Hell: The Echo and Insufficiency

This year at the Resolved conference the topics revolved around heaven and hell. Although I wasn't able to attend, listening to these powerfully thought provoking, convicting and encouraging messages has given me such a greater anticipation for the world we were made for as disciples of Christ...HEAVEN!

A few of the messages really stood out to me, one in specific was by John Piper in which he dealt with, as he put it, "the echo and insufficiency of hell". I want to briefly give u a bit of what I took away from the message and encourage you all to make time to listen to these messages yourself!

A. Hell: The truth, The echo
(Revelation 14:9-11 "A third angel followed them and said in a loud voice: "If anyone worships the beast and his image and receives his mark on the forehead or on the hand, he, too, will drink of the wine of God's fury, which has been poured full strength into the cup of his wrath. He will be tormented with burning sulfur in the presence of the holy angels and of the Lamb. And the smoke of their torment rises for ever and ever. There is no rest day or night for those who worship the beast and his image, or for anyone who receives the mark of his name.")
-Here we see five truths about hell
1. It is eternal
2. The suffering/torment of the people there
3. The consciousness of the people while suffering
4. The God-inflicted wrath (Matthew 8:12)
5. It is just, righteous and right
-God is the consitution, He has nobody to obey, there is nothing outside of Him to measure Him by
-Nobody will be in hell who does not deserve to be there (Romans 2:5, 1:18, and 3:5)
-God's unwaveing allegiance to uphold the value of what is infinitely valuable- HIS OWN GLORY
-Hell therefore is just
-Hell is meant to serve as an echo of the value of the glory of God
-Three hours of agony on a cross endured eternity in hell for millions and millions

B. The Insufficiency of Hell
-You can't scare someone into heaven, what cuts people to the heart is the tenderness and the graciousness of a Christ ready to save
-In Luke 5:1-10 we read of Peter's response to grace...where does his abhorence to himself come from? From a love for God's holiness.
-Genuine Gospel sorrow for sin is a sorrow for not having holiness
- True repentance is awakened by a delight in God and longing for His holiness...seeing how beautiful and amazing it is
-It is falling in love with all that God is for us in Jesus
-Hell can't produce satisfaction in God and can't produce repentance and can't save so it is therefore insufficient
-Hell scares people in the right direction only

DON'T LET THE FEAR OF HELL BE THE ENDPOINT OF REPENTANCE!