Who's Your One? Wk4

A Story of Hell

INTRODUCTION:

If you want to create an awkward conversation quickly, there are a few sure-fire topics to bring up. Politics, for example, is sure to do it. Religion often does the trick as well, particularly when someone suggests that there is a singular way to God through Jesus Christ and that all those who do not have faith in Jesus will spend eternity in hell. Conversation over.

MAIN TEXT:

Luke 16:19–31 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, who desired to be fed with what fell from the rich man’s table. Moreover, even the dogs came and licked his 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. And he called out, ‘Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus to dip the end of his finger in water and cool my tongue, for I am in anguish in this flame.’ But Abraham said, ‘Child, remember that you in your lifetime received your good things, and Lazarus in like manner bad things; but now he is comforted here, and you are in anguish. And besides all this, between us and you a great chasm has been fixed, in order that those who would pass from here to you may not be able, and none may cross from there to us.’ 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.’ But Abraham said, ‘They have Moses and the Prophets; let them hear them.’ And he said, ‘No, father Abraham, but if someone goes to them from the dead, they will repent.’ He said to him, ‘If they do not hear Moses and the Prophets, neither will they be convinced if someone should rise from the dead.’ ”

“There was a rich man who would dress in purple and fine linen, feasting lavishly every day. But a poor man named Lazarus, covered with sores, was lying at his gate. He longed to be filled with what fell from the rich man’s table, but instead the dogs would come and lick his sores. One day the poor man died and was carried away by the angels to Abraham’s side. The rich man also died and was buried. And being in torment in Hades, he looked up and saw Abraham a long way off, with Lazarus at his side. ‘Father Abraham!’ he called out, ‘Have mercy on me and send Lazarus to dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue, because I am in agony in this flame!’

“‘Son,’ Abraham said, ‘remember that during your life you received your good things, just as Lazarus received bad things, but now he is comforted here, while you are in agony. Besides all this, a great chasm has been fixed between us and you, so that those who want to pass over from here to you cannot; neither can those from there cross over to us.’

“‘Father,’ he said, ‘then I beg you to send him to my father’s house—because I have five brothers —to warn them, so they won’t also come to this place of torment.’

“But Abraham said, ‘They have Moses and the prophets; they should listen to them.’

“‘No, father Abraham,’ he said. ‘But if someone from the dead goes to them, they will repent.’

“But he told him, ‘If they don’t listen to Moses and the prophets, they will not be persuaded if someone rises from the dead’” (, CSB).

HISTORICAL BACKGROUND:

The Bible records an account of a rich man and poor man who both die. The poor man goes to heaven and is embraced by Abraham. The rich man dies and suffers in hell, looks across the great divide in heaven and asks for mercy, water and for someone to warn his family to avoid this place of torment.

God does not send anyone to hell; we go of our own volition as we reject Christ.

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.

For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him (, CSB).

Richard Baxter (Puritan pastor) lived his life from the perspective of both heaven and hell. He directed his church members on “How to Spend the Day with God.”

Richard Baxter (Puritan pastor) lived his life from the perspective of both heaven and hell. He directed his church members on “How to Spend the Day with God.”

“Let God have your first awaking thoughts; lift up your hearts to Him reverently and thankfully for the rest enjoyed the night before and cast yourself upon Him for the day which follows. Familiarize yourself so consistently to this that your conscience may check you when common thoughts shall first intrude. Think of the mercy of a night’s rest and of how many that have spent that night in Hell; how many in prison; how many in cold, hard lodgings; how many suffering from agonizing pains and sickness, weary of their beds and of their lives. Think of how many souls were that night called from their bodies terrifyingly to appear before God and think how quickly days and nights are rolling on! How speedily your last night and day will come! Observe that which is lacking in the preparedness of your soul for such a time, and seek it without delay.”

PASSAGE OUTLINE:

I. HELL IS ETERNAL.

Matthew 25:46 ESV

And these will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life.”

II. HELL IS A PLACE OF PAIN.

Jude 7 ESV

just as Sodom and Gomorrah and the surrounding cities, which likewise indulged in sexual immorality and pursued unnatural desire, serve as an example by undergoing a punishment of eternal fire.

Revelation 14:11 ESV

And the smoke of their torment goes up forever and ever, and they have no rest, day or night, these worshipers of the beast and its image, and whoever receives the mark of its name.”

Revelation 14:11

III. HELL IS A PLACE OF FEAR.

Psalm 145

Psalm 145:20 ESV

The Lord preserves all who love him, but all the wicked he will destroy.

Hebrews 10:31 ESV

It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God.

Hebrews 12:29 ESV

for our God is a consuming fire.

Hebrews 12:

IV. HELL IS A PLACE OF SADNESS.

Dante’s Divine Comedy describes the fictional journey of the author through hell and ultimately to heaven.

In the “Inferno” section, he describes the sign above the portal of hell. “Abandon hope all ye who enter here.”

V. HELL IS A PLACE OF ISOLATION.

Matthew 8:12 ESV

while the sons of the kingdom will be thrown into the outer darkness. In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.”

Matthew

Isaiah 48:22 ESV

“There is no peace,” says the Lord, “for the wicked.”

VI. HELL IS A PLACE OF SEPARATION.

Isaiah 48:22 ESV

“There is no peace,” says the Lord, “for the wicked.”

“The hell of hells will be the thought that is forever. The soul sees written over its head, you are damned forever. It hears howlings that are to be perpetual; it sees flames which are unquenchable; it knows pains that are unmitigated.” Charles Spurgeon

A FEW GOOD THINGS IN HELL:

I. GOOD PEOPLE ARE IN HELL.

The rich man in this story is moral and caring.

"Morality may keep you out of jail, but it takes the blood of Jesus Christ to keep you out of hell."

- Charles Spurgeon

II. GOOD VISION IS IN HELL.

And being in torment in Hades, he looked up and saw Abraham a long way off, with Lazarus at his side (, CSB).

III. GOOD PRAYERS ARE IN HELL.

‘Father Abraham!’ he called out, ‘Have mercy on me and send Lazarus to dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue, because I am in agony in this flame!’ (, CSB)

IV. GOOD MEMORY IS IN HELL.

Luke 16:25 ESV

But Abraham said, ‘Child, remember that you in your lifetime received your good things, and Lazarus in like manner bad things; but now he is comforted here, and you are in anguish.

‘Son,’ Abraham said, ‘remember that during your life you received your good things, just as Lazarus received bad things, but now he is comforted here, while you are in agony’ (, CSB).

V. GOOD THEOLOGY IS IN HELL.

“… every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father” (, CSB).

VI. GOOD PRIORITIES ARE IN HELL.

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.’

Luke 16:27‘Father,’ he said, ‘then I beg you to send him to my father’s house—because I have five brothers —to warn them, so they won’t also come to this place of torment’ (, CSB).

‘Father,’ he said, ‘then I beg you to send him to my father’s house—because I have five brothers —to warn them, so they won’t also come to this place of torment’ (, CSB).

“testify to them”: witness

“lest”: warn them

VII. GOOD INTENTIONS ARE IN HELL.

One can reject Christ through outright rebellion, but rejection of the Lord does not have to be active. One can deny and refuse Christ also through apathy, indifference, procrastination and even ignorance.

Some people fully intend to follow the Lord, and one day they plan to do so.

“I willingly believe that the damned are, in one sense, successful, rebels to the end; that the doors of hell are locked on the inside.” C.S. Lewis

CONCLUSION:

Hell was not prepared for you!

“Don’t let your heart be troubled. Believe in God; believe also in me. In my Father’s house are many rooms; if not, I would have told you. I am going away to prepare a place for you. If I go away and prepare a place for you, I will come again and take you to myself, so that where I am you may be also. You know the way to where I am going.”

Jesus has prepared a place for you.

“Lord,” Thomas said, “we don’t know where you’re going. How can we know the way?”

Jesus told him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. If you know me, you will also know my Father. From now on you do know him and have seen him” (, CSB).

John 14:1–7 ESV

“Let not your hearts be troubled. Believe in God; believe also in me. In my Father’s house are many rooms. If it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you? And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to myself, that where I am you may be also. And you know the way to where I am going.” Thomas said to him, “Lord, we do not know where you are going. How can we know the way?” Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. If you had known me, you would have known my Father also. From now on you do know him and have seen him.”

John 3:18 ESV

Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of God.

Hell is Real but, SO IS HEAVEN

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When the righteous cry for help, the Lord hears and delivers them out of all their troubles.

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Then they cried to the Lord in their trouble, and he delivered them from their distress.

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And call upon me in the day of trouble; I will deliver you, and you shall glorify me.”

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He said, “The Lord is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer,

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I sought the Lord, and he answered me and delivered me from all my fears.

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Therefore, confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person has great power as it is working.

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For freedom Christ has set us free; stand firm therefore, and do not submit again to a yoke of slavery.

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And you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.”

People go to hell bound by the chains of sin but, the key to unlock those chains is the person of JESUS CHRIST.

"You are not going to be lost when you get to hell. If you are without Christ, you are lost right now. Your trial is already over. You've already been sentenced. You're just waiting for execution morning to roll around."

- Lester Roloff

Won’t you receive Him today?

If you already have, won’t you share Him today?

Who’s Your One?

- Lester Roloff