C3 Church Southwest WA C3 Church Southwest WA

Mark 9:43–48 (ESV) And if your hand causes you to sin, cut it off. It is better for you to enter life crippled than with two hands to go to hell, to the unquenchable fire.  And if your foot causes you to sin, cut it off. It is better for you to enter life lame than with two feet to be thrown into hell.  And if your eye causes you to sin, tear it out. It is better for you to enter the kingdom of God with one eye than with two eyes to be thrown into hell,  ‘where their worm does not die and the fire is not quenched.’

The Facts About HELL
The Bible refers to the idea of hell some 54 times.
OT references use the word Sheol & Hades
11 out of 12 times Jesus used the phrase Gehenna
NT "Gehenna
OT "Hinnom," a valley south of Jerusalem

The History Of The Valley Of Hinnom:
Reign of King Ahaz - (2 Chronicles 28, 33) the valley was used by Baal worshipers to offer their children in their furnaces to their god Molech.
Ministry of Jeremiah - (Jeremiah 7, 19) referred to the valley as "The Valley of Slaughter."
Reign of King Josiah - (2 Kings 23:10) proclaimed "defiled" and no one was allowed to use it for any purpose.
Ministry of Jesus - valley evolved into a garbage dump.  Trash was burned around the clock, as well as the bodies of dead animals, criminal corpses. It was a well known hangout for lepers and the sick.  There was continual smoke, stench, maggots and flies.  At night, dogs could be heard fighting over the trash.

The Lies About HELL/AFTERLIFE
Hell Does Not Exist
The Dead Cease To Exist - the atheistic belief that man, upon death, forever ceases to be and quietly rots into nothingness. 
Annihilationism - the belief that all the ungodly will be annihilated by God.
Restorationism - The belief that all men will be given a second chance to make the choice for God that they did not make during this life.
Purgatory - the belief that all those who die at peace with the church but are not perfect must undergo penal and purifying sufferings in order to go to heaven.
Reincarnation - the belief that individuals return to life again in a form determined by the quality of life previously lived. 
Universal Heaven – the belief that everyone who believed in something arrives at heaven with everyone else who believed in something.
The TRUTH About HELL
Hell Is Happening Right Now
Luke 16:19–20, 22-23 (ESV) “There was a rich man who was clothed in purple and fine linen and who feasted sumptuously every day.  And at his gate was laid a poor man named Lazarus, covered with sores. The poor man died and was carried by the angels to Abraham’s side. The rich man also died and was buried, and in Hades, being in torment, he lifted up his eyes and saw Abraham far off and Lazarus at his side
Hell Includes Memories Of This Life 
Luke 16:27–28 (ESV) And he said, ‘Then I beg you, father, to send him to my father’s house—  for I have five brothers—so that he may warn them, lest they also come into this place of torment.’
Hell Will Take Anyone – it will try to claim good and bad, religious and non-religious, black and white, rich or poor, sick or healthy… it will even take you
Matthew 7:22–23 (ESV) On that day many will say to me, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many mighty works in your name?’  And then will I declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness.’
Hell Is A Place Of Torment 
Matthew 25:30 (ESV) And cast the worthless servant into the outer darkness. In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’
Hell Has No Holidays  - no breaks, timeouts, holidays, day off’s, no future starting point to wait for or stopping point to bring comfort.  
Mark 9:48–49 (ESV) ‘where their worm does not die and the fire is not quenched.’  For everyone will be salted with fire.
Hell Is A Fixed Destination
Luke 16:26 (ESV) And besides all this, between us and you a great chasm has been fixed, in order that

SCRIPTURE: Genesis 4:6–7 (ESV) The Lord said to Cain, “Why are you angry, and why has your face fallen? If you do well, will you not be accepted (a lifting up of your face)? And if you do not do well, sin is crouching at the door. Its desire is contrary to you, but you must rule over it.”

FACTS: the accurate personal assessment informing practical next steps leading to natural outcomes.
LIES: the deceived assessment demanding destructive next steps leading to “less-than” outcomes.
THE TRUTH: the revelation of God’s assessment inviting  faith-filled obedient participation in next steps leading to  supernatural “more-than” outcomes.
Do not be limited by facts. Don’t be deceived by lies. Hear from Heaven and act.

The Facts About SIN
Ezekiel 18:20 (ESV) The soul who sins shall die. 
Hebrew:
Chata: to miss the mark of God’s Word
Avon:  to intentionally disobey God’s Word
Pesha: to rebel against God’s authority 
Greek
Hamartia: to miss the mark of God’s Word
Paraptoma: to intentionally disobey God’s Word
Anomia: to knowingly disobey God’s Word without remorse
Opheilema: the consequences and obligations of sin

The Lies About SIN

Non-Believers: 
I define sin.
I am God
Anything I want is right.
Anything I don’t want is wrong.
The same act can be right/wrong depending on how it impacts me.
Sin is relative.
It is defined by my needs
You must CELEBRATE my standard.
Not argue, ignore, tolerate or acknowledge..
Failure to do so and you will be punished

Believers:
Believing = Immunity
Believing trumps all
Grace covers all
Good actions outweigh bad
All I have to do is ask for forgiveness
Sin Is Irresistible
God knows we are weak and can’t resist
It’s God’s fault for allowing temptation
Sin is Relative
I know it’s wrong, but…
Adjusted by the voices of opportunity, culture and science* 
justified by circumstantial outcomes
Outcomes validate sin/righteousness
Some Sin Is Beyond Payment
I deserve this 
They don’t deserve that

Sin Is Defined by God Alone
His Word
His Spirit - Romans 14:5–7 (ESV) One person esteems one day as better than another, while another esteems all days alike. Each one should be fully convinced in his own mind.  The one who observes the day, observes it in honor of the Lord. The one who eats, eats in honor of the Lord, since he gives thanks to God, while the one who abstains, abstains in honor of the Lord and gives thanks to God.  For none of us lives to himself, and none of us dies to himself.
His/Your Family - Jeremiah 35:13–14 (ESV) “Thus says the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel: Go and say to the people of Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem, Will you not receive instruction and listen to my words? declares the LORD.  The command that Jonadab the son of Rechab gave to his sons, to drink no wine, has been kept, and they drink none to this day, for they have obeyed their father’s command. I have spoken to you persistently, but you have not listened to me.

It pulls all the guesswork out of it.
I no longer have an opinion.
Gods Best Is Within Reach
God want your best - TRUST
His WORDS are for your BEST
Sin offers a substitute with hidden consequences.

Deuteronomy 28:1–15 (ESV)  “And if you faithfully obey the voice of the Lord your God, being careful to do all his commandments that I command you today, the Lord your God will set you high above all the nations of the earth. And all these blessings shall come upon you and overtake you, if you obey the voice of the Lord your God. Blessed shall you be in the city, and blessed shall you be in the field. Blessed shall be the fruit of your womb and the fruit of your ground and the fruit of your cattle, the increase of your herds and the young of your flock. Blessed shall be your basket and your kneading bowl. Blessed shall you be when you come in, and blessed shall you be when you go out. “The Lord will cause your enemies who rise against you to be defeated before you. They shall come out against

Matthew 4:8–10 (ESV) It was now about the sixth hour, and there was darkness over the whole land until the ninth hour, while the sun’s light failed. And the curtain of the temple was torn in two. Then Jesus, calling out with a loud voice, said, “Father, into your hands I commit my spirit!” And having said this he breathed his last.

FACTS: the accurate personal assessment informing practical next steps leading to natural outcomes.
LIES: the deceived assessment demanding destructive next steps leading to “less-than” outcomes.
THE TRUTH: the revelation of God’s assessment inviting  faith-filled obedient participation in next steps leading to  supernatural “more-than” outcomes.
Do not be limited by facts. 
Don’t be deceived by lies. 
Hear from Heaven and act.

The Facts About Jesus Death

Assessment: Dead
Unexpected!
Matthew 4:8–10 (ESV) It was now about the sixth hour, and there was darkness over the whole land until the ninth hour, while the sun’s light failed. And the curtain of the temple was torn in two. Then Jesus, calling out with a loud voice, said, “Father, into your hands I commit my spirit!” And having said this he breathed his last.

Next Steps: Burial
We see, we act. We rarely take the time to listen.
Luke 23:50–56 (ESV) Now there was a man named Joseph, from the Jewish town of Arimathea. He was a member of the council, a good and righteous man,  who had not consented to their decision and action; and he was looking for the kingdom of God.  This man went to Pilate and asked for the body of Jesus.  Then he took it down and wrapped it in a linen shroud and laid him in a tomb cut in stone, where no one had ever yet been laid.  It was the day of Preparation, and the Sabbath was beginning.  The women who had come with him from Galilee followed and saw the tomb and how his body was laid.  Then they returned and prepared spices and ointments. On the Sabbath they rested according to the commandment.

Outcome: Return To Old Life
“He’s dead. There’s no changing that”
“I guess it wasn’t meant to be”
John 21:2–3 (ESV) Simon Peter, Thomas (called the Twin), Nathanael of Cana in Galilee, the sons of Zebedee, and two others of his disciples were together.  Simon Peter said to them, “I am going fishing.” They said to him, “We will go with you.” They went out and got into the boat, but that night they caught nothing.

SLIDE:  The Lies About Jesus Death

Assessment: He’s Not God, He’s Just A Man
Matthew 27:39–44 (ESV) And those who passed by derided him, wagging their heads  and saying, “You who would destroy the temple and rebuild it in three days, save yourself! If you are the Son of God, come down from the cross.”  So also the chief priests, with the scribes and elders, mocked him, saying,  “He saved others; he cannot save himself. He is the King of Israel; let him come down now from the cross, and we will believe in him.  He trusts in God; let God deliver him now, if he desires him. For he said, ‘I am the Son of God.’ ” And the robbers who were crucified with him also reviled him in the same way.

Next Steps: Conspiracy
Matthew 28:11–15 (ESV) While they were going, behold, some of the guard went into the city and told the chief priests all that had taken place.  And when they had assembled with the elders and taken counsel, they gave a sufficient sum of money to the soldiers  and said, “Tell people, ‘His disciples came by night and stole him away while we were asleep.’  And if this comes to the governor’s ears, we will satisfy him and keep you out of trouble.”  So they took the money and did as they were directed. And this story has been spread among the Jews to this day. 

Outcome: Unbelief
2 Corinthians 4:4 (ESV) In their case the god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelievers, to keep them from seeing the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God.

SLIDE The Truth About Jesus Death

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Psalm 8:3–6 (ESV) When I look at your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars, which you have set in place,  what is man that you are mindful of him, and the son of man that you care for him?  Yet you have made him a little lower than the heavenly beings and crowned him with glory and honor.  You have given him dominion over the works of your hands; you have put all things under his feet,

DISTINCT: recognizably different from the group
Genesis 1:24 (ESV) And God said, “Let the earth bring forth living creatures according to their kinds…
Genesis 2:7 (ESV) then the LORD God formed the man of dust from the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living creature.
Genesis 1:26 (ESV) Then God said, “Let us make man in our image, after our likeness. And let them have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over the livestock and over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.”

Adam was an Apostle: representative, messenger, colonizer on behalf of his kingdom
Adam was an Exile: because he’s away from the kingdom of his citizenship
REALITY: Adam Failed As An Apostilic Exile
Instead of representing, delivering the message or colonizing he was flipped and surrendered his citizenship

Genesis 3:23–24 (ESV) therefore the LORD God sent him out from the garden of Eden to work the ground from which he was taken.  He drove out the man, and at the east of the garden of Eden he placed the cherubim and a flaming sword that turned every way to guard the way to the tree of life.

As Adam was exiled, many of his distinctions were silenced, through the generations some of his distinctions were fanned into flame. Glimmers. Shadows. Reflections. Until Jesus… and with His coming, our roles as Apostolic Exiles has been reestablished.
DISTINCTION REVISITED: HIS SPIRIT WITHIN, HIS PRESENCE WITHOUT
ADAM/SPIRIT - Genesis 2:7 (ESV) then the LORD God formed the man of dust from the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living creature.
REVISITED: Acts 2:1–4 (ESV) When the day of Pentecost arrived, they were all together in one place.  And suddenly there came from heaven a sound like a mighty rushing wind, and it filled the entire house where they were sitting.  And divided tongues as of fire appeared to them and rested on each one of them.  And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit gave them utterance.

ADAM/PRESENCE - Genesis 3:8 (ESV) And they heard the sound of the LORD God walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and the man and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the LORD God among the trees of the garden.
REVISITED: Hebrews 13:5 (ESV) …for he has said, “I will never leave you nor forsake you.”

DISTINCTION REVISITED: HIS CALLING, AUTHORITY & POWER
ADAM: Genesis 1:26–28 (ESV) Then God said, “Let us make man in our image, after our likeness. And let them have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over the livestock and over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.”  So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them.  And God blessed them. And God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth and subdue it, and have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over every living thing that moves on the earth.”
REVISITED: Matthew 28:18–20 (ESV) And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.  Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,  teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.

DISTINCTION REVISITED: SUPERNATURAL RELATIONSHIPS
ADAM -

The Kingdom Mindset
John 17:15–18 (ESV) I do not ask that you take them out of the world, but that you keep them from the evil one.  They are not of the world, just as I am not of the world.  Sanctify them in the truth; your word is truth.  As you sent me into the world, so I have sent them into the world.
Proverbs 23:7 (KJV) For as he thinketh in his heart, so is he.

Mindset: This Is Not My Kingdom
I am not a citizen here. This is not my home
Philippians 3:20–21 (ESV) But our citizenship is in heaven, and from it we await a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ,  who will transform our lowly body to be like his glorious body, by the power that enables him even to subject all things to himself.
Exiled From Eden
Exiled In Egypt
Israel Exiled in Assyria
721 BC Assyrian King Shalmanessar  2 Kings 17:6 (ESV) In the ninth year of Hoshea, the king of Assyria captured Samaria, and he carried the Israelites away to Assyria and placed them in Halah, and on the Habor, the river of Gozan, and in the cities of the Medes.
Judah Exiled in Babylon
King Jehoiakim failed to pay tribute to Nebuchadnezzar
Nebuchadnezzar laid siege to Judah
Solomon’s Temple destroyed 
Israel was deported fro Judah to Babylon in 597 BC. 
Jesus Exiled To Earth
John 3:17 (ESV) For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him.
John 8:23 (ESV) He said to them, “You are from below; I am from above. You are of this world; I am not of this world.
John 14:30 (ESV) I will no longer talk much with you, for the ruler of this world is coming. He has no claim on me,
You & I
John 17:20–23 (NIV) “My prayer is not for them alone. I pray also for those who will believe in me through their message,  that all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you. May they also be in us so that the world may believe that you have sent me.  I have given them the glory that you gave me, that they may be one as we are one— I in them and you in me—so that they may be brought to complete unity. Then the world will know that you sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me.
John 17:20–23 (NIV) “My prayer is not for them alone. I pray also for those who will believe in me through their message,  that all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you. May they also be in us so that the world may believe that you have sent me.  I have given them the glory that you gave me, that they may be one as we are one— I in them and you in me—so that they may be brought to complete unity. Then the world will know that you sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me.
1 John 3:1 (ESV) See what kind of love the Father has given to us, that we should be called children of God; and so we are. The reason why the world does not know us is that it did not know him.
1 John 3:13 (ESV) Do not be surprised, brothers, that the world hates you.
1 Corinthians 7:31 (ESV) …For the present form of this world is passing away.

This is not my home.
This place is not my focus
This world story is not my story
My story may be celebrated here on some level, 
I have a kingdom story 
There is a kingdom bigger celebration of my story
Revelation 20:12 (ESV) And I saw the dead, great and small, standing before the throne, and books were opened. Then another book was opened, which is the book of life. And the dead were judged by what was written in the books, according to what they had done.
We don't want to become so occupied in winning battles (marriage, career, home, survival, kids, college) that we lose the war (healing, salvation, kingdom advancement)

SLIDE: Kingdom Mindset: I Have Immunity
We are so worried about the world infecting us
This is not my kingdom
This king is not my king
These laws are not my laws
This economy is not my economy
This culture is not my culture
This worlds limitations are not my limitations
Healing, resources, favor, supernatural distinction.
Ma