Enjoy God, Embrace People, Experience Growth
SUNDAY SERVICES – 8:30am & 10:30am

Hell is For Real

Hell is For Real
July 15, 2018

Scripture: Job 18

I. Hell is a necessary place.

A. In Job 18:4 Bildad asks Job, “Shall the earth be forsaken for you, or the rock be removed out of its place?” God’s universe is like a tidy house in which everything has its place and everything is in its place. Job though was upsetting the foundations of the universe – the foundation stones – by claiming that innocent people like himself could suffer. Bildad thought that only wicked people suffer, and wicked people go to hell.

B. But how could a loving God send people to hell? 1) If there is no hell, there is no ultimate justice. Revelation 6:10-11: They cried out with a loud voice, ‘O Sovereign Lord, holy and true, how long before you will judge and avenge our blood on those who dwell on the earth?’ Then they were each given a white robe and told to rest a little longer, until the number of their fellow servants and their brothers should be complete, who were to be killed as they themselves had been.” 2) If there is no hell, there is no human freedom. Romans 1:24: Therefore God gave them up in the lusts of their hearts to impurity, to the dishonoring of their bodies among themselves.”

II. Hell is a dark place.

A. We see Bildad speak about the darkness of hell in vs. 5-6. Bildad then says to Job in his sermon, “If you are headed for darkness, what does that say about you?” It says that you are wicked and that you are headed for hell. Another way of describing hell’s darkness is to speak of it as a place of inescapable punishment (vs. 7-10)? You might escape from one trap, but you won’t be able to escape from all of them. You will be punished by God.

B. A third way of describing hell’s darkness is to speak of its terror. Verse 11 talks about terrors frightening the wicked on every side. It sounds like the Grim Reaper is on the loose in hell with his scythe hungry for more human flesh. A fourth way hell is dark is that disintegrates you with fire. In vs. 15 Bildad says “sulfur is scattered over (the wicked’s) habitation.” Sulfur is also called brimstone. A final picture of the darkness of hell is a picture of its separation from all that is light and life (vs. 17-20).

III. Hell is a place you don’t have to go.

A. Bildad preached a terrible sermon to Job. He preached the truth about hell, but it was still a terrible sermon. It was terrible because he gave Job no hope. His sermon was: There is a hell, and Job you are going there. But the suffering of the innocent Christ reveals not only God’s love for you, but it also gives you an opportunity to escape from God’s wrath that will be poured out in hell. We see this truth in Romans 5:8-9: “But God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Since, therefore, we have now been justified by his blood, much more shall we be saved by him from the wrath of God.” God does not want anyone to go to hell. No one has to go there. God offers his mercy to all because His desire is for those He has made to live with Him joyfully in heaven.

Application:
Receive God’s mercy in Christ. Ask yourself: why was Jesus willing to go through hell for me?

Sources:
The book of Job
Commentaries on Job by Christopher Ash and Francis Andersen
“The Reason for God” by Timothy Keller
“For the Love of God” by D.A. Carson