Luke Series #73 July 21, 2002
Title: 4 Things Everyone Should Know About Hell
Email: pastorsarver@yahoo.com
Website: www.newlifeinchrist.info
Introduction: Set off a smoke alarm using test button.
The sound you just heard is very unpleasant. It is loud, it is annoying, and you probably would rather not hear it. Nevertheless, this noise can save your life because it comes from a smoke alarm, which is intended to make a clear warning of impending danger so that you will take actions to save your life.
Today I will be speaking to you about Hell. It too is unpleasant and disturbing to hear. It is like the smoke alarm in that we had rather not hear about it, but the teachings Jesus gave us about Hell are intended to warn us of impending danger so that we will take actions and save our eternal lives. I hope each of you will listen carefully as I share from the Bible 4 Things Everyone Should Know About Hell.
Opening Prayer.
As most of you are aware, it is our practice here in New Life in Christ to teach through books of the Bible passage by passage. We’re currently in the Book of Luke on Sunday mornings. Last week I taught on Luke 16:1-15 which concerned the wise use of money. Today I will be teaching on Luke 16:19-31 which means that I am skipping verses 16-18. I’ll cover those verses next week which is something I do not usually do but I have a good reason for doing this today. Next week, immediately after the Sunday service, Lisa Kelly and Mark Stanley will be getting married in front of the congregation at the end of the service. If I had preached the text in order, I would have been preaching on a rich man ending up in Hell on their wedding day. Some people may humorously think that this would be fitting, but I thought be wiser to teach on Hell this week and on the previous passage, which speaks on the subject of marriage, next week.
With that note of explanation, let us read our text for this week.
Read Luke 16:19-31
In this text I see four things everyone to know about Hell. The first thing everyone should know about Hell is that. . .
1. Hell may be in your future even if you are presently prospering.
At this point in the narrative Jesus is not speaking primarily to his true disciples, rather he is speaking primarily to those who were outwardly religious but had not truly repented of their sins or trusted in and committed to Jesus Christ. Nevertheless this story is recorded in the Bible for genuine Christians to learn from, even though they are not in danger of Hell. Now there is a debate among Bible scholars as to whether this story is a parable, which is an illustrative fictional story, or if this story is a non fictional event. They’re good arguments on both sides of the debate but it is one that I do not want to take sides on because both parables and historical events recorded in the Bible are intended to do the same thing, which is teach us spiritual truths. The first spiritual truth we learn is that. . .
1. Hell may be in your future even if you are presently prospering.
Read Luke 16:9
In these verses, Jesus especially notes that the man who ended up in Hell was living the good life. He was wealthy, living in luxury, and eating the best foods, and according to Jesus this went on "every day." There was nothing in his life on earth that indicated the terrible future that he faced. In that culture, the rich man would have been considered blessed, spiritual, and destined for heaven. The people of that time reasoned that if a person was doing all right in this life, there was no reason to worry about the future life. After all, if God was angry with them he would not prosper them. People tend to think that way today. People think that if judgment has not come already, it will not come in the future. Let me give you an example of that type of thinking.
President Clinton named Kristine Gebbie, a lesbian, as the new AIDS czar. Four months later she spelled out her perceptions on traditional morality. She said, [The United States] needs to view human sexuality as an essentially important and pleasurable thing. [Until it does so], we will continue to be a repressed, Victorian society that misrepresents information, denies homosexual sexuality, particularly in teens, and leaves people abandoned with no place to go. I can help just a little bit in my job, standing on the White House lawn talking about sex with no lightning bolts falling on my head."
Associated Press, October 29, 1993.
This lady reasoned that since she was doing all right at the moment, then everything must be all right. That’s the same thing the rich man in today’s story would have assumed, but Jesus teaches us differently.
1. Hell may be in your future even if you are presently prospering.
Today you may be healthy, prosperous, and successful but that does not mean everything is ok with God. You may live in a two-story house and go on extravagant vacations around the world but your final trip may still be to Hell. You can be a member of the church, a deacon, elder, or even a pastor and still go to hell. Your present status is no indicator of your future destiny.
Why did the rich man and up in Hell? Was it just because he was rich? No, Abraham was rich and yet he is in heaven. Then, why did the rich man end up in Hell? The next couple verses give us some insight into the answer to that question.
Read Luke 16:20-22
The rich man was in Hell because he was not right with God. Even though he was religious, and we know he was because he addressed Abraham as "Father Abraham" and because he and his family were familiar with the Scriptures according to verse 29, he still was not in a right relationship with God. We know he was not right with God because of the way he treated poor Lazarus. The rich man ignored the hunger and hurt of Lazarus even though he was aware and able to meet his needs easily. Nobody who is right with God would be so a loving toward their neighbor.
In a surprising twist, the poor beggar, who would been considered cursed by God, is carried to Abraham’s side, which is a way of saying that he went to Heaven. Once again earthly status had nothing to do with eternal destiny. He may have suffered many trials and hurts in life but they were not an indicator of God’s judgment as many thought. The main emphasis of the story though is on the rich man who ends up in Hell and from that we learn the first thing everyone should know about Hell.
1. Hell may be in your future even if you are presently prospering.
Now let’s go to the next few verses where we learn the second thing everyone should know about Hell.
Read Luke 16:23-25
2. The second thing everyone needs to know is that Hell is a place of eternal torment and agony.
The idea of hell and judgment are nowhere to be found in Betty Eadie’s bestseller, Embraced By The Light, on the N.Y. Times bestseller list for more than 40 weeks, including 5 weeks as #1. In November 1973 Eadie allegedly died after undergoing a hysterectomy, and returned five hours later with the secrets of heaven revealed by Jesus. Eadie says that Jesus "never wanted to do or say anything that would offend me" while she visited heaven.
Richard Abanes, in Christianity Today, March 7, 1994, p. 53.
This is the popular conception of Jesus; one who never offends or disturbs us with troubling things like the unending and real torment of Hell. Even in churches, many pastors try and tone down what Jesus said so clearly about the agonies of Hell because such teachings are not good for the bottom line, which is filling the pews in the offering plates. Well, despite our desires for less troubling Jesus, he did say some very disturbing things about Hell. If we’re to take Jesus seriously we must also take seriously what he said about Hell. One thing that Jesus told us about Hell is that. . .
2. Hell is a place of eternal torment and agony.
I want you to notice how Hell is described so vividly in this story. The rich man is said to be in "torment." (Verse 23) He begged for even the smallest amount of water to relieve his suffering. (Verse 24) He himself says in verse 24, "I am in agony in this fire." In verse 25 Abraham also uses the word "agony" to describe the man’s condition in Hell. In verses 27 and 28 the rich man begs to warn his family about this place so that "They will not come to this place of torment." The words "torment" and "agony" are used repeatedly by Jesus in the story. Clearly there is a point to this. Jesus wants everyone to know the real truth about the suffering of Hell. This is meant to be disturbing so that we will do everything necessary to avoid Hell.
2. Hell is a place of eternal torment and agony.
This is not the only place where the Bible uses such frightening language to describe Hell. In Matthew 25:30 Jesus described Hell as a place of "outer darkness where there is weeping and gnashing of teeth." Hell is also described in the Bible as a place where the worm does not die and the fire is not quenched. (Mark 9:48) In the Book of Revelation the Final Judgment is described as a "Lake of Fire." In other places of Scripture, Jesus said that it would be better to have of millstone hung around your neck and thrown into the sea that to go into the unquenchable fire. (Mark 9:43) Here’s the point, every description of hell that we have is one of suffering, torment and agony.
Some people have an image of Hell that is not based on reality. For instance Mark Twain said, "I’ll take Heaven for the climate and Hell for the society." Ted Turner once said, "I’m looking for to dying and going to Hell because I know that is where I’m headed." Jerome Butler who is a convicted killer and scheduled to be executed told one of his death row companions, "I’ll wait for you in Hell!" People would not be so flippant or joke about Hell if they understood the reality. What is the reality about Hell?
2. Hell is a place of eternal torment and agony.
Abraham’s words in verse 25 (read) do not infer that the rich man is being punished in Hell and the poor man blessed in heaven because of their financial status in life. The point Abraham is making is to remind the rich man of how he did not use his "good things" (wealth) to help the needy of whom he was aware. In other words, Abraham is reminding him that he can expect no relief from Hell because he’s being punished for his own sins.
This brings up an important point which I will cover briefly before going to the third thing everyone should know about Hell. Sometimes people wonder, "How could a good God some people to Hell?" I do not have time to cover that question extensively but let me point out the error and inconsistency of the question itself. We don’t ask, "How could a good judge send a serial killer to the electric chair?" Why don’t we ask that question? The answer is because the judge is not the one responsible for him going to the electric chair, his own evil choices are. We never ask, "How could a good nation like America attack and punish the Taliban? We don’t ask that question because we recognize that it is their own sins and choices that are reason for their punishment. It is the same with God, he is good, but people end up in Hell because of their own choices, as Abraham reminds the rich man in verse 25.
Read Luke 16:26
This verse tells us the third thing everyone should know about Hell.
3. Hell is a place without hope.
Abraham explains to the rich man that there is of "great chasm" between heaven and hell. In other words, there is no hope of crossing over from one place to another. His destiny is eternally set. There is no hope of escape or relief. Hell is not like a prison where you might be paroled, pardoned, or simply do your time and be released. Hell is forever and inescapable. There are no second chances! God will not change his mind. This great chasm is "fixed", i.e. it is unalterable. The story makes clear that those who go to hell are without hope as their fate is forever sealed. In Hell it is too late to pray, it is too late to change your life, and it is too late to repent.
In the classic book "Dante’s Inferno" Hell is described in graphic detail and with great imagination. Much of the book has no basis in Scripture but is mere conjecture as to what Hell might be like. But there is one thing in the book that is in full agreement with the Scriptures. Near the beginning of the book the main character in the story sees a sign at the entrance to Hell with says: Abandoned hope all you who enter here. This much is certainly true. There is no hope after this life is over. Your destiny is eternally set. Make sure that you’re right with God today because there will be no opportunities after this life, and nobody knows how long this life will last.
3. Hell is a place without hope.
Read Luke 16:27-31
What is the fourth thing everyone should know about Hell?
4. Hell can be avoided if a person listens to God’s word and repents.
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 and wittily replied. "I’ve been looking through the rule book," he said. "You don’t have to go."
Crossroads, Issue No. 7, p. 16.
The same is true for everyone in this room today. You do not have to go to Hell. The rich man realizes that his fate is sealed but he also realizes that his brother’s, who are still alive, do not "have to come to this place of torment." He desires to warn them so that they will repent, which means acknowledge wrongdoing, listen to God and go in a different direction with God’s help. He understands that if a person does this they will not go to Hell. He wants Lazarus to go to them so that they will have a supernatural sign from God to repent but Abraham says in essence, "People that do not listen to the Bible will not respond to supernatural sign."
While it is true that these verses teach that God will not give people supernatural signs and wonders to get them to repent, This verse also teaches that a person can avoid Hell if they do listen (keep) to God’s word and repent. What does it mean to listen to God’s word? What does God’s word say to do? The Bible tells us to trust in and commit to following Jesus Christ. Those who do this may still struggle with sin but when they die they will enter the joy of Heaven forever instead of experiencing the agony of Hell forever. The choice is yours and mine!
Conclusion: I know that Hell is not a popular or pleasant subject, but like the noise of the smoke detector, knowledge of Hell can save your life. What is it that everyone should know about Hell?
1. Hell may be in your future even if you are presently prospering.
2. Hell is a place of eternal torment and agony.
3. Hell is a place without hope.
4. Hell can be avoided if a person listens to God’s word and repents.
Closing Prayer
