I don't know, you didn't do me any favors, though. You held to the 30 seconds, and I was given 30 minutes. So my first two churches tried to do that, and it was always 40 minutes at least. So we'll see what happens tonight. But thank you, Michael, for the opportunity to speak tonight, to preach the word. And I just wanted to weigh in on what kind of pastor Michael is from this morning's message. I would choose both options. He's a lot of fun to be with, and he's a great preacher of God's Word, too. So thank you, Michael, and hope whoever, you know, maybe got corrected over time on that. Let's have a word of prayer. Thank you, Lord, for tonight. It's a privilege to look into your Word. The power and truth of your Word is incredible, and it's our desire to learn it well, We know it's sufficient. We know that all of it is from you, and we need every part of it. As we look at even some more serious parts of it tonight, as well as great joyful parts, Lord, we pray that it would touch our hearts, that it would encourage us in our faith, and that it would spur us on to reach the lost around us as well. May you be glorified. May your word be exalted through our time tonight. In Jesus' name, amen. Turn your Bibles to Luke 16, Luke 16 verse 19. Death is an enemy and full of sorrow and loss. We know it wasn't part of God's original creation, but resulted from Adam's sin, plunging the human race into sin and death. Now all men are born sinners and will die just as Adam did some 6,000 years ago, or I guess 5,000 years. Death's batting average has been 1,000 from the beginning and throughout. But one of the greatest questions we have when our loved ones pass on is, where did they go, and will I see them again, and how can I know for sure? A lot of different answers are given to this question. It's a wonderful place they're going to. They just cease to exist because there's no afterlife. They'll be reincarnated. They'll populate a new universe, as the Mormons would like to tell us, or one that most won't utter is that they will go to hell. There's a more recent source of answers to this question that has grown in popularity, and that is those who have claimed to have died and come back to tell us about it. Are these reports reliable? Can we trust in what they're telling us about where our loved one may be? Many have thought they are, and we have books, movies that have been produced in mass to publicize and popularize these thoughts. But again, the important question for us is, are they reliable? And do they square with the biblical account and with what Jesus himself said? And here in Luke 16, we have Jesus telling us, giving us an accurate account of the afterlife at that time. and of real people. I think we know this is real people instead of a parable because he gives us two specific names, one Lazarus and the other Abraham involved in this account. And we find that Jesus highlights two very different destinations people go upon death. At that time as he's relating this account we know there are two compartments of Hades, one very good and one very bad. Now notice at the beginning of this account we have two powerful truths about the next life that Jesus makes clear for us. Read with me in verse 19. Now there was a rich man and he habitually dressed in purple and fine linen, joyously living in splendor every day. And a poor man named Lazarus was laid at his gate covered with sores and longing to be fed with the crumbs which were falling from the rich man's table. Besides, even the dogs were coming and licking his sores. Now the poor man died and was carried away by the angels to Abraham's bosom and the rich man also died and was buried. In Hades, he lifted up his eyes being in torment and saw Abraham far away and Lazarus in his bosom. Jesus used these extremes of a very wealthy man and a very poor man in this life to teach us that our status in this life does not necessarily determine our status in the next. Jesus was not in this account trying to tell us how a person can be saved. He's highlighting that these two went to the unexpected opposite place in the next life from their status in this life. The poor went to great glory, the rich to great suffering. And certainly not all the rich will go to hell. Although Jesus warned that wealth is a huge obstacle to salvation because the rich tend to trust in themselves and they often don't think they need God or his salvation. Think of the rich young ruler who came to Jesus seeking the way to life but left sad because he would not let go of his wealth and put Jesus first. Jesus also said it's easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to be saved. You know, even this last year should help us see that riches are a terrible thing to trust in, aren't they? How many business owners thought they'd be unemployed this year, that their businesses would close. In fact, Jesus also warned us in Matthew 6.19, do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth where moth and rust destroy. and where thieves break in and steal, but store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys, and where thieves do not break in or steal. For where your treasure is there, your heart will be also. On the other hand, not all poor will go to glory either, but they are often more open to the gospel because they have so little in this world, as James 2 tells us. In addition, the poor are usually less proud and more willing to admit their sin and need of Christ. In fact, I'm thankful to have grown up in a low income or medium to low income family because it, I think, put me in a better position spiritually in that regard, not because I wasn't a sinner, but as the Bible tells us, more open usually. Regardless, Jesus is using an extreme here to make a point, using these extremes that your status and wealth in this life aren't a good indicator of where you're going to be in the next life. There's a second truth here that he also emphasizes in this true and real afterlife account, that all men will die someday, no matter their status in life. You cannot buy or litigate your way out of death. Maybe taxes, but not death. Check the record. No one avoids But sooner or later we'll pass from this life to the next. Think of the J.P. Morgans, the Rockefellers of yesteryear are all in eternity today. Even as you read in Revelation 20 verse 12 about the great white throne judgment. And I saw the dead and the great and the small standing before the throne and the books were opened and another book was opened, which is the book of life. And the dead were judged from the things which were written in the books according to their deeds. You know, the president, as well as the fast food worker, are going to be standing before the Lord. No one can escape this. So we must be prepared. We must know the two possible destinations. And we must make the right decision in this life to determine which destination we are going. Again, as we look further at this account that Jesus gives us of this real afterlife experience, we find one very bad place and we find one very good place. Verse 23, again, we find this terrible destination. In Hades, he lifted up his eyes being in torment and saw Abraham far away and Lazarus in his bosom. And he cried out and said, Father Abraham, have mercy on me. and send Lazarus so that he may dip the tip of his finger in water and cool off my tongue for I am in agony in this place." This is a very terrible destination, isn't it? We don't even like to think about it. It's so awful. So why would Jesus tell us about such an awful place? Because He doesn't want us to go there. What would you think about a doctor who discovered that you had cancer but didn't tell you about it because it was too hard or painful? It'd be one right for a lawsuit for sure, but one who wasn't very loving was very unloving. So Jesus tells us about this awful destination so we won't find ourselves there someday. He gives us two basic characteristics of this place in this passage. We find that it's a place of torment and suffering. The torment of burning, I don't know how much or often you've been burned, but even in small parts of your body being burned is incredibly painful. You run over and get it underwater, do something to try to alleviate the pain. And here, he's engulfed in the flames. Hell is called in Revelation 14.10, which we'll get into shortly, a lake of fire, which the smoke of the torment goes up forever and ever. And some have wanted to Explain this away or say it's not true and yet the scriptures very clear both in this passage that and others as well We also find that it's a place of separation verse 26 Abraham as he's interacting says and besides all this between us and you there is a great chasm fixed so that those who wish to come over from here to you will not be able and Then none may cross over from there to us The world is sometimes joked about hell as a Place where you're having a great party with your friends. It's on the hot side, but you're having a great time. That's a lie. That's just not true. It's a place of great separation of total isolation. Jesus even speaks of this place as outer darkness where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. And as we'll see here shortly, it's a place where you're cut off from the love and mercy of God forever. Far from being a party, it's a place of terrible torment, terrible loneliness, separation. Jump over to Revelation 14 as well. Revelation 14 verse 9. Really, this is probably the most exhaustive statement, very brief and yet very clear in its description of hell. Again, some want to try to say this is just a figure or Not really exactly what's going to happen, but I like what one writer said. He said, if this isn't really what it is, it's going to be worse than what this is. But again, the language is very straightforward. It's not figurative. It's telling us exactly what this is going to be like. And we find here in verse 10, the one who takes the mark of the beast will also drink of the wine of the wrath of God which is mixed in full strength in the cup of his anger and he will be tormented with fire and brimstone in the presence of the holy angels in the presence of the Lamb." This is a place where you receive the full righteous wrath of God. There is no mercy here. The picture of one being drunk and overwhelmed by hard liquor and consumed and Overwhelmed here the torment of God for our sin The torture of God because of our wickedness and his holy wrath being poured out Jesus said that God now in this life is merciful even to the wicked that the rain comes on the just and the unjust But here there is no mercy ever again for the wicked but yet God's full wrath being poured upon them and Listen to Deuteronomy 7 verses 9 to 10 Know therefore that the Lord our God he is God the faithful God who keeps his covenant and his lovingkindness to a thousandth generation With those who love him and keep his commandments, but repays those who hate him to their faces to destroy them He will not delay with him who hates him. He will repay him to his face This is not an empty threat This is not God being over jealous. This is a holy and righteous God punishing our sin as it deserves. The full wrath will forth. The characteristic of hell is that is continuous in nature, the suffering. And we find this in the next verse in the smoke of their torment goes up forever and ever in verse 11. They have no rest day and night. Those who worship the beast in his image and whoever receives the mark of his name. This is continuous, ongoing torment. There is no rest. There is no taking time off. You can't punch in and punch out and go home and then come back and suffer again. Every moment of every day, continuously. You are the object of God's holy wrath. You think of something that's temporary, break a leg that's so painful, or some other labor, child labor that is so painful, and yet it's limited. And it comes to an end and you recover from it and go on. But imagine those pains continuing day after day with never a hope of them stopping. That is incredible and overwhelming pain. Well, fifthly, we find that this is not only continuous, not only burning in the lake of fire, not only darkness and separation, but it's eternal in nature. It is never ending in nature. Here we find again, verse 11, and the smoke of their torment goes up forever and ever. And some would really resist or reject this truth. But you know, the same wording is used of heaven, isn't it? The heaven is eternal. So if you're rejecting one, you're going to reject the other. It's very clear what God is intending to say. And we mentioned Hades back in Luke. And here we're talking about hell. Really, the only difference is Hades is like the city jail. It's more of a temporary place that you're waiting to go to the state penitentiary, which is long term. And that's really what Hades and hell are. Hell then will be forever and ever. A million years will go by and it's not even a dent in the time you will spend in hell. Jesus said in Matthew 25, 41, Then he will also say to those on his left, Depart from me, accursed ones, into the eternal fire which has been prepared for the devil and his angels. All scripture is from God. All scripture is from Jesus. But Jesus repeatedly spoke of hell some 33 times, warning us how bad it will be, warning us not to go there. In fact, he says it's better to come into life without an eye or a hand than to go through life whole and end up in hell. That's how bad it is. Now who is going to hell after this life? Who is headed for hell? The Bible says that we're born sinners and we hate God, we hate the God of the Bible, and we break His law. Romans 1 says we replace Him with idols, all men replace Him with idols, false gods, even a God of love who wouldn't send people to hell, even though the God of the Bible says He will. We lust, we lie, we're proud and selfish. God says that our sin deserves the punishment of hell eternal damnation as we've seen. That's how bad our sin is. We minimize sin and one of the terrible effects of rejecting hell is to minimize the evil of sin. God says our sin is so bad that we deserve to go to this place of eternal torment of burning and darkness and separation forever and ever and ever. God says he will punish our sin and the only way out, as we'll talk about later, is if someone pays the price for us. The only way to avoid this place, not getting out, but the only way to avoid it is someone paying the price for us. You know what I find very sad about these afterlife books and movies is that none of them are about hell. Have you noticed that? None of them talk about hell. And why would that be? Matthew 7, 13 said, why does the way Broad is the way and many are on it that leads to destruction. And surely some would come back from hell then or Hades and tell us about that if that was God's intent to communicate to us through these accounts about afterlife destinations. But of course afterlife hell experiences aren't positive or joyful are they? And the absence of the bad side of that equation should give us pause about trusting these accounts. But there's something even more sad and even angering to me and that is that preachers won't preach about this. They won't preach about the reality of hell when Jesus did multiple many times as we've said some 33 times and throughout scripture. We have various degrees of warning about this reality. In fact, the vast majority of sermons at funerals, a time when people are thinking about, that are facing the reality of their mortality, the certainty of eternity in some place, and yet they refuse to talk about hell. And many churches will never preach on it on Sunday morning or at all in their churches. Why? Because people are offended. They don't want to hear it. So pastors commit spiritual malpractice and let lost sinners continue on their way to hell instead of warning them in love like Jesus did. And in God's grace, I'm here to warn you today and urge you not to stay on this wide road, not to stay on this path to hell. And we'll talk about how you can get off of that a little bit later. There is a second destination, a good and glorious one that's mentioned back here in Luke 16, verse 25, and that's Abraham's bosom. Verse 25 and Luke 16, but Abraham said, child, remember that during your life you received your good things and likewise Lazarus his bad things, but now he's being comforted here and you are in agony. He's being comforted. His suffering is done. He's being uplifted. He's being getting good things, if you will. Now, Jesus doesn't choose to give us much detail here in this account. But as we'll see later on in Revelation, he does. We know from Ephesians 4 that the people, it would seem, in this good compartment are taken up to heaven after the crucifixion and resurrection of Christ. Ephesians 4 said he led captive a host of captives and gave gifts to men and it would seem to indicate he took these saints in Hades up to heaven. And in fact in 2 Corinthians 5 we know that when we die as believers today we are in the presence of Christ But ultimately, you know that all saints of all ages will end up in the New Jerusalem, the new heavens and new earth. Over in Revelation 21 and 22, turn there with me, we find a really lengthy description more than we have enough time to even begin to digest. And my wife and anybody who knows me knows I abuse the term favorite chapters or favorite verses in the Bible, but these truly are two of my favorite chapters. People talk about a happy ending. The world wants a happy ending. Stories, movies, they live happily ever after. This is the only true, perfect, and reliable happy ending there will be. We find that perfect ending in Revelation 21 and 22. We find in verse 1, I saw a new heaven and new earth, for the first heaven and first earth passed away, and there is no longer any sea. I saw the holy city in New Jerusalem coming down out of heaven from God, made ready as a bride adorned for her husband. The old heaven and the old earth are burned up according to 2 Peter chapter 3. They will be disintegrated. Everything we see now, everything we have that's physical is going to be gone. One of the reasons it's foolish to live for this life. Nobody has a U-Haul behind the hearse. You don't. The pharaohs tried. They actually tried to take it with them. Centuries later, grave robbers ended up enjoying it. You can't take it with you. It's all going to burn. But this new heavens and new earth that will be eternal, as Hebrews 12 says, it cannot be shaken. It will be permanent. And this wonderful paradise will last forever and ever and ever. as the redeemed of all the ages will enjoy the presence and glory of God in the beautiful paradise He creates for us. And verse 3 highlights that enjoyment of God's presence. And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, Behold, the tabernacle of God is among men, and He will dwell among them, and they shall be His people, and God Himself will be among them. If you're a believer tonight, you've already begun to learn, you know some of the great glory of God, His perfections as we, I think, like to call them, rightly so. God is a God of love in perfect, in the perfect and infinite sense. God is holy and separate from sin. He's perfect in love, having sent His Son to die for us and raising Him to new life. God is just and holy. God is all-powerful. He's all-wise. He's everywhere at one time. And here we're told we get to live with Him and worship Him. Yes, we worship Him now. Yes, we believe in Him. But as 1 Peter says, we don't see Him. We haven't seen him yet, but someday we will see him just as you're looking at me and I'm looking at you and will be in his presence forever and ever and ever. The joy, the glory, the blessing of being with this perfect God, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. We can't even fully comprehend the joy and blessing of that. But he goes on in verse 4 to speak of the total absence of pain and death. The things that are such a part of this life that we can't escape and it's hard to even imagine a life without them. And He will wipe away every tear from their eyes and there will no longer be any death. There will no longer be any mourning or crying or pain. The first things have passed away. What a blessed statement made here. He'll wipe every tear from their eye. The tear is that symbol of pain, that universal symbol. We have tears in so many different circumstances with so many different kinds of pain and sorrow. Yet we're told here the day is coming when we will cry the last tear. And for all eternity, we will never have tears and the never the pain that brings those tears that causes us to have such sorrow. In heaven, there will never be a tear shed. for all eternity. And here he shows us from the greatest pain to the lesser pain, all these things will be completely gone from our experience. There will no longer be any death, the worst, the greatest pain and suffering of being separated from our loved ones, whether suddenly, whether through a painful process. But sooner or later, those who are so dear to us pass on. And we have pain. We have tears. There will no longer be any death. There will no longer be any mourning or crying or pain. Again, that's so much a part of this life. Different painful, hard things that we cannot get around or escape. There will be more in the next week or the next month and there will be more in the next year. This fallen world is full of pain and the tears that come because of that. But again, imagine a place where all this is no more. And we never will have any occasion to cry or mourn or suffer in any way. These things have passed away. No hunger or thirst, no cuts or bruises, no humiliation or shame, no trials or suffering, no agony of death. And the fact that death has been done away with would indicate there's no sin as well, because we know sin is the occasion or the cause of death. And all these things are gone. Praise God! What a joy! What a hope! Peter says, fix your hope completely on the joy that is to come, the glory that is to come, and this is a core part of that. The rest of the chapter speaks of this New Jerusalem, and again we don't have time to go into those details, but just a few highlights. Verse 16, tells us the walls are 1,500 miles wide and deep and high. We have a cube 1,500 miles in dimension. That's really half the United States. Gigantic place. And I had to laugh when I read a commentator that said, well, that's just not physically possible. That just can't be. Like, well, neither is resurrection. but we believe it because God says it in Jesus rose so we believe is the all-powerful God of course you can make a 1500 mile wide and long and deep city cube but it continues to get better verse 1920 speaks of the foundation of precious stones of all different colors blue and red and green and orange transparent nature And the streets are, in verse 21, are of pure gold, and the gates are pearls, giant pearls, perhaps a hundred miles wide. We aren't told exactly. And then finally, in verse 22 and 23, we're told that God Himself is the light. There is no sun or moon or stars. God is the light. He's in the New Jerusalem and shining out from there, and we have this beautiful gem of color. that is radiating out from this place, all these gems of different colors and the transparent gold, the walls are transparent crystal, and this beautiful gem of a city, this gigantic city that we are forever permanent residents of, living in perfect peace and joy with one another and with God. But how do we know that's not just a fairy tale? How do we know it's just not the result of a bunch of zealous followers of this fanatic Jesus? We come back to Luke 16 and we have a strong answer to that question. How do we know? You know, the rich man here realizes he's made a huge mistake. That he's in Hades and he will forever suffer. But the next thing he thinks about is his five brothers. Verse 27, he said, Then I beg you, Father, that you send him to my father's house, for I have five brothers, nor that he may warn them so that they will not also come to this place of torment. You know, you may have had this come up in a witnessing opportunity and someone says, you know, my grandpa and grandma were not believers. They weren't Christians. Maybe they were Muslim. Maybe they were Catholic or some false religion So if they're not going to be there, then I don't want to be there and for years I struggled with that question. How do you answer that question? biblically and finally The answer came right here, right? If you're loved one God knows but if they're in hell if they're in Hades today, guess what you can know for sure They do not want you to join them their desire is this rich man's desire is no and I want them to avoid this place. I don't want them to come here and join me. And that's the answer you can give with confidence in that kind of situation. God knows, but they don't want you to be there if they're there today. So here he begs that someone would be sent. The rich man doesn't think God's word is sufficient. Abraham said, they have Moses and the prophets, verse 29, let them hear them. And he said, no father, but if someone goes to them from the dead, they will repent. He doesn't think the word of God is going to be enough. That they need live witnesses to come back. That would seem to be more dramatic, more powerful. Certainly that would have greater effect, wouldn't it? And hence all the books and the movies. A lot of people think just like this rich man. You know, I thought a little bit more about this. You know, there's some people in the Bible that God could have used to give these accounts, aren't there? Think about Lazarus. Four days in the grave. He had a lot of time after life. He was there so long, his body stunk. They were afraid when he was calling them out. But he could have told what it was like, and God could have had that recorded, but he didn't. The Gospels go on to tell us that after Jesus' death and resurrection, that many were raised from the dead. They could have given a count. Who knows how long some of them would have been dead, and they were brought back to life. And finally, Paul himself, in 2 Corinthians 12, was raised up to heaven, got a personal tour. And yet he said, I can't tell you what I saw. We must conclude that today's after-death accounts are not helpful. And thus God did not record any of them in scripture save this one real live account story of what happened to these two individuals. But really verse 31 tells us why God didn't include those accounts, why we don't need them and we should reject them as helpful. Verse 31, but he said to him, if they do not listen to Moses and the prophets, they will not be persuaded even if someone rises from the dead. There it is. Jesus said the Bible is the way of salvation. It is the means by which people will be saved. If they won't listen to the Bible, they won't listen if someone comes back from the dead. That's not going to help them. And he's highlighting the power and truth of the Word of God. Have you thought recently about what you have in the Word of God? I think it becomes kind of something we know about. that we take for granted and we don't realize or remember what an incredible book we have in the Bible. God used 40 different human men guided by the Holy Spirit over 1,600 years, 1,600 years of time went by from the Pentateuch to Revelation. And yet what do we have in the Bible? A unified and cohesive message. of the person of God, the way of salvation, the plan and purposes of God are laid out for us. But think about the false revelations, the Koran, one man, Mohammed claims to have gotten this revelation from God. The Book of Mormon, one man, Joseph Smith. No, God says, I'm going to make it really clear what book is mine. Forty different authors from different continents, different backgrounds, 1600 years. It's no question what is the inspired Word of God. It is the Bible. But there's more. There's more. Think about prophecy. Think about prophecy. Hundreds of prophecies were given beforehand. Not just a day. Not just a year. Not just ten years. Not even just a hundred years. Psalm 22. I use it often for communion. It's a very clear prophecy about the death, not just the death, but the crucifixion of Jesus before anybody thought about it in their evil heart and came up with the idea. And God declares the crucifixion of the Messiah a thousand years in advance in Psalm 22. Isaiah 53, another well-known prophecy about the coming death of the Messiah, 700 years. That's a long time. The prophecy of the Bible is a powerful proof that it is the Word of God. It is not just a man-made document. The Bible has been preserved for 2,000 years since its completion, 3,600 years since the Pentateuch was written by Moses in spite of attempts by kings and armies to destroy it over and over and over again, yet it persists. Many of you heard of the Dead Sea Scrolls, which were found back, I think, in the 50s or 60s. These were down around the Dead Sea. They find these scrolls preserved in clay vessels in caves in a very dry part of the world. These texts are believed to be written or copied around the time of Christ. The oldest versions of the Old Testament we had before this were a thousand AD, so a thousand years later. They found almost a complete copy of Isaiah. They compared the two and they were almost word for word. Over a thousand years of copying. and yet they were exactly the same basically. There are over 35,000 copies of varying length of the text of scripture. 35,000 of Homer's Iliad, another very popular work. There's only 10. There's only 10 copies versus 35,000 of the Word of God. I think it's safe to say no book has been scrutinized more by so many over the centuries than the Word of God, the Bible, And we can have confidence that the translations we use today are highly reliable. That they are the word of God. Second Timothy chapter 3 verses 15 to 17. Paul wrote to Timothy and from childhood you have known the sacred writings which are able to give you the wisdom that leads to salvation through faith which is in Jesus Christ. All scriptures inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be adequately equipped for every good work. God made sure that we had what we needed. And once he completed having it written down, then he preserved it for us down to this day. What a blessing, what a joy, what a confidence. It brings us to one final question, and how do I know where I'm going when I pass on? How do I know where my loved ones are going? Well, it's because God tells us in his word that he provided a way of salvation, a way that our sins could be forgiven. As Michael presented this morning during communion, if we admit our sin, if we admit we've broken God's law, we've lied, we've stolen, we've been proud, we've blasphemed, we've been idolatrous. If we admit that our sin deserves the punishment of hell and we cry out to God for forgiveness, believing in Jesus, asking him to forgive us his death and resurrection, we can have eternal life. God offers as a free gift. Yes, it will involve suffering. Yes, it is taking up our cross and following Christ. But we're offered as a free gift eternal life through Jesus Christ if we believe in him and admit our sin. And surrender our life when a loved one has made this decision in their life, and we've seen the fruit of that in their life, the fruits of the Spirit. When they pass away, we have confidence that they go immediately to glory, to heaven. And yes, we have sorrow at their passing. We have sorrow of being separated. But I find as a pastor, when I do funeral services of loved ones, of believers particularly, of which my mom was clearly one of, It overwhelms the sorrow. Yes, there's sorrow, but it's overwhelmed and consumed by the joy of they're in heaven right now They're with Christ all their pain is gone, and they're as happy as they ever will be completely joyful The question for you today for us if you have not made that decision if you have not admitted your sin Will you do so tonight? Will you turn to Christ and Believe in him who died for you who was raised to new life. Will you ask him to forgive you and surrender your life to him? The Bible also says today is the day of salvation, you know every day if you watch the news and I'm kind of a news buff Every day there's people who went to eternity that didn't know they were going there. Did they? that collapse in Florida of the condo probably 150 people had no idea that They had no idea that was the last day they would be on this earth that they would have to give an account the next moment or day We don't know the Bible says don't put it off if we understand Our need of Christ if we see our sin for what it is today cry out to Christ for forgiveness believe in him You know, it'd be my greatest joy I know it'd be Michael and the pastors and believers here greatest joy if you're not a believer that today would be your spiritual birthday and If you have questions about this sermon, if you have questions about the truth of God's Word we've looked at, please come and ask me or ask Michael or others here. I'm looking forward to the fireworks tonight, as many of you are, but I'd rather answer your questions even than go watch those fireworks if you have them. So if you do, please feel free to ask. Let's pray. Father, we thank you for this account that Jesus so lovingly and boldly gave to us. Not because it's easy or enjoyable. It's very sober and it's very serious and it's painful to think about. Hell is an awful place. Hell is a place of great suffering. A place where no one will escape and continuously suffer in flames, the pain of burning and separation and the full wrath of God. We teach it and preach it because Jesus did, because the Word of God contains this truth to warn us. We even know from Proverbs that the beginning of wisdom is the fear of the Lord. We're tempted to reject these truths and believe what we want or what feels good. That a God of love would never do this, and yet we know the text of Scripture is clear. So we must come to this place of humbly submitting to the truth and admitting our sinfulness, admitting that you as a holy God have rightly judged us and that your wrath, your holy wrath is justly poured out on us in hell. We must understand this. We must come to believe it if we are to be saved. But praise God, when we do, we can turn to the grace and love of Christ. one who gave his life for us, one who took our place and suffered the awful wrath, the full wrath of God in suffering and dying on the cross. My God, my God, why have you forsaken me? And yet he paid in full what we deserve to pay in hell, and now we can be saved through him. I pray that any here tonight, whether young or old, that you might open their eyes if they don't know you, that you might convict them of their sin, that today would be that day of salvation, their birthday spiritually, and even the freedom that Michael talked about this morning would be theirs, freedom from the penalty and the power and eventually the presence of sin. God, thank you for these truths that we can learn that can lead us to salvation and that would even encourage and drive us to witness to the lost. Thank you for the power and truth of your word that we need not be tempted or led astray by these supposed accounts of what happens after this life. But instead we can fix our eyes completely on the solid and reliable and true word of God. And we can have the absolute confidence that it is sufficient to save the lost. It is sufficient to save our lost family members or co-workers or neighbors. And by your grace that we can declare it powerfully. We can declare it in love. We can live it knowing that in your grace and in your plan and purpose, some will be saved. Because it's the only way of salvation, but it is the way of salvation. Thank you, Father, for giving us your word. What a joy and privilege to know, to learn, and to share that truth. We pray in Jesus' name. Amen.