I please God to bless us together
this morning as we meditate in his word. Now today I want to
really speak in a rather different way perhaps to what we are accustomed
to. weight upon my mind really is
the eternal state of our souls. And of course there is really
therefore nothing more important to any of us than the eternal
position that we will find ourselves in when we pass out of time into
eternity. So as the Lord shall help me,
I intend to speak to you this morning on the eternal state
or plight of unbelievers. And then, as God may help tonight,
I will speak to you on the eternal state and plight of believers. Because mankind falls into one
or other of those two categories. You and I here today are either
categorized as a believer or as an unbeliever. It's really
as simple as that. And yet it is as important as
that. So we might ask ourselves, therefore,
what or who is an unbeliever? And to see whether we fall into
that category. And I hope therefore that through
these two sermons today we may be able to come to a right spiritual
understanding of our state before God. Because it is before God
whom all of us stand. It's not what people think of
us, it's what God thinks of us. So we might say, Are you a person
who has no time for religion? Now, we're all here today, aren't
we? And by our appearance here, there's
an indication outwardly that we do have time for religion.
But there have been many people who have sat in churches and
chapels and who have really had no time for religion, but they
just have some nagging doubt in their conscience that perhaps
there might be something in religion therefore they just don't want
to totally depart from it. But in reality they have no time
for religion. And the truth is that until we
become a believer we are really in that position. And then we
think of those who are atheists An atheist who professes not
to believe in God, has no time for God, doesn't believe in God,
and yet the truth is that there will be no atheists in hell. There will be no atheists in
heaven. An atheist is only someone who
gives themselves that name on this earth. and therefore by
so doing profess to be an unbeliever. And then there are many followers
today of false religions. And what is a false religion?
A false religion is one that does not follow the truth contained
in the Bible as we know it. that word of God which God has
given to his church. And there are therefore the vast
majority of mankind today who do not follow the Bible. There are those who follow completely
other religions who have no time at all for the Bible. And then
those who perhaps follow a false version of the Bible. Others
who follow a false interpretation of the Bible. and such are categorised
as unbelievers. And then we have those who think
it doesn't matter what happens to them in this life because
in any event when they die they'll be annihilated, that means they'll
be finished, there'll be nothing else, they have no belief in
the soul, they're content to just believe that lie of the
devil. that when they end this life,
that will be the end of everything. Well, how wrong, how foolish
such are. Such is an unbeliever. And then perhaps last in this
little catalogue of examples, we think of the solemn case of
people who are what we term a hypocrite. And you may ask, and you children
may wonder, Well, what is a hypocrite? A hypocrite is someone who pretends
to be what he is not. Someone who pretends to be what
he's not. We can, of course, pretend to
be many things in this life, but it's a terrible thing for
those who pretend to be a Christian, pretend to be a true follower
of the Lord Jesus and are not. It's just an act. It's just a
wrong view. They are not believers. They
are unbelievers. And there are those, sadly, who
grow up in churches and chapels, who spend their religious time
in churches and chapels, and yet have no real belief, are
just pretending. If they were asked, well, what
do you believe? What has God done for your soul?
They would not be able to answer. They would be confused, because
they have no evidence of the work of God in their soul. A hypocrite. And such is an unbeliever. Now the Word of God gives us
a number of examples of those who are unbelievers. And we should be thankful, therefore,
that we do have such examples, that we can test our religion
by these examples. The Apostle John, when he wrote
his first epistle, In the fifth chapter, the tenth verse, we
read this. He that believeth on the Son of God hath the witness
in himself. He that believeth not God hath
made him a liar, because he believeth not the record that God gave
of his Son. And this is the record that God
hath given to us eternal life, and this life is in his Son.
He that hath the Son hath life, and he that hath not the Son
of God hath not life. So that clearly tells us the
position of an unbeliever, and it is in these words He that
believeth not God hath made him a liar. And believing in God
means that we believe the truth of God. And if we do not believe
the truth of God, if we do not believe his word of God, what
are we doing? We are making God a liar. That's a very solemn statement,
isn't it? To think that you and I, puny people, By our unbelief
make God a liar. And then we're told, and he that
hath not the Son of God hath not life. Such are not a believer. What or who then is an unbeliever? Well, Paul the Apostle, when
he wrote to the Hebrews, he spoke about those, the children of
Israel, who did not believe what God had said to them. You remember,
perhaps, the many occasions that they did not believe God, but
one particular occasion, when they'd come out of Egypt, and
it was about a year, they'd been in the wilderness not very long,
and they were told to go up and Possessed the land of Canaan
and they were allowed to send 12 spies to spy the land to see
what it was like they went out they spent 40 days there and
they came back and 10 of them had a good report a bad report
and to Joshua and Caleb had a good report and the 10 who brought
the evil report convinced that The children of Israel that they
should not go up and possess the land. Now God had told them
that they should do. What were they doing? They were
not believing God. They were not believing the great
truth that he had spoken to them of. It appeared a bit difficult. The Christian path is difficult.
That should not be a reason for our unbelief. And what do we
read in Hebrews chapter 3 in verse 18? And to whom swear he
that they should not enter into his rest. Seems addressing those
that believed not. How solemn isn't it? To be an
unbeliever. To have been spoken to by God
through his word and yet rejected it. And remember this relates
to our eternal state or plight. And then in Corinthians, the
Apostle Paul wrote again, in whom the God of this world hath
blinded the minds of them which believe not. You see, the devil,
he wants to blind our minds so that we don't see or we don't
realise the truth of God's Word. He wants us to be blind. We are
blind by nature, we are born blind spiritually, and the devil
wants to keep us in that position. To whom the God of this world
has blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light
of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should
shine unto them. Well, it's a wonderful blessing,
therefore, to be able to come and to hear the gospel, to hear
the great truth, the plan of salvation, to hear about the
Lord Jesus Christ, to hear about his sin-atoning death. It's a
wonderful blessing, but my friends, how awfully solemn if the devil
has come and blinded our minds, so that our minds are closed. they're shut to receiving the
great truth that is given to us in the Word of God. The Apostle speaks about those
who preach. He speaks about the necessity
of hearing God's call. And in the 10th Romans, we're
told, how then shall they call on him in whom they have not
believed? What that really means is that
if we do not believe, really we cannot truly pray. How then
shall they call on Him in whom they have not believed? Or how
shall they believe in Him of whom they have not heard? And
how shall they hear without a preacher? Now the great favour for us is
to be able to come and to hear the preaching of the Gospel.
But do we hear? Do we hear? Or do we not hear? Are our ears closed to the great
truths of the Gospel? When the apostle Luke wrote the
Acts of the Apostles, he tells us in the twelfth chapter, when
referring to the great truths of the Gospel, that the Apostle
Paul and others were able to proclaim to them, we hear this
great but solemn truth. And some believed the things
which were spoken, and some believed not. We're all today in one of
those categories. We're amongst those who believe
the things which are spoken. We've all heard the Gospel preached.
many times. We've all heard the Word of God
read many times. We've all read the Word of God
many times. Well, we come under this category,
and some believe the things which are spoken, but some believe
not. And then again, we read of the
words of Jesus and the miracles that he did, Wonderful examples. Though he had done so many miracles
before them, yet they believed not on him. What does that show
to us? It shows this, that you and I
need the powerful work of the Holy Spirit to give us that gift
of faith to believe the great and glorious truths of the Gospel. I suppose we might think, well,
if Jesus was here today, and there was a man with a shrugged
up arm, and he came and said, the arm be healed, and that man's
arm was healed, surely we would believe. Well, these people didn't. We should not rely upon that
theory because we need the gift of faith to believe. in the Lord
Jesus Christ. You see, here's his great and
solemn word. But though he had done so many
miracles before them, they'd seen them, but they believed
not on him. Now, we're not privileged today
to see miracles, but it wouldn't convince us unless we possess
the gracious and glorious work of the Holy Spirit. Because,
says David in the Psalms, you see this is not just confined
to the New Testament, it's throughout the Word of God. And David tells
us this in the 78th Psalm, because they believed not in God and
trusted not in his salvation. And you may remember the 78th
Psalm, we read it very recently. It gives a wonderful history
of the children of Israel. And there's this very solemn
statement. because they believed not in God and trusted not in
his salvation. And then in the second book of
Kings, chapter 17, we read this, notwithstanding they would not
hear but harden their necks like the neck of their fathers that
did not believe in the Lord their God. It's a very sad situation
to be hardened against the things of God. Really what we're saying
is, I will not believe. I will not believe the great
and glorious truth of God. And so we have these testimonies
to prove that which is of an unbeliever. And then finally
Moses in Exodus 4 verse 1, and Moses answered and said, But
behold, he's speaking to God, but behold, they will not believe
me, nor hearken unto my voice, for they will say, the Lord hath
not appeared unto thee. What were they doing? They were
disbelieving the word of God through his servant Moses. Well,
there's just a few examples in the word of God to describe those
who are unbelievers. And then perhaps we ask ourselves
this question. Many people do. Is there such
a place as hell? And what is it like? Perhaps we all ask ourselves
that question. Well, the word hell occurs 54 times in the Word
of God. in the Old Testament and in the
New Testament. And you might say, well, what
does hell mean? Well, I can tell you what it
means, because the Word of God was written in the Hebrew and
in the Greek, as we know. And in the Greek, the word for
hell is giena, giena. And this means a place of everlasting
punishment. everlasting punishment. Hear that word everlasting and
that means it never ends and the word eternal also translates
as perpetual. Perpetual means something ever-continuing
doesn't it? Eternal is perpetual. And so,
hell really is a perpetual state of everlasting punishment. Well, there are many references,
as I've said, 54 in the Word of God describing to us hell. Just a few references. First
of all, David, in Samuel, 2 Samuel, where he speaks, and that's recorded,
of course, in the psalm. He gives us some indication. He speaks like this, and he says,
The sorrows of hell compassed me about and the snares
of death prevented me. He was envisaging how terrible
the sorrows of hell must be to find ourselves in hell. What a terrible position. We'll
come on in a little while to what hell is described as. But
he also says in the 9th Psalm The wicked shall be turned into
hell and all the nations that forget God. That means that all
who are unbelievers, all who are unbelievers are wicked and
the truth is that they should all, there's no exception, there's
no place to hide, they will all be turned into hell. No place
of escape and all the nations that forget God. Well, what a
striking thought that is, isn't it? And then Solomon writes when
he wrote in the Proverbs, he says, but he knoweth that the
dead are there and that her guests are in the depths of hell. The guests of Satan, what a thought. You see, if we are serving Satan,
to think that one day we may be his guest in hell. But he knoweth not, the dead
are there. The devil tries to blind our
eyes. The dead, those who are not blessed
in his spiritual life, are there, and that her guests are in the
depths of hell. Again a little view there, it's
not a shallow place, it's a deep pit, a deep dark pit, the depths
of hell. And Isaiah says, therefore hell
hath enlarged herself and opened her mouth without measure and
their glory and their multitude and their pomp And he that rejoiceth
shall descend into it. And that's rejoicing in the things
of time, satisfied with an earthly lot. No one shall escape. Hell is enlarged. Everyone who
is not a believer, all those who are unbelievers, will be
found in that terrible place, remember, eternally. And now the Lord Jesus speaks
in the New Testament to us and he tells us these words. In the
fifth chapter of Matthew, the Sermon on the Mount, which we
are beginning our meditation on, and we read this verse on
Friday. And if thy right eye offend thee,
pluck it out and cast it from thee, for it is profitable thee
that one of thy members should perish and not that thy whole
body should be cast into hell.' You may perhaps think, well what
was Jesus really meaning in that statement? I believe he was meaning
this, if there are those things which we are involved in and
perhaps our offensive and not good, but are sinful, what should
we do? We should rid ourselves of them.
We should not condone evil, we should not condone sin in our
lives. And the operation of the devil is to say, well, there's
no harm in that. Well, there is harm. That which
is not right and holy is harmful. And we should therefore be very
aware of these words of the Lord Jesus when he comes and he tells
us, it is profitable for thee that one of thy members should
perish. Sometimes it's painful to give up things that we like
and we enjoy. But we could perhaps just analyze
it like this. Would that enjoyment, would that
situation, Would that position that we find ourselves doing,
would we be happy doing it in heaven, in that holy place? And surely if we conclude, if
God gives us grace to conclude, no, it would not be an appropriate
occupation to be employed in heaven. Then what should we do? Pluck it out. lest we descend into hell. And then we read in Luke that
parable of the rich man and Lazarus, remembering that the rich man
of course had all the things in this life to enjoy, filled
himself with banqueting and all the lusts of the flesh, And there
was a beggar who had nothing really in his life to enjoy. And what do we read? We read
this, Luke 16, 23. And in hell he lift up his eyes,
being in torments, and seeth Abraham afar off and Lazarus
in his bosom. Well, we get a little picture
there, don't we, of the terribleness. He was in torments. And that
wasn't something that was going to pass away. He was in torments. You may remember that he asked
that there might be someone sent to his brothers, and that also
Abraham might be sent with just a drop of water to cool his tongue. We get some idea of the torments. that he was in, and then we're
told, he saith, Abraham afar off, and Nazareth in his bosom. Well, what a terrible thing to
think, to find ourselves in hell, and yet perhaps visualise, perhaps
see afar off, the people enjoying heaven, and knowing that it's
a great goal fixed. We can never get there. Our lot is in hell. for eternity. The Apostle Peter speaks to us
and says, for if God spared not the angels that sinned, but cast
them down to hell and delivered them into darkness to be reserved
under judgement to those who rebelled against God, they sinned,
and what happened? They were cast down to hell.
And all the unbelievers will join with such, those evil angels
who rebelled against God. In Revelation, in the first chapter,
we read verse 18, I am he that liveth and was dead, speaking
here, of course, the Lord Jesus is speaking of himself and he's
saying, I am he that liveth and was dead, And behold, I am a liar forevermore. He rose from the dead, the firstfruits
of them that slept, a conqueror over sin, death, hell, and the
grave. I am a liar forevermore and have the keys of hell and
of death. And Lord Jesus passed his judgment. He opens the doors, the gates
of hell, and we pass in. to that abyss of suffering, if
we are just those who are left to be unbelievers. And finally, reference to hell
in Revelation 20 verse 13. And 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, that great day of judgment. All those who are dead, wherever
they've been, wherever their bodies are, all those who have
been cremated, all the dust will come together and all come and
they'll stand before that great judge. Those who have gone down,
their spirits have gone into hell, will come and be joined
together with their bodies and they will stand before that great
judge of all the earth. Oh, what a mercy. to not be numbered
amongst those who are unbelievers. To be judged, every man should
be judged according to their works. And then, what is hell
like? What is hell like? Does the Bible
give us any pictures, any evidences of what hell is like? Well, it
does. And in Mark chapter 9, and three
times, The Lord Jesus speaks in verse 44, 46 and 48, and he
speaks the same words. And this is what he says to those
who are unbelievers, where their worm dieth not, where the fire
is not quenched. Three times, these same words. It's hard to imagine. You know,
purely by worm it means worms perhaps in our body wriggling
about and creating irritation and uncomfortableness, never
able to free ourselves from them. They don't die. And there's eternal
fire. Yes, think of being burnt and
yet not burnt. How painful it is, isn't it,
when we're burnt by something hot or by a flame. And you see
our flesh is affected, but you see in eternity it won't be affected,
it will just be painful. Their worm dieth not, and their
fire is not quenched. And then Jesus in Matthew 13
verse 42, and he says, and shall cast them, the unbelievers, into
a furnace of fire. What will be the effect? The
effect will be this. there shall be wailing and gnashing
of teeth." Wailing, crying out, because there's no hope. The
day of salvation has passed. We're in this eternal state.
Wailing and gnashing of teeth. People gnash their teeth sometimes,
don't they? When they're so annoyed and so angry at things. Well,
we may be annoyed and angry, but there will be no deliverance. And so we're told what happens
to the unbelievers. And she'll cast them into a furnace
of fire. There she'll be wailing and gnashing
of teeth. And then the chapter we read
together, Matthew 25 and verse 30, we read about the man that
had that talent and buried it in the ground. Oh yes, didn't
use it. How terribly sad that is. And
what did God say to him? Cast ye the unprofitable servant
into outer darkness. Another view. Outer darkness. Pitch black. No stars there,
no sun. Outer darkness. And again confirmed,
there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth. A very, very solemn state that
is, isn't it? It's hard to imagine, isn't it?
Fire, darkness, worm dying, not. And that's not something for
a day. If you and I had to endure it
for half an hour, it would be very painful, wouldn't it? But
just to think, not for a half an hour, not for a day, not for
a month, not for a year. But for millions and billions
and trillions of years, no time in eternity, forever. And then finally this morning,
in Luke 13 verse 28, again the Saviour says, There shall be
weeping and gnashing of teeth, when ye shall see Abraham and
Isaac and Jacob and all the prophets in the Kingdom of God and you
yourselves thrust out. Thrust out from the presence
of God. Cast into that burning lake. Cast into that eternal darkness. What a terrible consideration,
isn't it? Well, this I believe is the lot. This is what will occur and happen
to all those who die who are not believers, all those who
are unbelievers. Now we've no doubt heard of these
things on many occasions, but it's a very solemn consideration,
it's a very worrying consideration, it's a very fearful consideration,
that if you and I are out of Christ, if we are not in Christ,
If we are an unbeliever, this will be our eternal lot. Well, may we truly consider our
condition, consider our state, and weigh it up. You know what
weighing is. The scales aren't there. And we weigh things. We have
to weight on one side, and we weigh the other side to see how
much it is. And the Word of God tells us
this, weighed in the balances and found wanting. My friends,
you and I don't want to be left there, to be found weighed in
God's balances. It won't matter what we think
of ourselves, it matters what God thinks of ourselves. And
it matters whether we are a true believer, one who has been bought
with that great and precious price of the Saviour, his precious
blood, so that we are indeed not found as an unbeliever, but
found as one whom God has loved with everlasting love, God who
has called Adam and Nature's darkness into the marvellous
light, and one who is a believer. Well, may God bless these remarks
and may help us this evening to come and consider then wonderful
and blessing state, the eternal state and plight of those who
are believers. Amen.