Temple Baptist Church - 5-6-2018
2 Peter 2:9-10
Introduction:
A. Tonight, I want to look at verses 9-10. Lot taught us several lessons:
1. You are either lost or saved! There is no middle ground: no purgatory, no limbo, no soul sleep.
a) To die saved is to be present with the Lord - 2 Corinthians 5:6-8 Therefore we are always confident, knowing that, whilst we are at home in the body, we are absent from the Lord: (7) (For we walk by faith, not by sight:) (8) We are confident, I say, and willing rather to be absent from the body, and to be present with the Lord.
b) To die lost is to be present in hell - Luke 16:22-23 And it came to pass, that the beggar died, and was carried by the angels into Abraham's bosom: the rich man also died, and was buried; (23) And in hell he lift up his eyes, being in torments, and seeth Abraham afar off, and Lazarus in his bosom.
2. Salvation is not some unbiblical mixture of works and grace. Lot is a great example of the love and longsuffering of God as he had no good works mentioned either before or after he believed.
3. The saved are delivered while the unsaved are reserved. The saved are delivered from hell while the unsaved are reserved for hell.
4. The love of God and the wrath of God. In these two polar opposites, we find equality. The love of God and the hatred of God are equal!
a) The Love of God - John 1:29 The next day John seeth Jesus coming unto him, and saith, Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world.
b) The Wrath Of God - Revelation 6:16 And said to the mountains and rocks, Fall on us, and hide us from the face of him that sitteth on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb
Revelation 14:10 The same shall drink of the wine of the wrath of God, which is poured out without mixture into the cup of his indignation; and he shall be tormented with fire and brimstone in the presence of the holy angels, and in the presence of the Lamb:
B. Hell is a reality, not a state of mind or just separation from God. When speaking of the false prophets and angels who sinned, the Bible gives a vivid description of eternal damnation. Hell is a literal place of fire and brimstone. Hell is the unleashed wrath of a holy God. Hell is Hell!
C. There are many words in chapter 2 that give a vivid picture of hell. Hell is a reality and not a state of mind.
1. Vs. 1 - Destruction
2. Vs. 3 - Damnation
3. Vs. 4 – Darkness
4. Vs. 6 – Fire
5. Vs. 9 - Punishment
6. Vs. 9 – Judgment
7. Vs. 14 – Cursed
8. Vs. 17 – Mist of darkness
9. Vs. 17 – Eternally preserved
D. The Holy Spirit used the word “reserved” to describe the present state of the lost. We are familiar with the word “reserved” as we use it often.
1. When traveling, we call ahead of time and reserve a hotel room. The hotel room is ours days, weeks, months, and even years at a time.
2. With the eternal reservation of the lost goes a present privilege, one can change their mind and cancel within a certain time while occurring no loss.
3. But, most cancelation policies have a time limit on how long that you can wait before having to pay the price of the reservation.
4. Salvation is no different. Many falsely teach that everyone can get saved up until the time of death, but the Bible teaches different. God can give the sinner over to a reprobate mind and then the future reservation is “set in stone!”
E. I want this message to biblically answer some questions about hell.
1. Hell’s Creation - Matthew 25:41 Then shall he say also unto them on the left hand, Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels:
Ezekiel 28:18 Thou hast defiled thy sanctuaries by the multitude of thine iniquities, by the iniquity of thy traffic; therefore will I bring forth a fire from the midst of thee, it shall devour thee, and I will bring thee to ashes upon the earth in the sight of all them that behold thee. (Though I would never try to build a doctrinal truth upon this foundation, I do find it of interest that the first judgement pronounced was a “fire from the midst” of Lucifer.” I will go no farther on this verse because speculation always leads to misinformation and misinformation to false doctrine.)
2. Man’s Three Reactions To Hell.
a. His first reaction is to deny it.
b. His second reaction is to extinguish it.
c. His third reaction is to ignore it.
3. Hell’s Residents.
1. The devil and his angels - Matthew 25:41 Then shall he say also unto them on the left hand, Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels:
2. The beast and false prophet - Revelation 20:10 And the devil that deceived them was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone, where the beast and the false prophet are, and shall be tormented day and night for ever and ever.
3. The unbeliever - Revelation 21:8 But the fearful, and unbelieving, and the abominable, and murderers, and whoremongers, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone: which is the second death.
4. Hell’s Description.
a. A place of punishment - Matthew 25:46 And these shall go away into everlasting punishment: but the righteous into life eternal.
b. A place of banishment - 2 Thessalonians 1:9 Who shall be punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord, and from the glory of his power;
c. A place of fire - Matthew 13:42 And shall cast them into a furnace of fire: there shall be wailing and gnashing of teeth.
Mark 9:44-48 repeats five times, “the fire is not quenched.”
Revelation 14:10 The same shall drink of the wine of the wrath of God, which is poured out without mixture into the cup of his indignation; and he shall be tormented with fire and brimstone in the presence of the holy angels, and in the presence of the Lamb:
Revelation 20:15 And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire.
d. A place of consciousness and feeling - Luke 16:23 And in hell he lift up his eyes, being in torments, and seeth Abraham afar off, and Lazarus in his bosom.
e. A place of torment - Luke 16:23 And in hell he lift up his eyes, being in torments, and seeth Abraham afar off, and Lazarus in his bosom.
Revelation 20:10 And the devil that deceived them was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone, where the beast and the false prophet are, and shall be tormented day and night for ever and ever.
f A place of thirst - Luke 16:24 And he cried and said, Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus, that he may dip the tip of his finger in water, and cool my tongue; for I am tormented in this flame.
g. A place of darkness - 2 Peter 2:17 These are wells without water, clouds that are carried with a tempest; to whom the mist of darkness is reserved for ever.
Jude 13 Raging waves of the sea, foaming out their own shame; wandering stars, to whom is reserved the blackness of darkness for ever.
h. A place without hope of escape - Luke 16:26 And beside all this, between us and you there is a great gulf fixed: so that they which would pass from hence to you cannot; neither can they pass to us, that would come from thence.
i. A place of unfulfilled desires and unanswered prayers - Luke 16:27-31 Then he said, I pray thee therefore, father, that thou wouldest send him to my father's house: (28) For I have five brethren; that he may testify unto them, lest they also come into this place of torment. (29) Abraham saith unto him, They have Moses and the prophets; let them hear them. (30) And he said, Nay, father Abraham: but if one went unto them from the dead, they will repent. (31) And he said unto him, If they hear not Moses and the prophets, neither will they be persuaded, though one rose from the dead.
k. A place of remorse - Luke 16:27-28 Then he said, I pray thee therefore, father, that thou wouldest send him to my father's house: (28) For I have five brethren; that he may testify unto them, lest they also come into this place of torment.
j. A place of wailing and gnashing of teeth - Matthew 25:30 And cast ye the unprofitable servant into outer darkness: there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.
4. Hell’s Reward.
a. Hell is the eternal reward for rebellion against God - Nahum 1:3 The LORD is slow to anger, and great in power, and will not at all acquit thewicked.
b. Hell is the eternal reward for rejection of Jesus Christ - John 3:19 And this is the condemnation, that light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil.
c. Hell is the eternal reward for wicked works - Revelation 20:12 And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God; and the books were opened: and another book was opened, which is the book of life: and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works.
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