Sermons found for the topic Heaven & Hell

Playing with Fire: Can We Still Believe in Hell? - Luke 16:19-31

It’s easy to go to extremes whenever the topic of hell comes up. Either we focus on lurid descriptions of the damned burning in eternal torment or we avoid the topic altogether. Earlier generations tended to str More

What is Heaven Like? - Philippians 3:20-21

"Heaven is a place, just as much a place as is New York or Chicago.” Charles Ferguson Ball I begin this sermon with two statements that I believe to be almost universally true: Everyone wants to know about heave More

Playing with Fire: Can We Still Believe in Hell? - Luke 16:19-31

What must I do to go to hell? Here is the shocking answer: Nothing, nothing at all. If you do nothing about your soul, hell is where you will go. More

Payday Someday: Why I Believe in Heaven and Hell - Various

This morning we come face to face with the most basic question of all: What happens when we die? For thousands of years men and women have pondered this question and offered differing answers. The materialist says More

Never Be Surprised by Hard Times - 1 Peter 4:12-19

I begin with the words of British journalist Malcolm Muggeridge, from an interview with William F. Buckley: “As an old man, looking back on one’s life, it’s one of the things that strikes you most fo More

Inside the Pearly Gates: What Will We Do in Heaven? - Revelation 7:9-17

"Some day you will read in the papers that D. L. Moody, of East Northfield, is dead. Don’t you believe a word of it! At that moment I shall be more alive than I am now. I shall have gone up higher, that is all; More

Why Good People Won't Go to Heaven - Romans 10:1-4

I’d like to talk to you about who goes to heaven. We all know that the Bible teaches the reality of heaven and the reality of hell. Jesus himself spoke of both places many times. All of us, I’m sure, wo More

A Friend in High Places: “He Ascended into Heaven and Sits at the Right Hand of God the Father Almighty” - Various

This is one of the most remarkable statements in the Apostles’ Creed and it is also one of the most neglected areas of Christian doctrine. Even though we (along with all Christians) believe in the ascension of C More

Why We Keep Believing - Hebrews 11:13-16

Because Christians are aliens and strangers on earth, we are destined to live and die feeling slightly (and maybe more than slightly) out of place. But we will not quit, give up or go back because our home is in heaven. We have expectations of something much better than anything the world has to offer. More

Worthy is the Lamb - Revelation 5

The glory of heaven is the Lamb—Jesus Christ, whose victory is celebrated without end. Jesus is the focal point of heaven and the center of all attention. Without Jesus there would be no heaven at all. And without him none of us would ever have a chance to go there. More

The Strangest Part of the Creed: He Descended into Hell - I Peter 3:18-19

What happened to Jesus between his death and resurrection? We know his body was buried, but what about his spirit? Where was he and what was he doing between his death at 3:00 p.m. on Friday and his resurrection somet More

Born of a Virgin - Isaiah 7:14; Matthew 1:23

Christmas is an amazing time of year. Yesterday I ran across a statement that sums it up: “Isn’t it amazing that a baby born in a stable 2,000 years ago can cause traffic jams this week?” I am thankf More

Straight Talk About Predestination - Romans 9:19-29

In the history of the Christian church, few doctrines have been so hotly debated as the doctrine of predestination. Since predestination is a biblical concept, we must face this doctrine squarely whether we like it or not. It’s in the Bible, therefore we must first seek to understand it and then to ask what difference it makes. More

Sunrise at Bethlehem - Luke 1:78-79

On the first Christmas morning the sun began to shine in Bethlehem. Now that he has come into the world, nothing can ever be the same again. Now we have light in the darkness, pardon from our guilt, and peace that passes all understanding. More

What Happens When We Die? Article L: Future Reward and Punishment - Various

We live in a time when there is great fascination about life after death. S A few years ago Raymond Moody wrote a best-seller called Life After Life, which purported to detail the near-death experiences of men and w More

God Our Father - Matthew 6:9

The Lord’s Prayer answers the greatest question of the universe–Is there anybody up there who cares about me? Is there anybody up there who knows my name? And the answer comes back-Yes. Yes. Yes. There is a God in heaven who cares about you. And he is called Father. More

Will Everyone Eventually Be Saved? - II Peter 3:9

I can think of only four ways to answer the question raised in the title of this sermon:1) Everyone will eventually be saved.2) No one will eventually be saved.3) Some will be saved and some will be lost.4) There is n More

Can We Still Believe in Life After Death? - Luke 20:27-40

One day the Sadducees tried to trick Jesus with a very weird question. Jesus’ surprising answer teaches us a great deal about life after death. Our hope of the resurrection rests on the faithfulness of God. Our hope for the future rests not in science, not in speculation, not in some proof text, but in the character of God himself! More

He Ascended Into Heaven: Why It Still Matters Today - Acts 1:9

"After he said this, he was taken up before their very eyes, and a cloud hid him from their sight." Acts 1:9This is one of the most remarkable statements in Holy Scripture. We call it the ascension of Christ into h More

Why Christ Came - Luke 19:10

God has more grace in his heart than you have sin in your life. Jesus is a better Savior than you are a sinner. More

The Tragedy of Open-Minded Christianity - Revelation 2:12-17

Christians are narrow-minded about God’s truth. We believe something the chattering classes find incredible. We believe that God has spoken in his Word and that his Word is to be obeyed, not debated. More

Open My Eyes, Lord - Ephesians 1:15-23

God invites us to seek his face. He wants us to know him better. It’s not as if our Heavenly Father is hiding himself from us. But we can only have a close relationship with him if we will seek it in prayer. More

When Life Goes Bad - Revelation 2:8-11

To those who stand strong in the midst of trials, the best is yet to come. We will receive the “crown of life” and reign with Jesus forever. The “second death” in hell cannot touch us at all. More

Always Springtime in Heaven: I Believe in Life Everlasting - II Corinthians 5:8

This is the final message in the series on the Apostles’ Creed. When we started in January, there was snow on the ground. We end on a hot summer Sunday in July. Our church theme this year is “Back to Basic More

Something Big Is Happening Here - Ephesians 3:10

When we face hard times and when life makes no sense whatsoever, we need to stop and say to ourselves, “Something big is happening here.” God never wastes anything. Not even the tiniest tear falls without a purpose. More

Sleeping With the Enemy - Revelation 2:18-29

You can have the cheap thrills of the world and feel sick to your stomach the next morning. Or you can have Jesus now, a new life now, forgiveness now, real pleasure now, and you will one day rise to shine like the Morning Star. More

Death is Not the End of Our Story - 2 Corinthians 5:1-5

Death will not have the last word for Jesus has conquered the grave. Because he rose, we too shall rise. More

The Keys Of The Kingdom - Matthew 16:19

It was the the most important game of the season. The score was tied 2-2 in the bottom of the 10th inning. Andre Dawson reached first base with a walk. Up came Luis Salazar. He slams the ball into right field, way More

A Desperate Man’s Desperate Prayer - Jonah 2

God will do whatever it takes to bring us to the place where we remember him. He’ll stop at nothing. Whatever it takes to get us on our knees is good for our spiritual growth. More

Create in Me a Clean Heart: A Serious Call to Sexual Purity

I received an email from a young lady I have never met. She happens to live in a country on the other side of the world. Because she reads my weblog, she felt like she could write and share her heart with me. This is More

The Incomparable Christ: “Jesus Christ, His only Son, our Lord” - Philippians 2:9-11

Who is Jesus Christ? Of all the questions that might be posed to modern men and women, none is more important than this. It is no exaggeration to say that this is the central question of history and the most important More

Martin Luther's Highway to Heaven - Romans 1:16-17

It is a mark of our changing times that many people have only a vague idea who Martin Luther is. Most of us have heard his name but we’re not sure where he’s from or what he did or when he lived. Some of More

The Final Difference Between the Church and the World - Hebrews 11:29

At the Red Sea, the Hebrews were delivered while the Egyptians were destroyed. From this we learn that the church and the world have two different destinations. This is the final difference between them. More

It’s the Faith, Brother - Hebrews 11:3-7

There are those who have faith and those who don’t. And if you don’t have faith, you cannot please God. True faith, faith that rests on God and his Word and believes all that he has said, true faith sees the unseen and say, “Yes, it is true.” More

The Midway

If only a few people will be saved, how can there be a vast multitude in heaven? And why do so many people miss the narrow gate while many others find it? Life on the midway helps us answer those questions. More

Looking for a Second Chance: What About Purgatory and Postmortem Salvation? - Hebrews 1:3

Most people think that Catholics believe in purgatory and Protestants don’t. That statement needs qualification in two ways. First, the various Orthodox churches also believe in purgatory, though we don’t More

What is the Difference Between a Real Christian and a Religious Person? - John 3

Being religious is not the same as being a real Christian. Jesus said even the best among us must be born again. A religious person has religion; a Christian has been born again through personal faith in Jesus Christ. It’s as simple as that. Religion is good but Jesus is better. More

The Incredible Journey - Hebrews 11:8-10

Our focus in this message is on the man we often call “Father Abraham.” Hebrews 11:8-10 tells how he obeyed God’s call at great personal sacrifice. It tells us what he did; more importantly, it tells us why he did it. And it clearly shows us that obeying God doesn’t always work out the way we think it will. More

Are We All Hindus Now? - Exodus 20:1

Christians must reassert the supernatural basis of the Christian faith. We must not stutter where God has spoken clearly. And we must make clear the utterly exclusive claims of Jesus Christ. More

The Next Hero - Hebrews 11:39-40

Hebrews 11 is God’s “Perpetual Plaque” of those who lived by faith. And if you look closely, you can see there is plenty of room for more names. There’s room for you and there’s room for me. More

Why We Never Give Up - 2 Corinthians 4:16-18

You do the figuring. Which is greater? Your sorrows or the vast and immeasurable promises of God, made in his Word, guaranteed by the Spirit, and purchased for us in the death and resurrection of our Lord? More

The Triumphant Christ - 1 Peter 3:18-22

This is the hardest passage in the New Testament. That’s what my Greek professor said when we were studying I Peter in seminary. I recall him saying that there are so many possible views about these verses that More

Can I Lose My Salvation? - Philippians 1:6

I would like to begin with the observation that this is a controversial question in Christian circles. It would be difficult to find a subject about which believers are more deeply divided. To the question, “Can More

Korazin: Knowing Too Much and Believing Too Little - Matthew 11:20-24

Don’t make the mistake of Korazin and take Jesus for granted. The day of grace comes to an end sooner or later. What will you say in the day of judgment if you have neglected the Son of God? More

All One Body We: “The Communion of Saints” - Hebrews 12:1

“Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us& More

God's Simple Plan of Salvation - Romans 10:5-13

This is a very familiar passage of Scripture. Most of us know certain parts of it by heart. I have asked the Lord to do me a favor and not let me say anything new. I don’t want to say anything you haven’t More

We Shall Be Like Him: The Purifying Hope of Christ's Return - I John 3:1-3

Shortly before his recent death, ex-Beatle George Harrison was asked about his spiritual journey. The question was apt since it was Harrison who introduced the Beatles to Eastern religion in the 60s and (after the gro More

Farewell to Paradise: Cast Out That We Might Someday Return - Genesis 3:20-24

Adam could not go back and undo the original sin. And he could not stay forever in paradise. The deed was done and the wreckage was all around him. The only option left for him was to go forward. All of us have to come to grips with that sooner or later. The good news is that through Christ, The Tree of Life is waiting, the door has been opened, the Son of God has shed his blood, the price has been paid, the sacrifice made, atonement has been accomplished. More

Nothing More, Nothing Less, Nothing Else - Matthew 6:10

Praying “Your will be done” is an act of God-ordained rebellion. This is not a prayer for the weak or the timid. This is a prayer for troublemakers and rabblerousers. More

God’s Graffiti - Daniel 5

Babylon became great because of the sovereign blessing of God. In their greatness they forgot about God and began to take him for granted. God judged them and they were no longer a great nation. In the end God judges that nations who forget him, and that judgment often comes at the hands of another nation God raises up for that very purpose. More