Scripture Reading: Revelation 21:3-8
Things You Won't Have To Do In Hell
Intro.
1. License plate frame: "I'd rather be burning in hell".
2. Complaints we see/hear from Christians: “Do I have to?”; "I can do what I want". Day is coming when their desire will be fulfilled...in hell.
3. Hell is real. Bible vividly describes hell as a place no one wants to go.
4. God is not willing that any should perish. If you perish in hell it will be your choice and not God's fault, 2 Pet. 3:9.
5. Facts about hell: Torment, Matt. 25:30; Outer darkness, Matt. 25:30; Place of unquenchable fire, Mk. 9:44-48; Rev. 21:8; Everlasting punishment, 2 Ths. 1:8-9; Rev. 20:10, 14-15.
6. Some things you will not have to do in hell.
I. YOU WON’T HAVE TO ATTEND WORSHIP SERVICES, Heb. 10:24-27.
A. No Sunday Schedule to Keep any More, Acts 2:42.
1. You won’t have to get up early Sunday morning and get ready.
a. No mirrors (complete darkness).
b. No bed to get out of -- No rest! Weeping and gnashing of teeth; only pain. No pain killers, just pain inducers!
B. No Longer have to Bear the Burden of the Lord's Day.
-No more: “I gotta get up and go to church” when you really don't want to, 1 Jno. 5:3. No Lord's day in hell; the Lord is not there!
II. YOU WON'T HAVE TO WORSHIP GOD IN HELL.
A. No More Having to Sing to God.
1. No more wondering whether to use instru. music in worship; no more saying, “The Bible doesn't say not to”, Eph. 5:19; Col. 3:16.
2. Only sounds heard now are weeping and gnashing of teeth. All the singing is in the place you missed -- Heaven, Rev. 14:3.
B. No More Having to Pray to God.
1. You will want to pray, but God will not hear you; Your chance is gone, forever (1 Ths. 5:17; Lk. 18:1).
2. Remember back on earth thinking at meal time: “I wish they would hurry up and say the prayer so I can eat”? (Or did you even pray?) Oh, how you will wish you had those opportunities back.
C. No More Sermons to Sit through, 2 Tim. 4:2-4.
1. Long and boring, Acts 20:7. Won’t complain about a 40 minute sermon being 35 minutes too long. (I dare say you will regret tuning out when God's word was being taught.)
2. The message, 1 Cor. 1:21. Oh, how you will regret not believing the gospel while you were alive, cf. Isa. 30:8-11.
a. Baptism, Morality, MDR, Fellowship and unity in Christ (not with error; denominationalism, the church, true worship, Organization and work of local church, Bible authority, etc.
b. In hell: “I wish I had listened and obeyed the word of God.”
III. YOU WILL NOT HAVE TO LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR, Gal. 5:13-15.
A. You Will be All Alone (no family, neighbors, friends, etc.).
1. Outer darkness: Millions upon millions there - yet all alone!
2. You will have nobody to love or be loved by; No one to tell the wonderful story of Jesus -- It's too late; Too late to help the poor and needy. (cf. the rich man and Lazarus)
3. Will wish your attitude had been different on earth, Matt. 7:12.
4. Would not have loved money, but used it to help the needy, the church, family, etc., 1 Tim. 6:17-19.
IV. YOU WILL NOT HAVE TO LOVE GOD.
A. No More Commandments to Keep, Jno. 14:15; 1 Jno. 5:2-3.
B. No More Making Sacrifices for God, Rom. 12:1-2.
C. No More Bible Study, Psa. 119:104.
D. No More Walking by Faith, 2 Cor. 5:7.
V. YOU WILL NEVER HAVE TO STAND UP FOR THE TRUTH AGAIN.
A. Facing Ridicule for the Sake of Truth will be Over, 1 Pet. 4:4.
1. You became like them, hiding your faith (light under a bushel).
2. You feared them more than God, Mk. 8:38.
B. Weariness over Fighting the Good Fight, 1 Tim. 6:12; Jude 3; Eph. 6:10-17. So, you laid down your weapons / surrendered to enemy.
1. You will never have to worry about offending your friends in hell!
2. Tired of the confrontational nature of truth. (Didn't want them to hear a gospel preacher lay it on the line, they might have gotten the idea that they are lost -- and we don't want that!!)
Conclusion
1. Of course, you do not "have" to do these things on earth.
2. If you go to hell it will be your choice; God is trying to save you.
3. Maybe you say to yourself: "I’m not going to hell because..."
a. “I'll change before I die.” (Hell will be full of people who thought the same thing. You may be one of them.)
b. "God is too good to send me to hell!" Matt. 7:21-23; 2 Ths. 1:8-9 (Heb. 10:26-31)
4. You can escape the punishment of hell today; Obey the gospel. The choice is yours, 2 Cor. 6:2.
5. What will you and I inherit: Rest or anguish? Rev. 21:4-8
-Adapted from a sermon by Don McClain
By: Joe R. Price
Posted: April 1, 2015