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. I want to read to you one very solemn verse from the Word of God today. It is found in the Gospel of Matthew chapter 8 and the verse number 12. Today I would like to share with you some thoughts about the darkness of hell. Why should we talk about hell? Surely the subject of hell is too depressing, too gloomy, too frightening. Let me give you a statistic from the word of God. Of the 1,870 verses which relate to the teaching of our Lord, 13% of them are devoted to instruction about hell. That's 240 verses and I've just read one of them. That makes Jesus Christ the greatest hellfire preacher in the Bible. He spoke more about the wrath of God than he did about the love of God. He talked more about hell than he did about heaven. Surely that's the case closed. If we believe in Christianity, if we believe in the Bible, Then we need the emphasis that Christ had himself where the justice of God was concerned and hell is about the justice of God. And there are certain words that are used to describe hell, what it looks like, what it feels like. One of them is flames, it's a place of fire. but another one is darkness. And I just want to share with you some thoughts about the darkness of hell and what the Bible has to say about this. First of all, there is the darkness of hell and the wrath of God. And there are several verses in the teaching of our Lord that show us that hell is a place of outer darkness. We have it in the verse I have read, Matthew 8, verse 12, and we have it in other places as well. We also get it in the writing of the apostles. Saint Peter talked about outer darkness, Jude talked about darkness. So this is a very important biblical word. Hell is a place of darkness. The darkness of the world to come. Those that do not know Christ as their Saviour, they are going to a place of darkness. And in this place of darkness, the soul will feel and experience the wrath of God. Let's also think about the darkness of hell and the banishment of the soul. This wrath of God that the sinner feels in hell, this is a place where the soul is banished. What's the opposite of darkness? It's light, isn't it? In 1 John 1 verse 5 we are told that God is light and in Him is no darkness. Christ himself is described as being light. He said, I am the light of the world. I am come a light into the world, he said in John 8, 12 and John 12, 46. Heaven, therefore, is a place of pure light. It's the place where God's holiness is, where God's righteousness is. It's a place of light. And God's holiness and righteousness brings hope, brings peace, brings joy. Heaven is a place where the sun never sets. Christ is the very light of heaven. But those that are cast into outer darkness, they are cast away from God's grace, God's mercy, God's love forever. There's no hope in hell. It's a place that describes the hopelessness of the souls that suffer throughout eternity. Heaven is a place of absolute peace. Hell is a place of absolute misery because it's a place of total darkness. It's a terrible place. It's an awful place. The souls of men and women cast out forever. Let's also think about the darkness of hell and the state of the sinner's heart. The darkness of hell is a picture of the heart of man. The Bible says that by nature our hearts are dark. For example, Jesus said in Luke 11, 34, the light of the body is the eye. Therefore, when thine eye is single, thy whole body also is full of light. But when thine eye is evil, thy whole body is full of darkness, take heed therefore that the light which is in thee be not darkness. And there the Lord talked about a darkness in the soul, a darkness in the heart. He was talking about people who may have been religious, may have known their scriptures, may have thought they were doing good, but in reality, they were in darkness. For as Paul said, there is none that doeth good, no not one. And so if you don't know Christ as your personal saviour today, there's a darkness in your heart, a darkness in your soul. We're born with that darkness. We need God's light to shine and take that darkness away. That darkness is our sinfulness, the depravity with which we have been born and whenever souls go to hell they are shot out into the darkness, depravity of their sin and all of the misery that that brings forever and ever. Let's also think about the darkness of hell and the willful rejection of the gospel. The greatest darkness on earth is to spurn the light of gospel opportunity. Lord Jesus Christ, in his last public utterance to people generally, in John 12, 35 and 36, he said, He that walketh in darkness knoweth not whither he goeth. While ye have light, believe in the light, that ye may be the children of light. And then he hid himself from them. He walked away. He said, the light is with you. Seize the light of opportunity now, while you have time. And then he hid himself from them. You see, an opportunity such as this, to hear the Gospel, to come to Christ, to listen to the warning, it's a fleeting opportunity, it'll be gone. And it is a darkness, it's a sinful and wicked darkness to turn yourself away from Jesus. In John 3, 19, Jesus said, this is the condemnation, that light has come into the world and men love darkness rather than light because their deeds were evil. To turn away from the light of the gospel is to have your soul condemned. Why do sinners go to hell? Ultimately, they reject Christ. And there's a darkness in that. And yet, if you follow Jesus, you'll not walk in darkness, but you'll have the light of life. John 8, verse 12. So you have a clear choice today. Something for which you are responsible and accountable for. You either turn to Jesus and of the light, or you turn away from Jesus and be shut into the darkness. But finally, let me talk to you about the darkness of hell and the sufferings of the Saviour. Whenever Jesus died, there was darkness over the whole land when there should have been light. The sun was blacked out supernaturally from the sixth hour to the ninth hour. It was total darkness, an unnatural darkness. And at the end of that darkness, he cried out, My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me? Why did he suffer that? because he chose to take... the wrath of God, represented by the darkness upon his own soul, upon his own heart. He had never sinned, he had never done wrong, but he took our guilt and in taking our guilt he suffered that judicial darkness. The eternal blackness of our hell was put upon him during those three hours. It was a terrible suffering. That's why he said, why hast thou forsaken me? He did it for us. How can you escape the darkness of hell? Only through Christ, who died for you. But to accept Christ, you must accept your sinfulness. That you need Christ to die for you, that you must put your faith in Him. And when you put your faith in Him, you have hope. Hope for eternity. We're only here for a little while. Death is coming. The grave is beckoning. What then? After this, the judgment is so vital that you're prepared for eternity, that you're prepared to meet God. Don't go out into the darkness. but come to Jesus today who died for you and embrace that light and know that you're embraced by him. If you're troubled by anything I have said, get in touch. My details are given. I'll be glad to answer any questions you have. You can leave a message, I'll get back to you. But don't leave this matter. Don't put it off. Don't postpone it. It's too important. Come to Jesus Christ today. 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.