Once Upon a Time - 4

Once Upon A Time - 4

Introduction

Dr. Maurice Rawlings is a cardiologist at the University of Tennessee.  In the course of his emergency room work, he and his colleagues interviewed more than 300 people who claimed to have near-death experiences. What made Rawlings’ study unique is that the interviews were not conducted months or years later, but immediately after the experienced had occurred – while the patients were still too shaken up in the immediacy of the moment to gloss over or to re-imagine what they had experienced.

Nearly 50% of them reported encountering images of fire, of tormented and tormenting creatures, and other sights lining up with the biblical description of hell. Oddly, in follow-up interviews much later, many of these same people had changed their stories, apparently unwilling to admit to their families, maybe even to themselves, that they had caught a glimpse of hell.

Dr. Rawlings concluded his research with this statement – “Just listening to these patients has changed my life.  There is a life after death, and if I don’t know where I’m going, it is not safe to die.”

As we continue our series called “Once Upon A Time” walking through Jesus’ parables, today we are talking about a unique one. There are a couple reasons this story from Jesus is so unique…first, because Jesus never identifies it as a mere story. ,; …Jesus tells stories to those around him. It simply isn’t said about this one, so we cannot dismiss anything we read here as fanciful or metaphor because it is “merely” a story.

The other reason this “parable” is unique is because it deals with a very uncomfortable topic...hell. I’ve said many times in leadership environments that people love the idea of accountability, until it is implemented. Then they hate it. My style/philosophy of preaching is one that anchors us for large portions of every year in one book of the Bible. This forces us to drill deeper and dissect it. Everyone likes the idea of biblical preaching until we come to passages like this because we are forced to deal with them. We can no longer claim ignorance or dismiss them.

People don’t necessarily like to talk or think about Hell. It’s not really a concept we are comfortable with, and one we simply don’t like. In a 2013 survey, 62% of respondents said they are going to Heaven. Only 1.5% think they are bound for hell. And that is just of those who believe Hell to be real. Only 59% believe Hell is real, though 74% believe Heaven is real.

Hell seems to have fallen on hard times. Even in Christian circles, the concept of Hell has been increasingly doubted and dismissed. Over the course of the last 15-20 years, a noticeable sliding has taken place regarding people’s views on negative theological topics. For example, the concept of sin has dropped from being actual sin (a dishonoring of God and his holy standards) to being simply a mistake, to having misplaced priorities, down to being nothing more than a sickness that can be treated with medicine and counseling.

Hell has moved from being a literal place of eternal suffering for the wicked, to the idea of annihilation (that God causes you just to cease existing because it’s too cruel to punish someone forever), now to an apathetic denial it is even real.

English poet John Milton wrote, “The concept of hell is inconsistent with the character of God revealed in Jesus Christ. It is an insult to the very being we are taught to love.”

At Broadway, we believe that hell is a literal place of eternal punishment for those who are opposed to God and do not place their trust in Jesus Christ. Before we get into a deeper description of Hell, let’s talk about where we get that view and why it matters.

The Bible teaches it.

The bible clearly teaches a literal, eternal hell. Though people will fully embrace with the bible says about Heaven, they like to argue what it says on Hell. That’s like the guy who was getting married and standing at the altar. The pastor leads him through the classic vows of loving his wife for better or worse, for richer or poorer, in sickness and in health. Thinking he got to choose, he said, “I’ll take better, richer, and in health.”

The bible is not multiple-choice, or a cafeteria-style approach where we pick and choose what we like and discard the rest.

- 7 And God will provide rest for you who are being persecuted and also for us when the Lord Jesus appears from heaven. He will come with his mighty angels, 8 in flaming fire, bringing judgment on those who don’t know God and on those who refuse to obey the Good News of our Lord Jesus. 9 They will be punished with eternal destruction, forever separated from the Lord and from his glorious power.

2. Jesus teaches it.

Back to that quote by John Milton that the idea of hell is inconsistent with the character of God as revealed in Jesus. That is a ridiculous statement, biblically, because Jesus talked more about hell than anyone else. In fact, Jesus talked more about hell than all the other biblical writers combined.

One of the NT words used to describe Hell is “Gehenna”, which we will talk about in a few minutes. Of the 16 uses of that word in the NT, 15 are from Jesus.

- 47 And if your eye causes you to sin, gouge it out. It’s better to enter the Kingdom of God with only one eye than to have two eyes and be thrown into hell, 48 ‘where the maggots never die and the fire never goes out.’

C.S. Lewis - “There is no doctrine which I would more willingly remove from Christianity than the doctrine of hell, if it lay in my power. But, it has the full support of Scripture and especially of our Lord’s own words.”

Jesus believed in the reality of hell so much that he came to the earth to do something about it. Which leads to the third reason this belief matters:

3. God’s justice demands it.

Justice demands a hell. Many will ask a great question: how can a loving God send people to Hell? Well, how could a just God send his own Son to die on the cross if we were all going to end up in the same place anyway? If there is no Hell, the cross of Jesus was a tragic mistake.

J.C. Ryle – “Do you believe the Bible? Then depend upon it, Hell is real and true. It is as true as Heaven - as true as justification by faith - as true as the fact that Christ died upon the cross. There is not a fact or doctrine which you may not lawfully doubt if you doubt Hell. Disbelieve Hell and you unscrew, unsettle, and unpin everything in Scripture! You may as well throw your Bible away at once. From “no Hell” to “no God” there is but a series of steps.

TS - as you can see, this doctrine of Hell is important and cannot be dismissed. In , Jesus gives us a graphic description of what Hell is like.

- 19 Jesus said, “There was a certain rich man who was splendidly clothed in purple and fine linen and who lived each day in luxury. 20 At his gate lay a poor man named Lazarus who was covered with sores. 21 As Lazarus lay there longing for scraps from the rich man’s table, the dogs would come and lick his open sores.

22 “Finally, the poor man died and was carried by the angels to sit beside Abraham at the heavenly banquet. The rich man also died and was buried, 23 and he went to the place of the dead. There, in torment, he saw Abraham in the far distance with Lazarus at his side.

24 “The rich man shouted, ‘Father Abraham, have some pity! Send Lazarus over here to dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue. I am in anguish in these flames.’

25 “But Abraham said to him, ‘Son, remember that during your lifetime you had everything you wanted, and Lazarus had nothing. So now he is here being comforted, and you are in anguish. 26 And besides, there is a great chasm separating us. No one can cross over to you from here, and no one can cross over to us from there.’

27 “Then the rich man said, ‘Please, Father Abraham, at least send him to my father’s home. 28 For I have five brothers, and I want him to warn them so they don’t end up in this place of torment.’

29 “But Abraham said, ‘Moses and the prophets have warned them. Your brothers can read what they wrote.’

30 “The rich man replied, ‘No, Father Abraham! But if someone is sent to them from the dead, then they will repent of their sins and turn to God.’

31 “But Abraham said, ‘If they won’t listen to Moses and the prophets, they won’t be persuaded even if someone rises from the dead.’”

3 graphic descriptions of Hell:

HELL IS A PLACE OF SUFFERING

Notice the words used by this rich man…torment, anguish. They are used 4 different times (v. 23,24,25,28). This man is in terrible agony day and night, so much so that his view of relief is a drop of water from Lazarus.

He is in unquenchable fire. This is one of the continued biblical themes concerning Hell…eternal fire that does not burn you up. Jesus said in as we saw earlier, “the maggots never die and the fire never goes out.”

Thomas Watson (Puritan pastor) - “The torments of hell abide forever! Time cannot finish hell.”

I said earlier that one of the images of hell used most often by Jesus is the idea of Gehenna. Gehenna was the trash dump outside of the city of Jerusalem. To rid the city of trash, a perpetual fire was kept lit. So the constant fire, smoke, and rancid odor were never extinguished.

- 11 The smoke of their torment will rise forever and ever, and they will have no relief day or night…

This truth contradicts a popular view on death/hell that exists today called “soul sleep.” Basically the view says that when you die, you’re simply dead. Nothing. But notice that both this rich man and Lazarus are conscious and very aware of their surroundings.

It is at this point that the great turnaround happens in this text. Lazarus has been poor and suffering. The text literally says he was ‘laid’ at the gate, so he is crippled in some way. No food to eat. Covered in sores of some kind. But the only help he gets is from the dogs who lick his wounds.

This rich man is quite the opposite. The opulence of the description of his opulence is staggering. “Splendidly clothed in purple” was a description of his level of wealth. Only the rich could afford the dye that colored garments purple, which is why it is the color of royalty…only they could typically afford it. “Fine linen” is a reference to his undergarments. A linen tunic was worn under traditional clothing. This is the text telling us that not only is he crazy rich to dress in purple all the time, his underwear was fantastic. And he lived each day “in luxury.”

So Lazarus is poor and suffering, this rich man is lavish. Lazarus has nothing and the rich man has everything. God has in store an eternal turnaround…Lazarus goes to heaven but the rich man goes to hell. Now, it’s not about being rich or poor. The rich man didn’t go to hell because he was rich. Lazarus didn’t go to heaven because he was poor. Neither is virtuous. There is powerful imagery through Luke…the poor are an image of trust in God; the rich are an image of trust in self. Those who trust in God go to heaven, those who trust in self go to hell.

Hell is described as a place of suffering, but Heaven is described as a place of comfort. V. 25 says Lazarus is in Heaven being ‘comforted.’ tells us that in heaven there is no more death, mourning, crying, or pain. It is a place of comfort.

2. HELL IS A PLACE OF SEPARATION

The rich man in hell is always pictured alone. There is total separation, not just from God, but also from all others.

- 26 And besides, there is a great chasm separating us. No one can cross over to you from here, and no one can cross over to us from there.’

When those in charge of the prison system want to punish an inmate, they put them in solitary confinement. Even after they have been convicted of a crime and sentenced to time locked up in prison, it is even worse to be separated. Because at least, even in prison, there are relationships and those tend to feed you emotionally. But it is the isolation of solitary confinement that is excruciating.

This is how the bible describes hell. Solitary suffering. This also contradicts a popular depiction of hell today…that it is a party. Of course, some may say, hell will be great because all our friends will be there. The idea is that we can all party together and continue what we had started when we were alive on earth.

But the bible never talks about that regarding hell. Ironically, it describes heaven that way. Lazarus is taken to Heaven to sit beside Abraham at the heavenly banquet. So they are pictured reclining together, enjoying a meal. Heaven is a place of relationship. Revelation describes Heaven by telling us there is an uncountable multitude there together.

- 16 For the Lord himself will come down from heaven with a commanding shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trumpet call of God. First, the believers who have died will rise from their graves. 17 Then, together with them, we who are still alive and remain on the earth will be caught up in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. Then we will be with the Lord forever.

3. HELL IS A PLACE OF SORROW

This man in hell makes a request for water from Lazarus. It is denied. His second request shows the emotional suffering of hell.

- 27 “Then the rich man said, ‘Please, Father Abraham, at least send him to my father’s home. 28 For I have five brothers, and I want him to warn them so they don’t end up in this place of torment.’ 29 “But Abraham said, ‘Moses and the prophets have warned them. Your brothers can read what they wrote.’

This man has family. Notice he doesn’t want his brothers with him to party, he wants them to stay away from this place! There is eternal regret. He mourns the situation for his brothers. They could end up here too. There is guilt, shame. If only someone could tell them. Those most passionate about evangelism are those who currently reside in hell. They know the truth, but it is too late for them. There are no second chances after death. He is confronted with the reality that it will not get better for him. There is no relief.

And this confronts yet another popular view of hell in today’s culture called Purgatory. The whole idea of Purgatory is that you get a second chance after death. If you still have sin in your life when you die, you suffer for awhile, get those sins burned off and you learn your lesson, then you get to go to Heaven.

First off, hell is not reformative. This rich man’s selfish attitude hasn’t changed now that he is in hell. Four times he barks orders for Lazarus…still views him as subordinate. Hell is not a hospital for the sick, it is a prison for the condemned.

Stories like this one were popular folk tales in Jesus’ day. Someone goes to their version of hell and asks for someone to go to their family. In all the folk tales, the request is granted. But not with Jesus. He is clear…there are no second chances after death.

While hell is a place of sorrow, Heaven is described as a place of celebration. You have it here in with Abraham and Lazarus at the heavenly banquet. We saw it last week in with eternal celebration in heaven when the lost are found. describes Heaven as the Wedding Feast of the Lamb. Every time Heaven comes up in the bible it is communicated to us as a celebratory feast. It is the direct contrast of hell.

TS - Friends, the suffering of hell is all-encompassing.

-Physical sorrow – intense suffering, unimaginable, eternal.

-Relational sorrow – alone, no friends.

-Emotional sorrow – regret, shame.

-Psychological sorrow – it’s too late

-Spiritual sorrow – God does not intervene.  No rescue. 

Jesus describes hell as “the outer darkness” three times in Matthew (8:12,22:13, 25:30). Morning never comes. The bible describes hell as “the bottomless pit.”  It never ends. No wonder Dante put these words inscribed over the gates of hell in “Inferno” – “Abandon all hope, ye who enter here.”

Conclusion

I told you earlier this “parable” is unique for a few different reasons. Here is another one…a character is given a name. We don’t know the name of the Good Samaritan or the Lost Son. The identity of the Shrewd Manager or the Rich Fool remain a mystery. But in we are told this man is named Lazarus. Why? After the rich man’s request to send Lazarus to his brothers is denied, he says this:

- 30 “The rich man replied, ‘No, Father Abraham! But if someone is sent to them from the dead, then they will repent of their sins and turn to God.’ 31 “But Abraham said, ‘If they won’t listen to Moses and the prophets, they won’t be persuaded even if someone rises from the dead.’”

Jesus gives us this man’s name because he is cleverly setting up the religious leaders who are hearing him say all this. “Even if a man named Lazarus is raised from the dead, they still won’t believe.” Well, as it turns out, in the very near future from this moment, Jesus will indeed raise a man from the dead. His name is Lazarus. And once these people see Lazarus raised from the dead, here is their reaction:

- 53 So from that time on, the Jewish leaders began to plot Jesus’ death.

- 9 When all the people heard of Jesus’ arrival, they flocked to see him and also to see Lazarus, the man Jesus had raised from the dead. 10 Then the leading priests decided to kill Lazarus, too, 11 for it was because of him that many of the people had deserted them and believed in Jesus.

They don’t believe. They make their plans to kill both Jesus and Lazarus. A man named Lazarus shows Jesus’ power over death. Lazarus exhibits Jesus’ authority over hell. Because in the midst of this account in , Jesus holds out a hope greater than hell.

- 25 Jesus told her, “I am the resurrection and the life. Anyone who believes in me will live, even after dying.

Hell is real, but it is not what God wants for you. He sent Jesus to save. Revelation tells us Hell was created for Satan, not for you. But those who deny God and refuse to trust in Jesus are condemned to join Satan there. Jesus is the answer. Jesus is the rescue.

Listen once again to the conclusion reached by Dr. Maurice Rawlings after he studied those with near death experiences.

“Just listening to these patients has changed my life.  There is a life after death, and if I don’t know where I’m going, it is not safe to die.”

He is right. If you don’t know where you are going, it is not safe to die. But the promise of Jesus, the hope he holds out to us today is this…if you know him, it is always safe to die. Because you will be with him forever.

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