Does God Punish Sinners?

Does God Punish Sinners?

More times than not when we are street witnessing, someone will yell out “God loves everybody.” They say this to justify their sin. In other words, it doesn’t matter if you continue living a sinful lifestyle, God loves you anyway. But is this biblical? Does God punish sinners? 

I was reading the book of Jude the other day. Jude is one chapter of the Bible and it has 25 verses. But verses 5 through 7 hit on this question of whether or not God punishes sinners.

Jude 1:5-7 says: I will therefore put you in remembrance, though ye once knew this, how that the Lord, having saved the people out of the land of Egypt, afterward destroyed them that believed not. And the angels which kept not their first estate, but left their own habitation, he hath reserved in everlasting chains under darkness unto the judgment of the great day. Even as Sodom and Gomorrah, and the cities about them in like manner, giving themselves over to fornication, and going after strange flesh, are set forth for an example, suffering the vengeance of eternal fire.

God Punished The Complaining Israelites

Verse 5 addresses the Israelites that God rescued from Egypt. You remember the story of the 10 plagues against Egypt and God saying “Let my people go” (Exodus 8:1). After God saved them from bondage to Pharaoh, the adults murmured against Moses and against God. They wanted to go back to Egypt. Now these are the people who were once slaves and they complained against God and wanted to turn back to Egypt.

These Jews were God’s chosen people. How did God react? Every single person that complained that was 20 years old and older died in the wilderness during the next 40 years. Every single one of them. None of them entered into the promised land. They all perished in the way. Their children inherited the promised land, but not the ones who wanted to go back to Egypt. Clearly God severely punished them if every single whiner, grumbler and complainer died in the wilderness.

Fallen Angels Punished

Then verse 6 talks about the fallen angels. When Satan also known as Lucifer, the great deceiver, sinned against God by wanting to be in place of God, took one third of the angels with him. It’s hard for me to fathom how one third of the angels could do this, but they did. In verse 6, Jude tells us about some of these angels and God is punishing with everlasting chains in darkness reserved for judgment. Don’t miss this folks; God punished some of the angels who sinned against Him. If God even punishes angels, what makes human beings think they can escape judgment?

Sodomites Destroyed

Verse 7 reminds us about Sodom and Gomorrah and the cities around them that God destroyed. People in those cities were fornicating – having sexual relations outside of biblical marriage between a man and a woman. In addition to that, Jude describes the inhabitants as “going after strange flesh.” In Romans 1, the apostle Paul describes homosexuality as unnatural affections (Romans 1:26-27). Strange flesh refers to sodomy.

How did God punish the inhabitants of Sodom and Gomorrah and the surrounding sinful cities? He destroyed them with brimstone and fire. Guess what? Not only did they die from God’s vengeance with brimstone and fire, but Jude says that they are suffering the vengeance of eternal fire. Their punishment never ends. It goes on forever and ever.

You Better Believe God Punishes Sinners

Does God punish sinners? You better believe He does! Because God hates sin, He hates sinners (Psalm 5:5) and He punishes sin. He punished His chosen people, He punished wayward angels and He punished sexually immoral people. Guess what? They aren’t the only ones that God will punish. He also punishes every single unrepentant sinner that dies in their sins. If Jesus is not your Lord and Savior, this is you! God’s punishment, His everlasting punishment is waiting for you if you don’t repent and trust Jesus.

You don’t have to do anything different to split Hell wide open after you die. Just keep on doing what you are doing. You don’t have to go out of your way to go to Hell. Just keep barreling down the broad road to destruction that you are currently traveling on. Keep on mocking God. Continue rejecting Jesus Christ the Lord. Keep on loving your sins and hating God. You don’t have to come up with some new thing, just keep on being the same old wicked sinner that you are and you will suffer the flames of Hell for all of eternity.

God Is Still Punishing Sinners

Not only has God punished sinners, but He’s still punishing them today. Over 2,000 years ago Jesus told about the rich man that died, buried and in Hell, lifted up his eyes being in torments (Luke 16:19-31). Guess what? That same rich man is still suffering the awful torments of Hell today and he will continue suffering them for all of eternity. Don’t think that he’s special. Every other sinful person who died in their sins is suffering in agony in Hell right now too. Again, you have the same fate waiting for you too; if Jesus has not saved you from your sins. God punishes sinners in the future (your future, if you don’t repent and surrender your life to Jesus).

You have been warned that God has punished, is punishing and will punish sinners for all of eternity. But it’s just as important to tell you about the way of escape that God offers. I’ve warned you about the wrath of God and Jude 1:5-7 gives us perfect examples of God’s righteous wrath against unrepentant sinners. You need to also hear about God’s love.

God’s Love Compels Us To Preach The Gospel

You see, it’s God’s love that compels us to come out here and preach the Gospel in downtown Springfield. Jude 1:20-23 says: But ye, beloved, building up yourselves on your most holy faith, praying in the Holy Ghost, Keep yourselves in the love of God, looking for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ unto eternal life. And of some have compassion, making a difference: And others save with fear, pulling them out of the fire; hating even the garment spotted by the flesh.

These verses tell Christians to do exactly what we are doing. We are to go out into the streets and preach about God’s wrath – pertaining to “others save with fear, pulling them out of the fire.” The fire of Hell awaits you in your current God rejecting state. The torments of everlasting damnation is what you have waiting for you. It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God (Hebrews 10:31). We are to tell you the truth of where you are headed.

We Want You To Be Saved

Oh, but we don’t want you to go to Hell. We want you to be saved. We want you to experience the love of God, the mercy of God that is found in our Lord Jesus Christ. Even though we have all rebelled against God, even though we all deserve everlasting punishment, God in His great mercy and love, sent His only begotten Son to suffer the torments that you and I deserve. Jesus, the sinless one, took the punishment that we deserve.

He never sinned, not one time. He always obeyed the will of God the Father and Jesus was obedient unto death, even death on the cross. God poured His wrath out upon His own Son as Jesus hung on that cruel cross. 1 John 4:9-10 states: In this was manifested the love of God toward us, because that God sent his only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through him. Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us, and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins.

God’s Wrath and God’s Love

God’s wrath abides upon unrepentant sinners. But God’s love and grace toward us was demonstrated in Jesus taking our sins upon Himself as he suffered, bled and died. But Jesus didn’t stay dead. After three days, He rose from the grave victoriously. Jesus defeated sin, death, Hell and Satan. You can receive eternal life if you repent and surrender your life to Jesus. God loves us so much, He willingly sacrificed His own precious, sinless Son for us. Jesus was the propitiation for our sins. Propitiation means the wrath was satisfied.

You don’t have to continue living your life as a guilty sinner. No longer do you have to remain under God’s condemnation, under His righteous anger over your sins. You can be saved. You can be cleansed. Your sins can be wiped out completely. Your conscience can be cleared. You can sleep well tonight. If you turn from your sins and turn to Jesus. You can receive everlasting life. If you repent and believe the Gospel.

Do Not Die In Your Sins

God does punish sinners. All unrepentant sinners who die without Jesus Christ will suffer God’s just punishment forever and ever. God does punish sin and He will punish you for all of eternity if you die in your sins. The soul that sins, it shall die. Jesus said unto them, Ye are from beneath; I am from above: ye are of this world; I am not of this world. I said therefore unto you, that ye shall die in your sins: for if ye believe not that I am he, ye shall die in your sins (John 8:23-24).

Don’t foolishly die in your sins and suffer God’s wrath for all of eternity. God is love. Receive the love of God. Experience the love of God that is found in Jesus Christ alone.  For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life (John 3:16).

Do You Have The Son?

He that hath the Son hath life; and he that hath not the Son of God hath not life. These things have I written unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God; that ye may know that ye have eternal life, and that ye may believe on the name of the Son of God (1 John 5:12-13). God offers the atonement, the sacrifice of Jesus for guilty sinners like you and me. He did this out of His great love. There is no greater love than God’s love. He sent His only Son to suffer and die in our place. But you must receive the free gift of salvation. He that hath the Son have life.

How do you “have the Son?” You must repent and put your trust in Him. Jesus is the only Savior and you have to come to Jesus, His way. That way is repentance and faith. We are to have repentance toward God and faith in Jesus Christ our Lord. Oh, do you know that you have eternal life? If you died tonight, are you sure that you would go to Heaven?

Professing Christian: Has Jesus Changed Your Life?

You see a saved life is a changed life. Has Jesus Christ changed your life? Do you love God? Do you love reading the Bible? Do you pray to God? Do you worship God? Do you hate sin? Does it grieve you when you sin against God? These are just a few questions to ask yourself and you need to answer them honestly. You can fool your friends, but you can’t fool God. If you are still the same old dirty, rotten sinner that you’ve always been, then you are still lost and on the broad road to Hell. Don’t continue racing down that broad road. Jesus is the narrow way (Matthew 7:13-14). Choose life today. Choose eternal life. Repent and put your trust in Jesus.

Receive forgiveness of your sins. You can become a new creature in Christ. Jesus will meet you where you are. He met the tax collectors and harlots where they were. But they didn’t stay there. They didn’t continue in their sinful lifestyles. They turned from their sins and turned to Jesus. He took away their hearts of stone and gave them hearts of flesh. Our Lord can do the same for you tonight. If you repent and put your faith in Him. Surrender your life fully and completely to Jesus the Messiah. Be saved. Call upon the name of the Lord and be saved. Then instead of fearing God’s wrath, you will receive God’s love.

(This message was proclaimed in downtown Springfield, MO on December 16,2016)