A Glimpse Into Hell

A little over a year ago, March 15, 2011, to be exact, Pastor Rob Bell released his book entitled Love Wins. Pastor Bell was then the pastor of Marseille Bible Church and Grand Rapids, Michigan near Grand Rapids, Michigan a church that, mega church that averages some 10,000 people in weekend services, is very popular pastor among younger evangelicals and still considered today, even though he's no longer at his church, still considered today a leading person in the emergent church movement. The book, Love Wins, was basically a denial of eternal punishment in hell. In the book, Pastor Bell writes that even after death, God's love will continue to pursue those who have rejected Christ and all will eventually succumb to the pursuit of God's love and be redeemed. He makes a couple of exceptions, but primarily the whole human race, even those who have died without Christ, will ultimately be redeemed and there is no such place as an eternal hell. He makes his case with a selective use of scriptures which he manipulates out of context to prove his premise, and then he blatantly ignores other scriptures, doesn't even touch on Revelation chapter 20, a very important passage on the subject. The book is sprinkled with a heavy dose of postmodern concepts, of tolerance for every view being considered equally, and also the postmodern concept of story. And his basic thrust is the story of scripture as it's told in scripture is not the best to fit this generation, so we've got to kind of tweak the story of scripture to fit better an audience of people who don't like judgment. Well, I would suggest to you not just suggest, I would state categorically that his conclusions are unbiblical and unacceptable for any consideration of biblical truth. However, he does raise some interesting questions about God's love and also particularly about our attitude toward eternal punishment. The attitude of many people who call themselves Christ followers toward eternal punishment, an attitude that would shockingly surface six weeks later after the release of his book, when Osama bin Laden was killed by U.S. troops. Groups gathered in front of the White House chanting, OBL your in hell, OBL your in hell. A well-known news commentator addressed Osama bin Laden directly and said with a glee and sense of glee on his face, welcome to hell. One ask you this morning, is it possible to maintain a belief in the scriptural truth that there is an eternal place of punishment for those who are unbelievers, but at the same time to grieve that anyone, including our fiercest enemy, whatever go there, is it possible to maintain that balance, to hold a strong belief in eternal punishment in hell, but at the same time grieve sincerely from the heart that even our worst enemy would spend eternity there? I believe it is possible. I believe it is biblical. I believe it is the exact balance that Jesus demonstrated in his own life and ministry. We are going to see this morning the teaching, the clear, unequivocal teaching of Jesus on the subject of hell, but also we will look at his compassion and love and regret for anyone, even his own tormentors, who would go there. Before we dive into the teaching of Jesus for the 100 or more of you that have been through the Chapel of the Institute and you are somewhat theologically literate for others of you who have come to us and are also theologically kind of in touch. I have to make a disclaimer here. I want you to know, so I don't get a lot of emails on this this week, that I am fully aware of the different words used for hell in the Bible and eternal punishment. I am fully aware of the Old Testament word she old, which is used sometimes simply of the grave, sometimes simply of the place of departed spirits, whether they are believers or unbelievers, and sometimes used of the place of unbelievers where they go when they die. I am aware of that concept. I am aware also of the New Testament counterpart, the word hey-dees, which overwhelmingly in the New Testament is used of the place where unsafe people go when they die, this side of the great white thrown judgment. I am also aware that Jesus used a different word, Gehenna, for eternal place of punishments, not the same as hell, not the same as hey-dees, but the eternal place of punishment. I am aware of that. I am aware of the fact that the Bible calls that the lake of fire, and that is where those who are in hell now will be resurrected someday, before the great white thrown judgment, and then be cast into the eternal place of punishment called the lake of fire. I am aware of those distinctions, so just hold your emails this week about my theological illiteracy. Just hold those. I am aware of all of that, and most of you are too. I give you credit for being theological illiterers, I know you are. However, for ease of communication, I simply am going to use the word hell for all of that, for the place where people go now, and the place where they will spend eternity, just the concept of hell. One final thing, before we jump into the teaching this morning, we need to see the chart. We can't get through one of these messages without looking at the prophetic chart. I have to give you a glimpse again of where we have been, ground we have covered, and where we are today. We have already talked about in this series the end of the world as we know it, not as the movie 2012 presented it. We have shown some clips from that. But the end of the world, as we know it from Scripture, is along these lines, it begins with the rapture where Jesus comes to take His bride, the church home to be with Him. Raptures us, catches us up to heaven with Him, that following that is the judgment of believers works, or the judgment seat of Christ. While that is happening on earth, is the tribulation time of seven years, followed by the return of Christ, the second coming of Christ, all the way to the earth to set up His millennial reign, His thousand year kingdom on the earth, following which He will deliver up the kingdom to the father and continue to reign for eternity. The Bible teaches in 1 Corinthians 15, but on this earth in this form, a thousand years in the millennium, we have also looked at the great white throne judgment, where all those who are unsaved will be resurrected and appear before Christ at a judgment for their works. And today we find ourselves considering the next item on this particular chart, and that is the lake of fire, or what we will call throughout the message. Hell. What did Jesus teach about hell, and what did He feel about hell? First of all, what He taught? Jesus teaching about hell is probably best summarized in Luke chapter 16. So please open your Bible to that passage we will spend most of our time there. I'll reference a few other passages, but Luke chapter 16, where Jesus tells a story. Some have said, well, this is a parable, it didn't really happen, so you can't draw too much from this. Well, if it was a parable, first of all, it was designed to illustrate a real truth anyway, but secondly, if it was a parable, it's the only one where Jesus mentions someone by name. And so the fact that He mentions a particular person would lead us to believe that this is an actual incident of people who lived in real time and real space, probably during the life and ministry of Jesus. He's telling a true story. Only He can look beyond the grave to see what happens when someone dies with Christ and without Christ. And so He pulls back the curtain of eternity for just a glimpse, and He gives us a glimpse into hell. Here's what it looks like if you're in Luke 16, verse 19. There was a rich man who dressed in purple and fine linen and lived in luxury every day. At his gate was laid a beggar named Lazarus, covered with sores and longing to eat what fell from the rich man's table. Even the dogs came and looked his sores. The time came when the beggar died and the angels carried him to Abraham's side. That was a Jewish phrase for paradise or the presence of God. Carried him to Abraham's side. The rich man also died and was buried in Hades where he was entomant. He looked up and saw Abraham far away with Lazarus by his side. So he called to him, father Abraham, have pity on me and send Lazarus to dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue for I am in agony in this fire. But Abraham replied, son, remember that in your lifetime you received your good things while Lazarus received bad things. But now he is comforted here and you are in agony. And besides all this between us and you, a great chasm has been set in place so that those who want to go from here to you cannot nor can anyone cross over from there to us. If Rob Bell had taken that verse literally he wouldn't have written the book. Verse 27, he answered, then I beg you father send Lazarus to my family where I have five brothers. Let him warn them so that they will not also come to this place of torment. Abraham replied, they have Moses in the prophets. Let them listen to them. And if father Abraham he said, but if someone from the dead goes to them they will repent. He said to him, if they do not listen to Moses in the prophets they will not be convinced even if someone rises from the dead. This is a summary of Jesus teaching about hell. Jesus spoke about hell a number of occasions several other passages deal with it. And we will summarize what he teaches with this passage. First of all Jesus teaches that hell is a place of suffering. This is an escapeable from Jesus description of this awful place that it is a place of suffering. Obviously as you read from this description it is a place of physical suffering. This glance again at the way Jesus describes it in verse 23. The rich man is in Hades where he was in torment. By the way the rich man did not go to hell because he was rich and Lazarus did not go to heaven because he was poor. The rich man went to hell because he did not have a personal relationship with his God. Lazarus went to heaven because he knew the living God as his own God and Savior. That is the reason he was in heaven. But the rich man in hell is in torment in verse 23. Verse 24 he himself says, I am in agony in this fire. Verse 25 Abraham replies, you are in agony in verse 26 or verse 28 rather. The man says, I do not want my brothers to come to this place of torment. Four times the idea of torment, agony in fire is referenced in these verses. It is quite clear that this is a place of physical agony, physical torment. Here is a man who in a body of some sort evidently some kind of temporary body where he can feel pain. He speaks of his tongue. He is able to see. He has some kind of intermediate or temporary body where he is experiencing torment and agony in fire. This is physically felt. This is punishment and suffering which he can feel and he is in agony because he feels it. This is not simply the grave. This is not some kind of metaphorical picture of the end of life. This is a literal place where physical agony is felt in some kind of body that can feel physical pain. He is in torment in fire. So it is a place of physical punishment. This is not on earth. There is no such thing biblically as hell on earth. You may go through terrible times here on earth. You have never seen anything like this. No one this side of eternity has ever seen anything like this. This is a place of incredible physical torment and punishment. I take no delight in saying that. I do not wish anyone even our worst enemies to go there. Nor should any of us if we share the heart of Jesus. Nonetheless, it is true. It is a place of literal physical suffering and punishment. There is nothing pretty about hell. There is nothing good about hell. There is nothing comforting about hell. In other passages, Jesus would describe it in Matthew 8 as a place of darkness which I think is a way of saying it is a place of isolation. It is a place of loneliness. Sometimes people jokingly say, well, I do not care about going to hell. I am expecting to have a great party down there with all my friends. We will just continue the party down there. No you will not. There is no good thing in hell. No fun in hell. It is a place of isolation, of darkness where you are separated from everyone else. And you are experiencing personally alone the judgment for your sin. Jesus described it also in Matthew 8 as a place of weeping and gnashing of teeth. A place of literal physical punishment in Matthew 13. He describes it as a place where people wail in pain. He describes it as a burning furnace. He says, a furnace of fire in Matthew 25. He describes it as a place of everlasting punishment. There is nothing good, nothing beautiful, nothing comforting about hell. Other passages describe it, for instance, in Revelation 14 as a place where people who go there never rest. There is no break from the physical suffering of hell. It is a place according to Revelation chapter 20 of a lake of fire. Listen, this is a real place, a place of physical torment and punishment. You cannot escape that if you take clearly, take honestly, take simply the words of scripture. It is a place of physical suffering. But beyond that it is a place of mental suffering. Mental suffering. Look at verse 25. Abraham replies to the rich man's son, remember that in your lifetime you received your good things while Lazarus received bad things. Remember indicating the capability of people in hell to remember. And he is called upon to remember what his life was like. If he can remember all of the good things he enjoyed in this life, which people in hell will remember, they will remember all of the blessings that God had blessed them with. But they will also remember, I believe, every opportunity they had to hear the gospel. Every opportunity they had to make a decision for Christ and for whatever reason said no, or I'll wait till later for that. I want to sow my wild oats first. I want to enjoy my life first. For whatever reason you may have rejected Christ, you will remember every opportunity you had. You will remember every gospel message you ever heard. You will have memory in hell that will haunt you. Incredible part of the suffering of hell is the mental suffering. And so I plead with you, don't put off any longer if you have done that. The need to receive Christ as your savior. The need to make sure beyond a shadow of a doubt that your sins are forgiven, that you know Jesus who died for your sins on the cross. Don't put that off any longer. I sincerely hope it is my earnest prayer that nobody sitting in this service this morning will spend eternity in hell remembering this message, remembering this opportunity that you had to hear about hell to know the punishment that awaited you and yet you turned your back and you walked out without receiving Christ. I pray to God that none of you will do that. That none of you will spend eternity in hell remembering this service. One of the greatest agonies of hell is the mental suffering, but it is also described in the Bible as a place of eternal suffering. In a passage we won't take the time to look at in Mark chapter 9 verses 43 to 48. Jesus describes it five times as a place where the fire is not quenched and three times as a place where the worm does not die. He used a word for hell the eternal place of punishment. I referenced it earlier. That's the word that describes the eternal place of punishment, but it's a word that is built from a very real place on the south end of Jerusalem. The valley of Hennum, Ghehennum, was the trash dump in Jerusalem. It was the place where all the garbage was dumped over the cliff in this valley. Old food with worms crawling through it fires constantly burning up the trash and Jesus used that visual imagery that every Jew would be familiar with whether or not they lived in Jerusalem. They came there for feasts and religious festivals and so forth. They knew the valley of Hennum and they knew that it was a place where worms constantly lived and lived through the fires even in the fires never quenched. Jesus used that visual imagery to describe the eternal nature of hell. There's never quenched and people who go there never die. They never cease to exist. Listen, my friend. This is the worst possible imaginable place and people who die without Christ will be there for an eternity. It is a place of incredible physical suffering, mental suffering, eternal suffering. The Bible clearly describes hell as a place of suffering, but it is also a place of separation. One of the most awful things about hell is that you are separated. Jesus, first of all, describes it as a place of separation from the fulfillment of physical desires. I don't know if you've ever thought about this or not, but look back again at verse 24 at what he says about the rich man. So he called to him, father Abraham, have pity on me, send Lazarus. Notice these words, to dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue for I am an agony in this fire. He has a physical desire called thirst. He is an agony in fire and he wants something to wet his tongue just a drop of water which obviously would not be sufficient, but it would be better than what he's experiencing. Such incredible thirst in this agony he is suffering from. I believe that means there will be the lack of fulfillment of other physical desires in hell. If the desire for thirst goes unquenched, the desire for food will go unmet. The desire and the cravings that are associated with any addictions will be unmet in hell. The desires will go on. The meeting and fulfillment of those desires will never happen. And as one of the almost awful parts about hell is separation from the fulfillment of any physical desire, no matter what that might have been. And then there is also this awful separation from possessions. Verse 25, Jesus says this, telling the story, Abraham speaking, Abraham replied, son, remember that in your lifetime you received your good things. Paul Lazarus received bad things, but he's comforted here and you were an agony. What was the man called to remember his life and all that he had, the good things that he enjoyed in this life, all of which were given to him in God's blessing. And no matter what you have, no matter who you are, God is the one who is responsible for everything we have, he could take it away in a heartbeat. But everything you have is given to you by the grace of God and you will remember those things which you have, but you will not have them with you. In hell, in eternity, we are separated from the things we amassed in this life, the possessions that we had, by the way, no one regardless of whether you go to heaven or hell. No one takes any of your possessions with you. Now the wonderful thing about heaven is God has prepared a place for us that is far beyond anything we ever had here. But in hell, you have nothing, nothing that you spend all of your time on in this life. What an absolute waste of life to spend your whole life amassing stuff, houses, cars, land, buildings, clothes, all of which you're fine, some of which at least is necessary to maintain an existence here. But what an absolute waste of life to focus your entire existence on this side of the great, on getting as much of that as you can get only to leave it all behind, and you've not given any thought to your most valuable possession, and that is your soul. Your soul is the only possession you will carry into eternity with you. And so I plead with you, my friend, you who are so concerned about what kind of car you drive, what kind of house you live in, how much stuff you have to put in it, what you wear and how you look, what your bank account is like, or your retirement portfolio is. I plead with you, for those of you who are pouring your life into that and that alone, that you take note this morning that your most valuable possession is your soul. Give attention to your soul. Make sure that your soul will be with the Lord when you die, not in this awful place called hell, where you will be separated from all of your possessions. Thirdly, Jesus describes it as a place of separation from God. First, 26 Abraham goes on to say, and besides all this, besides the fact that this is a place of suffering, physical suffering, mental suffering, eternal suffering, besides the separation, besides the separation from possessions that you have had, the separation from fulfillment of physical desires, you will be separated from God. Besides all this, he says, between us and you, a great chasm has been set in place so that those who want to go from here to you cannot, as though someone in heaven would want to rescue someone out of hell, but they can't traverse that distance, that great gap between the two. Notice the end of the verse, nor can anyone cross over from there to us. What Jesus is saying, he's using visual, spatial imagery to help us understand that it is impossible to change your eternal destiny once you die. There is this almost as it were physically a gap, a chasm between one place and the other, heaven and hell, and you cannot change places, you cannot go from one to the other. The idea basically is you cannot reverse your eternal destination once you die. You cannot change from hell to heaven. Again, I say if Rob Bell had taken seriously that verse, he could have never written the book he wrote, because once this life is in the eternal destiny is settled, there is no purgatory. There is no temporary place of punishment, where somehow you can be punished enough to where, okay, it's all paid for now, I'll let you into heaven now. There is no place like that. Hell is eternal, hell is irreversible. There is a chasm that you cannot cross back to heaven, you cannot do that. And so Jesus describes it as a place of separation from God. No longer will you receive the good things he gave you in this life. No longer will you be the recipient of his mercy, his grace, his patience, his long suffering, as he gave you more opportunity to be saved. There is no hope at all, once you are in hell, you are forever separated from God. It could not be any clearer than what Jesus makes it here. Hell is an awful place of suffering, of separation, but also of sorrow. It's obvious from reading this passage that this man is experiencing incredible sorrow over his own pain and punishment. And so there is the sorrow over one's own pain and punishment in hell. Here is a man who is suffering incredibly, and he is in agony. The Bible talks about the grinding or gnashing of teeth, the gritting and grinding of teeth and pain and sorrow and missed opportunities and regrets that will last for eternity. Weeping and wailing the Bible teachers will take place in hell, sorrow over one's own punishment and pain, but also it's very clear from this man's experience. There will also be sorrow over the prospect of the punishment of others. Do you remember how the story ended as we read it? This man suddenly became concerned about his brothers. He doesn't want them to come to this place of torment. You see there are no parties in hell. There is no hooking up with friends, having a good time in hell. I don't want to go to heaven. I want to enjoy the same fun I had here, a party with my friends. There is none of that in hell. This man did not want his brothers to come there. He had experienced the isolation, the darkness, the writhing and pain, and suffering and the eternal memories of missed opportunities. He did not want his brothers to come so he earnestly pleads with Abraham when we can see on the other side. Please send Lazarus back from the dead and warn my brothers of this awful place. Abraham says no, they have Moses in the prophets. They have the Old Testament scriptures. Today we would say we have the Bible and the Bible. The man says no, they don't want to understand. If people went back from the dead, that would really convince people. That would be amazing. That would be convincing to everybody. The declaration of Abraham mirroring the heart of God. An amazing declaration which we are so slow to believe today. That is the word of God which is sufficient to save people. If they don't believe the word, they will not be convinced even if someone goes back from the dead. Listen, the Bible teaches this is a living book. It is unlike any other book ever written. It was breathed out by God, pinned by people who were super intended and directed every step of the way by the Holy Spirit. So they would communicate exactly what God says. Hebrews says this book is living. It is sharper than any two-edged sword. It pierces into the dividing of soul and spirit, discerning the thoughts and intents of the heart. No other book does that. And so this is the book that God uses to penetrate the hearts of people. Not miraculous appearances from the dead. People coming back from the dead. He uses his word. If you will not listen to this, there is nothing else God has to give you. God's word states plainly what it means to go into an eternity without Christ. And if you do not believe what God says about it, there is nothing else He has to offer you. This is His word. You have His word. You have His testimony. I plead with you to receive it, to accept it, to realize that God speaks the truth. We are in a battle in our culture today for the proper source of authority or is there even any clear source of authority. And I'm here to declare to you that the Bible maintains that it itself is the authority of God. Jesus said, by word is truth. This is God's word. It is His truth. He knows what He's talking about, my friend. Please accept what He says. Hell is a very real place of suffering and of sorrow and of separation. That much is clear from the teaching of Jesus. But Jesus never, never taught about hell without a tear in his eye and compassion in his heart. How do Jesus feel about hell? I think the scriptures are just as clear about that. Jesus' attitude about hell should also be our attitude. Even as we must be true to the Word of God and faithfully declare the reality of hell and the awfulness of it, we should do so with a broken heart. That's the way Jesus did it. Five things from the scriptures helped me to understand the heart of Jesus quickly. Number one, hell was not prepared for people. No time. Did God say an eternity past? I'm going to make a place where I can get even with them. I'll get back. I'll show them. I'll get my revenge. No. Jesus said in Matthew 25 when he's describing the unsaved standing before him at the Great White Throne Judgment, then he will say to those on his left, depart from me, you who are cursed into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. You see the devil was once an anointed chair of an angel with a favored position in heaven and he rebelled against God in a way that is impossible to really understand why he would do that, but the Bible teaches you rebelled against God, persuaded a third of the angels to follow him in his rebellion and took them to him as his angels. We call them demons today. He was cast out of heaven and will be cast into the lake of fire. The lake of fire was prepared for him and those who rebelled with him, there is simply no other course. If people do not receive Christ who has been offered for all, for the Word. If people do not receive Christ for the forgiveness of their sins, there is simply no other place to spend eternity than the place prepared for the devil and his angels. This is never prepared for people. Secondly, this helps us understand the heart of Jesus, Jesus wept when he thought of judgment. We are close to this passage, you just turn over a couple of pages to Luke 19. Luke chapter 19, this is the Sunday that Jesus rides into Jerusalem and is being hailed as the King of the Jews. We call it Palm Sunday. Here is the scene, Luke 19, verse 41, as he approached Jerusalem and saw the city, he wept over it. Why did he wept? Notice what he says, verse 42, If you, even you, had only known on this day what would bring you peace, but now it is hidden from your eyes. They are spiritually blind, he is saying. Verse 43, the days will come upon you when your enemies will build an embankment against you and encircle you and him you in on every side. They will dash you to the ground, you and your children within your walls. They will not leave one stone on another because you did not recognize the time of God's coming to you. Now Jesus is talking about the literal destruction of Jerusalem by the Roman army some 40 years after he declared this. If Jesus would weep over this physical, tangible judgment upon the city of Jerusalem, think of how his heart must break over the eternal destiny of the lost. And Jesus wafted over the city thinking of their judgment. The word weep is the strongest word in the Greek language for weep. It means to convuls with sobs. Here's Jesus riding on the back of a donkey, people waving palm branches throwing their clothes down in front of the donkey, an old testament way of welcoming the king. And they're shouting the Psalms Psalm 118, 24. This is the day the Lord has made one of the hallelujah Psalms, one of the Psalms that will be talked about and quoted when the king comes. This is the day the Lord has made. We will rejoice and be glad in it and all the time that rejoicing is going on Jesus is convulsing with sobs. I see weep so for the city of Jerusalem. That shows me the heart of the Savior. He weeps over those who are judged. He does not take any sense of satisfaction. You say what about his worst enemies? Shouldn't we at least get some satisfaction over their eternal punishment? Let me remind you number three that Jesus prayed for the forgiveness of his tormentors. Again, we're close. Chapter 23. Look at it. Verse 33. When they came to the place called the skull, they crucified him there along with the criminals, one on his right and the other on his left. Jesus said, Father, forgive them for they do not know what they are doing. After being beaten so mercilessly that his back is one series of open wounds, flesh and bones displayed after he has been forced to wear a crown of thorns which has blood dripping down his face after he has been beaten and spit upon so mercilessly that Isaiah 53 would say his visage is unlike any human. He doesn't even look recognizable as a human. After that has happened, what does Jesus say about his tormentors? You'll get yours. God's going to send you to hell someday. No, he didn't. Father, forgive them. Don't ever rejoice in anyone going to hell, even your worst enemy. Or you don't share the heart of Jesus. Jesus prayed for his tormentors. But, oh, Jesus also provided the way of escape where again close. John 3 is familiar, but you might want to look at it. John 3, verse 16. For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish. That perishing is exactly what we're talking about this morning. Parishing does not mean extinction. It does not mean you cease to exist. It means you spend an eternity in a place of punishment called hell separated from God. That's the biblical concept of perishing. But if you believe on the Lord Jesus, he says you will not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him. Whoever, again, the provision is for the world, but the decision is up to you. Whoever in that larger population of the world, whoever believes in him is not condemned. Not condemned. That means you do not have the wrath of God on you. The demand of the law that you pay for your own sins. That's talking about eternal punishment in hell. You don't face that if you've believed in Jesus Christ as your Savior. But notice the rest of the verse. But whoever does not believe stands condemned already because they have not believed in the name of God's one and only son. What does it mean to believe in his name? What does it mean to believe? It means to recognize my friend that you are a sinner incapable of getting yourself to heaven. No matter how many good works you do, no matter whether or not you're a member of a church or you've been baptized or a good citizen or whatever it may be, you cannot get yourself to heaven. You have a blood of sin in your heart that you were born with, the sin nature. You have sin in your life that you cannot hope to pay for. You need to recognize that, but you also need to recognize that God loved you so much that he sent his spotless son to take your place and die for your sins. To be your sacrifice, to take your sin upon him and bear all the punishment of God for your sin. And you simply need to receive that as a gift from God. Open up your heart and life to Jesus. That's what it means to believe on him, to believe in him, to recognize that he alone can save you and you ask him, you commit to him your soul. You trust that that is the only way you can get to heaven is through what Jesus did for you on the cross. That's what it means to believe in his name, which stands for all that he's done. That's what it means to believe on him, to believe in him. It's not just a belief that he's a historical person. It's to place your confidence and trust in him to get you to heaven. Have you ever done that? Have you ever opened up your heart to him and said, Lord, I know I'm a sinner. I can't get myself to heaven. I trust what Jesus did for me on the cross and I give you my life. I commit my soul and it's eternal well keeping to you. That's my only hope. Have you ever done that? One final thing, in all that we have seen about Jesus, Jesus reflected the heart of his father. In the Old Testament, God through the prophet Ezekiel would say this to the nation of Israel, actually Judah, the only part of the nation left now. Ezekiel 33 verse 11, it's on the screen, say to them, God tells Ezekiel, as surely as I live, declares the sovereign, Lord, I take no pleasure in the death of the wicked. But rather that they turn from their ways and live. And notice the words, hear the pleading in God's voice, turn, turn from your evil ways. Why will you die people of Israel? And I would echo that today. The heart of God is still the same. The heart of Jesus is still the same. The heart of all those who understand anything about the heart of God is the same. Why? Why would you die? Why would you go through your life rejecting the Lord Jesus, the only hope of heaven? Why would you die without Him and spend an eternity in the kind of place we've described this morning? In the lake of fire, forever separated from God in a place of torment being punished for your own sin. When God has made the way possible for you to go to heaven and to have all your sin forgiven. And God offers that to you and He says, all you need to do is turn. Turn away from your sin and yourself and turn to me in faith. I will receive you. You don't have to clean up your life first. You don't have to start trying to do better and make sure you can stick with it over six months and then you'll be saved. No, no, just come like you are. You can't save yourself. You can't even move an inch toward God on your own. Just receive Him. Jesus says, God says, turn, turn. Why will you die? Why will you die? Oh, my friend, I say to you this morning, why? Why will you die? Why not turn to Christ today? Please bow with me in prayer. Just before I pray, I want to make it very clear this morning. If you've never trusted Jesus as your Savior, you need to do that today. Please don't put that off any longer. You can do that right where you are. Right where you sit. If you've never asked Christ to come into your heart and life and be your Savior. I want to urge you to do that right now, right where you are. Just talk to God from your heart between you and Him. And admit the fact that you're a sinner. Believe that He sent Jesus to die for your sins. Take your place. And from your heart, open yourself up to the Lord Jesus to become your Savior, your Lord. And just simply say to God, please save me. If you call upon the name of the Lord that way, the Bible says you will be saved. If you've never been saved, delivered from the eternity in hell, please do that right where you are right now.