See You in Hell — E.A. Johnston

I was standing in line at a retail store, and standing in front of me was a young lesbian woman in her early 20s, with a butch haircut, ripped jeans, and a defiant look on her face. She was holding in her hand a drink tumbler, and she set it down on the counter to pay her bill.

The “See You in Hell” Slogan and a Generation Without Faith

On her drink tumbler was a big decal that said, see you in hell. That bothered me. It bothered me on several levels, because that statement summed up a slogan for a generation that is going to hell and they don't care one bit about it.

Hell is a joke to them. They have no reality of its truth. Well my daughter was out waiting for me in the car, and when I got there I related to my daughter, who's a college kid, what I had just seen, and I asked her to explain to me why someone would have a decal like that on their cup, because I didn't understand her generation at all.

Could she please explain to me her generation? My daughter said that it's not the fact that her generation doesn't believe in hell, or that they don't believe in God or even the Bible. The fact is they don't believe in anything.

They just don't believe in anything, nor do they care. See you in hell is the motto of this no-hell generation. But I had to ask myself, why do they feel that way? Whose fault is it? Can we put the blame on a topsy-turvy society that is spinning out of control?

Can we put the blame on a government and a judicial system that has legislated God out of the land? Can we put the blame on our liberal educational system that's kicked God out of the door of public schools way back in 1962?

I believe each of these are contributing factors to a small degree, but they are only the result of the failure of the biggest institution in America, which is the American church, which has failed miserably to preach about hell.

The Church’s Failure to Preach the Gospel and Hell

We quit preaching the gospel 60 years ago when we walked God out the back door of our church and invited the world in. We have failed as parents to this lost generation that grew up in church in a home, but in a home where the parents maintained a do-as-I-say religion instead of a do-as-I-do godly example.

Our teenagers saw right through us, and they became bored with the activities we had for them at church, giving them pizza nights and movie nights instead of bringing them to a prayer meeting where they could find the broken-hearted people of God on their faces before God in intercession and prayer for the sins of a nation and the lost in our communities, but we kicked the weekly prayer meeting out the door as well in our churches.

The sad fact is that lesbian girl more than likely grew up in a church, but her generation found no reality of God there. I'll see you in hell is the motto for our day of a generation that doesn't give a hell about God or anything else, and if a thrice-holy God leaves them to themselves, they will surely end up in that place of torment and misery called hell.

Jesus’ Teaching on the Reality of Hell

The title of my message today, friends, is See You In Hell, and my text can be found in the Gospels. We're going to take a look today what our Lord Jesus had to say about hell because it was on a cross on Calvary that a blood-stained Savior for sin was nailed up there, a God who must punish sin, and he must punish it in a sin substitute or in the sinner.

There's some dreadful and solemn truths that Jesus spoke about on hell. First, Jesus said that hell is a region of darkness. In Matthew 8, 12, Jesus said,. But the children of the kingdom shall be cast out into outer darkness.

Hell as a Region of Fire

That makes me think of outer space. It's so dark in hell. You can't see your hand in front of your face. That alone will drive you insane. Secondly, hell is a region of fire. Jesus said in Matthew 25, 41,.

Then shall he say unto them on the left hand, Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels. And in Mark 9, 48, Jesus declared this about hell,. Where the worm doth not, and the fire is not quenched.

Hell as a Place of Torment

Number three, hell is a place of torment, friends. In Matthew 22, 13, Jesus declared,. Then said the king to the servants,. Bind him hand and foot, and take him away, and cast him into outer darkness.

There shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth. Weeping speaks of great loss and grief. Gnashing of teeth signifies great anger and regret. And in Luke's gospel in chapter 16, we see the rich man, who in hell, he lift up his eyes being in torments.

Hell as Everlasting Punishment and the Fear of God

Fourth, hell is forever, and it's a place of never-ending punishment. In Matthew 25, 46, Jesus declared,. And these should go away into everlasting punishment. Put the righteous unto life eternal. And Jesus said to develop a holy fear of God, who has power to cast you into hell.

In Luke 12, he said,. And I say unto you, my friends, be not afraid of them that kill the body, and after that have no more that they can do. But I will forewarn you whom ye shall fear, fear him which after he hath killed hath power to cast into hell.

The Warning to Repent Before Judgment

Yea, I say unto you, fear him. Listen to me, friend, I'm here to warn you about a place of punishment for sin called hell, and unless you repent, you will surely go there. But I won't see you in hell, but I'll see you at the judgment.

You have been warned about the realities of hell in this message. Trust me, friend, you don't want to go there. Turn to the Christ of the gospel, who stepped out of heaven to come down here so we can go up there.

Christ’s Earthly Ministry and Crucifixion

Jesus came into this world doing good. He healed the sick, gave sight to the blind, he fed the hungry, and satisfied the weary. Yet what happened? Wicked men cried away with him and nailed him to a cross.

On Calvary, the Son of God bore the curse, becoming sin for us. There, on that ignoble tree, Jesus suffered and died. He was buried in another man's tomb, and he rose again and ascended back into the heaven he came out of.

He now sits on a heavenly throne at the right hand of the Father, and he earned that right by way of a bloody cross. Turn to him, friend, and trust in him for pardon of sin. Jesus is the only remedy and refuge for sin.

Repentance and Faith in Jesus Christ

He can save you, friend, if you'll turn to him. He can save you from that eternal damnation in hell if you come to him in repentance, confessing you are a sinner, and own him as Savior and Lord. Come to this blessed Savior from sin, the Lord Jesus Christ, and believe on him.

Listen, friend, if you miss him as your Savior, you will one day face him as your judge. Repent before it's too late.