Luke chapter 16, picking up in verse 19, there was a certain rich man which was clothed in purple and fine linen and fared sumptuously every day. There was a certain beggar named Lazarus which was laid at his gate full of sores and desiring to be fed with the crumbs which fell from the rich man's table. Moreover, the dogs came and licked his sores and it came to pass that the beggar died and was carried by the angels into Abraham's bosom. The rich man also died and was buried, and in hell, mark that, and in hell, he lift up his eyes, being in torments. And seeth Abraham afar off, and Lazarus in his bosom. And he cried and said, Father Abraham, have mercy on me and send Lazarus, that he may dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue, for I am tormented in this flame. But Abraham said, Son, remember that thou in thy lifetime receivest thy good things. And likewise Lazarus, again, that's the poor man, the beggar, evil things. But now he is comforted, and thou art tormented. And beside all this, between us and you, there is a great gulf fixed, so that they which would pass from hence to you cannot, neither can they pass to us that would come from thence. Then he said, I pray thee, father, that thou would send to my father's house. Look at this next verse. For I have five brethren. that he may testify unto them, lest they also come into this place of torment. Abraham saith unto him, They have Moses and the prophets, they have the Bible, let them hear them. And he said, Nay, father Abraham, but if one went unto them from the dead, they will repent. And he said unto him, If they hear not Moses and the prophets, neither will they be persuaded, though one rose from the dead. You may be seated. This morning, we're going to look at the fire of God's judgment, but I'd like to begin in the Old Testament. If you flip in your Bible to Genesis 19, we're going to walk through the Bible and see how God deals with sin. Genesis chapter 19, if you would. We're going to look at some examples in the Bible of God's judgment by fire. And God will judge men with fire, lost and saved. Genesis 19 and verse 24, the Bible says, Then the Lord rained upon Sodom and upon Gomorrah brimstone and fire from the Lord out of heaven. God rained fire and brimstone on unrepentant homosexuality. The fire of God fell and consumed an entire city. The two cities of Sodom and Gomorrah. God judged that sin with fire. Unrepentant sin. Let's flip over to Exodus 32. Another example of the fire of judgment. Exodus chapter 32. Here we have God's people. They've left the promised land. They're at Mount Sinai and they make a mistake. The man of God is gone and another stands up and leads him astray. Exodus chapter 32 and verse 20, the Bible says, and he took the calf which they had made and burnt it in the fire and ground it to powder and strawed it upon the water and made the children of Israel to drink. Again, fire, the judgment fire. Every idol will be burned. There are people today, people maybe that you know, that are trusting in idols. On that day of judgment, they expect help from their idol. They don't even believe in Jesus, maybe. Maybe Buddha. Maybe someone's trusting in Buddha. But here in the States, many people are trusting in Mary, the Blessed Mother, to help them on that day. Many are trusting in the saints, the relics, these idols. The Bible says, for there is one mediator between God and men, the man, Christ Jesus. You cannot trust in an idol. And here God shows us what He does to idols. He destroyed it, burnt it with fire. Now I'd like you to turn to Leviticus chapter 10. We're looking at the fire of God's judgment. And you'll see that God does not play with sin. People think the preacher's hard. Open your Bible. tried to uphold it, but God was very tough on sin. Leviticus chapter 10, we're going to read verses 1 through 3. And Nadab and Abihu, the sons of Aaron, took either of them his censer, and put fire therein, and put incense thereon, and offered, here it is, strange fire before the Lord, which he commanded them not. And there went out fire from the Lord, and devoured them, and they died before the Lord. And Moses said unto Aaron, This is it that the Lord spake, saying, I will be sanctified in them that come nigh me, and before all the people I will be glorified. And Aaron held his peace. This is the problem with a lot of churches today, a lot of churches in America, a lot of churches in Pennsylvania, a lot of churches down the street, is they're offering to God strange fire. in their worship. They are offering strange fire worship. The song service is supposed to honor and glorify a holy God, but instead they darken the lights and they turn it into a rock concert, and they expect that God is there. God is not there, and if you offer strange fire, beware. Today we're in church, and you've come I hope you didn't offer strange fire. I hope it came from your heart as you said, I will follow Jesus. And if you'll follow Jesus, you'll be found in maybe some places in the city that you wouldn't normally go. But because there's sinners there on the way to hell, on the way to eternal fire, you must go. You must follow Jesus down to the places that you wouldn't normally take your children. But you go there as a light in a dark world saying there is a coming judgment. There's coming fire. Repent of your sin. people that you know, co-workers, people that are on your heart of burden, telling them of a coming fire. I hope today that you offered to God the right fire, that in your worship you sang to Jesus, you sang for God. I hope you did. As you serve in the church, I hope you're not serving for men. I hope you're serving for Jesus. I hope it's for Unto him be glory in the church. I hope that's what it's for today. God wants to treat him as a holy God when we worship. And those that are changing the worship of God in this country should beware because God doesn't take it lightly. Contemporary music, they're worshiping God in the wrong way and they don't have God's results. Oh, they have professions, they have numbers, but not God. Professions are not salvation. Here, in another passage, in Leviticus 20, we see an example. Leviticus 20, verse 14. If you want to turn, go ahead. If not, and you want to listen, that's fine too. But here's an example of judging fire on incestuous relationships, incest. Leviticus 20 and verse 14, the Bible says, And if a man take a wife and her mother, it is wickedness. They shall be burnt with fire, both he and they, that there be no wickedness among you. What's going to come out is God cannot stomach sin. God cannot stomach wickedness. And there will be judgment from God. Leviticus 21 and verse 9, just a few pages over. We'll see the whore judged by fire. The adulterous woman, Leviticus 21 and verse nine. And the daughter of any priest, if she profane herself by playing the whore, she profaneth her father, she shall be burnt with fire. You say that's hard. God is a God of love for God so loved the world, but God is a God of judgment. And we are no preacher if we don't warn. Yes, the God of love. Yes, the God of judgment also. Numbers chapter 11, very first verse. We'll see the judging fire for complainers. The Bible says here in Numbers 11, in verse 1, it says, And when the people complained, think, are you a complainer? Do you complain about what the church does? Are you always finding fault? When the people complained, it displeased the Lord. Why no revival? Why no rich blessings in your life? It displeased the Lord. And the Lord heard it, and His anger was kindled, and the fire of the Lord burnt among them, and consumed them that were in the uttermost parts of the camp. Then we'll look at the fire of God's judgment in Joshua 7. On the disobedient. Joshua 7 and verse 25. Joshua 7, verse 25. We'll come to the story of Achan. Here it says, So many truths to be taken from the lesson of Achan. But this morning, I'd like to ask a question. Is there an Aiken here this morning? Is there someone slipping behind the back of the preacher, messing around with sin on your internet, on your smartphone, pornography, whatever it is? Are you thinking you're getting by with it? The judgment of fire, beware. Can a man take fire in his bosom and his clothes not be burned? You're there alone and there's no accountability and you're looking at something wrong. Can a man take fire in his bosom into your mind and your clothes not be burned? It will affect your life and it will mess up your relationship and that's why we have divorce because we're losing our morals in America. People are breaking down the morals and kids can't get off their phones and people are on there. I'm not preaching against smartphones. I'm preaching, like every preacher preached against moral vices that came up through the generations. I'm saying, beware. The devil is deceitful. He can take good things, things that are so profitable, and he'll catch you unaccountable. Strange fire, God will judge by fire. The blessings, the spiritual victory was prevented by one man's disobedience. Are you that man in this church today? Are you preventing God's hand? Now I'd like to look at, and I'm not going to ask you to turn to these verses, but it's amazing The judging fire upon the wicked in the Old Testament. Let me read a verse out of Psalms 11, six. Upon the wicked he shall reign snares, fire, and brimstone, and an horrible tempest. This shall be the portion of their cup. The Bible says the way of the transgressor is hard. That's their portion in this life. A horrible tempest. Psalms 21, verse nine, the Bible says thou shalt make them as a fiery oven in the time of thine anger, the Lord shall swallow them up in his wrath, and the fire, hell, shall devour them. Psalm 68, verse two, as smoke is driven away. Listen to the illustrations God gives, amazing. As smoke is driven away, so drive them away. As wax melteth before the fire, so let the wicked perish at the presence of God. Psalms 140 in verse 10, let burning coals fall upon them. Let them be cast into the fire, into deep pits, that they rise not up again. Then in Isaiah 9 in verse 19, through the wrath of the Lord of hosts is the land darkened. Get this, this is powerful. The people shall be as the fuel of the fire. No man shall spare his brother. Isaiah chapter 33 verses 12 through 14, and the people, again, shall be as the burnings of lime, as thorns cut up. If you're a farmer here today, you go through and you've got piles of rubble that you're going to burn. This is what God's saying here. As thorns cut up, shall they be burned in the fire, stacked on top. Hear ye that are far off what I have done. Ye that are near, acknowledge my might. The sinners in Zion are afraid. It's okay to be afraid of God. It's okay to walk circumspectly with fear of God. The sinners in Zion are afraid. Fearfulness has surprised the hypocrites. Who among us shall dwell with the devouring fire? Who among us shall dwell with everlasting burnings? The Old Testament, what God says about judging Fire, fire by judgment. So that was the fire of God's judgment on the wicked. But there will be a fire, a coming day. God said, I will no longer destroy the earth with water, but with fire. Second Peter 310, but the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night, in which the heavens shall pass away with a great noise, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat. The earth also and the works that are therein shall be burned up. Washington, D.C., burnt by fire. New York and all its high rises burnt by fire. your beautiful home, your nice car, the things you have, even your money will be burned by fire. It's all going to go and be consumed by fire. Let's turn over to Hebrews chapter Bible says in Hebrews chapter 9 and verse 27, and as it is appointed unto men, once to die, but after this, the judgment. We see that judgment laid out for us in Revelation 20. Over in Revelation 20, verses 10 through 15. The Bible says, Christian, listen. I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God, and the books were opened. And another book was opened, which is the book of life. And the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books according to their works. And the sea gave up the dead which were in it, and death and hell delivered up the dead which were in them. And they were judged, every man, according to their works. And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire, This is the second death and whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire There's a fire prepared for Christians But thank God Jesus Christ has saved our souls and at the end of the day We may have made mistakes these things may be consumed with fire, but we have our salvation we have our Savior and and the blood of Jesus Christ, Bible says, cleanses us of our sin. And we stand before God sanctified, redeemed, on our way to heaven, guaranteed by God. But think this morning of the people you passed on your way to church. The people that have no respect for the day, for the Lord's day. They also will stand. And that's what I read. That's the account I read. There is a time of fire, judgment of fire coming from God for them. And yet we sleep. in church, and it doesn't affect us. No, it was the Word of God I read this morning. Judgment of fire. 2 Corinthians chapter 5 in verse 10. Here we see what's going to happen to the Christian. For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, that everyone may receive the things done in his body according to that he hath done, whether it be good or bad. Verse 11. Knowing therefore the terror of the Lord, we persuade men. Romans 3.23, the Bible says, for the wages of sin is death, hell for all of eternity. So I'd like to talk in the New Testament about the fire of hell, God's judgment on the lost man for eternity. The Bible says in Matthew 13 verses 41 and 42, I'm not going to turn there, I have it here. The Son of Man shall send forth his angels, and they shall gather out of his kingdom all things that offend, and them which do iniquity, and shall cast them into a furnace of fire, and there shall be wailing and gnashing of teeth. In hell there will be wailing. I don't know about you, but a baby's cry, I ask my wife, I can't stand a crying child. I gotta learn patience. Wailing, but think about it in hell. I have a man that we pick up for church in Gary, Indiana, and that man had a little baby, and the babysitter left that child upstairs, and the candle lit. The candle fell over. And that baby was consumed in the flames. Imagine if you were standing on that block, and from the upstairs window, the screams of that child. This is hell. This is what hell is like. Open your mind today to hell. There's so much more you could think about, yes. But at some point, you must think of hell. Christian, you have a responsibility. Think of hell. The Bible says also there will be gnashing of teeth. You see in the stoning of Stephen in Acts 7 verse 54, that they gnashed on him with their teeth. Why did they do that? Because they were pricked in their heart. It was because of anger. And in hell, there will be anger. People will be gnashing on each other with their teeth. I can see children gnashing on their parents. Why did you prevent me from coming to church? I'm in hell! Mom said, no, you can't go to that church. Oh, that Sunday school bus came by? No, you can't go. Fathers. preventing their children from going to church. Maybe husbands and wives end up in hell together, and they gnash on each other with their teeth. Why do we never get in church? Why do we never go to the house of God and hear the word preached? Or maybe they heard the word and they walked away and said, it's for another day. It's not for today. I don't need God. That's what America's saying wholeheartedly. Almost across our nation, people are saying, I don't need God. And in hell, there'll be gnashing of teeth, anger, frustration. screaming because they rejected Jesus Christ. The Bible says in Mark chapter 9 and verse 44, speaking of hell, where there a worm, dieth not, and the fire is not quenched. Christian, please, today I ask you, open your mind, consider the judgment of fire for lost men. The fire is not quenched. It will never be put out. The Bible says they will be forgotten of God. And to you who are troubled, rest with us, when the Lord Jesus shall be revealed from heaven with his mighty angels in flaming fire, taking vengeance on them. Here it is, that know not God, and that obey not the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ, who shall be punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of his power. In hell, you'll find the devil. We saw that in Revelation 20. The devil that deceived them. There's a spiritual warfare going on. So many people deceived by Satan. it is his ministry it is his job and he's working overtime deceiving people and they'll find themselves in hell there will be lost men in hell revelation 2015 and whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire Revelation 21, eight, but the fearful, and unbelieving, and the abominable, and murderers, and whoremongers, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone, which is the second death. Now I'd like to take a moment, and we're gonna look at some lost people in hell. I think there's some categories. Preachers in hell. Priests in hell. Many, many religious people In hell. Where do you take that from? Matthew 7, verse 22. Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name, and in thy name have cast out devils, and in thy name done many wonderful works? Then will I profess unto them, I never knew you, depart from me, ye cursed into everlasting fire. Many religious people in hell. Many churches, pastors will be in hell because they led their people astray. They led them to lean on Mary. They led them to lean on whatever, a false Christ, a false gospel. Thank God that you have a true gospel, that your preacher is leading you in the right way, that you have a wonderful church. Praise the Lord. So also, many more will go to hell than will go to heaven. Matthew 7 verses 13-14. Enter ye in at the straight gate. And it goes on and describes it and it says, Few there be that find it, the way to heaven. Few there be that find it. Now I'd like to take a moment on this next point. Church kids will be in hell. church kids. Many are banking on a prayer that they made as a child and their parents have assured them they're saved. Let the Holy Spirit do that. I struggled for eight years because a camp counselor said, you're saved. Preacher read my testimony this morning. I praise God that at 13 the Holy Spirit said, you're not saved. And it was the fires of hell, the fearing of God's judgment that drove me to my knees to ask God for salvation. Don't assure your kids they're saved. God's big enough to do that. The Bible says the Holy Spirit will witness in our heart that we're the sons of God. Let the Holy Spirit do that work in your child's heart. Don't send your kids to hell assuring them they're saved. I believe there'll be church members in hell. I knew an evangelist who traveled all over the states, and he would take a survey and ask people to give their testimony of salvation. And he said, of the percentage, he said, over a third, I doubt are even saved. Church members. We're talking about something serious this morning. We're preaching on God's judging fire. It's no light topic. No light topic at all. So we go back to our passage in Luke 16. We saw examples in the Old Testament of the judgment of God's fire. We saw examples in the New Testament that it's hell. And I want to take a moment and talk about why the door of hell is open for us. He said, I have five brethren. Every man, woman, boy, or girl in hell has relatives that they don't want to go there. Are you desperately trying to win men and women to Christ? Have you witnessed to that barber, that lawyer, your boss, your co-worker? The Bible says in Proverbs 29 verse 18, where there is no vision, the people perish. And I say it's because we don't have a vision of hell, people are perishing that we know, that we meet on a daily basis. Why are they not saved? Sure, they may make a choice, but have you done your part? Has hell driven you to talk to them and tell them of Christ? We as Christians need to take a long look at hell. Christ paints the picture for us of the future of lost men. Will we let God take the time to break our hearts? I love this passage because here a beggar goes to heaven. A beggar. He received evil things in his life. And that tells me God's no respecter of persons. God's no respecter of persons. I love to go out to the underprivileged, and I love to go to these homes where they're broken by sin, broken by the devil, and I love to tell them of Jesus Christ. I love to tell them that there is a fountain filled with blood, drawn from Emmanuel's veins, and all the sin they've ever done can be washed away if they'll put their faith and trust in Jesus Christ. Now, to the children that are here today, are you on your way to heaven? Is your name found written in the book of life? Maybe adults, church members. Maybe you're here today and you've never been saved. The door of hell is open so that you can see if you're lost today that hell is a real place. It's a place of darkness. It's a place, it's a bottomless pit. Once the door of hell is open and your soul is cast into hell and the door closes, you're never coming out. For all of eternity, your screams, and your wailings, and you're forgotten of God and forgotten of men. There's no way a father could enjoy heaven knowing his son is burning in hell. God must wipe away the tears. God must take away that memory. You're forgotten of God and man. Jesus put this story in the Bible to warn you that he sees everything you do. God has a record of all your sin. You must realize that you are condemned. John 3, 18. He that believeth on him is not condemned, but he that believeth not is condemned already. You say, but preacher, I've only sinned once, five times, maybe six. Bible says if you offend the law on one point, you're guilty. You're guilty. Maybe you're here today. You say, what's that preacher talking about? I've never heard a message on hell. I've never heard that there's a judging fire of God waiting for us. I didn't take the time to get into it, Christians, there's also a judging fire. All your works, everything that you do, what's your priority? What's on your priority list? Is it the gospel? Is it soul winning? Is it souls? If not, what are you spending your life on? At that day, on judgment day, the fire's gonna take all those things away. And what's gonna be left is the souls of those unfortunate that you brought to church. And brought them to a savior, and Jesus saved them. Oh, what joy! I've got two girls right now we're praying for, Eugenica and Malika. They're on my heart. Lost. Thirteen kids in that house. Three families living there, underprivileged. But you know what? Those girls come and they listen at church. They listen! And Christians, they put us to shame. A week later, we were at their house. They told me verbatim what the preacher talked about. They're listening. They're hungry for the gospel. Christian, are you listening today? Will you get a vision of hell? Young person. Well, you get a vision of hell. I'll tell you what it'll do. You'll work for God. You'll work, and it doesn't matter who you are, what your prestige is, how much money you have in the bank account, you'll work for God because you want to have at that day, on that day of judging fire, when everything else is consumed and all is left, you want to have souls, people in heaven with you. If you're here today and you don't know Jesus Christ as your Savior, at the front during the invitation, there'll be someone that would be more than happy to talk to you. You need to get that matter settled. My testimony, as was told, was I fought God, and I feel today that some are fighting God. You wonder why there's no fire burning in your soul, why church is dead, why you're a rebel. It's because Jesus is not there. Will you come today and ask Jesus to forgive you for your sin and believe that He rose again from the dead, that He stands at the right hand of the Father, praying right now for your soul, praying for you, praying that you will realize you're a sinner, that you will listen to the preacher, the man that came today to warn you about the fires of God's judgment. If you