Hell Exists Because Evil Exists

CURRENT TEACHING SERIES Eternal Realities

Hell Exists Because Evil Exists By Rick Warren — Mar 13, 2015 “The LORD observed the extent of human wickedness on the earth, and he saw that everything they thought or imagined was consistently and totally evil. So the LORD was sorry he had ever made them and put them on the earth. It broke his heart.” (Genesis 6:5-6 NLT) Some people deny the existence of evil. They believe the world is full of basically good people, humans who are fundamentally unselfish, kind, and always thinking of others. But here’s the problem with that worldview: It doesn’t square with reality. Just turn on the television or pick up a newspaper. Our world is full of broken relationships, broken promises, rape, abuse, murder, child molestation, terrorism, and all sorts of evil. Evil is all around us.                                                           The Bible says that, because of our nature, we primarily think about ourselves. It’s just what we do. None of us naturally consider what’s best for the world around us. We don’t naturally think about what God wants us to do. Instead we focus on what’s easy, convenient, and desirable. So God looked down on the earth in Noah’s day and said, “What a mess they’ve made of this! Look at what people have done to themselves, one another, and the planet I’ve given them. They’ve screwed everything up.” And the Bible says, “It broke his heart” (Genesis 6:6b NLT). That’s the way God feels about the state of the world today. It breaks his heart. The existence of evil proves the necessity of Hell. Heaven is perfect, and since all of us are made for eternity and none of us are perfect, there must be a place for evil to spend eternity. That place is Hell. But we have another option. The Bible says that though we’re not perfect, Jesus paid the price for our sin. We can spend our eternity with Jesus instead of separated from God in Hell. Hell is real. Never forget that! Live with that reality, and it will change how you live. PLAY today’s audio teaching from Pastor Rick >> Talk It Over When the Bible says that all people are naturally selfish, how does that square with what you observe about people around you? How should the reality of Hell change the way you interact with people who don’t have a relationship with God? Why do we find it so difficult to talk about Hell with others? How would you share the message of this devotional with friends and family members who don’t know Jesus?

He Will Have Mercy TODAY’S SCRIPTURE “Two blind men were sitting beside the road. When they heard that Jesus was coming that way, they began shouting, ‘Lord, Son of David, have mercy on us!’ ” (Matthew 20:30, NLT) TODAY’S WORD from Joel and Victoria Today’s verse talks about two blind men that no one really paid attention to. No one gave them much of a chance — but Jesus did! All through scripture we see that He had such great compassion and mercy, everywhere He went and He still has it today. Maybe you feel like life has overlooked you. Maybe you feel like the people around you don’t really see what you are going through. Today, know that God sees you. He’ll never overlook you even when people overlook you. He is good and no matter what has happened in your life, remember that His mercy endures forever. Notice what these men did — they called on Jesus. Even when people tried to quiet them, they called even louder. They had confidence that He would hear them and you can have confidence, too! Be bold and step out in faith, call on Him and trust that He sees you and hears you and He will have mercy! A PRAYER FOR TODAY God, thank You for Your great mercy and grace. With Your help, I want to step out and act on my faith so that I may see Your great works in Jesus’ name! Amen. ​PS..​ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JwyuPvNjhUM