unceasing anguish and great sorrow - part 2

Romans 9:1-3 - "I am speaking the truth in Christ, I am not lying; my conscience bears me witness in the Holy Spirit--that I have great sorrow and unceasing anguish in my heart. For I could wish that I myself were accursed and cut off from Christ for the sake of my brothers, my kinsmen according to the flesh."

In these blog posts, I hope to unpack how we can have this unceasing anguish for the lost like Paul did.

 

Yesterday I posted about humanity's state apart from Christ. We are enemies of God, we can't please him, we are children of wrath, we are alienated and strangers, we are slaves to sin, etc. 

Today's point is because our state apart from Christ, our just punishment is eternal separation from Christ in Hell. 

We see in the gospels that Jesus taught that Hell was something to be feared. In Mark 9, Jesus says “And if your hand causes you to sin, cut it off. It is better for you to enter life crippled than with two hands to go to hell, to the unquenchable fire. And if your foot causes you to sin, cut it off. It is better for you to enter life lame than with two feet to be thrown into hell. And if your eye causes you to sin, tear it out. It is better for you to enter the kingdom of God with one eye than with two eyes to be thrown into hell, 'where their worm does not die and the fire is not quenched.'”

Then in Luke 12:4-5 he tells his disciples “"I tell you, my friends, do not fear those who kill the body, and after that have nothing more that they can do. But I will warn you whom to fear: fear him who, after he has killed, has authority to cast into hell. Yes, I tell you, fear him!”

Then throughout the Bible we see depictions of what Hell is going to be like.

1. Hell is going to be punishment: 2 Thessalonians 1:7-9 says that Jesus will come “inflicting vengeance on those who do not know God” and they will “suffer the punishment of eternal destruction, away from the presence of the Lord.”And Revelation 20:15 says “If anyone’s name was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire” which was described earlier in the chapter as a place where they will be “tormented day and night forever and ever”
2. Hell is being cast out of the presence of God forever: Matthew 25:41 – “Depart from me, you cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels”
3. Hell is going to be utter darkness: Matthew 8:12 talks about how they will be “thrown into the outer darkness. In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.”
4. Hell is a place with eternal fire: It’s described as a “Fiery furnace” (Matthew 13: 42 and 50). It has an “unquenchable fire” (Matthew 3:12 and 9:43). Revelation 14:10 says that they will “drink the wine of God’s wrath, poured full strength into the cup of his anger, and he will be tormented with fire and sulfur”
5. And finally all of this will be eternal: Romans 14:11 “the smoke of their torment goes up forever and ever, and they have no rest, day or night”

Thomas Watson: “Thus it is in Hell; they would die, but they cannot. The wicked shall be always dying but never dead; the smoke of the furnace ascends for ever and ever. Oh! Who can endure thus to be ever upon the rack? This word ‘ever’ breaks the heart.”

George Whitfield used to speak with tears in his eyes of “the torment of burning like a livid coal, not for an instant or for a day, but for millions and millions of ages, at the end of which souls will realize that they are no closer to the end than when they first begun, and they will never, ever be delivered from that place.”

Jonathan Edwards in probably his most famous sermon “Sinners in the hands of an angry God said “thus it is that natural men are held in the hand of God, over the pit of hell; they have deserved the fiery pit, and are already sentenced to it; and God is dreadfully provoked, his anger is as great towards them as to those that are actually suffering the executions of the fierceness of his wrath in hell, and they have done nothing in the least to appease or abate that anger, neither is God in the least bound by any promise to hold them up one moment; the devil is waiting for them, hell is gaping for them, the flames gather and flash about them, and would fain lay hold on them, and swallow them up; the fire bent up in their own hearts is struggling to break out: and they have no interest in any Mediator, there are no means within reach that can be any security to them. In short, they have no refuge, nothing to take hold of; all that preserves them every moment is the mere arbitrary will, and uncovenanted, unobliged forbearance of an incensed God.”

If this place is real, if there is a place that is full of eternal torment, weeping and gnashing of teeth completely in utter darkness away from the presence of God forever then there is no more urgent and important task than to tell those who are on a collision course with eternal damnation that there is hope! There is one who conquered death! By this “one man’s obedience, the many will be made righteous” (Romans 5:19).

And if you are reading this and don't know Christ. Turn from your sin and repent. Ask Jesus to forgive you for your sins and accept his free gift of eternal life. Then, submit to him as your Lord, lay down your life in obedience to Him because your love of Him, knowing that His ways are far better than ours.