MOTIVATED BY TERROR.
Part 2
By Rev. Irvin L. Mizell
Two weeks ago we began to look at evangelism…
Last week we began to look at the motivation of a great evangelist named Paul…
And we found this remark by Paul in 2 Cor. 5:10
2co 5:10 For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ; that every one may receive the things done in his body, according to that he hath done, whether it be good or bad.
2co 5:11 Knowing therefore the terror of the Lord, we persuade men; but we are made manifest unto God; and I trust also are made manifest in your consciences.
Paul is motivated to preach the gospel of Christ, because he is unwilling to see anyone have to suffer the terror of the Lord…
To validate Paul’s concerns we found these verses…
David
Ps 9:17 The wicked shall be turned into hell, and all the nations that forget God.
Ps 11:6 Upon the wicked he shall rain snares, fire and brimstone, and an horrible tempest: this shall be the portion of their cup.
Paul
Philp 3:18 (For many walk, of whom I have told you often, and now tell you even weeping, that they are the enemies of the cross of Christ:
Philp 3:19 Whose end is destruction,
1thes 5:2 For yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord so cometh as a thief in the night.
1thes 5:3 For when they shall say, Peace and safety; then sudden destruction cometh upon them, as travail upon a woman with child; and they shall not escape.
2thes 1:7 And to you who are troubled rest with us, when the Lord Jesus shall be revealed from heaven with his mighty angels,
2thes 1:8 In flaming fire taking vengeance on them that know not God, and that obey not the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ:
2thes 1:9 Who shall be punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord, and from the glory of his power;
Jesus
Mt 23:33 Ye serpents, ye generation of vipers, how can ye escape the damnation of hell?
Mt 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.
Mt 13:49 So shall it be at the end of the world: the angels shall come forth, and sever the wicked from among the just,
Mt 13:50 And shall cast them into the furnace of fire: there shall be wailing and gnashing of teeth.
Which brings us back to Paul…
Knowing therefore the terror of the Lord, we persuade men
Now lets take a moment to investigate the terror of the Lord, Known as…
Hell-the Furnace of Fire
Introduction
Our Lord often spoke about hell;
Perhaps the most terrifying thing that Jesus ever said about hell was…
He told the Jewish religious leaders in Matthew 23:33:
"...how can ye escape the damnation of hell?"
Point being that religion can’t keep you out of hell…
Association with the church means absolutely nothing…
Eternity rest solely on your personal commitment to Jesus Christ.
Jesus talked more about hell than he did about love.
If we were to model our preaching after His, then hell would be a major theme.
Today, over five thousand people in the United States will die and enter eternity, and most of them will go to hell.
In Matthew 13:47-52, our Lord tells a parable that warns about hell.
Mt 13:47 Again, the kingdom of heaven is like unto a net, that was cast into the sea, and gathered of every kind:
Mt 13:48 Which, when it was full, they drew to shore, and sat down, and gathered the good into vessels, but cast the bad away.
Mt 13:49 So shall it be at the end of the world: the angels shall come forth, and sever the wicked from among the just,
Mt 13:50 And shall cast them into the furnace of fire: there shall be wailing and gnashing of teeth.
Mt 13:51 Jesus saith unto them, Have ye understood all these things? They say unto him, Yea, Lord.
We will call (v. 47)
A. The Catch Collected (v. 47)
"Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a net, that was cast into the sea, and gathered of every kind"
Now we are talking about the end of the age when all of mankind is gathered together…
I would like to note the word (NET)
* IT IS A DRAGNET
The Greek word is sagene.
The dragnet is also known as a seine net or trawl net.
It is a very large net.
“Explain”
That brings us to verse 48:
B. The Catch Categorized (v. 48)
"Which, when it was full, they drew to shore, and sat down, and gathered the good into vessels, but cast the bad away."
That was a very common scene in that day.
The fishermen sorting the catch put the good things into vessels.
They threw away the bad things.
Now that we understand the picture, let’s look at...
II. THE PRINCIPLE (v. 49)
"So shall it be at the end of the age; the angels shall come forth, and separate the wicked from among the righteous"
A. The Focus Of The Parable
God will tolerate good and evil growing together in His Kingdom for now, but the time of separation is moving closer every day.
Jesus also spoke of the separation of believers and unbelievers in Matthew 25,
"When the Son of man shall come in His glory, and all the holy angels with Him, then shall He sit upon the throne of His glory. And before Him shall be gathered all the nations; and He shall separate them one from another, as a shepherd divideth his sheep from the goats....Then shall the King say unto them on His right hand, Come, ye blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world....Then shall He say also unto them on the left hand, Depart from Me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels"
In John 5:25-29, Jesus said there was coming a resurrection of all men:
some "unto the resurrection of life," and some "unto the resurrection of damnation."
At that final separation, God will determine an eternal destiny for every soul that has ever lived.
III. THE PERIL (v. 50)
"And shall cast them into the furnace of fire; there shall be wailing and gnashing of teeth."
That is a horrifying verse.
If there were any doctrine in the Bible that could be wished away, it would be the doctrine of hell.
But hell cannot be eliminated from the Bible.
The wicked will be cast "into the furnace of fire"--those are terrifying words from our Lord.
Jesus spoke more about hell than any one else in the bible.
If you don’t think that is true, then you haven’t paid attention to His ministry.
A. The Discussion Of Hell
1. MATTHEW 5:22, 29-30
Matthew 5: In verse 22, He said, "...whosoever shall say, Thou fool, shall be in danger of hell fire."
2. MATTHEW 8:12
Here, He said that "the sons of the kingdom shall be cast out into outer darkness; there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth."
Mt 25:30 And cast ye the unprofitable servant into outer darkness: there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.
Mt 25:46 And these shall go away into everlasting punishment: but the righteous into life eternal.
Then there is the story about Lazarus and the rich man…
Lu 16:19 There was a certain rich man, which was clothed in purple and fine linen, and fared sumptuously every day:
Lu 16:20 And there was a certain beggar named Lazarus, which was laid at his gate, full of sores,
Lu 16:21 And desiring to be fed with the crumbs which fell from the rich man’s table: moreover the dogs came and licked his sores.
Lu 16:22 And it came to pass, that the beggar died, and was carried by the angels into Abraham’s bosom: the rich man also died, and was buried;
Lu 16:23 And in hell he lift up his eyes, being in torments, and seeth Abraham afar off, and Lazarus in his bosom.
Lu 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.
Lu 16:25 But Abraham said, Son, remember that thou in thy lifetime receivedst thy good things, and likewise Lazarus evil things: but now he is comforted, and thou art tormented.
Lu 16:26 And beside all this, between us and you there is a great gulf fixed: so that they which would pass from hence to you cannot; neither can they pass to us, that would come from thence.
Lu 16:27 Then he said, I pray thee therefore, father, that thou wouldest send him to my father’s house:
Lu 16:28 For I have five brethren; that he may testify unto them, lest they also come into this place of torment.
Lu 16:29 Abraham saith unto him, They have Moses and the prophets; let them hear them.
Lu 16:30 And he said, Nay, father Abraham: but if one went unto them from the dead, they will repent.
Lu 16:31 And he said unto him, If they hear not Moses and the prophets, neither will they be persuaded, though one rose from the dead.
B. The Description Of Hell
What is hell?
Let me give you some truths about hell that I think will answer that question:
Hell is a place of unrelieved torment and horrible misery.
The Bible defines it as outer darkness (Mt. 8:12; 22:13).
It is a place without light.
The Bible also says that hell is a place of fire (Mt. 25:41).
Rev. 20:10 says fire and brimstone
Burning
Stench
Invisible fire
(Mt. 8:12; 22:13; 24:51; 25:30; Lk. 13:28)."there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth"
Hell is not going to be a place of fun;
It is going to be a place of…
weeping,
screaming,
grinding of teeth,
and unrelieved torment.
darkness
burning
God never meant for hell to be for people.
He made it for the devil and his angels.
But people choose to go to hell by rejecting Christ.
Some souls are suffering that torment right now,
The great John Bunyan wrote,
"In hell thou shalt have none but a company of damned souls, with an innumerable company of devils, to keep company with thee. While thou art in this world, the very thought of the devil’s appearing to thee, makes thy flesh to tremble, and thine hair ready to stand upright on thy head. But, oh, what wilt thou do when not only the supposition of the devil’s appearing, but the real society of all the devils of hell will be with thee, howling, roaring and screeching in such a hideous manner that thou wilt be even at thy wits’ end, and be ready to run stark mad again for anguish and torments. If after ten thousand years, an end should come, there would be comfort. But here is thy misery, here thou must be forever. When thou seest what an innumerable company of howling devils thou art amongst, thou shalt think this again, This is my portion forever. When thou hast been in hell so many thousand years as there are stars in the firmament, or drops in the sea, or sands on the seashore, yet thou hast to lie there forever. Oh, this one word ever, how will it torment thy soul!"
Which brings us back to Paul…
Knowing therefore the terror of the Lord, we persuade men
Now if you think about it, Paul has a very logical reason for starting the gospel message with Gods wrath…
How can people understand anything about God’s love if they don’t understand God’s hate?
How can they understand anything about His grace if they don’t know about His law?
How can they understand forgiveness if they don’t understand the penalty of sin
.
They cannot seek grace and salvation unless they understand the wrath of God that is upon them.
Unless men sense they are in grave danger there’s no need for them to change.
And may I add that God is love,
But you’ll never understand how great His love is unless you know how great His hate is.
I mean, if you understand that God hates sin so profoundly then you will find it all the more amazing that He can love sinners.
I want to take you on a kind of a jet tour through some Scriptures.
Ps 2:1 Why do the heathen rage, and the people imagine a vain thing?
Ps 2:2 The kings of the earth set themselves, and the rulers take counsel together, against the LORD, and against his anointed, saying,
Ps 2:3 Let us break their bands asunder, and cast away their cords from us.
In other words lets do away with God and all that represents Him.
Ps 2:4 He that sitteth in the heavens shall laugh: the Lord shall have them in derision.
Ps 2:5 Then shall he speak unto them in his wrath, and vex them in his sore displeasure.
Verse 12 says: “Kiss the Son, lest He be angry and you perish from the way when His wrath is kindled but a little.” In other words, when God just gets a little angry people perish.
Look at Psalm 78 verse 49.
Ps 78:49 He cast upon them the fierceness of his anger, wrath, and indignation, and trouble, by sending evil angels among them.
Ps 78:50 He made a way to his anger; he spared not their soul from death, but gave their life over to the pestilence;
Ps 78:51 And smote all the firstborn in Egypt; the chief of their strength in the tabernacles of Ham:
Ps 78:52 But made his own people to go forth like sheep, and guided them in the wilderness like a flock.
Ps 78:53 And he led them on safely, so that they feared not: but the sea overwhelmed their enemies.
Psalm 90 verse 7, it says ... and this speaks of man as he stands before a holy God;
“For we are consumed by Thine anger, and by Thine wrath are we troubled.”
Verse 11: “Who knoweth the power of thine anger?
The prophets spoke often of the wrath of God,
In Isaiah 9:19 it says: “Through the wrath of the Lord of hosts is the land darkened.”‑ And then this amazing statement: “And the people shall be as the fuel of the fire.”
Jeremiah also spoke of the wrath of God, chapter 7 verse 20:
“Therefore thus saith the Lord, God: Behold, Mine anger and My fury shall be poured out upon this place, upon man and upon beast, and upon the trees of the field and upon the fruit of the ground; and it shall burn and shall not be quenched.”
Ezekiel, the prophet of God, the nineteenth verse of the seventh chapter says that:
“Not their gold, nor their silver shall be able to deliver them in the day of the wrath of the Lord. They shall not satisfy their souls, neither fill their stomachs because it is the stumbling‑block of their iniquity.”
the same thing is true in the New Testament as well. You see the wrath of God. In John chapter 3,
Joh 3:36 He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life: and he that believeth not the Son shall not see life; but the wrath of God abideth on him.
And in 2 Thess.
2th 1:7 And to you who are troubled rest with us, when the Lord Jesus shall be revealed from heaven with his mighty angels,
2th 1:8 In flaming fire taking vengeance on them that know not God, and that obey not the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ:
2th 1:9 Who shall be punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord, and from the glory of his power;
And so it goes. In Ephesians chapter 5 verse 6:
“Let no man deceive you with vain words because of these things cometh the wrath of God upon the sons of disobedience.”.
The bad news is ‑ God hates.
The good news is ‑ God loves, but you have to start with His hate.
First the diagnosis then the cure.
Paul says it another way, he says:
“For all have sinned and ... what? ... come short of the glory of God.”
Frankly, folks, sentence has already been passed, the whole human race is condemned.
We are all children of wrath under the judgment of God.
Man is born condemned.
If you’re not saved the wrath of God waits for you.
Like a great dam, the patience of God has been holding back His wrath.
Giving opportunity to man, that he might accept the free salvation offered in Christ.
But for those who refuse so great a salvation, the flood waters of Gods wrath will consume them with great furry.
Now listen, the gospel begins with the wrath of God.
But remember, there is good news and the good news is Christ has taken the full fury of God’s wrath.
Joh 3:16 For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.
So the apostle Paul looks at mankind and is motivated to share the gospel because he can’t bear the thought of people facing the horrible wrath of God.
Knowing therefore the terror of the Lord, we persuade men
Beloved if you have any compassion in you at all, it will be of the up most importance to share the good news of Christ with others.
