Sermon Tone Analysis

Sermon April-10 2022 Heaven and Hell.

When we were young, we used this sentence many times:

"You can go to hell" and I'm sure many of you have heard it or even used it yourself.

Yet, I've never heard this expression:

"You can go to heaven man"

How would you explain to someone heaven or hell?

I'm sure there will be 50+ different answers.

What happens when your current life is over?

Where will you go.

Heaven or hell, both staircases are open.

Choose.

It's a very important question.

Most if NOT all, would say, I want to go to heaven.

Let's assume a Billionaire offers the first 10,000 people a million Dollars each to join our church to go to heaven.

How many people would be here today?

Yes, all 10,000

For the joy that was set before each one, all will come.

There are well over 50 books about heaven & hell.

Which one is telling the truth?

Does the Bible tell us?

2 Cor 5:9 We would rather be away from these earthly bodies, for then we will be at home with the Lord.

Why would Apostle Paul say this?

There are two fixed points for human beings:

birth & death.

Death spares no one, and many never think about it.

Jesus referred to Hell many times.

The Biblical understanding of Hell is fundamental to all humans.

Jesus said:

Matt 13:49-50 So it will be at the end of the age.

The angels will go out, separate the evil people from the righteous, and throw them into the blazing furnace, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.

Luke 16 Jesus told us about father Abraham and Lazarus the poor man who died and went to heaven, also a rich man died who ended up in hell.

The rich man talked to father Abraham.

I need water.

Q:- What kind of bodies did they have, because they recognized each other in heaven?

What does this mean?

Will we as humans have bodies that will be recognized just as the rich man did, or was it just a Parable of Jesus?

Everybody seems to have their own idea about how "Heaven or Hell".

The Bible teaches us about life after death in words of divine revelation.

The death rate is 100%.

I think more than 90% of people will say, I'm a good person, I don't kill or rob banks, therefore I'll go to heaven automatically.

Matt 18:8-9 If your righthand or eye causes you to sin, cut it out . . . . . it is better for you to enter life without a hand or an eye then to be thrown into the hellfire.

I fail here.

Most people don't even discuss or think about death.

The Bible is God's love-letter, plus our travel brochure to the next life, and most people ignore it.

People claim that Hell is only for those who are really bad criminals, therefore they will for sure go to heaven.

They think Heaven is an automatic position, and most people do not realize they need forgiveness to enter heaven.

There are many unanswered questions about our afterlife.

Many people get upset when you talk about "hell-fire and brimstone".

They say how can a loving God be so cruel to send human beings to a "hell-fire" forever?

It's a mystery.

Some people will turn away from Christianity when you scare them with Hellfire, yet Hell is eternal and there is NO opportunity for redemption.

Do you think Jesus used Hell to frighten people to repentant and stop sinning?

I know for sure Jesus did.

Matt 10:28 Don't be afraid of people.

They can kill the body, but they cannot kill the soul.

The only one you should fear is God, the one who can send the body and the soul to be destroyed in hell.

God is a jealous God; He is jealous for His glory.

Our loving God is bringing honor to His Name.

The reason for Jesus on the cross, is what sin deserves.

DEATH. . . .

We need a Savior.

David wrote in:

Psl 23:3 He leads me in the path of righteousness for His Name sake.

This Psalm should leave us speechless.

WHY?

Because the Son of God on the cross is the object of our Fathers' love for us.

(for His Name sake)

Rev 20:15 If anyone's name was NOT found written in the Book of Life will be thrown into the lake of fire.

This is frightening.

My question is: when believers pass onto the next life, and the body returns to dust, does the soul go to heaven instantly, or does the soul just go into a deep sleep for a while somewhere then reincarnate into a different form or different body as some religions believe?

Let's look at a few references in Scripture:

In 1 Samuel 28, King Saul goes to a women (a medium) The woman ask Saul, "Saul, whose spirit do you want me to call up?" King Saul replied: "Call up Samuel,"

But Samuel has been in his grave a very long time.

Was Samuel just sleeping, and yet he could speak?1 Sam 28

Jesus told us that the rich man recognized father Abraham in heaven and that the rich man was very thirsty and is suffering there in hell.

This rich man asked if Lazarus could go down and warn his brothers who are still on earth in physical bodies?

Let's look at another example:

Moses died on a mountain; Elijah was taken into heaven.

Centuries later, Jesus goes up on the Mount of Configuration, and both Moses and Elijah appear in bodies that Peter recognized.

It's amazing to read all these things in Scripture.

Q: Will we recognize our loved ones in heaven or hell?

Where are they at this moment?

In 1 Peter 3 we read: When Jesus was raised from the grave, He went and preached to the SPIRITS in prison, those who disobeyed God long ago when God waited patiently while Noah was building the Ark.

John wrote in:

Rev 6 When the Lamb of God broke the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the SOULS of all who had been martyred for the word of God and for being faithful in their testimony.

(Souls are kept somewhere)

Paul says our bodies will be changed into glorified bodies just like Jesus' body.

The nail marks were still visible, Jesus ate with His Disciples, but what about the non-believers like the rich man who is getting tormented in Hell?

Or the SPIRITS in prison -souls.

Does this make sense?

John wrote about those in hell:

Rev 14:11 The smoke of their torment goes up forever and ever, and they have no rest, day, or night.

That's Frightening

Both Jesus' words in Matthew and John's words in Rev describe horrifying events of what will & can happen.

What kind of bodies did they have?

If it is a spiritual body, then how can a spiritual body burn?

So many questions.

It seems there are various interpretations of life after death

I ask again: Is it wise to scare non-believers or family with words of Hell-fire and Brimstone?

Matt 25:46 (Jesus words) And these will go into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life.