Hell Has Not Gone Out Of Business

PROV.27:20 "HELL HAS NOT GONE OUT OF BUSINESS"

A) In Gatlingburg Tenn. they assembled a replica of hell & called it, "A journey through hell."

* But it was so horrible and graphic that the people complained & petitioned to get it removed.

B) So the town council of Gatlingburg got together and voted to close hell down!

* Friend, the hell in Gatlingburg has gone out of business, but I can tell you for a fact,

* That the real hell has not gone out of business!

C) Is hell real? Is hell a place of fire and brimstone? * Do some people actually go to hell?

* Many in this generation seem to have rejected the idea of hell!

* But if hell is real, denying it’s existence will only soothe the conscience for a brief time here

on earth! * For centuries most religious people (and non-religious) have believed in hell.

D) But few Pastors today say much about it, possibly for fear of offending people!

* Regardless of what modern people believe about hell, Jesus not only believed that hell was real,

He taught that most people, even very religious people, go to hell!

* Christ spoke more about hell than He did about heaven in the Bible!

E) He described hell as a place of everlasting fire, wailing & gnashing of teeth!

* Our text says that hell is never full! * No matter how many die & go to hell, it’s never satisfied!

* I want to look at Luke 16:19-31 for a few minutes today for an outline.

(1) HELL IS A PLACE OF SUFFERING - V.23 * "And in hell he lifted up his eyes ......."

* Here, many times we will endure great pain & go to the E.R. & get a shot to ease the pain!

A) But in hell, pain will never end! * One of the worst pains is a bad burn!

* This rich man was suffering in the torment of flames!

(2) HELL IS A PLACE OF UNSATISFIED DESIRES - V.24 * "And he cried and said ..."

* When we have desires, we can usually satisfy them, but in hell, there is no satisfaction!

A) No food, no water, no booze, no dope, no sex, no money, no friends, etc.

* Many will scream and beg for these desires, but there will be no way to satisfy them!

* You may feel there is some sin you can’t give up, but one day you will give it up!

* Oh, by the way, there is no laughter in hell!

(3) HELL IS A PLACE OF MEMORY - v.25 * "But Abraham said, Son, remember ......."

* Your memory will be like 10,000 mirrors around you, recalling all the sins of your life!

A) You will remember how you sold your eternal soul for the pleasures of this world!

* You will remember every sermon you have ever heard, every invitation song,

* You’ll remember how the Holy Spirit begged you to come to Jesus and be saved!

B) How the preacher begged you to get back in church & rededicate your life!

* You’ll remember how you held back, how you resisted and rejected Jesus!

* And now you are in hell without God and without hope!

(4) HELL IS A PLACE OF HOPELESSNESS - v.26 * "And beside all this, between ..."

* Hope is the mainspring that keeps us going! * When we get sick, we hope to get well!

A) When things are really going rough, we hope it will get better!

* But there is no hope in hell! * It wont surprise me if there’s not a sign over the door

as you enter that says, "Abandon all hope forever and ever and ever and ever .......!"

(5) HELL IS A PLACE OF PRAYER - V.27 * "Then he said, I pray thee therefore ......."

* One of the greatest prayer meetings of all time is in hell!

A) You may not pray and talk to God here, but one day you will!

* You say, "Well, when does hell begin?" * At the end of a Christless life!

* Hell is a reality realized too late! * When you arrive there, first thing you’ll do ... pray!

(6) LET’S IMAGINE HELL’S FIRST MOMENT ... THROUGHOUT ALL ETERNITY!

* Try to imagine for every second, throughout eternity, your body with the most excruciating

sunburn! * Add to that, the awful pain of your whole body scalded with boiling water!

A) To this, add the agony of bodily movement! * The skin stretches!

* Untold daggers of pain flash through your body! * You want to hold still, but you can’t!

* Because the burning from the flames wont allow it!