April 28, 2019

Home

Worship Services

Sermons

Location

Contacts

Bulletins

Links

WELCOME!
WE'RE GLAD YOU'RE HERE

We are a group of believers who simply try to follow the Bible as a guide for all we do. Everything done in our worship service is something for which we have a Bible basis. You are welcome to participate as much or as little as you wish. We will sing hymns together and we will observe the Lord's Supper or Communion together. We will also have an opportunity to give to the work of God in this area. This collection is for the members here, and if you are visiting you should not feel and pressure to give. Our lesson time will be divided into two groups. The young children will go to our classroom area in the basement where they will be taught the Bible at a level they can understand. The adults will stay in the auditorium for a lesson at an adult level. We do try to serve the community, and if you have some needs that we can help you with, mention it to one of the members. Thank you for worshipping with us.

FAMILY NEWS

ARE YOU SMELLING TOO GOOD? We have some folks in attendance at our services who have an allergic reaction to perfume. Adam and Eve survived without Chanel N°5, and we love you for what you are, not how you smell (or look). We are asking all of our members to reduce or eliminate the perfumes and/or fragrances so some of us can stop sneezing and having headaches! Thanks!

LADIES You are all invited to a Ladie's Fun Night on Friday, May 3, starting at 5:00 P.M. at Cynthia Clayton's. Bring finger foods and favorite games or movies.

NEXT SUNDAY — POTLUCK! Come whether you can bring a dish or not. We always have leftover food. After potluck at 2:15 join us at Timbers nursing home for a visit and devotional with the staff and residents. We need as many as possible to visit with the residents and help with the singing. The devotional is from 2:30 to 3:00.

FUN FAIR is approaching. We need your ideas and suggestions. We will be having meetings to share ideas after services Sunday and Wednesday. See Mandy Wallace if you have ideas and you cannot meet with us.

TODAY'S LESSON

HELL
John Clayton

INTRODUCTION — Four different words used for “hell”: in the Bible

A. Sheol — unseen state — Psalm 139:7-8

1. Psalm 9:17; 16:10; 18:5; 86:13
2. John 2:2
3. Amos 9:2
4. Isaiah 14:15; 28:15-18

B. Hades — realm of the dead — Matthew 11:23

1. Acts 2:27, 31
2. Revelation 1:18; 6:8; 20:13-14.

C. Gehenna — place of punishment for evil with annihilation

1. Matthew 10:28; 23:15
2. Luke 12:4-5

D. Tartarus — punishment for angels — 2 Peter 2:4

I. WHAT HELL IS — COMPLETE SEPARATION FROM GOD.

A. Matthew 25:31-46 (verse 32 and verse 41)
B. Place of darkness — Matthew 8:12

1. Jude 13
2. Matthew 6:23; 22:13; 25:30
3. Rom 13:12

C. Place of fire

1. Jude 7
2. Matt 25:41; 3:12; 5:22; 13:42

D. Tells us what hell is not.

II. WHAT HELL IS NOT — A PHYSICAL PLACE

A. A torture chamber — Matthew 10:28; Luke 12:4-5
B. Time ends at the Second Coming. Eternal is time related.
C. The rich man and Lazarus in Luke 16 is a parable.

1. “Lazarus” means “without help.”
2. Abraham is not a judge and is not God.

D. Judgment is not a court room. No debate.

1. Matthew 25:31-46 is explanations, not bargaining.
2. Nothing physical remains — 2 Peter 3:8-13

III. GOD'S JUDGMENT IS SURE, FAIR, LOGICAL.

A. Human standards are not relevant — Romans 2:2

1. Luke 16:15; Romans 9:14-16
2. God's mercy is not the same as ours.

B. We must not make ourselves the Judge.

IV. THINK, THINK, THINK!

A. Do you believe this life is all there is?

1. Where does your belief lead you?
2. Jesus gives you the best in this life.

B. Do you believe in God? Have you researched it?
C. Do you really want to make hell your only option?

THE BACK PAGE

HEAVEN AND HELL

Perhaps one of the most misrepresented teachings in the Bible is the biblical teachings about heaven and hell. In John 14:1-8, Jesus tells the disciples that he is going to prepare a place for us and Thomas reponded to Jesus, “Lord, we don’t know where you are going, how can we know the way?” The problem that Thomas had and that most of us have today is we try to understand heaven in a physical way. When Christ says, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No man comes to the Father except through me,” Philip responds with a request to see the Father in verse 8.

In today's world we see total skepticism about heaven and hell. Every poll done shows that people generally do not believe in hell and increasing numbers do not believe in heaven either. Jesus tried everything possible to get his followers to get away from making this life the focus of their existence, but to this day most people view hell as a place of flames with little men in red suits running around jabbing people with pitch forks, and even though things like “Far Side” in the comics are ridiculous, people do not think twice about the implications of their ignorance.

This is not to say that Christians have all the answers to what happens when we die — I certainly do not. Where is my loved one who died now? Are my parents who died denying Christ in hell? Can anyone do anything that would warrant being burned alive for eternity? Does God make exceptions? I just do not know all the answers — but I do know that most of the answers I hear people give are not true either.

What we need to understand is the basics. There is a God who created everything. The Bible is his Word. This life is not all there is, and what makes us up is not our physical bodies but our spiritual makeup which never dies. When the end comes the physical cosmos will be dissolved and time will end. Our existence from that point on will be timeless and eternal. We do not earn heaven and it is not up to us to judge to whom God chooses to show mercy, but refusing to do what God tells us to do to be sure to receive his mercy is foolish.

— John Clayton

Our sign by the street!

Our road is clean. Now God wants a clean heart!

Scripture links/references are from BibleGateway.com. Unhighlighted scriptures can be looked up at their website.