“The King is Coming” Sunday, 20 March 2022 10:00 a.m.
We are continuing our series leading up to the Easter season entitled: “Resurrection: Power Over Death.” Last week we talked about the devil; that he is a dangerous offender. He has been a murderer from the beginning. But Jesus broke the devil’s power with regards to sin and death. How did He do it? Jesus shared in our humanity; He became flesh and blood; He was the sinless sacrifice who carried our sin. He became sin for us and by His death on the cross, God sees us now through the blood of Christ as righteous and holy. He destroyed sin’s power over us. And by rising from the dead, Christ displayed His power over death as well.
This Sunday, I want to talk about hell; it’s a real place that Jesus spoke about numerous times in the Bible, directly and through parables. Many have fictionalized, glamorized and fantasized about this place called hell; they’ve made it look like a desirable place to go, where the devil is keeping the gate with his pitchfork in his hand. But the truth is that it's a place of torment and suffering. It is described as eternal separation, everlasting fire, weeping, darkness and torment. It is a place that's created by God because of the sin and disobedience of the devil and his fallen angels. But as mankind after the Fall sinned and died, they too became victims of hell.
In the Old Testament Hebrew it speaks of a place called hell or “sheol”; the word used to describe the realm of the dead. It simply means “the place of the dead” or “the place of departed souls/spirits.” Other Scriptures in the New Testament indicate that sheol/hades is a temporary place where unrighteous souls are kept as they await the final resurrection. The souls of the righteous, at death, go directly into the presence of God.
The Old Testament speaks of an earthly ruler, the king of Babylon who, at death, made his way into “sheol”. It is interesting to note the specific realities of this place. It seems that there is a spiritual, demonic awareness in hell that an important person is coming through the gates! And the greeting is one of mocking and jeering to one who considered himself high and mighty.
Isaiah 14:9 “Hell from beneath is excited about you, to meet you at your coming; It stirs up the dead for you, all the chief ones of the earth; it has raised up from their thrones all the kings of the nations.10 They all shall speak and say to you: ‘Have you also become as weak as we? Have you become like us?
But there is another King coming; and coming soon; and we can have a spiritual awareness of His coming. King Jesus will one day appear and set up His millennial kingdom on this earth.
Matthew 24:30 Then the sign of the Son of Man will appear in heaven, and then all the tribes of the earth will mourn, and they will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory.
All the wicked shall mourn at the prospect of their doom…their mourning on that day of judgment will be chiefly that they have pierced, killed, rejected the Saviour, and that they deserve the condemnation that is coming upon them. But for us who have received Him, and are part of His Kingdom; this will be a day of rejoicing, praise and adoration.
Join us in person on Sunday at 10:00 a.m. or via livestream by going to https://www.firstbaptistsudbury.com and clicking on livestream for “The King is Coming.”
(Face covering requirements are in effect) Kevin
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