And if you'll take your Bibles and turn, if you would, to Revelation chapter 20. Amen. Praise the Lord. Ashley's little ones are healthy today. We've been praying for them, and we're glad that they're here in Taron with us too.

They're going to have a lot of fun back there this morning. Revelation chapter 20. And we're going to begin reading in verse 11. I was trying to decide a month ago, where I went to thanksgiving, as we were going through series on know what you believe, whether I was going to preach on heaven or hell, and I deprived it decided to preach on heaven. But that means we still have to preach on hell.

Hell doesn't cease to exist because it's Christmas coming up or because there is a heaven. Matter of fact, hell is just as real a place as heaven. And as there are those that have passed on and to be absent from the body is to be present with the Lord in heaven, there are also those who are in the other place, not a place of rest and bliss and joy, who are awaiting the coming judgment. This is a reality. It's a reality that we might wish to erase from our minds, and it is a reality that many people ignore.

But our ignorance of it or our choice to ignore it or deny it does not make it go away. So much so that our God sent his son so we wouldn't have to go to that place. It describes the the final judgment here in Revelation 20. It's called sometimes the great white throne judgment. We read there and I saw a great white throne and him that sat on it.

From whose face the earth and the heaven fled away and there was found no place for them. 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. The sea gave up the dead which were in it, and death and hell delivered up the dead which were in them, and they were judged every man according to their works.

And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death. And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire. Let's go to the Lord in prayer once more. Dear heavenly father, we are told in your word that you prepared this place for the devil and his angels.

But sadly, because of our sin, humanity has earned the same consequence and just reward. Lord, we we pray for those in the world in which we live, for our friends and relatives who know not the Lord. Lord, we pray that we would not put this out of our mind. As believers in Christ, we have a home reserved in heaven for us. But for those who we rub shoulders with nearly every day, that is not the case.

Lord, their names are not written in the book of life. So many of them, where they have not received the light of life, the giver of life, Jesus Christ. And we do pray, Lord, today, if there is one in here that is unsure of where they are heading when this life is over, I pray that they would make sure of that before they leave this place today. In Jesus' precious name we pray. Amen.

So why did the messiah come? Why did he come? Israel was looking for a king. And indeed, Jesus will return as king of kings and Lord of lords. And all those prophecies will come true and be fulfilled that were foretold in the Old Testament concerning his reign.

But that's not the only reason he came. You see, a king has to have subjects. There has to be citizens of the kingdom in order to have a kingdom. And if Jesus Christ hadn't come and given his life on the cross for our sins, there would be no kingdom because there would be no citizens to inhabit that kingdom. Because if Jesus hadn't come, every last person on this earth would have stood at the judgment we just read about.

Every last person would have been cast into the lake of fire because of our sin and rebellion against our creator. But God didn't want that. That was not his desire for those he created. He wanted them. He wants them to spend eternity with him in heaven.

He told his disciples he went back to prepare a place for them. But there are no citizens of heaven, only citizens of hell. If not, for the coming and the sacrifice of the son of God that we celebrate in these coming weeks. Matthew one twenty one. When she shall bring forth a son, and thou shalt call his name Jesus.

The name Jesus means the Lord saves or the Lord is salvation. That's what the naming. That's why in more than one place, parents were told him, his mother, his adopted father were told to name him Jesus because it not only is a beautiful name, it tells us about who he is and what he came to do. He came to what? He came to save.

He is the Lord who saves. She shall bring forth a son and shall call his name Jesus. Why? For he shall save his people from their sins. Sadly, most Israelites thought that their biggest need was to be saved from Rome, that it was not their biggest need nor is it ours.

Mankind needs to be saved from his his sins, and that's why Jesus came. First Timothy one fifteen, this is a faithful saying and worthy of all acceptation that Christ Jesus came into the world to what? To save sinners of whom I am chief. Paul wrote. Hebrews seven twenty five, wherefore, he, that is Jesus, is able also to save them to the uttermost that come unto God by him, seeing he ever liveth to make intercession for them.

Why did the messiah came? He came to save his people and indeed all the world, all who will come to him in faith from their what? From their sin. He came to save sinners. The word save means to rescue, to deliver, to make safe, or make whole because we were not whole.

We were not safe. We were in desperate straits, a world fraught with sin and headed speedily towards the judgment because of it. Jesus came to deliver us who could not deliver themselves. He came to redeem us, redeem them who could not redeem themselves. We kind of throw that word around in secular society.

Well, somebody did something wrong. Well, they redeemed themselves. They they did something good and it you know, they redeemed themselves. There there is no way to redeem yourself from sin and hell, but there is a redeemer who can redeem you. The angel that said this to Joseph in Matthew one twenty one, the messenger of God, did not say that Jesus was come to save his people from the Romans or oppression.

He didn't say that he'd come to save them from pain and sorrow and illness. He didn't say he'd come to save them from failure or poverty. He didn't say he'd come to save them from bad decisions or discomfort or trials in life. What he did say is that Jesus was coming to save his people from their sins. Now, all the things above we suffer from as a result of sin, but the main problem with sin is something called death.

Death. But let's backtrack for just a moment. Just briefly, what is sin? Sin is essentially disobeying our creator. Our creator made us.

He made us for his purpose, for his glory, to fellowship and to serve him. And Adam and Eve rebelled against that in the Garden Of Eden. They disobeyed they disobeyed the Lord. They they brought sin therefore into the world. Sin is essentially disobeying the will of our creator.

The word most often translated sin in the New Testament, hamartias, means to fall short or miss the mark, exposing man's inability to meet the standard prescribed by God or to fulfill the purpose for which God had created him. Why did God give the Israelites the 10 commandments? What was the purpose? Well, according to Romans three, that all the world might become, what, guilty before God because as you go through the 10 commandments, you realize you don't measure up. You say, but I'm not a thief.

Well, have you ever stolen anything? You say, yeah, but but I I I was a I'm a good person. Yeah. Did you always honor and obey your parents? How about that one that says, thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbor?

What is that talking about? Lying. Lying. You ever lied? The fact is we've all broken not just one, but many of those commandments and some of them many times over and as Christ points out in Matthew five, if you haven't broken it with your actions, you've broken it in your mind and in your heart.

No. We're sinners. We miss the mark. Oh, sure. If I put a dartboard on the wall on the other side of the auditorium out there and I have us all come up and throw darts and the bullseye is about as big as the end of my finger, chances are none of us are gonna hit the bullseye.

Some of us will be closer. Matter of fact, some of you may actually even hit the the dartboard. Most of us probably won't, but none of us is likely to hit the what? Bullseye. The fact is when it comes to the mark, the prescribed standard of the one who created us, none of us has ever hit.

The bull's eye. Yeah. Some are closer than others, but you know in the when it comes to eternity, you see, hitting the bull's eye is everything. Doesn't matter whether you're ten feet short or twenty feet short or if you're two inches away. You see.

Because if you disobey one, the Bible shows you're guilty of what? You're guilty of all. Sin is also called transgression, which points out that then by nature see since the fall are lawbreakers who continue to break God's law, earning for themselves condemnation from the judge and lawgiver of the universe. Sin is also described as iniquities and trespasses, emphasizing man's nature as unjust, rebellious, and immoral, who are by no means worthy to enter into the presence and abode of a holy and a righteous God. In Romans three, it says this, there is none righteous, no, not one.

There's none that understand it. There's none that seeketh after God. They are all gone out of the way. They are together become unprofitable. There's none that doeth good.

No, not one. You say, yeah, but I'm pretty good. You are. You're pretty good. Compared to who?

Compared to the guy that's in jail? How about compared to Christ? How do you measure up? How about those thoughts that go on in your mind? How about those words that have come out of your mouth?

Maybe you're not so good as you think you are. Does this verse include you? There are none righteous, no, not one? Probably, most assuredly, it does. In Romans three twenty three, it says, for all have what?

Sinned and come short of the glory of God. They've all missed the mark. And while Adam and Eve set us on the doomed and destructive path, we find ourselves, we are also to blame who continue our sin and rebellion knowing as Paul wrote in Romans one that those who do so are worthy of death and yet continue to do them. And that is the world of humanity. Knowing in their heart what they're doing is wrong, but still doing it, deluding themselves, deceiving themselves.

Whatever whatever it takes to not have to deal with what? To deal with sin or deal with our our creator. I have sinned. You have sinned. There is no one but the Lord Jesus himself that can raise their hand and say, I have not sinned.

I am not guilty. And while we are all guilty, you know, some people sometimes take take comfort in that. You know, well, it's not just me, it's what? It's everybody. Yeah.

Everybody's in the same boat. Everybody's in the same boat. This here's the here's the thing about the boat. One day, this this boat's gonna come to the harbor, and this life is gonna end. And when you stand at the great right throne judgment, you're not gonna be standing there with everybody else.

You're gonna be standing just you and him. And it will not be any great comfort to you that there's gonna be a lot of other people in hell because you're not gonna be thinking about your company. It's not that kind of place. It's not a big party. It is torment, the Bible says.

It is a place of suffering. It is. It is a place God prepared for the devil and his angels, not for not originally for us, but hey, when we we chose to listen to the devil and not to God, guess what? Here we are. While we are all guilty, we will each stand alone at the judgment and bear the consequences alone for our sin when those books are open and our works are revealed.

Our sins are revealed. The Bible says our righteousness are as what? Filthy rags. So but but, yeah, I did. Well, yeah.

But but but I did well, maybe but I did. Well, that I guess that no. Uh-oh. I'm in trouble. That's what's gonna happen when the books are open.

Hebrews nine twenty seven, we read, as appointed unto man wants to die, but after this, the what? The judgment. Death comes with judgment. Yes. You are not guiltless, nor am I.

If you think somehow you will escape because you're better than someone else, you are wrong. Stop comparing yourself to others. Compare yourself to the perfect perfect example of Christ, and you will see that you and I have no claim on God's blessings, but rather upon his wrath. Death, as the Bible puts it. This is the primary and eternal consequence of sin.

Romans five twelve and six twenty three say, wherefore is by one man, that's Adam, sin entered into the world and death by sin, so death passed upon all men for that all have sin. For the wages of sin is death. Praise God, but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord. We're going get back to Jesus in just a moment but but with would please stay with me. The wages of sin is what?

Death. That is what we has earned. We have earned. Wages is something you earn. What have our works and actions earned us?

They have not earned us life. They have not earned us great reward and blessing. No, the Bible says, they have earned us what? Death. That's what they've earned us.

Because they're fraught with sin. They're filthy rags. You know, Christmas is coming up. You might give somebody a present. Maybe somebody gives you one.

It's beautiful on the outside. You take off the wrapping and you take off the bow and you open up the box, and it's full of rags that are gross, growing oil, maybe blood. Open it up and you go, oh, why would somebody give me this? Well, if that is what we're trying to give to God, guess what his response is? Death means separation.

The word in Greek is Thanatos. Separation from God and the relationships that Adam and Eve shared with him prior to the fall in the garden. They walked with God in the cool of the day, and then it was what? It was gone. Their sin had separated them from their God.

No more walks with God. Separation from the blessings of God and the paradise that man enjoyed before he threw it all away as they were cast out cast out of the garden. A guard was put in the way to guard the tree of life. Essentially, what they lost was not only a beautiful guard, but they lost eternal life. Why do we hate and fear death so much?

Because we were not originally created to die. We were created to live. But now, we have to face this because of our sin. That has separated us from life. And then finally, this place we call hell or in Revelation 20, the ultimate destination, the lake of fire, and that is eternal death.

Separation from God forever. In a very real place where the fires are not quenched, where the smoke of their torment, the Bible said, ascendeth up forever and ever. I didn't write this. Either believe it's God's God's word or you don't, but this is what it says in Revelation fourteen eleven. The smoke of their torment, those the false prophet and the antichrist who were already tossed into the lake of fire and the smoke of their torment ascended up, what?

Forever and ever, and they have no rest day or night. It would be nice to think you know, I mean, it's it's terrible to think, but it would be you know, it's it's, you know, you toss them in the lake of fire and whoosh, they go up and it's done. And there are a lot of Christians trying to teach that today, but it's that's that's not what the Bible says. It's it's it's ongoing. It is it's it's ongoing.

And you need to avoid it. And you can. Jesus spoke of it in Matthew twenty five forty one. Then shall he say unto them, on the left hand, depart from me, you cursed into everlasting fire prepared for the devil and his angels. Revelation twenty fourteen and fifteen, we just read, and death and hell were cast in the lake of fire.

This is the second death, and whosoever is not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire. You better make sure your name's written where? In the book of light because if we're judged based upon the other books, the works that we have done, we are in what? We are in deep trouble. And this place is a place of torment for sure.

In Luke sixteen twenty three and twenty four, it says, and in hell, he lifted up his eyes being in torments and seeth Abraham afar off and Lazarus in his bosom. 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. And this is just the holding place where the lost go before they're brought back, before the great white throne and cast into the lake of fire. It is inescapable and unrelenting. How did Abraham respond?

Son, remember, thou in thy lifetime receivedst thou good things, and likewise Lazarus is evil things, but now he is comforted and thou are tormented. And besides all this between us and you, there is a great gulf fixed. So that they which would pass from thence to you cannot, neither can they pass to us that would come from thence. There there is no there's no second chance after death. You have your second chance when?

Today. Now is the day of salvation. Don't pass up your second or third or fourth or fifth chance because it is a point when the man wants to die, but after this, the the judgment. As we looked and talked about in Sunday school this morning, there is no reincarnation. You don't get a second chance.

Jesus described it, that is hell, while using the city dump of Jerusalem called Gehenna as a point of reference, as the place where the worm dies not and the fire is not quenched. It begins the day that the lost die and it goes on to an all eternity. Like the burning bush bush which was not consumed by the flames on Mount Horeb, so also the body after death will not be consumed by the flames but to continue to feel the pain derived from it forever. You know, it the way I'd like to have different news, but, you know, the the truth is the truth is the news we need to hear. And why does Jesus spend more time, twice as much time talking about hell as he did about heaven?

Because he does not want anyone to what? Go there. God is not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance. The fact is no one has to go to hell because of who? Because of Jesus.

But it is a real place even today, and there are many souls now in torment as they wait their final sentencing at the Great White Throne judgment. It continues after that judgment. If it'd be possible, it only gets worse. Where the final judgment will be announced, the sentence carried out upon the unrighteous. While the righteous inherit heaven, the unrighteous will be cast into the the lake of fire.

Revelation twenty one seven and eight. We read passages from here when we were talking about heaven a few weeks ago. He that overcometh shall inherit all things and I will be his God and he shall be my son but but the fearful and unbelieving, the abominable and murderers and the whoremongers that immoral, sexually immoral, sorcerers and idolaters and all what? Liars. You say, hey, I'm doing pretty good.

Oops, liars. I'm in trouble. And all liars shall have their part in the lake of fire which burneth with fire and brimstone, which is the second death. There's a beautiful place called heaven. It's the new Jerusalem.

We looked at it a few weeks ago. It descends out of heaven, and all those whose names are written in book of life will enjoy the pleasures of heaven forever and ever and ever. But there is also another place called the Lake Of Fire, and all those who have rejected the grace of God and the sacrifice of his son for their sins. The unbelieving will have their place there. But there is a way of escape.

Praise the Lord. His name is what? His name is Jesus. There's one way to escape, to get your name written in the book of life. How do you do that?

Well, that's where Jesus comes in. He is the way, the truth, and the what and the life. He is the way of escape from hell because he is the resurrection and the life. John three sixteen through 18, you know so well. For God so loved the world that he sent his only begotten son that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, not have to go to this place, never have to see it, but have what?

Everlasting life. For God sent not his son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through him might be, what, saved, rescued. That's what you need. That's what I need. That's what every soul on this planet needs.

They need to be saved, not from oppression, not from poverty, not from illness, not from this or from that. They need to be saved from their sin and the penalty of it in a place called hell so that they don't have to stand at that great right throne judgment because their names are written in the what? In the book of life. They need Jesus. They need Jesus.

There are some that would maybe even preachers that would say, well, you know, if you got good intentions, you're trying your best, you know, you you know, you're a good Buddhist or you're a good Hindu or you're a good Muslim, you're, you know, good good humanist, whatever. You know, you're you're finding your own path. You're doing your best, you know. God's gonna honor that. Well, they're wrong.

And that's given people false hope. There is a true hope. And that hope is who? That hope is Jesus. You say, well, how could God send people to hell?

God doesn't send people to hell. We send people. We send ourselves to hell. God made a way so we don't have to what? We don't have to go there.

It's like your child. You little child say, you know, don't touch that. Don't touch that. It's gonna hurt. Don't touch it.

Don't touch it. What do they do? They touch it. They get hurt. Was that your fault?

Say, you know, don't run out on the street. A car might hit you. They run out in the street. Maybe the car doesn't hit them but you told them you run out in front of that car in the street and there's going to be a what? There's going to be punishment.

That's your fault or their fault? Their fault. Whose fault is hell? It's our fault. Not God's fault.

God made a way so we can escape it. He even sent his son. He sacrificed his son for humanity. He gave him took our hell on himself on that cross. Don't you think God's gonna be just a little rightfully, justly upset after he did all that for you?

And you say, no. I I I I think I know a better way. I I don't want Jesus. He is the only way. And he came and we celebrate his coming because he came to die for our what?

To die for our sins, to make a way of escape. Thou shall call him name Jesus for he shall save his people from their sins. This is faithful saying and worthy of all acceptation that Christ Jesus came in the world to save sinners. For he is able also to save them to the uttermost that come unto God by him, seeing he ever liveth to make intercession for them. He came unto his own and his own received him not, but as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God even to them that what?

Believe on his name. As Jesus pointed out in John three, we already stand condemned. Jesus is the only way for us to escape and be justified. He paid our penalty for us if we will let him, if we will receive him. When did you receive him?

I was nine years old. I've not been perfect since then. Probably not one day. But I serve a perfect savior, and he keeps his promises. He invited me, and I came in faith to him.

And he's never let me down, not in this life, and he won't in the life to come. He is my savior. He is my Lord. And he is the greatest gift that has ever been given, ever been given. When did you receive that gift?

When did you receive him? Say, well, I sat in a pew and I've been a Baptist since I was a little I somebody even dunked me in water. You know, I I I do good to my I give to the offering plate. None of those things will redeem your soul. Only Jesus can do that.

Only the one who came to die for sinners can do that. When did you receive him as your Lord? When did you receive his gift? I hope you have an answer to that. But if you don't, your answer can be today because you're here.

You have another chance. Today is the day of salvation. Just do this this morning and you shall be saved. Romans ten nine, that if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.

Today, I'm saved, not because of me, all because of Jesus. And I hope you have that same testimony. Because if you don't, there's only two options, and there's only one way to heaven, and all other roads lead to hell. Let's pray. Dear heavenly father, thank you, Lord, for Jesus Christ, for coming and doing for us what we could not do for ourselves.

And we pray for those that are listening to these words today. If there be one who's not sure, Lord, I pray that they would make sure even right now, Lord, they would put their faith in you. They would abandon whatever trust they're putting in their works or other people or other things and that they would put their faith in Jesus Christ alone and call upon the one who gave his life for them to be their Lord and savior and forgive you give them of their sins. Lord, I pray they might do that. Now, I pray they would come as we give this hymn of invitation.

I'll meet them right down here and share with them how they can be saved and know it today. In Jesus' precious name, we pray. Amen.