2 Timothy chapter 4. 2 Timothy chapter 4. I've preached from this many times, but I'm going to look at a little different aspect today. 2 Timothy chapter 4. Notice in verse 16. 2 Timothy 4 and verse 16. At my first answer, no man stood with me, but all men forsook me. I pray God that it may not be laid to their charge. Now what does that have to do with heaven or hell? What does that have to do with heaven or hell? We know in the context it says this in verse 6, I'm now ready to be offered the time of my departure is at hand. The fact that he was going to be martyred for Jesus Christ was to him just a departure. I get antsy if I'm at the airport waiting for the flight to take off. I always used to like flying. I've taken all the fun out of that now, but I liked flying. I liked soaring into the air and then landing time zones away and enjoying the changes and all that stuff, the excitement, the thrill of all that. And that's all Paul speaks of heaven right now. He's lived a hard life. He's accomplished much. He's been a man that changed history in so many respects. He says it's my departure. Isn't that a great way of looking at going to heaven? Isn't that a great way of looking at going through the anguish and the pain, maybe, of a martyr's death? Not just death itself, but a martyr's death. He says the time of my departure is at hand. What I want to speak on today is when heaven and hell are real to you. when they are real to you. 2 Corinthians tells us that we are supposed to look at the things that are not seen, not on the things that are seen. We are to look at the things that cannot be seen, the invisible things of this world. Why is that? Because that will keep your perspective correct. You don't know what you are going to look like when you get old. The older you get, maybe the more surprised you are. You're not gonna know what you feel like when you get old. We have all kinds of examples in the Bible. We have some hints as to what eternity is going to look like, but we will be rejoicing the day we enter heaven's gate, won't we? That's what we sing about in this life today. That's what we sing about. That's what's the joy and the hope of our life, of our existence. When heaven and hell are real, It's not like in Revelation 16. Read that real quickly. Revelation 16, cited this just the other day as well. In Revelation 16, it's a terrible time when God is pouring his wrath out on the world. In Revelation 16, it says in verse 8, the fourth angel poured out his vial upon the sun, and power was given unto him to scorch men with fire. Now think about scorched with fire. The next verse, and men were scorched with great heat. It's like they're cooked alive. Men are scorched. That's what's coming. That's what's coming. They're worried about global warming. You better worry about being scorched with great heat one day. Okay, but notice this, and they blasphemed the name of God which hath power over these plagues. They repented not to give him glory. That's not in consideration of hell, what really hell is, is it? When you really believe that hell is real, being scorched with fire in this life should indicate what you want to escape from. Shouldn't it? That's not when hell is real. That's when life, the immediate is all you know about, and it's inconvenient, and it's God's fault. Has nothing to do with it. It says they repented not. In other words, they brought it upon themselves by refusing God's gifts, by refusing God's word, his standard, his will, all those things. And like so many people, we blame God when things don't go our way, even though it's our fault. That's not when, Heaven, when the defiant curse God, that's not when hell is real to them. It's not when believers seek their own. Philippians 2 says that, I have no man like minded that will naturally care for your state, for they all seek their own. Hey, when we're seeking our own benefit or our own status, our own comfort, our own ease, that's not when heaven is real to us. That's not when heaven is real to us. Scott said yesterday, this is, I don't know if this is the right time to say it, but we were talking, I trust he remembers this. He said, yeah, I just love that singing. Isn't that what you said, Sunday? I just love the singing. I just love the singing. And he kind of choked up and he said, man, I can't even sing number 256. When peace like a river attendeth my way, when sorrows like deep billows roll? That is when a man stands in the ocean at the place where his family was lost to a sinking ship. And you know what? He says, when peace like a river, what would it take for you to have peace at the place where your children died? That's when heaven's real to you, isn't it? My kids are in heaven. If that were the case, my kids would be in heaven. That's when heaven's real. That's something you sing about. But it's not when someone is only pursuing their own selfish endeavors, their only selfish, only their selfish welfare and desires. That's not when heaven's real. Heaven's real when you're standing really at the gate. I don't mean between life and death, but I mean when it becomes real to you and you're thinking about the loss that you have here, but the gain of a loved one. I sat there at my desk and looked up at the picture of my dad. He's been gone five years now. And the picture I have of him is when he's younger than I am right now. It was at our wedding many years ago. And I just sat there and thought of the great memories I had with my dad. And he was my hero. And he introduced me to great people. He was an example to me. But you know what? He wouldn't want to come back here. He wouldn't want to come back here. And for just a moment, I sat there and looked at that, and heaven was real to me once again. I hope heaven's real to you every moment of every day. Well, not only that, we have some glimpses of heaven, don't we? We saw it this morning in 2 Corinthians 2, the unspeakable. You need to look at this one, because we'll come back to it. 2 Corinthians chapter 2, I'm sorry, chapter 12. And verse 2, it says, I knew a man in Christ about 14 years ago, whether in the body I cannot tell or whether out of the body I cannot tell, God knoweth, such one was caught up to the third heaven. The Bible speaks of three heavens. The first one is here where the birds sing. The second one is where the stars rule the night. The third one is where God resides. This is the third heaven. I was caught up to the very throne of God, Paul says. And I think he's talking of himself. But you notice it says this, I knew such a man, whether in the body or out of the body, I cannot tell God knoweth how that he was caught up into paradise and heard unspeakable words, which it is not lawful for a man to utter. Now you look carefully at those words, it says, he heard some things that it's not lawful for me to speak about. I just wonder what he heard about. Oh, I could only speculate, but it's not lawful for a man to utter. These people that claim they've been to heaven and my cousin's pastor in Boise years ago wrote a book about how God transported him to his throne room and he stood behind God, imagine that, looking over his shoulder, reading what God had in his hands. I mean, I would stand back for the lightning to strike if I said something like that. Okay, but, but I heard unspeakable words. I wonder, I wonder what that was. And the thought occurred to me this morning. I wonder, he heard things that it's not lawful for a man to utter. That means it's all right for him to hear those things. He just can't share all of them with us. And the first thing I thought about was this, what would you hear in heaven? I know this, in heaven, you're going to hear the constant praise of Jesus Christ. Constant praise. Now, we praise God right now. It's not unlawful for us to do that. But how would you describe what heaven's like? I mean, they get these artists in for a police department, and I don't notice all the fine details, but some people, a good artist sees every one of those details. Okay, his nose is more like this, his ears are like this, or no, that's too long of a fit, whatever it is. I don't hear those things, but I know this. If I were transported to heaven right now, I would have my mouth wide open, my eyes wide open. You may not be able to see them, but my eyes would be wide open, and I'd be taking it all in, and I have no doubt that I would be hearing the praise of the redeemed of all centuries, honoring and glorifying my savior, Jesus Christ. And people down here would think, well, that's arrogant. No, it's not. I don't know if that's what he heard. I know he heard that, but I don't know if that's what he's talking about. He just saw some things that were unspeakable, and the unspeakable, the word unspeakable is used three times in the Bible, and it invariably speaks of the wonderful gospel we enjoy, of the unspeakable blessings that God gives to us, and that's, I think Paul right there, heaven was real to him, don't you? In Acts 7, we see Stephen being martyred, and he saw heaven opened, and Jesus standing at the right hand of God. I'm sure heaven was real to him. He entered just a few moments later, didn't he? Heaven was real to him. And you know, in each one of these cases where heaven's real to them, we have a very forgiving spirit here. That's what Stephen did. Stephen says, Father, forgive them. He asked for the forgiveness of those that stoned him to death. That's what Paul says, lay not this sin to their charge. So Jesus said as he died, Father forgive them, they know not what they do. There's something about forgiveness that's inherent in having heaven real to us, isn't it? Well, in Revelation 5, I love this verse, this passage as well. I saw heaven opened. There's some places where heaven opens to us. John the Apostle said, I saw heaven open. And I saw a book and there were seals on it. No one could open the seals because you had to meet the requirements of the seal to open the seal. And I suspect it's the book of redemption. And the only one that was able to open the seals of the book of redemption is Jesus. And it says, I saw a lamb as it had been slain. And as Jesus standing there with his five wounds still bleeding, still visible, I have no doubt that heaven was real to John in that day. You see, there's another side to that, and that is if hell is real. That's why I'm looking at just really two points to give you some thoughts today that might be a blessing to you and hopefully a motivation as well. Let's pray. Lord, we thank you for your goodness to us. And Lord, I've spent longer on introduction than I intended, but Lord, would you give me the words to speak and more than anything else, the power to speak your words as you've laid it on my heart. touch our hearts today. Let us get a real glimpse of hell and a real glimpse of heaven today, that it might change the way we walk this week. In Jesus' name, amen. Well, when heaven and hell are real, what happens when heaven is real to you? My son used to say, well, I just don't want to sit on a cloud with a violin all my life, for all of eternity. You know, he's just a little guy then and all that. You're not going to be sitting on a cloud. God did not make us to be doing nothing. He gave us wondrous things to occupy our time. And in heaven, if you like to sing bass, you can probably go to the bass section. If you like to sing soprano, you can go to the soprano section because there'll be singing and rejoicing and there's still a street of gold there, isn't there? In fact, the Bible says that Jesus is preparing a mansion for us. There's a mansion there. The Bible speaks of a doorkeeper in the house of God. I'm not saying that we have to go and clean that mansion. I couldn't tell you one way or another, but I know this. There's a mansion there. And I'll be able to stand there and look at the mansion that my Savior has prepared for me. I'll be able to look at the Savior sitting on that throne, sitting on that throne that signifies the entire plan of redemption was finished. When he died, then was buried and rose again. I'll be able to see all those things in that day. And when heaven is real to you, number one, there is a certain fearlessness that is inherent in you. You know, the world likes to bring fear to the hearts and minds of Christians. They like to attack Christians because the devil hates our Savior. He can't touch our Savior every time he tries to, he loses. But he can try to rob us of our joy. And he'll try to fill your hearts with fear. And folks, if you quit looking up, there's all kinds of stuff to be afraid of in this world. All kinds of stuff. But I'm gonna set my heart and my affections and my attention on eternal things, not temporal things. There is a certain fearlessness that comes with having the reality of heaven before us. Look at Acts 14. In Acts chapter number 14 and verse 19, in Acts 14 and verse 19, the Bible says, It says this, And there came thither certain Jews from Antioch and Iconium, who persuaded the people, and having stoned Paul, drew him out of the city, supposing he had been dead. Now, I suspect that's what Paul's speaking about in 2 Corinthians 12. I knew a man in Christ. That means he was a believer. He was a believer. Above 14 years ago, that's about how long has transpired since this happened. And I don't know if he's alive or dead, but he was carried up to the third heaven. So he didn't know if he was alive or dead, and how would you know if he got up out of the rubble and started walking back into the city? But he says, I know this. He was caught up into the third heaven. Now, I've said it many times. You know what being stoned is? Where the whole crowd gathers around you and picks up big rocks, tries to bash your brains out with the rocks. Doesn't sound like a lot of fun. They still do that in Muslim countries today. They still do that. Usually it's against women. They'll bury them to their waist in the ground and then kill them with rocks. They stone them like that. That wouldn't be a lot of fun. In fact, I don't think you'd ever forget that, would you? What would possess you to get up out of the rubble and go back into the same city? What, that's strike one? You get two more? You have absolutely no fear of death when you do that. Because I don't think he was nuts. He went right back into that city. Why? Oh, I don't think he's taunting them or anything like that, but I know this. He's letting them know that they didn't kill him. And there are still people that need to hear the words that he had to speak. Do you know the difference between someone trusting Christ as Savior and someone dying without him? The difference is heaven or hell. You know how joyful it is when someone trusts Christ as Savior? Man, they have new life. The burdens were lifted from their shoulders and they're on their way to heaven. In fact, as Paul says in 2 Corinthians 12, someone in Christ, here is a man that goes right back into that same city. Death is no threat to him. Death is no threat to him. and sufferings take on a whole different perspective when heaven is real. You know what Paul says of our affliction? It's light, 2 Corinthians 4, 17. If you wanna know what he endured, read 2 Corinthians 11. He was shipwrecked. He was beaten with rods. He was beaten 40 stripes save one, I think, five different times. You know, when they beat you 40 stripes save one, they had little pieces of glass and sharp things tied to the end of these lashes so that when they would wrap that around you and pull it off, it would rip the skin and the hide off your back. You would be a bloodied mess. That's what Jesus endured for us. And He endured that beating. He endured shipwreck. He endured being stoned and left for dead. He endured all that stuff. And you know what His perspective on it is? Our light affliction, which is but for a moment. You know, when you have heaven and it's real to you, you realize that we live here, 70 years go by fast. I can tell you that. But 70 years isn't a drop in the bucket in heaven. We sing the song when we've been there 10,000 years. Bright shining as a sun, we've no less days to sing God's praise than when we first begun. You know why? 10,000 years is just a drop in the bucket of eternity. He says our light affliction. So you go through, you know, a professional man's career might last 40 or 50 years. What is that in the perspective of eternity? When heaven is real to you, you know that what we endure in this life is insignificant by comparison. It doesn't mean it's easy. It doesn't mean it's easy. In 1 Peter 5, 10, Peter says, this is the will of God that after you've suffered a while, he calls our life in this, it's just suffered a little bit. He calls it suffering. Why? I think heaven was real to Peter as well. Peter has kind of a mixed record, doesn't he? He's a man with a foot in his mouth. Every time he opened his mouth, he inserted a foot or changed feet, didn't he? Let's build three tabernacles here, one for you and one, you know, at the transfiguration. Oh, everyone else will desert you but not me, and he denied knowing him before the day was over. But at the end of his life, he says this, after we suffered a while. Because you know, in the midst of that suffering, you get some real sweet blessings that the world knows nothing about. You know what you'll find out? Just like yesterday, what a blessing. It about choked me up. Scott probably knew nothing about that. But he's all choked up thinking about, when peace like a river attendeth my way. You know, one day, if the Lord tarries, I'll be in a coffin. But don't weep for me. Good grief, I'm in heaven, man. That's what's left over here. It's getting in worse shape all the time, okay? Don't weep for me after we've suffered a while. but from that same passage in 2 Corinthians 11. In 2 Corinthians 11, remember, I'm saying that when heaven is real to you, you're gonna have a fearlessness that the world doesn't understand. 2 Corinthians 11, when you look at this fearlessness, Paul says all the things that he, it says in verse 23, are they ministers of Christ? I am more, in labors more abundant, in stripes above measure. In other words, he couldn't even count all the times he was beaten. Think about that. In prisons more frequent in deaths oft, oftentimes he faced death and most likely was stoned to death at Lystra. Of the Jews five times received I-40, Stripes say one, by the way. What was it that brought about Paul's ultimate death? Though he was the apostle to the Gentiles, he went against all kinds of spiritual counsel and went back to Jerusalem one more time to try to win one more soul. He could easily have written that off and said, I've spoken to them enough times, I'm done with it. But he just wanted just one more to come to know Jesus, the Savior as he had. And he goes through this whole list of things. And then it says in verse 28, besides those things that are without, that which cometh upon me daily, the care of all the churches. You know, each morning he'd wake up with all the churches and all the people and all the churches on his heart. And he'd spend time praying for each and every one. So that's a heavy burden on him. I don't mean a bad thing, but that's a burden on him that was a burden similar to all the suffering that he'd had, and he took it upon him willingly. When heaven is real, you have a fearlessness in this life that you just want to be a blessing to as many people as you can before your time's up. You're fearless. Not only that, there is a forgiveness there when heaven's real. There's a forgiveness. You are no longer in the equation. I've said many times in Philippians 1, he's writing from prison. Now that doesn't sound like a lot of fun, a Roman prison. And Philippians is the book on joy. So when you get down in the dumps, and every one of us does just some more than others, just think that he wrote about joy and rejoicing while he was in a Roman prison. And he speaks of those that took joy and pleasure. Brethren, believers, saints, those in Christ, they take joy in the fact that he's in prison and they stand up to preach the gospel when Paul has failed in their mind. Paul hadn't failed. Just read Philippians 1, it'll thrill your soul. He's glad that Christ is preached, whether it's by those that are glad that Paul's in prison, or by those that preach because Paul is in prison, and they're sad that he's there. Do you understand? There is something of a forgiving nature of those for whom heaven is real. Why would you carry the burden of resentment toward people? Paul didn't resent the ones that were thrilled that he was in prison. This isn't lost people. He didn't carry a resentment for them. Why? That's too heavy of a burden that you put on yourself. There's a forgiveness in him. Frankly, that's treason in the Lord's army, isn't it? That's treason. I'm glad he was captured. He's out of the way. No, he was never out of commission. He led people in the Philippians. He led people to Christ in jail. But in our text, it says in 2 Timothy 4, in verse 16, at my first answer, no man stood with me, but all men forsook me. I pray God that I may not be laid to their charge. So here, he's at the very end of his life, the twilight of his career, of his preaching, and he's done so much. And he says, when I was first charged, maybe when he was first arrested, but when they brought charges against him, he said, no man stood with me. There were lots of people that could have stood with him. Tells us the people that were there. Luke was there and says in verse 10, Demas hath forsaken me. There were people with whom he had served, other brothers and sisters. They weren't the ones in Philippians one that were saying, we're glad he's out of the way. We're gonna preach the gospel because he's no longer here. It's not that crowd. It's the crowd that maybe just left because of cowardice. Maybe just, some left because of treason, some left because of cowardice. But he's forgiving of all of them. Forgiving of all of them. When heaven is real. I think heaven was real to him at least from the day he was, he stood up out of those rocks. At least, probably before that, but certainly at that point when he was stoned and left for dead. But you know, third, there's forgetting as well. Forgetting, I'm taking way too long. But I like to think about heaven. I saw a video of a bunch of men, I don't know where they're from, but they're singing a cappella. When I think about, I'll sing about heaven for a million years. Oh man, nothing like harmony. I'll sing about heaven for a million years. Now one day I'm gonna see heaven, it'll be a reality to me. But when heaven's real to you, this side of glory, You're going to be fearless in this life. You're going to be forgiving in this life, but you're going to forget some things too. Psalm 23 speaks of walking through the valley of the shadow of death. You think about the heartaches that some people have to go through in this life. Heartaches. How many young people get married and it's not what they expected? You know, people can pretend to be what they're not and The marriage goes on, but the joy you'd hoped for wasn't there. It's kind of a valley you walk through, but you can forget a lot of those things when heaven's real to you. Does that mean that that's not a burden? I don't mean that. I wouldn't minimize that burden. I'm so glad I don't live with that burden. But I'll tell you what, You walk through some dark times in this life, some dark times. Heartaches are only big in this life, not in the next one, not in the next one. How about the deaths we have to endure? Sometimes people, our loved ones, are promoted to heaven. I looked, I have a picture of Spurgeon on my wall too, given by you dear folks. I have a picture of Spurgeon on my wall, and the years that he lived, and a message that he preached, and it's on the slaying of the sacrifice. And I thought, man, what a wonderful thing it'd be to stand in that pulpit one day. Still there, standing in that pulpit one day, You know, deaths, all they are, Isaiah 57, one, you need to remember, when you lose a loved one that goes to glory, you need to remember that God's sparing them from the evil that's to come. You need to remember that. When heaven's real, yes, we'll miss them here, but they don't have to read the headlines of the newspaper each day. They don't have to live with a fear that is bandying about all the time. Each day, each day in our salvation, you're gonna have some burdens, but when the burdens stack up, without your eyes being on the Lord and in heaven, even hope can be lost. Even hope can be lost. You don't wanna lose your hope. You don't wanna lose your hope. My hope is in the Lord, yes, but the Bible also says, who is my hope or joy or crown of rejoicing? Aren't you? The ones upon whom we've bestowed labor, that's our hope as well. And especially this, all glory goes to God. We don't get any glory. I don't want any glory. Our glory goes to God, doesn't he? and sometimes it's your personal grief. That's what I was gonna say when peace like a river. I can't begin to tell you what it must have been like for him to stand at that place because who wrote 256? Spafford. He sent his wife and kids on to England and he had business to do and he had to hold back and when in the midst of the sea, their ship sank. And his wife was spared. And she sent a telegram in that day to this wealthy businessman. And it was two words, saved alone. Saved alone. Now he's not talking spiritual salvation. He's talking her life was spared, but none of the kids. Now as you got closer to that place in the ocean, because the captain was going to tell him where it was. As you got closer and closer to that place, what would go through your heart? You might first think of the loss you're suffering. I wouldn't blame you. You might think about the emptiness in your home when the kids are all gone and they've all been taken. You might even have, the devil might even make you think, well, why would God put you through this? But listen, those kids didn't have to go through the heartaches that were yet coming. And maybe those heartaches weren't as great as we see them today, but I know this. If my kids are in heaven, they don't want to come back. I don't really want to say goodbye to them right now. But when peace like a river, he had done business with God and I have no doubt. that this doesn't indicate all of the thinking and all the business that went on in his heart between him and God because it would be hard to get over the anguish and the pain and all of that. Then to be reunited with his wife and they were alone together. But he says when peace like a river I can assure you heaven was real to him. Heaven was real to him. What a glorious day. One of my cousins called. He's been here many times and he was the older brother I never had and his voice is weak. He's only 71. He, his voice is weak now. And he said he still wants to get up here and see me. His wife has to help him up and down and up and down the stairs and all of these things. And we fellowship together on the phone. He says, I haven't heard from you in a while. And usually you call me. I figure I offended you or something. He's just being funny. And we fellowship together. His daddy got my dad saved. And you know what, we're talking about heaven and all the loud people from our family that'll be there. That sweet fellowship, that's when heaven's real. I wish you could meet my uncle Archie. My kids never got to see him in his prime. Six foot four blonde, absolutely nuts. Absolutely nuts, absolutely stunt, a good looks in every way. and he wasted away, but he got saved when he was 60 years old because my cousin's mother took him to church, and he responded in the invitation one time. He insisted I preach his funeral. I preached his funeral. I said, there's a loud place in heaven where my family is. And I'm being tongue-in-cheek, yes, but I know this, heaven's real when you can rejoice even at the loss of your loved ones. But the bad part of the message is this, when's hell real? When's hell real? In Isaiah 28, 15, there are some rebellious people that say, we're not worried about death because we've made a deal with the devil. Now, if you think the devil can be dealt with, hell's not real to you. If you think the devil's gonna honor his word, hell's not real to you. If you're in that place and you think, well, I got it made because I've been a good man or I've done right, hell's not real to you. Hell is a place where people don't want to be in God's company. Isn't that right? We'll not have this man rule over us. We have no interest in subjecting ourselves to the word of God. We have no interest in spiritual things. It's a place where folks don't have time for the Lord. And there's some, certainly bad people in hell, there are good people in hell. Because being good is what gets you to heaven. The facts about hell, it's too often overlooked, even though it's believed. Bible says in Matthew 7, there's a broad way that leads to death. Most people are going to hell. The majority of people will go to hell, they don't think they need a savior. And for those people, hell is not real to them. Number two, there's a righteous indignation of God. Deuteronomy 32, it speaks of the rebellion of the children of Israel. And he says, I'll send them to the lowest hell. God's indignant with the rebellion of man upon this earth because he's done everything he could do for our redemption. Religion, Matthew 23, 15, the Pharisees would compass land and sea to make a convert to their religion and make them twice the child of hell as they were before. That's sad, isn't it? The Bible doesn't speak of religion very well. Someone will make a convert to their own narrowness instead of a convert to Jesus Christ as Savior. And they're almost insulated against the gospel. They're twice the child of hell as they were before. Mark 9 verse 43, it's sad. It says, where the worm dieth not and the fire is not quenched. When my wife woke me up, when my first son was to be born. We were in this old house out by the river. I jumped out of bed, put my slippers on, and there was a centipede in my slipper. I squashed the centipede. It just gave me a great feeling, okay? Great feeling. Well, it's a centipede, it's not a worm, but the Bible says hell's a place where the worm doesn't die. You know, the worms feed sweetly on your body. I think that's in Ecclesiastes. That's what happens to a body in the grave eventually. But in hell, the worm never dies. The worm lives as long as you do, which is forever. And the fire is not quenched. You know when hell is real? When you can feel the heat from the flames. When you can maybe hear the cries of the damned. When you can, when you can, when it's absolutely real in front of you, isn't it? Those flames are never quenched. You'd think that the worst kind of fire still burns up, doesn't it? It'll never burn up in hell. It'll never burn up there. Revelation 20, at the end of the millennium, they stand before God, Jesus, at the white throne judgment, and they're cast into hell, the Bible says, and the lake of fire. It's the second death. Some people die peacefully in their sleep. Some people die with great agony and anguish. Some people die in war, and it's such a waste of young lives so many times. No matter what the death is, there's another death coming if you've only been born once. You understand that? I was born again in 1967. There's another death coming if you've never trusted Christ as Savior. It's the second death. And it'll be after you've given your best shot and saying to Jesus why he desperately needs you in heaven and it won't work. to be cast into that devil's hell. There's some facts about hell, there's some reminders. The Bible tells us in Romans 7, one of the ways you can know that heaven and hell are both real to you is, as Paul cries in Romans 7, who shall deliver me from the body of this death? That sin might become exceeding sinful. Hell is not real to us when we when we write off our sin as well as everyone has a vice. That sin is what Jesus bore on the cross. It could just be the rebellion of a child to a mother. I remember one time getting unhappy, usually at home, and I was a kid, a dumb punk kid, and I got in my car and ran off. My dad wasn't home, he wouldn't let me do it. I didn't make it 100 feet down the road before I realized I had hurt my mother. I turned around, came back, and apologized to her in tears. Hey, I was a pretty good kid, but I was, a rebellious, I was a, I should say, I was a strong-minded kid. And I had to realize that my behavior hurt someone I didn't want to hurt. That's the kind of sin that's in hell, isn't it? I don't even want to be around that crowd. I don't want to be around that crowd. Our sin has to become exceeding sinful. We need to stamp out sin like we're looking for rattlesnakes. But you know the results of an understanding of hell? The Bible says in 2 Corinthians 5, you need to turn there, 2 Corinthians chapter number 5, it says in verse 10, we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, speaking to believers. We as saints, the day we trusted Christ as Savior, secured the day that we'd stand before Jesus Christ at his judgment seat, that everyone may receive the things done in his body, according to that he hath done, whether it be good or bad. In other words, we'll stand before God and give an account of the life he's given you after you got saved. Man, he's given me a great life. Friends all over the country, frankly, all over the world. He's given me a great life and fellowship with my family and friends and just a breakfast of men yesterday. All you men are welcome. You don't have to be 55. I just bring Art and Tom and Steve and Jess so that I'm not the oldest guy there. Okay? It's wonderful to have that time together. But you know it says, knowing therefore the terror of the Lord, we persuade men. When hell is real to you, you'll have a fervent desire to see people escape hell, if it only starts just with your loved ones. Hey, if your loved ones aren't saved, why wouldn't you try to witness to them today? If hell is realty, hell is a place where the worm dies not and the fire is not quenched. You know the day I got saved I never regretted? Never once. You persuade men. But you can only do that while time, while you're alive and while time lasts. You warn them, you plead with them. You pray for them. Pray with them. You pray with neighbors. You go out and try to reach the world around you for Christ, because hell's real. I don't care how nice you are, how popular you are, if you've never trusted Christ as Savior, you're going to a devil's hell. I saw this from John MacArthur today, the greatest tragedy in hell is Judas. That was a pretty neat statement that he made. You know why that is? He walked with Jesus for three and a half years. He identified with Jesus. He was one of the disciples. He worked with Jesus. He was empowered by Jesus. He gave attendance to Jesus, and yet he sold himself to the devil. That's a sad thing, that someone that could walk with Jesus would end up in hell. We persuade men. But now look at Luke 16. Look at Luke 16. You know this passage. In Luke 16, this is the rich man and Lazarus. In Luke 16, you see this. You see this. Verse 22, it came to pass that the beggar died and was carried by the angels in Abram's bosom. Now, Abram's bosom is a place where Old Testament saints went. Now it's in heaven. That's the captivity, Jesus led captive. But wouldn't it be wonderful just to think about that. He was carried by the angels to Abraham's bosom. He was carried by the angels. On the other hand, the rich man died and was buried. And in hell, he left up his eyes being in torments. At the moment I die, I'll be in heaven. The moment a man without Christ dies, he'll be in hell. There won't be an escort of angels. And you'll know immediately the torments of hell, the torments that will never end. You'll know that stuff immediately. You'll find no rest there. You'll find that the agony never stops. And you'll find the only confidence you could have had is in what you've ignored all your life. the law, Moses, he still has compassion. He tries to get Lazarus to come and serve him, but there's a goal fix. You can't go from one to the other. You're not going to get out of hell if you're sent to hell. You can't pray your way out, work your way out. It's not going to happen. But the rich man, when he saw it was futile for himself, he said, send someone, send Lazarus back to speak to my brothers. Let me tell you something. The moment the rich man died, hell was real to him. Think about that. Hell was real to him. The moment he died, hell was real to him. And he didn't want it for his brothers. He says, send Lazarus back, and you know what God's answer was? They have Moses and the prophets. They have the law and the prophets. If they won't listen to the law and the prophets, they won't listen to someone who comes back from the dead. Hell was real to him. And he had compassion for his family because hell was real to him. And so many people today, maybe if hell is real to the believer, he'll have compassion for his family. But if it's not real to you, you'll just let that go too. They say you can't take any of your possessions with you to heaven. Well, I can take my kids to heaven with me. They have to get saved. I don't mean I save them. But I'm looking forward to going to heaven with my family to join me there. Because they've heard the gospel, they've been saved, they love the Lord. Unfortunately, his compassion, the reality of hell was too late to him. Too late. And yet, when hell is real to us, sometimes it's too late for us as well. Yeah, we're not going to hell. What's going to happen when you get to heaven and you realize, I never once witnessed that best friend of mine. I looked at the picture of my friend David and his wife Patty. He's been gone for almost nine years now, and I'll see him in heaven. He'll probably be in the loud part too, okay? I know he's in heaven. I preached his funeral to 400 people that needed Jesus. I know I'll see him again. But it's too late when hell and heaven become real to the saint. When you're in heaven, this life work has ended. It's too late to witness to people. You can't come back like a ghost and speak to someone. Excuse me. But unfortunately, if you die and you're in hell, it's too late to send someone back to give the right gospel to people. That's all for this life. What we want is We want hell to be real to all of us. To the saint, it'll motivate us to serve him today and to win the lost around us. To the lost man, it'll make him realize he's got what he's breathing to fix that problem. If you've never been saved, I can tell you this. The devil would be telling you, oh, you don't need that. The devil would tell, oh, you're fine, don't worry about that. Well, the devil, the only way he can destroy you is if he can keep you from being saved. If you really are saved, the devil will tell you you're not. If you're not saved, the devil will tell you you are. Count on it. But one day you'll drop dead. Where are you gonna be? I'd rather be in heaven, which is where I'm going, having witnessed to people all around me and seeing a few get saved, than in hell wishing I had. Is it real to you? If you live a life of fear, your heart's probably not set on heaven, it's probably not as real to you. The reality of heaven is a comfort to us. Something to sing about, something to rejoice about. The reality of hell is an alarm. It's an alarm. Today is the day of salvation. We have no promise of tomorrow. No promise. And the day you get saved is the greatest day in your natural life. It's the greatest day. It really is. Well, the problem with Judas was he had a profession, but he didn't know the Lord. I'm afraid there are a lot of people today in the same boat. They've professed to know him or they pretended they know him, but they're not saved. If you've never been saved, this is what you do. You're welcome to come up and shake my hand, say, I need to get saved. You can bow your head and say, God, I'm a sinner, I need a savior. I know Jesus died and was buried and rose again for me. I ask him to save me, forgive me of my sin and save me. You say, is it that easy? Absolutely. The death, burial, and resurrection of Christ. You're asking Jesus to stand in for your sin burden. I recommend it. And if you're saved, be a witness all around you. Let's pray.