Illus: South Carolinians proudly tell people they live in South Carolina, but some of them will tell you they are embarrassed about some of the dumb laws they have on their books that have been passed down from their forefathers. Did you know that in South Carolina:
• It is a capital offense to inadvertently kill someone while attempting suicide. (I guess it is OK to kill someone if you are not trying to commit suicide)
• Every adult male must bring a rifle to church on Sunday in order to ward off Indian attacks.
• It is perfectly legal to beat your wife on the court house steps on Sundays.
• It is considered an offense to get a tattoo.
• Railroad companies may be held liable in some instances for scaring horses.
• By law, if a man promises to marry an unmarried woman in the presence of others, the marriage must take place. (Of course, after he marries her he can always take her to the court house on Sunday and beat her)
Illus: But if you think these are dumb laws in South Carolina, look at some of the laws they have in Arkansas.
• A man can legally beat his wife, but not more than twice a month. (At least it is not as bad as it is in South Carolina where he can take her there every Sunday after he gets out of church)
• Alligators may not be kept in bathtubs. (My mother never taught me anything about that!)
• Dogs may not bark after 6 PM. (How could anyone enforce that law)
• Flirtation between men and women on the streets of Little Rock may result in a 30-day jail term. Makes you wonder how former president Bill Clinton survived this law if it was enforced!
• It is unlawful to walk one's cow down Main Street after 1:00 PM on Sunday.
No matter where you live, you will find they have dumb laws on their books and they have never been removed.
One thing people like about living in a small town is that everybody knows everybody. That can be GOOD and BAD!
Illus: In a small Southern town, the prosecutor called his first witness, a respectful, elderly woman to the stand.
• He approached her and asked, "Mrs. Jones, do you know me?"
• She responded, "Why, yes, I do know you, Mr. Williams. I've known you since you were a young boy, and frankly, you've been a big disappointment to me. You lie, you cheat on your wife, you manipulate people and talk about them behind their backs. You think you're a big shot when you haven't the brains to realize you never will amount to anything more than a two-bit paper pusher. Yes, I know you."
• The lawyer was stunned. Not knowing what else to do, he pointed across the room and asked, "Mrs. Jones, do you know the defense attorney?" She again replied, "Why, yes, I do. I've known Mr. Bradley since he was a youngster, too. He's lazy, and he has a serious drinking problem. He can't build a normal relationship with anyone and his law practice is one of the worst in the entire state. Not to mention he cheated on his wife with three different women. One of them was your wife. Yes, I know him."
• The defense attorney almost died. Quickly jumping in, the judge asked both counselors to approach the bench, and in a very quiet voice said, "If either of you jerks asks her if she knows me, I'll throw the both of you in jail for contempt."
Eventually, every one of us is going to live in one of two places. The Bible tells us:
• The SAINTS will live in Heaven with the Lord Jesus for eternity
• The SINNERS will live in a place prepared for the devil and his angels called Hell for eternity
But listen, if we could call all the people in Hell before us today and say, “How do you like living in hell?” EVERY ONE of them would say, “There is nothing about this place that I like. NOT ONE THING!” I can assure you that no one here ever wants to go to hell.
We see that -
I. HELL IS REAL PLACE
There are a lot of people who are hoping Hell does not exist, because unless they accept Christ as their Savior, they are going to spend eternity in this horrible place.
Now they may say, “I do not believe in a place called Hell”, but one day they will find there is a REAL PLACE CALLED HELL!
HOW DO WE KNOW THAT HELL IS A REAL PLACE? Because:
• THE LORD JESUS SAYS THERE IS A HELL. The New Testament make reference to a place called hell 162 times
• The Lord Himself referenced the subject of hell 70 times
• GOD’S WORD TEACHES THERE IS A HELL. God’s Word says, in Psalm 9:17, “The wicked shall be turned into hell, and all the nations that forget God.”
Even though the Bible teaches about this terrible place, the cults teach that no such place exists.
• Christian Science - "Hell is an error of the mortal mind."
• Jehovah's Witnesses - "The wicked will be annihilated."
• Mormonism - "All will eventually be saved, and not suffer eternal punishment."
• Seventh-day Adventists: "God will someday blot out all sin and sinners, and establish a clean universe once again."
Hell is not the grave, Hell is not annihilation, Hell is not a curse word, HELL IS A REAL PLACE according to the Word of God.
BECAUSE HELL IS A REAL PLACE:
• Bible-preaching churches preach sermons like this to warn people of this awful place.
• We send missionaries around the world to preach the gospel because every mortal must be warned of this terrible place. If there is no Hell there is no reason to send missionaries to any country.
• We obey the great commission and GO INTO ALL THE WORLD AND PREACH THE GOSPEL!
Some say the passage of scripture of the rich man in Hell is only a parable. It is not a parable, it story of a real man that once lived on this earth like we do.
HOW DO WE KNOW IT IS NOT A PARABLE?
(1) JESUS TELLS US IT IS A REAL STORY
Jesus said, “There was a certain rich man, who was clothed in purple and fine linen, and fared sumptuously every day.” The Lord Himself said he existed!
Also, Jesus said, "And there was a certain beggar named Lazarus, which was laid at his gate, full of sores, And desiring to be fed with the crumbs which fell from the rich man's table: moreover the dogs came and licked his sores." (Verses 20-21.)
Not some beggar in a parable, but a CERTAIN BEGGAR NAMED LAZARUS.
Illus: A liberal was explaining why he did not believe this was a true story. He said, “What mother or father would want to be in heaven and know a loved one is in this horrible place called Hell. They would not be able to enjoy heaven.”
But what this liberal failed to understand is that if we still were living in our MORTAL bodies we would not be able to enjoy heaven knowing this. But we will be in glorified bodies and we will have the same body that Christ has. And when the Lord casts the wicked into Hell, we will say, “Lord, you are just in what you are doing!”
Another reason we know it is not a parable is because.
(2) PROPER NAMES ARE NOT USED IN A PARABLE
In this story, the name Lazarus is used.
Some think the word Hell is a curse word to use to express themselves. The word hell is considered a taboo word so Christian minded people created a slang word (heck) to use in place of the old one (Hell).
But make no mistake about it, Hell is a REAL PLACE as much as Columbia, South Carolina is a real place.
If you or I could ask anyone in Hell today, “HOW DO YOU LIKE LIVING IN HELL?” They might tell you:
• “I was a rich man when I lived on earth, but if I could get out of this place, I would give every penny I ever had.”
• “I was a very famous man when I lived on earth, but if I could get out of this place, I would gladly give away all the fame I ever had.”
• “I had a lot of ungodly friends when I was on earth, but I would be willing to forsake every one of them to get out of this place.”
• “I served many gods when I was on earth, but if I could get out of this place, I would be willing to forsake every one of them.”
HELL IS REAL, and like no other place that ever existed. People WOULD GIVE ANYTHING IF THEY COULD GET OUT of this terrible place!
We see that HELL IS REAL, but also-
II. HELL IS HOT
Some people say, “I do not believe in hell!” Listen, you are welcome to your opinion, but your not believing in Hell is not going to drop the temperature one degree.
When people arrive there, they are not only going to see that it is a REAL PLACE, but it is HOT PLACE where people are conscious of their surroundings.
Look at Luke 16:22, we read, “And it came to pass, that the beggar died, and was carried by the angels into Abraham's bosom: the rich man also died, and was buried.”
Listen, death may stop the heart from beating, but death is not the end! Look at some of the things about this PLACE CALLED HELL.
A. IN HELL HE COULD SEE
Verse 23, we read, “And in hell he lift up his eyes, being in torments, and seeth Abraham afar off, and Lazarus in his bosom.”
Listen, with these eyes we sometimes see things that are so bad it causes us to turn our head in a different direction. There are things we can not bear to look at!
Illus: Some people like to watch these blood and guts horror movies. Listen, I do not want to see anything like that. I can not find it entertaining to see someone screaming in horror. If that is all that is on television, I would turn my TV set off and never watch it again.
But in Hell, there is not going to be any place they can cast their eyes to escape the horrors of Hell. According to the scriptures, the rich man lifted up his eyes and saw the horrors of hell. WHAT A SHOCK THAT MUST HAVE BEEN TO THIS MAN!
B. IN HELL HE COULD HEAR
Look at verse 27, we read, “Then he said, I pray thee therefore, father, that thou wouldest send him to my father's house.”
WHAT DOES HE HEAR? He hears some of the most horrible screams that have ever been heard. I am talking about horrible screams.
Illus: Dr. Odell Belger went to see a good Christian man in the hospital. He had a lot to do that day, so he made him his first stop. When he arrived, he could hear the voice of a man screaming down the hallway. As he got closer to the room of the man he had come to see, he saw it was him. He walked into the room and this man was in so much pain they were having to hold him in the bed. He looked at Dr. Belger and said, “Preacher, pray that God will let me die, I can not take any more of this.” There were at least a half-dozen family members in the room. As they heard the agony of his cry, they were crying and many of them had to leave the room. It finally got so bad that they went down the hall to the waiting room but they could still hear him crying out in pain. And the more he cried, the more this family cried. Finally Dr. Belger called his wife and she came up there and he told the family to go home and he and his wife would stay with him. They did, and during the day they gave him morphine to kill the pain but it was not phasing him at all. Finally around 7 or 8 o’clock, he began to calm down. He was totally exhausted and fell asleep. But shortly after he went to sleep, he took a deep breath and died!
Listen, in Hell, people are going to see things prepared for the devil and his angels. They are going to hear the cries of men and women and rebellious teenagers screaming in agony for eternity.
(1) PEOPLE IN HELL ARE EXPERIENCING THE FLAMES OF HELL
Look at Luke 16:24, “And he cried and said, Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus, that he may dip the tip of his finger in water, and cool my tongue; for I am tormented in this flame.”
Mark 9:43-44, “And if thy hand offend thee, cut it off: it is better for thee to enter into life maimed, than having two hands to go into hell, into the fire that never shall be quenched: Where their worm dieth not, and the fire is not quenched.”
(2) PEOPLE IN HELL ARE EXPERIENCING THIRST LIKE THEY HAVE NEVER EXPERIENCED BEFORE
Look at verse 24, we read, “And he cried and said, Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus, that he may dip the tip of his finger in water, and cool my tongue; for I am tormented in this flame.”
(3) PEOPLE IN HELL ARE EXPERIENCING PAIN LIKE THEY HAVE NEVER EXPERIENCED BEFORE
Rev. 14:10-11, “The same shall drink of the wine of the wrath of God, which is poured out without mixture into the cup of his indignation; and he shall be tormented with fire and brimstone in the presence of the holy angels, and in the presence of the Lamb: And the smoke of their torment ascendeth up for ever and ever: and they have no rest day nor night, who worship the beast and his image, and whosoever receiveth the mark of his name.”
(4) PEOPLE IN HELL ARE EXPERIENCING MEMORIES
Look at verses 27-28, we read, “Then he said, I pray thee therefore, father, that thou wouldest send him to my father's house: For I have five brethren; that he may testify unto them, lest they also come into this place of torment.”
If some of you today who are listening to me preach about this awful place end up there, you will remember you had the chance to come to Christ for salvation.
• The rich man remembers that he could have lived for the Lord.
• The rich man remembers all his chances and he realizes that they are gone forever now.
Illus: Can’t you imagine the horror of parents who had no concern for their children’s spiritual welfare in this life:
• They never talked to their children about salvation, but in Hell, they are concerned for them.
• They never prayed with them, but in Hell, they would give anything to pray with them.
• They never brought them to church to hear about God’s love, but in Hell, they would give anything for the privilege of bringing them to church.
I can assure you that in hell, when they realize that their children will be in this dreadful place for eternity, they are going to realize what a mistake they made in this life as parents.
We see that HELL IS REAL, HELL IS HOT and -
III. HELL IS FOREVER
Look at 2 Thess. 1:8-9, “In flaming fire taking vengeance on them that know not God, and that obey not the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ: Who shall be punished with EVERLASTING DESTRUCTION FROM THE PRESENCE OF THE LORD, and from the glory of his power;”
Some do not believe HELL IS FOREVER, but God’s Word makes it clear that the wicked shall be, “Punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord.”
No one here has to go to that awful place, because the Lord Jesus died on the cross for the purpose of keeping you from going there.
Illus: One day, when Vice President Calvin Coolidge was presiding over the Senate, one Senator angrily told another to go, "straight to Hell". The offended Senator complained to Coolidge as presiding officer, and Cal looked up from the book he had been leafing through while listening to the debate. "I've been looking through the rule book," he said. "You don't have to go." AND, FRIEND, NEITHER DO YOU!
You might wonder what all this proves. It proves that this man is in Hell, and that he is alive in that awful place.
God put this account in the Bible to show us a man who rejected God’s plan, and died and went to a place called Hell AND WILL BE THERE FOREVER!
Yes, we could ask any of these in Hell, “How do you like living in Hell?” and they would tell you that THE WORST MISTAKE OF THEIR LIFE WAS WHEN THEY CHOSE:
• SIN ABOVE THE SAVIOR
• SATAN ABOUT THE LORD JESUS
Conclusion:
There is nothing we can do for them. It has already been determined that they will spend eternity in this place called Hell. They made their eternal choice, and now they must live with it for eternity.
We see that -
I. HELL IS REAL
II. HELL IS HOT
III. HELL IS FOREVER
