Love Warns
Rob Bell may say love wins. Others may say there is no Hell. But we are here tonight to tell you that God will be glorified and true love warns. If you really love people, you warn them when they are in danger.
When a baby starts crawling around, we try to baby proof everything; like putting those plastic plugs in the electrical outlets. When I was growing up, they didn’t have those plugs so people had to warn kids not to stick anything in the outlets because they didn’t want the child to get shocked.
We warn people in the same way when it comes to a hot stove. At supper time, my wife will warn my daughter and I to watch out for the burner because the stove is still hot, even though she’s turned the burner off and moved the pan to a cold burner. My wife warns us not to touch the hot burner because love warns.
Severe Flooding
We’ve had a lot of flooding at the end of last year and the first of this year in various parts of the country. We’ve even had severe flooding here in the Ozarks. Toward the end of December 2015, we had 10 inches of rain in three days. Two people died and many people had to be rescued. Many roads were completely and dangerously covered with water. State workers put up road blocks to keep people from driving into dangerous situations.
Last summer and fall we had tremendous amounts of rain in Missouri and many bridges were damaged. They were washed out. How cruel would it be to let people drive off a bridge that had collapsed? That would be cruel. That would be negligent if the state knew that a bridge was out, but didn’t warn drivers.
Eternal Life
My friends and I feel the same way, except this is so much more serious. This isn’t just life or death. This is eternal life or eternal damnation. We aren’t talking about potential injuries or damage to automobiles. We are talking about where people will spend eternity – Heaven or Hell. And what does our warning people get us? We get accused of being those crazy Christians. We get accused of being hellfire and damnation preachers. We get accused of not loving people to Jesus.
But again I say, love warns. If you were heading down a road and the bridge was out and I knew it was out, but I didn’t want to say anything to you because I didn’t want to ruin your pleasant trip, wouldn’t that be unloving of me to keep quiet? So about a ½ mile away from where the bridge is out, I set up a lemonade stand and I’ve brought along some homemade chocolate chip cookies. I have a sign that says “Free Lemonade” and “Free Cookies.” I merely invite you to stop and take advantage of these free items.
But again, I don’t want to offend you or make your trip unpleasant, so I don’t tell you that the bridge is out. You drink the lemonade and eat a couple of cookies and you say thanks for the snacks. You get back into your car and wave as you drive off. I smile and wave back to you. You’re happy and I feel good about making you happy. Then you drive off the cliff and plunge to your death because there’s now a large whole where the bridge used to be.
Don’t you see how cruel that would be? Don’t you see how unloving that would be? Even though I fed you and gave you something to drink, I said nothing about the impending danger that you were in. Don’t you see that instead of making your short trip as pleasant as possible, what I really should have done is stop you from driving to your death by all means possible? I should have flagged your car down and tried to stop you. I should have frantically waved my arms in the air to get your attention. If you slowed down at all, I should have stood in front of you to force you to stop. If you stopped for a second, I should have wrestled the car keys from you. Since love warns, I should have warned you as sincerely as I possibly could.
Repent and Trust Jesus
My friends and I are out here tonight warning you, out of love that you need to repent and trust Jesus. The eternal flames of Hell are so much worse than dying in a car wreck. The flames of Hell never cease. They are never satisfied and your suffering for all of eternity doesn’t erase one single little white lie, let alone all of your sins. My friends and I aren’t any better than you. We are sinners who have been saved by grace. Someone warned us. Someone took the time to tell us about the horrors of Hell that await unrepentant sinners. Someone was willing to look or sound foolish, but they did so because love warns.
The soul that sins, it shall die (Ezekiel 18:20). Love warns. Son of man, I have made thee a watchman unto the house of Israel: therefore hear the word at my mouth, and give them warning from me. When I say unto the wicked, Thou shalt surely die; and thou givest him not warning, nor speakest to warn the wicked from his wicked way, to save his life; the same wicked man shall die in his iniquity; but his blood will I require at thine hand. Yet if thou warn the wicked, and he turn not from his wickedness, nor from his wicked way, he shall die in his iniquity; but thou hast delivered thy soul (Ezekiel 3:17-19). Love warns.
Surely thou didst set them in slippery places: thou castedst them down into destruction. How are they brought into desolation, as in a moment! they are utterly consumed with terrors (Psalm 73:18-19). Love warns. The face of the Lord is against them that do evil, to cut off the remembrance of them from the earth (Psalm 34:16). Evil shall slay the wicked: and they that hate the righteous shall be desolate (Psalm 34:21). Love warns.
But the wicked shall be cut off from the earth, and the transgressors shall be rooted out of it (Proverbs 2:22).The mouth of a righteous man is a well of life: but violence covereth the mouth of the wicked (Proverbs 10:11). The labour of the righteous tendeth to life: the fruit of the wicked to sin (Proverbs 10:16). The fear of the wicked, it shall come upon him: but the desire of the righteous shall be granted. As the whirlwind passeth, so is the wicked no more: but the righteous is an everlasting foundation (Proverbs 10:24-25). Love warns.
The integrity of the upright shall guide them: but the perverseness of transgressors shall destroy them. Riches profit not in the day of wrath: but righteousness delivereth from death (Proverbs 11:3-4). When a wicked man dieth, his expectation shall perish: and the hope of unjust men perisheth. The righteous is delivered out of trouble, and the wicked cometh in his stead (Proverbs 11:7-8). Love warns.
The wicked worketh a deceitful work: but to him that soweth righteousness shall be a sure reward. As righteousness tendeth to life: so he that pursueth evil pursueth it to his own death. They that are of a froward heart are abomination to the Lord: but such as are upright in their way are his delight. Though hand join in hand, the wicked shall not be unpunished: but the seed of the righteous shall be delivered (Proverb s 11:18-21). Love warns.
Hell Is Real! Jesus Says So
There was a certain rich man, which was clothed in purple and fine linen, and fared sumptuously every day: And there was a certain beggar named Lazarus, which was laid at his gate, full of sores, And desiring to be fed with the crumbs which fell from the rich man’s table: moreover the dogs came and licked his sores. And it came to pass, that the beggar died, and was carried by the angels into Abraham’s bosom: the rich man also died, and was buried; And in hell he lift up his eyes, being in torments, and seeth Abraham afar off, and Lazarus in his bosom. And 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. But Abraham said, Son, remember that thou in thy lifetime receivedst thy good things, and likewise Lazarus evil things: but now he is comforted, and thou art tormented (Luke 16:19-25). Love warns.
But if the wicked will turn from all his sins that he hath committed, and keep all my statutes, and do that which is lawful and right, he shall surely live, he shall not die. All his transgressions that he hath committed, they shall not be mentioned unto him: in his righteousness that he hath done he shall live. Have I any pleasure at all that the wicked should die? saith the Lord God: and not that he should return from his ways, and live? (Ezekiel 18:21-23) Love warns.
Love Warns! Love Warns! Love Warns!
Love warns! Love warns! Love warns! And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment (Hebrews 9:27). It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God (Hebrews 10:31).The wages of sin is death. We’ve all sinned and we all deserve God’s wrath. Unrepentant sinners who die in their sins will be like the rich man. They will die, be buried and then they will be in Hell. They will be in the torments of Hell for all of eternity. But you don’t have to die in your sins and go to Hell. Love warns.Jesus Christ is the only way of salvation. He is the only One who can take away your sins. He is the only One who can make you whole again. He can cleanse you. He can save you. But you must repent and trust Him. Jesus saves. Come to Jesus. Confess and forsake your sins.
For godly sorrow worketh repentance to salvation not to be repented of: but the sorrow of the world worketh death (2 Corinthians 7:10). Jesus said unless you repent you will likewise perish (Luke 13:3). He also said Enter ye in at the strait gate: for wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat: Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it (Matthew 7:13-14). Jesus warned about Hell. He warned about the broad road to destruction that so many, the majority of people are on. He said many there be which go in thereat. Jesus warned unrepentant sinners because love warns.
Jesus said enter into the strait gate and that few people find this gate. Why? Because people love their sins. Many people don’t want to bow their knee and confess with their tongue that Jesus is Lord. They don’t want to do this. They want to continue sinning and they don’t want to change their ways. But love warns. Jesus said that all liars will have their part in the lake which burns with fire and brimstone (Revelation 21:8). Does this include you? Are you a liar? Are you an unrepentant sinner? If so, then the flames of Hell await you after you die. We don’t want to see you go to that awful place. So we are pleading with you to get right with God. We are begging you to turn from your sins and turn to Jesus. We are asking you to repent and trust Jesus. Do this tonight before you perish in your sins. We are pleading with you tonight because love warns.
(This message was lifted up in downtown Springfield, MO on February 26, 2016)