I remember preaching a message on a Saturday night at a
conference many years ago, and that message was on the reality
of heaven and hell. And at the end of that sermon,
the gospel was preached and I invited listeners to make the
Lord Jesus Christ their Savior, which some did.
And though it was quite some time ago, I can recall different
interactions I had that evening, including a conversation that I
had with an individual who is not at that specific session but
was at the conference. And at some later point of the
night, he approached me, we greeted each other, and he
asked, what did you speak on tonight?
When I told him, he was not slow to hesitate to grant his opinion
about the subject of hell, and his argument was hell, or any
fear for that matter, should ever be a motivation to bring
people to Christ. That warning about judgement
isn't the best approach to win souls.
He continued to say that if we are going to reach anybody with
the gospel, then we should emphasize on a loving
relationship with Christ and that we should spend more time
describing His beauty and allowing His beauty to compel us
to Him, which are proposal that I am not opposed to now.
I'm not going to continue to explain how that conversation
continued, but I bring this to your attention because I believe
that many Christians, like this brother, aren't sure how to
handle the concept of hell. And though that word is casually
thrown around in our culture, a genuine reflection upon its
truth is able to provoke a variety of emotion, distress,
fear, anxiety, confusion, and even anger.
Well, let me just tell you this. This morning I learned that even
iPhones don't know what to do with the word hell because as I
was sending the message, the title for this sermon, it kept
replacing the word hell, auto correcting it to hill HE
apostrophe LL. And I thought, did I write that?
And then I try to write the word hell again.
And it did it once more. Besides, iPhones and
churchgoers, even ministers, struggle with this topic and
don't know what to do with the implications of this element of
eternity. And so there are many, many
pastors who have vowed to never even mention the word hell from
the pulpit, never mind evangelism.
And there are some who have, because they're so disturbed by
this, deleted this truth from their doctrine and encourage
others to do the same. While some feel greater liberty
to speak about hell, and they do so in a very unwise unchrist
like manner where they they believe that this will keep my
listeners in line and so they threaten with hell, leaving
people distraught and feeling hopeless.
But no matter how this topic makes us feel, whether we really
hear it in the circles we're in or it was the main message we
grew up enduring. Whether we think it's wise to
mention it in the presence of unbelievers or believe that it
should be reserved in conversation between mature
Christians, you can't ignore hell in the Bible.
It's there. More specifically, the Lord
Jesus Christ is easily identified as the one messenger
who preached on hell, more than any other prophet or apostle, in
fact. Jesus warned unbelievers about
hell. Contrary to modern evangelical
methodology, Jesus Christ of Nazareth mentioned hell on more
than one occasion, and today I want to draw your attention to
one of those warnings found in the Gospel of Luke chapter 16,
beginning in verse 19. As I mentioned earlier, there is
a title to this message, and it is this, A plea from hell.
A plea from hell. Let's read it together beginning
in verse 19. There was a rich man who was
clothed in purple and fine linen, and who feasted
sumptuously every day. And at his gate was a laid a
poor man named Lazarus, covered with sores, who desired to be
fed with what fell from the rich man's table.
Moreover, even the dogs came and licked his sores.
The poor man died and was carried by the angels to
Abraham's side. Some translation say Abraham's
bosom. Let's continue.
The rich man also died and was buried and in Hades being in
torment, he lifted up his eyes and saw Abraham far off and
Lazarus at his side. And he called out, Father
Abraham, have mercy on me and send Lazarus to dip the end of
his finger in water and cool my tongue, for I am an anguish in
this flame. But Abraham said, Child,
remember that you in your lifetime received your good
things, and Lazarus in like manner bad things, but now he is
comforted here and you are in anguish.
And besides all this, between US and you a great chasm has been
fixed, in order that those who would pass from here to you may
not be able, and none may cross from there to us.
And he said, Then I beg you Father's to send them to my
father's house, for I have 5 brothers, so that he may warn
them, lest they also come into this place of torment.
But Abraham said they have Moses and the prophets, let them hear
them. And he said, No father Abraham,
but if someone goes to them from the dead, they will repent.
He said to them, if they do not hear Moses and the prophets,
neither will they be convinced if someone should rise from the
dead. We ask Lord that you make these
truths real to us and even if one person here is on their way
to hell, that would change after they hear this message in Jesus
name, Amen. The way that we are going to
understand this teaching is by asking and answering three
questions. Question #1 How should we
interpret this passage? Question #2 Why is the Lord
sharing it here? Question #3 What is the message
that Christ is conveying? Let's deal with this one by one.
How should we interpret this section of Scripture?
That is an important question to ask because there is debate
about and here is the debate. Is Jesus sharing a parable?
Or is this a real historical account?
And you might be wondering if determining an answer is even
necessary, and I'm here to tell you I believe it is.
It is important to determine the nature of this teaching.
Why? Because if it is a parable, then
it is open to metaphorical interpretations, meaning readers
might feel free to allegorize or even overlook some of the
details of this account. But if this is a factual
portrayal, then we are forced to accept all that Jesus describes
in this teaching. So why do many believe that this
is a parable? There are many reasons, but I'm
just going to present the main one.
The main 1 is that the story begins with a formulaic
structure that is found and typical in other parables.
So look back again how it opens. In verse 19, there was a rich
man who was clothed in purple and fine linen and who feasted
sumptuously. Everyday Nabes text will
showcase that there is a similar ring in other parables.
So we're just going to look at this briefly.
Look at Luke 1416. We're just going to be in Luke
and this is Jesus sharing the parable of the great banquet.
But look at how it starts in Luke 1416.
But he said to him, a man once gave a great banquet and invited
many. Go to Luke 15, verse 11.
This is the parable of the prodigal son.
And notice how this part of the parable is introduced in Luke
1511. And he said there was a man who
had two sons. Go to Luke 16, verse 1, the same
chapter where we are learning from this teaching.
In verse one of Luke 16, he also said to the disciples there was
a rich man who had a manager and charges were brought to him that
this man was wasting his possessions.
Let's go even beyond Luke 16. Look at Luke 18 and look at
verse one. And he told them a parable to
the effect that they are always to pray and not lose heart.
He said in a certain city there was a judge who neither feared
God nor respected man. So again, the point that I'm
trying to make is that when you look at surrounding text,
specifically parables, and see how the Lord opens them up, we
are almost now being conditioned to view the story of the rich
man and Lazarus in the same way. Does that make sense?
So then why do some see this as a real historical report?
And I want to be fair here. There are many answers, but I'm
also just going to present the main one as well.
Although there are similar components in this text to other
parables, there is one distinct ingredient that is not found in
any other parable. What is it?
Jesus gives names to the individuals in this teaching.
What are the names? Well, we read about Lazarus.
We read about Abraham, and this is the same Abraham who is the
father of the Jewish people. That's clear in the context.
And we have one more. His name is Moses.
The Lord never gives names in parables.
Some say he's making an exception here.
Well, can you consider this possibility?
If you're willing to acknowledge that the Abraham mentioned here
is the historical Abraham, that the Moses referenced here is the
historical Moses, then why would you discount that the Lazarus
that is mentioned here is a real person, and that the rich man,
though unnamed, is equally a real person?
And any other difficulty in accepting this being historical
is greatly resolved by remembering that the Lord Jesus
Christ is the Omniscient 1. He knows the thoughts, the
hearts, and the whereabouts of every single individual, both
here in this realm and in the eternal realm.
So it's not so shocking for Christ to give us insight into
individuals in the hereafter. That shouldn't be so surprising.
This is God in the flesh teaching us here.
And if we're going to determine that this is likely historical
than parabolic, this is a different weight that we're
dealing with in in this teaching.
This is not merely symbolic, this is real.
And I am persuaded that this is historical.
So now let's move on to the second question.
Why is the Lord sharing this at this juncture?
And as always, it helps to look at what was said before to
understand this specific segment.
The context is clear and Luke 16, the Lord Jesus Christ is
taking His time teaching His disciples and at this particular
moment He is instructing them about ready money, money.
Go back to verse one of Luke 16. Again, He also said to the
disciples, there was a rich man who had a manager and charges
were brought to him that this man was wasting his possessions.
And oh, I would love to break down this parable.
Many people find it difficult and interpreting it's not that
difficult. But because we're focusing on a
different teaching, let's just go to the conclusion of Christ
instructions here with the opening verses of Luke 16.
It's found in verse 13. Here's the core message behind
what Christ is conveying. No servant can serve 2 masters.
For that he will hate the one and love the other, or he will
be devoted to the one and despise the other.
You cannot serve God and money. He's speaking to His own
followers. And this saying is very common.
We can all repeat it by heart, but it's connected to a
particular practical teaching. What is the Lord doing with His
disciples? He's letting them know how to
properly and appropriately use their wealth.
And in that parable of Luke 16 one down, he is telling them
that money is a tool. Never allow it to become a
master. Money is a means to bring people
into the Kingdom. As you contribute and as you
give and as you set apart these resources for the sake of the
gospel going out, don't lose sight of that.
Then he reminds him, Listen you, you can't serve God and money.
And as he's teaching them about how they ought to handle their
possessions, the Pharisees are not too far away, and they
listen to Jesus and they hear what he has to say about
possessions. And Christ struck a nerve with
them, and they were not ashamed. To do what?
To ridicule Jesus. Look at Luke 1614.
The Pharisees who were lovers of money heard all these things,
and they ridiculed Him. So the Lord is focusing on His
own, but in the presence of His teaching you have these fair
Pharisees who were possessed with greed and covetousness, a
common trait of false teachers both then and now.
And Christ exposes their hearts and they collectively begin to
scoff at Jesus and mock Him. And the Holy Spirit tells us
why, because they were lovers of money.
And Christ hears their scoffing. So he pauses his class with his
disciples, and now he turns his attention to these Pharisees.
Look at the language carefully in verse 15.
And he said to them, were they them, the Pharisees?
And he said to them, You are those who justify yourselves
before men, but God knows your hearts.
For what is exalted among men is an abomination in the sight of
God. What a powerful statement this
is. Yes, generally the Pharisees
were those who proudly justified themselves before men.
But it's connected to a context. They are justifying their love
of money before people. Why?
Because they use their teaching and their affluence and their
authority to manipulate and trick and and even ravage
widows. And so they would cleverly,
cunningly convince people. We don't know exactly how, but
one thing is probable, that even their accumulation of wealth was
a sign of God blessing them and showing favor to them.
And Jesus says you justify yourselves.
You justify your passion and your dedication to wealth before
men. But God knows the greed in your
hearts. God knows that you ultimately
love money. Yeah, you have the gowns and you
do the services, but you really love that dollar sign.
Then he says this. For what is exalted among men is
an abomination in the sight of God.
What is exalted among men? The pursuit of riches.
Very little people in our culture today would condemn a
person who is devoted to money, who is devoted to greater
experiences, greater luxury, greater whatever.
That's what people live for. And here's what the Lord says.
You know what's so highly honored and praised and
appreciated among men is actually an abomination in the
sight of God. God's value system is very
different than ours in our carnality, and it makes you
wonder what else he considers an abomination that many people
tolerate and justify. But he goes on in verse 1617 to
highlight that though these religious leaders boast and
their adherents of the Law, they're actually rejecting it.
Notice, let's just read it. The law and the prophets were
until John. Since then the good news of the
Kingdom of God is preaching. Everyone forces his way into it.
But it is easier for heaven and earth to pass away than for one
dot of the law to become void. Why is he speaking like this?
I thought he was rebuking them for their love of money.
Because again they justify themselves in the sight of man.
And Jesus says you think you're all about the law.
If you were really about the Law, then you would perceive
that John was the last Old Testament prophet and that the
era of the gospel has arrived. But you don't see it.
Obviously you don't. Why?
Because you're ridiculing the one that the law and the
prophets predicted, that the law and the prophets foretold.
And one major reason why these Pharisees who claim to love the
law actually rejected it was because they were blinded.
Guess what? By their love of money.
Now the Lord could have stopped here.
And return to His disciples and continue to instruct them.
But He wants to drive home the point in these hearts that are
stubborn and Stony, that the consequences of their
callousness caused by their tolerated covetousness, does not
only have ramifications in this life, it also has eternal
consequences. And so he is going to, in his
love, warn these Pharisees by telling them a real story about
a rich man who justified his love for money and how that love
and that idolatry and that worship led him to something
that no person, at least in this context, would anticipate.
And so we come to the last question, which will be the main
focus of our time. We answered, how are we to
interpret this passage? We answered why the Lord is
sharing it here. What is, here's the final
question. What is the message that Christ
is conveying? And I'll tell you this, it's
deeper than simply describing the fate of a wealthy man who
was an unbeliever. And that's why I want to look at
all that this thing has to offer us, though I know that I'm
leaving things out. So I want us to understand this
teaching by dissecting it, framing it in three scenes, 3
stages, scenes, whatever you prefer.
Scene #1 very simple. Life.
Scene #2 death. Scene #3 eternity.
Scene #1 the reality of life. Scene #2 the reality of death.
Scene #3 the reality of eternity, the reality of life.
In verse 19 to verse 21. Did you notice that there was a
clear contrast between these two men of the introduction of this
account? One was extremely rich, the
other extremely poor. One was totally satiated, the
other was suffering terribly. The one had need of nothing, the
other had absolutely nothing. But the more we look carefully,
the more we'll uncover important details.
Notice how the poor man here desired to be fed with what fell
from the rich man's table. Implying that Lazarus, though at
the gate, this man was very rich.
He had his own gate. We're not talking about the city
gate. We're talking about his private
estate. He was parked there.
This is part of the cultural norm.
They didn't have resources and government aid then like we do
now. They were depended upon others
who could help them if they were merciful.
So he's left there unable to fend for himself.
And while he is there, all he requested was the crumbs, not
not a plate of extra food. And we read here that this man
was clothed in purple. That speaks of royalty.
Fine linen. Even his undergarments were
expensive. And who feasted sumptuously
Every day wasn't no ordinary meal.
Every day was amazing, was a celebration.
And at no point was this Lazarus offered an extra plate.
No, no leftovers, nothing of the sort.
All he wanted was crumbs. And what we learned here is that
the rich man that we are given an external depiction of him,
we're also granted a glimpse of his internal condition.
He's not just well off, he is self absorbed, devilishly self
absorbed. And we might expect this kind of
selfishness from a Gentile ruler, but you ready for this?
This is not a Gentile. This is an Israelite.
How do we know that this rich man is an Israelite?
Because we read it earlier that when he does end up going to
Hades, he sees Abraham and he says not just Abraham, but what
father Abraham. Nobody would call Abraham father
unless they are a descendant of Abraham.
This is a Jew. Why is it important to
acknowledge that the rich man is of this heritage?
Because God's law had provided this people group instructions
of how they should relate to the poor.
Listen to these words from the book of Deuteronomy, the book of
the Law, chapter 15, verse 7. You can write that down if you
want to look at it later, unless you want to turn there with me.
But Deuteronomy 15-7 says, if among you one of your brothers
should become poor in any of your towns within your land,
that the Lord your God is giving you, you shall not harden your
heart or shut your hand against your poor brother, but you shall
open your hand to him and lend him sufficient for his need,
whatever it may be. This is codified, this is divine
revelation, this is a mandate from heaven.
And yet we read that this rich man who was a Jew would not even
give crumbs to poor Lazarus. So what does that say about this
rich man's relationship to God? Obviously, his heart in no way
reflects God's as revealed in the Word, which means that he
had little to no regard for the Scriptures, which means that he
had little to no regard for God. This is not a unique pattern in
life. This is not so outlandish.
It's the story of millions of people today who are exposed to
God's Word. Listen, the rich man was not
some heathen who worship pagans. He was aware of the truth.
And there are some, let me rephrase that.
There are many who are aware of the truth, but they ignore the
message because they are driven by prosperity.
They are driven by maintaining and increasing in selfish
comfort. They are driven by knowing
greater heights of personal satisfaction at the expense of
doing what God asked them to do. And this man's attitude will
reveal that this level of unbelief has eternal
consequences. It's also sad to know that in
contrast to the rich man's spiritual destitution, we
actually are confronted with the compassion of animals.
Go back again here and look at verse 21.
Who desired to be fed with what fell from the rich man's table?
Moreover, even the dogs came and licked his sores.
Now, some would interpret this as further aggravation and
another layer to Lazarus's suffering, but you can also see
this as a poignant reminder that the man who is suffering here is
being comforted by wild dogs. The word dogs there is not
speaking about your little cute puppy at home waiting for you to
come back from service. We're talking about ravenous,
ugly St. animals that will eat anything to survive.
And yet we see here that man in his selfishness, man in his sin,
is capable of being worse than animals and how he treats his
fellow man. Have you ever seen it in reading
history? Have you ever seen it watching
the news? What man is able to do to
another creed in the image of God?
You've probably even said it. Even animals don't act like
that. Well, here's another example and
listen to this now. This is how brilliant the word
of God is. You have here the mention of
crumbs and dogs. Does that ring a bell of another
encounter that Jesus had? It should the Cyrophoenician
woman who had a daughter who is possessed by an evil spirit.
So she comes to Jesus, though a Gentile and ask for deliverance.
And the Lord said it is not right to take the children's
bread and give it to dogs. Now dogs, and that is a
different word. He's not speaking about the ugly
animals on the street. It's a completely different
Greek word, but the woman responds to Jesus.
In what way? Yes, but even the dogs eat the
crumbs that fall off their master's table.
Why do I bring that up? Because if you take that and
then bring it to this story, then you realize that Lazarus is
really asking for dog food and the rich man wouldn't even give
him that. In contrast to the rich man, we
see something interesting. Lazarus is named and this
wealthy fellow isn't. Did you notice that on more than
one occasion? We know the identity right of
the introduction? Actually, we know the name of
this poor homeless fellow. His name is Lazarus, and we
never learned the name of the prestigious owner of this
estate. And that is by design.
Why is that by design? Because the name Lazarus means
something, the one whom God helps.
And it's not always the case that a name that denotes
relationship with God is reflected in the life of the one
who bears it, right? There are many examples in the
Old Testament. Somebody has this awesome name
of relation to God, but their life contradicts it.
In this case, though, I believe that Lazarus was a believer.
You're saying, how can you speculate?
I'm not. He goes to heaven, so he lived
up to this name. The fact that Jesus communicates
and reveals his identity shows that he had faith.
He relied on God, he trusted in God, he knew God.
God was wrapped in his identity and purpose regardless of how
his life played out. In the same way we learned
something from the rich man concerning life today, we can
also say something about Lazarus, that even those who
love and serve God will not always experience the relief
that they hope for in this life. Relief is coming and it's going
to be eternal, but it's not always promised.
On this side of eternity. The rich man is nameless, and
this suddenly speaks to his lack of any meaningful connection to
the Lord. It also says something about the
Lord not knowing the rich man. Well, isn't he omniscient?
He is, but do you remember in Matthew 7 the many who will come
before the Lord and say, Hey, Lord, didn't we do this?
And didn't we do that? And Jesus will say, what?
Depart from me? I never knew you.
What do you mean? He didn't know them?
He didn't know what the works they didn't know.
He did, but he didn't have this intimate relationship, this
connection with them. And here you have subtly the
Lord saying God knew Lazarus, but he had no relationship with
the rich man who's really rich in this story.
I also believe here that Jesus mentioning Lazarus name is meant
to elevate him and show that he is recognized and valued while
the rich man wasn't. On what basis?
True faith. One is known and loved and
cherished by God. The other, as we're about to
find out, is going to be abandoned by God.
Scene #1 comes to a close. Now the curtains open to scene
#2 the reality of death, verse 22.
Let's read it to refresh our memories.
The poor man died and was carried by the angels to
Abraham's side. The rich man also died and was
buried. No matter how differently these
two men lived, they share the same end, Death.
Someone once said death is the great equalizer of all men.
And it doesn't matter what kind of money you have, what kind of
organic food it can get you, what kind of doctors you have
access to, no matter what kind of environment and clean air you
can live in, because of your money, you're going to die and
I'm going to die. We're all going to die.
We can't escape it. You can't do anything about it,
and the Lord reminds us of that. Here.
However, we're beginning to see a shift in this story, a role
reversal, if you will. It's as though we get a final
glimpse of the stark contrast between the privileges that
these two men shared while on Earth before we cross a
threshold where both the world's are about to be turned upside
down. So what do we see?
Read carefully that when the rich man died at the end of
verse 22, he didn't just die, he was buried.
And you can believe that this man's funeral was just as
elaborate and extravagant as one of his fancy lunches while he
was alive. Sure, there might have been a
procession. There might even have been a
wonderful ceremony. We're going to see what happens
on the other side of this. But when you look at the
beginning of verse 22, what do you read about Lazarus?
Look again, the poor man died and that's it.
No mention of a funeral, no mention of honor, respect, no
mention of loved ones gathering around him to celebrate his
life. How heartbreaking.
This man's dishonor and disgrace followed him up to his death and
we don't know what happened to his body.
He could have been just picked up and thrown in some average
place. You could have even been
discarded in the outskirts of the city where criminals who
were executed were dropped off. We have no clue.
So even in this final moment of life, where their bodies now are
being handled in clearly contrasting ways, there is
something now that's about to take place.
His humiliation, Lazarus, that is, ended the moment he offered
his last breath. Why?
Because we read the moment he opened his eyes, he was greeted
by the sight and sound of angels.
Angels have been dispatched to come and meet with Lazarus and
to, as we read, carry his soul to Abraham's bosom.
There's a lot of debate about what Abraham's bosom is.
I think it's very simple. It's an imagery to describe a
heavenly banquet. We remember when John, in the
Gospel of John, tells us that he laid his head on the bosom of
Jesus. This is body language that is
reflected in settings of intimate gatherings.
So we have Lazarus here, who is granted a place of honor next to
the one of the greatest Saints of all time, in a place of
perfect bliss, in a place where the righteous are kept.
This is glorious vindication. The same Lazarus who was denied
crumbs while on earth is now promoted and clothed an
incredible dignity, feasting intimately with a patriarch in
an environment where other Saints surely were there and
rejoiced that their eternal fate has been sealed in the goodness
of God. Angels came.
Nobody showed up for this man's funeral, but God sent these
beautiful heavenly creatures to make sure that He had a
wonderful entrance into His presence.
What about the rich man? Look at verse 22 again and let's
continue to verse 23. You would think that the sight
and sound of angels greeting Lazarus would mean that this
rich, privileged man would have something even greater at his
death. Brace yourselves.
The poor man died and was carried by the angels to
Abraham's side. The rich man also died and was
buried, and in Hades, being in torment, he lifted up his eyes
and saw Abraham far off and Lazarus at his side.
Lazarus died without honor. He was greeted with a celestial
host, and this rich man died with an elaborate celebration.
But there is no sight of angels coming for him, coming on his
behalf. He is abandoned, and all we're
told is that the next time he opened his eyes, he realized
that he was in hell. His last sight was being
surrounded by friends and family who were mourning him, and the
next thing that he sees is that he is in a place of torment.
Hades. We can't confuse this with our
common understanding of hell. It's a different Greek word, and
Hades consistently speaks of a temporary intermediate state of
the dead where souls go after death.
Listen until the final judgement, and though this place
of the dead is temporary, it is promised that those who go there
will endure ongoing suffering and they will endure this kind
of misery until each unredeemed person is summoned by God before
the Great White Throne Judgment and are officially condemned to
hell. You're saying?
Is there any more evidence that can help me make that
distinction? Yes.
Go to Revelation chapter 20 and look at verse 13 with me.
Revelation 20, verse 13. This is after the 1000
millennial reign of Christ. Revelation can be easily
understood if you honor the fact that it is chronological mostly.
Here's Revelation 20, verse 13. And the sea gave up the dead who
were in it, Death and what Hades?
Hell, in some translations, but the Greek word is different.
Death And Hades gave up the death who are who, the dead who
are in them. And they were judged, each one
of them, according to what they had done.
Then death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire.
This is the second death, the lake of fire.
Do you see it? So you have Hades, that is
holding those who have died and who await God's final judgement.
When God is ready to judge all the unbelievers whose names were
not found in the Lamb's Book of Life, Hades coughs up all the
dead. God cast them into the lake of
fire, and he throws death and Hades in the lake of fire as
well. This is where the rich man finds
himself. He's not in the permanent state
of God's wrath. He is in a temporary holding
place. However, it's safe to say that
the experience of Hades is indeed a preview of what hell
will be like. Which brings us now the curtains
close on scene #2 scene #3 the reality of eternity.
Jesus, in the last verses of this teaching, spends much more
time describing the experience of the unredeemed than he does
for those who are saved by grace.
Why? Because he's warning.
He's warning people who are headed there.
And the first thing that I want you to see about hell is that it
is a place of everlasting, unrelenting conscience torment.
Look again at the language in verse 24.
And he called out, Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and
send Lazarus to dip the end of his finger in water and cool my
tongue. For I am in anguish in this
flame. There is pain in hell, there is
misery in hell, there is suffering in hell, there is
sorrow in hell. And it's not just temporary, it
is everlasting. And I want to tell you because I
must be true to the Word of God, the source of this torment.
Many Christians who are good hearted and trying to explain
God's judgement specifically with hell, communicate that the
reason hell is hell is because we are separated from the
presence of God. Yes or no?
Because I want to show you what the Bible says about hell and
the reason why there will be so much affliction there.
You were there. Revelation 20 But go to
Revelation 14 verse 10, where John tells us the fate of those
who take the mark of the beast. And in Revelation 1410 and 11 we
have a description not just of those who do take the mark, but
those who also deny Jesus Christ as Lord.
Revelation 14 verse 10. He also will drink the wine of
God's wrath, poured full strength into the cup of His
anger, and he will be tormented with fire and sulfur in the
presence of the holy angels and in the presence of the Lamb.
So wait, wait, wait, hold on. I grew up hearing that hell is
hell because God is not there. God's loving presence is not
there, but His wrath is there in full strength.
Who's in charge of hell? Don't get your theology from
cartoons. Satan is not managing hell.
Satan will suffer in hell. God is in charge of hell and we
see clearly here. And this is the aspect of hell
that is probably the most disturbing for people to digest.
How is it just that a few decades of sinning on earth
warrants eternal misery? How?
This is the God that you sing to.
This is the God that you believe and claim is one of love.
And this has led many who can't find a way to reconcile this to
embrace things like annihilationism.
Annihilationism is the belief that immortality is only granted
to the just, but the punishment of the wicked is that they cease
to exist forever. It's becoming increasingly
popular in our day, but you cannot find a solution with an
anti biblical answer to grasp something that might be
difficult in the Bible. Whenever there's something
challenging in the word of God, it's not because there's a
problem with God, there's a problem with us.
You're saying what do you mean? Here's what I'm saying.
Their main problem is that we fail to understand that the
severity of sin is not in the act itself, but the one that we
sin against. That is why it is so severe.
You know what most people think about God?
He's just a little better than us, and we even dare to feel
like we can sit on the judgment seat and criticize God's ways.
God is infinitely holy. God is far beyond what you can
even think. He is lofty, He is superior,
He's incredible. He's beyond description.
And if this is still challenging for you, do you not realize that
this concept of proportional justice is even known in our
human law? That the severity of one's
punishment is measured by the severity of the crime?
And in the case of sin, what is accounted for is not so much the
amount of sin, how dark the sin is, but the one that we violate.
My offense before a court and before a jury.
And the determination of my punishment will be far different
if I assault the President of the United States in comparison
to a house pet. And we all are ready to accept
that. But what we fail to wrap our
minds around is just how lofty God is, how otherworldly His
Holiness is just It will consume you if it's unleashed in your
presence. His sensitivity to sin because
of His purity is so intense. We live in a day today where
there's barely any outrage against sin.
And as we advance as a culture and as a civilization, more and
more sins are being accepted. So you see that you're
surrounded by that. And now you come to Sunday
church and you hear the young guy up there on the pulpit
preaching about hell and how God will condemn sinners.
Who does he think he is? You don't know who he is.
And even for us who do know Him, we don't fully know who He is,
because he is infinitely worthy, because he is infinitely
glorious. Any violation of Him is of
infinite magnitude. Don't you find it strange that
when the rich man arrives in hell and we even hear what he
has to say, there is no sign of contrition, there is no
indication of repentance. What is he actually doing when
he gets to hell? He's just as self absorbed in
hell as he was on Earth. And he even look at this, he's
bossing Lazarus around. He still sees Lazarus, though in
a redeemed place, as inferior to him.
Abraham, tell him to dip the end of his finger and touch my
mouth. Abraham says that can't happen.
There's a great chasm between us.
OK, OK. Can you at least tell him to go
to my brothers and warn them? What would be the appropriate
response for somebody who woke up and realized that they're
damned? There's no he sees us.
He doesn't ask for forgiveness. He doesn't even cry out to God.
He's concerned about himself. You know, people believe that
once people go to hell, then they will suddenly realize the
Bible is true. I was wrong, and now I want to
love and obey God. That's not true, and this is a
story to prove it, that there will be many in hell who, when
they endure God's wrath, will continue with their evil hearts,
who for an eternity will blasphemy him, curse him and
despise Him. You're saying.
But yeah, but there's any cry out for mercy.
He does cry out for mercy, but if you really look carefully,
it's not from a place of brokenness for sin.
I could say more about this, but let me move on to the second
reality of hell. Thing that we must acknowledge
about hell is that once someone wakes up their their position is
permanent. Very similar to the first point,
but I want you to notice how this rich man doesn't ask to be
set free from where he is. And I think partly it's because
there was this devastating realization.
I can't leave here. There is no exit sign in hell.
There is no hole that you can dig.
There is no wall that you can breakthrough.
There is no crack in any part where you can spend 1000 or a
million years trying to breakthrough.
Once somebody arrives at Hell, they're there for eternity.
And that horrible awareness is confirmed by the words of Father
Abraham in verse 26. Notice what he says.
And besides all this between US and you are a great chasm has
been fixed in order that those who would pass from here to you
may not be able, and none may cross from here to us.
So if I can't escape here, then can you at least send a drop of
water? But here's the thing, that chasm
that reflects even the chasm that was created by Adam and Eve
between US and God. A bridge can be built while
we're here, but once you're there, there is no bridge that
can be built. Mercy is cut off forever.
And what you'll find interesting is that when you continue to
read through Luke, the theme of people crying out for mercy
appears over and over, but with a different outcome.
I want to show it to you. Look at Luke 17 verse 11.
This is when Jesus heals these 10 lepers.
But look at verse 11. On the way to Jerusalem he was
passing along between Samaria and Galilee.
And as he entered a village he was met by 10 lepers who stood
at a distance and lifted up their voices saying Jesus Master
have mercy on us. And when he saw them he said to
them, go and show yourself to the priest.
And as they went, they were cleansed.
Look at Luke 1813 where Jesus shares a story about a tax
collector in the Pharisee who prayed in the temple.
Luke 1813. Jesus says, but the tax
collector standing far off, would not even lift up his eyes
to heaven, but beat his breath, saying, God be merciful to me, a
Sinner. I tell you, this man went down
to his house justified rather than the other.
For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, but the one who
humbles himself will be exalted like a Luke 1835 when Jesus
travels through Jericho. Luke 1835 as he drew near to
Jericho, a blind man was sitting by the roadside begging and
hearing a crowd going by. He inquired what this meant.
They told him Jesus of Nazareth is passing by and he cried out.
Jesus, son of David, have mercy on me.
And you know the rest of the story.
He's healed. What do you have here?
It's amazing. Clearly a different outcome for
these individuals who cried out for mercy.
The Sinner, the broken, who cried out to the Lord Jesus
received it because Jesus is rich in mercy and he will not
turn one person away. But it can only be accessed on
this side of eternity. No matter how intense, no matter
how long any cry for mercy in hell, it's too late.
Let me pause and say this just in case we don't make it to the
end of the sermon. I remember I preached a sermon
when when I was younger in the ministry and I was making an
appeal for people to be saved. And before I finished, a young
girl dropped down and had a seizure and the meeting ended.
Doctors came in and people went back to their rooms.
So it's even possible that before the end of the message,
something can happen, God forbid.
So let me pause and say this. Your only hope for what I'm
saying is that you cry out to Jesus for mercy.
Now, now, there's so many other things that we can draw from
this text about characteristics about hell.
Let me give you just one brief example.
Look at verse 25. But Abraham said, child,
remember that in remember that you in your lifetime received
your good things and Lazarus and like man are bad things, but now
he is comforted here and you are in anguish.
If we were to continue about different traits, about how I
would say this, that hell is a place of remembrance.
What does Abraham say, child, remember?
So those in hell will be able to recall their life.
They'll be able to revisit the memories where it all went
wrong, the missed opportunities, the arrogance of ignoring the
evangelist parents who try to teach them about saving
knowledge in Jesus Christ. Hell is a place of remembrance,
and that remembrance will not bring relief.
It will only add to the anguish. Child, remember, we can talk
about hell being a place of loneliness, hell being a place
of darkness, but we won't go there.
Instead, I want us to land the sermon.
The curtains are not closing on certain scene 3.
Someone are accurately said, rather that the words of the
rich man are the only testimony of any person from hell in all
of the scripture. And it is in his final words
that we get the explanation of how he got there and how others
will join him. The rich man didn't go to hell
because he was rich, and the poor man didn't go to heaven
because he was poor. Can I tell you why that's the
case? Because the rich man from hell
was talking to Abraham and Genesis 13 two tells us that
Abraham was very rich. Not just rich, but he was a man
of faith and he loved God more than money.
Neither is the story about ethics, that if the rich man had
just given something to Lazarus, if he had just used some of his
wealth to help people and perform justice or social acts,
then he would have a better chance to make it to heaven.
We don't believe in a gospel of good works.
Then how did he get here if it's not about his affluence and the
arrogance of his affluence, If it's not about how he failed to
serve Lazarus and impress God with his own righteousness?
Give me some kind of an answer. I'm here to give it because I
want you to see something quite amazing.
The reason why this man was condemned was not because of his
riches, but because of how his riches blinded him and rejected
through his blindness what he truly needed, the truth of God's
saving work. And that is reflected in how in
these last verses, the rich man exposes his attitude toward the
Scriptures when he begs Abraham, please let someone from the dead
rise and visit my brothers so that they would see that
somebody came back from the afterlife and said, turn from
your ways. It's all real.
And look at how Abraham responds to again, the rich man in verse
29 of chapter 16. But Abraham said they have Moses
and the prophets, let them hear them pause.
Look at what the rich man is about to say.
Now, verse 30. And he said, no, no, father
Abraham. But if someone goes to them from
the dead, they will repent. Do you see it?
This rich man demonstrated throughout his life that he was
unbelieving and he failed to act upon written revelation, the
Scriptures, God's book, and that kind of hardness of heart and
that contempt continues to show itself here as she willingly
confesses. This book is not sufficient for
somebody to be saved. No.
What is he saying? No to the Word of God.
That's what he's saying no to. And why will people go to hell?
For the same reason? Because they deny the central
message of God's Word. And that's where this man went
wrong. Because even in the Moses, Moses
and the prophets, which is just a saying that encapsulates all
the Scriptures at this time, this man failed to humble
himself and to realize that the wrath of God abides on him.
He failed to believe that he required a substitute for his
sin. He failed to see that the
payment for that sin would be realized in the promised
Messiah. And he also failed to believe
that that message was enough to draw his brothers to embrace
grace. Besides, we read in John 11 that
Jesus does raise a man from the dead.
You remember that, right? And what was his name?
Isn't that interesting? It's not the same Lazarus, but I
just find it humorous and Lazarus raises from the dead and
impresses some people, but other people what it just gave him
more reason to kill Jesus and not just these Jesus, but to
make sure that Lazarus gets back into that grave as soon as
possible because through his testimony, people were coming to
Christ. The very leaders that Jesus is
preaching to hear about this story experience somebody who
raised from the dead named Lazarus, and they still harden
their hearts. God has provided humanity a
witness in his word. Is this primary means and it is
this word and how we relate to it that will determine our
eternal faith. In fact, if we had more time, I
would I would explain to you how in the same way in heaven there
will be different degrees of reward.
Hell will also have different degrees of punishment.
That's in Luke chapter 12. And you know what determines the
variety of degrees of punishment, the amount of light
you received and what you did with that light.
So people ask me all the time, you know, when you debate people
with oral tradition and human tradition and church tradition
and I and I at some point I get to this point.
Look, based on the testimony of the Bible, I am told that what I
will be held accountable for is this book primarily and solely.
So I'm preoccupied with God has revealed here and that alone.
Don't forget that the story was targeting the Pharisees.
Do you know what would have been more shocking to the Pharisees
than realizing that a rich man went to hell is that he was a
Jewish man who shared the same blood as Abraham.
Do you remember the words of John the Baptist and Luke
chapter 3, verse 8? Turn there with me please.
Look what the Baptist said in Luke 3 verse 8.
Bear fruits in keeping with repentance and do not begin to
say to yourselves, we have Abraham as our father.
For I tell you, God is able from these stones to raise up
children to Abraham. So was he common shared
confidence among the Jews that because they were related to
Abraham that they were automatically guaranteed
resurrection unto life? And you have the final Old
Testament prophet. Who prophet who clarifies?
Don't you dare put your confidence in your heritage.
You can't say Abraham is my father as a way to comfort your
conscience that you have the right to receive eternal life.
And isn't that true for so many today, that the confidence of
their standing before God might be their family, their lineage,
their culture that is ancient and has Christian roots?
I am from this Christian nation. I am from this Christian
background. It's no different.
It's not just for the Jews. Any other foundation that you
base your confidence on except Jesus Christ will provide a
shocking realization for you in the life to come.
She's saying, what are you? What are you getting at?
Well, as the curtain for scene 3 closes, let me do this before
it's officially closed. If you want to know that you
have eternal life, let me ask you this question.
What have you done with the message of this book?
What have you done with what God has said to you through this
book? Because this book sets the
conditions for how a man has eternal life.
And this book alone, not what any person said, but what God
had said and only way that you can have eternal life.
It's not if Abraham is your father, but if God becomes your
father. See again.
So just the Christianese stuff bothers me sometimes and the
things that we throw around without thinking about it, and
it bleeds into how even the world begins to think about our
beliefs. How can God send any of his
children to hell? Who says you're a child of God
apart from Christ? You're not a child of God just
because you were created by God. In fact, the Bible labels us.
If we are outside of Christ, we are enemies, we're rebels.
And the gospel, Jesus Christ coming into this world to die in
a cross and pay that payment so that you wouldn't have to go to
this horrible place is exactly that.
We don't present Jesus and say God has come to send his Son
into the world to die in a cross to save you from loneliness,
though he does help you with your loneliness.
God didn't send his world to come into his Son, into this
world so that you and I could feel like we have now purpose or
some kind of heavenly coach or some kind of guy that can help
us make our dreams be realized. God sent his Son into this world
to save people from hell. You don't have to be judged for
eternity Today you can cross a line where God will receive you.
God will crown you with redemption, and no one or
anything in this life or beyond this life can take you from Him.
You must realize how, yes, though we've been hearing about
the holiness of God, just as ferocious as His purity, His
love, His love is equally intense.
And that in His love, those that He created, though He had every
right to just bundle us all up and throw us into that place and
start all over, He instead wants to redeem every single person in
this room, every single soul. He takes no delight in the death
of the wicked. He takes no pleasure in it.
His justice demands it, yes, but his pleasure is in seeing every
person come to the knowledge of his Son, Jesus Christ.
That is the gospel of Jesus Christ.
And we're doing nobody any favor by omitting this from our
preaching. No, nothing.
And so I will stand before God and give an account.
That's why I'm here to preach this truth.
I fear God and I love people too much.
And so my invitation to you is if you are not certain, if you
actually, if you feel like you're just kind of floating
around and you come here because you like hearing a message, it's
kind of inspiring, maybe intellectually stimulating.
You like the community here, but you don't know if you're saved.
Cry out for mercy. Church is not a game.
We're not playing here. We're not, we're not.
This is not like a Country Club because we, you know, want to be
part of something on a weekly basis.
This is about heaven and hell. This is what this is about.
And I don't want you to gamble with your soul.
I want you today to embrace Jesus.
He's willing to forgive you, accept you, receive you, and
relate to you where He'll know you by name.
He'll walk with you in this life, and He will usher you into
His presence forever and ever. Would you accept it?
Would you receive it? Let's pray.
Lord, we heard your voice today. Your word is so clear.
But perhaps there are some here who are hearing you calling them
home. And Your word says today, if you
hear His voice, do not harden your hearts.
And so, Lord, even if there is one person here who up to this
point to comfort in the fact that they went to church and
they admired Jesus, but they've never given their lives to you,
that today they would flee to the cross.
They realize that in your great love you have paid for their
sin, that they never have to fear this place called hell.
They never have to wonder if you will unleash your wrath against
them. I ask Lord, and I pray that at
this moment your love would be seen and the kindness of God
would lead us to repentance. For the believer, Lord,
including myself, may we feel the urgency of the gospel.
Thank you that this word perhaps served a different purpose and
awakening us to the seriousness of our faith.
So we give you glory for that as well.
And so, Lord, today we want to be able to rejoice with the
angels in heaven that even one has come to repentance.
And if none here are going to repent, then may we glorify you
in the reality that we have repented, you have drawn us, and
that we are sealed for glory forever.
And so yes, Lord, we have seen your amazing holiness, but we
also want to sing about your Amazing Grace that you have
rescued us. You have not left us to be
damned. You've delivered us forever.
We say thank you. Thank you for reminding us the
great deliverance in the gospel. How costly and how awesome it is
that you rescued us in this way, in Jesus name, Amen.