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I remember preaching a message 
on a Saturday night at a 

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conference many years ago, and 
that message was on the reality 

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of heaven and hell. 
And at the end of that sermon, 

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the gospel was preached and I 
invited listeners to make the 

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Lord Jesus Christ their Savior, 
which some did. 

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And though it was quite some 
time ago, I can recall different

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interactions I had that evening,
including a conversation that I 

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had with an individual who is 
not at that specific session but

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was at the conference. 
And at some later point of the 

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night, he approached me, we 
greeted each other, and he 

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asked, what did you speak on 
tonight? 

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When I told him, he was not slow
to hesitate to grant his opinion

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about the subject of hell, and 
his argument was hell, or any 

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fear for that matter, should 
ever be a motivation to bring 

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people to Christ. 
That warning about judgement 

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isn't the best approach to win 
souls. 

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He continued to say that if we 
are going to reach anybody with 

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the gospel, then we should 
emphasize on a loving 

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relationship with Christ and 
that we should spend more time 

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describing His beauty and 
allowing His beauty to compel us

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to Him, which are proposal that 
I am not opposed to now. 

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I'm not going to continue to 
explain how that conversation 

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continued, but I bring this to 
your attention because I believe

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that many Christians, like this 
brother, aren't sure how to 

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handle the concept of hell. 
And though that word is casually

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thrown around in our culture, a 
genuine reflection upon its 

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truth is able to provoke a 
variety of emotion, distress, 

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fear, anxiety, confusion, and 
even anger. 

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Well, let me just tell you this.
This morning I learned that even

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iPhones don't know what to do 
with the word hell because as I 

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was sending the message, the 
title for this sermon, it kept 

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replacing the word hell, auto 
correcting it to hill HE 

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apostrophe LL. 
And I thought, did I write that?

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And then I try to write the word
hell again. 

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And it did it once more. 
Besides, iPhones and 

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churchgoers, even ministers, 
struggle with this topic and 

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don't know what to do with the 
implications of this element of 

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eternity. 
And so there are many, many 

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pastors who have vowed to never 
even mention the word hell from 

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the pulpit, never mind 
evangelism. 

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And there are some who have, 
because they're so disturbed by 

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this, deleted this truth from 
their doctrine and encourage 

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others to do the same. 
While some feel greater liberty 

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to speak about hell, and they do
so in a very unwise unchrist 

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like manner where they they 
believe that this will keep my 

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listeners in line and so they 
threaten with hell, leaving 

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people distraught and feeling 
hopeless. 

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But no matter how this topic 
makes us feel, whether we really

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hear it in the circles we're in 
or it was the main message we 

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grew up enduring. 
Whether we think it's wise to 

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mention it in the presence of 
unbelievers or believe that it 

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should be reserved in 
conversation between mature 

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Christians, you can't ignore 
hell in the Bible. 

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It's there. 
More specifically, the Lord 

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Jesus Christ is easily 
identified as the one messenger 

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who preached on hell, more than 
any other prophet or apostle, in

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fact. 
Jesus warned unbelievers about 

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hell. 
Contrary to modern evangelical 

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methodology, Jesus Christ of 
Nazareth mentioned hell on more 

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than one occasion, and today I 
want to draw your attention to 

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one of those warnings found in 
the Gospel of Luke chapter 16, 

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beginning in verse 19. 
As I mentioned earlier, there is

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a title to this message, and it 
is this, A plea from hell. 

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A plea from hell. 
Let's read it together beginning

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in verse 19. 
There was a rich man who was 

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clothed in purple and fine 
linen, and who feasted 

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sumptuously every day. 
And at his gate was a laid a 

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poor man named Lazarus, covered 
with sores, who desired to be 

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fed with what fell from the rich
man's table. 

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Moreover, even the dogs came and
licked his sores. 

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The poor man died and was 
carried by the angels to 

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Abraham's side. 
Some translation say Abraham's 

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bosom. 
Let's continue. 

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The rich man also died and was 
buried and in Hades being in 

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torment, he lifted up his eyes 
and saw Abraham far off and 

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Lazarus at his side. 
And he called out, Father 

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Abraham, have mercy on me and 
send Lazarus to dip the end of 

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his finger in water and cool my 
tongue, for I am an anguish in 

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this flame. 
But Abraham said, Child, 

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remember that you in your 
lifetime received your good 

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things, and Lazarus in like 
manner bad things, but now he is

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comforted here and you are in 
anguish. 

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And besides all this, between US
and you a great chasm has been 

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fixed, in order that those who 
would pass from here to you may 

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not be able, and none may cross 
from there to us. 

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And he said, Then I beg you 
Father's to send them to my 

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father's house, for I have 5 
brothers, so that he may warn 

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them, lest they also come into 
this place of torment. 

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But Abraham said they have Moses
and the prophets, let them hear 

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them. 
And he said, No father Abraham, 

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but if someone goes to them from
the dead, they will repent. 

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He said to them, if they do not 
hear Moses and the prophets, 

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neither will they be convinced 
if someone should rise from the 

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dead. 
We ask Lord that you make these 

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truths real to us and even if 
one person here is on their way 

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to hell, that would change after
they hear this message in Jesus 

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name, Amen. 
The way that we are going to 

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understand this teaching is by 
asking and answering three 

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questions. 
Question #1 How should we 

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interpret this passage? 
Question #2 Why is the Lord 

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sharing it here? 
Question #3 What is the message 

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that Christ is conveying? 
Let's deal with this one by one.

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How should we interpret this 
section of Scripture? 

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That is an important question to
ask because there is debate 

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about and here is the debate. 
Is Jesus sharing a parable? 

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Or is this a real historical 
account? 

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And you might be wondering if 
determining an answer is even 

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necessary, and I'm here to tell 
you I believe it is. 

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It is important to determine the
nature of this teaching. 

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Why? 
Because if it is a parable, then

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it is open to metaphorical 
interpretations, meaning readers

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might feel free to allegorize or
even overlook some of the 

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details of this account. 
But if this is a factual 

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portrayal, then we are forced to
accept all that Jesus describes 

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in this teaching. 
So why do many believe that this

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is a parable? 
There are many reasons, but I'm 

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just going to present the main 
one. 

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The main 1 is that the story 
begins with a formulaic 

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structure that is found and 
typical in other parables. 

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So look back again how it opens.
In verse 19, there was a rich 

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man who was clothed in purple 
and fine linen and who feasted 

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sumptuously. 
Everyday Nabes text will 

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showcase that there is a similar
ring in other parables. 

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So we're just going to look at 
this briefly. 

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Look at Luke 1416. 
We're just going to be in Luke 

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and this is Jesus sharing the 
parable of the great banquet. 

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But look at how it starts in 
Luke 1416. 

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But he said to him, a man once 
gave a great banquet and invited

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many. 
Go to Luke 15, verse 11. 

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This is the parable of the 
prodigal son. 

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And notice how this part of the 
parable is introduced in Luke 

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1511. 
And he said there was a man who 

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had two sons. 
Go to Luke 16, verse 1, the same

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chapter where we are learning 
from this teaching. 

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In verse one of Luke 16, he also
said to the disciples there was 

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a rich man who had a manager and
charges were brought to him that

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this man was wasting his 
possessions. 

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Let's go even beyond Luke 16. 
Look at Luke 18 and look at 

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verse one. 
And he told them a parable to 

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the effect that they are always 
to pray and not lose heart. 

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He said in a certain city there 
was a judge who neither feared 

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God nor respected man. 
So again, the point that I'm 

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trying to make is that when you 
look at surrounding text, 

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specifically parables, and see 
how the Lord opens them up, we 

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are almost now being conditioned
to view the story of the rich 

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man and Lazarus in the same way.
Does that make sense? 

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So then why do some see this as 
a real historical report? 

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And I want to be fair here. 
There are many answers, but I'm 

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also just going to present the 
main one as well. 

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Although there are similar 
components in this text to other

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parables, there is one distinct 
ingredient that is not found in 

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any other parable. 
What is it? 

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Jesus gives names to the 
individuals in this teaching. 

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What are the names? 
Well, we read about Lazarus. 

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We read about Abraham, and this 
is the same Abraham who is the 

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father of the Jewish people. 
That's clear in the context. 

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And we have one more. 
His name is Moses. 

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The Lord never gives names in 
parables. 

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Some say he's making an 
exception here. 

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Well, can you consider this 
possibility? 

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If you're willing to acknowledge
that the Abraham mentioned here 

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is the historical Abraham, that 
the Moses referenced here is the

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historical Moses, then why would
you discount that the Lazarus 

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that is mentioned here is a real
person, and that the rich man, 

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though unnamed, is equally a 
real person? 

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And any other difficulty in 
accepting this being historical 

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is greatly resolved by 
remembering that the Lord Jesus 

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Christ is the Omniscient 1. 
He knows the thoughts, the 

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hearts, and the whereabouts of 
every single individual, both 

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here in this realm and in the 
eternal realm. 

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So it's not so shocking for 
Christ to give us insight into 

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individuals in the hereafter. 
That shouldn't be so surprising.

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This is God in the flesh 
teaching us here. 

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And if we're going to determine 
that this is likely historical 

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than parabolic, this is a 
different weight that we're 

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dealing with in in this 
teaching. 

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This is not merely symbolic, 
this is real. 

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And I am persuaded that this is 
historical. 

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So now let's move on to the 
second question. 

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Why is the Lord sharing this at 
this juncture? 

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And as always, it helps to look 
at what was said before to 

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understand this specific 
segment. 

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The context is clear and Luke 
16, the Lord Jesus Christ is 

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taking His time teaching His 
disciples and at this particular

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moment He is instructing them 
about ready money, money. 

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Go back to verse one of Luke 16.
Again, He also said to the 

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disciples, there was a rich man 
who had a manager and charges 

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were brought to him that this 
man was wasting his possessions.

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And oh, I would love to break 
down this parable. 

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Many people find it difficult 
and interpreting it's not that 

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difficult. 
But because we're focusing on a 

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different teaching, let's just 
go to the conclusion of Christ 

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instructions here with the 
opening verses of Luke 16. 

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It's found in verse 13. 
Here's the core message behind 

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what Christ is conveying. 
No servant can serve 2 masters. 

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For that he will hate the one 
and love the other, or he will 

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be devoted to the one and 
despise the other. 

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You cannot serve God and money. 
He's speaking to His own 

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followers. 
And this saying is very common. 

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We can all repeat it by heart, 
but it's connected to a 

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particular practical teaching. 
What is the Lord doing with His 

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disciples? 
He's letting them know how to 

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properly and appropriately use 
their wealth. 

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And in that parable of Luke 16 
one down, he is telling them 

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that money is a tool. 
Never allow it to become a 

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master. 
Money is a means to bring people

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into the Kingdom. 
As you contribute and as you 

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give and as you set apart these 
resources for the sake of the 

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gospel going out, don't lose 
sight of that. 

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Then he reminds him, Listen you,
you can't serve God and money. 

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And as he's teaching them about 
how they ought to handle their 

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possessions, the Pharisees are 
not too far away, and they 

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listen to Jesus and they hear 
what he has to say about 

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possessions. 
And Christ struck a nerve with 

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them, and they were not ashamed.
To do what? 

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To ridicule Jesus. 
Look at Luke 1614. 

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The Pharisees who were lovers of
money heard all these things, 

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and they ridiculed Him. 
So the Lord is focusing on His 

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own, but in the presence of His 
teaching you have these fair 

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Pharisees who were possessed 
with greed and covetousness, a 

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common trait of false teachers 
both then and now. 

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And Christ exposes their hearts 
and they collectively begin to 

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scoff at Jesus and mock Him. 
And the Holy Spirit tells us 

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why, because they were lovers of
money. 

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And Christ hears their scoffing.
So he pauses his class with his 

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00:16:58,240 --> 00:17:01,080
disciples, and now he turns his 
attention to these Pharisees. 

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Look at the language carefully 
in verse 15. 

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And he said to them, were they 
them, the Pharisees? 

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00:17:07,760 --> 00:17:12,000
And he said to them, You are 
those who justify yourselves 

230
00:17:12,000 --> 00:17:15,359
before men, but God knows your 
hearts. 

231
00:17:15,800 --> 00:17:19,319
For what is exalted among men is
an abomination in the sight of 

232
00:17:19,319 --> 00:17:21,240
God. 
What a powerful statement this 

233
00:17:21,240 --> 00:17:25,560
is. 
Yes, generally the Pharisees 

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00:17:25,560 --> 00:17:29,120
were those who proudly justified
themselves before men. 

235
00:17:29,120 --> 00:17:33,800
But it's connected to a context.
They are justifying their love 

236
00:17:33,840 --> 00:17:37,440
of money before people. 
Why? 

237
00:17:37,440 --> 00:17:40,360
Because they use their teaching 
and their affluence and their 

238
00:17:40,360 --> 00:17:43,680
authority to manipulate and 
trick and and even ravage 

239
00:17:43,680 --> 00:17:47,160
widows. 
And so they would cleverly, 

240
00:17:47,640 --> 00:17:52,120
cunningly convince people. 
We don't know exactly how, but 

241
00:17:52,120 --> 00:17:56,680
one thing is probable, that even
their accumulation of wealth was

242
00:17:56,680 --> 00:18:01,400
a sign of God blessing them and 
showing favor to them. 

243
00:18:02,600 --> 00:18:05,120
And Jesus says you justify 
yourselves. 

244
00:18:05,520 --> 00:18:09,320
You justify your passion and 
your dedication to wealth before

245
00:18:09,320 --> 00:18:10,880
men. 
But God knows the greed in your 

246
00:18:10,880 --> 00:18:13,160
hearts. 
God knows that you ultimately 

247
00:18:13,160 --> 00:18:15,480
love money. 
Yeah, you have the gowns and you

248
00:18:15,480 --> 00:18:18,800
do the services, but you really 
love that dollar sign. 

249
00:18:21,600 --> 00:18:26,320
Then he says this. 
For what is exalted among men is

250
00:18:26,320 --> 00:18:28,400
an abomination in the sight of 
God. 

251
00:18:29,200 --> 00:18:32,520
What is exalted among men? 
The pursuit of riches. 

252
00:18:33,400 --> 00:18:36,040
Very little people in our 
culture today would condemn a 

253
00:18:36,040 --> 00:18:40,680
person who is devoted to money, 
who is devoted to greater 

254
00:18:40,680 --> 00:18:44,320
experiences, greater luxury, 
greater whatever. 

255
00:18:45,640 --> 00:18:49,040
That's what people live for. 
And here's what the Lord says. 

256
00:18:49,200 --> 00:18:51,400
You know what's so highly 
honored and praised and 

257
00:18:51,400 --> 00:18:54,560
appreciated among men is 
actually an abomination in the 

258
00:18:54,560 --> 00:18:59,800
sight of God. 
God's value system is very 

259
00:18:59,800 --> 00:19:02,240
different than ours in our 
carnality, and it makes you 

260
00:19:02,240 --> 00:19:06,440
wonder what else he considers an
abomination that many people 

261
00:19:06,440 --> 00:19:14,200
tolerate and justify. 
But he goes on in verse 1617 to 

262
00:19:14,200 --> 00:19:19,440
highlight that though these 
religious leaders boast and 

263
00:19:19,440 --> 00:19:22,160
their adherents of the Law, 
they're actually rejecting it. 

264
00:19:23,080 --> 00:19:25,680
Notice, let's just read it. 
The law and the prophets were 

265
00:19:25,680 --> 00:19:28,120
until John. 
Since then the good news of the 

266
00:19:28,120 --> 00:19:31,200
Kingdom of God is preaching. 
Everyone forces his way into it.

267
00:19:31,360 --> 00:19:34,240
But it is easier for heaven and 
earth to pass away than for one 

268
00:19:34,240 --> 00:19:37,320
dot of the law to become void. 
Why is he speaking like this? 

269
00:19:37,320 --> 00:19:39,160
I thought he was rebuking them 
for their love of money. 

270
00:19:40,840 --> 00:19:43,640
Because again they justify 
themselves in the sight of man. 

271
00:19:45,040 --> 00:19:47,200
And Jesus says you think you're 
all about the law. 

272
00:19:47,680 --> 00:19:50,760
If you were really about the 
Law, then you would perceive 

273
00:19:50,760 --> 00:19:53,920
that John was the last Old 
Testament prophet and that the 

274
00:19:53,960 --> 00:19:58,320
era of the gospel has arrived. 
But you don't see it. 

275
00:19:59,520 --> 00:20:01,120
Obviously you don't. 
Why? 

276
00:20:01,280 --> 00:20:03,680
Because you're ridiculing the 
one that the law and the 

277
00:20:03,680 --> 00:20:07,440
prophets predicted, that the law
and the prophets foretold. 

278
00:20:08,760 --> 00:20:12,320
And one major reason why these 
Pharisees who claim to love the 

279
00:20:12,320 --> 00:20:15,960
law actually rejected it was 
because they were blinded. 

280
00:20:16,640 --> 00:20:20,040
Guess what? 
By their love of money. 

281
00:20:23,080 --> 00:20:25,080
Now the Lord could have stopped 
here. 

282
00:20:26,040 --> 00:20:28,560
And return to His disciples and 
continue to instruct them. 

283
00:20:28,560 --> 00:20:33,880
But He wants to drive home the 
point in these hearts that are 

284
00:20:33,880 --> 00:20:39,120
stubborn and Stony, that the 
consequences of their 

285
00:20:39,120 --> 00:20:45,840
callousness caused by their 
tolerated covetousness, does not

286
00:20:45,840 --> 00:20:51,000
only have ramifications in this 
life, it also has eternal 

287
00:20:51,000 --> 00:20:55,800
consequences. 
And so he is going to, in his 

288
00:20:55,800 --> 00:21:04,280
love, warn these Pharisees by 
telling them a real story about 

289
00:21:04,280 --> 00:21:11,080
a rich man who justified his 
love for money and how that love

290
00:21:11,080 --> 00:21:17,360
and that idolatry and that 
worship led him to something 

291
00:21:17,360 --> 00:21:20,560
that no person, at least in this
context, would anticipate. 

292
00:21:23,800 --> 00:21:26,560
And so we come to the last 
question, which will be the main

293
00:21:26,560 --> 00:21:29,080
focus of our time. 
We answered, how are we to 

294
00:21:29,080 --> 00:21:32,280
interpret this passage? 
We answered why the Lord is 

295
00:21:32,280 --> 00:21:35,920
sharing it here. 
What is, here's the final 

296
00:21:35,920 --> 00:21:38,280
question. 
What is the message that Christ 

297
00:21:38,280 --> 00:21:41,000
is conveying? 
And I'll tell you this, it's 

298
00:21:41,000 --> 00:21:46,080
deeper than simply describing 
the fate of a wealthy man who 

299
00:21:46,080 --> 00:21:49,600
was an unbeliever. 
And that's why I want to look at

300
00:21:49,600 --> 00:21:52,400
all that this thing has to offer
us, though I know that I'm 

301
00:21:52,400 --> 00:21:56,680
leaving things out. 
So I want us to understand this 

302
00:21:56,680 --> 00:22:04,440
teaching by dissecting it, 
framing it in three scenes, 3 

303
00:22:04,440 --> 00:22:07,000
stages, scenes, whatever you 
prefer. 

304
00:22:07,840 --> 00:22:11,040
Scene #1 very simple. 
Life. 

305
00:22:12,160 --> 00:22:18,920
Scene #2 death. 
Scene #3 eternity. 

306
00:22:19,440 --> 00:22:22,400
Scene #1 the reality of life. 
Scene #2 the reality of death. 

307
00:22:22,480 --> 00:22:26,800
Scene #3 the reality of 
eternity, the reality of life. 

308
00:22:26,800 --> 00:22:30,160
In verse 19 to verse 21. 
Did you notice that there was a 

309
00:22:30,160 --> 00:22:32,680
clear contrast between these two
men of the introduction of this 

310
00:22:32,680 --> 00:22:35,360
account? 
One was extremely rich, the 

311
00:22:35,360 --> 00:22:39,520
other extremely poor. 
One was totally satiated, the 

312
00:22:39,520 --> 00:22:46,280
other was suffering terribly. 
The one had need of nothing, the

313
00:22:46,320 --> 00:22:51,560
other had absolutely nothing. 
But the more we look carefully, 

314
00:22:51,560 --> 00:22:54,240
the more we'll uncover important
details. 

315
00:22:54,240 --> 00:23:00,160
Notice how the poor man here 
desired to be fed with what fell

316
00:23:00,160 --> 00:23:06,440
from the rich man's table. 
Implying that Lazarus, though at

317
00:23:06,440 --> 00:23:07,880
the gate, this man was very 
rich. 

318
00:23:07,880 --> 00:23:09,520
He had his own gate. 
We're not talking about the city

319
00:23:09,520 --> 00:23:10,640
gate. 
We're talking about his private 

320
00:23:10,640 --> 00:23:13,720
estate. 
He was parked there. 

321
00:23:14,080 --> 00:23:15,720
This is part of the cultural 
norm. 

322
00:23:15,720 --> 00:23:19,160
They didn't have resources and 
government aid then like we do 

323
00:23:19,160 --> 00:23:22,360
now. 
They were depended upon others 

324
00:23:22,360 --> 00:23:25,160
who could help them if they were
merciful. 

325
00:23:26,160 --> 00:23:29,120
So he's left there unable to 
fend for himself. 

326
00:23:29,640 --> 00:23:35,320
And while he is there, all he 
requested was the crumbs, not 

327
00:23:35,320 --> 00:23:39,160
not a plate of extra food. 
And we read here that this man 

328
00:23:39,160 --> 00:23:41,320
was clothed in purple. 
That speaks of royalty. 

329
00:23:41,320 --> 00:23:43,360
Fine linen. 
Even his undergarments were 

330
00:23:43,360 --> 00:23:46,600
expensive. 
And who feasted sumptuously 

331
00:23:46,600 --> 00:23:48,840
Every day wasn't no ordinary 
meal. 

332
00:23:49,120 --> 00:23:54,880
Every day was amazing, was a 
celebration. 

333
00:23:56,240 --> 00:24:00,960
And at no point was this Lazarus
offered an extra plate. 

334
00:24:00,960 --> 00:24:02,960
No, no leftovers, nothing of the
sort. 

335
00:24:03,560 --> 00:24:07,640
All he wanted was crumbs. 
And what we learned here is that

336
00:24:07,760 --> 00:24:11,600
the rich man that we are given 
an external depiction of him, 

337
00:24:12,600 --> 00:24:14,920
we're also granted a glimpse of 
his internal condition. 

338
00:24:14,920 --> 00:24:21,200
He's not just well off, he is 
self absorbed, devilishly self 

339
00:24:21,200 --> 00:24:23,720
absorbed. 
And we might expect this kind of

340
00:24:23,720 --> 00:24:27,280
selfishness from a Gentile 
ruler, but you ready for this? 

341
00:24:27,360 --> 00:24:30,640
This is not a Gentile. 
This is an Israelite. 

342
00:24:31,400 --> 00:24:33,280
How do we know that this rich 
man is an Israelite? 

343
00:24:33,280 --> 00:24:36,320
Because we read it earlier that 
when he does end up going to 

344
00:24:36,320 --> 00:24:40,400
Hades, he sees Abraham and he 
says not just Abraham, but what 

345
00:24:40,600 --> 00:24:45,000
father Abraham. 
Nobody would call Abraham father

346
00:24:45,000 --> 00:24:47,040
unless they are a descendant of 
Abraham. 

347
00:24:48,760 --> 00:24:51,560
This is a Jew. 
Why is it important to 

348
00:24:51,560 --> 00:24:54,120
acknowledge that the rich man is
of this heritage? 

349
00:24:54,440 --> 00:24:59,880
Because God's law had provided 
this people group instructions 

350
00:24:59,880 --> 00:25:03,160
of how they should relate to the
poor. 

351
00:25:03,920 --> 00:25:06,120
Listen to these words from the 
book of Deuteronomy, the book of

352
00:25:06,120 --> 00:25:09,440
the Law, chapter 15, verse 7. 
You can write that down if you 

353
00:25:09,440 --> 00:25:11,640
want to look at it later, unless
you want to turn there with me. 

354
00:25:11,640 --> 00:25:16,040
But Deuteronomy 15-7 says, if 
among you one of your brothers 

355
00:25:16,040 --> 00:25:19,600
should become poor in any of 
your towns within your land, 

356
00:25:19,600 --> 00:25:23,200
that the Lord your God is giving
you, you shall not harden your 

357
00:25:23,200 --> 00:25:28,000
heart or shut your hand against 
your poor brother, but you shall

358
00:25:28,000 --> 00:25:31,640
open your hand to him and lend 
him sufficient for his need, 

359
00:25:31,640 --> 00:25:36,520
whatever it may be. 
This is codified, this is divine

360
00:25:36,520 --> 00:25:39,040
revelation, this is a mandate 
from heaven. 

361
00:25:40,040 --> 00:25:44,200
And yet we read that this rich 
man who was a Jew would not even

362
00:25:44,200 --> 00:25:51,560
give crumbs to poor Lazarus. 
So what does that say about this

363
00:25:51,560 --> 00:25:57,560
rich man's relationship to God? 
Obviously, his heart in no way 

364
00:25:57,560 --> 00:26:00,600
reflects God's as revealed in 
the Word, which means that he 

365
00:26:00,600 --> 00:26:04,400
had little to no regard for the 
Scriptures, which means that he 

366
00:26:04,400 --> 00:26:08,720
had little to no regard for God.
This is not a unique pattern in 

367
00:26:08,720 --> 00:26:12,400
life. 
This is not so outlandish. 

368
00:26:13,080 --> 00:26:16,880
It's the story of millions of 
people today who are exposed to 

369
00:26:16,880 --> 00:26:19,040
God's Word. 
Listen, the rich man was not 

370
00:26:19,040 --> 00:26:23,760
some heathen who worship pagans.
He was aware of the truth. 

371
00:26:25,200 --> 00:26:27,520
And there are some, let me 
rephrase that. 

372
00:26:27,520 --> 00:26:32,000
There are many who are aware of 
the truth, but they ignore the 

373
00:26:32,000 --> 00:26:35,400
message because they are driven 
by prosperity. 

374
00:26:35,920 --> 00:26:40,680
They are driven by maintaining 
and increasing in selfish 

375
00:26:40,680 --> 00:26:43,200
comfort. 
They are driven by knowing 

376
00:26:43,200 --> 00:26:47,400
greater heights of personal 
satisfaction at the expense of 

377
00:26:47,400 --> 00:26:52,080
doing what God asked them to do.
And this man's attitude will 

378
00:26:52,080 --> 00:26:56,280
reveal that this level of 
unbelief has eternal 

379
00:26:56,280 --> 00:27:00,440
consequences. 
It's also sad to know that in 

380
00:27:00,440 --> 00:27:03,240
contrast to the rich man's 
spiritual destitution, we 

381
00:27:03,240 --> 00:27:06,280
actually are confronted with the
compassion of animals. 

382
00:27:07,520 --> 00:27:11,960
Go back again here and look at 
verse 21. 

383
00:27:13,000 --> 00:27:15,760
Who desired to be fed with what 
fell from the rich man's table? 

384
00:27:15,760 --> 00:27:19,400
Moreover, even the dogs came and
licked his sores. 

385
00:27:20,760 --> 00:27:24,960
Now, some would interpret this 
as further aggravation and 

386
00:27:26,040 --> 00:27:30,320
another layer to Lazarus's 
suffering, but you can also see 

387
00:27:30,320 --> 00:27:36,760
this as a poignant reminder that
the man who is suffering here is

388
00:27:36,760 --> 00:27:40,640
being comforted by wild dogs. 
The word dogs there is not 

389
00:27:40,640 --> 00:27:42,800
speaking about your little cute 
puppy at home waiting for you to

390
00:27:42,800 --> 00:27:46,880
come back from service. 
We're talking about ravenous, 

391
00:27:47,520 --> 00:27:52,760
ugly St. animals that will eat 
anything to survive. 

392
00:27:54,040 --> 00:27:59,760
And yet we see here that man in 
his selfishness, man in his sin,

393
00:28:00,000 --> 00:28:03,680
is capable of being worse than 
animals and how he treats his 

394
00:28:03,680 --> 00:28:08,400
fellow man. 
Have you ever seen it in reading

395
00:28:08,400 --> 00:28:10,520
history? 
Have you ever seen it watching 

396
00:28:10,520 --> 00:28:12,760
the news? 
What man is able to do to 

397
00:28:12,760 --> 00:28:14,640
another creed in the image of 
God? 

398
00:28:14,800 --> 00:28:17,720
You've probably even said it. 
Even animals don't act like 

399
00:28:17,720 --> 00:28:20,560
that. 
Well, here's another example and

400
00:28:20,560 --> 00:28:22,760
listen to this now. 
This is how brilliant the word 

401
00:28:22,760 --> 00:28:25,080
of God is. 
You have here the mention of 

402
00:28:25,080 --> 00:28:29,080
crumbs and dogs. 
Does that ring a bell of another

403
00:28:29,080 --> 00:28:32,080
encounter that Jesus had? 
It should the Cyrophoenician 

404
00:28:32,080 --> 00:28:36,240
woman who had a daughter who is 
possessed by an evil spirit. 

405
00:28:36,240 --> 00:28:39,520
So she comes to Jesus, though a 
Gentile and ask for deliverance.

406
00:28:39,520 --> 00:28:42,160
And the Lord said it is not 
right to take the children's 

407
00:28:42,160 --> 00:28:45,640
bread and give it to dogs. 
Now dogs, and that is a 

408
00:28:45,640 --> 00:28:48,800
different word. 
He's not speaking about the ugly

409
00:28:48,800 --> 00:28:51,480
animals on the street. 
It's a completely different 

410
00:28:51,480 --> 00:28:55,600
Greek word, but the woman 
responds to Jesus. 

411
00:28:55,600 --> 00:28:59,080
In what way? 
Yes, but even the dogs eat the 

412
00:28:59,080 --> 00:29:01,400
crumbs that fall off their 
master's table. 

413
00:29:03,280 --> 00:29:05,880
Why do I bring that up? 
Because if you take that and 

414
00:29:05,880 --> 00:29:10,200
then bring it to this story, 
then you realize that Lazarus is

415
00:29:10,200 --> 00:29:15,960
really asking for dog food and 
the rich man wouldn't even give 

416
00:29:15,960 --> 00:29:24,720
him that. 
In contrast to the rich man, we 

417
00:29:24,720 --> 00:29:32,600
see something interesting. 
Lazarus is named and this 

418
00:29:32,600 --> 00:29:35,440
wealthy fellow isn't. 
Did you notice that on more than

419
00:29:35,440 --> 00:29:37,880
one occasion? 
We know the identity right of 

420
00:29:37,880 --> 00:29:40,640
the introduction? 
Actually, we know the name of 

421
00:29:41,120 --> 00:29:45,480
this poor homeless fellow. 
His name is Lazarus, and we 

422
00:29:45,480 --> 00:29:47,480
never learned the name of the 
prestigious owner of this 

423
00:29:47,480 --> 00:29:49,720
estate. 
And that is by design. 

424
00:29:50,440 --> 00:29:52,840
Why is that by design? 
Because the name Lazarus means 

425
00:29:52,840 --> 00:29:57,080
something, the one whom God 
helps. 

426
00:29:58,760 --> 00:30:02,160
And it's not always the case 
that a name that denotes 

427
00:30:02,160 --> 00:30:05,040
relationship with God is 
reflected in the life of the one

428
00:30:05,040 --> 00:30:06,840
who bears it, right? 
There are many examples in the 

429
00:30:06,840 --> 00:30:09,280
Old Testament. 
Somebody has this awesome name 

430
00:30:09,280 --> 00:30:11,920
of relation to God, but their 
life contradicts it. 

431
00:30:12,400 --> 00:30:17,360
In this case, though, I believe 
that Lazarus was a believer. 

432
00:30:17,360 --> 00:30:18,600
You're saying, how can you 
speculate? 

433
00:30:18,600 --> 00:30:23,560
I'm not. 
He goes to heaven, so he lived 

434
00:30:23,560 --> 00:30:26,160
up to this name. 
The fact that Jesus communicates

435
00:30:27,120 --> 00:30:30,360
and reveals his identity shows 
that he had faith. 

436
00:30:32,160 --> 00:30:36,120
He relied on God, he trusted in 
God, he knew God. 

437
00:30:36,360 --> 00:30:40,040
God was wrapped in his identity 
and purpose regardless of how 

438
00:30:40,040 --> 00:30:44,480
his life played out. 
In the same way we learned 

439
00:30:44,480 --> 00:30:47,800
something from the rich man 
concerning life today, we can 

440
00:30:47,800 --> 00:30:50,640
also say something about 
Lazarus, that even those who 

441
00:30:50,640 --> 00:30:55,680
love and serve God will not 
always experience the relief 

442
00:30:56,880 --> 00:31:01,320
that they hope for in this life.
Relief is coming and it's going 

443
00:31:01,320 --> 00:31:04,200
to be eternal, but it's not 
always promised. 

444
00:31:04,520 --> 00:31:12,640
On this side of eternity. 
The rich man is nameless, and 

445
00:31:12,640 --> 00:31:17,800
this suddenly speaks to his lack
of any meaningful connection to 

446
00:31:17,800 --> 00:31:21,160
the Lord. 
It also says something about the

447
00:31:21,160 --> 00:31:26,720
Lord not knowing the rich man. 
Well, isn't he omniscient? 

448
00:31:26,760 --> 00:31:29,760
He is, but do you remember in 
Matthew 7 the many who will come

449
00:31:29,760 --> 00:31:32,840
before the Lord and say, Hey, 
Lord, didn't we do this? 

450
00:31:32,840 --> 00:31:35,240
And didn't we do that? 
And Jesus will say, what? 

451
00:31:35,240 --> 00:31:37,040
Depart from me? 
I never knew you. 

452
00:31:37,040 --> 00:31:38,280
What do you mean? 
He didn't know them? 

453
00:31:38,280 --> 00:31:39,640
He didn't know what the works 
they didn't know. 

454
00:31:39,640 --> 00:31:42,360
He did, but he didn't have this 
intimate relationship, this 

455
00:31:42,360 --> 00:31:45,720
connection with them. 
And here you have subtly the 

456
00:31:45,720 --> 00:31:51,080
Lord saying God knew Lazarus, 
but he had no relationship with 

457
00:31:51,080 --> 00:31:55,560
the rich man who's really rich 
in this story. 

458
00:31:59,160 --> 00:32:02,800
I also believe here that Jesus 
mentioning Lazarus name is meant

459
00:32:02,800 --> 00:32:06,600
to elevate him and show that he 
is recognized and valued while 

460
00:32:06,600 --> 00:32:09,960
the rich man wasn't. 
On what basis? 

461
00:32:10,480 --> 00:32:13,960
True faith. 
One is known and loved and 

462
00:32:13,960 --> 00:32:17,480
cherished by God. 
The other, as we're about to 

463
00:32:17,480 --> 00:32:20,400
find out, is going to be 
abandoned by God. 

464
00:32:22,000 --> 00:32:27,440
Scene #1 comes to a close. 
Now the curtains open to scene 

465
00:32:27,440 --> 00:32:31,800
#2 the reality of death, verse 
22. 

466
00:32:32,160 --> 00:32:33,800
Let's read it to refresh our 
memories. 

467
00:32:34,640 --> 00:32:38,800
The poor man died and was 
carried by the angels to 

468
00:32:38,800 --> 00:32:42,400
Abraham's side. 
The rich man also died and was 

469
00:32:42,400 --> 00:32:45,560
buried. 
No matter how differently these 

470
00:32:45,560 --> 00:32:49,880
two men lived, they share the 
same end, Death. 

471
00:32:51,000 --> 00:32:54,720
Someone once said death is the 
great equalizer of all men. 

472
00:32:55,800 --> 00:33:01,720
And it doesn't matter what kind 
of money you have, what kind of 

473
00:33:02,440 --> 00:33:06,760
organic food it can get you, 
what kind of doctors you have 

474
00:33:06,760 --> 00:33:12,760
access to, no matter what kind 
of environment and clean air you

475
00:33:12,760 --> 00:33:17,880
can live in, because of your 
money, you're going to die and 

476
00:33:17,880 --> 00:33:20,880
I'm going to die. 
We're all going to die. 

477
00:33:21,800 --> 00:33:25,760
We can't escape it. 
You can't do anything about it, 

478
00:33:26,480 --> 00:33:28,120
and the Lord reminds us of that.
Here. 

479
00:33:28,720 --> 00:33:34,440
However, we're beginning to see 
a shift in this story, a role 

480
00:33:34,440 --> 00:33:38,160
reversal, if you will. 
It's as though we get a final 

481
00:33:38,160 --> 00:33:40,840
glimpse of the stark contrast 
between the privileges that 

482
00:33:40,840 --> 00:33:44,000
these two men shared while on 
Earth before we cross a 

483
00:33:44,000 --> 00:33:46,960
threshold where both the world's
are about to be turned upside 

484
00:33:46,960 --> 00:33:51,240
down. 
So what do we see? 

485
00:33:52,600 --> 00:33:55,480
Read carefully that when the 
rich man died at the end of 

486
00:33:55,480 --> 00:33:59,040
verse 22, he didn't just die, he
was buried. 

487
00:34:00,760 --> 00:34:03,480
And you can believe that this 
man's funeral was just as 

488
00:34:03,480 --> 00:34:07,520
elaborate and extravagant as one
of his fancy lunches while he 

489
00:34:07,520 --> 00:34:10,719
was alive. 
Sure, there might have been a 

490
00:34:10,719 --> 00:34:12,920
procession. 
There might even have been a 

491
00:34:12,920 --> 00:34:17,400
wonderful ceremony. 
We're going to see what happens 

492
00:34:17,400 --> 00:34:21,280
on the other side of this. 
But when you look at the 

493
00:34:21,360 --> 00:34:23,560
beginning of verse 22, what do 
you read about Lazarus? 

494
00:34:23,880 --> 00:34:27,400
Look again, the poor man died 
and that's it. 

495
00:34:28,159 --> 00:34:32,480
No mention of a funeral, no 
mention of honor, respect, no 

496
00:34:32,480 --> 00:34:35,639
mention of loved ones gathering 
around him to celebrate his 

497
00:34:35,639 --> 00:34:37,880
life. 
How heartbreaking. 

498
00:34:38,520 --> 00:34:43,040
This man's dishonor and disgrace
followed him up to his death and

499
00:34:43,840 --> 00:34:45,480
we don't know what happened to 
his body. 

500
00:34:45,960 --> 00:34:48,600
He could have been just picked 
up and thrown in some average 

501
00:34:48,600 --> 00:34:49,480
place. 
You could have even been 

502
00:34:49,480 --> 00:34:52,040
discarded in the outskirts of 
the city where criminals who 

503
00:34:52,040 --> 00:34:55,520
were executed were dropped off. 
We have no clue. 

504
00:34:56,880 --> 00:35:01,560
So even in this final moment of 
life, where their bodies now are

505
00:35:01,560 --> 00:35:05,120
being handled in clearly 
contrasting ways, there is 

506
00:35:05,880 --> 00:35:07,960
something now that's about to 
take place. 

507
00:35:11,240 --> 00:35:15,600
His humiliation, Lazarus, that 
is, ended the moment he offered 

508
00:35:15,600 --> 00:35:17,400
his last breath. 
Why? 

509
00:35:17,880 --> 00:35:22,400
Because we read the moment he 
opened his eyes, he was greeted 

510
00:35:22,400 --> 00:35:25,720
by the sight and sound of 
angels. 

511
00:35:28,200 --> 00:35:32,520
Angels have been dispatched to 
come and meet with Lazarus and 

512
00:35:32,520 --> 00:35:37,880
to, as we read, carry his soul 
to Abraham's bosom. 

513
00:35:38,840 --> 00:35:41,760
There's a lot of debate about 
what Abraham's bosom is. 

514
00:35:43,080 --> 00:35:45,560
I think it's very simple. 
It's an imagery to describe a 

515
00:35:45,560 --> 00:35:50,480
heavenly banquet. 
We remember when John, in the 

516
00:35:50,480 --> 00:35:54,600
Gospel of John, tells us that he
laid his head on the bosom of 

517
00:35:54,760 --> 00:35:57,080
Jesus. 
This is body language that is 

518
00:35:57,080 --> 00:36:00,240
reflected in settings of 
intimate gatherings. 

519
00:36:00,240 --> 00:36:05,720
So we have Lazarus here, who is 
granted a place of honor next to

520
00:36:05,720 --> 00:36:11,760
the one of the greatest Saints 
of all time, in a place of 

521
00:36:11,760 --> 00:36:15,360
perfect bliss, in a place where 
the righteous are kept. 

522
00:36:17,200 --> 00:36:21,600
This is glorious vindication. 
The same Lazarus who was denied 

523
00:36:21,600 --> 00:36:26,120
crumbs while on earth is now 
promoted and clothed an 

524
00:36:26,120 --> 00:36:33,040
incredible dignity, feasting 
intimately with a patriarch in 

525
00:36:33,040 --> 00:36:36,000
an environment where other 
Saints surely were there and 

526
00:36:36,000 --> 00:36:40,280
rejoiced that their eternal fate
has been sealed in the goodness 

527
00:36:40,280 --> 00:36:43,840
of God. 
Angels came. 

528
00:36:44,840 --> 00:36:47,960
Nobody showed up for this man's 
funeral, but God sent these 

529
00:36:47,960 --> 00:36:51,840
beautiful heavenly creatures to 
make sure that He had a 

530
00:36:51,840 --> 00:36:53,840
wonderful entrance into His 
presence. 

531
00:36:55,040 --> 00:37:00,480
What about the rich man? 
Look at verse 22 again and let's

532
00:37:00,480 --> 00:37:05,280
continue to verse 23. 
You would think that the sight 

533
00:37:05,280 --> 00:37:08,000
and sound of angels greeting 
Lazarus would mean that this 

534
00:37:08,000 --> 00:37:12,120
rich, privileged man would have 
something even greater at his 

535
00:37:12,120 --> 00:37:15,560
death. 
Brace yourselves. 

536
00:37:16,400 --> 00:37:18,520
The poor man died and was 
carried by the angels to 

537
00:37:18,520 --> 00:37:21,520
Abraham's side. 
The rich man also died and was 

538
00:37:21,520 --> 00:37:28,000
buried, and in Hades, being in 
torment, he lifted up his eyes 

539
00:37:28,000 --> 00:37:31,600
and saw Abraham far off and 
Lazarus at his side. 

540
00:37:33,120 --> 00:37:36,200
Lazarus died without honor. 
He was greeted with a celestial 

541
00:37:36,200 --> 00:37:40,440
host, and this rich man died 
with an elaborate celebration. 

542
00:37:40,440 --> 00:37:45,920
But there is no sight of angels 
coming for him, coming on his 

543
00:37:45,920 --> 00:37:48,960
behalf. 
He is abandoned, and all we're 

544
00:37:48,960 --> 00:37:53,800
told is that the next time he 
opened his eyes, he realized 

545
00:37:53,800 --> 00:38:00,680
that he was in hell. 
His last sight was being 

546
00:38:00,680 --> 00:38:03,400
surrounded by friends and family
who were mourning him, and the 

547
00:38:03,400 --> 00:38:07,760
next thing that he sees is that 
he is in a place of torment. 

548
00:38:10,960 --> 00:38:14,000
Hades. 
We can't confuse this with our 

549
00:38:14,000 --> 00:38:18,000
common understanding of hell. 
It's a different Greek word, and

550
00:38:18,000 --> 00:38:21,280
Hades consistently speaks of a 
temporary intermediate state of 

551
00:38:21,280 --> 00:38:24,920
the dead where souls go after 
death. 

552
00:38:24,920 --> 00:38:29,200
Listen until the final 
judgement, and though this place

553
00:38:29,200 --> 00:38:33,680
of the dead is temporary, it is 
promised that those who go there

554
00:38:34,040 --> 00:38:39,880
will endure ongoing suffering 
and they will endure this kind 

555
00:38:39,880 --> 00:38:45,280
of misery until each unredeemed 
person is summoned by God before

556
00:38:45,280 --> 00:38:50,520
the Great White Throne Judgment 
and are officially condemned to 

557
00:38:50,520 --> 00:38:54,600
hell. 
You're saying? 

558
00:38:54,600 --> 00:38:56,640
Is there any more evidence that 
can help me make that 

559
00:38:56,640 --> 00:38:57,400
distinction? 
Yes. 

560
00:38:57,400 --> 00:39:01,000
Go to Revelation chapter 20 and 
look at verse 13 with me. 

561
00:39:05,920 --> 00:39:11,920
Revelation 20, verse 13. 
This is after the 1000 

562
00:39:11,920 --> 00:39:18,720
millennial reign of Christ. 
Revelation can be easily 

563
00:39:18,720 --> 00:39:21,800
understood if you honor the fact
that it is chronological mostly.

564
00:39:22,560 --> 00:39:25,960
Here's Revelation 20, verse 13. 
And the sea gave up the dead who

565
00:39:25,960 --> 00:39:29,280
were in it, Death and what 
Hades? 

566
00:39:30,320 --> 00:39:32,960
Hell, in some translations, but 
the Greek word is different. 

567
00:39:33,520 --> 00:39:36,560
Death And Hades gave up the 
death who are who, the dead who 

568
00:39:36,560 --> 00:39:38,960
are in them. 
And they were judged, each one 

569
00:39:38,960 --> 00:39:40,640
of them, according to what they 
had done. 

570
00:39:40,840 --> 00:39:44,360
Then death and Hades were thrown
into the lake of fire. 

571
00:39:44,560 --> 00:39:47,040
This is the second death, the 
lake of fire. 

572
00:39:47,040 --> 00:39:49,640
Do you see it? 
So you have Hades, that is 

573
00:39:49,640 --> 00:39:54,480
holding those who have died and 
who await God's final judgement.

574
00:39:54,680 --> 00:39:58,120
When God is ready to judge all 
the unbelievers whose names were

575
00:39:58,120 --> 00:40:02,320
not found in the Lamb's Book of 
Life, Hades coughs up all the 

576
00:40:02,320 --> 00:40:05,080
dead. 
God cast them into the lake of 

577
00:40:05,080 --> 00:40:07,840
fire, and he throws death and 
Hades in the lake of fire as 

578
00:40:07,840 --> 00:40:10,800
well. 
This is where the rich man finds

579
00:40:10,800 --> 00:40:13,680
himself. 
He's not in the permanent state 

580
00:40:13,680 --> 00:40:17,000
of God's wrath. 
He is in a temporary holding 

581
00:40:17,000 --> 00:40:22,080
place. 
However, it's safe to say that 

582
00:40:22,080 --> 00:40:26,320
the experience of Hades is 
indeed a preview of what hell 

583
00:40:26,400 --> 00:40:31,360
will be like. 
Which brings us now the curtains

584
00:40:31,360 --> 00:40:38,320
close on scene #2 scene #3 the 
reality of eternity. 

585
00:40:40,080 --> 00:40:43,520
Jesus, in the last verses of 
this teaching, spends much more 

586
00:40:43,520 --> 00:40:46,720
time describing the experience 
of the unredeemed than he does 

587
00:40:46,720 --> 00:40:48,960
for those who are saved by 
grace. 

588
00:40:50,240 --> 00:40:51,840
Why? 
Because he's warning. 

589
00:40:52,360 --> 00:40:54,920
He's warning people who are 
headed there. 

590
00:40:55,440 --> 00:41:00,360
And the first thing that I want 
you to see about hell is that it

591
00:41:00,360 --> 00:41:05,920
is a place of everlasting, 
unrelenting conscience torment. 

592
00:41:07,160 --> 00:41:09,040
Look again at the language in 
verse 24. 

593
00:41:10,800 --> 00:41:13,200
And he called out, Father 
Abraham, have mercy on me, and 

594
00:41:13,200 --> 00:41:16,200
send Lazarus to dip the end of 
his finger in water and cool my 

595
00:41:16,200 --> 00:41:20,240
tongue. 
For I am in anguish in this 

596
00:41:20,840 --> 00:41:27,800
flame. 
There is pain in hell, there is 

597
00:41:27,800 --> 00:41:33,000
misery in hell, there is 
suffering in hell, there is 

598
00:41:33,000 --> 00:41:37,720
sorrow in hell. 
And it's not just temporary, it 

599
00:41:37,720 --> 00:41:40,640
is everlasting. 
And I want to tell you because I

600
00:41:40,640 --> 00:41:44,720
must be true to the Word of God,
the source of this torment. 

601
00:41:45,360 --> 00:41:49,400
Many Christians who are good 
hearted and trying to explain 

602
00:41:49,400 --> 00:41:53,760
God's judgement specifically 
with hell, communicate that the 

603
00:41:53,760 --> 00:41:56,800
reason hell is hell is because 
we are separated from the 

604
00:41:56,800 --> 00:41:59,080
presence of God. 
Yes or no? 

605
00:42:00,880 --> 00:42:05,000
Because I want to show you what 
the Bible says about hell and 

606
00:42:05,000 --> 00:42:07,840
the reason why there will be so 
much affliction there. 

607
00:42:08,480 --> 00:42:10,040
You were there. 
Revelation 20 But go to 

608
00:42:10,040 --> 00:42:13,640
Revelation 14 verse 10, where 
John tells us the fate of those 

609
00:42:13,640 --> 00:42:19,720
who take the mark of the beast. 
And in Revelation 1410 and 11 we

610
00:42:19,720 --> 00:42:22,800
have a description not just of 
those who do take the mark, but 

611
00:42:22,800 --> 00:42:25,760
those who also deny Jesus Christ
as Lord. 

612
00:42:27,360 --> 00:42:31,960
Revelation 14 verse 10. 
He also will drink the wine of 

613
00:42:31,960 --> 00:42:35,760
God's wrath, poured full 
strength into the cup of His 

614
00:42:35,760 --> 00:42:39,560
anger, and he will be tormented 
with fire and sulfur in the 

615
00:42:39,560 --> 00:42:44,200
presence of the holy angels and 
in the presence of the Lamb. 

616
00:42:46,320 --> 00:42:49,600
So wait, wait, wait, hold on. 
I grew up hearing that hell is 

617
00:42:49,600 --> 00:42:53,680
hell because God is not there. 
God's loving presence is not 

618
00:42:53,680 --> 00:42:58,520
there, but His wrath is there in
full strength. 

619
00:42:59,680 --> 00:43:02,240
Who's in charge of hell? 
Don't get your theology from 

620
00:43:02,240 --> 00:43:05,720
cartoons. 
Satan is not managing hell. 

621
00:43:05,720 --> 00:43:11,520
Satan will suffer in hell. 
God is in charge of hell and we 

622
00:43:11,520 --> 00:43:15,320
see clearly here. 
And this is the aspect of hell 

623
00:43:15,320 --> 00:43:17,880
that is probably the most 
disturbing for people to digest.

624
00:43:17,880 --> 00:43:22,040
How is it just that a few 
decades of sinning on earth 

625
00:43:22,360 --> 00:43:28,760
warrants eternal misery? 
How? 

626
00:43:29,640 --> 00:43:31,520
This is the God that you sing 
to. 

627
00:43:32,720 --> 00:43:35,760
This is the God that you believe
and claim is one of love. 

628
00:43:37,480 --> 00:43:42,120
And this has led many who can't 
find a way to reconcile this to 

629
00:43:42,120 --> 00:43:44,200
embrace things like 
annihilationism. 

630
00:43:44,720 --> 00:43:49,280
Annihilationism is the belief 
that immortality is only granted

631
00:43:49,280 --> 00:43:53,080
to the just, but the punishment 
of the wicked is that they cease

632
00:43:53,080 --> 00:43:57,720
to exist forever. 
It's becoming increasingly 

633
00:43:57,720 --> 00:44:03,800
popular in our day, but you 
cannot find a solution with an 

634
00:44:03,800 --> 00:44:07,120
anti biblical answer to grasp 
something that might be 

635
00:44:07,120 --> 00:44:10,680
difficult in the Bible. 
Whenever there's something 

636
00:44:10,680 --> 00:44:13,320
challenging in the word of God, 
it's not because there's a 

637
00:44:13,320 --> 00:44:15,720
problem with God, there's a 
problem with us. 

638
00:44:16,640 --> 00:44:18,320
You're saying what do you mean? 
Here's what I'm saying. 

639
00:44:18,320 --> 00:44:21,440
Their main problem is that we 
fail to understand that the 

640
00:44:21,440 --> 00:44:25,800
severity of sin is not in the 
act itself, but the one that we 

641
00:44:25,800 --> 00:44:30,640
sin against. 
That is why it is so severe. 

642
00:44:31,200 --> 00:44:32,400
You know what most people think 
about God? 

643
00:44:32,400 --> 00:44:36,240
He's just a little better than 
us, and we even dare to feel 

644
00:44:36,240 --> 00:44:39,240
like we can sit on the judgment 
seat and criticize God's ways. 

645
00:44:39,400 --> 00:44:43,960
God is infinitely holy. 
God is far beyond what you can 

646
00:44:43,960 --> 00:44:49,000
even think. 
He is lofty, He is superior, 

647
00:44:50,200 --> 00:44:52,840
He's incredible. 
He's beyond description. 

648
00:44:54,840 --> 00:44:58,120
And if this is still challenging
for you, do you not realize that

649
00:44:58,120 --> 00:45:02,200
this concept of proportional 
justice is even known in our 

650
00:45:02,200 --> 00:45:05,320
human law? 
That the severity of one's 

651
00:45:05,320 --> 00:45:08,760
punishment is measured by the 
severity of the crime? 

652
00:45:09,160 --> 00:45:13,680
And in the case of sin, what is 
accounted for is not so much the

653
00:45:13,680 --> 00:45:20,120
amount of sin, how dark the sin 
is, but the one that we violate.

654
00:45:22,360 --> 00:45:28,000
My offense before a court and 
before a jury. 

655
00:45:29,160 --> 00:45:32,640
And the determination of my 
punishment will be far different

656
00:45:32,640 --> 00:45:36,120
if I assault the President of 
the United States in comparison 

657
00:45:36,120 --> 00:45:40,040
to a house pet. 
And we all are ready to accept 

658
00:45:40,040 --> 00:45:42,560
that. 
But what we fail to wrap our 

659
00:45:42,560 --> 00:45:48,480
minds around is just how lofty 
God is, how otherworldly His 

660
00:45:48,480 --> 00:45:54,400
Holiness is just It will consume
you if it's unleashed in your 

661
00:45:54,400 --> 00:45:58,800
presence. 
His sensitivity to sin because 

662
00:45:58,800 --> 00:46:02,680
of His purity is so intense. 
We live in a day today where 

663
00:46:02,680 --> 00:46:05,160
there's barely any outrage 
against sin. 

664
00:46:05,760 --> 00:46:09,000
And as we advance as a culture 
and as a civilization, more and 

665
00:46:09,000 --> 00:46:11,880
more sins are being accepted. 
So you see that you're 

666
00:46:11,880 --> 00:46:13,640
surrounded by that. 
And now you come to Sunday 

667
00:46:13,640 --> 00:46:16,480
church and you hear the young 
guy up there on the pulpit 

668
00:46:16,720 --> 00:46:19,440
preaching about hell and how God
will condemn sinners. 

669
00:46:19,480 --> 00:46:24,440
Who does he think he is? 
You don't know who he is. 

670
00:46:25,720 --> 00:46:29,160
And even for us who do know Him,
we don't fully know who He is, 

671
00:46:32,720 --> 00:46:36,480
because he is infinitely worthy,
because he is infinitely 

672
00:46:36,480 --> 00:46:40,520
glorious. 
Any violation of Him is of 

673
00:46:40,520 --> 00:46:46,080
infinite magnitude. 
Don't you find it strange that 

674
00:46:46,080 --> 00:46:52,760
when the rich man arrives in 
hell and we even hear what he 

675
00:46:52,760 --> 00:46:59,200
has to say, there is no sign of 
contrition, there is no 

676
00:46:59,200 --> 00:47:03,600
indication of repentance. 
What is he actually doing when 

677
00:47:03,600 --> 00:47:06,120
he gets to hell? 
He's just as self absorbed in 

678
00:47:06,120 --> 00:47:11,240
hell as he was on Earth. 
And he even look at this, he's 

679
00:47:11,240 --> 00:47:16,480
bossing Lazarus around. 
He still sees Lazarus, though in

680
00:47:16,480 --> 00:47:18,800
a redeemed place, as inferior to
him. 

681
00:47:19,280 --> 00:47:22,320
Abraham, tell him to dip the end
of his finger and touch my 

682
00:47:22,320 --> 00:47:24,800
mouth. 
Abraham says that can't happen. 

683
00:47:24,800 --> 00:47:26,080
There's a great chasm between 
us. 

684
00:47:26,240 --> 00:47:27,800
OK, OK. 
Can you at least tell him to go 

685
00:47:27,800 --> 00:47:32,120
to my brothers and warn them? 
What would be the appropriate 

686
00:47:32,120 --> 00:47:34,480
response for somebody who woke 
up and realized that they're 

687
00:47:34,480 --> 00:47:39,960
damned? 
There's no he sees us. 

688
00:47:39,960 --> 00:47:44,280
He doesn't ask for forgiveness. 
He doesn't even cry out to God. 

689
00:47:46,840 --> 00:47:52,280
He's concerned about himself. 
You know, people believe that 

690
00:47:52,280 --> 00:47:56,560
once people go to hell, then 
they will suddenly realize the 

691
00:47:56,560 --> 00:48:01,320
Bible is true. 
I was wrong, and now I want to 

692
00:48:01,320 --> 00:48:06,200
love and obey God. 
That's not true, and this is a 

693
00:48:06,200 --> 00:48:11,000
story to prove it, that there 
will be many in hell who, when 

694
00:48:11,000 --> 00:48:16,400
they endure God's wrath, will 
continue with their evil hearts,

695
00:48:18,760 --> 00:48:24,760
who for an eternity will 
blasphemy him, curse him and 

696
00:48:24,760 --> 00:48:29,040
despise Him. 
You're saying. 

697
00:48:29,040 --> 00:48:30,720
But yeah, but there's any cry 
out for mercy. 

698
00:48:30,720 --> 00:48:35,000
He does cry out for mercy, but 
if you really look carefully, 

699
00:48:35,000 --> 00:48:38,480
it's not from a place of 
brokenness for sin. 

700
00:48:40,960 --> 00:48:43,520
I could say more about this, but
let me move on to the second 

701
00:48:43,520 --> 00:48:47,120
reality of hell. 
Thing that we must acknowledge 

702
00:48:47,120 --> 00:48:50,480
about hell is that once someone 
wakes up their their position is

703
00:48:50,480 --> 00:48:53,400
permanent. 
Very similar to the first point,

704
00:48:54,200 --> 00:48:56,840
but I want you to notice how 
this rich man doesn't ask to be 

705
00:48:56,840 --> 00:49:02,960
set free from where he is. 
And I think partly it's because 

706
00:49:03,120 --> 00:49:05,440
there was this devastating 
realization. 

707
00:49:05,960 --> 00:49:10,960
I can't leave here. 
There is no exit sign in hell. 

708
00:49:12,000 --> 00:49:13,640
There is no hole that you can 
dig. 

709
00:49:14,320 --> 00:49:16,080
There is no wall that you can 
breakthrough. 

710
00:49:16,560 --> 00:49:22,400
There is no crack in any part 
where you can spend 1000 or a 

711
00:49:22,400 --> 00:49:25,000
million years trying to 
breakthrough. 

712
00:49:26,720 --> 00:49:31,200
Once somebody arrives at Hell, 
they're there for eternity. 

713
00:49:32,600 --> 00:49:37,680
And that horrible awareness is 
confirmed by the words of Father

714
00:49:37,680 --> 00:49:40,080
Abraham in verse 26. 
Notice what he says. 

715
00:49:40,600 --> 00:49:45,800
And besides all this between US 
and you are a great chasm has 

716
00:49:45,800 --> 00:49:48,600
been fixed in order that those 
who would pass from here to you 

717
00:49:48,600 --> 00:49:52,280
may not be able, and none may 
cross from here to us. 

718
00:49:55,520 --> 00:49:59,760
So if I can't escape here, then 
can you at least send a drop of 

719
00:49:59,760 --> 00:50:04,640
water? 
But here's the thing, that chasm

720
00:50:06,480 --> 00:50:09,880
that reflects even the chasm 
that was created by Adam and Eve

721
00:50:10,920 --> 00:50:14,200
between US and God. 
A bridge can be built while 

722
00:50:14,200 --> 00:50:17,600
we're here, but once you're 
there, there is no bridge that 

723
00:50:17,600 --> 00:50:21,920
can be built. 
Mercy is cut off forever. 

724
00:50:26,080 --> 00:50:27,960
And what you'll find interesting
is that when you continue to 

725
00:50:27,960 --> 00:50:31,760
read through Luke, the theme of 
people crying out for mercy 

726
00:50:32,160 --> 00:50:34,400
appears over and over, but with 
a different outcome. 

727
00:50:34,400 --> 00:50:37,320
I want to show it to you. 
Look at Luke 17 verse 11. 

728
00:50:41,200 --> 00:50:45,760
This is when Jesus heals these 
10 lepers. 

729
00:50:46,680 --> 00:50:48,840
But look at verse 11. 
On the way to Jerusalem he was 

730
00:50:48,840 --> 00:50:50,880
passing along between Samaria 
and Galilee. 

731
00:50:51,440 --> 00:50:54,160
And as he entered a village he 
was met by 10 lepers who stood 

732
00:50:54,160 --> 00:50:58,760
at a distance and lifted up 
their voices saying Jesus Master

733
00:50:58,880 --> 00:51:03,400
have mercy on us. 
And when he saw them he said to 

734
00:51:03,400 --> 00:51:05,000
them, go and show yourself to 
the priest. 

735
00:51:05,280 --> 00:51:07,080
And as they went, they were 
cleansed. 

736
00:51:08,160 --> 00:51:12,920
Look at Luke 1813 where Jesus 
shares a story about a tax 

737
00:51:12,920 --> 00:51:14,640
collector in the Pharisee who 
prayed in the temple. 

738
00:51:14,640 --> 00:51:17,560
Luke 1813. 
Jesus says, but the tax 

739
00:51:17,560 --> 00:51:20,080
collector standing far off, 
would not even lift up his eyes 

740
00:51:20,080 --> 00:51:23,840
to heaven, but beat his breath, 
saying, God be merciful to me, a

741
00:51:23,840 --> 00:51:27,080
Sinner. 
I tell you, this man went down 

742
00:51:27,080 --> 00:51:29,480
to his house justified rather 
than the other. 

743
00:51:29,480 --> 00:51:31,880
For everyone who exalts himself 
will be humbled, but the one who

744
00:51:31,880 --> 00:51:36,680
humbles himself will be exalted 
like a Luke 1835 when Jesus 

745
00:51:36,680 --> 00:51:41,000
travels through Jericho. 
Luke 1835 as he drew near to 

746
00:51:41,000 --> 00:51:44,400
Jericho, a blind man was sitting
by the roadside begging and 

747
00:51:44,400 --> 00:51:47,000
hearing a crowd going by. 
He inquired what this meant. 

748
00:51:47,120 --> 00:51:50,200
They told him Jesus of Nazareth 
is passing by and he cried out. 

749
00:51:50,400 --> 00:51:53,360
Jesus, son of David, have mercy 
on me. 

750
00:51:53,480 --> 00:51:54,560
And you know the rest of the 
story. 

751
00:51:54,560 --> 00:51:59,040
He's healed. 
What do you have here? 

752
00:52:00,400 --> 00:52:05,000
It's amazing. 
Clearly a different outcome for 

753
00:52:05,000 --> 00:52:07,280
these individuals who cried out 
for mercy. 

754
00:52:09,920 --> 00:52:12,880
The Sinner, the broken, who 
cried out to the Lord Jesus 

755
00:52:12,880 --> 00:52:18,080
received it because Jesus is 
rich in mercy and he will not 

756
00:52:18,080 --> 00:52:23,240
turn one person away. 
But it can only be accessed on 

757
00:52:23,240 --> 00:52:28,120
this side of eternity. 
No matter how intense, no matter

758
00:52:28,120 --> 00:52:34,200
how long any cry for mercy in 
hell, it's too late. 

759
00:52:34,200 --> 00:52:38,480
Let me pause and say this just 
in case we don't make it to the 

760
00:52:38,480 --> 00:52:43,160
end of the sermon. 
I remember I preached a sermon 

761
00:52:43,160 --> 00:52:48,600
when when I was younger in the 
ministry and I was making an 

762
00:52:48,600 --> 00:52:55,840
appeal for people to be saved. 
And before I finished, a young 

763
00:52:55,840 --> 00:53:00,200
girl dropped down and had a 
seizure and the meeting ended. 

764
00:53:00,600 --> 00:53:04,440
Doctors came in and people went 
back to their rooms. 

765
00:53:06,040 --> 00:53:08,200
So it's even possible that 
before the end of the message, 

766
00:53:08,960 --> 00:53:10,560
something can happen, God 
forbid. 

767
00:53:10,960 --> 00:53:14,240
So let me pause and say this. 
Your only hope for what I'm 

768
00:53:14,240 --> 00:53:17,080
saying is that you cry out to 
Jesus for mercy. 

769
00:53:17,520 --> 00:53:24,480
Now, now, there's so many other 
things that we can draw from 

770
00:53:24,480 --> 00:53:26,760
this text about characteristics 
about hell. 

771
00:53:26,760 --> 00:53:28,360
Let me give you just one brief 
example. 

772
00:53:28,360 --> 00:53:32,280
Look at verse 25. 
But Abraham said, child, 

773
00:53:32,280 --> 00:53:36,440
remember that in remember that 
you in your lifetime received 

774
00:53:36,440 --> 00:53:39,040
your good things and Lazarus and
like man are bad things, but now

775
00:53:39,040 --> 00:53:41,000
he is comforted here and you are
in anguish. 

776
00:53:43,680 --> 00:53:45,880
If we were to continue about 
different traits, about how I 

777
00:53:45,880 --> 00:53:48,440
would say this, that hell is a 
place of remembrance. 

778
00:53:50,120 --> 00:53:52,440
What does Abraham say, child, 
remember? 

779
00:53:54,640 --> 00:53:57,800
So those in hell will be able to
recall their life. 

780
00:53:58,440 --> 00:54:02,720
They'll be able to revisit the 
memories where it all went 

781
00:54:02,720 --> 00:54:07,280
wrong, the missed opportunities,
the arrogance of ignoring the 

782
00:54:07,280 --> 00:54:11,560
evangelist parents who try to 
teach them about saving 

783
00:54:11,560 --> 00:54:15,360
knowledge in Jesus Christ. 
Hell is a place of remembrance, 

784
00:54:15,360 --> 00:54:17,160
and that remembrance will not 
bring relief. 

785
00:54:17,160 --> 00:54:23,840
It will only add to the anguish.
Child, remember, we can talk 

786
00:54:23,840 --> 00:54:25,960
about hell being a place of 
loneliness, hell being a place 

787
00:54:25,960 --> 00:54:28,080
of darkness, but we won't go 
there. 

788
00:54:28,080 --> 00:54:31,240
Instead, I want us to land the 
sermon. 

789
00:54:32,040 --> 00:54:34,400
The curtains are not closing on 
certain scene 3. 

790
00:54:35,840 --> 00:54:40,200
Someone are accurately said, 
rather that the words of the 

791
00:54:40,200 --> 00:54:44,400
rich man are the only testimony 
of any person from hell in all 

792
00:54:44,400 --> 00:54:49,640
of the scripture. 
And it is in his final words 

793
00:54:49,640 --> 00:54:54,520
that we get the explanation of 
how he got there and how others 

794
00:54:54,520 --> 00:54:59,440
will join him. 
The rich man didn't go to hell 

795
00:54:59,440 --> 00:55:02,920
because he was rich, and the 
poor man didn't go to heaven 

796
00:55:02,920 --> 00:55:06,000
because he was poor. 
Can I tell you why that's the 

797
00:55:06,000 --> 00:55:08,680
case? 
Because the rich man from hell 

798
00:55:08,680 --> 00:55:11,480
was talking to Abraham and 
Genesis 13 two tells us that 

799
00:55:11,480 --> 00:55:17,480
Abraham was very rich. 
Not just rich, but he was a man 

800
00:55:17,480 --> 00:55:20,880
of faith and he loved God more 
than money. 

801
00:55:22,640 --> 00:55:26,680
Neither is the story about 
ethics, that if the rich man had

802
00:55:26,680 --> 00:55:30,520
just given something to Lazarus,
if he had just used some of his 

803
00:55:30,920 --> 00:55:34,640
wealth to help people and 
perform justice or social acts, 

804
00:55:34,760 --> 00:55:37,040
then he would have a better 
chance to make it to heaven. 

805
00:55:38,040 --> 00:55:40,000
We don't believe in a gospel of 
good works. 

806
00:55:42,880 --> 00:55:47,440
Then how did he get here if it's
not about his affluence and the 

807
00:55:47,440 --> 00:55:50,880
arrogance of his affluence, If 
it's not about how he failed to 

808
00:55:50,880 --> 00:55:55,960
serve Lazarus and impress God 
with his own righteousness? 

809
00:55:57,280 --> 00:56:02,160
Give me some kind of an answer. 
I'm here to give it because I 

810
00:56:02,160 --> 00:56:04,360
want you to see something quite 
amazing. 

811
00:56:05,280 --> 00:56:09,880
The reason why this man was 
condemned was not because of his

812
00:56:09,880 --> 00:56:14,800
riches, but because of how his 
riches blinded him and rejected 

813
00:56:14,920 --> 00:56:19,600
through his blindness what he 
truly needed, the truth of God's

814
00:56:19,600 --> 00:56:24,560
saving work. 
And that is reflected in how in 

815
00:56:24,560 --> 00:56:29,720
these last verses, the rich man 
exposes his attitude toward the 

816
00:56:29,720 --> 00:56:36,960
Scriptures when he begs Abraham,
please let someone from the dead

817
00:56:37,040 --> 00:56:41,200
rise and visit my brothers so 
that they would see that 

818
00:56:41,200 --> 00:56:44,080
somebody came back from the 
afterlife and said, turn from 

819
00:56:44,080 --> 00:56:45,440
your ways. 
It's all real. 

820
00:56:46,000 --> 00:56:50,560
And look at how Abraham responds
to again, the rich man in verse 

821
00:56:50,560 --> 00:56:56,080
29 of chapter 16. 
But Abraham said they have Moses

822
00:56:56,080 --> 00:56:58,800
and the prophets, let them hear 
them pause. 

823
00:56:59,440 --> 00:57:01,360
Look at what the rich man is 
about to say. 

824
00:57:01,360 --> 00:57:08,840
Now, verse 30. 
And he said, no, no, father 

825
00:57:08,840 --> 00:57:11,520
Abraham. 
But if someone goes to them from

826
00:57:11,520 --> 00:57:13,760
the dead, they will repent. 
Do you see it? 

827
00:57:14,680 --> 00:57:18,480
This rich man demonstrated 
throughout his life that he was 

828
00:57:18,480 --> 00:57:23,400
unbelieving and he failed to act
upon written revelation, the 

829
00:57:23,400 --> 00:57:30,600
Scriptures, God's book, and that
kind of hardness of heart and 

830
00:57:30,600 --> 00:57:36,480
that contempt continues to show 
itself here as she willingly 

831
00:57:36,480 --> 00:57:39,480
confesses. 
This book is not sufficient for 

832
00:57:39,480 --> 00:57:44,080
somebody to be saved. 
No. 

833
00:57:44,680 --> 00:57:47,440
What is he saying? 
No to the Word of God. 

834
00:57:48,160 --> 00:57:52,400
That's what he's saying no to. 
And why will people go to hell? 

835
00:57:53,160 --> 00:57:57,160
For the same reason? 
Because they deny the central 

836
00:57:57,200 --> 00:58:01,120
message of God's Word. 
And that's where this man went 

837
00:58:01,120 --> 00:58:04,760
wrong. 
Because even in the Moses, Moses

838
00:58:04,760 --> 00:58:07,480
and the prophets, which is just 
a saying that encapsulates all 

839
00:58:07,480 --> 00:58:10,840
the Scriptures at this time, 
this man failed to humble 

840
00:58:10,840 --> 00:58:14,200
himself and to realize that the 
wrath of God abides on him. 

841
00:58:14,400 --> 00:58:17,840
He failed to believe that he 
required a substitute for his 

842
00:58:17,840 --> 00:58:19,600
sin. 
He failed to see that the 

843
00:58:19,600 --> 00:58:22,200
payment for that sin would be 
realized in the promised 

844
00:58:22,200 --> 00:58:26,800
Messiah. 
And he also failed to believe 

845
00:58:26,960 --> 00:58:32,320
that that message was enough to 
draw his brothers to embrace 

846
00:58:32,600 --> 00:58:36,520
grace. 
Besides, we read in John 11 that

847
00:58:36,520 --> 00:58:37,840
Jesus does raise a man from the 
dead. 

848
00:58:37,840 --> 00:58:39,360
You remember that, right? 
And what was his name? 

849
00:58:39,920 --> 00:58:42,760
Isn't that interesting? 
It's not the same Lazarus, but I

850
00:58:42,760 --> 00:58:46,480
just find it humorous and 
Lazarus raises from the dead and

851
00:58:46,480 --> 00:58:50,440
impresses some people, but other
people what it just gave him 

852
00:58:50,440 --> 00:58:55,440
more reason to kill Jesus and 
not just these Jesus, but to 

853
00:58:55,440 --> 00:58:58,080
make sure that Lazarus gets back
into that grave as soon as 

854
00:58:58,080 --> 00:59:00,880
possible because through his 
testimony, people were coming to

855
00:59:00,880 --> 00:59:03,680
Christ. 
The very leaders that Jesus is 

856
00:59:03,680 --> 00:59:08,800
preaching to hear about this 
story experience somebody who 

857
00:59:08,800 --> 00:59:11,680
raised from the dead named 
Lazarus, and they still harden 

858
00:59:11,680 --> 00:59:18,160
their hearts. 
God has provided humanity a 

859
00:59:18,160 --> 00:59:22,640
witness in his word. 
Is this primary means and it is 

860
00:59:22,640 --> 00:59:25,800
this word and how we relate to 
it that will determine our 

861
00:59:25,800 --> 00:59:28,240
eternal faith. 
In fact, if we had more time, I 

862
00:59:28,240 --> 00:59:31,120
would I would explain to you how
in the same way in heaven there 

863
00:59:31,120 --> 00:59:32,680
will be different degrees of 
reward. 

864
00:59:33,080 --> 00:59:35,840
Hell will also have different 
degrees of punishment. 

865
00:59:35,840 --> 00:59:38,200
That's in Luke chapter 12. 
And you know what determines the

866
00:59:38,200 --> 00:59:41,440
variety of degrees of 
punishment, the amount of light 

867
00:59:41,440 --> 00:59:43,360
you received and what you did 
with that light. 

868
00:59:45,480 --> 00:59:48,560
So people ask me all the time, 
you know, when you debate people

869
00:59:48,560 --> 00:59:51,280
with oral tradition and human 
tradition and church tradition 

870
00:59:51,560 --> 00:59:53,400
and I and I at some point I get 
to this point. 

871
00:59:53,400 --> 00:59:57,000
Look, based on the testimony of 
the Bible, I am told that what I

872
00:59:57,000 --> 01:00:01,000
will be held accountable for is 
this book primarily and solely. 

873
01:00:01,960 --> 01:00:06,880
So I'm preoccupied with God has 
revealed here and that alone. 

874
01:00:10,800 --> 01:00:14,880
Don't forget that the story was 
targeting the Pharisees. 

875
01:00:14,880 --> 01:00:18,920
Do you know what would have been
more shocking to the Pharisees 

876
01:00:18,920 --> 01:00:25,040
than realizing that a rich man 
went to hell is that he was a 

877
01:00:25,440 --> 01:00:29,840
Jewish man who shared the same 
blood as Abraham. 

878
01:00:29,840 --> 01:00:33,640
Do you remember the words of 
John the Baptist and Luke 

879
01:00:33,640 --> 01:00:35,920
chapter 3, verse 8? 
Turn there with me please. 

880
01:00:40,080 --> 01:00:44,360
Look what the Baptist said in 
Luke 3 verse 8. 

881
01:00:47,400 --> 01:00:51,720
Bear fruits in keeping with 
repentance and do not begin to 

882
01:00:51,720 --> 01:00:56,680
say to yourselves, we have 
Abraham as our father. 

883
01:00:58,920 --> 01:01:01,640
For I tell you, God is able from
these stones to raise up 

884
01:01:01,640 --> 01:01:06,560
children to Abraham. 
So was he common shared 

885
01:01:06,760 --> 01:01:10,840
confidence among the Jews that 
because they were related to 

886
01:01:10,840 --> 01:01:13,160
Abraham that they were 
automatically guaranteed 

887
01:01:13,280 --> 01:01:16,120
resurrection unto life? 
And you have the final Old 

888
01:01:16,120 --> 01:01:18,040
Testament prophet. 
Who prophet who clarifies? 

889
01:01:18,280 --> 01:01:20,720
Don't you dare put your 
confidence in your heritage. 

890
01:01:22,040 --> 01:01:27,240
You can't say Abraham is my 
father as a way to comfort your 

891
01:01:27,240 --> 01:01:30,320
conscience that you have the 
right to receive eternal life. 

892
01:01:31,880 --> 01:01:35,600
And isn't that true for so many 
today, that the confidence of 

893
01:01:35,600 --> 01:01:41,080
their standing before God might 
be their family, their lineage, 

894
01:01:42,200 --> 01:01:47,800
their culture that is ancient 
and has Christian roots? 

895
01:01:47,880 --> 01:01:50,760
I am from this Christian nation.
I am from this Christian 

896
01:01:50,760 --> 01:01:52,400
background. 
It's no different. 

897
01:01:52,400 --> 01:01:57,320
It's not just for the Jews. 
Any other foundation that you 

898
01:01:57,320 --> 01:02:02,880
base your confidence on except 
Jesus Christ will provide a 

899
01:02:02,880 --> 01:02:06,800
shocking realization for you in 
the life to come. 

900
01:02:06,800 --> 01:02:13,080
She's saying, what are you? 
What are you getting at? 

901
01:02:13,680 --> 01:02:16,480
Well, as the curtain for scene 3
closes, let me do this before 

902
01:02:16,480 --> 01:02:22,000
it's officially closed. 
If you want to know that you 

903
01:02:22,000 --> 01:02:24,840
have eternal life, let me ask 
you this question. 

904
01:02:25,480 --> 01:02:27,200
What have you done with the 
message of this book? 

905
01:02:29,920 --> 01:02:32,160
What have you done with what God
has said to you through this 

906
01:02:32,160 --> 01:02:35,080
book? 
Because this book sets the 

907
01:02:35,080 --> 01:02:37,440
conditions for how a man has 
eternal life. 

908
01:02:38,160 --> 01:02:43,280
And this book alone, not what 
any person said, but what God 

909
01:02:43,280 --> 01:02:47,160
had said and only way that you 
can have eternal life. 

910
01:02:47,160 --> 01:02:49,680
It's not if Abraham is your 
father, but if God becomes your 

911
01:02:49,680 --> 01:02:51,720
father. 
See again. 

912
01:02:51,920 --> 01:02:57,560
So just the Christianese stuff 
bothers me sometimes and the 

913
01:02:57,560 --> 01:03:00,520
things that we throw around 
without thinking about it, and 

914
01:03:00,520 --> 01:03:03,840
it bleeds into how even the 
world begins to think about our 

915
01:03:03,840 --> 01:03:07,000
beliefs. 
How can God send any of his 

916
01:03:07,000 --> 01:03:09,440
children to hell? 
Who says you're a child of God 

917
01:03:09,440 --> 01:03:13,560
apart from Christ? 
You're not a child of God just 

918
01:03:13,560 --> 01:03:17,080
because you were created by God.
In fact, the Bible labels us. 

919
01:03:17,080 --> 01:03:20,880
If we are outside of Christ, we 
are enemies, we're rebels. 

920
01:03:22,080 --> 01:03:25,000
And the gospel, Jesus Christ 
coming into this world to die in

921
01:03:25,000 --> 01:03:27,360
a cross and pay that payment so 
that you wouldn't have to go to 

922
01:03:27,360 --> 01:03:30,560
this horrible place is exactly 
that. 

923
01:03:31,040 --> 01:03:34,200
We don't present Jesus and say 
God has come to send his Son 

924
01:03:34,200 --> 01:03:37,120
into the world to die in a cross
to save you from loneliness, 

925
01:03:38,680 --> 01:03:40,760
though he does help you with 
your loneliness. 

926
01:03:41,800 --> 01:03:44,320
God didn't send his world to 
come into his Son, into this 

927
01:03:44,320 --> 01:03:48,120
world so that you and I could 
feel like we have now purpose or

928
01:03:48,120 --> 01:03:51,440
some kind of heavenly coach or 
some kind of guy that can help 

929
01:03:51,440 --> 01:03:55,320
us make our dreams be realized. 
God sent his Son into this world

930
01:03:55,320 --> 01:04:02,440
to save people from hell. 
You don't have to be judged for 

931
01:04:02,440 --> 01:04:10,400
eternity Today you can cross a 
line where God will receive you.

932
01:04:11,640 --> 01:04:15,440
God will crown you with 
redemption, and no one or 

933
01:04:15,440 --> 01:04:19,280
anything in this life or beyond 
this life can take you from Him.

934
01:04:21,440 --> 01:04:25,640
You must realize how, yes, 
though we've been hearing about 

935
01:04:25,640 --> 01:04:29,800
the holiness of God, just as 
ferocious as His purity, His 

936
01:04:29,800 --> 01:04:34,760
love, His love is equally 
intense. 

937
01:04:35,520 --> 01:04:38,640
And that in His love, those that
He created, though He had every 

938
01:04:38,640 --> 01:04:42,280
right to just bundle us all up 
and throw us into that place and

939
01:04:42,280 --> 01:04:47,920
start all over, He instead wants
to redeem every single person in

940
01:04:47,920 --> 01:04:52,920
this room, every single soul. 
He takes no delight in the death

941
01:04:52,920 --> 01:04:55,640
of the wicked. 
He takes no pleasure in it. 

942
01:04:56,240 --> 01:05:00,200
His justice demands it, yes, but
his pleasure is in seeing every 

943
01:05:00,200 --> 01:05:03,320
person come to the knowledge of 
his Son, Jesus Christ. 

944
01:05:03,760 --> 01:05:06,520
That is the gospel of Jesus 
Christ. 

945
01:05:09,760 --> 01:05:12,960
And we're doing nobody any favor
by omitting this from our 

946
01:05:12,960 --> 01:05:15,200
preaching. 
No, nothing. 

947
01:05:18,040 --> 01:05:21,000
And so I will stand before God 
and give an account. 

948
01:05:21,000 --> 01:05:22,840
That's why I'm here to preach 
this truth. 

949
01:05:23,600 --> 01:05:26,880
I fear God and I love people too
much. 

950
01:05:27,240 --> 01:05:31,360
And so my invitation to you is 
if you are not certain, if you 

951
01:05:31,560 --> 01:05:35,080
actually, if you feel like 
you're just kind of floating 

952
01:05:35,080 --> 01:05:38,240
around and you come here because
you like hearing a message, it's

953
01:05:38,360 --> 01:05:40,720
kind of inspiring, maybe 
intellectually stimulating. 

954
01:05:40,960 --> 01:05:44,760
You like the community here, but
you don't know if you're saved. 

955
01:05:45,680 --> 01:05:49,480
Cry out for mercy. 
Church is not a game. 

956
01:05:49,960 --> 01:05:51,400
We're not playing here. 
We're not, we're not. 

957
01:05:51,400 --> 01:05:53,760
This is not like a Country Club 
because we, you know, want to be

958
01:05:53,760 --> 01:05:55,280
part of something on a weekly 
basis. 

959
01:05:55,680 --> 01:06:00,280
This is about heaven and hell. 
This is what this is about. 

960
01:06:00,640 --> 01:06:04,360
And I don't want you to gamble 
with your soul. 

961
01:06:04,760 --> 01:06:07,400
I want you today to embrace 
Jesus. 

962
01:06:07,400 --> 01:06:10,200
He's willing to forgive you, 
accept you, receive you, and 

963
01:06:10,200 --> 01:06:12,680
relate to you where He'll know 
you by name. 

964
01:06:13,360 --> 01:06:16,720
He'll walk with you in this 
life, and He will usher you into

965
01:06:16,720 --> 01:06:20,280
His presence forever and ever. 
Would you accept it? 

966
01:06:20,920 --> 01:06:23,000
Would you receive it? 
Let's pray. 

967
01:06:40,940 --> 01:06:50,800
Lord, we heard your voice today.
Your word is so clear. 

968
01:06:54,160 --> 01:06:57,240
But perhaps there are some here 
who are hearing you calling them

969
01:06:57,240 --> 01:07:00,840
home. 
And Your word says today, if you

970
01:07:00,840 --> 01:07:03,080
hear His voice, do not harden 
your hearts. 

971
01:07:04,160 --> 01:07:08,760
And so, Lord, even if there is 
one person here who up to this 

972
01:07:08,760 --> 01:07:12,800
point to comfort in the fact 
that they went to church and 

973
01:07:15,440 --> 01:07:18,640
they admired Jesus, but they've 
never given their lives to you, 

974
01:07:20,120 --> 01:07:22,480
that today they would flee to 
the cross. 

975
01:07:23,440 --> 01:07:25,760
They realize that in your great 
love you have paid for their 

976
01:07:25,760 --> 01:07:29,560
sin, that they never have to 
fear this place called hell. 

977
01:07:29,840 --> 01:07:33,280
They never have to wonder if you
will unleash your wrath against 

978
01:07:33,280 --> 01:07:38,760
them. 
I ask Lord, and I pray that at 

979
01:07:38,760 --> 01:07:44,320
this moment your love would be 
seen and the kindness of God 

980
01:07:44,320 --> 01:07:49,760
would lead us to repentance. 
For the believer, Lord, 

981
01:07:49,760 --> 01:07:55,680
including myself, may we feel 
the urgency of the gospel. 

982
01:07:57,920 --> 01:08:00,840
Thank you that this word perhaps
served a different purpose and 

983
01:08:00,840 --> 01:08:03,200
awakening us to the seriousness 
of our faith. 

984
01:08:04,200 --> 01:08:06,040
So we give you glory for that as
well. 

985
01:08:08,200 --> 01:08:10,720
And so, Lord, today we want to 
be able to rejoice with the 

986
01:08:10,720 --> 01:08:13,640
angels in heaven that even one 
has come to repentance. 

987
01:08:15,720 --> 01:08:19,319
And if none here are going to 
repent, then may we glorify you 

988
01:08:19,319 --> 01:08:22,640
in the reality that we have 
repented, you have drawn us, and

989
01:08:22,640 --> 01:08:25,240
that we are sealed for glory 
forever. 

990
01:08:26,880 --> 01:08:30,479
And so yes, Lord, we have seen 
your amazing holiness, but we 

991
01:08:30,479 --> 01:08:34,600
also want to sing about your 
Amazing Grace that you have 

992
01:08:34,600 --> 01:08:36,880
rescued us. 
You have not left us to be 

993
01:08:36,880 --> 01:08:39,640
damned. 
You've delivered us forever. 

994
01:08:40,600 --> 01:08:45,000
We say thank you. 
Thank you for reminding us the 

995
01:08:45,000 --> 01:08:49,680
great deliverance in the gospel.
How costly and how awesome it is

996
01:08:49,680 --> 01:08:54,080
that you rescued us in this way,
in Jesus name, Amen.