A Burning Lake

Transcripts for Dr. Wiersbe's sermons are forthcoming. Below is an outline of his message.

John describes the final judgment when God will finally and completely deal with sin.

People do not like talking about hell.

Throughout the Bible, hell has been called a lake of fire, a furnace, the outer darkness, the wrath of God, and separation from God.

No matter what picture you paint of hell, there has to be a final judgment.

Five facts that bear witness to the necessity and reality of a final judgment.

• The character of God
  • God is eternal spirt, love, and light.
  • God is a holy and righteous
  • Because of who God is, He must do something about sin.
  • God doesn’t judge sin to make people better. God will judge us to vindicate His law and defend His character.
  • The existence of hell is evidence of God’s holy character.
• The dignity of man
  • God created us with a mind and heart to make our own choices.
  • Where there is no freedom, there is no responsibly. And where there is no responsibility, there is no accountability.
  • We are responsible and accountable for our own decisions.
  • If we want the privilege of choice, we must face the responsibility of judgement.
  • The final judgment is a throne room, not a court room to weight our works.
  • God judges the unsaved not to determine whether or not they will go to hell, but how much punishment they will have when they are there.
• The awfulness of sin
  • Sin is not an act but a process.
  • Sin plants seeds and leads to more sin.
  • Our world is very soft about sin.
  • The tragedy of rejecting Christ is a wasted life.
• The meaning of the universe
  • There is one creation or system with harmony and order in it.
  • God has an ultimate purpose for the universe.
• The crucifixion of Jesus Christ
  • If there is no hell, Jesus suffered and died in vain.
  • Hell is isolation from God and fellowship with others.
  • Hell is eternal craving with no satisfaction.
  • The environment of hell matches the internal condition of the lost.
  • Jesus performed an eternal act that gives people an option other than hell.

Christians must do everything they can to win people to Christ who would otherwise end up in hell.

God created hell for Satan and his angels, but we must choose eternal life.