American Gospel 2 #3
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Transcript
Introduction
Introduction
As we continue our American Gospel study, tonight we get to a difficult topic where there can be tension depending on who you talk to, and understandably so. Many people in our world, especially in recent years, try to lessen the severity of our sin and magnify the love of God to the point that there becomes next to no punishment for sin. No judgment. And certainly, no literal place called hell. This position has grown substantially in our world in opposition to the Biblical truth that our sins do in fact merit a consequence and that just punishment is separation from God in a literal place called hell.
What are some objections you’ve heard to a literal place called Hell?
How could a God of love make a place like hell?
How could a God who wins send people to hell?
I wouldn’t send people to hell
We must affirm a few things about hell
It is difficult to imagine
It is difficult to talk about
It is necessary to talk about because the Bible talks about it
Tonight we’re going to examine different positions people take in the present day concerning hell and the severity of our sins.
As a reminder, we’ll hear from Tony Campolo, the Deconstructionist Podcast people, Richard Rohr, and a new person named Rob Bell who advocate at least some positions that are not in line with an orthodox teaching. Positions that not only we disagree with, but every Bible believing Christian would take issue with at least some of their positions tonight. They’ll be contrasted with several solid Bible teachers, authors, and pastors such as Alisa Childers, Mike Winger, Ray Comfort, and Russell Burger
Video
What a clip, right?! So much based on feeling - and so little based on the facts of God’s Word.
When it comes to weighty issues, why do so many people default to feelings over facts?
Easier to defend
Our culture promotes truth being subjective and changing - therefore, people can claim their truth and it cannot even be questioned. This comforts us and makes us feel secure in our feelings.
One of the things that is said early on in this clip is that some people believe that God is almost 2 different people in the Bible. He is mean in the Old Testament and nice in the New Testament… why do you think this view is so prevalent in our world today?
We can respond to these objections by sharing simply that God is immutable and does not change! Who He was, He is, and Who He is, He will be! Furthermore, we see that God’s people are no longer under law because of the sacrifice of Jesus Christ who fulfilled the law in full. Because of this, we’re under His grace that we could never deserve on our own!
Let’s think of another statement that was made concerning something called Universalism. Universalism is the belief that every person goes to heaven - that God includes all people and that no one goes to hell. Why would this view be popular in our world, even among people who come to church?
No one wants to imagine friends going to hell!
This is more palatable to guests or skeptics
Is this teaching Biblical?
NO!
6 Jesus told him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.
21 “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father in heaven.
22 On that day many will say to me, ‘Lord, Lord, didn’t we prophesy in your name, drive out demons in your name, and do many miracles in your name?’
23 Then I will announce to them, ‘I never knew you. Depart from me, you lawbreakers!’
If you are told to depart from God and you don’t believe in Jesus as Lord and Savior, where do you go? You can’t go to the Father - you’re separated from Him. You’re under His condemnation against sin. In this sense, salvation is both inclusive and exclusive! It is inclusive for all people who repent of their sins and profess faith in Christ as Lord and Savior as Romans 10:13 tells us
13 For everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.
Praise the Lord that salvation isn’t only available for people from the country of Israel or China or England or the United States - it’s inclusive to sinners, and that means that it’s a message that we all must respond to!
9 After this I looked, and there was a vast multitude from every nation, tribe, people, and language, which no one could number, standing before the throne and before the Lamb. They were clothed in white robes with palm branches in their hands.
This is inclusive language - people of every nation, tribe, and people! Praise the Lord for this… but it’s by definition an exclusive road. It’s not through being a good person… it’s not through trying really hard. It’s not through coming to VBS… it’s by grace alone through faith alone in Christ alone
8 For you are saved by grace through faith, and this is not from yourselves; it is God’s gift—
9 not from works, so that no one can boast.
This is our salvation story and it’s an exclusive one - through Jesus alone! This is why we preach Christ crucified
23 but we preach Christ crucified, a stumbling block to the Jews and foolishness to the Gentiles.
24 Yet to those who are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ is the power of God and the wisdom of God,
Some can argue that all religions are the same basically and lead to God… but there are clear contradictions if you look at what people say about God and mankind. Many religions start with the basic premise that man is either good or slightly flawed, but through hard work and being a good person, they can make themselves acceptable to God. The Christian religion states the opposite. We aren’t good - we’re bad. We’re not flawed - we’re dead in sin. We can’t work our way to God… God had to make a way when there was no way and the only way to Him is through His Son. We can’t mix and match Christianity who says that Jesus is God and our Savior and perfect and fully-God and fully-man with Islam which says that Jesus was merely a human prophet or Mormonism which says that Jesus is one of several children God had. These are incompatible teachings.
Thoughts through this point?
Specifically on evangelism - some believe that evangelism is hateful or mean or not important… There was an atheist who mentioned this, “How much do you have to hate someone to not tell them about the danger awaiting them?” If there really only is 1 way to be saved, we must be on mission all the time to share this important news! As we share, though, the burden doesn’t lie with our presentation or perfection… that’s a weight that I’ve felt before. Like, I have to share the Gospel x number of times or baptize x number of people and do so perfectly or else I’ve failed and it’s all bad…
6 I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the growth.
We are called to plant and water. We share the truth found in Scripture and we speak that truth in love (Ephesians 4:15) but it is God alone who brings the growth and brings about a harvest! By His grace, we’re seeing a time of harvest! Children, teenagers, and adults who are coming to saving faith in Christ as Lord and following through with believers baptism! This doesn’t mean we take our foot off the gas pedal though! There are more people in Dent County and Salem and our schools and work places who need to know Christ as Lord and there is more seed that must be planted and watered and our motivation for this is the glory of God and the good of the people around us. We should evangelize because there is no other way to be saved than through faith in Jesus Christ!
Atonement notes:
Some people note that everyone has to be saved, or else God loses or at least appears to be a loser… What are your thoughts on this point?
Whether we repent and are saved or reject and are separated from God, God still wins!
So often we create in our minds a false picture of God - which is a false God or an idol… Ray Comfort, “We don’t bow to a God made by our hands… we bow to a God made by our mind.”
25 They exchanged the truth of God for a lie, and worshiped and served what has been created instead of the Creator, who is praised forever. Amen.
This is true too of the world we live in today! People who exchange the truth for a lie and worship self instead of their Savior