Hell: The Everlasting Home Of The Lost

Grace and peace to you, my beloved brothers and sisters. It is a joy to gather with you today, to share in the warmth of our fellowship, to feel the bonds of our shared faith, and to find solace and strength in the Word of God. We are indeed a family, united by the blood of Christ, bound by His love, and driven by His mission to save those who are lost. Today, we turn our hearts and minds to a topic of great importance, a topic that is often shrouded in mystery and fear – the reality of Hell.

[Title: Hell: The Everlasting Home of the Lost]

It's a sobering subject, isn't it? It's not something we often bring up in our daily conversations, nor is it a theme we eagerly anticipate in our Sunday sermons. Yet, it is a reality that we must face, a truth that we must acknowledge, for it is a part of the grand narrative of our faith. And it would be a sad thing if I, like some pastors of the day wanted to sweep it under the rug so to speak.

I know for most of us, the idea of hell scares you, and want me not to talk about it. But if I speak to you heaven and not of hell, then I have given you a half truth, for which I would have to answer to God for. So, believe you me, I am going to do my job. But I want to remove your fears about the place called hell by giving you this quote: "When you fear God, you have nothing else to fear." This is a powerful statement that we should keep in our hearts as we navigate through this difficult topic. Fear not the realities of Hell, for our God is with us. Fear not the habitat of the godless, for we are secured in the arms of our Savior. Fear not the hopelessness of rejecters, for we are bathed in the hope of Christ.

“There was a certain rich man who was clothed in purple and fine linen and fared sumptuously every day. But there was a certain beggar named Lazarus, full of sores, who was laid at his gate, desiring to be fed with the crumbs which fell from the rich man’s table. Moreover the dogs came and licked his sores.

So it was that the beggar died, and was carried by the angels to Abraham’s bosom. The rich man also died and was buried. And being in torments in Hades, he lifted up his eyes and saw Abraham afar off, and Lazarus in his bosom. “Then he cried and said, ‘Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus that he may dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue; for I am tormented in this flame.’ But Abraham said, ‘Son, remember that in your lifetime you received your good things, and likewise Lazarus evil things; but now he is comforted and you are tormented.

And besides all this, between us and you there is a great gulf fixed, so that those who want to pass from here to you cannot, nor can those from there pass to us.’ “Then he said, ‘I beg you therefore, father, that you would send him to my father’s house, for I have five brothers, that he may testify to them, lest they also come to this place of torment.

Abraham said to him, ‘They have Moses and the prophets; let them hear them.’ And he said, ‘No, father Abraham; but if one goes to them from the dead, they will repent.’ But he said to him, ‘If they do not hear Moses and the prophets, neither will they be persuaded though one rise from the dead.’ ”

Luke 16:19-31

Hell's Reality

In the passage we just read, we find a vivid description of the afterlife. It's a stark contrast between two realities - a place of comfort and a place of torment. The rich man, who lived a life of luxury, finds himself in a place of agony after death. Lazarus, the beggar, who suffered greatly during his earthly life, is comforted in the afterlife. This passage gives us a glimpse into the reality of Hell - a place of torment, separated from the comfort and presence of God.

The rich man's torment is described in detail. He is in agony, suffering in the flames. He longs for even a drop of water to cool his burning tongue. This tells us that Hell is a place of physical suffering. It's not just a state of mind or a metaphorical place. It's a real place where those who reject God's grace will experience real, physical torment. Remember that this is told by Jesus, and He is speaking of real people.