The Wrath of God (Rom. 1:18-19)

The Wrath of God

(Rom. 1:18-19)

Today, we are going to see how the wrath of God is revealed to all mankind. We have heard many sermons on the love of God, the mercy of God, or the grace of God, but we will see another attribute of God today; it is God’s wrath. Today’s sermon is called “The Wrath of God”.

I. What is the wrath of God? (v. 18a)

It seems that no one wants to hear about this particular divine attribute of God. It is just as much an attribute of God as His love or His omnipotentance or His unchangeable nature. God’s wrath is not the idea of a mere man losing his temper; it is God’s hatred of sin and immorality. Because God is so holy, he cannot but hate sin and bring judgment against those who practice sin. We have a church world today where many of those who say they preach the Gospel seem to leave out the fact that God must punish sin, that there is an eternal penalty measured out against all who have not received Jesus as Lord and Savior. Remember that wrath is not the idea of uncontrolled anger or a temper tantrum of a mere man; God’s wrath is a settled, determined righteous anger against the offensiveness of sin. It seems that Paul’s sharing of the gospel message began with an introduction to that all mankind is under the wrath of God. If you remember in our witnessing training we went through that there is the bad news/good news approach to the Gospel. Paul made sure that this church understood that the reality that all men are lost and under the wrath of God then he would show them the way of escaping the wrath through Christ. We cannot truly understand and appreciate the love, mercy, and grace of God until we see the righteousness demands of God against sin or the fury of His anger against evil. We cannot appreciate His forgiveness or the great love of the sacrifice of His Son, Jesus Christ if we cannot see how detestable sin, evil, and immorality is in the eyes of God. We cannot have the understanding of God’s gracious love through Christ if we do not know His hateful wrath against sinful men. God perfectly hates evil just as much as He perfectly loves righteousness. The fullness of the gospel message is most clearly seen when we show what scripture reveals about the spiritual nature of man (spiritually dead) is condemned by the righteous wrath of God; the Good News of the Gospel is more fully appreciated when we all understand that God wants to save us from our sinful nature (which incurs God’s judgment against us) through His Son, Jesus Christ, who paid the penalty of our judgment. Jesus met the righteous demands of God’s Law through his sinless sacrifice of His shed blood and life on the cross. When we just simply show that God’s wrath is against sin but God’s salvation from sin and judgment can be found through faith in Christ. The scripture reveals in John 3 both the salvation and the wrath of God. It says in John 3:16, “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life” and it says in v. 36 of that same chapter, “He who believes in the Son has everlasting life; and he who does not believe the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God abides on him”. The revelation of God’s wrath helps lost man see more clearly see the need of God’s salvation and forgiveness. A sinner will not seek out Jesus as Savior if he does not know that he is sinful and his sin is what condemns him. The wrath of God is basically defined as God’s hatred of sin and the fact God must punish sin. Sinful mankind is condemned and under God’s wrath but God has made a way of escape through Christ.

II. Where and How is it Revealed? (v. 18b)

God’s wrath is revealed from heaven. Our holy God has revealed it from His holy Heaven. The word ‘revealed’ here in the Greek gives us an idea that it means it is being constantly revealed. We can see in the Holy Scriptures that God has revealed His wrath time and time again. From Genesis, we see that when Adam and Eve sinned, that immediately after their sinful disobedience of God’s command, God pronounced on them the sentence of death. It was not just on Adam and Eve, but on all their descendants (that’s us, all mankind) and the earth was cursed right along with them. We can also see God’s judgment upon the whole world in the Great Flood; God’s wrath was seen as judgment fell upon all humanity in a world-wide deluge that drowned all humanity except for eight people (Noah’s family) God saved in an ark. We can also witness God’s judgment against the city of Sodom and Gomorrah, upon the first born of Egypt and the drowning of Pharaoh’s army. If we look at the ‘curse of the Law’ and how we see in the sacrificial system in the Mosaic Law, that the untold millions of innocent animals killed and blood shed. That in all of those animals killed and bled it all revealed man’s sinfulness and unrighteousness but it pointed to the only One whose blood and death would save us from our sin and condemnation. In the death of Christ, we can see God’s wrath was also revealed. Jesus, God’s Son, while on the cross took upon Himself, God’s wrath for us. Jesus took upon Himself the sin of the world and bore the full effect of God’s wrath on the cross (2 Cor 5:21 –“For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him”). That penalty that God demanded for our sins, Jesus met on our behalf. God hates sin so much and His wrath demanded that its penalty be met that He chose to allow His only Son to be crucified and killed on our behalf. This was the only way fallen humanity could be redeemed from the curse of sin.

So, we see that God’s wrath has been revealed and it is still being revealed, and will be revealed especially in the End Times. Sometimes it seems that the wicked still prosper and prevail but it just seems that way. We must remember that the wicked will not escape God’s wrath. Here on this earth they may bribe, escape, or fool the justice system of this world, but God’s wrath and judgment will have no loop holes for the wicked to escape (Rev 20:12-13,15 – “And I saw the dead, small and great, standing before God, and books were opened. And another book was opened, which is the Book of Life. And the dead were judged according to their works, by the things which were written in the books. The sea gave up the dead who were in it, and Death and Hades delivered up the dead who were in them. And they were judged, each one according to his works. And anyone not found written in the Book of Life was cast into the lake of fire”). God’s wrath has, is, and will be revealed.

III. What is the verdict of God’s wrath against? (v. 18c)

It is against the ungodliness and unrighteousness of men. Ungodliness are sins against the very Person of God and unrighteousness are sins against God’s will. That just shows that we are simply sinful in all that we are and do. Sin taints and corrupts anything we do. So that any human attempt to span the divides that sin separates us from God always fails. Nothing worthy that we do as humans on this earth can accomplish salvation and acceptance by God. Rom. 3:10 says, “There is none righteous, no, not one” and 3:23 says, “for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God”; our sinfulness means that we lack the means to truly reverence God, it means that we have a faulty personal relationship with God. If we have a wrong relationship with God then our actions will reflect that in unrighteous living towards God and our fellow man. Sin attacks the Person of God and His righteous Law. God only hates sin. He does not hate people but only the sin that they do. Sin will always bring about the wrath of God for our holy God must punish sin. Unrighteousness is so much a part of man’s nature that every person has a built in, natural desire to suppress and oppose God’s truth that we can’t save ourselves and that only God can save.

Today, we have seen that God’s wrath is against unsaved, godless mankind. We understand that God is so holy that sin and sinners are not allowed in His presence. We know through scripture that God is holy and just and because of that He hates sin and must therefore punish the sinner. But this brings us to the truth of scripture that God is love and because he loves mankind, He has provided a way of salvation through the sacrificial death of Christ on the cross of Calvary. The Bible wonderfully puts it this way, God is “not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance” (2 Peter 3:9).

The Grace in Which We Stand (Rom. 5:1-11)

The Grace in Which We Stand

(Rom. 5:1-11)

The work of salvation has been accomplished only by Jesus Christ, by His death and resurrection. It is our faith in Christ, what we know and believe about Jesus from the scriptures, that has changed us from sinner to saint. That salvation that God chose to reveal to us, has changed our condition from the condemned nature of a sinner to that of an accepted child of God. It is Jesus Christ alone that has made this possible. It is nothing we have done, it is awesome power of God through Jesus Christ that has saved us. It is God's grace alone through faith alone in Christ alone that has saved us. Today, we will explore “the grace in which we stand”.

I. Justified (declared righteous) v. 1a - “Therefore, having been justified by faith”.

The term “justification” means to be declared righteous. How is it that we who are unrighteous (sinful) can be declared righteous? Well, a good clue to this is that it says here that we are declared righteous by faith. We are declared righteous by our faith in Christ as our Lord and Savior. The reason I know this is that the word “therefore” here in verse 1 is referring to something that Paul has already mentioned previously. And if we look at chapter 4, in the final verses we can understand how we are justified by faith. The whole chapter talks about how Abraham was justified (declared righteous) by his faith in the promises of God (Rom. 4:3 - “Abraham believed God, and it was accounted to him for righteousness” and 4:9 - “For we say that faith was accounted to Abraham for righteousness”). Abraham put his faith into the revealed plan of salvation God showed him in the person and work of Jesus Christ (Gal. 3:8 - “And the Scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the Gentiles by faith, preached the gospel to Abraham beforehand”). We just like Abraham are justified when we put our faith in the person and work of Jesus Christ. If we look at the final verses of chap. 4 we can understand that better, 4:20,22-25 - “He did not waver at the promise of God through unbelief, but was strengthened in faith, giving glory to God; And therefore “it was accounted to him for righteousness.” Now it was not written for his sake alone that it was imputed to him, but also for us. It shall be imputed to us who believe in Him who raised up Jesus our Lord from the dead, who was delivered up because of our offenses, and was raised because of our justification”. Jesus Christ paid the penalty for our sins by His death on the cross and resurrection from the dead. Is 53:4-5 says this about Christ, “Surely He has borne our griefs And carried our sorrows; Yet we esteemed Him stricken, Smitten by God, and afflicted. But He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities; The chastisement for our peace was upon Him, And by His stripes we are healed”; this shows the work of justification by Christ's death. Dr. John MacArthur wrote in his commentary on Romans, that through the work of justification by Christ: “God credits the believer's sin to Christ's account, He can credit Christ's righteousness to the believer's account. God could not have justly credited righteousness to Abraham had not Abraham's sin, like every believer's sin, been paid for by the sacrifice of Christ's own blood. Before the cross, the believer's sin was paid in anticipation of Christ's atoning sacrifice, and since the cross the believer's sin has been paid in advance”. This is how we are justified (declared righteous), by faith in Jesus' finished work of salvation. “Faith is never the basis or the reason for justification, but only the channel through which God works His redeeming grace. Faith is simply a convicted heart reaching out to receive God's free and unmerited gift of salvation”. ---John MacArthur.

II. Peace with God. v.1b - “we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ”.

Because we are justified by faith, we can now have peace with God through Jesus Christ. This peace is something we possess at the very moment we put our faith in Christ. This peace comes from the fact that we are saved and justified in Christ. The fact of the matter is that when we were lost sinners, we were hostile and against God; we were enemies (Rom 8:7 - “the carnal (sinful, fleshly) mind is enmity (hostile) against God”. Because we have been justified by Christ, we now have peace with God. We are now reconciled to God by Jesus Christ, v.10 - “when we were enemies we were reconciled to God through the death of His Son, much more, having been reconciled, we shall be saved by His life”. Jesus took upon Himself the full force of God's fury on the cross, that we as sinful humanity should have deserved. Because of our sinfulness we were against God, we were His enemies and undeserving of His grace and mercy he showed us through His Son. All of us who trust in Christ as Lord are no longer enemies of God and under His wrath, we are now at peace with Him through Christ (Col. 1:19-22 - “For it pleased the Father that in Him all the fullness should dwell, and by Him to reconcile all things to Himself, by Him, whether things on earth or things in heaven, having made peace through the blood of His cross. And you, who once were alienated and enemies in your mind by wicked works, yet now He has reconciled in the body of His flesh through death, to present you holy, and blameless, and above reproach in His sight”). Being reconciled to God will bring peace with God. Because we are justified by faith, the immediate consequence of that justification is peace (reconciliation) with God. This peace or reconciliation has been made forever between the believer and God. We are eternally at peace with God. We cannot fall out of favor with God because we saved, justified, and reconciled because of what Christ has done in our behalf, by His death and resurrection.

Christ not only brings peace to the believer but “He Himself is our peace (Eph. 2;14)”. The knowledge that we have peace with God should strengthen our assurance that we are eternally secure in Christ.

III. This grace in which we stand. v.2 - “through whom also we have access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God.”

from what we have looked at, we can understand that because we have been reconciled to the Father through trusting the Son we have access into that grace in which we stand. Before we put our faith in Christ, sin denied us access to God. Sin would prevent us from ever enjoying the presence of God, from ever hoping to have salvation, and from ever having a true relationship with Him. The believer can now approach God because of what Christ has done for us. Our standing (our position) with God has changed through Christ. Once unrighteous but now righteous in Christ (2 Cor. 5:21 - “God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him”). This standing in the grace of God never changes even though our circumstances on this world change daily our position of salvation in Christ does not change. Nothing can change it, nothing can take us out of God's hand of salvation (John 10:28-29 - “And I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; neither shall anyone snatch them out of My hand. My Father, who has given them to Me, is greater than all; and no one is able to snatch them out of My Father's hand”). The grace in which we stand shows us the completeness and fulfillment of Christ's salvation (Phil. 1:6 - “being confident of this very thing, that He who has begun a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ”). The act of saving us, of keeping us saved, and completion of salvation is solely in the hands of the One who has provided that salvation. We are incapable by our strength or our will power or by our good works to save ourselves; we do not have the strength or power to do so. It says in 5:6, “when we were still without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly”. We are utterly and totally and completely dependent on Christ to save us and to keep us saved. Once we are standing in the grace we can never leave that place. What we can do is begin to live and operate in grace. Another thing we can do is to “rejoice in hope of the glory of God”. The hope that we receive from being in God's grace is not a wishful hope of this world but that know so assurance of hope in God. Knowing that once we are in His grace through faith in Christ, we are eternally in His hand of grace. It says in Col. 1:13, “He has delivered us from the power of darkness and conveyed (transferred, translated) us into the kingdom of the Son of His love”. By awesome power of God through the saving power of Christ we are now declared righteous in Christ, reconciled to the Father, and permanently standing in God's grace. Now that should be grounds for us to glorify and rejoice in our God. But the question I want to leave you with today is this, are you standing in grace today? Do you have the joy of knowing the God of this universe through a saving relationship with His Son Jesus Christ? If not, today you can enter into His grace through faith in Christ.

The Unpardonable Sin (Matt. 12:31-32)

The Unpardonable Sin

(Matt. 12:31-32)

Maybe you have read this verse and wondered what sin is it that God won’t forgive? It seems that should be no sin that God would not graciously forgive. But yet, here it is in scripture from our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ that there is an unforgivable sin that blasphemes against the Holy Spirit. That God will not forgive in this world and in the world to come. Today, we will see what the unpardonable sin is not, what it is, and how the lost can keep from committing it. Today’s sermon is the unpardonable sin.

I. What the Unpardonable Sin is not.

There are many vile and atrocious sins committed by mankind today. And there are some things I can think of that would be very hard for me to forgive. But in looking at sins I wondered what could be the worst sin that God could not forgive.

A. What about murder? – I think about murder and it is probably the worst possible sin one could commit. To deprive a person of their life and opportunities for someone to repentance towards God and plunge that person into eternity without a chance, could that be the unpardonable sin? Then I read in scripture of when Moses murdered the Egyptian taskmaster and hid the body in the sand to cover it up and I see that although it is a heinous act to commit and a great sin, it is not an unforgivable sin because we see that God forgave Moses of the sin of murder and used him in the deliverance and leading of God’s people. Also, scripture calls Moses in James 2:23, “the Friend of God”. So the unpardonable sin couldn’t be murder.

B. What about adultery? – There is no sin that affects humanity like adultery. Adultery not only affects those involved in a marriage but the children of marriage also. It is a ultimate act of betrayal and it tears out the heart of a family and causes a domino effect of sin that leads to even worse sins even murder. Take for example King David and his sin of adultery with Bathsheba. It went from adultery with her, her becoming pregnant with David’s child, and finally to where David has her husband killed. This grievous and terrible sin that of this man and how far it went to despair and death. Surely maybe this might be the unpardonable sin but in 2 Samuel 12 when confronted by the prophet Nathan David repents unto God and Nathan tells David in verse 13, “The LORD also hath put away thy sin; thou shalt not die”. Even though the sadness and despair involved in this sin it is not unforgivable by God.

C. What about denial of Christ? – Where there is persecution, trials, and fear of martyrdom in the history of the church there have been those who have denied Christ. Surely to deny Jesus would be severe enough to face rejection by God. But looking at Simon Peter who told Jesus in Matthew 12:35 that he would never deny Jesus, in fact he said, “Even if I have to die with You, I will not deny You” but in vv. 69-75 he denied Christ three times. But we see Peter in Acts after seeing the resurrected Christ and being filled with the Holy Spirit stand up and proclaim Christ to thousands and 5,000 where saved that day and later on Peter was martyred for proclaiming Christ. So we see also that denial of Jesus is not unpardonable.

D. What about violence against God’s people, the church? – Surely to kill and beat, and imprison, and torture God’s people is the unforgivable act that God does not forgive. But in the book of Acts we see the great persecutor of the early church, a man named Saul, who imprisoned and killed Christians (God’s children). But we also see in Acts 9 that Jesus reveals Himself to this man and Saul is saved and becomes the great apostle Paul. So, we see that even this great violent sin of persecution against the church is forgivable by God. So what is the unpardonable sin?

II. The Unpardonable Sin (Matt. 12:22-32)

The clue to understanding what the unpardonable sin is to read the passage in Matthew 12:22-32. Let’s began by reading vv. 22-28, “Then one was brought to Him who was demon-possessed, blind and mute; and He healed him, so that the blind and mute man both spoke and saw. And all the multitudes were amazed and said, "Could this be the Son of David?" Now when the Pharisees heard it they said, "This fellow does not cast out demons except by Beelzebub, the ruler of the demons." But Jesus knew their thoughts, and said to them: "Every kingdom divided against itself is brought to desolation, and every city or house divided against itself will not stand. "If Satan casts out Satan, he is divided against himself. How then will his kingdom stand? "And if I cast out demons by Beelzebub, by whom do your sons cast them out? Therefore they shall be your judges. "But if I cast out demons by the Spirit of God, surely the kingdom of God has come upon you”. We need to remember that every sign, wonder, healing, and miracle that Christ did was to bring glory to the Father and revelation that He was God in the flesh. He was revealing Himself as the Messiah the glory of God incarnate. Every time someone was healed or delivered from demons and every time He taught or preached, He revealed that He was the salvation of God. And for the Pharisees to have seen this revelation of God’s power in their midst and still reject Jesus Christ. The unpardonable sin is this, their rejection of Jesus after so many times seeing the evidence and hearing Him tell them who He was and still hardening their heart and ultimately rejecting Jesus as Savior. This is the blasphemy of the Holy Spirit, to have first hand seen and heard Jesus Christ Himself over and over again at time after time rejecting the Holy Spirit of God revealing Christ to them. Jesus Himself pronounced that it would be better for Sodom and Gomorrah at the judgment than unbelieving Israel, in fact let me quote Jesus from Matt. 11:23, “if the mighty works, which have been done in thee, had been done in Sodom, it would have remained until this day”. God had mercifully dealt with Israel for many centuries and when the promised Messiah came, He was rejected and killed by them. The Pharisees crossed the line that day; they went from the mercy of God to the side of reprobation of blaspheming the Holy Spirit of God by their final rejection of Christ. Today, here in America there are people who have heard the gospel message of Jesus Christ and the preaching of God’s Word and they still are rejecting Christ. They have hardened their hearts over and over again against the conviction of the Holy Spirit of God. The Holy Spirit so lovingly wooing them to come to Christ and again they reject Him. They have become desensitized to the merciful grace of God. One day they will find that God will no longer woo them. When Noah built the ark and preached for 120 years to those people they rejected the grace of God over and over again. But when the day of judgment came and Noah, his family, and animals entered into the ark the Bible says that God closed the door and sealed it shut (Gen.7:16). When the rain began to fall and water started to rise then the people began to beat on the side of the ark to open. But what had been opened to all had been shut that day once for all. It was too late; the day of salvation is today. When God calls it is then salvation is offered, that moment and that time. There is a time and a line that is crossed when the lost who have heard the Gospel, time and time again they have rejected Christ and rejected the calling and conviction of the Holy Spirit, a time when God will say, “It is enough!” (Heb. 10:26-27,31 – “For if we sin willfully after that we have received the knowledge of the truth, there remaineth no more sacrifice for sins, But a certain fearful looking for of judgment and fiery indignation; It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God”). What is lost man to do to not sin the unpardonable sin?

III. Turn to Christ

There was a story about a tall apartment building that caught on fire and was engulfed in flames. The fire department arrived and got everyone out except one person. That person stood at the window of their apartment yelling, “Help, Save me!” to the fireman below. The fire department didn’t have a ladder tall enough to get to them but had stretched out a net that was able to catch that person and save them. They called up to that trapped person and told them, “Jump from the window we will catch you, we’ll save you” but the person wouldn’t jump but would go inside their smoke filled apartment then reappear to yell for help again and the firefighters would tell to just jump to safety. But the person never jumped but died in the flames of that fire. The only thing they had to do to be saved was to jump, to respond to the word of instruction from the fireman. Mankind is like that today, especially in America, they have heard the Word, warning, and instruction from God’s Word from God’s servants to repent and turn to towards Christ to be saved from the judgment to come but they perish in the fire. When Christ is preached today people want to question, to argue, to get some kind of explanation but all they need to do is respond. Rom. 10:9-10 says, “If you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation”. To have Christ as Lord and Savior you must respond, you must confess Him as Lord. It doesn’t matter where you are or what condition you’re in turn to Christ. When the thief was dying on the cross beside Jesus, he couldn’t move or walk towards Him but he turned his eyes to Christ and said “Lord, remember me.” And Jesus’ said so graciously, “Today you will be with me in Paradise” (Lk. 23:4243). What must the lost man or woman do not to be forever lost? Do whatever they have to do to turn to Jesus in faith for Him to be their Lord and Savior.

The Unpardonable Sin is rejecting Jesus. What a sad statement today that here in America there are so many who have rejected Him. But there are those who have not heard also. Let us keep proclaiming Christ for those who will hear and believe.

Little Sins (2 Sam. 11:1-5)

Little Sins

(2 Sam. 11:1-5)

In this passage we see the story of David and Bathsheba. It is not a happy story but a tragic series of events. It all starts with David’s “little sin”. The problem with “little sins” is just with one word, “little”. There is no such thing as a little sin, that’s just what we call it to justify ourselves when we do something wrong. When our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, suffered and died on that cross for our sins, there was no mention of big or little sins. It was for our sins he shed His blood. Our sins, whether they’re big or little, are what separated us from God and condemned us to judgment. Sins are destructive and deadly, whether they are in a sinner’s or a saint’s life. Primarily today, we are going to look at the result of sin in a Christian’s life. We must look at and understand in this sermon the danger of “little sins”. Let’s look at this story of David and Bathsheba and see the results of little sins.

I. Little Sin of David (2 Sam. 11:1-5, “It happened in the spring of the year, at the time when kings go out to battle, that David sent Joab and his servants with him, and all Israel; and they destroyed the people of Ammon and besieged Rabbah. But David remained at Jerusalem. Then it happened one evening that David arose from his bed and walked on the roof of the king's house. And from the roof he saw a woman bathing, and the woman was very beautiful to behold. So David sent and inquired about the woman. And someone said, "Is this not Bathsheba, the daughter of Eliam, the wife of Uriah the Hittite?" Then David sent messengers, and took her; and she came to him, and he lay with her, for she was cleansed from her impurity; and she returned to her house. And the woman conceived; so she sent and told David, and said, "I am with child.”)

A. He Was in the Wrong Place (v.1) - As we look at our first victim of a “little sin”, we must understand that sometimes it begins with being in the wrong place. Here in the beginning of this chapter (2 Sam. 11) it says that David was in Jerusalem but his army was out to war against Ammon. Verse 1 tells us that it was the time of the year when the kings go out to do battle. So we get the idea that King David should have been there in battle with the army of Israel down in the trenches with his men but he was home just taking it easy instead of what he was suppose to be doing. Because he was in the wrong place at the wrong time there came along some problems. There are places in our lives that we should never wander into because it leads to dangerous things. And with King David we can see that all started with being in the wrong place and an accidental look.

B. He Just Had a Little Look (vv. 2-5) - David couldn’t sleep one night and went out on the palace roof. While looking around at the sky and the surrounding houses and building he sees something. Just a little distance away he accidently sees into a little house and there is a women bathing. It was just a little look and I’m sure that he could have turned away and went back into the palace but he had to take another little look. That second little look turned into a little longer look that turned into a little gazing but it was just a little sin on David’s part. That little sin grew into full blown lust and we can see from the rest of the verses that it leads on to greater sin. There are some men that say “there’s nothing wrong with looking!” but the Word of God begs to differ. In Mt. 5:28 Jesus said this about just looking, “But I say to you that whoever looks at a woman to lust for her has already committed adultery with her in his heart”. Entertaining a little sin leads on to more and more sin and there are destructive consequences to them (James 1:15, “when desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, brings forth death”). David finds out who she is (the wife of Uriah, one of his soldiers) and he invites her to the palace and seduces her. From this Bathsheba becomes pregnant with David’s child.

C. He Tries to Cover His Sin (vv.6-17) – This little sin of David seems to have grown into a mess. So like any good Christian he tries to hide his sin (that’s sarcasm). David thinks he can cover it up and come out smelling like rose but it seems like sin has a life of its own. In verses 6-13, we see that King David sent for Uriah (Bathsheba’s husband) from out of the battle. David’s reasoning was that if he brought Uriah home that he could cover up getting Bathsheba pregnant by making it look like Uriah was the father. Things are never as simple as they seem. Uriah was a faithful soldier and would not go home because to him it would be a dishonor to do so while every other soldier was putting their lives on the line. Because Uriah would not go to his house and wife, David sent him back to battle with a message to his General Joab. The message was to Uriah in the forefront of a battle and then retreat back from him so he would be killed and Joab did as David commanded him. Uriah is killed and then in vv.26-27 Bathsheba mourns and after the time of mourning was over David brings her to the palace marries her and she gives birth to their son. David thinks that it’s all covered up nice and neat but any sin that given time to root and grow in a heart of a believer will dealt with by God. God has no intention of letting this sin not be dealt with in David’s life and we see this in 11:27b, “But the thing that David had done displeased the LORD”. It’s not over by a long shot.

D. God deals with David’s Sin (2 Sam.12:1-15) – God deals with David and his sin. God used the prophet Nathan to confront and rebuke King David. Nathan comes to David and tells him a story of a rich man and a poor man. That the rich man had many flocks and herds and the poor man had one little lamb that he loved like a child. The rich man had a visitor and instead of him killing a lamb from his great many flocks, he stole and killed the poor man’s little lamb that he loved. King David was incensed at the great injustice and evil of the rich man and declared that this man must die. It is then that Nathan tells David this, “You are the man!” and then begins revealing from God the great sin of David. You see there is nothing hidden from God even if your hiding a multitude of sins from everyone else, God sees it! And God will deal with it if you’re his child. How do I know this, one from experience (nothing like King David) and the best reason I know this is true is because God’s word says so, Heb. 12:5-11, “And you have forgotten the exhortation which speaks to you as to sons: "My son, do not despise the chastening of the LORD, Nor be discouraged when you are rebuked by Him; For whom the LORD loves He chastens (disciplines), And scourges every son whom He receives. If you endure chastening, God deals with you as with sons; for what son is there whom a father does not chasten? But if you are without chastening, of which all have become partakers, then you are illegitimate and not sons. Furthermore, we have had human fathers who corrected us, and we paid them respect. Shall we not much more readily be in subjection to the Father of spirits and live? For they indeed for a few days chastened us as seemed best to them, but He for our profit, that we may be partakers of His holiness. Now no chastening seems to be joyful for the present, but painful; nevertheless, afterward it yields the peaceable fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it.” God will deal with sin in the life of a believer in a way that is best for us. Because of what was told to David, he repented in 12:13, “I have sinned against the LORD.” And Nathan said to David, "The LORD also has put away your sin; you shall not die”. God was going to deal with David very harshly by taking his life but David truly repented and was graciously shown mercy. David should have went to God and let Him deal with his sin but David foolishly tried to deal with it on his own. If sin is not dealt with it will not just affect you but it affects those around you, especially those who you love the most in your life. David was forgiven by God but paid the price of a believer dabbling in sin.

II. The Solution for Little Sins

It only takes entertaining on “little” sin to open the flood gates of sins destructive abilities (“…for whatever a man sows, that he will also reap.” – Gal. 6:7b). If you ever talk to an addict you can plainly hear how all it took was that first drink, that first toke, or that first pill. Just one little decision to sin can destroy lives and your witness for Christ. My friends before it gets that far we most go humbly and repentantly to our Lord God. 1 John 2:1 says, “My little children, these things I write to you, so that you may not sin. And if anyone sins, we have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous” Confess and repent of your sin to God so it will not gain a foothold in your heart and life. 1 John 1:9 says that if we will “confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness”.

The only way to deal with little sins before they mature and grow into a great destructive power is to nip them in the bud. Let Christ, our sin killer, get them when there young and fresh. Rom 6:12 – “Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body that you should obey its lusts” but bring them all under the subjection of Christ. Let Christ deal with your “little sins”.

A Convenient Season

A Convenient Season
(Acts 24:22-27; 26:27-29)

Today, we will see two of the most terrible statements ever made in the Bible. One is from a man named Felix and another is from a man named Agrippa. The one thing that both have in common is a man named Paul who preached to them the Gospel of Jesus Christ. We will read in these passages the most tragic words any man could ever utter. We will see today, two men who refused the Gospel call and the Spirit of God’s convicting power.

I. Foolish Felix (Acts 24:25- And as he reasoned of righteousness, temperance, and judgment to come, Felix trembled, and answered, Go thy way for this time; when I have a convenient season, I will call for thee.)
Here in Acts 24, we see Paul is a prisoner in the Praetorium of Caesarea, the Roman capitol of the Judean province, and Paul has been called before the appointed Roman governor Felix. The Apostle Paul is called to the audience of Felix and his wife Drusilla (Bible refers to her as a Jewess). Paul had earlier in this chapter defended himself against false accusations of the Jews earlier but now is given audience to Felix and Drusilla to hear him explain his ‘new‘ religion “concerning the faith in Christ”. They were interested in hearing about the miracle worker Jesus Christ, I’m sure they had heard the stories and what attracted people to this new religion. But Apostle Paul always recognized an open door of opportunity from God and he begins to preach the Gospel message of Jesus Christ. I imagined it was not as they expected, they were expecting a nice little presentation of a new philosophy but what they got was the uncompromised preaching of the Word of God. The Bible says as Paul preached that Felix trembled. Paul is the one on trial and in chains and imprisoned. Paul is the accused and prisoner standing at the bar and Felix is the judge. But Paul is not the one who is trembling, it’s Felix. Felix is the one who is in the position of power and influence whose subjects lives are in his hands but he is the one trembling that day. He is trembling before Paul because of the message about the condition of his soul as seen before the God of heaven and earth. Felix and Drusilla were expecting Paul to recount some kind of new mystical religion. Some kind of new age experience or philosophy that would tickle there ears and stroke their sinful egos. They wanted to be entertained by some fantastic story of this prophet and troublemaker named Jesus that Paul worshipped. But Paul simply and powerfully preached the holy Word of God. It says that as he preached that “he reasoned about righteousness, self-control, and the judgment to come”. The Apostle Paul although he was before the one who was an earthly judge over him became the one who brought Felix before the One who stood as Judge over all. Paul revealed through the scriptures just how Felix stood spiritually before God and that was like anyone else, he stood before God as a sinner. A sinner that was in need of a Savior because we all will stand before God when we die and we will be judged (Heb. 9:27 - “And as it is appointed for men to die once, but after this the judgment ”). Paul preached the Gospel to this man and showed him the One that could save him from his sins and the judgment to come and it says that Felix trembled at the preaching of God’s Word. The Spirit of God was convicting Felix of his sins, the Holy Spirit was drawing this man to a place of an eternal decision, and He was telling Felix that this was his day and hour to come to Christ. Felix trembled under the mighty call of the mighty God. It came to the time of decision and what was Felix’s answer? It would have been glorious if he said, “Paul, I give my heart to Jesus!”, but those words never came from his lips. Felix’s answer was one of the most terrible words that can be spoken by anyone, it was his answer, “Go thy way for this time; when I have a convenient season, I will call for thee, some other time Paul, some other day. When the time is right for me but not right now”. Felix simply refused the hand of God’s mercy and grace that was extended to him through the convicting power of God’s word and God the Holy Spirit. Paul presented Christ the Savior for his soul and Felix refused the Son of God. The opportunity of grace and mercy with God’s arms open wide to receive him through Christ and he refused the his appointment with destiny. There is no record of Felix ever coming to a saving knowledge of Christ but the Bible says that two years later he was replaced by Festus. Other historical sources record that Felix was recalled back to Rome in disgrace by Emperor Nero where he was never again given any title or position and that he ended his life by suicide. Felix’s convenient season never came. God’s call to repentance came that day, God’s day of salvation was offered to this man, and the conviction of that man’s heart was that day and he refused the Spirit of God. What a dangerous thing to do and how easy the words came, “No, some other day God”. He preferred to be lost and without God, willfully and foolishly rejected the call of the Spirit of God, and went into eternity to his judgment in Hell. Hebrews 10:26-27 says this, “For if we go on sinning willfully after receiving the knowledge of the truth, there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins, but a certain terrifying expectation of judgment, and the fury of a fire which will consume the adversaries.” This was the result of Felix missing God’s convenient season.
II. Almost There Agrippa (Acts 26:28 - Then Agrippa said to Paul, "You almost persuade me to become a Christian.")
Paul was imprisoned at Caesarea right around 3 years and Paul used every opportunity to preach Christ to the lost. When given another opportunity to testify on his own behalf before governor Festus and King Agrippa II, Paul used it to give his personal testimony of how Jesus saved him. Paul boldly preached Christ to these two powerful leaders. Paul told of his training as a Pharisee, how he persecuted the church, about how he met and talked with Jesus on the road to Damascus, and how he was saved through faith in Christ. Festus openly mocked Paul and did not believe Paul’s testimony of Christ. But Agrippa’s remark to Paul was interesting. Paul directly asked Agrippa this question, “do you believe the prophets? I know that you do believe”. Paul appealed to Agrippa’s raising in Judaism to bring him to a place of decision spiritually. Paul had preached to him the Gospel of Christ and now directing him to a place to believe in Jesus as Savior. Agrippa’s answer was this, “You almost persuade me to become a Christian”, so close yet so far away from the One who could save his soul. Agrippa is like so many who are in churches today hearing the gospel message of Christ. They know and believe God’s word but never came to the place of decision to receive Christ as Savior and Lord. They’ve been raised in church, still go to church, and probably like the preacher but they are as lost as a goose. They have been so hardened to the gospel that they hardly even hear it anymore, their almost persuaded.
III. God’s Convenient Season (2 Co. 6:2b - Behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation.)
Paul wrote in 2 Cor. 6:2, “Behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation”. I think he wrote that in remembering all the times those who so foolishly rejected the Gospel of Jesus Christ. When Jesus is preached that He suffered and died on that old rugged cross to shed His blood to cleanse us from our sins and three days later physically arose from the tomb alive forever more to save us from our sins and give us eternal life in Him that’s the Gospel message. Romans 1:16 says that the gospel of Jesus Christ “is the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes”, and in Rom. 10:17 tells us that, “…faith (saving faith) comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God”. The Holy Spirit moves upon the hearts of men by convicting us through the preaching of God’s word. That’s why when we Christians heard the gospel of Jesus Christ that we were drawn by the Spirit of God to saving faith in Christ. The Holy Spirit brought us to the cross of Christ and produced in us the faith to receive salvation in Christ. When people refuse the word of God and the Spirit of God they are putting themselves into dangerous place. When God calls you and draws you to Christ that just might be the last time. We don’t know our appointment with death. When God calls you that is the day of salvation. Salvation is not on your terms or in your time, it’s when God calls your name because your not promised another call. Today if God is calling you to salvation in His Son Jesus Christ don’t refuse Him, don’t harden your hearts (Heb. 3:15 - Today, if you will hear His voice, Do not harden your hearts). Listen to these words from the hymn “Almost Persuaded”:
“Almost persuaded” now to believe;
“Almost persuaded” Christ to receive;
Seems now some soul to say,
“Go, Spirit, go Thy way,
Some more convenient day
On Thee I’ll call.”

“Almost persuaded,” harvest is past!
“Almost persuaded,” doom comes at last!
“Almost” cannot avail;
“Almost” is but to fail!
Sad, sad, that bitter wail—
“Almost,” but lost!

Friends, today is the day of salvation in Christ. Today is the day that He can change your life. Don’t be a Foolish Felix or an Almost There Agrippa. Come if Christ is calling you today.

Because He Lives (What Happens When We Die)

Because He Lives
(What Happens When We Die)
(Job 19:25-27)

We as Christians sometimes may not fully understand what happens to us when we die. We know that because we are saved by Christ we will go to Heaven and forever be with Jesus. But sometimes we get confused by things like the resurrection, the rapture, and what part of us goes to Heaven when we die. In this sermon, we will get a better understanding of what happens when we die.

I. What happens to our soul when we die? (2 Cor 5:8 - “We are confident, I say, and willing rather to be absent from the body, and to be present with the Lord.”
When we read this verse we understand it simply for what it says. Paul says simply he is confident of this fact that to be absent from the body (death for a Christian) is to be present with the Lord. It is a without question according to the scripture that at our death, our soul, our spirit leaves this body and goes into eternity with our Lord. We see Jesus’ words to the thief that was crucified beside Him, “And Jesus said unto him, Verily I say unto thee, To day shalt thou be with me in paradise” (Luke 23:43 KJV). When we die, our soul goes to Heaven immediately. There is no waiting period, there is no soul sleep (7th Day Adventist believes this and some cults), the Christian is immediately in the presence of God in his eternal reward of Heaven. You see death for the child of God should not be feared, it will come if we are not raptured. We should a great confidence in knowing that because our Lord has saved us he has also guaranteed that we will live in our eternal home with Him in Heaven. Paul said this about facing death, Phil. 1:21-24, “For to me, to live is Christ, and to die is gain. But if I live on in the flesh, this will mean fruit from my labor; yet what I shall choose I cannot tell. For I am hard pressed between the two, having a desire to depart and be with Christ, which is far better. Nevertheless to remain in the flesh is more needful for you”. Paul was about to soon face a martyr’s death and he knew it was soon but he expressed it so wonderfully, to live is Christ and to die is gain. His desire to see his Lord and enjoy the wonders of Heaven was what he would encounter when faced his death but he also knew that he had to stay a little longer to finish God’s work and God’s will to the church at Philippi. For the Christian, death is the doorway we step through to our eternal destiny with our Jesus in Heaven. Our promise of Heaven is secured by death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. We understand this and find great joy at knowing that Jesus has not only saved our souls but He has also guaranteed our eternal life and our eternal home. What great love and great gifts of God’s grace that we have received because we have by faith received Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior.
II. What happens to our body after we die? 1 Thess. 4:13-17, “But I would not have you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning them which are asleep, that ye sorrow not, even as others which have no hope. For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so them also which sleep in Jesus will God bring with him. For this we say unto you by the word of the Lord, that we which are alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord shall not prevent them which are asleep. For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord.”
At death, our bodies go into the grave and remain until it is rejoined with the spirit. As these verses declare, we understand that this will happen at the rapture of the church. This is the redemption of our bodies and it is the finalized work of salvation and the perfection of our bodies. When we trusted Christ for our salvation here on this earth, He gave us a new, redeemed spirit, He cleanses our soul from sin and makes it new; we read 2 Cor. 5:17 - “Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.” But we still live in this feeble body of flesh and as a Christian we should eagerly await the redemption of our bodies (Romans 8:22-23 - “For we know that the whole creation groaneth and travaileth in pain together until now. And not only they, but ourselves also, which have the firstfruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting for the adoption, to wit, the redemption of our body.”) The redemption of our body is also called the glorification of our body and again repeating myself it is the finished and complete work of salvation that was begun when we became recipients of God’s salvation. When we receive our glorification then we will forever be free from sin, sickness, and death. This new redeemed body will not be like our old, sin cursed body. To understand this better we need to read 1 Cor. 15:35-38,42-49 “But someone will say, "How are the dead raised up? And with what body do they come?" Foolish one, what you sow is not made alive unless it dies. And what you sow, you do not sow that body that shall be, but mere grain; perhaps wheat or some other grain. But God gives it a body as He pleases, and to each seed its own body. …The body is sown in corruption, it is raised in incorruption. It is sown in dishonor, it is raised in glory. It is sown in weakness, it is raised in power. It is sown a natural body, it is raised a spiritual body. There is a natural body, and there is a spiritual body. And so it is written, "The first man Adam became a living being." The last Adam became a life-giving spirit. However, the spiritual is not first, but the natural, and afterward the spiritual. The first man was of the earth, made of dust; the second Man is the Lord from heaven. As was the man of dust, so also are those who are made of dust; and as is the heavenly Man, so also are those who are heavenly. And as we have borne the image of the man of dust, we shall also bear the image of the heavenly Man.”
Paul is comparing us to seed. He is saying that our bodies are only a mere glimpse of what we shall be. We know what the seed of a watermelon looks like and what a watermelon looks like, and yet it no ways resembles each other but we know that the fruit came from the seed. The fruit is absolutely identified with the seed. We will know each other in Heaven but it will not be the old me, it will be the new and glorified me. When we receive our glorified body it will not resemble our old one, there will be no sin, no defect, no sickness, no pain, or discomfort at all in it. We will have a body like our Jesus (1 John 3:2 - “Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is”). We know from the verses we read in Thessalonians that we will be raptured, the dead in Christ will rise first and then we which are alive and remain but here in 1 Cor. 15 we read these verses, 51-57 - “Behold, I show you a mystery; We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed. For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality. So when this corruptible shall have put on incorruption, and this mortal shall have put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written, Death is swallowed up in victory. O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory? The sting of death is sin; and the strength of sin is the law. But thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.”
There is great victory of salvation though our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ by His finished work of salvation by His suffering and death on the cross. And by His resurrection from the grave three days later it guarantees that our Lord is the Lord over sin, death, and the grave. 1 John 5:4 - “…this is the victory that overcometh the world, even our faith”. Our faith in Christ is the victory that overcomes the world, our sins, our death and the grave. It is because of Jesus that I can find hope in life eternal with Him. John 11:25-26 - …I am the resurrection, and the life: he that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live:
And whosoever liveth and believeth in me shall never die. Believest thou this?”
Twenty-eight years ago, I put my faith and trust in Jesus Christ as my Lord and Savior. Because I believed He was the resurrection and the life and I believed He was the only way to the Father and eternal life. By faith in the person and work of Jesus’ Christ.
III. Review - Today as we have looked at death in view of God’s Word, we now know that death is only the doorway into the next life, eternally at home with our Lord God to praise and serve Him forever. That one day we will face death and immediately our soul will be in the presence of God and our body will be in the grave until the time appointed (the Rapture) where we will receive the glorification of our body (the redemption of our body) where the redeemed, sinless body will reunite with our redeemed soul to live in a redeemed Heaven and Earth (Rev. 21:1-4 - “And I saw a new heaven and a new earth: for the first heaven and the first earth were passed away; and there was no more sea. And I John saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. And I heard a great voice out of heaven saying, Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and he will dwell with them, and they shall be his people, and God himself shall be with them, and be their God. And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away.”
You see it be a glorious place in our new home where we can totally and completely enjoy it in our new glorified body. Death is sometimes fearful to us because it is unknown to us because we have not experienced it yet. But when we do, we know that Jesus will be with us every step of the way (Heb. 13:5 - “for he hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee”). He is with us every step of the way in our walk of salvation (Phil. 1:6 - “Being confident of this very thing, that he which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ”) and He will keep us secure in His salvation until the day of completion in our Heavenly Home.

Today, if you don’t have this assurance of your salvation you can make it sure today. If you think ‘I don’t know where I will go when I die?’, today is the day of salvation. Christ is very present here today and He welcomes all to the cross for forgiveness.

Hell: Warning to the Wicked (Rich Man and Lazarus: Luke 16:19-31)

Hell: Warning to the Wicked

(Rich Man and Lazarus: Luke 16:19-31)

Hebrews 9:27 says, “And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment”. We all have an appointment with our eternal destiny and it’s determined where we will go on this side of the grave. Last week we looked at Heaven and the great wonders and reward of that place for the redeemed of God. Today, we will talk about the eternal punishment for those who have rejected the salvation of our Lord. The place of eternal punishment is Hell and Jesus taught more on Hell than any other teacher or preacher or prophet in the Bible. Jesus taught about Hell more than He did on love. Today we look at this passage with a solemn heart and read this warning to the wicked.

I. Two men (vv. 19-21 - “There was a certain rich man, which was clothed in purple and fine linen, and fared sumptuously every day: And there was a certain beggar named Lazarus, which was laid at his gate, full of sores, And desiring to be fed with the crumbs which fell from the rich man's table: moreover the dogs came and licked his sores".)

A. The rich man - a nameless rich man clothed in the finest garments and lived in the most luxurious surroundings. He had all that he could desire and lacked nothing.

B. Lazarus, the poor beggar - homeless, hungry, diseased, friendless. He was laid at the rich man’s gate so that he might receive the scraps that were left from the rich man’s table. His only friends were the dogs that came and licked his sores.

C. The differences - The beliefs of that day, particularly of the Pharisees, was that those of earthly blessings were those who had the favor of God and the poor and sick were those who were receiving the punishment of God and were sinful. So Lazarus was seen as a sinful man suffering for his sins and the rich man was being blessed by God. Being rich doesn’t mean your righteous and being poor doesn’t mean your pious. Rich or poor has nothing to do with the condition of your soul. Being rich or being poor has nothing to do really with this passage but how the choices on this side of the grave will affect our eternal destiny. That’s the real principle of this passage.

The rich man passed by Lazarus every time that he left his house and did nothing to relieve this man’s suffering (Deut. 15:7 - "If there be among you a poor man of one of thy brethren within any of thy gates in thy land which the LORD thy God giveth thee, thou shalt not harden thine heart, nor shut thine hand from thy poor brother"), what he did was a direct violation of scripture and it showed the true condition of his heart; he had no regard for the law of God or the condition of his fellow man.

II. Two Destinations (vv. 22-23 - “And it came to pass, that the beggar died, and was carried by the angels into Abraham's bosom: the rich man also died, and was buried; And in hell he lift up his eyes, being in torments, and seeth Abraham afar off, and Lazarus in his bosom.”)

A. Death finds both (v.22) - We all will face death (Heb. 9:27 - …it is appointed unto men once to die…), no one is exempt when it comes to death. However rich or powerful you are on this earth, no matter your social status, we all face an appointment with death. Death doesn’t discriminate or care how much or how little you have. We see that both of these men experience death, but the difference we see is their destination after death.

B. Beggar finds the Bosom of Abraham(Heaven) (v.22) - the beggar finds himself in the comfort and reward of Heaven. He wasn’t rich in the things of this world but was rich in God (James 2:5 - Hath not God chosen the poor of this world rich in faith, and heirs of the kingdom which he hath promised to them that love him?). The poor beggar was rich in the things of God and found his reward in Heaven. We find the treasure of eternal life in the Father through faith in the Son.

C. Rich man finds himself in Hell (v.23) - the rich man received the just reward for a life without God. This is the reward for those who reject the Gospel of Christ and the salvation of God. The rich man had all that he desired on this earth and neglected the condition of his soul. He laid up treasure on earth and was not rich towards God. He was spiritually bankrupt and found himself suffering in Hell.

III. The Reality of Hell (vv.23-26 - “And in hell he lift up his eyes, being in torments, and seeth 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. But Abraham said, Son, remember that thou in thy lifetime receivedst thy good things, and likewise Lazarus evil things: but now he is comforted, and thou art tormented. And beside all this, between us and you there is a great gulf fixed: so that they which would pass from hence to you cannot; neither can they pass to us, that would come from thence.”)

A. Why did Jesus teach so much about Hell?- The answer is found in this verse, 2 Peter 3:9b - ‘[God is] not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance’; Jesus taught about Hell to warn mankind about the reality of eternal punishment in Hell. Jesus warns men because He loves them. We are all called to tell men about the good news of the Gospel and also called to warn man about the bad news of Hell. This is our responsibility and it should even more motivate us to tell a sinful world about the salvation of our souls through Jesus Christ. We would not even believe in such a place if Jesus had not repeatedly taught and warned about it. He spoke of hell more than anyone else in the Bible, and for a good reason. People probably wouldn't listen if anybody else tried to teach about hell. Christ had to be the one who taught about hell. We cannot conceive of eternal damnation. Christ emphasized hell in His preaching. If you don't think that is true, then you haven't paid attention to His ministry. Let me give you some examples from scripture where He teaches about hell.

1. MATTHEW 5:22, 29-30

Read what Jesus said about hell in Matthew 5: In verse 22, He said, "...whosoever shall say, Thou fool, shall be in danger of hell fire." He then said in verses 29-30, "...if thy right eye offend thee, pluck it out, and cast it from thee; for it is profitable for thee that one of thy members should perish, and not that thy whole body should be cast into hell. And if thy right hand offend thee, cut it off, and cast it from thee; for it is profitable for thee that one of thy members should perish, and not that thy whole body should be cast into hell."

2. MATTHEW 8:12

Here, He said that "the sons of the kingdom shall be cast out into outer darkness; there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth."

3. MATTHEW 11:20-24

"Then began He to upbraid the cities in which most of His mighty works were done, because they repented not." Jesus condemned people who did not repent of their sin and said they would go to hell (vv. 21-24). Those were serious words from our Lord.

4. MATTHEW 12:36-37

Jesus said, "But I say unto you that every idle word that men shall speak, they shall give account of it in the day of judgment. For by thy words thou shalt be justified, and by thy words thou shalt be condemned."

The Lord constantly taught about hell. He talked about it in Matthew 23:14-15, 33; 25:29-30, 41, 46; Mark 9:43-48; Luke 6:24- 26; and 12:5. Also, here in Luke 16, where he gives us a little description from the condemned’s point of view. Preachers and teachers today must not ever forget to teach about Hell. It cannot be ignored or forgotten or denied. But people don't do that today. It is convicting that we say so little about hell. The truth about hell is so terrifying and awesome that if the Lord had not taught about hell, we would not believe it existed.

B. Description of Hell

1. Place of unending torment and misery - in verse 23a it says that he was conscious and in torment. He was alive and aware of his misery for what he had done to be there. We suffer here on this earth but we know that suffering and pain will cease either by healing or death. But in hell the torment and misery will never cease. If we knew we had a million years to suffer for sins we would have a comfort of knowing that one day it would end, but in hell it is an eternal punishment without hope of ever ending.

A. It is a place of darkness (Matt. 8:12 - But the children of the kingdom shall be cast out into outer darkness: there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth; Matt. 22:13- Then said the king to the servants, Bind him hand and foot, and take him away, and cast him into outer darkness; there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.) Darkness that is utterly total and complete. It emphasizes the eternal separation of the unsaved from God’s presence of mercy and grace. It gives the understanding of their torment of their hopelessness and helplessness. The closest example I could give is when I went on a tour of a cave and at the end of the trail there was a place where we sat down and the lights were turned off. There was a total absence of light and I could see absolutely nothing. But this is only a small degree of the darkness of Hell.

B. It is a place of fire and flames (v.24) - Not only was he tormented in the misery and torment of eternal punishment for his sins, he was also tormented in flames of fire. I always wondered how hell could be so utterly dark and yet have flames. There is such a thing as invisible flames and they are invisible due to pure gases igniting it and there are special fire detection equipment made to warn and find it. God uses both darkness and fire to describe the torment of the damned.

The Bible gives us two insights into how people will respond in hell. One is in this passage in Luke 16, where the rich man who went to hell cried, "...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" (v. 24). The other is a statement Jesus frequently made, saying that in hell "there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth" (Mt. 8:12; 22:13; 24:51; 25:30; Lk. 13:28). Hell is not going to be a place of fun; it is going to be a place of weeping, screaming, grinding of teeth, and unrelieved torment.

2. There are no second chances after death (vv.24 -26) - we see the rich man asking for any minor comfort or relief but we see Abraham answering him telling him that he was receiving his just punishment for his sins and even if it were allowed they could not come to him and he could not go to them because of a great gulf fixed between the two. We see in scripture that God is a merciful and loving God who wants to save sinful and condemned mankind, but God is also holy and just so he must punish sin. God gives mankind all the opportunities to receive Christ as Lord and savior through the hearing of the Gospel and putting their faith in Christ on this side of the grave and after death there are no second chances (it is appointed unto man once to die and then the judgment), when we die we all go to an eternity--will it be eternal life or eternal death.

3. Degrees of punishment - there are different degrees of punishment for the evil that unsaved man does in his life. The unrelieved torment in hell will be experienced by different people in varying degrees. Hell will be horrible for everyone there, but some people will suffer more than others. Hebrews 10:29 says, "Of how much sorer punishment, suppose ye, shall he be thought worthy, who hath trodden under foot the Son of God, and hath counted the blood of the covenant...an unholy thing...." In other words, those who received full knowledge of what Christ did for them but still rejected Him will receive more severe punishment in hell. In Matthew 11, when Jesus condemned the people in the cities that rejected Him, He said, "...it shall be more tolerable for the land of Sodom in the day of judgment, than for thee" (v. 24). Hell won't be tolerable for anyone, but Jesus was saying that it will appear to be more tolerable for the people of Sodom (who hadn't seen Christ's miracles and heard His words) than for those who had witnessed His miracles and heard His words.

IV. Place to Warn Others About (vv. 27-31 - “Then he said, I pray thee therefore, father, that thou wouldest send him to my father's house: For I have five brethren; that he may testify unto them, lest they also come into this place of torment. Abraham saith unto him, They have Moses and the prophets; let them hear them. And he said, Nay, father Abraham: but if one went unto them from the dead, they will repent. And he said unto him, If they hear not Moses and the prophets, neither will they be persuaded, though one rose from the dead.”)

A. Warn Them (vv.27-28)- The rich man asked that Lazarus be sent back to warn his five brothers. The horror of that place was of such enormity that he wanted to warn his brothers so that they would never know this place personally. We as Christians should desire to tell others about Jesus so none of our loved ones or friends would ever go there. The unimaginable horror of that place should sway our hearts to tell everyone about Jesus Christ and his salvation. Never should we ever think or say that anyone should “go to hell!”. We see the urgency and desperation of the rich man that no one should go to hell. We need to be that compelled to tell.

B. Abraham’s reply (vv. 29-31 - “Abraham saith unto him, They have Moses and the prophets; let them hear them. And he said, Nay, father Abraham: but if one went unto them from the dead, they will repent. And he said unto him, If they hear not Moses and the prophets, neither will they be persuaded, though one rose from the dead.”) This reply seems to be harsh but we must see the reality of his statement. God sent his Son to die for our sins on the cross and rose again from the dead so we might have eternal life. When we tell others about this Gospel it is enough given for this world. Romans 1:16-For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth. God has given us salvation through the Son and given the world the message of the glorious Gospel of Jesus Christ. God works His powerful conviction by the proclamation of the Gospel. He deals with the heart of unsaved man through it. ‘Faith comes by hearing and hearing by the Word of God’. No other way but through hearing the Gospel and putting your faith in Christ.

We must be motivated and compelled to tell someone about Jesus just by understanding there is an eternal punishment in Hell for the lost. We have the answer and the remedy for their sin and their condemnation that is found only in our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ