[Biblemat] S:> God's Trash Pit

[Ethan R. Longhenry]

http://www.deusvitae.com/faith/outlines/index.html

                           God's Trash Pit

I. The Valley of Hinnom
   A. In the Bible, we read of a certain location with a notorious past
   B. The Valley of Hinnom
   C. Located near Jerusalem
      1. Represents border of Judah and Benjamin (Joshua 15:8)
      2. Named for "the son of Hinnom," a person not specifically known
   D. Terrible events occurred there
      1. Practice of offering one's children to Molech through the fire
      2. Called Topheth, probably on account of the drums played to 
         drown out the cries of the children being sacrificed to the 
         idol (cf. 2 Kings 23:10)
      2. Ahaz does it (2 Chronicles 28:3), as does Manasseh 
         (2 Chronicles 33:6)
      3. Josiah destroys it there so that it would cease-- 
         2 Kings 23:10
   E. Nevertheless, a defiled land
      1. Jeremiah 7:31-32, 19:6, 32:35: great destruction in that land, 
         burial of bodies there
      2. After the exile, it became the place where the trash of the 
         city was collected and burned
      3. Easton: "here the dead bodies of animals and of criminals, 
         and all kinds of filth, were cast and consumed by fire kept 
         always burning"
   F. A disgusting place
      1. Imagine it now
      2. A land still haunted by the cries of the children murdered 
         there
      3. Now all kinds of garbage and dead bodies are being constantly 
         burned there
      4. Not a pleasant place at all!

II. Gehenna
   A. Why is this valley worth mentioning?
   B. Jesus often mentions this valley in His preaching!
      1. 12 times in the New Testament, Jesus refers to "Gehenna"
      2. Gehenna is the Greek from of "the land of Hinnom"
   C. "Gehenna" will not be found in the text of most translations, 
      although it may be noted
   D. Such is true because of how Jesus uses the idea of Gehenna!
      1. Jesus uses Gehenna to portray hell!
      2. Everyone in Judea would understand the reference-- hell as 
         a place of trash and perpetual fire
   E. Let us investigate how Jesus describes Gehenna and learn why 
      we don't want to be there!

III. Use of Gehenna
   A. It is manifest that Gehenna is a place to which no one should 
      want to go but reserved for those who displease God
   B. Most common use: the alternative to not removing a given body 
      part
      1. Matthew 5:29-30, Matthew 18:9, Mark 9:43, Mark 9:45, 
         Mark 9:47
      2. 6 of the 12 occurrences of the term!
      3. A fairly startling image: it is better to lose an eye, a hand, 
         an arm, or a foot, than to go to Gehenna!
      4. Jesus is not trying to say that one should literally cast off 
         such body parts, just as He is not referring to the literal 
         Valley of Hinnom
      5. His point: Hell is so terrible that we ought to do whatever 
         possible to avoid stumbling and falling into it!
   C. Matthew 5:22: Gehenna place for those who reviles his brother
   D. Matthew 10:28: warning to all mankind
      1. Jesus clearly answers the question: whom shall we fear?
      2. Mankind, with all of its evil, should not be feared, for it 
         can only kill the body
      3. God, on the other hand, can kill on earth and cast you into 
         Gehenna-- fear Him!
   E. Matthew 23:15, 33: Gehenna the destination of the Pharisees and 
      their proselytes
   F. James 3:6: the tongue can defile the whole body and lead it to 
      Gehenna
   G. Gehenna, then, clearly not a fun place to be!

IV. The Message
   A. The message of the Valley of Hinnom/Gehenna ought to be clear
   B. Just as the trash and worthless bodies of Jerusalem were burned 
      perpetually in the trash heap known as the Valley of Hinnom, so 
      God will burn His trash forever in Hell
   C. It is better to lose body parts than to be that trash!
   D. The consequences of sin are not just difficulties on earth, nor   
      does it mean that one is just separated from God-- it means 
      that you risk burning forever in God's trash heap!
   E. We have no desire for anyone to be part of God's trash heap-- 
      come out of Gehenna and be saved!
   F. Invitation/songbook

Ethan R. Longhenry/ disciple_of_iesus at hotmail.com
Evangelist, church of Christ in Norwalk, Ohio
 (http://www.norwalkchurch.org)
Website: http://www.deusvitae.com
AIM: Deus Vitae / ICQ#: 28317056
MSN Messenger ID: deusvitae at hotmail.com
Yahoo! Messenger ID: discipuliiesus

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