner in need of a savior. Forgive me of my sins. I confess today with my mouth and I believe in my heart that you are Lord. As best as I know how, I'm going to serve you all the days of my life and fill me with your spirit.

Listen, there's one more critical step. I'm not tricking you, just one more critical step. Over here is a place called First Step, and here's the first step. I want to put some stuff in your hands that's going to help you on this journey. Nobody's going to talk to you. They're not going to keep you. They're not going to sign you up for anything.

But in a minute, this church is going to go ballistic, and we're going to praise God for the decision you made. The scripture says that all of heaven rejoices when one person comes to the Lord. And today we've had about eight or nine in this service.

So let's just go ballistic right now.

Listen, listen, wait, wait just a second. I know you're excited, but those of you that stood, I'd like you to go right now over here and over here. Would you do it? Now church, let's go ballistic. Come on, those of you that stood up, make that over there. Come on, come on.

Yay! Thank God! Thank God! Thank God! Thank God!

Yeah, listen, oh, this is important. We're going to worship the Lord in our giving. You can remain standing. You can pass the bucket standing. The ushers will start from the back and come down from the front. And please don't leave. Let them get that done because that's important.

Thank you for coming. Come back next week. Let's go to heaven. All right, let's go to heaven. Let's go to the new earth. Let's see what it's going to be like as we co-create with God on that new planet. It's going to be awesome.

Worship God in your giving this morning.

### Quotes for Outreach

1. "This is not a message of fear to try to scare you out of hell, but it's a message to help you understand what Jesus did and the lengths that he's gone to to say to you I've got a better way. He forgives you of your sin, he gives you a purpose for living and a hope for eternity." [01:12:11](Download raw clip | Download cropped clip | Download vertical captioned clip)



2. "Eternal ecstasy. Or eternal misery. It's your choice. Ecstasy. Let me tell you what that means. It's a state of overwhelming emotion. And joy. Misery is a state of great suffering. And unhappiness. And emotional distress. So why are we talking about death? Because what you believe. It's there in your notes. What you believe determines how you live." [45:37](Download raw clip | Download cropped clip | Download vertical captioned clip)



3. "It's on the screen. Let's say it together. What you believe determines how you live. Look at your neighbor and say that to him. To them. What you believe determines how you live. I'm afraid a lot of us. Never think much about hell. And that's okay. I mean as a believer. I don't think we should think about that. But I think we should think about that. In reference to the people that are our friends. And that are lost." [46:39](Download raw clip | Download cropped clip | Download vertical captioned clip)



4. "You say Terry I understand I understand hell for murderers I understand hell for Stalin for Hitler for human traffickers who steal young girls and rape them and impregnate them and lock them up and then they give them steroids to themselves and the fetus so the baby will be born quicker so they can sell that baby to pedophiles I believe hell should be a place for them and I believe there's levels of punishment in hell but I'm here to tell you today you can't forget the words that I've taught today you have no excuse today you can leave today and say I don't believe that preacher I don't believe look I haven't given you my words I've given you what Jesus said about that so you have no excuse today for eternity of how that you've made a decision here and where you spend eternity with him." [01:09:02](Download raw clip | Download cropped clip | Download vertical captioned clip)



5. "You ever wake up in the middle of the night and everything is pitch dark and that feeling of panic I mean I'm a grown man and there are times that that's disoriented in the darkness and what will I do? I'll reach over to my phone that's beside me turn the light off make sure can you imagine for eternity in darkness gnashing of teeth wailing hearing people eternal fire but you're never burned up you're never burned up people say do you believe that hell is literally a place of fire well I'm not gonna add or take away from the scripture I'm just gonna say that's what Jesus said and I'm gonna take what Jesus said I just don't regardless of that I don't wanna go how about you and I don't want my friends to go how about you." [58:53](Download raw clip | Download cropped clip | Download vertical captioned clip)



### Quotes for Members

1. "Most people quit there but you can't miss verse 9 and 10 and since we've been made right or we've been justified in God's sight by the blood of Christ we'll certainly be saved from God's condemnation or God's wrath I want you to see this picture God's wrath is poured out on sin but because of Jesus because of his blood because of that shredding of his body and he said it is finished now I stand under the spread of his wings and the wrath of God does not touch me does not come upon me because I have believed in him now look at the rest of this verse in God's sight by the blood of Christ to save us from that wrath for since our friendship with God was restored by the death of his son while we were still enemies we will certainly be saved through the life of his son the cross also teaches us that no one can make it in your own merit." [01:05:51](Download raw clip | Download cropped clip | Download vertical captioned clip)



2. "And you keep them coming back to church. You don't ever mention politics. You don't ever mention money. And of all things. You never mention hell. Well, today. The good news is. I'm not teaching on politics. I'm not going to preach on money. But I am going to let the word. Talk to us today about H-E-double-L. Some of you, I know you brought a guest with you today. Or this is your first time at the Father's house. Just come back next week. Next week, we go to heaven. But I think that we all need to be aware of. The alternative that happens. You know, we talked last week. About this rope. This rope represents. First of all, this side. Represents the eternal past. You know, it's like God has always been. He never was created. He never was formed. God has always been. So just as far back as you can think. That's eternity past. This side reminds us of eternity future. That forever and ever and ever. We're going to spend somewhere in eternity. It's given unto man once to die. And after that the judgment. That will decipher which way you go. So last week we said. This red represents the history of mankind. Eternity past. Eternity future. History of mankind. From Adam and Eve and all the way through. And over here at the end. It really would be much smaller than this. But so you can see it. Right here is where we are. Right here is our life. Somewhere around 1950. I can start there. Some of you are halfway through. Some of you are way over here. So you have less. All right. But the decisions. That we make here. In this blue. Affects where we'll spend eternity. And that's the thing that's on my heart today." [41:02](Download raw clip | Download cropped clip | Download vertical captioned clip)



3. "And his wrath has covered my sin and I know now that in the future there's no chance in hell for sin to come again because of the wrath of God if that's so then the wrath of God is meaningless a few weeks ago Anita and I and Kevin and Melissa were privileged to go to Costa Rica one of the places on my bucket list and it's lush beautiful stuff but I want you to see in the background it's a real volcano and so when we were there it erupted in 1968 and I know you've seen how the pictures of volcanoes erupting let's look at that next picture there's a picture of a volcano erupting coming up out and so what happens is all of that all of that heat all of that fire comes down now I want you to picture this this is a picture of God's wrath over sin now look at the picture now of this area this is after the volcano erupted in 1968 when we were there there's still some smoke from the volcano it completely destroyed a town Tabacon that was there cleared it out destroyed everything when the wrath of God was poured out on Jesus Jesus took all the sins so that they could be cleansing and so in hell if you choose if you choose not to take the way of Jesus in hell the wrath of God is going to be poured on your sin you have a choice this morning you can say yeah in fact let's look at this Romans chapter chapter 5 it's sort of like the hinge of all the New Testament it's there in your notes too it says when we were utterly helpless you ever been utterly helpless when we were utterly helpless Christ came at just the right time and he died for us sinners now most people would not be willing to die for an upright person though some perhaps would be willing to die for a person who's especially good but God showed his great love for us by sending Christ to die for us while we were still sinners." [01:03:15](Download raw clip | Download cropped clip | Download vertical captioned clip)



4. "You say is Jesus talking about literally I need to go cut off my hand or punch out my eye? I mean like you know you lusted this week and so you punch out your eye and you go to your next life group wearing a patch and several other men are wearing a patch too in the same way. That's not what he's talking about here. But what he's saying is the things in your life you know that are not right that are sin, that are separating you from a relationship with God." [55:14](Download raw clip | Download cropped clip | Download vertical captioned clip)



5. "And there was a perpetual fire that was burning up everything. That perpetual fire then put a smoke or a stench out of that valley and every time people looked at it they remembered that the smoke never quits because there's a constant fire and it's burning up the trash. It's burning up the refuse. And so Jesus uses that word Gehenna and it means a place of everlasting punishment. So today I want to look at what does Jesus say about hell. I don't have any cute stories. I don't have any stories about what Uncle Billy Bob thinks about hell. I want to look, find in the head and find what Jesus says. So listen, over 33 times in the gospels, 33 times Jesus taught about hell. In other words, he had 33 sermons that he talked about hell. Now his ministry was only less than 36 months. So he figured that out. That means about once a month he taught on hell. And you wonder why did he talk about it so much? I believe because he didn't want you to go there. He knew that it was a place for Satan and his demons. He knew it was a place and he didn't want you to go there. So let's look and see what Jesus said. I'm going to look at a lot of scripture today. Is that okay? So if you get bored doodling, just look at the screen, alright? Look at your bible. We're going to look at a lot of scripture today. Because I don't want to just give you. I want to give you what Jesus says about hell. First of all, he says it's a place of regret and sorrow." [48:40](Download raw clip | Download cropped clip | Download vertical captioned clip)