“FIRE,    FIRE,   FIRE”   (Lk 16:19-29;   Mt 25:41)

Mar 21^st,  2004

           

Int.       “FIRE   FIRE!” J. C. Ryle   said: “When a house is on fire, what ought to be done first? We ought to give the alarm and wake the inhabitants. “

 

1.         Russellites  are prone to refer to Gospel preachers as "hell fire screechers." It is interesting to consider why these "no-hell" propagandists spend their time, money, and effort to transverse sea and land to tell people that there is no Hell, no life for the wicked after death. If there are none, why awake a man at midnight to tell him that his house is not on fire, if it is not on fire?

 

2.          For over 20 years a fire has been burning deep within the earth of Centralia, a small community of 1,200 residents in the heart of Pennsylvania's anthracite coal fields.  Fifteen different federal, state, and local agencies have spent more than $3.5 million to extinguish the fire without success. Persons can touch the earth and feel the heat.  Deep holes and crevices vent hot, smoky air and noxious gases.  One citizen said:  "Standing by a hole, you can hear the fires roaring.  It's an eerie sound, like the beating of a thousand wings."

                        Government officials have indicated that they are no longer willing to attempt to put out the fire; it is a futile task.  As flames continue to burn without restraint, townspeople plead for someone to save their community.

 

3.         It is interesting that Benjamin Keach and John Gill approached this subject last in their books.

 

      a.   The doctrine of Hell cannot strictly be called.   “THE GOSPEL.”

 

      b.   The “Gospel” is good news; the subject of “Hell” is the very opposite of this.

 

c.         Jesus preached 13 messages on Hell for every one that He preached on heaven.

 

      d.   The “Gospel” is that which saves men and keeps them from hell.

 

4.         Four classes of people are said to be headed for hell.

 

      a.   Many of the Rich.  (Mark 10:25)  "It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle, than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of God."

 

                  1.   "A rich man had committed suicide. In his pockets were found two items: $30,000 in cash and a letter. The letter read in part:  'I have discovered during my life that piles of money do not bring happiness.  I am taking my life because I can no longer stand the solitude and boredom.  When I was an ordinary workman in New York, I was happy.  Now that I possess millions, I am infinitely sad and prefer death.'"

 

      b.   The Immoral...(Prov 2:19)  "None that go unto her return again, neither take they hold of the paths of life."

 

                  1.   (Prov 7:27)  "Her house is the way to hell, going down to the chambers of death."

 

                  2.   Samuel Adams said: ́́He who is void of virtuous attachments in private life is, or very soon will be, void of all regard for his country. There is seldom an instance of a man guilty of betraying his country, who had not before lost the feeling of moral obligations in his private connections.́́

      c.   Crooked Politicians.....(Isa 14:9)  "Hell from beneath is moved for thee to meet thee at thy coming: it stirreth up the dead for thee, even all the chief ones of the earth; it hath raised up from their thrones all the kings of the nations."

 

      d.   The Religious...(Mat 23:33)  "Ye  serpents,  ye generation of vipers, how can ye escape the damnation of hell?"

 

      e.   And a host of others...(Rev 21:8)  "But  the  fearful,  and  unbelieving,  and  the  abominable,  and murderers,  and  whoremongers,  and  sorcerers,  and  idolaters,  and all liars, shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone: which is the second death."

           

      f.    If you are one that scorns the gospel, then listen carefully, for I am about to describe  your future home.

 

I.          HELL    IS    A    PLACE    OF    NO     MERCY...(Luke 16:24)

 

      A. THIS   WORLD   IS   FULL   OF   MERCIES.

 

                  1.   From the cradle to the rocking chair.

 

                  2.   Orphanages are located in every town in the country.

 

                  3.   There is the Habeas Corpus—or the 5^th Amendment, The mercy  of  the  court.

 

                  4.   There is the 30 day grace period on Insurance Policies.

 

                  5.   There is the Red Cross, the Salvation Army, and many other charitable organizations in our country.

 

                  6.   Mt. Henry: " He  is in hell,  in the state of separate souls, and  there  he  is  in  the  utmost  misery and anguish possible. As the souls of the faithful, immediately after they are delivered from the burden of the flesh, are in joy and felicity, so wicked and unsanctified souls, immediately after they are fetched from the pleasures of the flesh by death, are in misery and endless  torment.”

 

      B. GOD       DELIGHTS    IN    MERCY.

 

                  1.   There  is  the  testimony  of  the  Scriptures.

 

                              a.   (Jonah 4:2)  "And he prayed unto the LORD, and said, I pray thee, O LORD, was not this my saying, when I was yet in my country? Therefore I fled before unto Tarshish: for I knew that thou art a gracious God, and merciful, slow to anger, and of great kindness, and repentest thee of the evil."

 

                              b.   (Micah 7:18)  "Who is a God like unto thee, that pardoneth iniquity, and passeth by the transgression of the remnant of his heritage? he retaineth not his anger for ever, because he delighteth in mercy."

 

                              c.   (Psa 23:6)  "Surely  goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life: and I will dwell in the house of the LORD for ever."

 

                  2.   The testimony of human experience shows that God deals in mercy.

 

                              a.   God is merciful to us even in our wayward experiences.

 

                                          1.   Remember that period of coldness and backsliding.

 

      C. BUT,    MERCY    ENDS    AT    THE    GATE    OF    HELL.

 

                  1.   Jesus  instructing  His  disciples  in  the  smallest  acts  of  mercy, said:

 

                              a.   (Mat 10:42)  "And whosoever shall give to drink unto one of these little ones a cup of cold water only in the name of a disciple, verily I say unto you, he shall in no wise lose his reward."

 

                  2.   Yet in Hell, the rich man begged for a   “DROP  OF  WATER”.

 

                              a.   (Luke 16:24)  "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."

 

                  3.   The  least  of  all  mercies  was  flatly  denied.

 

                  4.   Hell is a place of absolutely NO MERCY!

 

                                    NO MERCY!       NO MERCY!    NO MERCY!

 

II.        HELL   IS   A   PLACE   OF   NO   ESCAPE...  (Vr. 26)

 

      A. NO   ONE   HAS   EVER   COME   BACK   FROM   HELL.

 

                  1.   Heathen Philosophers were not like those of today; they believed in hell.

 

                  2.   Moses & Elijah returned briefly to this earth from Heaven on the Mount of Transfiguration ....(Mt. 17:1-5)

 

                  3.   Samuel returned for a moment from Heaven to deliver his sad message to Saul.

 

                              a.   (1 Sam 28:11-14)  "Then said the woman, Whom shall I bring up unto thee? And he said, Bring me up Samuel. {12} And when the woman saw Samuel, she cried with a loud voice: and the woman spake to Saul, saying, Why hast thou deceived me? for thou art Saul. {13} And the king said unto her, Be not afraid: for what sawest thou? And the woman said unto Saul, I saw gods ascending out of the earth. {14} And he said unto her, What form is he of? And she said, An old man cometh up; and he is covered with a mantle. And Saul perceived that it was Samuel, and he stooped with his face to the ground, and bowed himself."

 

                  4.   Our Lord came back from the Father’s House for 40 days and was seen of men.

 

                              a.   (Acts 1:3)  "To whom also he showed himself alive after his passion by many infallible proofs, being  seen  of  them  forty days, and speaking of the things pertaining to the kingdom of God:"

 

                  5.   Many of the saints arose at our Lord’s Resurrection.

 

                              a.   (Mt.  27:52-53)  "And the graves were opened; and many bodies of the saints which slept  arose, {53} And came out of the graves after his resurrection, and went into the holy city, and appeared unto many."

 

                  6.   But NO   ONE has ever yet or ever will come back from Hell.

 

      C. HELL    IS    DESCRIBED    AS   ETERNAL    PUNISHMENT

 

                  1.   In our Judicial system, there are two forms of punishment.

 

                              a.   “Reformatory” which is designed to reform the criminal.

 

                              b.   “Capital”, which is designed to take the criminal’s life.

 

                  2.   God  only   uses   “Reformatory” punishment  on  His children.

 

                  3.   The  unsaved   receive   “Capital” punishment,  final,  settled,  once  and for  all.

 

                  4.    (Mt. 13:49-50) "So it shall be at the end of the world: the angels shall come forth, and sever the wicked from among the just, and shall cast them into the furnace of fire: there shall be wailing and gnashing of teeth"

 

III.       HELL    IS  A    PLACE    WHERE   THE   CONSCIENCE   IS   TORMENTED.

 

      A. HE   HAD   FIVE   BRETHREN   ON   THE   WAY   TO   HELL  –  WHY? ?

 

1.   They   refused   to   listen....(Vr. 29).  (Let them hear them)

 

                  2.   They were unreasonable. (Vr. 30). “My father Abraham”..

 

                              a.   (Isa 1:18)  "Come now, and let us reason together, saith the LORD: though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool."

 

                  3.   They were unrepentant..(Vr. 30)

 

                  4.   They were unpersuaded..(Vr. 31)..”Neither will they be persuaded”

 

                  5.   They were unbelieving..(Vr. 31)

 

                              a.   “If   they  hear  not  (believe  not)   Moses   and   the   Prophets.”

 

                  6.   Today, these   reactions   produce   the   same   results.

 

      B.              CONSCIENCE    HAUNTED    THE    RICH    MAN    IN    HELL

 

                  1.   He was probably the oldest and richest of the six.

 

                  2.   His brothers probably looked up to him because of his “success.”

 

                  3.   Your children are watching you....perhaps imitating you.

 

IV.       HELL    IS    A    PLACE    OF    NO    HOPE.

 

      A. HOPE   IS   WHAT   MAKES   LIFE   BEARABLE.

 

                  1.   When   love   is   lost;   there is always hope for a new love.

 

                  2.   When wealth is gone; there is always hope of earning more.

 

                  3.   When health is gone, there is always hope of a miracle cure.

 

                  4.   When death strikes the home, there is always hope that time will cure all wounds.

 

                  5.   Thomas Boston said:“If  hope  deferred  makes  the  heart  sick'  (Prov 13:12), “ how   killing will it be  for  hope  to  be  rooted up, slain outright,  and buried forever out of the creature's sight!

 

      B. BUT—IN   HELL,   ALL  HOPE   IS   IRREVOCABLY    LOST.

 

                  1.   It  was  Dante  himself  who had written above his “Inferno”, these words...

 

                              a.   “Abandon  hope  all ye who enter here.”

 

                  2.   The torments of hell will never diminish.

 

                  3.   Time will never alleviate the plagues of this place.

 

                  4.   There  will  never,  no  never  be:

 

                              a.   A bright tomorrow in hell.

                              b.   A coming sunrise in hell.

                              c.   A future prospect in hell.

 

 

Conclusion:      Where will you spend eternity?

                                    This question comes to you and me!

                        Tell me, what shall your answer be?

                                    Where will you spend eternity?

 

                        Leaving the straight and narrow way.

                                    Going the downward   road today.

                        Sad will their final ending be

                                    Lost through out eternity!

                        Repent, believe, this very hour,

                                    Trust in the Savior’s grace and power,

                        Then will your joyous answer be,

                                    Saved through a long eternity!