The Most Awful Word In The Bible

Luke 16:19–31 KJV 1900

19 There was a certain rich man, which was clothed in purple and fine linen, and fared sumptuously every day: 20 And there was a certain beggar named Lazarus, which was laid at his gate, full of sores, 21 And desiring to be fed with the crumbs which fell from the rich man’s table: moreover the dogs came and licked his sores. 22 And it came to pass, that the beggar died, and was carried by the angels into Abraham’s bosom: the rich man also died, and was buried; 23 And in hell he lift up his eyes, being in torments, and seeth Abraham afar off, and Lazarus in his bosom. 24 And he cried and said, Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus, that he may dip the tip of his finger in water, and cool my tongue; for I am tormented in this flame. 25 But Abraham said, Son, remember that thou in thy lifetime receivedst thy good things, and likewise Lazarus evil things: but now he is comforted, and thou art tormented. 26 And beside all this, between us and you there is a great gulf fixed: so that they which would pass from hence to you cannot; neither can they pass to us, that would come from thence. 27 Then he said, I pray thee therefore, father, that thou wouldest send him to my father’s house: 28 For I have five brethren; that he may testify unto them, lest they also come into this place of torment. 29 Abraham saith unto him, They have Moses and the prophets; let them hear them. 30 And he said, Nay, father Abraham: but if one went unto them from the dead, they will repent. 31 And he said unto him, If they hear not Moses and the prophets, neither will they be persuaded, though one rose from the dead.

Introduction

The Bible has many wonderful, beautiful words and passages. It gives us comfort, blessing, love, and life.

Today though, I’m not going to be talking about those, but I want to bring your attention to the most awful word in the Bible.

Most of you, after listening to the reading of the text today, already know the word I’m talking about.

It’s found in verse 23 of our text this morning...

Luke 16:23 (KJV 1900)

23 And in hell he lift up his eyes...

The word hell and what the Bible has to say about it is the most awful word I have ever heard...

Number 1 this morning, as it is for most people today, hell is...

I-A Forgotten Fact

Luke 16:23 (KJV 1900)

23 And in hell he lift up his eyes...

People don’t like the thought of hell…And because of this, they try to avoid the subject...

They did back in the Bible days, and they do today, but what we are seeing in this passage is Jesus jolting them with a reminder of the reality of hell!

Hell is an awful place, it’s an awful word…Most people today use it as a by-word, curse word, etc. but they never think about it being a literal place.

Some people treat hell as a joke, poking fun and laughing at it. Some people think of it as something invented by religion to frighten people into being good.

Others simply feel that the thought of hell isn’t consistent with a loving God and so they make no room for it in their theology.

Many churches today have forgotten about hell. You don’t hear it preached anymore, you don’t hear it mentioned anymore.

It’s offensive to people…Churches today emphasize the love of God at the expense of His holiness, and by doing so, they fail to consider that God’s love finds its limits in the cross of Christ!

To minimize hell is to also minimize the cross!

To preach on the substitutionary sacrifice of Jesus on the cross without a healthy proclamation of the doctrine of hell simply doesn’t make sense.  

Some time back, the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) contacted Stuart Townend and Keith Getty with a request to print an altered version of the hymn, “In Christ Alone.”  They were seeking permission to change the text from, “Till on that cross as Jesus died/the wrath of God was satisfied” to “Till on that cross as Jesus died/the love of God was magnified.”

The request was denied and as a result, the hymn was banned from their hymnal.  The representative, Mary Louise Bringle, from the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) explained:

The song has been removed from our contents list, with deep regret over losing its otherwise poignant and powerful witness.  The “view that the cross is primarily about God’s need to assuage God’s anger” would have a negative effect on the hymnal’s ability to form the faith of coming generations, and it would do a disservice to this educational mission.

We’re living in strange days in the modern church where people are trying to clean up the bloody cross and silence the message of hell.  

The fact that God judged His Son and continues to judge sinners is unacceptable.

The Bible gives constant reminders of hells reality.

In Isaiah 14:9 we read, “Hell from beneath is moved for thee to meet thee at thy coming.” Jesus said, “And fear not them which kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul: but rather fear him which is able to destroy both soul and body in hell” (Matthew 10:28).

In Matthew 25:41 we read, “Then shall he say unto them on his left hand, Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels.”

In Mark 9:43–44 Jesus said, “And if thy right hand offend thee, cut it off: it is better for thee to enter into life maimed, than having two hands to go into hell, into the fire that never shall be quenched: Where their worm dieth not, and the fire is not quenched.”

Paul wrote, “The Lord Jesus shall be revealed from heaven with his mighty angels, in flaming fire taking vengeance on them that know not God, and that obey not the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ: who shall be punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord, and from the glory of his power” (2 Thessalonians 1:7–9).

In Revelation 14:10–11 we read, “The same shall drink of the wine of the wrath of God, which is poured out without mixture into the cup of his indignation; and he shall be tormented with fire and brimstone in the presence of the holy angels, and in the presence of the Lamb: and the smoke of their torment ascendeth up forever and ever: and they have no rest day or night.”

These are only a few of the many references which speak of the reality of hell. It is a fact which must not be forgotten.

The rich man died and …in hell he lift up his eyes...

Hell must not be a forgotten fact because the prospect of hell is...

II-A Frightening Future

Luke 16:27–28 (KJV 1900)

27 ...send him to my father’s house:

28 For I have five brethren; that he may testify unto them, lest they also come into this place of torment.

Hell was a place of such terror the man who was suffering there wanted none of his family to come where he was. He begged that someone might be sent to warn them against that horrible place.

What is it that makes hell a frightening future?

Jesus says of the man in Luke 16: 23 "And in hell he lift up his eyes, being in TORMENTS. "

24 ". . . for I am TORMENTED in this FLAME."

28 ". . .PLACE OF TORMENT."

It is humanly impossible to comprehend the Bible description of hell. Nothing on earth can compare with it. No nightmare could produce a terror to match that of hell. No horror movie could describe it’s fright. No crime scene with all it’s blood and gore could begin to match it’s horror.

It'll be beyond anything humanly imaginable!

The Bible describes it as weeping (Matt 8:12), wailing (Matt 13:42), gnashing of teeth (Matt 13:50), darkness (Matt 25:30), flames (Luke 16:24), burning (Isa 33:14), torments (Luke 16:23), everlasting punishment!

Jesus Christ says in Matthew 25:41, "Depart from me, ye cursed, into EVERLASTING FIRE, prepared for the devil and his angels."

In Matthew 13:42, Jesus says: "And shall cast them into a FURNACE OF FIRE :there shall be wailing and gnashing of teeth."

This rich man had gone to hell, and he had five brothers that were on their way!

Many people had gone before him and many would go after him!

Hell! The prison house of despair.

Here are some things that will not be there:

No flowers will bloom on the banks of hell,

No beauties of nature we love so well;

No comforts of home, music and song,

No friendship, or joy will be found in that throng;

No children to brighten that long, dreary night,

No love or peace, not one ray of light;

No blood-washed soul with face beaming bright,

No loving smile in that region of night;

No mercy, no pity, pardon or grace,

No water, O God, What a terrible place!

The pangs of the lost no human can tell,

Not one moment’s ease, there is no rest in hell!

Hell! The prison house of despair,

Here are some things that will be there:

Fire and brimstone are there we know,

For God in His Word has told us so;

Memory, remorse, suffering and pain,

Weeping and wailing, but all in vain;

Blasphemers, swearers, haters of God,

Sinners who refused to be washed in the blood;

Lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God,

Christ-rejecters while here on earth trod;

Murderers, adulterers, drunkards and liars,

Will have their part in the lake of fire;

The filthy, the vile, the cruel and mean—

What a horrible mob in hell shall be seen!

Yea, more than the human tongue can tell,

Are the torments and woes of eternal hell!

Hell is a frightening future, it must not be forgotten, and to end up there is...

III-A Fool’s Finish

Luke 16:30 KJV 1900

30 And he said, Nay, father Abraham: but if one went unto them from the dead, they will repent.

Someone has said, “Where is hell?” Hell is at the end of a life without Christ. Heaven is a prepared place for a prepared people. Hell is a prepared place for an unprepared people.

Because the rich man and his five brethren would not hear and obey the Word of God, they missed heaven and went to hell.

Hell is a fool’s finish!

Millionaire Ted Turner, said in an interview, "I’m looking forward to dying and being cast into Hell. That's where I belong."

You say — he’s a fool! But friend, when you say "No"; to Jesus Christ and His payment for your sin — you are saying the same thing! You’re telling God — I don’t need Jesus Christ — I’ll pay for my sins in hell!

Several years ago a book was published, entitled Beyond Death's Door by Dr. Maurice Rawlings.

Dr. Rawlings, a specialist in Internal Medicine and Cardiovascular Disease, resuscitated many people who had been clinically dead. Dr. Rawlings, a devout atheist, "considered all religion "hocus-pocus" and death nothing more than a painless extinction".

But something happened in 1977 that brought a dramatic change in the life of Dr. Rawlings! He was resuscitating a man, terrified and screaming — descending down into the flames of hell:

"Each time he regained heartbeat and respiration, the patient screamed, "I am in hell!" He was terrified and pleaded with me to help him. I was scared to death. . . Then I noticed a genuinely alarmed look on his face. He had a terrified look worse than the expression seen in death! This patient had a grotesque grimace expressing sheer horror! His pupils were dilated, and he was perspiring and trembling — he looked as if his hair was "on end." Then still another strange thing happened. He said,"Don't you understand? I am in hell. . . Don't let me go back to hell!". . .the man was serious, and it finally occurred to me that he was indeed in trouble. He was in a panic like I had never seen before."

Hell is a forgotten fact, a frightening future, and a fool’s finish!

Hell is the most awful word in the Bible - Don’t make it a reality for you!

Conclusion

Without Christ, hell is just a breath away, just a heartbeat away, just a step away, just a split-second away, just around the corner!

If a person goes to hell, it is against the will of God, against the love of God, against all God has done to save him, and it is a fool’s finish.

A person does not have to go to hell.

The Bible tells us, “Whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.”