From Clochr Valley in County Tyrone we present Let the Bible Speak. It's good to have you join us as Gospel Minister the Reverend Peter McIntyre is here to let the Bible speak and preach Christ in all his fullness. This afternoon I want to share with you a few thoughts about the imprisonment in the pit of hell. To help us, I'm going to begin reading from Matthew chapter 18. We'll begin with the verse 23. Therefore is the kingdom of heaven likened unto a certain king, which would take account of his servants. And when he had begun to reckon, one was brought unto him which owed him ten thousand talents. But for as much as he had not to pay, his lord commanded him to be sold, and his wife and children, and all that he had in payment to be made. The servant therefore fell down and worshipped him, saying, Lord, have patience with me, and I will pay thee all. Then the lord of that servant was moved with compassion, and loosed him, and forgave him the debt. But the same servant went out and found one of his fellow-servants, which owed him an hundred pence, and he laid hands on him and took him by the throat, saying, Pay me that thou ow'st. And his fellow-servant fell down at his feet and besought him, saying, Have patience with me, and I will pay thee all. And he would not, but went and cast him into prison till he should pay the debt. So when his fellow servants saw what was done, they were very sorry, and came and told unto their lord all that was done. Then his lord, after that he had called him, said unto him, O thou wicked servant, I forgive thee all that debt, because thou desirest me. Shouldest not thou also have had compassion on thy fellow-servant, even as I had pity on thee? And his lord was wroth, and delivered him to the tormentors, till he should pay all that was due unto him. So likewise shall my heavenly father do also unto you, if ye from your hearts forgive not every one his brother their trespasses. Amen. We know that God will bless the reading of his word. to our hearts. Over these past weeks we've been thinking about the doctrine of hell, we've thought about the darkness of hell, we've thought about the words for hell. One of the pictures of hell is that it is a prison house, it's a place of confinement and here in Matthew 18 we read of a man who is cast into a prison delivered to the tormentors, to those that would torture him. till he should pay all that was due unto him. Now this man was an individual of very poor character. He owed a large sum of money to his master and the master forgave him the debt. But he went out and threw one of his debtors into prison for a debt that was much smaller than the debt that he owed. and he did not show the forgiving attitude that his Master had showed to him. Because of that act of ingratitude, that act of base ingratitude, that act whereby the individual was not willing to learn from his own follies, that act that was cruel in the extreme, he was cast into a prison to the tormentors. And the Lord pushes home the application for us In verse 35, So likewise shall my heavenly Father do also unto you, if ye from your hearts forgive not every brother their trespasses. If we do not show that forgiveness that God has shown to us, we too will go to the tormentors. What the Lord is basically saying is this, because of our sin, because of our sin, we go to hell unless we know the forgiveness of God. And hell is a place of imprisonment. It's a place from which there would be no escape. And that's the first feature concerning this place of hell that I want to share with you today. It's a place from which there is no escape. In the book of 2nd Peter chapter 2 in the verse 9 Peter writes the Lord knoweth how to deliver the godly out of temptations and to reserve the unjust unto the day of judgment to be punished. And the word reserve there it means to watch to guard to prevent from escaping. There is no escape from hell because ultimately that debt that we owe God and we owe God this debt of perfect obedience and unless you are forgiven by the grace of God you will never pay that debt. Years and centuries, eternity of being punished at the hands of the tormentors that will still not suffice. For all of eternity the soul will suffer the anguish of eternal torment. This is real business, folks. Something I want you to understand. It's a prison from which there is no escape. It's a mental prison. Everybody needs hope, even those that have been imprisoned for a lifetime of servitude. They still have some hope that they might escape. And prisons, of course, are places where people can learn, where they can study, where they can read, where they can be educated, where they can be creative. The Apostle Paul, whenever he was in prison, he was able to sing. John Bunyan was in prison for 13 years and in that prison he wrote the great spiritual classic Pilgrim's Progress. but hell is a very different kind of prison. Matthew 10 verse 28 says 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. It is the everlasting and perpetual destruction of the soul that makes hell the most awful prison. that it is. There is no hope in hell. It's a place of mental anguish and torment. A place with absolutely no love, where there's nothing positive whatsoever. And there the individual suffers for all eternity. But this prison is also a just prison. Prisons are erected upon the premise of justice. It is where an individual does their time, the hands of the law. But we know there are miscarriages of justice. But in terms of hell, there's no miscarriage of justice. Every soul that goes to hell will deserve to be in hell because God's justice is impeccable. It's a place of personal justice. God exercises his justice in a wholly restrained and controlled fashion and a measured fashion, but in a fashion that's proper. and he meets out that justice upon the individual. To stand before God on the Judgment Day, to be the recipient of His justice because of your sin, it's too awful to contemplate, yet it's true. It's pure justice. God's justice is characterised by righteousness. It's powerful justice. Psalm 90, Moses said, Who knoweth the power of thine anger? So according to thy fears, so is thy wrath. It's permanent. permanent justice. God's wrath is always at work in hell. The individual feeling that wrath of God. For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men who hold the truth in unrighteousness. You're choosing to go your own way, to live your own life, to do what pleases you. You're in a collision course with the eternal wrath of God. We know there are sad things in this life. Difficult things, harsh things, painful things. A poet once wrote, the world, it is a wilderness where tears are hung on every tree. But all of the sorrows of this life are just a preview of the sorrows in the world to come. The pain, the tragedy of losing your soul in hell forever, of feeling the uninhibited fury of God, The infinite anger of God for eternity. This is what hell is. There will be tears continually. There will be pain continually. It will never abate. But hell is a self-made prison. The individual that goes to hell deserves to be there. In the book of Psalms, the Psalms 7, verses 14 and 15, we read this. Behold, he travaileth with iniquity, and hath conceived mischief, and hath brought forth falsehood. He made a pit, and digged it, and has fallen into the ditch which he made. Here is a man who by his sins, by his deception, by his wickedness, he has digged a pit, and he falls into it. Hell is sometimes described as a pit in the Bible, a bottomless pit. here we have somebody who's going into that pit but by his sins he has digged the pit himself. You see every day you go without Jesus Christ as your saviour, you're taking the spade which is your sin and you're digging yourself into hell and every day you're getting closer to that place of everlasting torment. Every day you're going there and one day you'll fall into that place and it'll be your sin that will take you there. You may think that you're getting pleasure, and you are, but the fun it only lasts. Even the friends are only there for a short season. Soon it'll be too late. the soul and hell forever. This is what happens to those that turn away from Jesus Christ. You hear those words on the last day, depart from me, I never knew you. But is there hope for you today? Well, there is. In the book of Job, Job 23 verse 24, we read about a God who is gracious, who says, deliver him from going down to the pit. I have found A ransom. God has paid a ransom price. The price of our freedom is the blood of Jesus Christ. We can escape the wrath of God. We can escape going down into that pit because Christ paid the ransom. Whenever he went to the cross to die for us, to take the guilt of our sin, he paid a heavy price. But he paid that price because he loves us. In Job 33, 28, God will deliver his soul from going into the pit and his life shall see the light. You're in darkness today. Without Christ, you're in darkness. Without the new birth, you're in darkness. Without knowing the forgiveness of God, without having a saving relationship with God, your soul and your mind is in darkness. But you can see the light. You can see it through Christ. You can have hope. Don't continue on in this hopeless world. without Jesus Christ, come to him today, turn your track for heaven, seek the Lord for life, turn from your sin, I plead with you, and embrace the light of the gospel. I thank you so much for listening. You've been listening to Let the Bible Speak. If we can be of any further spiritual help, or if you would like to receive some free gospel literature, we invite you to write to us. Our mailing address is Let the Bible Speak, Rev. Peter McIntyre, 13 Willand Crescent, 5 Mile Town, County Tyrone, BT75OQL. That's Let the Bible Speak, Rev. Peter McIntyre, Thirteen, Willand, Crescent, Five Mile Town, County Tyrone, BT75, OQL. You may hear Mr. McIntyre preach each Lord's Day here in Clocker Valley Free Presbyterian Church at 11.30am and 7pm. For further information you may phone us at 028 8952 1611. 028 8952 1611. We assure you of a very warm welcome at all the services and look forward to having you visit with us. Thank you for listening today. May the Lord richly bless you, and don't forget to tune in on this same station at the same time next week, when once again we turn to the scriptures and let the Bible speak.