Tonight, we are concluding a series at Refuge based on questions students have submitted. Specifically, we will address questions about our Bible. Questions we are going to answer include:

Could the Bible really be a human invention or is it based on God’s revelation to humankind?
How can we be sure that the Bible we read now is what was originally written?
How can the Bible be trustworthy if it’s filled with contradictions?
Why do we have the books that we do in our Bibles?
Why were other Christian writings excluded from the Bible?

The purpose of this class is to inform our students and deepen their appreciation for God’s Word. My prayer is that this is just one more thing that draws our teens one step further in their spiritual journey as they understand the miracle of the Bible.

We’re continuing to answer questions raised by students tonight during Refuge. A couple of students have asked questions about discerning God’s will, so tonight we’re going to talk about how to know God’s will.

A few things I plan to cover include:
1. God’s will concerning our ethic and morality are never ambiguous. His Word is very clear. Jesus’ teachings are very clear.

2. God’s will is never random. It aligns with his redemptive purposes for all of creation.

3. We shouldn’t let what we don’t know spoil what we can do. Use these times as opportunities to grow in faithfulness.

Given things things, we are going to discuss three principles that help us identify God’s will for our lives:
1. Scripture teaches that we are to glorify God with our entire lives. We are to seek first his kingdom. In other words, live according to his Word. Any attempt to discern what God wants from our lives must begin with our desire to please him. ( Peter 4:10-11; Colossians 3:16-17; Psalm 37:4)

2. Discover what you’re passionate about. Explore your talents. As you desire to glorify God, do what you’re passionate about, what you’re good at. (Ecclesiastes 11:9; Psalm 37:4; 1 Peter 4:10-11; 2 Corinthians 12:7; 2 Timothy 1:6-7)

3. You’ve got to go for it! Don’t sit back and keep waiting for a sign. Don’t keep watching. It’s good to take time to pray, seek counsel, but at some point you need to take action. Take a risk and live boldly. Make it a way of life. Live in such a way where it’s essential for you to trust in God (Ecclesiastes 11:1; Ephesians 2:8-10).

The teens have been given the chance to ask questions about God, Christianity, the Church, faith — basically anything they really want to know. Based on their questions we have begun exploring the topic of heaven and hell. Two weeks ago, we explored Scripture’s depictions of heaven. Tonight, we are going to explore Scripture’s depiction of hell. Below is an outline of things we will discuss including the Scripture references. Take time to look over these and discuss them with your children at home.

Words for hell - I will point these out as they are used in Scripture to help the students develop a broader understanding of the nuances of each word.
Sheol
Hades
Gehenna
Lake of fire

New Testament descriptions of hellHell is depicted in terms of fire and burning.
The term Gehenna is derived from the valley of Gehenna south of Jerusalem where trash was constantly burned day and night.
Scripture references include Matthew 10: 26-30; 13:41-42, 47-50; 25:41-46; Mark 9:42-48

The New Testament describes hell as a place of intense mourning and the gnashing of teeth.

The New Testament describes hell as separation from God and everlasting destruction. (2 Thess. 1:6-9)

The New Testament depicts hell as a place of complete darkness (Matthew 8:11-12; 22:13)

Jesus tells us that it’s better to be maimed than go to hell (Mk. 9:42-48)

Conclusion:Some of the passages above are debated in how they’re interpreted; however they all help us better understand hell as a reality prepared by God for judgment.

Some questions to discuss with your children:
1. Why do you think we don’t discuss the reality of hell?
2. How does a deepening understanding of the reality of hell impact you right now?
3. Why do you think Scripture, especially Jesus, mention hell?