Matthew 10:16-28
If you remember, I began a lesson in December, 2015 2015 on the subject of HELL. Before we begin our second lesson, take the time to read the text which ends with: Matthew 10:28, “And fear not them which kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul: but rather fear him which is able to destroy both soul and body in hell.” Go ahead and read Romans 2:1-6. In chapter one Paul lists a number of moral violations of the law of God and concludes by saying that human nature being what it is, He, God “will render to every man according to his deeds:”
This first sermon that the Lord preached was a sermon having to do with hell. You can say, that Jesus was a hell-fire and brimstone preacher. Matthew 5:22 But I say unto you, That whosoever is angry with his brother without a cause shall be in danger of the judgment: and whosoever shall say to his brother, Raca, shall be in danger of the council: but whosoever shall say, Thou fool, shall be in danger of hell fire. People do not like to talk about hell as a real place, but except you repent you shall parish and spend eternity there. “We need to tell people that every unforgiven sin, every sin committed by every person who rejects Jesus Christ will be justly punished by God forever in a place called hell.” [J M] Matthew 5:29 And 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.
Everywhere that the Lord Jesus went He preached about hell in one way or another. When He preached the great Sermon on the Mount that day on a hillside in Galilee He spoke as if everyone understood what He meant, as if to everyone listening, it was a forgone conclusion; and He did not have to define hell or what He was talking about. Jesus spoke more about hell than any other preacher in the Bible. In fact, He spoke more about hell than all the other preachers in the Bible combined. He continually preached on hell and He warned sinners to flee from the wrath to come. Jesus was in fact a hell-fire and brimstone preacher who preached the saving gospel message to lost sinners. If you are going to preach the gospel you will need to talk about hell as a real place; the word must be used because we are talking about redemption and the blood of Jesus Christ which delivers people from the punishment of hell. Children should be told, Grand parents should be told, Mothers and Dads should be told that the blood of Jesus Christ delivers from the punishment of hell fire.
The modern gospel of man offers mankind a substitute for hell. The modern gospel talks about how Jesus wants to save us from loneliness or frustration or anxiety, or poverty, or from personal failure or disappointment. That is not at all why Jesus came into the world. He suffered at the wicked hands man and the righteous wrath of the heavenly Father; that He might save sinners. He came to deliver lost souls from a literal, burning, eternal hell. If you are without Christ, please understand that; except a man be born again, he shall not see or enter into the kingdom of God (John 3). And except your righteousness exceed the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees you shall in no wise enter in. If you want living proof of the reality of hell, read about the rich man spoken of by our Lord in Luke 16:19-31. He is still there today. E-mail, johnpruitt@frontiernet.net