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Psalm 90 verse 3, actually beginning of verse 1, the Bible reads, Lord, thou hast been our dwelling place in all generations. Before the mountains were brought forth, or ever thou hast formed the earth and the world, even from everlasting to everlasting, thou art God. Thou turnest man to destruction, and sayest, return, ye children of men. Now the part of the chapter I want to focus in there is verse 3 where it says, thou turnest man to destruction. The title of the sermon this evening is destruction and mercy. Destruction and mercy. You see, our God is a God who destroys. He's a God who, destruction is a part of the nature of God. And we're going to get into this a little bit and why that's important. But of course the first thing we could talk about, something that God would destroy, would be our own physical bodies. We grow old one day, and one day if we live long enough we're all going to die. Go ahead and jump down to verse 10. It says, the days of our years are three score and ten, and if by reason of strength they be four score years, yet their strength and labor, and yet is their strength, labor, and sorrow, for it is soon cut off and we fly away. So obviously the first thing we can look at in the scripture and see is that God destroys the body. That one day our bodies are destined to be destroyed. That they'll go down to the earth and return to the dust. And if you don't believe that, just stick around. You'll find out soon enough. But I think everyone understands that. And the reason why that is, why our bodies are destroyed, well that's the result of sin. The Bible says in Romans chapter 5 verse 12, wherefore as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin, and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned. And that's why our bodies are destroyed, is because of sin. The Bible says in Genesis chapter 2, and the Lord God commanded man saying, of the tree of the garden of Eden thou mayest freely eat, but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil thou shalt not eat of it. For in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die. Now it's important to note in that scripture, it says that in the day thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die. But we all know, if we've read our Bibles, that Adam didn't die in that day. That he went on and lived and had children. But God did say that in the day thou eatest thereof thou shalt die. So what did he mean by that? Well that would be the other thing that God destroys. That would be the destruction or the death of a soul. That's the other thing that God destroys, is a soul. We would know that if we're going out soul winning. Many of us are probably turning to Revelation chapter 20 verse 14 and pointing people to the second death. We'll say, hey you know the wages of sin is death, and part of that wage is not just your physical death, but one day you're going to experience what's called the second death. That's God destroying the soul. The Bible says in Psalm 88, shall thy loving kindness be declared in the grave, or thy faithfulness in destruction? So we see that death and destruction and the grave, these are things that are synonymous with one with another. Now this destruction of the soul, this aspect of God's nature where he destroys the destruction of the soul, it takes place in hell. It takes place in hell. And if you would turn over to 2 Thessalonians chapter 1, 2 Thessalonians chapter 1. And it comes to everyone unless they get saved. The Bible says that as appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment. So yes there's the destruction of the body, but after that there's also the judgment where God destroys the soul. The Bible says in 2 Thessalonians chapter 1, and to you who are troubled, rest with us, when the Lord Jesus shall be revealed from heaven with his mighty angels, inflaming fire, taking vengeance on them that know not God, and that obey not the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ. Look at verse 9, who shall be punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of his power. Now this destroying of the soul in this place called hell, we have to understand that hell and destruction are made by God. It wasn't made by somebody else and God inherited it or it's just something that God has no control over. It's something that God made. He made destruction. He made a place to destroy the soul. It says in verse 9 there, everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord. There's a lot of people today that would like to read that in this way. They'd like to interpret that and say, well that means that the everlasting destruction is that you are not with the presence of the Lord. That's the misinterpretation of the scripture and that's contrary to other scriptures that we'll see in a minute. What it's saying there is that that everlasting destruction comes from the Lord. He's the one that gives it. He's the source of it. If you would turn over to the book of Romans. Matthew, book of Matthew. You're turning to Matthew chapter 25. Matthew 25. Destruction comes from the Lord. He is the one who made it. Matthew chapter 25, I'll read to you from Psalm 139. O Lord thou has searched me and known me. If I send up into heaven thou art there. If I make my bed in hell thou art there. So this everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord it's not a separation from God. Like a lot of this neo-Christianity wants to teach, this soft Christianity wants to teach that it's just a separation from God. God's there. He says, thou art there. If I'm in hell, behold, thou art there. Everlasting destruction is from the Lord. He's the one who made it. You're in Matthew chapter 25. Look at verse 41. Then shall he say also unto them on the left hand, depart from me ye cursed into everlasting fire prepared for the devils and his angels. So the question is, who prepared it? That would be the Lord. God is the one that prepared that everlasting fire. Turn over to Revelation chapter 14. Revelation chapter 14. God made this place called hell where people are destroyed, where their souls are destroyed in an everlasting destruction. It's not that it's destroyed and they go into what these Jehovah Witnesses want to call soul sleep. It's an everlasting destruction. It's constantly being destroyed. It's everlasting fire. Look at Revelation chapter 14. The Bible reads in verse 9, The angel followed them, saying with a loud voice, If any man worship the beast in his image and receive his mark in his forehead and on his hand, the same shall drink of the wine of the wrath of God which is poured out from the mixture into the cup of his indignation. And he shall be tormented with fire and brimstone in the presence of the holy angels and in the presence of the Lamb. God is present. The Lamb is present where these people are being destroyed in everlasting fire. Now a lot of people, I make this point because there's a lot of people out there that they object to this. People that would call themselves Christians and specifically I want to narrow in on one group that would want to fall under the umbrella of Christianity and that would be Mormons. I've run into more than one Mormon who said the words to me, I just don't think that's fair. I don't think that's that's fair to the people that go to hell, that they have to go there forever. And I've had him explain to me, and I didn't realize it until just recently, but Mormons have their own version of purgatory. Did you know that? They have their own purgatory, they have their own indulgences, being baptized for the dead. They claim this isn't fair of God, for him to destroy somebody eternally, to have God put everlasting destruction upon a soul. So they've made up this false doctrine to counter it. They've made up this false doctrine. The Bible does an album, read to you from Mormon Wiki, where it says two aspects, that's a thing, it's a good resource if you want to know, I know it sounds funny, but if you want a good resource on Mormonism, Mormon Wiki is a good place to go. It says there on this website, two aspects of indulgences touch the doctrines of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. First, that there is a space between death and the final judgment. There's a space between death when you die and the final judgment when God resurrects everybody and they stand before God to be judged. They say that there's a space there during which spirits can make decisions, repent, and learn. So you know, it turns out hell's got a library. They get to go down there and find out more about God and learn and repent. And it goes on and says, and second, in touching on how they have this indulgence, and second, that the prayers and good deeds of the living may influence the temporal situation of the dead. That's exactly like Catholicism. They teach about being baptized, but I don't want to go into it, it's a whole other sermon itself. What they're saying here is that hell is not eternal. That's what they're saying essentially. They're saying, no, no, I know it says everlasting destruction, but that's wrong. They have all their own books. lds.org goes on and says, latter-day revelation speaks of hell in at least two senses. First, it is temporary, it is the temporary abode in the spirit world for those who are disobedient in mortality. In this sense, hell has an end. That's what they want. They want to know that that hell has an end. They don't want to think about the fact that people are going to go to hell forever. And then once you're in hell, you're stuck. There's no getting out. And I would say that's probably the worst part about hell. It's not the fire, it's not the worm that doesn't die, it's not being surrounded by just the most wicked people. It's probably the fact that you know it's never going to end. That's probably the worst part about it. So that's why people make up things like this. So they say in this sense, hell has an end. The spirits there will be taught the gospel. And sometime following their repentance, they will be resurrected to a degree of glory of which they are worthy. Those who will not repent, but nevertheless not the sons of perdition, will remain in hell through the millennium. So it'll just be a little longer for them. They'll have to wait a little bit longer if they don't get it right after they've been in hell. After these thousand years of torment, they will be resurrected to a telestial glory. Now the thing about this and why this is so dumb is that this requires no faith on the part of those in hell. I mean, there is no atheist in hell. Everyone who's in hell believes in God. Everyone knows it's real. That doesn't require faith. It requires no faith when you're sitting there in hell in the presence of the Lamb to believe on Him. By then it's too late. The Bible says in, go ahead and turn over to Romans chapter 3. The Bible says in Hebrews 11, without faith it is impossible to please Him. But for he that cometh to God must believe that He is, not have it proven, and that He is a rewarder of them that diligently seek Him. Would there require any faith if you were in hell being taught the gospel? It'd be pretty easy to believe it at that point, wouldn't it? I don't think that, I think everybody would probably get saved if they got preached the gospel to them in hell. Romans chapter 3, verse 27, where is boasting then? It is excluded. By what law of works? Nay, but by the law of faith. Therefore we conclude that a man is justified by faith without the deeds of the law. It's faith that's going to save them. You don't need faith when you're in hell. It's too late for faith. Turn over to Romans chapter 8. Speaking of Moses in Hebrews 11, it says, by faith he forsook Egypt, not fearing the wrath of the king, for he endured as seeing him who is invisible. He was able to see afar off through faith. Romans chapter 8, verse 24, for we are saved by hope. That's another word for faith. We are saved by hope, but hope that is seen is not hope. For what a man seeth, why doth he yet hope for it? But if we hope for what we see not, then we do with patience wait for it. You see, Mormons have come up with this wacky doctrine because they don't like the idea that hell is forever. But they can't do anything about it. I mean, they can't save a soul. They've got a false gospel. They don't know the truth. They're wrapped up in it. They're hell bound themselves. They don't like that idea, so they had to come up with this. You know, Mormons aren't, and sadly Mormons aren't the only ones criticizing God for sending people to hell. And this is their big objection. Well, what about those who have never heard? You know, the hypothetical bushman out in the Amazon who's never heard of Jesus. Well, say he exists. What if he is there? What does it say in Romans chapter 2? Are you there in Romans? Turn over to chapter 2. Surely the Bible has an answer for this guy, this guy that's apparently never heard. And very well may be, there may have been people that have never heard. And that's a hard truth, that people that have never heard the gospel might go to hell. But what does it say in Romans chapter 2? Verse 11, for there is no respect of persons with God. I'm going to give this guy a pass because he never heard. Would that not be respect of persons? Well, he gets, I know he was wicked and he did all these things. He broke all my commandments, but he never heard. That would be respect of persons. Verse 12, for as many have sinned without the law, they didn't receive the law. No one preached the law. They never heard the law. They never had the law as a schoolmaster bring them to Christ. They shall perish without the law. As many as have sinned in the law shall be judged by the law. The guy that never heard perishes just like the rest of them. That's the hard truth. And people don't want to hear that. They want to get around that. It just seems too harsh. But that's what the Bible says. And I think this wicked, false prophet, Joseph Smith, he kind of really played on these people's emotions and hooked them on this. It says on one of these sites, it says, Late Mormon prophet Joseph F. Smith received a revelation about the spirit world, the place we go when we die to await the resurrection and judgment. A vision opened to him wherein he saw the spirits of the dead. The righteous were rejoicing that the time of the resurrection was nigh. Prophet Smith saw that Jesus did not visit the spirit prison himself, but he called and set apart missionaries to spirit prison. Many of them having been great prophets and disciples during their earthly lives. The doctrine behind this is that God levels the playing field for all of his children after death. It's okay if you go to hell. You're going to get a second chance. God's going to level the playing field, thus providing every single one of them an opportunity to hear the gospel. That sounds real nice, doesn't it? That God's going to do all the work. That God's just going to make sure everybody hears the gospel and we don't have to do anything about it. We can just let these people go to hell knowing that prophet Smith has had a vision and that he saw these people getting the gospel. Thus providing every single one of them the opportunity to hear the gospel, repent, now catch this, repent and lay hold of saving ordinances performed for them on earth by those still living in mortality. Even in hell, you still have to do works as a Mormon. They're just hell-bent on doing works. It's not enough that you just went to hell for all your sins and you've been paying for it. You've still got to do works. That's crazy. That's just kind of a side note, but that struck me, that they have to lay hold of saving ordinances, whatever that even means, to lay hold of it. Another portion of this article reads that Mormon doctrine teaches that after our sojourn in the spirit world, where we may also enjoy the companionship of our deceased loved ones, you're worried about your loved one that might not have made it. Well, according to the Mormons, they're there and you get to enjoy the companionship in hell. Remember, we're talking about hell here. Nearly all of us will be resurrected and assigned to a kingdom of glory in heaven. Excuse me, yeah, in heaven. We'll get a kingdom. Nearly every one of us will be resurrected. This is literally teaching that almost nobody's going to hell. Nobody. A vision of the three degrees of glory was granted to Joseph Smith and Sidney Rigdon. The vision was clear in defining who will inherit the kingdoms of heaven. Only Satan and his minions and those who have seen Christ and then denied him will be cast into hell, also called outer darkness. There's nobody in this crazy situation that they came up with. Think about this. You're in hell. You see Jesus. You have the gospel preached to you. Are you going to reject it? What a bunch of nonsense. Oh, no. It's just basically saying nobody's going to hell. Just a very few people who just can't figure it out, just can't put it together. What's going on? The problem with all of this, this article, as nice as it might sound to some people, is that it's in direct opposition with scripture. Because none of this comes from scripture. This all comes from doctrines and covenants and the pearl of great price and all their false teachings. They never open this book and turn to a verse and show you any of this. Go ahead and turn over to Luke, Luke chapter 13. Bible says in Matthew, enter ye in at the strait gate, for wide is the gate and broad is the way that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in there at. There's a lot of people going to hell. In fact, Jesus taught there's more people going to hell than are going to heaven. Luke chapter 13, verse 23, then said one unto them, Lord, are there few that be saved? And he said unto them, strive to enter in at the strait gate, for many I say unto you will seek to enter in and shall not be able. So when we realize that there's all these people going to hell, into this everlasting destruction that God has made. You can see why people might get a little uncomfortable and say, well, maybe there's a way around it. What about the guy who never heard, and maybe God will go down there and preach to him and give him a second chance. Not only do many go to hell, but once they're there, they're there forever. The Bible's clear about this. Go ahead and turn over to Mark chapter 9. Bible's clear that once you go to hell, you're there forever. You never get out. Revelation 14, you're turning to Mark 9. And the smoke of their torment ascendeth up forever and ever. And they have no rest day or night, who worship the beast in his image and who receiveth the mark of his name. Mark 9 is where you're turning. Matthew 25 reads, and these shall go away into everlasting punishment. We like to tell people about everlasting life. And we say, hey, if everlasting life ever ends, was it everlasting? And most people have enough sense to just say, no, it just ended. They get it. Well, it's the same can be said about everlasting punishment. If that punishment ends, is it everlasting? No, because it just ended. And Jesus said that these shall go into everlasting punishment. When you go to hell, you're there forever. Matthew chapter 9, beginning in verse 43, and if thy hand offend thee, cut it off, for it is better thee to enter into life maimed than having two hands to go into hell, and the fire that shall never be quenched, where there warm dieth not. And the fire is not quenched, and if thy foot offend thee, cut it off, for it is better thee to enter into life than having two feet be cast into hell, and the fire that shall never be quenched. Verse 46, where there worm dieth not, and the fire is not quenched, and if thy eye offend thee, pluck it out, for it is better for thee to enter into the kingdom of God with one eye than having two eyes to be cast into hell fire, where the worm dieth not, and the fire is not quenched. That's five times in a row. Jesus made the express point that the fire in hell is never quenched. It's everlasting. Well, that's just the fire, though, right? Maybe they get out. Well, what does it matter to us if the fire is or isn't quenched if we all get a chance to get out? That's the warning there, that once you're there, that fire that you're going to experience forever and ever will never be quenched. Go ahead and turn over to Proverbs chapter 15. And this last point on the fact that hell is forever, that's an everlasting destruction. It says in Jude, even as Sodom and Gomorrah and the cities about them in like manner, giving themselves over to fornication and going after strange flesh, are set forth for an example, suffering the vengeance of eternal fire, fire that never ends. This is a hard reality about hell. Hell isn't one of the pleasant topics that we like to hear about, and quite frankly, it's not a pleasant topic to have to preach about, but it's one that needs to be preached. Because what we'll do is we'll start to get soft and start to say, well, maybe God isn't, maybe they'll get a chance, and then eventually maybe some Mormon will talk to you. And if you're not shored up on this simple doctrine, they can start to pull on those heartstrings and we can start to become apathetic about the fact that people are going to hell. You see, the reality of an eternal hell is just too much for some people, and sadly, a lot of them just become apathetic and distracted. Even people who are saved, they don't like to think about the fact that there's people that, you know, when you go soul winning and you knock on a door and you get that guy and he seems interested, or you have that one that you're talking to, maybe it's a young adult or a child, and they're understanding, they're getting it, you can tell they're interested, and then some wicked relative comes along and snatches them away, or some friend distracts them and gets them away. Doesn't that kind of break your heart when you walk away? I mean, I've heard, I've been out soul with people and they've related these stories to me, I've had it happen. We hate that, because we know about the reality of hell, you know, and it'd be real easy for us to just say, you know, I can't deal with it anymore. Just watching these people, you know, that we're trying to give the gospel to, not get it, and know that if nobody else comes, that they're not going to make it. And we can allow ourselves to just become apathetic, we can just get distracted with the world and the things of this life and get entangled with it. You know, at least the Mormon is bothered enough, you know, at least it gets to them. I mean, I remember I was soul winning in Tucson a couple weeks ago and I ran into this Mormon lady and I was trying to give her the gospel but she just could not get over works and she just broke down, she just starts crying and she's saying, it's just not fair, I don't think people should have to go there, what about the people that have never heard, all these excuses. You know, and we say that, we laugh at them and say, oh Mormon Wiki, ha ha ha, but at least that lady was bothered by it, at least it brought a tear to her eye to think that people are going to hell. You know, it's sad that there's people out there that have the truth that know that they're going to heaven and could share it with others, they're not bothered by it, they don't want to think about it, they just put it out of this mind. At least some of these people who don't even have the truth are bothered by the fact that these people are going to hell, even to the point where they're willing to just believe elaborate lies and allow themselves to be deceived. They choose to believe these strange doctrines, don't they, that's what happens, people want to wiggle out of the eternity of hell in these false religions. The Mormons and the Catholics, they have their purgatory and they have their indulgences to get people out of hell, out of this eternal fire, but the Calvinists, you know, they have their predestination, there's nothing we can do about it, there's nothing we can do about it. And they have their limited atonement, well he's just not one of the chosen, God didn't die for every man, they have these strange, weird, wicked doctrines. And I'm glad I'm in this church because I know when I'm speaking to this crowd I'm speaking to people that are burdened for the lost. I mean you go pick up that flyer over there and look at all the soul winning times, you look at that clipboard and you see all the times that we're going out to these Indian reservations coming up these next three months and I'm glad for that. And as burdened as any of us are, I just want to remind us tonight that none of us are as burdened as God is for the lost, not a single one of us. Where did I have you turn? Proverbs 15, look at verse 11. Hell and destruction are before the Lord, I mean God made hell, that's his, he made it, it's before him. How much more than the hearts of the children of men. You say well that's not very nice of God, that's not fairy of God, why would God allow people to go to hell? God could turn right back around and ask us the same thing. Why are you letting people go to hell? Why aren't you out there with the truth knocking the doors? And I know we're doing it, but there's a lot of other churches that aren't, a lot of other people that aren't, they're not preaching it, they have the truth, and it's a wicked attitude to turn around and try to put it on God, this is God's fault. It's God's fault that man fell, it's God's fault that he created something that gave it a free will, and it disobeyed God, and therefore sin came upon all, death came upon all men, we all had that sin nature, we're born in sin, that's God's fault somehow. I mean God, if he wanted to, could have just wiped his hands clean of the whole thing and started over, but he didn't, and he's given us a chance to get saved and to tell others. That's a very loving thing. Go ahead and turn over to 2 Peter chapter 3. I'll read to you from where we started this evening, thou turnest man to destruction. I've been thinking about that verse, what it means, I mean you think about him turning into destruction, it's like he's turning him and making man face, I mean I think in this context he's actually turning man into destruction, that there are some people that he destines for them to just, you know, judgment and everything else, but I want to kind of turn us to destruction to at least look at it tonight, maybe we can turn and just look at destruction and see what it is, and we can say, like it says at the end of this verse, thou turnest a man to destruction and say, return ye children of men. You know why God turns man to destruction, it's that they flee from it, it's that they go running in the opposite direction, into his arms, crying out for his savior, that they wouldn't want to go to hell, I mean isn't that where we start in our gospel presentation, hey you're a sinner, all sinners deserve to go to hell, do you want to go to hell, do you think God wants everyone to go to hell, no, God loves us, we face them, we turn them towards destruction, and we ask them to return to God, return ye children of men. God is holy, and he's righteous, he has great wrath, and he executes vengeance and judgment, make no mistake about that, but he's also very merciful and full of compassion, more so than any of us. So let's never try and put it back on God, and don't ever let anybody do that, say well God shouldn't have done that, it's his fault that people are going there. You're in 2 Peter, 2 Peter chapter 3 verse 9, the Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness, but is longsuffering to us, word, not willing that any should perish not willing that any should perish, limited atonement, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance. God wants everyone to be saved, yes he made hell, yes it's a terrible place, but he doesn't want people to go there. Luke chapter 9 says, for the son of man is not come to destroy men's lives, but to save them. If people are going to go to hell around us, it's not God's fault, it's ours. The Bible says they that sow in tears shall reap in joy, he that goeth forth and weepeth, bearing precious seed shall doubtless come again, rejoicing, bringing his sheaves with him. Now I want us to get a bird tonight, I think we have it here in this church and I want to keep it going, we're going into 2019 and we're talking about all the great and big things we're going to do in 2019 and Lord willing we are, but you know what those big things include? What they involve? They involve saving souls. That's the big work around here, yes planning churches, yes trying to start other churches but to what end? To save souls. Everything we're doing is to save souls. All the big works that we're going to accomplish this year in 2019 is to save souls and if we're going to do that we're going to have to have this burden, we're going to have to turn to destruction, behold it, understand that it's there and then plead with men to return. That's what we're going to have to do. Second Corinthians chapter five says, knowing therefore the terror of the Lord we persuade men and that God was in the world reconciling the world unto himself not imputing their trespasses unto them and hath committed unto us the word of reconciliation. He said it's your job to go out and save souls, it's not this Mormon God. God is not going to go down into hell and teach everybody the gospel, that's a lie. It's up to us, the word of reconciliation has been committed unto us, it's our job to do it. We are ambassadors for Christ as though God did beseech you by us, God wants to use us to beseech these people, he wants to say turn you children of men, he wants to use us to do it. How long is that going to bring that message, that message of reconciliation, of turning to the living God to escape the fires of hell? We pray you in Christ's dead be reconciled to God for he hath made him to be sin for us who knew no sin that we might be made the righteousness of God in him. So maybe it's not a popular message but I think it's an important one and let's go into the new year seeking to save that which is lost, let's have the same burden that God has and let's see a lot of people save this year, let's pray. Heavenly Father again thank you for your love towards us, thank you that you, Lord we can know from the Bible that you are a righteous and holy God, that you punish iniquity but that you are also very long suffering and merciful and Lord that you've given us a great task to do and that we should never lose sight of this task or it will go undone. Father I pray that you would move us to do great works in your name through your power we ask these things in Christ's name, amen.