REVIEW
FLIP CHART: SOM’S KEY VERSE, GOAL, MOTTO
“But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness ….” (Mt. 6:33a).
The law sends us to Christ for justification; Christ sends us back to the law for sanctification.
FLIP CHART: Show new “Perfect Righteousness” chart explaining steps to coming to Christ (As a worm, mourning, meek, spiritual hunger/thirst with the result of legal righteousness). Explain: moral righteousness, immediate moral change at conversion, gradual change through life’s challenges and speeding up moral change via CCRC (Concentration, Choice, Reflection and Confession/Thanksgiving). Key verse, “By one sacrifice He has made perfect forever those who are being made holy” (Heb. 10:14).
FLIP CHART: John Stott’s outline of SOM.
TEACHING GOAL: Providing answers for some common questions about hell.
REVIEW: To finish up his sermon, Jesus gives four powerful illustrations, all with a goal to pressing his listeners for a decision. All of the illustrations have within them a dire warning, a warning that should encourage a positive response to his sermon.
“. . . wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it (7:13) . . . Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. (7:20) . . . Then I will tell them plainly, ‘I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!’ (7:23) . . . The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell with a great crash.” (Mt. 7:27).
INTRODUCTION:
The Bible teaches that hell is morally justified due to the holiness of God and the sinfulness of mankind. Hell is a monument to human freedom and dignity for God, with the existence of hell, has protected our right to choose, the freedom of our will. Thus hell is a direct consequence of God’s love for mankind. Further it is His way of protecting sinful mankind from his presence.
Hell is a real place of eternal torment (not torture) and suffering. Whatever it is like it is worse than the word pictures of fire, brimstone, darkness, gnashing of teeth etc. that are used to describe it in the NT. The greatest suffering will be the eternal realization of separation from God, the source of all joy and life and the absence of any hope for restoration.
Over the years philosophers, theologians and common Christians have attacked the idea of hell. Besides attacking the moral justification of hel they have leveled other serious questions that we must answer.
OUTLINE FOR TODAY:
1. Why Infinite Punishment for Finite Crimes?
2. Why Doesn’t God Just Snuff People Out?
3. Why Does Everyone Suffer the Same in Hell?
ANSWERING SOME KEY QUESTIONS ABOUT HELL
I. WHY INFINITE PUNISHMENT FOR FINITE CRIMES?
Isn’t it unfair to say a “finite” life of sin merits “infinite” punishment / torture?
It is not eternal “torture” but eternal “conscious suffering” due to being sentenced to separation from God.
QUESTION: Even so, why are people punished infinitely for finite sins, crimes? Make the punishment match the crime!!!
To answer this question we must keep in mind the person of the offended party, God’s love and holiness.
THE NATURE OF THE OFFENDED PARTY IS CRUCIAL IN DETERMINING PUNISHMENT FOR AN OFFENSE
When evaluating a sin you must keep in mind not only the nature of the sin but also the object/person against which the sin is committed, e.g. cutting a flower, killing a cat, murdering a child.
Murdering the pope or president or innocent child is viewed differently then murdering a Mafia boss or a terrorist.
Offending the Creator of the Universe and Savior or the world is viewed differently than if you offended any other person.
THE INFINITE, ABSOLUTE HOLINESS OF GOD
“Your eyes are too pure to look on evil; you cannot tolerate wrong” (Habakkuk 1:13); “Even the heavens are not pure in His sight” (Job 15:15); “. . . with you the wicked cannot dwell. The arrogant cannot stand in your presence . . .” (Psalm 5:4-5); “The face of the Lord is against those who do evil . . . “ (Psalms 34:16); “Without holiness no one shall see the Lord . . . “ (Heb. 12:14) “Nothing impure will ever enter [heaven], nor will anyone who does what is shameful or deceitful . . . (Rev. 21:27)
“Sin in thee and the injury of it to God is an eternal Stain, which Hell Fire cannot eat out, or satisfy God, but in an Eternity of time. (A Discourse of the Punishment of Sin in Hell, Thomas Goodwin, 1680).
According to Jonathan Edwards, the theologian of The Great Awakening, even one sin deserves hell since God cannot tolerate even one sin.
Only eternal punishment will suffice for sins against an eternal God.
THE INFINITE, ABSOLUTE LOVE OF GOD
“For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believes in Him shall never perish but have everlasting life” (John 3:16).
“The worst thing a person can do is to mock and dishonor and refuse to love the person that we owe absolutely everything to, which is our Creator, God himself. God is infinitely greater in his goodness, holiness, kindness, and justice than anyone else. To think that a person could go through their whole life constantly ignoring him saying, ‘I couldn’t care less about what you put me here to do. I couldn’t care less about your values or your Son’s [sacrificial] death for me. I’m going to ignore all of that. The only punishment worthy of that is ultimate punishment, which is everlasting separation from God.” (The Case for Faith, 181).
ILL: What if a father and mother, who sacrificed their whole lives for the well-being of their children, cared for them, fed them, nursed them and were perfect parents were completely ignored and/or abused and mocked their parents. Would not that be considered their children’s greatest sin in relation to their parents?
The greatest sin is breaking the greatest law, which is the First and Greatest Commandment: Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. (Mt. 22:37).
Finite crimes against and Infinite God are infinite crimes, not finite crimes.
Finally, the alternative to eternal punishment is worse, either snuff people out (annihilate them) or force them into heaven and both of these options remove from people their free will.
II. WHY DOESN’T GOD JUST SNUFF PEOPLE OUT?
QUESTION: How should we answer this?
The eternity of hell seems wrong. Why not just annihilate (anialate – eradicate, obliterate, eliminate) people and be done with it?
ANNIHILATION IS NOT PUNISHMENT
Annihilation (anialation) is not punishment, it is a release from punishment.
ANNIHILATION DEMEANS PEOPLE
Everlasting separation from God is morally superior to just snuffing people out.
Just snuffing people out is like saying, “Their worth nothing and they are a pain to me. I will just kill them.” You are treating people as a means and you are not respecting them as having intrinsic value.
“Annihilation would demean both the love of God and the nature of human beings as free moral creatures. It would be as if God said to them, ‘I will allow you to be free only if you do what I say. If you don’t, then I will snuff out your very freedom and existence!” This would be like a father telling his son he wanted him to be a doctor, but when the son chose instead to be a park ranger the father shot him. Eternal suffering is eternal testimony to the freedom and dignity of humans, even unrepentant humans” (Geisler, 24).
God values humankind. We are made in His image. He values and honors our decisions. He will not say, “They didn’t love and honor me so I will terminate them.” He does not treat us as animals. We kill an obnoxious, stubborn, uncooperative animal because it won’t do what we want. God never does that with us.
To God, people are so intrinsically valuable that he sent His Son to die for them.
THE BIBLE DOES NOT TEACH ANNIHILATION
Multitudes who sleep in the dust of the earth will awake: some to everlasting life, others to shame and everlasting contempt (Daniel 12:2).
The identical Hebrew word is used for “everlasting” in this verse.
If people are going to be snuffed out in hell, then they are also going to be snuffed out in heaven.
‘Are you come to destroy us?’ said the devil to Jesus (Luke 4:34). The devils are afraid of torment, not of annihilation (a nia lation) (Mt. 8:29), ‘Are you come to torment us before the time?’
III. WHY DOES EVERYONE SUFFER THE SAME IN HELL?
QUESTION: How should we answer this?
Why would someone who lived a pretty good moral life suffer the same as Adolf Hitler would suffer?
The Bible teaches that everyone does not experience hell in the same way.
Then Jesus began to denounce the cities in which most of his miracles had been performed, because they did not repent. “Woe to you, Korazin! Woe to you, Bethsaida! If the miracles that were performed in you had been performed in Tyre and Sidon, they would have repented long ago in sackcloth and ashes. But I tell you, it will be more bearable for Tyre and Sidon on the day of judgment than for you. And you, Capernaum, will you be lifted up to the skies? No, you will go down to the depths. If the miracles that were performed in you had been performed in Sodom, it would have remained to this day. But I tell you that it will be more bearable for Sodom on the day of judgment than for you.” (Mt. 11:20-24).
THE SINS OF TYRE (AND SIDON) – “I am perfect in beauty . . . . In the pride of your heart you say, ‘I am a god; I sit on the throne of a god in the heart of the seas.’ . . . . because of your wealth your heart has grown proud . . . . your beauty and wisdom . . . your shining splendor . . . . “ (Ezek. 27:3; 28:2,5,7,9)
THE SINS OF SODOM (AND GOMORRAH) – The inhabitants of Sodom and Gomorrah were violently homosexual and wanted to perform homosexual gang rape on two angels disguised as men who came to visit Lot. (Genesis 19); “Now this was the sin of your sister Sodom: She and her daughters were arrogant, overfed and unconcerned; they did not help the poor and need. (Ezek. 16:49)
There will be degrees of separation, isolation, and emptiness in hell.
David struggled with the lack of justice in this world (Ps. 73:3-11). “For I envied the arrogant when I saw the prosperity of the wicked.”
It is also important to note that not all justice is accomplished on this earth. What about the child molesters that never get caught and the murders and thieves. What about the arrogant and greedy and dictators like Stalin and Hitler and Hussein? Is death the only punishment that these people will receive?
We don’t see all wickedness either, so we don’t see the evil in every heart, even the heart of a “moral” person. We certainly don’t see evil as God does.
THE SINS OF THE WESTERN & ISLAMIC WORLDS
QUESTION: If you were asked to weigh the evil of Islam and the Muslim world along side America and the West who would you consider more evil? In the sight of God are Muslim countries more or less evil than America? What is your rationale for your position?
1. Of the two, who has rejected the most light, the light of the Gospel?
From everyone who has been given much, much will be demanded; and from the one who has been entrusted with much, much more will be asked. (Luke 12:48)
2. How did God look on child sacrifice in the Old Testament?
“They sacrificed their sons and daughters in the fire (II Kings 17:17) . . . He (Manasseh, the king) sacrificed his own son in the fire (II Kings 21:6) . . . They (the rulers of the Jewish people) built high places to Baal in the Valley of Ben Hinnom to sacrifice their sons and daughters to Molech, though I never commanded, nor did it enter my mind, that they should do such a detestable thing . . .“ (Jer. 32:35)
Is abortion worse than the child sacrifice of the OT? In the OT they were sacrificing their children with a purpose. Westerners sacrifice unborn so that life will not be encumbered, purely for selfish reasons.
ILL: In the USA since 1973, there have been 40 million abortions, 4,000 a day. 95% of abortions performed as a means of birth control. Only 1% of all abortions are performed because of rape or incest; 1% because of fetal abnormalities; 3% due to the mother’s health problems.
Wants to postpone childbearing: 25%
Wants no (more) children: 8%
Cannot afford a baby: 21%
Having a child will disrupt education or job: 11%
Relationship problem, partner doesn’t want pregnancy: 14%
Too young; parent(s) or other(s) object to pregnancy: 12%
Are we in the West morally superior to the Muslim world? Overall most Muslims have had little exposure to the Gospel, certainly when compared to the Western world. Also generally most Muslims take a stronger stand against abortion although some Muslim countries support abortion.
So, do we have a very good moral person who is rejecting Christ as Savior in spite of a whole lifetime of exposure to the Gospel? Does this individual passively or actively support abortion? If God judges based on matters like this would such individuals be considered less innocent and their guilt closer to that of Hitler and Saddam Hussein?
SO WHAT???
1. Finite crimes against and Infinite God are infinite crimes, not finite crimes.
2. Annihilation is not taught in the Bible and the idea is demeaning to the value of humans.
3. There are levels of punishment in hell and also misunderstanding on our part concerning God’s view of our sins.