Is Jesus just your fire escape from Hell or do you have a close personal relationship with the Lord

Jesus Christ? I was thinking

about my relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ the other day. I was also thinking about the apparent relationship or lack
thereof that others have with Christ. I have always felt there is a huge difference between being "saved" and being a "Christian".
Of course, today, we use the terms synonymously, but there is a difference. Being saved means you have accepted Jesus
Christ's death on the cross as your own punishment for sin. Being saved means you will not go to Hell. Being saved means you
have a fire escape that leads to Heaven. However, I think to some people that is all salvation means to them.

On the other hand, Christian means "Christ-like". In Germany, Christian translates to "Little Jesus". That is how our lives should
reflect to the world. They should be able to see, hear, and feel that we are like Christ. "But ye are a chosen generation, a royal
priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should shew forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness
into his marvellous light:" is how Peter described Christians. (I Peter 2:9)

If Jesus is just your fire escape, your Heavenly reservation, your ticket to Heaven and no more, you are missing what the
Christian life is all about. He wants a close personal walk with YOU. He wants to fulfill your life. Draw nigh to God and He will
draw nigh to you. You were saved to serve and to walk with the Lord.

As I thought on this idea I realized that all saved people do not grow in Christ at the same rate. Some people get saved and are
ready to "charge Hell with a squirt gun". Others show little or no growth in grace. On this chart of growth where do I belong? IF
the spiritual growth chart starts at Super Christian and ends with severe autistic, where am I? Am I a spiritually quadriplegic
saved person? Or, maybe I am just paraplegic. Am I spiritually paralyzed due to immorality in my life?

Where are you on the spiritual growth chart? Saved & growing, limping, in a wheelchair, crippled with sin, on crutches? Or are
you viable, viral, in Christ, been to the well, full of Christ, ready to run, ready to jump, ready to fly? Are you saved, sanctified,
sold out, sharing the Gospel, Holy, harmless, undefiled?

Do you have a close personal relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ today? It is a daily walk. We need to reaffirm our walk with
Him each day. Being a Christian yesterday is not good enough for today. Walk with Christ today and you will never go astray.
----------------------------

Luke 16:19-31 THE TRUTH ABOUT HELL

Intro: I praise God for the modern world in which we live. Just think of the conveniences and gadgets that we have to make our
lives easier. Imagine what life would be like if you had none of the wonderful things that accompany our modern world. This
world is a wonderful place, and this is a wonderful time to be alive, but along with the blessings that we have and the things that
we enjoy here, there are some things in our modern world that are anything but good. One of the worse things that has come
about in the modern world is skepticism concerning the things of God, especially those things written in the Bible. Many in our
day have no confidence in the truth of the Word of God. Be that as it may, the Bible is still God’s word, it is still divinely inspired
and it is still believable in every aspect.
Perhaps no other teaching has received more doubt that the one I have read about today, the doctrine of Hell. If someone still
believes in Hell, they are called old-fashioned, out of touch, out of step with reality, foolish and ignorant. Many, appealing to
rationality and reason, tell us that the concept of an eternal hell where sinners burn forever is ludicrous and demeaning. Others
appealing to the nature of God will say that it flies in the face of everything God is to teach that He will consign some people to
Hell. Still others turning to religion tell us that man is capable of redeeming himself and therefore, every man is working out his
own heaven and there will be hell for no one. The cultists, without exception, have all concocted a plan whereby they, and their
followers, can escape eternal damnation and live joyfully in a better world. Even those who reject their plan will either be totally
annihilated or will ultimately be saved. That sounds pretty good, but it is a lie!
This morning, I am not concerned with what you believe about Hell. I am not concerned with what the world believes about Hell. I
am not concerned even with what I believe about Hell. Our focus today will be this, "What does God believe about Hell?"
Because in the end, it won’t matter what any of us think about it, the Scriptures will be proven correct and every philosophy and
opinion of man will perish.
Therefore, this morning, as God gives liberty, we are going to discuss The Truth About Hell. If you are going there, this is your
wake up call, and your opportunity to do something about it. If you are saved, this is a reminder that billions are Hell bound as we
speak. Here is the truth about Hell.

I. v. 23, 28 HELL IS A REAL PLACE

A. This text treats Hell as being as real as any other geographic location. (Ill. As real as "Abraham’s bosom" – Heaven!) Can’t
have one without the other! (Ill. ABC News poll this week showed that 70% of Americans believed in Heaven, while only 56%
believed in Hell!)
B. Jesus believed in Hell – Luke 16:19-31; Mark 9:43-48
C. Where is Hell? (Ill. Difference between Hades and Gehenna!) (Ill. Ahaz, Molech and the valley of Himmon.) (Ill. Matt. 8:12;
22:13; 25:30; 2 Pet. 2:17; Jude 1:13.) All these verses teach the fact that Hell will be outer (Away From) darkness – This is the
reality of Hell – It is absolute, eternal separation from the presence of God – 2 Thes. 1:8-9

II. v.22 HELL WILL BE FILLED WITH REAL PEOPLE

A. Ill. This man was some mother’s son, possibly, he left a wife and children behind. He certainly had brothers who were on his
mind, v. 28.
B. Here is the sad fact, people you know and people I know will populate Hell. In fact, it may be those of your own household that
die and go there.
C. Hell wasn’t made for men, Matt. 25:41, but those who reject Jesus Christ as their personal Savior will go there! (Ill. Matt. 7:21-
23; Rev. 15:11-15)
D. Hell will be filled with real people. People who simply said no to God. Will you be among them? Who do you know that will be?

III. v. 23-25 HELL CONTAINS REAL PUNISHMENTS

A. Ill. The language used. It couldn’t be any more plain that Hell is a place of pain and torment. (Ill. Many feel that this is symbolic
-–They had better hope not! Symbolism is only used when conventional language is inadequate to describe something. The
reality is always much worse than the symbol!)
B. Here are some the real torments that Hell contains:
1. Unquenchable Fire – Mark 9:43; Luke 16:24
2. Memory and remorse – Ill. Rich man – "Son remember" 25, 27-28
3. Intense, unsatisfied thirst – Luke 16:24-25
4. Misery and pain – Luke 16:24-26; Rev. 14:10-11
5. Frustration and anger – Luke. 13:28; Matt. 24:51
6. Eternal separation – Rev. 21:8 – Ill. From what? Everything beautiful!
7. Undiluted wrath – Ill. Rainbow, Hab. 3:2! In Hell, God’s fury will be unleashed!
C. If for nothing else, this ought to make everyone want to be saved! (Ill. "What if it isn’t true?" Ill. "What if it is?") Where do you
want to spend eternity?

IV. v.26 HELL GUARANTEES REAL PERMANENCE

A. Ill. The rich man was told that he had to stay there. He is still there this morning!
B. If you die without Jesus Christ, you will most certainly go to Hell! If you go to Hell, you will be there forever, with one little
exception – Rev. 20:11-15!
C. Hell is not:
1. Annihilation – Rev. 19:20; 20:10! Rev. 14:10
2. A Temporary Place of Purging – v. 26
3. Hell is not the grave – v. Ill. 22-23
4. Hell is not a parable, and it is not a scare tactic. It is reality and it is waiting on you if you are outside Jesus Christ today!

V. v. 27-31 HELL CAN BE AVOIDED THROUGH A REAL PROMISE

A. Ill. The rich man is told that the Word of God holds the answer.
B. It still does – Ill. It tells us of God’s love for sinners – John 3:16. Of Christ’s death to save them – Isa. 53:1-12; Rom. 5:6-8; 2
Cor. 5:21.. Of Christ’s resurrection that guarantees eternal life to all who come to him by faith – Matt. 28:6; John 11:25-26. (Ill. It
takes real work to go to Hell!)
C. It tells of a God who will save all who will come to Him by His grace.
----------------------

We received a letter from a prisoner in a state penitentiary. He said, “I am a life-termer, and for 10 years I have been dreaming
and planning for the day when I could escape this horrible place.”
Then he wrote, “Our plans for escape were almost complete when last Sunday a man in the cell next to mine tuned his radio
to The Hour of Decision. I could not help but listen. My soul was stirred with memories of Mother and home. I began to realize
how far I had wandered from Mother’s teachings. I remembered the church we used to attend, and some of the sermons came
thundering back to my memory.
“While Mr. Shea was singing ‘Softly and Tenderly’ at the close of your sermon, I knelt in my cell and sobbed my confession to
God. My heart was strangely warmed, and for the first time in my life I felt the presence of God. I knew I had been what you call
‘born again.’ I have discarded my plans for escape because I realize that God can use me right here in this prison to help others
find the wonderful peace that I have found in Christ.”

Escapism
Thousands of people have plans to escape from the realities of life. A new word came into common usage a few years
ago: escapism. The dictionary defines it as “a retreat from reality into an imaginary world.”
Perhaps you are caught and held in the clutches of escapism. Instead of facing up to the realities of sin and defeat in your own
life, you are trying to hide in an illusive, imaginary world. But the Bible says there is no possible way of escape: “How shall we
escape if we neglect so great a salvation?” (Hebrews 2:3).
Sooner or later we must leave our dream world and face up to the fact of God, sin and judgment. The Bible says, “All have
sinned and fall short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23) and “There is none who does good, no, not one” (Romans 3:12).
There are no new sins—only new sinners. There are no new crimes—only new criminals. No new evils—only new evildoers. No
new pleasures—only new pleasure seekers. The devil has invented no new gimmicks.
Sin and its accompanying effects are now and always have been monotonously the same. The murders you read about are no
more shocking or different than the murder of Abel by Cain. The sex perversions, which our newspapers play up as daring and
new, are only modern copies of the ancient perversions of Sodom and Gomorrah.
For centuries we have been trying to escape the realities of life and shirk our responsibilities to God. It is one of the tricks of
Satan. One of Satan’s schemes for you is that you may find a measure of temporary satisfaction in the escapism that he offers.
Stubbornly we resist the pleadings of Christ when He says, “Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give
you rest” (Matthew 11:28). And each passing day finds us a little deeper in the pit of despair.

The Escape of Imagination

Solomon spoke of the unspiritual heart as one that is inclined to fantasy and imaginative living, calling it “a heart that devises
wicked plans” (Proverbs 6:18). The Bible describes Satan as “an angel of light” (2 Corinthians 11:14), and he does a good job of
selling the unreal.
It was evil imagination that lured David out of the pathway of blessing when he imagined that he loved Bathsheba. And
eventually that imagination led to years of sorrow, remorse and judgment.
The prodigal son imagined that the pleasures of the far-off city were greater than the joys of his home. But after wasting his
resources in shameful living, he returned to his father in repentance and tears, and he begged to be a hired servant in his
father’s house. He discovered that real peace was found in facing up to the reality of life and doing something about it.
Satan’s dream world always ends with disillusionment. Sin, which is his stock and trade, brings forth death when it is finished.
Thousands of people live in an unreal dream world while shirking their responsibilities toward their family and God. They read
cheap novels or use pornography and get a vicarious, imaginative thrill out of what they see or read.
The Bible teaches that with Christ in your heart you can face the hard realities of life, and the grace of God will give you greater
joy and pleasure than any dream world to which you may try to escape.

The Escape of Pleasure

This is humanity’s oldest escape from reality and responsibility. It is a flight into passion, appetite and desire.
A man wrote, “I’m going to drown my troubles in alcohol.” Another wrote, “I’m going to plunge into a lost weekend.” An unfaithful
man told me some time ago, “I’ll show my wife that somebody loves me.”
And so these frustrated, deluded people run like crazed animals into the jungle of worldly pleasure, only to emerge more
miserable than before. The Bible warns us to beware of the deceitfulness of pleasure: “For the drunkard and the glutton will
come to poverty, and drowsiness will clothe a man with rags” (Proverbs 23:21).
We must distinguish between wholesome, God-ordained pleasure and sinful, worldly pleasure. Christians have more wholesome
fun than anyone in the world, but their joy wells up from within. It is not something artificially stimulated by the sinful pleasures of
the world. It is a joy born of the Spirit.
If you have been trying to escape in amusement and sinful pleasure, I beg you to turn back. Jesus said, “Broad is the way that
leads to destruction” (Matthew 7:13). Instead, He points to a narrow path that leads to eternal life.

The Escape of Security

Thousands of people in America settle down comfortably in the security of investments, good business and luxurious living. This
has become one of our principal forms of escapism.
There is nothing wrong with people possessing riches. The wrong comes when riches possess people. The Bible sounds a
warning to those who have become smug in their sense of security when it says, “If riches increase, do not set your heart on
them” (Psalm 62:10).
The Bible warns that money cannot buy happiness. Money cannot buy true pleasure. Money cannot buy peace of heart. And
money cannot buy entrance into the Kingdom of God.
If God has given you more than your neighbors around about you, dedicate your possessions to Christ, and realize that you are
only a steward of what God has given you—and some day you will have to give an account for every penny you have spent. The
Internal Revenue Service wants to know how you spend your money, but that is nothing compared to the books God is keeping!

The Escape of Self-Sufficiency

The flight away from God and into self-sufficiency is as old as the human race. It finds expression today in the words Believe in
yourself and in admonitions to self-confidence. But the Bible says, “For if anyone thinks himself to be something, when he is
nothing, he deceives himself” (Galatians 6:3).
God did not intend that we should be self-sufficient. Life on the highest level is a life that leans on the everlasting arms. “In You,
O Lord, I put my trust,” said David (Psalm 31:1). Many people boast of their own virtues. The Bible says that our good works are
like filthy rags in the sight of God (Isaiah 64:6). We cannot save ourselves. We cannot get ourselves to Heaven by our own good
deeds. Only by the grace of God, through the finished work of Christ, will any person get to Heaven.

The Escape by Suicide

Some time ago the mayor of a small town near where I live committed suicide. None of his friends have an explanation except
that for the last month he had been despondent and discouraged. He apparently decided to end it all and put a bullet through his
head.
But we cannot end it all by committing suicide. You can destroy your body, but your soul will live on through all eternity. The Bible
says, “Though they dig into hell, from there My hand shall take them; though they climb up to heaven, from there I will bring them
down” (Amos 9:2).
You may have thought about suicide. I warn you, that is no way of escape. You say, “But Billy, is there no refuge from life’s hurts,
distresses and burdens? Is there no deliverance from sin’s chains? I’m up against a stone wall!”

There Is an Escape!
I want to tell you that I bring you Good News. There is a way of escape! There is a way of deliverance. The same chapter of
Hebrews where we find the question, “How shall we escape?” also tells us of the means of escape God has provided: “But we
see Jesus, who was made a little lower than the angels, for the suffering of death … that He, by the grace of God, might taste
death for everyone … and release those who through fear of death were all their lifetime subject to bondage” (Hebrews 2:9, 15).
Jesus is the way of escape that God has provided. The Bible declares, “And this is eternal life, that they may know You, the only
true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent” (John 17:3).
You can know Christ by receiving Him at this moment, and He can become your escape.
---------------
Summary: One of the harshest questions Jesus asked was asked of the Pharisees: "How shall you escape Hell?" As much a
byword of legalism as they were, we must be careful we don’t fall into the traps that ensnared them.
Matthew 23:15-33

OPEN: Down thru the ages, there have been rare occasions when different printings of the Bible have been found to have small
errors them
· For example in 1653 Christians were upset to find that one Bible which declared: “Know ye not that the UNRIGHTEOUS shall
inherit the kingdom of God?”
· The first English-language Bible to be printed in Ireland in 1716 became known as the “Sin On” Bible because it encouraged its
readers to “sin on more” rather than “sin no more.”
· And in 1631 – the infamous WICKED BIBLE was printed - So named because it had mistranslated the 7th Commandment to
say “Thou SHALT commit adultery,” King Charles was angry that he ordered all copies destroyed and fined the printer 300
pounds
APPLY: All those Bible versions created a scandal in their day. And no one - even today - would ever dream of accepting them
as valid. But these minor mistranslations serve to illustrate that even a small change can dramatically alter the messages from
Scripture.
(pause…)
Our text today introduces a disturbing question Jesus asked the Pharisees:
"You snakes! You brood of vipers! How will you escape being condemned to hell?" Mt. 23:33
One commentator noted that this was the most severe language Jesus had ever used with anybody. Jesus was essentially
telling the Pharisees that they were going to hell because of their teachings.
Look again with me at Matthew 23:15 in the NIV "Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You travel over
land and sea to win a single convert, and when he becomes one, you make him twice as much a son of hell as you are.”
In other words: The Pharisees sought to teach others - to bring them into their understanding of how to please God. And their
teachings would convert new people and destine them to the same destination the Pharisees were bound for: Hell.
I. What were they teaching?
Well, just as an example, let’s look again at Matthew 23:16-22
“Woe to you, blind guides! You say, ‘If anyone swears by the temple, it means nothing; but if anyone swears by the gold of the
temple, he is bound by his oath.’
You blind fools! Which is greater: the gold, or the temple that makes the gold sacred?
You also say, ‘If anyone swears by the altar, it means nothing; but if anyone swears by the gift on it, he is bound by his oath.’
You blind men! Which is greater: the gift, or the altar that makes the gift sacred? Therefore, he who swears by the altar swears
by it and by everything on it. And he who swears by the temple swears by it and by the one who dwells in it. And he who swears
by heaven swears by God’s throne and by the one who sits on it.”
You might ask: What was Jesus complaining about? It seems somewhat confusing to our ears.
Well, I could get real technical about this… but the short and fat of it is this:
The Pharisees were teaching their followers that if they swore by the GOLD that was in the temple – or the GIFT that was on the
altar…they would HAVE to keep that promise.
But if they wanted to make a promise they didn’t want to keep they could simply say
“I swear by the TEMPLE” (not the gold of the temple)
or “I swear by the ALTAR” (not the gift upon that altar)
It was the equivalent of making a promise with their fingers crossed.
It was like a little child saying: “Yes, I know I promised… but my fingers were crossed.”
Now, that is childish. Today, it’s easy to look back on that kind of teaching and just shake our heads. It’s seems almost amusing
to believe anyone could be that foolish.
But Jesus wasn’t shaking His head
He wasn’t amused
He wasn’t even annoyed.
He was downright angry
And the reason He was angry was that the Pharisees had become accustomed to making up their own rules and regulations and
then passing along those rules as if they were the laws of God.
Earlier in Matthew, Jesus had condemned that tendency, and He quoted the prophet Isaiah:
“… in vain do they worship me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men.” Mt. 15:9
In other words, God’s people must never get into the habit of accepting the teachings of men as if they were the commands of
God. BECAUSE IF WE EVER DO - it will make our worship vain, empty, worthless.
Even worse… such teachings could lead to an eternity in Hell
Now, there are other issues at play in this confrontation between Jesus and the Pharisees, but at the heart of the issue was this
substitution man’s rules for God’s. The belief that men/women could change, add to, or improve on God’s Word. Such a belief
opens up every kind of perversion of righteousness, holiness and good doctrine.
II. Now why would the Pharisees do this?
Why would they feel compelled to alter and add to God’s Laws?
Well – at least initially – they may have thought they were doing God a favor.
ILLUS: For example: The Law decreed that Israel should “Observe the Sabbath, because it is holy…. Anyone who desecrates it
must be put to death; whoever does any work on that day must be cut off from his people.” Exodus 31:14
God’s Law told the Israelites that they were not allowed to work on the Sabbath. But the Pharisees noticed that God didn’t
completely define what work was… so they decided to help God out.
By the day of Jesus, the Pharisees had decided upon 1521 ways in which you could desecrate the Sabbath.
· If you walked more than 750 yards, you were breaking the Sabbath.
· You couldn’t wear a heavy coat, because if you got hot and took it off, you had to carry it. And that was work.
· You couldn’t tie a knot
· You couldn’t kill flies.
· A woman was not allowed to look into a mirror because she might see a gray hair and pull it out – which would have been
reaping. (of course none of you ladies…)
Down thru history, there has always been the tendency to want to
· “help God out”
· to improve on the things that He has said
That’s why there is a repeated command through out Scripture to keep your hands off
Ø Don’t mess with it
Ø Don’t change it
Ø Don’t try to improve upon it
In Deuteronomy 4:2 God says: “Do not add to what I command you and do not subtract from it, but keep the commands of the
LORD your God that I give you.”
Proverbs 30:6 warns “Do not add to his words, or he will rebuke you and prove you a liar.”
Paul warned the Elders at Ephesus “Even from your own number men will arise and DISTORT THE TRUTH in order to draw
away disciples after them.” Acts 20:30
And Peter condemned those who tried to alter the Apostle Paul’s writings:
“(Paul) writes the same way in all his letters, speaking in them of these matters. His letters contain some things that are hard to
understand, which ignorant and unstable people DISTORT, AS THEY DO THE OTHER SCRIPTURES, to their own
destruction.” 2 Peter 3:16
Thus, we must never try to change, or improve upon God’s Word and His commands.
ILLUS: I found it intriguing that this sermon coincided with our “Old Fashioned Day” (I had rented a “Parsons” outfit from a
costume shop to wear for this occasion). As I was preparing the sermon, I decided to use the following illustration, and then it
occurred to me that the man I’m going to tell you about would have worn clothing much like the type I’m wearing today.
It was the early 1800’s, and there was a preacher who’d come to the new country of America to serve as a sort of missionary for
the “Old Light, Anti-burgher, Seceder, Presbyterian Church.” Now, each one of those monikers in from the word Presbyterian
spoke of a division within the Presbyterian church of that day.
For example, if you were “anti-burgher” it meant you didn’t want the burgher (or mayor) of your city to have any influence in your
congregation. Other Presbyterians apparently had no problem with that arrangement.
Anyway, almost all churches of that day practiced what was called “closed communion.” If you didn’t belong to their particular
flavor of church, you were not allowed to partake of communion in their building. The Presbyterians controlled this by means of
having their people come in the Saturday before communion Sunday and answer some questions. If they answered the
questions correctly, they would receive a coin (you can find examples of these on the internet).
This troubled this preacher, a man by the name of Thomas Campbell, because that practice meant that there were Presbyterians
in his community that might not be able to take of communion. So he got into the habit of giving the coin to any individual who
could convince him of their Christianity… whether or not they belonged to the Old Light, Anti-burgher, etc.
All went well until word got back to headquarters in the Old Country of what he was doing. They summarily fired him, branding
him a heretic.
About that same time, Thomas’ son Alexander was on his way to join his father, when his ship was wrecked on the shores of
Scotland. While waiting for another ship, he attended church at a local Presbyterian congregation. When Saturday came around
and he went in to answer the required questions, he was shocked to find that they asked him questions he wasn’t acquainted
with. He knew what they wanted, answered the questions accurately. But he was so disturbed the experience that he went to
church the next day, dropped his coin in the box and left without taking communion.
When father and son were reunited, they were both convinced of one thing. There were too many man-made rules in their
denomination. These human regulations were like walls separating people from the Lord’s Table that Jesus died to establish. It
was His table, not theirs.
About that same time, there were individuals amongst the Methodists and Baptists who were struggling with the same issue.
They all arrived at the conclusion the Campbells had:
The leaders of their denominations had gotten into the habit of accepting the doctrines of men as being equal to the Word of
God.
They all came to realize almost every group had their own creeds.
Their own unique doctrines
Even their own distinctive names (like “Old Light, Anti-burgher, Seceder, Presbyterian Church)
And they realized that all these man-made distinctions and doctrines were responsible for much of the division in Christendom.
They were faced by the sad reality that they had fallen victim to a deceptive way of thinking. They determined that they would no
longer accept that kind of thinking. If they couldn’t find it in Scripture, they just wouldn’t do it.
AND SO, they came up with a set of mottos (or principles) that they hoped would keep others from falling into that trap that had
once ensnared them.
1. “No Creed but Christ, no book but the Bible, no law but Love”
They were tired of the creeds of men, the doctrinal books that had once ruled them, and laws made by men. They wanted their
only Creed to be Christ, their only book of doctrine to be Scripture, and their only Law – the mandate to love others.
2. “Where the Bible speaks, we speak; where the Bible is silent, we are silent.”
I once candidated for a small congregation in northern Indiana. They had about 25 people in attendance and they were asking
me to be their preacher. Since they came from a different background that I did, I asked to see their church constitution. What I
found amazed me. It had about 5 pages of doctrine that someone had to believe to belong to their church! Most of it I could have
agreed with, but their were some questionable issues in those creedal statements as well. I met with them again and explained
that if I were to preach for them I’d have to change the doctrinal pages of their constitution.
“Oh dear,” one of them said, “the last two preachers have wanted to change those pages” (and I could imagine why).
“Well,” I said “what I want to do is remove those doctrinal statement completely and replace them with one simple statement:
‘where the Bible speaks, we’ll try to speak, and where the Bible is silent, we’ll be silent.”
They thought about that for a couple of moments and then said “Well, I don’t see anything wrong with that.”
And of course, what could anybody find to argue with about that?
3. “Bible words for Bible things” (use Bible terminology in the same way Scripture does)
If you’ve ever spent any time in a hospital, you may have noticed that the Doctors and Nurses have a very particular set of
terminology they use for their instruments and procedures. That is because they need to be very precise in how they respond to
your illness and surgery. If their language was imprecise it could cost you in health or even cost you your life.
It is equally important to be precise in using Biblical language as it was set forth. When we become accustomed to using
definitions for Scriptural words that is not accurate, then we run the risk of poor doctrine… or even demonic doctrines (I Timothy
4:1)
That’s why many in our brotherhood struggle to maintain even the most mundane of biblical distinctions. For example, you’ll
rarely hear anyone here refer to me as Pastor Strite. That’s because, in Scripture, the term pastor or shepherd was used for the
Elders of a congregation (I Peter 5:1ff). For the first 20 years of my ministry, I did not qualify as an elder because I had no
children (Titus 1:6).
And while I’m not likely to give anyone a hard time who refers to me as Pastor, I distinctly avoid being called “Reverend”, since
the term “revere” means to “hold in awe”. In Scripture, the term Reverend applies only to God’s name (Psalm 111:9)
4. “We’re not the only Christians… but we intend to be Christians ONLY”
Oftentimes, if you were to ask a person on the street if they were a Christian, they would say “I’m a Methodist” or “I’m a Baptist”.
They didn’t actually answer your question. You asked if they were Christian, and they tried to tell you what flavor they were. It is
man-made names like that often divide people and create walls that God never intended. If someone asks you if you’re a
Christian, say “yes” and don’t go any further than that. We were called to belong to Christ and to Him only. Anything else is
based on human definitions.
Now these “mottos” are not intended to be creeds which would serve to interpret or define Scripture. Rather, they are principles
whose purpose is to point us back to the Bible as our sole source of authority.
The Scriptures’ teachings and principles are non-negotiable. You must not change them, add to them or attempt to improve upon
them.
Above all else, these principles/mottos were set down in the hopes that we would not fall prey to human terminology, human
traditions and human doctrines as many others before us have.
Does that mean we’ll always succeed?
No.
We’re mortal. We’re as susceptible to the tendency of trying to “help God out” as anyone else. And there have been preachers in
our brotherhood that have fallen back into that old trap.
What happens is that - when we prepare for our sermons or lessons - we often research books written by scholars and Ph.D.s.
And there are many such educated men who would try to convince us that the Bible needs to be filtered through…
· Human reasoning
· Human experience
· Church traditions
· And Church history
They will argue that stands (like the one we try to take) are the result of our “interpretation” of Scripture. Now, that’s a catch
phrase. Whenever you hear someone say “that’s your interpretation", they are essentially saying:
“I don’t agree with you, but I don’t know of enough Scripture to disprove what you’re saying.”
A scholar who is attracted by human traditions, might scorn a Scriptural stand by saying “That’s just YOUR interpretation.” And
that would be true… if we were substituting man-made doctrines for Scripture. But more often than not, leaders in our
brotherhood painfully seek to cling only to the Bible.
The heresy of accepting manmade traditions and doctrines destroyed the Pharisees. It’s damaged many good churches down
thru church history… and it could creep into our brotherhood as well.
III. But, I’ve noticed that the tendency in our brotherhood is to fall into another kind of trap that ensnared the Pharisees.
In Matthew 23:23 Jesus condemned these religious leaders by saying "Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you
hypocrites! You give a tenth of your spices— mint, dill and cummin…”
In other words, these men were lovers of rules. They would obey the rules scrupulously. Here Jesus was referring to their
tendency of going thru their gardens and tithing every tenth berry they found there. The Pharisees loved rules… but they didn’t
really care for people all that much.
Which is why Jesus continued by saying:
“But you have neglected the more important matters of the law: justice, mercy and faithfulness….”
The Pharisees loved rules. Whether they were God given, or man generated didn’t matter. In fact, I’m not sure they always knew
the difference. But as much as they loved the rules of God, they mistreated and looked down on those who didn’t live up to their
standards.
There are times when we of the Churches of Christ/ Christian churches hate the doctrines of men so much, and fight so hard to
cling to God’s Word, that we can end up not treating others very well. We don’t often play well with others.
But, for us to be able to claim that we cling to God’s Word we have to show we’ve been influenced by it. One person wisely
observed:
“The important thing is not how many times you have been through the Bible, but whether the Bible has been through you.”
If we are people who really believe in God’s Word, then we should not only zealously guard it’s truth… we should reflect it’s
Spirit. Galatians tells us the fruit of the Spirit is “…love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and
self-control…” Galatians 5:22-23
These are the attitudes that God’s Word and Spirit should create within us.
When we encounter someone who disagrees with us/or is not as committed to God’s Word as we
We “… must not quarrel; instead, (we) must be kind to everyone, able to teach, not resentful. Those who oppose (us) (we) must
gently instruct, in the hope that God will grant them repentance leading them to a knowledge of the truth.” 2 Timothy 2:23-24
Even if someone says something so foolish we want to bite their heads off, God tells us to bite our tongue instead. We won’t win
anyone to God’s way of thinking by beating them over the heads with Scripture. But we must never let another’s foolish attitude
toward His Word drag us down and away from God’s wisdom.
CLOSE: My main point is this: we must never allow ourselves to be taken in by the tendency to alter, change, improvise, or
“improve” on God’s Word. Why? Because it has the power to change men’s lives.
Back in 1787, a British ship called “The Bounty” set sail from England bound for the S. Seas. Their mission was to spend time in
the islands, transplanting fruit-bearing and food-bearing trees, in the hope of making some of the islands more habitable.
After 10 months of voyage, the Bounty arrived safely at its destination, and for 6 months the officers and crew committed
themselves to completing their task.
However, when the order was given to leave the islands the sailors rebelled. They liked the climate. They liked the islands. They
liked the girls. And so they staged the famous “Mutiny on the Bounty”. The sailors placed Captain Bligh and a few loyal men
adrift in an open boat.
Ultimately, Captain Bligh, survived the ordeal, was rescued, and eventually arrived home in London to tell his story. Almost
immediately an expedition was launched to punish the mutineers, and in due course - 14 of them were captured and paid the
penalty for their crime.
But 9 of the men had gone to another distant island and there they formed a colony. They discovered that one of the native
plants could be distilled to create a passable form of whiskey. Their lives were filled with wickedness and depravity. Disease and
murder took the lives of all but one of the original crew: Alexander Smith.
Smith found himself the only man on an island surrounded by a crowd of women and half-breed children. Seeking some way to
pass his hours, he began looking thru the possessions of one of the dead sailors. And there he found a Bible.
The Book was new to him. He had never read it before. He sat down and read it through. He believed it and he began to see that
it spoke truth about his life and his need for God. He wanted the others on the island to share in the benefits of this book, so he
taught classes to the women and the children, as he read to them and taught them the Scriptures.
It was 20 years before a ship ever found that island, and when it did, they found a miniature Utopia. The people were living in
decency, prosperity, harmony and peace. There was nothing of crime, disease, immorality, insanity, or illiteracy. How was it
accomplished? By the reading, the believing, and allowing the unchanging and powerful truth of God to change their lives.
-------------------
HOW CAN YOU ESCAPE
THE DAMNATION OF HELL?
by Dr. R. L. Hymers, Jr.
A sermon preached at the Baptist Tabernacle of Los Angeles
Lord’s Day Morning, May 8, 2016
“How can ye escape the damnation of hell?” (Matthew 23:33).

I was not raised in a Christian home. I went all by myself to Mass at a Catholic church many times
as a child. But I was taken by neighbors to a Baptist church when I was thirteen years old. That was long
ago, in 1954. Back then it was common to hear preachers, even famous preachers, speak on Hell. Many
great Southern Baptist preachers like Dr. W. A. Criswell, Dr. R. G. Lee, and Billy Graham, in those days of
my youth, gave fiery sermons on eternal damnation in Hell.
But that was over sixty years ago! Today I don’t know any preacher who preaches strong sermons,
warning people about Hell. In fact hardly any of them preach at all. Oh, they call it preaching! But they are
wrong! All they do now is give little lectures that they call “expository” sermons. They are expository – but
they are not preaching. There is no pathos or passion in their voices. They just drone on and on, in a
conversational voice, explaining one verse of Scripture after the other. But I don’t hear strong preaching
on Heaven either! And I don’t hear strong preaching on the atonement, the cross, the Blood, or other
doctrinal preaching. There is a famine of preaching today. Your generation has not heard strong, passionate
preaching from men who have real concern for the eternal destiny of your souls.
Robert Murray McCheyne was only twenty-nine years old when he died of typhoid fever.
But what a preacher he was! They still talk about his preaching today, although he died in 1843. He started
preaching at 23, and he died at 29. Why do they still remember him? He only preached for six years, but very
few preachers have made such an impact on their generation as did Robert McCheyne. Every preacher in
the English speaking world knows his name because God sent mighty waves of real revival to his church.
What was his secret? This young man was a man of deep prayer, totally dependent on the Holy Spirit. He
prayed, “Lord, make me as holy as a saved sinner can be.” An evangelist who heard him speak said, “He
preached with eternity stamped on his brow. I trembled, and never felt God so near.”
Oh, how I pray that God will raise up young men today to preach “with eternity stamped on their
foreheads” like Robert Murray McCheyne!!! This morning I am going to give you excerpts from McCheyne’s
great sermon on “Eternal punishment.” May it move you to trust Jesus and escape from the wrath to come!
I am using a different text for this sermon from the one used by McCheyne, but it contains the
same message,
“How can ye escape the damnation of hell?” (Matthew 23:33).
This text is taken from Christ’s great sermon against the Pharisees. They were the Bible teachers in the time
of our Lord. He called them hypocrites (23:14). He called them “fools and blind” (23:17). He said, “Ye
serpents, ye generation of vipers, how can ye escape the damnation of hell?”

I. First, listen to men in the Bible who spoke about Hell.

David was a man after God’s own heart. He was filled with love to men and to God. Hear what he
said about Hell to those who refuse to trust Christ. David said,
 “The wicked shall be turned into hell, and all the nations that forget
God” (Psalm 9:17).
And David said,
“Upon the wicked [God] shall rain snares, fire and brimstone, and an
horrible tempest” (Psalm 11:6).
The Apostle Paul was filled with the love of Christ, and he had great love for sinners. Paul never
mentioned the word “Hell.” It seems as if it were too awful a word for him to mention. Yet hear what he said,
“The Lord Jesus shall be revealed from heaven with his mighty
angels, In flaming fire taking vengeance on them that know not God,
and that obey not the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ: Who shall be
punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord,
and from the glory of his power” (II Thessalonians 1:7-9).
John, the beloved Disciple of Christ was a man filled with love. Yet he spoke of Hell. Seven times
he called Hell “the bottomless pit” – the pit where lost sinners will sink for all eternity. John called Hell “the
lake of fire” (Revelation 20:14). It had often been called “Hell” in the Bible. But it was left to John to call it “the
lake of fire.”
The Lord Jesus Himself. He came from God, and “God is love.” His entire ministry showed His love
for sinners – yet He spoke of Hell. Hear the Lord Jesus Christ. He said,
“Ye serpents, ye generation of vipers, how can ye escape the
damnation of hell?” (Matthew 23:33).
Again, Christ said,
“Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire” (Matthew 25:41).
Again, Christ said,
“He that believeth not shall be damned” (Mark 16:16).
Could anything be plainer than those words from the lips of Jesus?

II. Second, why David, and Paul, and John and Jesus spoke so plainly about Hell.
Because it is true. Jesus said, “If it were not so, I would have told you.” When Jesus came to earth,
He came with love. It was out of love that Jesus came to warn lost sinners about Hell. It was out of love that
He told lost sinners that He came to save them from their sins so they could escape the fire of Hell. And
preachers must do the same thing Jesus did. It is true! It is true! It is true!
Someone may say, “I don’t believe it.” How does that change anything? An old man named Harry
Truman did not believe that Mount St. Helens would explode into a volcano. Everyone else believed it and
left that area. But Truman said, “I don’t believe it.” So he stayed in his house by the side of the great
mountain. Did his unbelief save him? Oh, no! When the volcano erupted it blew him and his whole house into
eternity. They could not find a trace of him afterwards. He said, “I don’t believe it.” But his unbelief did not
save him – and neither will your unbelief save you from the flames of Hell! It’s true! It’s true! It’s true!
Another reason why David, and Paul, and John, and Jesus spoke of Hell is because they had such
great love for lost sinners. Our best friends, our closest friends in the church, will always tell us the truth.
Jesus is the best friend you will ever have. An old hymn says it well, “What a friend we have in Jesus, all our
sins and griefs to bear!” Jesus is the best friend you will ever have. And it is your best friend Jesus who said,
“How can ye escape the damnation of hell?” (Matthew 23:33).
Robert McCheyne said, “As I was walking in the fields yesterday, the thought came to me with
overwhelming power, that every one I preached to will soon be sent either to Heaven or Hell. Therefore, I
must warn you. I must tell you about Hell.” So should every true and faithful preacher. A pastor who never
speaks about Hell is not a good man. Never trust a pastor who doesn’t preach on Hell. If he doesn’t, it means
he does not care about your soul! Jesus said plainly, “How can you escape from the damnation of hell?”
(Matthew 23:33).

III. Third, the Hell of the Bible is eternal.

The Jehovah’s Witnesses say Hell is not eternal. Can you believe them? The singer “Prince” died a
few days ago. He was a Jehovah’s Witness. When he got AIDS they told him not to take medicine. So he
died and went to Hell because he believed the teachings of that wicked cult.
Rob Bell was a graduate of the liberal, Bible-rejecting Fuller Theological Seminary. Bell said that
Hell is not eternal. Can you believe him? He said that there are mistakes in the Bible. A man who says that
Christ was wrong when He spoke about eternal Hell is either a liar or a false teacher. Millions of people take
comfort from these false teachers and cult leaders. But it is falsecomfort. Jesus, the Son of God, said plainly,
“The fire is not quenched” (Mark 9:44). Jesus Christ said that three times in the ninth chapter of Mark! “The
fire is not quenched.” “The fire is not quenched.” “The fire is not quenched.” That’s what Jesus Christ said in
Mark, chapter nine. And the Apostle John said, “The smoke of their torment ascendeth up for ever and ever”
(Revelation 14:11). Jesus Himself said, “These shall go away into everlasting punishment” (Matthew 25:46).

IV. Fourth, how can you escape from Hell?

Jesus said, in our text, “How can ye escape the damnation of hell?” (Matthew 23:33).
You cannot escape from it by refusing to come back here to church. Someone may say, “I’m never
going back there to hear Dr. Hymers preach! He scared me! I’m never going back to that church.” I know
there will be some young person who says that. But I would rather risk losing you than lie to you! I have given
you many passages from the Bible about Hell. I have given you the thoughts of that young preacher, Robert
McCheyne. They called him, “The boy preacher.” Though he only preached for six years, when he was in his
 twenties, this young man is considered one of the greatest Presbyterian preachers who ever lived. “He
preached with eternity stamped on his [forehead].” Even if you don’t like me, I pray that you will believe what
that great and godly young preacher said.
Then again, you cannot escape from Hell if you sit here Sunday after Sunday refusing to repent
and trust Jesus. Do you think you can be saved by just being here? Do you think you can be saved by giving
money to the church? Do you think you can be saved by doing chores, cleaning the tables, or watching cars,
or doing other work in the church? If you do, you have been tricked by the Devil himself! The Bible plainly
says you have been tricked! The Bible says, “By grace are ye saved...it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest
any man should boast” (Ephesians 2:8, 9). The Bible says, “Not by works of righteousness which we have
done, but according to his mercy he saved us...through Jesus Christ our Saviour” (Titus 3:5, 6).
Again, do you think you can be saved by coming repeatedly to the inquiry room without any
conviction of sin? I know that several of you will come this morning because you are afraid of Hell. But we
have found that people never get saved because they are afraid of Hell. At least, I have never seen one!
Never, in 58 years of ministry. Not one! You can come to the inquiry room because you are afraid of Hell. But
you won’t get saved!
You must think of your sin. Not only the sins you have committed, but also the sin of your heart!
You must be disgusted with your sinful heart, of your rebellious, wicked thoughts and inner sins. Jesus did
not come to save those who are afraid of Hell. No! “Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners” – and
no one else! (I Timothy 1:15).
Christ died on the Cross to pay for your sins! Christ shed His Blood on the Cross to cleanse you
from sin! Christ rose from the dead and ascended back to Heaven to give you power over sin! Repent and
trust Jesus and He will save you from your sin! That's teh only good reason to come to the inquiry room! Your
sin! Your sin! Your sin! Please stand and sing Psalm 139:23, 24. It’s number 7 on your song sheet.
“Search me, O God, and know my heart:
Try me and know my thoughts:
And know my heart;
Try me and know my thoughts;
And see if there be any wicked way in me,
And lead me in the way everlasting.”
Amen. Close your eyes. If you want to talk with us about your sin, and about being cleansed by the Blood of
Jesus, please follow Dr. Cagan, John Cagan, and Noah Song to the back of the auditorium now. They will
take you to another room where we can pray and speak to you about your sin, and the cleansing of your sin
by the Blood of Jesus. Amen.
------------------------------

The Reality Of Hell

by Gene Taylor

In Matthew 25:31-46 the Bible teaches that at the final judgment while the righteous will enter heaven to enjoy
everlasting life, the wicked will go into eternal punishment. The thought of everlasting suffering is repulsive to many.
No doubt this aversion lies at the bottom of much of the unbelief to what the Bible teaches about hell.
Hell, despite the denials of many, is real. Sin demands it. Sin is a violation of the law of God (1 John 3:4). If there were
no punishment for sin, then there could be no law for law without penalty is null and void. If there is no law, there would
be no sin. That would make the death of Jesus useless because if there is no sin there is no responsibility to save
anyone from it.

The reality of life after death also demands the reality of hell. Jesus taught, in Matthew 22:23-33, that there was life
after physical death. In the account of the rich man and Lazarus (Luke 16:19-31), two distinct destinies are presented:
comfort for the righteous but punishment for the wicked.
Hell was originally prepared for Satan and his angels (Matt. 25:41). Jude 6 states that fallen angels are placed in
chains awaiting judgment. Yet, when men and women join the devil in his work and live in servitude to him, they must
suffer the same fate that will befall him.

Hell Not Contrary To The Nature of God

Many people find it difficult to accept the reality of hell because they cannot believe that a loving and merciful God
could create such a place. But hell is not contrary to the nature of God. If no punishment were given for violation of His
law, then God would not be just. Being a just God, He will reward the righteous and punish the wicked. Hell is to
punish the wicked.

What Hell Is Like

Hell is eternal. It is described that way in Matthew 25:46. In Romans 16:26 God is said to be eternal. The Holy Spirit,
in Hebrews 9:14, is also described as eternal. The same word in the Greek language in which the New Testament was
originally written was used in all three of these passages. The word means eternal, everlasting, without end, never to
cease. Hell and the punishment meted out there will last as long as God forever.
Hell is a place of darkness. Jude 13 speaks of "the blackness of darkness" to which false teachers will be confined
forever. God is light (1 John 1:5) and the Father of lights (Jas. 1:17). Hell is described as darkness because it is the
place farthest removed from God. There will be no God to listen to pleas for mercy or give hope of release.
Hell is a place of fire. Matthew 13:42 speaks of it as a furnace of fire. Matthew 25:41 calls it an everlasting fire. Mark
9:44-45 says the fire is never quenched. Revelation 21:8 refers to it as the lake of fire. There will be no relief from its
fires because Revelation 14:11 says the smoke from the fires of torment ascends forever and ever.
There is no rest there. Revelation 14:11 says the wicked will have no rest from their torment day or night.
As there is no rest, there will be no relief. The rich man in Luke 16, even while awaiting the final judgment in Tartarus,
wanted a drop of water to cool his tormented tongue but he did not get it.

Who Will Go There

As already noted, Satan and his angels will be there (Matt. 25:41). Revelation 21:8 says the "cowardly, unbelieving,
abominable, murderers, sexually immoral, sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars" will be there. Those who do not know God
and those who will not obey the gospel of Christ will be punished with everlasting destruction (2 Thes. 1:7-9). In short,
all sinners who choose to remain in their sin will be found in hell.

Why People Will Go There

God desires that all be saved (1 Tim. 2:1-4). God is all-powerful and the gospel, His power to save (Rom. 1:16), can
save to the uttermost. People will not be in hell because God will not save them. God sent His Son into the world so
that all might have salvation (John 3:16) and He has extended His invitation to all who would come to Him (Matt.
11:28-30; Rev. 22:17).
If a person ends up in hell, he is lost by his own free choice. He has no one to blame but himself. Many see no need to
be interested in spiritual things and are indifferent to the pleas of the gospel. Others refuse to obey the gospel or
submit to the will of God. Some refuse to believe. Others just love sin more than righteousness. Some become
unfaithful in service. Many put off obeying until it is too late.

Conclusion
Hell is real. The suffering of it is waiting for the sinful. You can escape the torments found there by giving obedience to
Christ now. He will wash away the guilt of your sins and grant you hope of a life of eternal bliss in His presence.